As the hot air balloon began to ascend, the passengers could see the patchwork of farmland spread out below.
随着热气球开始上升，乘客们可以看到下方农田的拼图般景象。
Which choice best defines “ascend”?
B — To climb or go up. “ascend” means to climb or go up.
Which word means “to climb or go up”?
C — ascend. “ascend” means to climb or go up.
ascend — to climb or go up. In Chinese: 上升，攀登.
ascend is pronounced /əˈsɛnd/.
As the hot air balloon began to ascend, the passengers could see the patchwork of farmland spread out below. (随着热气球开始上升，乘客们可以看到下方农田的拼图般景象。)
climb, rise, mount — all close in meaning to ascend (to climb or go up).
descend, drop — each the opposite of ascend (to climb or go up).
Yes. ascend is on the SAT Prep Easy list — mid-frequency academic words that do get tested. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
as(up)+cend(climb)= ascend