When the power failed during the lecture, the professor had to improvise a demonstration using only a candle and a glass of water.
讲座停电时，教授只好用一根蜡烛和一杯水即兴进行演示。
Which choice best defines “improvise”?
D — Make up on the spot. “improvise” means make up on the spot.
Which word means “make up on the spot”?
B — improvise. “improvise” means make up on the spot.
improvise — make up on the spot. In Chinese: 即兴创作，临时做.
improvise is pronounced /ˈɪmprəvaɪz/.
When the power failed during the lecture, the professor had to improvise a demonstration using only a candle and a glass of water. (讲座停电时，教授只好用一根蜡烛和一杯水即兴进行演示。)
ad-lib, extemporize, wing it — all close in meaning to improvise (make up on the spot).
rehearse, prepare — each the opposite of improvise (make up on the spot).
Yes. improvise 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.
improvise (impromptu)