Researchers studied the motive behind the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, seeking to understand the environmental triggers that prompt their long journey.
研究人员研究了帝王蝶迁徙模式背后的动机，试图理解促使其长途旅行的环境诱因。
Which choice best defines “motive”?
D — Reason for doing something. “motive” means reason for doing something.
Which word means “reason for doing something”?
D — motive. “motive” means reason for doing something.
motive — reason for doing something. In Chinese: 动机，目的.
motive is pronounced /ˈmoʊtɪv/.
Researchers studied the motive behind the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, seeking to understand the environmental triggers that prompt their long journey. (研究人员研究了帝王蝶迁徙模式背后的动机，试图理解促使其长途旅行的环境诱因。)
reason, purpose, intent — all close in meaning to motive (reason for doing something).
result, effect — each the opposite of motive (reason for doing something).
Yes. motive is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. 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.
mot(motion)+ive(noun/adjective)