The residents submitted a petition to the city council requesting the installation of additional streetlights along the darkened pedestrian path.
居民向市议会提交请愿书，要求在昏暗的人行道上增设更多路灯。
Which choice best defines “petition”?
D — Formal request. “petition” means formal request.
Which word means “formal request”?
A — petition. “petition” means formal request.
petition — formal request. In Chinese: 请愿.
petition is pronounced /pəˈtɪʃn/.
The residents submitted a petition to the city council requesting the installation of additional streetlights along the darkened pedestrian path. (居民向市议会提交请愿书，要求在昏暗的人行道上增设更多路灯。)
request, appeal, application — all close in meaning to petition (formal request).
Yes. petition 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.
petit(small request)+ion(noun)