The international committee imposed economic sanctions on the nation to compel compliance with environmental treaties.
国际委员会对该国实施经济制裁，以迫使其遵守环境条约。
Which choice best defines “sanction”?
B — Penalty; approval; authorize. “sanction” means penalty; approval; authorize.
Which word means “penalty; approval; authorize”?
C — sanction. “sanction” means penalty; approval; authorize.
sanction — penalty; approval; authorize. In Chinese: 制裁；批准.
sanction is pronounced /ˈsæŋkʃn/.
The international committee imposed economic sanctions on the nation to compel compliance with environmental treaties. (国际委员会对该国实施经济制裁，以迫使其遵守环境条约。)
approval, authorization, penalty — all close in meaning to sanction (penalty; approval; authorize).
prohibition, disapproval — each the opposite of sanction (penalty; approval; authorize).
Yes. sanction 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.
sanc (sacred) + tion→ sanction, approval.