Match register/formality (academic vs conversational) to the passage.
Core Idea
The right word must match the formality level of the passage — a casual synonym in a formal passage (or vice versa) is wrong even if the meaning is correct.
Understanding
Register is how formal or informal a piece of writing sounds. A research paper and a text message can say the same thing, but the words they use are different: "the results demonstrate" vs. "it turns out." SAT passages vary in register — some are academic, some journalistic, some literary — and the correct answer always matches.
When checking your answer, read the whole sentence aloud in your head with your choice plugged in. If the word sounds jarring — too casual for a scientific report, or too stiff for a personal essay — it's probably wrong. The passage sets the register; your job is to match it, not change it.
Worked Example
In a letter to the academic journal, the researcher objected to the characterization of her methodology, writing that the reviewers had __________ the scope of her data set and thereby drawn conclusions unsupported by the evidence she actually presented.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Select an answer to see the explanation