Vocabulary in Context

Strategy

1. Locate the word in the passage and re-read the surrounding sentences.
2. Substitute a simpler word that makes sense in context.
3. Find the answer that best matches your substitution.
4. Eliminate choices that only match a different meaning of the word.

Connotation & Nuance

Two words may share a meaning but have different connotations (emotional weight).

• Determined (positive) vs stubborn (negative) — both mean "won't give up"
• Slender (neutral/positive) vs scrawny (negative) — both mean thin

Use the passage's overall tone to choose the connotation that fits.