Daily English Master — SAT · IB

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Vocabulary

SAT · IB Core Word Bank — Contextual Meaning

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Quick Memory Points

For SAT/IB vocabulary, always use the CONTEXT CLUE strategy — the tone and surrounding words reveal meaning. Watch for contrast signals (but, however, yet, despite) and support signals (because, since, thus).

CONTEXT FIRST CONTRAST = opposite meaning SUPPORT = same meaning ROOT + AFFIX

Worked Example — Q1 type

Sentence: "Her speech was so verbose that the audience grew restless."
→ "Restless audience" signals something negative. Verbose = using too many words (Latin verbum = word). Answer: wordy / overly lengthy.

Vocabulary · Context Clue Hard

Choose the word that best matches the meaning of the underlined word as used in the sentence.

"The scientist's findings were so seminal that they changed the entire field of biology."

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — highly influential and original

SEMINAL (adj.) derives from Latin semen (seed) → something that "plants the seeds" for future development. The context clue is "changed the entire field," confirming a foundational, groundbreaking impact.

❌ (A) "controversial" has a negative tone — the sentence is positive.
❌ (B) "difficult to understand" contradicts the clear impact described.
❌ (D) "recent" is not implied — seminal works can be old.

Vocabulary · Connotation Hard

Which word, if substituted for the underlined word, would LEAST change the meaning of the sentence?

"The politician's equivocal response left reporters uncertain about her true position."

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: B — ambiguous

EQUIVOCAL = deliberately vague or having more than one possible interpretation (Latin aequus = equal + vox = voice → two equal voices/meanings). AMBIGUOUS is the closest synonym — both describe unclear, uncertain language.

❌ (A) Resolute = determined → opposite meaning.
❌ (C) Eloquent = expressing clearly and persuasively → positive, not vague.
❌ (D) Candid = honest and direct → opposite of equivocal.

Vocabulary · Word Choice Hard

Select the word that best completes the sentence, maintaining the author's intended tone.

"Despite her outwardly cheerful demeanor, Maria harbored a deep ________ about her career prospects, rarely sharing her fears with others."

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: D — trepidation

Key contrast signal: "Despite" + "cheerful demeanor" → the hidden feeling must be the opposite (negative/fearful). TREPIDATION = a feeling of fear or anxiety about the future, which fits perfectly with "rarely sharing her fears."

❌ (A) Exuberance = enthusiastic happiness → contradicts "fears."
❌ (B) Complacency = self-satisfaction/lack of concern → wrong emotion.
❌ (C) Ambivalence = mixed feelings (neither positive nor negative) → too neutral; the sentence implies clear fear.

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Reading Comprehension

Inference · Main Idea · Author's Purpose

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Quick Memory Points

SAT/IB reading = CITE THE TEXT. Every answer must come from evidence in the passage — never outside knowledge. For inference questions, the answer is always implied, never stated directly. Eliminate answers that are "too extreme" or "not in the passage."

EVIDENCE-BASED INFERENCE ≠ ASSUMPTION ELIMINATE EXTREMES TONE = WORD CHOICE

Worked Example — Inference Question

Passage: "The city's infrastructure had not been updated in over forty years. The bridges sagged; the pipes leaked; the roads were riddled with cracks."
Q: What can be inferred about the city's government?
→ The detail-based evidence (40 years, sagging bridges, leaking pipes) implies neglect/underfunding — never stated directly, but strongly implied by accumulation of evidence.

Reading · Main Idea Medium

Read the passage and answer the question.

Coral reefs, often called the "rainforests of the sea," support approximately 25% of all marine species despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor. These ecosystems are extraordinarily sensitive to changes in water temperature; a rise of just 1–2°C can cause "coral bleaching," during which corals expel the symbiotic algae that provide them with up to 90% of their energy. Without this algae, corals slowly starve. Scientists warn that if current ocean warming trends continue, over 70% of the world's reefs could experience annual bleaching events by 2050.

What is the primary purpose of this passage?

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: B — To explain how coral reefs function and why they are under threat

The passage covers: (1) what coral reefs are, (2) how they survive (symbiotic algae), (3) what threatens them (bleaching from +1–2°C). This is expository writing — informing, not arguing.

❌ (A) "Stop all pollution" is never mentioned — too extreme and off-topic.
❌ (C) The rainforest comparison is only a metaphor in the opening, not the focus.
❌ (D) The passage supports scientific predictions, not disproves them.

Reading · Inference Hard

Using the same passage above (Q4), what can be inferred about corals that experience bleaching?

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — They become significantly weakened and face risk of death

Key evidence: corals "expel algae that provide up to 90% of their energy" → without it, they "slowly starve." The word slowly is critical — it implies they don't die immediately (ruling out A), but they are gravely weakened.

❌ (A) "Cannot recover under any circumstances" is too absolute — the passage says "slowly starve," not instant death.
❌ (B) No evidence for resistance — this is the opposite of what the passage implies.
❌ (D) Completely unsupported — never mentioned in the passage.

Reading · Author's Tone Hard

Read the passage and identify the author's tone.

For decades, advocates have insisted that a four-day workweek would devastate productivity. Yet a growing body of research — including a landmark trial in Iceland involving over 2,500 workers — suggests precisely the opposite. Participants reported improved well-being, reduced burnout, and, crucially, maintained or increased output. Companies that cling to the five-day model without reviewing this evidence do their employees and their bottom lines no favors.

The author's tone in this passage is best described as:

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — persuasive and critical of resistance to change

Tone clues: "Yet," "precisely the opposite," "cling to," "do their employees and their bottom lines no favors" — these are loaded, opinionated phrases. The author takes a clear stance for the 4-day week and criticizes companies that resist.

❌ (A) "Neutral/objective" — the phrase "do their employees no favors" is clearly judgmental, not neutral.
❌ (B) "Pessimistic" — the tone is argumentative/confident, not sad or hopeless.
❌ (D) "Academic/detached" — academic writing avoids "cling to" and opinion phrases.

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Grammar & Usage

SAT Writing · IB Language in Context

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Quick Memory Points

SAT Grammar top traps: PRONOUN AGREEMENT, SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, MODIFIER PLACEMENT, and PARALLEL STRUCTURE. Always identify the subject first — cross out prepositional phrases that hide it.

FIND THE SUBJECT CROSS OUT PREP PHRASES PARALLEL = SAME FORM MODIFIER = NEXT TO ITS NOUN

Worked Example — Subject-Verb Agreement

Tricky: "The results of the experiment was surprising."
→ Cross out "of the experiment" (prep phrase). Subject = results (plural) → needs were.
Corrected: "The results of the experiment were surprising."

Grammar · Parallel Structure Hard

Choose the version that corrects the grammatical error in the underlined portion.

"The new manager was known for her punctuality, being decisive, and that she communicated clearly."

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: B — her punctuality, decisiveness, and clear communication

Parallel structure rule: items in a list must have the same grammatical form. The original mixes a noun, a gerund phrase, and a noun clause — three different forms.

(B) uses three parallel nouns: punctuality, decisiveness, communication ✓

❌ (A) mixes noun + gerund + noun — not fully parallel.
❌ (C) mixes gerund + possessive noun + noun clause.
❌ (D) mixes noun + infinitive + gerund.

Grammar · Dangling Modifier Hard

Which revision best corrects the dangling modifier in this sentence?

"Having studied all night, the exam was easy for Marcus."

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — Having studied all night, Marcus found the exam easy.

A dangling modifier occurs when the participial phrase doesn't logically modify the subject of the main clause. In the original, "Having studied all night" appears to modify "the exam" — but exams don't study!

Fix: the subject of the main clause must be the one who studied → Marcus.
(C) correctly places "Marcus" immediately after the comma. ✓

❌ (A) "the exam was taken" — who took it? "Having studied" still has no clear subject.
❌ (B) "The exam, having been studied" — the exam studied itself? Still wrong.
❌ (D) "it was easy" — "it" is vague and still doesn't connect to the modifier.

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Test-Specific Skills

SAT Evidence Pairs · IB Paper 1 Analysis

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Quick Memory Points

SAT Evidence Pair questions: choose the answer to Q1, then find the line that directly supports that answer in Q2. If no line supports your Q1 answer, go back — you likely got Q1 wrong. For IB analysis: always name the technique + effect + evidence (TEE pattern).

EVIDENCE PAIR: Q1→Q2 LINKED TEE: TECHNIQUE·EFFECT·EVIDENCE NO LINE = WRONG ANSWER SPECIFIC > GENERAL

Worked Example — SAT Evidence Pair

Q1: "What does the author suggest about social media?" → Answer: (B) "it can isolate users"
Q2: "Which lines best support Q1 answer (B)?" → Find a line that talks about isolation or loneliness caused by social media. Any line about other topics = wrong.

Test Skill · SAT Evidence Pair (Part 1) Hard

Read the passage and answer the question.

[Line 1] Automation has transformed manufacturing over the past century, replacing repetitive human labor with machines that work without fatigue or complaint. [Line 2] Proponents argue that this shift frees workers for more creative and fulfilling roles. [Line 3] However, studies consistently show that displaced manufacturing workers — particularly those over 50 — rarely transition into higher-skilled positions. [Line 4] Most end up in lower-wage service jobs or leave the workforce entirely. [Line 5] The promise of automation, for many workers, remains just that: a promise.

The author's attitude toward automation is best described as:

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — skeptical that its benefits reach all workers equally

The author acknowledges proponents' view (Line 2) but uses "However" (Line 3) to pivot to critique. The evidence shows that displaced workers don't benefit → selective skepticism, not total opposition.

❌ (A) The "However" in Line 3 signals the author is not supportive — they challenge the optimistic view.
❌ (B) "Completely opposed" is too extreme. The author acknowledges benefits exist (Line 2) before qualifying them.
❌ (D) The author never questions whether automation will continue — only its effects on workers.

Test Skill · SAT Evidence Pair (Part 2) Hard

Which lines from the passage (Q9) best provide evidence for the answer to Question 9?

📘 Explanation

Correct Answer: C — Lines 3–4

The Q9 answer is that the author is "skeptical that benefits reach all workers equally." Lines 3–4 directly support this: they cite specific evidence (studies, workers over 50, lower-wage service jobs) showing that the benefits do not reach displaced workers.

❌ (A) Lines 1–2 describe automation's transformation and proponents' view — this supports the positive side, not the skeptical critique.
❌ (B) Lines 2–3 bridge the two views; Line 2 alone would contradict the Q9 answer.
❌ (D) Line 1 is neutral description; combining it with Line 5 (the conclusion) skips the key evidence in Lines 3–4.

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Session Complete!

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