200 Key Words for SAT Reading!
1. Analyze (verb): to study something in a systematic and careful way
a. The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope.
b. There will be lots of time to analyze after the pandemic is over.
2. Argument (noun): a reason or reasons why you support or oppose an idea or suggestion, or
the process of explaining these reasons
a. The committee presented strong arguments against building a new school.
b. Visscher presents climate change as the ultimate pro-nuclear argument.
3. Assumption (noun): something that you accept as true without question or proof
a. Many scientific assumptions about Mars were wrong.
b. Her plan is based on the underlying assumption that the economy will improve in the near
future.
4. Bias (noun): the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way,
because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment
a. Do they have a bias against women?
b. The decision was made without bias.
5. Cite (verb): to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something
has happened
a. He cited evidence suggesting she was in the area when the crime was committed.
b. The article cites several experts on the subject.
6. Claim (verb): to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and
other people might not believe it
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 1
, a. She makes the claim that sea levels will actually go down.
b. He made false claims about his past job experience.
7. Distill (verb): to distill something said or written is to reduce it but keep the most important part
a. She distilled the report into a paragraph.
b. She helped distill the inmate complaints into a list of demands.
8. Context (noun): the text or speech that comes immediately before and after a particular phrase
or piece of text and helps to explain its meaning
a. In this exercise, a word is blanked out and you have to guess what it is by looking at the
context.
b. You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.
9. Contradiction (noun): the fact of something being the complete opposite of something else or
very different from something else, so that one of them must be wrong
a. You say that you're good friends and yet you don't trust him. Isn't that a contradiction?
b. In answering the first question a series of contradictions arise.
10. Critique (noun): a report of something such as a political situation or system, or a
person's work or ideas, that examines it and provides a judgment, especially a negative one
a. In a concluding chapter he gives personal commentaries on some of the earlier chapters,
replying to critiques and issuing quite a few challenges.
b. The discourse and critiques developed at this level have trickled down to the rest of the
movement through organising tactics.
11. Deduce (verb): to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts
a. We cannot deduce very much from these figures.
b. I can deduce from the simple observation of your behavior that you're trying to hide something
from me.
12. Define (verb): to say what the meaning of something, especially a word, is
a. In the dictionary, "reality" is defined as "the state of things as they are, rather than as they
are imagined to be".
b. Class, defined by educational level, is a key dimension of difference.
13. Determine (verb): to control or influence something directly, or to decide what will happen
a. The number of staff we can take on will be determined by how much money we are allowed to
spend.
b. Eye colour is genetically determined.
14. Evidence (noun): facts, information, documents, etc. that give reason to believe that something
is true
a. The police have found no evidence of a terrorist link with the murder.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 2
, b. Campaigners now have compelling documentary evidence of the human rights abuses that
they had been alleging for several years.
15. Excerpt (noun): a short part taken from a speech, book, film, etc.
a. An excerpt from her new thriller will appear in this weekend's magazine.
b. Finally, an excerpt including ascending and descending parts of the sweep is played.
16. Exposition (noun): a clear and full explanation of an idea or theory
a. It purports to be an exposition of Catholic social teaching.
b. The subject requires some exposition.
17. Fallacy (noun): an idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false
a. It is a common fallacy that women are worse drivers than men.
b. The fallacy of their ideas about medicine soon became apparent.
18. Figurative language (term): Figurative language, refers to words or phrases that are meaningful,
but not literally true. Figurative language examples include similes, metaphors, personification,
hyperbole, allusions, and idioms.
a. The boy was as brave as a lion in the jungle.
b. The warrior has a heart of stone.
19. Hypothesis (noun): an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has
not yet been proved
a. Several hypotheses for global warming have been suggested.
b. The adjustment cost hypothesis reduces the elasticity of capital supply.
20. Implication (noun): an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly
a. The implication was that the workers and management had already reached an agreement.
b. From what she said, the implication was that they were splitting up.
21. Inference (noun): a guess that you make or an opinion that you form based on
the information that you have
a. They were warned to expect a heavy air attack and by inference many casualties.
b. His change of mind was recent and sudden, the inference being that someone
had persuaded him.
22. Justify (verb): to show that something is reasonable, right, or true
a. Her fears of a low voter turnout were justified when fewer than half of the people voted.
b. At best, dialogue will be justified in terms of curiosity about other positions in the market-place.
23. Logic (noun): a particular way of thinking, especially one that is reasonable and based on
good judgment
a. I fail to see the logic behind his argument.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 3
, b. Various temporal orderings give rise to a variety of temporal logics.
24. Main idea (term): the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text,
which tells the reader what the text is about
a. Find the main idea in each paragraph.
b. There is much confusion and disparity in use of the terms main idea and theme.
25. Paradox (noun): a situation or statement that seems impossible or
is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics
a. It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.,
b. It’s a strange paradox that people who say you shouldn’t criticize the government criticize it
as soon as they disagree with it.
26. Perspective (noun): a particular way of considering something
a. Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject.
b. He writes from a Marxist perspective.
27. Point of view (noun): a way of considering something
a. From a medical point of view, there was no need for the operation.
b. From a purely practical point of view, the house is too small.
28. Premise (noun): an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based
a. They had started with the premise that all men are created equal.
b. The research project is based on the premise stated earlier.
29. Refute (verb): to say or prove that a person, statement, opinion, etc. is wrong or false
a. Are you refuting the evidence?
b. When mistakes are discovered in proofs, the theorems themselves are usually not refuted.
30. Relevant (adjective): related to a subject or to something happening or being discussed
a. We turned over relevant documents to the investigating team.
b. I chose it because it is recent, brief and relevant to ordinary people.
31. Rhetoric (noun): speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people
a. How far the president will be able to translate his campaign rhetoric into action remains to
be seen.
b. I was swayed by her rhetoric into donating all my savings to the charity.
32. Stereotype (noun): a set idea that people have about what someone or something is
like, especially an idea that is wrong
a. The characters in the book are just stereotypes.
b. She was the very stereotype of the prim English woman.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 4
, 33. Synthesize (verb): to put separate facts, etc. together to form a single piece of work
a. The findings from the five separate studies have been synthesized in the report.
b. All of this has substantially improved the capability to synthesize research findings.
34. Thesis (noun): the main idea, opinion, or theory of a person, group, piece of writing, or speech
a. Their main thesis was that war was inevitable.
b. Extreme theses and antitheses garner more attention, increase citation rates, and sell books.
35. Tone (noun): a change in how high or low the voice is that can change the meaning of a word
or sentence
a. His gentle introductory tone modulates into a football coach's pre-game pep talk.
b. It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
36. Valid (adjective): based on truth or reason; able to be accepted
a. My way of thinking might be different from yours, but it's equally valid.
b. The money was gone, and the only valid conclusion was that someone had stolen it.
37. Abstain (verb): to not do something, especially something enjoyable that you think might be bad
a. He took a vow to abstain from alcohol.
b. Some families abstain from eating fried food.
38. Comparison(noun): the act of comparing two or more people or things
a. They made a comparison of different countries' eating habits.
b. By comparison with the French, the British eat far less fish.
39. Significance (noun): importance
a. His work is of great significance to historians.
b. The statistical significances of the differences are discussed in the text.
40. Insight (noun): a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of
a complicated problem or situation, or the ability to have such an understanding
a. Hurston’s writings were recognized for their insights.
b. His work shows originality and insight.
41. Rebut (verb): to argue that a statement or claim is not true
a. She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice.
b. He appeared on TV to rebut the charges against him.
42. Theme (noun): the main subject of a talk, book, film, etc.
a. The theme of loss runs through most of his novels.
b. The movies she makes are all variations on the same theme.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 5
, 43. Detail (noun): a particular fact or item of information, often noticed only after giving
something your close attention, or such facts or items considered as a group
a. She showed a businesslike attention to detail.
b. I can’t go into much detail, but I’ve been having some health problems recently.
44. Support (verb):to help to show something to be true
a. These figures support my argument.
b. You can't make a statement like that without any supporting documentation.
45. Motivation (noun): the need or reason for doing something
a. What was the motivation for the attack?
b. The motivation behind the decision is the desire to improve our service to our customers.
46. Nuance (noun): a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
a. The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman's expression.
b. Linguists explore the nuances of language.
47. Objectivity (noun): the fact of not being based on facts and not influenced by personal beliefs or
feelings
a. Surely true objectivity in a critic is impossible?
b. We should not lose our objectivity as we respond to the attack.
48. Subjectivity (noun): the influence of personal beliefs or feelings, rather than facts
a. There's always an element of subjectivity in decision-making.
b. Accountants hate the subjectivity involved in long term forecasting.
49. Ambiguity (noun): the fact of something having more than one possible meaning and therefore
possibly causing confusion
a. We wish to remove any ambiguity concerning our demands.
b. There are some ambiguities in the legislation.
50. Empirical (adjective): based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory
a. This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical evidence.
b. Empirical studies show that some forms of alternative medicine are extremely effective.
51. Appeal (verb): to make a serious or formal request, especially to the public,
for money, information, or help
a. They're appealing for clothes and blankets to send to the devastated region.
b. The police are appealing to the public for any information about the missing girl.
52. Concrete (adjective): clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt
a. They think she killed her husband, but they have no concrete evidence.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 6
1. Analyze (verb): to study something in a systematic and careful way
a. The bacteria were analyzed under a powerful microscope.
b. There will be lots of time to analyze after the pandemic is over.
2. Argument (noun): a reason or reasons why you support or oppose an idea or suggestion, or
the process of explaining these reasons
a. The committee presented strong arguments against building a new school.
b. Visscher presents climate change as the ultimate pro-nuclear argument.
3. Assumption (noun): something that you accept as true without question or proof
a. Many scientific assumptions about Mars were wrong.
b. Her plan is based on the underlying assumption that the economy will improve in the near
future.
4. Bias (noun): the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way,
because of allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment
a. Do they have a bias against women?
b. The decision was made without bias.
5. Cite (verb): to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something
has happened
a. He cited evidence suggesting she was in the area when the crime was committed.
b. The article cites several experts on the subject.
6. Claim (verb): to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and
other people might not believe it
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 1
, a. She makes the claim that sea levels will actually go down.
b. He made false claims about his past job experience.
7. Distill (verb): to distill something said or written is to reduce it but keep the most important part
a. She distilled the report into a paragraph.
b. She helped distill the inmate complaints into a list of demands.
8. Context (noun): the text or speech that comes immediately before and after a particular phrase
or piece of text and helps to explain its meaning
a. In this exercise, a word is blanked out and you have to guess what it is by looking at the
context.
b. You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.
9. Contradiction (noun): the fact of something being the complete opposite of something else or
very different from something else, so that one of them must be wrong
a. You say that you're good friends and yet you don't trust him. Isn't that a contradiction?
b. In answering the first question a series of contradictions arise.
10. Critique (noun): a report of something such as a political situation or system, or a
person's work or ideas, that examines it and provides a judgment, especially a negative one
a. In a concluding chapter he gives personal commentaries on some of the earlier chapters,
replying to critiques and issuing quite a few challenges.
b. The discourse and critiques developed at this level have trickled down to the rest of the
movement through organising tactics.
11. Deduce (verb): to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts
a. We cannot deduce very much from these figures.
b. I can deduce from the simple observation of your behavior that you're trying to hide something
from me.
12. Define (verb): to say what the meaning of something, especially a word, is
a. In the dictionary, "reality" is defined as "the state of things as they are, rather than as they
are imagined to be".
b. Class, defined by educational level, is a key dimension of difference.
13. Determine (verb): to control or influence something directly, or to decide what will happen
a. The number of staff we can take on will be determined by how much money we are allowed to
spend.
b. Eye colour is genetically determined.
14. Evidence (noun): facts, information, documents, etc. that give reason to believe that something
is true
a. The police have found no evidence of a terrorist link with the murder.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 2
, b. Campaigners now have compelling documentary evidence of the human rights abuses that
they had been alleging for several years.
15. Excerpt (noun): a short part taken from a speech, book, film, etc.
a. An excerpt from her new thriller will appear in this weekend's magazine.
b. Finally, an excerpt including ascending and descending parts of the sweep is played.
16. Exposition (noun): a clear and full explanation of an idea or theory
a. It purports to be an exposition of Catholic social teaching.
b. The subject requires some exposition.
17. Fallacy (noun): an idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false
a. It is a common fallacy that women are worse drivers than men.
b. The fallacy of their ideas about medicine soon became apparent.
18. Figurative language (term): Figurative language, refers to words or phrases that are meaningful,
but not literally true. Figurative language examples include similes, metaphors, personification,
hyperbole, allusions, and idioms.
a. The boy was as brave as a lion in the jungle.
b. The warrior has a heart of stone.
19. Hypothesis (noun): an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but has
not yet been proved
a. Several hypotheses for global warming have been suggested.
b. The adjustment cost hypothesis reduces the elasticity of capital supply.
20. Implication (noun): an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly
a. The implication was that the workers and management had already reached an agreement.
b. From what she said, the implication was that they were splitting up.
21. Inference (noun): a guess that you make or an opinion that you form based on
the information that you have
a. They were warned to expect a heavy air attack and by inference many casualties.
b. His change of mind was recent and sudden, the inference being that someone
had persuaded him.
22. Justify (verb): to show that something is reasonable, right, or true
a. Her fears of a low voter turnout were justified when fewer than half of the people voted.
b. At best, dialogue will be justified in terms of curiosity about other positions in the market-place.
23. Logic (noun): a particular way of thinking, especially one that is reasonable and based on
good judgment
a. I fail to see the logic behind his argument.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 3
, b. Various temporal orderings give rise to a variety of temporal logics.
24. Main idea (term): the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text,
which tells the reader what the text is about
a. Find the main idea in each paragraph.
b. There is much confusion and disparity in use of the terms main idea and theme.
25. Paradox (noun): a situation or statement that seems impossible or
is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics
a. It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.,
b. It’s a strange paradox that people who say you shouldn’t criticize the government criticize it
as soon as they disagree with it.
26. Perspective (noun): a particular way of considering something
a. Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject.
b. He writes from a Marxist perspective.
27. Point of view (noun): a way of considering something
a. From a medical point of view, there was no need for the operation.
b. From a purely practical point of view, the house is too small.
28. Premise (noun): an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based
a. They had started with the premise that all men are created equal.
b. The research project is based on the premise stated earlier.
29. Refute (verb): to say or prove that a person, statement, opinion, etc. is wrong or false
a. Are you refuting the evidence?
b. When mistakes are discovered in proofs, the theorems themselves are usually not refuted.
30. Relevant (adjective): related to a subject or to something happening or being discussed
a. We turned over relevant documents to the investigating team.
b. I chose it because it is recent, brief and relevant to ordinary people.
31. Rhetoric (noun): speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people
a. How far the president will be able to translate his campaign rhetoric into action remains to
be seen.
b. I was swayed by her rhetoric into donating all my savings to the charity.
32. Stereotype (noun): a set idea that people have about what someone or something is
like, especially an idea that is wrong
a. The characters in the book are just stereotypes.
b. She was the very stereotype of the prim English woman.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 4
, 33. Synthesize (verb): to put separate facts, etc. together to form a single piece of work
a. The findings from the five separate studies have been synthesized in the report.
b. All of this has substantially improved the capability to synthesize research findings.
34. Thesis (noun): the main idea, opinion, or theory of a person, group, piece of writing, or speech
a. Their main thesis was that war was inevitable.
b. Extreme theses and antitheses garner more attention, increase citation rates, and sell books.
35. Tone (noun): a change in how high or low the voice is that can change the meaning of a word
or sentence
a. His gentle introductory tone modulates into a football coach's pre-game pep talk.
b. It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
36. Valid (adjective): based on truth or reason; able to be accepted
a. My way of thinking might be different from yours, but it's equally valid.
b. The money was gone, and the only valid conclusion was that someone had stolen it.
37. Abstain (verb): to not do something, especially something enjoyable that you think might be bad
a. He took a vow to abstain from alcohol.
b. Some families abstain from eating fried food.
38. Comparison(noun): the act of comparing two or more people or things
a. They made a comparison of different countries' eating habits.
b. By comparison with the French, the British eat far less fish.
39. Significance (noun): importance
a. His work is of great significance to historians.
b. The statistical significances of the differences are discussed in the text.
40. Insight (noun): a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of
a complicated problem or situation, or the ability to have such an understanding
a. Hurston’s writings were recognized for their insights.
b. His work shows originality and insight.
41. Rebut (verb): to argue that a statement or claim is not true
a. She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice.
b. He appeared on TV to rebut the charges against him.
42. Theme (noun): the main subject of a talk, book, film, etc.
a. The theme of loss runs through most of his novels.
b. The movies she makes are all variations on the same theme.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 5
, 43. Detail (noun): a particular fact or item of information, often noticed only after giving
something your close attention, or such facts or items considered as a group
a. She showed a businesslike attention to detail.
b. I can’t go into much detail, but I’ve been having some health problems recently.
44. Support (verb):to help to show something to be true
a. These figures support my argument.
b. You can't make a statement like that without any supporting documentation.
45. Motivation (noun): the need or reason for doing something
a. What was the motivation for the attack?
b. The motivation behind the decision is the desire to improve our service to our customers.
46. Nuance (noun): a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
a. The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman's expression.
b. Linguists explore the nuances of language.
47. Objectivity (noun): the fact of not being based on facts and not influenced by personal beliefs or
feelings
a. Surely true objectivity in a critic is impossible?
b. We should not lose our objectivity as we respond to the attack.
48. Subjectivity (noun): the influence of personal beliefs or feelings, rather than facts
a. There's always an element of subjectivity in decision-making.
b. Accountants hate the subjectivity involved in long term forecasting.
49. Ambiguity (noun): the fact of something having more than one possible meaning and therefore
possibly causing confusion
a. We wish to remove any ambiguity concerning our demands.
b. There are some ambiguities in the legislation.
50. Empirical (adjective): based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory
a. This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical evidence.
b. Empirical studies show that some forms of alternative medicine are extremely effective.
51. Appeal (verb): to make a serious or formal request, especially to the public,
for money, information, or help
a. They're appealing for clothes and blankets to send to the devastated region.
b. The police are appealing to the public for any information about the missing girl.
52. Concrete (adjective): clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt
a. They think she killed her husband, but they have no concrete evidence.
200 Key Words for SAT Reading! 6
