Question 163·Easy·Words in Context
In recent years, many cities have installed bike-sharing programs to reduce traffic congestion. Officials hope the initiative will ______ residents to choose bicycles over cars for short trips.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For SAT Words-in-Context questions, first read the entire sentence (and surrounding sentences if given) to understand the situation, the goal, and the tone (positive, negative, or neutral). Then, before looking closely at the choices, restate in your own words what kind of idea must fill the blank (for example, a helpful effect, a problem, a contrast, etc.). Next, plug each option into the sentence and quickly reject any that are grammatically awkward, have the wrong tone, or contradict the logic of the situation. Often you don’t need the exact dictionary definition; you just need to see which word best matches the author’s purpose and the overall meaning.
Hints
Use the purpose of bike-sharing as a clue
Look at the first sentence: cities installed bike-sharing programs to reduce traffic congestion. Think about whether that goal is positive or negative and what kind of effect they want on residents’ behavior.
Pay attention to the word “hope”
When the sentence says, “Officials hope the initiative will ______ residents,” does that suggest a good outcome for residents, or a bad one? Eliminate any choices that clearly clash with this hopeful attitude.
Try each option in the blank
Read the full sentence out loud with each answer choice in the blank. Which one makes the sentence sound natural and consistent with the idea of getting more people to use bikes instead of cars?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the situation
The sentence explains that many cities have installed bike-sharing programs to reduce traffic congestion. This is a positive goal: they want fewer cars on the road.
Focus on the officials’ hopes
The next sentence says, “Officials hope the initiative will ______ residents to choose bicycles over cars for short trips.” Officials are hoping for a certain effect on residents so that more people will pick bikes instead of cars.
Check the tone and logic of the blank
Because the officials hope for this effect and the goal is to reduce congestion, the missing word must describe a positive, helpful influence that supports residents choosing bikes, not something negative, harmful, or unrelated.
Test each option in the sentence
Plug in each answer:
- “hope the initiative will complain residents” is ungrammatical and “complain” means to express dissatisfaction, which makes no sense here.
- “hope the initiative will confuse residents” is negative and the opposite of what officials want.
- “hope the initiative will ignore residents” means not paying attention to residents, which does not match their goal.
- “hope the initiative will encourage residents to choose bicycles…” clearly expresses that the program helps lead residents toward choosing bikes, matching the positive, hopeful purpose of the initiative. So the correct answer is A) encourage.