Question 64·Easy·Words in Context
The following text is adapted from Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice (public domain).
Elizabeth listened with keen attention, determined to catch every nuance of her sister’s account.
As used in the sentence, what does the word “keen” most nearly mean?
For SAT Words in Context questions, always start by ignoring any dictionary meaning you memorized and instead focus on how the word is used in that specific sentence. Identify the part of speech, read a few lines around the word, and restate what the sentence is saying in your own words. Then quickly plug each choice into the sentence and see which one best matches the overall meaning and tone (positive/negative, physical/emotional, formal/informal). Eliminate choices that only fit a different common meaning of the word or that clash with the context, and select the one that sounds natural and preserves the author’s intended idea.
Hints
Look at the full sentence, not just the single word
Reread the entire sentence and pay special attention to the phrase after the comma: “determined to catch every nuance of her sister’s account.” What does that tell you about how Elizabeth is listening?
Decide on the tone
Ask yourself: Is the description of Elizabeth’s attention positive, negative, or painful? Does it sound like anger, physical discomfort, or something else?
Plug each option into the sentence
Try reading the sentence with each answer choice in place of “keen”: “listened with ___ attention.” Which one sounds most natural and best matches the idea of trying hard to catch every small detail?
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the word and its role in the sentence
The question asks about the meaning of “keen” in the sentence:
Elizabeth listened with keen attention, determined to catch every nuance of her sister’s account.
Here, “keen” comes right before “attention,” so it is an adjective describing the type of attention Elizabeth is giving.
Use the rest of the sentence as a context clue
Look at the phrase after the comma: “determined to catch every nuance of her sister’s account.”
This tells us how she is listening:
- She is very focused.
- She really wants to understand every small detail (“every nuance”).
So “keen” here suggests strong, intense interest and focus in her listening, and the tone is positive, not angry or painful.
Test each choice in the sentence
Now mentally replace “keen” with each option and see what fits the meaning and tone.
- “Elizabeth listened with sharp attention…” — “sharp” often describes edges, pains, or sometimes intelligence, but this sounds a bit odd and doesn’t clearly match the idea of wanting very much to hear every detail.
- “Elizabeth listened with bitter attention…” — “bitter” suggests anger or resentment, which does not fit the careful, determined tone.
- “Elizabeth listened with piercing attention…” — “piercing” usually describes sounds, cold, or looks that feel physically intense or painful, which doesn’t fit attention in this context.
- “Elizabeth listened with eager attention…” — this fits naturally with the idea that she is determined to catch every nuance; it shows she is very interested and strongly wants to understand.
Match the best-fitting meaning to the answer choices
From the context, “keen” means that Elizabeth is listening with strong desire and interest—she is very willing and ready to pay close attention.
The choice that best matches this meaning is D) Eager.