Question 68·Medium·Words in Context
Literary scholar Maya Dutta cross-referenced dozens of personal letters with shipping manifests and weather logs to determine the precise day the novelist first set foot in Calcutta—an effort that showcases her ______ research style.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For SAT Words in Context questions, first ignore the answer choices and restate the blank in your own words based on the sentence (for example, “very careful” or “not caring”). Use clues about actions, tone (praise vs. criticism), and goals (like finding something “precise”) to decide the general meaning. Then compare your paraphrase to each option, eliminating any with the wrong tone (too negative or careless) or that don’t match the described behavior, and choose the one that most closely fits the context, not just one that seems vaguely familiar.
Hints
Look closely at her actions
Reread the part about what Maya Dutta actually did: she used personal letters, shipping manifests, and weather logs. Ask yourself: What kind of working style is needed to do all that?
Pay attention to the goal
She is trying to determine the precise day the novelist arrived. Does that suggest carelessness, randomness, or something else?
Check the tone of the description
Is the author criticizing her research style or admiring it? Eliminate answer choices that have a negative or careless meaning that doesn’t fit this tone.
Match the meaning, not just the sound
Think about the exact meanings of each option, not whether you’ve heard the word before. Which one best fits a researcher who uses many records to get an exact answer?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the sentence is saying
Focus on the description of Maya Dutta’s work: she cross-referenced dozens of personal letters with shipping manifests and weather logs to find the precise day the novelist arrived. This tells you she used many sources and worked carefully to get an exact answer.
Determine the tone and what is being praised
The phrase “an effort that showcases her ______ research style” suggests the sentence is praising her work, not criticizing it. The tone is positive, highlighting how she does research, so the blank should be filled with a positive word that matches careful, thorough work.
Evaluate and eliminate choices that conflict with the context
Now compare each option with the idea of careful, multi-source research:
- A word meaning routine or superficial would not fit.
- A word meaning acting without thought would not fit.
- A word meaning not caring or indifferent would not fit. Only the option that suggests extreme care and attention to detail can logically match the description.
Choose the word that matches careful, detailed research
The only choice that means extremely careful and attentive to details in one’s work is “meticulous,” so that is the correct answer.