Question 90·Hard·Words in Context
Marine microbiologist Maya Alvarado noted that certain planktonic blooms release compounds that temporarily reduce water clarity, making satellite imaging data unreliable. To account for this complication, researchers adjusted their algorithm so that it would not mistake the plankton’s optical effect for a genuine drop in ocean depth, thereby preventing a potentially costly mapping ______.
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 the one before it if given) to understand the situation and what role the blank plays—cause, effect, description, etc. Paraphrase the blank in your own simple words based on context clues (like “mistake,” “change,” “problem,” “benefit”) without looking at the choices. Then check the part of speech and how the word pairs with nearby words (e.g., “mapping ___”). Finally, go through the answer choices: quickly define each one, cross out any that do not match the sentence’s meaning or tone, and select the choice that fits both the meaning and the grammar of the sentence most precisely.
Hints
Focus on the cause-and-effect
Look closely at what the researchers are trying to avoid: the algorithm “mistaking” the plankton’s optical effect for a real change in depth. What general kind of problem would that create for the mapping?
Pay attention to the word before the blank
The blank follows the word “mapping,” so the missing word must be a noun that describes what kind of mapping problem could be “potentially costly.”
Compare the answer choices’ general ideas
Ask yourself: Which choice suggests a small slip, which one suggests going off-topic, which one suggests having too much of something, and which one suggests a deeper problem with how the mapping data is being handled?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what is happening in the sentence
First, restate the situation in your own words. Certain plankton make the water less clear, which makes satellite images misleading. Researchers change their algorithm so it does not treat this visual effect as if the ocean were actually getting shallower or deeper. If they did not fix this, it would cause a serious problem with their map data. So the blank describes the type of problem or error in mapping that they want to avoid.
Use grammar and collocation clues
The blank comes after “mapping” and before a period, so it needs to be a noun that fits the phrase “mapping ______.”
- We’re talking about satellite data being unreliable and the algorithm “mistaking” one thing for another.
- This points to some kind of error in how the mapping is done or understood, not a new topic or an amount of something.
Test each answer choice against the context
Now, check how each word fits after “mapping” in this situation:
- miscue: usually a small mistake or a wrong cue in activities like sports or performance; “mapping miscue” sounds like a minor slip, but here the focus is on a deeper problem with the data’s meaning.
- digression: means going off-topic or away from the main subject; a “mapping digression” doesn’t make sense because they are not talking about changing subjects.
- surfeit: means an excessive amount of something; a “mapping surfeit” would suggest too much mapping, which does not match the idea of confusing optical effects with depth changes. Only one remaining option names a kind of wrong interpretation that fits the idea of “mistaking the plankton’s optical effect for a genuine drop in ocean depth.”
Confirm the best-fitting word
misconstrual means a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of something. That exactly matches the situation: the algorithm might wrongly interpret the visual effect as a real change in depth, which would cause a costly mapping misconstrual. Therefore, the correct answer is B) misconstrual.