Question 94·Easy·Words in Context
To reduce energy consumption, the city council has launched a public-awareness campaign emphasizing that small daily actions—switching off unused lights, repairing leaky faucets, and walking instead of driving short distances—can collectively have a(n) ______ impact on the municipality’s overall carbon footprint.
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 identify the overall purpose and tone (positive/negative, serious/light, etc.). Then, before looking at the choices, restate in your own words what kind of meaning should go in the blank (for example, “noticeable effect” or “very small effect”). Next, test each answer choice by plugging it into the sentence and asking: does this match the meaning, tone, and logic of the sentence? Quickly eliminate words whose dictionary meanings you know are clearly off (wrong tone, wrong size/degree, or illogical in context), and choose the one that fits all the clues rather than just sounding sophisticated.
Hints
Focus on the goal of the campaign
Ask yourself: What is the city council trying to show about these small daily actions and their effect on energy use and the carbon footprint?
Pay attention to the word "collectively"
The sentence says these actions collectively have an impact. Does that suggest a very small effect, no effect, or a clearly noticeable effect when they are all added together?
Check each choice against the tone
The tone of the sentence is positive and purposeful. Eliminate any answer choices that suggest the impact is tiny, random, or causes conflict.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the sentence is saying
The city council is running a public-awareness campaign to reduce energy consumption. The examples—turning off lights, fixing leaks, walking instead of driving—are all positive, environmentally friendly actions.
Use the key context clue: "collectively"
The phrase "can collectively have a(n) ______ impact" tells you that many small actions, when added together, produce some overall effect on the carbon footprint. The campaign is meant to show these actions do matter, not that they are tiny, random, or harmful.
Decide what kind of impact makes sense
Because the goal is to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, the impact should be noticeable and important. A word that suggests the effect is very small, meaningless, random, or creates conflict would not match the positive, purposeful tone of the sentence.
Match the best choice to the meaning
Choice B, "significant," means important or large enough to be noticeable, which fits the idea that small actions together can truly affect the city’s carbon footprint.
- "nominal" means very small or existing in name only.
- "arbitrary" means random or based on personal whim, not reason.
- "divisive" means causing disagreement or conflict. Only "significant" matches the intended meaning, so the correct answer is B) significant.