Question 187·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
In summarizing the committee’s findings, the chair stressed that the panel’s endorsement of the plan was ______: it depended on the city meeting strict benchmarks over the next year and could be withdrawn at any time.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words-in-Context questions, first read the entire sentence (and sometimes the one before/after) to understand the situation and tone before looking at the choices. Use punctuation clues like colons and dashes to see which part of the sentence explains or restates the blank. Then, in your own words, describe what kind of word is needed (for example, “shows caution” or “indicates contrast”), and test each choice by plugging it into the sentence and checking it against all the clues, especially any phrases that would contradict certain meanings. Eliminate choices whose meanings clearly conflict with those clues rather than trying to justify them.
Hints
Use the colon
Focus on the part of the sentence after the colon. It explains what kind of endorsement the panel gave, so use that to guide your choice for the blank.
Pay attention to the conditions
The endorsement “depended on the city meeting strict benchmarks” and “could be withdrawn at any time.” Ask yourself: does that sound permanent or changeable? Strong or cautious?
Match the overall tone
Think about whether the committee is extremely enthusiastic, bored and going through the motions, absolutely final, or careful and uncertain. Eliminate choices that clearly clash with the idea that the endorsement might be taken back.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the punctuation as a clue
Notice the colon after the blank: was ______: it depended on.... On the SAT, a colon usually means that what comes after it explains, defines, or gives an example of what comes before it. So the phrase after the colon tells you what kind of endorsement it was.
Paraphrase the key context
Look closely at the explanation after the colon: the endorsement “depended on the city meeting strict benchmarks over the next year and could be withdrawn at any time.” This shows the endorsement is not full or permanent; it is cautious and can change if conditions are not met.
Check how each choice fits that idea
Now, test each word with that meaning in mind:
- effusive usually describes someone who is extremely enthusiastic or overflowing with emotion. That doesn’t match an endorsement that might be taken back.
- irrevocable means cannot be changed or undone. This directly conflicts with “could be withdrawn at any time.”
- perfunctory means done mechanically or with little effort, just to get it over with. That does not match a carefully conditioned endorsement tied to strict benchmarks. We need the choice that matches a cautious, limited endorsement that depends on conditions.
Select the word that matches a limited, conditional endorsement
Qualified can describe an approval or endorsement that is limited or conditional rather than complete. Since the endorsement depends on strict benchmarks and “could be withdrawn at any time,” “qualified” is the most logical and precise choice.