Question 49·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
Although the committee's report was ostensibly a simple summary of findings, its carefully calibrated language subtly ______ the organization’s dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For SAT Words-in-Context questions, always start by paraphrasing the sentence without looking at the choices, focusing on clues like transition words, adverbs (here, "subtly"), and the overall tone. Decide what kind of action or idea is needed (for example, indirect communication vs. prediction vs. payment), then test each option in the sentence, eliminating any that are off-topic, too literal, or nonsensical. Finally, choose the word whose core meaning and connotation best match the role the sentence sets up, even if you don’t know every definition perfectly.
Hints
Focus on the contrast in the sentence
Notice the contrast between "ostensibly a simple summary" and "carefully calibrated language." Ask yourself: what might such careful, subtle language be doing beneath the surface?
Pay attention to the adverb
The word "subtly" describes how the action in the blank is done. Eliminate any options that describe actions that are usually obvious, direct, or unrelated to communication.
Think about the direct object
The verb in the blank acts on "the organization’s dissatisfaction with the status quo." Which choices logically describe what language in a report could do to or about that dissatisfaction?
Check for real-world sense
Imagine saying the full sentence out loud with each option. Which one sounds like something people might realistically say about the tone and wording of a formal report?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence setup
Read the full sentence and paraphrase it:
"Although the report seemed like a simple summary, its careful wording subtly ______ the organization’s unhappiness with the current situation."
The key idea: the report appears simple but is actually doing something subtle with its language about dissatisfaction.
Use context clues: “carefully calibrated” and “subtly”
Focus on the clues:
- "carefully calibrated language" suggests deliberate, precise wording.
- "subtly" tells you that whatever the verb is, it must describe an indirect, not obvious, effect.
- The object is "the organization’s dissatisfaction with the status quo"—this is something the language is relating to in some way.
So we need a verb that describes what the language is doing, in a subtle, indirect way, regarding that dissatisfaction.
Test each option against the sentence logic
Plug in each choice and check meaning and logic:
- foretold: means predicted something before it happened. It usually refers to future events, not current dissatisfaction.
- subdued: means calmed, reduced, or softened. If the language "subdued the organization’s dissatisfaction," it would mean it reduced the dissatisfaction, which doesn’t match the idea of expressing or relating that dissatisfaction.
- remunerated: means paid someone for work or services. It doesn’t make sense for language in a report to "remunerate" dissatisfaction.
All three are poor fits for what carefully chosen, subtle language would do in relation to dissatisfaction.
Identify the fitting word
The remaining choice is “intimated,” which means to suggest or imply something indirectly. This matches both "carefully calibrated language" and "subtly" and fits the idea that the report, while seemingly simple, actually intimated the organization’s dissatisfaction with the status quo.