Question 77·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
As the novelist revised the chapter, she cut any sentence that ______ the protagonist's motives, insisting that their inner life should be inferred, not proclaimed.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words-in-Context questions, first underline key clues in the sentence—especially contrasts like “rather than,” “but,” or “not.” Decide what idea needs to go in the blank (for example, “stated too directly” vs. “hinted at”). Then, briefly define each answer choice in simple terms and plug each into the sentence, checking both meaning and tone. Eliminate any choice that contradicts the logic of the surrounding words, even if it seems to fit the blank by itself, and only then select the one that best matches the author’s stated preference or contrast.
Hints
Use the contrast at the end of the sentence
Look closely at the phrase “should be inferred, not proclaimed.” Ask yourself: does the author want the motives to be obvious or subtle?
Think about which sentences contradict that preference
The novelist is cutting sentences that don’t match her preference. What kind of sentence would clash with wanting readers to infer the character’s inner life rather than having it told to them?
Evaluate the options by meaning and logic
Consider what each verb means before the phrase “the protagonist’s motives”: alluded to, mirrored, clouded, and the remaining option. Which one best describes the type of sentence that would go against the idea of readers figuring motives out for themselves?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the key contrast in the sentence
Focus on the phrase “should be inferred, not proclaimed.” If something is inferred, the reader figures it out indirectly from clues. If something is proclaimed, it is stated openly and explicitly. So the novelist wants the protagonist’s motives to be subtle and read between the lines, not bluntly announced.
Decide what kind of sentences she would cut
Because she wants motives to be inferred, not proclaimed, she will remove any sentence that goes against that goal. That means she would cut sentences that state or reveal the motives too directly, making them obvious instead of letting readers figure them out.
Test each answer choice against that idea (wrong choices)
Now check which choices match or conflict with that goal:
- A) alluded to – Alluded to means hinted at indirectly. Sentences that only hint at motives actually help readers infer them, so these are the kind of sentences she would keep, not cut.
- B) mirrored – Mirrored means reflected or copied. A sentence that “mirrored” motives is an odd, unclear expression in this context and does not clearly suggest proclaiming or stating them.
- C) clouded – Clouded means made unclear or obscured. Cutting sentences that hide the motives would make the motives clearer, which does not match the emphasis on readers inferring them; the contrast in the sentence is about stating vs. inferring, not about hiding vs. showing.
Confirm the best-fitting choice
D) telegraphed means to signal or make something clear and obvious, often in advance. A sentence that telegraphed the protagonist’s motives would state or reveal those motives too plainly, which directly conflicts with the novelist’s insistence that the inner life be “inferred, not proclaimed.” Therefore, the correct answer is D) telegraphed.