SAT: The Language of the Test: Language of the Test, List 12

A principle is a statement that is accepted as true and used for a purpose, sometimes to make an argument more convincing. The SAT may ask you to identify general principles as opposed to details that only apply in one case. The word principle may come up in reference to a science reading passage, where the reader is asked to interpret how an author uses scientific principles to support a particular claim.

A stance is an attitude or a position on an issue of some kind. Stances can be political or personal. On the SAT, it is important to be able to identify the stances, or opinions, expressed in various reading passages. Often you will encounter two different stances on one issue — expressed in the same reading or in a pair of reading passages. It is your job to sort out which stance is whose, and to be able to pinpoint the evidence supporting each stance.

To mention is to reference or bring up something. When you mention something, you won't necessarily be going into great detail, but you are talking about it. Mention may be found in questions when the SAT is asking why something was mentioned. Why did the author choose to mention that? Is it an example that proves a point? Knowing the answer to why something was mentioned can be very helpful when answering questions on the reading passages.

Evoke means "to call to mind" and is often used when something triggers an emotional response in a person. When something is evoked, it is brought to the forefront of the reader's mind or emotions. On the SAT, a certain example of word choice may evoke a particular emotion in the reader, and it may be your job to identify that emotion. Some words related to evoke include: remind, stir, awaken, and kindle.

On the SAT, you will be asked to find patterns: patterns in the way an argument develops, or in the types of evidence supporting a claim. A pattern of evidence can start with quotes from experts and end with the author's own experiment. The next time this author writes an article, he or she may use that same pattern again. You may even be asked a question such as, "Which choice best describes the developmental pattern of the passage?"

When we call something supplementary, we mean it is playing a supporting role. Supplementary evidence goes along with the main piece of evidence but it is not the star of the show. On the SAT, there are reading passages that use graphs or other visual aides for one or two questions and these are called supplementary materials, because you are going to use them in addition to the reading passage, which would be the main attraction, to answer the questions.

To portray is to describe using words, in writing or verbally. To portray someone is to describe them in such a way that the reader is left with a general sense based on specific incidents or details. On the SAT, you may be asked to find the right words to describe how an author has portrayed one of their characters. Portray is similar to other words that refer to writing, including depict and describe.

Possess is a fancy way to say have. Have is often used for things that you can physically hold, like: "I have ten dollars in my wallet." On the SAT, you'll most likely see possess being used to describe people having non-physical qualities — like possessing an ability or possessing knowledge.

Empirical means "based on fact, observation, and testing." Its opposite is theoretical (which means "thought about but not real or tested"). These are scientific words you may see on the SAT in reference to the science-based passages. If something is without empirical support, it means it is not a fact (yet).

A flag is a piece of cloth, but to people who respect it, it is symbolic of so much more: it means freedom and hope. Symbolic language is the use of one thing (a symbol) to stand for something else (usually an abstract concept). On the SAT, symbolic language occurs most often in the fiction passages. You may be asked to say what a given item is symbolic of in a narrative reading passage.

When you back a statement up with evidence, you substantiate your claim. Reading passages can be filled with claims, some of which will be substantiated with evidence and some of which will not be, and the SAT questions can ask you to tell the difference and to identify the statements that serve to substantiate a certain claim.

To speak figuratively is to replace the strict meaning of a word or passage with a metaphorical meaning. For example, a path could figuratively represent an important choice in your life. The opposite of figurative is literal, where you would be talking about a real path. On the SAT, you may have to recognize figurative language and what it represents.