SAT: Words to Capture Tone: Words to Capture Tone, List 11

On the SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a U.S. founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the ones you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean!
11 words 136 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. insincere
    lacking the quality of being open and truthful
    Of course, if used poorly, the suggested questions can come across like bad pickup lines, rehearsed and insincere. New York Times (Oct 15, 2014)
  2. artificial
    contrived by art rather than nature
    And what is true of the biological variety should also be true of its artificial counterpart. Scientific American (Sep 7, 2015)
  3. novel
    original and of a kind not seen before
    Finally, highly-math-anxious parents may become flustered when their children’s teachers use novel strategies that parents themselves never learned. Time (Sep 9, 2015)
  4. rigid
    incapable of or resistant to bending
    When you’re too rigid or strict or hard on yourself, willpower becomes white-knuckling, and there’s nothing fun or inspiring about that. Wall Street Journal (Sep 4, 2015)
  5. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    Apologizing often makes you seem tentative and unsure — and that’s definitely not a plus in the workplace. Time (Aug 3, 2015)
  6. assertive
    aggressively self-assured
    His shy, evasive manner of the day before had given way to a slightly more assertive stance. The Secret History
  7. concerned
    feeling or showing worry about something
    He’s more concerned with the placement of a butter knife than giving Axel the truth. A Bird Will Soar
  8. despondent
    without or almost without hope
    “You been so down lately. You and your mother, slinking around here just as despondent...” The Stars Beneath Our Feet
  9. imprudent
    not sensible, responsible, or wise
    Clearly that was unwise, and to bail out management and investors, let alone reward them for imprudent decisions, is not proper. Forbes (Apr 7, 2015)
  10. aggravated
    made more severe or intense especially in law
    Alonso aggravated his existing back condition Tuesday night, while Norris’ situation was the result of a collision with Beltre at the plate on Tuesday. Washington Times (Sep 3, 2015)
  11. astonishing
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    The traffic is astonishing, there’s honking and barging, people drive right out to the middle of the intersections and sit there when the light changes. Cat's Eye
Created on Mon Jun 09 14:21:36 EDT 2025 (updated Fri Jul 11 10:25:08 EDT 2025)

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