Vocabulary and Language Conventions
This domain tests word meaning in context, prefixes, roots and suffixes, synonyms and antonyms, connotation, idiom and reference words. Context clues come in several kinds: definition ('a nocturnal animal, one active at night'), example ('citrus fruits such as oranges'), contrast ('unlike his gregarious brother, he was withdrawn') and general sense. Learn high-frequency roots - bene (good), mal (bad), cred (believe), dict (say), spec (look), chron (time) - and common prefixes such as anti-, inter-, sub-, pre- and mis-.
Connotation matters: thrifty, economical and stingy share a meaning but differ in attitude. Questions may ask which word creates a negative tone, so judge the shade of feeling, not just the dictionary sense.
Traps include choosing a synonym that fits the dictionary but not the sentence, ignoring a negative prefix that reverses meaning, and misreading idioms literally. Also watch reference words: it, this, they and former/latter must be traced to the correct noun, which may be several lines earlier.
Rule of thumb: replace the unknown word with each option and read the whole sentence aloud in your head; only one option keeps the sentence's logic intact.
Worked example: 'The committee's decision was arbitrary, based on no clear rule.' The definition clue 'based on no clear rule' signals random or unjustified, so carefully reasoned is a trap that reverses the meaning.