Reading & Writing: Craft and Structure

About 28% of R&W, which is 13-15 questions per test. It covers Words in Context, Text Structure and Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections.

Words in Context, Text Structure and Purpose, and Cross-Text Connections.

A high-utility academic word that appears across many subjects (e.g., 'novel,' 'compromise,' 'qualify'). The SAT tests these because their meaning shifts with context.

Read the full context and predict your own word for the blank or target BEFORE looking at the options; then match the closest choice. Let the sentence's meaning, not the word's most common definition, decide.

The SAT deliberately tests secondary or context-specific senses. The most familiar definition is frequently a distractor; context determines the intended sense.

Look for signal words that show relationships: contrast (but, however, although), continuation (and, moreover), and cause-effect (because, therefore). They tell you whether the blank matches or opposes nearby ideas.