Strategies for the Digital SAT: Episode 6 - Strong Words

Presented by Mike Satel, Founder of Satel Tutoring

Introduction

• Episode: 6 of a 10-part series on strategies for the digital SAT
• Focus: Importance of strong words in reading strategy
• Recommendation: Watch episode 1 on dumb summaries for foundational understanding

Definition and Identification of Strong Words

• Strong Words: Convey more connotation and meaning compared to weak words
  • Example: "Bad cat" vs. "house cat"
• Experience-based: No fixed list, requires practice and familiarity
• Impact: Can significantly affect comprehension and scores

Examples to Identify Strong and Weak Words

• Bad cat: Strong – Negative connotation
• House cat: Weak – No significant connotation
• Red cat: Weak – Mostly descriptive
• Pretty cat: Strong – Positive connotation, specific
• Expensive cat: Strong – Related to value

Key Points for Identifying Strong Words

• Not just about connotation, but also about moving the narrative/idea forward
• Importance of repeated concepts for main ideas
• Experience and intuition play significant roles

Examples with SAT Reading Passage

• Example Passage: Theory about a subatomic particle
  • Strong words: "theorized," "observed," "validation"
  • Weak details: Descriptive parts of the experiment
• Summarizing Main Idea: Theory Proven

Analyzing Answer Choices Using Strong and Weak Words

• Choice A: Focuses on unnecessary component (plutonium) – Strong word "necessary" is misleading
• Choice B: Claims a new method – "New" is not supported by the passage
• Choice C: Correct – Demonstrates existence, "empirical evidence" is clear
• Choice D: Difficult claim about negative spin – No proof provided

Example with Another Passage

• Example Passage: Global Neighborhood Ambassador Program
  • Emphasis on flaws, financial burden, and critics
• Summarizing Main Idea: Program has financial and inclusive shortcomings

Analyzing Answer Choices Using Strong and Weak Words

• Choice A: Public transit – Strong detail, not discussed
• Choice B: Correct – Excludes low-income students, financial concern
• Choice C: Excludes rural areas – Not mentioned in the passage
• Choice D: Long-term funding – Strong extrapolation without support

Summary and Conclusion

• Strong words push understanding/opinion significantly, weak words often provide context
• Filtering between strong and weak words helps in answering SAT questions accurately
• Practice essential for mastering differentiation
• Next episode will focus on trap answer choices involving strong words

Call to Action

• Subscribe for the next episode on traps in answer choices
• Focus on not settling for less in your SAT scores – Satel for more!