Animadversion: meaning and SAT practice
Animadversion (noun) means: A critical remark or expression of disapproval about someone or something.
Animadversion in a sentence
The teacher's animadversion on the student's careless work motivated him to improve.
Similar: criticism, censure, reproach, rebuke. Opposite: praise, compliment.
SAT-style practice: what does “animadversion” most nearly mean?
The teacher's animadversion on the student's careless work motivated him to improve.
As used in the sentence, “animadversion” most nearly means
- forerunner
- criticism
- model
- clarity
Show the answer
Answer: B. “animadversion” means: A critical remark or expression of disapproval about someone or something. “criticism” is the closest match in this sentence. The other choices are real SAT-level words, but none of them carries that meaning here.
On the digital SAT this is the “Words in Context” skill, about 7 of the 54 Reading and Writing questions. The test asks what a word means as used in the passage, so a word’s most common meaning is not always the answer. More of these, with full explanations, are on SAT Words in Context practice questions.
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