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SAT Reading 5.2 Passage Comparison 174 Views


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Description:

SAT Reading: Passage Comparison Drill 5, Problem 2

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by Democrats and Republicans. Proof that they

00:08

can agree on something.

00:42

In line 18, "hobbled" most nearly means... what?

00:50

We definitely don't have to read between the lines to see that the author doesn't

00:53

think much of the President's environmental policies, since he claims that the President

00:57

is being "stubborn" and is "ignoring credible science."

01:01

Knowing all this, we can assume that the author thinks the administration's policy is keeping

01:05

other Republicans from acting sensibly.

01:07

So, we can guess that "hobbled" must have something to do with stopping, or making it

01:13

more difficult for Republicans to come around to the author's side.

01:16

Now that we know what we're looking for, let's check out our options.

01:19

"Intuit" sounds like "intuition," reminding us that it means to figure out something

01:24

through feelings or impressions rather than cold, hard facts.

01:28

"Intuit" also reminds us of the "Inuits," aka Eskimos, but the two words have nothing

01:35

to do with each other. So... please disregard.

01:37

It doesn't take intuition to see that "intuit" makes zero sense as a definition for hobbled.

01:43

(A) is definitely off the list. "Distinguished" describes somebody who

01:48

commands a bunch of respect, a person whose awesomeness at whatever they're awesome

01:52

at is legendary.

01:54

This author thinks that the administration and the Republicans are off their rockers, though...

01:58

So we really doubt that he'd call them distinguished. Choice (B) is officially nixed.

02:04

The word "romanticized" describes when somebody exaggerates, or idealizes something.

02:10

Sure, sometimes is can be "romantic" in relationships, but it can also describe big, crazy adventures

02:17

and stuff like that.

02:18

Knowing all this, we're sure that the word doesn't jibe with "hobbled," so we can

02:23

eliminate (E).

02:24

When we "delegate" something we get somebody else to do it for us--kind of like how we

02:30

elect public officials to represent us in Washington.

02:35

This word might make sense in the general world of the passage, but it doesn't make

02:39

sense as a definition of hobbled. Choice (D) is out.

02:43

When something is "obstructed," it's blocked in some way. The author thinks that

02:47

the administration is blocking the Republican's path to good sense, so this fits the context

02:53

clues. And encourages them to maybe... eat some prunes.

02:56

FYI: To hobble can also mean to tie an animal's feet together.

03:01

In case you were thinking about it, we don't recommend you try hobbling any polar bears.

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