SAT OwlQuestion bank / Words in Context
Critics accused the climate scientist of adjusting her model whenever its predictions failed. Yet her revisions were far from ______: each one was prompted by a specific new measurement, and she published the reasoning behind every change.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
arbitrary
methodical
consequential
provisional
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
"Far from" signals that the blank should be the opposite of what follows. Each revision had a specific reason that she explained publicly, so the revisions were the opposite of random. "Arbitrary" means based on whim rather than reason.
Choice B, "methodical," describes her revisions accurately, which is exactly why it cannot follow "far from."
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. Methodical means systematic and orderly, which matches the description of her revisions. It fails to satisfy the phrase "far from," which requires a word meaning random or unreasonable.
- C. Consequential means having important results. The text focuses on the logical basis for changes, not their impact, so this word does not fit the context of reasoned revisions.
- D. Provisional means temporary or subject to change. While her model was revised, the text emphasizes that changes were reasoned, not that they were merely temporary placeholders.
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