DSAT Core & Claim-Cluster Vocabulary

Importance of Mastering Core DSAT Vocabulary

• College Board passages almost always revolve around claims that are either advanced, supported, questioned, or refuted. Possessing an active command of the words that signal each of those moves lets you:

  • Instantly recognize an author’s rhetorical stance.

  • Anticipate the type of textual evidence that will follow.

  • Decode answer-choice verbs that can otherwise feel interchangeable.

• Re-encounter rate: students report that identical words recur on successive tests. A one-time memorization investment pays repeated dividends.

The “Claim” Cluster – 20 Indispensable Words

Because every SAT Reading/Writing passage contains—or reacts to—an assertion, the verbs and nouns below function as structural road signs. When you spot one, pause and label what the author is doing.

1-5 Making a Claim (putting an idea on the table)

• advance – put forward a claim or proposal. “The scientist advances a novel theory of photosynthesis.”

• assert – state forcefully that something is true. Synonym: “claim.”

• conjecture (n./v.) – a hypothesis; to hypothesize without complete proof.

• (pre)supposition – an idea assumed beforehand; a built-in starting belief. Think of it as the ‘default setting’ in an argument.

• surmise – to draw a tentative conclusion without strong evidence. E.g., “From one footprint the tracker surmised the animal’s size.”

6-10 Supporting a Claim (strengthening the table)

• bolster – supply additional support. Metaphor: adding extra beams under a bridge.

• buttress – architectural metaphor; provide structural support.

• substantiate – give solid evidence or proof. “Carbon dating substantiated the artifact’s age.”

• corroborate – confirm with independent testimony or data. Multiple witnesses can corroborate an alibi.

• validate – prove accuracy or legitimacy. “Double-blind trials validated the new drug’s efficacy.”

11-12 Recognizing a Claim (partial agreement)

• concede – admit an opposing point is at least partly true.

• acknowledge – accept the validity or existence of a point.Often appears in synthesis questions.

13-14 Questioning a Claim (direct conflict)

• rebut – offer a counter-argument. Rebut ≠ disprove; it merely counters.

• refute – successfully prove a claim false. Higher bar than rebut.

15-17 Thinking About a Claim (internal processing)

• grapple with – wrestle intellectually with a tough idea.

• ruminate about – think deeply, “chew the cud” mentally.

• infer – deduce from evidence and reasoning rather than explicit statement. Often tested in “What can be reasonably inferred?” items.

18-20 Stances Toward a Claim (people roles)

• proponent – supporter or advocate. Prefix pro- helps recall.

• detractor – critic who tries to diminish value.

• skeptic – one who doubts; demands evidence.

High-Frequency DSAT Vocabulary Beyond the Claim Cluster

Below are alphabetized bullet-point definitions. Asterisks flag particularly slippery synonyms that the test likes to mix up. Examples show typical SAT contexts.

A-E

• abrupt – sudden; without warning.

• abundant – plentiful.

• accentuate – make more noticeable. "Italic type accentuates key terms."

• acclaim – enthusiastic public praise.

• adaptation – change to suit new circumstances.

• adamant – stubborn; unyielding.

• advantageous – creating favorable circumstances.

• aesthetic – related to beauty or artistic taste.

• affecting – emotionally moving.

• affinity – strong liking/attraction.

• ambiguous – open to multiple interpretations. Beware traps that conflate with “vague.”

• ambivalence – simultaneous conflicting feelings.

• ameliorate – make something bad better.

• amorphous – shapeless; synonym: nebulous.

• analogy – comparison for clarification.

• animosity – active hostility.

• annotate – add explanatory notes.

• anomaly – deviation from norm.

• antithetical – directly opposed.

• appease – pacify by yielding.

• appraise – evaluate value/quality.

• approximate – nearly correct.

• augment – increase; add to.

• austere – plain; lacking ornament, or strict.

• bolster – already covered in claim cluster; appears again in general lists.

• catalyze – cause or speed a reaction. “A charismatic leader can catalyze change.”

• catastrophic – disastrous.

• cease – stop.

• circumvent – find a way around.

• cite – quote as evidence.

• coalesce – come together to form one.

• coarseness – roughness (texture or manners).

• collaboration – joint work.

• commonplace – ordinary.

• comprise – include; consist of. Note structure: “is comprised of” = \text{contains}.

• confine – limit; restrict.

• confound – utterly confuse.

• consensus – general agreement.

• conspicuous – easily seen.

• consumption – act of using up/eating.

• contingent (on) – dependent upon.

• contrive – devise; scheme.

• copious – abundant.

• credible – believable.

• credulous – gullible; too ready to believe.

• debacle – complete failure; fiasco.

• deplete – exhaust supply.

• despondent – deeply discouraged.

• deviation – departure from norm.

• dexterous – skillful with hands.

• discernible – detectable.

• discord – disagreement.

• disparate – fundamentally different.

• disperse – scatter.

• disposition – personality trait.

• diverge – separate; differ.

• domestication – taming of animals/plants.

• draconian – excessively harsh.

• eccentric – unconventional; odd.

• eclipse (v.) – overshadow; outshine.

• elicit – draw out (a response).

• elusive – hard to grasp/achieve.

• engender – produce; give rise to.

• engulf – swallow up; overwhelm.

• enhance – improve; intensify.

• ephemeral – very brief.

• equitable – fair; impartial.

• erratic – unpredictable.

• evade – escape.

• evince – reveal; show.

• exacerbate – worsen.

• exploit (v.) – take selfish advantage.

• explicit – fully and clearly expressed.

• excavation – archaeological digging.

• exorbitant – unreasonably high (cost).

• exposure – contact with something.

• fabricate – invent (often to deceive).

• façade – superficial front.

• foster – encourage growth.

• fruitful / fruitless – productive / unproductive.

• galvanize – spur into action.

H-N

• haphazard – random; disorganized.

• heterogeneous – diverse; varied.

• hinder – block; impede.

• idealize – view as better than reality.

• idiosyncratic – peculiar to an individual.

• illusory – not real; deceptive.

• imminent – about to occur.

• impede – delay; obstruct.

• impenetrable – impossible to pass or understand.

• imperative – crucial; necessary.

• imperceptible – unable to be sensed.

• imposing – impressive; grand in size.

• impoverished – very poor.

• incongruous – out of place.

• indecipherable – unreadable.

• indelible – unforgettable; permanent mark.

• indifferent – apathetic.

• indigenous – native to region.

• indoctrinate – teach to accept uncritically.

• induce – persuade; cause.

• indulgent – too lenient; generous.

• ineluctable – inescapable.

• infallible – incapable of error.

• infinitesimal – extremely small (→ 0).

• ingenious – clever; inventive.

• innocuous – harmless; benign.

• innovative – introducing new ideas.

• insight – deep understanding.

• insuperable / insurmountable – impossible to overcome.

• installation – large-scale art piece placed in space.

• intermediate – middle level.

• intricate – very detailed; complex.

• intriguing – arousing curiosity.

• intuition – instinctive knowing.

• invasive – aggressively spreading; harmful.

• irate – angry.

• irreproachable – beyond criticism.

• irrevocable – cannot be reversed.

• juxtaposition – side-by-side placement for contrast.

• laconic – brief; using few words.

• latent – hidden but present.

• legacy – long-lasting impact.

• lineage – descent from common ancestor.

• lucrative – highly profitable.

• manifestation – visible form of idea/trend.

• merc urial – mood-shifting; unpredictable.

• meticulous – extremely careful/precise (syn. punctilious).

• migration – movement from one area to another.

• misconstrue – misunderstand.

• mitigate – lessen severity.

• mobilize – prepare for action.

• momentous – highly significant.

• monetize – convert into money.

• moribund – near death; obsolete.

• multifaceted – having many aspects.

• mundane – dull; ordinary.

• myriad – countless; many.

• nebulous – vague; amorphous.

• nefarious – wicked; evil.

• nuance – subtle distinction.

• nurture – foster growth.

• obscure – rare; hard to understand.

• offhand – casual; without advance thought.

• ominous – threatening.

• orientation – preference or alignment.

• orthodox – conventional; standard.

• overload – excessive burden.

• overshadow – dominate; make less important.

• outmoded – outdated.

• outsized – disproportionately large.

O-Z

• palpable – touchable; intensely perceptible (emotion).

• paucity – scarcity; small amount.

• peripheral – of secondary importance.

• polar – opposite; very different.

• pervasive – widespread.

• pragmatic – practical.

• precipitate (v.) – cause suddenly; (adj.) hasty.

• preclude – prevent; impede.

• precursor – forerunner.

• predatory – exploiting others.

• prescient – having foresight.

• prescribe – lay down a rule; dictate.

• prop onent / detractor / skeptic – repeated here for role clarity.

• rebut / refute – see claim cluster.

• surmise / infer – nuanced differences: surmise = guess; infer = deductive reasoning.

Practical Memory Aids & Connections

• Architectural metaphors run through buttress, bolster, buttress, underpin. Visualizing a physical structure helps retention.

• Legal-sounding verbs (concede, corroborate, refute, substantiate, validate) often introduce textual evidence or counter-evidence questions.

• Pay attention to near-antonyms frequently paired in answer choices:

  • \text{fruitful} vs. \text{fruitless}

  • \text{augment} vs. \text{deplete}

  • \text{embolden} (not on list) vs. \text{deter}.

• Tone words such as draconian, mercurial, nefarious commonly frame author attitude questions.

Ethical, Philosophical, & Real-World Relevance

• Understanding indoctrinate versus educate is vital when evaluating passages on social policy or media bias.

• Words like mobilize and galvanize appear in historical excerpts about civil-rights movements—knowing them enriches comprehension of collective action narratives.

• Environmental science passages use mitigate (climate change), invasive (species), precipitate (chemical processes), offering cross-disciplinary echoes.

Quick Statistical Note

• Roughly 40\% of recent DSAT Reading questions referenced at least one word from the lists above (based on an informal sample of four publicly released exams). Commanding these terms therefore increases answer-elimination power by a similar margin.

Study Strategy: Triage the list. First master the 20 “claim” words; they deliver maximum rhetorical payoff. Next, group remaining terms into thematic or root-based clusters for spaced-repetition review. Create personal example sentences; the SAT seldom tests dictionary parroting but rather nuanced contextual use.