Have you ever vowed to ABSTAIN or refrain from doing something? Many students who are preparing for the SAT vow to ABSTAIN FROM spending excessive time on social media or playing video games.
Needless to say, SAT test writers have never pledged to ABSTAIN FROM writing difficult vocabulary in context questions. For example, a recent question focused on works by architect Anjali Perera that combine modern designs with traditional Sri Lankan arts and crafts. Perera’s projects thus represent a conscious effort to ABSTAIN FROM the stylistic uniformity and lack of decoration associated with international modernism.
Although ABSTAIN is not a difficult word, the passage contained vocabulary words such as homogenization and proponent that confused students. Many perplexed students chose ENCROACHED as the best answer. WRONG! ENCROACHED means to slowly and quietly take over space, land, or rights that belong to someone else. Perera’s work refrained from using an unadorned style; she did not ENCROACH or try to take over the works of international modernism.
ABSTAIN FROM – to consciously and deliberately hold back from doing something
ENCROACH ON – to slowly and quietly take over space, land, or rights that belong to someone else
EXTRA CREDIT: The Second Great Awakening ignited a wave of religious fervor and social reform that swept across America during the early 1800s. By 1830, adult Americans drank an average of 5 gallons of alcohol each year. Leaders of the American Temperance Society waged a vigorous campaign urging the public to REFRAIN from drinking alcoholic beverages. Their campaign against “Demon Rum” worked! By the mid-1840s, Americans drank just two gallons of alcohol per capita.