SAT test writers are famous for writing questions that are packed with academic and sometimes esoteric content. The term INANE means silly and foolish. What is it doing as the answer for a recent vocabulary in context question?
It is important to never underestimate the cleverness of an SAT test writer. The INANE question used a clever reversal. The passage began by stating that a host promised a “rigorous debate on economic policy.” But the broadcast “quickly devolved into an exchange of INANE quips and superficial sound bites.” So there you have it – a perfect combination of academic content leading to INANE as the correct answer!
INANE – silly, foolish; lacking meaning