NOMINAL means very small and thus a token amount of something. There are three very important reasons why you should know the meaning of this word. Let’s take a look:
First, NOMINAL has been the correct answer for three recent questions about the impact of oil shocks.
Second, these questions have all included IDIOSYNCRATIC as a tempting but wrong answer.
And third, the oil shock cluster has also supported SUBDUED and ABATE as HIGH-FREQUENCY wrong answers. This group of similar questions has emerged as one of the TOP FIVE clusters of vocabulary in context questions. Here’s why:
SAT test writers do not create brand new questions for every test. Instead, they use a test authoring strategy based upon developing and then using standardized blueprints or templates. On live tests, they swap out specific variables – like key words, passage topics, and names – while keeping the underlying logic, difficulty level, and distractor mechanisms the same.
The “Oil Shock Cluster” has become a High-Frequency template. It is based upon the economic reality that the global economy has experienced a number of dramatic increases in the price of oil. For example, the Iran War is currently causing an oil shock that is being felt by American and global motorists, truckers, and farmers.
A research team led by Gbadebo Oladosu has studied oil shocks that occurred in 1957, 1973, 1979, and 2008. They reached the surprising conclusion that these dramatic increases in oil prices did NOT have a uniform IDIOSYNCRATIC (peculiar; unique) or DETRIMENTAL (harmful) impact on the global economy. Instead, the impact of oil prices was typically merely NOMINAL and SUBDUED (restrained) because the rise in prices quickly ABATED or became less intense. In addition, the impact of oil prices varied from country to country.
So a word to the wise: Make sure that you recognize the Oil Shock Cluster and remember that NOMINAL, SUBDUED, and ABATED are correct answers and that IDIOSYNCRATIC and DETRIMENTAL are incorrect answers!
NOMINAL – very small; minimal
SUBDUED – restrained
ABATED – to become less intense
IDIOSYNCRATIC – unique; peculiar
DETRIMENTAL - harmful