In his classic song “Swayin’ to the Music,” Johnny Rivers describes a romantic moment “late at night” when he and his girl are “all alone…slow dancing,’ swayin’ to the music.” In this musical context, SWAY means to move slowly from side to side.
Guess what - SWAY has another meaning! It can also mean to convince a person to change his or her mind. For example, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense played a crucial role in SWAYING public opinion against King George III. Similarly, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin played a crucial role in SWAYING public opinion against slavery.
Needless to say, SAT test writers prefer to use SWAY in passages that involve trying to change someone’s opinion. For example, recent tests have featured a passage describing how motorists are often incensed by EXORBITANT or very expensive tolls on widely used bridges. No amount of persuasion can SWAY or change the minds of angry and frustrated drivers who feel the tolls are UNWARRANTED or unjustified.
SWAY – to convince a person to change his or her opinion
EXORBITANT – excessively and unreasonably expensive
WARRANTED - justified