Patents are a government-granted exclusive right that prevents others from making, using, or selling an invention for a specified period of time. Patents are very important to inventors. But, what do they have to do with the SAT? The answer will surprise you!
Recent tests have featured Yuen Yuen Ang’s research on patents. Dr. Ang makes a distinction between the quantity and quality of patents issued by a country. She argues that the quantity of patents BELIES or gives a false impression of the actual importance of the quality of patents. For example, a patent for a large language AI model is far more significant than frivolous patents for a cat entertainment systems. Dr. Ang’s argument thus TEMPERS or moderates the traditional belief that equates the quantity of patents with actual innovation.
The “patent questions” contain a number of tempting but wrong answers. For example, Dr. Ang’s research does not PORTEND or warn that something calamitous is likely to happen. In addition, her original research does not RECAPITULATE or re-summarize previous findings. And finally, Dr. Ang published her research in a scholarly journal; she did not PROMULGATE or publicly announce it in an official government proclamation.
BELIES - to give a false impression
TEMPER - to moderate