Seeing a monarch butterfly is a summer highlight. But seeing a monarch butterfly on an SAT question is far from a test highlight. A recent vocabulary in context question forced confused students to determine whether a monarch EXPLOITS or SECRETES toxic substances from milkweed plants. I believe the word EXPLOIT confused many students. When used as a noun, EXPLOIT describes a feat or an accomplishment. But when used as a verb, EXPLOIT means to take advantage of or profit from a situation. Many puzzled students turned to SECRETE as a possible answer. SECRETE means to produce or discharge a substance. Clearly the monarch doesn’t SECRETE the milkweed’s toxic substance. Instead, it EXPLOITS or takes advantage of the toxic substance by ingesting it. This makes the monarch unpalatable to spiders and other predators.