INCONGRUOUS describes something that is out of place and therefore inconsistent with its surroundings. For example, a clown would be INCONGRUOUS at a funeral.
Despite its straightforward definition, INCONGRUOUS has emerged as one of the most difficult vocabulary words on recent SATs. For example, INCONGRUOUS has been a tempting but wrong answer on a number of recent vocabulary in context questions.
It is very important to point out that INCONGRUOUS can be a correct answer. For example, basking sharks have been classified as an ectothermic or cold-blooded fish. But marine biologist Haley R. Dolton discovered that the basking shark’s body temperature is actually 1.0 to 1.5 C ABOVE the ambient water. This discovery led Dolton to conclude that the basking shark’s traditional classification as an ectotherm is INCONGRUOUS with its true status as an endotherm.
It is important to remember that INCONGRUOUS means inconsistent. If inconsistent logically fits into the context of the passage, INCONGRUOUS will be the correct answer!
INCONGRUOUS - something that is out of place and therefore inconsistent with its surroundings