Leaf-vein architecture refers to the arrangement and hierarchical structure of a leaf’s veins. For example, the leaf in our picture illustrates a branching net-like pattern known as reticulate venation.
Leaf-vein architecture is an AP Biology concept that has generated at least two difficult SAT vocabulary in context questions. Both questions have sparked vigorous debates among confused students. Let’s take a look at the REDUNDANCY or INCONGRUITY debate.
REDUNDANCY typically means unnecessary and superfluous. However, it can also mean repetitive. INCONGRUITY means making something seem strange and inappropriate and therefore out of place.
The passage asks students to read a complex discussion of the causes and benefits trees derive from different types of leaf-vein architecture. This academic discussion confused many students who concluded that the complicated passage must support INCONGRUITY as the best answer.
It is important to avoid being distracted or confused by a passage’s overall structure. Instead, always look for a key phrase that will inevitably lead you to the correct answer. Unfortunately, many students overlooked the passage’s statement that the “beneficial replication” of veins protects plants from the damage caused by diseases and animals. The key phrase “beneficial replication” clearly supports REDUNDANCY as the most logical and precise answer.
REDUNDANCY – repetitive
INCONGRUITY – out of place