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Words can be positive or negative, and you can often tell which they are through context. In Word Knowledge questions that require you to find a word’s meaning based on the sentence it’s in, you can use the warm-fuzzy or cold-prickly feeling you get to rule out incorrect answers.

David hoped that going to the amusement park would help him shake his melancholy mood.

(A) joyful

(B) sorrowful

(C) thoughtful

(D) excited

As long as it’s not raining, most people have fun at an amusement park (it’s nearly as much fun as basic training, where “If it ain’t raining, you ain’t training” is often the motto of the day). The sentence also says that David wants to “shake his melancholy mood,” which means melancholy can’t be a very good feeling. It must have a negative connotation (that cold-prickly feeling). You can rule out Choices (A) and (D), then, and think about what’s the opposite of fun — and that’s most likely Choice (B), because sorrowful means “down in the dumps.”

Words and phrases such as “dread,” “looking forward to,” and “shied away from” all give you hints about a sentence’s tone, which can help you pick the right answer when you’re unsure. Even ruling out one or two incorrect answers can make a big difference in your score.