Polarity (constraint)
SAT glossary · Math
Definition
The coarsest slot constraint — is the slot positive, negative, or neutral? — determined before anything else, because it often eliminates two options outright. On some items the axis is not positive/negative at all but magnitude, as when "rather than merely surprising" makes the slot a strength comparison.
Polarity (constraint) in plain English
Polarity is the most basic, big-picture question you should ask about a blank before doing anything else: is the word supposed to be POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, or NEUTRAL in this context? Answering this first is powerful because it often lets you throw out two of the four answer choices immediately, without even needing to think about finer details yet. On some questions, the real 'axis' isn't positive-versus-negative at all, but something more like MAGNITUDE (size/strength) — for instance, a phrase like 'rather than merely surprising' signals that the blank needs to be a comparison of STRENGTH, not just a flip in emotional direction.
Also called: constraint
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