MODEST provides another example of a tricky multiple-meaning word favored by SAT test writers. Most people associate MODEST with humble behavior that lacks arrogance and boasting. It can also describe dressing to avoid attracting attention. And finally, MODEST can mean limited or small.
As you probably guessed, SAT test writers prefer the third definition of MODEST as meaning limited or small. A recent vocabulary in context module contained a particularly challenging passage that utilized this meaning of MODEST. The passage noted that most languages have over twenty-two consonants. In contrast, Polynesian languages typically only have a MODEST or small array of consonant sounds. For example, some Polynesian languages have as few as eight consonant sounds.
MODEST – limited or small