The 1970s witnessed dramatic increases in the price of oil. These oil shocks forced motorists to wait in long lines to fill their cars with more expensive gasoline. Although the oil shocks strongly affected individual consumers, a research team led by Gbadebo Oladosu discovered that the price increases had a surprisingly limited
impact on national economies.
SAT test writers are using Oladosu’s findings to generate a very challenging cluster of Oil Shock vocabulary in context questions. The key to successfully answering these questions is to understand that the oil shocks had a minimal impact on national economies. This aligns with SUBDUED, ABATED, and NOMINAL as unexpected but correct answers.
SUBDUED and ABATED both mean restrained in the sense of being less intense. This accurately describes Oladosu’s finding that oil shocks had a minimal impact on the gross domestic products of Germany, China, and India.
A particularly difficult and controversial oil shock question sparked a debate between proponents of NOMINAL and DETRIMENTAL as the best word to follow merely as a way of describing the impact of oil shocks. Many argued that the price increases were clearly DETRIMENTAL or harmful. However, NOMINAL or minimal provides the most logical answer since it would be contradictory to describe an impact as merely or only DETRIMENTAL. Note that NOMINAL is consistent with the use of SUBDUED and ABATED in other Oil Shock questions.
SUBDUED – restrained
ABATED – to become less intense
NOMINAL – very small, minimal