SAT Vocab Builder

Answer: Choice (A) is correct.

In the first part of the analogy, gossamer is a type of filmy, gauzy fabric. Diaphanous means sheer and light, nearly transparent. Therefore, the second word, diaphanous, describes gossamer. Look for the answer pair in which the second term describes the first. In choice (B), a skeptic is a person who is cynical, or a non-believer, but not necessarily sinister or evil, so eliminate that choice. In choice (C), a treatise is a long, formal writing on a subject, and not usually succinct and to the point, so eliminate choice (C). In choice (D), an adversary is someone who opposes someone else. Adversaries are not affable or friendly, so eliminate choice (D). In choice (A), a traitor is a person who tries to overthrow the government by secret or subversive means. Subversive describes a traitor, so this is the correct choice.