All PSAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
The factory worker labored quickly and __________ to assemble automobile parts on the conveyer belt.
diligently
inanely
rashly
intermittently
surreptitiously
diligently
“Diligently” means in an way that is efficient and hardworking, so "dililgently" makes the most sense in the sentence and is the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
Not surprisingly, that author's newest book is about farm life in rural Kansas; he is well known for writing tales with agricultural and __________ themes.
uninhibited
sanguine
rarefied
inauspicious
bucolic
bucolic
“Bucolic” means related to the countryside.
Example Question #3 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
During the Prohibition, some people would go to __________ bars called “speakeasies” to consume alcohol, which was an illegal substance at that time.
impotent
overt
insidious
incongruent
illicit
illicit
“Illicit” means forbidden or unlawful.
Example Question #4 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
The __________ remarks made during the press conference truly damaged the aspiring singer’s reputation.
benevolent
insipid
disparaging
polemic
illegitimate
disparaging
“Disparaging” means critical or reproachful, and is most often used to describe things that are said.
Example Question #5 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
Geese are very __________ creatures; they remain monogamous indefinitely and never leave their mates.
steadfast
gilded
hackneyed
perfidious
sacrilegious
steadfast
“Steadfast” is synonymous with loyal.
Example Question #6 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
Annie and the other students in the Animal Rights Club are considered to be extremely friendly and __________ toward new and prospective members of the club.
amiable
wary
brash
differential
provident
amiable
“Amiable” means demonstrating a warm and friendly manner.
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
The paramedics were left ______________ when they arrived at the scene to find that no-one had been hurt.
diminshed
ecstatic
amiable
incredulous
intrepid
incredulous
The structure of the sentence informs us that the paramedics were in some way shocked or surprised to arrive somewhere and find they were not needed. The answer choice that most clearly matches this definition is "incredulous," which means showing disbelief. Amiable and ecstatic are both associated with positive feelings. Amiable is friendly or pleasant and ecstatic is very happy. Diminished means reduced and could possibly fit here, but incredulous is a much better answer. Intrepid means adventurous.
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
The predatory and rapacious nature of Attila the Hun led many contemporaries to describe him in __________ terms.
affable
benevolent
lupine
munificent
lavish
lupine
The use of the words predatory and rapacious, which both relate to viciousness and destruction provides the context for the rest of the sentence. As Attila is predatory and rapacious, we know that his contemporaries must not have described as benevolent or affable, as these words mean good intentioned and friendly respectively. Munificent and lavish both relate to having a great deal of money: munificent means generous, and lavish means fancy or expensive. As the sentence makes no reference to Attila’s wealth, we can eliminate these options. This leaves only lupine, which means wolf-like. As wolves have historically be considered both predatory and rapacious this answer choice is the most correct.
Example Question #2061 : Sat Critical Reading
America is the most consistently __________ country in the world; more cases are brought before the court system than anywhere else.
indolent
altruistic
lethargic
litigious
soporific
litigious
This is a two-clause sentence, where the clues in the second clause help you solve the blank in the first clause. The second clause pertains to the number of legal cases brought before the courts so you know that the word in the first clause must relate to the legal system. Altruistic means an attitude of giving selflessly and would most likely be used in relation to charity. Indolent and lethargic both mean lazy and could not be applied to something so time consuming as going to court. Soporific refers to the experience of sleepiness or being tedious. Litigious, which means inclined to take legal action is by far the best fit.
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
During the early Renaissance period many scholars looked back __________ to the height of the Greek and Roman Empires, when Western philosophy had first asserted itself.
wistfully
magnanimously
philanthropically
disdainfully
derisively
wistfully
You know from the context of the question that the scholars are looking back into the past. You can also infer from the fact that they are European scholars means they would think positively of the period of time when European philosophy had first flourished. Magnanimously means very kind or generous, and philanthropically refers to showing charitable concern for others. Neither of those words fits comfortably within the sentence. Derisively (show contempt) and disdainfully (show disgust) both refer to the expression of negative opinions; they do not satisfy what we can assume is true of the early Renaissance scholars. Only wistfully which means to be pensive, and yearn for something lost works within this sentence.
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