PSAT Critical Reading : Adjectives and Adverbs in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #131 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Pick the best word to complete the sentence.

The young boy offered her his hand, grinning __________, since he knew it was still covered in mud.

Possible Answers:

devilishly

awkwardly

mistakenly

famously

playfully

Correct answer:

devilishly

Explanation:

The subject of the sentence knows that he is going to cause someone displeasure, therefore he is being mischeivous—"devilish," when used in this context, means the same thing; therefore "devilishly" is the correct answer.

Example Question #132 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Fred's family only realized how __________ he was about failing the math quiz he had studied for when he shouted at the first person to ask him about it.

Possible Answers:

famous

touchy

nimble

prepared

charismatic

Correct answer:

touchy

Explanation:

We can infer that because Fred "shouted at the first person to ask him about [the math quiz he failed]," we need to pick out an adjective to describe Fred that means something like "irritable." "Charismatic" might look like a potentially correct answer, but "charismatic" is an adjective that means "exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others," so it wouldn't make sense in the sentence's context. "Touchy," however, is an adjective that means "oversensitive and irritable" when being used to refer to a person, and because "touchy" best describes Fred's irritable mood, "touchy" is the correct answer.

Example Question #133 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Unfortunately, the brief period of sunshine and blue sky was __________ that day, as the clouds turned grey after only ten minutes of sunshine and let loose a drizzle that lasted the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

Possible Answers:

pardonable

demonstrable

lasting

far-fetched

evanescent

Correct answer:

evanescent

Explanation:

We can infer that because the period of sunny weather lasted "only ten minutes," we need to pick out an adjective to describe the sunny weather that means something like "fleeting" or "temporary." "Lasting," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "lasting," when used as an adjective, means "enduring or able to endure over a long period of time," making it an antonym of the word for which we're looking. "Evanescent," however, is an adjective that means "soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing," and because "evanescent" best conveys the briefness of the sunny weather in the sentence, "evanescent" is the correct answer.

Example Question #133 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.

Pam was so __________ from her fever that she was unable to go to work.

Possible Answers:

debauched

defamed

deliberated

defaced

debilitated

Correct answer:

debilitated

Explanation:

The answer that makes the most sense is "debilitated," to weaken or enfeeble.

Example Question #133 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

 

Socrates was known as one of the most __________ orators of Ancient Greece.

 

Possible Answers:

mundane

taciturn

symbiotic

placid

eloquent

Correct answer:

eloquent

Explanation:

"Eloquent" means having a skillful way with words or speech. "Mundane" means ordinary or day-to-day. "Placid" means calm or mild. "Symbiotic" means interdependent, coordianted, or unified. "Taciturn" means quiet, mild, or reserved.

Example Question #134 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

The __________ old man yelled at the children to get off his lawn and play ball elsewhere.

 

Possible Answers:

complacent

cantankerous

jocular

bucolic

avuncular

Correct answer:

cantankerous

Explanation:

"Cantankerous" means crabby or irritable. "Avuncular" means consultive or helpful. "Bucolic" means rustic or rural in nature. "Complacent" means calm, confident, or pleased. "Jocular" means funny or cheerful.

Example Question #134 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

 

Maria occasionally experiences __________ dreaming, but usually her dreams are utterly incomprehensible.

 

Possible Answers:

lucid

nebulous

wary

insolent

peripheral

Correct answer:

lucid

Explanation:

"Lucid" means comprehensible, clear, or understandable. "Wary" means careful or cautious. "Peripheral" means minor, outside, or incidental. "Nebulous" means murky, confused, or obscured. "Insolent" means bold or disrespectful

Example Question #135 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the word or word pair that best completes the sentence.

Even in the dead of the jungle night, the adventurer could read his daily log by the moonlight shining through his __________ mosquito net.

Possible Answers:

elongated

diaphanous

acrid

impeccable

Correct answer:

diaphanous

Explanation:

While the adventurer's mosquito net might very well be "impeccable" (flawless), "acrid" (smelly) or "elongated" (if he was perhaps a very tall adventurer), all that we know for sure is that light can shine through it—and that is the exact meaning of "diaphanous."

Example Question #136 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

The tantrum-throwing toddler remained __________ and refused to eat his vegetables.

Possible Answers:

didactic

palpable

obdurate

bucolic

antediluvian

Correct answer:

obdurate

Explanation:

"Obdurate" means pigheaded or stubborn. "Antediluvian" means out-of-date or prehistoric (ante=before, diluvian=the flood). "Bucolic" means rural or rustic in nature. "Didactic" means educational or explanatory. "Palpable" means clear or obvious

Example Question #137 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

My uncle is always complaining about something. He's the most __________ person I know.

Possible Answers:

nonchalant

querulous

venerable

recalcitrant

taciturn

Correct answer:

querulous

Explanation:

"Querulous" means habitually complaining or whining. "Recalcitrant" means stubbornly defiant. "Taciturn" means reserved or uncommunicative. "Venerable" means revered or sacred. "Nonchalant" means casual or unconcerned.

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