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 #204 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Although one might of regretted the __________ conditions of the arranged marriage, Roland was quite accepting of his wife, even though she did not meet the perfection he had previously desired in a spouse.

Possible Answers:

lamentable

amorous

questionable

disconsolate

suboptimal

Correct answer:

suboptimal

Explanation:

The key expressions are “even though she did not meet the perfection.” To be “below” a level of perfection is to be “suboptimal,” a word literally meaning below the best. The prefix “sub-” has many derivatives in English (“submarine,” “substance,” and so forth). The word “optimal” (found in English words like “optimum”) is derived from the Latin “optimus,” meaning “best.”

Example Question #205 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

After many years in the Platonic Academy, Aristotle was rightly one of the most well-educated and __________ men in all of Greece.

Possible Answers:

detached

erudite

haughty

lofty

contemptuous

Correct answer:

erudite

Explanation:

To have great knowledge is to be “erudite,” a word whose roots indicate being taken from (e- / ex-) the state of rudeness or from being untrained (rudis). You can see the latter portion in words like “rude,” “rudimentary”, and “rudiment.”

Example Question #206 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

No documents could leave the safety of the __________ space of the secured building.

Possible Answers:

cryptic

obscure

clandestine

recondite

intramural

Correct answer:

intramural

Explanation:

Since the secured building would not allow documents to leave its walls, it can be said that they would not leave the “intramural” space, which means the space within (intra) the walls “mural.” When the word “intramural” is used to describe sports, it means sports that occur within a given academic institution—within its walls as opposed to between two different schools. Note that “intra” IS NOT the same as “inter,” the latter meaning between and the former meaning within.

Example Question #207 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

With the rise of extremely brief text messaging, it is becoming evident that traditional __________ communication is becoming increasingly rare, even in the form of digital letters.

Possible Answers:

dispatched

intimate

postal

personal

epistolary

Correct answer:

epistolary

Explanation:

Even if you didn’t know what text messages were, you could guess that the contrast is between short remarks and real letters—an interpretation solidified by the closing word “letters.” The word “epistolary” means related to letters. It is derived from the Latin “epistola,” meaning letter, which has the related English derivate “epistle,” which also means letter.

Example Question #208 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Although many looked at the symbols for their artistic merit, Bonaventure was certain that they represented an attempt to communicate some linguistic content; therefore, he thoroughly analyzed their patterns in order to attempt to find some kind of __________ significance.

Possible Answers:

oral

lexical

literary

communicative

vocal

Correct answer:

lexical

Explanation:

The word “lexical” is derived from a Greek word meaning pertaining to words. Hence, Bonaventure was searching for such content since he believed the symbols had “some linguistic content” and were not merely symbols without meaning.

Example Question #209 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Bonaventure was a man of __________ manners, extremely proper, respectful, and, above all, charming beyond measure.

Possible Answers:

amiable

grandiose

Victorian

urbane

thorough

Correct answer:

urbane

Explanation:

To be "urbane" is to be suave or courteous. It is directly derived from a Latin word that means almost the same thing and ultimately comes from the word for "city," (which we see in English words like “urban”). A person of “urbane” manners is one who is cultured for city life, as opposed to rustic life.

Example Question #891 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

When asked to define the term that he had just used, William could only respond with an __________ definition, pointing to examples that could be found in the room.

Possible Answers:

impeded

inexact

inappropriate

ostensive

inadequate

Correct answer:

ostensive

Explanation:

Strictly speaking something that is “ostensive” demonstrates something clearly and directly. By extension, this often is used to mean a definition that points to instances of the given concept. Even if one cannot clearly define the item in the abstract, such a definition does at least indicate clearly certain instances. The word is derived from the Latin “ostendere,” which means not only to show but also to point out; hence the applicability of the usage in our sentence.

Example Question #892 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Sadly, after many years of practicing the organ, the young man was far from being __________ at playing the instrument. His inability was disheartening for both his instructor and his parents.

Possible Answers:

competent

ornate

melodious

acceptable

musical

Correct answer:

competent

Explanation:

As the young man was unable even to play the instrument, we could say that he lacks “competence” at the skill. The word is related to a number of “-pet” words, which are derived from the Latin root word for “to seek or attack.” Related English words are “petition,” “repetitive,” and so forth.

The derivation of the word’s meaning has been rather extended, however, by the prefix “com-,” which means with. One can see the meaning of these two roots more easily in the related “competition”—seeking with, in the sense that in a competition, the competitors are together seeking the same victory.

Example Question #893 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

As Isidore described the work he was doing on his dissertation, he was always met with similar responses. Blank, __________ eyes would stare back with a glassy complexion, indicating neither interest nor even comprehension.

Possible Answers:

drooping

vexed

vitreous

wilting

languid

Correct answer:

vitreous

Explanation:

The expression here is metaphorical, so the knowledge of vocabulary is key. Isidore’s “glassy” stare could also be called “vitreous,” which means like glass. It is derived from the Latin word vitrum, meaning glass.

Example Question #894 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

One could hardly believe how __________ it was to sell salt-water in the small town; however, the inhabitants, intrigued by the taste, would buy cases of the water at a steep markup to share with friends at dinner parties.

Possible Answers:

impracticable

incredible

lucrative

idiotic

risible

Correct answer:

lucrative

Explanation:

Since one can make quite a bit of money selling salt-water in the town, it is a rather profitable or lucrative business. This is derived ultimately from the Latin word lucrum, which means gain, profit, or even excessively greedy. The English word “lucre”, meaning money—particularly with connotations of being gained dishonorably, is from the same base.

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