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 #1225 : One Blank Sentences

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

Having been raised in the suburbs, Benjamin had no experience of the __________ poverty that so many suffer.

Possible Answers:

enviable

covetous

avid

rapacious

abject

Correct answer:

abject

Explanation:

"Abject" means wretched and pitiful. The poverty from which people suffer is wretched.

Example Question #1041 : One Blank Sentences

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

The clinic kept an __________ environment, even though maintaining the cleanliness was actually rather expensive.

Possible Answers:

inhospitable

antiseptic

derivative

obscene

filthy

Correct answer:

antiseptic

Explanation:

"Antiseptic" means clean and sterile. The clinic maintained cleanliness even though it cost more.

Example Question #1042 : One Blank Sentences

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

The new policeman became ill at the sight of the __________ blood; the victim’s thickened blood put him off pudding for a very long time.

Possible Answers:

streaming

prevaricating

coagulated

mendacious

flowing

Correct answer:

coagulated

Explanation:

"Coagulated" means thickened or clotted. The victim's thickened blood, resembling pudding, was very off-putting for the new policeman.

Example Question #1226 : One Blank Sentences

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

I adore humid climates, but I abhor __________ ones.

Possible Answers:

tenuous

arid

mendacious

enhanced

discredited

Correct answer:

arid

Explanation:

"Arid" means very dry.

Example Question #931 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Before you drink the water from that dirty river, you need to filter it and treat it with certain chemicals; only then will it be __________.

Possible Answers:

jaded

enervated

potable

chary

unaccustomed

Correct answer:

potable

Explanation:

"Potable" means suitable for drinking.

Example Question #932 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

“Don’t you think that assigning five hours of homework a night is a bit too __________?” the concerned parent asked the teacher.

Possible Answers:

onerous

somatic

surreptitious

gregarious

explicit

Correct answer:

onerous

Explanation:

"Onerous" means burdensome.

Example Question #1071 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

“It wasn’t very nice or __________ to tell that other little girl that you thought she was boring,” Ann said to her daughter.

Possible Answers:

ubiquitious

resilient 

derisive

tactful

jejune

Correct answer:

tactful

Explanation:

"Tactful" means skillful at not offending others.

Example Question #1072 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Ever since Jean Paul and I broke up, everyone tells me the same __________ phrase: there are always more fish in the sea.

Possible Answers:

opulent

hackneyed

abbreviated

scrutinizing

aesthetic

Correct answer:

hackneyed

Explanation:

"Hackneyed" means clichéd, or worn out by overuse.

Example Question #933 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Marisol had only a(n) __________ understanding of how to fix and maintain her car, and so she took an automobile repair class.

Possible Answers:

superficial

prosaic

intrepid

amicable

mundane

Correct answer:

superficial

Explanation:

"Superficial" means shallow, or lacking depth.

Example Question #941 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Because Louisa had just jogged three miles in the sun, her face looked __________.

Possible Answers:

ornate

restive

sanctimonious

implacable

florid

Correct answer:

florid

Explanation:

"Florid" means having a red or flushed complexion. It also can mean flowery or ornate.

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