PSAT Critical Reading : Nouns in One-Blank Sentences
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Example Question #425 : One Blank Sentences
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
Around the holidays, when everyone is celebrating and full of cheer, the air is filled with a feeling of __________.
revolt
fantasy
guile
sensibility
frivolity
frivolity
Frivolity is the noun version of frivolous, a word you are more likely to have come across. It means self-indulgence or a carefree feeling. This answer makes sense because everyone is celebrating and cheerful. Revolt and guile have darker implications, sensibility is the opposite, and while fantasy could fit, frivolity more specifically matches the first part of the sentence.
Example Question #331 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
Derrick might not have tried intentionally to deceive others; nevertheless, most people believe him to be a man of profound ___________ and duplicity.
haughtiness
guile
injustice
arrogance
ignorance
guile
The key words here to note are “deceive” and “duplicity.” The implication of the sentence is that although Derrick might not try to be deceptive, he nevertheless is believed to be such. This is implied by the fact that he is considered “duplicitous” which directly means having two sides (or being a “double dealer”), though often meaning “deceitful” (implied in the act of having “two faces”). The best option is “guile,” which means cunning intelligence. Although this is not a direct synonym of “deceitful,” combined with “duplicity,” it functions to capture the sense of someone who is able to work through intelligence to be deceitful.
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