PSAT Critical Reading : Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #267 : One Blank Sentences

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

Many people act as though one law is necessarily a __________ of a preceding one that treats the same matter, when in fact both of them remain in existence and must be understood in light of each other.

Possible Answers:

questioning

judgment

revocation

denunciation

destruction

Correct answer:

revocation

Explanation:

The sense of our sentence is that many people think that one law overrides antecedent laws.  (This is brought out by the counterfactual “when in fact . . .”). Although perhaps “destruction” or “denunciation” sound good, “revocation” is a much closer word, meaning “to call back” or “to end the binding force of something.” It comes from roots that are very familiar. “Re-,” in addition to meaning “again” likewise means “back,” and the “-voc-” can be found in many words about “calling” or “speaking” such as “vocation,” “vocal,” and “advocate.”

Example Question #171 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences

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

The lycanthrope would only __________ its appearance in secret, fearing that others would come to know of the change and thus shun him from society.

Possible Answers:

unveil

conceal

doctor

uncover

transmute

Correct answer:

transmute

Explanation:

The one key word to note is “change,” which gives some specificity to the lycanthrope’s action. (A lycanthrope is another werewolf.  You do not need to know this in order to answer, though it would help). The best word for “change” is the word “transmute,” which means “to change in form.” Even if you did not know it at first, its meaning could be guessed by looking at its parts. We know “trans-” means “across” and “-mute” is related to words like “mutation” (which implies change). To “trans+mute” is to change “across” from one form to another.

Example Question #172 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences

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

Every town has its __________, who attends multiple civic meetings in order to goad the representatives out of avoiding troublesome issues.

Possible Answers:

representative

ne’er-do-well

regent

crier

gadfly

Correct answer:

gadfly

Explanation:

The gadfly is an annoying stinging fly, and when this is used to describe a person, it is meant to imply that said person is a “stinging” annoyance to others (perhaps for their own good, even if it is not noticed).

Socrates was the “gadfly of Athens” because he questioned many people regarding things that they took for granted without any real intelligible basis, and in Greek myth, the gadfly was sent to sting the Pegasus when it was carrying an arrogant human rider in an attempted flight to the heavens. (Thus, a gadfly can also sting those who arrogantly think they know it all and are soaring to godlike knowledge).

Example Question #173 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences

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

Everyone knew Reginald to be a faithful __________ of the positions found in the writings Aristotle. No matter when he talked, he made it clear that he believed that the old Greek provided the only systematic approach to human life and thought.

Possible Answers:

defender

teacher

exponent

pedagogue

guardian

Correct answer:

exponent

Explanation:

Here, the best term is “exponent” because this term implies that one promotes a given idea—not necessarily defensively but with a certain devotion and zeal.  The word often is used in mathematics, but here, it shows its relationship to its Latin roots very clearly.  The composite ex+ponent literally means “to place out” (in the sense of expressing outwardly).  The “-ponent” portion is related to numerous words related to the Latin base “to place or put,” not only those like “postpone” and “component” but also words that have “-pos-” such as “propose,” “expose,” and “exposition” (among many others).

Example Question #174 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences

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

William did not see his roommate’s request to be a significant __________.  As he had already planned to cook dinner that night, it was no additional burden for him to increase the quantity in order to feed his roommate as well.

Possible Answers:

thought

inquiry

imposition

alteration

petition

Correct answer:

imposition

Explanation:

The key term in the second sentence is “burden.” The roommate’s request is not burdensome, which means that it does not “impose” on William or, in our sentence, that it is not an “imposition.” The composite im + position literally means to place upon (the “im” being a form of “in”). The “-position” portion of the word is clearly related to a number of words like “propose,” “expose,” and “exposition” but is also related to certain “-pon-” words such as “postpone,” “component,” and “exponent.” All of these words (and many others) are derived from Latin roots that mean to place or put.

Example Question #281 : One Blank Sentences

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

The physics student thought about reality with a certain mathematical __________ to her concepts. Years of using equations to model reality had altered her manner of considering the world around her.

Possible Answers:

coolness

detachment

imperialism

cast

aloofness

Correct answer:

cast

Explanation:

Do not be fooled into thinking either that the student’s manner of thinking is overbearing (i.e. imperialist) or that it is detached because of certain stereotypes about mathematics. Instead, the sentence expresses that the student gives her thoughts of reality a certain “coloring” because of her mathematical work. Such a “coloring” could be called a “cast” in the sense of being the general character of something. Think of the word as a metaphorical usage of “cast” in the strong sense of “physical mold” but becoming somewhat loosened in meaning to mean much more generally the “character” (i.e. the physical, emotional, intellectual, etc. shape) of something.

Example Question #282 : One Blank Sentences

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

For quite some time, academic positions were the __________ of the clergy, while most members of the laity were often seen to be fit only for less educated tasks.

Possible Answers:

pride

preserve

occupation

distinction

profession

Correct answer:

preserve

Explanation:

The key point to note is that academic positions were seen to be limited to the members of the clergy, who were the specific group to whom this work fell. A “preserve” is used at times to describe a place set aside for private hunting. More generally, we can think of it as a given activity (or group of activities) that are reserved for a specific group. In our example, it is as though the academic world was a preserved location for the clergy to do their supposed jobs.

Example Question #283 : One Blank Sentences

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

Because of his logical cast of mind, Egbert had a natural __________ for learning algorithms in his computer programming class, allowing him to understand new concepts with great ease.

Possible Answers:

flair

ability

talent

sagacity

facility

Correct answer:

facility

Explanation:

The key phrase that helps to discern the closest term from the less proper ones is “with great east.” If someone can do something with facility, they are able to do so well and with ease. The word is related to others like “facile” and “facilitate” that are derived from the Latin for to do or make, but the sense of “facile” includes the notion of being easily accomplished.

Example Question #284 : One Blank Sentences

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

The graduating class gathered together for the annual __________ to present academic awards to the highest achieving students.

Possible Answers:

affair

event

banquet

convocation

scholium

Correct answer:

convocation

Explanation:

Based on the data provided in this sentence, the most that can be said about the annual event is indicated by the key expression “gathered together.”  A “convocation” is a “calling together” or a meeting of this sort where a group comes together, often as a formal ceremony.  The word comes from the prefix “con-,” meaning “with” or (by extension) “together” and “vocation,” meaning “to call.”  The former is found in words like “contiguous” and “congruent,” as well as “colloquy” and “cooperate.”  The later is related to words like “vocal,” “vocative,” and “advocate.”

Example Question #285 : One Blank Sentences

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

Admittedly, the book was relatively brief, but Catherine resented that the __________ was being called a “mere trifle of a tale.” 

Possible Answers:

publication

novella

text

tome

novella

publication

anecdote

anecdote

text

tome

Correct answer:

novella

Explanation:

The sentence wishes to indicate that Catherine thought that her story was short, but not so short as to merit such seeming scorn.  A “novella” is a short novel (or a long short story), the word being derived from the obvious base “novel” with an added diminutive ending.  Diminutive endings make the word to mean something “smaller” than the base word.  The forms of such endings often differ from language to language.  “Novella” comes from Italian roots, and such diminution can be found in a name like “Monticello,” Thomas Jefferson’s House, whose name literally means “little mountain” after the hill upon which it sits.

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