PSAT Critical Reading : Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences
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Example Questions
Example Question #1713 : Psat Critical Reading
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.
You should be __________ of the perilous journey that lies ahead.
vicarious
vindictive
wary
wistful
wry
wary
The choice that makes the most sense is wary: feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.
Example Question #1714 : Psat Critical Reading
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.
The inmate stopped the flattery and began to speak with a more __________ tone after he realized the guards would never be coaxed into releasing him.
vituperative
veritable
visceral
valedictory
venal
vituperative
The choice that makes the most sense is vituperative: bitter and abusive; scolding.
Example Question #1715 : Psat Critical Reading
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.
Although I enjoyed your essay, it would be better if it were more concise and not as __________.
verbose
veritable
venial
venal
venerable
verbose
The choice that makes the most sense is verbose: using more words than are needed.
Example Question #1716 : Psat Critical Reading
Pick the best word to complete the sentence.
Children of authoritarian parents are often anxious; they can become __________ easily.
difficult
stressed
sensitive
underwhelmed
antisocial
stressed
The clause that needs filling-in is simply a rephrasing of the first part of the setence—"stressed" is the closest synonym of anxious and therefore makes the most sense in the sentence.
Example Question #1717 : Psat Critical Reading
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.
mistakenly
devilishly
playfully
famously
awkwardly
devilishly
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 #1721 : Psat Critical Reading
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.
famous
prepared
nimble
charismatic
touchy
touchy
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 #1722 : Psat Critical Reading
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.
lasting
far-fetched
demonstrable
pardonable
evanescent
evanescent
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 #1723 : Psat Critical Reading
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Pam was so __________ from her fever that she was unable to go to work.
defaced
defamed
debilitated
debauched
deliberated
debilitated
The answer that makes the most sense is "debilitated," to weaken or enfeeble.
Example Question #771 : 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.
symbiotic
taciturn
eloquent
placid
mundane
eloquent
"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 #772 : 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.
complacent
jocular
cantankerous
bucolic
avuncular
cantankerous
"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.
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