All PSAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #853 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In the late-night mists, the street lamp cast a __________ glow that hovered in the air above the heads of the pedestrians; many children were frightened by the sight, which they frequently mistook for being the form of a ghost.
eerie
wicked
pulsating
devilish
spectral
spectral
Since the children confuse the lamplight with that of a ghost, it is best described as being “spectral.” Other options like “eerie,” “devilish,” and “wicked” are not as directly related to the “ghostly” appearance. The word is related to a number of other words related to the Latin for look, such as “speculate” and “spectator,” though here the word explicitly means to have a ghostly appearance.
Example Question #854 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Regina never had a close relationship with her mother and therefore was always searching for a __________ maternal figure to fill her perceived need.
friendly
surrogate
kind
devoted
caring
surrogate
Since Regina is said to be looking for someone to fill the role of a mother in her life, we can say most assuredly that she is looking for a replacement mother. Whether or not she desires one who is friendly, we cannot say, and while likely she wants a devoted mother, still the sentence most directly is talking about this need for a replacement. A “surrogate” is a substitute for some position or role. It comes from the Latin word meaning to replace or depute, more distantly being derived from the combination of “super,” meaning over and “rogare,” meaning to ask. The latter is related to English words like “interrogate” and “derogatory.”
Example Question #855 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Sadly, Mark had developed a very __________ relationship with his friend Thomas; he was unable to separate himself from the latter, who himself often needed such attention to fulfill his ego.
deleterious
unhealthy
codependent
questionable
problematic
codependent
When a person has a deep psychological reliance on another person, it can often be called codependence. This is particularly the case when the other partner needs such a relationship as well, perhaps for other reasons. For instance, one person might need a mother figure and rely on some woman in his or her life, while that maternal figure might likewise have some need for someone to support her (e.g.) alcoholism. If the other person is a drinking partner, this relationship could be considered particularly codependent.
Example Question #877 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Catherine’s children showed her the _________ respect due to her as their mother.
eternal
prolific
undying
filial
maternal
filial
A “filial” quality is one that is due from a child. It is derived from the Latin words for daughter (filia) and son (filius).
Example Question #856 : Sentence Completions
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.
amorous
suboptimal
disconsolate
questionable
lamentable
suboptimal
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 #212 : 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.
lofty
detached
contemptuous
haughty
erudite
erudite
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 #881 : Sentence Completion Questions
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.
cryptic
recondite
clandestine
obscure
intramural
intramural
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 #861 : 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.
postal
epistolary
dispatched
personal
intimate
epistolary
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 #1051 : 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.
communicative
literary
lexical
vocal
oral
lexical
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 #883 : Parts Of Speech 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.
Victorian
thorough
amiable
urbane
grandiose
urbane
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.
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