PSAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #356 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Despite having lived in a deplorably dirty dorm room during his college years, when he got his own apartment, Greg was actually quite __________.

Possible Answers:

hygienic

bedraggled

unkempt

disheveled

disillusioned

Correct answer:

hygienic

Explanation:

"Hygienic" is a synonym of clean. That he was "actually quite __________," despite being dirty in college tells the reader that the word should be the opposite of dirty.

Example Question #357 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Alex always comes across as __________, because his attire is perpetually immaculate and people are commonly put off by his inattention to them.

Possible Answers:

compassionate

narcissistic

salacious

inept

deplorable

Correct answer:

narcissistic

Explanation:

The sentence hints at someone who is both well-dressed and inattentive to others. This could possibly be an arrogant or self-absorbed person, and "narcissistic" means basically that.

Example Question #352 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Austin was completely __________ from the hike up the mountain, so he fell asleep on the couch as soon as he got home.

Possible Answers:

truculent

sardonic

enthused

palpable

enervated

Correct answer:

enervated

Explanation:

"Enervated" means tired or exhausted, and given the fact that he was soon napping, it is safe to assume that this is how he was feeling.

Example Question #351 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

I was grateful for Marie’s __________ personality when she and I were able to repair our broken friendship.

Possible Answers:

bashful

timorous

deterrent

conciliatory

priggish 

Correct answer:

conciliatory

Explanation:

In order for Marie to be willing to amend the friendship, her personality must be one that tends towards peace and compromise. The only word that means this out of the answers is "conciliatory."

Example Question #353 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

The formation of a strong hypothesis to base your experiment on is the __________ part of any scientific research.

Possible Answers:

scant

prolific

steadfast

admissible

paramount

Correct answer:

paramount

Explanation:

Something you base your entire research on must be the most important part of it, and we should look for a word that conveys the importance of a hypothesis. "Paramount" fits here.

Example Question #1034 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The amateur poet never understood why his work was dismissed as __________ when he believed it had profound depth.

Possible Answers:

antediluvian

insightful

calibrated

mawkish

sublime

Correct answer:

mawkish

Explanation:

"Mawkish" means to be sickly sentimental. A poem without depth might very probably be dismissed as sickly sentimental or mawkish.

Example Question #1035 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The woman’s __________ salary made it all but impossible to feed and clothe her family.

Possible Answers:

rife

meager

empirical

behemoth

abundant

Correct answer:

meager

Explanation:

"Meager" means to be deficient in size or quantity. A salary deficient in quantity would understandably make it difficult to provide for a family.

Example Question #1036 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The best man cringed at Tony’s __________ behavior as he tried to organize the bachelor party all by himself; the best man knew that the responsibilty belonged to him.

Possible Answers:

deferring

magnanimous

clement

officious

virtuous

Correct answer:

officious

Explanation:

"Officious" means to offer one's services when they are neither wanted nor needed.  Customarily, the best man arranges the bachelor party. Tony's meddling was cringeworthy, as it was unwelcome. 

Example Question #911 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Ernest Hemingway’s books are quite __________; they are clear and easily understood by most everyone.

Possible Answers:

esoteric

arcane

pellucid

manipulative

unintelligible

Correct answer:

pellucid

Explanation:

"Pellucid" means easily intelligible and clear. Hemingway's prose is memorable for its intelligibility and clarity.

Example Question #1037 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Jonathan’s paintings are always unique and exciting; he seems to loathe the __________.

Possible Answers:

uncommon

macabre

invigorating

banal

vitality

Correct answer:

banal

Explanation:

"Banal" means dull and commonplace. Because Jonathan paints unique and exciting works, it can be reasoned that he dislikes the dull and commonplace (that is, the banal).

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