PSAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading
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Example Questions
Example Question #400 : 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 __________.
disillusioned
disheveled
hygienic
unkempt
bedraggled
hygienic
"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 #1037 : Sentence Completion Questions
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.
deplorable
compassionate
inept
salacious
narcissistic
narcissistic
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 #1196 : 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.
truculent
enthused
enervated
sardonic
palpable
enervated
"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 #1201 : 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.
conciliatory
timorous
priggish
deterrent
bashful
conciliatory
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 #1202 : 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.
steadfast
scant
admissible
paramount
prolific
paramount
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 #361 : Adjectives And Adverbs 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.
sublime
insightful
calibrated
mawkish
antediluvian
mawkish
"Mawkish" means to be sickly sentimental. A poem without depth might very probably be dismissed as sickly sentimental or mawkish.
Example Question #362 : Adjectives And Adverbs 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.
empirical
rife
meager
abundant
behemoth
meager
"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 #363 : Adjectives And Adverbs 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.
officious
virtuous
clement
deferring
magnanimous
officious
"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 #364 : Adjectives And Adverbs 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.
arcane
manipulative
pellucid
unintelligible
esoteric
pellucid
"Pellucid" means easily intelligible and clear. Hemingway's prose is memorable for its intelligibility and clarity.
Example Question #371 : Adjectives And Adverbs 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 __________.
invigorating
vitality
uncommon
macabre
banal
banal
"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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