PSAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #811 : One Blank Sentences

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

Her father was __________ and restrictive in terms of his diet since he wanted to lose weight.

Possible Answers:

inclusive

abstemious

determined

immoderate

intemperate

Correct answer:

abstemious

Explanation:

The best answer choice is "abstemious," which means restrained, since it indicates that the subject's father is refraining from certain dietary choices that may be negative.

Example Question #812 : One Blank Sentences

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

Looking up at the stars with John was like the joy of a dream come true for Sara, leaving her in a smiling, __________ state.

Possible Answers:

blissful

fantastic

dazed

nebulous

hazy

Correct answer:

blissful

Explanation:

Although we might wish to mock the star-crossed lover by claiming that she was in a dreamy, half-conscious state, the sentence only can imply that she was in a state of joy; therefore, her smiling face matches her “blissful” state, a word meaning extremely happy or also blessed in a more religious or spiritual sense.

Example Question #813 : One Blank Sentences

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

Mark had to admit under oath that he had been __________ in the robbery, since he purposely turned off the alarm system in order to enable the thieves.

Possible Answers:

informed

threatened

complicit

subjugated

aware

Correct answer:

complicit

Explanation:

The sentence implies that Mark intended to assist the thieves with his action of turning off the alarm system. When a person is thus implicated in a crime, he or she is said to be “complicit.” The word is derived from Latin roots meaning to be folded into (or with) one another, a meaning reflected in the related English word “complicate,” which can be understood as meaning to be made more complex in the sense of such folding.

Example Question #814 : One Blank Sentences

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

When John had to miss class, he knew that it was best to ask his friend Julie to send him a copy of her __________ notes, for she always recorded every detail with unwavering accuracy and thoroughness.

Possible Answers:

researched

orderly

copious

eloquent

scholarly

Correct answer:

copious

Explanation:

In this sentence, pay attention to the fact that Julie’s notes are said to record every detail accurately and thoroughly. The focus, therefore, is on the amount and fullness of detail to be found therein. The best word that matches this sense is “copious,” which means abundantly supplied. The word is derived from the Latin “copia,” meaning plenty, abundance, or supply. At Thanksgiving, Americans often see pictures of “cornucopias” or “horns (cornu) of plenty (copia).”

Example Question #815 : One Blank Sentences

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

Everyone knew that they could lie to Fred with impunity, for he was one of the most __________ people in the whole town.

Possible Answers:

imbecilic

idiotic

credulous

unconsidered

unthinking

Correct answer:

credulous

Explanation:

Since people could lie to Fred rather easily, he must have been rather naïve and believing. Such a person could be called “credulous,” a word that means believing too easily. It is derived from Latin roots for "belief," founding related English words like “credible,” “credence,” and “incredible.”

Example Question #816 : One Blank Sentences

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

After weeks of sickness, Pio was utterly sapped of strength, being barely able to make even a __________ gesture.

Possible Answers:

physical

feeble

manual

somatic

material

Correct answer:

feeble

Explanation:

Since Pio is utterly sapped of strength, he is likely unable to make “even” a very weak gesture. (The word “even” is an important intensifying word here.) Certainly, one might be tempted by the options that indicate an inability to perform a bodily gesture; however, the best option will be the one that indicates the profundity of his being sapped. The word “feeble,” meaning that one is lacking strength (often implying that this is because of sickness), best fits this need.

Example Question #1004 : One Blank Sentences

The knight was assigned guard duty, and stood __________ outside the king's door whenever he met with his advisors, to ensure that no one tried to spy on or disrupt the meetings.

Possible Answers:

host

wheedling

asleep

sentry

neutral

Correct answer:

sentry

Explanation:

We know that "the knight was assigned guard duty," so we need to pick out an adjective that conveys this information. While "asleep" might make grammatical sense in the sentence, it doesn't make sense for the knight to be sleeping on the job, so "asleep" cannot be the correct answer. "Sentry," a word that when used in the phrase "stand sentry" means "keep guard or control access to a place," is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.

Example Question #811 : Sentence Completions

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

The molasses was so __________ that it took Francine ten minutes to measure out a cupful of it for her cookie recipe.

Possible Answers:

sedulous

rarefied

arrant

attenuated

viscous

Correct answer:

viscous

Explanation:

Since thick liquids pour more slowly, we're looking for an adjective that means "thick". While "rarefied" and "attenuated" may each sound correct because they have to do with thickness or thinness, both are words that mean "thin." "Viscous," on the other hand, refers specifically to liquids and means "thick; sticky; having a relatively high resistance to flow," so "viscous" is the correct answer.

Example Question #817 : One Blank Sentences

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

Thomas’s trip was __________ on the defense of his dissertation, for he could speak at the Parisian university only if he first had completed his degree.

Possible Answers:

scheduled

contingent

reflected

construed

founded

Correct answer:

contingent

Explanation:

The sentence states that Thomas could not make the trip to Paris to speak unless he first defended his dissertation. Therefore, the trip depends upon the successful defense of the dissertation and is said to be “contingent upon it.” The word “contingent,” literally means “touching upon.” The “-tingent” portion is related to English words like “tactile” and “tangible.” The “con-” prefix means “with.” Therefore, something “contingent” can be said to “touch with something else” in the sense of sharing, for example, borders with it.

Example Question #818 : One Blank Sentences

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

Her __________ outlook on life couldn't be ruined by anything and she always saw the bright side of any situation, no matter how apparently bad or hopeless.

Possible Answers:

redoubtable

pessimistic

quiescent

percolating

sanguine

Correct answer:

sanguine

Explanation:

We can infer that because we are told that the subject's "outlook on life couldn't be ruined by anything" and that she "saw the bright side of any situation, no matter how bad or apparently hopeless," we need to pick out an adjective to describe this person that means something like "optimistic." "Pessimistic," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "pessimistic" is an adjective that means "tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen," making it an antonym of the word for which we are looking. "Sanguine," however, is an adjective that means "optimistic or positive, esp. in an apparently bad or difficult situation," and because "sanguine" best describes the attitude of the subject of the sentence, "sanguine" is the correct answer.

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