PSAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #941 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Although most of his friends thought his arguments were merely rhetorical, Adam clearly believed himself to have given __________ reasons for his position.

Possible Answers:

candid

ingenuous

honest

demonstrative

lucid

Correct answer:

demonstrative

Explanation:

In comparison with his friends’ opinions of his argument, Adam thinks that he has given solid reasoning that does not only rely up on the emotive and stylistic force of the words used (as would be the case in a rhetorical argument).  Although such solid reasoning would lucidly present the conclusions, the very style of rigorous reasoning is best called “demonstrative,” a word clearly related to the verb “to demonstrate,” coming from the root meaning “to show.”  It is related to the word “remonstrate,” meaning “to protest forcefully.”  Likewise, it is related to the Roman Catholic liturgical instrument called a “monstrance,” which is used to “show” the communion for devotional exercises.

Example Question #942 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Gina feared being caught for her midnight snacking and therefore would __________ slip out of bed when getting her nighttime food.

Possible Answers:

hungrily

ravenously

duplicitously

furtively

insincerely

Correct answer:

furtively

Explanation:

The key expression in this sentence is the one stating that Gina “feared being caught.”  Since she fears detection, she would want to “sneak” out of bed.  Someone acting furtively is acting in such a way as not to be noticed.  The word comes from the Latin for “theft,” though the English word merely needs to imply that one does not desire to be caught (for fear of some repercussion—real or imagined).

Example Question #943 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Joseph had always had an amazingly __________ personality.  From the time of his youth, he would regularly interact with others, play games with any group of peers, and particularly loved attending large, crowded gatherings.

Possible Answers:

agitated

overbearing

energetic

extroverted

fidgety

Correct answer:

extroverted

Explanation:

Based on the description provided, one could say that Joseph was an “outgoing” person. If someone is “extroverted,” they are literally said to be “turned outward” in the sense of being engaged with the world in an active manner.  The word comes from the prefix “extra-”, which means “outside of” and a stem that is derived from several Latin words for “to turn.”  The latter can be found in English words like “convert,” “introvert,” “versatile,” and “inversion.”

Example Question #944 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Prime Minister Julian had been a total failure in __________ matters; therefore, he turned his attention to external, foreign affairs for the remainder of his term.

Possible Answers:

bureaucratic

domestic

financial

budgetary

fiduciary

Correct answer:

domestic

Explanation:

The contrast in this sentence is between matters internal and external to the state.  The word “domestic” is derived from Latin roots for “home” found in words like “domicile” and “domesticate.”  The word has an extended meaning when applied to political affairs, indicating that certain classes of actions and undertakings are related to matters “at home” as opposed to those that are “abroad.”

Example Question #945 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

The situation with the foreign country was so precarious that the president granted __________ authority to Thomas, leaving the latter to act in any capacity that he felt necessary in order to calm the heated relations.

Possible Answers:

peacemaking 

political

ambassadorial 

plenipotentiary

diplomatic

Correct answer:

plenipotentiary

Explanation:

Someone with “plenipotentiary” authority is authorized to act on behalf of a nation (or any other person / group / etc) in any fashion whatsoever.  Such a person is said to have “full authority,” a meaning that comes out in the literal meanings of the parts of the word.  “Pleni-” is derived from the Latin “plenus” meaning “full” or “complete” and is found in English words like “plenty” and “plenitude.”  The second half (“-potentiary”) comes from roots meaning “power” or “ability” and is related to words like “potency,” “impotent,” and “potential.”

Example Question #941 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

When learning another language, it is easiest to remember vocabulary words that are __________ to words in other languages that you know, sharing the same linguistic roots.

Possible Answers:

cognate

equivalent

identical

analogous

approximate

Correct answer:

cognate

Explanation:

Cognate words are ones that share the same lineage, such as the word “fenestra” in English (meaning “an opening in bandage or an opening made in the midst of a surgery”) and the French “fenêtre” (meaning “window”) are both derived from the Latin “fenestra,” (meaning opening for light or a window).  The word “cognate” literally means “of the same birth” or “with+born.”  The “co[g]-” prefix means “with” (like “cohabitate” or “coordinate”).  The “-[g]nate-” portion is derived from Latin roots related to birth.  Similar English words are “nativity,” “natal,” and “nascent.”

Example Question #942 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

After spending the summer near the ocean, Lawrence was thrilled to return to the __________ hills of his hometown to see the arboreal scenery that he found to be so beautiful in the autumn.

Possible Answers:

secluded

sylvan

pastoral

isolated

craggy

Correct answer:

sylvan

Explanation:

The key word to note is “arboreal” which indicates that the scenery in the hometown has something of a “tree-like” character (or, more likely, is filled with many trees).  Nothing is said about the seclusion of the area, and “pastoral” above all implies fields.  The word “sylvan” comes from the Latin “silva” for forest. 

Example Question #943 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

George vexed his friends by his __________ personality, always lecturing and sermonizing on topics related to the events of contemporary society.

Possible Answers:

arrogant

predicatory

pompous

magnanimous

imperious

Correct answer:

predicatory

Explanation:

The clues in this sentence indicate that George was a “preachy” type of person.  Such a person could be called “predicatory,” a rather uncommon word, but one with roots that you can perhaps see.  It really is a combination of “pre” and “dicactory.”  The prefix here means “before” in the sense of being “before (=in front of) the crowd.”  The later is related to words like “diction,” “contradict,” and “dictionary.”  Together the word makes an adjective describing one who speaks in front of a crowd.  

Example Question #944 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The boy’s mother, remembering earlier times when he was an innocent, upright child, was saddened by the ___________ criminal activities for which he was convicted and sentenced.

Possible Answers:

unanticipated

nefarious

surprising

unannounced

questionable

Correct answer:

nefarious

Explanation:

The implied contrast in this sentence is not merely a matter of expecting one personality type and unexpectedly finding another.  Although that is certainly true, the boy’s mother is shocked at the character of the criminal activities.  In contrast with an innocent and upright childhood, these activities would not only be unexpected but also “nefarious,” meaning “wicked” or “criminal.”

Example Question #945 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Although statistics and physics both utilize significant amounts of mathematics in their explanations, does that mean that these subjects are in reality identical or is it better to say that they are _________?

Possible Answers:

equivalent

differentiated

opposed

cognate

interchangeable

Correct answer:

cognate

Explanation:

The key to this sentence is to strike a balance between strict equivalence and opposition.   An equivalence would not provide the needed distinction, and there is nothing in the sentence to indicate a complete contrast.  The word “cognate” strikes just such a balance.  Although it usually describes words that are descended from the same linguistic roots, “cognate” can also mean “related” or “connected.” The word literally means “of the same birth” or “with+born.”  The “co[g]-” prefix means “with” (like “cohabitate” or “coordinate”).  The “-[g]nate-” portion is derived from Latin roots related to birth.  Similar English words are “nativity,” “natal,” and “nascent.”

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