PSAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #946 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Rembert’s large frame was matched by a rich, __________ voice, which had a depth proportional to his imposing appearance.

Possible Answers:

blaring

deafening

piercing

shrill

sonorous

Correct answer:

sonorous

Explanation:

Clearly, the sentence wishes to express the depth of Rembert’s voice, but this does not imply anything about its loudness.  Do not be fooled by the word “imposing.”  It is the depth that is compared to his imposing appearance.  The word “sonorous” implies depth and fullness to a voice, which well matches what is needed here. 

Example Question #947 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The moralist often examined the possible answers to his inquiries by asking himself if his hypotheses were either discordant or __________ with his personal experience.

Possible Answers:

erratic

turbulent

confused

consonant

germane

Correct answer:

consonant

Explanation:

Although it is difficult to tell if the sentence is looking for a contrast to the word “discordant” or a synonym to it, it should be clear that none of the options can be a synonym in any strict sense.  The metaphor of being “discordant” implies that something “clashes” with the moralist’s experience.  Therefore, if it must be a contrast, the word “consonant” would work best, as it implies that something is “in agreement with” his experience.  Literally, to be consonant means to “sounds with” something else.  Two agreeing notes in a piece of music are considered to be “consonant.”  The usage here is metaphorical. 

Example Question #271 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Joshua had a very _________ daily schedule, rigidly planning every hour of the day.

Possible Answers:

strenuous

regimented

monastic

grueling

laborious

Correct answer:

regimented

Explanation:

Although it might seem that a rigid schedule is difficult, we cannot imply that directly. The word “regimented” best fits the needs of this sentence, meaning “strictly organized in a strict schedule.”  The word is related to a number of words for “ruling” such as “regal,” “regent,” and “regalia.”

Example Question #272 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Although he lived in exile, the king still bore himself in a __________ manner to distinguish himself from the common people around him.

Possible Answers:

conceited

cultured

haughty

domineering

regal

Correct answer:

regal

Explanation:

There is nothing in this sentence to state that the king was arrogant in his demeanor even if he does distinguish himself from the general lot of people.  Although the necessary weaker sense might be expressed by “cultured,” the adjective “regal” likewise conveys the sense of “kingliness.”  The word is derived from the Latin word for king and is found in such English words as “regiment,” “regent,” and “interregnum.”

Example Question #273 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

After attempting to heal the patient with a number of weak medications, the doctor decided to try a more __________ treatment.

Possible Answers:

harmful

hazardous

unpredictable

precarious

potent

Correct answer:

potent

Explanation:

The contrast here is between “weak” and “strong” not “safe” and “dangerous.”  Therefore, the word “potent” is the best choice among our options.  “Potent” is related to a number of English words derived from the Latin for “to be able” as well as “power” such as “potency,” “possible,” “potential,” “omnipotent,” and “potentate.”

Example Question #951 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Otto had long ruled with great force and authority.  In his old age, feeble health rendered him __________ in comparison with his former vigor.

Possible Answers:

defenseless

downtrodden

impotent

senescent

senile

Correct answer:

impotent

Explanation:

Although it might be tempting to choose one of the words related to old age, such as “senile” or “downtrodden,” it is necessary to pay heed to the key words “force and authority.”  While “defenseless” may seem to contrast this, it doesn’t match the sense as well as “impotent,” which directly signifies a lack of power.   It is derived from the “in-” prefix that means “not” (in this case) and “potent,” which means “having strength or power.”  The latter is derived from the Latin for “to be able” as well as other words meaning “power.”  Related English words are “potency,” “possible,” “potential,” “omnipotent,” and “potentate.”

Example Question #952 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

William stumbled through the desert, hoping to find an oasis in which he could rehydrate his __________ body.

Possible Answers:

scorched

scalded

fainting

swooning

desiccated

Correct answer:

desiccated

Explanation:

Although William’s body is likely to be weak and fainting, all that we are told in the sentence is that he needs to be rehydrated (that is, replenished with regard to fluids, particularly water).  In such a case, it would be most appropriate to say that a person is “desiccated,” meaning that he or she is lacking fluid.  The word comes from the Latin root for “dry,” but it has few recognizable related words in English.  The word can also be used to indicate that one lacks passion or energy.

Example Question #953 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Dr. Thornton was perhaps one of the most tedious and dull professors on campus, for his lectures were really nothing more than a __________ string of sources cited one after another without any real engagement with the topic.

Possible Answers:

desiccated

scholarly

continual

bookish

boundless

Correct answer:

desiccated

Explanation:

Although the professor’s words are likely endless and perhaps even academic or scholarly, the sentence wishes to indicate that they were a string of lifeless sources, strung together.  If something is (literally) dried out, it is said to be desiccated.  By extension, the term “desiccated” is applied to anything that lacks “sap” or vitality, even human words.

Example Question #954 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Although the soap did an excellent job cleaning dirt from one’s face, it likewise contained strong, __________ agents, significantly drying the user’s skin.

Possible Answers:

abrasive

siccific

destructive

acidic

harsh

Correct answer:

siccific

Explanation:

Since the soap dries the skin as it does, it must contain some sort of drying agents.  The word “siccific” is a rare English word, but it has related parts that should make it somewhat easier to guess.  The suffix “-fic,” as well as the related “-fac” and “-fy”, are all found in many words and means “to do” or “to make.”  Think of words like “efficacious,” “defect,” “ramify,” “exemplify,” and many others. The “sicc-” portion of the word is derived from the Latin for “dry,” and is found in the word “desiccate,” meaning “to dry out.”  It is often used in the past participle form “desiccated,” meaning “dried out.”  The word “siccific,” therefore means “something that acts as a drying agent.”

Example Question #291 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Not all people who worship the earth are __________, for many such persons believe that God is separate from the earth, which they worship as the habitation of the former.

Possible Answers:

pantheistic

atheistic

geomancers

henotheistic

monotheistic

Correct answer:

pantheistic

Explanation:

A religion that posits a strict equivalence between God and the world is known as “pantheistic,” meaning “all-god.”  The prefix “pan-” means “all” and is found in words like “pantomime” and “panacea” (the latter meaning “all-healing”).  The “-theistic” portion of the word means “related to God or gods” and is related to words like “theology” and “atheist” (meaning “no-God”).

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