PSAT Critical Reading : Two Adjectives or Adverbs in Two-Blank Sentences
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Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Two Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The farmer surveyed his plot of land, convinced the __________ soil would deliver a __________ harvest.
fertile . . . insubstantial
dismal . . . generous
healthy . . . useless
fecund . . . bountiful
arid . . . copious
fecund . . . bountiful
"Fecund" means fruitful and fertile, while "bountiful" means generous, plentiful, copious. A farmer who surveyed a fertile plot of land would certainly expect it to deliver a generous crop.
Example Question #42 : Two Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The funeral of Margaret Thatcher was a __________ and respectful occasion for the majority of the British population; however there was a large minority, particularly over the internet, who commented __________ and distastefully on her life.
somber . . . sardonically
concise . . . quiescently
audible . . . wistfully
terse . . . succinctly
notorious . . . dramatically
somber . . . sardonically
The use of the word “however” to begin the second clause suggests that the meaning of the second part of the sentence is different from and most likely opposite to the meaning of the first sentence. Additionally, you know that the first blank must refer to a common feeling at a funeral, and the second blank must closely resemble the meaning of the word “distastefully.” The best match for the first blank is "somber," which means having a serious and melancholy atmosphere, and the word that most closely matches with "distastefully" is "sardonically," which means in the manner of sarcastic commentary. These answers best fit with the context of the sentence. As for the other answer choices, "terse" means short and concise and "succinctly" means expressed with brevity; "concise" means expressing meaning using few words and "quiescently" means in a manner that is at rest; "audible" means able to be heard, and "wistfully" refers to doing something in the manner of looking back with sadness to a better past; and "notorious" means famous for bad deeds.
Example Question #112 : Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
I’m not usually a(n) __________ person, but I was fuming after I got lost driving to my friend’s house because of the __________ directions he gave me.
glacial . . . subtle
irascible . . . nebulous
fanatical . . . unwitting
presumptuous . . . egregious
irksome . . . volatile
irascible . . . nebulous
For the first blank, we are looking for a word that has to do with getting angry because this person was “fuming.” For the second, we can infer that the directions were not very good because this person got lost. The answer choice with "irascible . . . nebulous" is the only that fits because irascible means easily angered, while "nebulous" means vague.
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