PSAT Critical Reading : Two Nouns in Two-Blank Sentences
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Example Question #1172 : Sentence Completion Questions
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ swimmers experienced by visiting the secluded __________ was somewhat disrupted when sharks began to swim in the waters that connected it with the ocean.
peace . . . continent
anger . . . cloud
tangent . . . mountain
tranquility . . . cove
stress . . . bay
tranquility . . . cove
For the first blank, we need to pick out a noun that means something like "calmness," because calmness would be disrupted if "sharks began to swim" near where one was swimming. Either "tranquility" ("the quality or state of being tranquil; calm") or "peace" (" freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility") could be correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a noun that describes a body of water that could be "connected . . . with the ocean." Either "cove" ("a small sheltered bay") or "bay" ("a broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inward") could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "tranquility" and "cove" appear in the same answer choice in the correct order, so the correct answer is "tranquility . . . cove."
Example Question #21 : Two Nouns In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Harold commenced a __________ of strenuous studying to build up the mental __________ to complete the three-day bar examination.
regimen . . . endurance
pledge . . . catharsis
diversion . . . illumination
constraint . . . sincerity
notion . . . integrity
regimen . . . endurance
The phrases “commenced,” “build up” and “complete the three-day bar examination” suggest that Harold began a systematic procedure to build up the stamina to finish a three-day exam. Only "regimen" (a systematic procedure) and "endurance" (a synonym for stamina) work for the blanks.
Example Question #2551 : Sat Critical Reading
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
His __________ for the crook was quite clear, and it obviously took a fair amount of __________ not to exact revenge before the police arrived.
defiance . . . persuasion
disdain . . . restraint
collaboration . . . drama
amicability . . . time
indifference . . . restraint
disdain . . . restraint
"Disdain" is synonymous with extreme dislike due to feeling superior to something or someone else, and "restraint" means self-control or something that limits movement or options. Here, it is clear that if revenge is desired since the individual does not like the crook, and that if revenge is not taken, restraint must have been shown.
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