PSAT Critical Reading : Verbs in One-Blank Sentences
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Example Questions
Example Question #74 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
He was beaten so badly that he knew there was no way he could __________ the result of the race.
contest
convene
consort
controvert
convoke
contest
The answer that makes the most sense is "contest," to dispute.
Example Question #75 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Bob's mother furiously __________ him when she saw that he already torn holes in his new jeans.
exhorted
expatiated
excoriated
expedited
exonerated
excoriated
The answer that makes the most sense is "excoriate," to scold with biting harshness.
Example Question #76 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Don't __________ yourself with understanding every detail; it is more important to see the big picture.
enjoin
emulate
encumber
emend
ensue
encumber
The answer that makes the most sense is "encumber," to burden.
Example Question #77 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
The seasoned surgeon has __________ himself with all sorts of anatomical problems.
hoarded
habituated
hovered
honed
harbored
habituated
The answer that makes the most sense is "habituated," to become accustomed or familiarize.
Example Question #78 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
My paper is too long, so I'll need to __________ some of the longer paragraphs.
hinder
rescind
patent
truncate
curate
truncate
"Truncate" means to shorten or abbreviate. "Hinder" means to prevent or slow down. "Rescind" means to declare null and void. "Patent" means to secure a copyright on an invention. "Curate" means to gather items or data for presentation.
Example Question #79 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
As the sailors crossed the vast sea, they were constantly __________ by large tempests and huge waves.
kindled
eschewed
hindered
belittled
corroborated
hindered
"Hinder" means to prevent or slow down. "Belittle" means to criticize or detract. "Kindle" means excite or ignite. "Eschew" means to avoid, shun, or have nothing to do with. "Corroborate" means to authenticate or confirm.
Example Question #81 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Some people want nothing more out of life than to __________ huge wealth.
laud
rant
abridge
amass
mollify
amass
"Amass" means to gather or accumulate. "Abridge" means to shorten, abbreviate, or truncate. "Laud" means to acclaim or praise. "Mollify" means to calm or pacify. "Rant" means to yell or rave.
Example Question #82 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the word or word pair that best completes the sentence.
Tired of seeing my two best friends fight, I finally sat down with them together to try to __________ the situation.
assimilate
allocate
arouse
ameliorate
ameliorate
If your friends were fighting you would want to make the situation better. This is the sense of "ameliorate." The same sense is carried by the less-common form, "meliorate" (sometimes a prefixed "a" will make a word mean its opposite—as in "moral" and "amoral," but in this case "ameliorate" and "meliorate" both mean to make better).
Example Question #83 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Mel's annual salary will be __________ by a sizable performance bonus this year.
exacerbated
deviated
extolled
augmented
honed
augmented
"Augment" means to enlarge or extend. "Hone" means to sharpen or file. "Exacerbate" means to complicate or worsen. "Extol" means to celebrate or glorify. "Deviate" means to detour or change course.
Example Question #84 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Many Native American tribes would __________ along the river to trade and hold festivals during the summer months.
ameliorate
distend
belie
expedite
converge
converge
"Converge" means to congregate or gather together. "Ameliorate" means to make better or refine. "Belie" means to misrepresent or mislead. "Distend" means to become larger and rounder from internal pressure. "Expedite" means to cause something to happen faster.
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