SAT Critical Reading : Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #602 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Every night at the mess hall, Phillip carefully discussed matters with his fellow soldiers, hoping to __________ his sense of hope and courage into his demoralized peers.

Possible Answers:

escalate

instill

awaken

engender

invoke

Correct answer:

instill

Explanation:

Since Philip is looking to transfer his sense of hope to the other soldiers, he is trying to “instill” it.  This is particularly the case given that Phillip is doing this “carefully” and nightly, implying that he is doing so “little by little.”  This gradual action is implied by the word “instill.”  It is derived from the Latin for “a drop,” so the word could be translated in a literal fashion “to place (an idea) into someone ‘drop by drop.’”

Example Question #603 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

When the army entered the small town, the general demanded that the citizens __________ his troops, as he had no tents or any other means by which to shelter them.

Possible Answers:

quarter

maintain

sustain

fortify

support

Correct answer:

quarter

Explanation:

The key thing to note is that the general is looking for shelter for his troops.  The word “quarter” can function as a verb meaning “to give shelter to someone.”  This verbal form is related to the noun usage found in “His private quarters were a filthy mess.”  In this case, “quarters” indicates the room (usually applying to a member of the military).

Example Question #604 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Only after many millennia did human beings __________ wild animals, making them fit for a number of agricultural functions.

Possible Answers:

contrain

subdue

domesticate

restrict

punish

Correct answer:

domesticate

Explanation:

Although it might be the case that humans had to punish or constrain animals in order to make them usable, the only thing that we can assert in this sentence is that something was done in order to make them usable for farming ends.  The process of “domestication” literally means “making something able to be in the house.”  It has this meaning because the word is derived from the Latin word “domus” for “house,” a root found likewise in the word “domicile.”  In English, the word particularly indicates the process of taming something in order to make it able to be a pet or suitable for farming.  The latter is directly stated in the sentence.

Example Question #605 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

The workers ___________ in the parking lot, hoping to surprise their boss by greeting him as a group for his birthday.

Possible Answers:

dispersed

disseminate

celebrated

hid

congregated

Correct answer:

congregated

Explanation:

The workers are hoping to greet the boss “as a group,” meaning that they gathered together.  The word “congregate” does not only have religious overtones but more generally and properly means any act of gathering together as a crowd.  It comes from the combined parts “con-”, meaning “with” or “together” and “-gregate,” which is derived from the Latin roots for “herd” or “flock.”  A congregation is a “flocking together” or (more kind to human sensibilities) a “gathering together.”  The prefix is very common, being found in many words like “colloquy” and “cooperate.”  The latter is found in words like “aggregate” and “segregate.” 

Example Question #606 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

The old man liked to __________ on a single proverb daily, often returning to reflect on the text throughout the day.

Possible Answers:

brood

ruminate

concentrate

reserach

focus

Correct answer:

ruminate

Explanation:

To “ruminate” on something is to return and ponder over it through the day.  The only other option that might seem plausible in this regard would be “brood,” but that has the added negative connotation of thinking about something unhappy.  The word “ruminate” originally comes from Latin roots meaning to “chew over.”  It is used to describe animals like cows, which are named “ruminants.”  Such animals chew the food that they regurgitate from their first stomach (their “rumen”). 

Example Question #607 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Although it was obvious to all of John’s friends that Susan thought he was socially awkward, from his own perspective, he __________ that he had shown her such grace and charm that she had been swept off her feet.

Possible Answers:

argued

fancied

claimed

demanded

remarked

Correct answer:

fancied

Explanation:

There is no indication in this sentence that John and his friends are in the midst of debating his charm (or lack there of).  Therefore, the word “fancied” is the best choice, as it means “to think or imagine.”  The word is derived from the older term “phantasy,” meaning “imagination.”  This term itself was derived from the older philosophical terms “phantasia” and “phantasm,” which were parts of the theories of knowledge particularly found in medieval scholasticism but likewise stretching all the way back to Aristotle.

Example Question #608 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

When one cannot see the connection between two concepts, it is often necessary to __________ a number of potential intermediaries until one discovers the true nature of the connection between the original two notions.

Possible Answers:

conjure

dissimulate

posit

falsify

embellish

Correct answer:

posit

Explanation:

When arguing, one sometimes has to assume some fact or other in order to make an initial argument.  To “posit” something is to “place” such a fact forward as a possible explanation.  Generally speaking, such things are assumed to be true, though they are used as an investigation tool to start an argument that would otherwise be impossible without some initial test assumptions.  Insofar as the word means “to place,” you can see that it is related to English words like “position,” “impose,” “postpone,” and “reposition.”

Example Question #611 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Since Patrick could not abide the corruption in the regime under which he lived, he began to __________ his friends and neighbors to undertake acts of rebellion against the legal authorities.

Possible Answers:

cajole

persuade

convince

inveigle

incite

Correct answer:

incite

Explanation:

Although a number of these options are tempting, the clear sense that the sentence wishes to convey is that Patrick wishes to lead his friends and neighbors into seditious activities.  When someone tries to encourage others to undertake such illegal acts (even if justified) is said to “incite” these others.  Although the term might be used merely to mean “to stir up,” it generally has this negative connotation.  Insofar as it is related to such “stirring up,” the word is related to the word “excite.”

Example Question #612 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Paula wanted to __________ the real estate assets in her parents’ estate, for her impecunious habits had led her to need significant funds at hand immediately in order to pay of a number of pressing debts.

Possible Answers:

liquidate

insure

recoup

redeem

remove

Correct answer:

liquidate

Explanation:

According to this sentence, Paula is in need of funds that can be spent immediately, something that cannot be done by well with real estate, an asset that has worth but must be sold before it can yield its value.  “Liquidation” occurs often when one is selling assets in order to settle debts.  However, one can also be said to “liquidate” assets into a cash form that can be spent readily. 

Example Question #613 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Although Vincent was extremely frustrated with affairs at work, he resolved to ___________ this vexed energy into productive activities.

Possible Answers:

acquire

restrain

ignore

repress

channel

Correct answer:

channel

Explanation:

When one channels something, he or she redirects it from one location to another.  Vincent is clearly doing this, having resolved to transfer is energy from his annoyances to productive work.   The word literally indicates a structure (manmade or natural) that allows fluid to flow, though it is often applied to any sort of medium (even electromagnetic) allowing for the passage of content from one point to another.  It is related to the word canal.

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