All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
After three immersions in the supposedly blessed waters, the young cleric believed that he had finished the process of ritual __________ and was worthy before the holiness of the deity.
action
baptism
liturgy
sanctification
bathing
sanctification
The key word to note is “holiness;” therefore, while all of the other options are potentially applicable, only “sanctification” fits most closely. It means the process of being made holy. The “-fication” is a standard ending, meaning to do or to make and is likewise found in forms like “-fact-” (factor), “-fic-” (artificer), “-fect” (perfect), or even “-fy” (sanctify). The root “sanct-” comes from the Latin sanctus meaning “holy.”
Example Question #12 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The long, low tones of the church bell __________ sounded over the valley, marking the passing of the city’s mourning on the occasion of the death of the well-beloved citizen.
openly
thunderously
resoundingly
broadly
plangently
plangently
Beyond noting the resounding of the bells, the word “plangently” likewise carries with it the sense of sadness. If someone is “plaintive,” he or she sounds as though mourning.
Example Question #13 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Filbert would often intone the latest __________ that he had written for the worship at his monastery.
incantation
song
epistle
aria
canticle
canticle
Although the other “music-related” words perhaps are tempting, “canticle” is the best, given that it has particular associations with church music. It comes from a base that is similar to that found in “cantor” (singer, particularly leading a church service), “cantata,” and “incantation.” All of these words are variously related to the Latin “cantare,” meaning to sing.
Example Question #14 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
When the first space telescope was developed, mankind was amazed by the __________ vision that it provided, far extending human vision beyond images of the closest astronomical bodies.
sidereal
extravant
extraterrestrial
celestial
heavenly
sidereal
For this problem, it is necessary to choose the one “odd man out” that is at least closest to the sense implied. Since the telescope is far extending the vision beyond closer bodies, the best option is that which captures more than merely “celestial” or standard “heavenly” bodies. The word “sidereal” means “pertaining to the ‘fixed’ (distant) stars” or even just “pertaining to constellations.”
Example Question #15 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The servant filled the ___________ with hot water and took the vessel into the dining room for the pre-meal hand washing.
bowl
chalice
basin
laver
jug
laver
When you encounter a sentence like this where multiple options seem identical, it is necessary to look for the option that best fits the specific case of our sentence. The vessel that we are looking for is to be used for hand washing, so “laver” is the best option. A laver is a vessel used for containing water for washing. It is related to words like “lavatory” and “latrine,” as well as “lotion.”
Example Question #16 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The erudite scholar wrote a scathing critique __________ what he took to be a wrong-headed and rather superficial interpretation of Plato’s position regarding human knowledge.
mocking
excoriating
ridiculing
exposing
questioning
excoriating
Since the critique is described as being “scathing,” the most appropriate verb for this sentence would be “excoriating,” which means “to criticize severely.” In contexts related to health, the word literally means “to take off the skin surface.”
Example Question #81 : Context Clues In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
One of the worst examples of table manners is exemplified by the case of someone ending all conversation in order to launch into a __________ by himself or herself.
monologue
diatribe
colloquy
harangue
dialogue
monologue
The key expressions in this sentence are “ending all conversation” and “by himself or herself,” implying that the example of bad manners is found in one who speaks alone without involving anyone else. A “monologue” is a speech that is presented by a single person without any involvement of another party. Often, the term will be used in theatre, when a character steps aside to speak alone, detached from the action of the show, almost as though he were “thinking out loud.” Also, in the media, a “monologue” is given when a broadcaster presents a topic alone without involving any other guests. The word literally means “a word (spoken) alone.” The “mono-” portion is related to English words like “monocle” and “monotonous.” The “-logue” potion likewise has many related English words such as “logic,” “analogue,” and “locution.”
Example Question #17 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although the Gutenberg press revolutionized the world of book sales, some monasteries continued to produce __________ by the old-fashioned methods of handwriting for some time.
manuscripts
tomes
papyri
codices
scrolls
manuscripts
The key phrase here is “by the old-fashioned methods of handwriting.” Works that are “handwritten” are called “manuscripts,” a word that literally means “hand-written.” The “manu-” portion is found in English words like “manual” and “manicure,” from the Latin roots for “hand.” “Script,” clearly comes from root meanings related to writing, as is obvious from other related English words such as “scribe,” “subscription,” and “prescription.”
Example Question #18 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
David’s family knew that the garage was his __________, where he could be alone to work or merely to think while pretending to do so.
workshop
environment
sanctum
atelier
space
sanctum
Since the garage was a quiet, somewhat “protected” space for David, it is best called a “sanctum” for him. The word literally means “holy place,” coming from Latin roots that are found in “sanctify” and “sanctuary.” When it is not used in a religious sense, the term means a private place reserved for a limited number of people. Somewhat often it is combined with “inner” in the expression “inner sanctum,” implying that the given area is more deeply “inside” a location, leaving the “outer” areas for those who are not welcomed into the sanctum.
Example Question #19 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Her new dress was a __________ violation of the school’s dress code, with multiple elements that were completely prohibited.
just
minor
flagrant
evenhanded
fair
flagrant
The seriousness of the violations (multiple elements), and the sense of the violation, lead to a need for a word indicating seriousness and even extremity. "Just," "evenhanded," and "fair" are too positive, while "minor" does not convey the seriousness meant by the sentence.