All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #221 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Gregory tied the shirt around his arm as an ad hoc __________ to stop the steady bleeding of the fresh wound.
cincture
sling
bandage
strap
tourniquet
tourniquet
The key thing to note in reading this sentence is that the shirt is functioning to stop bleeding at its source. Although a bandage or strap might do this, a tourniquet is the best choice because this is explicitly a device used for stopping the flow of blood by constricting the vessel through which it is flowing.
Example Question #222 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The précis provided a __________ presentation of the rather lengthy article.
monotonous
succinct
superficial
inadequate
tedious
succinct
Here, it is necessary to know the meaning of “précis” in order to be certain about the necessary meaning of the needed word. Strictly speaking, a précis is a summary of some longer text. It is not necessarily superficial or reductive in its presentation of the longer source. It merely provides a short summary. Therefore, the best option for our sentence is “succinct,” which means brief in form or expression. It is derived from root words that mean “encircled.” The word “cincture,” meaning a belt, is an example of another related word.
Example Question #341 : Sentence Completion Questions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The cave functioned as a __________ in which the intellectual teenagers could avoid social persecution while discussing their favorite mathematical and literary subjects.
blockade
barrier
chamber
haven
spelunk
haven
The teenagers, in looking to escape persecution, are seeking a place of safety. Such a place would be a “haven,” a word that we often see in the combined expression “safe haven.” The word can also be used to indicate an inlet or port at which ships can dock.
Example Question #223 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The man’s heart had grown too large for his ribcage on account of an inherited condition leading to such cases of __________.
ailment
hypertrophy
grotesqueness
extremity
emergency
hypertrophy
When an organ enlarges because of an increase in cellular size, it is said to undergo hypertrophy. This word is derived from a prefix that likely is familiar, “hyper,” and a base “trophy,” that is perhaps not as familiar in its root meaning. “Hyper” means “above” or “beyond,” as found in words like “hyperbole,” “hyperactive,” and “hypersensitive.” The “trophy” portion is derived from the Greek “trophe,” meaning “nourishment.” Something that is “hypertropic” is “over-nourished” in the sense of having too much fluid and material within its cells.
Example Question #211 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Sadly, the accident had ended in Susanne being a barely conscious __________, unable to speak or even to feed herself.
comatose
invalid
patient
layabout
elder
invalid
Since Susanne could barely function as a human being, she would most exactly be considered an “invalid,” a word indicating a person who has been disabled from injury or illness. Literally, the word means “lacking strength.” The “-valid” portion comes from root words related to the notion of strength, as found in other English words like “valor,” “valid,” and “prevail.” Do not be tempted to choose “comatose.” First, there is no direct indication that she has been put into a coma. Secondly, the form of the word does not fit in the sentence, as “comatose” is an adjective that really cannot be used substantively as a noun (as is needed in this sentence).
Example Question #232 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Having received the nation’s most prestigious scientific award, Julius believed himself to have reached the __________ of his career.
fulfillment
intention
pinnacle
completion
end
pinnacle
Since we are told nothing about Julius’ goals and career expectations, it would be unacceptable to choose a work implying that the award marks the completion of his career or the fulfillment of his motives for doing his work; therefore, it is best to interpret the sentence as merely asserting that Julius believes himself to have reached the “high point” of his career. Strictly speaking, a “pinnacle” is a high, steep rock or mountain, though the word by extension means “high point,” understood both physically as well as with regard to human accomplishment.
Example Question #401 : One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although the music originally had been written for the harpsichord, a number of __________ have been performed by playing the works on full organ.
renditions
copies
duplicates
derivatives
sonatas
renditions
The key phrase in this sentence is “have been performed . . .” This indicates that the focus is on a given interpretive performance of the works, here playing the original harpsichord music on the organ instead. Such interpretive activity is often called a “rendition,” a word related to “render,” in the sense of “giving something back but in an another form.” There is implied, therefore, some kind of “translation,” as would be the case here when the harpsichord music is “translated” into an organ performance.
Example Question #402 : One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In the late Middle Ages, many authors provided extensive outlines and explications of the works of Aristotle; however, they were not mere __________, for they also undertook many creative works on topics not directly related to Aristotle’s texts.
commentators
reproductions
stenographers
clerks
copyists
commentators
Since the authors in question are said to have written outlines and explications, these works would best be called “commentaries.” Such works are written with the explicit intention of giving an explanation of someone else’s works. The persons writing such works are called “commentators.”
Example Question #403 : One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Since Devin could not abide the sound of __________, he found it necessary to leave the dining hall any times would sit and chew their food in his presence.
biting
clacking
crushing
mastication
grinding
mastication
The only sound that is implied as being annoying here is that of chewing; therefore, while biting, crushing, grinding, and (perhaps) even clacking could be part of the process of eating, our best option would be one that most directly matches the chewing mentioned in the main clause of the sentence. To this end, “mastication” fits best, as it generally is used to describe merely the process of chewing, generally taken.
Example Question #1730 : Sat Critical Reading
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although a child may act without being responsible for the results of his or her acts, an adult must acknowledge all such __________ of his or her conscious choices.
moralities
obligations
functions
repercussions
requirement
repercussions
The results of ones acts might also be called their repercussions. Technically, repercussions are unintended consequences. An adult might not always pay heed to his or her acts, thus leading him or her to overlook such consequences; however, the sense of the sentence is that such a person should be more conscious than the child, paying heed to such potential outcomes. The word literally means “rebounding” or “hitting again,” the prefix “re-” indicating repetition and the “-percussion” portion related to root words from Latin meaning “to strike or hit.” A percussion instrument (a drum, gong, etc) is one that must be hit in order to function.