SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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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.

Possible Answers:

cincture

sling

bandage

strap

tourniquet

Correct answer:

tourniquet

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

monotonous

succinct

superficial

inadequate

tedious

Correct answer:

succinct

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

blockade

barrier

chamber

haven

spelunk

Correct answer:

haven

Explanation:

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

ailment

hypertrophy

grotesqueness

extremity

emergency

Correct answer:

hypertrophy

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

comatose

invalid

patient

layabout

elder

Correct answer:

invalid

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

fulfillment

intention

pinnacle

completion

end

Correct answer:

pinnacle

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

renditions

copies

duplicates

derivatives

sonatas

Correct answer:

renditions

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

commentators

reproductions

stenographers

clerks

copyists

Correct answer:

commentators

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

biting

clacking

crushing

mastication

grinding

Correct answer:

mastication

Explanation:

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.

Possible Answers:

moralities

obligations

functions

repercussions

requirement

Correct answer:

repercussions

Explanation:

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.

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