SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #1901 : Sat Critical Reading

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.

 

Possible Answers:

hinder

patent

rescind

truncate

curate

Correct answer:

truncate

Explanation:

"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 #394 : Parts Of Speech 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.

 

Possible Answers:

eschewed

kindled

corroborated

hindered

belittled

Correct answer:

hindered

Explanation:

"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 #395 : Parts Of Speech 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.

 

Possible Answers:

abridge

mollify

rant

amass

laud

Correct answer:

amass

Explanation:

"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 #61 : 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.

Possible Answers:

allocate

ameliorate

arouse

assimilate

Correct answer:

ameliorate

Explanation:

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 #61 : 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.

Possible Answers:

exacerbated

extolled

augmented

honed

deviated

Correct answer:

augmented

Explanation:

"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 #401 : Parts Of Speech 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.

Possible Answers:

belie

ameliorate

converge

expedite

distend

Correct answer:

converge

Explanation:

"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.

Example Question #62 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

Tom secretly hoped to once again __________ a romance with Jasmine this winter.

Possible Answers:

scrutinize

juxtapose

jeopardize

pilfer

kindle

Correct answer:

kindle

Explanation:

"Kindle" means to ignite or light. "Jeopardize" means to risk or imperil. "Pilfer" means to steal or rip off. "Juxtapose" means to place two or more things side-by-side for comparison. "Scrutinize" means to scan or review in detail.

Example Question #401 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

The defendant hoped to __________ his guilty conscious by confessing to all his crimes.

Possible Answers:

inhibit

waver

assuage

emulate

cadge

Correct answer:

assuage

Explanation:

"Assuage" means to soothe or relieve. "Waver" means to shift back and forth or be indecisive. "Inhibit" means to restrict or inhibit. "Cadge" means to beg or scrounge. "Emulate" means to imitate the actions of someone or something.

Example Question #71 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.

The detective hoped to __________ as much information as he could from the missing man's diary.

Possible Answers:

obviate

desiccate

aver

feign

glean

Correct answer:

glean

Explanation:

"Glean" means to pick out or collect. "Obviate" means to make unneccesary. "Feign" means to pretend or fake. "Desiccate" means to dehydrate or dry out. "Aver" means to assert or maintain.

Example Question #531 : Sentence Completion Questions

The majority of the country was opposed to the war, hoping that differences between the nations would soon be __________. 

Possible Answers:

mystified

enticed

obscured

propagated

reconciled

Correct answer:

reconciled

Explanation:

The people want the war to stop, so it is best to assume that they want the disputes between the nation to be resolved. The answer choice that most clearly displays this meaning is reconciled. 

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