SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #523 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Although he won the election in a landslide vote, the senator soon __________ his constituents by reneging on his campaign promises.

Possible Answers:

mollified

placated

propitiated

appeased

alienated

Correct answer:

alienated

Explanation:

The correct answer refers to how the senator, although initially receiving the support of his constituents in the election, lost that support by not following through on his campaign promises ("alienated"). The incorrect answers refer to how the senator pleased his constituents, the opposite of what occurred.

Example Question #531 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

During the XYZ Affair, President Adams' advisors __________ in favor of war, but Adams wisely refused to listen to their advice.

Possible Answers:

exacerbated

mitigated 

counseled 

audited

deplored

Correct answer:

counseled 

Explanation:

From the second part of the sentence you know that Adam’s advisors were given him some form of advice; this means the blank has to mean to give advice. The correct answer is counseled. Exacerbate mean to exaggerate; audited means to check efficiency or finances; deplored means to find something unacceptable; mitigated means to have partly excused an offense.

Example Question #2042 : Sat Critical Reading

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

The priest __________ the young boys about their troublesome behavior.

Possible Answers:

reviled

sermonized 

commended

accepted 

rewarded

Correct answer:

sermonized 

Explanation:

This question involves a small amount of critical thinking on your part. Although it might be possible that the priest would reward, commend, revile or accept the boys for their troublesome behavior it does not seem particularly logical. The SAT will never trick you in this manner; the most reasonable answer choice will always be the correct one. In this instance the correct answer is sermonized which means to lecture someone about their behavior.

Example Question #202 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Thanks to his years of experience, the scientist felt confident he could __________ from his findings and claim new theories.

Possible Answers:

deduce

pontificate

extrapolate

excise

extract

Correct answer:

extrapolate

Explanation:

While all the answers make some sense in the sentence, only “extrapolate” has the correct sense of making further claims than the evidence shows precisely. In this case, going through each word for the best fit is the appropriate method to get the answer.

Example Question #532 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The masseuse __________ her patient's back until it was free from knots and tension.

Possible Answers:

maneuvered

whisked

limped

patrolled

kneaded

Correct answer:

kneaded

Explanation:

We can infer that because the sentence is discussing a "masseuse" who is freeing his patient's back from "knots and tension," we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "massaged." "Kneaded," a verb that can mean "massaged or squeezed with the hands," best describes the masseuse's massaging of his patent's back, so "kneaded" is the correct answer.

Example Question #2045 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

After he broke the fence post, Quinn’s mother sent him to __________ his action by repairing the fence for the neighbor.

Possible Answers:

confess

declaim

lament

rectify

begrudge

Correct answer:

rectify

Explanation:

Since Quinn’s mother wants him to repair the neighbor’s fence, she wants him to set right the state of affairs that he had disrupted. To “rectify” means to correct or make right. The word is derived from the Latin root “rectus”, meaning “right or straight” (found in English words like “correct”, “rectitude”) and is also related to “reg-” words like “regulate” and “regular.” The “-fy” at the end of the word means to make and has many uses in English, being derived from the Latin for “to do or make” (a root that has many derivatives, from “factor” and “factory” to “perfect” and “affair”).

Example Question #2041 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Because she kept three German Shepherds as pets, Velma could not judge the dog show because the breeders all assumed she would be ____________ and give the German Shepherd an unfair advantage in the competition.

Possible Answers:

biased

likely

contrite

insulting

acute

Correct answer:

biased

Explanation:

We can infer that because Velma "kept three German Shepherds as pets" and the breeders assumed that she would "give the German Shepherd an unfair advantage in the competition," we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "give an unfair advantage to." "Biased," an adjective that means "unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something," is the best answer choice and the correct answer because it best fits the context of the sentence.

Example Question #2047 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

The __________ of the sea waves quietly lulled the man to sleep. His wife, on the other hand, had significant gastric problems from the same repeated movement.

Possible Answers:

passage

undulation

mimesis

lapping

progression

Correct answer:

undulation

Explanation:

Although waves do regularly “lap” against the shore, the repetition here is more of “movement” that traverses the waves as a whole. Such a movement is more appropriately called an “undulating” (or wave-like) motion.

Example Question #533 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Known for his eloquence, the professor __________ the topic so clearly that everyone understood him.

Possible Answers:

gestured

articulated

published

refuted

shouted

Correct answer:

articulated

Explanation:

Since the professor is "known for his eloquence," which means his skillful way with words, we should expect that he explained or revealed the topic clearly to everyone. The best answer choice is "articulated," which means stated or explained something clearly. "Refuted" indicates that the professor rejected or opposed the topic, which doesn't fit the sentence. "Shouted" indicates volume, not clarity, so that isn't the best fit. While "published," which means put in print, might work, it doesn't really fit the idea that the professor made the topic clear—many published books don't explain things well! "Gestured" means to communicate with bodily motion—close, since it refers to communication, but doesn't fit the idea that communication was clear.

Example Question #534 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Since the council could not arrive at a decision on the matter, they decided to __________ it until the next meeting.

Possible Answers:

disregard

defer

ignore

relieve

schedule

Correct answer:

defer

Explanation:

Here, it is necessary to choose the best word, not merely one that “seems to fit.” The implication is that the council “put off” the decision until the next meeting. We cannot say that they “scheduled it,” for that implies slightly more than what our blank seems to require. Instead, the word “defer” would be best fit the usage, for it means “to put off.” It is literally derived from Latin roots meaning “to carry away,” roots that can be found likewise in a word like “aquifer,” which is a construction that carries (-fer) water (aqui-).

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