SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store varsity tutors ibooks store

Example Questions

Example Question #832 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

When her job became so __________ that Carol began working ten hour days and losing sleep over it at night, her boss suggested that she hire an assistant.

Possible Answers:

exigent

extant

grandiloquent

penurious

insensible

Correct answer:

exigent

Explanation:

Since we know that Carol began working extremely long days and losing sleep over her job, we can infer that one might describe her job as growing more "demanding," so we should pick out a word that means something like "demanding." While "grandiloquent" might sound like a potentially right answer because "grand" means "large or ambitious in scope or scale," "grandiloquent" actually means "pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, esp. in a way that is intended to impress," so it can't be the correct answer because it doesn't mean "demanding." "Exigent," however, means "pressing; demanding," so it is the correct answer.

Example Question #2211 : Sat Critical Reading

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

Chelsea's __________ sister almost never stops talking and interrupts every conversation she overhears.

Possible Answers:

garbled

prosperous

apprehensive

complicit

garrulous

Correct answer:

garrulous

Explanation:

Since we know from the sentence's context that Chelsea's sister talks a lot, we're looking for an adjective that has to do with speech, and specifically means "talkative." While "garbled" has to do with speech and messages, it means distorted and refers to speech itself, not the people who speak. Since "garrulous" means talkative, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #2212 : Sat Critical Reading

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

Because the detective only made a __________ sweep of the rooms surrounding the one where the crime had taken place, he nearly missed several pieces of important evidence that his assistant pointed out.

Possible Answers:

cryptic

morbid

kinetic

cursory

expeditious

Correct answer:

cursory

Explanation:

Since we know that the detective missed several pieces of evidence during his examination, we can infer that we're looking for an adjective that means quick and careless. While "expeditious" does mean quick, it also means efficient. Since we can tell the detective wasn't efficient (he missed evidence!) we know that this word isn't the correct answer. "Cursory," on the other hand, means "quick" as well, and more specifically means hasty and not doing a thorough job. Because "cursory" means both quick and careless, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #991 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

Her father was __________ and restrictive in terms of his diet since he wanted to lose weight.

Possible Answers:

immoderate

determined

intemperate

abstemious

inclusive

Correct answer:

abstemious

Explanation:

The best answer choice is "abstemious," which means restrained, since it indicates that the subject's father is refraining from certain dietary choices that may be negative.

Example Question #994 : Sentence Completion

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

Looking up at the stars with John was like the joy of a dream come true for Sara, leaving her in a smiling, __________ state.

Possible Answers:

dazed

blissful

hazy

fantastic

nebulous

Correct answer:

blissful

Explanation:

Although we might wish to mock the star-crossed lover by claiming that she was in a dreamy, half-conscious state, the sentence only can imply that she was in a state of joy; therefore, her smiling face matches her “blissful” state, a word meaning extremely happy or also blessed in a more religious or spiritual sense.

Example Question #831 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Mark had to admit under oath that he had been __________ in the robbery, since he purposely turned off the alarm system in order to enable the thieves.

Possible Answers:

aware

complicit

threatened

subjugated

informed

Correct answer:

complicit

Explanation:

The sentence implies that Mark intended to assist the thieves with his action of turning off the alarm system. When a person is thus implicated in a crime, he or she is said to be “complicit.” The word is derived from Latin roots meaning to be folded into (or with) one another, a meaning reflected in the related English word “complicate,” which can be understood as meaning to be made more complex in the sense of such folding.

Example Question #1001 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

When John had to miss class, he knew that it was best to ask his friend Julie to send him a copy of her __________ notes, for she always recorded every detail with unwavering accuracy and thoroughness.

Possible Answers:

researched

orderly

scholarly

eloquent

copious

Correct answer:

copious

Explanation:

In this sentence, pay attention to the fact that Julie’s notes are said to record every detail accurately and thoroughly. The focus, therefore, is on the amount and fullness of detail to be found therein. The best word that matches this sense is “copious,” which means abundantly supplied. The word is derived from the Latin “copia,” meaning plenty, abundance, or supply. At Thanksgiving, Americans often see pictures of “cornucopias” or “horns (cornu) of plenty (copia).”

Example Question #1002 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

Everyone knew that they could lie to Fred with impunity, for he was one of the most __________ people in the whole town.

Possible Answers:

idiotic

imbecilic

credulous

unconsidered

unthinking

Correct answer:

credulous

Explanation:

Since people could lie to Fred rather easily, he must have been rather naïve and believing. Such a person could be called “credulous,” a word that means believing too easily. It is derived from Latin roots for "belief," founding related English words like “credible,” “credence,” and “incredible.”

Example Question #1002 : Sentence Completion

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

After weeks of sickness, Pio was utterly sapped of strength, being barely able to make even a __________ gesture.

Possible Answers:

somatic

manual

feeble

physical

material

Correct answer:

feeble

Explanation:

Since Pio is utterly sapped of strength, he is likely unable to make “even” a very weak gesture. (The word “even” is an important intensifying word here.) Certainly, one might be tempted by the options that indicate an inability to perform a bodily gesture; however, the best option will be the one that indicates the profundity of his being sapped. The word “feeble,” meaning that one is lacking strength (often implying that this is because of sickness), best fits this need.

Example Question #1004 : One Blank Sentences

The knight was assigned guard duty, and stood __________ outside the king's door whenever he met with his advisors, to ensure that no one tried to spy on or disrupt the meetings.

Possible Answers:

host

wheedling

asleep

sentry

neutral

Correct answer:

sentry

Explanation:

We know that "the knight was assigned guard duty," so we need to pick out an adjective that conveys this information. While "asleep" might make grammatical sense in the sentence, it doesn't make sense for the knight to be sleeping on the job, so "asleep" cannot be the correct answer. "Sentry," a word that when used in the phrase "stand sentry" means "keep guard or control access to a place," is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors