SAT Critical Reading : SAT Critical Reading

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #201 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Sadly, Mark had developed a very __________ relationship with his friend Thomas; he was unable to separate himself from the latter, who himself often needed such attention to fulfill his ego.

Possible Answers:

problematic

deleterious

questionable

unhealthy

codependent

Correct answer:

codependent

Explanation:

When a person has a deep psychological reliance on another person, it can often be called codependence. This is particularly the case when the other partner needs such a relationship as well, perhaps for other reasons. For instance, one person might need a mother figure and rely on some woman in his or her life, while that maternal figure might likewise have some need for someone to support her (e.g.) alcoholism. If the other person is a drinking partner, this relationship could be considered particularly codependent.

Example Question #201 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Catherine’s children showed her the _________ respect due to her as their mother.

Possible Answers:

prolific

maternal

filial

undying

eternal

Correct answer:

filial

Explanation:

A “filial” quality is one that is due from a child. It is derived from the Latin words for daughter (filia) and son (filius).

Example Question #204 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Although one might of regretted the __________ conditions of the arranged marriage, Roland was quite accepting of his wife, even though she did not meet the perfection he had previously desired in a spouse.

Possible Answers:

lamentable

amorous

questionable

disconsolate

suboptimal

Correct answer:

suboptimal

Explanation:

The key expressions are “even though she did not meet the perfection.” To be “below” a level of perfection is to be “suboptimal,” a word literally meaning below the best. The prefix “sub-” has many derivatives in English (“submarine,” “substance,” and so forth). The word “optimal” (found in English words like “optimum”) is derived from the Latin “optimus,” meaning “best.”

Example Question #871 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

After many years in the Platonic Academy, Aristotle was rightly one of the most well-educated and __________ men in all of Greece.

Possible Answers:

detached

contemptuous

haughty

lofty

erudite

Correct answer:

erudite

Explanation:

To have great knowledge is to be “erudite,” a word whose roots indicate being taken from (e- / ex-) the state of rudeness or from being untrained (rudis). You can see the latter portion in words like “rude,” “rudimentary”, and “rudiment.”

Example Question #206 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

No documents could leave the safety of the __________ space of the secured building.

Possible Answers:

cryptic

obscure

clandestine

recondite

intramural

Correct answer:

intramural

Explanation:

Since the secured building would not allow documents to leave its walls, it can be said that they would not leave the “intramural” space, which means the space within (intra) the walls “mural.” When the word “intramural” is used to describe sports, it means sports that occur within a given academic institution—within its walls as opposed to between two different schools. Note that “intra” IS NOT the same as “inter,” the latter meaning between and the former meaning within.

Example Question #207 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

With the rise of extremely brief text messaging, it is becoming evident that traditional __________ communication is becoming increasingly rare, even in the form of digital letters.

Possible Answers:

dispatched

intimate

postal

personal

epistolary

Correct answer:

epistolary

Explanation:

Even if you didn’t know what text messages were, you could guess that the contrast is between short remarks and real letters—an interpretation solidified by the closing word “letters.” The word “epistolary” means related to letters. It is derived from the Latin “epistola,” meaning letter, which has the related English derivate “epistle,” which also means letter.

Example Question #208 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Although many looked at the symbols for their artistic merit, Bonaventure was certain that they represented an attempt to communicate some linguistic content; therefore, he thoroughly analyzed their patterns in order to attempt to find some kind of __________ significance.

Possible Answers:

oral

lexical

literary

communicative

vocal

Correct answer:

lexical

Explanation:

The word “lexical” is derived from a Greek word meaning pertaining to words. Hence, Bonaventure was searching for such content since he believed the symbols had “some linguistic content” and were not merely symbols without meaning.

Example Question #209 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

Bonaventure was a man of __________ manners, extremely proper, respectful, and, above all, charming beyond measure.

Possible Answers:

amiable

grandiose

Victorian

urbane

thorough

Correct answer:

urbane

Explanation:

To be "urbane" is to be suave or courteous. It is directly derived from a Latin word that means almost the same thing and ultimately comes from the word for "city," (which we see in English words like “urban”). A person of “urbane” manners is one who is cultured for city life, as opposed to rustic life.

Example Question #891 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

When asked to define the term that he had just used, William could only respond with an __________ definition, pointing to examples that could be found in the room.

Possible Answers:

impeded

inexact

inappropriate

ostensive

inadequate

Correct answer:

ostensive

Explanation:

Strictly speaking something that is “ostensive” demonstrates something clearly and directly. By extension, this often is used to mean a definition that points to instances of the given concept. Even if one cannot clearly define the item in the abstract, such a definition does at least indicate clearly certain instances. The word is derived from the Latin “ostendere,” which means not only to show but also to point out; hence the applicability of the usage in our sentence.

Example Question #892 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Sadly, after many years of practicing the organ, the young man was far from being __________ at playing the instrument. His inability was disheartening for both his instructor and his parents.

Possible Answers:

competent

ornate

melodious

acceptable

musical

Correct answer:

competent

Explanation:

As the young man was unable even to play the instrument, we could say that he lacks “competence” at the skill. The word is related to a number of “-pet” words, which are derived from the Latin root word for “to seek or attack.” Related English words are “petition,” “repetitive,” and so forth.

The derivation of the word’s meaning has been rather extended, however, by the prefix “com-,” which means with. One can see the meaning of these two roots more easily in the related “competition”—seeking with, in the sense that in a competition, the competitors are together seeking the same victory.

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