SAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #56 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.

He was beaten so badly that he knew there was no way he could __________ the result of the race.

Possible Answers:

controvert

convoke

convene

consort

contest

Correct answer:

contest

Explanation:

The answer that makes the most sense is "contest," to dispute.

Example Question #481 : One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.

Bob's mother furiously __________ him when she saw that he already torn holes in his new jeans.

Possible Answers:

excoriated

expedited

expatiated

exhorted

exonerated

Correct answer:

excoriated

Explanation:

The answer that makes the most sense is "excoriate," to scold with biting harshness.

Example Question #481 : One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.

Don't __________ yourself with understanding every detail; it is more important to see the big picture.

Possible Answers:

emulate

emend

enjoin

encumber

ensue

Correct answer:

encumber

Explanation:

The answer that makes the most sense is "encumber," to burden.

Example Question #1431 : Psat Critical Reading

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.

The seasoned surgeon has __________ himself with all sorts of anatomical problems.

Possible Answers:

hovered

honed

harbored

habituated

hoarded

Correct answer:

habituated

Explanation:

The answer that makes the most sense is "habituated," to become accustomed or familiarize.

Example Question #1432 : Psat 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:

curate

hinder

patent

truncate

rescind

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 #491 : Sentence Completions

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:

belittled

hindered

corroborated

eschewed

kindled

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 #482 : 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:

mollify

laud

rant

abridge

amass

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 #492 : Sentence Completions

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:

arouse

allocate

assimilate

ameliorate

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 #1436 : Psat Critical Reading

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:

deviated

extolled

honed

exacerbated

augmented

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 #1437 : Psat Critical Reading

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

expedite

distend

converge

ameliorate

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.

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