SAT Critical Reading : One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #542 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

acute

insulting

contrite

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 #592 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

mimesis

progression

undulation

lapping

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 #543 : 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:

articulated

refuted

shouted

gestured

published

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 #533 : 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:

ignore

disregard

defer

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-).

Example Question #591 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

The mill makes flour by __________ wheat between two large, heavy stones which are turned as horses pull them.

Possible Answers:

dealing

climbing

whetting

flattening

pulverizing

Correct answer:

pulverizing

Explanation:

We know that the mill makes flour by crushing wheat between two large stones, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "crushing." While "flattening" might seem like a potentially correct answer, "pulverizing" is the better choice, as "pulverizing" means "reducing to fine particles" or, more informally, "defeat utterly." Because "pulverizing" best fits the context of the sentence, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #2051 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

As the waters slowly __________, exposing the surface recently flooded boardwalk, the community began to assess the overall damage of the storm as the ground finally began to dry.

Possible Answers:

receded

cleared

brightened

undulated

sloshed

Correct answer:

receded

Explanation:

Two things must be noticed in this sentence: the expression “exposing the surface . . .” and “as the ground finally began to dry.” Since the sentence refers to the second point (the drying ground), we can eliminate the options “cleared” and “brightened.” The exposure of the boardwalk was more than mere visual exposure from clearing of water. The word “receded” works best, as it means “to draw back.” The prefix “re-” here means “backward” as in words like “recall” and “rebuild.” The “-cede” means “to go” and is found in words like “precede” and “proceed.”

Example Question #1583 : Psat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

By adding the strawberries to the liquid gelatin just as it was beginning to __________, Vicky was able to suspend the berries in the resulting solid gelatin.

Possible Answers:

revert

mutate

liquify

melt

coagulate

Correct answer:

coagulate

Explanation:

We can infer that because Vicky adds the strawberries to the liquid gelatin and by doing so is able to suspend them in "the resulting solid gelatin," that we need to pick out a verb that means something like "change from liquid to solid." Neither "melt" nor "liquify" can be the correct answer, then, because each of those terms describes a transition from solid to liquid, and we're looking for a word to describe a transition from liquid to solid. "Coagulate," however, is a verb that is used of a fluid, especially blood, and means "change to a solid or semisolid state," and because "coagulate" best describes the gelatin's transition from liquid to solid, "coagulate" is the correct answer.

Example Question #544 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Although pro bono work is not ___________ monetarily, it is rewarding insofar as the one rendering the services enjoys the benefit of knowing that he or she has helped a poor client.

Possible Answers:

abhorred

relished

spurned

compensated

enjoyed

Correct answer:

compensated

Explanation:

In this sentence, you are well served by knowing the meaning of “pro bono,” namely for the public good, often implying free as well. Indeed, the term is most often used more loosely in the sense of for free, as when a lawyer takes a case for free on behalf of a poor person who has been grievously wronged. If you did not know this, you could infer that one doing pro bono work was rewarded in some non-monetary manner (as is implied by the main clause of the sentence). Since the sentence is ultimately about “reward” (and hence, to some degree about “repayment”), the best option is “compensated,” which means broadly paid for something, though you should know that it more specifically means paid for some loss or difficulty. Though it has this more limited sense, it is often used in the looser manner noted.

Example Question #601 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

After deciding that the flock of sparrows did not __________ a threat, the squirrel climbed onto the bird feeder and began to eat the birdseed.

Possible Answers:

constitute

pledge

diminish

hinder

mimic

Correct answer:

constitute

Explanation:

Because the squirrel decided that the sparrows were not a threat, we're looking for a verb that means something like represent. Because "constitute" means amount to, make up, form, or compose it is the best answer.

Example Question #2053 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Celine decided to __________ distraction by unplugging her internet router, turning off her phone's volume, and not going near the television until she finished her project.

Possible Answers:

saturate

imply

abdicate

solicit

eschew

Correct answer:

eschew

Explanation:

Since Celine got her project done by avoiding distractions, we can infer that we're looking for a verb that means something like "avoid." While "abdicate" may sound like a potentially correct answer because it means "give up," it is specifically used for monarchs and means "to renounce the throne," so it wouldn't work in our sentence's context. "Eschew," however, means "deliberately avoid using; abstain from," so it is the correct answer.

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