All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1071 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After working at night for so many years, the aging man had begun to forget how to function in a culture that was overwhelmingly __________ in scheduling its work and leisure.
diurnal
opposed
irregular
different
standardized
diurnal
The reversal here concerns the aging man having to come back to a world that lives and works during the daytime; therefore, the best choice is “diurnal.” The word is like a “reversal” of “nocturnal,” and it means pertaining to the night time.
Both words have Latin bases. They key difference is “noct-,” which comes from the Latin for night as opposed to “di-,” which comes from the Latin for day.
Example Question #1072 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Given the dubious sources of water in the kingdom, the king had a servant specially designated to test that his drinks were __________.
potable
aquatic
preferred
crystalline
qualified
potable
The key here is to note that the king wishes to verify that he can drink the water. The word “potable” means “drinkable.” It is derived from the Latin potare, which means “to drink.”
Example Question #1073 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The man’s __________ disposition was difficult for his whole family. His continuous verbal assaults unnerved them all.
belligerent
capricious
unmanageable
precarious
mercurial
belligerent
The man’s disposition leads him to assault his relatives. Hence, he is warlike. The best word is therefore, “belligerent,” which is derived from the Latin bellum, meaning war. A related English word would be “bellicose.” Many also know the expression “ante bellum.” While some students think this just means southern, because it is used often in American history to describe the “antebellum South,” what it really means is the South before the Civil War.
Example Question #1074 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The woman’s affection was rather __________, always passing with the whims of her fancy.
unknown
superficial
ephemeral
questionable
pointed
ephemeral
The key is to note that the affections of the woman are not merely surface level (superficial) but that they are passing and changing; therefore, the best answer is “ephemeral.” It is derived from Greek meaning lasting a short time.
Example Question #1075 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After seven months of living with John, Adam was tiring of the former’s overly optimistic, __________ attitude.
unflagging
untiring
pollyanna
upbeat
despondent
pollyanna
The key here is that John’s attitude is not merely “upbeat” but is even “overly” so—“overly optimistic.” The best word is therefore “Pollyanna,” which is derived from the name of a young character in an early-twentieth-century novel by the same name. Pollyanna made it her goal to give a positive interpretation to every situation. The term has taken on this connotation in an almost negative manner.
Example Question #1076 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
If all of the senses really depend on mechanical force and contact, why are they not all merely __________ like the sense of touch?
piercing
carnal
poignant
tactile
subtle
tactile
The question arising here is why all the senses are not based upon contact, which is the case with the sense of touch. The word “tactile” means “perceptible to touch.” It is derived from the Latin tangere, which has a form in which the “g” becomes a “t”—tactus; therefore, “tactile” is related not only to words like “contact” and “intact” but also “tangible” and “tangent.”
Example Question #1077 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Mark was judged to be __________ for the offence committed against the community and therefore was sentenced accordingly.
egregious
destructive
unacceptable
implacable
culpable
culpable
Since Mark was sentenced, we can presume that he was found guilty. A person who is guilty is “culpable” for an offense.
The word is derived from the Latin culpa, meaning “fault.” Related words are “culprit” and “exculpatory.” (The latter is a combination of ex—meaning, out / out of, as in “exit”—and the base from culpa. Exculpatory evidence is evidence that proves (at least in part) the innocence of a party in a court case. It “gets one out of (ex-) guilt (culpa).”
Example Question #1078 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The man’s face was as __________ as the sun as he beamed with joy upon reception of the long-desired award.
enlightened
energetic
refulgent
solar
diurnal
refulgent
The man’s face is apparently “shining”, though in a metaphorical sense. Do not be tempted by “solar” (which really is a metaphorical stretch) or “enlightened,” which really is not appropriate. The best choice is “refulgent,” which is derived from the Latin fulgere, meaning to shine or flash.
Example Question #1079 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The whole affair was __________ to the teams older members, who humorously looked on as the younger members tried the same impracticable solutions that they had attempted in their own youthful days.
redundant
annoying
repetitive
puerile
risible
risible
Here, if we can find a word that matches the “humorous” response of the older members. The word that fulfills this need is “risible,” which means “able to provoke laugher” or—more broadly—“amusing.”
It is derived from the Latin ridere, which means “to laugh.” The “d” becomes an “s” in certain forms, thus giving us “ris-” in English; however, related English words likewise retain the “d,” such as “deride,” “ridicule,” and “ridiculous.”
Example Question #1080 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although the primary function of the company was to write internet applications, there were many __________ roles that supported the work of the core engineering group.
superfluous
unimportant
demanding
questionable
ancillary
ancillary
A supporting role is an “ancillary” role. The word is derived from the Latin ancilla, which means “slave / servant woman.” Sometimes, one will find reference to the medieval notion that “philosophy is the hand-maiden of theology.” In such cases, philosophy would be called the ancilla of theology.