All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1101 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Often one who is very ___________ about information or details in one area of life can be quite lax and disorganized in other, equally critical, areas.
annoying
judgmental
selective
standardized
fastidious
fastidious
The opposition with “lax and disorganized” implies that the person is very aware and careful about details in at least one area of life. To be “fastidious” is to have such particular care about details.
Example Question #1102 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Since the patient had such thick skin, it was impossible for her to receive medication by topical application. All of her medication had to be injected __________ in order to reach the fluid beneath the impeding layers of skin.
hypodermically
fabrication
organization
design
orchestration
hypodermically
The focus in this sentence is on the engineers’ ability to use the water. While perhaps their design is amazing, the word “hydrodynamics” means “concerned with the forces of water.” You know the parts to this word “hydro-” being found in other water-related words like “hydrate,” “hydroelectric,” and “hydrolysis.” The portion “dynamics” is found in a number of “dynamic” words including “aerodynamics,” “dynamism,” and “dynamite.”
Example Question #1101 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
During his lifetime, few had counted James’ published works, and it was only after his death that his friends realized what a __________ writer he was.
prolific
famous
loquacious
verbose
distinguished
prolific
The implication in this sentence is indirect, but it seems clear that it had not been recognized how many works James had written during his lifetime. After his death, people realized that he had written many works, which would mean that he was “prolific.”
Example Question #1102 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In order to get to the internal organs of his patient, the doctor had to cut through layers of sinewy muscle as well as fatty __________ tissue before beginning the procedure.
insalubrious
adipose
organic
unhealthy
damaging
adipose
There are two things to note in this sentence. First, there is an opposition involved, thus ruling out the option “organic.” Second, the opposition is not between healthful and unhealthful tissue but between sinewy muscle and fatty tissue of some sort. Adipose tissue is that tissue that stores fat for an animal. Even if you did not know the term, it would be possible to eliminate the other options if you recognize the points noted above.
Example Question #1103 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Many believe that a high school education only fits a person for __________ jobs. This outlook is mistaken, for one can gain experience in the workforce and develop a number of skills that open up numerous opportunities.
menial
outmoded
insufficient
questionable
indigent
menial
A menial job is one that does not require much in the way of skills and is viewed as having little worth. That this is the correct answer is indicated by the discussion of experience and skills in the second sentence. In more dated contexts, the word can mean more specifically the work done by household servants.
Example Question #1104 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Every time that Quinn returned to his home place, he was always shocked at his family’s __________ manners, which were at such variance with those of the refined sophistication of the high society in which he now lived.
gauche
unsocial
sociopath
redneck
outdated
gauche
The key to the contrast being made here is the variance of Quinn’s family’s manners with his refined ones. The best choice is “gauche,” which means that something lacks grace or is unsophisticated. This is closer to the contrast than the other options. The word is derived from the French for “left,” and left-handedness often has a certain negative cultural connotation in the West. For instance, the word “sinister” is derived from similar French and Latin backgrounds for the word “left.”
Example Question #1105 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After the executive had finished presenting the five points of his new administrative plan, he made it absolutely clear to his workers that these points must be followed, as they were __________ to the success of the company in the coming year.
cardinal
suggestive
practicable
forerunners
notable
cardinal
The sense of the word to be chosen must express the notion of being “crucial,” “central,” or something of the like. The word “cardinal” comes from the Latin for “hinge” (as in “door hinge”). Something is cardinal when everything else “hinges” on its success or ability.
Example Question #1106 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although most of his friends thought his arguments were merely rhetorical, Adam clearly believed himself to have given __________ reasons for his position.
honest
candid
ingenuous
demonstrative
lucid
demonstrative
In comparison with his friends’ opinions of his argument, Adam thinks that he has given solid reasoning that does not only rely up on the emotive and stylistic force of the words used (as would be the case in a rhetorical argument). Although such solid reasoning would lucidly present the conclusions, the very style of rigorous reasoning is best called “demonstrative,” a word clearly related to the verb “to demonstrate,” coming from the root meaning “to show.” It is related to the word “remonstrate,” meaning “to protest forcefully.” Likewise, it is related to the Roman Catholic liturgical instrument called a “monstrance,” which is used to “show” the communion for devotional exercises.
Example Question #1107 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Gina feared being caught for her midnight snacking and therefore would __________ slip out of bed when getting her nighttime food.
furtively
insincerely
hungrily
ravenously
duplicitously
furtively
The key expression in this sentence is the one stating that Gina “feared being caught.” Since she fears detection, she would want to “sneak” out of bed. Someone acting furtively is acting in such a way as not to be noticed. The word comes from the Latin for “theft,” though the English word merely needs to imply that one does not desire to be caught (for fear of some repercussion—real or imagined).
Example Question #1108 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Joseph had always had an amazingly __________ personality. From the time of his youth, he would regularly interact with others, play games with any group of peers, and particularly loved attending large, crowded gatherings.
overbearing
fidgety
energetic
extroverted
agitated
extroverted
Based on the description provided, one could say that Joseph was an “outgoing” person. If someone is “extroverted,” they are literally said to be “turned outward” in the sense of being engaged with the world in an active manner. The word comes from the prefix “extra-”, which means “outside of” and a stem that is derived from several Latin words for “to turn.” The latter can be found in English words like “convert,” “introvert,” “versatile,” and “inversion.”