SAT Critical Reading : Sentence Completion Questions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store varsity tutors ibooks store

Example Questions

Example Question #1061 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

“It wasn’t very nice or __________ to tell that other little girl that you thought she was boring,” Ann said to her daughter.

Possible Answers:

ubiquitious

tactful

jejune

derisive

resilient 

Correct answer:

tactful

Explanation:

"Tactful" means skillful at not offending others.

Example Question #1065 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Ever since Jean Paul and I broke up, everyone tells me the same __________ phrase: there are always more fish in the sea.

Possible Answers:

opulent

scrutinizing

aesthetic

abbreviated

hackneyed

Correct answer:

hackneyed

Explanation:

"Hackneyed" means clichéd, or worn out by overuse.

Example Question #1062 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Marisol had only a(n) __________ understanding of how to fix and maintain her car, and so she took an automobile repair class.

Possible Answers:

prosaic

mundane

superficial

amicable

intrepid

Correct answer:

superficial

Explanation:

"Superficial" means shallow, or lacking depth.

Example Question #941 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Because Louisa had just jogged three miles in the sun, her face looked __________.

Possible Answers:

ornate

restive

sanctimonious

implacable

florid

Correct answer:

florid

Explanation:

"Florid" means having a red or flushed complexion. It also can mean flowery or ornate.

Example Question #942 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

I don’t know what to do with a very __________ student whom I have. My usual responses to bad behavior, such as sending him to the principal’s office and having conferences with the parents, are not changing his actions.

Possible Answers:

impractical

laconic

ingenuous

recalcitrant

diaphanous

Correct answer:

recalcitrant

Explanation:

"Recalcitrant" means defiant or unapologetic.

Example Question #1067 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

The cartoon __________ portrays human beings befriending dinosaurs, a historical and scientific implausibility.

Possible Answers:

scrupulously

anachronistically

mellifluously

allegedly

benignly

Correct answer:

anachronistically

Explanation:

A human being befriending a dinosaur is historically and scientifically incorrect, and "anachronistically" is the only answer choice that fits. “Anachronistically” means historically out of place.

Example Question #1992 : Psat Critical Reading

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

Many readers pored through the romance novel, looking for every __________ detail.

Possible Answers:

recurring

grotesque

urbane

logistical

lurid

Correct answer:

lurid

Explanation:

While details could be "urbane," "recurring," "logistical," "grotesque," or "lurid," only "lurid" refers to the facts one would be most likely to find in a romance novel.

Example Question #391 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

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

He had taken such a(n) __________ position that no one would believe him.

Possible Answers:

untenable

salubrious

litigated

illusory

entrenched

Correct answer:

untenable

Explanation:

His position was difficult to hold or impossible to use to convince other people, thus it was "untenable." "Salibrous: can be crossed off immediately for not pertaining to a position, but instead to health. While he may be "entrenched" in this opinion, his relationship to the opinion is not in question. While "illusory" is a tempting option as it means not real, he is holding a real position; it is simply unable to be maintained or defended.

Example Question #1041 : One Blank Sentences

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

Pigeons are __________ in New York City; it is hard to cross the street without seeing one.

Possible Answers:

abundant 

plethora

paucity 

sparse

surfeit

Correct answer:

abundant 

Explanation:

The answer must be an adjective that describes the noun "pigeons." "Plethora" is a noun that means a large group and "surfeit" is a noun that means excess. "Abundant" is the only adjective that suggests a large number, while "paucity" and "sparse" refer to a small number.

Example Question #1071 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

Don't be __________—I don't have time to argue about such trivial details.

Possible Answers:

commensurate

childish

hyperbolic

petty

maudlin

Correct answer:

petty

Explanation:

The person being addressed in the sentence seems to be making a big deal out of "trivial issues," meaning that "petty" is the correct answer. The other answer choices provide confusing contrasts to pettiness—such as "hyperbolic" (exaggerating), "childish" (immature), "commensurate" (proportional), or "maudlin" (overly sentimental).

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors