All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #23 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Despite his original __________ before he had studied, Aaron felt __________ about the upcoming test and knew he would score well.
anxiety . . . dismissive
ineptitude . . . apathetic
bravado . . . uneasy
misgivings . . . confident
apprehension . . . overwhelmed
misgivings . . . confident
The two blank words should demonstrate opposing feelings concerning the upcoming test. They should convey that Aaron at first felt unsure that he would do well at first and then believed in his abilities more after he prepared. The only choice that shows this is "misgivings . . . confident."
Example Question #24 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Seeking __________ after doing something as __________ as lying to your friends or family should always done if you want forgiveness for such a heinous act.
vilification . . . vindictive
resolution . . . interminable
hedonism . . . tentative
absolution . . . reprehensible
forgiveness . . . tawdry
absolution . . . reprehensible
The first word should most closely be related to the word “forgiveness” later in the sentence, while the second should be closely related to the word “heinous.” "Absolution . . . reprehensible" is the only answer that fits here.
Example Question #31 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Up high in the belfry, the birds erupted into a disruptive __________, ruining the recital; everyone who had come to hear the singers left quite __________.
melody . . . harangued
cacophony . . . disgruntled
tremolo . . . ennobled
harbinger . . . perturbed
song . . . stultified
cacophony . . . disgruntled
"Cacophony" means a tremendous, disharmonious noise, while "disgruntled" means upset or not content. Understandably, people who had come to hear music would be upset that a recital was interrupted by a disharmonious noise.
Example Question #31 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ approached the master with such __________ praise that the old man could not help but be touched by the younger man’s innocence and unreserved straight-forwardness.
amateur . . . disingenuous
beginner . . . sarcastic
novice . . . ingenuous
belligerent . . . candid
layman . . . facetious
novice . . . ingenuous
A "novice" is a beginner or someone without training or experience, while "ingenuous" means candid and innocent. Naturally, the master would only be touched by praise that was innocent and candid.
Example Question #162 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
As the bank robber was known for his __________ for oftentimes fatal violence, the police considered it __________ that they find the him as soon as possible.
proclivity . . . paramount
truncation . . . nugatory
profanity . . . critical
penchant . . . trivial
attitude . . . salient
proclivity . . . paramount
The options can be narrowed down significantly simply by looking at which one of the options for the first blank can be followed by the preposition "for." That brings us down to "proclivity," meaning tendency and "penchant," meaning liking. "Paramount" works better in the second blank, however, because it means of utmost importance. "Trivial" means the opposite, and we would hope that the police find it important to find a violent criminal.
Example Question #32 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ between Native Americans and European settlers that granted the island of Manhattan to the settlers was __________ of any sentiment or fairness.
conflict . . . inclusive
indoctrination . . . lacking
arrangement . . . devoid
lamentation . . . remiss
nostalgia . . . bereft
arrangement . . . devoid
From the structure of this sentence you know that the first blank is referring to some agreement between Native Americans and European settlers and that the second blank describes how fair that agreement was. Of the five possible answer choices the best answer is arrangement and devoid. Arrangement refers to an agreement and devoid describes something as lacking. As possible answer choices lacking, bereft and remiss would also be correct as these are all synonyms for devoid. However, lamentation means to express sadness and grief; indoctrination means to cause someone to believe something different to what they naturally would; nostalgia refers to a sentimental recollection of past events. None of these answer choices is quite right as a synonym for agreement.
Example Question #163 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although Christopher had long been indifferent to his studies, he recently showed signs of __________ for mathematics. His parents, thrilled at this new inquisitiveness, wished to encourage these __________ interests.
disdain . . . troubling
expertise . . . contemporary
mastery . . . joyous
curiosity . . . nascent
virtuosity . . . comforting
curiosity . . . nascent
The key thing to note is that Christopher only recently had a change in his interests. This gives us the best indication for the second word to be chosen, as “nascent” literally means “newly born.” It is related to other words like “nativity,” “natal,” and “renaissance" (meaning "re-birth").
Example Question #33 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
My friend’s argument that might makes right is the very __________ of my belief in a higher law to which we are all __________.
cornerstone . . . liberated
objection . . . burdened
same . . . responsible
antithesis . . . beholden
opposite . . . apathetic
antithesis . . . beholden
"Antithesis" means the exact opposite, while "beholden" means owing something to another, such as allegiance. A person who argues that power determines what is right and wrong would believe the exact opposite of his or her friend who believes in a higher law to which we must all be loyal.
Example Question #221 : Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The thief made a ___________ ___________ from the jewelry store she was robbing when the burglar alarm went off, pocketing the loot she'd gathered and running straight out the door at a headlong dash.
quick . . . entrance
delicate . . . start
ponderous . . . getaway
inspired . . . conclusion
hasty . . . egress
hasty . . . egress
We can infer that for the second blank, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "escape," because we know the thief "[ran] straight out the door" when she heard the burglar alarm go off. Either "getaway" (" an escape or quick departure, especially after committing a crime") or "egress" ("the action of going out of or leaving a place") could be potentially correct. For the first blank, we know that the thief made her exit "at a headlong dash," so she was moving very quickly and we should pick out an adjective to reflect her speed. Either "hasty" ("done or acting with excessive speed or urgency; hurried") or "quick" ("moving fast or doing something in a short time") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "hasty" and "egress" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "hasty . . . egress."
Example Question #34 : Nouns And Adjectives Or Adverbs In Two Blank Sentences
Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Thanks to carefully crafted financial devices, the firm’s assets were particularly __________ from any collateral effects of the prices of several key commodities. Even if the prices of these goods fluctuated greatly, the assets would basically be at __________ with their initial values.
liquidated . . . odds
insulated . . . parity
lax . . . prominence
disinclined . . . differentials
limpid . . . development
insulated . . . parity
Since the assets were free from interference, they were isolated. The word “insulated” does not merely indicate the process of installing material to prevent energy from being transferred from one area to another. It also can indicate any such isolation of forces. The word is derived from the Latin word “insula,” which means “island.” The English word, “insular,” is similarly derived.
The word “parity”, indicating a state of equality, is derived from the Latin “pars,” meaning equal. The same root is reflected in English words like “disparity,” “pair,” and even “subpar.”