All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #924 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In his youth, the young philosopher always broke things into couplets like “act and potency” or “essence and existence.” With age, he came to see that the reality needed to be expressed in a more __________ fashion in groups like “being, life, and intellect,” as well as “thesis, antithesis, synthesis.”
thorough
confounding
exhaustive
ternary
mystical
ternary
The key thing to note here are the number of terms involved. A “couplet” (like a “couple”) has only two members in it. If something is “ternary,” it has three parts, like the “triad” (three part structure): “being, life, and intellect.”
Example Question #925 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Since the local was swampy, hot, muggy, and plagued with mosquitoes, few people desired to risk their health and live in such an __________ environment.
insalubrious
appalling
unpleasant
insupportable
alarming
insalubrious
The key word here is “health,” which is best matched by “insalubrious,” which means unhealthful. Something that is “salubrious” is healthful. The word is related to the simpler Latin root “salus,” meaning health, prosperity, or [even] greeting. It is related to English words like “salvation” and “salutation.”
Example Question #926 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After the old man had a successful kidney transplant, he was relieved of his numerous __________ issues.
vigorous
health
salutary
renal
fitness
renal
Although you might be tempted to choose “health,” we can surmise more accurately that the old man had kidney problems—hence the need for a kidney transplant, though certainly this is itself a type of health issue. The adjective “renal” means pertaining to the kidneys. It is found in the word “adrenaline,” now called “epinephrine,” because the “adrenal” glands are on the kidneys: ad + renal.
Example Question #927 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Leo’s friends were quite surprised by his heart attack. His athletic, muscular build had led them to believe that his __________ muscle matched that which showed on his outer appearance.
interior
cardiac
underlying
organic
inner
cardiac
The thing to be noted here is the contrast between the outer muscle and the inner muscle. Now, a number of the words are meant to tempt you into this simple form of reasoning, but you must always choose the best word. Since we are considering a heart attack specifically, the kind of muscle involved (in the heart) is “cardiac.” When someone has a “cardiac arrest,” that person’s heart has stopped its regular beating and no longer effectively delivers blood.
Example Question #928 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although Albert’s talk presented prolific details from his research, many listeners found the structure of the argument to be rather haphazard and the conclusions __________ in their claims.
dull
repetitious
dubitable
insignificant
tedious
dubitable
Since the argument was haphazard, the conclusions would seem very unlikely in their final claims. To be “dubitable” is to be “doubtful.” It comes from the Latin word for “doubt.” The latter (“doubt”) is close to “dubitable” in English form, but other related words are “indubitably” and “dubious.”
Example Question #1851 : Psat Critical Reading
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
John’s shy demeanor led him to prefer __________ locations at parties, far removed from the sight of the general crowd.
quiet
distant
inconspicuous
taciturn
remote
inconspicuous
Although a number of the options given for this question are tempting, the key point is that John does not want to be in others’ sight. Do not be tricked by the expression “far removed” as though it necessarily implies distance. It merely indicates that he wishes to be out of vision of the general crowd. The word “inconspicuous” means not in general visibility. If something is “conspicuous,” it is readily seen and obvious. The “-spic-” root is likewise found in other “-spec-” words that are legion in the English language, coming from the Latin roots for to look. Such words include (among many others): “spectator,” “prospective,” “perspective,” “specific,” “spectacular,” and so forth.
Example Question #1852 : Psat Critical Reading
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
For centuries, people did not note the power of recognizing the implication of the well-known __________ nature of matter. This indivisible, atomic structure could be investigated and provide numerous insights into the mysteries of nature.
corpuscular
concrete
substantial
tangible
organic
corpuscular
The key words in the second sentence are “indivisible” and “atomic.” Although “corpuscle” often is used to describe the smallest part of a given biological body, it also can be used to mean the smallest indivisible unit. When science began to focus on the atomic structure of matter—which never was really forgotten, though it was not given a lot of prominence for other reasons—there was much talk of the “corpuscular,” that is, atomic nature of the world.
Example Question #1853 : Psat Critical Reading
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Because it is necessary for any other intellectual pursuit, logic is often believed to be a mere __________ subject and nothing more. People do not realize that it is not merely an introduction to the modes of knowledge but that it is likewise its own science with many “internal” problems to be solved.
elemental
secondary
propaedeutic
vacuous
elementary
propaedeutic
The key word that indicates what is needed is “introduction.” This is best matched by the word “propaedeutic”—a rare word, but one that can be discerned. The prefix “pro-” is the same as that found in the word “prologue,” meaning “coming before.” The root of “-“-paedeutic” is a bit more difficult, but it is related to such “teaching-related” words as “pedagogue” and “pedantic.” A propaedeutic subject is one that is introductory, leading onward later to further instruction after setting the initial groundwork.
Example Question #1854 : Psat Critical Reading
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.
standardized
selective
fastidious
annoying
judgmental
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 #1855 : Psat Critical Reading
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.
design
orchestration
organization
fabrication
hypodermically
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.”