SAT Critical Reading : Verbs in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #433 : One Blank Sentences

The doctors and policeman __________ to solve the case and serve justice to the kidnapper.

Possible Answers:

compromised

reconciled

submitted

collaborated

imputed

Correct answer:

collaborated

Explanation:

Because two different professions are coming together to solve, the best choice is "collaborated," which means to work together. 

Example Question #561 : Sentence Completion

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

The changes in routine __________ the old man, who could otherwise remain calm as long as his regimen remained unaltered.

Possible Answers:

enraged

submerged

inundated

perturbed

incensed

Correct answer:

perturbed

Explanation:

The wrong answers to this sentence fall into two classes. On the one hand, “enraged” and “incensed” imply extreme anger, which are not justified by the sentence, which describes the old man as relatively calm in normal conditions. These options are distant contenders at best. On the other hand, “submerged” and “inundated” imply that he was overwhelmed. While that might be the case, the sentence clearly has to deal with his emotional / mental state since it speaks of him remaining calm in most situations; therefore the best option is “perturbed” which means “anxious” or “upset,” a good description for being “not calm.”

Example Question #22 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

The moon was full about a week ago, but it has __________ since then, and looks like a thin crescent tonight.

Possible Answers:

groveled

waned

belittled

debilitated

coddled

Correct answer:

waned

Explanation:

We know that the moon was full a week ago, but is now a smaller crescent, so it has gotten smaller in the past week. We need a verb that means to appear to get smaller. While "belittled" sounds like a good option, "belittle" has nothing to do with physical size and means to make (someone or something) seem unimportant. Because "wane" means to have a progressively smaller amount of an object's surface illuminated so that it appears to decrease in size, it is the best answer choice.

Example Question #562 : Sentence Completion

Kendra wrung out the sponge into the sink, __________ it to release all the water it held. 

Possible Answers:

abdicating

nullifying

compressing

squandering

whittling

Correct answer:

compressing

Explanation:

We can tell by the context of the sentence that we're looking for a verb that means something like "make smaller," and more specifically, "wring out." While "whittling" sounds like it could be a potential answer because things that are whittled usually get smaller in the process, "whittling" actually means "carving wood into an object by repeatedly cutting small slices from it," so it's not the correct word for the sentence's context. Since "compress" means "flatten by pressure; squeeze; press," it is the best answer.

Example Question #11 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Each sentence completion question is made up of a sentence with one or two blanks.  One blank indicates that one word is missing.  Two blanks indicate that two words are missing.  Each sentence is followed by five choices.  Select the one word or pair of words that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

After Sarah edited her paper, Jessica brought her out to ice cream in order to _____ her for using her free time to edit.

Possible Answers:

please

indulge

compensate

belittle

encourage

Correct answer:

compensate

Explanation:

In this situation, Jessica is indebted to Sarah for editing her paper even though it was not required for Sarah to edit it.  Therefore, Jessica compensated her by bringing her out to ice cream as a thank you for doing her the favor of editing.

Example Question #32 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Tom's sister wished she could __________ the hurtful comments she directed towards Tom earlier in the day that were merely said due to her disagreeable mood.

Possible Answers:

fortify

rescind

recall

uphold

dismantle

Correct answer:

rescind

Explanation:

Tom's sister wants to erase the comments of the morning or revoke them. In other words, she wants to rescind her comments.

Example Question #33 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

After moving into the new town, it took Scott some time to become __________ to the aspects of daily life that differed greatly from that which he knew in his previous locale.

Possible Answers:

nativist

accepting

accustomed

reflective

understanding

Correct answer:

accustomed

Explanation:

The sentence implies that Scott had to become aware and comfortable with new aspects of life in his town, for they differed from what he had known. Such a process of becoming comfortable with something new is called “becoming accustomed.” Notice that the word contains the word “custom,” and the “ac” is really the “ad” prefix meaning “to or toward.” Therefore, the process of “accustoming” is (in a sense) “structuring oneself ‘to the customs’ of a given area or process.”

Example Question #34 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Travis assured his friends that he __________ to goals that were far loftier than what his little town could offer to him.

Possible Answers:

espied

looked

imagined

aspired

studied

Correct answer:

aspired

Explanation:

The implication here is that Travis “aims” at high goals. Therefore, one could say that he hopes to accomplish these tasks. Such hopes are often called “aspirations,” a word coming from the Latin for “to breathe toward.” There are English words like “despair,” that mean “without hope” but are based on a different (but very close) Latin word meaning hope. The word for “I breathe” is “spiro” and the word for “I hope” is “spero.” Latin students often learn the shortened quip, “Dum spiro, spero,” meaning, “While I breathe, I hope.”

Example Question #1852 : Sat Critical Reading

Robert __________ tightly onto the root sticking out of the cliff, hoping to hold himself there until a rescue crew could arrive.

Possible Answers:

oscillated

recoild

affix

attached

clutched

Correct answer:

clutched

Explanation:

The key word in this sentence is “tightly,” which indicates that Robert was not merely holding on with a limp hand. The best option, therefore, is “clutched” which captures this sense of direly holding on in a tight-fisted manner.

Example Question #11 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Although Mark did not have many specific skills, he was excellent at ___________ affairs for others in order to make their work much easier.

Possible Answers:

facilitating

overcoming

discussing

evaluating

scheduling

Correct answer:

facilitating

Explanation:

When someone is able to aid others in doing their work, particularly in making it easier, that person is said to “facilitate” the work. The word “facilitate” comes from the Latin root word for “easy,” found in related English words like “facile” and “facility.”

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