PSAT Critical Reading : Verbs in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

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Example Questions

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Example Question #422 :Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

The final chapter of the mystery novel did not directly state who the killer was; instead, it__________to whom the culprit might be.

Possible Answers:

quipped

revealed

corroborated

alluded

implied

Correct answer:

alluded

Explanation:

"Alluded” meanssuggested, but not in a straightforward way, so it is the correct answer. “Alluded” is also the only answer choice that can work with the preposition “to.”

Example Question #1 :Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Newspapers are a superb method of__________information and ideologies to a large audience.

Possible Answers:

dismantling

laundering

contorting

disseminating

flaunting

Correct answer:

disseminating

Explanation:

“Disseminating” meanscirculatingorpropagating.

Example Question #335 :Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

During World War One, a doctor had to be removed from the frontline because the sight of so much blood made him__________.

Possible Answers:

cantankerous

enigmatic

swoon

altruistic

jubilant

Correct answer:

swoon

Explanation:

From the context of the question you know that the sight of blood caused a certain reaction in the Doctor, you also know that this reaction caused him to be removed from somewhere (the frontline) where he was likely to see a lot of blood; therefore it must have been something that hindered his abilities. Altruistic meansgenerous or charitable, and does not fit. Enigmatic meansmysterious, and jubilant meanshappy.You can rule out those two words. Cantankerous meanseasily angeredand could possibly fit in this sentence, but swoon is the best answer as it meansto faint. Fainting is a more plausible reaction to the sight of so much blood.

Example Question #1 :Verbs In One Blank Sentences

The effect of the Great Depression was__________by the policies of President Roosevelt; many millions of Americans rose out of poverty during his presidency.

Possible Answers:

conceived

dramatized

tempered

conveyed

received

Correct answer:

tempered

Explanation:

From the context of the sentence you know that many millions of Americans had their situations improved by the policies of President Roosevelt. You can therefore infer that the effect of the Great Depression must have been lessened or made more manageable by the policies of Roosevelt. Of the five correct answers tempered is the most correct. Tempered, in this usage, meansmade more moderate and measured. Conceived meansimagined; dramatized meansexaggerated; received meansgenerally accepted; conveyed refers to the act ofgetting a point across.

Example Question #1 :Verbs In One Blank Sentences

Sir Edmund Hillary was__________throughout the world after he became the first white man to successfully climb Mount Everest.

Possible Answers:

lauded

despised

condemned

castigated

berated

Correct answer:

lauded

Explanation:

的上下文entence, as well as a very small amount of critical thinking, suggests that Sir Edmund Hillary would be praised for his accomplishment. The correct answer is therefore “lauded” which meanspraised or celebrated. Despised, condemned, castigated and berated are all very close in meaning and opposite in meaning to praised.

Example Question #338 :Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

The Era of Good Feelings was __________ in the United States after the Presidency of James Monroe; ten years of political calm came to an end.

Possible Answers:

futile

exacerbated

terminated

histrionic

inculcated

Correct answer:

terminated

Explanation:

From the context of the second clause you know that the blank in the first clause must describe how the Era of Good Feelings had come to an end. Exacerbated meansexaggerated; histrionic meansoverdramatic in reaction or behavior; futile meanspointless; inculcated meansto impress something on somebody. The only answer choice that describes something coming to an end is terminated.

Example Question #339 :Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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

一个fter years of letting himself be overpowered by his raging emotions, Oswald at long last learned the means by which he was able to__________these unsettling aspects of his personality.

Possible Answers:

appreciate

mask

display

acclaim

subdue

Correct answer:

subdue

Explanation:

The opposition implied in our sentence is that of passing from being overpowered to overpowering or controlling. While perhaps “mask” would seem to fit this usage, it implies that one has not conquered these aspects fully; however, if one “subdues” something, he or she overcomes it. The word comes from the prefix “sub-” being added to the base that is derived from the Latin forto lead(“ducere”). If one subdues something, he or she draws it down or carries something off from one place to another. This is related to many other words such as “conduct,” “educe,” and “produce.”

Example Question #1 :Verbs In One Blank Sentences

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

The dense print and the impenetrable legal jargon __________ the document's message; Suzy didn't immediately understand that the family would have to move once again.

Possible Answers:

maintained

contradicted

obfuscated

bolstered

objectified

Correct answer:

obfuscated

Explanation:

"Obfuscated" is correct because "obfuscate" meansconfuse or deliberately make something difficult to understand.It is related to "obscure," a word you may have come across more often. Suzy doesn't immediately understand what the document is saying because the dense print and legal jargon is confusing, and therefore "obscuring," the message.

Example Question #1 :Verbs In One Blank Sentences

The politicians debated offering aid packages to __________ the declining financial situation.

Possible Answers:

augment

moderate

castigate

ameliorate

complicate

Correct answer:

ameliorate

Explanation:

一个melioratemeans to improve or make more bearable. We can hope that the aim of the politicians is to do something positive, combating the negative financial situation. While the aid packages may in fact onlycomplicateoraugment(increase) the situation, that is not likely the goal of the politicians' debates.

Example Question #431 :Sentence Completions

一个fter finishing a hard day's work, Jo was able to __________ in long, hot bubble bath.

Possible Answers:

situate

legalize

vandalize

luxuriate

repudiate

Correct answer:

luxuriate

Explanation:

Luxuriatemeans to indulge oneself. It is similar toluxury, and a long, hot bath is a luxury.

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