一个ll PSAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
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.
quipped
revealed
corroborated
alluded
implied
alluded
"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.
dismantling
laundering
contorting
disseminating
flaunting
disseminating
“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__________.
cantankerous
enigmatic
swoon
altruistic
jubilant
swoon
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.
conceived
dramatized
tempered
conveyed
received
tempered
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.
lauded
despised
condemned
castigated
berated
lauded
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.
futile
exacerbated
terminated
histrionic
inculcated
terminated
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.
appreciate
mask
display
acclaim
subdue
subdue
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.
maintained
contradicted
obfuscated
bolstered
objectified
obfuscated
"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.
augment
moderate
castigate
ameliorate
complicate
ameliorate
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.
situate
legalize
vandalize
luxuriate
repudiate
luxuriate
Luxuriatemeans to indulge oneself. It is similar toluxury, and a long, hot bath is a luxury.
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