Two-Blank Sentences - PSAT Critical Reading

To answer this question, it helps to know the meaning of "demagogue". This is a person who tries to lead in political and public matters by using emotions. He or she stirs up the emotions of the people to get them to act in a certain manner. This should lead you to think "exciting" is the correct first word. ("Exciting" can merely mean arousing strong feelings.) Still, you may be tempted to choose "many" for the second blank. However, "exculpatory" means getting out of trouble. That makes no sense here. The best option is "exciting ... disenfranchised". To be "disenfranchised" means to be powerless in a society. This contrasts well enough to the demagogue's "privileged few." To "gain the franchise" means to become able to vote. Voting allows people to have some power in society.

The sentence implies that people are supporting the slaves against an injustice. Although it does not say such, we can at first assume the injustice to be slavery. This is particularly the case based on an investigation of the options provided for the second blank. "Lacerated" means cut open. This would be metaphorical at best. "Notarized" makes no sense here. "Totally questioned" really is a bit of a strange pairing, for the sentence implies that this is a matter of something more than mere questioning. To be "totally inquired" does not fit grammatically. Therefore, the best pair of answers is "emancipation . . . curbed." To "emancipate" is to free. It comes from the word for "hand" in Latin, which we find in words like "manual" (e.g. "manual labor") and manuscript (meaning "handwritten"). To "e-manicipate" is to set free the hands of someone. To "curb" is to restrain or hold back.

To answer this question, it helps to know the meaning of "demagogue". This is a person who tries to lead in political and public matters by using emotions. He or she stirs up the emotions of the people to get them to act in a certain manner. This should lead you to think "exciting" is the correct first word. ("Exciting" can merely mean arousing strong feelings.) Still, you may be tempted to choose "many" for the second blank. However, "exculpatory" means getting out of trouble. That makes no sense here. The best option is "exciting ... disenfranchised". To be "disenfranchised" means to be powerless in a society. This contrasts well enough to the demagogue's "privileged few." To "gain the franchise" means to become able to vote. Voting allows people to have some power in society.

Each generation brings forth a next generation, leading to the mentioned repetition. The best option is therefore “beget . . . circuit.” To “beget” means to bring forth often with the connotation of procreation. A “circuit” is a closed loop, therefore well filling the need of the second blank in this sentence.

"Monotony . . . bores" is the only pairing that makes logical sense since “monotony” means tedious sameness and “bores” means to causes one to lose interest in something. Although "tedium . . . agitates" looks like an appealing choice, “agitates” actually means excites, the exact opposite of the meaning needed in the second blank.

"Enmity" means hatred and hostility, while "seethe" means to be in a state of turmoil or anger but not show it overtly. Two men who hate one another would, of course, find themselves in an agitated and angry state upon the sight of one another.

"Coalesced" means merged into a whole, while a "colossus" is a gigantic statue or thing. A football team's offensive line merging into one unit would certainly move like a gigantic thing, a colossus.

A "litigant" is someone involved in a lawsuit, while to "manifest" means, in this instance, to show plainly. Arguably, a sweating and presumably nervous litigant would reveal himself to be guilty.

Both the young and the old (in this sentence at least) are not likely to believe. While there are differences, they both wait for answers before giving their belief to an assertion. The best words therefore, are “credence” and “assenting.”

The former is derived from the Latin credere, which means “to believe.” There are many English derivatives from this Latin base, such as “credible” and “creed.” “Assent” is derived from the Latin sentire meaning “to perceive” or “to feel.” It has the prefix “ad” (to / toward – as in “advance”), which becomes “as” when tagged onto “sentire.” There are many related words, not only using the prefix “ad” but likewise “sentire,” such as “sensitive,” “consent,” “consensual,” and “sentimental.”

The key point to note is that the brush communicates the artistic skill that is not in the brush itself. It is “traversed” by a force greater than it could create on its own. (It would be rather boring on its own—though it might be quite well crafted); therefore, it is “traversed.”

Although the Latin root “-vers” often means something like to turn, there is also a Latin root, versari, which means _to move abou_t or dwell. The prefix “tra-“ is really an abbreviation of “trans-,” which means across (as in a word like “transatlantic” or “transfer”—the latter meaning to carry across); therefore, “traverse” means to move across—like the skill of the artist across the brush.

The word “utilization” means the use made of something and is related to a number of “use” words. In the earlier Latin as well as other English usages, the “t” often becomes an “s” because of the similarity of these sounds, depending on the context in given words.

As one ages (and becomes tired), they can be said to be in a state of “dotage,” meaning that they are old and weak. To step down from rule is to “abdicate” from it.

The sense of the sentence communicates that Othmar’s fame is increasing. When something “waxes,” it is increasing in size or intensity. The word is normally used to describe the increasing of lunar light as the moon becomes larger (at least in its visibility, that is). This primary usage is often transferred in order to describe the growing of things other than the moon. The opposite term (i.e. the term for decreasing lunar light exposure) is “wane.”

The second word, “renown,” means fame, particularly in the sense of being discussed by many people. It is derived from roots related to words like “nominate” and “nominal”—words that have to deal with the notion of names (the “nom-” root).

To "belabor" means to go on in excessive detail about something. A "rant" is a long speech about something in a passionate way.

There is something of a play on words in this sentence. The roommate has two sides, and “duple” (and related words) imply twoness, hence “duplicity.” This likewise means—and this is closer to our usage here—being deceitful (as in being “two faced”). To “evince” is to reveal a reality. Such an act need not show a heretofore hidden reality. One’s (e.g.) body motions “evince” (in the sense of “giving evidence for”) one’s caring nature.

We are told that the director's reaction is due to his thick skin, which tells us that there is some substantial criticism (so we can rule out "dearth," or lack) and that he is not overly-affected by it (so we can cross out "unaffected," because if he is "hardly unaffected," the double negative (as in math) would mean that he was, in fact, quite affected by the criticism. The "impacted . . . waive" option would work if the second word were the noun "wave" instead of the verb "waive," which means to give something up willingly. We are left with "fazed" (affected) and "barrage" (an onslaught or flood).

Since the concern here is with removing something that seems to increase the time of an undertaking, such an intervening object is an “impediment,” which means an obstruction. To “expedite” something is to make it occur more quickly. Both words come from the Latin word for “foot” (This is reflected in the “-ped-” portion of the stem, not to be confused with the “ped” in words like “pediatric” and “pediatrician,” which have different roots). An “impediment” is something placed on (im+) the foot (so to speak), and to “expedite” is to remove something from the foot or away from its path (at least taken literally).

The second sentence indicates that the bishop wishes to stop the movement. It does not indicate any desire to persecute. The word “arrest” might seem, at first glance, to carry the same negative, “persecuting” sense as some of the other options, but the word likewise can mean “to stop” as in the usage “arrested development” to describe someone who is stunted with regard to some kind of growth. A “sect” is group differentiated by their beliefs, often with a negative connotation in regard to an accepted orthodoxy.

To “plumb” something is to seek out its depths. You might know from chemistry class that the element lead has a symbol Pb. This comes from the Latin word “plumbum,” which was used for the element. “To plumb” the depths of some body of water would be to tie a piece of lead to a string in order to see how deep it is. The word “superfices” means “the surfaces” and is related to the word “superficial.”

The words “mini-riot” and “exasperation” and the phrase “scene of crumpled papers and screaming children” indicate that the classroom fell into the lesser state of disorganization. Only "disarray" (a state of disorganization) and "deteriorated" (falling into a lesser state) meet these definitions.