Sentence Completions

Help Questions

PSAT Critical Reading › Sentence Completions

Questions 1 - 10
1

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

Sally                      when she saw the                      height restriction for the roller coaster she had wanted to ride because she assumed that she was not tall enough to ride; while no one under five feet tall could ride with no exceptions, she was luckily exactly that height.

despaired . . . compulsory

saddened . . . encouraged

celebrated . . . mandatory

participated . . . overturned

forgot . . . jubilant

Explanation

For the first blank, we need to pick out a word that means something like grew sad, because we know that Sally wanted to ride the roller coaster and assumed she could not because of the height restriction. Either "despaired" (gave up) or "saddened" (grew sad) could be correct. For the second blank, since we know that there no were exceptions to the height rule, either "compulsory" (obligatory) or "mandatory" (compulsory) could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "despaired" and "compulsory" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "despaired . . . compulsory."

2

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

Harold commenced a                      of strenuous studying to build up the mental                      to complete the three-day bar examination.

regimen . . . endurance

pledge . . . catharsis

notion . . . integrity

constraint . . . sincerity

diversion . . . illumination

Explanation

The phrases “commenced,” “build up” and “complete the three-day bar examination” suggest that Harold began a systematic procedure to build up the stamina to finish a three-day exam. Only "regimen" (a systematic procedure) and "endurance" (a synonym for stamina) work for the blanks.

3

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

The                      of Andrew Jackson was infamous among politicians in his time; even after he achieved phenomenal success they could not bear his consistent                     .

arrogance . . . smugness

concentration . . . laziness

delegation . . . mollycoddling

apathy . . . gregariousness

degradation . . . excellence

Explanation

From the use of the words “infamous” and “could not bear” you know that the blanks being described are probably negative. You also know that the blanks must be similar or identical in meaning because there is no clause or conjunction indicating a change in meaning. The correct answer is therefore arrogance and smugness; this is the only answer choice in which the meanings of the two answers are similar. Delegation means to allocate tasks; mollycoddling means to pamper and spoil someone; apathy means not caring; gregariousness refers to sociability; degradation describes the squalor of something.

4

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

Johnson felt that his                      was only a minor                      and not a serious transgression against his marriage vows.

infidelity . . . peccadillo

fidelity . . . obstruction

temperance . . . habit

puritanism . . . hindrance

ordeal . . . bewilderment

Explanation

"Infidelity" means unfaithfulness, often to a sexual partner, while a "peccadillo" is a small sin or fault. Johnson does not seem to esteem fidelity very highly because he rates unfaithfulness to his spouse as only a minor fault.

5

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

Sally                      when she saw the                      height restriction for the roller coaster she had wanted to ride because she assumed that she was not tall enough to ride; while no one under five feet tall could ride with no exceptions, she was luckily exactly that height.

despaired . . . compulsory

saddened . . . encouraged

celebrated . . . mandatory

participated . . . overturned

forgot . . . jubilant

Explanation

For the first blank, we need to pick out a word that means something like grew sad, because we know that Sally wanted to ride the roller coaster and assumed she could not because of the height restriction. Either "despaired" (gave up) or "saddened" (grew sad) could be correct. For the second blank, since we know that there no were exceptions to the height rule, either "compulsory" (obligatory) or "mandatory" (compulsory) could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "despaired" and "compulsory" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "despaired . . . compulsory."

6

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

Even when he was young, John Thomas expressed a desire to explain the sometimes                      aspects involved with racial heritage in order to                      them instead of viewing those aspects as disparate.

ancient . . . formulate

contradictory . . . commingle

arduous . . . rebuff

heinous . . . implicate

copious . . . compile

Explanation

When we work with a double set of blanks in a sentence, sometimes it is easier to solve just the first or second one to begin. This sentence uses the phrase “those aspects as disparate” so the second blank must need a word meaning the opposite of disparate which means different. Let’s try the second words in each answer to see which one completes the idea best.

Is “formulate” the opposite of disparate? No, formulate means to state, plan or express an idea.

How about “commingle”? This may be an unfamiliar word for you but what does “mingle” mean? To mingle with your friends means to get together and if we add “co” like in cooperate, combine or committee, this word seems like it might work.

Let’s consider “rebuff”. The prefix “re” often means to do again as in repeat, rework or redo and even if we cannot think of what “buff” may mean, this does not seem as fitting as commingle.

“Implicate”? This word sounds and looks like imply, implore or implicit which does not relate to bringing together.

What about “compile”? The prefix “com” usually does mean coming together like in complete, committee and combine so let’s keep it for now.

Now we need to check the first words but only for two answers: contradictory…commingle and copious…compile. Read the sentence and try each set of words to see which one conveys the meaning of bringing different aspects related to racial heritage together the best? The answer “contradictory…commingle” works best because “copious” means a lot of something but does not work as well in the sentence as “contradictory” or different.

7

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

At first                      by the child’s rapid changes in mood, the teacher later understood it as just the boy’s                      nature.

discomfited . . . mercurial

baffled . . . predictable

assuaged . . . capricious

ameliorated . . . stolid

perplexed . . . impassive

Explanation

"Discomfited" means made uncomfortable or baffled, while "mercurial," means characterized by rapid change in temperment. Naturally, a teacher would first be baffled by a child's rapid change in moods (that is, his mercurial nature).

8

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

The                      claims made by the witness about the circumstances of the crime                      justice.

spurious . . . impeded

fallacious . . . incited

veracious . . . hindered

terse . . . motivated

aloof . . . inspired

Explanation

If a witness makes false or spurious statements about a crime, they keep justice from occurring; therefore, they impede justice.

9

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

The fox had predominantly                      fur, but its fluffy tail was tipped in white and                      down to a delicate point.

russet . . . tapered

red . . . widened

cerulean . . . narrowed

yellow . . . swelled

lavender . . . enlarged

Explanation

Because the sentence's subject is a fox and all of the available answer choices for the first blank are adjectives describing color, we need to pick out an adjective that describes a shade of red, because foxes typically have predominantly reddish fur. Either "red" or "russet" ("reddish brown in color") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we can infer that because the fox's tail "(verb)ed down to a delicate point" that either "tapered" ("diminished or reduced or caused to diminish or reduce in thickness toward one end") or "narrowed" could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "russet" and "tapered" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "russet . . . tapered."

10

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

The                        scientist decided that he would attempt to                      his competitor’s work, making it appear dubious to the general scientific community.

rival . . . discredit

underhanded . . . question

recalcitrant . . . dispute

judgmental . . . overthrow

arrogant . . . destroy

Explanation

Here, the best option is to pay heed to the second blank. The scientist wants to make his competitor’s work seem "dubious," that is, doubtful; therefore, he would like to make its credibility questionable by the broader community. It is best to say that he wishes to “discredit” it. Regarding the first blank, we really are not told anything about the first scientist’s character in the sentence. This means that the best option is the one that merely states what we can imply from the rest of the sentence, namely, that he is a "\[competitor\]," or a "rival" scientist.

Page 1 of 549