Verbs in One-Blank Sentences

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SAT Critical Reading › Verbs in One-Blank Sentences

Questions 1 - 10
1

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt gave many explanatory speeches to the American public, hoping to __________ fears over the lengthening economic crisis.

allay

exacerbate

harmonize

propagate

undulate

Explanation

This question requires a small amount of critical thinking on your part. You likely will conclude that the President would be seeking to remove or help ameliorate the fears of the American people during a depression. This would lead you to the correct answer “allay,” which means to calm or relieve. "Exacerbate" is opposite in meaning and means make something greater or worse; "harmonize" means complement; "propagate" means to spread; and "undulate" means to roll and ripple.

2

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

swoon

cantankerous

enigmatic

jubilant

altruistic

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 means generous or charitable, and does not fit. Enigmatic means mysterious, and jubilant means happy. You can rule out those two words. Cantankerous means easily angered and could possibly fit in this sentence, but swoon is the best answer as it means to faint. Fainting is a more plausible reaction to the sight of so much blood.

3

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

collaborated

compromised

imputed

reconciled

submitted

Explanation

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

4

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

The mill makes flour by __________ wheat between two large, heavy stones which are turned as horses pull them.

pulverizing

flattening

dealing

whetting

climbing

Explanation

We know that the mill makes flour by crushing wheat between two large stones, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "crushing." While "flattening" might seem like a potentially correct answer, "pulverizing" is the better choice, as "pulverizing" means "reducing to fine particles" or, more informally, "defeat utterly." Because "pulverizing" best fits the context of the sentence, it is the correct answer.

5

When he was nervous about an exam, Sebastian would __________ the power of God to help him know the correct answers.

invoke

revoke

claim

assume

intercede

Explanation

The sense of the sentence is that Sebastian would “call upon” the powers of God for help. When one “invokes” someone or something, he or she does just that. From its roots in Latin, the word literally means “to call on.” The prefix “in-” can at times mean “on” because of the use of “in” in Latin, which also can me “on” in the sense of “on top of.” The “-voke” portion of the word comes from the Latin for “to call or name.” It is found in words like “vocation” and “advocate.”

6

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

tempered

conceived

conveyed

received

dramatized

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, means made more moderate and measured. Conceived means imagined; dramatized means exaggerated; received means generally accepted; conveyed refers to the act of getting a point across.

7

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

The complexity of analogies often __________ even the most perceptive of philosophers, who often confuse such nuanced uses with forms of strict equivalence of meaning.

eludes

overcomes

overwhelms

confutes

stultifys

Explanation

Since even the most perceptive philosophers misunderstand analogical predication, it “escapes” them. When something “eludes” someone, it “escapes” him or her in the sense of not being understood. The word comes from Latin roots literally meaning “to play away from,” though it takes more nuanced forms in English. It is related to words like “illusion,” “elusive,” and even “prelude."

8

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

The masseuse __________ her patient's back until it was free from knots and tension.

kneaded

patrolled

whisked

maneuvered

limped

Explanation

We can infer that because the sentence is discussing a "masseuse" who is freeing his patient's back from "knots and tension," we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "massaged." "Kneaded," a verb that can mean "massaged or squeezed with the hands," best describes the masseuse's massaging of his patent's back, so "kneaded" is the correct answer.

9

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

lauded

despised

condemned

berated

castigated

Explanation

The context of the sentence, 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 means praised or celebrated. Despised, condemned, castigated and berated are all very close in meaning and opposite in meaning to praised.

10

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

luxuriate

legalize

vandalize

repudiate

situate

Explanation

Luxuriate means to indulge oneself. It is similar to luxury, and a long, hot bath is a luxury.

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