Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences

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PSAT Critical Reading › Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences

Questions 1 - 10
1

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.”

2

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.

3

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.

4

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

The factory worker labored quickly and __________ to assemble automobile parts on the conveyer belt.

diligently

surreptitiously

intermittently

rashly

inanely

Explanation

“Diligently” means in an way that is efficient and hardworking, so "dililgently" makes the most sense in the sentence and is the correct answer.

5

Kevin was not known for making __________ arguments, for his sentences were often labyrinthine, obscure masses of confusion.

lucid

vertiginous

amazing

childish

unaccomplished

Explanation

The contrast here is between obscurity and clarity. When something or someone is “lucid,” he or she is able to express ideas or thoughts in a clear manner. The word actually comes from base words for “light,” which are found in English relatives like “lucent,” “translucent,” and even “Lucifer” (the so-called “light bearing angel” who later fell from grace, according to Christian tradition).

6

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

The couple didn't like the food at the restaurant very much, but nonetheless frequented it merely due to its __________ to their apartment.

displacement

taste

appearance

proximity

atmosphere

Explanation

"Proximity" means simply nearness to something. Here, we are given contextual clues that tell us that their restaurant choice had something to do with their apartment. All the answers would be reasons to choose the place, but "proximity" is the only one that has to do with their apartment.

7

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

Although the house was relatively new, it was in a state of significant disrepair, to the point that it looked much worse than many old, __________ buildings in town.

dilapidated

venerable

Victorian

outmoted

outdated

Explanation

The implication in this sentence is that the house was in more disrepair than even many other deteriorating houses in town. The best word to match this sense is “dilapidated,” which means “falling apart due to age or lack of care.” It is derived from the prefix “di-” meaning “apart or down from” and the Latin word for stone, “lapis.” The stone lapis lazuli is so named because it is the stone (lapis) from the place in Persia (now Iran) that was Latinized as Lazulus.

8

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

The elderly woman’s __________ tone about modern dating habits made the young men hesitant to tell her about their personal lives.

approving

laudatory

inquisitive

censorious

curious

Explanation

As the young men avoid her, the elderly woman obviously dislikes modern dating habits, which rules out “approving” and “laudatory” as possible correct answers. Similarly, the young men’s unwillingness to talk indicates she was not “inquisitive,” or "curious." “Censorious,” meaning stern and critical, is the only possible correct answer.

9

The story was published __________, so Wallace knew that contacting the author would be a challenging task, as no one knew who he or she was.

anonymously

anomalously

copiously

evanescently

credulously

Explanation

Since no one knows who wrote the story, we're looking for an adverb that describes something done in a way so as to have one's identity remain secret. While "anomalously" and "anonymously" sound extremely similar, they have very different meanings: "anomalously" means "done in a way that deviates from expectations or norms" and "anonymously" means "done in a way that does not identify someone by name." So, "anonymously" is the best answer choice.

10

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.

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