Style, Intensity, and Connotation in One-Blank Sentences - PSAT Critical Reading

The seriousness of the violations (multiple elements), and the sense of the violation, lead to a need for a word indicating seriousness and even extremity. "Just," "evenhanded," and "fair" are too positive, while "minor" does not convey the seriousness meant by the sentence.

The key word in this sentence is "plane." That simple context should lead you instantly to "hangar," which has the specific meaning of a building that houses planes.

The most important part of the sentence for finding the correct answer is the fact that the missing word bears little relation to the plot. The correct answer should indicate some kind of diversion from the main thrust of the novel. Of the answer choices, only "tangents," meaning unrelated diversions from the subject, has the appropriate sense.

An “arabesque” style painting is one with flowing lines. The word does indeed mean Arab-like (-esque), for it was believed to be derived in the West from Arab styles of art (which under Islamic influence would have lacked pictorial representation). The actual sources for such art are more complex, related to earlier Greek and Roman forms of ornamentation.

The people were brought into an entry room, which could be considered as the “fore-room” to the main meeting area. Such an area is called an “antechamber” because it comes before (=ante) the main chamber or room. The prefix “ante-” can be found in words like “anterior,” “antecedent,” and “antebellum;” (the last meaning _before a / the war—_often the American Civil War in our usage in the United States).

If two living things live together and (at least in a sense or to a degree) require each other for life, they have a “symbiotic” relationship. (It is possible to use the word merely to mean that they live in close proximity, though general usage often implies the advantageous nature of the relationship). The word comes from Greek roots. “Sym” (or “syn”) means together or “same” and is found in English words like “synonym,” “sympathy,” and “synagogue.” The “-biotic” portion comes from a root word meaning life, found in words like “biology,” “biopsy,” and “biography.”

If something is “anachronistic,” it does not really belong in its given time period. Sometimes, the adjective can merely mean that something is old-fashioned, but it often is used to indicate the situation when someone describes something in one time period according to the customs or historical contingencies of another period. The prefix “ana-” comes from the Greek preposition meaning “backward” (among other things). The familiar “-chronistic” comes from the Greek word for time and has familiar English derivatives (such as “chronological”).

The word “opus” is directly derived from the Latin word for work, and while its English usage often implies a musical work, it can more broadly indicate any artistic work, particularly one that is very large and involved. The word “opus” in Latin has a forms containing the base “oper-”, found in English words like “opera” and “operate.”

The key expression here is “focusing on every word . . .” This gives the sense of paying close attention to each word in the articles. The word “scrutinize” means to examine or inspect thoroughly, which captures this sense.

In contrast to the other words given as possible answers, being “despondent” implies lack of hope—not merely disappointment or emotional detachment. This is called for by the key phrase, “to the point of no longer hoping for . . .”

The key word to note is “holiness;” therefore, while all of the other options are potentially applicable, only “sanctification” fits most closely. It means the process of being made holy. The “-fication” is a standard ending, meaning to do or to make and is likewise found in forms like “-fact-” (factor), “-fic-” (artificer), “-fect” (perfect), or even “-fy” (sanctify). The root “sanct-” comes from the Latin sanctus meaning “holy.”

Beyond noting the resounding of the bells, the word “plangently” likewise carries with it the sense of sadness. If someone is “plaintive,” he or she sounds as though mourning.

Although the other “music-related” words perhaps are tempting, “canticle” is the best, given that it has particular associations with church music. It comes from a base that is similar to that found in “cantor” (singer, particularly leading a church service), “cantata,” and “incantation.” All of these words are variously related to the Latin “cantare,” meaning to sing.

The two key words are “complacency” and “laziness.” This implies a particular slowness and lack of effort. When one “saunters,” he or she walks in a slow and somewhat lazy manner—as on a slow walk down the trail.

For this problem, it is necessary to choose the one “odd man out” that is at least closest to the sense implied. Since the telescope is far extending the vision beyond closer bodies, the best option is that which captures more than merely “celestial” or standard “heavenly” bodies. The word “sidereal” means “pertaining to the ‘fixed’ (distant) stars” or even just “pertaining to constellations.”

Clearly, the point in the sentence is that Sally became drunk from the beverages. It is not right to say that she was incapacitated, a word meaning that she would have no capacity for action whatsoever. Instead, all that can be asserted is that she is drunk. Such a state of health is called “inebriation,” from the Latin “ebrius,” meaning “drunk.”

When you encounter a sentence like this where multiple options seem identical, it is necessary to look for the option that best fits the specific case of our sentence. The vessel that we are looking for is to be used for hand washing, so “laver” is the best option. A laver is a vessel used for containing water for washing. It is related to words like “lavatory” and “latrine,” as well as “lotion.”

The two nations apparently had repressed their “antagonism” during the decades mentioned. Antagonism is the state of striving against someone or something, coming from the roots “anti-” and “agonia.” The latter, literally means struggle or contest. Its meaning has been extended in a word like “agony” in English (though, a person in agony is often struggling against that which is causing the agony); therefore, the two nations were hostile to each other, though it was repressed. Such a state is called “hostility,” coming from the Latin “hostis” meaning either “stranger” or (more appropriate for our case) “enemy.”

Since the earthquake left almost nothing in the city, it was not merely empty but was instead utterly “desolated.” The word comes from the Latin meaning “completely alone.” The “de-” here takes on the sense of “completely,” and the “-solation” comes from “solus,” meaning “only or alone.” The latter is found in words like “solitary” and “solo.”

The key phrase here is “by the old-fashioned methods of handwriting.” Works that are “handwritten” are called “manuscripts,” a word that literally means “hand-written.” The “manu-” portion is found in English words like “manual” and “manicure,” from the Latin roots for “hand.” “Script,” clearly comes from root meanings related to writing, as is obvious from other related English words such as “scribe,” “subscription,” and “prescription.”