PSAT Critical Reading : Parts of Speech in One-Blank Sentences
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading
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Example Questions
Example Question #391 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
If a few of the minor political parties __________, the result may be a formidable opponent.
cleave
coagulate
coalesce
circumscribe
chortle
coalesce
The answer that makes the most sense is "coalesce," to combine or fuse.
Example Question #611 : Sentence Completion
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Despite all the evidence against him, Mark refused to __________ that he was wrong.
confound
conjure
condole
concede
comport
concede
The answer that makes the most sense is "concede," to admit or yield.
Example Question #612 : Sentence Completion
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
He was beaten so badly that he knew there was no way he could __________ the result of the race.
convene
contest
consort
convoke
controvert
contest
The answer that makes the most sense is "contest," to dispute.
Example Question #613 : Sentence Completion
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Bob's mother furiously __________ him when she saw that he already torn holes in his new jeans.
expedited
expatiated
exhorted
excoriated
exonerated
excoriated
The answer that makes the most sense is "excoriate," to scold with biting harshness.
Example Question #614 : Sentence Completion
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Don't __________ yourself with understanding every detail; it is more important to see the big picture.
ensue
enjoin
encumber
emend
emulate
encumber
The answer that makes the most sense is "encumber," to burden.
Example Question #522 : Sentence Completion Questions
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
The seasoned surgeon has __________ himself with all sorts of anatomical problems.
hoarded
harbored
habituated
honed
hovered
habituated
The answer that makes the most sense is "habituated," to become accustomed or familiarize.
Example Question #615 : Sentence Completion
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
My paper is too long, so I'll need to __________ some of the longer paragraphs.
hinder
truncate
curate
rescind
patent
truncate
"Truncate" means to shorten or abbreviate. "Hinder" means to prevent or slow down. "Rescind" means to declare null and void. "Patent" means to secure a copyright on an invention. "Curate" means to gather items or data for presentation.
Example Question #391 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
As the sailors crossed the vast sea, they were constantly __________ by large tempests and huge waves.
eschewed
belittled
corroborated
hindered
kindled
hindered
"Hinder" means to prevent or slow down. "Belittle" means to criticize or detract. "Kindle" means excite or ignite. "Eschew" means to avoid, shun, or have nothing to do with. "Corroborate" means to authenticate or confirm.
Example Question #62 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Some people want nothing more out of life than to __________ huge wealth.
laud
mollify
rant
amass
abridge
amass
"Amass" means to gather or accumulate. "Abridge" means to shorten, abbreviate, or truncate. "Laud" means to acclaim or praise. "Mollify" means to calm or pacify. "Rant" means to yell or rave.
Example Question #63 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Select the word or word pair that best completes the sentence.
Tired of seeing my two best friends fight, I finally sat down with them together to try to __________ the situation.
allocate
ameliorate
assimilate
arouse
ameliorate
If your friends were fighting you would want to make the situation better. This is the sense of "ameliorate." The same sense is carried by the less-common form, "meliorate" (sometimes a prefixed "a" will make a word mean its opposite—as in "moral" and "amoral," but in this case "ameliorate" and "meliorate" both mean to make better).
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