All SAT Critical Reading Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #966 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Pick the best word to complete the sentence.
Children of authoritarian parents are often anxious; they can become __________ easily.
antisocial
sensitive
difficult
stressed
underwhelmed
stressed
The clause that needs filling-in is simply a rephrasing of the first part of the setence—"stressed" is the closest synonym of anxious and therefore makes the most sense in the sentence.
Example Question #967 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Pick the best word to complete the sentence.
The young boy offered her his hand, grinning __________, since he knew it was still covered in mud.
famously
devilishly
awkwardly
mistakenly
playfully
devilishly
The subject of the sentence knows that he is going to cause someone displeasure, therefore he is being mischeivous—"devilish," when used in this context, means the same thing; therefore "devilishly" is the correct answer.
Example Question #161 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences
Fred's family only realized how __________ he was about failing the math quiz he had studied for when he shouted at the first person to ask him about it.
charismatic
famous
prepared
nimble
touchy
touchy
We can infer that because Fred "shouted at the first person to ask him about [the math quiz he failed]," we need to pick out an adjective to describe Fred that means something like "irritable." "Charismatic" might look like a potentially correct answer, but "charismatic" is an adjective that means "exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others," so it wouldn't make sense in the sentence's context. "Touchy," however, is an adjective that means "oversensitive and irritable" when being used to refer to a person, and because "touchy" best describes Fred's irritable mood, "touchy" is the correct answer.
Example Question #762 : One Blank Sentences
Unfortunately, the brief period of sunshine and blue sky was __________ that day, as the clouds turned grey after only ten minutes of sunshine and let loose a drizzle that lasted the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.
far-fetched
evanescent
demonstrable
lasting
pardonable
evanescent
We can infer that because the period of sunny weather lasted "only ten minutes," we need to pick out an adjective to describe the sunny weather that means something like "fleeting" or "temporary." "Lasting," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "lasting," when used as an adjective, means "enduring or able to endure over a long period of time," making it an antonym of the word for which we're looking. "Evanescent," however, is an adjective that means "soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing," and because "evanescent" best conveys the briefness of the sunny weather in the sentence, "evanescent" is the correct answer.
Example Question #2182 : Sat Critical Reading
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank.
Pam was so __________ from her fever that she was unable to go to work.
deliberated
defaced
debauched
debilitated
defamed
debilitated
The answer that makes the most sense is "debilitated," to weaken or enfeeble.
Example Question #2183 : Sat Critical Reading
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Socrates was known as one of the most __________ orators of Ancient Greece.
mundane
taciturn
placid
eloquent
symbiotic
eloquent
"Eloquent" means having a skillful way with words or speech. "Mundane" means ordinary or day-to-day. "Placid" means calm or mild. "Symbiotic" means interdependent, coordianted, or unified. "Taciturn" means quiet, mild, or reserved.
Example Question #2184 : Sat Critical Reading
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
The __________ old man yelled at the children to get off his lawn and play ball elsewhere.
complacent
avuncular
bucolic
cantankerous
jocular
cantankerous
"Cantankerous" means crabby or irritable. "Avuncular" means consultive or helpful. "Bucolic" means rustic or rural in nature. "Complacent" means calm, confident, or pleased. "Jocular" means funny or cheerful.
Example Question #2185 : Sat Critical Reading
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
Maria occasionally experiences __________ dreaming, but usually her dreams are utterly incomprehensible.
nebulous
wary
insolent
peripheral
lucid
lucid
"Lucid" means comprehensible, clear, or understandable. "Wary" means careful or cautious. "Peripheral" means minor, outside, or incidental. "Nebulous" means murky, confused, or obscured. "Insolent" means bold or disrespectful.
Example Question #2186 : Sat Critical Reading
Select the word or word pair that best completes the sentence.
Even in the dead of the jungle night, the adventurer could read his daily log by the moonlight shining through his __________ mosquito net.
diaphanous
elongated
impeccable
acrid
diaphanous
While the adventurer's mosquito net might very well be "impeccable" (flawless), "acrid" (smelly) or "elongated" (if he was perhaps a very tall adventurer), all that we know for sure is that light can shine through it—and that is the exact meaning of "diaphanous."
Example Question #2191 : Sat Critical Reading
Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
The tantrum-throwing toddler remained __________ and refused to eat his vegetables.
antediluvian
palpable
bucolic
obdurate
didactic
obdurate
"Obdurate" means pigheaded or stubborn. "Antediluvian" means out-of-date or prehistoric (ante=before, diluvian=the flood). "Bucolic" means rural or rustic in nature. "Didactic" means educational or explanatory. "Palpable" means clear or obvious.