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Practice Problems
Figure out where you stand by trying these SCs.
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Directions: Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath each sentence are five words or sets of words. Choose the word or set of words for each that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
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Guided Explanations
1. A
Step 1: Find the Keywords. The keywords here are
biased and subjective.
Step 2: Look for Road Signs. The road sign is
although, which indicates that the blank slightly
contrasts with the first part of the sentence.
Step 3: Make a Prediction. The road sign combined with
the keywords indicate that the correct answers will mean something along the
lines of unbiased and objective.
Step 4: Compare Your Answer(s) to the Answer Choices. Of
the answers given, credible is the only reasonable choice.
Step 5: Plug It In. Plugging this word back into the
original sentence confirms that A is correct.
2. E
Step 1: Find the Keywords. The keywords here are
stark and scientific.
Step 2: Look for Road Signs. Here, the road signs are
previous and today. There’s been a
change between the way things used to be and the way things are now.
Step 3: Make a Prediction. The road signs combined with
the keywords indicate that the correct answers will mean something along the
lines of illogical and unscientific.
Step 4: Compare Your Answer(s) to the Answer Choices. The
closest answer choice is paranormal.
Step 5: Plug It In. Plugging paranormal
back into the sentence confirms that the logic of the sentence holds up with
this word inserted. Thus, E is correct.
3. B
Step 1: Find the Keywords. This SC is a little trickier
than the previous two. What words are crucial to this sentence’s meaning?
No one but the most astute collector would have appraised the
recent piece so highly certainly gives us a clue about the rest
of the sentence.
Step 2: Look for Road Signs. The sentence has one road
sign, previous, but you might find it difficult to
determine just how this word is used. Not to worry—a careful reading of the
sentence will still allow you to make a prediction for the correct answer.
Step 3: Make a Prediction. Now we have to consider what
the previous pieces must have been like for it to take a rare person
(astute collector) to appraise the recent piece
so highly. If all the previous work had been excellent, many
people—not just a few smart collectors—would probably appraise a recent
piece highly. For it to take a rare person to see the value
of the current work, the previous pieces were probably not
excellent.
Step 4: Compare Your Answer(s) to the Answer Choices. Of
the answers given, insipid, which means “dull,” is the best
choice.
Step 5: Plug It In. Inserting insipid
into the original sentence confirms that B is the correct
answer.
4. D
Step 1: Find the Keywords. The keywords here are
never in doubt. What was never in
doubt? Her work ethic.
Step 2: Look for Road Signs. Since there are no road
signs, the sentence is going to go in one direction, from start to finish.
Step 3: Make a Prediction. We’ll start with the easier
blank. This is a matter of personal choice, obviously, but most people would
probably find the second blank to be easier. In what manner does a person
with a great work ethic perform tasks? With enthusiasm or
willingly are reasonable guesses.
Now for the first blank. What kinds of tasks would this person perform
with enthusiasm (our prediction for the second blank)?
Well, technically speaking, she’d perform just about any task in such a
manner. But the sentence has to reinforce this person’s great work ethic.
Having her perform difficult tasks would accomplish this.
Step 4: Compare Your Answer(s) to the Answer Choices. For
the second blank, we predicted with enthusiasm or
willingly. Alacrity (“eagerness”)
works. Among the choices for the first blank, formidable
has a meaning most similar to difficult, our prediction.
Step 5: Plug It In. Plugging formidable
and alacrity back into the original sentence produces a
perfectly logical, clear result, and so D is correct.
5. C
Step 1: Find the Keywords. The keywords are
predict characteristics, which tell us a bit about what
the supporters claim. What kind of characteristics? That’s the essence of
the first blank, and a clue is provided by a handy road sign, so let’s head
to Step 2.
Step 2: Look for Road Signs. The road sign such
as indicates that examples of the characteristic in question
are about to emerge: a predisposition to violence or tendency toward
self-deprecation.
Step 3: Make a Prediction. The examples given don’t sound
like physical characteristics; they sound like things that go on inside our
heads, like mental or emotional states.
That’s a good prediction for the first blank. As for the second blank, what
can one do to facial features to make such a prediction? Probably
study them, or something along those lines.
Step 4: Compare Your Answer(s) to the Answer Choices.
Given our predictions, psychological seems like a good bet
for the kinds of characteristics the author is talking about, and
scrutinizing, meaning “analyzing” or “studying,” seems
to work for the second blank.
Step 5: Plug It In. Inserting the words in choice C
into the sentence as written produces a clear, logical
thought.
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