The directions for the section are:
Directions: Each of the following questions begins with a sentence that has either one or two blanks. The blanks indicate that a piece of the sentence is missing. Each sentence is followed by five answer choices that consist of words or phrases. Select the answer choice that completes the sentence best.
Example:
After a hectic week in the city, as a relief from ______ pressures, Carrie plans to _____ on her long weekend.
(A) inveterate -- pique
(B) urban -- rusticate
(C) pent -- prate
(D) neonate -- venerate
(E) laconic -- slake
Solution: Choice B is correct. The key word "city" indicates that the first word must relate to urban life. The trigger for the second word is long weekend. We know that Carrie wants to get away from the city, making "rusticate" a good choice.
Example:
After surgery for my knee injury, my doctor gave me painkillers that made me _____ and _____.
(A) articulate -- copious
(B) doltish -- overt
(C) autocratic -- congruent
(D) torpid -- phlegmatic
(E) ludicrous -- remiss
Solution: The first key word in this is "pain killers", which are known to induce drowsiness. The second key word is "and", indicating that the two words we seek are synonyms.
Tips & Strategies for Sentence Completion Questions
1) Identify the crucial clues in the sentence. These sentences are never vague; each will include adjectives or descriptive terms that indicate the meaning of the missing word.
2) Look for what is directly implied or stated by the sentence. Each presents a complete thought and the missing words support that thought.
3) Look for structural words that will help you find the right answer:
a) If the second part of the sentence supports or elaborates on the first part, it will invariably include words like:
and, similarly, in addition, since, also, thus, because, likewise, consequently
b) If the second part of the sentence deviates or contradicts the first part, it will inevitably include words like:
but, despite, yet, however, unless, rather, although, while, nevertheless
In statements with two blanks, these structural words help to determine whether the two words are synonyms or antonyms. Use the relationship between the two words to help select the correct answer choice.
4) Quickly eliminate choices that are not grammatically correct.
5) Always check all five answer choices. Sometimes more than one choice will theoretically "fit" the sentence, but one fits better than the others. Your job is to identify the BEST choice.
6) Don't be intimidated by odd or unusual words. The sentence completion questions aren't designed to test vocabulary, yet they will often contain somewhat difficult words. Rely on the content of the sentence to determine their meaning. In nearly all problems, the definition of the word is given or strongly implied in the sentence. In sentences with two blanks, you will usually know the meaning of at least one of the two words in each answer choice. This is usually enough to help you accept or reject the answer choice.
7) If a sentence is long, meandering or otherwise complex, paraphrase it to get the gist. Consider the author's tone or attitude. Then, search the answer choices for the correct words.
8) Always read your choice back into the original sentence to verify that it makes sense.
9) Always work with the easier blank first. Often, you can eliminate one or two answer choices simply because the "easy" word in the pair doesn't fit.
10) If you can't predict an answer, quickly plug the five answer choices into the sentence. Many times, you can eliminate a few choices that don't "sound correct" in context.
Ten Sentence Correction Questions (with Solutions)
1. Many medical experts believe that the origin of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is _____, while others believe it is ______.
(A) contiguous -- environmental
(B) congenital --- environmental
(C) congenital -- deleterious
(D) contagious -- pathological
(E) exogenous -- celestial
2. The fourth grade teacher taught her students to ______ thoroughly when eating to enable proper _______.
(A) rankle -- temerity
(B) mitigate -- digestion
(C) transmute -- veneration
(D) query -- progeny
(E) masticate -- digestion
3. The state attorney began his lecture by explaining that ______ is a phase of the study of ______.
(A) nihilism -- gynecology
(B) hypertension -- etymology
(C) recidivism -- criminology
(D) altruism -- paleontology
(E) hallucination -- chivalry
4. The students _______ until there was no choice but to ______ a desperate, last-minute solution.
(A) berated -- try
(B) delayed -- envision
(C) procrastinated -- implement
(D) debated -- maintain
(E) filibustered -- reject
5. Working with an unbelievably _______ budget and an impossible schedule, the wedding planner somehow arranged an event that _________ the guests with its beauty and style.
(A) low -- disappointed
(B) inflated -- distracted
(C) uneven -- amused
(D) disproportionate -- appalled
(E) inadequate -- surprised
6. Because members of the ______ family are ______, farmers must grow grass.
(A) bovine -- herbivorous
(B) anthropoid -- adamant
(C) conduit -- nocturnal
(D) incarnadine -- nocturnal
(E) heretic -- herbivorous
7. When the law clerk got his first job, his novice ______ led to an embarrassing ______.
(A) collusion -- consanguinity
(B) synthesis -- cordovan
(C) colophon -- temerity
(D) ineptitude -- imbroglio
(E) chauvinism -- quirk
8. Because of her ______ nature, the scientist avoided any job that she feared might be a travail.
(A) impudent
(B) insolent
(C) eminent
(D) indolent
(E) imminent
9. Whenever I see
(A) scintillating -- verbose
(B) quiescent -- succinct
(C) lugubrious -- lachrymose
(D) reviled -- providential
(E) providential -- rubicund
10. Psychologists insist that all people, even the most _____ and ______ , have varying degrees of extreme emotions.
(A) brackish --- mature
(B) sylvan -- intellectual
(C) celestial -- civilized
(D) beneficent -- stable
(E) defunct - healthy
Solutions to Sentence Completion Questions
1. Choice B is correct. We know from the context of the sentence that we are seeking opposite words relating to the origin of a disease.
2. Choice E is correct. Mastication is the same as chewing, which enables digestion.
3. Choice C is correct. Recidivism, or repeating an offense, is a common problem in criminology.
4. Choice C is correct. While all of the answer choices fit the blanks, Choice c is best. The clues in the sentence are "last-minute" and "desperate".
5. Choice E is correct. The clues in the sentence are "unbelievable" and "impossible". We know the first word must be negative. We also know from the words "somehow", "beauty" and "style" that the second word is positive.
6. Choice A is correct. The key words are "grass" and "farmers", indicating that the correct words are animals that eat grass.
7. Choice D is correct. The key words "novice" and "embarrassing" mean our correct words are both negative. The best choice is D, as the first word relates to newness and inexperience.
8. Choice B is correct. The correct word means the opposite of "travail", which is lazy.
9. Choice C is correct. The correct words are synonyms for sad and tearful.
10. Choice D is correct. From the word "even", the correct terms must be the opposite of "extreme".
0 comments:
Post a Comment