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●Sentence Completion 23 (low-advanced SAT level)
Directions: Choose the best word(s) to complete each sentence.
1. Glenn Gould was arguably the most
______ musician of the twentieth
century; his style is so distinct that he can
be instantly recognized.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
idiosyncratic
humdrum
celebrated
prevalent
substandard
2. The spy’s recent ______ proves just how
______ she actually was, as no true
patriot would ever sell secrets to the
British.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
loyalty ... perfidious
treachery ... honest
rejection ... ingenuous
fidelity ... faithful
defection ... disloyal
3. The Harding Administration was marked
by ______; several scandals consumed
the press coverage of the administration.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
approbation
ignominy
candor
veneration
reverence
4. The director was impressed with the
______ the talented young actor
demonstrated at the audition; no other
actor showed half as much brashness or
confidence, though all the others were at
least three years older.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
haughtiness
meekness
diffidence
gall
braggadocio
5. With more than 30,000 locations
worldwide, the fast food giant is
practically ________, and it seems
impossible to not be near one at any
given time.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
scarce
exiguous
ubiquitous
global
diminutive
6. Though most of her friends expected the
usually dramatic widow to be ______ at
her late husband’s funeral, she managed
to appear dignified and somber.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
histrionic
sober
august
aloof
euphoric
Answers and Explanations
1) A
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key
words from the prompt. Here, the key word is “distinct,” a word that describes
Gould’s musical style. As the missing word describes what type of “musician” he
was, the missing word must also be one that means distinct. Therefore, choice
(A) is correct, as idiosyncratic means distinct or definitive for one person or thing.
(B) is incorrect because humdrum means boring, but the prompt only makes it
clear that Gould had a “distinct” style, not that the style was dull or boring.
(C) is incorrect because celebrated means famous or lauded, but the prompt only
makes it clear that Gould had a “distinct” style, not that he was necessarily
famous.
(D) is incorrect because prevalent means frequent or common, while the prompt
actually implies the opposite: that Gould had a unique or “distinct” style.
(E) is incorrect because substandard means below par or lesser in quality than
the norm, but the prompt only makes it clear that Gould had a “distinct” style, not
that his style was not good.
2) E
To figure out what the missing words are, try to predict their definitions by using
key words from the prompt. Here, each missing word has its own set of key
words. Everything after the comma in the prompt explains or elaborates upon the
information given before the comma. Thus, the first missing word’s key words are
in the phrase “sell secrets to the British,” since both that phrase and the missing
word explain what the spy did. The first missing word is one that means an act of
treason, because selling state secrets is an act of treason. The second missing
word’s key words are “no true patriot,” a phrase that describes what the spy was.
Thus, the second missing word must be one that means unpatriotic, or
treasonous. Choice (E) is, therefore, the best choice, as both words work in
context: defection is a desertion from loyalty, while disloyal means not faithful or
loyal.
(A) is incorrect because only the second word works in context. Perfidious
means disloyal or unfaithful, which means it could work for the second word.
However, loyalty is faithfulness and would not describe an act such as “selling
secrets to the British.”
(B) is incorrect because only the first word works in context. Treachery is treason
or an act of disloyalty and could work in context for the first word, but honest
means faithful and true and would not be used to describe a person who is “no
true patriot.”
(C) is incorrect because only the first word works in context. A rejection is a
denunciation and could describe an act of treason. Treason involves rejecting
one’s loyalties or duties to one’s country. However, ingenuous means childlike in
innocence, which is not a word that would necessarily describe one who is “no
true patriot.”
(D) is incorrect because neither word works in context. Fidelity is loyalty or
honesty and would not describe an act such as “selling secrets to the British.”
Faithful means loyal and would not be used to describe a person who is “no true
patriot.”
3) B
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key
words from the prompt. The key words here are “several scandals,” and the
sentence hinges on a cause-and-effect relationship with everything after the
semicolon offering an explanation for what marked the administration. Thus, the
missing word must be one that would result from scandals. Choice (B) is correct,
then, as ignominy means disgrace or dishonor.
(A) is incorrect because approbation means approval or commendation, though a
presidency marked by scandal would be unlikely to be approved or commended.
This word has the opposite meaning of the missing word.
(C) is incorrect because candor means frankness or sincerity and is, as such, not
something that would define an administration marked by scandal. This word has
the opposite meaning of the missing word.
(D) is incorrect because veneration means respect or praise, neither of which
would describe an administration marked by scandal. This word has the opposite
meaning of the missing word.
(E) is incorrect because reverence means deep respect and is, as such, the not
something that would define an administration marked by scandal. This word has
the opposite meaning of the missing word.
4) D
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key
words from the prompt. Here, the key words are separated from the missing word
by a semicolon, and semicolons are used to separate two independent but
related sentences. Thus, everything after the semicolon here explains the
missing word, and the key words in the clause after the semicolon are
“brashness” and “confidence.” These words describe what the actor showed, as
does the missing word. Therefore, the missing word must be one that likewise
means brashness or confidence. Thus, choice (D) is the correct answer, as gall
means nerve or confidence.
(A) is incorrect because haughtiness means snobbishness. The prompt implies
that the young actor is confident but not that he is snobby.
(B) is incorrect because meekness means shyness or submissiveness, the very
opposite of the trait embodied by the young actor.
(C) is incorrect because diffidence means a lack of confidence and is, as such,
the opposite of how the prompt describes the young actor.
(E) is incorrect because braggadocio means empty boasting. While such a word
does imply that the actor showed “brashness or confidence,” it does not work in
context. The prompt makes it clear the actor in question was able to back up his
boasting, because he was “talented.”
5) C
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key
words from the prompt. Here, the key words are “more than 30,0000 locations
worldwide” and “impossible to not be near one,” both of which are phrases that
describe “the fast food giant” in the same way as the missing word. Thus, the
missing word must be one that means the restaurant chain is extremely common
and has very many locations. Choice (C) provides the best word, as ubiquitous
means everywhere at once.
(A) is incorrect because scarce means few and would, as such, has the opposite
meaning of the missing word, since the prompt makes clear that the “fast food
giant” has many locations.
(B) is incorrect because exiguous means small, though the prompt actually
implies that the “fast food giant” is quite large in size, given the number of
locations it has.
(D) is incorrect because global means around the world. While the prompt does
make it clear the chain is a global one (as it has “30,000 locations worldwide”),
the missing word hinges on the number of locations it has, not the locations of
the chain.
(E) is incorrect because diminutive means small, though the prompt actually
implies that the “fast food giant” is quite large in size, given the number of
locations it has.
6) A
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key
words from the prompt. Here, the key phrase is “appeared dignified and somber.”
The prompt hinges on the word “though,” a word that implies the two parts of the
sentence provide contrasting information. While she “appeared dignified,” most
people expected the widow to appear differently. Another clue is given in the
phrase “usually dramatic,” implying that most expected the widow to be dramatic
Thus, the missing word must be one that means the opposite of “dignified and
somber” and means something closer to “dramatic.” Choice (A) provides the best
word, as histrionic means overly dramatic, especially in emotion.
(B) is incorrect because sober means serious. Thus, this word would perfectly
describe how the widow actually did behave but now how she was expected to
behave. As such, it does not fit in the context of the missing word.
(C) is incorrect because august means extremely dignified. Thus, this word would
perfectly describe how the widow actually did behave but now how she was
expected to behave. As such, it does not fit in the context of the missing word.
(D) is incorrect because aloof means reserved or reticent and would, as such,
describe the opposite of the type of behavior most expected of the widow.
(E) is incorrect because euphoric means intensely happy. While this would
describe the opposite behavior of that shown by the widow, it implies that the
woman was happy her husband had died. The prompt does not support such an
accusation.