TEN FOR TEN®
PREVIEW SENTENCE COMPLETION—THE SCARY CHOICE
More often than we’d like, we can be stumped by the difficulty of the SAT’s vocabulary. When
that’s the case, let’s hope that our test-taking savvy can usher us away from wrong choices that
look comforting and toward scary-looking choices that happen to be right.
In short: In each Sentence Completion problem, four incorrect answer choices that people
might find attractive coexist with the fifth choice, which has to be there because it’s right. How
can this understanding help us choose the right answer? We can pick the ugly choice, the
choice we can’t pronounce, the word that we doubt even exists in English.
In other words, The Scary Choice.
Below we have a bunch of answer choices without sentences. Pick the choice that makes you
least comfortable. That’s it for this round. Go.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
[Sentence]
(a) condemnation
(c) plaudits
(b) sarcasm
(d) irony
(e) pathos
[Sentence]
(a) condensed
(c) exterminated
(b) delineated
(d) expurgated
(e) transcribed
[Sentence]
(a) imaginary
(c) elusive
(b) repetitive
(d) eclectic
(e) circumscribed
[Sentence]
(a) irrationality
(c) temerity
(b) humanity
(d) serendipity
(e) anthropocentrism
[Sentence]
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(a) aesthetic
(c) decorous
(b) partisan
(d) cerebral
(e) avant-garde
PREVIEW—THE SCARY CHOICE
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6)
[Sentence]
7)
(a) expeditious
(c) empathetic
(b) astute
(d) indomitable
(e) idiosyncratic
[Sentence]
8)
(a) synergistic
(c) competitive
(b) naturalistic
(d) retroactive
(e) neutralizing
[Sentence]
9)
(a) felicitous
(c) anachronistic
(b) inevitable
(d) timeless
(e) exemplary
[Sentence]
10)
(a) idealists
(c) dissemblers
(b) well-wishers
(d) nitpickers
(e) debunkers
[Sentence]
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(a) harassed
(c) bilked
(b) sullied
(d) investigated
(e) incriminated
TEN FOR TEN®
SENTENCE COMPLETION—THE SCARY CHOICE
One more thing: The right choice in each Sentence Completion problem is perfect: If you know
what a word means, and that word doesn’t fit perfectly into the sentence, it’s wrong. If you find
yourself making a case for an answer choice, it’s wrong. Cross it out and move on to Plan B.
OK, now, Plan A is picking an answer choice that you know is right. Plan B is Scary Choice.
1) Blanchard’s sculpture has generated only enthusiastic response: praise from the general
from the major critics.
public and
(a) condemnation
(c) plaudits
(b) sarcasm
(d) irony
2) Alanna thoroughly
because of the new obscenity law.
(e) pathos
the text to avoid any lawsuits that might arise
(a) condensed
(c) exterminated
(b) delineated
(d) expurgated
3) The art collection of the children’s museum is quite
furniture to sculpture to finger painting.
(a) imaginary
(c) elusive
(b) repetitive
(d) eclectic
(e) transcribed
, ranging from
(e) circumscribed
4) It has been suggested that the detailed listings of animals, plants, and minerals by their
usefulness to humans indicate the
of the ancient Egyptians.
(a) irrationality
(c) temerity
(b) humanity
(d) serendipity
5) Artists who are described as
concepts.
(e) anthropocentrism
are the first to experiment with new forms or
(a) aesthetic
(c) decorous
(b) partisan
(d) cerebral
(e) avant-garde
6) The press praised Maya Robinson’s autobiography as a portrait of an ________________
person, one who succeeded against great odds.
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(a) expeditious
(c) empathetic
(b) astute
(d) indomitable
(e) idiosyncratic
THE SCARY CHOICE
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7) When two chemical compounds are combined, a
effect can be
achieved; the resulting combination can be more potent than either of the individual
components alone.
(a) synergistic
(c) competitive
(b) naturalistic
(d) retroactive
(e) neutralizing
8) The use of gospel music in the modern production of the ancient Greek tragedy is effective,
to critics interested only in historic accuracy.
in spite of seeming
(a) felicitous
(c) anachronistic
(b) inevitable
(d) timeless
(e) exemplary
9) Contemptuous of official myths about great men and women that had been taught to them
,
in school, many postwar writers, with the skepticism expected of
advanced the idea that there is no such thing as greatness.
10)
(a) idealists
(c) dissemblers
(b) well-wishers
(d) nitpickers
According to the report, the investment firm had
customers, swindling them out of millions of dollars.
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(a) harassed
(c) bilked
(b) sullied
(d) investigated
(e) debunkers
several hundred
(e) incriminated
TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
SENTENCE COMPLETION— THE SCARY CHOICE
Here are the right answers with minimal comment. I hope that you used either Plan A (you knew
the meaning of the right choice and it was perfect) or Plan B (you eliminated every choice you
knew wasn’t perfect and then chose the scariest of the remaining choices).
1) C. I would imagine that you know (a), (b), and (d).
2) D. No, she did not exterminate the text. If you chose (e), your reasoning went something like
this: In order to take out the dirty words, she would rewrite the text. However, if (e) were
correct, the sentence would have read, “Alanna ______________ the text so readers wouldn’t
be confused by her bad handwriting and edits.”
3) D. If you chose (e), remember this: circum (like circumference) refers to a circle. And no,
there isn’t a “full circle” of artwork. Have you looked up circumscribed yet? Anything
stopping you?
4) E. You might have thought temerity or serendipity was weird or ugly, but where the heck did
(e) come from? (Actually, it means “centered on humans.”)
5) E. Would the test maker include avant-garde to tempt you away from the right answer?
Does she figure you’re from Quebec?
6) D. I’m guessing that if you picked (e), you’ve actually heard or seen the word
“idiosyncratic” (or “idiosyncrasy,” which means “a peculiarity of behavior or temperament”;
in other words, “a little weird”) before. Choice (a) means “done with speed and/or
efficiency.”
7) A. We know it’s not any of the others, as long as you’ve used the expression “retro” (and
knew what it meant) sometime in your life.
8) C. Try to give the longest unknown word just a little extra attention.
9) E. Whether you remember what it means or not, I know you’ve seen dissemblers before (it
means “liars”). If you chose “idealists,” you knew in your heart it wasn’t right, but needed a
little more courage to reject it.
10)
C. If a choice causes you to doubt that it’s even a real word, it’s probably right.
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TEN FOR TEN®
CRITICAL READING—INTENTION AND CONTEXT A
In the following excerpt, the author recalls his days as a young man learning to pilot steamboats on the Mississippi River.
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The face of the water, in time, became a
wonderful book—a book that was a dead language
to the uneducated passenger, but which told its
mind to me without reserve, delivering its most
cherished secrets as clearly as if uttered them with
a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and
thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every
day. Throughout the long twelve hundred miles
there was never a page that was void of interest,
never one that you could leave unread without
loss, never one that you would want to skip,
thinking you could find higher enjoyment in some
other thing. There never was so wonderful a book
written by man; never one whose interest was so
absorbing, so unflagging, so sparklingly renewed
with every re-perusal.
Now when I had mastered the language of this
water and had come to know every trifling feature
that bordered the great river as familiarly as I
know the letters of the alphabet, I had made a
valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too.
I had lost something which could never be
restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the
beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic
river! I still keep in mind a certain wonderful
sunset which I witnessed when steamboating was
new to me. A broad expanse of the river was
turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue
brightened into gold, through which a solitary log
came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place
a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water;
in another the surface was broken by boiling,
tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an
opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a
smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles
radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore
on our left was densely wooded, and the somber
shadow that fell from this forest was broken in
one place by a long, rough old trail that shone like
silver; and high above the forest wall a cleanstemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that
glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor
that was flowing from the sea. There were graceful
curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft
distances; and over the whole scene, far and near,
the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enriching it,
every passing moment, with new marvels of
coloring.
I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a
speechless rapture. The world was new to me, and
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I had never seen anything like this at home. But
as I have said, a day came when I began to cease
noting the glories and the charms which the
moon and the sun in the twilight wrought upon
the river’s face; another day came when I ceased
altogether to note them. Then, if that sunset
scene had been repeated, I would have looked
upon it without rapture, and would have
commented upon it, inwardly, after this fashion:
This sun means that we are going to have wind
tomorrow; that floating log means that the river
is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on
the river refers to a bluff reef which is going to
kill somebody’s steamboat one of these nights, if
it keeps on stretching out like that; those
tumbling “boils” show a dissolving sand bar and
a changing channel there; the lines and circles in
the slick water over yonder are a warning that
that dreadful place is shoaling up dangerously;
that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is
the “break” of a new submerged snag, and he has
located himself in the very best place he could
have found to fish for steamboats; that tall, dead
tree, with a single living branch, is not going to
last long, and then how is a body ever going to
get through this blind place at night without the
friendly old landmark?
No, the romance and the beauty were all gone
from the river. All the value any feature of it had
for me now was the amount of usefulness it
could furnish toward my safe piloting of a
steamboat. Since those days, I have pitied doctors
from my heart. What does the lovely flush in a
beauty’s cheek mean to a doctor but a “break”
that ripples above some deadly disease? Are not
all her visible charms sown thick with what are to
him the signs and symbols of hidden decay? Does
he ever see her beauty at all, or doesn’t he simply
view her professionally, and comment upon her
unwholesome condition all to himself? And
doesn’t he sometimes wonder whether he has
gained most or lost most by learning his trade?
INTENTION AND CONTEXT A
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1.
In the first paragraph, the author makes
use of which of the following literary
devices?
a. Personification
b. Metaphor
c. Alliteration
d. Irony
e. Synecdoche
2.
In lines 6-8, the author claims that the
river “was not … every day” because
a. the cub pilot needed to keep his
instructional handbook handy
b. the river contained more steamboats
every day
c. reading was a favored hobby of
steamboat pilots
d. the trained pilot saw something new
each time he “read” a familiar stretch
of river
e. like a great book, a river could never
be thrown aside
3.
The author discusses how he “mastered
the language of this water” (lines 17-18)
in order to
a. claim that his knowledge of the river
was unsurpassed
b. raise concerns about aquatic illiteracy
among the current generation
c. marvel at the similarities between the
river and syntax in American
literature
d. recall an accomplishment
e. argue that such a feat was considered
impossible by cub pilots
4.
Lines 17-23 (“Now … while I lived.”)
serve to
a. acknowledge a drawback to an
approach advocated in subsequent
paragraphs
b. return the discussion to a problem
mentioned earlier in the passage
c. introduce a lighthearted diversion
d. provide a transition into a more
serious topic
e. offer evidence in support of a later
claim
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5.
The author feels that the “valuable
acquisition” discussed in line 21 was
a. the ability to truly appreciate the
beauty of the river
b. a position as a steamboat pilot
c. gained at a price
d. less valuable than acquisitions gained
by doctors
e. the swagger that comes with the
position of steamboat pilot
6.
In lines 25-48, the author describes the
sunset in order to
a. illustrate the ability of a steamboat
pilot to notice his surroundings
b. capture a memorable experience
c. celebrate the beauty of the river
d. point out features of the river that
are not usually discussed
e. assert that most professions require
the practitioner to be aware
7.
The author claims that “if that sunset
scene had been repeated, I would have
looked upon it without rapture” in lines
56-58 in order to
a. celebrate the pilot’s ability to ignore
such distractions
b. compare the river’s beauty with the
bliss of eternal life
c. lament that his ability to understand
the river’s clues was gained at a price
d. claim that most steamboat accidents
happened in good weather
e. honor the priorities of the steamboat
pilot
INTENTION AND CONTEXT A
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8.
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The example of the doctor in lines 82-92
is most analogous to which of the
following?
a. A lawyer views laws as the rules of a
game and so ignores the intent of
those laws.
b. An engineer loses the capacity to
appreciate the curves of the Eiffel
Tower.
c. A chef has no appetite after cooking
all day.
d. A merchant seaman loses the ability
to walk comfortably on dry land.
e. A sculptor can only think of carving
whenever she sees a piece of marble.
9.
As used in line 84, “break” most nearly
means
a. interval
b. fracture
c. sign
d. interruption
e. defeat
10.
In the final paragraph, the questions the
author asks are likely to be
a. too technical for the layperson to
understand
b. answered in the next chapter
c. unanswerable
d. rhetorical
e. necessary to the safety of every
steamboat pilot
®
TEN FOR TEN
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
CRITICAL READING—INTENTION AND CONTEXT A
In the Passages Companion, we have discussed how SAT authors pursue one of three
agendas: to Inform, to Reveal, or to Persuade. Please keep the Companion nearby and
refer to it when reviewing your answers.
Here, the author Reveals a loss of innocence. Although there is much information and
description in this passage, the author’s chief concern is to help us understand that many
gains in life can be accompanied by a corresponding loss.
1. B. The people who write this test love to see whether you can recognize a metaphor.
The author refers to “the face of the water” as a book. Since no body of water in
anyone’s memory has ever also been a book, the author is speaking symbolically
(and not literally). As for the others: Personification (a) ascribes a personality to an
object (such as the moon) or a being (such as a flower) that, as far as we know,
doesn’t have one (if you argue that “having a face” means that the river is treated
as a person, remember that a die has six faces and no personality); Alliteration (c) is
repeating consonant sounds, such as “a palpable purple pimple on the papacy.”
Irony (d) sets up a situation in which the unexpected happens. The classic example is
the Mariner’s complaint in Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”: “Water,
water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.” Synecdoche (e) is the use of a part to
represent a whole. Example: “Twelve haircuts sat around Tony’s barber shop.” It’s
clear that the haircuts represent people, but perhaps from Tony’s perspective …
2. D. Just as we might see something new every time we read a great book, the
riverboat pilot sees different details and relationships between the river and its
surroundings during each “read.”
3. D. First, note that choice (d) is Reveal. Next, here is a chance to see how incorrect
answers are often dressed up and how correct answers can look so plain and
unattractive. The author would never make so bold a claim as the one in choice (a);
choosing (b) would be more defensible if you had labeled the passage Persuade
(but I don’t think you did); choice (c) would be a marvelous passage, but it isn’t this
one; again, in choice (e), we see a Persuade answer; such a choice really can’t be
justified in any other kind of passage.
4. D. The SAT wants to know whether you recognize a transition when you see one.
Often in such questions you will see a choice like (c). It’s important to realize that in a
passage as short as those used on the SAT, leaving and then coming back to the
main topic is a nearly impossible task, so it’s extremely unlikely to be attempted. If
you chose (a), you convinced yourself that answers precede questions. Would it
make sense to write about a drawback to an approach that is unknown to us, at
least at this point in the passage? If you chose (b), I’m not sure what problem you
identified earlier in the passage, and if you chose (e), you thought the author was
trying to Persuade us of something. Did you label the passage “Persuade”?
5. C. What it come down to here, especially if you chose (a), is “What is an
acquisition?” Do you know? Didn’t the author “lose” the ability to appreciate the
beauty of the river (a)? Choices (b) and (e) are nowhere to be found in the text;
INTENTION AND CONTEXT A
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
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choosing (d) indicates that you read ahead and became confused (Indexing can
prevent such inadvertent confusion).
6. B. The author’s Intention here is to Reveal a subtle price of expertise, and offers the
example of his losing the ability to see the beauty in physical phenomena once he
understood how to read the messages inherent in those phenomena. However, to
make his point, the author recalls one glorious moment before he lost his innocence,
and then “reads,” in the light of later experience, the phenomena that made up that
moment. If you chose (c), which would make a great answer in an Inform passage,
you did not ask yourself why the author was telling us such a story at this moment in
the passage. Remember, no correct answer choice is ever inconsistent with the
author’s Intention.
Choice (a) would make sense if this were a primer on how to pilot a steamboat;
choice (e) is an expansion of (a) that generalizes about “most professions.” Be
aware that such inference choices (example statement from a passage: “the wolf is
a dangerous hunter”; inference answer choice: “most animals are dangerous
hunters”) are just not going to be right. Choice (d) would be from a travel guide, not
a Reveal passage.
7. C. As you work through these passages, you will notice again and again that the
correct answer will never stray from the author’s Intention. From line 17 on, this author
has shared with us a major drawback to what he thought would be a purely positive
experience: As he learned to “read” the river, he lost the ability to notice its beauty.
The word “lament” means “express sadness or regret,” which also fits perfectly into
the author’s Intention and mood. If you chose (a) or (e), were you at all troubled by
“celebrate” or “honor,” either of which would suggest that the author had suddenly
shifted gears and become upbeat?
8. B. When we’re asked which choice is “analogous,” we need to realize that the right
answer will almost never share a topic with the passage. So, the first to go is (d).
Next, what exactly did the author share with us? Wasn’t it that when he learned
what a red sky meant he lost the ability to glory in the beauty of the red sky?
Similarly, the author reasons, a doctor who understands the inner workings of the
human body might lose the innocence necessary to find joy in a pink cheek (which
could signal anything from mumps to high blood pressure).
9. C. Did you cross out break in line 84? Did you cross it out in the question? Doing so
allows us to plug our answer choice words into the sentence. When we do so, only
“sign” (“that ripples above some deadly disease”) makes sense.
10. D. SAT authors don’t ask questions that are “unanswerable” (which eliminates choice
(c)). Questions about how a doctor’s training might render the doctor unable to
appreciate beauty are neither “too technical” (a) nor “necessary to the safety …”
(e). If a choice like “answered in the next chapter” is ever right on the SAT, it will be
the first time in my experience. Here, the author uses “rhetorical questions” (questions
to which we know the answers) to invite us to share his wiser-but-sadder perspective.
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