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Name________________
Date________________
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(low-advanced SAT level)
: Choose the best word(s) to complete each sentence.
1.
Because his team was down 28 points at the half, the coach decided to ______ his original game plan and start from scratch.
A.
hoodwink
B.
osmose
C.
jettison
D.
bolster
E.
buttress
4.
The five pillars of Islam are ______: a practitioner of the faith must observe all five of these duties throughout his or her life.
A.
sacrilegious
B.
immutable
C.
blasphemous
D.
sacrosanct
E.
adaptable
2.
Dylan was overly ______: he was so cautious that he would never step outside without an umbrella, even though he lived in an arid climate.
A.
circumspect
B.
imprudent
C.
perturbed
D.
reckless
E.
intrepid
5.
The president’s nomination for the vacant ambassadorship further ______ the administration, since the nominee was a controversial and divisive figure.
A.
pacified
B.
emboldened
C.
entangled
D.
validated
E.
embroiled
3.
Prisoners in the 1930s and 1940s used to be chained together and forced to
______ for hours on end; though that practice has been outlawed in most states, many prisoners are still required to complete manual labor as part of their prison sentence.
A.
toil
B.
repose
C.
freelance
D.
indenture
E.
unwind
6.
Muriel’s uncle could be a real ______; he would complain about everything from the frequency of mail service to the taste of the peas he’d eaten for dinner.
A.
showboat
B.
curmudgeon
C.
malingerer
D.
dynamo
E.
braggart

Answers and Explanations
1) C
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 “start from scratch,” something that was done after the action described by the missing word. Moreover, the prompt hinges on a cause-and-effect relationship in which the first clause presents the reason for the actions taken in the second. Thus, since the team was losing the game, the coach must have decided to get rid of the original game plan and make a new one. The missing word must be one that means abandon.
Therefore, choice (C) is correct, as jettison means to discard.
(A) is incorrect because hoodwink means trick, not something a coach could do to a game plan. This does not make sense logically or grammatically.
(B) is incorrect because osmose means absorb. The prompt implies that the coach did not merely absorb the original game plan. Since he decided to “start from scratch,” he completely abandoned the old plan and started anew.
(D) is incorrect because bolster means reinforce. The prompt implies that the coach did not try to salvage the game plan or reinforce it. Instead, the coach decided to “start from scratch.”
(E) is incorrect because buttress means support. The prompt implies that the coach did not try t o support the game plan. Instead, the coach decided to “start from scratch.”
2) 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 “cautious,” a word that, like the missing word, describes Dylan. The colon in the prompt separates explanatory information from the rest of the sentence, meaning everything after the colon elaborates on the missing word. Thus, the missing word must be one that means cautious. Choice (A) provides such a word: circumspect means cautious and prudent.
(B) is incorrect because imprudent means incautious, which is the exact opposite of a word that would describe Dylan, who is described as “cautious.”
(C) is incorrect because perturbed means agitated or upset. While Dylan was
“cautious,” the prompt does not go so far as to suggest that Dylan was agitated or nervous.
(D) is incorrect because reckless means without caution or care, which is the exact opposite of a word that would describe Dylan, who is described as
“cautious.”

(E) is incorrect because intrepid means fearless or brave, which is the exact opposite of a word that would describe Dylan, who is described as “cautious.”
3) A
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict their definitions by using key words in the prompt. Here, the key phrase is “manual labor.” The prompt makes clear that “manual labor” is similar to the missing word, because the prompt states “that practice” (the one described by the missing word) has been outlawed, though “manual labor” is still part of the prison experience. Thus, the missing word must likewise mean labor, and choice (A) is correct, as toil means participate in hard work.
(B) is incorrect because repose means to rest, though the prompt implies that the prisoners in question are doing the very opposite of resting.
(C) is incorrect because freelance means work without being a full employee.
While this technically describes the prisoners mentioned in the prompt, it does not work here because freelance implies that the prisoners have a choice in the matter.
(D) is incorrect because indenture means to bind someone to forced labor. It, thus, describes the action taken by those in charge of the prison but not the prisoners themselves.
(E) is incorrect because unwind means relax, though the prompt implies that the prisoners in question are doing the very opposite of that. They are being forced to work.
4) D
To figure out what the missing word is, try to predict its definition by using key words from the prompt. In this prompt, everything after the colon can be used to help predict the meaning of the missing word, making the entire clause a group of key words. Colons are used to separate explanatory information from the rest of the sentence, so everything after the colon here essentially defines the missing word. Thus, the missing word must be one that implies the five pillars are religious in nature and must be observed. Choice (D) provides the correct answer, then, as sacrosanct means sacred and inviolable.
(A) is incorrect because sacrilegious means violating or profaning something sacred. Because the five pillars of Islam are described as something one must follow to practice Islam, they are the very opposite of something sacrilegious.
(B) is incorrect because immutable means unchangeable. While the five pillars of
Islam probably are unchangeable, this word does not fully capture the religious significance of the pillars.

(C) is incorrect because blasphemous means violating or profaning something sacred. As the five pillars of Islam are described as something one must follow to practice Islam, they are the very opposite of something blasphemous.
(E) is incorrect because adaptable means changeable, and the prompt actually implies that the pillars are not changeable, as they are something a practitioner
“must observe” in order to be a member of the faith.
5) E
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 “controversial” and “divisive.”
These words are offered as explanations for the missing word, because the prompt hinges on a cause-and-effect relationship. The missing word, therefore, is one that presents the effect of this nomination. Because the nominee was
“controversial,” the missing word must mean something related to controversy, as it represents the effect of the controversial nominee. Choice (E) is the best choice, then, because embroiled means brought into discord or conflict.
(A) is incorrect because pacified means calmed, though the nomination of a
“controversial” figure would be unlikely to calm anything.
(B) is incorrect because emboldened means gave confidence to. This word would work if the missing word reflected a successful confirmation of the nominee. However, the question refers to the unconfirmed nomination of a
“controversial” figure, so the administration has no reason to feel especially confident yet.
(C) is incorrect because entangled means involved in or enmeshed. While a nominee might enmesh the administration in the nomination process, that does not hinge on that nominee being a “controversial” figure. Thus, there is not enough information in the prompt to support this answer choice.
(D) is incorrect because validated means corroborated or reinforced, though the nomination of a “controversial” figure would be unlikely to reinforce or help anything.
6) B
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 in the phrase “complain about everything,” a phrase that, like the missing word, defines Muriel’s uncle and his actions. The missing word must likewise mean a grouch who complains often.
Choice (B) is the best answer, then, as a curmudgeon is a bad-tempered, cantankerous person.

(A) is incorrect because a showboat is someone who is ostentatious in manner, not someone who frequently complains.
(C) is incorrect because a malingerer is one who fakes an illness, not someone who is frequently complains.
(D) is incorrect because a dynamo is an energetic person. While Muriel’s uncle may have been energetic in his complaining, a dynamo is not necessarily one who complains.
(E) is incorrect because a braggart is one who boasts or brags about themselves, not someone who frequently complains.