Page 1 of 20
SAT Critical Reading
Sentence completion
Teacher’s copy
1. Today Wegener's theory is ____ ; however, he died an outsider treated with ____ by the
scientific establishment.
A. unsupported - approval
B. dismissed - contempt
C. accepted - approbation
D. unchallenged - disdain
E. unrivalled - reverence
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Clue: ‘however’ indicates a contradictory statement, and therefore we need opposite ideas in the
two halves of the sentence.
So, Wegener’s theory is unchallenged(everyone accepts it); however he was treated with disdain
(contempt).
Also the word ‘outsider’ in the sentence indicates that the second blank will have to be a
negative word.
(approbation = approval; reverence = respect)
2. The revolution in art has not lost its steam; it ____ on as fiercely as ever.
A. trudges
B. meanders
C. edges
D. ambles
E. rages
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Clue: ‘as ever’ indicates that things have not changed, so the two halves of the sentence need to
say similar things.
So, if the revolution has not lost its steam, it will be going on as strongly as before. Therefore
rages is the best word.
Page 2 of 20
Also the word ‘fiercely’ indicates that we need a strong word.
(trudges = walks as though tired; meanders = wanders; ambles = walks aimlessly)
3. Each occupation has its own ____ ; bankers, lawyers and computer professionals, for example,
all use among themselves language which outsiders have difficulty following.
A. merits
B. disadvantages
C. rewards
D. jargon
E. problems
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Clue: The second half of the sentence is talking about language, and it is amplifying what has
been said before the semicolon. Therefore, the first blank needs to be about language and
‘jargon’ is specialized language used in a profession.
4. ____ by nature, Jones spoke very little even to his own family members.
A. garrulous
B. equivocal
C. taciturn
D. arrogant
E. gregarious
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Clue: He ‘spoke very little’ and so he uses few words.
Therefore, taciturn is the best word.
(garrulous = talkative; equivocal = ambiguous; gregarious = sociable)
5. Biological clocks are of such ____ adaptive value to living organisms, that we would expect
most organisms to ____ them.
A. clear - avoid
B. meager - evolve
C. significant - eschew
D. obvious - possess
E. ambivalent - develop
Page 3 of 20
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Clue: The sentence structure suggests that if biological clocks are a great advantage, then most
organisms would possess them. [Or, if they are not an advantage, then organisms will not have
them.]
Therefore, the obvious value, leads us to expect that organisms possess them.
(meager = small, slight; eschew = shun, avoid; ambivalent = ambiguous)
6. Many people at that time believed that spices help preserve food; however, Hall found that
many marketed spices were ____ bacteria, moulds and yeasts.
A. devoid of
B. teeming with
C. improved by
D. destroyed by
E. active against
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Clue: ‘However’ indicates that the first part of the sentence is contradicted by the second.
Therefore, if people once believed that spices preserved food, then the person mentioned found
that spices did not preserve food, and in fact the spices were teeming (full of) bacteria etc. that
could destroy the food.
7. If there is nothing to absorb the energy of sound waves, they travel on ____ , but their
intensity ____ as they travel further from their source.
A. erratically - mitigates
B. eternally - alleviates
C. forever - increases
D. steadily - stabilizes
E. indefinitely - diminishes
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Clue: ‘but’ indicates something contradictory.
So, if the waves are not absorbed they travel on indefinitely (apparently for ever), but the
intensity gets less (diminishes) as they travel away.
Remember, the sentence has to make the best sense, so saying that sound intensity increases as
Page 4 of 20
the waves travel is counter to common sense.
(erratically = not constantly; alleviates = makes less severe)
8. The two artists differed markedly in their temperaments; Palmer was reserved and courteous,
Frazer ____ and boastful.
A. phlegmatic
B. choleric
C. constrained
D. tractable
E. stoic
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Clue: Since both ‘differ’ we need opposites.
So, since ‘reserved’ and courteous’ are both good words, we need a ‘bad’ word for the blank.
Choleric means easily angered and so would be a good opposite to restrained.
(phlegmatic = calm, imperturbable; constrained = restrained; tractable = easily lead, docile;
stoic = having fortitude)
9. The intellectual flexibility inherent in a multicultural nation has been ____ in classrooms
where emphasis on British-American literature has not reflected the cultural ____ of our country.
A. eradicated - unanimity
B. encouraged - aspirations
C. stifled - diversity
D. thwarted - uniformity
E. inculcated - divide
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Clue: Try to understand the overall meaning here. The emphasis on one type of literature
(British-American) has not reflected the differences (diversity) in our country, which is
multicultural. And so the flexibility in our culture has been reduced or suppressed (stifled).
(eradicated = wiped out; unanimity = consensus, agreement; aspirations = hopes; thwarted =
prevented, inculcate = instill)
Page 5 of 20
10. The conclusion of his argument, while ____ , is far from ____ .
A. stimulating - interesting
B. worthwhile - valueless
C. esoteric - obscure
D. germane - relevant
E. abstruse - incomprehensible
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Clue: ‘far from’ indicates the need for an opposite.
So, while the conclusion is abstruse (obscure, difficult to comprehend), it is not totally
incomprehensible.
(esoteric = obscure; germane = relevant)
Finding Sentence Errors
11. Illiteracy is an enormous problem,A it affectsB millions of people worldwide,C and is an
impediment toD social progress. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
This is an example of a type of error known as comma splice. You cannot use a comma to link
two complete sentences: use a semicolon.
12. The company president has takenA steps to ensure that sheB can handle the pressure and
anxiety associated withC the job, includingD joining a yoga class and enlisting the support of a
network of friends. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
Page 6 of 20
D.
E.
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Misplaced modifier. Including seems to refer to job when it should refer to steps.
13. If you are sure thatA you are in the right,B you would notC mind an independent examination
ofD the case. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
After a present tense in the if clause, we need a future tense in the main clause. Would should be
changed to will.
14. The union insistedA on an increase in theirB members’C starting pay, and threatened to call a
strike if the company refused toD meet the demand. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Change their to its because the union is a singular noun.
Page 7 of 20
15. Television viewers claim thatA the number of scenes depictingB alcohol consumption haveC
increased dramatically overD the last decade. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Change have to has because the number requires a singular verb.
16. Employees with lessA personal problems areB likelyC to be moreD productive. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Use fewer not less for countable items.
17. The three richest men in America haveA assets worth more thanB the combined assetsC of the
sixty poorest countries ofD the world. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: E
Explanation: No error.
Page 8 of 20
18. ShipwreckedA on a desert island, coconuts and otherB fruits formedC the basis of the sailor’sD
diet. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
This is an example of a dangling modifier. It implies that coconuts were shipwrecked. To correct
the sentence you could change Shipwrecked to “When he was shipwrecked”.
19. Fifty percent of the people alive today haveA never made a phone call, butB thirty percent
stillC have no electricity connections to theirD homes. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: But is inappropriate here; change to and.
20. The rhododendron, whichA ornaments so manyB English gardens, isC not native toD Europe.
No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: E Explanation: No error.
Page 9 of 20
21. The farmer should not have beenA so careless asB to leave the door of the house unbolted
whenC he had goneD to bed. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: D Explanation: No need for a past perfect tense here: use went.
22. A censusA of the island revealedB a population of onlyC 10,000 peopleD. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: D Explanation: The word people is redundant.
23. The engineer, who is renowned for his ingenuityA, has designedB a very uniqueC cooling
system for our new plant inD Spain. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: You cannot say very unique. [Just as you cannot say more superior.]
24. Shoes of thoseA kind areB bad for the feet;C low heels areD better. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: Kind is singular so we should use this or that, but not these or those.
Page 10 of 20
25. My father saw how muchA Uncle Tom was enjoyingB his early retirement, andC so he
decided to do the sameD. No errorE.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
The words “do the same” are ambiguous. Change to “take early retirement” or something
similar.
SAT reading comprehension
Example 1 (7 questions)
The extract is taken from a book written sixty years ago by a British scientist in which he
considers the relationship between science and society.
The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its
introduction into education would remove the conventionality,
artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic;
of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in
5 their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical
authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and
superstition of mediaeval scholasticism. The professional
schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost
managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull
10 and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid.
The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it
teaches a child something about the actual universe in which he is
living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific
15 discovery, and at the same time teaches him how to think logically
and inductively by studying scientific method. A certain limited
success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically
none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the
community who have been through a secondary or public school
Page 11 of 20
20 education may be expected to know something about the
elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago, but they
probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from
an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.
As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably
25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers and the
requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the
pupils not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely
the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what they are told and to
reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or
30 not. The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries
as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such
as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of
education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has
produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the
35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal
experience, and, until the educational or social systems are altered
to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production of a
minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques
of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and
40 develop them.
Questions:
1. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has
A. no interest in teaching science
B. thwarted attempts to enliven education
C. aided true learning
D. supported the humanists
E. been a pioneer in both science and humanities.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
When we look back to line 7, we read, "The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of
them, and has almost managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull and as
dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid."
This tells us that the schoolmaster has made learning dull. And so we eliminate answers C and E
which imply he has done something good.
But to be sure of the answer we should also read the previous sentences. We learn that, "The
pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education would remove
the conventionality, artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic of
classical studies......" This section tells us that other people tried to alter the nature of education,
Page 12 of 20
but the "professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them". He therefore prevented
(thwarted) these attempts, and the answer is B.
2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is
A. ambivalent
B. neutral
C. supportive
D. satirical
E. contemptuous
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
To find the attitude, try asking yourself whether the author is positive, negative or neutral to the
subject. Then look for the evidence. Here, it is obvious that he thinks that nothing very valuable
is learned in school about science and scientific method. He is therefore negative. Eliminate the
neutral (A and B) words, and the positive (C), and then decide between D and E. He seems to be
expressing contempt rather than mocking. And so E is the best choice.
3. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly means
A. empirically
B. obviously
C. tentatively
D. markedly
E. ridiculously
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Go back to the text and find a word of your own to replace ‘palpably’ before you even look at the
choices. We read, "As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably a farce."
Here, I could substitute ‘obviously’ or ‘clearly’. As it happens, one of the words is there in the
choices. (B). If it had not been there, there would have been something sufficiently similar to
make a choice.
4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the
education system except
A. poor teaching
B. examination methods
C. lack of direct experience
Page 13 of 20
D. the social and education systems
E. lack of interest on the part of students
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Be careful on ‘except’ questions. You are looking for something the author does not do.
He does blame poor teaching, (lines 7-10), exams (line 26), social and education systems (line
36), lack of direct experience (lines 34-38), but he never blames the students. Hence answer E.
5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since
he wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following
questions?
A. Do students know more about the world about them?
B. Do students spend more time in laboratories?
C. Can students apply their knowledge logically?
D. Have textbooks improved?
E. Do they respect their teachers?
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
This is an ‘inference’ question. We need to find out what the author’s main complaint is. This
concern of the author will tells us what he would like to see. From lines 11 to 18 in particular we
learn that he is especially interested in whether a student can apply his or her knowledge. So, we
conclude that answer C is best.
6. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example of
A. a science that needs to be better understood
B. a belief which no educated people hold
C. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science
D. the gravest danger to society
E. an acknowledged failure of science
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Page 14 of 20
Astrology is mentioned as a ‘quackery’. Quackery is something that claims to be true but is
actually based on falsity. He implies that people are fooled by astrology, but he also implies that
there are other more ‘dangerous’ ideas. So we eliminate A, B and D. It is not likely that astrology
is a ‘failure of science’, but it is something that scientists would not approve of. Hence answer C.
7. All of the following can be inferred from the text except
A. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education
B. the author finds chemical reactions interesting
C. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children
D. the author believes that many teachers are authoritarian
E. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
This is an ‘except’ question. Be careful! You are looking for something that cannot be inferred
from the text. We can find evidence that the author finds reactions interesting (line 9), and that
children have learnt some facts (beginning of the second paragraph), and that he thinks teachers
are strict (line 10 and part of paragraph 2). We can also infer from the use of the phrase
‘privileged members’ (line 18) that he believes that not all received secondary education. But we
find that he thinks it is hard to learn scientific method- ‘The only way of learning the method of
science is the long and bitter way of personal experience". And so we choose E.
Example 2 (8 questions)
The passage is taken from a description of the life of certain Pacific Islanders written by a
pioneering sociologist.
By the time a child is six or seven she has all the essential
avoidances well enough by heart to be trusted with the care of a
younger child. And she also develops a number of simple
techniques. She learns to weave firm square balls from palm
5 leaves, to make pinwheels of palm leaves or frangipani blossoms,
to climb a coconut tree by walking up the trunk on flexible little
feet, to break open a coconut with one firm well-directed blow of
a knife as long as she is tall, to play a number of group games
and sing the songs which go with them, to tidy the house by
10 picking up the litter on the stony floor, to bring water from the
sea, to spread out the copra to dry and to help gather it in when
rain threatens, to go to a neighboring house and bring back a
lighted faggot for the chief's pipe or the cook-house fire.
Page 15 of 20
But in the case of the little girls all these tasks are merely
15 supplementary to the main business of baby-tending. Very small
boys also have some care of the younger children, but at eight or
nine years of age they are usually relieved of it. Whatever rough
edges have not been smoothed off by this responsibility for
younger children are worn off by their contact with older boys.
20 For little boys are admitted to interesting and important activities
only so long as their behavior is circumspect and helpful. Where
small girls are brusquely pushed aside, small boys will be
patiently tolerated and they become adept at making themselves
useful. The four or five little boys who all wish to assist at the
25 important, business of helping a grown youth lasso reef eels,
organize themselves into a highly efficient working team; one boy
holds the bait, another holds an extra lasso, others poke
eagerly about in holes in the reef looking for prey, while still
another tucks the captured eels into his lavalava. The small girls,
30 burdened with heavy babies or the care of little staggerers who are
too small to adventure on the reef, discouraged by the hostility
of the small boys and the scorn of the older ones, have
little opportunity for learning the more adventurous forms of work
and play. So while the little boys first undergo the
35 chastening effects of baby-tending and then have many
opportunities to learn effective cooperation under the supervision
of older boys, the girls' education is less comprehensive. They
have a high standard of individual responsibility, but the
community provides them with no lessons in cooperation with one
40 another. This is particularly apparent in the activities of young
people: the boys organize quickly; the girls waste hours in
bickering, innocent of any technique for quick and efficient
cooperation.
1. The primary purpose of the passage with reference to the society under discussion is to
A. explain some differences in the upbringing of girls and boys
B. criticize the deficiencies in the education of girls
C. give a comprehensive account of a day in the life of an average young girl
D. delineate the role of young girls
E. show that young girls are trained to be useful to adults
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Primary purpose questions require you to find the overview of the passage - what the author
intended to convey. It is like finding a title. In this case, we find that the author wanted to
Page 16 of 20
describe some aspects of the upbringing of girls in a particular society and contrast that with the
way boys were brought up. Hence, answer A seems best. (To eliminate the others note that she is
describing rather than ‘criticizing’, that she is not giving an account of only one day, and that she
is saying something wider than just how they are trained to be useful. The D answer is too wide
ranging.)
2. The word 'brusquely' (line 22) most nearly means
A. quickly
B. gently
C. nonchalantly
D. abruptly
E. callously
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Go back to line 22 and find a word of your own to substitute. "Where small girls are brusquely
pushed aside, small boys will be patiently tolerated"...we find that we need something the
opposite of ‘patiently’. So the word ‘abruptly’ is closest to the idea of ‘impatiently’.
3. The list of techniques in paragraph one could best be described as
A. household duties
B. rudimentary physical skills
C. important responsibilities
D. useful social skills
E. monotonous tasks
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Look carefully at the list of techniques. They include, household chores, playing, and making
decorative items. They are not ‘monotonous’ and they are more than just ‘physical’ or
‘household’. Not all of them could be described as ‘important responsibilities’ and so we
eliminate, and choose D.
4. It can be inferred that the 'high standard of individual responsibility' (line 38) is
A. developed mainly through child-care duties
B. only present in girls
C. taught to the girl before she is entrusted with babies
Page 17 of 20
D. actually counterproductive
E. weakened as the girl grows older.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Always read some lines before and some lines after the line reference. In this case, reading
considerably before the line shows us that ‘responsibility’ is mainly associated with babytending. The boys also learn this responsibility when they are young (line 15-17). The best
answer is therefore, A.
5. The expression 'innocent of' (line 42) is best taken to mean
A. not guilty of
B. unskilled in
C. unsuited for
D. uninvolved in
E. uninterested in
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Go back to the sentence and substitute your own word. " ...the girls waste hours in bickering,
innocent of any technique for quick and efficient cooperation." Here, ‘unaware of’, or ‘without
knowing’ would fit well. The best answer of the choices given is ‘unskilled in’.
6. It can be inferred that in the community under discussion all of the following are important
except
A. domestic handicrafts
B. well-defined social structure
C. fishing skills
D. formal education
E. division of labor
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Check each one carefully. In an ‘except’ question you are looking for something that is not right.
There is no mention of formal education (schooling), and so answer D is best.
Page 18 of 20
7. Which of the following if true would weaken the author's contention about 'lessons in
cooperation' (line 39) ?
I Group games played by younger girls involve cooperation
II Girls can learn from watching boys cooperating
III Individual girls cooperate with their mothers in looking after babies
A. I only
B. II only
C. III only
D. I and II only
E. I, II and III
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
First identify the ‘author’s contention’ (argument). She is saying, "the community provides them
(girls) with no lessons in cooperation with one another." To weaken that contention, we need to
show that they do get some opportunity to learn cooperation with one another. Point I shows that
they can learn, and so does II. III suggests that they cooperate with mothers but not necessarily
with each other. So, I and II correct means answer choice D.
8. Which of the following is the best description of the author's technique in handling her
material?
A. Both description and interpretation of observations.
B. Presentation of facts without comment.
C. Description of evidence to support a theory.
D. Generalization from a particular viewpoint.
E. Close examination of preconceptions.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
The author is describing, but she is also telling us what these observations imply. (The sentence
in lines 37-40 is an example of an interpretation.) Hence, answer A.
Page 19 of 20
SAT Critical Reading - Sentence Completions
Introduction: The SAT Critical Reading section has been a thorn in many students' sides for
some time. In fact, many standardized test experts suggest that it is the most difficult section to
gain points. Though I agree on some level, there are certainly places on the SAT Critical
Reading section that are more predictable, where students may rely on preparation for stronger
accuracy on questions. Preparation is especially important for the sentence completion section
since the development of your vocabulary plays a fundamental role for scoring well. Here's the
painful truth: in order to score higher on this SAT section, you need to focus on building your
arsenal of vocabulary words even though making great gains in vocabulary may only yield a few
more questions correct on the exam. Simply put, you have to give a lot to gain a little. This
approach, as we will see, makes sense if you want to answer the last questions correctly.
Additionally, the methods for pacing and keeping yourself mentally unshaken are two elements
that can make a huge difference in your score. We will discuss these ideas at greater length,
connecting them to the sentence completion portion of the exam. Remember that this is only a
portion of the exam, though a portion that can make a big difference between an average and
above average score.
SAT Sentence Completion Facts
Here are the facts SAT sentence completion section:







There are 19 sentence completion questions split among three sections. The questions are
served on a plate of 8, 5, and 6 respectively.
The plate of 8 and 5 questions is served to you in 25 minute sections; whereas, the last set, set
of 6, is served to you in a 20 minute section.
The selection of words for use in the answer choices is NOT a random set of words; instead
you will find that, though not narrow in nature, certain words tend to pop up over and over
again.
The sequence of question is extremely important; each set is always sequenced from the
easiest question to the hardest question.
You will encounter both single word choice blank and double word choice blanks.
There is a ¼ point deduction for incorrect answers to prevent guessing.
Questions are measured by difficulty from 1 to 5. 1 as the easiest and 5 as the toughest.
Page 20 of 20
Vocabulary Exercises
__________________________________
Festival




celebration
carnival
merriment
gala
traditional



conventional
customary
usual