PSAT Critical Reading : Adjectives and Adverbs in One-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Critical Reading

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

The factory worker labored quickly and __________ to assemble automobile parts on the conveyer belt.

Possible Answers:

diligently

intermittently

rashly

inanely

surreptitiously

Correct answer:

diligently

Explanation:

“Diligently” means in an way that is efficient and hardworking, so "dililgently" makes the most sense in the sentence and is the correct answer.

Example Question #2 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Not surprisingly, that author's newest book is about farm life in rural Kansas; he is well known for writing tales with agricultural and __________ themes.

Possible Answers:

inauspicious

rarefied 

bucolic

uninhibited

sanguine

Correct answer:

bucolic

Explanation:

“Bucolic” means related to the countryside.

Example Question #3 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

During the Prohibition, some people would go to __________ bars called “speakeasies” to consume alcohol, which was an illegal substance at that time.

Possible Answers:

insidious

illicit 

impotent

incongruent

overt

Correct answer:

illicit 

Explanation:

“Illicit” means forbidden or unlawful.

Example Question #4 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

The __________ remarks made during the press conference truly damaged the aspiring singer’s reputation. 

Possible Answers:

insipid 

illegitimate 

benevolent

disparaging 

polemic

Correct answer:

disparaging 

Explanation:

“Disparaging” means critical or reproachful, and is most often used to describe things that are said.

Example Question #5 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Geese are very __________ creatures; they remain monogamous indefinitely and never leave their mates.

Possible Answers:

gilded

sacrilegious

hackneyed

steadfast 

perfidious

Correct answer:

steadfast 

Explanation:

“Steadfast” is synonymous with loyal.

Example Question #6 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Annie and the other students in the Animal Rights Club are considered to be extremely friendly and __________ toward new and prospective members of the club.

Possible Answers:

wary

provident

differential

brash

amiable

Correct answer:

amiable

Explanation:

“Amiable” means demonstrating a warm and friendly manner.

Example Question #548 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

The paramedics were left ­­______________ when they arrived at the scene to find that no-one had been hurt.

Possible Answers:

ecstatic

amiable

intrepid 

incredulous 

diminshed 

Correct answer:

incredulous 

Explanation:

The structure of the sentence informs us that the paramedics were in some way shocked or surprised to arrive somewhere and find they were not needed. The answer choice that most clearly matches this definition is "incredulous," which means showing disbelief. Amiable and ecstatic are both associated with positive feelings. Amiable is friendly or pleasant and ecstatic is very happy. Diminished means reduced and could possibly fit here, but incredulous is a much better answer. Intrepid means adventurous.

Example Question #549 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

The predatory and rapacious nature of Attila the Hun led many contemporaries to describe him in __________ terms.

Possible Answers:

affable

benevolent 

lupine

munificent

lavish

Correct answer:

lupine

Explanation:

The use of the words predatory and rapacious, which both relate to viciousness and destruction provides the context for the rest of the sentence. As Attila is predatory and rapacious, we know that his contemporaries must not have described as benevolent or affable, as these words mean good intentioned and friendly respectively. Munificent and lavish both relate to having a great deal of money: munificent means generous, and lavish means fancy or expensive. As the sentence makes no reference to Attila’s wealth, we can eliminate these options. This leaves only lupine, which means wolf-like. As wolves have historically be considered both predatory and rapacious this answer choice is the most correct.

Example Question #7 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

America is the most consistently __________ country in the world; more cases are brought before the court system than anywhere else.

Possible Answers:

soporific

lethargic

indolent

litigious

altruistic

Correct answer:

litigious

Explanation:

This is a two-clause sentence, where the clues in the second clause help you solve the blank in the first clause. The second clause pertains to the number of legal cases brought before the courts so you know that the word in the first clause must relate to the legal system. Altruistic means an attitude of giving selflessly and would most likely be used in relation to charity. Indolent and lethargic both mean lazy and could not be applied to something so time consuming as going to court. Soporific refers to the experience of sleepiness or being tedious. Litigious, which means inclined to take legal action is by far the best fit.

Example Question #45 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

During the early Renaissance period many scholars looked back __________ to the height of the Greek and Roman Empires, when Western philosophy had first asserted itself.

Possible Answers:

disdainfully

wistfully 

magnanimously

derisively

philanthropically

Correct answer:

wistfully 

Explanation:

You know from the context of the question that the scholars are looking back into the past. You can also infer from the fact that they are European scholars means they would think positively of the period of time when European philosophy had first flourished. Magnanimously means very kind or generous, and philanthropically refers to showing charitable concern for others. Neither of those words fits comfortably within the sentence. Derisively (show contempt) and disdainfully (show disgust) both refer to the expression of negative opinions; they do not satisfy what we can assume is true of the early Renaissance scholars. Only wistfully which means to be pensive, and yearn for something lost works within this sentence.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors