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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
In the sixteenth century, Galileo was convicted of __________ for promoting scientific ideals contrary to the beliefs of the Catholic church.
cholera
heresy
insubordination
banter
astronomy
heresy
"Heresy” is dissent or deviation from the accepted norm, especially in a religious sense.
Example Question #1 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
The Vietnam War is often described as a(n) __________ because it was a situation from which the United States had difficulty withdrawing itself.
quagmire
tradeoff
skirmish
placebo
armistice
quagmire
A “quagmire” is a swamp or a conundrum or tricky situation. The swamp is used as a metaphor for a problem or challenge for which one gets "mired in."
Example Question #2 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
In most cases, a victim has approximately four hours to locate an __________ before a rattlesnake bite becomes deadly.
inquiry
immunization
elixir
apothecary
antidote
antidote
An ”antidote” is a remedy that reverses the effects of a poison or venom.
Example Question #1 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
It is often said that modernity led to a ___________ of the world, removing much of the wonder that was once experienced by the masses and replacing it with the bleak atmosphere of mathematical physics.
divinizing
destruction
disenchanting
convolution
depression
disenchanting
The key to this question is the participial phrase "removing much of the wonder." The implication is that modernity made the world appear "bleak" like equations of physics. By stripping it of its wonder, it made it quite plain and without poetic meaning—at least the sentence claims this. This is not necessarily to destroy the world, and it does not make much sense to say that it depressed the world. (Perhaps it depressed the people.) The word "disenchanted" (or "disenchantment") can be used merely to describe a person who has become disillusioned or has lost interests. It can also describe, in an extended sense, the thing that was disenchanted—the world, which had lost its appearance of being wonderful.
Example Question #1 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In the __________, the idea seemed to be quite excellent, but it just did not seem practical when it came to the actual facts of reality.
abstract
sigil
aether
textbook
concrete
abstract
The general idea of this sentence is that the given plan or idea "looked good on paper," though it did not make much sense when you actually tried to do it. Now, this does not mean it is on physical paper. (Hence, "textbook" is not necessarily called for.) What we mean is that "taken in consideration that ignores the details of reality's facts" the idea seemed excellent. Such consideration is made "in the abstract" (as opposed to the concrete). The word "tractor" comes from a similar Latin base meaning "to pull". To "ab"+"stract" is to "pull away from [the details]". The prefix "ab-" means, of course, "away from" (e.g. "absent").
Example Question #1 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
As they sat around the fire, the man told thrilling stories about his career as a ghost hunter, which proved him to be an excellent __________.
connoisseur
despot
sycophant
lampoon
raconteur
raconteur
A “raconteur” is a narrator or storyteller.
Example Question #1 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Plato authored The Republic and changed the direction of Western thought with the __________ of his message.
debacle
virulence
perdition
maliciousness
profundity
profundity
From the context of the sentence it is apparent that Plato’s work changed the direction of Western thought; therefore the answer we select must reinforce this meaning. Virulence and maliciousness both relate to the bitterness or immorality of an action, as the sentence makes no mention of these concepts we can eliminate these answer choices. Debacle means disaster, which neither fits grammatically nor matches the meaning of the sentence. Perdition means everlasting punishment or hell, which likewise fails in both respects. Only profundity which means intellectual complexity or insight supports the framework of the sentence.
Example Question #11 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
It is important for any budding orators to study __________ in order that they can make themselves best understood.
experiments
advancements
overabundance
articulation
implementation
articulation
An orator is someone who is talented at speaking to audiences. It stands to reason that the ability to make oneself best understood would be of critical importance to an orator. Articulation, which refers to the coherent expression of thoughts, ideas and narrative, is the best fit for this sentence. Overabundance means to have too much of something. Experiments would be of more useful study to a scientist than an orator. Advancements likewise might be useful for an orator, but far less important than speaking ability. Implementation means to carry out an idea.
Example Question #1 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
The _________ of Henry Clay was legendary in nineteenth-century America; he was a fine orator who could argue his position with great clarity.
boorishness
rhetoric
smugness
animosity
generosity
rhetoric
From the language of the second clause you know that the blank in the first clause must relate to the oratorical skills of Henry Clay and his ability to argue with great clarity. Orator, if you do not know what it means, is someone who is good at public speaking. Of the five answer choices only rhetoric could be correct. Rhetoric means persuasive speech that communicates a point. Boorishness refers to someone who is ill-mannered; smugness means cockiness; animosity refers to hostility between two or more parties; generosity refers to kindness and selflessness.
Example Question #1 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Having escaped the overwhelming light of the sun, Ronald stood in the __________ of the large building at the edge of town, glad to find even the edge of a shady spot.
lobby
frigidity
chill
penumbra
foyer
penumbra
The "penumbra" cast by an object is the outer part of its shadow. The word comes from the Latin “umbra,” which means shade or even ghost, as well as from the verb “umbrare,” meaning, to cast a shadow on or to shade. Related words in English are not only “umbrella” and “umbrage” but also “somber” and “sombrero” (really as a Spanish import, of course).
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