Sentence

Completion
SAT CRITICAL READING

What are sentence completions?

Sentence completion questions require students to supply missing
words, either one or two per sentence, chosen from a list of
possible answers.

Skills Needed
Ability to understand the literal meanings of words and use them in
contexts that make logical sense
Using words in appropriate settings that show an awareness of the
words tone or implications as well as their meaning

Organization
The questions are organized from easy to hard.
19 questions test vocabulary and ability to understand fairly complex
sentences.

Approaches
Work on sentence completion questions first.
Mark your test booklet.
Remember that the difficulty of sentence completion questions increases
as you move through a question set.
Use the process of elimination.
Consider related words, familiar sayings and phrases, roots, prefixes,
and suffixes.

Approaches Continued
Read the entire sentence, saying blank for the blank(s).
Try to determine the standard dictionary definitions of the words in the
sentence and the answers.
Once you have chosen your answer(s), check your choice by reading the
entire sentence with your answers inserted to make sure the sentence
makes sense.

Watch Out For

Introductory and transitional words
Negatives (Some of the most difficult sentence completion questions
contain negatives, which can make it hard to follow the logic of the
sentences.)

Introductory and Transitional

Words
Connect Ideas that are Similar
And
Also
Besides
For example
In other words
Likewise
Another
In addition
Moreover
furthermore

Introductory and Transitional

Words
Connect Ideas That are Opposite or in Contrast
Despite
But
In spite of
Nor
Yet
Not
Even while
instead
Except
However
Nevertheless
In contrast
On the other handNotwithstanding
Regardless
Although

Introductory and Transitional

Words
Connect Ideas in Cause-and-Effect Relationships
Because
Consequently
Therefore
Thus
Hence
As a result
In order to

Introductory and Transitional

Words
Mean that a Certain Condition Must be Considered
If
When

Negatives
Negatives: not, no
Transition: for = second part of the sentence will
explain the first

Two-blank Questions
Try eliminating some answers based on just one blank.

The Forward Method

Step 1: Cover up answer choices.
Step 2: Read stem and determine stem type.
Step 3: Supply your own words or phrases to complete the sentence.
Step 4: Compare your choice to the answers and eliminate all that do not
match.
Step 5: Plug selected answer back into sentence and select the best fit.

Try This One

Ignoring criticisms that the film was excessively ------- and biased, the
director resisted efforts to cut particular scenes in order to produce a
less fierce, more ------- story.

Look for Introductory and

Transitional Words
and
in order to

Supply Your Own Words

You will see there is another class of context clues in this item. The units
[------- and biased] and [less fierce, more -------]. mirror each other. The
first blank should match fierce; the second blank should match biased.
Write your candidates here:
First blank: __________________________________
Second blank: ________________________________

Compare your choice to the

answers and eliminate all that
do not match.
Here are the answer choices:
(A) placid . . prejudicial
(B) tranquil . .neutral
(C) brutal . . unfair
(D) violent . . even-handed
(E) long . . compact

The Backward Method

You can determine the stem type, but you cant come up with
words to fill the blanks.
Step 1: Use positive or negative signs to determine what type of word
youll need.
Step 2: Go to the answer choices and assign positive or negative signs to
each word.
Step 3: Eliminate the choices that dont fit, then select from the rest.
Step 4: Plug your choice back into the stem as a check.

Some ethical philosophers argue that when the term genocide is

used too liberally, the concept becomes -------, losing its power to
mobilize international support for those ethnicities whose existence is
truly endangered by mass murder.
(A) conservative
(B) militaristic
(C) domestic
(D) scarce
(E) diluted

Explanation
Which of these is negative, in the sense of lessening?
A, conservative isnt a particularly negative word in this context. Its probably not the
right answer, so eliminate it.
Militaristic is probably negative enough for our purposes. Keep B.
Domestic is certainly not negative. It doesnt seem very positive, eitherand words with
neutral connotations can be used as a third category in the backward method. But we
need a clearly negative word to complete this item, so eliminate C.
D and E work. At this point, youve eliminated two options, so youre ahead of the game.
You have a 1-in-3 shot at getting a point and a 2-in-3 shot of losing a quarter-point.
Those are good odds over several items, so
Plug each choice into the sentence to see which sounds better, and choose that one.

The Backward Method

Youve determined the stem type and have supplied words to fill the
blanks, but you dont recognize any of the vocabulary in the answer
choices.
Step 1: Apply deciphering techniques to the vocabulary in the answer
choices.
Step 2: Plug each of the choices into the sentence, listening for which choices
sound best.
Step 3: Plug your choice back into the stem as a check.

The newly recognized amoral ------- of the natural world, which was traditionally seen
as reflecting an ultimately benevolent purpose, was Darwins most controversial
intellectual legacy, generating strong reactions from those who wanted to preserve
Natures supposed ratification of Christian eschatology.
(A) stochasticity
(B) malevolence
(C) determinism
(D) progressiveness
(E) contingency

Explanation
Can you do anything with A? Unlikely, so dont eliminate it.
Look at B, malevolence. The prefix mal- means bad; the root vol means will, as in
the word, volition. So, malevolence should mean something like ill will. Is that what
you need to balance out benevolent purpose? Perhaps; perhaps not. But at least now
you know what youre dealing with in choice B.
The blank is actually contrasted with purpose, which is modified by amoral. Similarly,
you may not be familiar with determinism as a philosophical concept, but you might
know what determined means in the sense of ordained. Thats actually the opposite
of what you want, so cut C.
Progressiveness may be unfamiliar, but progress is certainly more familiar. Since
-ness refers to a state of being, does a word that means a state of being
progressive work? As in C, this doesnt really match purposelessness, so eliminate
D.
Contingency may stump you, but have you ever heard a form of this word in another
context? It seems to mean that certain outcomes are not guaranteed but rather
depend upon certain prior events. Does this match purposelessness? It just might
keep E.

The Backward Method

You cant determine the stem type or supply words to fill the
blanks.
Step 1: Plug each of the choices into the sentence, listening for
which choices sound better.
Step 2: Eliminate any that dont fit; choose from the remaining.
Step 3: Plug your choice back into the stem as a check.

Globalization has not been the unmitigated ------- for global poverty that its
more starry-eyed supporters promised; in fact, many would argue that
globalization has not just failed to ------- want, it has even sharpened its bite.

Assign positive and negative

signs
Write a + or a sign in the blank
Blank one __________
Blank two __________

Assign Positive and Negative

Signs to the Answers
(A) disaster . . increase
(B) mediation . . alleviate
(C) boon . . exacerbate
(D) calamity . . reduce
(E) panacea . . ameliorate

Test Directions
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that
something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or
sets of words labeled A through E. Choose the word or set of words
that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the
sentence as a whole.

Directions
Look for key words in the sentences and circle them.
Read each question again and, using the key words you identify,
write down at least one word that logically fits into each of the
blanks.

Question
If your garden plot is small, it will not pay to grow crops that
require a large amount of __________ in order to develop.

Hint
Key words: If and small
If the garden is small, then the crops will not
have a lot of room in which to grow. The answer
must be a word that suggests area.

Question with choices

If your garden plot is small, it will not pay to grow crops that
require a large amount of __________ in order to develop.
(A) Sun
(B) Rain
(C) Fertilizer
(D) Space
(E) care

Explanation
Only the word space, choice (D), does this.

Question
At a recent press conference, the usually reserved biochemist was
unexpectedly __________ in addressing the ethical questions posed
by her work.

Hint
We are told that the scientist is usually reserved, but that, at
the press conference, she behaved unexpectedly.
The word that makes sense to fill in the blank must mean the
opposite of (or at least be very different from) reserved.
Because reserved means restrained or uncommunicative, the
correct answer must be a word like frank or open or outspoken.

Question with choices

At a recent press conference, the usually reserved biochemist was unexpectedly
__________ in addressing the ethical questions posed by her work.
(A) Correct
(B) Forthright
(C) Inarticulate
(D) Retentive
(E) Cautious

Explanation
Only (B), forthright, is a word with this kind of meaning.
Read the entire sentence with forthright filled in to see that it makes
sense.

Question
Despite her __________ nature, DeMott was capable of tactful
negotiation and even won praise for her patient efforts toward
__________ when a local squabble developed.

Hint
Sometimes it is helpful to look at the second blank first.
Despite means that the word describing nature will be opposite to
or unlike tactful negotiation, because Demotts nature would lead
us to believe that she was not capable of such tact.

Question with choices

Despite her __________ nature, DeMott was capable of tactful negotiation
and even won praise for her patient efforts toward __________ when a
local squabble developed.
(A) diplomatic . . amity
(B) congenial . . concord
(C) altruistic . . dissension
(D) rebellious . . insurrection
(E) tempestuous . . reconciliation

Explanation
Patient efforts toward dissension or insurrection makes no sense, so
we can eliminate choices (C) and (D).
Diplomatic and congenial would lead us to expect tact, so we can
eliminate choices (A) and (B).

Question
Many famous scientific inventions have been __________, the by-products of
research whose goals were quite unrelated.

Hint
Saying that the inventions were by-products of research whose goals
were quite unrelated means that the inventions were lucky breaks or
unexpected.
You must look at the second part of the sentence and see how it affects
the meaning of the first part.

Question with choices

Many famous scientific inventions have been __________, the by-products of
research whose goals were quite unrelated.
(A) Fortuitous
(B) Neglected
(C) Inoperable
(D) Lucrative
(E) unfeasible

Explanation
If you looked at just the first part of the sentence, Many famous scientific
inventions have been ___________, any of the answer choices would fit. Try
each of the choices in the first part of the sentence.
Only the answer choice fortuitous means lucky or unexpected.

Question
The excitement does not __________ but __________ his senses, giving
him a keener perception of a thousand details.

Hint
But means that the answer will involve two words that are
somehow opposed in meaning.

Question with choices

The excitement does not __________ but __________ his senses, giving him a
keener perception of a thousand details.
(A) slow . . diverts
(B) blur . . sharpens
(C) overrule . . constricts
(D) heighten . . aggravates
(E) forewarn . . quickens

Explanation
All of the choices except (B), blur . . sharpens, can be eliminated.
Only the words in choice (B) are opposed in meaning.
Also, sharpens his senses fits with the phrase giving him a keener
perception of a thousand details.
Heighten and quickens are words that are often found with the
words senses, and therefore might tempt the careless test-taker.