2 - ] Model SAT Practice Exercises - Exercise B

2 - ] Model SAT Practice Exercises

2 - ] Sentence Completion Exercise B

Select the best answer to each of the following questions : then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet .

1 . Because he is so …. , we can never predict what course he will take at any moment .

(A) incoherent (B) superficial (C) capricious (D) deleterious (E) conventional

2 . The bank teller’s …. of the funds went undiscovered until the auditors examined the accounts and found that huge sums were missing .

(A) extradition (B) embezzlement (C) subordination (D) scrutiny (E) verification

3 . He was so convinced that people were driven by …. motives that he believed there was so such thing as a purely unselfish act .

(A) sentimental (B) personal (C) altruistic (D) ulterior (E) intrinsic

4 . Because he was …. by nature , he preferred reading a book in the privacy of his own study to visiting a nightclub with friends .

(A) an exhibitionist (B) a hedonist (C) an adversary (D) an egoist (E) an introvert

5 . Surprisingly enough , it is more difficult to write about the …. than about the …. and strange .

(A) specific …. foreign

(B) abstract …. prosaic

(C) commonplace …. exotic

(D) simple …. routine

(E) ludicrous …. dejected

6. The plot of this story is so …. that I can predict the outcome .

(A) intricate (B) theoretical (C) pivotal (D) trite (E) fictitious

7 . The fundraising ball turned out to be a …. : it started late , attracted too few dancers , and lost almost a million dollars .

(A) debacle (B) blockbuster (C) deluge (D) gala (E) milestone

8 . She was pleased by the accolades she received ; like everyone else , she enjoyed being ….

(A) entertained (B) praised (C) playful (D) vindicated (E) charitable

9 . Safire as a political commentator is patently never …. ‘ he writes …. editorials about every action the government takes .

(A) content …. deferential

(B) querulous …. biased

(C) amazed …. bemused

(D) overawed …. flattering

(E) satisfied …. peevish

10 . Although frugal by nature , on this special occasion he refused to …. , but instead feasted his guests ….  .

(A) splurge …. munificently

(B) conserve …. intangibly

(C) stint …. lavishly

(D) temporize …. austerely

(E) cooperate …. exorbitantly

11. The tapeworm is an example of …. organism , one that lives within or on another creature , deriving some or all of its nutriment from its host .

(A) a hospitable (B) an exemplary  (C) a parasitic (D) an autonomous (E) a protozoan

12 . He found himself in the …. position of appearing to support appoint of view that he abhorred .

(A) obvious (B) innocuous (C) anomalous (D) enviable (E) auspicious

13 . The younger members of the company resented the domineering and …. manner of the office manager .

(A) urbane (B) prudent (C) convivial (D) imperious (E) objective

14 . Bluebeard was noted for his …. jealousy , a jealousy so extreme that it passed all reasonable bounds .

(A) transitory (B) rhetorical (C) stringent (D) callous (E) inordinate

15 . I regret that my remarks seemed …. ; I never intended to belittle you .

(A) inadequate (B) justified (C) unassailable (D) disparaging (E) shortsighted

16 . A …. glance pays …. attention to details .

(A) furtive …. meticulous

(B) cursory …. little

(C) cryptic …. close

(D) keen …. scanty

(E)fleeting …. vigilant

17. With its elaborately carved , convoluted lines , furniture of the Baroque period was highly ….  .

(A) functional (B) primitive (C) linear (D) spare  (E) ornate

18 . His overweening pride in his accomplishments was …. : he had accomplished little if anything at all .

(A) unjustified (B) innocuous (C) systematic (D) rational (E) critical

19 . A …. relationship links the rhinoceros and the oxpecker ( or rhinoceros bird ] , for the two are mutually dependent .

(A) monolithic (B) superficial (C) symbiotic (D) debilitating (E) stereotypical

20 . When we saw black smoke billowing from the wing of the plane , we were certain that disaster was ….  .

(A) unlikely (B) opportune (C) imminent (D) undeserved (E) averted

21 . Upon realizing that his position was …. , the general …. his men to retreat to a neighboring hill .

(A) valuable …. admonished

(B) untenable …. ordered

(C) overrated …. forbade

(D) exposed …. urged

(E) salubrious ….commanded

22 . The seriousness of the drought could only be understood by those who had seen the …. crops in the fields .

(A) copious (B) deluged (C) wilted (D) bumper (E) diversified

23 . As ecologists recently …. in studying the effects of naturally induced forest fires , some phenomena that appear on the surface to be destructive often have a hidden …. effect on balance .

(A) disproved …. beneficial

(B) discovered …. positive

(C) hypothesized …. catastrophic

(D) disclosed …. unecological

(E) determined …. disastrous

24 . The dispute became so …. that we were afraid the adversaries would come to blows .

(A) ironic (B) generalized (C) didactic (D) articulate (E) acrimonious

25 . With the rift between the two sides apparently widening , analysis said they considered the likelihood of a merger between the two corporations to be ….  .

(A) deteriorating (B) substantial (C) coincidental (D) legitimate (E) plausible

26 . Fossils may be set in stone , but their interpretation is not ; a new find may necessitate the …. of a traditional theory .

(A) ambiguity (B) revision (C) formulation (D) validation (E) assertion

27 . In attempting to reconcile estranged spouses , counselors try to foster a spirit of …. rather than one of stubborn implacability .

(A) disillusionment (B) ambivalence (C) compromise (D) antagonism (E) independence

28 . Shakespeare’s reference to clocks in “Julius Caesar” is an example of …. ; that is , it is chronologically out of place .

(A) timeless (B) antiquarianism (C) anachronism (D) synchronization (E) ignorance

29 . A diligent scholar , she devoted herself …. to the completion of the book .

(A) assiduously (B) ingenuously (C) theoretically (D) voluminously (E) sporadically

30 . He was …. success , painting not for the sake of fame or monetary reward , but for the sheer love of art .

(A) indifferent to (B) destined for (C) avid for (D) jaded by (E) enamored of

31 . The thought of being trapped in a stalled elevator terrifies me ; it brings out all my …. fears of small enclosed places .

(A) agoraphobic (B) kleptomaniac (C) hypochondriac (D) therapeutic (E) claustrophobic

32 . Crows are extremely …. : their cries easily drown out the songs of neighboring birds .

(A) fickle (B) swarthy (C) raucous (D) cordial (E) versatile

33 . The gardener had planted such a wide variety of flowering trees and shrubs in the courtyard that it seemed a virtual ….  .

(A) wasteland (B) cloister (C) panorama (D) arboretum (E) granary

34 . You should …. this paragraph in order to make your essay more ….  .

(A) delete …. succinct

(B) enlarge …. redundant

(C) remove …. discursive

(D) revise …. abstruse

(E) excise …. legible

35 . Sharon’s childhood can best be termed …. : she had never been farther west than Philadelphia until she turned sixteen .

(A) provincial (B) transitory (C) nomadic (D) utilitarian (E) eclectic

36 . His submissiveness of manner and general air of self-effacement made it …. he would be …. to take command of the firm .

(A) unlikely …. selected

(B) implausible …. hesitant

(C) clear …. designated

(D) puzzling …. disinclined

(E) probable …. demoted

37. She was accused of plagiarism in a dispute over a short story , and , though …. , she never recovered from the accusation and the scandal .

(A) indicted (B) verified (C) exonerated (D) retaliated (E) convinced

38 . The patient is subject to emotional …. : she is utterly ecstatic one minute and thoroughly …. the next .

(A) impoverishment …. enervated

(B) upheavals …. euphoric

(C) extremes …. downcast

(D) deviations …. wayward

(E) stability …. unresponsive

39 . The king’s champion was a …. foe , one whose mighty presence on the field of battle struck fear in the hearts of his prospective adversaries .

(A) methodical (B) rancorous (C) timorous (D) redoubtable (E) questionable

40 . Watching the hang gliders soar above the fields , I marveled at how they seemed to …. gravity , hovering in the sky like rainbow-colored birds .

(A) release (B) adorn (C) defy (D) emulate (E) abet

41 . Her novel published to universal acclaim , her literary gifts acknowledged by the chief figures of the Harlem Renaissance , her reputation as yet …. by envious slights , Hurston clearly was at the …. of her cancer .

(A) undamaged…. ebb

(B) untarnished …. zenith

(C) untainted …. extremely

(D) blackened …. mercy

(E) unmarried …. brink

42 . In Anne of Green Gables , the heroine turns down a prestigious scholarship so that the young hero may receive it ; once more , the woman …. her own …. to those of the man .

(A) prefers …. ambitious

(B) sacrifices …. losses

(C) surrenders …. talents

(D) accommodates …. beliefs

(E) subordinates …. interests

43 . Having envisioned atomic weapons a decade before , Leo Szilard felt horror and guilt at the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , calling them “a flagrant…. of our own moral standards .”

(A) violation (B) exposition (C) punishment (D) vindication (E) agitation

44 . From the lunch counter sit-ins and bus boycotts to the historic freedom march from Selma to Montgomery , this fine volume shows how …. Americans from every walk of life fought …. battle for “liberty and justice for all .”

(A) revolutionary …. an unnecessary

(B) typical …. an ignoble

(C) progressive …. a vainglorious

(D) ordinary …. an inspiring

(E) pugnacious …. a dubious

45 . Despite an affected …. which convinced casual observers  that he was indifferent about his painting and enjoyed only frivolity , Warhol cared deeply about his art and labored at it ….  .

(A) nonchalance …. diligently

(B) empathy …. methodically

(C) fervor …. secretly

(D) gloom …. intermittently

(E) hysteria …. sporadically

46. Cancer cells are normal cells run riot , growing and multiplying out of ….  .

(A) spite (B) danger (C) control (D) apathy (E) range

47 . Science progresses by building on what has come before ;important findings thus form the basis of …. experiments .

(A) gradual (B) subsequent (C) ingenious (D) repetitive (E) perfunctory

48 . The Internal Revenue Service agent was a …. for accuracy ,insisting that taxpayers provide exact figures for every deduction they claimed .

(A) martyr (B) scoundrel (C) stickler (D) procrastinator (E) candidate

49 . Even if you do not …. what I have to say , I would appreciate your listening to me with an open mind .

(A) concur with (B) reject (C) clarify(D) deviate from (E) anticipate

50 . Paradoxically , Helen , who had a strict mother to her children , proved …. mistress to her cats .

(A) a harsh (B) an indolent (C) an ambivalent (D) a cautious  (E) a lenient 

 

1- ] Model SAT Practice Exercises - Exercise A

1 - ] Model SAT Practice Exercises

 

Sentence Completion Exercise A

Select the best answer to each of the following questions : then blacken the appropriate space on your answer sheet .

1 . The selection committee for the exhibit was amazed to see such fine work done by a mere ….

(A) connoisseur (B) artist (C) amateur (D) entrepreneur (E) exhibitionist

2 . The teacher suspected cheating as soon as he noticed the pupil’s …. glances at his classmate’s paper .

(A) futile (B) sporadic (C) furtive (D) cold (E) inconsequential

3 . Known for his commitment to numerous worthy causes , the philanthropist deserved …. for his …. .

(A) recognition …. folly

(B) blame …. hypocrisy

(C) reward …. modesty

D) admonishment …. wastefulness

(E) credit …. altruism

4 . Miss Watson termed Huck’s behavior …. because in her opinion nothing could excuse his deliberate disregard of her commands .

(A) devious (B) intolerant (C) irrevocable (D) indefensible (E) boisterous

5 . Either the surfing at Maui is …. , or I went there on an off day .

(A) consistent (B) thrilling (C) invigorating (D) overrated (E) scenic

6 . Your …. remarks spoil the effect of your speech : try not to stray from your subject

(A) innocuous (B) digressive (C) derogatory (D) persistent (E) enigmatic

7 . We need both ornament and implement in our society ; we need the artist and the …. .

(A) beautician  (B) writer (C) politician (D) artisan (E) model

8 . When such …. remarks are circulated , we can only blame and despise those who produce them .

(A) adulatory (B) chance (C) rhetorical (D) redundant (E) reprehensible

9 . The stereotypical image of masculinity assumes that weeping is …. “unmanly” behavior , and not simply a human reaction which may be …. by either sex .

(A) inexplicably …. repented

(B) excessively …. discerned

(C) essentially …. defined

(D) inherently …. adopted

(E) intentionally …. exaggerated

10 . We need more men and women of culture and enlightenment in our society ; we have too many …. among us .

(A) pedants (B) philistines (C) ascetics (D) paragons (E) apologists

11 . There was a hint of carelessness about her appearance , as though the cut of her blouse or the fit of her slacks was a matter of …. to her .

(A) satisfaction (B) aesthetics (C) indifference (D) significance (E) controversy

12 . Many educators argue that a …. grouping of students would improve instruction because it would limit the range of student abilities in the classroom .

(A) heterogeneous (B) systematic (C) homogenous (D) sporadic (E) fragmentary

13 . As news of his indictment spread through the town , the citizens began to …. him and to avoid meeting him

(A) ostracize (B) congratulate (C) desecrate (D) minimize (E) harass

14 . After years of talking down to his students as if they couldn’t understand a word , the teacher finally acknowledged that his attitude was a ….

(A) colloquial (B) condescending (C) professional (D) justifiable (E) logical

15 . There are too many …. and not enough serious workers .

(A) sycophants (B) kleptomaniacs (C) novices (D) dilettantes (E) zealots

16 . Unlike W.E.B Dubois , who was …. of the vocational emphasis in black education , Booker T. Washington favored …. the limited funds available for educating blacks to programs that prepared people for practical jobs .

(A) critical …. restricting

(B) aware …. confining

(C) suspicious …. denying

(D) protective …. allotting

(E) appreciative …. allocating

17 . Many elderly people are capable of working , but they are kept from gainful employment by the …. of those employers who mistakenly believe that young people alone can give them adequate service .

(A) philosophy (B) parsimony (C) conservatism  (D) rationalizations (E) short sightedness

18 . The college president made the …. statement that no student athlete on academic probation , not even the top-scorer of the varsity team , would be allowed to participate in intercollegiate sports . 

(A) impertinent  (B) uncontroversial (C) opinionated (D) categorical (E) equivocal

19 . The fire marshalls spend many house seeking the cause of the …. in which so many people were killed and so many others hospitalized with major burns .

(A) maelstrom (B) labyrinth (C) conflagration (D) torpor (E) carnage

20 . If you come to the conference table with such an …. attitude , we cannot expect to reach any harmonious agreement .

(A) exemplary (B) iridescent (C) indolent (D) obdurate (E) unwonted

21 . I can vouch for his honesty ; I have always found him …. and carefully observant of the truth .

(A) arbitrary (B) plausible (C) volatile (D) veracious  (E) innocuous

22 . This well-documented history is of importance because it carefully …. the …. accomplishments of Indian artists who are all too little known to the public at large .

(A) recognizes …. negligible

(B) overlooks …. purported

(C) scrutinizes …. illusory

(D) distorts …. noteworthy

(E) substantiates …. considerable

23 . Perhaps because he feels …. by an excess of parental restrictions and rules , at adolescences the repressed child may break out dramatically .

(A) nurtured (B) appeased (C) confined (D) fascinated (E) liberated

24 .Sue felt that Jack’s …. in the face of the compelling evidence which she had presented was an example of his …. mind .

(A) truculence …. unbiased

(B) skepticism …. open

(C) incredulity …. closed

(D) acquiescence …. keen

(E) reluctance …. impartial

25 . As a girl , Emily Dickinson was …. but also …. extraordinarily intense about her poetry yet exceptionally inhibited socially .

(A) zealous …. gregarious

(B) ardent …. repressed

(C) prudent …. reserved

(D) rash …. intrusive

(E) impulsive …. dedicated

26 . The good night’s sleep had …. effect on the weary climber , who woke refreshed and eager to resume the ascent .

(A) an innocuous (B) a tonic (C) a minor (D) an enervating (E) a detrimental

27 . She is an interesting …. , an infinitely shy person who , in apparent contradiction , possesses an enormously intuitive …. for understanding people .

(A) aberration …. disdain

(B) caricature …. talent

(C) specimen …. loathing

(D) phenomenon … disinclination

(E) paradox …. gift

28 . The coach’s harsh rebuke deeply wounded the star quarterback , who had never been …. like that before .

(A) summoned (B) reprimanded (C) stimulated (D) placated (E) ignored

29 . At the present time , we are suffering from …. of stories about the war ;try writing about another subject .

(A) a calumny (B) a dearth (C) an insurgence (D) a plethora (E) an inhibition

30 . Because he was …. , he shunned human society .

(A) a misanthrope (B) an oligarch (C) an anomaly (D) a stereotype (E) a nonentity

31 . Ernest Hemingway’s prose is generally esteemed for its …. , as one critic puts it , Hemingway “cuts out unneeded words .”

(A) sensitivity (B) economy (C) gusto (D) breadth (E) intricacy

33 . After Bob had broken the punch bowl , we sensed the extent of his …. from the way he shamefacedly avoided meeting his hostess’s eye .

(A) composure (B) perspicacity (C) discomfiture (D) forbearance (E) benevolence

34 . Crowther maintained that the current revival was the most fatuous and …. production of the entire theatrical season .

(A) gripping (B) inane (C) prophetic (D) memorable (E) salubrious

35 . His olfactory sense was so highly developed that he was often called in to judge …. .

(A) productivity (B) colors (C) litigation (D) perfume (E) acoustics

36 . jean Georges was famous for his …. cuisine , which brought together ingredients from many cooking traditions …. Thai , Chinese , French -- and combined them in innovative ways .

(A) aesthetic (B) clandestine (C) homogeneous (D) eclectic (E) conventional

37 . Believing that all children possess a certain natural intelligence , the headmaster exhorted the teachers to discover and …. each student’s …. talents .

(A) suppress …. unrecognized

(B) develop …. intrinsic

(C) redirect …. specious

(D) belittle …. dormant

(E) cultivate …. gratuitous

38 . Micawber’s habit of spending more than he earned left him in a state of perpetual …. , but he …. hoping to see a more affluent day .

(A) indigence ….persevered in

(B) confusion …. compromised by

(C) enervation …. retaliated by

 (D) motion …. responded by

(E) opulence …. insisted on

39 . The …. of such utopia notions is reflected by the quick disintegration of the idealistic community at Brooke Farm .

(A) timeliness (B) creativity (C) impracticability (D) effervescence (E) vindication

40 . We were amazed that a man who had been heretofore the most …. of public speakers could , in a single speech , electrify an audience and bring them cheering to their feet .

(A) enthralling (B) accomplished (C) pedestrian (D) auspicious (E) masterful

41 . Despite the mixture’s …. , we found that by lowering its temperature in the laboratory we could dramatically reduce its tendency to vaporize .

(A) resilient (B) volatile (C) homogeneous (D) insipid (E) acerbic

42 . surrounded by a host of besiegers and unable to …. their supplies , the defenders of the castle feared their food would soon be ….  .

(A) replenish …. exhausted

(B) consume …. hoarded

(C) replace …. obtainable

(D) estimate …. superfluous

(E) deplete …. rationed

43 . Fitness experts claim that jogging is …. once you begin to jog regularly , you may be unable to stop , because you are sure to love it more and more all the time .

(A) exhausting (B) illusive (C) addictive (D) exotic (E) overrated

44 . Although newscasters often use the terms Chicano and Latino …. , students of Hispanic-American culture are profoundly aware of the …. the two .

(A)  interchangeably …. dissimilarities

(B) indifferently …. equivalence of

(C) deprecatingly …. controversies about

(D) unerringly …. significance of

(E) confidently …. origins of

45 . She maintained that the proposed legislation was …. because it simply established an affirmative action task force without making any appropriate provision to fund such a force .

(A) inevitable  (B) inadequate (C) prudent (D) necessary (E) beneficial

46 . The faculty senate warned that , if its recommendations were to go unheeded , the differences between the administration and the teaching staff would be …. and eventually rendered irreconcilable .

(A) rectified (B) exacerbated (C) imponderable (D) eradicated (E) alienated

47 . Hroswitha the nun , though hidden among the cloisters and …. time , is now considered an important literary figure of the medieval period .

(A) oppressed by (B) fighting against (C) celebrated throughout (D) elapsed from

(E) obscured by

48 . Famed athlete Bobby Orr was given his first pair of skates by a …. Canadian woman who somehow “knew” he would use them to attain sporting greatness .

(A) prosperous (B) prescient (C) notorious (D) skeptical (E) fallible

49 . The supervisor’s evaluation was …. , for she noted the employee’s strong points and limitations without overly emphasizing either .

(A) equitable (B) laudatory (C) practicable (D) slanted (E) dogmatic

50  . She has sufficient tact to …. the ordinary crises of diplomatic life , however , even her diplomacy is insufficient to enable her to …. the current emergency .

(A) negotiate …. comprehend

(B) survive …. exaggerate

(C) handle …. weather

( D) ignore …. transform

(E) aggravate …. resolve .