SAT Sentence Completion: Test 3

The correct answer is (B). The keywords “attained” and “arduous” lead us the look for a word with a meaning like “give up” for the second blank. The first word should also be something that would describe someone who did not shy away from the “many challenges.” “Dogged” means stubborn, and “falter” means to waver.

The correct answer is (A). Because of the word “and” we are looking for two words with a complementary relationship, both with a positive meaning. “Facile” means easy, while “accessible” literally means able to be accessed, or easily available. Beware of negative-sounding words like “onerous” and “interminable.” Word charge is a valuable tool when examining sentence completions.

The correct answer is (B). The keyword here is “development” – the correct answer must contain a similar meaning – the word “fulfilling” indicates a positive-sounding word. “Cultivation” has both a positive connotation and is very close in meaning to “development.”

The correct answer is (D). The keywords “elaborate” and “scare away” indicate that the cooking is intimidating, so we’d expect a word like “dedicated” or “talented” to fit the blank. The closest option is “intrepid.” Always come up with your own prediction for the blank/s before reading the answer choices!

The correct answer is (E). The keywords “merely” and “but” tell us that the first word will be a not-so-bad interpretation of someone who acts with a “lack of consistency and focus.” We could predict a word like “distracted” or “head-in-the-clouds.” While many of these choices have positive connotations, “whimsical” most closely describes someone who is fanciful and unfocused. “Garrulous” is a less-common word meaning talkative.

The correct answer is (A). “However” tells us there is a contrast between the two blanks. The second blank appears to refer to the absence of a skill rather than the possession of it. The phrase “to be able to use such materials effectively” suggests that these professors can’t be effective because they “lack” such expertise.

The correct answer is (D). Based on the keywords in the sentence (“despite,” “nonetheless,” “remained”), you’re looking for words with opposing meanings. “Opaque” means impenetrable by light. Some questions will be resistant to prediction, but interpreting the Keywords can help to identify the relationship between the blanks.

The correct answer is (E). “However” is a classic contrast keyword. The missing word will be opposite in meaning to “rehearsed”; “unrehearsed” is a sufficient prediction. (E) is almost a perfect match. “Premeditated” means arranged in advance, and would be the opposite of what we’re looking for.

The correct answer is (A). Even if you can’t make an exact prediction for a blank, remember the importance of word charge in two-blank sentences: do the blanks agree or contrast? “Acknowledging” indicates that the blanks will agree: since the “consensus” was -------, the “agreement” should also be -------. Start with the second blank; if the partners “struggled to uphold” the agreement, it can’t have been very strong. “Weak” and “weakness” would be a good prediction. The closest match is (A). “Stalwart” means firm and resolute, while “tenuous” means flimsy, or having little substance. “Tractable” means manageable, or easily controlled.

The correct answer is (A). This is a “definition” sentence completion, where the blank is defined by the rest of the sentence. We need an adjective here that describes someone with an “ill temper” who likes to “quarrel”; something like “grouchy” would be an excellent prediction. “Cantankerous” means disagreeable or ill-tempered. “Urbane” means polite and refined, while “perspicacious” means shrewd or clear-sighted.