CRACKING THECRACKING THE CODE CODE

Mastering PSATMastering PSATSentence CompletionsSentence Completions

“It’s ELEMENTARY!”

DEFINITIONDEFINITION SUPPORTSUPPORT CONTRASTCONTRAST CAUSE & EFFECTCAUSE & EFFECT

DEFINITIONALDEFINITIONALSENTENCESSENTENCES

1. These criticisms are ______ and are not 1. These criticisms are ______ and are not directed against anyone in particular.directed against anyone in particular.

(A)(A) SPECIFICSPECIFIC

(B)(B) IMPERSONALIMPERSONAL

(C)(C) INACCURATEINACCURATE

(D)(D) COWARDLYCOWARDLY

(E)(E) CRAFTYCRAFTY

_____________________

____

The MIGHTY PrefixThe MIGHTY Prefix

2. Studying to become a doctor can be 2. Studying to become a doctor can be ____, in that it often requires long hours of ____, in that it often requires long hours of hard work.hard work.

(A)(A) ARDUOUSARDUOUS

(B)(B) EFFORTLESSEFFORTLESS

(C)(C) IRREGULARIRREGULAR

(D)(D) ELUSIVEELUSIVE

(E)(E) EXTRAVAGANTEXTRAVAGANT

______________

3. The Southern Stingray is _________ 3. The Southern Stingray is _________ animal that generally avoids humans as animal that generally avoids humans as much as possiblemuch as possible

(A)(A) A GREGARIOUSA GREGARIOUS

(B)(B) A DANGEROUSA DANGEROUS

(C)(C) A NOCTURNALA NOCTURNAL

(D)(D) AN APATHETICAN APATHETIC

(E)(E) A SHYA SHY

______________________

4. Prehistoric hunters worked ________4. Prehistoric hunters worked ________;; they helped one another capture they helped one another capture mammoths and other big game animals.mammoths and other big game animals.

(A)(A) GARRULOUSLYGARRULOUSLY

(B)(B) QUICKLYQUICKLY

(C)(C) COOPERATIVELYCOOPERATIVELY

(D)(D) CLANDESTINELYCLANDESTINELY

(E)(E) PASSIVELYPASSIVELY

___________

5. Lauren is a ___________________5. Lauren is a ___________________person, who has always been willing to person, who has always been willing to help those in need.help those in need.__

_____

(A)(A) ALTRUISTICALTRUISTIC

(B)(B) ARTICULATEARTICULATE

(C)(C) ATTRACTIVEATTRACTIVE

(D)(D) SUPERCILIOUSSUPERCILIOUS

(E)(E) SELFISHSELFISH

(A)(A) BELLIGERENTBELLIGERENT

(B)(B) RECKLESSRECKLESS

(C)(C) AGGRESSIVEAGGRESSIVE

(D)(D) PACIFISTPACIFIST

(E)(E) VERBOSEVERBOSE

6. The queen and her more __________ 6. The queen and her more __________ counselors wished to avoid the war.counselors wished to avoid the war.____________

8. The refused to identify his 8. The refused to identify his name and thus remained ________.name and thus remained ________.

(A)(A) PLIANTPLIANT

(B)(B) NOTORIOUSNOTORIOUS

(C)(C) BOISTEROUSBOISTEROUS

(D)(D) OBLIVIOUSOBLIVIOUS

(E)(E) ANONYMOUSANONYMOUS

______________

philanthropistphilanthropist

Tip #4: Take out the VERBAL

It’s like It’s like Kudzu!Kudzu!

SC’s test VERBAL INFERENCESC’s test VERBAL INFERENCESKILLS:SKILLS:

As a part of our game, we ran twice aroundAs a part of our game, we ran twice around the the cregiendocregiendo until we became so until we became so trependanttrependant that we collapsed on the porch.that we collapsed on the porch.

1. A1. A cregiendocregiendo is about as big as a is about as big as a(A)(A) spider (B) pillow (C) car (D) house (E) villagespider (B) pillow (C) car (D) house (E) village

2.2.Can a Can a cregiendocregiendo be be trependant?trependant?

Far from being an Far from being an arnaculararnacular pastime, pastime, numismatics,numismatics, or the study of currency, can or the study of currency, can purnadepurnade our appreciation of the history and our appreciation of the history and economic development of the nation.economic development of the nation.

ArnacularArnacular is a/an:is a/an: VerbVerb NounNoun AdjectiveAdjective AdverbAdverb PrepositionPreposition PronounPronoun

Can a person beCan a person be arnacular?arnacular?

or the study of currencyFar from being

Far from being an Far from being an arnaculararnacular pastime, pastime, numismatics,numismatics, or the study of currency, can or the study of currency, can purnadepurnade our appreciation of the history and our appreciation of the history and economic development of the nation.economic development of the nation.

ArnacularArnacular most nearly most nearly meansmeans

invalidinvalid obsessiveobsessive aimlessaimless interestinginteresting foreignforeign dangerousdangerous

PurnadePurnade is a/an: is a/an: verbverb nounnoun adjectiveadjective adverbadverb prepositionpreposition pronounpronoun

Far from being an Far from being an arnaculararnacular pastime, pastime, numismatics,numismatics, or the study of currency, can or the study of currency, can purnadepurnade our appreciation of the history and our appreciation of the history and economic development of the nation.economic development of the nation.

IsIs purnading our purnading our appreciationappreciation of of something probably something probably a good thing or a a good thing or a bad thing?bad thing?

PurnadePurnade most most nearly means:nearly means:

undermineundermine complicatecomplicate heightenheighten clarifyclarify ignoreignore adoreadore

SUPPORT!SUPPORT!

1. The team was ______ so it was 1. The team was ______ so it was _______with cheers from its fans._______with cheers from its fans.

(A)(A) UNDISCIPLINED…REGALEDUNDISCIPLINED…REGALED

(B)(B) DEFEATED…PLAGUEDDEFEATED…PLAGUED

(C)(C) FAMOUS…EBULLIENTFAMOUS…EBULLIENT

(D)(D) VICTORIOUS…REWARDEDVICTORIOUS…REWARDED

(E)(E) ECSTATIC…CHALLENGEDECSTATIC…CHALLENGED

2. Some criminal investigators believe that 2. Some criminal investigators believe that polygraphs will reliably detect deception by polygraphs will reliably detect deception by recording difficult to observe reactions such recording difficult to observe reactions such as _______________ changes in breathing as _______________ changes in breathing rate or perspiration rate elicited by a set of rate or perspiration rate elicited by a set of questions.questions.

(A)(A) MARKEDMARKED

(B)(B) HEIGHTENEDHEIGHTENED

(C)(C) SIGNIFICANTSIGNIFICANT

(D)(D) UNDETECTABLEUNDETECTABLE

(E)(E) SLIGHT SLIGHT

__________

Polygraph = a lie DETECTOR

3. The building should be ______ 3. The building should be ______ not not onlyonly for its long recognized architectural for its long recognized architectural merit merit but also but also for its _____ in the history for its _____ in the history of Black American theater.of Black American theater.

(A)(A) DESIGNED…ROLEDESIGNED…ROLE

(B)(B) COMMISSIONED…USEFULNESSCOMMISSIONED…USEFULNESS

(C)(C) PRESERVED…IMPORTANCEPRESERVED…IMPORTANCE

(D)(D) DEMOLISHED…FUTUREDEMOLISHED…FUTURE

(E)(E) CONSTRUCTED…PLACECONSTRUCTED…PLACE

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