The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

When, in 1864, a factory established by Alfred Nobel to manufacture nitroglycerin blew up, the scientist discovered that the explosive was as ------- as it was powerful, ------- to detonate without warning.

A. dormant . . ready
B. fickle . . unlikely
C. volatile . . liable
D. unprecedented . . intended
E. inactive . . designed

Answer is C

Here's Why:

Choice (C) is correct. It makes sense to say that when his factory exploded, Nobel discovered how “volatile,” or unpredictable, nitroglycerin could be; in fact, it was “liable” to, or prone to, detonate unexpectedly.


Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)