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

There has been little ------- criticism written about de la Mare; indeed, that which has been written is at the two extremes, either appallingly ------- or bitterly antagonistic (indicating opposition or resistance).

A. hostile . . ambiguous
B. recent . . illogical
C. fervent . . complimentary
D. objective . . sycophantic (attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery)
E. temperate . . censorious

Answer is D

Here's Why:

While both “complimentary” and “sycophantic” are opposed to “antagonistic,” only “objective” fits logically in the first blank.


Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

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.

Very few adults boast that no one can understand a word they say, but quite a few seem proud of ------- handwriting.

A. elegant
B. stylized
C. indecipherable
D. unusual
E. legible

Answer is C

Here's Why:

The word “but” signals an opposition; some adults are NOT “proud” of speech that cannot be understood, but they are proud of handwriting which cannot be understood, which is “indecipherable.”


Difficulty: Easy
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

Comment: I have doubts about the correctness of the statement.

The Official SAT Question of the Day

Part of the following sentence is bold; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the bold; material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo drew inspiration from her Mexican heritage, where she incorporated native and religious symbols into her work.

A. where she incorporated
B. in which she incorporated
C. incorporated
D. incorporating
E. therefore, she incorporated

Answer is D

Here's Why:

Choice (D) is correct. It avoids the error of the original by eliminating the relative pronoun “where,” which does not logically refer to anything else in the sentence, and by reducing the needlessly wordy “she incorporated” to “incorporating.”


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)

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.

Currently rising temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctic are ------- of a still warmer world that could result from an excess of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the burning of oil, gas, and coal.

A. polarities
B. harbingers
C. vestiges
D. counterexamples
E. aftereffects

Answer is B

Here's Why:

A harbinger is a sign of something yet to come. Temperatures are presented as “harbingers” in this sentence because they show that “a still warmer world” might be coming.


Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

The Official SAT Question of the Day

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one bold part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.


The origin(A) of amusement parks lie in ancient and medieval religious festivals and trade fairs, where(B) merchants, entertainers, and food sellers gathered(C) in order to(D) take advantage of the large crowds. No error(E)


A. (A)
B. (B)
C. (C)
D. (D)
E. (E)

Answer is A

Here's Why:

The error in this sentence occurs at (A), where there is subject-verb disagreement. To agree with the plural verb “lie,” the singular “origin” must be changed to the plural “origins.”


Question Type: Identifying Sentence Errors

(Writing)

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.

Bolstered by his unflagging determination and ------- physical preparation, Tom Whittaker became the first amputee to successfully climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

A. fortuitous "occurring by happy chance"
B. assiduous "marked by care and persistent effort "
C. heedless "marked by or paying little heed or attention"
D. expeditious "characterized by speed and efficiency"
E. pedantic "marked by a narrow focus on or display of especially learning
its trivial aspects"

Answer is B

Here's Why:
Choice (B) is correct. In climbing Mount Everest, Tom Whittaker was "bolstered," or supported, by the type of physical preparation required to reach the summit of Mount Everest. "Assiduous," or careful and persistent, preparation coupled with "unflagging determination" would help someone complete such a challenging task.

Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.




The function ƒ is graphed in the xy-plane above. If the function g is defined by g(x) = ƒ(x) + 4, for how many values of x between –5 and 15 does g(x) equal 0?

A. None
B. One
C. Two
D. Three
E. More than three

Answer is C

Here's Why:

The graph of the function g is the same as the graph of the function ƒ translated up 4 units. The function ƒ intersects the x-axis three times, but if the graph is shifted up 4 units, then the graph will intersect the
x-axis only twice. Therefore, g(x) is equal to 0 for exactly two values of x between –5 and 15.


Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice

(Mathematics)

The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Part of the following sentence is bold; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the bold material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

A Raisin in the Sun won for its author Lorraine Hansberry the distinction of being the first African American to receive the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.

A. of being the first African American to receive
B. to be the first African American receiving
C. of the first African American to receive
D. that she had been the first African American to receive
E. that she was to be the first African American having received

Answer is A

Here's Why:

Choice (A) is correct. It avoids the errors of the other options by using the idiomatic “distinction of being” to express what the play “won for its author Lorraine Hansberry.”


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)

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.

Demographers and anthropologists have corrected the notion that European explorers in North America entered a ------- territory by showing that the land in some areas was already as densely ------- as parts of Europe.

A. fertile . . settled
B. colossal . . wooded
C. desolate . . populated
D. valuable . . exploited
E. hostile . . concentrated

Answer is C

Here's Why:

Only “desolate...populated” presents the contrast required by the sentence. The words “corrected the notion” signal that the first word in the correct answer must contrast with the second word because that second word corrects the mistaken notion.


Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

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.

Since the explanations offered are ------- to the exposition, it would be unfair to treat them as ------- parts of the studies under consideration.

A. tangential . . subsidiary
B. irrelevant . . superfluous
C. referable . . correspondent
D. incidental . . essential
E. crucial . . immutable

Answer is D

Here's Why:

The words filling the blanks are opposites, since if the “explanations” are one thing, it is “unfair to treat them” as the opposite. They are “incidental” and cannot be treated as the opposite of incidental, namely, “essential.”


Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Part of the following sentence is bold; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the bold material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

The gong, believed to have originated in Western Asia, reached China in the sixth century, where it continues to be used for a wide range of purposes, including as a military signal, a rhythmic accompaniment for vocal performance, and a ritual instrument.

A. including as
B. which include
C. which includes
D. including
E. they include as

Answer is A

Here's Why:

Choice (A) is correct. It avoids the errors of the other options by correctly using the preposition “as” to introduce the “wide range of purposes” for which the gong is used.


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)

The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Read the following SAT test question, then click on a button to select your answer.

If 44 is the average (arithmetic mean) of x, x, x, 35, and 65, then x =

A. 40
B. 42
C. 44
D. 48
E. 50

Answer is A

Here's Why:

Since 44 is the average of the 5 numbers, it follows that (x + x + x + 35 + 65) ÷ 5 = 44. This gives the equation 3x + 100 = 5 · 44 = 220. Solving this equation gives x = 40.


Difficulty: Medium
Question Type: Standard Multiple Choice

(Mathematics)

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.

Their ideal was to combine individual liberty with material equality, a goal that has not yet been realized and that may be as ------- as transmutation of lead into gold.

A. chimerical
B. indispensable
C. historical
D. cynical
E. inharmonious

Answer is A

Here's Why:

“Chimerical” is a word that means fantastic or highly improbable, like turning lead into gold.


Difficulty: Hard
Question Type: Sentence Completions

(Critical Reading)

The Official SAT Question of the Day™

Part of the following sentence is bold; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the bold material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.

Widely regarded as the greatest American chess player in history, Bobby Fischer’s prominence came as a child, winning the U.S. Open at the age of thirteen and becoming a grandmaster at age fifteen.

A. Bobby Fischer’s prominence came as
B. Bobby Fischer’s prominence came when he was
C. it was Bobby Fischer coming to prominence as
D. Bobby Fischer came to prominence as
E. his prominence came to Bobby Fischer as

Answer is D

Here's Why:

Choice (D) is correct. It avoids the modification error of the original by following the modifying phrase “Widely regarded as...history” with the noun “Bobby Fischer,” instead of the possessive noun “Bobby Fischer’s prominence.”


Question Type: Improving Sentences

(Writing)

Fascism

There are people who gang up and think they are better than others, and undermine the weak. That is the basic ubderstanding of fascism.

Fascism can take many forms, where religion is considered the foremost. Hationalism is the next but when I look at the global situation there are lots of different religious people in one nationality. It takes some people who have power in any cou ntry to become fascists, just by their religious views.