SAT Prep Sentence Completion

Overview Sentence completion questions make up the first eight questions out of the larger comprehension sections, so they constitute a large portion of your overall score on the SAT Reading test. This section is arranged from easiest to hardest on the SAT Rather than learning every possible SAT vocabulary word, you can use your knowledge of word charges, prefixes and suffixes, and keywords or context clues to make an educated guess.

Example: “Leaning back and sipping a cup of coffee, he watched ______________ as the manager fired his best friend.’’’ A) Nonchalantly B)Heterogeneously C) Malleably D) Perpetually E) Malevolently

Technique 1: Word Charges Words are “charged” with either a positive or negative tone or connotation, and sometimes with a neutral tone. The word BRAZEN is negative in tone The word WINSOME is positive in tone What about the word BESTOW? What about OPPRESSION?

Technique 1: Word Charges Assign the answer choices charge labels and identify the charge of the missing or blank word(s). This means that you should indicate the charge with a +, -, or N for neutral. Match some of the choices to the missing word. If the charge is incorrect, eliminate the answer choice as a possibility For two-blank questions, first identify the charges of the answer choices and the blanks, and then determine the relationship between the charges of the blanks. That is, one should be positive and the other negative, or vice-versa.

Let’s try one: The addition of descriptive details to the basic information serves to the book by producing a fuller account. (A) invalidate (B) objectify (C) incite (D) celebrate (E) enrich

Explanation: To "enrich" something is to expand or enhance it. Choice (E) is correct because adding "descriptive details" to "basic information" would enrich a book. This interpretation is reinforced by the conclusion of the sentence, which refers to "a fuller account" as a result of the addition. The only positively charged words on the list are “celebrate” and “enrich,” of which “enrich” is the better option.

Technique 2: Prefixes and Suffixes It’s much easier to teach you how to break apart a word to figure out its meaning than to teach you every word in the dictionary. A “prefix” consists of the first few letters of a word that join together to create meaning. The word itself has a prefix: PRE means “before.” A “suffix” consists of the last few letters of a word that join together to create meaning. A suffix can often change verb tense and part of speech (-ed, -ly). The prefix and suffix is attached to a “stem” which is the middle of a word.

Take the following for example: SUPERFICIAL Prefix: Super (very) Suffix: ficial (surface) Definition : very near the surface; shallow or concerned about appearances.

Technique #3: Keywords Use keywords to help you identify the relationships between the blank in a sentence and the other words in a sentence

For example: “Although I was unhappy with her performance, I nevertheless rated it _____________.” The keyword is “although,” which indicates an opposite relationship between “I was unhappy with her” and “rated [her performance] _______________.” You can then identify that the charge of the blank word will be positive (as the first idea is quite negative)

Another example: “Many people think that the chef’s cooking is fabulous, and some even think that his abilities ______________ those of any chef in the world.” The keyword is “and,” which indicates a similar-charge relationship between the idea “chef’s cooking is fabulous” and “his abilities ________________ those of any chef”

Let’s try one: Although some think the terms "bug" and "insect" are , the former term actually refers to group of insects. (A) parallel.. an identical (B) precise.. an exact (C) interchangeable.. a particular (D) exclusive.. a separate (E) useful.. a useless

Explanation The word "although" indicates that the two parts of the sentence contrast with each other: although most people think about the terms "bug" and "insect" one way, something else is actually true about the terms. Choice (C) logically completes the sentence, indicating that while most people think the terms are "interchangeable," the term "bug" actually refers to a "particular" group of insects.

This one is harder: Because King Philip's desire to make Spain the dominant power in sixteenth-century Europe ran counter to Queen Elizabeth's insistence on autonomy for England, was (A) reconciliation.. Assured (B) warfare.. Avoidable (C) ruination.. Impossible (D) conflict.. Inevitable (E) diplomacy.. simple

Explanation: The word "because" indicates that the information in the first part of the sentence (the part before the comma) explains the reason for the situation described in the second part. The first part states that what King Philip wanted (domination for Spain) "ran counter to" what Queen Elizabeth wanted (independence for England). Choice (D) logically completes the sentence: Given that there was such a fundamental disagreement between the two monarchs, "conflict" would likely be "inevitable," or unavoidable.

Here is a short list of opposite-charge keywords with which you should be familiar: Although But Even Yet Still Though Despite In spite of Regardless of

similarly-charged keywords you should know: And For So Therefore Thus Because Due to Since