1. SAT PREP
CRITICAL READING – SENTENCE COMPLETION

2. STRATEGIES FOR SENTENCE
COMPLETION
COVER THE ANSWERS
 TRY TO PUT IN YOUR OWN WORD
 CIRCLE / MARK ALL PUNCTUATION AND
CONJUNCTIONS (they are SO important in
sentence completion questions)
 DECIDE IF POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE – “GOOD
WORD” OR “BAD WORD”???
 ELIMINATE, ELIMINATE, ELIMINATE
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Remember that the SAT is designed for
careLESS readers, so notice the details!

3. DON’T SKIP A QUESTION BECAUSE YOU DON’T
KNOW ALL THE WORDS!
Use elimination
 Use DECODING
 Use good word / bad word
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4. LET’S TRY ONE!
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented
flower during the hours of darkness, whereas the
butterflies are ____ , attracted to bright flowers in
the daytime.
A. diurnal
B. quotidian
C. colorful
D. ephemeral
E. brilliant
1)
2)
3)
4)
Notice “whereas” ? Opposite idea
My guess would be “daytime”
Eliminate colorful, brilliant – so now guess if in first 2/3
of questions (Easy, Medium, Hard)
Nocturnal in first one – opposite is diurnal?

5. 
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The Victorian middle class woman was ____ by
restraints, obligations and ____ that prevented her from
achieving economic independence.
A. hampered - aspirations
B. emancipated - strictures
C. fettered - responsibilities
D. ensnared - possibilities
E. surrounded - freedoms
1) list of 3.. (restraints, obligations, __) – bad word
2) key words “that prevented” – so first blank is “bad word” –
second blank is parallel to list
3) first blank --- ELIMINATE (b) emancipated = good, (e)
surrounded=neutral
4) second blank -- ELIMINATE (a) good word, (d) good word
–
GUESS WHAT – only 1 left – C!!!!!

6. YOU TRY ONE~!
There is great unevenness in his later plays; there
are moments of the greatest ____ in the midst of
great ____.
 A. lucidity - enlightenment
B. frivolity - triteness
C. insight - banality
D. obscurity - ambivalence
E. profundity - wisdom
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7. ANSWER?
First, I look at the questions – the first part suggests
UNEVENNESS – so I know the two words will be
opposite ones.
 That means I can eliminate A – both have “light”
meanings
 I can eliminate E – profound and wise
 Both words in B are closely related
 Of the two left (even if I’m not sure of the meaning
of all words), I should make an educated guess –
since “obscure” and “ambivalent” are really
opposites, I will choose C – insight and banality


8. TRY THIS ONE!
The success of the business venture ____ his
expectations; he never thought that the firm would
prosper.
 A. confirmed
B. belied
C. nullified
D. fulfilled
E. ratified
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9. ANSWER
In examining the sentence, there are two clauses
joined by a semicolon (;) – the second explains the
first.
 The second clause suggest that he was surprised –
so I can eliminate ALL of them except B – “belied” -- even if I don’t know what that word means – I
have eliminated the rest – B is the correct answer.
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