Last week, I discussed how to build an excellent foundational vocabulary. However, to earn a high score on the critical reading section of the SAT, you need more than mere word power. You also need to become familiar with the common question types you will encounter on the test – and how best to approach each.
This week’s topic? Sentence completions!
Sentence completions can be cracked via the following process:
- Cover the answers and read the whole question. Think about its main idea.
- Underline clues and key words. Clues are those words and phrases that help you identify the main idea of a sentence. Key words are those words that provide critical information on the structure of the sentence; they can include contrast words like despite, although, even though, and but, or reinforcing words like since, and, and because.
- Make a guess in your own words. If you’re stumped, just write down the expected relationship between the blanks, whether it be “good/bad,” “opposite,” or “same.”
- Start eliminating answer choices that do not match your guess. If you know the answer, mark it on your answer sheet. If you’re unsure, mark the question, make your best guess, and move on.
- Read the question again with your answer included. If it doesn’t sound right, choose a different answer. SAT sentences are relentlessly logical and grammatical. The right answer will not “sort of” fit.
Let’s run through an example to illustrate the above-described process:
Hoping to __________ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ___________ to both labor and management.
(A) enforce… useful
(B) end… divisive
(C) overcome… unattractive
(D) extend… satisfactory
(E) resolve… acceptable
Cover the answers and read the whole question:
Hoping to __________ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ___________ to both labor and management.
What is the main idea of this sentence? Apparently, there was an argument between labor and management that required negotiation.
Underline clues and key words:
Hoping to __________ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ___________ to both labor and management.
Which words in the sentence helped us determine the main idea? Well, there is “the dispute,” which means argument. There are the words “negotiators” and “compromise.” And there is the phrase “both labor and management.” All of these will help us determine the purpose of the two blanks.
Make a guess in your own words:
Hoping to __end?_____ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ____okay?__ to both labor and management.
Here’s where you have to apply your logic. What are “negotiators” supposed to do? They are supposed to end arguments. What mind end an argument? A “compromise” or solution that both sides can accept may end an argument.
Start eliminating answer choices that do not match your prediction:
Hoping to __end?_____ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ____okay?__ to both labor and management.
(A) enforce… useful (enforce means to uphold, not “end”)
(B) end… divisive (end is correct, but divisive does not mean “okay”)
(C) overcome… unattractive (unattractive does not mean “okay”)
(D) extend… satisfactory (extend does not mean “end”)
(E) resolve… acceptable
In this case, the answer is relatively easy to discover. (E) is the best fit. Resolve is another word for “end,” and acceptable is another word for “okay.”
Read the question again with your answer included:
Hoping to __resolve_____ the dispute, negotiators proposed a compromise that they felt would be ____acceptable__ to both labor and management.
That sounds good! Now you can move on to the next question.
Ideally, this sentence completion strategy should take a maximum of one minute. For easy questions (like the one above), you will probably be able to mentally run through the five-step process in less than 20 seconds. For harder questions, you will have to do more work. For example, consider the following question:
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented flowers during the hours of darkness, whereas butterflies are ____ , attracted to bright flowers in the daytime.
(A) diurnal
(B) quotidian
(C) colorful
(D) ephemeral
(E) brilliant
The average student, in my experience, finds this question difficult. Three out of the five answer choices are words that are not used in ordinary conversation. However, we can still apply our strategy to increase our chances of guessing correctly.
Cover the answers and read the whole question:
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented flowers during the hours of darkness, whereas butterflies are ____ , attracted to bright flowers in the daytime.
This sentence seems to be discussing the habits of butterflies and moths.
Underline clues and key words:
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented flowers during the hours of darkness, whereas butterflies are ____ , attracted to bright flowers in the daytime.
The big key to this question stem is the word whereas. Whereas is a contrast word. It indicates that what follows is the opposite of what has come before. Thus, the word that fits in the blank is the antonym of “during the hours of darkness.”
Make a guess in your own words:
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented flowers during the hours of darkness, whereas butterflies are _day animals___ , attracted to bright flowers in the daytime.
Using my logic and my awareness of opposites in this sentence, my guess is that the word in the blank means “is active during the day.”
Start eliminating answer choices that do not match your prediction:
Moths are nocturnal pollinators, visiting scented flowers during the hours of darkness, whereas butterflies are _day animals___ , attracted to bright flowers in the daytime.
(A) diurnal ??
(B) quotidian ??
(C) colorful (butterflies are colorful, but that has nothing to do with being active in the daytime)
(D) ephemeral ??
(E) brilliant (brilliant means bright or smart, which also has nothing to do with being active in the daytime)
If you can at least get to this point, you will still have increased your chances of guessing the right answer. Make a guess and move on.
(The answer, by the way, is (A). “Diurnal” means “active during the day.”)
