1. CRACKING THE CODE Mastering PSAT Sentence Completions “It’s ELEMENTARY!”

2. SYNONYM SENTENCES SIGNAL WORDS AND AND ALSO ALSO ADDITIONALLY ADDITIONALLY SINCE SINCE MOREOVER MOREOVER AS WELL AS AS WELL AS FURTHERMORE FURTHERMORE INDEED INDEED

3. 1. Churchill urged an uncompromising and ______ attitude with Hitler, rather than the policy of appeasement advocated by Neville Chamberlain. (A) F LEXIBLE (B) R ESOLUTE (C) D ESPERATE (D) D OCILE (E) O BEDIENT __________ ____ ________

4. 2. Outgoing and ________ by nature, Ursula became even more gregarious at the company party. (A) A FFABLE (B) R ECULSIVE (C) S OLITARY (D) B ELLIGERENT (E) D ECEPTIVE ____ ___________

5. Avoid cliché & idiom

6. Free Associate Black and … Up and … Rock and… Each and … Peanut butter and… WHITE! DOWN! ROLL! EVERY! JELLY! ETS knows what you EXPECT… So they DO the UNEXPECTED!!!

7. EASY: 3. Flying in the face of _________, the writer George Sand shocked her contemporaries by taking lovers and by wearing men’s clothes. (A) I MMODESTY (B) R ECONCILIATION (C) E MANCIPATION (D) C ONVENTION (E) M ODERNISM IDIOM: flying in the face of convention (popular opinion)

8. HARD: 4. Like a charlatan, Harry tried to _________ the audience with ________ evidence. (A) c onfuse…cogent (B) p ersuade…incontrovertible (C) d upe…spurious (D) e ducate…devious (E) e nthrall…substantiated IDIOMS: …Incontrovertible evidence …A preponderance of evidence _____

9. MATH TACTICS for Critical Reading: Verbal Values + PLUS - MINUS 0 NEUTRAL o

10. _____. 5. The critic liked nothing about the movie; she called the plot ____ and the acting _____. A. D REARY…INSPIRING B. T RITE…DAZZLING C. E XHILARATING…ENTHRALLING D. S TIRRING…UNPROFESSIONAL E. T EDIOUS…AMATEURISH -,+-,++,++,--,- (-) (-,-) ______________________

12. 6. No one is neutral about Pres. Bush; he inspires either uncritical _____ from his supporters or profound _____ from his opponents. (A) A DULATION…OPPROBRIUM (B) E NTHUSIASM…EXUBERANCE (C) A PATHY…REVULSION (D) C ONDEMNATION…VENERATION (E) D ISGUST…AVERSION +,- +,+ -,- -,+ -,- (+,-)

13. 7. In temperament they were radically different: the older man was quiet and ____; the younger was _______ and uninhibited. (A) R ESERVED…RAUCOUS (B) A LOOF…RESTRAINED (C) H ARSH…RESTLESS (D) T ACITURN…LACONIC (E) A GITATED…NOISY +,--,+-,--,--,- (+,-)

14. 8. Although the novel was bold and _____, the movie disappointed many viewers who thought it was _________and bland.. (A) O BSOLETE…CAPTIVATING (B) D ISTINCTIVE…UNIQUE (C) R OUTINE…MUNDANE (D) I NNOVATIVE…CONVENTIONAL (E) I NSIPID…SCINTILLATING -,+ +,+ 0,+/- +/0,- -/0,+ (+, 0 /-)

15. Challenging VOCABULARY Complex SENTENCE structure TOUGH NUTS! (Level 5)

16. SENTENCE COMPLETIONS 1 2 3 – 4 5 6 – 7 8 9 EASY…MEDIUM…HARD (A) COGENT…PERFUNCTORY (B) PUISSANT…POIGNANT (C) TRACTABLE…AIMABLE (D) HEGEMONIC…MERCURIAL (E) MUNDANE…TRENCHANT

17. The phenomenon is called viral _____ because the presence of one kind of virus seems to inhibit infection by any other. (A) P ROLIFERATION (B) M UTATION (C) I NTERFERENCE (D) E PIDEMIC (E) C OOPERATION The phenomenon is called viral _____ because the presence of one kind of virus seems to inhibit infection by any other.

18. What happens to J.A.S. on Level 5 questions

19. An apparently gratuitous gesture, whether it is spiteful or solicitous, arouses suspicion, while a gesture recognized to be ____________ gives no reason for surprise. (A) W ARRANTED (B) D UBIOUS (C) A FFECTED (D) B ENEVOLENT (E) R ANCOROUS ______ ___________

20. The novelist brings out the _______________ of human beings time and time again by __________________their lives to the permanence of the vast landscape. (A) A BSURDITY…RELATING (B) T RANSIENCE…LIKENING (C) E VANESCENCE…CONTRASTING (D) C OMPLEXITY…COMPARING (E) U NIQUENESS…OPPOSING ______ __________

21. Ruskin’s vitriolic attack was the climax of the _____ he heaped upon paintings that today seem amazingly _______ (A) C RITICISM…UNPOPULAR (B) R IDICULE…INOFFENSIVE (C) P RAISE…AMATEURISH (D) I NDIFFERENCE…SCANDALOUS (E) A CCLAIM…CREDITABLE -,- -,0 +,- 0/-,- +,+ (-, 0 /+)

22. The history of science is replete with examples of bold new theories that were _____ when they first appeared but were subsequently ____ by future researchers. (A) C ORROBORATED…VERIFIED (B) A SSAILED…DERIDED (C) B OYCOTTED…REPUDIATED (D) V ILIFIED…SUBSTANTIATED (E) L AUDED…REVERED +,+ -,- -,+ +,+ (-, +) or (+,-)

23. Like a true iconoclast, Ann was a/an _____ who _____ conventional styles of management. (A) N ONCONFORMIST…SPURNED (B) M ISCREANT…EMBRACED (C) A N AESTHETE..ENCOURAGED (D) A LOAFER…ENFORCED (E) D ISSENTER…ADVOCATED ________ _______ KEY ?: Synonyms or antonyms?

24. Always know where you are! MIDDLE = MEDIUM difficulty

25. Rule #2: EASY QUESTIONS Have EASY ANSWERS! HARD QUESTIONS Have HARD ANSWERS! Rule #1:

26. Pace Yourself! Remember:

28. S.C.’s = easiest points on the PSAT, so… NAIL THEM ALL!