1. SAT: Sentence Completions
English
SAT Preparation

2. Sentence Completions Appear on 2 25-minute critical reading sections
About 7-8 questions on each section
Arranged in order of difficulty
Questions appear at the start of each section (reading passages at end)

3. Method Cover Answers Verbalize Answer Use Process of Elimination
Read through sentence to gain idea of what it’s about
Verbalize Answer
Choose a word or phrase to fill in blank
Use Process of Elimination
Compare choices to your own word/phrase

4. Practice Example
Bill Cosby showed a keen understanding of family life, providing a(n) ________ role model for other parents to use.
What’s your word or phrase for the blank?

5. Say it in your own words:
Bill Cosby showed a keen understanding of family life, providing a(n) ________ role model for other parents to use.
Positive
Good
Exemplary

6. Match your Answer with Choices:
Bill Cosby showed a keen understanding of family life, providing a(n) ________ role model for other parents to use.
A. Embarrassing
B. Confused
C. Superficial
D. Dogmatic
E. Positive

7. Match your Answer with Choices:
Bill Cosby showed a keen understanding of family life, providing a(n) ________ role model for other parents to use.
A. Embarrassing
B. Confused
C. Superficial
D. Dogmatic
E. Positive
Correct Answer:
E. Positive

8. Strategies: Clues There is only one correct answer per question.
ETS offers a CLUE in each sentence completion to make only one answer complete.
A sentence w/no clue could have multiple answers, so the clue will lead you to the correct answer.

9. Use the Clue No Clue Clue
Talkative
Fun
Loyal
Hardworking
Annoying
All options w/no clue, but only one works w/clue: Hardworking
No Clue
The teacher told the student, “You’re the most ______ student in my class.”
Clue
At the academic awards ceremony, the teacher told the student, “You deserve this award because you earned the highest grade and are the most _______ student in my class.”

10. Strategies: Trigger Words
Work in Conjunction with the clue to help you figure out the meaning of the word in the blank.
I like her, and she’s very ____.
I like her, but she’s very ____.
Trigger words offer extra clues to meaning.

11. Trigger: Contradiction
Although
Despite
However
Though
Yet
But
Even Though
In Contrast
Rather
On the Contrary
Rather than work on his homework, the boy chose to _______ on his day off.
Answer ≠ work!

12. Trigger: Continuation
And
Not Only
Indeed
Even
Because
But Also
In Fact
Not only was the weather cold and dreary, but it was also ________.

13. Trigger: Time
After
During
Then
While
Before
Meanwhile
When
Until
We will practice the recitation until everyone is able to ________.

14. Trigger: Negatives No Nobody Neither Not No One
I will neither _________ nor accept the boy’s reckless behavior.

15. Trigger: Cause & EffectAs
Because
Since
For If
So That
Since the weather is so dreadful, we will have to ______ the picnic for another day.

16. Strategy: Degree of Difficulty
The first 2 or 3 questions are easiest.
Middle few are of medium difficulty.
Last two or three are most difficult.
This can help you eliminate answer choices, for each level of difficulty.

17. Practice: Degree of Difficulty
Once I got to know the reportedly snobby stranger, I was surprised by her _______.
Warmth, Congeniality, Friendliness, Kindness, Eccentricity
If this is a later question in the section, answer will not be warmth, friendliness, or kindness: too easy! Have to choose between congeniality or eccentricity, even if you don’t know what the words mean!

18. Strategy: Positive or Negative Word
You may not be sure what the word should be, but you know it’s either positive or negative from the context of the sentence.
When the student was ____ by the entire faculty for an award, it was an honor for her and her family.
Word must be positive.

19. Positive or Negative Words
When the student was ____ by the principal, her family was extremely disappointed.
Word must be negative.
To select an answer from the choices using + or – clues, you must have seen the word before to be able to judge if it is positive or negative.
Don’t have to know exact definitions, but to guess how it is used, need to recognize it.

20. Two Blanks: One at a Time
Treat as one blank at a time.
Cover answers
Come up with a word for one blank
Eliminate any incorrect options
Do the same for the other blank.

21. Two Blanks: Practice
Susan did not resent the arduous work, for she believed that every _____ that demands thought, attention, and independent judgment ____ the quality of daily life.
task…heightens
profession…belittles
hobby…undercuts
folly…exalts
diversion…disrupts

22. Two Blanks: Practice
Susan did not resent the arduous work, for she believed that every _____ that demands thought, attention, and independent judgment ____ the quality of daily life.
task…heightens
profession…belittles
hobby…undercuts
folly…exalts
diversion…disrupts
Correct Answer:
A. task…heightens

23. Vocabulary- Important Component
Because of his _____ disposition, you can never predict what he will do.
A. sound
B. Spartan
C. stentorian
D. mercurial
E. Herculean

24. Vocabulary
Professional Critics derided the actor’s performance as lacking subtlety and depth, and predicted that his fame would be______. A. esoteric
B. ephemeral
C. dramatic
D. lucrative
E. pejorative

25. Vocabulary
The ______ of the wax museum’s statues astounded us; the Elvis sculpture appeared so lifelike that I half expected it to speak.
A. verisimilitude
B. integrity
C. placidity
D. fecundity
E. deviousness