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CRACKING THE CODE “It’s ELEMENTARY!” Mastering PSAT Sentence Completions SYNONYM SENTENCES SIGNAL WORDS AND ALSO ADDITIONALLY SINCE MOREOVER AS WELL AS FURTHERMORE INDEED 1. Churchill urged an uncompromising __________ and ______ attitude with Hitler, ____ rather than the policy of appeasement ________ advocated by Neville Chamberlain. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) FLEXIBLE RESOLUTE DESPERATE DOCILE OBEDIENT 2. Outgoing ____ and ________ by nature, Ursula became even more gregarious at the ___________ company party. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) AFFABLE RECULSIVE SOLITARY BELLIGERENT DECEPTIVE Avoid cliché & idiom 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!!! EASY: 3. Flying in the face of _________, the writer George Sand shocked her contemporaries by taking lovers and by wearing men’s clothes. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) IDIOM: flying IMMODESTY RECONCILIATION in the face of convention EMANCIPATION (popular opinion) CONVENTION MODERNISM HARD: 4. Like a_____ charlatan, Harry tried to _________ the audience with ________ evidence. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) confuse…cogent persuade…incontrovertible dupe…spurious IDIOMS: educate…devious …Incontrovertible evidence enthrall…substantiated …A preponderance of evidence MATH TACTICS for Critical Reading: Verbal Values + PLUS - MINUS 0 NEUTRAL o ______________________ 5. The critic liked nothing about the movie; she called the plot (-) (-) ____ and the acting _____. (-,-) -,+ -,+ +,+ +,-,- A. B. C. D. E. DREARY…INSPIRING TRITE…DAZZLING EXHILARATING…ENTHRALLING STIRRING…UNPROFESSIONAL TEDIOUS…AMATEURISH 6. No one is neutral about Pres. Bush; he inspires either uncritical _____ from his supporters or profound _____ from his opponents. (+,-) +,- (A) +,+ (B) -,- (C) -,+ (D) -,- (E) ADULATION…OPPROBRIUM ENTHUSIASM…EXUBERANCE APATHY…REVULSION CONDEMNATION…VENERATION DISGUST…AVERSION 7. In temperament they were radically different: the older man was quiet and ____; the younger was _______ and uninhibited. (+,-) +,-,+ -,-,-,- (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) RESERVED…RAUCOUS ALOOF…RESTRAINED HARSH…RESTLESS TACITURN…LACONIC AGITATED…NOISY 8. Although the novel was bold and _____, the movie disappointed many viewers who thought it was _________and bland.. (+, 0 /-) -,+ +,+ 0,+/+/0,-/0,+ (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) OBSOLETE…CAPTIVATING DISTINCTIVE…UNIQUE ROUTINE…MUNDANE INNOVATIVE…CONVENTIONAL INSIPID…SCINTILLATING Challenging VOCABULARY Complex SENTENCE structure TOUGH NUTS! (Level 5) SENTENCE COMPLETIONS 123–456–789 EASY…MEDIUM…HARD (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) COGENT…PERFUNCTORY PUISSANT…POIGNANT TRACTABLE…AIMABLE HEGEMONIC…MERCURIAL MUNDANE…TRENCHANT The phenomenon is called viral _____ because the presence of one kind of virus seems to inhibit infection by any other. PROLIFERATION (B) MUTATION (C) INTERFERENCE (D) EPIDEMIC (E) COOPERATION (A) What happens to J.A.S. on Level 5 questions An apparently ______ gratuitous gesture, whether it is spiteful or solicitous, arouses suspicion, ___________ while a gesture recognized to be ____________ gives no reason for surprise. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) WARRANTED DUBIOUS AFFECTED BENEVOLENT RANCOROUS The novelist brings out the _______________ of human beings __________ time and time again by __________________their lives to the permanence ______ of the vast landscape. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) ABSURDITY…RELATING TRANSIENCE…LIKENING EVANESCENCE…CONTRASTING COMPLEXITY…COMPARING UNIQUENESS…OPPOSING Ruskin’s vitriolic attack was the climax of the _____ he heaped upon paintings that today seem amazingly _______ (-, 0 /+) -,-,0 +,0/-,+,+ (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) CRITICISM…UNPOPULAR RIDICULE…INOFFENSIVE PRAISE…AMATEURISH INDIFFERENCE…SCANDALOUS ACCLAIM…CREDITABLE The history of science is replete with examples of bold new theories that were _____ when they first appeared but were subsequently ____ by future researchers. (-, +) or (+,-) +,+ -,-,-,+ +,+ (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) CORROBORATED…VERIFIED ASSAILED…DERIDED BOYCOTTED…REPUDIATED VILIFIED…SUBSTANTIATED LAUDED…REVERED Like a true _______ iconoclast, Ann was a/an _____ who _____ conventional ________ styles of management. KEY ?: Synonyms or antonyms? (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) NONCONFORMIST…SPURNED MISCREANT…EMBRACED AN AESTHETE..ENCOURAGED A LOAFER…ENFORCED DISSENTER…ADVOCATED Always know where you are! MIDDLE = MEDIUM difficulty Rule #1: EASY QUESTIONS Have EASY ANSWERS! Rule #2: HARD QUESTIONS Have HARD ANSWERS! Remember: Pace Yourself! S.C.’s = easiest points on the PSAT, so… NAIL THEM ALL!