Far from the ______ crowds of the city, I find refuge at my ______ cabin on Big Lake.
Answer(s): D
JustificationOption D (“overwhelming … secluded”) correctly fills both blanks with adjectives that convey contrasting scales and settings: “far from the overwhelming crowds of the city” suggests an intense, pervasive presence of people, while “secluded cabin on Big Lake” describes a quiet, isolated place. The semantic relationship— large-scale urban activity versus a small, private retreat—is logically coherent and stylistically balanced.Option A (“pervasive … dominant”) uses two synonyms that both describe intensity but lack the necessary contrast; “dominant” does not naturally modify “cabin,” making the second blank awkward.Option B (“aggressive … listless”) juxtaposes an aggressive urban environment with a listless cabin, but “listless” connotes a lack of energy that does not fit a refuge setting and creates a semantic mismatch.Option C (“petrified … motivating”) mixes an emotional state (“petrified”) with a positive adjective (“motivating”) that does not describe a cabin’s location, resulting in an ill-fitted pair.Option E (“extensive … scanty”) pairs a large-scale descriptor with a small-scale one, but “scanty” is typically used for resources or quantities, not for describing a cabin’s isolation, leading to an unnatural phrasing.Therefore, Option D provides the most precise and context-appropriate word choice, maintaining parallelism and clear contrast between the crowded city and the secluded cabin.
Dictionary.com definition of “overwhelming” – https://www.dictionary.com/browse/overwhelming Merriam-Webster definition of “secluded” – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secluded
The professor's oldest colleague was selected to give the __________ at the funeral.
Answer(s): A
Correct choice: A. eulogy Reasoning: An eulogy is a formal speech or text praising a deceased person, typically delivered at a funeral service. The sentence describes a colleague being selected to give something at the funeral, which directly matches the function of an eulogy. Why the other options are unsuitable:B: elegy – a lyrical poem or mournful composition, usually not delivered as a spoken address at a funeral. C. epigraph – a brief quotation or saying placed at the beginning of a work; it is not an oral tribute. D. eponymy – the relationship between a name and the thing named after it; unrelated to funeral speeches. E. epitaph – an inscription on a gravestone; it is written, not spoken during a funeral ceremony.
Merriam-Webster definition of eulogy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eulogy Dictionary.com entry for eulogy: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/eulogy
The new team member's __________ was an encouragement to the rest of the team, who had become __________by the string of defeats.
Answer(s): C
JustificationThe first blank requires a noun that conveys a positive, uplifting attitude that can encourage others. Ebullience (high-spirited enthusiasm) precisely fits this role; it denotes an energetic, optimistic demeanor that naturally lifts teammates. The second blank must describe the team’s condition after a series of defeats. Dispirited means lacking confidence or enthusiasm, i.e., emotionally drained and demoralized, which aligns perfectly with being “discouraged by the string of defeats.” Option C therefore presents a logically coherent pair: ebullience → dispirited. Why the other options are unsuitableA: enthusiasm … elated – “Elated” describes an extreme high mood, not a state of discouragement; the pair lacks contrast. B. vigor … inundated – “Vigor” is positive, but “inundated” implies being overwhelmed, not specifically demoralized; the semantic link is weak. D. dourness … undone – “Dourness” is itself negative, so it could not serve as an encouragement; “undone” is vague and does not capture the emotional fatigue implied. E. excessiveness … downcast – “Excessiveness” is not a quality that would encourage others, and while “downcast” fits the discouraged mood, the first term fails to meet the requirement.Hence, option C is the only choice that provides a semantically appropriate, contrasting pair that matches the sentence’s meaning.
Ebullience – Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ebullience Dispirited – Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/dispirited
By the end of the campaign both candidates had resorted to __________ the other.
Answer(s): B
JustificationThe phrase “resorted to ___ the other” requires a verb that conveys a negative, hostile action toward the opponent. Denigrating means to disparage or speak ill of someone, which aligns with the context of both candidates sinking to a lower, antagonistic level. Commending (praising) would imply a positive action, contradicting the adversarial tone. Mollifying (soothing) and conceding (admitting) describe conciliatory or yielding behaviors, which are opposite to the described escalation. Swindling involves deceit for personal gain, a different semantic field and does not fit the grammatical construction “resorted to ___ the other.”Therefore, B. denigrating is the only option that accurately captures the hostile, disparaging conduct implied by the sentence.
Merriam-Webster definition of denigrate: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denigrate Cambridge Dictionary entry for denigrate: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/denigrate
The cat __________ crept across the lawn, gracefully __________ the dog.
Answer(s): E
JustificationThe first blank describes how the cat moves across the lawn. “Deftly” conveys skillful, graceful movement that matches the adverbial tone of the sentence. The second blank must be a verb that fits the idiom “gracefully _____ the dog.” “Eluding” means to evade or avoid capture, which logically follows a graceful motion and preserves the intended meaning that the cat is evading the dog. Why option E is the only viable choice:Deftly is an adverb that naturally modifies a verb of motion or action, fitting the first blank perfectly. Eluding is a present-participle verb that can follow “gracefully” to describe the cat’s ongoing avoidance of the dog, creating a coherent, idiomatic phrase: “gracefully eluding the dog.” Why the other options fail:A: felicitously … enticing – “Felicitously” is an uncommon, awkward adverb; “enticing” suggests the cat is attracting the dog, which contradicts the notion of graceful evasion. B. swiftly … defeating – “Swiftly” is plausible for the first blank, but “defeating” implies the cat overpowers the dog, a meaning not supported by the context of graceful movement. C. acrobatically … apprehending – “Acrobatically” could describe movement, yet “apprehending” means capturing, which again conflicts with the intended evasion. D. maladroitly … undermining – “Maladroitly” conveys clumsiness, the opposite of “gracefully,” making the phrase internally inconsistent.Thus, option E provides the only grammatically and semantically coherent pair.
College Board – Official SAT Practice Test #5 (PDF) – https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/2016-08/SAT-Practice-Test-5.pdf Purdue OWL – Adverb Usage and Modifiers – https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/adverb_usage.html
The storyteller's __________ anecdotes earned her the __________ attention of the crowd.
JustificationOption A – “compelling … rapt”Compelling describes stories that attract and hold interest through strong emotional or intellectual appeal; it is the standard adjective used to modify “anecdotes” in this context. Rapt conveys a state of being completely absorbed or engrossed; it pairs naturally with “attention” to indicate the crowd’s undivided focus. The collocation “rapt attention” is idiomatic and fits the sentence structure perfectly.Option B – “pointed … spellbound”Pointed can mean “sharp” or “direct,” but it is not commonly used to characterize anecdotes in a way that would attract a crowd. Spellbound is a possible synonym for “rapt,” yet the mismatch between “pointed anecdotes” and the intended sense of engaging storytelling makes the pair unsuitable.Option C – “moribund … lucid”Moribund means “dying” or “in decline,” which directly contradicts the idea of anecdotes that earn admiration. Lucid describes clarity of expression, not the audience’s reaction; it does not convey the intensity of attention implied by the blank.Option D – “poignant … abrasive”Poignant fits emotionally resonant anecdotes, but abrasive describes a harsh or irritating manner, which would repel rather than attract a crowd’s attention. The two descriptors are contradictory.Option E – “meandering … distracted”Meandering suggests a wandering, unfocused narrative, which would likely diminish, not earn, attention. Distracted denotes a lack of focus, the opposite of the “attention” the sentence seeks to describe.Conclusion: Only option A provides a semantically coherent and idiomatically appropriate pairing (“compelling anecdotes … rapt attention”), making it the correct choice.
Merriam-Webster: compelling | rapt Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries: spellbound | poignantThese sources confirm the definitions and typical collocations used in the analysis.
The bill became bogged down in a(n) __________ of contentious issues in a Senate subcommittee.
JustificationQuagmire (option E) denotes a complicated, entangling predicament—exactly the sense of a legislative proposal being stalled by numerous contentious issues. Marsh (A) refers to a wetland; it carries no connotation of difficulty or obstruction. Sequence (B) describes an ordered succession; it does not imply a problematic or tangled situation. Iota (C) means a very small amount; it cannot convey a large, pervasive set of issues. Conundrum (D) is a puzzling question or riddle, not a broader, sticky circumstance involving many disputes.Therefore, “quagmire” is the only term that accurately captures the idea of the bill being trapped in a tangled mass of contentious matters.
Merriam-Webster definition of quagmire: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quagmire Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries entry for quagmire: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/quagmire
The outcome of the race seemed __________ before the leader's misstep on the final leg gave her competitors a(n) __________ of winning the title.
JustificationThe phrase “the outcome … seemed __________” requires an adjective that conveys certainty or inevitability. “Inevitable” precisely expresses that the result appeared unavoidable prior to the leader’s error. The second blank calls for a noun that denotes a feeling or expectation held by the competitors after the misstep. “Hope” fits naturally as the thing they now possess—“a hope of winning the title.” Option B (“inevitable … hope”) therefore creates a coherent, grammatically correct sentence: “The outcome of the race seemed inevitable before the leader's misstep on the final leg gave her competitors a hope of winning the title.”Why the other options are unsuitableA: dubious … prospect – “Dubious” suggests doubt or suspicion, which contradicts the sense of certainty implied by “seemed.” “Prospect” can work, but the pair loses the intended nuance of inevitability. C. indubitable … air – “Indubitable” is a rare, overly formal synonym for certain, but “air” does not collocate with “a … of winning the title”; the phrase is ungrammatical. D. assured … expectation – “Assured” is an adjective that typically modifies a noun directly (e.g., “an assured victory”), not a verb phrase like “seemed assured.” “Expectation” is possible, yet the collocation feels forced compared to “hope.” E. partial … endeavor – “Partial” denotes incompleteness, which clashes with the context of a race outcome that was about to be decided. “Endeavor” does not fit the required noun slot (“a … of winning the title”).Hence, option B best satisfies both semantic and syntactic requirements.
Merriam-Webster definition of inevitable: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inevitable Cambridge Dictionary entry for hope (noun): https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hope
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