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→Sentence Completion Questions: better
== Sentence Completion Questions ==
== Sentence Completion Questions ==
18 out of 67 questions -- more than 25% -- of the "critical reading" section ask students to "complete the sentence" by filling in two missing words. Let's look at some examples and improve our ability to answer this type of question.
18 out of 67 questions -- more than 25% -- of the "critical reading" section ask students to "complete the sentence" by filling in one or two missing words. Let's look at some examples and improve our ability to answer this type of question.
Example:
Example One:
Once the underdog Republican Scott Brown defeated the favored Democrat Martha Coakley win the election for the U.S. Senate seat long held by the late Democrat Ted Kennedy, it demonstrated the __________ between the Republicans and Democrats would likely ___________.
Once the underdog Republican Scott Brown defeated the favored Democrat Martha Coakley win the election for the U.S. Senate seat long held by the late Democrat Ted Kennedy, it demonstrated the __________ between the Republicans and Democrats would likely ___________.
This type of question is like filling in a jigsaw puzzle. You are given an idea of the "point" or message of the sentence, and then asked to fill in two missing "pieces" or words to complete the sentence. This is no different from having an almost-complete jigsaw puzzle and trying to find the pieces that can fit into and fill the remaining gaps.
This type of question is like filling in a jigsaw puzzle. You are given an idea of the "point" or message of the sentence, and then asked to fill in two missing "pieces" or words to complete the sentence. This is no different from having an almost-complete jigsaw puzzle and trying to find the pieces that can fit into and fill the remaining gaps.
It's impossible to complete a jigsaw puzzle until you first understand what the final picture is supposed to look at. The same is true for these sentences. '''Be sure to understand the point of the sentence before trying to fill in the blanks'''.
It's impossible to complete a jigsaw puzzle until you first understand what the final picture is supposed to look at. The same is true for these sentences. '''Be sure to understand the point of the sentence before trying to fill in the blanks'''. The biggest reason for incorrect answers on this question is because the student did not understand the basic meaning of the sentence before trying to complete it.
In the above example, the point of the sentence is that a Republican won a Senate seat that was long held by the opposite party, the Democrats. The contest between Republicans and Democrats was not a friendly one, but one of tension. This immediately points to (B), which uses the word "conflict", as a "fit" for the gap in the sentence.
In the above example, the point of the sentence is that a Republican won a Senate seat that was long held by the opposite party, the Democrats. The Democrats would not be happy about that, and the contest for the seat could not have been a friendly one. The inherent conflict immediately points the student to answer choice (B), which uses the word "conflict". This is the best fit for the gap in the sentence. The , as a "fit" for the gap in the sentence.
When there are two blanks in the sentence, the student is expected to check the relation between the two words to make sure they fit the sentence, as a lock fits a key. Often the blanks are set up as opposites, and the student is expected to pick the answer choice that has two antonyms. Consider the following.
Example Two:
After serving one table in the restaurant for over an hour, the waitress expected a _________ tip afterward, but was disappointed when the tip was ______________.
:(A)
:(B)
:(C)
:(D)
:(E)
Sometimes the question on the SAT I has only one gap in the sentence, which is to be filled in by only one word. Often the purpose is to test your knowledge of vocabulary. But even if you do not know the meaning of a word, you can figure it out from the context and at least make an educated guess.
Example Three:
<new example>
:(A)
:(B)
:(C)
:(D)
:(E)
The key to success on these sentence completion questions are the following:
The key to success on these sentence completion questions are the following: