501 Sentence Completion Questions

1 501 Sentence Completion Questions501 Sentence Completion QuestionsNEW YORK Copyright 2004 LearningExpress, rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New of Congress Cataliging-in-Publication Data: 501 sentence completion questions . 1st 1 57685 511 2 (pbk.: alk. paper)1. English language Examinations Study guides. 2. English language sentences Problems, exercises, etc. I. Title: Five hundred one Sentence Completion Questions . : Five hundred and one Sentence Completion Questions . III. Series: LearningExpress(Organization) 076 dc222003027067 Printed in the United States of America9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First EditionISBN 1-57685-511-2 For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at.

2 55 Broadway8th floorNew York, NY 10006Or visit us LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Teamis com-prised of experts in test preparation, as well as educators and teachers whospecialize in language arts and Skill Builder in Focus Writing TeamLara BohlkeMiddle School Math Teacher, Grade 8 Dodd Middle SchoolCheshire, ConnecticutElizabeth CheslaEnglish InstructorCoordinator of Technical and Professional Communication ProgramPolytechnic University, BrooklynSouth Orange, New JerseyBrigit DermottFreelance WriterEnglish Tutor, New York CaresNew York, New YorkDarren DunnEnglish TeacherRiverhead School DistrictRiverhead, New YorkBarbara FineEnglish InstructorSecondary Reading SpecialistSetauket, New YorkSandy GadeProject EditorLearningExpressNew York, New YorkMelinda GroveAdjunct Professor Quinnipiac University and Naugatuck Valley Community CollegeMath ConsultantKaren HunterProject EditorElkview, West VirginiaDiane KampfMiddle School English Teacher, Grade 7 Robert Moss Middle SchoolNorth Babylon School DistrictNorth Babylon, New YorkAdjunct Assistant ProfessorSuffolk Community CollegeSuffolk.

3 New YorkNoah KravitzCurriculum and Technology SpecialistNew York, New YorkKerry McLeanProject EditorMath TutorShirley, New YorkKimberly MorozEnglish InstructorWilmington CollegeNew Castle, DelawareWilliam ReccoMiddle School Math Teacher, Grade 8 New York Shoreham/Wading River School DistrictMath TutorSt. James, New YorkColleen SchultzMiddle School Math Teacher, Grade 8 Vestal Central School DistrictMath Tutor and Teacher MentorVestal, New YorkIntroductionixChapter 11 Chapter 29 Chapter 317 Chapter 427 Chapter 537 Chapter 647 Chapter 755 Chapter 865 Chapter 973 Chapter 1083 Chapter 1191 Chapter 12101 Chapter 13109 Chapter 14117 Chapter 15127 ContentsviiChapter 16135 Chapter 17143 Chapter 18151 Chapter 19159 Chapter 20169viii501 Sentence Completion QuestionsixWelcome to 501 sentence completion questions !

4 This bookis designed to help you prepare for the verbal and reading sections ofmany assessment and entrance exams. By completing the 501 sampleitems offered here and by studying their answer explanations, you willdevelop the skills necessary to tackle each type of Sentence completionquestion. You will also improve your vocabulary and your process ofelimination completions test your ability to use the informationfound in complex, but incomplete, sentences in order to correctlycomplete the sentences . Sentence completions test two separateaspects of your verbal skills: your vocabulary and your ability to fol-low the internal logic of sentences .

5 These sentences are often quitecomplex. Fortunately, there are some strategies that will greatlyincrease your score on these Questions . Each of these Questions hasone blank (or, on some tests, two blanks) within a single the sentences are long and difficult to follow, but with practiceyou can learn to master standardized tests including high school and collegeentrance exams and civil service exams use Sentence completionquestions to test vocabulary and logic. Some of the alphabet soup of exams that contain Sentence completions are the: SAT I exam PSAT/NMSQT exam GRE General test TOEFL/TOEIC exams ISEE GRTYou might wonder what kinds of strategies you can use to mastersentence completions.

6 When it comes to Sentence completions, theword that does notappear is the key to the meaning of the words that doappear offer cluesto the missing word. If you canfind out how the words that appear are connected, you can find thecorrect answer. This means that you must know more than just themeaning of the words involved. You must also understand the logicof the Sentence . Here is a sampling of strategies: Read the entire Sentence saying blank for the blank(s).This gives you an overall sense of the meaning of thesentence and helps you figure out how the parts of thesentence relate to each other.

7 If an answer occurs to youbefore you even look at the choices, you may have asynonym for the answer or the answer itself. Pay special attention to introductory and transitionalwords but, although, however, yet, even though becausethey are key to forming the logical structure of thesentence. Be sure your choice is both logical and grammaticallycorrect. If you don t know some words, use elimination andeducated guessing, which means you are able to eliminatex501 Sentence Completion Questionsxione or more of the choices as definitely wrong; orguessing from context when you know a related are several types of Sentence completions: restatement comparison contrast cause and effectHere is an example of a cause-and-effect Sentence completionquestion:After a brief and violent _____that ousted the president, GeneralMonsanto declared himself the dictator of the answer is choice b.

8 A coup(n.) is a sudden and decisive changeof leadership illegally or by force, a takeover. What (the cause) led thegeneral to declare himself dictator (the result)? Something brief andviolent, that ousted the president, a is an example of a restatement question :The city council formed a committee to simplify several dozen_____city ordinances that were unnecessarily complicated Completion QuestionsThe answer is choice c, byzantine,an adjective that means highlycomplicated and intricate. Here, you are looking for a restatementof the clue words complicatedand out-of-date,and for something you practice Sentence completions, you may discover signalwordsand phrases clues that help you choose the correct answer.

9 Here arecommon signal words and an example for each kind of question :Restatement:namely, in other words, in fact, that isExample: The pickpocket was a trickster,in other words,a _____.(The answer, which restates trickster, might be knaveorscoundrel.)Comparison:likewise, similarly, and,just as, as _____as, for exam-ple, as shown,as illustrated byExample: Anna was cleared of all charges; similarly, Sam was_____.(The answer compares to being cleared of all charges, so perhapsSam was vindicated.)Contrast:though, although, however, despite, but, yet; on the otherhand, but, however, despite,or on the contraryExample: Althoughthe tiger is a solitary beast, its cousin the lion isa _____animal.

10 (The answer is something that contrasts with solitary, such asgregariousorsociable.)Cause and effect:thus, therefore, consequently,and becauseandphrases such as due to, as a result, leads toExample: A truck stole her parking spot; consequently,Sally s _____look showed her displeasure.(The answer would be a look caused by someone stealing Sally sparking spot, maybe scowlingorsullen.)xii501 Sentence Completion QuestionsxiiiThe Sentence Completion question sets in this book increase in dif-ficulty as you practice your way through them from easy to inter-mediate to advanced. These divisions may reflect how challengingthe vocabulary is or how complex the Sentence structure is or howchallenging the logic of the Sentence 501 Skill Builder in Focus exercises will help you prepare foran exam in several ways.