Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 

Always cover your answer choices before reading the sentence so that your mind will be clear and unbiased.  Read the sentence carefully, looking for clues to help you predict a word to fill the blank.  Match your prediction to the correct answer choice, and eliminate any words that do not match.  Be sure to check all 5 answer choices, even if you think choice A matches.

Many of today’s physicians and patients are ------- high technology, captivated by computer-designed drugs and laser surgery.

If you only read the first part of this sentence, anything could fit in the blank.  However, the second part of the sentence contains the key word “captivated.”  If you know the meaning of the word “captivated,” you know what belongs in the blank.  Use the words in the sentence for the most precise predictions.  You know that the physicians and patients are “captivated by” high technology, so use that as your prediction and look at the answer blank.  If you do not know what the word captivate means, try to think about whether it is positive or negative.  Make at least a vague prediction about the blank.

(A) nervous about

(B) defensive about

(C) tolerant of

(D) enamored of

(E) overwhelmed by

There is only one answer that matches your prediction and only one answer that is definitely positive.

The correct answer is (D).

Words used in this SC:

Captivate: to charm, to attract and hold interest

Nervous: anxious

Defensive: protective

Tolerant: accepting

Enamored: in love with or captivated by

Overwhelmed: overcome by something, unable to deal with it

On sat.collegeboard.org, 62% of the responses were correct.

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