Sentence Completions

Critical Reading: 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. 

Again, cover the answers, read the sentence, and predict an answer based on the clues given in the sentence. Don't look at the answer choices until you have selected a prediction, because the four wrong choices could change the way you think about the problem. Instead, even if you can't come up with a specific word, describe the idea or the kind of word that is needed in the blank. 

So that she would not be considered ------- in her actions, the department head made sure that the members of the advisory committee ------- her plans before she started to implement them. 

In this sentence, the second blank is easier. What do advisory committees do? The phrase "so that she would not..." suggests that in this case they are needed to keep the woman from giving a negative impression. They might review, adapt, or sign off on her plans before she implements them. Now look at the answer choices. 

...the department head made sure that the members of the advisory committee ------- her plans before she started to implement them.  

Answer Choices 

(A) capricious... ridiculed

(B) deliberate... ignored

(C) impulsive... approved

(D) tardy... designed

(E) provocative... mislaid

I certainly hope the advisory committee wouldn't ridicule, ignore, or mislay my plans! You can safely eliminate all three of those. You are left with approved and designed. Approved seems to make more sense--how would a committee design the plans when the woman is ready to implement them?--but look at the rest of the sentence before you make your final selection. 

So that she would not be considered ------- in her actions, the department head made sure that the members of the advisory committee ------- her plans before she started to implement them. 

Answer Choices 

(C) impulsive... approved

(D) tardy... designed

Remember that the advisory committee in the sentence needs to influence the kind of impression that the woman gives. Designing the plans for her would certainly prevent her from seeming tardy, but that would mean that the committee takes over the entire creative process for her. However, if the committee approves the plans before she puts them into action, they could prevent her from acting rashly or impulsively.So that she would not be considered impulsive in her actions, the department head made sure that the members of the advisory committee approved her plans before she started to implement them.  


Vocabulary tested in this SC:
Capricious: prone to change, flighty, mercurial
Ridicule: derision, making fun of someone or something 
Deliberative: involved in decision-making
Ignore: to pay no attention
Impulsive: acting suddenly or abruptly
Approve: to consent or agree to; to declare something good
Tardy: late, behind, not on time
Design: to plan, to form an idea or concept in the mind
Provocative: inciting, stimulating, or irritating
Mislaid: to lose temporarily; misplace



The College Board reports that 81% of those who attempted this question got it right.

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