Sentence Completion:  Vocabulary
        


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Studying our SAT vocabulary can help you raise your SAT score as much as
50 points.  There will still be questions with vocabulary words you don't know. 
You should answer most of these questions by using the elimination strategy.

Example:  Although he had enjoyed his three years in Paris, he was filled with
               ____________ and longed to return to the familiar scenes of home.
               A. glee       B. chagrin       C. nostalgia       D. lethargy       E. anxiety
       
Solution:  The clue to the meaning of the word in the blank is enjoyed. 
              With although as a contrast signal word, the answer is opposite of enjoyed.
              With the coordinate conjunction and, the answer must go with longed.

Consider the possible answer choices:
               A. Is “glee” the opposite of “enjoyed"?  No.  Eliminate. 
               B. Is “chagrin” the opposite of “enjoyed"?
                   You may not know chagrin.  (Study our SAT vocabulary!).
               C. Is “nostalgia” the opposite of “enjoyed"? 
                   You may not know nostalgia.  (Study our SAT vocabulary!).
              D. Is “lethargy” the opposite of “enjoyed"?  No.  Eliminate.
               E. Is “anxiety” the opposite of “enjoyed"?  Maybe.
                   but it does not coordinate with “longed.”  Eliminate.

SAT TIP:  When you can eliminate two answer choices, answer the question.

Practice with these examples:      
        An easy question for scores from 200 to 400
        A moderate question for scores from 400 to 600
        A difficult question for scores from 600 to 800

For more practice:
Click here for questions in The Official SAT Study Guide.

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While you will find that learning our SAT vocabulary will help with the
   sentence completion questions, there are also strategies that will help.
SAT TIP:  Use the elimination strategy
                 when there are vocabulary
                 words you don't know.
Verbal Strategies