PSAT PreparationSentence Completion Tips

Don’t be like Joe! Joe Bloggs, the average student (who hasn’t

had the infinite wisdom of Mr. Ambrose bestowed upon him) would do it this way:◦ Read the sentence five times.◦ Plug in a different option each time.◦ Pick the one that “sounds right.”

This method is flawed for a few reasons:◦ You are wasting precious time, which needs to be

saved for the reading passages.◦ More than one answer can wind up “sounding

right.”

Try this… In the following sentences, what word do

you think should go in the blank?◦ Susan was ________________ when the formula,

which had worked just yesterday, failed to produce the expected result.

◦ Although she was never considered pretty as a child, Margaret grew up to be a ___________ adult.

◦ Once a cheerful person, the years of fruitless struggle against government waste made him a very ______________ man.

You’re smarter than you think!

1. Cover the answer choices with your hand. This will ensure that you don’t do what Joe does, which is to read the sentence five times, trying one of the answer choices each time.

2. Speak for yourself: Read the sentence, and write your own word in the blank.

3. Uncover the words, and pick the word that is a synonym for the word you wrote. When in doubt, narrow down using connotations.

The Method

Every sentence has some clue in it. Look for the clue, and it will help you to determine the word that goes in the blank.

What is the clue in the following sentences?◦ Susan was _______________ when the formula,

which had worked just yesterday, failed to produce the expect result.

◦ The park was so ________________ that the children could play in it for hours without getting bored.

The Clue and Trigger Words

John made some _____________ comments about Marcus’s artwork.(A) Intelligent(B)Critical(C) Interesting(D)Dry(E) Appreciative

There is no clue here! Any of these answers would work! On the PSAT, there is always one right answer and one right answer only.

Why Every Sentence Needs a Clue

John made some ____________ comments about Marcus’s artwork, which John thought was fantastic.(A) Intelligent(B) Critical(C) Interesting(D) Dry(E) Appreciative

Now you have a clue!

Now we have a clue!

Trigger Words

Same-Direction Triggers Opposite-Direction Triggers

And Since So Therefore Because In fact

But However Yet Although/Though In contrast Rather

What follows the colon or semicolon will be an explanation or further description of something that came before.◦ John’s friend was rather _______________: He spoke

unless he was forced to.◦ So you want to figure out what is a work that

implies “spoken only when forced to.”

Punctuation Triggers

This is an “opposite-direction” trigger. It draws a contrast between what used to

be true and what is true today. Once a cheerful person, the years of

fruitless struggle against government waste made him a very ___________ man.

So we need to find a word that is the opposite of cheerful.

Time Triggers

Many feature films are criticized for their ____________ content, even though television news is more often the medium that depicts violent events in excessive.

What word would you use to fill the blank?

Let’s try one…

(A) Discretionary(B) Graphic(C) Dramatic(D) Artistic(E) Honest

Which word means the same as the word you suggested? When in doubt, consider the connotations.

Now check out the options!

Unlike her award-winning first book, Roberta’s new volume can only be considered a ____________ effort.

What word would you use to fill the blank?

Let’s try one…

(A) Significant(B) Mediocre(C) Whimsical(D) Feasible(E) Laudable

Which word means the same as the word you suggested? When in doubt, consider the connotations.

Now check out the options!

The scientific community was ____________ when a living specimen of the coelacanth, which ichthyologists had feared was ____________, was discovered by deep-sea fishermen.

Fill in the blanks with your own words!

Two blanks: Twice as Easy

(A) perplexed…common(B) overjoyed…dangerous(C) unconcerned…exterminated(D) astounded…extinct(E) dismayed…alive

Which ones match up with your words?

Answer Options

If you get stuck, figure out the relationship between blanks.

The author is reliably _____________; every book he writes is more _____________ than one before.

The semicolon suggests that what comes in the second half of the sentence is an example/explanation/illustration of what is in the first half.

So the two words should be somewhat synonymous.

Relationship between Blanks

The author is reliably ________________; every book he writes is more _____________ than the one before.

(A) dull…inspired(B) exceptional…hackneyed(C) artistic…informed(D) imaginative…creative(E) original…lackluster- Eliminate the opposites.- Check out the options that remain.

So here are the options!

Cover the answer choices with your hand. Insert your own word. Look at the answer choices; pick the word

that is the closest to your word. Use process of elimination to narrow down. Pay attention to clues and trigger words. Consider the connotation of the word that

goes in the blank – positive, negative, etc. On a two-blank question, just do one blank

at a time.

Tips for Sentence Completions