SAT Writing and Language Practice Tests Questions- Set 3

Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through E. Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

1. To avoid being _____, composer Stephen Sondheim strives for an element of surprise in his songs.

1. erratic
2. informal
3. elaborate
4. predictable
5. idiosyncratic

2. Because the pandas had already been weakened by disease and drought, a harsh winter would have had _____ consequences for them.

1. preventive
2. regressive
3. catastrophic
4. unforeseen
5. moderate

3. For many of the villagers, marriage was a practical _____ , one not necessarily _____ of love but nevertheless grounded largely in economic advantage.

1. arrangement .. devoid
2. entertainment .. disparaging
3. attitude .. consisting
4. bargain .. worthy
5. misfortune .. trusting

4. Maggie is a procrastinator, naturally inclined to _____ and to _____  discussions.

1. meddle .. scoff at
2. temporize .. prolong
3. misbehave .. disrupt
4. sneer .. terminate
5. withdraw .. intrude in

5. Just as glass windows offer buildings both light and insulation, certain atmospheric gases _____ incoming sunlight and _____ heat radiated from the ground, preventing warmth from escaping.

1. conduct .. release
2. deflect .. transmit
3. admit .. contain
4. absorb .. dispense
5. resist .. trap

6. The speaker, praised for her style yet ridiculed for her vacuity, often moved naive listeners with _____ alone and led them to believe that her speech had _____ .

1. reason .. dalliance
2. infelicity .. conviction
3. rhetoric .. substance
4. pragmatism .. futility
5. boorishness .. integrity

7. The actor was noted for his _____ behavior: he quickly became irritated if his every whim was not immediately satisfied.

1. fastidious
2. sedulous
3. vindictive
4. petulant
5. mercenary

8. Hayley Mills’s films have been called _____ , although most of them are not so sentimental as to deserve that description.

1. treacly
2. cursory
3. prosaic
4. meticulous
5. consecrated