501

Sentence Completion Questions

 501
Sentence Completion
Questions

N E W YO R K
Copyright © 2004 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published
in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.

Library of Congress Cataliging-in-Publication Data:

501 sentence completion questions.—1st ed.
p.m.
ISBN 1–57685–511–2 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. English language—Examinations—Study guides. 2. English language—Sentences—
Problems, exercises, etc. I. Title: Five hundred one sentence completion questions. II.
Title: Five hundred and one sentence completion questions. III. Series: LearningExpress
(Organization)
LB1631.5.A17 2004
428.1’076—dc22 2003027067

Printed in the United States of America

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First

Edition

ISBN 1-57685-511-2

For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:

55 Broadway
8th floor
New York, NY 10006

Or visit us at:
www.learnatest.com
The LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team is comprised
of experts in test preparation, as well as educators and teachers who
specialize in language arts and math.

LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team

Lara Bohlke
Middle School Math Teacher, Grade 8
Dodd Middle School
Cheshire, Connecticut

Elizabeth Chesla
English Instructor
Coordinator of Technical and Professional Communication Program
Polytechnic University, Brooklyn
South Orange, New Jersey

Brigit Dermott
Freelance Writer
English Tutor, New York Cares New
York, New York
Darren Dunn
English Teacher
Riverhead School District
Riverhead, New York

Barbara Fine
English Instructor
Secondary Reading Specialist
Setauket, New York

Sandy Gade
Project Editor
LearningExpress
New York, New York

Melinda Grove
Adjunct Professor
Quinnipiac University and Naugatuck Valley Community College
Math Consultant
Karen Hunter
Project Editor
Elkview, West Virginia

Diane Kampf
Middle School English Teacher, Grade 7
Robert Moss Middle School
North Babylon School District
North Babylon, New York
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Suffolk Community College
Suffolk, New York

Noah Kravitz
Curriculum and Technology Specialist New
York, New York

Kerry McLean
Project Editor
Math Tutor
Shirley, New York

Kimberly Moroz
English Instructor
Wilmington College
New Castle, Delaware

William Recco
Middle School Math Teacher, Grade 8
New York Shoreham/Wading River School District
Math Tutor
St. James, New York

Colleen Schultz
Middle School Math Teacher, Grade 8
Vestal Central School District
Math Tutor and Teacher Mentor
Vestal, New York

Contents

Introduction ix
Chapter 1 1
Chapter 2 9
Chapter 3 1
7
Chapter 4 2
7
Chapter 5 3
7
Chapter 6 4
7
Chapter 7 5
5
Chapter 8 6
5
Chapter 9 7
3
Chapter 10 8
3
Chapter 11 9
1
Chapter 12 10
1
Chapter 13 10
 9
Chapter 14 11
7
Chapter 15 12
7
vii

501 Sentence Comple tion Questions

Chapter
16 135
Chapter 17 143
Chapter 18 151
Chapter 19 159
Chapter 20 169

viii
 Introduction

Welcome to 501 Sentence Completion Questions!

This book is designed to help you prepare for the verbal and reading
sections of many assessment and entrance exams. By completing the
501 sample items offered here and by studying their answer
explanations, you will develop the skills necessary to tackle each type
of sentence completion question. You will also improve your
vocabulary and your process of elimination skills.
Sentence completions test your ability to use the information found
in complex, but incomplete, sentences in order to correctly complete
the sentences. Sentence completions test two separate aspects of your
verbal skills: your vocabulary and your ability to follow the internal
logic of sentences. These sentences are often quite complex.
Fortunately, there are some strategies that will greatly increase your
score on these questions. Each of these questions has one blank (or, on
some tests, two blanks) within a single sentence. Often the sentences
are long and difficult to follow, but with practice you can learn to
master them.

ix

501 Sentence Completion Questions because

Many standardized tests—including high school and college
entrance exams and civil service exams—use sentence completion
questions to test vocabulary and logic. Some of the “alphabet soup” of
exams that contain sentence completions are the:
ISEE
GRT
SAT I exam
word that PSAT/NMSQT
does exam
The wordsGRE
that General test
TOEFL/TOEIC exams

You might wonder what kinds of strategies you can use to master
sentence completions. When it comes to sentence completions, the
appear is the key to the meaning of the sentence.
do appear offer clues to the missing word. If you can
find out how the words that appear are connected, you can find the
correct answer. This means that you must know more than just the
meaning of the words involved. You must also understand the logic of
the sentence.
P Here is a sampling of strategies:

Read the entire sentence saying “blank” for the blank(s).

This gives you an overall sense of the meaning of the
sentence and helps you figure out how the parts of the
sentence relate to each other. If an answer occurs to you
before you even look at the choices, you may have a
synonym for the answer or the answer itself.
ay special attention to introductory and transitional
words—but, although, however, yet, even though—
they are key to forming the logical structure of the
sentence.
Be sure your choice is both logical and grammatically
correct.
If you don’t know some words, use elimination and
educated guessing, which means you are able to eliminate

501 Sentence Completion Questions brief and

one or more of the choices as definitely wrong; or
guessing from context when you know a related word.
 There are several types of sentence completions:

restatement
question: comparison
contrast cause
After a briefand
andeffect
violent

Here is an example of a cause-and-effect sentence completion

a. nuance
b. coup
c. solicitation
______ that ousted the president, General
d. upbraiding
Monsanto declared himself the dictator of the country.
e. lament

The answer is choice

b. A coup (n.) is a sudden and decisive

change
of leadership illegally or by force, a takeover. What (the cause) led the
______ out-of-
general to declare himself dictator (the result)? Something
date. a.
that ousted the president, a coup.
feckless
Here is an example of a restatement question:
b. empirical
c.Thebyzantine
city council formed a committee to simplify several dozen
d. slovenly
city ordinances that were unnecessarily complicated and
e. pedantic

xi
501 Sentence Completion Questions
 The answer is choice c, byzantine, an adjective
and that
for something
means “highly
that
complicated and intricate.” Here, you are looking for a restatement
of the clue words complicated and out-of-date, signal
needs simplifying .
As you practice sentence completions, you may discover and
phrases—clues that help you choose the correct answer. words
Here area
common signal words and an example for each kind of question:

Restatement: namely, in other words, in fact, that is ______. or

Example: The pickpocket was a trickster, in other words,
( The
scoundrel
answer, which restates “trickster,” might be knave
.) as, for exam-

Comparison: likewise, similarly, and, just as, as , Sam was

______
ple, as shown, as illustrated by
Example:
______ . Anna was cleared of all charges; similarly
(
The was
Sam answer compares to being “cleared of all charges,” so perhaps
vindicated.)
Contrast:
though,despite,
hand, but, however, although, however, despite, but, yet; on the
other or on the contrary
Although the tiger is a solitary beast, its cousin the lion is
a ______ animal.
(
The answer
gregarious oris something that contrasts with “solitary,” suchand
as
sociable.)
Cause and effect:
phrases such as thus, therefore, consequently, and
because due to, as a result, leads to
Example: A truck stole her parking spot; consequently,
(look showed her displeasure.
The answer
parking spot, would
maybe be a look caused by someone stealing Sally’s
scowling or sullen.)

xii Sally’s ______

501 Sentence Completion Questions
 The sentence completion question sets in this book),increase
but not soin
difficulty as you practice your way through them—from easy to
intermediate to advanced. These divisions may reflect how challenging
the vocabulary is or how complex the sentence structure is or how
challenging the logic of the sentence is.
The 501 Skill Builder in Focus exercises will help you prepare for
an exam in several ways. First, you will become familiar with the
question format. You will get used to identifying the relationships of
words within a sentence. The more comfortable you are with the
question format and the more familiar you are with the range of
sentence completion types, the easier the verbal or reading section of

Second, your performance on these questions will help you assess

your vocabulary strengths and weaknesses. For example, you may find
that you do very well with words that are cognates (words from a
common original form, such as asteroid and astronomy well on foreign
words, such as ennui or angst.
Third, you will learn, through practice, to spot and disregard wrong
answer choices. You may also discover a pattern to your wrong
answers. (Are you weak on cause-and-effect questions?)
In addition to this book, look for other sources of vocabulary
growth: software, audio and online courses, and books. One helpful
resource is LearningExpress’s Vocabulary and Spelling Success in 20
which helps
your test willboost
be. your vocabulary and your verbal

You have already taken an important step toward improving your

score. You have shown your commitment by purchasing this book.
Now what you need to do is complete each exercise, study the
answers, and watch your ability to solve sentence completions

Minutes a Day,
scores. increase.
Good luck! xiii
1. She hadn’t eaten all day, and by the time she got home she was
______.
a. blighted
b. confutative [ correct]
c. ravenous
d. ostentatious
e. blissful

Chapter 1
2. The movie offended many of the parents of its younger viewers by
including unnecessary ______ in the dialogue. a. vulgarity
b. verbosity
c. vocalizations
d. garishness [ correct ]
e. tonality

3. a. insentient501 Sentence Completion Questions

 His neighbors found his ______ manner bossy and irritating, and
they stopped inviting him to backyard barbeques.

magisterial
reparatory restorative
b.
[correct]
c.
d.
e. modest
4.
Steven is always ______ about showing up for work because he
feels that tardiness is a sign of irresponsibility. a. legible
b. tolerable
c. punctual
d. literal
e. belligerent

5.
Candace would ______ her little sister into an argument by teasing
her and calling her names. a. advocate
b. provoke
c. perforate
d. lamente
e. expunge

6.
The dress Ariel wore ______ with small, glassy beads, creating a
shimmering effect. a. titillated
b. reiterated
c. scintillated
d. enthralled
e. striated

7. Being able to afford this luxury car will ______ getting a betterpaying
job.
a. maximize
b. recombinant
c. reiterate
d. necessitate
e. reciprocate

2
8. a. coerced 501 Sentence Completion Questions
 9. Levina unknowingly ______ the thief by holding open the elevator
doors and ensuring his escape.

proclaimed

sanctioned

b.
c. abetted
10. Shakespeare, a(n) ______ writer, entertained audiences by writing
d.
many tragic and comic plays.
e. solicited

a. numeric
b. obstinate
c. dutiful
I had the ______ experience of sitting next to an over-talkative
11.
d. prolific
passenger on my flight home from Brussels.
e. generic
satisfactory
commendable

acceptable
a.
b.
12. c. galling
Prince Phillip had to choose: marry the woman he loved and ______
d. his right to the throne, or marry Lady Fiona and inherit the crown.
e. acute
reprimand

a.
b. upbraid
c. abdicate
If you will not do your work of your own ______, I have no choice
d. winnow
but to penalize you if it is not done on time.
e. extolpredilection

a.
b. coercion
c. excursion
d. volition
e. infusion 3
13. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
After sitting in the sink for several days, the dirty, food-encrusted
dishes became ______. malodorous

a.
perforated
b. prevalent
c. imposing
d.
e. emphatic
14.
Giulia soon discovered the source of the ______ smell in the room: a
week-old tuna sandwich that one of the children had hidden in the
closet. a. quaint
b. fastidious
c. clandestine
d. laconic
e. fetid

15.
After making ______ remarks to the President, the reporter was
not invited to return to the White House pressroom. a. hospitable
b. itinerant
c. enterprising
d. chivalrous
e. irreverent
16. With her ______ eyesight, Krystyna spotted a trio of deer on the
hillside and she reduced the speed of her car. a. inferior
b. keen
c. impressionable
d. ductile
e. conspiratorial

17. a. jaundiced 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. nefarious
With a(n) ______ grin, the boy quickly slipped the candy into his
c. pocket without his mother’s knowledge.
d.
e. impartial
stereotypical
sentimental

18. a. maudlin
b. Her ______ display of tears at work did not impress her new boss,
c. who felt she should try to control her emotions.
d. plausible
meritorious
e. schematic
precarious

19. a. acquitted
b. Johan argued, “If you know about a crime but don’t report it, you
steadfast
c. are ______ in that crime because you allowed it to happen.”
tenuous
d. complicit
e. nullified
20. a. The authorities, fearing a ______ of their power, called for a
b. military state in the hopes of restoring order.
c. subversion
d. premonition
infusion
e. predilection
inversion

21. a. The story’s bitter antagonist felt such great ______ for all of the
b. other characters that as a result, his life was very lonely and he died
c.
d. insurgence
e. malevolence
reciprocation
declamation
preference

22. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

It is difficult to believe that charging 20% on an outstanding credit
card balance isn’t ______! bankruptcy

a.
kleptomania
b. usury
c. novice
d.
e. flagrancy
23.
The ______ weather patterns of the tropical island meant tourists
had to carry both umbrellas and sunglasses. a. impertinent
b. supplicant
c. preeminent
d. illustrative
e. kaleidoscopic

24.
Wedding ceremonies often include the exchange of ______ rings to
symbolize the couple’s promises to each other. a. hirsute
b. acrimonious
c. plaintive
d. deciduous
e. votive

25. Kym was ______ in choosing her friends, so her parties were
attended by vastly different and sometimes bizarre personalities. a.
indispensable
b. indiscriminate
c. commensurate
d. propulsive
e. indisputable

26. Phillip’s ______ tone endeared him to his comical friends, but
irritated his serious father. a. aloof
b. jesting
c. grave
d. earnest
e. conservative
27. Brian’s pale Irish skin was ______ to burn if he spent too much
time in the sun. a. prone
b. urbane
c. eminent
d. erect
e. daunted

Chapter 2

28. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

A fan of historical fiction, Joline is now reading a novel about
slavery in the ______ South.

a. decorous
b. rogue
c. drollantebellum
d.
e. onerous
29. Over the years the Wilsons slowly ______ upon the Jacksons’
property, moving the stone markers that divided their lots farther and
farther onto the Jacksons’ land. a. encroached
b. jettisoned
c. conjoined
 d. repudiated
e. teemed

30.
Mary became ______ at typing because she practiced every day for six
months.
a. proficient
b. reflective
c. dormant
d. redundant
e. valiant
31. To find out what her husband bought for her birthday, Susan attempted to
______ his family members about his recent shopping excursions.
a. prescribe
b. probe
c. alienate
d. converge
e. revere

10

32. a. jovial 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. stealthy
Juan’s friends found him in a ______ mood after he learned he
c. paltry
would be homecoming king.
d. gullible
e. depleted

33. a.
34. b. churlish
His suit of armor made the knight ______ to his enemy’s attack,
c. and he was able to escape safely to his castle.
d. staticvulnerable
e.
invulnerable

imprudent
a. corrupt
Choosing a small, fuel-efficient car is a ______ purchase for a
35. b. tedious
c.
recent college graduate. unhallowed
d. sardonic
e. judicious

Such a ______ violation of school policy should be punished by

nothing less than expulsion.
a. copious
36. b. flagrant
c. raucous
d. nominal
e. morose

With all of the recent negative events in her life, she felt ______
forces must be at work.
a. resurgent
b.
premature
c.
malignant
d. punctilious
e. antecedent

11

37. a. bemused 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. prosaic
c. The ______ rumors did a great deal of damage even though they
d. ebullient
turned out to be false.
e.
 apocryphal
tantamount

38.
When her schoolwork got to be too much, Pam had a tendency to
______, which always put her further behind. a. dedicate
b. rejuvenate
c. ponder
d. excel
e. procrastinate

39.
Racha’s glance was a ______ invitation to speak later in private
about events of the meeting. a. trecherous
b. scintillating
c. tactful
d. tacit
e. taboo

40.
She reached the ______ of her career with her fourth novel, which
won the Pulitzer Prize. a. harbinger
b. apogee
c. metamorphosis
d. dictum
e. synthesis

41. The ______ townspeople celebrated the soldier’s return to his

home by adorning trees with yellow ribbons and balloons. a.
somber
b. jubilant
c. pitiless
d. cunning
e. unsullied

12
42. a. facetious 501 Sentence Completion Questions
b. abstruse
The governor-elect was hounded by a group of ______ lobbyists
c. and others hoping to gain favor with her administration.
d. fawning
e.
magnanimous

saccharine
43. college officials.
a. The mock graduation ceremony—with a trained skunk posing as
tempest
b. the college president—was a complete ______ that offended many
epitome
c.
d. travesty
e. recitative
quintessence

44. a. mottled
b. The busy, ______ fabric of the clown’s tie matched his oversized
bleak
c. jacket, which was equally atrocious.
credible
d. malleable
e.

communicable
45.
Kendrick’s talent ______ under the tutelage of Anya Kowalonek,
a. bantered
who as a young woman had been the most accomplished pianist in
b. touted
her native Lithuania.
c.
d.
e. colluded
flourished
embellished
 13

46. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The children were ______ by the seemingly nonsensical clues until

Kinan pointed out that the messages were in code.

a. censured
b. striated
c. feigned
prevaricated
d. flummoxed
e.
47.
As the ______ in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a hero able to capture
the audience’s sympathy by continually professing his love for Juliet.
a. protagonist
b. enigma
c. facade
d. activist
e. catechist

48.
The chess master promised to ______ havoc upon his opponent’s
pawns for taking his bishop. a. wreak
b. warrant
c. ensue
d. placate
e. endow

49.
I have always admired Seymour’s ______; I’ve never seen him
rattled by anything. a. aplomb
b. confluence
c. propriety
d. compunction
e. nostalgia
50. The soldiers received a military ______ to inspect all their vehicles
before traveling. a. allotment
b. dominion
c. affectation
d. calculation
e. mandate

14

Chapter 3
51. As ______ beings we live each day conscious of our shortcomings
and victories.
a. sensational
b. sentient
c. sentimental
d. static
e. senile

52. The curious crowd gathered to watch the irate customer ______
about the poor service he received in the restaurant. a. antiquate
b. trivialize
c. rant
d. placate
e. fetter

17
53. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
The man’s ______ driving resulted in a four-car pile-up on the

burdensome
charismatic
freeway. a.
exceptional
b.
c.
d. boastful
e. negligent
54.
Ron didn’t know the rules of rugby, but he could tell by the
crowd’s reaction that it was a critical ______ in the game. a.
acclamation
b. conviction
c. juncture
d. enigma
e. revelation
55.
My ancestor who lost his life in the Revolutionary War was a
______ for American independence. a. knave
b. reactionary
c. compatriot
d. nonconformist
e. martyr

56.
The ______ sound of the radiator as it released steam became an
increasingly annoying distraction. a. sibilant
b. scintillating
c. diverting
d. sinuous
e. scurrilous

57. It is helpful for salesmen to develop a good ______ with their

customers in order to gain their trust. a. platitude
b. rapport
c. ire
d. tribute
e. disinclination
 18

58. different topics.

501 Sentence Completion Questions
 heedless
In such a small office setting, the office manager found he had
b. ______ responsibilities that required knowledge in a variety
c. mutual
d. manifold
e.
complementary

a. correlative
untimely
59. b. precise
c. David’s ______ entrance on stage disrupted the scene and caused
lithe
d. the actors to flub their lines.
fortuitous
e. tensile

a. candid
60. b.
The settlers found an ideal location with plenty of ______ land for
c. arable
farming and a mountain stream for fresh water and irrigation.
d. timid
e. quaint
provincial

a. gangling
61.
b. studious
The ______ seventh-grader towered over the other players on his
c. mimetic
basketball team.
d. abject
e. reserved

19
62. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
Carson was at first flattered by the ______ of his new colleagues,
but he soon realized that their admiration rested chiefly on his
connections, not his accomplishments.

a. reprisal
b. adulation
c. bulwark
d. rapport
e. retinue
63.
For a(n) ______ fee, it is possible to upgrade from regular gasoline to
premium. a. nominal
b. judgmental
c. existential
d. bountiful
e. jovial

64.
Searching frantically to find the hidden jewels, the thieves
proceeded to ______ the entire house. a. justify
b. darken
c. amplify
d. ransack
e. glorify
65. The ______ deer stuck close to its mother when venturing out into the
open field. a. starling
b. foundling
c. yearling
d. begrudging
e. hatchling

20

66. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. enjoined
The police officer ______ the crowd to step back from the fire so
c. stagnated
that no one would get hurt. undulated
d.
e.
permeated
delineated

67. a. benefit
Jackson’s poor typing skills were a ______ to finding employment
b. at the nearby office complex.
c. partiality
d. hindrance
e. canon
temptation

68. Through ______, the chef created a creamy sauce by combining

brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a pan and cooking them over
a. impasse
medium-high heat.
b. obscurity
c.
d. diversion
69. e. decadence

liquefaction

a. The defendant claimed that he was innocent and that his

coerced
b. confession was ______.
flagrant
c. terse
d. benign
e. futile

21

70. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Harvey was discouraged that his visa application was ______ due to
a.
hislethargic
six convictions. immeasurable
b.
c. nullified
segregated aggravated
d.
e.
71.
The rebel spies were charged with ______ and put on trial. a.
sedition
b. attrition
c. interaction
d. reiteration
e. perdition
72.
Keith was ______ in his giving to friends and charities throughout
the year, not just during the holidays. a. munificent
b. portly
c. amphibious
d. guileful
e. forensic

73.
Calvin reached the ______ of his career in his early thirties when he
became president and CEO of a software company. a. zephyr
b. plethora
c. vale
d. nocturne
e. zenith

74. Although I’d asked a simple “yes” or “no” question, Irfan’s reply
was ______, and I didn’t know how to interpret it. a. prodigal
b. irate
c. equivocal
d. voracious
e. harrowing

22

75. a. expiation501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The high-profile company CEO was given an ______ for speaking at
b.the monthly meeting of the area business leaders’ society.
c.
d. honorarium inoculation
e. interpretation
inquisition

23
76. Zachary was doomed to a miserable life, for no matter how much he
had, he always ______ the possessions of others. a. protracted
b. exalted
c. engendered
d. coveted
e. filibustered

77. Sheila’s grueling hike included passing through numerous ______.

Chapter 4
a. terrariums
b. neoprene
c. jurisdictions
d. ravines
e. belfries

27

78. a. staid 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The college professor was known on campus as a
______ character—bland but harmless and noble in his

b. stagnant
c. auspicious
d. sterile
e. dogmatic
79.
Because he was so ______, the athlete was able to complete the
obstacle course in record time. a. belligerent
b. nimble
c. demure
d. volatile
e. speculative

80.
The toy store’s extensive inventory offered a ______ of toys from
baby items to video games for teenagers. a. manifold
b. lexicon
c. burrow
d. gamut
e. motif

81. With sunscreen and a good book, April ______ by the pool in her
lounge chair while the children swam. a. ensconced
b. sustained
c. expelled
d. transcended
e. lolled

28
82. a. vainglory 501 Sentence Completion Questions
 NaQuan had a terrible habit of boasting so much about his
smallest accomplishments that his ______ became
b. timidity
renowned throughout the small college campus.
c. diffidence
d.
e. mockery

tempestuousness

sarcastic. a.
Only a small number of people in the audience laughed at the
83. b. avaricious
c. venturous
comic’s ______ sense of humor, while the rest found him to be
d. dauntless
too consequential
e. mordant

a. advocate
He has long been a(n) ______ of year-round school, believing
84. b. levity
c. detractor
it would significantly improve learning and ease the burden on
d. epiphany
e.
working parents. connoisseur

Tired of hearing the child whine for more candy, the babysitter
a. relented
finally ______ and offered him a piece of chocolate.
b. abated
85.
c. rendered
d. placated
e.
enumerated

29
86. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
Dogs growl and show their teeth in an attempt to ______ the
animal or person they perceive as a threat.

a. bolster
b. waylay
exacerbate
c. cow
d.
e. appease
87.
In biology class, Sabine observed the slug’s ______, its barely
discernible movement in the tank. a. parody
b. prescience
c. torpor
d. insight
e. vigor

88.
The ______ instinct of a watchdog is to attack strangers who enter its
home.
a. judicious
b. intimate
c. pragmatic
d. melancholy
e. primal
89.
The battalion’s ______ was a well-fortified structure near the
enemy lines. a. labyrinth
b. summary
c. villa
d. vinculum
e. garrison
90. Much to my surprise, my teenage daughter was ______ to the idea of
going out with me on Friday night instead of with her friends. a.
contrite
b. impartial
c. partisan
d. deferential
e. amenable

30

91. the ocean. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

trifleThe enormous waves forced the lobster boat to ______ heavily to
b. the starboard side, causing crates of lobsters to topple and fall into
c. list
d. expedite
e. degenerate

disseminate
92. a. pliant
Walking through the ______ forest in spring was a welcome escape
b. verdant
from the cold, gray winter we had spent in the city.
c. factious
d. bland
e.

his dog.innocuous
93. a. mandate
Nina called the humane society when she saw her neighbor ______
b. forebode
c. maltreat
d. stipulate
e. peruse

a. jolt
94.
b. bristle
Meredith used the ______ to steer the horse and keep him in line.
c. chine
95. d. quirt
Oliver was unable to ______ himself from the difficulties he had
caused by forging the documents.
e. hearth

a. reprove
b. pique
c. oust
d. extricate
e. broach

31

96. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The ______ of our expedition was still so far away that I felt we
would never get there.

a. nadir
b. speculation
terminus
c.
d. apex
e. dungeon
97.
If he expected to ______ as a doctor, Lou knew he would have to
study hard in medical school and work long hours to gain
experience and skill. a. perpetrate
b. palliate
c. palpitate
d. prosper
e. mediate

98. Doc Wilson grew up in Florida and was not prepared to face the
______ climate of the Alaskan winter. a. freshwater
b. gelid
c. compendious
d. subsidiary
 e. improvident

99. Marvin’s ______ prevented him from finishing his work and was
evidenced in his large phone bills. a. loquacity
b. heroism
c. decadence
d. depreciation
e. rescission

32

100. a. narthex 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The graph clearly showed the company reaching the ______ in
b. profits
gullet during the 1980s when the economy was in a boom period.
c. gamut
d.
e. vertex
quiescence

33
101. Amie agrees with the ______ that the grass is always greener on
the other side of the fence. a. perpetuity
b. penchant
c. maxim
d. conformation
e. fortitude

102. Victor Frankenstein’s creature was a(n) ______, detested by

Chapter 5
everyone he met. a. itinerant
b. anathema
c. cosmopolitan
d. mercenary
e. anomaly

37

103. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Jack Nicholson was at the ______ of his career when he
a. detriment
received the Oscar for Best Actor.
b. pinnacle
c. oligarchy
d. rogue
e. repose

104.
 a. finesse
Ariana was outstanding as the moderator; she handled the
b. intensely heated debate with great ______, diplomatically
and tactfully keeping the conversation fair and on track.
c. prowess
d. succor
pretentiousness
e. aversion

105.

a. guile
b. The class endured a loud and lengthy ______ by the teacher on the
polemic
c. subject of submitting written work on time.
bravado
d. tirade
e. heresy

106.

a. savvy
Lauren’s ______ features, what you first noticed about her,
b. affluent
were her stunning black hair and large, dark eyes.
c.
d. universal
e. malicious
predominant

38

107. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Whenever Tom and I would argue he would ______ with his hands
a. interject
and body to accentuate his point.
b. infuse
c.
 d. conjure
gesticulate
e.
encumber
108.
a. Must we be subjected to your ______ complaints all day long?
tiresome
b. fearsome
c. awesome
d. gleesome
e.
wholesome
109.
The new political candidate refused to print ______ about her
aboutaggressive
her. a. opponent, but that did not stop him from printing lies
b.
dispensation
c. rendition
d. libel assignation
e.

110. compunction

a. Awkwardly tall and prone to tripping over her own feet, Grace felt
b. her name was truly a ______.
c. misnomer
preoccupation
d. garrulity
universality
e.
benevolence

39
111. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
Although the villagers’ lives were profoundly different from her
own, Jing-Mae felt a deep ______ for the people when she served
a. in the Peace Corps.
b. affinity
reparation
c.
injunction
d. exigency
e. analogy

112.
Sometimes late at night Sharon would gaze joyfully at her children
as they slept and ______ in their innocence.
a. sneer
b. ostracize
c. revel
d. repudiate
e. antiquate

113.
In the famous balcony scene, Romeo ______ Juliet’s beauty in one
of the most romantic soliloquies ever written.
a. sanctions
b. extols
c. peruses
d. beguiles
e. fetters

114. the desert. a.

It was ______ to think that it could possibly snow in the middle of
b.
c. erodingadvantageous
d. philosophical
e.
preventative
preposterous
 40

115. a. ignore 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 Every evening at the restaurant, the reporter would eavesdrop on the
b. Mayor’s conversations in order to ______ any information that
glean
c. could make headlines.
extol
d. extend
e. narrate

a. ligature
The surgeon placed a ______ on the femoral artery to bind it
116. b. doctrine
c. premise
d. synopsis
e. during the long and exhausting surgery. degeneration

By sheer ______ force, the men pushed the truck to the side of the
road and out of danger.
a. virile
117. b.
persnickety
c.
d. suavemeticulous
e.
contentious

Based on his recent poor decisions, it was obvious that Seth lacked
even a ______ of good sense. debasement
a.
118. b. diversion
disapprobation
c.
submission
d.
e. modicum

41
119. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
To settle the dispute, the students elected a faculty member to
serve as a(n) ______.

a. maverick
b. dystopia
c. arbiter
d. fiduciary
e. martyr
120.
The ______ newspaper accounts of the city scandal caused some
readers to question the truth of the stories. a. lurid
b. vivacious
c. blithesome
d. prolific
e. amicable

121.
The ______ man with amnesia was unable to recognize where he
was.
a. endogenous
b. euphoric
c. nonplussed
d. amicable
e. pliable
122.
Justin’s ______ solution to the problem revealed that he did not
spend much time considering the consequences. a. facile
b. obsolete
c. resilient
d. pristine
e. ardent
123. The events of the evening ______ without difficulty despite the
lack of planning on the part of the host. a. expired
b. transpired
c. retired
d. ensured
e. extorted

42

124. chooses. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

125. It is every American person’s ______ to live the life he or she
b.
c. composite
eloquence
d. allusion
prerogative
e. demise

a. After the boisterous customers left the café without tipping, Carlos
b. ______ at them through the restaurant’s front window.
jostled
c. interjected
glowered
d. emulated
e. skulked

43
126. People often referred to Noelle as ______ because she trusted
everyone and even slept with her doors unlocked. a. naïve
b. elevated
c. boastful
d. panoramic
e. elated

127. Kinnel’s re-election is being threatened by a growing ______ of

Chapter 6
disgruntled union members. a. rogue
b. faction
c. pariah
d. guise
e. anathema

47

128. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The peasants passed their weary days in much ______ and little
pertinence

comfort. a.
b. renown
c. travail
d. exile
e. repose
129.
Lyasia is a ______ of the clarinet; she has performed solos with
many orchestras and bands around the world. a. neophyte
b. novice
c. virtuoso
d. termagant
e. plethora

130.
The children knew that once their father made his decision, the new
rule would be ______ because he would never change his mind. a.
irrevocable
b. articulate
c. premeditated
d. serried
e. discourteous
131.
The haunted house displayed ______ scenes in every room,
causing squeamish visitors to scream. a. preparatory
b. archaic
c. macabre
d. precocious
e. impetuous

132. The concert audience was frustrated by the poor ______ of the
sounds coming from the speakers. a. modulation
b. recrimination
c. terminus
d. dissidence
e. assertion

48

133. promotion! 501 Sentence Completion Questions

renege
Please don’t ______ me my success—I’ve worked hard to earn this
b. begrudge
c. excise
134. d. staunch
With an ______ blow of the whistle, the meddling parent
interrupted the game to reiterate the rules of the tournament.
e. vaunt
industrious

a.
b. illustrious
c. eloquent
135. d. The candidate’s inappropriately sexist remark was met with a
officious
e. ______ of denunciations from the angry crowd.
enviable

dichotomy
a. bastion
b. fusillade
c. mélange
136. d. The ______ employee decided to complain publicly about the
unacceptable working conditions.
e. solecism

precarious
malcontent
a. discreet
stupendous
b. prudent
c.
137. The medicine man applied a sweet smelling ______ to the young
d.
e.

brave’s wounds.
triad
b. corrosive
c. parcel
d. unguent
e. pungent

49
138. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The judge dismissed the extraneous evidence because it was not

______ to the trial.
a. pertinent
b. pretentious synonymous
c.
inalienable
d. abject
e.
139.
The ______ nature of the song is supposed to be reminiscent of
shepherds calling to their flocks at night. a. vocative
b. endemic
c. surreptitious
d. preternatural
e. inane

140.
The ______ child caused great difficulties for her parents and
teachers because she refused to correct her bad behavior even in
the face of punishment. a. adorable
b. sincere
c. incorrigible
d. lamentable
e. demure
141. The internist decided to treat the ______ with medication, but also
recommended rest and proper nutrition. a. malady
b. nonentity
c. missive
d. repository
e. nonchalance

50

142. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. jaunt
It was such a beautiful day that I decided to go for a ______ on my
c. bike down to the local park.
d. repastexpedition
e.
pilgrimage

intimation
143. a. beset
b. The castaway’s hut was ______ by the natives curious to see who
surmised
c. the intruder was upon their island.
precluded
d. garnered
e. lauded

144. a. daunt
b. Sometimes my grandmother would ______ all different types of
raddle
c. thread so she could include more colors in the clothes she sewed.
scrabble
d. thrush
e. empower
145. a. pervaded
The defense attorney’s choice of words ______ that there were other
b. possible versions of the crime, but the jury was unconvinced.
c.
insinuated
d. imposed
e.
discounted

ensconced

Ted’s enthusiasm for becoming a professional drum player ______

146. a. waxed
when he realized he would have to practice several hours a day.
b. waned
c. deranged
d. flouted
e.

preempted

51

147. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Some would say Muzak is a(n) ______ form of music, a kind of

background noise designed to be heard but not listened to.

a. arable
degenerate
b.
c. volatile
d. pivotal
exemplary
e.
148.
The teacher was dismissed for the ______ act of helping his
students cheat on the exam. a. steadfast
b. meritorious
c. unconscionable
d. pristine
e. fortuitous

149.
The reformed criminal could not forget his guilty past; he was in a
living state of ______. a. perdition
b. tact
c. composure
d. principle
e. veracity

150. The ______ yoga instructor waited patiently for her students to
find the proper pose, which she performed with ease. a. unabashed
b. lissome
c. cosmopolitan
d. sneering
e. disparaging

52

151. When we first meet Romeo, he is ______ over his unrequited love
for Rosaline. a. brooding
b. ogling
c. meandering
d. embellishing
e. groveling
152. Because it had been worn and washed so often, Linus’s favorite
tshirt was tattered and ______ with holes. a. salvaged
b. circulated
c. riddled
d. emulated
e. congregated

Chapter 7

55

153. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Henley’s ______ remarks about my presentation did not bother me
because I knew I’d done a good job. derogatory

a.
capricious
b. voracious
c. tactile
d.
e. amiable
154. Eels swim using a rapid ______ motion that propels them through the
water.
a. dissipating
b. undulating
c. eradicating
 d. objurgating
e. irritating
155.
Sick and tired of her boring job, Cecilia began to ______ what it
would be like to quit. a. ponder
b. disengage
c. negate
d. relinquish
e. alleviate

156.
The way my father likes to ______with any salesperson to see if he
can bargain for a lower price is embarrassing. a. striate
b. variegate
c. capitulate
d. teem
e. wrangle

157. The ______ construction crew built large new buildings all over the
East Coast, wherever the demand for qualified workers took them. a.
laconic
b. irresolute
c. itinerant
d. parietal
e. peremptory

56

158. a. injurious 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. The CEO’s large expense accounts proved she was a ______
c. liberal
spender with the company’s money.
d.
e. insolvent
ineffectual

malignant

159. a. recusant
160. b. Daniela found the unchanging rhythm of the musical piece to be
annoyingly ______.
c. irreverent
d. coherent
monotonous
e. redolent

a.
The young, thin boy surprised his wrestling opponent with his
161. b. wiry
c. ______ strength. fraudulent
d.
frolicsome
e. endemic
pretentious

The new actress’s talents were severely ______ by the local critics;
a. she went on to be a distinguished member of a well-respected
acting company. underrated
b. berated
c. placated
d. dissuaded
e. interred

57

162. a. buffoon 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 To hide his insecurity, Barton often acted like a ______ so that he
could make people laugh.

b. martyr
c. neophyte
d. plebian
e. wraith
163.
When Arnold’s grandmother began to complain about the
excruciating pain in her knees and legs, she was referred to an
______ specialist for a diagnosis. a. optical
b. oral
c. archeological
d. osteopathic
e. psychological

164.
Charlie’s ______ behavior made it clear that he had been highly
educated in matters of etiquette. a. decorous
b. surreptitious
c. erratic
d. caustic
e. irksome

165. Staring at the ______ crystal blue water of the sea, Eileen thought
she had never seen anything so beautiful. a. flamboyant
b. appalling
c. devious
d. pristine
e. fiery

58
166. a. jaunty 501 Sentence Completion Questions
 Wearing the designer’s latest fashions, the ______ clothing model
b. tranquil
c. fanatical
sashayed down the runway. contemplative
d. recessive
e.

Given his ______ nature, it was appropriate that he decided to be a

trial lawyer after law school. engrossed

167. a. lackluster
b.
c. penitent
d. litigious
e. obsolete
After her relationship ended, Patty, feeling ______, insisted on

playing sad love songs repeatedly. persuasive

168. a. infallible
b. plausible
c. formative
Sanji went abroad as a ______ young man; when he returned two
d. mawkish
years later, he seemed like an experienced man of the world.
e.
egalitarian

169. a. sardonic
loquacious
b.
c. reticent
d. callow
e.

59
170. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
Normally distinguished and reserved, Robert would act ______
when he joined his friends to cheer for their old high school team
at annual the homecoming game.

a. indignant
b. oafish
c. poignant
d. reputable
e. obdurate
171.
The protesters were concerned that the proposed legislation would
have a(n) ______ effect on the state’s nature preserves. a. scintillating
b. deleterious
c. insipid
d. punctilious
e. parsimonious

172.
Not swayed by his student’s ______ flattery, the professor told him
that his grade would not be changed. a. forlorn
b. striated
c. undulating
d. unctuous
e. frowsy
173. Tonya found Isaac’s public declarations of his love for her ______
and embarrassing. a. necrotic
b. intriguing
c. witless
d. malodorous
e. pliant

60

174. a. servile 501 Sentence Completion Questions

175. The young kitten had a ______ look on its face when it noticed the
b. diligent
c. scornful
d. menacing
pavid dog entering the yard. optimistic
e.

According to pirate lore, a terrible ______ would follow whoever

opened the treasure chest.
a. precursor
b. precession
c. rendition
d. insurgence
e. malediction

61
176. A(n) ______ spirit only causes more stress and strife; it is better to
forgive and forget. a. apathetic
b. restorative
c. flaccid
d. vindictive
e. fortuitous

177. When we were renovating the old house, we found a(n) ______ of

Chapter 8
$10 and $20 bills hidden inside the old laundry chute. a. odyssey
b. matrix
c. lament
d. fodder
e. cache

65

178. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Even though the pilot promised it was safe, Neil was ______ to fly
during a snowstorm.

overzealous
a. habitual
b.
c. pavid
d. reluctant
e. salacious
179.
Ron has few friends because he is ______ and cares only about himself.
a. mundane
b. intrepid
c. garrulous
d. voracious
e. egocentric

180.
The workers attempted to ______ the supervisor’s authority by
negotiating terms with the clients themselves. a. contradict
b. instigate
c. resonate
d. placate
e. undermine

181.
The student failed his research paper because he chose to ______
material from a another author’s work. a. authorize
b. stimulate
c. overrule
d. plagiarize
e. meditate

182. The ______ old cowboy had a complexion that spoke of many
years in the desert sun, rounding up wild horses. a. secular
b. suave
c. turgid
d. wizened
e. truant

66

183. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. advanced
The swimmer’s back injury ______ his prospects for a gold medal
c. at the world championship competition. compelled
d.
184. e. jeopardized
maintained
expounded

a. As Ramiro strolled through his old neighborhood, he noticed

sounds and smells that were ______ of his childhood.
b. malleable
c. belligerent
d. recondite
reminiscent
185. e. incessant

a. Lynette had to learn the ______ of the insurance profession before

lexicon
b. she felt comfortable describing products to her clients.
classicism
c. juncture
d. cessation
186. e. asperity

Marta had to pay off her ______ to the credit card company before
a. stipend
she could get a mortgage.
b. liability
c.
d.
187. e. remuneration
concession
consolidation

The local high school issued a ______ on field trips until the bus
a.
was repaired; then traveling could begin again.
b.
indispensability
c.
divergence
d. moratorium
e. subjection
compulsion

67
188. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
With Justine’s ______ nature and passion for art, she would make
an excellent tour guide for the museum.

a. volatile
b. congenial
c. servile
d. fledgling
e. trite
189.
Patrice was a(n) ______ girl when she was teenager—long-limbed
and constantly tripping over her own feet. a. blithe
b. resolute
c. ungainly
d. preternatural
e. conducive

190.
The employee’s claim of being out with the flu did not seem very
______ because he returned from sick leave with a deep tan. a.
inattentive
b. inarticulate
c. tactful
d. plausible
e. vulnerable
191.
The con man used his ______ to convince the elderly woman to
sign over her life savings to him. a. estuary
b. melee
c. flagrancy
d. malleability
e. wile
192. Mike proved to be ______ throw after throw, hitting the carnival
dart game’s bull’s eye every time. a. sedentary
b. temporal
c. mediocre
d. infallible
e. infeasible

68

193. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. Patrick, who was always joking, added ______ to the formal dinner,
c. tutelage
which his sedate employer did not appreciate.
d. levitycontemplation
e. ordinance
sincerity

194. a.
b. Sunlight shining through a window was an obvious ______ in the
c. nearly every one of the artist’s works.
d. motifdisjunction
e. hindrance
variance
repugnance

195. a. latent
I like listening to Wesley go on about politics and social issues; his
b. explicit
c. opinions are ______ with my own beliefs.
d.
e. rife
consonant
ensconced

196. a. servile
b. Most people will find the film silly and childish in its humor; the
petulant
most ______ viewers will find it downright crass and offensive.
c. fastidious
d. arcane
197. e. boisterous

Even though he wanted to win the game, the coach felt that he
would be ______ if he let the injured quarterback continue to play.
a. contentious
b. remiss
c. erudite
d. stringent
e. reputable

69

198. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The goal of any company is to have its product name become

______—constantly at the forefront of the consumer’s mind.

a. garrulous
b. unctuous
tremulous
c. ubiquitous
d. portentous
e.
199.
During the holiday season, the ______ theme is “Peace on Earth,
Goodwill Toward All.” a. mitigated
b. arrogant
c. controversial
d. prevalent
e. prestigious
200. Our cottage by the sea offers many days of relaxation with warm
sunshine and soothing ______. a. zephyrs
b. dervishes
c. stanchions
d. ebbs
e. torques

Chapter 9

70

201. When Melinda arrived in the impoverished city, she was

immediately ______ by bands of children begging for food. a.
bedraggled
b. accosted
c. infiltrated
d. rebuked
e. exacerbated

202. According to the terms of the agreement, if Nicole defaulted on

her loan, she would have to ______ her house and car, both
which would become property of the bank. a. usurp
b. evince
c. debut
d. forfeit
e. stigmatize
 73

203. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Tony was tired of roommate’s petty ______ about his personal life,
so he moved out. appeasements

a.
b. quips
c. quotas
d. rallies
e. iniquities
204.
The food at the buffet table was a ______ array of delights that
even the most disciplined dieter would find difficult to resist. a.
tempestuous
b. tantamount
c. truculent
d. temporal
e. tantalizing
205.
After fighting the five-alarm fire, the ______ firefighter could not
relax enough to unwind and get some rest. a. amicable
b. treacherous
c. pliable
d. durable
e. overwrought
206. For years Henry bore the ______ of being the only man in five
generations of his family not to make the varsity baseball team. a.
stigma
b. brunt
c. treatise
d. scintillation
e. punctiliousness

74

207. price. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

a. haggle
Tabitha found an overpriced dining table at the antique shop and
b. stipulate
tried to ______ with the shopkeeper, but he refused to lower the
c.
d. ruminate
e. confer
annunciate

208. a. mandated
The firefighter was ______ in the news for his heroic rescue of a
b. inferred
c. child from a burning house.
d.
e. lauded
reconstituted
augmented

209. a. dilate
b. Although she was on a diet, Hannah intended to ______ in the
enervate
c. feast of Thanksgiving.
expunge
210. d. nullify
The villagers locked their doors when they heard about the pirates
who were ______ unprotected villages along the island’s coastline.
e. partake
reforming
marauding
reclaiming
a. conceding
recapitulating
b.
c.
d.
e.

75

211. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

I could tell by Angelica’s ______ tone that she was still very angry
ingratiating

with me. a.
b. adjacent
c. oblique
d. acerbic
e. eloquent
212.
After years of living at a(n) ______ pace, Paola decided it was time
to slow down and learn how to relax. a. frenetic
b. pedestrian
c. pretentious
d. colloquial
e. insipid

213.
The hospital had an outbreak of chicken pox and was forced to
______ all patients and staff to prevent more infected victims. a.
clandestine
b. saturate
c. germinate
d. quarantine
e. aggregate
214.
Living on several acres of land dotted with oak and maple trees
makes autumn leaf-raking a ______ task. a. fatuous
b. toilsome
c. tardy
d. obsequious
e. fawning

215. Acting in the high school play served to ______ Ander’s appetite
for professional acting. a. satiate
b. whet
c. purport
d. incriminate
e. corral

76

216. cottage. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

a. territory
It would take many hours of cleaning and repairing for the young
b. manor
family to transform the ______ into a clean and comfortable little
c. hovel
217. d. demesne
Ms. Lu allowed her son a great deal of ______ in spending his
birthday money, because she believed it should be his decision.
e. hacienda
injunction

assimilation

a. declamation
b.
c. latitude
218. d. It was once believed that alchemists could ______ common metals
e. stimulus
transmute

to gold. a.
b. commute
c. execute
d. repute
The close-up of the actor drinking the popular brand of cola in the
219. e. denote
movie was a ______ display of commercialism.
dispassionate

a.
gratuitous
b. languid
unpunctual
c. apathetic
d.
e.

77
220. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Juneod was ______ after his alibi proved that he could not have
committed the crime.
a. acquitted
b. protracted
c. derided
d. denounced acquainted
e.
221.
This summer’s movies are ______ for audiences of escape-the-heat
mindless entertainment—not one film offers a substantive or even
plausible plot. a. privation
b. dulcet
c. jargon
d. fodder
e. germane

222.
The dictator used propaganda and intimidation to ______ the
revolution. a. prelude
b. intimate
c. congregate
d. irradiate
e. quell
223. Standing on the ______, the preacher greeted the parishioners
every Sunday morning. a. steeple
b. pillar
c. parvis
d. manifestation
e. sensor

78

224. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

225. Simona’s ______ with her money caught up with her when she
b. didn’t have the resources to buy a badly needed new car.
c. miserliness
thriftiness
d. intuition
e. wantonness

predilection

a. The architect designed the ceiling using wood ______ that would
b. remain uncovered, creating a rustic ambience in the living room.
joists
c. pediments
mullions
d. banisters
e.

abutments

79
226. When the house on the corner burned down, the entire neighborhood
______ together to help to the victims re-establish their lives. a.
rallied
b. recited
c. skulked
d. disintegrated
e. expedited

Chapter 10
227. The massage therapist’s ______ fingers quickly eased the tension in
Blanche’s back. a. deft
b. furtive
c. listless
d. tentative
e. blithe

83

228. be unsafe. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 Jade’s parents were in ______ about the decision not to allow her
to drive the family car to the prom; they both agreed that it would

a. affluence
b. redress
c. refraction
d. discord
e. unison
229.
As she walked through the halls of her old grade school, Madeline
became ______, remembering her old friends and teachers. a. prolific
b. nostalgic
c. credulous
d. precocious
e. ambitious

230.
After being cleared of all charges for slander, the attorney was able to
go back to work and ______ his role as a prosecutor. a. inhibit
b. reprimand
c. remand
d. resume
e. dissipate

231.
Ignacio’s pain was so ______ that he called 911. a.
remiss
b. rapacious
c. genteel
d. resolute
e. acute
232. The captain ______ the cargo to keep his ship afloat. a.
rebuked
b. listed
c. disunited
d. flanked
e. jettisoned

84
233. a. wane 501 Sentence Completion Questions
234. The teacher tried to ______ her class of their dependence on the
number lines pasted to the tops of their desks.

b. wax
c. whet
235. The young girl was so full of enthusiasm and ______ that
d. wean
she infected the room with energy.
e. wield
languidness

a.
b. apathy
c. vivacity
236. Ricky is a ______ of the local coffee shop; you can find him
d. blandness
there just about every morning.
e. tenacity

a. diva
b. relic
237. c. denizen
The child danced with ______ joy at hearing the news that her
d. maverick
e. pariah
father had arrived home from his lengthy business trip.

a. staid
restrained
b. unbridled
c. stealthy
d. Having never left the landlocked Midwest his entire life, Albert
beneficial
e. found that swimming in the ocean was quite a(n) ______.
familiarity

a.
tabernacle
b. extrovert
c. instinct
d. novelty
e. 85
238. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The rowdy crowd at the music concert ______ Herve, and he

spilled his soda on his pants.

a. jettisoned
b. harrowed
c. jostled
d. laudedsuperceded
e.
239.
Known for his strong command of the courtroom, it was common
knowledge that Judge Disantis considered outbursts from defendants
to be ______. a. questionable
b. objectionable
c. antisocial
d. pliable
e. visionary

240.
Blinded by ______, Nicholas accepted the job offer with the
highest pay but the least possibility of making him happy. a.
ennui
b. heresy
c. infamy
d. avarice
e. temperance
241. It was very unprofessional of you to ______ your assistant in front of
everyone at the meeting; she deserves more respect, and any
criticism of her performance should be done in private. a. placate
b. augment
c. usurp
d. preclude
e. deride

86

242. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The log cabin had a(n) ______ feel, so it was often enjoyed
a. abstract
by vacationers from the city throughout the year.
b. ersatz
c. rustic
d. raucous
e. repellent

243.
We knew Jana had ______ motives for running for class
president: She wanted the nearby parking space that came with
a. anterior
the office.
b. interior
c. inferior
d. posterior
e. ulterior

244.

The town board heard many outraged and ______ arguments from
the citizens against the destruction of some wooded areas in order
a. tenuous
to build a new mall.
b.
 c. vacuous
vociferous
d. satisfied
e. egregious

245.
The villainous gang’s hideout was a den of ______ that no
a. one would dare to enter. innocence
b. habitants
c. iniquity
d. accolades
e. innovation

87

246. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Indigestion is a common ______ of participating in a hot-dog

euphemism
eating contest.
b. penchant
juxtaposition
c. corollary
d.
e. itinerary
247.
Although it was so ridiculous that no one believed it to be true, the
reporter’s ______ still cost the governor his re-election.
a. hegemony
b. sedition
c. malaise
d. compendium
e. calumny
248.
People on the street stopped to ______ over the artist’s rendition of
the Eiffel Tower, amazed by his ability to capture the detail. a.
bedazzle
b. innovate
c. gratify
d. counteract
e. objectify
249.
The veteran lieutenant was not happy with his ______ rank behind the
two inexperienced men. a. tertiary
b. silly
c. unctuous
d. superior
e. fastened

250. The prime minister was admired by all, a(n) ______ even in an
environment of corruption and disdain. a. admonishment
b. alleviation
c. nonpareil
d. prototype
e. profanation

88

251. The queen’s ______ fell ill during his journey and was unable to
negotiate on her behalf when he arrived at the economic summit. a.
penury
b. miscreant
c. emissary
d. denizen
e. zealot
252. Tai was ______ by a series of setbacks that nearly made him miss his
deadline.
a. ensconced
b. relegated
c. beleaguered
d. solicited
e. winnowed

Chapter 11

91

253. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

New York boasts many ______ restaurants—places that are elegant
and frequented by famous movie stars, political figures, and other
elite members of society.

a. pungent
b. poshdiminutive
c.
d. mediocre
e. middling
254. Patsy was shocked to discover how much higher her IQ was than the
______.
a. norm
b. stimulation
 c. prudence
d. solitude
e. derivative
255.
Although she appeared confident, once she began her speech, the
valedictorian’s ______ voice indicated her nervousness. a.
supercilious
b. resonant
c. tenuous
d. placating
e. tremulous
256. Danielle cannot seem to find her niche in life; she has changed her
______ at least three times in the past ten years. a. automation
b. vocation
c. plethora
d. pliancy
e. combustion

92

257. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. intrepid
The discovery of the new element was ______; the scientist was
c. eloquent
looking for something else.
d. insignificant
e. emollient

inadvertent

258.
259. a. nascent
A charming painting of a pleasant ______ landscape hung above
Vitaly’s fireplace, in marked contrast to the noise and lights of the
b. histrionic
bustling city outside his window.
c. bucolic
d.
e. ersatz

indigenous

classmates. a.
260. b. Aidan, who has always been painfully shy, was very ______ by
the news that he would have to do a presentation in front of his
c. relegated
d.
discomfited
e. castigated
circumvented

promulgated
a. alleged
b. provided
c. Since his parents had little money, Peter was ______ to his uncle
obliged
for paying for his college education.
d. demented
e. fortified

93

261. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. With great ______, we stepped gingerly onto the planks of the
c. dilapidated bridge that spanned a rocky stream twenty feet below.
perdition
d. trepidation
refraction
e. instigation
 endowment

262.
At the risk of sounding like an ______, the teacher assigned extra
homework for the weekend. a. oaf
b. ogre
c. impost
d. alcove
e. anathema

263.
Felix felt that his mother’s request to run her errands was a huge
______ since he would have rather watched a soccer match with his
friends that afternoon. a. justification
b. imposition
c. preponderance
d. deviation
e. recourse

264. The paper was ______ so that it could be easily removed from the
bound notebook. a. voracious
b. infectious
c. fickle
d. perforated
e. fluent

94
265. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
The mad scientist ______ the potion with acid, making it not only
useless, but also dangerous. corrugated implemented

a. Jayne’s paintings were not minimalist, but they were ______, using
b. vitiated
only the most elemental and essential elements.
266. c.
d. instigated
e. titillated
pernicious
perfunctory
abstemious

a. elliptical
Wendell’s prolonged illness was the ______ that ignited his interest
in science and led to his illustrious career in medical research.
b. truculent
267.
c. hyperbole
d.
e.

a. Stopping to admire the ______ in the front yard, the young woman
b. continued on with her gardening duties.
catalyst
268.
c. penchant
d. insolence
e. caveat

a. The river, ______ with new-fallen rain, overflowed its banks and
paradigm
b. flooded the tiny village in a matter of hours.
compost
269.
c. clutter
d. oleander
redundant
e. patagium
equivalent
quarantined

a. placated
b. turgid
c.
 d.
e. 95

270. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

In a(n) ______ expression of pleasure, the infant clapped her hands
and squealed with joy.

obligatory peremptory
a. overt
b.
c. illusive
d.
e. turbulent
271.
Paula’s ______ humor does not amuse many people; rather many
find it offensive and hurtful. a. nebulous
b. truncated
c. stoic
d. vitriolic
e. flirtatious

272.
The play’s ______ debut was not a good sign for the struggling producer.
a. unsubstantial
b. inauspicious
c. copious
d. disembodied
e. immaterial

273.
At one time it was in ______ for women to wear gloves and hats
whenever they were out in public. a. gore
b. gauge
c. vogue
d. brawn
e. vain
274. To ensure that Brenda wouldn’t know where we were going for her
birthday, I took the most ______ route I could think of. a. ardent
b. craven
c. enigmatic
d. circuitous
e. mercurial

96

275. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The editorial was essentially a(n) ______ to the governor, praising
b.her for her enactment of a series of environmental laws and for
c.balancing
cabal the state budget for the first time in 20 years.
juggernaut imprecation
d. oeuvre
e.

encomium

97
276. Claude felt particularly ______ as he carried the large satchel filled
with cash through the dark streets to the bank. a. inclusive
b. vulnerable
c. reclusive
d. unwieldy
e. torrential

277. Niall’s ______ attitude toward the boss is embarrassing; he does

Chapter 12
nearly everything for him except scratch his nose! a. subservient
b. subversive
c. subtle
d. sundry
e. surly

101

278. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Although she was a successful professional, Debra’s inability
to accurately complete her taxes made her feel a bit ______.

a. endowed
b. rapturous
c. ravenous
d. obtuse
e. elated
279.
Jeremy didn’t want to appear ______, but his brothers simply could
not convince him to change his mind. a. pitiful
b. scrupulous
c. harmonious
d. obstinate
e. unabated

280.
Buying homeowner’s insurance is a wise decision because it
provides ______ if your house should be damaged in a fire. a.
chastisement
b. indemnity
c. clarification
d. resolution
e. annulment
281. Although it was supposed to be written for the general public, the
report was so ______ that only those with inside knowledge of
government workings could understand it. a. indigenous
b. ebullient
c. truculent
d. pugnacious
e. esoteric

102

282. limits. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. laud
Todd set up a rope to ______ the part of the exhibit that was
c. efface
d. undulate
offcircumscribe
283. e. beguile
The loud clap of thunder caused the little dog to ______ all over.

a. slather
b. quake
c. enunciate
d. binge
284. e. Francois fell into a groggy ______ after having suffered a
infuse
high fever for several days. profundity

a.
b. sluggard
c. verve
d. Blaine had a tendency to ______ certain details of his evenings out
stupor
285. e. grovel
when he didn’t want his parents to know where he had been.

corroborate
a. excel
b. oscillate
c.
We took pity on the young ______ and brought him to a shelter
d. juxtapose
286. where he could find food and warmth.
e. omit

a. waif
troubadour
b. perfidy
c. ionic
d. plaintiff
e.

103
287. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The fire caused ______ damage to the warehouse, which forced the
owner to demolish the building.

a. sanctified
b. equitable
preliminary
c. irreparable
d. pretentious
e.
288.
When people are in love, they may find their beloved’s ______—
often annoying to or disparaged by others—to be charming and
endearing. a. foibles
b. mendacity
c. ennui
d. aplomb
e. penchants

289.
Terreh was able to ______ the traffic jam by taking a series of
oneway streets that led to the bridge. a. staunch
b. diffuse
c. corroborate
d. circumvent
e. juxtapose
290. The risk of cheating on the test was not worth the possible ______ of
failing the class. a. specification
b. gratification
c. ramification
d. narcissism
e. renegade

104

291. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. We found that the gallons of water we had brought on our hike
c. derivative
were ______, and we had to carry the extra bottles home.
d. superannuated
e. untenable
extraordinary

superfluous

292. a.
b. Moving all the heavy cinder blocks by hand from the driveway to
poignant
c. the backyard seemed like a(n) ______ task.
onerous
d. precipitous
salient
e. gallant

a. winsome
293. b. gruesome
c. Claudia’s ______ face gave no clue to her hard, cold heart.
fatuous
d. ironic
e. flaccid
294. a. Keeping hot peppers in the olive oil ______ it with a spicy kick.
b. contemplates
c. stigmatizes
d. scrutinizes
infuses
e. defames

295. She realized mortgage rates had declined and decided it was
______ to continue paying rent when she could now afford a
monthly payment for her own home.
a. referable
b. relative
c.
subsequent
d. episodic
e. inexpedient

105

296. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The deadline has been moved to this Friday, so we must ______
our efforts and complete the project earlier than we had planned.

a. wane
b. ruminate
c. burnish
d. pilfer
e. expedite
297.
As the city grew and stretched its borders, it began to feel the
______ problems of urban sprawl and overpopulation. a.
improvident
b. mendacious
c. ersatz
d. concomitant
e. surreptitious
298.
Terrance, a dentist, ______ to be with the media, so he could see
the concert for free. a. facilitated
b. conjugated
c. purported
d. tended
e. placated

299.
______ on a lounge chair by the pool was the very tan owner of the
estate, relaxing in the midday sunshine. a. Trident
b. Renegade
c. Fraught
d. Renowned
e. Supine

300. Observing his sister’s ______ behavior of riding without a helmet,

Jorge ran to get his mother. a. contemptuous
b. contented
c. fictitious
d. parlous
e. pensive

106

301. In an attempt to ______ the enemy, Braveheart rallied hundreds

of fierce warriors. a. alienate
b. scoff
c. obliterate
d. ostracize
e. minimize
302. The film was completed on schedule despite the ______
circumstances regarding the location and extreme weather
conditions. a. tenuous
b. imperial
c. cryptic
d. contrived
e. adverse

Chapter 13

109

303. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The postcard advertised a free cruise to anyone who bought a
magazine subscription, but after reading the fine print Sasha found
the cruise was just a ______.

a. petition
compromise
b. gimmick
c.
d. reference
e. motif
304. Many employers like to visit college campuses and ______ college
seniors to work for their companies. a. daunt
b. recruit
c. illuminate
d. dither
 e. flout

305.
I could tell by Konrad’s ______ manner that he was really sorry for
how he had treated Annette. a. callous
b. erratic
c. zealous
d. nonchalant
e. contrite

306.
The company officials felt the rising cost of health coverage was
______ enough to raise their employees’ insurance premiums. a.
moratorium
b. justification
c. symbolism
d. disposition
e. habitude
307. The ______ of the sheriff’s department ended at the county line. a.
prerequisite
b. emendation
c. alliteration
d. jurisdiction
e. respite

110

308. a. initiate 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. satiate
Ralph plays golf every chance he gets; even a weeklong golfing
c. vacation could not ______ his appetite for the game.
d. revive
e. employ
relinquish

______ beauty.
309. b.
c. We could not describe the scene before us; it was filled with such
310. d. inexorable
e. fretfulunutterable
uproarious
mnemonic

a. obscure
b. The subject matter was ______ because the mumbling professor
c. spoke too quickly.
311. d. vital
e. magnanimous

treacherous

maximized
a. laconic
Arnie becomes so ______ when he talks about painting that it is
b. circuitous
c. hard not to be infected by his enthusiasm.
312. d. ardent
e.
impertinent

recalcitrant
a. gluttony
The cruise ship’s deliciously appetizing dinner buffets encouraged
b.
______ among the vacationing passengers.
c.
d. restraint
squabbling
e. queries
equivocation

111

313. a. expedite 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 As the pressures of her business became overwhelming, Charlotte
chose to ______ her role as PTA president.

b. transgress
c. propagate
d. relinquish
e. retaliate
314.
Don’t let Julie’s enthusiasm fool you; she’s just a ______, not a
professional dancer. a. maverick
b. denizen
c. mercenary
d. maven
e. dilettante

315.
Normally, Maya would not have made so many spelling mistakes in
her essay; she is usually ______ about her spelling. a. sumptuous
b. scurrilous
c. ridiculous
d. scrupulous
e. fatuous

316.
It took four men two hours to move the ______ sofa up three
flights of stairs into our apartment. a. suave
b. garrulous
c. unwieldy
d. pivotal
e. quixotic

317. In the Roman myth, Artemis made a pilgrimage to the ______,

hoping to learn the answer to her dilemma. a. denouement
b. decorum
c. oracle
d. vizier
e. pillar

112
318. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
319. Orson was truly a(n) ______: towering over others at six feet nine
b. anathema
inches, he was also one of the most influential and successful
c.
producers in the feature film industry. behemoth demagogue
d. viceroy
e. charlatan

Brian was an ______ child, he was sent to the principal’s office on

numerous occasions for his rude classroom behavior.
320. a.
impeccable
b. impertinent
c. observant
d. obscure
e. adjuvant

The defendant waited anxiously for the jury to ______ the decision
that would seal his fate.
321. a. render
b. deprecate
c. rejuvenate
d. disparage
e. prohibit

We must ______ the information about the agenda changes

immediately so that the conference attendees have time to adjust
their schedules.
burnish
b. disseminate
c. galvanize
d. placate
e. admonish

113
322. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
During the time of the plague in the little village, the forlorn
______ of the church bells was an almost daily sound.
prepossession
a. delectation
b. premise
c.
d. knell
e. credence
323.
If you can adhere to the ______ rules of a military society, the
Marines may be an excellent career choice. a. strident
b. raucous
c. stringent
d. pedantic
e. lurid

324.
The natural ______ of the canyon cause it to be an everlasting
source of new adventures and beauty. a. blandishments
b. vicissitudes
c. mores
d. platitudes
e. nebulas
 325. A life-long vegetarian, Xiomara ______ when she learned that the
sauce she’d just eaten was made with chicken broth. a. wavered
b. blanched
c. coalesced
d. stagnated
e. thwarted

114

Answers 501 Sentence Completion Questions

obliterate (v.) means to blot out or destroy.
301. c. To
(adj.) means acting against or contrary to;
302. e. unfavorable; or opposed or opposing.
Adverse
gimmick (n.) is a tricky scheme or gadget.

303. b. A recruit (v.) means to seek to induct or enroll; to

enlist.
304. b. To
(adj.) means feeling or expressing sorrow or regret
for
one’s sins or offenses; penitent.
305. e. Contrite

Justification (n.) is an explanation or reason that justifies

306. b.
or shows something to be necessary.

Jurisdiction (n.) is authority or power; sphere of power

307. d.
 authority.
satiate (v.) means to satisfy fully the appetite or desire
of.
308. b. To
Unutterable (adj.) means inexpressible.
309. b.
(adj.) means not clearly expressed or easily
understood;
310. a. Obscure
not easily seen or distinguished.

(adj.) means characterized by intense emotion or

311. d. Ardent
enthusiasm, passionate, fervent; glowing or burning like
fire.

312. a. Gluttony (n.) is drinking or eating to excess;

excessive
indulgence.
313. d. To
to. relinquish (v.) means to give up (something), renounce
claim
314. e. A

dilettante (n.) is an amateur, one who dabbles in an art or

field of knowledge for amusement; a lover of fine arts, a
connoisseur.
115

501 Sentence Completion Questions

315. d. Scrupulous (adj.) means extremely careful, cautious in action for

fear of doing wrong.

316.
c. Unwieldy (adj.) means moved or managed with difficulty, as from
great size or awkward shape.
317.
c. An oracle (n.) is a person of great knowledge; the place where answers
are given, as in a sanctuary.
318.
a. A behemoth (n.) is a giant; something or someone who is enormous
in size, power, or importance.
319.
b. Impertinent (adj.) means improperly bold; rude; lacking good manners.

320.
a. To render (v.) means to give in return in compliance with a duty; to
make or depict.
321.
b. To disseminate (v.) means to scatter widely, diffuse, spread abroad.

322.
d. Knell (n.) is the sound of a bell ringing slowly for a funeral or death.

Chapter 14
323. c. Stringent (adj.) means rigid, strict, or exacting.

324.
b. Vicissitudes (n.) means a change, especially a complete change, of
condition or circumstances.
325. b. To blanch (v.) means to turn pale, as if in fear; to take the color from,
whiten.

116

326. At the beginning of the ceremony, the high school band ______
the arrival of the graduates by playing the alma mater loudly and
with enthusiasm. a. decried
b. heralded
c. permeated
d. conjured
e. thwarted

327. Although Sophie was afraid of heights, she seemed to have no

______ about driving over bridges. a. enormity
b. qualms
 c. imminence
d. resurrection
e. severity

117

328. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

I will write a rough draft of the proposal, and then you can edit it
for any ______ material so that it is as convincing and concise as

possible.
incontrovertible
a. grandiose
extraneous
b.
c.
d. abysmal
e. pensive
329.
I had to call the repairman because the washing machine was off
______—it began making terrible sounds and failed to clean the
clothes thoroughly. a. detriment
b. preferment
c. prevision
d. kilter
e. quandary

330.
Minnie finally ______ to her sister’s constant barrage of questions
and revealed the identity of her new boyfriend. a. reiterated
b. succumbed
c. seceded
d. reneged
e. retaliated
331. The meeting is ______; everyone must attend. a.
palatable
b. compulsory
c. reciprocal
d. resilient
e. ancillary

118

332. a. dilatory 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. Through the ______ act of volunteering, it is possible to make a
c. diligent
difference in the lives of the less fortunate. insurmountable
d. rapacious
e. noble

The proposed design includes many ______ features that are not
333. a. jovial
functional and can be eliminated to cut costs.
b. germane
c. kinetic
d.
e. extrinsic
nonchalant

Carly’s ______ spending on shoes and clothing caused her parents

for college. a. of concern because she was no longer saving money
a great deal
b.
c. monotypic
d. inconsistent
perfunctory
334. e. specious
immoderate

The cop was in a ______: Should he chase the criminal or help the
victim?
a. quandary
b. litany
c. tatter
d. discord
e. plethora
335.

119

336. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The professor studied the ______ physics of ballet dancers and

even published a study on the topic of dancers and movement.

a. creditable
b. kinetic
c. symbolic
d. prevalent
monotonous
e.
337.
Kyle was able to ______ the difficulties of an uncooperative staff,
an impossible deadline, and a complicated project in order to
present the report to the client. a. surmount
b. dismount
c. retract
d. expel
e. intercede

338.
Philbert’s ______ manner fit in well with the atmosphere of the
posh country club. a. untoward
b. riotous
c. mundane
d. salacious
e. urbane

339. Elian tried his ______ on the wrong person, and it has finally
landed him in jail. a. clemency
b. jocularity
c. calamity
d. obsolescence
e. chicanery

120

340. office. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. transient
There were several ______ buildings on the street, making it
c.
difficult for Margaret to determine which one was the dentist’s
d. zealous
 e. nondescript impervious impressionable

Inflated by his fans’ ______, Evan lost sense of his small-town

roots and began traveling with an entourage. inconstancy
a.
haughtiness
b. insolence
c. sufferance
d.
e. idolatry
341. To ______ a congressional bill, the president must use his official
seal on all documents.

a. nullify
b. patronize
c. victimize
d. ratify
e. mollify
342. The drama workshop’s efforts ______ in the final production of a
play written, directed, and acted by the students for the entire

school.
languished
a. finalized
b.
c. teemed
culminated
d. discerned
343. e.

121
344. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
There is no way around it: plagiarism is ______ to thievery.
tantamount
a.
b. apathetic
unscrupulous
c. fatuous
d.
e. indecisive
345.
For ______ deeds during her mission overseas, Tyesha was
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. a. inept
b. valorous
c. erroneous
d. malodorous
e. benign

346.
Adam read the employee manual so that he might ______ himself
with his new responsibilities at the company. a. relinquish
b. synthesize
c. orient
d. validate
e. motivate

347.
I am ______ of the problems that this solution will cause, but I still
believe that this is the best possible solution. a. innocuous
b. cognizant
c. precipitous
d. reminiscent
e. belligerent
348. The spectacular presentation by a rainforest adventurer ______ Simon
with the desire to travel to South America to see the jungles for himself.
a. disheartened
b. inhibited
c. imbued
d. reconstituted
e. abhorred

122

349. a. recanted 501 Sentence Completion Questions

350. When the senator’s popularity suffered in the polls, he ______ his
b. decision to raise taxes.
c.
pulverized
d. detracted
e.
enveloped

extenuated

a. Because
dearth of the ______ of reliable information, Quentin’s report
was comprised mostly of speculation.
b. diatribe
c. myriad
d.
e. tirade
juxtaposition

123
351. Teachers should not only be knowledgeable but also ______;
students should feel comfortable approaching them with questions or
problems.
a. wheedling
b. patronizing
c. laconic
d. affable
e. frugal

Chapter 15
352. The pain medication Kristy received after surgery offered relief;
however, the overwhelming feeling of ______ was an unexpected
side effect, and she didn’t like being groggy. a. extortion
b. compellation
c. acquisition
d. affirmation
e. lethargy

127

353. a. vista 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The ski lodge had a window that looked out upon a beautiful
mountain ______.

b. melee
c. fray
d. foray
e. frieze
354.
The palace’s great hall was rich in history and splendor, the walls
hung with ______ tapestries. a. mellifluous
b. malleable
c. prudent
d. illusive
e. ornate

355.
After weeks of heavy rains, the earth gave way; mud and trees
______ down the mountain swallowing cars and houses in their path. a.
ascended
b. inculcated
c. aspersed
d. hurtled
e. entreated
356.
The ______ butter had been left in the refrigerator for years. a.
complacent
b. scandalous
c. riveting
d. dire
e. rancid
357. Several weeks of extremely hot, dry weather ______ the land, so
instead of rowing across a river, we walked across a cracked,
parched riverbed. a. oscillated
b. desiccated
c. subverted
d. coalesced
e. thwarted

128
358. a. Spartan 501 Sentence Completion Questions
359. The pitcher’s ______ workout regimen was the most grueling of all

his teammates, and he never took a day off. spasmodic

b. Ethan’s responses when he spoke on the telephone were ______

and he nearly always made his customers think he was rude.
c. exclusive
360.
d. turgid
e. truculent

ponderous
a. receptive
b. I was bored with the ______ conversation of my roommates and
laconic
longed for some intellectual stimulation.
361. c. uncanny
d. suave
e. pronounced

intriguing
exonerating
a. egregious
Ned’s fear was ______ as he watched the 60-foot waves approach
b.
362. c. vapid
d.
e.
innovative

detrimental
his little boat.
futile
Moving swiftly and gracefully through the backyard, the cat
b. genteel
suddenly ______ when she hit the thorny bush.
c.
d. palpable
recuperated
e. invigorated

a. recoiled
b.
c.
d. fabricated
e. throttled 129
363. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Although others were fooled by “Doctor” Winston’s speech, Lily

knew him for what he was: a(n) ______.
a. panacea
b. charlatan
c. prevarication
primadonna
d. accolade
e.
364.
The task of building the cabin was a ______ one, but Rob was up to
the challenge. a. laborious
b. venerable
c. archaic
d. cynical
e. unbiased

365.
After the neighbor’s stereo woke her up for the fifth night in a row,
Brenda felt ______ to complain. a. impelled
b. rebuked
c. augmented
d. implicated
e. destined

366.
Carter is writing a letter of recommendation that I can include in my
______ for prospective employers. a. denunciation
b. panacea
c. dossier
d. incantation
e. restitution
367. ______ laughter came from the upstairs apartment where Trang
was having a graduation party. a. Scurrilous
b. Deleterious
c. Fatuous
d. Uproarious
e. Malicious

130

368. into applause.501 Sentence Completion Questions

ovation
In the middle of his eloquent ______, the audience suddenly broke
b. oration
c.
d.
e. illusion
inclination
provocation

369.
a. I like the ______ style of these essays; they make complex
colloquial
b. issues accessible by presenting them in everyday language.
obsolete
c. pristine
d. exacting
e. furtive

370. a.
A diamond ring is the ______ symbol of love and affection.
b. fugacious
c. precocious
d.
supplemental
e. barbarous
quintessential

a. Allen’s ______ distanced him from his family, but he was

b. still unwilling to apologize.
c. regeneration
d. contingency
371. e. equivalence
impenitence
innovation

a. Nothing will ______ my memory of the night we first met; the

appease
b. images are forever burned in my mind.
undulate
c. inculcate
d. efface
372. e. truncate

131

373. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

With the curtains drawn back, the room was ______ with warm

sunlight.
a. recessed
b. intruded
c. suffused
d. belied
e. taut
374.
The devastating drought forced the ______ tribes of the rainforest to
leave their homes and venture into the modern world. a. indigenous
b. puritanical
c. indigent
d. imminent
e. munificent
375. Jason’s ______ approach to management included narrowing the
salary gap between the CEOs and office workers. a. stoic
b. apathetic
c. utilitarian
d. endemic
e. proactive

Chapter 16

132

376. If people continue to ______ the rainforests, soon they will

disappear from the earth. a. dominate
b. frolic
c. laminate
d. neglect
e. provoke

377. My parents always seem to worry and ______ more about

money when tax season is approaching. a. proximate
b. quibble
c. supplicate
d. dabble
e. alienate
 135

378. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

While the king and the members of his court lived in the most
opulent luxury, the peasants in his kingdom lived in the most
______ poverty.
a. abject
b. incessant
c. relinquished lugubrious
d. erratic
e.
379.
Samantha had an ______ trust in her grandfather, who was an
honorable man and kind to everyone he met. a. implicit
b. insecure
c. irreverent
d. irresolute
e. astringent

380.
Antonello searched the forest around his campsite for small branches
to ______ the fire, so he could eventually cook his dinner. a. stifle
b. kindle
c. suppress
d. dissipate
e. prohibit
381. Although I meant it as a compliment, Zander ______ my remark as an
insult.
a. construed
b. eradicated
c. truncated
d. permeated
e. redacted

136

382. a. swarthy 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. The sailor’s ______ complexion bespoke his many sunny days at
c. the lookout post.
pallid
d. wan
e. pastysyncopated

a. porous
383. b. voracious

c. Tanya is a ______ person, trusted by all who know her.

spurious
d. specious
e. veracious

After the third relative was hired to an upper-level position, several

a. carrion
b. people quit the company, claiming that ______ caused a decline in
c. employee morale.
d. devotion
explicitness
384. e. nepotism
skepticism

Genevieve’s stunning debut performance at the city opera has

a. antipathy
b. earned her ______ from some of the city’s toughest critics.
c.
d. insinuations
destitution
e. accolades
385. lamentations

a. The shaggy neon couch was a(n) ______ in the conservative room
b. decorated with earth tones.
incongruity
c. temerity
d. insinuation
e.
386. reiteration
intonation

137

387. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Harris tried to ______ his fear of flying when he boarded the
plane, but he could not curb his anxiety.

a. accelerate
b. expound
c. maximize
d. employ
e. repress
388.
Gabi found that whenever she was confused about an idea or issue,
writing about it would help ______ her true feelings. a. vacillate
b. elucidate
c. wheedle
d. deprecate
e. indoctrinate

389.
After the powerful windstorm, Marie discovered a splintered and
fallen tree limb had ______ the vinyl lining of her swimming pool. a.
extenuated
b. calculated
c. retaliated
d. lacerated
e. curtailed
390.
Johnny’s good behavior in class yesterday was ______ by his
disruptive outbursts in Math this morning. a. abated
b. negated
c. reiterated
d. mandated
e. nominated

391. Jason and Joshua made ______ plans to meet in the cafeteria to
study for the test, provided Jason’s class ended on time. a.
beguiling
b. tenuous
c. assured
d. tentative
e. promotional

138

392. a. verbiage 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. herbage
The professor’s lectures were filled with excessive ______, lasting
c. much longer than was necessary to convey his ideas.
d. portent
393. e. intrigue
maliciousness

a. Ming’s blatant lie revealed that he suffered no ______ about being

b. dishonest to his parents.
c. compunction
d. repudiation
vindication
394. e. veracity
evanescence

a. Diane, always teasing, was known for her ______ , but as a result,
jocularity
b. servitude
c. logic
d. nobody knew when to take her seriously. inclemency
austerity
395. e.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” said Haines. “There is no

such thing as a(n) ______ who is not a corrupt and cruel ruler.”
a. imbroglio
b. pedant
c. despot
d. agnostic
396. e. archetype

During his ______ in office the mayor made several controversial

decisions about city planning.

a. treatise
integration
b.
c. teem
d. flout
e. tenure

139
397. 501 Sentence Completion Questions
Recovering from the tragedy, Helena found the ______ sunrise
reassuring, as it gave her something to rely on each and every

morning.
clairvoyant
a. hidden
b.
c. cognizant
d. deft
e. quotidian
398.
Flaws in Claire’s opponent’s chess game showed him to be ______,
and Claire knew her victory was assured. a. predatory
b. indistinguishable
c. ornery
d. vincible
e. resolute

399.
The ad didn’t mention a specific salary; it just said “compensation
______ with experience.” a. compulsory
b. manifest
c. prolific
d. commensurate
e. precluded
400. The ______ she felt for shopping made it impossible for her to
walk by a sale window without stopping. a. providence
b. blunder
c. omission
d. repulsion
e. estrus

Chapter 17
140

401. The owners of the bed-and-breakfast were extremely ______ to their

guests, who enjoyed elegant meals, prompt service, and beautifully
decorated rooms. a. hospitable
b. hostile
c. remiss
d. gallant
e. indomitable

402. Homeless people often lead a(n) ______ lifestyle because they
repeatedly get uprooted from the streets and alleys where they live.
a. aristocratic
b. platonic
c. analytic
d. nomadic
e. ballistic

143
403. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Linda’s ______ for picking the right stocks made her a very
wealthy woman.

a. knack
b. reception
c. rendition
impropriety
d. concourse
e.
404.
Computers and word processing software have made the art of
hand-writing letters virtually ______. a. barren
b. boisterous
c. obsolete
d. dignified
e. relevant

405.
Marco has an irresistibly ______ manner that many young women
find charming and attractive. a. obstinate
b. staid
c. bland
d. supple
e. suave

406.
Chantel kept the ______ of her beloved foremost in her mind as
she traveled to countries far and wide in her quest to find him. a.
prelude
b. armistice
c. hirsute
d. presage
e. visage
407. The cozy beach cottage was only ______ for summer tenants because
it lacked the insulation to make a winter stay comfortable. a. stagnant
b. erroneous
c. resilient
d. habitable
e. ineffective

144

408. a. veneer 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. lexicon
The settlers decided to build their town at the ______ of two
c. hiatus
d. tirade
e. rivers; that settlement became the city of Pittsburgh.

confluence
409. a. elevated
b.
Furious that Lou had lied about his references, Noi ______ her
c. complied
d. rescinded
decision to promote him to assistant manager. incriminated
e. fortified

410. a.
To prove your theory, you need to design an experiment that will
b. elusive
provide ______ evidence. perfunctory
c. noxious
d. empirical
e.
lamentable

Rachel’s mother was appalled by the amount of ______ humor on

411. a.
television during hours when young children were still awake.
b. senilefraudulent
c.
d. lascivious
proportional
412. e. laborious
The scared boy on the roller coaster made sure his seatbelt was
______ across his body.

a. slack
b. taut
c. trite
d. striated
e. curt

145

413. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The female fox’s ______ over her burrow indicates that she has just
birthed her young.

a. vendetta
b. preening
c. vigilance
d. sepulcher
rendezvous
e.
414.
After Ginger banged her head, she noticed that a large lump began to
______ from her forehead. a. invade
b. provoke
c. sustain
d. obtrude
e. elevate
415.
The devoted fans paid ______ to the late singer by placing flowers on
his memorial and by holding burning votive candles. a. tariffs
b. accouterment
c. retrospection
d. appraisement
e. homage

416.
Losing his entire business to the flood, Bill’s only ______ was to
file bankruptcy. a. dross
b. enigma
c. fervor
d. imprecation
e. recourse

417. The new evidence convinced the District Attorney to overturn

Martin’s conviction and ______ him. a. appropriate
b. truncate
c. elucidate
d. exonerate
e. protract

146

418. a. fastidious 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. lateral
Christopher hired a tree-trimming crew to cut the ______ branches
c. nebulous of the pine tree that were scraping the side of his house.
d. abject
e. recessive

419. a.
We both knew our summer romance was ______ , and we would
b. tempting
just be memories in each other’s minds by the winter.
c. temporal
d. restorative
420. e. indecisive
understated

The dissatisfied workers spread their ______ attitudes among

themselves until there was a danger of a full-scale rebellion against
a. the owners of the factory.
b. paradoxical
monochromatic
c. benign
d. virulent
421. e.
portentous

The junkyard was littered with ______ objects, making it unsightly

to the neighborhood behind it.
a. otiose
b. obtuse
c. jovial
d.
decorative
e. buoyant

147

422. highly. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 Although Maya’s ______ sensibilities are quite different from

I think she is a remarkable interior decorator and I recommend her

a. aesthetic
b. dialectical
c. reclusive
d. synthetic
e. mercurial
423.
The meticulous art student arranged her paint colors by a
darkening ______ on her palette. a. limitation
b. gradation
c. moratorium
d. juncture
e. tincture

424.
J.P. recalled running through the ______ of tall rows of corn stalks
that dominated his grandfather’s summer garden. a. terminals
b. temperament
c. labyrinth
d. basin
e. deference

425. Peter displayed an air of ______ when the officer asked him if he
knew the speed limit. a. omniscience
b. obstinacy
c. nescience
d. obstetrics
e. platitude

148
426. I have tried for years to get close to my brother Rae, but he has
always remained ______. a. cognizant
b. assiduous
c. vociferous
d. aloof
e. accommodating

Chapter 18
427. In his later years, the once wildly successful gambler lost his
fortune, and became a homeless ______ on the streets of Las Vegas.
a. granger
b. miser
c. strategist
d. vagabond
e. speculator

151

428. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b.
______
c. animals are able to survive easily in the wilderness because,
for example, they can live on berries or insects.
d. Lavish
e. Omnipotent
Omnivorous
Luminous
 Precarious
429.
Sally had planted the seeds in the greenhouse three weeks ago;
they would begin to ______ any day now. a. germinate
b. revolve
c. tint
d. ratify
e. modulate

430.
Julia’s parents gave her one ______ regarding her new job: It could
not interfere with her schoolwork. a. procession
b. consensus
c. manifestation
d. provision
e. reprieve

431.
Despite enthusiastic efforts from the supporting cast, the critics
agreed the star of the play gave a ______ performance, ruining the
chance of lucrative box office sales. a. infallible
b. vigorous
c. victorious
d. felicitous
e. lackluster

432. The tenor’s ______ voice filled the concert hall. a.

sinuous
b. timid
c. tenuous
d. sonorous
e. striated

152

433. farmhouse. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

belfryAfter the fire, there were ashes in every ______ of the old
434. b. reprieve
Luanne experiences serious ______ whenever she climbs several
flights of steep stairs.
c. tangent
d. orifice
inebriation
e. tribunal
exoneration

a. vertigo
435. b. The ______ of the successful product idea was attributed to the
c. extraordinarily creative company president.
d. fallacy
e. plethora

a. demise
When the company reached it’s ______ of hiring one hundred
436. b. genesis
college graduates, they proceeded to recruit older, more
c. symmetry
experienced candidates.
d. repletion
e. dominion

a. quota
b. hybrid
c. detriment
d. fiasco
e. malady

153
437. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

After her extended illness, Delia experienced a long period of

______ when she did not want to work, exercise, or clean.

a. languor
b. arrogance
c. insolence
forethought
d. recompense
e.
438.
Floyd has a distinctive ______ to his voice—easily recognizable
over the phone. a. viscosity
b. brawn
c. timbre
d. diadem
e. ingenuity

439.
The house was consumed in flames and not a ______ of it
remained after the fire. a. vestige
b. visage
c. vestibule
d. vicissitude
e. viceroy

440.
David felt as if the family picnic would be a(n) ______ time to talk
with his grandmother about her plans for the holidays. a. opportune
b. disastrous
c. unctuous
d. trite
e. surly
441. The children were ______ for eating the whole batch of cookies
before dinner. a. indignant
b. belittled
c. chagrined
d. eluded
e. admonished

154

442. a. ignored 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. abetted
During his routine, the stand-up comic refused to be shaken by the
c. enforced
heckler who ______ him every few minutes.
d. gibed
e. cited

443. a. fascism
b. Going away for spring break was not in the ______ of possibility,
fulcrum
c. since neither Helga nor Olga had any money.
d. realm
e. nadir
introversion

444. a. beguiled

b. Oscar ______ his sister not to tell their mother what he had done,
vied
c. exhorted
d. maligned
e. for he knew his punishment would be severe. corroborated

______ were in order as James performed brilliantly on stage in his

445. first role as an understudy.
a. Pathos
b.
Ignominies
c. Kudos
446. d. Subsidies
The Boston Tea Party happened because the Americans believed
the British tea taxes were ______ the rights of the colonists.
e. Statutes
trespassing

sublimating
a. transgressing
entreating
b. reviling
c.
d.
e.

155

447. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The old bridge’s steel ______ were rusty and in need of repair.

a. pierscampaniles
b.
c. manacles
d. girders
e. spindles
448.
The budding flowers, warm breezes, and birth of young animals
suggest the much-welcomed ______ atmosphere in the country
after a long, hard winter. a. venial
b. menial
c. venal
d. vernal
e. verbal

449. Since she had not exercised in five years, Margarita attempt to jog
five miles on her first day of cardio-training was a little ______. a.
pessimistic
b. irrelevant
c. trivial
d. quixotic
 e. relieved
450. The legal internship program was developed under the ______ of
the district attorney’s office. a. bastion
b. propensity
c. aegis
d. faction
e. cacophony

Chapter 19

156

451. Frank feels such ______ towards his ex-business partner that he
cannot stand to be in the same room with him. a. iniquity
b. collusion
c. avarice
d. pallor
e. animosity

452. Ronaldo celebrated the gathering of his ______ on Thanksgiving

Day and spoke with relatives he had not seen in a long time. a.
commonwealth
b. surrogates
c. representatives
d. kindred
e. infidels

159
453. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

After sitting in the contentious board meeting for two hours,

Allen’s necktie began to feel like a ______ around his neck.

a. decorum
b. garland
c. noose
d. renegade
monstrosity
e.
454.
Even though he hated to work holidays and weekends, Trevor hoped
that his paycheck would serve as ______ for the time spent away
from his family. a. metamorphism
b. restitution
c. enunciation
d. proclamation
e. kismet

455.
Amanda’s parents were shocked by her ______ decision to quit her
job without notice and move to Hollywood. a. conscientious
b. affable
c. placid
d. languid
e. impetuous

456.
The catlike movements of the sneaky ______ served him well when
he picked pockets among the tourists on the crowded boardwalk. a.
forerunner
b. knave
c. vigilante
d. dignitary
e. bureaucrat
457. The student’s ______ language offended many others in the class. a.
obsequious
b. studious
c. scanty
d. surreptitious
e. scurrilous

160

458. driver. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

a. lurid
In winter, the frost on a car’s windshield can be ______ to
b.
c. cynical
d. purified
e. obstructive

459. salvageable
a. affable
The prom was a ______ royal ball with so many handsome young
b. virtual
c. corrosive
d. men and beautiful young ladies dressed to the ultimate formality.
e. inevitable

deleterious
460.
a. exfoliate
b. As the roller coaster inched to the top of the hill, Helena could feel
dominate
c. her heart begin to ______.
d. palpitate
e. ventilate
reattribute

461.

a. piquant
Paul’s ______ humor is sometimes lost on those who take
b. wry
his comments too literally.
c. florid
462. d. placid
Hearing her sister approach, Marie-Helene attempted to appear
______ as she quickly hid the birthday gift behind her back.
e. negligible
flamboyant

a.
b. stoicnonchalant
c. pivotal
d. crass
e.

161

463. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

The knight sought to ______ his broadsword in such a menacing
fashion as to frighten his attacker away.

a. warrant
b. procure
c. placate
d. wield
e. ensue
464.
At the banquet, the disappearance of the woman’s jeweled bracelet
from her wrist appeared to be the ______ of an accomplished thief. a.
attrition
b. sledge
c. sleight
d. dismastment
e. regalia
465.
Something went ______ in our experiment, and instead of creating a
green odorless vapor, we ended up with a noxious red liquid that
stunk up the laboratory for days. a. hoary
b. awry
c. listless
d. derogatory
e. dilatory

466. When the movie star slipped out the back door of the hotel, the paparazzi
adroitly gathered their ______ and raced around the building to catch her.
a. pandemonium
b. tenor
c. paraphernalia
d. venue
e. propaganda

162

467. a. arrant 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. vitriolic
Since Shane won the lottery, he has been living a life of ______
c. ribald
luxury, buying whatever he desires and traveling around the world
d. in his 100-foot yacht as he is waited on hand and foot by a bevy of
seditious
e. butlers, cooks, and maids.
fatuous

markers.
a. guileless
b.
c. Confronted by his mother, the ______ four-year-old could not lie
468. d. about scribbling on his bedroom walls with purple and blue
e. vexed

inauspicious
untarnished
indiscriminate
a. excoriate
b. amplify
c. eradicate
The artist attempted to ______ the painting by adding people
d. vivify
dressed in bright colors in the foreground.
469. e. inculcate

a.
b.
c. nicety
d. The artist drew the picture with such ______ that it was possible to
470. e. count every blade of grass that he painted.
blasphemy
philosophy

consensus
purveyance

163

471. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The highly publicized nature of the trial caused the judge to
______ the jury in order to shield members from evidence that
might sway their verdict.
quarantine

b. retract
c. sequester
d. integrate
e. assimilate
472.
Jillian was ______ by the contradictory diagnoses she received and
decided she needed a third opinion. a. intimidated
b. effaced
c. girded
d. usurped
e. bemused

473.
Because he was antsy from having eaten too much candy, little
William was unable to ______ himself in a respectable manner
during the ceremony. a. garner
b. quell
c. surmise
d. comport
e. subjugate

474. The chemistry professor believed her students could do better on

their exams by searching for their own answers, and encouraged the
class to apply the ______ method to prepare. a. punctilious
b. nonconformist
c. salubrious
d. heuristic
e. determinate

164
475. a. banality 501 Sentence Completion Questions
 Bea was known for her loud and domineering personality and was
b. considered a ______ by many who knew her.
c. scapegoat
d. trifledebutante
e. virago

165
476. Even though he was only in kindergarten, Joel was very ______
and could intuit when his teacher was not pleased with his
behavior.
a. obtuse
b. oblivious
c. inept
d. perceptive
e. indolent

Chapter 20
477. During his many years of hard work, Paul was promoted several
times and began to rise through the bank’s ______ of employees. a.
declassification
b. surplus
c. hierarchy
d. principality
e. dominion

169

478. a. taciturn 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. salient
c. replete
d. The
prosaic
heat was absolutely ______, making everyone irritable, sweaty,
e. and uncomfortable.
 oppressive
479.
The biology students were assigned the task of testing the ______ ,
but did not have enough time to prove its validity. a. lexicon
b. hypothesis
c. motif
d. platitude
e. genesis

480.
It had rained all afternoon, but the fans were still ______ that the
baseball game would still be played. a. pessimistic
b. sadistic
c. optimistic
d. domineering
e. truant

481.
If you have any special needs or requests, speak to Val; she’s the
one with the most ______ around here. a. synergy
b. clout
c. affinity
d. guile
e. infamy

482. Because Virgil had been so ______ as a child, he had an extremely

difficult time adjusting when he enrolled in the military academy. a.
fettered
b. intrepid
c. coddled
d. pallid
e. odious

170

483. evening. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. drone
Far from being a ______, Bob gets up at dawn every morning to
 c. replica
prepare for a long day at work after which he attends classes in
d.
moderator
e. sluggard

sycophant

a. rakish
b. quiescent
The vulgarity used by the football fans at the stadium was ______
c. sagacious
and eventually lead to a penalty for the team.
484. d.
e. mundane

reproachable

a.
b. ebbed
After the debate, Karim ______ upon many of the campaign issues
c. doffed
in a series of detailed editorials. expounded
485. d.
e. wrought
temporized

a. unbiasedSince the judge hearing the case was related to one of the
b. defendants, she felt she could not offer a truly ______ opinion.
c. unilateral
486. d. indifferent
e.
uninterested
understated

171
487. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

Abdul found his ten-hour shifts at the paper clip factory repetitive

and ______.
fatuous
b. nebulous
c. malleable
d. indelible
wearisome
e.
488.
Jonelle is a(n) ______ of the kind of student we seek: someone who is
both academically strong and actively involved in the community. a.
paradox
b. exemplar
c. catalyst
d. mandate
e. harbinger

489.
Tomas is a(n) ______ businessman who knows a good opportunity
when he sees it. a. insolent
b. astute
c. mercurial
d. indifferent
e. volatile

490.
Sean would ______ whenever it became his turn to do the dishes. a.
premeditate
b. palter
c. reform
d. distend
e. ponder
491. The barnyard scene outside the 4-H tent made a charming ______ for
visitors to the state fair.
a. melee
b. tabloid
c. tableau
d. rant
e. tangent

172

492. a. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

b. opulence
The jellyfish, known for its shimmering ______, is one of nature’s
c. didactics
most intriguing creatures. resonance
d.
e.
omniscience
translucence

493. the war.

A decade after the ______, the members of the tribe began to drift
a. home again, hoping to rebuild the community they had fled during
kowtow
b. redaction
c. cloister
d. diaspora
e. chimera

494. board
After performing a ______ of the cow, scientists determined that it
of health.
b. did not have mad cow disease, and there was no need to notify the
c.
d. extrapolation
e. interrogation
interment
elongation
vivisection
a. lassitude
495. b. Charged with moral ______, the judge was called off the case even
though he denied receiving bribes from the plaintiff’s counsel.
c. turpitude
 d. torpor
restitution
e.

vicissitude

173

496. 501 Sentence Completion Questions

I knew from Inga’s ______ reply that she was offended by
my
question.
a. sinuous
b. vivacious
c. sinister
d. garrulous
e. brusque
497.
The cult leader’s ______ obeyed his every instruction. a.
predecessors
b. sycophants
c. narcissists
d. panderers
e. elocutionists
498.
The ______wallpaper in his living room makes it difficult to find
curtains and furniture that will match it. a. blunt
b. fatuous
c. verbose
d. variegated
e. meticulous

499.
Homer’s Odyssey was not translated into many people’s ______ until
after the invention of the printing press. a. caste
b. epicure
c. vernacular
d. debutant
e. nomenclature

500. Don Quixote describes the adventures of a(n) ______ knight who believes
that windmills are giants and the barmaid Dulcinea is a princess.
a. gregarious
b. eloquent
c. fickle
d. errant
e. steadfast

174

501. a. simple 501 Sentence Completion Questions

 The ______ espionage plot was so sophisticated it was
b. impossible to believe it was the work of teenage computer
vaporized
c. hackers.
byzantine
d. mystical
e. fusty

175