SAT Section 1 Critical Reading

SAT Section 1 Critical Reading practice questions, page 8 of 11, with answer review and explanations.

Question 36

I trust a proposal for matrimony would seem more ______ were it written in the sky, or written on a scoreboard, or written in a test question for the SAT prep; which is what I am formally doing now in asking Teressa for her hand in marriage.

  1. aggrandized
  2. sincere
  3. appreciated
  4. honorable
  5. cherished

Question 37

Friends of the theater have long decried the ________ of the New York drama critics, whose reviews can determine the fate of a play in a single night.

  1. insensitivity
  2. provinciality
  3. intelligence
  4. power
  5. inaccuracy

Question 38

The _________ manner in which the teacher candidate addressed the school board was a key factor in his rejection; the school board members agreed that enthusiasm is an essential quality in a teacher.

  1. pretentious
  2. solicitous
  3. superficial
  4. perfunctory
  5. combative

Question 39

Her ________ writing style made it difficult to follow her thought processesno surprise to her colleagues, who were familiar with her _________ manner of speech.

  1. precise . . arcane
  2. laborious . . tedious
  3. trite . . flippant
  4. convoluted . . circumlocutory
  5. ambiguous . . affected

Question 40

The giant squid is still _______ marine biologists, as it has never been seen alive, making it impossible to study in its natural habitat.

  1. fascinating to
  2. enigmatic to
  3. dangerous to
  4. exploited by
  5. famous among