Sentence Completion Skills Content

Description:
In the critical reading section, there are 19 sentence completion questions that ask you to identify the one or two words that best complete a sentence.

Vocabulary skills are key for sentence completion questions. Consider the following example:

The factory's automated equipment obviates some job functions, and so layoffs are now----.

A. unlikely
B. illusory
C. expected
D. theoretical
E. facetious

In this example, you must know that the word "obviate" means "renders unnecessary" or "eliminates." Then, it is clear the logical answer is C, because when job functions become unnecessary layoffs are a logical outcome.

Basic Strategies for Sentence Completion Questions:

• The sentence completion questions test the breadth of your vocabulary skills. You can practice the fundamental skills required for this section by looking up definitions of words you do not know when you come across them while reading for school or on your own. If you cannot phrase the definition for a word in your own terms, then you should look it up in a dictionary.
  
• Spend some time reviewing vocabulary lists. Vocabulary skills are extremely important for other kinds of questions on the SAT as well, and this will be time well spent as you prepare.
  
• Pay attention to time. Sentence completion questions normally appear in a section that also includes passage-based reading questions. You want to leave yourself plenty of time to read the passages and answer the other questions.

Learning Resources:

• Sign up to learn a new vocabulary word every day from dictionary.com
• Every time you visit this site to practice, be sure to review the Word of the Day on the main page.
• Review the learning content for Active Reading. Make sure you are paying attention to words you do not know in your everyday reading and in your school assignments.