Let’s try a sentence completion question today. Your job is simply to choose the words that best complete the intended meaning of the sentence. Tip: Be sure to read the sentence carefully, and plug all the answer choices into the blanks before you make your final choice.
Despite her outward ——- demeanor, Taylor was actually quite able to mediate effectively, and even settled a particularly ——- dispute.
(A) cordial . . amiable
(B) antagonistic . . discordant
(C) impetuous . . recalcitrant
(D) tactful . . civil
(E) irascible . . acrimonious
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The best answer is (E). This question is actually fairly easy if you know all the vocabulary. In this sentence, we are essentially saying that Taylor appears to be moody and bad-tempered, but she is actually good at helping resolve arguments, even one argument that was especially heated or marked by strong feelings of ill will or hatred.
Some good SAT strategies: first, you should notice the preposition despite at the beginning, which tells us that we will have two parts of the sentence in contrast with each other. For example, the sentence could be saying that Taylor appears friendly on the outside, but she’s actually not. Answer choice (E) (“irascible” means irritable, and “acrimonious” means characterized by ill will or hatred) is really the only answer choice that has words that will give us the contrast we need; all the other answer choices would result in sentences without the contrast that we need.
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If you have any questions, please post them in the comments.
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