ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


SAT Reading Videos 212 videos

SAT Reading 1.1 Long Passages
380 Views

SAT Reading: Long Passages Drill 1, Problem 1

SAT Reading 1.1 Passage Comparison
210 Views

SAT Reading Passage Comparison Drill 1, Problem

SAT Reading 1.1 Sentence Completion
839 Views

SAT Reading Section: Sentence Completion Drill 1, Problem 1

See All

SAT Reading 5.2 Sentence Completion 165 Views


Share It!


Description:

SAT Reading Sentence Completion Drill 5, Problem 2

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

So many questions, so little time... Which word could fill in the blank so that

00:08

the sentence below makes sense?

00:09

Henry, who had a(n) blank upbringing, was quite impressed by the blank of his friend's palatial estate.

00:16

And here are the potential answers...

00:21

If Henry was so impressed with his friend's "palatial estate," then wherever he grew

00:25

up must've been a little...well...less palatial.

00:28

So the first blank should describe Henry's not-so-impressive house, and the second should

00:33

describe his friend's crazy-nice mansion. Let's start with the first blank and see

00:39

what it can tell us.

00:40

(A) and (B) are easy to eliminate because "extravagant" and "luxurious" both

00:45

describe a place way more over the top than Henry's.

00:48

The other first blank options are all possibilities, so we'll move on to blank number two.

00:53

(E) is a definite no. Palatial estates aren't really known for their "plainness."

00:58

(B) seems like it could be an option. The "location" of the friend's house might

01:03

be part of what makes it impressive...

01:05

But the whereabouts of Henry's house aren't mentioned, so location doesn't fit into

01:09

this equation. The root word "grand" gives us a hint

01:12

that "grandeur" would be a good word to describe a palatial estate. Therefore (C)

01:17

is the best answer...

01:19

Although "palatial estates" might not always be the best places to live.

Related Videos

SAT Reading: Classifying the Relationship Between Two Passages
179 Views

How was the Beanie Baby era parallel to the Tulip Bubble? Similar events, only the TulipMania almost bankrupted Holland. Bean Babies only bankrupte...

SAT Reading: Citing Evidence to Identify a Theme in Walden
35 Views

Contemplating one's life is key to fulfilled happiness. Thoreau's theme revolves around the simple life well lived. He clearly never tried virtual...

SAT Reading: Why Does Thoreau Use the Phrase "Mechanical Aids" in this Passage?
57 Views

Thoreau was all about simplicity; anything that took away from his vision was the enemy. Mechanical aids were one of them. Guess he had to train a...

What Does the Author Mean by "Front" in this Context?
25 Views

Thoreau uses "front" to mean "face". He wants to face The Facts of Life without shying away from our natural tendencies, roots, and the simply way...

SAT Reading: Using Context to Define a Word
12 Views

What does "frittered away" mean in this context? Wasted. Wasted by the way. Thoreau claims we fritter away our lives praying to modern complex dist...