Sentence Completion Questions Practice

The team‘s manager, Eric Gorton has ____________ Nick Fenand in his squad for next month's qualifying match against Liechtenstein despite doubts ____________ the player‘s fitness.

A groundbreaking exhibition is showcasing Iraq's rich roots in Mesopotamia, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that gave __________to the world's first urban civilization some 5,000 years ago.

A. included ….about B. hospitalized… by C. joined… on D. removed…. over E. replaced… concerning

A. support B. water C. floods D. birth E. itself

The best answer is A. Doubts by, on or over are not idiomatic expressions. The team‘s manager has done something despite doubts about the player’s fitness so it is logical that he included the player in his squad.

The best answer is D. Gave birth is idiomatic. It ties in with the mention of roots and the world’s first urban civilization.

The Anasazi, a civilization that arose as early as 1500 BC, occupied the region now __________ as the Four Corners, where Utah Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet, for centuries. A. invoked B. known C. labeled D. denoted E. assumed The best answer is B. Choices A, C, D and E cannot precede the preposition as.

Over the ___________, different New York neighborhoods have played ___________ to the cutting edge: Greenwich Village in the 1950s, SoHo in the 1970s, the Lower East Side in the 1980s. A. decades… host B. centuries… guest C. time… games D. moments… along E. way… coy The best answer is A. Host, games, along and coy can logically follow played, but not guest. It is idiomatic to say over time, not over the time. Moments does not fit with the broad time span indicated in the rest of the sentence. Way is illogical.

Originally, the project was planned to take at least 15 years, but effective resource and technological advances have ________ the team‘s progress. A. energized B. postponed C. accelerated D. deferred E. reduced The best answer is C. The word but indicates that the project will not take as long planned, therefore, it is logical that it was accelerated.

When mortals died, whether noble or __________, they joined Re on his nocturnal journey through the underworld; __________ at dawn immortal, if all went well. A. ordinary… occurred B. common… emerging C. maudlin… appeared D. impoverished… woke E. domestic… summoned The best answer is B. Common presents a contrast to noble. Emerging is in line with a journey through the underworld.

Toward the end of the 13th century, some __________ event forced the Anasazi to __________ their houses and homeland and to move south and east toward the Rio Grande and the Little Colorado River.

A. seismic… shift B. cataclysmic… flee C. unfortunate… desert D. disastrous… move E. calamitous… revisit

A. predictions… persevere B. warnings…. continue C. encouragement… proceed D. cautions… persist E. signals… incur

The best answer is B. Unfortunate is too weak a word to describe such an event. Cataclysmic is apt. In choices D and E, move and revisit do not fit with the last clause of the sentence. A house and homeland cannot shift.

The best answer is B. The word despite signals that there is a contradiction in the two parts of the sentence which rules out C. Continue to… is idiomatic, whereas persevere, persist and incur cannot be followed by to.

Those __________ ancestors doubtless found sticks helpful for pointing out a direction, tracing a diagram in the dirt or __________ up a slab of useful flint.

Federal data show that the number of citizens receiving welfare __________ again last year even though an economic slowdown pushed more people into __________.

A. decrepit… fixing B. faulty… picking C. distant… prying D. olden… raise E. aged… keeping

A. rescinded… beggary B. reduced… affluence C. jumped… subservience D. tripled… pauperism E. declined … poverty

The best answer is C. Choices A and E make the ancestors sound as though they were still alive. There is no reason for the ancestors to be considered faulty. The second blank must be filled with a gerund (-ing form).

The best answer is E. Even though signals that there is a contrast from one part of the sentence to another. Choice E provides for the appropriate contrast. An economic slowdown cannot push people into affluence or subservience.

Tony Benito and his sister, Margarita Benito, face 15-month jail terms in Britain on ________ of court charges after they __________ to appear in court to testify about the family's assets. A. contempt… failed B. misconduct… refused C. rudeness… agreed D. love… promised E. scorn… swore The best answer is A. The expression contempt of court is idiomatic. It is logical that they would be in contempt if they failed to appear.

Despite __________ printed in newspapers and broadcast over the internet and on television, Americans __________ to lose millions to internet con artists.

Georgia's teachers received the third largest salary hike in the country last year but still did not move up in national __________. A. competition B. readings C. ranting D. ratings E. rankings The best answer is E. There is no national competition for salaries. Choice B and C are irrelevant. Ratings are usually applied to a subjective quality, not a fact. Despite signs of a truce, the country‘s dilemma remains, should they let the north country remain __________ or should they __________ it. A. autonomous... conquer B. free… self-governing C. independent… separated

D. quelled… annexed E. subordinate… subservient The best answer is A. The word or in the sentence signals that what is on either side of the word must be different options. Only A presents two different options.

As the last __________ slice of Atlantic coastal plain bordering the continent's vast equatorial rain forests, the region, known as the Gamba Complex, is a biologically __________ mosaic of forests, savannas, lagoons, lakes and beaches that, until recently, was virtually unknown to science. A. underdeveloped… luxuriant B. uncharted… broken C. examined… plentiful D. undeveloped… rich E. explored… abounding The best answer is D. Choices C and E are unidiomatic following last. Broken mosaic is illogical as a description of forests etc.

Mr. Miller has expressed his hope that the project can __________ support for conserving the Silverson Wildlife Complex. A. raise B. rally C. mount D. foster E. booster The best answer is B. To rally support is an idiomatic expression.

The term conservationist had been defined by some as a person who believes that the natural world is endlessly __________ and beautiful, and therefore as much of it as possible should be __________. A. irrational… preserved B. abhorrent… salvaged C. fascinating… saved D. exhilarative… promoted E. appealing… distinguished

The best answer is C. Because the blank appears before and beautiful, one can expect it to be filled with something positive. The and therefore indicates that the second blank should also be positive. Only C, D and E have two positive choices, and of them only C contains two words that are appropriate to describe the natural world.

__________ temporary power lines and data cables, huddled around laptops and editing equipment, journalists and technicians were __________ out news to many outposts. A. Among… burning B. Although… turning C. Using… tossing D. Despite… writing E. Amid… churning The best answer is E. Although and despite must precede clauses, not noun phrases. Amid and among are both reasonable choices. Churning out, however, is idiomatic while burning out, is not.

The country is a regional __________, an absolute but highly dynamic monarchy that has created an economic __________ out of little more than vision, geography and will. A. anomaly… powerhouse B. synchronicity… giant C. incongruity… dwarf D. paradox… dependency E. discrepancy… power The best answer is A. Synchronicity and discrepancy have to relate to two or more things (i.e. a discrepancy between x and y). That is not the case here. Out of little more indicates that something was made out of next to nothing, which is only remarkable if what was created was positive, such as an economic powerhouse.

Rugby is still largely an __________ sport in Georgia, but in its traditional __________ of England, France, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa it has, since turning professional in 1995, become a multi-billion-dollar industry.

A. voluntary… home B. master… vicinity C. impermeable… D. failed… locality E. amateur… bastions The best answer is E. The word amateur is a logical choice after but… since turning professional. Bastion is an appropriate word to describe where the sport is traditionally played.

In addition to huge gas __________, the Caspian sea may hold as much as 200 billion barrels of oil, reserves second only to those of the Persian Gulf. A. tanks B. quotas C. canisters D. supplies E. deposits The best answer is E. A sea can only hold deposits, not any of the other options.

Union leaders __________ bosses of allowing paramilitaries access to the plants to __________ graffiti on the walls and intimidate workers. A. convicted… inscribe B. accused… scrawl C. blamed… etch D. incriminated… write E. denoted… scribble The best answer is B. Only accuse and convicted can be followed by of . Inscribe has a positive connotation which is inappropriate.

Very quickly the native Californians were overwhelmed by people of all __________, coming from all __________ -- by wagon train from Council Bluffs, Iowa, by horseback from ranchos to the south, by ship from China. A. destinations… vehicles B. nationalities… countries

C. upbringings… interests D. backgrounds… directions E. denominations… sectors The best answer is D. It is incorrect to use of with destinations. Nationalities is incorrect because only one nationality is mentioned. Of choices C, D and E, directions makes the most sense in light of what follows. Airspan Airline‘s long and __________ search for a partner finally __________ last week when the bankrupt Dutch airline agreed to merge with Airlex. A. arduous… ended B. extended… concluded C. joyous… consigned D. fortuitous… stopped E. laborious… proceeded The best answer is A. Since the first blank comes after long and… we can assume it will be something that will not be a contradiction. This rules out joyous and fortuitous. The second blank follows finally. It is logical that the search ended, and the information is given in the last part of the sentence.

Thought the negotiators are trying to finalize a less expensive __________ benefit plan, they are considering charging __________ people higher premiums. A. health … wealthy B. wealth… distinguished C. safety… prosperous D. payoff… abundant E. fitness… cognitive The best answer is A. Health benefit plan is the only expression which is idiomatic and logical. Only wealthy makes logical sense.

Cablewise Systems officially rolled out its national high-definition satellite service, ‗Boom‘, in a bet that the cable operator can __________ into a burgeoning segment of the television-viewing community that is expected to __________ high-definition television sets.

A. turn… reserve B. dredge… abuse C. float… borrow D. tap… own E. pierce… dictate The best answer is D. Tap into is idiomatic and makes sense in the context of the sentence. While borrow and reserve are possible grammatically, own makes the most sense.

Looking to expand its foothold overseas, CSC has purchased a majority stake in Germany's leading television news agency, giving the U.S. broadcaster __________ of a leading channel in the German television __________. A. control… market B. part … emporium C. desperation… consortium D. domination… space E. power… fringe The best answer is A. The term giving control can be followed by of whereas desperation, domination and power cannot. While the word emporium means about the same as market, it is not used in this sort of figurative context.

A. vanished B. extinguished C. flourished D. stumbled E. abdicated The best answer is A. Choice B and E cannot be applied to an animal. Choice C and D cannot be followed by from the earth.

Scientists have __________ a bright purple, bloated frog in southern India that is so unique it merits the establishment of not only a new __________ but also a new family. A. uncovered… topic B. alleviated… genus C. discovered… species D. disseminated… disturbance E. distinguished… categorization The best answer is C. A frog cannot be alleviated or disseminated. Species logically completes not only… ____, but also a new family.

Most heart attacks occur when a blood clot __________ off one of the coronary arteries that __________ blood to the heart muscle itself.

More than 80 schools have been __________, with similar rehabilitation works in progress or in the final stages of __________.

A. blocks… fosters B. stops… pumps C. halts… supplies D. closes… feed E. obstructs… presages

A. achieved… configuration B. jointed… formulation C. ended… sponsorship D. finished… reproduction E. completed… planning

The best answer is D. Closes off is idiomatic. One can feed, pump or supply blood to the heart, but not foster or presage.

The best answer is E. A school can be finished or completed, but not achieved, jointed or ended. In the final stages of planning is more logical and is idiomatic.

In this era of managed nursing care, Smith continues to __________ a kind of medicine that most people assume nearly vanished, bringing to their rounds tenderness and profound __________.

People and rhinoceroses prefer similar habitat but don't mix very well, which is one reason rhinoceroses have almost __________ from the earth.

A. participate… caring B. condone… abhorrence C. disparage… suability D. practice… competence

E. engage… antipathy The best answer is D. To practice medicine is idiomatic. The second blank must be a positive item.

Psychiatrists, medical doctors and __________ have used hypnosis for more than two centuries to treat __________ and illness. A. therapists… bliss B. psychologists… pain C. catalysts… suffering D. physicians… discomfort E. physicists… torment The best answer is B. Physicians is redundant. Catalysts and physicists are illogical choices. Bliss is an illogical choice for the second blank.

In each __________, scanners detected increased blood __________ in relevant parts of the brains of hypnotized subjects who were put through color and pain tests. A. case… flow B. instance… stain C. place… powder D. position… current E. testament… stream The best answer is A. Only choice A and B are logical for the first blank. Blood stain is does not make sense after the word increased.

__________ to the "science" of phrenology, an individual's character and abilities could be deduced from the size and __________ of various bumps on the head. A. Corresponding… tension B. Based… texture C. Supposing… hardness D. According… shape E. Configured… form The best answer is D. Based and According are the only logical choices for the first blank, but Based cannot be followed by to. Also,

while any of the choice could feasibly fit in the second blank, size and shape is an idiomatic expression.

The world's most prolific aircraft builder's commercial __________ is struggling in the worst aviation downturn in history and has __________ off 35,560 of its 93,000 workers since 1999. A. B. C. D. E.

sector… paid part… sent division … laid ward… bought department… caught

The best answer is C. Ward is used to refer to part of a hospitcal. Part is too general. A business does not have sectors. Since there has been a downturn, it is logical that the workers have been laid off. Since he had __________ over the company from his father only a year before, he blamed himself for destroying a business relationship his father spent seventeen years __________ . A. presided… cultivating B. hovered… developing C. ruled… crushing D. relinquished… taking E. taken… building The best answer is E. While presided, hovered and ruled are all suitable before over, only taken over… makes sense coming before from his father.

Savvy leaders know that there is no single map for __________ leadership; the rules change depending on whom you are guiding and the __________ around you. A. altruistic… contradictions B. effective… conditions C. successful… natives D. abysmal… situation E. topical… criteria The best answer is B. Because the sentence starts with Savvy leaders, the first blank must be something positive, as in choices A, B and C. Of the three, conditions is the most logical choice.

E. raging … circles A voluntary school drug-testing __________ proposed by the mayor and school superintendent __________ make this crimeplagued city the first to experiment with this approach. A. test … should B. program … would C. study… can D. class… will E. investigation… ought to The best answer is B. Because the drugtesting is just proposed, i.e. only a possibility, the second blank should be filled with would.

__________ we bought equipment at the end of last year but weren't billed until 2003, we had to include it on this year's books. A. Because B. Despite C. So D. Whereas E. After The best answer is A. Only choice A is grammatical and creates a logical connection between the two parts of the sentence.

For the first time in 38 years, Essex Packaging has __________ an unprofitable quarter. A. understood B. managed C. handled D. experienced E. related The best answer is D. Semantically, the word experienced is the most logical choice.

The proposed random testing plan has brought a debate to Virginia that was already __________ in national political __________ . A. intense… opinions B. flouncing… rings C. floundering… groups D. talking… parties

The best answer is E. A debate can be said to be raging, but not flouncing, floundering or talking. Political circles is idiomatic. Choice A is incorrect because a debate cannot be intense in a political opinion.

The governor has shied from taking a position on the issue, but the Civil Liberties Union said it would actively __________ any program that forced inmates to sign the __________ . A. support… interface B. challenge … document C. reflect… text D. sustain… certification E. revere… petition The best answer is B. The word but makes it clear that what the Union does is different from what the governor has done. Support and challenge are both suitable options, however, one does not sign an interface.

Scanners have long been neglected by the designers of the PC world — __________ boxes that take up far too __________ space on the desktop. A. sleek… many B. ornamental… little C. clumsy… few D. clunky… much E. blusterous… numerous The best answer is D. Since designers have neglected scanners, one expects them to be described in negative term, such as clumsy or clunky. Of the possibilities for the second blank, only little and much are grammatical suitable with a non-countable noun such as space.

The plan is proving popular, if __________ , in New Bedford, where it was originally suggested to Kramer at a __________ of faith-based organizations earlier this month. A. trendy… assembly B. widespread… opportunity C. controversial … forum D. cumbersome… dispersal

E. prevalent… summit The best answer is C. Because of the word if, the first blank must contrast with popular. Controversial and cumbersome provide a suitable contrast. Dispersal is illogical.

Miller unveiled his __________ research plan to the committee last Tuesday; he expects to have a final plan ready for a __________ by January. A. preliminary … vote B. luminous… printing C. concluding… decision D. definitive… judgment E. ultimate…verdict The best answer is A. Preliminary research plan is logical since it contrasts logically with the final plan.

Had the attempt to increase sales succeeded, Fox would have had __________ to believe the Forester Plan could set similar __________ . A. cause … tables B. foundation… traditions C. underpinning… tribunals D. reason … records E. keystone… verifications The best answer is D. Cause and reason fit in the first blank, but reason to believe is an idiomatic expression. Similarly, to set records is idiomatic.

The joint government web site was specially created to educate small firms __________ their wage and __________ reporting responsibilities. A. about … tax B. on… refund C. concerning… salary D. apropos… earnings E. in… income The best answer is A. To educate someone about something is idiomatic. Since the

second blank comes after wage and… the blank will most likely be filled with something similar to wages. Salary and earnings, however, mean the same thing as wage, and are therefore illogical choices.

A solid __________ of Americans say they want Congress to legalize the importation of lower-priced medicines from Canada and Europe, and would be willing to pay higher taxes to provide prescription drug benefits to __________ citizens. A. minority… decrepit B. faction… old C. majority… senior D. lobby… elderly E. fifty percent… superfluous The best answer is C. The first blank comes after the adjective solid. It would be unusual to use solid to describe a minority, faction or lobby. Old and elderly make sense, but only senior citizens is idiomatic.

On April 15, Sangers International, a __________ mainstay here for 112 years, told its 300 employees to stop work mid-shift because it was __________ down. A. factious … closing B. manufacturing … shutting C. economic … slogging D. economical… traipsing E. mechanized… pulling The best answer is B. Only closing down and shutting down are idiomatic and logical. Factious does not make sense in the context of the sentence.

In talks on this trip, the prime minister has tried, without much __________ , to persuade foreign leaders to stop weakening their __________ against the dollar. A. gratification… money B. accomplishment… billfolds C. accompaniment… exchange D. voracity… tender E. success … currencies

The best answer is E. The first blank, which appears in a parenthetical expression, logically qualifies the expression the minister has tried. Currencies is the only choice which can logically be compared to the dollar.

A week-long investigation began yesterday in Florida, with __________ speculation on the cause of the crash centering on damage to the plane‘s right wing. A. final B. momentary C. initial D. middling E. definitive The best answer is C. Since it is the first day of an investigation that is scheduled to last a week, it makes sense that the speculation was called initial.

__________ its high concentration of familyowned manufacturing firms, dating back to the late 1800s, Blendens Furniture is accustomed to the ups and downs of the business __________ . A. Having… phase B. With … cycle C. Due to… rotation D. Owning… sequence E. Overseeing… disarray The best answer is B. Having and owning at the beginning of a sentence cannot precede its. For the second blank, cycle is the best choice for something described as having ups and downs.

Last week, Texitron, an American firm with factories in 40 countries, __________ it was closing two more plants, __________ the number of Texitron jobs lost to 1,030 this year. A. determined… setting B. decided… deranging C. proclaimed… putting

D. announced … bringing E. alerted… raising The best answer is D. Choice B, C and D can fit in the first blank. However, only bringing the number to… is idiomatic. In true entrepreneurial style, Kelly has turned the popular book into a __________ global business of books, games, and videos that teach the __________ of financial freedom that he used to build his fortune. A. flourishing… whim B. starving… tenet C. skulking… dogma D. thriving … principles E. pedestrian… ideas The best answer is D. Since it was done in entrepreneurial style, one would assume that what Kelly did was successful. Flourishing and starving are, therefore, apt. For the second blank, principles is a much better choice since one does not teach a whim.

With its personal touches, including twice-daily housekeeping and round-the-clock concierge service, the hotel has a delightful your-wish-isour-command air about the place, without the __________ you might find __________ . A. ornamentation… somewhere else B. stuffiness … elsewhere C. artifacts… missing D. dankness… beyond E. insubordination… away The best answer is C. The sentence is praising the hotel so one would expect that the hotel would be without something negative. Insubordination can only be used to describe a person. Dankness and stuffiness are appropriate choice for the first blank, but beyond is not a logical choice for the second blank.

Verton executives challenged the web site tactic, ___________ that if customers switched, the ___________ would lose revenues and the very jobs the union was trying to protect. A. arguing … company

B. argued… firm C. proclaiming… employee D. stated… worker E. questioning… staff member

B. thought… transitory C. spurt… obsequious D. reflection… peaceable E. evidence … powerful

The best answer is A. A gerund form, such as arguing, proclaiming or questioning is needed to fill the first blank. Questioning cannot precede that. One uses the word revenue to talk about the income of a company, not that of individuals.

The best answer is E. Growing evidence is idiomatic. Something that does not contradict long-lasting, such as powerful, is needed to fill the second blank.

___________ an increase in attacks on the existing technology, Netfix said that it would release features across its line of network firewall products. A. Mentioning… B. Talking… C. Combining… D. Citing … E. Toting… The best answer is D. Mentioning is too casual. Talking cannot precede an increase…. Combining and toting are illogical.

Following years of generous stock options, corporate jets and other ___________, boards are ___________ their belts when it comes to executive pay. A. perks… B. liabilities… C. benefits … tightening D. encumbrances… E. prosperity… The best answer is C. Generous stock options and corporate jets would likely be described as something positive, such as a perk or a benefit. To tighten ones belt is an idiomatic expression.

Its ___________ includes such treasures as woven funerary shoes from a royal tomb in ancient Thebes and a rare pair of Inuit boots ___________ of eider skin.

The ___________ of tap dance can be traced to the antebellum South when African-American slaves, adept at copying Irish jigs and Lancashire clogging, improvised and embellished those dances with their own ___________ and movements.

A. compilation… done B. collection… made C. set… prepared D. pile… shaped E. stock… fashioned

A. origins … rhythms B. account… feelings C. birth… apathy D. version… awareness E. chronicle… combo

The best answer is B. Compilation cannot be appropriately applied to shoes. A pile or stock cannot include items. Only made can go before of.

The best answer is A. Only an origin or a birth can be traced. A dance can be embellished with a rhythm, not with apathy.

There is growing ___________ that a child's earliest experiences have a more ___________ and long-lasting effect on subsequent health than had been previously thought. A. testimony… significant

The federal and provincial governments launched the National Children's Agenda six years ago to work ___________ eliminating child poverty, yet progress is ___________. A. with… exclusive B. on… indefinable C. about… ethereal

D. toward … elusive E. near… intangible The best answer is D. Eliminating child poverty is a goal, thus toward is the best choice. The word yet indicates that the goal has not been reach, thus elusive is apt.

The best answer is A. To lay the groundwork for x… is idiomatic.

The improved sales were largely the result of a 21.3% increase in unit volume, but a 12.1% ___________ in average selling ___________ negatively impacted results.

Started in 1993 by the Cultural Council to ___________ the city's downtown neighborhoods, the festival ___________ artists and acrobats, magicians and stilt walkers from as far away as Spain and China.

A. plummet… strategy B. augmentation… cost C. certification… charge D. drop … price E. increase … outlay

A. indicate… promotes B. celebrate … showcases C. substantiate… singles out D. commemorate… exonerates E. honor… exemplifies

The best answer is D. The word but signals that the second part of the sentence will contrast with the first part, therefore, the first blank should be filled with an antonym of increase, such as drop. Selling cannot be used as an adjective to describe any of the choices other than price.

The best answer is B. Celebrate is the most appropriate verb to describe a festival with artists, acrobats, magicians and stilt walkers. Showcases is appropriate for things being shown to the public.

The Thornhill highway carries anywhere from 25,000 to about 50,000 ___________ a day depending on the section of road, with the count ___________ 60,000 in some urbanized areas. A. transportation… reaching B. trips… averaging C. vehicles … topping D. automobiles… arriving E. voyages… recording The best answer is C. A highway can carry vehicles or automobiles, but none of the other options. Choice D is incorrect because arriving would have to be followed by at. The public attention it generates could help lay the ___________ for the kind of national consensus needed to bring substantial reform to health-care delivery. A. groundwork B. beginning C. basis D. center E. origin

Virginia has not taken any comprehensive ___________ on transportation funding since ___________ the sales tax a half-cent in 1986. A. heart… increasing B. modification… adjusting C. shape… moving D. action … raising E. amendment… heaving The best answer is D. To take amendment and to take shape are not idiomatic. To take heart, to take shape, and to take action are idiomatic, but only choice D fits the meaning of the sentence.

To memorialize their loved ones, the ___________ are increasingly turning to personalization, and those in the funeral business are responding to the ___________ with a variety of tasteful customized products. A. lonely…plea B. bereaved … demand C. mourners… task D. destitute… endowment E. next-of-kin… ultimatum The best answer is B. Any of the choices could feasibly fill in the first blank, but bereaved is the most logical because it refers to people who memorialize their loved ones.

___________ targeting the home and home business. While supporting publicly funded health care, Dr. Roberts, president of the National Orthopedic Association, hopes the case ___________ much needed debate. A. makes B. quells C. stirs D. agitates E. represses The best answer is C. Since debate is muchneeded, the blank should be filled with a word that will promote debate, such as stirs.

Many athletes and celebrities demand payment for their signatures, and people are ___________ up to pay the price. A. lining B. folding C. taking D. cracking E. giving

A. enclosing… each B. including… both C. attaching… none D. containing… all E. enfolding… some The best answer is B. A line of products can logically be said to include certain items. Both is the logical choice to refer to two items.

While smoking has declined steadily in Canada since 1965, the ___________ has not held true for girls and younger ___________. A. inclination… people B. tendency… children C. slope… folk D. trend … women E. grade… teenagers The best answer is D. Tendency and trend are both appropriate choices, however, women is more appropriate than children. Young children is a group that would presumably include girls.

The best answer is A. Lining up is both idiomatic and logical.

The overnight train from London to Edinburgh was an experience that reminded me how exciting that mode of ___________ can be, but how our fast-paced lives rarely ___________ the luxury of time to enjoy it. A. transportation… condone B. adventure… allow C. movement… permit D. shifting… suffice E. travel… afford The best answer is E. Only mode of transportation and mode of travel are idiomatic and logical. The word afford, used in the sense of allow, fits the context of the sentence.

Mardex recently launched a line of broadband home networking products, ___________ wireless base stations and a five-port hub,

James Colin has ___________ his sound on numerous occasions throughout his career -- all the while ___________ a contemporary tone. A. retuned… preserving B. revamped … maintaining C. evolved… upholding D. fabricated… sustaining E. metamorphosed… composing The best answer is B. Choice C, D and E cannot fill the first blank because they are intransitive verbs. Retuned can be applied to an instrument, not a sound.

Long waiting ___________, it seems, have become a defining element of the heath-care system; and nowhere is it ___________ than in orthopedic surgery. A. days… more B. times … shabbier C. spots… better

D. periods… worse E. eras… greater The best answer is D. Waiting periods is idiomatic. The first part of the sentence discusses something bad (long waits). The second part of the sentence says that it has become more pronounced, thus worse is suitable.

At age 84, he is America's most listened-to radio ___________, and a ten million dollara-year ___________ will keep him busy into his 90s.

E. resource… civilians The best answer is A. Source of information is idiomatic, as is general public.

The credibility of The Evening Guardian has made it a valuable ___________ for reaching medical consumers and for helping medical researchers obtain family ___________. A. means … histories B. viaduct… records C. tool… kinship D. transducer… past E. affiliate… associations

A. anchor… pact B. announcer… indenture C. personality… treaty D. broadcaster… contract E. duplicator… agreement

The best answer is A. Both means and tool are acceptable, but means is more appropriate. Tool is generally used to refer to a tangible object. Family history is idiomatic in a medical context.

The best answer is D. Choices B, C and D are suitable to fill the first blank. Contract is the only noun that can be used to refer to a work agreement.

Six years ago this ___________, Asian leaders met in cold, rainy Vancouver to discuss the region's worsening financial ___________.

In a fascinating book, science ___________ Sarah Helm ___________ there is far more to moths than meets the eye.

A. time … calamity B. moment… distress C. week … crisis D. today… tragedy E. day… emergency

A. scribbler… exposes B. writer … reveals C. dabbler… tells D. author… thinks E. sycophant… discloses

The best answer is C. Only week can be used for the first blank. Choice A and B do not make sense. Today and day cannot follow this.

The best answer is B. Only choices B and D can fill the first blank. All the choices to fill the second blank besides reveals cannot precede a complete clause.

Medical Update, a monthly newsletter that reports on epidemiological surveys and other ___________ of the society, is ___________ by this division.

Founded in 1976, the Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society has become a leading ___________ of information on health and medicine for the general ___________. A. source … public B. well… citizenry C. scourge… populous D. font… community

A. doings… disordered B. episodes… put out C. bouts… disseminated D. activities … published E. segments… assembled The best answer is D. The first blank must be filled by something of which surveys can be considered an example, such as activities. Also, a report being published is logical.

A judge ___________ an Arizona woman to 60 days home detention for intercepting her husband's ex-wife's e-mail, saying the penalty is a warning to others who might be tempted to do ___________. A. ordered… so B. declared… such C. sentenced … the same D. segregated… as well E. mediated… similar The best answer is C. Only ordered and sentenced can be followed with …to 60 days…. The same has a much clearer referent than so.

In the magazine, national health surveys are taken to ___________ current research on topics such as cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and bipolar disorder. A. proliferate B. propagate C. distance D. further E. dissect The best answer is D. To further research, meaning to advance it, is idiomatic.

Outside the courtroom, the lanky ___________ told TV cameras he now hoped to get a job as a computer security ___________ or programmer. A. gentleman… personnel B. teenager … consultant C. chap… resource D. constituent… competitor E. adolescent… player The best answer is B. Lanky is an adjective most often used to describe teenagers. Personnel and resource do not fit because it is a non-countable noun.

A late rally on Wall Street after most European markets had closed set a positive

tone in Europe, with higher-than-forecast ___________ again the main driver of gains. A. rejoinders B. profits C. deficiencies D. depreciation E. stupefaction The best answer is B. Since a positive tone was set, profits is a logical outcome. The renaissance in farmers' markets began just ___________ 20 years ago in several places, ___________ them California and New York City. A. more… with B. over … among C. more than… between D. above… some of E. up… some The best answer is B. Just over is correct and idiomatic. Among them is the appropriate expression to single a few out of a group.

Net margins for grocery stores were sorely ___________, so a group of usually uncooperative supermarket executives joined ___________ with a few food manufacturers to come up with a system to automate checkout stands. A. drooping… influences B. lowered… cogency C. falling… teams D. lagging… harnesses E. sagging … forces The best answer is E. The adjective sorely is most appropriately used with either lagging or sagging. Joined harnesses is illogical. Joined forces is idiomatic.

As recently as the 1980s, production far outstripped ___________, and the government was paying dairy farmers $1 billion to thin their herds while it bought tons of ___________ cheese. A. supply… extra

B. planning … unwanted C. demand … surplus D. quota… surreptitious E. billing… supercilious The best answer is C. For the first blank, choices A and E are illogical. B and D are ungrammatical. Since production ―far outstripped demand,‖ surplus is a logical choice for the second blank. After Borden received ___________ in 1856 for producing concentrated milk in a vacuum, condensed milk became an important part of the dairy ___________. A. an award… subject B. a copyright… field C. a document… trade D. a patent … industry E. power of attorney… business The best answer is D. Choices A and D can logically fill the first blank, but industry makes much more sense for the second choice.

Tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people a year and nearly two billion people worldwide have ___________ tuberculosis infection, a massive potential reservoir for the ___________. A. sleeping… affliction B. latent … disease C. raging… affiliation D. dozing… illness E. rampant… circumstance The best answer is . Since there is a potential reservoir, it makes sense that the disease is dormant. Choices A, B and D all have the same meaning but only latent is a word applied to a disease.

The ___________ multi-cellular creatures on earth, sponges are collections of loosely organized single cells with no true organs or ___________ . A. plain… glands B. plainest… tissue

C. simpler… tools D. simplest … tissues E. small… pianos The best answer is D. An expression of the form The ______ something on earth requires the use of the superlative (-est) form to fill the blank. Organs and tissues are both parts of a body so they logically fit together.

A highly ___________ gas, methyl bromide is injected into the soil before planting, ___________ out nearly everything alive. A. toxic … wiping B. redundant… moving C. foul… selling D. noxious … killing E. recombinant… taking The best answer is A. A gas cannot be redundant or recombinant. Killing out is not idiomatic, while moving out cannot be used in a transitive sense.

Most easily measured ___________ gains come from increasing the capital stock and improving the efficiency with which the capital stock is used. A. lucrative… B. lachrymose… C. economic … D. correctional… E. gainful… The best answer is C. Lucrative and gainful gains are redundant. Lachrymose and correctional are illogical.

No other people of the world are quite so ___________ with installing and ___________ expanses of short grass — mostly around houses but also at schools, parks, golf courses, graveyards, freeway embankments and corporate headquarters. A. taken… keep B. misguided… saving C. allusive… tapering D. inclusive…savoring

E. obsessed… maintaining The best answer is E. Choices C and D are illogical. B is incorrect because one cannot be misguided with something. Choice A is incorrect because the second blank must be filled with a gerund form (-ing).

Ranchers have long despised prairie dogs, believing (___________, according to some new research) that they deprive cattle of ___________. A. erroneously … forage B. incredulously… space C. frantically … greens D. abstrusely… graze E. utterly… food The best answer is A. Erroneously is the best choice because it qualifies the word believing.

___________ in the University's Research Park, the Patton Center is the catalyst that brings together the people and ideas necessary for ___________ successful enterprises. A. Found… beginning B. Stationed… setting C. Lying… inaugurating D. Facing… fixating E. Located … launching The best answer is E. Stationed is used for army personnel. Facing cannot be followed by in. Lying is unidiomatic. Launching an enterprise is an idiomatic expression.

Timber rattlesnakes used to be common in a range ___________ from Oklahoma and Nebraska up the Appalachians to southern New England, and ___________ the Mississippi river to Wisconsin and Minnesota. A. progressing… by B. extending … along C. extenuating… forward D. persevering… onward E. originating… siding

The best answer is B. Extending from x to y is an appropriate expression to discuss a range of land. Along is the best choice to describe something extending the length of a river.

The castle is now a tourist ___________, bringing visitors and restoration volunteers from ___________ countries. A. drawer… multiple B. collector… several C. attraction … numerous D. sighting… various E. abode… dismissible The best answer is C. Tourist attraction is idiomatic. Numerous is a adjective that can appropriately be applied to countries. The grandson of a Haitian slave, Dumas became the most famous author in France; now, his rousing romantic novels are enjoying renewed ___________. A. infamy B. unanimity C. disrepute D. popularity E. disparity The best answer is D. Since Dumas was the most famous author, it is logical that what is renewed is his popularity.

Today, as in the ___________, whether for chefs ___________ their restaurants with fresh produce, or customers interested in homemade cakes and preserves, farmers' markets promise not only freshness but sociability. A. country… stocking B. past … supplying C. secret… hoarding D. history… supplied E. east… collecting The best answer is B. The word past makes a logical contrast to today. History cannot be proceeded by the.

With tools such as lasers, climate-controlled research chambers and, of course, computers, Hatfield and his ___________ are bringing soil science into the next ___________. A. employees… term B. cohorts… dimension C. colleagues … century D. minders… exponent E. facilities… component The best answer is C. Colleagues is an appropriate term to refer to members of a research team. To bring something into the next century is idiomatic.

Though the general died young, leaving his son without an inheritance, the young man overcame ___________, the lack of ___________ education to become one of the world's most popular writers. A. exuberance… secular B. poverty … formal C. adversity… expedient D. lethargy… liberal E. illness… legal The best answer is B. Since he was left without an inheritance, overcoming poverty is logical. The expression formal education is idiomatic.

Every healthy body at rest ___________ a certain amount of energy just keeping the organs functioning and blood ___________. A. expends … circulating B. puts off… clotting C. using… pushing D. burning… flow E. endeavors… mingling The best answer is A. Grammatically, the present simple tense is called for to fill the first blank. Expends is a suitable verb to describe the use of energy. For the second blank a gerund (-ing) form is required to maintain parallelism.

Euthanasia, the act of humanely ___________ animals that are hopelessly sick or ___________, is a controversial topic. A. maiming… hurt B. executing… wounding C. slaughtering… wounded D. killing … injured E. assassinating… injuring The best answer is D. Assassinating can only be applied to people. Maiming, executing and slaughtering have more negative connotations than killing and therefore could not be used with the adjective humanely.

Change is particularly difficult for some animals, especially ___________ who have been used to the same daily ___________ for a long time. A. them… grind B. those … routine C. these… habit D. critters… habitat E. whomever… habitation The best answer is B. Those is the best pronoun to refer back to animals. For the second blank, daily grind is appropriate in meaning, but is a slang expression. A habit cannot be describe as daily in the sense of general behavior.

The reopening marks the end of a massive, inside-and-out ___________ project that shrouded the society's terra-cotta headquarters in scaffolding for nearly four years. A. reduction B. reunification C. commiseration D. renovation E. conservation The best answer is D. It is logical that a reopening would follow a renovation.

Diego silenced the ___________ and turned her passion for scrapbooks into a successful retail and ___________ business. A. devotees… public

B. enthusiasts… marketable C. detractors… economic D. concordances … profitable E. skeptics … wholesale The best answer is E. One silences opposing voices, therefore, choices D and E can logically fill the first blank. Retail and wholesale logically go together.

Stenton, who was ___________ in New York City in 1915, spent most of his life sharing his love of music by teaching others to ___________ the piano. A. educated… listen B. born … play C. taught… love D. raised… appreciate E. grown… adore The best answer is B. The first blank requires a verb to refer to an action that happened in 1915. Other than choice B, all the choices refer to things that happen over a period of years.

Today Calder is the youngest by nearly two generations at the veteran‘s hospital, where he ___________ therapy and ___________. A. undergoes … rehabilitation B. has… restoration C. does… healing D. suffers… analysis E. experiences… treatment The best answer is A. Choices A and B can logically and idiomatically fill the first blank. Restoration is incorrect because it is not a word one applies to humans.

More and more people are considering mortgages that require the ___________ to pay only the monthly ___________ on the loan. A. taker… profits B. client… revenues C. instigator… dividends D. borrower … interest

E. investigator… capitol The best answer is D. Choices C and D are illogical for the first blank. Choice A is not idiomatic. Revenues is not a word used to describe payments made by an individual.

Some economists are predicting that demand will catch up with productivity shortly, ___________ an enormous boom in job growth. A. making B. shooting C. spurring D. spinning E. goading The best answer is C. Spurring, a verb whose origins come from the spurs of a horseback rider‘s boots, is appropriate to describe something that causes an enormous boom.

The city is ___________ to annex land for new, suburban-style homes, but zoning abuses blight existing neighborhoods with ___________ construction. A. scheduled… exquisite B. talking… opulent C. foregoing… errant D. slated… illegal E. considering… succulent The best answer is D. Only choices A and D are both logical and grammatical for the first blank. For the second blank, however, exquisite is not a logical adjective to describe a blight.

In ___________ of resolving the profound economic and social problems that continue to ___________ the nation, the president's removal last July accomplished nothing. A. sense… butter B. light… libel C. coin… malign D. means… disturb E. terms … plague

The best answer is E. In terms of is idiomatic. Plague is the best choice to refer to profound economic and social problems.

The best answer is D. In her own right is idiomatic. A gerund is needed to fill the second blank to maintain parallelism.

Some agencies offer financing ___________ for developers to encourage the building of ___________ housing.

Seth Walters has ___________ more than four decades in commercial banking, ___________ from a bank messenger to president and CEO of the Merchant‘s Bank.

A. incentives … rental B. perks… semi-permanent C. bonuses… viable D. encouragement… marketable E. raises… salable The best answer is A. Perks, encouragement and raises are usually given to employees, not developers. Housing cannot be viable.

Marks, ___________ forecaster, estimates that, compared to the administration's dividend tax cuts, extending unemployment benefits would produce a 20 times ___________ positive effect on the gross domestic product. A. a reliable… greatest B. an economic … greater C. an intuitive… great D. a moneyed… worse E. a furtive… worst The best answer is B. Choices A, B and C are reasonable to fill the first blank. D and E are possible, but would be unusual. After a 20 times greater___, a comparative form of adjective is needed, such as greater.

As a politician's wife, Carole Samuels became active in her own ___________, attending chamber of commerce breakfasts and historical society meetings, and ___________ in the Gardener‘s Club. A. way… convened B. time… convening C. self… ran D. right… running E. identity… chaired

A. caroled… upping B. resided… increasing C. loafed… raising D. spent … rising E. squandered… starting The best answer is D. Grammatically, choices A, B and C cannot fit in the first blank because they would have to be followed by a preposition. Choice E is unlikely – if the time had been squandered, Walters would not have risen to the position of president.

As healthcare costs grow, the problem of the underinsured will only get ___________, as corporations seek to control costs by continuing to raise ___________ for employees. A. worse … deductibles B. depleted… deductions C. alleviated… welts D. recompensed… interest E. disparaged… abscesses The best answer is A. The phrase the problem will only get ___, is generally followed by something negative, such as worse. Deductibles is logical since the sentence refers to insurance (the problem of the underinsured).

At the school, she wrote and directed several ___________ productions about the Everglades and its ___________ as well as tributes to historic Floridians, such as Marjory Stoneman Douglas. A. physical… fauna B. theatrical … animals C. musical… locations D. creative… flora E. prolific… alligators

The best answer is B. Theatrical productions and musical productions are idiomatic. Animals is a better choice than locations for something that belongs to the Everglades.

Some residents claim that the timing of the strike was inappropriate, considering the ___________ economy. A. flourishing B. harmonizing C. shivering D. questionable E. illiterate The best answer is D. Choices B, C and E cannot be applied to an economy. A strike is generally considered inappropriate when the economy is poor, hence D is a better choice than A.

A wildfire roaring through the ___________ of the San Bernardino Mountains burned as ___________ as 20 homes and forced thousands to flee. A. crests… various B. foothills … many C. summits… numerous D. grounds… far E. trees… much The best answer is B. It would be nearly impossible for a fire to roar through the crests or summits of mountains. Many is the appropriate choice to agree with homes.

Businessmen and investors may be ___________ a little easier now that the initial fears ___________ by the elections of leftist presidents in neighboring countries have been muffled. A. living… released B. working… tipped off C. breathing … unleashed D. thinking… forestalled E. pondering… untapped

The best answer is C. To breath easier is idiomatic. Used metaphorically, fears can be unleashed.

Arguing that the roots of many of the region's problems are more political and institutional than economic, the lecturer claimed that the government will now stress the need to ___________ corruption and ___________ bureaucracy. A. arm… unwieldy B. forego… international C. attack… exceptional D. defuse… permissive E. tackle … inefficient The best answer is E. Attack and tackle are the only logical choice for the first blank. The word bureaucracy is rarely preceded by a positive adjective.

Compared to economic disaster areas like Venezuela and Argentina, where the ___________ shrank by 12 percent last year, Brazil's outlook is ___________. A. economy … rosy B. population… undecided C. integration … advantageous D. specification… ambiguous E. profit… perilous The best answer is A. Choice A is the most logical for the first blank. Profit could not follow the when referring to an entire country. For the second blank, there is a contrast set up between Venezuela and Argentina on the one hand, and Brazil on the other. Since the former are disaster areas, the second should be positive.

Throughout the downturn of the past few years, economists and analysts have trumpeted our historic increases in productivity as the one ___________ in an otherwise dreary economic ___________. A. upturn… neighborhood B. indication… surrounding C. positive … environment D. advisory… background

E. allocation… milieu The best answer is C. The phrase as the one x in an otherwise dreary… sets the stage for a positive word filling the blank.

The Andes ___________ as the floor of the Pacific Ocean slipped uneasily beneath South America, ruffling the land along the west coast of the ___________. A. formed… continent B. created… country C. disinterred… mass D. depredated… mass E. shaped… landfill The best answer is A. Created and shaped would have to be put into a passive form (were created, were shaped) to fill the first blank. Disinterred and depredated are illogical.

Researchers have long ___________ about whether this kind of selfless behavior in animals, ___________ as altruism, directly benefits the helper. A. argued … known B. dreamed… deemed C. stipulated… named D. simulated… seen E. posited… characterized The best answer is A. Only argued and dreamed can go before about. Deemed cannot precede as.

According to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, an animal's success in the gene ___________ is measured by the number of offspring it ___________ raises to pass on its DNA. A. source… substantially B. swamp… joyfully C. pool … successfully D. base… productively E. chromosome… verdantly

The best answer is C. Gene pool is idiomatic. Successfully is a logical choice; if the offspring are not raised successfully, they cannot make an impact on the gene pool. ___________ of mythical giant apes lurk in the oral ___________ of most Native American tribes, as well as in Europe and Asia. A. Talks… chronicles B. Stories… verbiage C. Legends… writings D. Quips… meanderings E. Tales … traditions The best answer is E. One can have stories, legends or tales of something. Oral traditions is an idiomatic expression. Furthermore, oral verbiage is both redundant and illogical, while oral writings is a contradiction in terms.

Statistically, the 3,300 responses _________ the opinions (accurate to plus or minus two percent) of the 154 million American adults who have traveled over the ___________ three years. A. face… last B. focus… first C. preclude… coming D. represent … past E. repress… forthcoming The best answer is D. Grammatically, all of the choices are suitable to fill in the first blank, but semantically, represent is the most logical choice. Because the present perfect (have traveled) is used, the second blank must be something that refers to the past.

The academic services division was ___________ to providing quality support to the students and staff through the provision of specialist administrative ___________. A. submitted… services B. committed … assistance C. destined… debate D. conniving… help E. striving… contact The best answer is B. Choice D and E cannot be correct for the first blank because they are gerund forms. An academic services division

cannot normally be submitted. Destined would have to be follow be an infinitive form.

careful, secret, deciduous or learned. Duties are said to be carried out.

Prosecutors have ___________ a wealth of circumstantial evidence linking the six ___________ to the deadly bombing.

Many of these prizes are ___________ at the Faculty of Business presentation ceremony ___________ is held in June for the preceding academic year.

A. collected… detectives B. amassed … suspects C. accumulated… suspicions D. assembled… executors E. engineered… perpetrators The best answer is B. To amass wealth is idiomatic. Here the expression is expanded to refer to a wealth of evidence. Suspects is appropriate to refer to people accused but not yet tried.

First hired in 1972 as ___________ staff writer for The Examiner, Frank Gordon has since fashioned a career in journalism ___________ over three decades. A. a budding… taking B. a novice… reeling C. an introductory… sponging D. an eager… spanning E. a top… straddling The best answer is D. For the first blank, a person cannot be introductory. Eager or novice are the most appropriate adjective to describe a beginning writer. Only spanning can be used to indicate that Gordon‘s career lasted three decades.

It was thought that if the corpse did not have ___________ care, the former pharaoh would not be able to ___________ out his new duties as king of the dead. A. careful… fold B. secret… address C. deciduous… situate D. proper … carry E. learned… marry The best answer is D. The care that one takes over something cannot be described as

A. designated…who B. relegated… that C. awarded… which D. stultified… in which E. given… where The best answer is C. Prizes are normally awarded or given. Which is the appropriate pronoun to refer to the ceremony.

Earlier this month tax-evasion charges were ___________ against Maryanne Sumner, who is ___________ for the auditing of operations. A. filed … responsible B. summoned… reliable C. subpoenaed… determined D. lodged… reachable E. grated… accountable The best answer is A. A person can be summoned or subpoenaed, not charges. To file charges is idiomatic.

The Egyptians mummified their dead because they believed that a person needed his body in the afterlife, and the better-looking the better, so it was ___________ on the priests in charge of ___________ to do a good job. A. designated… wrapping B. selected… preserving C. assigned… mummifying D. doled… exacting E. incumbent… embalming The best answer is E. The first four choices for the first blank are used passively (the priest was assigned). The blank calls for an active verb. The work of mummification is embalming.

Projects ___________ by management students include a recent communication analysis and team development project conducted by a postgraduate ___________. A. serviced… pupil B. organized… student C. steered… professor D. accomplished… teacher E. sentenced… fellow The best answer is B. One cannot service, accomplish or sentence a project. A postgraduate is a type of student.

When deep-sea explorers ___________ the Baltic Sea floor located a Swedish spy plane shot down by the Russians more than 50 years ago this June, they ended one of the more ___________ mysteries of the Cold War. A. dredging… flimsy B. combing … enduring C. cruising… unforeseen D. skimming… unreceptive E. searching… personified

curbs, moats, open parklands, and working forests. A. intersecting B. fixed C. interlinking D. thickened E. dense The best answer is C. Since the roads are described as complex, it makes sense that they would be interlinked.

Discovered by two paleontology students in clay pits near Peterborough, the ___________ is the largest known fish ever ___________. A. fossil … recorded B. remnant… devoured C. visage… monitored D. vestige… summoned E. pebble… careened The best answer is A. Only fossil is logical in reference to a fish.

The best answer is B. One cannot cruise or skim the sea floor. A mystery can be described as enduring when it has been in existence for a long period of time.

The recent arrest has ___________ concern about a government push against powerful business barons before the ___________ elections.

By ___________ the elements in the bones of a person long dead, researchers can ___________ the main constituents of that individual's diet.

A. hurdled… forthcoming B. marked… approaching C. initiated… short D. sparked … upcoming E. kindled… near

A. testing… delineate B. revealing… concoct C. exhuming… discern D. examining… determine E. subsuming… reveal The best answer is D. A body can be exhumed, but not the elements in the bones of a body. These can be tested, examined or revealed. The constituents of a person’s diet can be determined.

Connected by a complex set of ___________ roads, the villages were defined by ditches,

The best answer is D. While choices C, D and E are all possible, only sparked concern is idiomatic. The government will also now start the legal process of lifting the monopoly ___________ by Telecon, the state carrier. A. endured B. pressed upon C. enjoyed D. confounded E. supplied

The best answer is C. A monopoly is something that a company enjoys, so C is the most logical choice.

The best answer is A. It is idiomatic to talk about the rationale behind x. Similarly, conflicts are said to arise.

An extensive archaeological excavation has ___________ a lost city that is believed to be one of the ___________ jewels in the ancient civilization of the Maya.

Never before in ___________ history have monetary and fiscal policies been as motivating as today, and yet, the American economy remains weak and vulnerable.

A. unearthed … crowning B. buried… shining C. uncovered… glowing D. bared… crowned E. obscured… buffed

A. today‘s B. yesteryear‘s C. yesterday‘s D. recent E. topical

The best answer is . Excavations remove objects from the earth therefore, unearthed is an appropriate choice. Crowning jewels is idiomatic.

The best answer is D. Today’s history, yesteryear’s history and yesterday’s history are unidiomatic expressions. Topical history is illogical.

Though the economy ___________ through a recession in 2001, super-low interest rates have ___________ demand for mortgages, which has encouraged a boom in mortgage refinancing.

The open nature of the web, its unpredictable and ___________ proliferation of ideas and open source software was ___________ to the world's leading operating systems company.

A. battled… incited B. conceded… impelled C. suffered … fueled D. slogged… driven E. smudged… posited

A. untenable… propagation B. insupportable… panacea C. copious… abomination D. uncontrollable … anathema E. bountiful … atomization

The best answer is C. A recession is a negative occurrence so it is appropriate that one would battle or suffer through it. Fuel can be used figuratively to mean promote.

The best answer is C. Both copious proliferation and bountiful proliferation are redundant. Uncontrollable is the most logical choice for the first blank. Since uncontrollable has a negative connotation, anathema, also a negative word, is a logical choice.

The rationale ___________ the rise of feebased advice is that it makes for a better relationship with clients by eliminating the potential for conflicts that ___________ when someone profits directly from their recommendations.

Front Inc., ___________ by the 1999 merger between Front Bank and Merchant‘s Bank, has been at the ___________ of merger rumors for years.

A. behind … arise B. invested in… occur C. driving… intrude D. after… disrupt E. following… awaken

A. started… middle B. created … center C. began… apex D. founded… summit E. fashioned… maelstrom The best answer is B. A company is created by a merger. Founded is appropriate to use to refer

to a completely new company. Fashioned cannot be followed by by to refer to the company‘s origins.

As younger workers watch parents and others in ___________ generations go back to work after retiring because their savings were not ___________, they still aren't doing enough to provide for their own financial futures. A. senior… ample B. younger… sufficient C. old… generous D. older … adequate E. advanced… prolific The best answer is D. Since the younger workers are watching parents and other in ____ generations, the others are likely of their parents‘ generation, hence older is logical. The second blank must contain a word that explains why older generation would go back to work.

Outspoken ___________ as a teenager, he was dismissed from high school when he refused to compromise his word to a school ___________. A. from his time… mascot B. early… officer C. already… teacher D. still… regulation E. even … principal The best answer is E. From his time and early are unidiomatic and still is illogical. Already is awkward in the first blank.

College costs once again have increased far faster than inflation, with ___________ at state schools posting the biggest ___________ in 30 years A. fees… augmentation B. costs… depreciation C. revenues… devaluation D. tuition… increase E. payments… intensification

The best answer is D. Tuition is a word that specifically means fees paid to a school and is thus the best answer. The first part of the sentence deals with college costs increases in general, and the second part mentions a more specific increase.

A new survey says most families aren't generally expecting to ___________ more money on holiday vacations than they did ___________ year. A. fritter… previous B. spend … last C. save… past D. squander… preceding E. invest… prior The best answer is B. Fritter and squander have negative connotations that are not in keeping with the tone of the sentence. One does not invest in a vacation.

__________ in the history of this great country have there been more annoying commercials on the public ___________. A. Once… systems B. Ever… channels C. Sometimes… broadcasts D. Never … airwaves E. Always… television The best answer is D. Only choices D and E fit the sentence grammatically. Public television cannot follow the definite article.

Since the success of his last book and his Oscarwinning ___________, (a success he likes to remind you of at every ___________), he has become the most prominent liberal agitator in the West. A. presentation…moment B. documentary… opportunity C. staging…minute D. film…prospect E. enactment… initiation The best answer is B. A documentary or a film are choices which could be Oscar-winning. For

the second blank, prospect and initiation are illogical. Moment and minute cannot come after at every.

The most successful remodeling projects begin with homeowners ___________ have a imaginative, yet ___________, idea of what they want done. A. that… sensational B. where… pragmatic C. which… inspired D. whom… dazzling E. who … realistic The best answer is E. Who is the most suitable pronoun to refer to homeowners. The second blank must be filled with a word which contrasts with imaginative because of the yet before the blank.

To accompany the book, Freeman ___________ has a new ___________ of digital photographs spanning 30 years. A. as well… rehearsal B. also… exhibition C. additionally… D. too… revision E. besides… showing The best answer is B. None of the choices other than also fit the sentence grammatically. Photographs can logical be displayed in an exhibition.

He went over all his expenditures and ___________ for the preceding year and a half, and was shocked by what he ___________. A. income … found B. disbursements… discovered C. expenses… uncovered D. salaries… related E. tolls… manifested The best answer is A. Disbursements and expenses mean the same as expenditures and are therefore redundant. An individual

usually doesn‘t have many salaries and does not collect tolls.

Their income has proven ___________ to maintain what they regard as a comfortable, though not ___________, lifestyle. A. superficial… excessive B. opulent… verifiable C. sufficient… luxurious D. ample… fulsome E. sketchy… extraordinary The best answer is C. Sufficient and ample are suitable to describe income that can maintain a comfortable lifestyle.

He was rejected by the National Film School and spent 11 years doing odd jobs for a small theatre company before he got the ___________ to make his film noir thriller. A. break B. thought C. calibration D. opportunity E. warning The best answer is D. Break and opportunity are suitable as far as their meaning, but break cannot be followed by to.

When George Wilson graduated from high school, his parents, both of ___________ were hearing impaired and on disability, could provide ___________ financial help toward college. A. whom… no B. they… none C. who … little D. them… scarce E. parent… nary The best answer is C. Who is the best pronoun to refer back to Wilson‘s parents. Only no and little are suitable grammatically for the second blank.

Michael grew up under difficult circumstances in the San Fernando Valley, where he battled family ___________ from ___________ age.

B. a soul … delve C. a person… plunge D. a being… sift E. someone… hop

A. connections… a small B. embattlements… a little C. kinships… a young D. issues… every E. problems … an early

The best answer is B. Did not know a soul is an idiomatic expression used to mean did not know anyone.

The best answer is E. One battles problems. An early age is idiomatic.

While the couple tries to find bargainbasement prices on all their ___________, they do not ___________ on quality. A. purchases … stint B. inceptions… squelch C. acquisitions…squint D. abstentions… squander E. accumulations… tender

The defendants have asked for a jury trial, but Cary, lawyer for Sun Entertainment, is expected to petition the court today for a trial by ___________ without ___________. A. court… a judgment B. tribunal… a sentencing C. proxy… an adjudicator D. fire… a panel E. judge … a jury The best answer is E. The word but sets up the expectation of a contrast in the sentence. Trial by judge contrasts with jury trial.

The best answer is A. Purchases and acquisitions are logical choices for the first blank. The second blank must be filled with a word that will contrast with the first part of the sentence.

Short, broad grandmothers, speaking only Zapotec, the indigenous ___________ of the region, dutifully grind corn for tortillas and march their pigs to market.

What was a ruthlessly effective way of enhancing their electoral fortunes has developed into a compulsion never to allow any leader much of a chance to ___________.

A. dialogue B. language C. vernacular D. jargon E. clauses

A. persist B. impeach C. command D. impersonate E. direct The best answer is C. One cannot allow someone else to persist. Impeach cannot be used as in intransitive verb. Since a leader commands, command is the best response.

Though she had never been there, and did not know ___________, she felt an overwhelming urge to ___________ into this uncharted territory. A. an individual… strive

The best answer is B. Zapotec, written with a capital letter and spoken, is likely to be the name of a language.

In 1980, Smith & Smith decided to ___________ eight of its old models to make room for some of the more modern models that collectors seemed to be ___________ in. A. retire … interested B. decline… focused C. desist… fascinated D. rest… targeted E. wane… charmed

The best answer is A. Retire, though primarily applied to people, is also used to refer to products. Only interested and fascinated can precede in.

The Calverts were a young New England couple looking for an inexpensive way to ___________ a small vacation cottage in Massachusetts when they first began purchasing country ___________ and folk art in the 1920s. A. decorate… samples B. endow… relics C. conjure… baubles D. furnish … antiques E. bequeath… trinkets

The best answer is C. If the standards were adopted, then the training would be uniform.

Many of the draft document's points ___________ ideas espoused for years by antiglobalization ___________. A. capitulated… sympathizers B. echoed … activists C. estranged… protagonist D. reiterated… mentors E. venerated… militants The best answer is B. Points may be echoed or reiterated. One cannot be a mentor for a cause.

The best answer is D. There is no expensive or inexpensive way the endow or bequeath a cottage. Country sample is vague (samples of what?).

Researchers say it will be several years before computer programs will accurately ___________ fire behavior the way television weathermen tell viewers where a hurricane or a ___________ is heading.

Professional searchers will travel the ___________ over, using any ___________ possible — from satellites to simple theft — to acquire meteorites.

A. precede… rainfall B. predict… cloud C. prepare… shower D. forecast … blizzard E. forbear… tornado

A. globe…method B. earth… way C. planet… methodology D. world… means E. land… resources The best answer is D. While the first four choices for the first blank all mean the same thing, only world can come before over.

Traffic safety experts said that national driver education standards should be ___________ so teenagers everywhere receive ___________ training before hitting the road on their own. A. decanted… coercive B. adapted… obliging C. adopted… uniform D. excepted… comprehensive E. incepted… insipid

The best answer is D. What the researchers do is being compared to what weathermen do, therefore, predict or forecast are logical choices. While any of the choices for the second blank are feasible, a blizzard is more similar to hurricane than some of the other choices, and therefore is better.

Low short-term borrowing costs may give consumers and businesses an ___________ to spend and invest more and ___________ boost economic growth. A. enticement… thusly B. stimulant… nevertheless C. incentive… thus D. inducement… consecutively E. supplement… therefore The best answer is C. The first four choices for the first blank mean roughly the same thing, but the first two are not appropriate for a business

situation. Thus shows the causal effect of the short-term borrowing on economic growth.

All but the smallest new televisions will have to be able to receive digital television ___________ by July 2007 under a government rule upheld by a federal ___________ court on Tuesday. A. flashes … claims B. signs… broadcasting C. flares… official D. signals… appeals E. messages… allowed The best answer is D. Digital television sends signals. A regular court rules, but an appeals court upholds or overturns decisions.

Supporters of helmet laws say the government should punish states that do not require helmets, since the public often ___________ up paying medical costs for those ___________ in motorcycle accidents. A. take… involved B. winds… tangled C. give… drawn D. lend… wounded E. ends … injured The best answer is E. Ends up provides a justification for governments to punish states that do not require helmets. Wounded or injured are logical choices for the second blank, but injured is more often used to refer to people in accidents.

The company's plan is to ___________ costs while trying to exploit its traditional strengths in entertainment and video games particularly with new networked and wireless consumer ___________. A. trim … devices B. skimp… gadgets C. clip… contraptions D. shape… implements E. wedge… widgets

The best answer is A. Trim can be applied figuratively to costs. Devices is the more common choice to refer to electronic goods. Gadgets, contraptions and widgets would more likely refer to an elaborate homemade devise. Despite Bettleman‘s pleadings and progress at the bargaining ___________, key issues remained ___________. A. block… unhampered B. discussion… unsolved C. board… hampered D. table… unresolved E. chair… reprimanded The best answer is D. The bargaining table is idiomatic. Before completing a negotiation, there are issues that are unresolved, so remained unresolved is logical.

Under the emerging plan, the cuts would not take ___________ if hospitals agreed to provide the data that the administration has requested. A. shape B. in C. place D. over E. time The best answer is C. Take place is appropriate because it is an idiomatic expression meaning to occur.

Swift Airlines pilots have approved a measure allowing their union, the Air Line Pilots Association, to call a ___________ at one of the nation's largest regional carriers in a ___________ over a new contract. A. truce… disagreement B. ceasefire… disparity C. strike… dispute D. party… prong E. bash… gap The best answer is C. While call a truce, call a ceasefire and call a strike are all idiomatic, only strike is logical in reference to airline pilots. Strikes are generally called because of disputes over new contracts.

One study suggests that children who live in homes where the television is on most of the time ___________ have more trouble learning to read than other kids. A. do B. may C. should D. also E. cannot The best answer is B. Since the study suggests that its finding are true, may, which expresses possibility, is best.

Left-leaning politicians from around the world worked on a ___________ against the spread of ___________ capitalism. A. tallying… rampant B. denigration… unrestrained C. aeration… raging D. declaration … unfettered E. proclamation… epidermal The best answer is D. Choice A and C are illogical for the first blank. A denigration on not something one usually works on.

The agency is working on faster ways to ___________ rapidly moving ___________ like the SARS virus, which began in China and spread worldwide early last year. A. detect … threats B. multiply… microbes C. spread… proliferations D. relieve… bugs E. allot… intimidations The best answer is A. Both detect and relieve are logical in reference to something like a virus. Bugs is a slang term.

Despite the hours many children spend watching television, the report found that reading ___________ to be a regular part of many children's lives. A. ceases

B. stops C. continues D. fails E. neglects The best answer is C. Because of the word despite in the sentence, the blank must be filled with something that creates a contrast in the sentence. Continue is the only word that does this.