Sentence Completion

Sentence Completion

What is Verbal Ability?

Verbal means 'pertaining to words' and ability means 'power of mind to do things', so in verbal test questions are stated in the form of words (language). The candidates are supplied with a question paper which contains variegated exercises designed to test their knowledge and intelligence. The purpose of the 'Verbal Test' is to evaluate and analyze candidate's English comprehension and understanding towards the language. These tests can be of various kinds but the questions about sentence completion and analogy testing will be asked randomly. There will be also a question about critical reading (comprehension) that will be asked separately. This section is consisted of following types of questions:

1. Sentence Completion
2. Analogy Test
3. Critical Reading

Sentence Completion

In such type of questions, one or two blanks are given in a sentence, each blank indicates that something has been omitted. Four or five lettered words or sets of words are given below the sentence. The candidate is asked to choose the word or set of words, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Various choices i.e., (A) (B) (C) (D) are provided in these kinds of questions. The candidate is asked to complete the sentence by filling in the blanks with the most suitable choice. These questions are designed to determine the candidate's ability to recognize the following areas:

1. Correct Sentence Structure
2. Correct Choice of Vocabulary
3. Applied Grammar (Rules)

The questions about sentence completion can be related to any of the other areas of study i.e., science, geography, general knowledge, history, literature etc., but the subject matter would not hinder the candidate's language ability. The knowledge of correct grammar and vocabulary is required to complete the sentence.

In this test, words and their correct use is judged. This test gives a good idea of the memory and the power to apply it at an appropriate time.

In sentence completion questions, you are given a sentence containing one or more blanks. A number of words or pair of words are suggested to fill the blank spaces. You must select the word or pair of words that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

In a typical sentence completion question, if any of the answer choices is inserted into the blank spaces, the resulting sentence will be technically correct, but it may not make sense. Usually, more than one choice makes sense, but only one completely carries out the full meaning of the sentence. There is one best answer.

How To Answer Sentence Completion Questions

1. Read the sentence carefully. Try to understand what it means.
2. Consider the blank or blanks with relation to the meaning of the sentence. Is a negative connotation called for or a positive one? If there are two blanks, should the pair be comparative, contrasting, or complementary? Are you looking for a term that best defines a phrase in the sentence?
3. Eliminate those answer choices that do not meet the criteria you established in step two.
4. Read the sentence to yourself, trying out each of the remaining choices, one by one. Which choice is the most exact, appropriate or likely considering the information given in the sentence? Which of the choices does the best job of completing the sentence?
5. First answer the question you find easy. If you have trouble with a question, leave it and go back to it later. If a fresh look does not help you to come up with a sure answer, make an educated guess.

Examples With Explanatory Answers

Direction: Select appropriate word from the choices to fill blanks.

Example 1. My father ______ me that I should have informed him.

• (A) Said
• (B) Told
• (C) Asked
• (D) Tell

The correct answer is (B). The sentence is the indirect narration so ‘said’ cannot be used. Asked cannot be used in the indirect narration ‘if’ or what, where etc. must use.

Example 2. He was ______ of all the valuable possessions.

• (A) Robbed
• (B) Stolen
• (C) Pinched
• (D) Established

The correct answer is (A). Stolen cannot be used because a man cannot be stolen, only goods can be stolen; Similarly, ‘pinched’ has no sense of ‘deprive’.

Example 3. Those who feel that war is stupid and unnecessary think that to die on the battlefield is ______.

• (A) Courageous
• (B) Pretentious
• (C) Useless
• (D) Illegal

The correct answer is (C). The key to this answer is the attitude expressed that war is stupid and unnecessary. Those who are antagonistic toward war would consider a battle field death to be useless. While it is true that giving one’s life in the field of battle is courageous (A), that is not the answer in the context of this sentence. Choice (B), pretentious, meaning “affectedly grand or ostentatious”, does not go along with the idea that war is stupid. Choice (D) does not make sense in relation to a battle field death.

Example 4. If you hear the ______ of a gun, don’t worry; it’s only my car backfiring.

• (A) Burst
• (B) Report
• (C) Retort
• (D) Flash

The correct answer is (B) report. The sound of an explosion, whether from a gun or a car, is called a report.

Example 5. He demanded ______ obedience from us, and was always telling us we must be ______ subjects.

• (A) Total, foolish
• (B) Partial, cringing
• (C) Formal, rigorous
• (D) Complete, compliant

The correct answer is (D). You may assume that no one demands partial or marginal obedience. Compliant is the best adjective for subjects.

Example 6. We are ______ going to have to face the reality that the resources of Earth are ______.

• (A) Finally, worthless
• (B) Gradually, limitless
• (C) Eventually, finite
• (D) Quickly, unavailable

The correct answer is (C). As the Earth’s resources are not limitless, worthless, or unavailable, only (C) logically completes this sentence.

Example 7. One reunion was completely ______ who’d have guessed we would have booked the same flight?

• (A) Illogical
• (B) Fortuitous
• (C) Expected
• (D) Abandoned

The correct answer is (B) fortuitous. The sentence implies that the reunion occurred by chance so it was fortuitous.

Example 8. The presence of armed guards ______ us from doing anything disruptive.

• (A) Defeated
• (B) Excited
• (C) Irritated
• (D) Prevented

The correct answer is (D) prevented. Armed guards are intended to prevent any kind of disruption. Answer (D) is the only logical and grammatical choice.

Example 9. Held up only by a ______ steel cable, the chairlift was ______ to carry only two people.

• (A) Slender, instructed
• (B) Single, intended
• (C) Sturdy, obliged
• (D) Massive, designed

The correct answer is (B). This sentence is concerned with the design of the lift. As it says “held up only by”, you may assume that cable is not large, which eliminated (C) and (D) of the three remaining options, only intended (B) completes the sentence logically.

Example 10. ______ the factories had not closed, and those who needed work most were given a chance to survive during the economic disaster.

• (A) Unintentionally
• (B) Mercifully
• (C) Blithely
• (D) Importunately

The correct answer is (B). According to the sense of this sentence, it was mercifully, not unintentional, blithe, importunate, or tragic, that the factories remained open.

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