1. The following is an excerpt from The Dorrington Deed-box by Arthur Morrison:
As for Dorrington, he had his hundred pounds reward. But the bill for £10,000 he never presented. Why, I do not altogether know, unless he found that Mr. Mallows’s financial position, as he had hinted, was not altogether so good as was supposed. __________ it was found among the notes and telegrams in this case in the Dorrington deed-box.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. In other words,
B. At any rate,
C. Whatever,
D. On the other hand,
2. The following is an excerpt from Sanders of the River, By Edgar Wallace:
The Hon. George Tackle had the good fortune to be the son of his father; otherwise, I am free to confess he had no claim to distinction. __________ his father, being the proprietor of the Courier and Echo (with which are incorporated I don’t know how many dead and gone stars of the Fleet Street firmament), George had a “pull” which no amount of competitive merit could hope to contend with.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. But
B. While
C. So
D. Thus
3. The following is an excerpt from The Pathless Trail by Arthur O. Friel:
Sleep enveloped the huts. Snores and gurgles rose and fell. Tim himself, for the sake of effect, snored heartily at intervals, __________ his eyes never closed. Through his mosquito bar he could see only vaguely, but he knew any man walking from the crew’s quarters must cast a very visible shadow across that net, and to him the shadow would be as good a warning as a clear view of the substance. But the hours crept on, and no shadow came.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. and
B. though
C. since
D. for
4. The Following is an excerpt from Bones in London, By Edgar Wallace:
The Tibbetts-Jelf Lamp was something new in motor lamps. It was a lamp which had all the advantages of the old lamp, plus properties which no lamp had ever had before, and it had none of the disadvantages of any lamp previously introduced, and, __________ had no disadvantages whatsoever. So Jelf told Bones with great earnestness.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. however,
B. finally,
C. in fact,
D. therefore,
5. The following is an excerpt from The Keepers of The King’s Peace by Edgar Wallace:
The Wiggle, moreover, possessed many attributes which are denied to other small steamers. She had, __________ a Maxim gun on her tiny forecastle. She had a siren of unusual power and diabolical tone, she was also fitted with a big motor-horn, both of which appendages were Bones’s gift to his flagship.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. on the other hand,
B. however,
C. completely,
D. for example
6. The following is an excerpt from Kidnapped by Robert Lois Stevenson:
I was abashed how to find expression for my thanks; but she was no less abashed at the thought of hearing them; begged us to lose no time and to hold our peace, saying (very properly) that the heart of our matter was in haste and silence; __________ what with one thing and another, she had set us on the Lothian shore not far from Carriden, had shaken hands with us, and was out again at sea and rowing for Limekilns, before there was one word said either of her service or our gratitude.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. therefore,
B. because,
C. but,
D. and,
7. The following is an excerpt from Caves of Terror by Talbot Mundy
The tiny portions that melted and liquefied became full of motion, __________ the motion was never in one place for more than about a minute at a time; and wherever the motion had been the lump lost bulk, so that gradually the whole piece shrank and shrank.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. while
B. although
C. so
D. because
8. The following is an excerpt from The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope:
After that we called on Bertram Bertrand, a versifier of some repute and Paris correspondent to The Critic. He had a very comfortable suite of rooms, and we found some pleasant fellows smoking and talking. It struck me, __________ that Bertram himself was absent and in low spirits, and when everybody except ourselves had gone, I rallied him on his moping preoccupation.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. however,
B. on one hand,
C. therefore,
D. nevertheless,
9. The following is an excerpt from the introduction to She, by H. Rider Haggard:
That same evening my visit came to an end, and this was the last I saw or heard of “Charon” and “the Greek god” for many a long day. __________ I have never seen either of them from that hour to this, and do not think it probable that I shall. But a month ago I received a letter and two packets, one of manuscript, and on opening the first found that it was signed by “Horace Holly,” a name that at the moment was not familiar to me.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. While,
B. Therefore,
C. Indeed,
D. Nevertheless,
10. The following is an excerpt from The Lion of Petra by Talbot Mundy:
The beginning as concerns me was when I moved into quarters in Grim’s mess in Jerusalem. As a civilian and a foreigner I could not have done that, __________ if it had been a real mess; but Grim, who gets fun out of side-stepping all regulations, had established a sort of semi-military boarding-house for junior officers who were tired of tents, and he was too high up in the Intelligence Department for anybody less than the administrator to interfere with him openly.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. but,
B. in addition,
C. while,
D. of course,
Solutions
1. B. The information before the blank is saying that the author doesn’t exactly know why Dorrington never cashed the 10,000-pound check. The sentence with the blank is saying that the check was found in his possession. The author is not repeating previous information, so answer A is incorrect. Answer C makes no logical sense. Answer D is incorrect because the author is not contrasting the two sentences. Instead, the author is offering more information about the check, making option B the best answer.
2. A. The general meaning of this passage is that George Tackle had no reason to be notable, except that his father was notable. This makes option A the best answer since we are contrasting the lack of importance of the son with the “pull” he gets from his father. Option B is incorrect as it makes the second sentence a fragment. Options C and D are incorrect as the author is not showing cause and effect.
3. B. Here, the author is setting up a contrast. We learn that Tim is making snoring noises, but he is still watching through the mosquito netting for a shadow. Therefore, he isn’t actually asleep. The only answer option that shows the contrast between the snoring noises and his being awake is option B.
4. C. Notice the word “and” before the blank. This eliminates option A. Option B is incorrect as we are not placing things in order. Option D is incorrect as the author is not concluding. The author is offering additional information, making option C the best answer.
5. D. In this passage, the second sentence is showing an example of an attribute The Wiggle had which other small steamers did not have. This makes option D the only appropriate answer.
6. D. The author is offering more information here. The woman has refused thanks and set them on the shore. This makes option D the best answer. The author is not showing cause and effect, making A and B incorrect and is not showing contrast, making option C incorrect.
7. B. The sentence shows that the portions are full of motion. The author wants to contrast this with the motion never being regular or in one place. This contrast is best shown in answer B. Answer A leaves the sentence a fragment. Options C and D do not show contrast.
8. A. The context clue here is that they found “pleasant fellows” but Bertram was “in low spirits” these are two contrasting emotions, making “however” the best answer. Option B would need to be placed with the first item of contrast, not the second. Option C shows cause and effect, not contrast. Option D does not fit into the context of the sentence.
9. C. In this sentence, the author is adding more information to emphasize the information in the first sentence that “this was the last I saw or heard of [them] for many a long day”. This makes option C the best answer as it shows that what is coming next is additional information. Option A does not fit into the sentence structure of the second sentence. Option B shows cause and effect. Option D shows contrast.
10. D. The first sentence sets up that he could not do what he did. The second sentence explains why he could do that after all (by breaking rules). The keeping of the rules is to be assumed, thus “of course” is the best answer. The breaking of rules is not to be assumed. Options A, B, and C do not fit into the structure of the sentence.