1. He is so opinionated that he won’t even consider the ideas or suggestions offered by other people.

1. 1. He is so opinionated that he won’t even consider the ideas or suggestions offered by other people. Context Clues: “won’t even consider the ideas or suggestions offered by other people” You need an adjective to describe him.

2. 2. The nurse rushed into the hospital corridor to admonish the visitors who were creating a disturbance. Context Clues: You need a verb. People are often admonished or scolded for “creating a disturbance.” The hospital is a place where you should be quiet.

3. 3. Though all modern scholars accept Macbeth as Shakespeare’s work, one or two of the scenes may be spurious. Context Clues: “Though” suggests a contrast between “accept” and the idea that one or two scenes may not have been written by Shakespeare.

4. 4. I added a few drops of food coloring to the liquid and watched as they slowly diffused through it. Context Clues: You need a verb. When you add “food coloring” to a liquid it will spread throughout the liquid. The color will spread “slowly.”

5. 5. Before I make an investment, I study all aspects of the situation in a most methodical and circumspect manner. Context Clues: If you “make an investment,” you need to be cautious with your money. If you are cautious, you would “study all aspects” in a “methodical” or organized manner. Methodical describes manner. The word in the blank needs to be an adjective too.

6. 6. The water pouring through the breach in the dam threatened to flood the entire valley. Context Clues: “The” is usually before a noun. (Sometimes there will be a “the” followed by an adjective and then the noun. Example: “the enormous breach”) If there were an opening in a dam, water would pour through it.

7. 7. Many a teenager’s room is strewn with clothing, CDs, and all sorts of debris. Context Clues: Debris is scattered fragments. A teenager’s room often looks like a hurricane hit it. “Of” is a preposition, so you need a noun after it.

8. 8. Though his partner lost everything, he was able to salvage a few dollars from the wreckage of the bankrupt business. Context Clues: “lost everything” “from the wreckage”

9. 9. The two sides in the lawsuit reached a deadlock when neither was willing to meet the other partway. Context Clues: “two sides in the lawsuit” “neither was willing to meet the other partway”

10. 10. The idea of a brigand like Robin Hood who helps the poor appeals strongly to the popular imagination. Context Clues: Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave the money to the poor.

11. 11. The records of our club were in such a muddle that we couldn’t even determine which members had paid their dues. Context Clues: “A” is before the blank, so you need a noun. They can’t “determine which members had paid their dues.” The records are a mess.

12. 12. In order to capture the fleeing criminals, the police commandeered our car and raced after the vanishing truck. Context Clues: You need a verb. The “police” are officials. To commandeer is to seize or take.

13. 13. Some people are subject to sudden seizures, during which their heads and legs may jerk about in a wild and spasmodic manner. Context Clues: “jerk about in a wild . . . manner”

14. 14. Though my memory is getting dimmer and dimmer with the slow passage of time, I doubt that the exciting events of my childhood will ever be totally effaced from my mind. Context Clues: “from my mind” “dimmer and dimmer”

15. 15. The doctor became more and more fearful that her patient’s weakened condition would predispose him to pneumonia. Context Clues: A “weakened condition” might incline you to get sicker.

16. 16. The rug made such a cumbersome bundle that it took four of us to carry it up the stairs. Context Clues: “took four of us to carry it” An adjective is often found before a noun.

17. 17. A man of towering pride and unbridled ambition, he stopped at nothing to achieve his goals as quickly and directly as possible. Context Clues: You need an adjective before a noun. The man “stopped at nothing.” His ambition is unchecked.

18. 18. Once Great Britain had given up her vast overseas empire, she found that she had also relinquished her position as a world power. Context Clues: You need a verb. “given up”

19. 19. Since we do not want to replace the plants in our garden every year, we favor perennials over annuals. Context Clues: The word needs to contrast with annuals, which only last a season or a year. “Annuals” is a plural noun, so you need another plural noun.

20. 20. If I don’t get a job, I won’t have the money to do what I want; and if I do get a job, I won’t have the time. What a dilemma! Context Clues: This person has a problem. No job means no money. Having a job means no time. Would he rather have no money or no time?