The Logical Structure of a Sentence
Every sentence in a Sentence Completion question has a logical structure that shows the logical relationship among the ideas in the sentence.
That scheme will always include one or more of the four basic logical relationships.
Logic Is as Important as an Enormous
Vocabulary
The Sentence Completion questions on the SAT are logical questions. That is, they are asking you to find the best word or phrase to complete each thought logically. They are not asking you to find the “most interesting” or the “most complicated” word or phrase. Each question will include only one choice that will complete the sentence in a way that makes logical sense.
The other choices will be illogical or incomplete in one way or another.
Contrast
e.g. Although we waited over two hours for a table, it seemed like only a few minutes.
Support
e.g. We loved staying at the cottage; the sounds of the ocean calmed us and the sea air invigorated us.
Cause and Effect
e.g. We were irritated by the noise, so we moved to the next room.
Definition or Explanation
e.g. Joel was a nihilist, someone who doesn’t believe that any truth is absolute.
Many sentences include more than one logical structure. Think carefully about each sentence and make sure you see all of the logical relationships.
Example:
The motion of the region’s glaciers is both ------and ------: they seem not to be moving at all, yet they transform the landscape more profoundly than any other force of nature.
When you first read the phrase both ------ and ------, it may seem that the two missing words must be similar, because they are joined with and rather than but or yet. But you must get the overall logical structure first. The colon indicates that the two statements support each other, and the use of yet in the second statement shows a contrast between the two ideas within the second statement. Therefore, the first missing word should mean seemingly motionless, and the second word should mean something like having a profound effect. Imperceptible and dramatic work nicely
从上面的分析我们就可以看到