The student felt ____ when asked to explain the answer.

The student felt ____ when asked to explain the answer.

• A. familiar with
• B. puzzled/confused/perplexed by
• C. in contrast to
• D. compensate for

Answer: (B)

This tests your ability to choose an adjective that describes an emotional reaction and to connect that reaction to the cause of it. After felt, a word that names the student’s emotional state is needed, and it should pair naturally with the idea of someone being asked to explain something. The best fit is a word meaning puzzled, confused, or perplexed, with the idea that this feeling arises from the act of being asked to explain the answer. The other options don’t describe an emotion or don’t fit the sentence’s meaning: familiar with describes knowledge or familiarity, not how someone feels; in contrast to is a comparison phrase; compensate for is a verb phrase meaning to make up for something. So the sentence reads most naturally as the student feeling puzzled (or confused or perplexed) when asked to explain the answer.

This tests your ability to choose an adjective that describes an emotional reaction and to connect that reaction to the cause of it. After felt, a word that names the student’s emotional state is needed, and it should pair naturally with the idea of someone being asked to explain something.

The best fit is a word meaning puzzled, confused, or perplexed, with the idea that this feeling arises from the act of being asked to explain the answer. The other options don’t describe an emotion or don’t fit the sentence’s meaning: familiar with describes knowledge or familiarity, not how someone feels; in contrast to is a comparison phrase; compensate for is a verb phrase meaning to make up for something. So the sentence reads most naturally as the student feeling puzzled (or confused or perplexed) when asked to explain the answer.