GRE Verbal : Adjectives and Adverbs in One-Blank Texts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #1012 : Text Completion
The teenage girl was usually __________, so few people believed her when she was actually serious.
solemn
facetious
staid
obtuse
stern
facetious
The sentence details that "few people believed her when she was actually serious." This indicates that the correct answer will mean joking or unserious. "Facetious," meaning flippant or sarcastic, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1013 : Text Completion
The boy was kicked out of school for __________ behavior, which put the school in repeated difficult situations.
indecorous
innocuous
irreproachable
precocious
understated
indecorous
The boy is being "kicked out of school," indicating the behavior is not what the school would deem appropriate. The correct answer needs to indicate his poor behavior. "Indecorous," meaning inappropriate or unseemly, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1014 : Text Completion
The emotions were __________ in him until his mother's cutting remark made them explode out of him.
pervasive
slack
volatile
extemporaneous
dormant
dormant
The subject's emotions "explode out of him" only after the "cutting remark" from his mother. This indicates the emotions were not well shown before the remark. "Dormant," meaning laying inactive or not above the surface, is the correct answer choice.
Example Question #1015 : Text Completion
The teacher believed the poor student had __________ intelligence other teachers had not brought out in him, but that she could.
explosive
palpable
latent
torrential
limpid
latent
The sentence describes the teacher thinking she could "bring out" the intelligence in the "poor student." This means the missing word has to indicate something hidden or underdeveloped, the definition of "latent."
Example Question #1016 : Text Completion
The __________ animal was an easy target for the predators hunting the pack.
plodding
concealed
veiled
unobtrusive
problematic
plodding
The animal described by the missing word is an "easy target" for predators, who are presumably looking for the obvious animal. The correct answer should make the subject of the sentence stick out in some way. "Plodding," meaning exremely slow and heavy, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1017 : Text Completion
The time it took to travel to the wedding was __________ and meant he could not attend.
prohibitive
unprepossessing
negotiable
modest
unassuming
prohibitive
The subject of the sentence "could not attend" the wedding, because of the travel requirements. The correct answer will indicate the travel was problematic or there wa a great deal of it. "Prohibitive," meaning exorbitantly expensive or impossible, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1018 : Text Completion
The film followed the familiar trope where an unattractive girl gets a makeover into a highly __________ woman.
mitigating
enervating
arresting
complicating
duping
arresting
The sentence describes "the familiar trope" of woman changing from "an unattractive girl" into a woman described by the missing word. The correct answer will mean the opposite of "unattractive." "Arresting," meaning attracting attention or striking, is the best chocie among the answers.
Example Question #1019 : Text Completion
The mother was extremely __________ and sought to play off her children's emotions.
indigent
manipulative
perfunctory
pithy
generous
manipulative
The sentence describes the woman as seeking to "play off her children's emotions." The correct answer needs to parallel this playing of emotions. "Manipulative," meaning scheming and calculating, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1020 : Text Completion
The musician was highly __________, and few critics understood what he would do next.
dull
mundane
enigmatic
psychotic
restorative
enigmatic
The key words in the sentence are that "few critics understood" the musician. The correct answer should indicate an unpredictability or strangeness to the musician's career. "Enigmatic," which means puzzling or mysterious, which is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #321 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Texts
The boys' attempts to take the car were almost admirably __________, as they were nearly certain to be caught.
perspicacious
clever
serene
irreproachable
foolhardy
foolhardy
The sentence notes the boys "were nearly certain to be caught," which is the best description of the plan besides the missing word. The correct answer must show that the boys were neither careful nor wise. "Foolhardy," meaning reckless and imprudent, is the best choice among the answers.
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