GRE Verbal : GRE Verbal Reasoning

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #1271 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

All of the dust breathed in by coal miners has been shown to be quite __________ to their respiratory health. 

Possible Answers:

benign

constructive

detrimental

maladroit

beneficial

Correct answer:

detrimental

Explanation:

"Detrimental" is an adjective that means harmful or injurious.

Example Question #1272 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

If the waitress was a bit more __________ she could probably make more tips. 

Possible Answers:

taciturn

brusque

churlish

personable

bellicose

Correct answer:

personable

Explanation:

"Personable" is an adjective that means being pleasing in appearance or personality.

Example Question #1273 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

Her typically __________ manner often made people unsure of her intent when she made a comment.

Possible Answers:

sincere

earnest

droll

boisterous

righteous

Correct answer:

droll

Explanation:

The sentence describes the subject as making "people unsure of her intent." This means her "manner," described by the missing word, should be hard to understand or confusing in some way. "Droll," meaning dry and sarcastic, is the best choice among the answers.

Example Question #1274 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

The character only appeared on the show __________ and was never a series regular.

Possible Answers:

partially

unfailingly

intermittently

recurrently

interminably

Correct answer:

intermittently

Explanation:

The sentence notes the character "was never a series regular," but was the missing word. The correct answer therefore needs to mean "not regular." "Intermittently," meaning sporadic or irregular, is the best choice among the answers.

Example Question #1275 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

The text message from her ex-boyfriend was quite __________: "We're done." 

Possible Answers:

timid

verbose

bombastic

garrulous

terse

Correct answer:

terse

Explanation:

A "terse" response is one that is brief, concise, or succinct.

Example Question #1276 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

Because of the ferocity of his attack, it was clear that the child's intentions were __________. 

Possible Answers:

banausic

malevolent

benignant

amiable

benevolent

Correct answer:

malevolent

Explanation:

"Malevolent" is an adjective that means having a vicious will or showing hatred. If the child's attack was ferocious, it is clear his intentions would be malevolent.

Example Question #1277 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

It was clear that the child's pain was  __________, since he was up and running around within moments of the injury. 

Possible Answers:

enduring

perpetual

invariable

transient

diurnal

Correct answer:

transient

Explanation:

"Transient" is an adjective that means fleeting or brief. If the child was up and running around soon after an injury, the pain would have been transient. 

Example Question #1278 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

Charlie earned consistent top marks, which made it clear to his professor that he one of her most __________ students. 

Possible Answers:

assiduous

lackadaisical

apathetic

lethargic

malingering

Correct answer:

assiduous

Explanation:

"Assiduous" is an adjective that means diligent, devoted, or hard-working.

Example Question #1279 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

Early screening tests are important because the sooner cancer is identified, the more __________ the situation.

Possible Answers:

corrigible

futile

frangible

incorrigible

vain

Correct answer:

corrigible

Explanation:

"Corrigible" is an adjective that means capable of being set right or corrected.

Example Question #1280 : Gre Verbal Reasoning

Class often ran late, and it was difficult to take any sort of comprehensible or orderly notes with such a __________ professor.  

Possible Answers:

laconic

defenestrated

pithy

terse

discursive

Correct answer:

discursive

Explanation:

"Discursive" is an adjective that means passing from one topic to another, or rambling

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