GRE Verbal : GRE Verbal Reasoning
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
All GRE Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #421 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
There is a long history of __________ being appropriated by those whom they were once used against.
portents
pejoratives
rebuttals
vignettes
placebos
pejoratives
The phrase "once used againt" indicates the missing word is hurtful. The correct answer needs to mean essentially insults. "Pejoratives," meaning derogatory or negative statements, is the best choice.
Example Question #422 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The training exercise was specifically designed to judge the __________ of the new soldiers in dangerous conditions.
notoriety
mettle
pusillanimity
gratuity
ambivalence
mettle
The exercise judges soldiers "in dangerous conditions." The correct answer will therefore indicate the soldiers' bravery or courage, which is the definition of "mettle."
Example Question #423 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Instead of having a master narrative, the book contained many __________ around the same theme.
verifications
eulogies
metaphors
vignettes
euphemisms
vignettes
The book has no "master narrative," but instead many of the missing word. This means the correct answer will be the opposite of "master narrative." "Vignettes," meaning small sketches or stories, is the best choice.
Example Question #424 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The __________ of his lectures often confused his students with smaller vocabularies.
brevity
misanthropy
philanthropy
levity
verbosity
verbosity
The students being confused have "smaller vocabularies," and therefore are turned off by the professor's use of words. The correct answer needs to indicate the professor is using too many words, or words that are too difficult. "Verbosity," meaning using an excessive amount of words, is the best choice.
Example Question #425 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Many art critics believe a painter cannot be separated from the __________ in which she worked.
subterfuge
byline
milieu
euphony
etymology
milieu
The sentence notes the difficulty in pulling a painter away from the missing word. The correct answer needs to indicate that which can influence a painter. "Milieu," meaning environment or surroundings, is the best choice.
Example Question #426 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The woman's __________ prevented her from climbing stairs or even walking steadily.
hypochondria
vertigo
schizophrenia
gullibility
nonchalance
vertigo
Being unable to climb stairs or walk steadily indicates the subject of the sentence has trouble with her balance. "Vertigo," a condition that makes a person prone to dizziness, is the correct answer.
Example Question #427 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The artist's best known pieces were __________ of images from many classic works of art.
vignettes
stanzas
edifices
euphemisms
collages
collages
The artist's "best known pieces" contain "images from many" other works of art. The correct answer must therefore mean artistic pieces made from many other images, the definition of "collages."
Example Question #428 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Politicians often find themselves trapped in the __________ of constituent services, when they would rather deal with the clear focus of policy details.
luminosity
succinctness
mire
exuberance
gratis
mire
The sentence contrasts the "clear focus of policy details" with the missing word as it describes "constituent services." The correct answer will need to mean hard to deal with or confusing. "Mire," meaning a swamp or bog, here used metaphorically, is the best choice.
Example Question #429 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The Stock Market Crash took many people from the heights of the good life to living in __________.
philanthropy
frugality
munificence
luxury
penury
penury
The sentence compares "the heights of the good life" to "living in" the missing word. Therefore, the correct answer needs to mean the opposite of "the good life." "Penury," meaning poverty and neediness, is the best choice.
Example Question #430 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The students massed in protest presented a __________ of the police force's trouble.
genre
utopia
legion
portent
diorama
diorama
The missing word describes how the students appeared in light of "the police force's troubles." The correct answer must indicate a reflection or observation of the issues. "Diorama," meaning a model or representation, is the correct answer.
All GRE Verbal Resources
