GRE Verbal : Parts of Speech in One-Blank Texts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #1101 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Harris’s friends were worried by the ___________ poems he often wrote.
sardonic
witty
transcendent
ethereal
lugubrious
lugubrious
“Lugubrious” means overly gloomy or sad. It is the only choice that would make friends worry.
Example Question #1102 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Critics dismissed the new TV show as “unoriginal” and “a __________ re-tread of every show of its kind we've seen in the last few years.”
laconic
cogent
spurious
dogmatic
banal
banal
The TV show is described as "unoriginal," and "banal" is the only synonym for that here. It means unoriginal and uninspiring.
Example Question #1103 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Always needing a spotlessly clean working space, the man was __________ in dusting and organizing his office.
feeble
carefree
apprehensive
impartial
fastidious
fastidious
The man is obviously not "carefree," and there's nothing to show he is "apprehensive," "impartial," or "feeble." "Fastidious" makes the most sense.
Example Question #1104 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ piece of jewelry shone brighter than any other in the store, but was fake and actually close to worthless.
spurious
genuine
economical
ostentatious
controversial
ostentatious
The answer needs to mean “showy, but not actually as good as it appears on the surface." "Ostentatious" means this.
Example Question #1105 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ girl sat in the back and rarely spoke up in class, afraid to draw attention to herself.
enigmatic
intransigent
diffident
effusive
intrepid
diffident
The girl is obviously shy and afraid, which means she is "diffident."
Example Question #1106 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
As a newcomer to the subject, the student had to persevere and make sense of the __________ writings he found in his research.
cognizant
erudite
loquacious
irksome
cogent
erudite
The writings seem to be complicated and obscure, and thus hard to get through for a newcomer. This is the meaning of "erudite."
Example Question #1107 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The __________ subjects covered by the conference's talks range from robotics and programming to meditation and literature.
reviled
hermeneutic
perceptive
eclectic
ostentatious
eclectic
“Eclectic” denotes a broad or all-encompassing range of something, in this case, of subjects covered by the talks. As the sentence shows, the talks cover robotics to literature, which certainly represents a wide range of topics.
Example Question #1108 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The recent transformation of the television show into season-long narratives has allowed television writers to tell more complex and __________ stories.
inane
multifaceted
unremarkable
desultory
succinct
multifaceted
The key word in the above sentence is “complex,” and its use with “and” tells you to look for a synonym of “complex.” Of the four answer choices, only "multifaceted" is a synonym for “complex.”
Example Question #1109 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The art student frequently saw his own work in a __________ vein, breaking the previously established patterns set forth by his instructor.
trivial
pathetic
mundane
jejune
progressive
progressive
The art student perceives himself to be an innovator, pushing against the boundaries of his instructor’s advice. Only one of the answer choices, “progressive,” indicates a desire to go further than his instructor desires.
Example Question #1110 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Flanders was often seen as __________ by his colleagues because of his habit of offering to help with any task his employer undertook.
welcoming
sycophantic
careful
counterproductive
stringent
sycophantic
The first sentence indicates Flanders’ colleagues are annoyed by him. “Welcoming” and “careful” both have too many positive connotations to be the correct answer. Flanders’ offers of help could be "productive," but are certainly an attempt to flatter his boss, which is the definition of “sycophantic.”
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