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 #351 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After he was revealed to have lied repeatedly, everyone doubted the __________ of his claims.
zenith
corpulence
spuriousness
veracity
mendacity
veracity
The subject is "lying repeatedly," and people doubt his claims. The correct answer must show people expected the subject of the sentence to lie. "Veracity," meaning truthfulness, is the best choice.
Example Question #352 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The report put the __________ of the problem on the city's police and minimized the fault of other groups.
bulwark
preamble
onus
exegesis
bane
onus
The sentence notes the report "minimized the fault" for the other, non-police groups. This means the police do get a large amount of blame. "Onus," meaning burden or weight, is the correct answer choice.
Example Question #353 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Upon exiting the courthouse, the witness in the high-profile case found himself surrounded by a _________ of reporters, cameras and paparazzi.
raft
jape
lacuna
junket
venery
raft
Since we know that this is a high-profile case, we can imagine a large number of people surrounding the witness. So we are looking for a word that mean "a large number". The word "raft" is a bit obscure. This is simply one you may need to memorize, but it may be helpful to think of a large number of inflatable rafts, a raft of rafts.
Example Question #354 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Richard Posner, who in addition to being a judge is also a recognized literary critic, economist, political theorist, and philosopher, is a fine example of a modern-day __________.
benefactor
paragon
demagogue
polymath
misanthrope
polymath
The focus of the question is on the diversity of fields in which Posner is an expert. So we are looking for a word that means something like "many talents." Our answer here is "polymath" and the prefix "poly-" means "many" (think of "polygamy", meaning "many wives"). So even if we don't know what polymath means, the prefix gives us a great clue.
Example Question #355 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Fill in the blank with the best answer.
The company's move to allow more employees to work from their homes, although supported by many, will increase individual production while reducing workers' _________ with peers.
discordance
synergy
estrangement
value
emolument
synergy
"Synergy" means combined action. "Emolument" is the money paid for services; the passage does not provide any evidence that work-at-home employees will be paid less.
Example Question #356 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
Fill in the blank with the best answer.
Although some see Nostradamus as offering valid _________, his critics believe many of his prophecies were explained after the event.
anecdotes
vindications
mandates
auguries
elegies
auguries
"Augury" refers to a predicted event or an omen. Nostradamus could have written anecdotes or stories, but that word doesn't fit within the context of the sentence, which is referring to prophecies.
Example Question #421 : Text Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
They searched the library for hours, but there was a(n) __________ of informative literature on metallurgy.
passel
inundation
glut
surfeit
dearth
dearth
"Dearth" means a lack or an absence of. Since the second phrase begins with “but,” the word in the blank must indicate a meaning counter to the expectation of finding a lot of information that was set up in the first phrase.
Example Question #422 : Text Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
When his friend described the skyscraper as “reaching all the way to outer space,” John suspected he was using __________.
obscurity
metaphor
facsimile
hyperbole
illusion
hyperbole
His friend is using an exaggeration to describe the building, and hyperbole is this kind of stretching the truth.
Example Question #423 : Text Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Having labored for hours in the sweltering heat, the exhausted porter looked forward to his __________ and the cool beverage he would buy with it.
respite
remuneration
parity
abasement
reprieve
remuneration
The word that fills in the blank must be something with which the exhausted porter can buy a cool beverage. "Remuneration," meaning payment, is the only word that satisfies that requirement. "Reprieve" and "respite" are short intervals of relief, while "abasement" is humiliation and "parity" is equality.
Example Question #424 : Text Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Fearful of being accused of __________, the student was very careful to cite all of her sources.
bewilderment
haughtiness
abrasiveness
plagiarism
blasphemy
plagiarism
The word that fills in the blank must meet two requirements: 1) It must be something of which the student fears being accused, and 2) it must be a fear that proper citation allays. The fear of being accused of "plagiarism" (the fear of being accused of unethically taking credit for someone else’s work) can be reduced by proper citation.
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