GRE Verbal : One-Blank Texts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
All GRE Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #351 : Text Completion
While she was still grieving over her mother's death, her pets' affection proved a __________ for her sadness.
balm
combustion
underwriter
temper
retardant
balm
The sentence describes the "pets' affection" as doing the missing word "while she was still grieving." This indicates the correct answer should show some help for the subject's grief. "Balm," meaning something soothing and calming, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #352 : Text Completion
The performer was a __________ who surpassed most of his fellow violinists in ability.
charlatan
figurehead
personification
virtuoso
drone
virtuoso
The sentence describes the subject as having "surpassed most of his fellow violinists in ability." This indicates he was a very gifted and talented musician. "Virtuoso," meaning a highly skilled and accomplished performer, is the correct answer choice.
Example Question #353 : Text Completion
After years of working at the same job, the excitement had given way to a general sense of __________.
complacency
aversion
loathing
ebulliency
virulence
complacency
The sentence explicitly contrasts the missing word with the "excitement" present "after years of working at the same job." This means the correct answer needs to mean the opposite of "excitement." "Complacency," meaning a lack of awareness or energy, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #354 : Text Completion
The team's __________ quickly backfired and revealed their strategy was deeply flawed.
veneration
usury
undermining
gambit
resolve
gambit
The sentence notes their "strategy was deeply flawed." This pairs with the missing word having "backfired," indicating the correct answer will be synonymous with "strategy." "Gambit," meaning ploy or maneuver, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #355 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
catastrophe
frenzy
epiphany
conflagration
concatenation
conflagration
Using the context clues that the factory was somehow "consumed" and that this produced a great deal of smoke, you should guess that the event (or "concatenation") being described involved a fire. Although a fire could possibly be described as a "catastrophe," "conflagration" is more specific to this context, and therefore the best choice.
Example Question #356 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
The traitor was swiftly punished when his __________ was discovered, but his treachery had already done its damage to the war effort.
penury
puerility
perfidy
malice
inefficacy
perfidy
Example Question #357 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
polarity
poverty
consumerism
insularity
alacrity
insularity
The first step to completing this sentence is realizing that the advice offered by the speaker, in the form of a quotation, is meant to dissuade the mentioned advocates. Knowing that, if you understand the quotation to mean something like, "No one is disconnected or entirely self-sufficient," you can guess that the philosophy in question is one advocating self-sufficiency or total independence. "Insularity" is therefore the best word choice, as it means "extreme exclusivity," and "insular" literally means "of or pertaining to an island."
Example Question #358 : Text Completion
Although he looked like a __________, the man was actually quite wealthy.
paradigm
vagrant
lunatic
stereotype
dilettante
vagrant
The sentence contrasts the man's appearance with his being "actually quite wealthy." The correct answer will indicate he looked poor or shabby. "Vagrant," meaning a homeless wanderer, is the best answer choice.
Example Question #359 : Text Completion
His writing was full of __________ that were intended to challenge his readers.
paradoxes
prattle
eulogies
pablum
euphemisms
paradoxes
The missing word is "intended to challenge his readers." The correct answer must indicate something confusing or hard to understand. "Paradoxes," meaning contradictory but true statements, is the best answer choice.
Example Question #356 : Text Completion
The General's __________ for ceremony meant he declined a celebratory parade.
enthusiasm
disdain
obsession
affection
approbation
disdain
"A celebratory parade" is a kind of "ceremony," so the general's refusal means he was opposed to ceremony. The correct answer should mean dislike or hatred, the definition of "disdain."
All GRE Verbal Resources
