GRE Verbal : One-Blank Texts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #971 : One Blank Texts
The fact he was often late was the only indication that the brilliant professor was actually __________.
injudicious
fallible
immaculate
irreproachable
senseless
fallible
The "brilliant professor" has one thing which indicates the missing word: that he is "often late." The correct answer will indicate that the professor is not always perfect. "Fallible," meaning capable of making mistakes or being wrong, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #972 : One Blank Texts
The teenage girl was usually __________, so few people believed her when she was actually serious.
facetious
staid
solemn
obtuse
stern
facetious
The sentence details that "few people believed her when she was actually serious." This indicates that the correct answer will mean joking or unserious. "Facetious," meaning flippant or sarcastic, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #973 : One Blank Texts
The boy was kicked out of school for __________ behavior, which put the school in repeated difficult situations.
innocuous
irreproachable
precocious
understated
indecorous
indecorous
The boy is being "kicked out of school," indicating the behavior is not what the school would deem appropriate. The correct answer needs to indicate his poor behavior. "Indecorous," meaning inappropriate or unseemly, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #974 : One Blank Texts
The emotions were __________ in him until his mother's cutting remark made them explode out of him.
volatile
dormant
extemporaneous
pervasive
slack
dormant
The subject's emotions "explode out of him" only after the "cutting remark" from his mother. This indicates the emotions were not well shown before the remark. "Dormant," meaning laying inactive or not above the surface, is the correct answer choice.
Example Question #975 : One Blank Texts
The teacher believed the poor student had __________ intelligence other teachers had not brought out in him, but that she could.
limpid
latent
torrential
palpable
explosive
latent
The sentence describes the teacher thinking she could "bring out" the intelligence in the "poor student." This means the missing word has to indicate something hidden or underdeveloped, the definition of "latent."
Example Question #976 : One Blank Texts
The __________ animal was an easy target for the predators hunting the pack.
concealed
veiled
plodding
unobtrusive
problematic
plodding
The animal described by the missing word is an "easy target" for predators, who are presumably looking for the obvious animal. The correct answer should make the subject of the sentence stick out in some way. "Plodding," meaning exremely slow and heavy, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #977 : One Blank Texts
The time it took to travel to the wedding was __________ and meant he could not attend.
modest
negotiable
unassuming
prohibitive
unprepossessing
prohibitive
The subject of the sentence "could not attend" the wedding, because of the travel requirements. The correct answer will indicate the travel was problematic or there wa a great deal of it. "Prohibitive," meaning exorbitantly expensive or impossible, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #978 : One Blank Texts
The film followed the familiar trope where an unattractive girl gets a makeover into a highly __________ woman.
arresting
enervating
complicating
duping
mitigating
arresting
The sentence describes "the familiar trope" of woman changing from "an unattractive girl" into a woman described by the missing word. The correct answer will mean the opposite of "unattractive." "Arresting," meaning attracting attention or striking, is the best chocie among the answers.
Example Question #979 : One Blank Texts
The mother was extremely __________ and sought to play off her children's emotions.
generous
pithy
indigent
manipulative
perfunctory
manipulative
The sentence describes the woman as seeking to "play off her children's emotions." The correct answer needs to parallel this playing of emotions. "Manipulative," meaning scheming and calculating, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #980 : One Blank Texts
The musician was highly __________, and few critics understood what he would do next.
mundane
psychotic
dull
restorative
enigmatic
enigmatic
The key words in the sentence are that "few critics understood" the musician. The correct answer should indicate an unpredictability or strangeness to the musician's career. "Enigmatic," which means puzzling or mysterious, which is the best choice among the answers.
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