GRE Verbal : Text Completion
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
All GRE Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #991 : One Blank Texts
Early screening tests are important because the sooner cancer is identified, the more __________ the situation.
incorrigible
frangible
futile
corrigible
vain
corrigible
"Corrigible" is an adjective that means capable of being set right or corrected.
Example Question #1031 : Text Completion
Class often ran late, and it was difficult to take any sort of comprehensible or orderly notes with such a __________ professor.
terse
laconic
discursive
pithy
defenestrated
discursive
"Discursive" is an adjective that means passing from one topic to another, or rambling.
Example Question #1031 : Text Completion
The man's more traditional views made his children see his beliefs as __________.
liberal
iconoclastic
atavistic
progressive
heterodox
atavistic
The subject's views are referred to as "more traditional," and the sentence indicates this colors how his children see him. The correct answer will need to indicate a problematic conservatism in his worldview. "Atavistic," meaning primitive or regressive, is the best choice among the answers.
Example Question #1032 : Text Completion
The colonial interests the nation had in the burgeoning island was seen by some as __________.
moot
refulgent
anachronistic
recidivistic
officious
anachronistic
The contrast between "colonial" and "contemporary" is the clue here—there are two periods of time being contrasted. So "anachronistic" is the best word; an anochronism is something taken from its time, or old-fashioned. Don't confuse "officious" with "official"—it actually means "annoyingly eager to help."
Example Question #1033 : Text Completion
Without __________ action, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is expected to double in the coming years.
mercurial
expedious
bromidic
imminent
inchoate
expedious
The best word here would mean prompt, or quick—so "expedious" is the best fit. Don't be tricked by "imminent," which can describe the environmental issue, but not a response to it.
Example Question #1034 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
Martin accepted the news with his usual __________ demeanor, seeming utterly unaffected in the face of disaster.
nihilistic
mercurial
apoplectic
malcontented
phlegmatic
phlegmatic
Example Question #1035 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
chimerical
fledgling
monolithic
utilitarian
intense
fledgling
Although the lovers' romance might be intense or chimerical (fanciful or improbable), but the word "stymied" suggests putting an end to something that had only recently begun. The word "fledgling," which means "budding, young, or inexperienced," is therefore the best fit in this example.
Example Question #1036 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
His __________ indifference to the lecture quickly gave way as his latent enthusiasm for the subject made itself obvious.
complete
crucial
explicit
assiduous
feigned
feigned
The description of his enthusiasm for the subject as "latent" (present but not shown) implies that the man was not actually indifferent to begin with. This suggests his indifference was somehow a facade. The word "feigned" encapsulates this meaning best, suggesting he was faking his indifference and hiding his enthusiasm.
Example Question #1037 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
contradictory
laconic
noisome
meretricious
mettlesome
laconic
Example Question #1038 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
unexpected
unrequited
exceptional
tasteful
lugubrious
lugubrious
Notice the courtier is described as having an ulterior motive in doing whatever he did at the monarch's funeral. Rather than feeling genuinely aggrieved, he desired to win praise from the new king. Whatever steps he took towards this goal clearly backfired, since it "earned him only scorn." Looking at the fill-in-the-blank options, you can eliminate "tasteful" and "exceptional" because these wouldn't explain the scornful reaction. "Lugubrious" makes the most sense here, as it means "an over-the-top or insincere display of grief."
All GRE Verbal Resources
