All GRE Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #171 : Text Completion
The Lieutenant was considered a strange choice to lead, as most officers thought he lacked the __________ to see out the mission.
nostalgia
disinterest
levity
ordination
fortitude
fortitude
The Lieutenant must "see out the mission," and the missing word indicates the ability to do that. "Fortitude," meaning strength and bravery, is the correct answer.
Example Question #172 : Text Completion
The investigation revealed the group's chief method of __________ was to threaten violence against family members.
negotiation
innovation
deliberation
coercion
veneration
coercion
The threat of violence indicates the group was using force as their chief tool. The correct answer needs to mean persuade through violence or force, the definition of "coercion."
Example Question #173 : Text Completion
There is a long history of __________ being appropriated by those whom they were once used against.
rebuttals
placebos
portents
pejoratives
vignettes
pejoratives
The phrase "once used againt" indicates the missing word is hurtful. The correct answer needs to mean essentially insults. "Pejoratives," meaning derogatory or negative statements, is the best choice.
Example Question #174 : Text Completion
The training exercise was specifically designed to judge the __________ of the new soldiers in dangerous conditions.
gratuity
pusillanimity
mettle
ambivalence
notoriety
mettle
The exercise judges soldiers "in dangerous conditions." The correct answer will therefore indicate the soldiers' bravery or courage, which is the definition of "mettle."
Example Question #175 : Text Completion
Instead of having a master narrative, the book contained many __________ around the same theme.
vignettes
verifications
eulogies
metaphors
euphemisms
vignettes
The book has no "master narrative," but instead many of the missing word. This means the correct answer will be the opposite of "master narrative." "Vignettes," meaning small sketches or stories, is the best choice.
Example Question #176 : Text Completion
The __________ of his lectures often confused his students with smaller vocabularies.
misanthropy
brevity
levity
verbosity
philanthropy
verbosity
The students being confused have "smaller vocabularies," and therefore are turned off by the professor's use of words. The correct answer needs to indicate the professor is using too many words, or words that are too difficult. "Verbosity," meaning using an excessive amount of words, is the best choice.
Example Question #177 : Text Completion
Many art critics believe a painter cannot be separated from the __________ in which she worked.
subterfuge
etymology
byline
euphony
milieu
milieu
The sentence notes the difficulty in pulling a painter away from the missing word. The correct answer needs to indicate that which can influence a painter. "Milieu," meaning environment or surroundings, is the best choice.
Example Question #178 : Text Completion
The woman's __________ prevented her from climbing stairs or even walking steadily.
vertigo
schizophrenia
hypochondria
nonchalance
gullibility
vertigo
Being unable to climb stairs or walk steadily indicates the subject of the sentence has trouble with her balance. "Vertigo," a condition that makes a person prone to dizziness, is the correct answer.
Example Question #179 : Text Completion
The artist's best known pieces were __________ of images from many classic works of art.
euphemisms
vignettes
stanzas
edifices
collages
collages
The artist's "best known pieces" contain "images from many" other works of art. The correct answer must therefore mean artistic pieces made from many other images, the definition of "collages."
Example Question #180 : Text Completion
Politicians often find themselves trapped in the __________ of constituent services, when they would rather deal with the clear focus of policy details.
gratis
mire
luminosity
succinctness
exuberance
mire
The sentence contrasts the "clear focus of policy details" with the missing word as it describes "constituent services." The correct answer will need to mean hard to deal with or confusing. "Mire," meaning a swamp or bog, here used metaphorically, is the best choice.