GRE Verbal : Text Completion
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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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.
temper
retardant
underwriter
combustion
balm
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.
virtuoso
charlatan
drone
figurehead
personification
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 __________.
virulence
loathing
aversion
complacency
ebulliency
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.
gambit
resolve
veneration
undermining
usury
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.
concatenation
conflagration
frenzy
epiphany
catastrophe
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
malice
inefficacy
puerility
perfidy
perfidy
Example Question #357 : Text Completion
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
consumerism
polarity
alacrity
insularity
poverty
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.
dilettante
paradigm
stereotype
vagrant
lunatic
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.
prattle
eulogies
paradoxes
euphemisms
pablum
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 #296 : Nouns In One Blank Texts
The General's __________ for ceremony meant he declined a celebratory parade.
obsession
disdain
approbation
enthusiasm
affection
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."
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