GRE Verbal : Parts of Speech in Two-Blank Texts

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Many of the spectators were __________, deriding the female champion and calling her a(n) __________ because of her brawny physique.

Possible Answers:

chauvinists . . . amazon

sexist . . . cherub

philanthropic . . . ogress

egalitarian . . . shrew

misogynists . . . seraph

Correct answer:

chauvinists . . . amazon

Explanation:

“Sexist” refers to a person or group who discriminates based on gender. “Misogynist” is a person who dislikes women, or at the very least mistrusts them. “Chauvinist,” as it’s used in this sentence, is a person who believes their gender is superior. “Amazon” refers to mythical Greek woman-warriors who were large and aggressive, but it can also be used to denigrate a woman in modern times. “Chauvinists . . . amazon” is the best answer.

Example Question #42 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Though Martin was a __________________ when it came to learning about local wines, the tour guide at the vineyard treated him as though he were already a __________________ who knew as much about wine as the vintners themselves.

Possible Answers:

mendicant . . . sycophant

neophyte . . . connoisseur

novice . . . apostate

maverick . . . dirge

dearth . . . plethora

Correct answer:

neophyte . . . connoisseur

Explanation:

The word "though" clues us in to the fact that we're looking for two opposite words. "Neophyte" and "connoisseur" are the only two words that fit the blanks. A "neophyte" is someone who is inexperienced with a given task or field, and a "connoisseur" is an experienced and expert consumer of a given product. 

Example Question #43 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The overwhelming __________ of immigrants into the country had many calling for __________ for illegal aliens.

Possible Answers:

evacuation . . . condonation

expulsion . . . immunity

invasion . . . vanguard

influx . . . amnesty

incursion . . . hebetude

Correct answer:

influx . . . amnesty

Explanation:

“Influx” refers to a large quantity or size coming inward. “Amnesty” refers to being pardoned or having an authoritative party completely overlook your actions. In this case, it refers to the government overlooking that the immigrants were not legally admitted. Since whatever is going on with these immigrants is “overwhelming,” this pair of words would be a logical solution. “Influx . . . amnesty” is the correct answer.

Example Question #44 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The movie was rife with __________. The filmmakers even had the __________ to show George Washington wearing a wristwatch.

Possible Answers:

transgressions . . . pusillanimity

blunders . . . consternation

anachronisms . . . audacity

precision . . . presumption

verisimilitude . . . effrontery

Correct answer:

anachronisms . . . audacity

Explanation:

“Anachronism” refers to something that is out of place in historical or chronological time. A good way to remember that the word refers to time is to relate the root “chron” with “chronological.” “Audacity” refers to boldness to the point of recklessness. “Anachronisms . . . audacity” is the correct answer.

Example Question #45 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Ava did not expect to be branded as an ____________________ by her obstetrician when she told him that she’d decided to use a midwife for her prenatal care and delivery. His harsh reaction to her choice suggested that having the baby at a birth center rather than at the hospital was nothing less than ______________________ to the medical establishment; it went against all conventions and expectations.

Possible Answers:

iconoclast . . . heresy

indigent . . . insult 

orator . . . hypocrisy

idiom . . . happenstance 

eccentric . . . deference

Correct answer:

iconoclast . . . heresy

Explanation:

The main clue is that Ava's choice "went against all conventions and expectations." Therefore, her doctor branded her as someone who majorly goes against the grain (an "iconoclast"). To the medical establishment, her decision went against the expected norm; it was "heresy."

 

Example Question #46 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The ________________ of the rain, even if temporary, was welcomed by all; officials were already worried that a _________________ in the levee could cause the whole city to flood. 

Possible Answers:

improvidence . . . deficiency

cessation . . . breach 

anomaly . . . crack  

stopping . . . drought

peccadillo . . . sinecure 

Correct answer:

cessation . . . breach 

Explanation:

Officials are worried about a flood, so we know that what they welcomed was a pause or break in the rain. "Cessation" is a good fit here. A break (or "breach") in the levee could cause flooding.

 

Example Question #47 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Over the years, her annoyance at his ___________________ degenerated into absolute ____________________

Possible Answers:

tomfoolery . . . adulation

antics . . . idolatry

amiability . . . enmity

shenanigans . . . animosity

geniality . . . rancor

Correct answer:

shenanigans . . . animosity

Explanation:

To “degenerate” means to get worse. This being the case, the answer to the second blank must be worse than annoying, which eliminates “idolatry” and “adulation.” “Shenanigans” are devious tricks or pranks. “Animosity” is feeling strong hostility or hatred towards someone or something. “Shenanigans . . . animosity” is the best answer.

Example Question #48 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The football star's __________________ of friends and enablers only exacerbated his ____________________  for missing team meetings and breaking curfew.

Possible Answers:

compendium . . . habit

entourage . . . travesty

coffer . . . tendency

maelstrom . . . declivity

coterie . . . proclivity 

Correct answer:

coterie . . . proclivity 

Explanation:

In the context of the sentence, the first blank should reflect a word closely meaning "group." Of the answer choices, only "entourage" and "coterie" match this description. To decide between these two choices, we must next look at the second blank. In the sentence, the word "exacerbated" points to the fact that the star has some sort of habit being made worse by this group. "Travesty" does not apply here, but "proclivity" is a near-perfect mirror for "habit" in this context.

Example Question #49 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Rhiannon wished she'd heeded the ________________ she'd felt about sailing this late in the season. If she'd had the __________________ to anticipate the storm, her accident might well have been avoided.

Possible Answers:

qualms . . . prescience

penury . . . calumny

omens . . . reverence

anodyne . . . celerity

lassitude . . . derision 

Correct answer:

qualms . . . prescience

Explanation:

For the first blank, we are looking for something like "doubts." "Qualms" is the best fit here. The clue for the second blank is "anticipate," so we're looking for something like foreknowledge or "prescience."

 

Example Question #50 : Parts Of Speech In Two Blank Texts

The soldier grabbed a __________ to fight the invaders although it could not __________ their armor.

Possible Answers:

receptacle . . . grasp

lance . . . breach

tome . . . laud

savant . . . goad

ruse . . . cajole

Correct answer:

lance . . . breach

Explanation:

The sentence refers to a "soldier" and "invaders," giving a military theme to the sentence. The first blank must mean some kind of weapon, while the second blank indicates harming the "armor." "Lance," a spear or long spike, and "breach," meaning to penetrate, together make up the correct answer. 

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