GRE Verbal : Two Verbs in Two-Blank Texts
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Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Two Verbs In Two Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The irascible employee was known to ___________________ his co-workers for even the slightest mistake, a reputation which _____________________ against his chances for a raise at his annual review.
vituperate . . . balked
gainsay . . . grafted
harangue . . . militated
rebuke . . . fulminated
equivocate . . . eschewed
harangue . . . militated
The fact that the employee is described as irascible suggests he is likely to act out in an angry manner. With this in mind, the first blank should be a word which closely means get angry with or yell at. There are a couple of options in the answer choices which come close, so we need to take a look at the second blank. The context of the sentence suggests that the employee's poor behavior at work is weighing against his chances of receiving a raise. Only the combination of "harangue" and "militate" fits both blanks, and it is therefore the correct answer.
Example Question #42 : Two Verbs In Two Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Authoritarian regimes often lead to a __________ in civic spirit. Although they often begin by __________ the people to high-spirited patriotism, they often end by creating wholly cynical citizens.
waning . . . discouraging
decline . . . inciting
increase . . . inviting
coup . . . deceiving
waxing . . . leading
decline . . . inciting
The key phrase is "although . . ." and the sense of the juxtaposition is completed by "they often end by creating wholly cynical citizens." The sense is that the regimes begin by making the citizens very engaged, but they end in destroying this civic involvement; therefore, we can immediately eliminate "increase . . . inviting", "coup . . . deceiving," "waxing . . . leading", and "waning . . . discouraging." The best fit is "decline . . . inciting" because it captures the sense of the loss of spirit as well as its initial inspiration (even if through incitement).
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