GRE Verbal : Verbs in One-Blank Texts
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #241 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Her desire to watch the basketball game was surprising, as she usually __________ sporting events as unsophisticated.
feted
celebrated
anticipated
denigrated
extolled
denigrated
The word to pay attention to in this sentence is “surprising,” as it indicates that a negative word is necessary to complete the sentence. The only such word is “denigrated.”
Example Question #242 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Frequently, beginning pilots find themselves unable to trust their instruments, __________ them in the air and leaving them completely upside down.
inspiring
supplementing
reassuring
invigorating
mystifying
mystifying
The sentence is explaining that beginning pilots hurt themselves by not paying attention to the plane’s instruments. The word that best completes the sentence should mean "confusing." “Mystifying” is the closest synonym to "confusing" among the answer choices.
Example Question #243 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Political tensions mounted as raging protestors convulsed through the streets; one could not __________ the feeling of revolution in the air.
harangue
finagle
engender
contest
abhor
contest
You are looking for a verb that means "to deny," which is exactly what "contest" means. None of the other words make sense in the context of the sentence.
Example Question #244 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
While he may have expected some light ribbing, he was wholly unprepared for the hecklers who used his every word as an occasion to __________ him.
ogle
bolster
obfuscate
abrogate
lampoon
lampoon
The word that we are looking for comes in contrast to the light teasing that he had expected. So we are looking for either a much more intense or less intense contrast. We know it must be more intense since it is being done by "hecklers". Thus we are looking for a word that means, to heckle or ridicule, and that word is "lampoon."
Example Question #245 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Apprehensive about the commitment he was making, the groom tried to __________ his fears and go on with the ceremony.
quicken
expatiate
foment
gall
quell
quell
The groom needs to suppress his fears and carry on, the definition of "quell." "Foment" means to initiate/cause while "expatiate" means to speak/write at length.
Example Question #246 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
The conflagration was used to __________ invasive plant species and allow pioneering plants to reform a healthy ecoological system in the forest.
stimulate
desiccate
enervate
bolster
extirpate
extirpate
Since a fire was used in the forest, it is presumed that the fire was used to "extripate," or eradicate, invasive plants from harming native plants.
Example Question #247 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The young woman _____________ at the suggestion she was at like her mother, who she rarely got along with growing up.
tittered
fawned
bristled
revered
swooned
bristled
The fact that the young woman did not get along with her mother provides a clue to the proper meaning of the sentence. When a comparison was made, the young woman would not have appreciated and even outright disliked. Of the answer choices, only "bristled," meaning to show annoyance and irritation, correctly completes the sentence.
Example Question #248 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Even when he tried to give a simple answer, the professor had a tendency to __________ on his subject.
simplify
clarify
abridge
pontificate
excise
pontificate
The structure of the sentence makes it clear that the professor cannot give a simple answer, so the correct answer will mean the opposite. "Simplify," "excise," "abridge," and "clarify" all mean to make simple in one way or another, and can all be struck out. Only "pontificate," meaning to speak excessively and even arrogantly, is correct in the sentence.
Example Question #249 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
The leader never himself committed any violence, but always seemed to __________ it from his underlings.
peruse
condone
belabor
condemn
excise
condone
The leader is attempting to distance himself from the violence of his underlings, while still having their violent actions continue. The answer will uphold this double standard on the leader's part. Of all the answer choices, "condone," meaning to support quietly or overlook, best fits the sentence.
Example Question #250 : Verbs In One Blank Texts
Kind words do little to situations that require more than nice phrases in order to be improved.
ameliorate
augment
allay
enlighten
retract
ameliorate
The sense of the the sentence indicates that kind words fail to help in improvement of a bad situation. It is perhaps tempting to choose "augment" because of its sense of "increase." Certain verbal associations might lead one to choose "retract" or "allay," but these do not apply. "Ameliorate" fits best, as it means "to improve" or "make better."
All GRE Verbal Resources
