GRE Verbal : GRE Verbal Reasoning
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
All GRE Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #921 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
I do not know why the President rescinded my invitation; his decision making has always been __________ in mystery.
enshrouded
cajoled
exposed
envisioned
tempered
enshrouded
The word that fills in the blank must help characterize the President’s decision making in light of the writer’s ignorance regarding the President’s motivations. The President’s decision making, for the writer, has always been covered in mystery, so "enshrouded" is the correct answer.
Example Question #922 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In the novel Frankenstein, the author clearly __________ the moral ambiguity of attempting to bring the dead to life.
ingratiates
repudiates
assuages
nettles
discerns
discerns
“Discerns” mean to perceive something, in this case, the moral ambiguity presented as a major theme of Frankenstein.
Example Question #923 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Harold finally worked up the courage to ask for a raise, but he was __________ by news that sales had declined precipitously in the previous quarter.
emboldened
kindled
thwarted
enamored
articulated
thwarted
The sentence says that Harold was going to ask for a raise, but then he found out that sales were down. This means the news prevented him from asking, so "thwarted" is correct. “Thwarted” means that he was hindered from carrying out his plan.
Example Question #924 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
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.
denigrated
celebrated
extolled
feted
anticipated
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.
supplementing
invigorating
reassuring
inspiring
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.
contest
harangue
engender
abhor
finagle
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 #925 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
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.
bolster
abrogate
ogle
lampoon
obfuscate
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
gall
foment
expatiate
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 #926 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
The conflagration was used to __________ invasive plant species and allow pioneering plants to reform a healthy ecoological system in the forest.
stimulate
enervate
bolster
desiccate
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 #927 : Gre Verbal Reasoning
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.
fawned
swooned
revered
tittered
bristled
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.
All GRE Verbal Resources
