GRE Verbal : Text Completion
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Verbal
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Example Questions
Example Question #381 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
They searched the library for hours, but there was a(n) __________ of informative literature on metallurgy.
surfeit
passel
dearth
glut
inundation
dearth
"Dearth" means a lack or an absence of. Since the second phrase begins with “but,” the word in the blank must indicate a meaning counter to the expectation of finding a lot of information that was set up in the first phrase.
Example Question #382 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
When his friend described the skyscraper as “reaching all the way to outer space,” John suspected he was using __________.
hyperbole
illusion
facsimile
obscurity
metaphor
hyperbole
His friend is using an exaggeration to describe the building, and hyperbole is this kind of stretching the truth.
Example Question #383 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Having labored for hours in the sweltering heat, the exhausted porter looked forward to his __________ and the cool beverage he would buy with it.
parity
respite
abasement
reprieve
remuneration
remuneration
The word that fills in the blank must be something with which the exhausted porter can buy a cool beverage. "Remuneration," meaning payment, is the only word that satisfies that requirement. "Reprieve" and "respite" are short intervals of relief, while "abasement" is humiliation and "parity" is equality.
Example Question #384 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Fearful of being accused of __________, the student was very careful to cite all of her sources.
blasphemy
bewilderment
haughtiness
abrasiveness
plagiarism
plagiarism
The word that fills in the blank must meet two requirements: 1) It must be something of which the student fears being accused, and 2) it must be a fear that proper citation allays. The fear of being accused of "plagiarism" (the fear of being accused of unethically taking credit for someone else’s work) can be reduced by proper citation.
Example Question #385 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
While translating Pablo Neruda’s stirring poem from Spanish to English, Javier struggled to recreate the __________ of the great poet’s original words.
monotony
nuances
renown
listlessness
disparity
nuances
The word that fills in the blank must be faithful to the sentence’s original assertion that Pablo Neruda’s poem is "stirring," and therefore not "monotonous" or "listless." Because translators cannot recreate "renown" or "disparity," Javier struggled to recreate the "nuances," the subtleties, of the original poem in English.
Example Question #386 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Opera singers must endure years of training in order to achieve the correct __________ in Italian, French, German, and Russian.
rhythm
juxtaposition
inflection
aberration
braggadocio
inflection
Given that opera singers must perform in several different languages, inflection is important. In this sentence, “inflection” refers to the rising and falling tones of a word in speech or song.
Example Question #427 : Text Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The magician was used to using __________ to appear to accomplish supernatural feats, having to stand up to the scrutiny of skeptical audiences.
artifice
plumage
verities
blunderbuss
indiscretion
artifice
The magician only appears to accomplish these feats, so he must be using deception, or "artifice." "Verities" are truths.
Example Question #387 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
There was old wisdom in the __________, but over time it had begun to lose its effect.
ingenue
excerpt
archive
platitude
disparity
platitude
A saying that is repeated until losing its effect is likely to be a "platitude." An "ingenue" is a naïve, unsophisticated person.
Example Question #388 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In her paper, Linda wrote that people in power should try to stay focused on the big picture rather than the __________.
diminution
minutiae
objective
expedient
consternation
minutiae
"Minutiae" means small details, and is the only choice that makes sense in context.
Example Question #389 : One Blank Texts
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The author was both very popular and anonymous; she managed to remain unknown despite her books being widely read by using a _________.
pseudonym
rubric
mystique
contrivance
appellation
pseudonym
A "pseudonym" is a fake name used to conceal an identity, especially by authors. Although "contrivance" could make sense of the passage, "pseudonym" very directly applies.
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