GRE Verbal › Verbs in One-Blank Texts
Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.
It is often difficult to __________ a bad first impression.
disabuse
diffuse
distend
deride
default
The choice that makes the most sense is "disabuse," to correct a false impression or persuade (someone) that a belief is mistaken.
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.
lampoon
bolster
obfuscate
abrogate
ogle
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."
The attorney used the graph to __________ his interpretation of the facts in a way that the jury could comprehend.
delineate
distrain
disorient
arbitrate
atone
"Delineate" means to explain or describe precisely, and most clearly makes sense of the sentence. The attorney wants the jury to comprehend the information.
The boy was _____________ by the older girl's stories of college, and desperately wanted to attend her school.
beguiled
jaded
scarred
tried
besmirched
The boy's desire to attend the girl's college means he was clearly impressed with her stories. The correct answer will indicate his appreciation for her stories. "Beguiled," which means charmed,or even lured, is the correct answer.
Reading a book set in Paris, ___________________ his desire to travel there even more.
whetted
effaced
bristled
laxed
waned
The book reading had an effect on his desire to travel to Paris, and the phrase "even more" indicate it helped that desire. "Whetted," meaning to sharpen or refine, is the best fit among the answer choices.
His argument was well-received at first, but he _____________ it until the audience wanted him to end.
belabored
enhanced
beknighted
enlivened
subverted
The final clause of the sentence, "the audience wanted him to end," indicates the speaker went too long. The correct answer will fully bring this meaning to the sentence. "Belabored," meaning to explain an argument in too much detail, is the best choice among the answers.
It was revealed he had ______________ millions of dollars from his employer before the police caught him.
embezzled
defrocked
beleaguered
tottered
espoused
The involvement of police and "millions of dollars" means the man committed some kind of financial crime, and the correct answer will be a term for a financial crime. "Embezzled, meaning to defraud or steal, is the best choice.
The politician always wanted statistics to ________________ the claims he made in his speeches.
buttress
counteract
retract
bulwark
transgress
The politician is concerned about the claims in his speech, and would want to support them with statistics. The correct answer will mean to strengthen or back up, which is the definition of "buttress."
He would often complement his lengthy academic texts with shorter books that _____________ the same arguments.
recapitulated
congealed
discombobulated
subverted
recanted
The sentence indicates that the "shorter books" said the "same arguments" as the larger ones. The correct answer will then mean to restate or summarize, which is the definition of "recapitulated."
The self-centered girl did not understand that being _____________ by potential boyfriends was a problem many of her peers envied.
beleaguered
negated
petrified
belied
begrudged
The fact the girl's "problem" is desired by others means she was receiving attention from "potential boyfriends." The correct answer will infer this and keep the sarcastic tone of the sentence. "Beleaguered," meaning annoyed or badgered, is the best answer choice.