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Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
While her grandchildren often used their cell phones at the table, she __________ such behavior.
The structure of the sentence indicates that the grandmother did not like her grandchildren's behavior. Look for an answer that means dislike or even hate. Of the answer choices, only "abhorred" has the appropriate meaning.
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Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________ by his pacifism, Gandhi knew he had to find another solution for his people, rather than violence.
"Constrained" means restricted. Restricted by his belief in nonviolence, Gandhi knew he had to find another way to achieve his goals.
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The jail officers would often __________ Joseph’s body by using a whip with many tendrils covered in jagged glass pieces.
Since it is remarked that the whip has jagged glass on its tendrils, such a weapon could do considerable damage to the flesh of the one being whipped. When flesh is “lacerated,” it has been deeply torn or cut.
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Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
My paper is too long, so I'll need to __________ some of the longer paragraphs.
"Truncate" means to shorten or abbreviate. "Hinder" means to prevent or slow down. "Rescind" means to declare null and void. "Patent" means to secure a copyright on an invention. "Curate" means to gather items or data for presentation.
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Answer the following sample question. Select the word or pair of words that most correctly completes the sentence.
The detective hoped to __________ as much information as he could from the missing man's diary.
"Glean" means to pick out or collect. "Obviate" means to make unneccesary. "Feign" means to pretend or fake. "Desiccate" means to dehydrate or dry out. "Aver" means to assert or maintain.
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“Isn't there anything we can do to __________ this situation?” the president of the company asked his lawyer.
"Ameliorate" means to improve or make better. "Aggrandize" means to cause something to seem or be grander or bigger. "Amalgamate" means to blend or intermix. "Distend" means to inflate from within. "Extol" means to acclaim or sing the praises of.
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The majority of the country was opposed to the war, hoping that differences between the nations would soon be __________.
The people want the war to stop, so it is best to assume that they want the disputes between the nation to be resolved. The answer choice that most clearly displays this meaning is reconciled.
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His previous sloppy work led his professor to ___________ his reports more thoroughly.
The sloppy element of the work indicates the professor needs to review more carefully the work of the student. “Dismiss,” “inoculate,” and “anticipate” do not have the appropriate sense of review, while "contemplate" does not convey enough seriousness to the sentence.
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The king __________ the throne after his infidelity to the country became public, allowing his son to ascend the throne.
"Abdicate" means give up royal power. Since the king had created a scandal with his infidelity or disloyalty, he would likely given up the crown. “Beatify” means make extremely happy or make a saint, “descend” means lower, and “tarnish” means _lessen in value—_none of which logically answer the question.
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The new law was an effort to __________ certain hunting practices, but many outdoorsman believe the new prohibitions could not be enforced.
The law’s effort, as mentioned in the second part of the sentence, is to prohibit certain actions. Of the given answer choices, only “proscribe” is a synonym for prohibit.
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The professor’s lectures had a tendency to __________, often taking on topics that bore little relation to his initial subject.
The professor’s habit of discussing topics not related to his subject shows he wanders around various topics. Of the answer choices, only “meander” is a synonym for wander.
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The problematic employees were __________ from their less angry coworkers on a separate floor of the building.
The separate floor which houses the problematic employees means that they were taken away and kept apart from their coworker. "Quarantined" means precisely this, therefore it is the correct answer choice.
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Thanks to his years of experience, the scientist felt confident he could __________ from his findings and claim new theories.
While all the answers make some sense in the sentence, only “extrapolate” has the correct sense of making further claims than the evidence shows precisely. In this case, going through each word for the best fit is the appropriate method to get the answer.
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The activists, hoping to generate popular support, __________ their pamphlets throughout the community.
"Disseminate" means spread widely. Activists, intent on building popular support, would likely wish to spread their message widely throughout a community.
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Benjamin __________ about his new girlfriend; his excessive enthusiasm was grating.
"Rhapsodized" means engaged in excessive and enthusiastic praise of someone or something. The speaker finds this excessive enthusiasm quite annoying.
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The nonprofit's work focused on ___________ people in emerging democracies, but questions remained about its effectiveness.
The best clue for the answer lies in the word "democracies," as "enfranchising" means enabling voting rights. Another clue is the fact that the other four answer choices all indicate some sense of hurting people; identifying synonyms among answer choices is a good way to eliminate some choices.
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Not wanting to see a rival succeed, he sought to __________ every promotion opportunity she received.
The key word in the sentence is "rival." With rival in mind, look for a word that would indicate a sense of harm or impairment. Of the answer choices, only "hamper" has the appropriate meaning.
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Her lifelong love of cars began with a trip to an automotive museum as a young girl, which __________ her passion at a young age.
The museum trip started and encouraged her love of cars. "Kindled," literally meaning started a fire, but here used metaphorically to mean ignited an interest, is the only answer choice that appropriately completes the sentence.
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When all the calculations were finally done, it was revealed the broker had __________ his clients out of millions in a Ponzi scheme.
Even if Ponzi scheme, a fraudulent investment scam, is an unfamiliar term, the tone and structure of the sentence indicate the broker did something illegal or dishonest. Look for an answer choice that indicates cheating or defrauding, which is the very definition of "bilked."
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Her mother had little idea that her lax rules about computer use _________ the acts of open rebellion the teenager performed.
The teenager's rebellious acts and her mother's unawareness both indicate the computer is somehow helping the teenager's rebellion. "Engendered," which means caused or enabled, is the only answer choice which indicates help, while all the other choices indicate an active harm.
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