GRE Verbal: GRE Verbal: Text Completion Practice Questions
Test yourself on GRE Verbal: Text Completion with 10 original GRE practice questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback and a full explanation.
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1. Despite the company's public claims of transparency, its internal documents revealed a pattern of ______ that left even seasoned auditors struggling to trace the flow of funds.
Fill the blank with the most appropriate word.
Explanation. The contrast signaled by 'Despite' means the reality opposes 'transparency.' 'Obfuscation' (deliberate confusion) fits and explains why auditors struggled. 'Candor' and 'clarity' are synonyms of transparency, contradicting the contrast; 'generosity' is irrelevant.
2. The novelist's prose was admired less for any flashy stylistic innovation than for its ______ precision, every word chosen to convey exactly the intended meaning.
Explanation. The blank must describe precision where 'every word' is chosen exactly. 'Exacting' (rigorously precise) fits perfectly. 'Meretricious' (gaudily false) and 'ornate' contradict the rejection of flashy style; 'careless' contradicts precision.
3. Far from being a ______ thinker who merely echoed prevailing opinions, the philosopher relentlessly questioned the assumptions her contemporaries held most dear.
Explanation. 'Far from being' sets up a contrast with someone who 'relentlessly questioned' assumptions. The blank must describe the opposite: a thinker who 'merely echoed' others. 'Derivative' (unoriginal, imitative) fits. 'Iconoclastic' and 'heretical' describe a questioner, not an echoer; 'rigorous' doesn't fit the echoing.
4. The senator's apology was widely regarded as ______: it expressed regret in such guarded, conditional language that listeners doubted whether she felt any contrition at all.
Explanation. The colon explains the blank: the apology used 'guarded, conditional language' so people doubted real contrition. 'Perfunctory' (done as routine, without sincerity) fits. 'Heartfelt,' 'unequivocal,' and 'spontaneous' all imply genuine, full apology, contradicting the doubt.
5. Although the treaty was hailed as a triumph of diplomacy, historians now view it as a (i)______ measure that merely (ii)______ tensions rather than resolving them, allowing conflict to resurface within a decade.
Explanation. 'Although ... triumph' contrasts with the negative historical view: it didn't resolve anything and conflict resurfaced. Blank (i) needs a word meaning superficial/temporary—'palliative'—and (ii) needs 'papered over' (concealed without fixing). 'Definitive/defused' and 'comprehensive/eradicated' imply real resolution; 'enduring/inflamed' is internally inconsistent.
6. The scientist's reputation for (i)______ was well earned; she refused to publish any finding until it had survived rounds of testing so (ii)______ that colleagues sometimes accused her of excessive caution.
Explanation. She refused to publish until findings survived testing—blank (i) describes carefulness ('meticulousness'). Blank (ii) must describe the testing as so thorough that colleagues called it excessive caution—'rigorous.' 'Recklessness/lax' contradicts; 'cursory' and 'arbitrary' undercut the thoroughness implied.
7. Critics charged that the documentary was anything but (i)______; in their view, its selective editing and one-sided interviews betrayed a (ii)______ agenda that the filmmakers never openly acknowledged.
Explanation. 'Anything but' negates blank (i), and the evidence (selective editing, one-sided interviews) shows bias—so (i) should be the positive ideal that's absent: 'objective.' Blank (ii) describes an agenda 'never openly acknowledged'—'covert.' 'Biased/transparent' and 'partisan/hidden' misalign with 'anything but'; 'balanced/overt' fails because the agenda was concealed.
8. The poet's later work, stripped of the (i)______ flourishes of her youth, achieved a (ii)______ that many readers found more moving than her early exuberance, conveying deep feeling through restraint.
Explanation. The later work is 'stripped of' the youthful flourishes (i), so (i) should describe ornate, abundant style—'exuberant' (echoing 'early exuberance'). The result conveys feeling 'through restraint,' so (ii) is 'austerity.' 'Austere/lavishness' reverses the logic; 'subtle/ornamentation' is contradictory.
9. Far from quelling the rumors, the official's terse denial only ______ them, since its brevity struck observers as evasive rather than reassuring.
Explanation. 'Far from quelling' signals the opposite happened: the denial intensified the rumors, and observers found it evasive. 'Fueled' fits. 'Dispelled,' 'clarified,' and 'preempted' all mean reducing or preventing rumors, contradicting 'far from quelling.'
10. The committee's recommendations, though presented as bold reforms, proved on closer inspection to be largely ______, reaffirming existing practices under new and impressive-sounding names.
Explanation. 'Though presented as bold reforms' contrasts with what they actually were: merely renaming existing practices. 'Cosmetic' (superficial, surface-level) fits. 'Radical' and 'unprecedented' match the bold claim, not the reality; 'controversial' isn't supported by the renaming detail.
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FAQ
What is the best strategy for Text Completion questions?
Read the entire sentence first to identify the main idea, then look for 'pivot' words like 'although,' 'despite,' 'because,' and 'far from' that signal contrast or continuation. Predict your own word for the blank before checking options, and verify that your choice makes the whole sentence logically coherent—not just locally sensible.
How should I handle two- and three-blank questions, which have no partial credit?
Start with the blank you feel most confident about, using sentence clues to fill it. Then test combinations: each blank's answer must be supported by textual evidence, and all blanks together must form a consistent picture. Eliminate any answer pair that creates a contradiction. Since there's no partial credit, double-check that every blank works before committing.
Do I need to memorize huge vocabulary lists?
Vocabulary matters, but context skills matter more. Focus on high-frequency GRE words and learn them with connotation (positive/negative) and usage in sentences. Practice recognizing logical structure so that even with an unfamiliar word, you can use sentence clues, word roots, and process of elimination to identify the answer.