GRE Sentence Equivalence Practice Test 2
- Sentence Equivalence (Set 2)
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
On the real GRE you pick two of six words; here each choice is a ready-made pair, and the correct pair must both fit the sentence and produce the same meaning. Be careful with pairs of synonyms that do not fit the sentence: they are the most common trap.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Though the author's early stories were ________, her later novels are remarkably restrained.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
"Though" contrasts the early stories with "restrained," so they must have been showy in style: florid and ornate both mean elaborately decorated. Terse and laconic are synonyms, but they mean brief, which does not contrast with restraint.
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Question 2
The mayor's ________ response to the flooding, which came only after a week of public pressure, damaged her reputation.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: C
A response that came only after a week of pressure was slow, and dilatory and tardy both mean late or slow. Prompt and expeditious are synonyms, but they contradict the week of delay.
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Question 3
The witness's account was so ________ that the jurors found it impossible to doubt.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
An account that is impossible to doubt is convincing, and cogent and compelling both mean persuasive. Dubious and questionable form a synonym pair with the opposite meaning, and length alone does not make testimony convincing.
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Question 4
The researchers were ________ by the results, which contradicted every model they had built.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
Results that contradict all of one's models leave a researcher puzzled, and baffled and perplexed both mean confused. Vindicated and confirmed would fit only if the results had supported the models.
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Question 5
Far from being a recluse, the poet was famously ________, hosting gatherings at her home almost every week.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: E
"Far from being a recluse" calls for the opposite of a recluse, and weekly gatherings confirm it: gregarious and sociable both mean fond of company. Eccentric and idiosyncratic are synonyms, but being odd does not contrast with being a recluse.
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Question 6
The new regulations should ________ the damage that runoff from farms does to the river by limiting how much fertilizer can be applied near its banks.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
Limiting fertilizer is meant to reduce the damage, and mitigate and alleviate both mean lessen. Assess and evaluate are synonyms, but limiting fertilizer is a way to reduce harm, not a way to measure it.
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Question 7
Her argument rests on a ________ assumption: that housing prices, which have never risen for more than six years in a row, will keep rising for another twenty.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
Expecting twenty more years of growth when the record is six years is a weak assumption, and tenuous and dubious both mean poorly supported. Valid and sound form a pair, but the history given in the sentence argues against the assumption.
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Question 8
The diplomat was known for her ________; even in heated negotiations she never revealed what her government was prepared to concede.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
Never revealing what one is willing to give up shows discretion and reticence, both meaning a habit of keeping things to oneself. Candor and frankness are synonyms but describe the opposite habit.
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Question 9
Critics found the film's ending ________: after two hours of careful buildup, the central mystery is resolved in a single throwaway line.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
Resolving a long-built mystery in one throwaway line is done with little effort or care, the meaning of both perfunctory and cursory. The mystery is clearly resolved, so ambiguous and equivocal do not fit.
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Question 10
The once ________ startup, whose founders appeared on magazine covers, now struggles to pay its staff.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: E
Founders on magazine covers show that the company was once widely praised, and vaunted and celebrated both carry that meaning. "Once obscure" contradicts the magazine covers, and "once struggling" makes no sense with "now struggles."
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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