GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice: Sentence Equivalence
- Sentence Equivalence
- 15 questions
- 15 minutes
On the GRE, each Sentence Equivalence question is one sentence with one blank and six answer choices, and you must select the two words that both complete the sentence and produce sentences that mean the same thing. Here the words are already grouped into four pairs, and exactly one pair works. Watch for two traps: a pair of synonyms that does not fit the sentence, and a pair in which each word fits but the meanings differ.
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
The professor's lectures were so ________ that even students who had never studied economics could follow every argument.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: C
Beginners could follow the lectures, so they were very clear: lucid and pellucid both mean clear and easy to understand. Abstruse and recondite are synonyms, but they mean hard to understand, the opposite of what the sentence needs.
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Question 2
Given the ________ of physical evidence, it is remarkable that the prosecutor secured a conviction at all.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
A conviction is "remarkable" only if there was little evidence: paucity and dearth both mean scarcity. Ambiguity could also fit the sentence, but "ambiguous evidence" does not mean the same as "scarce evidence," so the pair with paucity fails.
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Question 3
Once ________ about sharing his research, the scientist now posts all of his data online on the day an experiment ends.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
"Once … now" sets up a change toward openness, so he used to be unwilling to share: reticent and guarded both express that. Forthcoming and candid, like zealous and eager, describe someone already willing to share, which removes the contrast.
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Question 4
The critic's ________ remarks stung the young playwright, who had expected at least a word of encouragement.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
Remarks that sting are harsh and biting: caustic and acerbic both mean bitterly sharp. Tepid (lukewarm) might also disappoint, but it means something different from caustic, so that pair does not give the same sentence.
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Question 5
The board's decision was ________: no appeal was possible, and the new rule took effect the same day.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
A decision that cannot be appealed cannot be undone: irrevocable and irreversible. Provisional and tentative mean temporary, the opposite, and arbitrary describes how a decision was made, not whether it can be reversed.
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Question 6
The conservator's ________ approach, cleaning each square inch of the fresco with a soft brush, meant that the restoration took nearly four years.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: C
Brushing every square inch for four years shows extreme care: meticulous and painstaking. Cursory, perfunctory, haphazard and slipshod all suggest hasty or careless work, and innovative does not mean careful.
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Question 7
The mayor's plan to ________ the city's budget crisis by selling two public parks met with fierce opposition from residents.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
Selling parks raises money, so the plan aims to ease the crisis: alleviate and mitigate. No mayor plans to exacerbate a crisis, and selling parks is not a way to ignore one.
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Question 8
Far from being ________, the new safety regulations were the product of six years of study and public comment.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
"Far from" contrasts the blank with six years of study, so the rules were not rushed: hasty and precipitate (adjective: done too quickly) both fit. Deliberate and considered agree with the long study instead of contrasting with it.
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Question 9
The general's memoir is unusually ________, admitting mistakes that most commanders would have buried in footnotes.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
Openly admitting mistakes shows honesty: candid and frank. Evasive, disingenuous and self-serving describe the kind of memoir that would hide those mistakes.
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Question 10
Although the drug's side effects are generally ________, a small number of patients experience serious reactions.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: C
"Although" contrasts the blank with serious reactions, so the usual side effects must be harmless: benign and innocuous. Severe, grave, noxious and pernicious all mean harmful, which removes the contrast.
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Question 11
The council's meetings, once ________ affairs marked by shouting matches, have become models of civility.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
Shouting matches mark quarrelsome meetings: contentious and fractious. Tedious (boring) does not fit "shouting matches," and tranquil or cordial meetings would not need to "become" civil.
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Question 12
The speaker had promised a brief address, but his ________ remarks went on for nearly two hours.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: D
"But" contrasts a promised brief talk with two hours of speaking, so the remarks were wordy: verbose and prolix. Laconic, terse, pithy and succinct all mean brief, the opposite.
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Question 13
Visitors who expected a ________ exhibition from the staid old museum were startled by the curator's daring choices.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: C
Visitors were startled by daring choices, so they expected the opposite from a staid museum: conventional and orthodox. Iconoclastic and unorthodox describe what they actually found.
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Question 14
Because the suspect's alibi was ________ the physical evidence, the detectives continued to treat him as their main suspect.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: A
He remained the main suspect because his alibi did not fit the evidence: incompatible with and irreconcilable with. An alibi consonant with or congruent with the evidence would tend to clear him.
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Question 15
The negotiator's ________ in the face of constant provocation impressed even the representatives across the table.
Which pair of words both complete the sentence and give it the same meaning?
Correct answer: B
Staying calm under constant provocation is impressive: equanimity and composure both mean calmness. Obstinacy (stubbornness) could also fit the sentence, but it does not mean the same as equanimity, so that pair fails.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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