chap3

Chapter 3 Sentence Equivalence

Sentence Equivalence questions on the GRE are very similar to single-blank Text Completion questions, with one twist—there are six answer choices, and two of them are correct. For example:

The judge dismissed Steffen's lawsuit, ruling that since Steffen had been the first to _____________ the contract, the company he was suing was no longer obligated to uphold the provisions of the original agreement.

forswear

transmute

breach

abrogate

vituperate

slake

Note that the answer choices are marked not with letters (as in, choices A–F), but with checkboxes. Throughout the exam (in math, too), the GRE uses circular radio buttons for questions with one correct answer and square checkboxes to indicate questions with more than one correct answer.

To get a Sentence Equivalence question correct, you must select both correct answers—there is no partial credit. In the question above, the correct answer is breach and abrogate, which both mean “fail to do what is required by.”

Take a look at what Educational Testing Service (ETS) has to say about the approach for this question type before revisiting this question.

According to ETS:

Like Text Completion questions, Sentence Equivalence questions test the ability to reach a conclusion about how a passage should be completed on the basis of partial information, but to a greater extent they focus on the meaning of the completed whole. Sentence Equivalence questions consist of a single sentence with just one blank, and they ask you to find two choices that both lead to a complete, coherent sentence and that produce sentences that mean the same thing.

Success on a Sentence Equivalence question sometimes depends on hard vocabulary words in the answer choices, sometimes depends on hard vocabulary words or complex sentence construction in the sentence itself, and sometimes hinges on both of these things at once.

Although the idea of “two correct answers” is an interesting test-making twist, it doesn't actually make the questions any harder for you. In fact, it opens up the strategic tool of Answer Choice Analysis, which will be explained in this chapter.

Many of the skills you have already learned for Text Completion still apply here, such as looking for clues and pivots, and filling in your own word in the blank.

There are two main methods of attack for a Sentence Equivalence question, both of which will be reviewed in the pages that follow:

Sentence analysis
Answer choice analysis

Sentence Analysis

Like Text Completion questions, Sentence Equivalence questions ask you to fill in a blank based on the information contained in the text around it.

As with Text Completions, it is very important to remember that the sentences are not anything like sentences pulled from a newspaper, with a few words blanked out. In such a real-life case, you might not be able to fill in the missing word—what if the sentence didn't provide any context for figuring out what word should go in the blank?

On the GRE, things have to be much more concrete. In order to construct a Sentence Equivalence question that has two objectively correct answers and four objectively incorrect answers, the test makers have to specifically construct sentences that have clues planted in them for you to find.

The clue is always there.

There are four questions you should ask yourself for each Sentence Equivalence question:

1. What is the blank referring to? Call this the “target.” To find the target, ask which of the nouns in the sentence the blank is describing, or who is doing the action in the blank and to what.

Note: If the blank represents a verb, you might have two targets. In “The ornery critic ____________ the play,” the critic is performing the action and the play is receiving the action. In such a case, think of the target as the relationship between the subject and object. Ask “What happened to the play?” or “What did the critic do to the play?”

2. What does the sentence tell you about the target? This is the “clue.” Do not guess, assume, or use outside information. The clue will be physically present in the sentence.

3. Does the sentence have a “pivot”? Pivots indicate whether the blank is on the same side as or the opposite side from the clue.

4. What word would you use to fill in the blank in your own words (a “fill-in”), based on the clue?

Remember the four parts: target, clue, pivot, fill-in.

Here's an example:

The village's water supply had been _____________ by toxic industrial by-products that had seeped into groundwater.

adumbrated

vitiated

abashed

adulterated

truncated

abridged

The blank is about the water supply. Thus, “water supply” is the target. What do you know about it? That “toxic” substances seeped into it. There is no pivot (like “but” or “however”) that sends you in the opposite direction. So you are looking for a pair that means something like “contaminated.”

The answer is adulterated and vitiated. Adulterated means “contaminated,” and vitiated means “spoiled, made defective, corrupted.” (Of the incorrect answers, truncated and abridged are similar in meaning, and adumbrated and abashed are unrelated.)

Try one more:

Unlike the more genial researchers, who often went out together after work, the __________ Dr. Spicer believed that socializing was nothing more than a distraction, and thus made few friends at the lab.

sedulous

baneful

standoffish

partisan

glacial

assiduous

The blank is about Dr. Spicer. He or she is the target. The primary clue is the word “unlike,” which sets up a comparison between “the more genial X” and “the ________ Dr. Spicer.” The rules of a comparison tell you that the blank should be something that means “less genial.” Thus, you are looking for a word in the blank that means “unfriendly.”

The answer is standoffish and glacial. Both words can mean “emotionally cold and distant.” (Glacial can also mean slow, physically cold, or pertaining to glaciers.) Sedulous and assiduous mean hardworking or persistent. Baneful means harmful, and partisan means biased, in favor of only one's own side or party.

Drill: Sentence Analysis

Analyze each sentence for target, clue, and pivot, then fill in the blank in your own words. (This drill is kept succinct, as a similar practice set appears in the Text Completion chapter; the skill is the same for both question types.)

1. The biography was neither encomium nor condemnation, but rather a __________ look at a life, its facts verifiable and delivered without commentary.*

2. After her friends betrayed her, she vowed never to trust anyone again, becoming a virtual ___________ .

3. While several months of progress had been made on the new highway plan in the early part of the year, it was now questionable whether the plan would ever re-emerge from its current state of __________ , its funding held up while politicians bickered about the changing state of the economy.

4. Josh's generally lackadaisical attitude towards his work caused his boss to suspect that his “moral objection” to the task was really just a way to __________ his duties.

5. In isolation, the data may seem _________ , but when the context is supplied, trends can indeed be isolated.

* In situations where “a” or “an” comes before the blank, the “a” or “an” will often be included with each answer choice rather than in the sentence itself so that some of the answer choices can begin with vowels and some with consonants.

Answers: Sentence Analysis

1. The target is the “biography.” What you know about it is that it is neither “encomium nor condemnation.” Even without knowing the word “encomium,” you could probably figure out from the “nor” that the phrase means “neither praise nor criticism.” Thus, the biography must be neutral or in the middle. “Its facts verifiable and delivered without commentary” corroborates this. A good word to fill in the blank would be something like an objective, a disinterested, or an unbiased.

2. The target is the subject of the sentence (“she”). Since her friends “betrayed” her and she has “vowed never to trust” again, a good word to fill the blank would be something like recluse or hermit.

3. The target is the “highway plan.” “While” is an opposite-direction pivot, indicating that the fill-in should be on the opposite side of making progress. Indeed, you are given the clue that the project's funding is held up (tied up or delayed). A good fill-in would be something like gridlock, deadlock, or simply not moving.

4. The target is both “Josh” and his “duties”—or, the relationship between Josh and the duties. The clues are that the boss “suspects” (which has a negative connotation) that Josh's “moral objections” (the quotes in the original sentence also indicate suspicion) are motivated by something else. One more clue fills in the blank for us—the fact that Josh is “lackadaisical” (casual or lazy). A good fill-in would be avoid or shirk.

5. The target is the “data.” You know that, “with context,” trends can be found. So your blank should disagree with the notion that one can find trends in something. A good fill-in would be random or chaotic.

Answer Choice Analysis

When Educational Testing Service introduced the Sentence Equivalence format, most people's natural response was, “So we pick a pair of synonyms, right?” ETS officials insist that the two correct answers don't have to be synonyms:

Do not simply look among the answer choices for two words that mean the same thing. This can be misleading for two reasons. First, the answer choices may contain pairs of words that mean the same thing but do not fit coherently into the sentence, and thus do not constitute a correct answer. Second, the pair of words that do constitute the correct answer may not mean exactly the same thing, since all that matters is that the resultant sentences mean the same thing.

Hmmn. When the two correct answers are inserted into the sentence, the resulting sentences mean the same thing? Sounds like those words would have to be pretty close, right?

Theoretically, the GRE could give a question like this one:

Miriam broke up with John because he was _____________ .

boring

handsome

limber

unintelligent

kind

fun

Since Miriam “broke up” (your clue) with John (your target), you are looking for something bad. There are only two matches: boring and unintelligent. These two words certainly are not synonyms, although each makes sense in the sentence.

However, there is little evidence for this type of “loose construction” on the GRE. A question like the one above, in which the correct choices really aren't synonyms, would have to have answers that fall into pretty easily distinguishable categories (e.g., “something bad”). Most of those questions would fall on the easy side.

What seems to be going on is that the GRE is being overly respectful of the English language. To quote the famous science-fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon, “There are no synonyms.” In other words, subtleties of meaning separate any two words you find listed in any individual entry in a thesaurus. Deluge and flood don't mean the exact same thing (a deluge is, by definition, a severe flood), and the GRE wants you to recognize that the two words you pick will likely differ in terms of some similar nuance. However, unless you are trying to write some very stylish and precise prose, the difference between deluge and flood doesn't really matter.

On the actual GRE, it is almost always the case that the two correct answers are pretty close to being synonyms. Here's an example:

Many people at the dinner party were inordinately interested in questioning the _____________ new guest, who refused to reveal his profession or even the origin of his exotic accent.

acerbic

mysterious

insightful

trenchant

intrepid

inscrutable

Look for clues. The blank describes the new guest. You know that this guest is very cagey about himself. You're looking for a word like secretive or mysterious.

As it turns out, mysterious and inscrutable are the correct answers. Inscrutable means “not able to be scrutinized” and often indicates hiding emotions. It's not exactly the same thing as mysterious, but there's a substantial overlap in their meanings.

You've discovered that most correct answer pairs are at least as closely related as these two. For the purposes of this book, call them “near-synonyms.”

Finding Near-Synonym Pairs

Most Sentence Equivalence questions have a built-in secret strategy: answer choice analysis. This is because most sets of answer choices are “two by two”—that is, among the six choices there are two pairs of synonyms and two “loose,” unrelated words.

Typical “two by two”:

horrible

nice

pleasant

impoverished

terrible

dying

Horrible and terrible are a pair. Pleasant and nice are a pair. Impoverished and dying are unrelated.

Here is a weaker variant of a “two by two”:

wicked

healthful

evil

qualified

gifted

well-practiced

Wicked and evil are a pair. Gifted and well-practiced are “sort of” a pair—that is, gifted implies an ability that comes from within, whereas well-practiced implies an ability that comes from, obviously, practice. However, both are different paths to the same goal (being talented or skilled). They're a weak pair.

In any sentence, it should be pretty easy to tell whether wicked/evil or gifted/well-practiced is the more appropriate match. However, in the case that a set of choices provides a closely related pair and a less closely related pair, the more closely related pair is more likely to be the answer.

Occasionally, three words will seem to match up (a “triplet”). Usually, in this case, two are really synonyms, and the other is off in terms of spin or strength. For instance, in the case of excoriate, admonish, and castigate, the real pair is excoriate and castigate—both mean to criticize or scold very harshly, and admonish means to scold mildly. (Note that if all three “triplets” really were synonyms, they would necessarily all be wrong as a result, since there can only be two correct answers. However, this is unlikely.)

False triplet:

determined

talkative

hapless

unsuccessful

unlucky

resolute

Determined and resolute are a pair. Hapless, unsuccessful, and unlucky seem to be a “triplet.” (Talkative is not related to the others.)

However, hapless really does mean unlucky (“hap” is actually a rarely used Old English word for “luck” or “lot”). A person can be unsuccessful without being unlucky. Hapless and unlucky are the true pair.

It is also possible to have just one pair, or three.

Only one pair:

pale

flexible

hidden

celebrated

equitable

fair

Equitable and fair are a pair. The other four words are unrelated.

Three pairs:

candid

latent

ingenuous

inimical

dormant

hostile

Candid and ingenuous are a pair. Latent and dormant are a pair. Inimical and hostile are a pair.

While all of these answer choice patterns are possible, the most common by far is the “two by two.”

When to Use Answer Choice Analysis

To use Answer Choice Analysis as your main tool for Sentence Equivalence questions, you can actually proceed to the choices first, before even reading the sentence. For instance:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah _____________ , blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

myrmidons

aesthetes

tyros

lackeys

anchorites

novices

Go straight to the words and attempt to make pairs: myrmidons and lackeys are subordinates who follow without question. Tyros and novices are both beginners. An aesthete loves or studies beauty, and an anchorite is a recluse, especially a religious hermit, and thus those two words are not related.

Therefore, the answer must be myrmidons/lackeys or tyros/novices. The only question you need to ask is, “Does the sentence call for a ‘suck-up’ or a ‘beginner?’ Here is the complete problem:

It may be true that everyone likes flattery, but a good manager is not unduly persuaded by it, and thus not taken in by _____________ , who use wheedling and fawning to get ahead.

myrmidons

aesthetes

tyros

lackeys

anchorites

novices

Of course, the question is calling for myrmidons and lackeys.

This approach can be very effective in cases where you know all of the words in the choices. However, since most test-takers don't have strong enough vocabularies to be able to complete the Answer Choice Analysis consistently, Sentence Analysis will probably be a first line of attack for many people, and Answer Choice Analysis a backup plan.

Drill: Answer Choice Analysis

For each set of choices, match up the “pairs.” Most, but not all, sets of choices consist of two pairs of near-synonyms and two other, unrelated words. A few will have one or three sets of near-synonyms.

1. verbose

turbid

diffident

prolix

self-effacing

pious

2. amicable

pithy

scholarly

arcane

succinct

esoteric

3. distend

traduce

alienate

flatter

slander

complement

4. auxiliary

cardinal

principal

ordinal

collateral

prefatory

5. hawkish

cogent

turgid

eloquent

bombastic

intelligible

6. pellucid

transparent

rustic

sedulous

assiduous

earthy

7. eclecticism

aberrance

deviation

idiosyncrasy

adulation

eccentricity

8. bevy

modicum

paucity

excess

surfeit

bunch

9. machicolation

epitome

scruple

apothegm

contumely

maxim

10. pique

slake

quench

succor

fructify

stimulate

Answers: Answer Choice Analysis

1. 2 pairs: Verbose and prolix are a pair, each meaning “talkative.” Diffident (lacking confidence) and self-effacing (putting oneself down) are a pair; they are not perfect synonyms, but they are close enough for Sentence Equivalence questions on the GRE. Pious and turbid have no relationship.

2. 2 pairs: Pithy and succinct both mean “short and to the point.” Arcane and esoteric both mean “obscure or specialized, known to only a few” (of information). Amicable and scholarly are not related.

3. 1 pair: Traduce and slander are a pair, meaning “tell malicious lies about.” Complement and flatter are a TRAP—complement (to complete, to make up a whole with) is NOT the same word as compliment (to say something nice about). Distend and alienate are also unrelated.

4. 2 pairs: Auxiliary and collateral mean “secondary, off to the side.” Cardinal and principal (first, main) are actually synonyms with each other and antonyms with auxiliary and collateral. Ordinal and prefatory are not related.

5. 2 pairs: Turgid and bombastic are a pair. Bombastic means “pompous, overinflated” and is used to describe speech. While turgid can simply mean “swollen,” when it is applied to speech, it has the same meaning of “overinflated, showing off.” Eloquent and cogent are a weak pair—eloquent means beautiful and articulate (of speech), and cogent means compellingly persuasive. Intelligible and hawkish are not related.

6. 3 pairs: Pellucid and transparent are a pair (see-through), as are rustic and earthy (primitive, of the earth, undeveloped), and assiduous and sedulous (hardworking).

7. 2 pairs: Aberrance and deviation are a pair (being different from the normal). Eclecticism, idiosyncrasy and eccentricity may all seem similar. However, idiosyncrasy and eccentricity (harmless personal oddness) are a true pair. Eclecticism (having mixed, wide-ranging tastes) is somewhat different, and is also unrelated to adulation.

8. 2 or 3 pairs: Bevy and bunch are a pair, as are surfeit and excess. Modicum and paucity are questionable as a pair because they differ in spin—modicum means a little, and paucity means not enough.

9. 1 pair: Apothegm and maxim are a pair (proverb, pithy statement). Machicolation, epitome, scruple, and contumely are unrelated.

10. 2 pairs: Pique and stimulate are a pair. Slake and quench (satisfy, especially of thirst) are a pair. Succor (provide comfort or relief) might seem related the second pair, but one succors a person, and one slakes or quenches a desire. Fructify is unrelated.

What If I Don't Know the Words?

It almost seems as though this new question type on the GRE was designed to prevent lucky guesses. On a typical multiple-choice question with choices A–E, a test-taker has a 1/5 chance of randomly guessing the correct answer. On a Sentence Equivalence, a random guess of two out of the six answers has only a 1/15 chance of being correct.

If you know one of the correct choices and randomly guess on the other, your chance of getting the question correct is 1/5.

Thus, it is very important that you assiduously augment your vocabulary, which is why so much of this book is dedicated to learning words.

That said, a little answer choice analysis can be helpful in making a good guess.

Most Sentence Equivalence questions match the “two-by-two” format; that is, the answer choices contain two pairs of near-synonyms and two other “loose” words. Thus, if you can find a single pair of synonyms in the choices, there is about a 1/2 chance that that pair is correct (it is only “about” one-half, since not all sets of choices follow a “two-by-two” format). Here is an example:

agog

akimbo

obeisant

dyspeptic

kowtowing

crotchety

If you were able to pick out that dyspeptic and crotchety were a pair—or that obeisant and kowtowing were—then you should test that pair in the sentence and pick it if it seems to be a good match. (As will be the case in most questions, the two remaining words, agog and akimbo, have no relationship.)

If the pair that you are able to find is not a fit for the sentence, cross off both words. You now have a 1/6 chance of guessing correctly.

If you cannot find a synonym pair, you are unlikely to get the question correct. Accept that fact and don't waste time. Your strategy here is simply to make a guess and move on, conserving time for questions that you will be able to answer later.

Although the new GRE allows you to move around within a section and come back to questions you previously left blank or wish to reconsider, keep in mind that, if you don't know the words, you won't do any better by attempting the question twice—you'll only waste time and lower your overall score.

If you don't know the words, do not leave the question blank. Make your best guess and move on. Don't waste time coming back—spend that extra time on Reading Comprehension or other vocabulary questions that you are able to answer more effectively.

In sum: learn the words!

Why It Is Important to Learn Words in Context

Educational Testing Service tells you not only to check that the two answers you select for a question create sentences that mean the same thing, but also to make sure that each one “produces a sentence that is logically, grammatically, and stylistically coherent.”

Hmm. Asking test-takers to check that the completed sentences are “grammatically coherent” implies that some of the choices will create sentences that are not. Here's an example:

Education advocates argued that the free school lunch program was vital to creating a school environment _____________ to learning.

conducive

inimical

substantial

appropriate

beneficial

hostile

“Education advocates” are certainly in favor of learning; your fill-in might be something like helpful.

Looking at the choices, conducive, appropriate, and beneficial all seem to be matches.

However, if you place each word into the sentence, one choice creates an incorrect idiom. “Conducive to” works, and “beneficial to,” but “appropriate to learning” is not a correct idiom—instead, you would say “appropriate for learning.”

Thus, it is important not only to memorize dictionary definitions of words, but also to be able to use those words in context, in a grammatically correct way.

Here's another example:

He's a _____________ fellow, always grandstanding and deploying his formidable lexicon for oratorical effect.

declamatory

grandiloquent

didactic

florid

titanic

cabalistic

The target is “he” and the clue is “grandstanding and deploying his formidable lexicon for oratorical effect”; that is, he speaks in a pompous way, as though showing off his vocabulary for an audience.

The word florid seems appropriate—it means “flowery” and often applies to speech, as in “florid poetry.” But wait! Florid applies to writing, speech, decor, etc.—not the people who produce those things! (Actually, you can apply florid to people, but in that context it means “flushed, ruddy,” as in having rosy cheeks, which is not appropriate here.)

The answer is declamatory and grandiloquent, both of which describe pompous orators (that is, people who make speeches) or the speech of such people.

Memorizing that florid means “flowery” is better than nothing, but doesn't really tell you what kinds of things to describe with that word, or how to use it metaphorically. Once again, it is important to learn words in context.

There are several ways to do this. Manhattan Prep's GRE vocabulary flashcards provide example sentences for all 1,000 words. Many online dictionaries provide quotes from literature in which the word being defined is used in context. In some cases, it is fruitful to simply Google a word to see how different writers are using it.

Whatever your process, your goal is to be able to do two things for any given word. First, to define it in a concise and straightforward way. Second, to be able to use it in a sentence in a descriptive way (such that someone reading the sentence would understand what it meant from the context).

You want to be comfortable when seeing a word used in any legitimate way. For instance, you would have no trouble if the word “darkness” were used metaphorically (“While she at first resisted going on antidepressants, she ultimately decided that she would do anything that might lift the darkness”), or if the word “enthusiastic” were used sarcastically (“As enthusiastic as I am about unnecessary surgery, I will have to decline your offer to appear on an extreme makeover reality show”).

To perform excellently on the GRE, that's how well you want to know your new words: inside and out. You want to be flexible in how you use and interpret those words. The “Learning Vocabulary” chapter of this book provides more guidance for formidably augmenting your lexicon.

Drill: 20 Easy Questions

1. The children's story—seemingly a simple tale of animals gathering for a picnic in the forest—took a ______________ turn at the end, admonishing readers to always be honest.

magnanimous

beneficent

didactic

garrulous

moralistic

futile

2. Floodwaters had already breached the library's walls, but hopeful volunteers in hip boots worked tirelessly to __________ the damage.

mitigate

exacerbate

abase

bolster

forestall

flummox

3. The candidate campaigned on a platform of willingness to cooperate with the members of other political parties, yet many commentators were nevertheless surprised that he indeed turned out to be less _______________ than his predecessor.

irate

divisive

impulsive

wily

infuriated

combative

4. When Sven got angry, whether it was during an argument with his family or with just a coworker, it proved almost impossible to _____________ him and thereby return him to his normal demeanor.

condemn

pacify

judge

incense

mollify

influence

5. The graduate student's experiment yielded results as surprising as they were promising; her next step was to pursue additional data that would ____________ her findings.

undergird

buttress

gainsay

undermine

eschew

lecture

6. There is no fundamental difference between a person who quietly ___________ a bigoted viewpoint to a friend and one who spews chauvinist vitriol on television.

eschews

espouses

professes

denies

reneges

substantiates

7. A 1957 lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding aerial pesticide spraying was the ___________ for Rachel Carson to begin the writing of her environmentalist manifesto Silent Spring, though she had become concerned about and started researching the practice years earlier.

stimulus

conspiracy

atrocity

impetus

catastrophe

climate

8. A commentator with a more _____________ worldview would not find it so easy to divide up the nation into good guys and bad guys.

belligerent

subtle

philosophical

aberrant

peaceful

nuanced

9. James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, written in a stream of consciousness style full of convoluted puns and obscure allusions, has a deserved reputation for linguistic ___________ .

caprice

opacity

meaninglessness

informality

uniqueness

inscrutability

10. The financial situation in many European nations is _______________ enough that even a small incident could lead to catastrophe.

drab

unstable

illegitimate

unsafe

precarious

churlish

11. While the argument for global warming may not be _______________ by the record low temperatures reported this year, this data does not undermine the overall trend of steadily higher global temperatures.

bolstered

fortified

subverted

defined

supplanted

subordinated

12. The debate coach expected some gravitas from her team, arguing that pithy quips and gibes, while sometimes effective, had no place in a _______________ argument.

polite

shallow

competitive

serious

cantankerous

substantive

13. Last year it was discovered that South Park writers ______________ part of its Inception spoof from a similar College Humor sketch.

amalgamated

filched

indulged

combined

poached

assumed

14. Some critics view Abstract Expressionism, which is characterized by geometric shapes and swathes of color, as a _______________ of realist painting.

rejection

manifestation

renunciation

memento

commemoration

vindication

15. The nascent United States’ first spy, Nathan Hale, was captured by the British when he attempted to ______________ British-controlled New York City to track enemy troop movements.

thwart

penetrate

infiltrate

permeate

research

conquer

16. Romantic comedies of the 1950s were characterized more by sexual ______________ than the straightforward vulgarity that characterizes dialogue in today's “rom-coms.”

conversation

blatancy

insinuation

illusion

innuendo

rapport

17. Inflation isn't dead, only _____________; as the economy turns around, the purchasing power of the dollar is likely to fall again.

paralyzed

dormant

indigent

itinerant

problematic

inactive

18. Some boxers talk about trying to access their more _____________ selves in order to counter the fact that civilized people generally don't punch each other in the face.

seething

barbaric

irate

insidious

dynamic

primitive

19. Many people assume that creative work is less _______________ than manual labor, but they underestimate the difficulty of being entirely self-motivated (as well as writing one's own paychecks).

inventive

collaborative

serious

arduous

taxing

grave

20. The education debate is only getting more _______________ as politicians demonize teachers unions and every special interest group jumps into the fray.

vehement

overt

heated

problematic

tired

unavoidable

Drill: 20 Medium Questions

1. While many individual religions insist on the primacy of their particular deity, syncretism advocates the ______________ of multiple religious beliefs, attempting to reconcile even opposing principles and practices.

exclusion

marriage

commingling

division

transgression

schism

2. The ambassador was invested with ____________ power by his government and hence was able to draft and finalize the agreement unilaterally, without first consulting with even the president.

tertiary

consummate

enigmatic

tyrannical

complete

dictatorial

3. Sometimes it seems that today's politicians will exploit any opportunity to ______________ their views to the world, no matter how sordid or partisan.

declaim

invoke

disparage

parrot

adduce

trumpet

4. The many chapters of the organization decided that a mandatory national ______________ would be necessary to reconcile what had become a haphazard and often chaotic set of bylaws and regulations.

introduction

acclamation

intervention

colloquium

symposium

mediation

5. Though it seems implausible that one could be a great writer without some experience of life, many famous authors have led a ______________ and solitary existence.

idiosyncratic

cloistered

susceptible

enigmatic

sheltered

cryptic

6. Though he wasn't particularly well-known as a humanitarian, his deep sense of responsibility for those who were suffering was real, and was belied by an outward appearance of _________________ .

concern

sagacity

mirth

felicity

nonchalance

indifference

7. Excessive patriotism is by definition _________________ , as the elevation of one country to the rank of quintessential on Earth necessarily requires some amount of demonization of other people.

minatory

xenophobic

unethical

bigoted

nationalistic

truculent

8. One possible explanation for the mandatory debauchery of most bachelor parties is that if the husband-to-be is able to practice _______________ in those circumstances, he must be ready for marriage.

forbearance

gentility

fiat

tenacity

temperance

autonomy

9. Jon Stewart's “Rally to Restore Sanity” was purportedly organized to prove that it was possible to discuss politics humorously but civilly, without ______________ those on the other side of the fence.

bespeaking

eulogizing

lampooning

vilifying

caricaturing

maligning

10. Though occasionally used in practice, very few forms of corporal punishment have been ______________ by the military, due less to the Geneva Conventions than to the overwhelmingly negative popular response to reports of abuse.

upbraided

sanctioned

endorsed

considered

rejected

polarized

11. The budget debate progressed well for the first few months, in spite of all the ardent and sometimes bitter squabbling, but slowly descended into a ______________ of competing interests and claims.

quagmire

covenant

feud

morass

quarrel

accord

12. The difference between similes and metaphors is subtle, but for the poet who takes his or her work seriously, absolutely _______________ .

synoptic

null

optional

crucial

nominal

requisite

13. It is _____________ reasoning to characterize Keynesian economics as recommending that the limit on how much debt the government can incur should be perpetually raised, when Keynes states clearly that deficit spending must be done responsibly.

indigenous

corrupt

venial

fallacious

specious

axiomatic

14. In many ways, teenage rebellion can be seen as the effect of a communication gap between an older generation's calcified language and the protean _____________ of the new generation.

patois

defiance

prolixity

insubordination

verbosity

jargon

15. His cantankerous reputation was cemented by years of ______________ at every conceivable opportunity.

imputing

grousing

assaulting

protesting

convulsing

imbibing

16. Last St. Patrick's Day, the police were called when people in the neighborhood witnessed a small _______________ in progress outside of a bar.

fracas

discourse

altercation

battle

colloquy

mutiny

17. Given her sheltered upbringing and the limited breadth of experience imposed on her by economic circumstance, her work reflected a surprisingly ______________ sensibility.

shallow

eclectic

profound

multifarious

callow

facile

18. Many people expect documentary filmmakers to be dispassionate and objective, but Michael Moore has a reputation for never missing a chance to _____________ against those with whom he disagrees.

rail

advertise

fulminate

inveigle

strain

aspirate

19. The movie critic was best remembered for the way he used the language of food to describe films, for example, how he praised Iñarritu's action sequences by comparing them to a _____________ empanada.

insipid

spectacular

brilliant

piquant

zesty

stupefying

20. Every few years, someone manages to survive a skydive with a parachute that doesn't open, often with only a few broken bones, some _______________ , and a gash or two.

torpor

trauma

bruises

finesse

lesions

contusions

Drill: 20 Hard Questions

1. As official ____________ from Japan to this country, he was called upon to answer questions about the Japanese government's position on various issues.

envoy

tyro

emissary

neophyte

ascetic

libertine

2. While the group's street protests had had an aggressive, uncompromising tenor, once admitted to the halls of power to begin formal lobbying, its leaders wisely chose to ________ the stridency of their rhetoric.

metamorphose

gild

wane

palliate

succor

damp

3. The women's rights movement has been mostly _____________ in the Middle East, but it is likely that activists will be newly galvanized by the political upheavals currently sweeping the region.

dogged

quiescent

interminable

lissome

abeyant

feckless

4. Debate rages on between proponents and detractors of corporal punishment and the death penalty, though even the most ardent supporter agrees that punishments must be _______________ and the justice system evenhanded and thorough.

equitable

clement

delimited

apposite

tantamount

merciful

5. Peer-reviewed journals are a sacred cow of most scientific rationalists, but studies have shown that the premise of impartiality is ________________ , as results tend to be colored by the personal proclivities and suppositions of the experimenters.

inane

prejudicial

fatuous

chimerical

fallible

vexing

6. The description of the restaurant as a garden of ______________ delights is fair enough, as Chef Marcel conjures up a menu of texture and taste that calls into question one's preconceived notions of what constitutes a meal.

salubrious

epicurean

carnal

voluptuous

terrestrial

gustatory

7. Most of his books drone on and on for chapter after chapter, each one providing yet another example of his thesis, the _____________ of which can be found in précis form in the tome's first few pages, and which is recapitulated from that point on.

gist

adage

pith

stub

nimbus

nut

8. In order to ascertain the efficacy of the new GRE vis-à-vis the old one, it will be necessary not only to collect, but also to _______________ detailed score reports from test-takers from both groups, as only by studying the differences and similarities in results can proper inferences be drawn.

aggregate

ratiocinate

collate

juxtapose

agglomerate

glean

9. In World War I, trenches were dug so that the soldiers could avoid the near constant _____________ from the other side of the line of battle, but not even a trench could protect a battalion from grenades or aerial bombardment.

volleys

provocations

fervency

imprecations

goadings

salvos

10. Cary Grant's reputation as a suave and _____________ ladies man extended beyond the silver screen to his real life, where he was known to never let a woman pull out her own chair, in keeping with the custom of gentlemen at that time.

consummate

genteel

debonair

waggish

courtly

cosmopolitan

11. Focusing primarily on self-awareness, empathy, and honest self-expression, the communication process known as “nonviolent communication” states that the attempt to find parity in a relationship is a fallacious principle, as any notion of fairness is entirely _______________ .

subjective

introverted

pragmatic

utilitarian

illicit

personal

12. Education has become a kind of albatross in American politics, in that a speech with any hint of _______________ is actually more pernicious to a politician's reputation than one with numerous signs of ignorance, or even outright stupidity.

bromide

erudition

patrimony

condescension

cerebrality

bloviation

13. Laurent Cantet's Time Out tells the true story of a man so obsessed with retaining the ________________ of plenitude even after he is discharged from his employment that he doesn't even tell his wife and his kids about his termination.

corollaries

paradigms

semblance

prepossessions

veneer

consequences

14. What people fail to remember about Don Juan is that his astronomical number of amatory adventures were due more to his ________________ approach to seduction than any surfeit of charisma or skillfulness.

sumptuous

lurid

covert

indiscriminate

blanket

sybaritic

15. Even the most far-reaching campaign finance reform proposals will fail to_______________ the influence of money, which doesn't just buy speedboats and golf weekends in the Bahamas, but directly relates to a politician's capacity to run for office.

attenuate

graft

pander

abate

importune

indemnify

16. In their landmark study of Victorian literature's relationship to feminism, Gilbert and Gubar _____________ the many ways in which 19^th-century women writers created characters that fit into archetypes of “angel” and “monster.”

interrogate

interpolate

debunk

limn

explode

castigate

17. While it's inarguably prejudiced to imply that there is some kind of innate ______________ in certain countries, it's more reasonable to say that certain cultures are more willing to prioritize relaxation and a sense of moderation between work and play.

obtundity

enfeeblement

enervation

languor

seemliness

lethargy

18. Autodidacts may argue that the enforced lucubration of a standard education is ____________ , but while some people are able to learn without outside guidance and strictures, most people learn better when accountable to others.

slack

prudent

lax

extraneous

unnecessary

sagacious

19. The best of Sigur Ros's music evokes ____________ landscape, as if the music had transported one to some twilit avenue in a long since abandoned city.

a dusky

an urban

a crepuscular

a precipitous

an avuncular

a civic

20. Some historians argue that at least in so far as the broad strokes are concerned, cataclysmic events such as the Great Depression are ______________ , due to what some have termed “the inertia of history.”

ineluctable

incontrovertible

interminable

infallible

inexorable

unspeakable

Solutions: 20 Easy Questions

1. Didactic, Moralistic. The children's story was “seemingly” simple—which means it was not actually simple. Instead, the story took some kind of “turn”—meaning that it changed in some way—and “admonished readers to always be honest.” That is, it took a turn by talking about morals or prescribing correct behavior.

Magnanimous (generous) and beneficient (good, or doing good) are an incorrect pair. Garrulous (overly talkative, wordy) and futile (ineffective, useless) have no relationship.

2. Mitigate, Forestall. That “floodwaters had already breached the library's walls” sounds very bad—the water is already inside. The pivot “but” tells you that the sentence is going to change direction, and indeed, the volunteers are “hopeful,” so you're looking for something good in the blank—although it doesn't seem like they're going to cure the problem entirely. A good fill-in would be something like “limit” or “hold back.”

Exacerbate (make more severe, aggravate), abase (reduce in prestige, humiliate), bolster (support, boost), and flummox (confuse) do not contain any pairs.

3. Divisive, Combative. The most important words here are the pivots “nevertheless surprised” and “indeed,” which tell you that the candidate actually stayed true to his campaign promise. That means he acted cooperatively, which is contrasted with the actions of his predecessor. A good fill-in would be “uncooperative.”

Irate and infuriated, both of which mean “angry,” are an incorrect pair. Impulsive (moved or swayed by emotional or involuntary urges) and wily (crafty or cunning) have no relationship.

4. Pacify, Mollify. This sentence provides the clues that when Steve “got angry,” returning him “to his normal demeanor” was “almost impossible.” His normal demeanor must be something like “not angry,” so you're looking for something like the verb “calm” in the blank.

Condemn (censure; sentence), judge (form an opinion about), incense (infuriate), and influence (determine or guide) do not contain any pairs, though condemn and judge are close.

5. Undergird, Buttress. The target is both the data and the findings—the blank contains what the data will do to the findings. You have the clue that the results were promising (but surprising, indicating some uncertainty about the apparent conclusion), and you have a same-direction pivot (the semicolon). Thus, her next step would likely be to “verify” or “corroborate” the findings.

Gainsay (deny or prove false) and undermine (weaken or subvert secretly) are a pair. Eschew (shun, avoid, or abstain from) and lecture (speak at length) are unrelated.

6. Espouses, Professes. This sentence originally posits that there is “no fundamental difference” between two things, but the overall point is that the two things do look different on the surface. That means you want someone who does the opposite of “spews chauvinist vitriol on television,” such as someone who quietly “expresses” it. A good fill-in would be “communicates.”

Denies and reneges (renounces or denies) are an incorrect pair. Eschews is also pretty close to that pair. Substantiates goes beyond “communicates,” meaning to support or verify, and is too positive to go with “a bigoted viewpoint.”

7. Stimulus, Impetus. Prior to 1957, Rachel Carson was already concerned about aerial pesticide spraying, but the lawsuit caused her to begin work on the book. A good fill-in would be “inspiration.”

Atrocity (extremely wicked or cruel act) and catastrophe (disaster) have similar spins, but they are not really a pair. Climate (the general weather conditions in an area over a long period), which presents a theme trap, and conspiracy (a secret plan by two or more people to do something unlawful) have no relationship.

8. Subtle, Nuanced. In this sentence, the commentator is described as finding it easy to split people into “good…and bad” categories. This is a very simplistic way of looking at the world. Someone with a more complex worldview would be unlikely to break things down so simplistically.

Belligerent (inclined to aggressive hostility), philosophical (devoted to the study of knowledge; calm about difficulties or disappointments), aberrant (deviating from the normal or proper course, especially in behavior, or atypical), and peaceful (tranquil) have no relationship.

9. Opacity, Inscrutability. Joyce's book is described as “stream of consciousness,” with “convoluted puns and obscure allusions.” The adjectives “convoluted” and “obscure” are the most important part of this sentence. They tell you that the novel is likely hard to understand. A good fill-in would be “difficulty” (specifically, of understanding).

Elaborateness (marked by complex detail; intricacy), meaninglessness (nonsense), informality (relaxed style), and uniqueness (the quality of being one of a kind) have no relationship. While meaninglessness might seem tempting, it's too extreme to be correct.

10. Unstable, Precarious. The situation in Europe is described as bad enough that even a small incident might lead to a catastrophe. This means that everything is on the brink of disaster. You could fill in the blank with something like “shaky.”

Drab (dull, colorless, or cheerless), illegitimate (not authorized by the law), unsafe (not safe; dangerous), and churlish (uncivil, boorish, or vulgar) have no relationship, though all are negative.

11. Bolstered, Fortified. The second half of this sentence is not relevant to the blank. All you need to notice is the contrast between “warming” and “record low temperatures” as well as the pivot “while.” Clearly, record low temperatures would not help an argument about global warming. A good fill-in would be “helped.”

Subverted (undermined, in terms of power or authority) and subordinated (made inferior or subservient) are an incorrect pair. Defined (described exactly) and supplanted (replaced, substituted for) have no relationship.

12. Serious, Substantive. The debate coach values “gravitas” (seriousness) and argues that “quips” (witty remarks) and “gibes” (taunts) don't belong in a certain kind of argument. “Serious” and “substantive” is the only set that works.

Polite could work, but it has no pair. Shallow, competitive, and cantankerous (disagreeable or difficult to deal with) have no relationship.

13. Filched, Poached. The most important word here is the adjective “similar.” If both South Park and College Humor created a similar spoof, then one of them must have “stolen” the sketch from the other.

Amalgamated and combined are an incorrect pair. Indulged (allowed oneself to enjoy) and assumed (supposed without proof) have no relationship. Assumed can mean “took or began to have (power or responsibility)” or even “took on or adopt (an appearance, manner, or identity), but you wouldn't use assume to mean the taking any other kind of item, such as a comedy spoof.

14. Rejection, Renunciation. Abstract Expressionism is described as “characterized by geometric shapes and swathes of color.” Clearly this is very different from “realist painting.” A good fill-in would thus be something like “repudiation,” which means a rejection or a refusal to deal with something.

Memento (an object serving as a reminder; souvenir) and commemoration (a service, celebration, etc. serving to remember a person or event) are an incorrect (and imperfect) pair. Manifestation (the action or fact of showing an abstract idea; symptom or sign) and vindication (exoneration, acquittal) have no relationship.

15. Penetrate, Infiltrate. You are told that Nathan Hale was a spy working for the nascent (coming into being) United States, and that he was captured by the British. That means he must have been involved in some kind of espionage in “British-controlled” New York. A good fill-in would be “break into.”

Thwart (prevent [someone] from accomplishing something) and conquer (take control of by military force) are vaguely related, but are not quite a pair. Permeate (spread throughout; pervade) and research have no relationship.)

16. Insinuation, Innuendo. The pivot “more by X than Y” implies some kind of contrast between the two elements. The second element here is “straightforward vulgarity.” You want to contrast that with something. The adjective “sexual” may seem to confuse things; you need a word that will undercut it, such as “allusion.”

Conversation (an informal verbal exchange) and rapport (a harmonious relationship) are not quite a pair. Blatancy (obviousness) and illusion (something that looks or seems different from what it is) are almost opposites.

17. Dormant, Inactive. The blank is there to describe “inflation” (in a way that contrasts with being entirely “dead”). You're told that in the future, the purchasing power of the dollar may fall, which means there will be inflation. So inflation may come back at any time. A good fill-in would be something like “dormant” (there aren't a lot of simple words that get across this meaning).

Paralyzed (unable to move or act), indigent (impoverished or needy), itinerant (traveling from place to place), and problematic (presenting a difficulty) have no relationship.

18. Barbaric, Primitive. Boxers are described as having to punch each other in the face, which isn't “civilized.” In order to do this, they would need to access a part of themselves that was “not so civilized” (which will work well enough as a fill-in here).

Seething and irate are an incorrect pair, both meaning “angry.” Insidious (seductive but harmful; treacherous, deceitful) and dynamic (characterized by constant change) have no relationship.

19. Arduous, Taxing. This sentence describes creative work as having a particular difficulty, namely that one must be “self-motivated.” Some might contrast this with manual labor, but the author of the sentence wants to render them equivalent. Thus, a good fill-in would be “difficult.”

Serious and grave are an incorrect pair. Never in the sentence is it discussed whether or not creative work is more serious than manual labor. Inventive (able to create, design, or think originally) and collaborative (made or done by two or more parties working together) have no relationship.

20. Vehement, Heated. If politicians “demonize” teachers unions and other jump into the “fray,” the debate will get more and more “passionately angry,” a good fill-in here.

Overt and unavoidable are not quite a pair (overt means “done openly,” and unavoidable means “impossible to ignore”). Problematic and tired have no relationship.

Solutions: 20 Medium Questions

1. Marriage, Commingling. This sentence begins with the pivot “while,” before describing religions that “insist on the primacy of their particular deity.” “Syncretism” is then introduced as relating in some way to “multiple religious beliefs.” Because of the opening pivot, you know syncretism should be in favor of multiple religious beliefs. The fill-in is something like “inclusion” or “mixture.”

Division and schism, which often refers to a division within or from a religious organization, are an incorrect pair. Exclusion (deliberate act of omission) and transgression (act that violates a rule or duty; an offense) have no relationship.

2. Consummate, Complete. The target is the ambassador's power. You have a same-direction pivot (“hence”), and the clue is that, due to this power, he “was able to draft and finalize the agreement unilaterally” (seems like a lot of power for a diplomat). A good fill-in would be something like “a lot of” or “total.”

Tyrannical and dictatorial are a pair that goes too far, introducing a meaning (exercising total power, in a cruel way) that isn't supported by any clues in the sentence. Tertiary (third) and enigmatic (mysterious) have no relationship.

3. Declaim, Trumpet. The portion of this sentence after the comma is not actually relevant to the blank. All you need to determine is what most politicians do in regards to “their views.” Clearly, they like to “proclaim” or “announce” those views.

Invoke and adduce are an incorrect pair. Disparage (belittle or discredit) and parrot (repeat mindlessly) have no relationship.

4. Colloquium, Symposium. The sentence tells you that the organization has somehow acquired a “haphazard and often chaotic set of bylaws and regulations.” Thus, it is likely that they will want to get everyone together in order to reconcile all these rules. A good fill-in would be “meeting.”

Intervention and mediation are an incorrect pair. Introduction and acclamation (loud demonstration of approval or welcome) have no relationship.

5. Cloistered, Sheltered. The pivot word “though” tells you that you are going to contradict the first portion of this sentence, which says that writers ought to have “some experience of life.” Your blank should go against that notion, and because you already have “solitary,” a good fill-in word would be “protected.”

Enigmatic and cryptic (having hidden meaning; mysterious) are an incorrect near-pair. Idiosyncratic (unique to an individual; eccentric, quirky) and susceptible (likely to be influenced or harmed by something specific) have no relationship.

6. Nonchalance, Indifference. In this sentence, the key is the word “belie,” which functions as a kind of pivot. “Belie” means “to misrepresent or contradict,” suggesting a contrast to “his deep sense of responsibility.” A good fill-in for the blank would be “not caring.”

Mirth and felicity are an incorrect pair, both meaning something like “happiness,” though mirth additionally often implies laughter. Concern and sagacity (keen judgment) have no relationship.

7. Xenophobic, Bigoted. The blank here is defined by the second half of the sentence. Patriotism represents the “elevation of one country to the rank of quintessential on earth,” that is, saying or believing that one country is the epitome or purest example among all countries on earth. So your blank should be something that involves the “demonization of other people.” A good fill-in would be “prejudiced.”

Minatory and truculent are not quite a pair (the former means “threatening,” while the latter means “aggressively defiant”), and unethical and nationalistic have no relationship to each other. It is certainly true that excessive patriotism is nationalistic, but this word does not match the clue in the sentence.

8. Forbearance, Temperance. It's important to know the word “debauchery” (meaning “excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures”) to solve this question. The sentence describes a husband-to-be who will not be engaging in debauchery at the bachelor party, so you need a word that describes someone who exhibits “self-control” or “moderation.”

Fiat (authoritative decree) and autonomy (the right to self-government; independence) are not quite a pair, and are incorrect anyway. Gentility (the state of belonging to polite society; refinement of manner) and tenacity (the quality of being persistent or stubborn) have no relationship.

9. Vilifying, Maligning. The rally here is described as discussing politics “humorously but civilly, without” doing the thing in the blank. A good fill-in for the blank would be “abusing” or “badmouthing.”

Lampooning and caricaturing make an incorrect pair, both meaning “mocking or ridiculing,” though caricaturing specifically means to do so by exaggerating particular features or traits. Though they are close to the correct meaning for your blank, the sentence mentions that the rally was “humorous.” This means that lampooning and caricaturing, both of which imply a kind of humorous teasing, would be welcome at the rally, so not plausible for the blank. Bespeaking (suggesting; ordering or reserving something in advance) and eulogizing (to praise highly, especially at a memorial service) have no relationship (and the latter is the opposite of what you want here).

10. Sanctioned, Endorsed. The second half of this sentence tells you that reports of corporal punishment receive an “overwhelmingly negative popular response.” This means that the military would be unlikely to “authorize” these forms of abuse.

Upbraided (criticized), considered, rejected, and polarized (broken up into separate groups) have no relationship.

11. Quagmire, Morass. The first part of the sentence, which describes how the budget debate “progressed well…in spite of…squabbling,” is very important. If you didn't see that, you might be tempted to choose the wrong words here. However, because of the pivot “but,” you want something that contrasts with something that progresses well. A good fill-in would be “mess” or “muddle.”

Feud and quarrel are an incorrect pair. While they correctly get across the negative spin you want for our blank, they don't address the idea of progressing badly, and the “but” indicates a need to contrast with a situation that was always prone to “squabbling.” Covenant and accord are an incorrect pair, both indicating an agreement.

12. Crucial, Requisite. This is a tough question, because the sentence gives you only “subtle” as a clue. Your blank should oppose it, but you don't want the opposite of “subtle” (which would be something like “obvious,” which clearly doesn't make any sense here). Instead, you need to think about the overall meaning of the sentence. Most likely, the point is that the difference between similes and metaphors is “important.”

Null and nominal are an incorrect pair, both meaning “insignificant.” Synoptic (presenting a summary of the whole) and optional have no relationship.

13. Fallacious, Specious. This sentence is thick with content, and it's important that you understand all of it. You are given two statements about economics. First, that Keynesian economics may or may not recommend that “the limit (on government debt) should be perpetually raised.” Then you are told definitively that Keynes says “deficit spending must be done responsibly.” If the latter is true, then it is likely that he would not have made the former recommendation. So your blank should say something like “incorrect.”

Indigenous (native to or naturally occurring in a region), corrupt, venial (forgivable or pardonable), and axiomatic (self-evident or unquestionable) have no relationship. In addition, axiomatic is the opposite of what is needed for the blank.

14. Patois, Jargon. This sentence is describing rebellion as the effect of a communication gap, which you will need to make concrete with the blank. Something “protean” (meaning “tending to change frequently or easily”) is being compared to the “older generation's calcified language.” Actually, the best fill-in for your blank is simply “language.”

Defiance and insubordination are an incorrect pair, both meaning something like “disobedience.” Prolixity and verbosity are another incorrect pair, which introduces a theme trap, as both words mean “wordiness.”

15. Grousing, Protesting. “Cantankerous” means “bad-tempered and argumentative.” Because there is no pivot here, you simply need a word that means those things. A good fill-in for the blank would be “arguing” or “complaining.”

Imputing (attributing or blaming), assaulting (physically attacking), convulsing (suffering violent involuntary contraction of the muscles), and imbibing (drinking) have no relationship.

16. Fracas, Altercation. In this sentence, you need to figure out what kind of thing would result in the police being called—likely, some kind of “crime” or “fight.”

Discourse and colloquy are an incorrect pair, both meaning “conversation.” Battle may be close to what you want, but relates to a larger event than a bar fight. Mutiny (open rebellion against authorities) is not related to the others.

17. Eclectic, Multifarious. In this sentence, the word “surprisingly” is functioning as a pivot, disagreeing with the portion before the comma. There, you learn that the woman in question had a “sheltered upbringing” and a “limited breadth of experience.” Your blank should be the opposite of that. A good fill-in would be “varied” or “not limited.”

Shallow and facile are an incorrect pair, in that both can mean “superficial.” Profound has the right spin, but it isn't the opposite of “limited” or “sheltered.” Callow (immature or inexperienced) has no relationship with the other choices, and it incorrectly agrees with “limited breadth of experience.”

18. Rail, Fulminate. The word “but” acts as a pivot here, taking you in the opposite direction of the adjectives initially used to define documentary filmmakers: “dispassionate” and “objective.” A good fill-in would be “speak out.”

Advertise (draw attention to publicly in order to promote sales), inveigle (win, or win over, by flattery), strain (make a strenuous effort), and aspirate (pronounce a sound in the exhalation of breath) have no relationship. Note that inveigle is not the same as inveigh (which does not appear as a choice but would have been a suitable correct answer, as it means “express angry disapproval”—the GRE sometimes plays on commonly confused words).

19. Piquant, Zesty. There are two important portions of this sentence to focus on. First, the word “praised,” implying that the critic's review will be positive. The second part is the way he's described as using “the language of food to describe films.” So you want two words that are positive and that could also be used to describe food.

Spectacular and stupefying are an incorrect pair. They are both positive, but they aren't generally used to describe food. Insipid (bland, tasteless, or flavorless) and brilliant have no relationship, and insipid is the opposite of what is needed in the blank.

20. Bruises, Contusions. In this sentence, a short list of possible injuries after a skydiving accident is described. Two of the items are “broken bones” and “a gash,” which means your blank should be a physical injury different from those two. A good fill-in would be “bruises.”

Torpor (a state of physical inactivity; apathy, lethargy), trauma (physical injury; shock following a disturbing event or injury), finesse (skillful or adroit handling), and lesions (wounds, ulcers, tumors, etc.) include no synonym pairs. In addition, finesse is not a physical symptom, as are the other two clues given in the sentence, while torpor is a physical condition but not an injury.

Solutions: 20 Hard Questions

1. Envoy, Emissary. The person in question is serving as “official” something for Japan to another country, and is “called upon to answer questions about the Japanese government's position.” A good fill-in would be something like “representative” or “ambassador.”

Tyro and neophyte are an incorrect pair, both meaning “beginner.” Ascetic (self-denying; austere) and libertine (one who is debauched or without moral restraint) are not synonyms, though both have something to do with self-control, in opposite ways.

2. Palliate, Damp. The target is both the leadership and the “stridency of their rhetoric”—you need the relationship between those two things. “While” is an opposite-side pivot. In the first part of the sentence, the protests are “uncompromising.” Thus, in the second part, they should be softer, more on the side of compromising. Since “stridency” means harshness and is on the same side as “uncompromising,” the group thus chose to “reduce” or “tone down” the stridency.

Metamorphose, gild, wane, and succor do not contain any pairs. Wane means “decrease” and is an attractive trap answer. However, wane is an intransitive verb—that is, something (such as the moon) wanes on its own; you can't wane an object. Therefore, the word does not fit in this sentence. Metamorphose (change) could work, but it doesn't indicate the direction of the change (increase or decrease), which the blank needs to do in order to show that the leaders “wisely” chose to do something. Gild (cover in gold; give a deceitfully pleasing appearance to) and succor (aid, assist, or relieve) have no relationship.

3. Quiescent, Abeyant. The clue here is that “activists will be newly galvanized.” Because of the pivot “but,” this means you need a blank that means the opposite of “galvanized.” A good fill-in word would be “dormant” (implying that the movement is quiet but could rise again).

Dogged (persistent, tenacious, or stubbornly determined), interminable (endless), lissome (flexible or easily bent), and feckless (ineffective, lacking in vitality) have no relationship.

4. Equitable, Apposite. The first half of this sentence sets up the topic, but the important information is in the second half. There, you're told about the “most ardent supporter [of corporal punishment].” This supporter agrees with detractors on at least one thing, for which “evenhanded and thorough” is a clue. A good fill-in for your blank would be “deserved” or “fair.”

Clement and merciful are an incorrect synonym pair. They both go against the spin that the blank calls for. Delimited (having limits established; bounded) and tantamount (equivalent; virtually the same as) are not related.

5. Chimerical, Fallible. The portion of this sentence after the blank tells you that “results tend to be colored by…personal proclivities and suppositions.” This provides an explanation of the blank, which in turn is trying to tell you something about “impartiality.” That last portion describes something the exact opposite of “impartial,” so a good fill-in for your blank would be “wrong” or “nonexistent.”

Inane and fatuous are an incorrect pair, both meaning “silly.” While the “premise of impartiality” may not in fact exist, that doesn't make it silly. Prejudicial (harmful; detrimental) and vexing (irksome; irritating) have no relationship.

6. Epicurean, Gustatory. Everything in this sentence relates to food, whether it's the “texture and taste” or the “notion of what constitutes a meal.” This means you need a word that relates to food. A good fill-in would be “culinary.”

Carnal (relating to physical, esp. sexual, activities) and voluptuous (characterized by luxury or sensual pleasure) are an incorrect pair, relating to sensual delights rather than those merely relating to food. Salubrious (promoting health or well being) and terrestrial (of, on, or relating to the earth) have no relationship.

7. Gist, Pith. The verb “drone” has a very specific meaning, implying that someone is going on at length in a dull or boring way. The implication is that the point could be made more efficiently. This sentence then tells you that a précis (summary) can be found in the tome's first few pages. This précis is really the book's “essence” or “thrust,” which is the kind of word you want for the blank.

Adage (a traditional expression of a common observation), stub (a short part left after a larger part was broken off), nimbus (a circle of light), and nut, which among its many definitions can mean “a hard problem or task,” have no relationship.

8. Collate, Juxtapose. The final portion of this sentence describes “studying the differences and similarities” between two different things. This implies you'll be doing some sort of comparison, so a good fill-in word would be “compare.”

Aggregate, agglomerate, and glean are an incorrect triple, all meaning “gather.” While gathering the data together is required in order to make a comparison, the sentence already said “not only to collect.” All of these words are just fancy versions of “collect,” which you don't need to repeat. Ratiocinate, which means “to reason logically,” doesn't match any other choice. In addition, it doesn't quite fit the context: you can reason logically about the score reports, but you wouldn't reason the score reports themselves.

9. Volleys, Salvos. The second half of this sentence doesn't tell you anything interesting. In fact, everything you need to know comes from the few words before the blank: “trenches were dug so that soldiers could avoid” something. What would you avoid in a trench? “Bullets,” more or less, or “barrages,” if you wanted to get a little fancier.

Provocations and goadings are an incorrect pair, though goad specifically means “to provoke by prodding.” Fervency (fervor; strong feeling of excitement) and imprecations (offensive words or phrases said in anger) have no relationship.

10. Genteel, Courtly. Near the beginning of the sentence, Cary Grant is described as suave, meaning “confident and elegant.” Your blank should not mean the exact same thing, or it would be redundant. Instead, you want a word that is best exemplified by someone who always pulls out a woman's chair, such as “well-mannered.”

Debonair and cosmopolitan are an incorrect pair. These words mean “sophisticated,” but they don't necessarily imply good manners. Consummate (complete or perfect) and waggish (humorous in a playful way) have no relationship.

11. Subjective, Personal. The sentence states that the attempt to find “parity,” or fairness, is “fallacious,” or logically incorrect. How could fairness be illogical? Only if it isn't real or objectively determinable. A good fill-in would be “prejudiced” or “based on feelings.”

Pragmatic and utilitarian are a near-pair, meaning “practical.” Introverted (introspective) and illicit (unlawful) are not related.

12. Erudition, Cerebrality. This sentence compares the blank with speeches that feature “ignorance” and “stupidity.” You also want something that relates to “education.” A good fill-in would be “knowledge,” which is the result of education.

Bromide (commonplace or trite saying) and bloviation (talking at length in a pompous or boastful way) both have some relationship to speech, but they aren't a pair and neither relates to “education” or “ignorance.” Condescension (patronizing attitude; disdain) is similar to bloviation, but both disagree with the clue “actually” (it is not surprising that condescension would be resented by voters!), and neither contrasts properly with “ignorance.” Patrimony (inheritance from father or other male ancestor) is unrelated to everything else.

13. Semblance, Veneer. In this sentence, you're told about a man who has been fired and doesn't tell his wife and kids. This somehow relates to “plenitude,” which is “the condition of being full or complete.” Clearly, if you get fired and don't tell your family, it's because you want to pretend that you're still okay. A good fill-in word would be “appearance.”

Corollaries and consequences are an incorrect pair. Paradigms (things serving as an example or model) and prepossessions (attitudes or beliefs formed beforehand) have no relationship.

14. Indiscriminate, Blanket. The sentence tells you that Don Juan had “an astronomical number of amatory adventures,” but that it was not because he had a “surfeit of charisma or skillfulness.” What might explain this discrepancy? Perhaps if Don Juan weren't particularly choosy. A good fill-in for the blank would be “not choosy.”

Sumptuous and sybaritic are an incorrect pair, meaning “luxurious” and “devoted to luxury or pleasure,” respectively. While they both describe someone like Don Juan, they don't explain how he had so many lovers. Lurid (gruesome, shocking) and covert (not openly done; veiled) have no relationship.

15. Attenuate, Abate. The sentence indicates that “even” major campaign finance reform will “fail” to do something to “the influence of money.” This money “directly relates” to a politician being able to become a politician, so the influence of money must be pretty strong. Thus, the reform proposals will fail to “lessen” or “reduce” the influence.

Graft (join or unite), pander (cater to the lowest or most base desires), importune (harass with constant demands; annoy, irritate), and indemnify (protect against loss or damage) have no relationship. On the GRE, the choices for a given blank will always be of the same form of speech; here, they are verbs. Don't confuse the verb graft with the noun graft, which means “acquisition of money (or other valuable) in dishonest or questionable ways” and represents a theme trap here.

16. Interrogate, Limn. There are no pivots in this sentence, so you simply need a word that fits the description of a book that explores the “many ways in which 19^th-century women writers….” In other words, you can just fill in the blank with “explore.” Note that “interrogate” is being used in a figurative sense here (i.e., it's not referring to a literal interrogation, as of a criminal), though the goal of both types of interrogation is to pry deeply into an issue.

Debunk and explode are an incorrect pair, meaning “disprove.” Interpolate (insert between parts, pieces, or things) and castigate (criticize or punish severely) have no relationship. Castigate almost fits into a triple with the incorrect pair, but it's more of a criticism than an attempt to disprove something.

17. Languor, Lethargy. This sentence creates a contrast with the pivot “while” between a positive and negative view of the same fact. The positive view is that certain cultures prioritize “relaxation” and “moderation between work and play.” The negative view of this would be something akin to “laziness.”

Enfeeblement and enervation are an incorrect pair, meaning “weakening” or “weakness.” Though they are close to what you want, they imply a forceful taking away of energy, which is not the same as simply being lazy or tired. Obtundity (lessening of intensity; dulling or deadening) and seemliness (the state or condition of conforming to standards of proper conduct) have no relationship.

18. Extraneous, Unnecessary. Autodidacts (“those who teach themselves”) would argue against “enforced” lucubration (study) and “standard” education. A good fill-in might simply be “unnecessary.”

Slack and lax are an incorrect pair, meaning “loose.” Prudent and sagacious are an incorrect pair, meaning “wise; having good judgment.”

19. Dusky, Crepuscular. The only clue in this sentence comes in the second half, a “twilit avenue in a long since abandoned city.” So you want a word that implies “twilit” and “abandoned,” such as “dark.”

Urban and civic are something of a pair here. Though they both reflect the sentence's reference to a “city,” they fail to correctly reference either “twilit” or “abandoned,” which are really the most descriptive terms in the original sentence. Precipitous (extremely steep) and avuncular (relating to an uncle; kind to younger people) have no relationship.

20. Ineluctable, Inexorable. The key phrase here is “the inertia of history.” Inertia is “resistance to change,” so this phrase must mean that history is on track and can't deviate from that track. So your blank here should be something like “unchangeable.”

Incontrovertible (not able to be denied or disputed), interminable (endless), infallible (incapable of making mistakes or being wrong), and unspeakable (not able to be expressed in words; too horrible to express in words) have no relationship.