Text Completions Answers

1. Apportioned. You are told that football is by far the most popular sport in Europe. The word “whereas” then creates a contrast: the U.S. fans are evenly split among their many sports. “Regarded,” “inspired,” and “enjoyed” are all traps related to sports or fandom, but don’t properly express the sentence’s intention that the popularity is split. “Measured” is close, but doesn’t quite divide things appropriately. “Apportioned” means divided and allocated; it is the correct answer.

2. Delusion. The second half of the sentence states that it would take a miracle for a person to get to another solar system. In other words, it’s more or less impossible. “Dementia,” “catastrophe,” and “hysteria” do not reflect this meaning. And while space travel would be an incredible “innovation,” innovation also doesn’t express the proper meaning of this sentence. “Delusion,” meaning a belief that is maintained despite being contradicted by reality, is the best fit.

3. Crowned, dismissed. “Peculiarly enough” indicates that the blanks oppose each other, and “best English language playwright” indicates that blank (i) must be positive, so blank (ii) must be negative. “Crowned” is the only positive word choice for the first blank and is the correct answer; “stigmatized” means condemned, and “castigated” means scolded. In the second blank, “deified” has a positive tone and doesn’t express the contrast that the sentence suggests, while “demonized” is much too strong an attitude to direct towards someone for lacking education; “dismissed” is a more appropriate word and the correct answer.

4. Abridged, complementary. Certain “versions of novels and essays” cut out important parts, or “excise essential elements.” Then, “to fully understand the intent of the original,” students would have to “supplement,” or add to, “their reading with [some type of] sources.” So the text versions described by blank (i) are lacking parts of the original and the reading sources described by blank (ii) provide some of what is lacking. An “abridged” source is one that has been shortened, and “complementary sources” would enhance or support this shortened version. Be careful of the homophone “complimentary,” which means either admiring or given free of charge, neither of which works in blank (ii). “Compelling” sources would either evoke interest or inspire conviction. While the supplemental reading might do so, no indication of either additional meaning is given in the sentence, and this choice fails to address the problem that “abridged versions” create for students. “Annotated versions” have additional notes of explanation; such versions would be less likely to require supplementation to understand, not more. Finally, there is no indication that the “[blank (i)] versions of novels and essays” are “antedated,” or dated prior to their actual date.

5. Sophisticated. The blank should be a positive word to accompany “alluring.” What’s more, it should be something that contrasts the “simple and quaint” nature of rural America. Given this, you need a positive word for something not simple. “Lascivious” means overtly and often inappropriately sexual; this doesn’t fit the sentence. “Foreign” may appear to go along with “expatriate;” it’s easy to fall into such a theme trap if you are not in the habit of pointing to explicit clues in the sentence (“simple and quaint,” in this case). “Alien” is similar in meaning to “foreign” and is also a slightly negative word. Likewise, “alienating” is not a positive word—in this case, it would lead to an impression that the young lad felt unwelcome in Paris. “Sophisticated,” with its sense of polished culture, offers the best contrast to “simple and quaint.”

6. Cited, correct. The first sentence states a fact about life expectancy that relates to the claim that the world is improving with time. Clearly this would be true if life expectancies have increased with time, making “cited” a perfect fit for blank (i). Neither “disregarded” nor “embodied” fits with the idiom “as evidence.” The second blank, however, says that this statistic is slightly misleading if one considers a second fact (i.e., that most children died in childbirth). While you might “prepare” for the fact or “read” for the fact, that does not change the fact. But if you “correct” for the fact that most children died in childbirth, then the new life expectancy statistic would change.

7. Preposterous. The sentence states that two things were thought to be equally unlikely in 1986. But today, while one of those events still seems quite far-fetched, the other is commonplace, making the argument sound absurd or “preposterous.” “Preternatural” means what is beyond normal or natural and is used to express mysterious or exceptional events. This argument isn’t really mysterious as much as it is wrong. Note that “prescient” (ability to foretell the future) is the opposite of what the sentence requires—because the prediction about the future was entirely wrong, it does not sound “prescient.” To “preordain” is to decide or determine an outcome in advance. While the fact that banking transactions from home are commonplace now could possibly imply that the transactions were “preordained,” the argument against such a possibility would neither be preordained nor sound preordained. Finally, “pithy” means concise, and nothing in the sentence suggests that the argument is concise.

8. Lionize. The bad news: there are a lot of hard words in this question. The good news: the sentence itself is relatively straightforward. There is a “widespread tendency” to do something, and that tendency “stems from [a] need to venerate” somebody. So the tendency described by the blank should be similiar to “venerate.” “Castigate” means to punish or reprimand—the opposite of what you need. “Remember” and “appreciate” both seem to work, if somewhat imperfectly, but neither is strong enough to match “venerate” (treat with deep respect or awe). These are spin traps—close, but not quite right. “Indemnify” is a complicated word. It can mean to free someone from responsibility for some as yet uncommitted wrongdoing—sort of like handing someone a “Get out of jail free” card. It can also mean to promise money against a potential loss, as is the case with insurance. Fortunately, neither of these meanings, complicated though they are, aligns with “venerate.” Only “lionize”—to grant someone celebrity status—works in this context.

9. Cerebral, intellectual. From the beginning, the passage sets up a dichotomy between the work of the brain and the work of the body. The second sentence compares how “[blank] work strains the mind” to how “physical work strains the body,” and so blank (i) should be a word describing the “musings of a mathematician” as they compare to “the physical labor of a carpenter.” Here, again, the word should be something that goes along with academic and “cerebral.” “Quotidian” means everyday, common, or unextraordinary. “Extraordinary” is the opposite of “quotidian” and doesn’t offer the counterpoint to “physical labor” necessary for this blank. “Intellectual,” however, fits blank (ii) perfectly.

10. Amusing, caustic. The clue “usual” means that the two blanks must match “humorous” but acerbic—and in that order. “Slanderous” and “serious” are, respectively, unrelated to and the opposite of humorous, making “amusing” the only possible answer choice for the first blank. Similarly, “acerbic” needs to pair with a word that means something similar to sharp or sarcastic. “Caustic” is a perfect synonym, while “considerate” is the opposite of what is needed and “hysterical” might match the first blank but not the second.

11. Circle. The clue “in turn” suggests that the event occurs continuously, making “circle” the best answer choice in this sentence. Incorrect answers “irony” and “comedy” add an idea—humor—that was not indicated by the sentence. Finally, “serendipity” and “vicissitude” are somewhat antonyms of one another with the first being a happy occurrence and the second being an unhappy one. However, the sentence does not suggest that the accusing done by each generation is anything other than matter-of-fact.

12. Abreast of. The word “although” indicates that what the professor is doing is unusual or not required of a retired person. “Takes pains” also indicates that what she is doing is difficult. To keep “abreast of ” a topic is to remain current and is therefore the correct answer. “Akimbo” means in a hands-on-hips stance, which would probably be a pain but isn’t something the professor could do “to the latest developments in her field.” “Obtuse” (slow-witted) does not fit the desired meaning. There’s no reason to believe that the professor is “subservient to” the developments in her field. And finally, “askance” means with a look of disapproval, which also doesn’t fit in this sentence.

13. Proponent, catalyst. The woman in this sentence “finally got the bill onto the legislative agenda,” so she is definitely an advocate, or “proponent,” of the legislation. She’s not a “critic” of the legislation, but she’s also not an “apologist” since there’s no clue in the sentence to believe that the legislation is controversial. In blank (ii), “mercenary” means she would be paid for her efforts and “lackey” means she would be doing this subserviently for someone else. Either option might work if there were additional clues about the subject, but without those clues, “catalyst,” someone who creates change, is the best option and the correct answer.

14. Trumpet, taciturn. Jeremy is successful, but it takes his family a long time to discover his accomplishments. Thus, Jeremy does not brag—or even report the facts! To “trumpet” is to talk loudly or report something to everyone and is a better option than “demarcate,” set the boundaries of, or “whitewash,” cover up some unpleasant facts. In the second blank, only “taciturn,” which means quiet, works, Jeremy doesn’t talk much at all. “Improvident” means not providing for the future, and “dissolute” means lax in morals or licentious. Nothing in the sentence indicates either description.

15. Acerbic, impecunious. Standing alone, any of the choices for the first blank could describe “witticisms,” which are witty remarks. Remarks could be “innovative” (original or creative), “acerbic” (sharp or sarcastic), or “inimical” (harmful or hostile). However, the remarks are described as “cutting remarks” after the semicolon, so the first blank should match that characterization. “Cutting” is a synonym for “acerbic,” so this is the best choice. “Inimical” is too negative, conflicting with the idea that “Wilde catapulted to sudden fame both because of and despite” his remarks. The second blank is part of a two-part list: “he died __________ and sickly.” The cause is given in the preceding two-part list: “the cutting remarks … led to his financial and physical ruin.” A two-by-two structure like this stays in order, meaning that “financial … ruin” is related to the blank, just as “physical ruin” is related to “sickly.” Only “impecunious,” which means poor or destitute, fits. Neither “pallid” (pale) nor “aghast” (horrified) fits with “financial ruin.”

16. Emblematic of, pragmatic, posit. The end of the sentence states that Hursthouse puts forth the same views as many other virtue ethicists. So in the first blank, the sentence requires something like representative of. “Emblematic of” is a perfect fit here and the correct answer. “Breaking away from” conveys the opposite meaning and “enigmatic to” (difficult to understand) also does not fit the desired meaning. It’s later stated that Hursthouse thinks ethics is neither situational nor utilitarian—the next part of the sentence will have a first part that matches up with situational and a second part that matches up with utilitarian. (GRE sentences often use a pattern of mentioning two things, and then giving more information about those two things in the same order.) For example, “Base one’s judgments on subjective concerns” refers back to a situational approach to ethics and a “__________ weighing of pain and pleasure” refers back to a utilitarian (or practical) approach. Thus, “pragmatic,” which means practical, matches better than “quixotic,” which means impractical, or “grandiloquent,” which means pretentious. Finally, critics agree with the idea that virtue ethicists seek to enshrine their own prejudices, so in the third blank, the sentence needs a word like say or claim. “Posit” is the only match since “deny” is the opposite of what the sentence intends and “cajole” (persuade) does not fit the context.

17. Roundly, panned. The sentence indicates that there wasn’t a single positive comment from any critic; in other words, the film was unanimously criticized or 100% disliked. “Mendaciously” means dishonestly, and there’s no clue to indicate that the critics were being dishonest. Similarly, there’s no clue in the sentence to suggest that anyone was “warily” suggesting anything. “Roundly” means emphatically or so thoroughly as to leave no doubt. “Panned” means reviewed negatively and is almost always used to refer to plays, movies, etc., so the word is a perfect match here—to be roundly panned would mean reviewed 100% negatively, which is exactly what the sentence suggests. “Lauded” and “venerated” are both positive and would indicate that the critics enjoyed the movie; clearly that’s not the case here.

18. Aesthetics. The sentence states that “the distinction between architecture and engineering professions” is that architecture must consider something in addition to “functionality.” Later, the sentence indicates that architectural clients base decisions more on beauty than practicality, so architecture must consider visual appeal as well as functionality. The word that best fits this meaning is “aesthetics.” “Insouciance,” meaning carelessness or indifference, does not fit. “Utility,” “price,” and “profundity” are all characteristics that architects might consider, but they don’t take into account the fact that clients base their decisions on beauty.

19. Insensibly. The phrase “once considered” suggests that whatever follows is no longer thought to be true, so the blank will oppose the clue “capable of genuine imitation” and go along with the idea that the bearded dragons were thought to be acting “without understanding the action’s deeper significance.” An appropriate choice, then, will mean something like “mindlessly.” “Listlessly” means unenergetically, while “actively” means the opposite. “Consciously” is a reversal trap. To do something “attentively” means to do so with great interest. This leaves “insensibly,” which means unaware or incapable of perception.

20. Coda. There are two possibilities for the blank: something like a bad ending (yet another bad event occurred in December) or something like an inconvenience (relative to the other “devastating” events). A “coda” is an ending that sums up what came before, which, in this case, was pretty bad. A “rampage” is bad but does not fit grammatically before the word “to,” nor does it correctly describe an earthquake—rather, murderers or mobs go on rampages. A “prologue” would be at the beginning of the year, not at the end. “Catharsis” means an emotional release and doesn’t fit the context of a natural disaster, which would build up emotional distress rather than release it. And finally, “homily” is a lecture, sometimes religious, but this doesn’t fit the context of a natural disaster.

21. Presciently, simpatico. The sentence indicates that the two writers very much thought alike. “Presciently” means seeing into the future or as though seeing into the future, which is exactly what the writers were able to do while anticipating each other’s letters. “Ominously” puts too negative of a spin on the anticipation, and “anachronistically,” which means out of time, does not fit the context of the sentence. “Simpatico” matches the idea of being of one mind better than “providential,” favorable or auspicious, or “shrewd.”

22. Inured to. “Casting a blind eye to” suffering means that these people ignore or pretend not to see the suffering. Thus, they are “inured to” suffering—they are hardened and desensitized as a result of seeing so much of it. Trap answer “exempted” would mean that the people described are no longer personally subject to the suffering, which the sentence does not indicate. Because they ignore suffering, they also wouldn’t be “maudlin” or “effusive,” which are about expressing strong feelings. Finally, “dominant over” does not fit idiomatically since you can’t become dominant over suffering.

23. Coalesced. Since the group overcame the “struggle over power” and became “a harmonious team,” the blank needs a word that means came together. “Coalesced” matches perfectly and is the correct answer. “Agglomerated” is a bit of a trap—to agglomerate is to collect or form into a mass or group. Since the people were already in a group, the word is inappropriate (agglomerate is also used more for things than for people). “Fractured” is the opposite of coming together. The other options are difficult words but are used in contexts very different than group harmony: “syncopated” means either the shortening of a word or the displacement of beats in a musical piece and “amortized” means reducing a debt.

24. Considered. The newcomers and the long-time fans are divided in their opinions. The newcomers were happy with the show, so the long-time fans must have been unhappy: they thought that “the storyline” was “unfinished.” Only “considered” matches this meaning. “Appreciated” is a reversal trap. The fans did not “generate,” “examine,” or “secure” the storyline.

25. Finishing, trying. Since the novel will take “innumerable hours to review and edit,” the author is far from completing, or “finishing,” it. “Inscribing” (writing) is a theme trap and “rejecting” does not convey the desired meaning. The second blank will agree with the clue that immediately follows: “the book’s length” and its “convoluted plot.” Therefore, it will be hard, or “trying,” to finish the book. “Hardy” (strong, resilient) and “redundant” do not match the required meaning.

26. Inveigle. The word “despite” indicates that there is a contrast between what the salesman is attempting to do and how the couple is responding. The salesman is attempting to give them false compliments in order to get the couple to buy a car, but his tactic isn’t working. “Inveigle” means to flatter or charm someone into doing something and is the correct answer. “Support,” “deliberate,” “marginalize” (relegate to an unimportant position), and “hector” (to bully, torment) do not convey this same meaning.

27. Inform. The poet’s childhood memories color, or influence, her work. The sentence needs a similar word for how war influences her poetry. “Inform”—to give substance, character, or distinction to—can be used in this way. “Mimic” is a trap answer choice: it may be possible to say that her poetry mimics her experiences, but not that her experiences mimic her poetry (rather, her experiences are mimicked in her poetry). “Invalidate” is too strong for this sentence nor does it indicate the proper meaning. “Defer” is not used properly (something defers to something else) nor would war likely defer to poetry. And “presage,” which means to foreshadow, does not pair with color as well as “inform” does.

28. Erroneously, unbeknownst. Since the peanut is not really a nut (it is a legume), it is being erroneously, or mistakenly, referred to as such. “Deftly” is the opposite of what the sentence suggests, and “archaically” would mean that the peanut used to be referred to as a nut. “Unbeknownst to” means unknown by, which would explain why people are making this mistake. “Abhorrent” is too strong of a term for this sentence, nor does the sentence indicate that anyone is disgusted by peanuts. “Consanguineous” comes from the latin roots con- (with) and sanguis (blood) to mean of the same blood or related: it’s hard to be blood-related to something that has no blood!

29. Tremulous, chary of. All of the clues in the sentence are about being scared, so “tremulous” matches best in blank (i). Neither “coltish” (playful) nor “cumbersome” (complicated, hard to handle) fix the meaning of the sentence. The sentence states that the child finds diving even more frightening than water in general, so “chary of ” (suspicious or slightly scared of), a less extreme version of frightening, fits. “Repulsed by” is too strong of a word for blank (ii) and “beguiled by” would mean the child was deceived by the water.

30. Sentries, fecund, progeny. The sentence states that solider ants guard the colony and supply it with food, “thus acting as both _________ and laborers.” In this sentence pattern, the first blank matches up with “guard the colony” and “laborers” matches up with “supply it with food.” “Sentries,” or guards, matches perfectly and is the correct word for blank (i). A “sage” is a wise scholar and a “sycophant” is a lackey or flatterer, neither of which fits the meaning of the sentence. The sentence then states that the queen can continually “populate the colony,” so “fecund” (fertile) goes in blank (ii) and progeny (offspring) goes in blank (iii). “Efficacious” means effective and “imperius” means domineering, but the sentence does not indicate that this would describe the queen ant. “Forebears” means ancestors, which is the opposite of what blank (iii) requires. Finally, “harbingers” means a herald or a forerunner of something else, but producing signs of something else would not help to populate a colony.

31. Ephemeral, heralded. Since the government lasted only about two months, it was “ephemeral,” or short-lived. “Equivocal,” or ambiguous, and “omnipotent,” or all powerful, could describe a government, but this sentence gives no such indication of either of these meanings. Despite the fact that it was short-lived, the government was regarded, or celebrated, as the emergence of a powerful working class: only “heralded” matches. The expression “discounted as X” might work if the final part of the sentence held a more negative tone: the idea was discounted as too impractical. But “the emergence of a powerful working class” has no such negative connotation. Similarly, “recanted,” or renounced, would only work if the final part of the sentence was something that was being disavowed.

32. Complications, stouter, a concomitant. The first sentence says that taller turbines would be better, but there is some contrasting negative element. In other words, the “engineers are facing” some “complications.” Neither “flaws” nor “supplements” conveys this idea of difficulty in building the turbines. In the second sentence, “Taller towers necessitate _________ bases, requiring the current width to be nearly doubled,” suggests that the second blank should mean wider. The only choice for the second blank that can mean “wider” is “stouter.” “Equitable,” meaning fair, and “unobtrusive” do not mean anything like “wider.” The final sentence says that the wider sections lead “to a(an) _________ issue” because they are too large to transport on modern highways. Therefore, the third blank has to mean something like additional. Although “a theoretical issue” has a nice sound to it, the problem is very real, so “theoretical” cannot be correct. “Objective” used as an adjective means unbiased, which does not fit the intended meaning. “Concomitant,” which means accompanying (often in a subordinate way), matches well.

33. Obsequious. “Plaudits” are praise (note the similarity to “applause”), which matches the idea of praise being “heaped upon him” on a “prolonged and elaborate farewell tour.” Additionally, the negative certainty of “no one thought the plaudits heaped upon him were _________” matches in degree the positive certainty of “admired by all.” If he was admired by all, then no one would think that the praise was undeserved or inappropriate. Thus, “deserved” represents a reversal trap. “Obsequious,” meaning attentive to an excessive degree, puts a negative spin on the praise, which is what “no one” would think; this is the answer. “Derivative” as an adjective has several meanings, depending on what it is describing: it is typically applied to people or the works of art they produce (imitative) or can apply to a financial product (having a value based on some asset). Here, “derivative” describes “plaudits,” so it most likely means originating from or based on something. Because the blank is not getting at whether the praise is original, but rather whether it is appropriate, this choice is incorrect. Both “vestigial,” residual or leftover, and “antiquated,” old-fashioned or outdated, introduce additional meaning not indicated by the sentence.

34. Sanguine, peccadilloes. The sentence states that the man’s personality is pleasing—so pleasing that “it’s hard to be bothered by” something in his past. The first word should match pleasing, and the second should be something negative that others might overlook. “Sanguine” means cheerful and optimistic. Note that “high-handed” might sound positive, but actually means tactlessly overbearing. “Evanescent” (fading quickly, short-lived) is inappropriate to describe a personality. “Peccadilloes” are minor faults or sins—small enough that they might be overlooked if the person has other virtues. “Incendiaries” can mean either bombs or a person who stirs up conflict; the former definition is too strong for the blank, and the latter does not fit the meaning of the sentence. “Achievements” has a positive connotation, while the second blank should convey a negative connotation.

35. Menacing, unprovoked. The Tasmanian devil, a type of wild animal, is “not considered _________ since only a few of its confrontations,” or hostile encounters, “with humans have been _________.” The two blanks have to work together in this sentence, and the second blank is easier. “Unprovoked” is the only choice for the second blank that would reasonably describe hostile encounters with wild animals “Quixotic,” which means idealistic or unrealistic, does not work because the sentence is talking about real encounters. “Premature” does not fit either. Given that the Tasmanian devil usually only confronts humans when provoked, it is not “menacing,” which is the correct choice for blank (i). Because it is a wild animal, it cannot be considered predictable, so “unpredictable” is incorrect. “Adverse,” which is used to describe something that is harmful because it prevents success, is inappropriate to use in describing a wild animal. You might say that the presence of wild animals is an “adverse” factor, but you could not say that the animals themselves were “adverse.”

36. Verdant, castigated. The sentence indicates that the employee is young and makes mistakes. “Verdant” means either green and lush, like a forest, or new and inexperienced (the use of green as a metaphor, as in, she’s still green at her job). “Banal” means unoriginal, which does not fit with the rest of the sentence, and “sagacious” means shrewd, which is the opposite of how the employee acted. Since the mistake was so expensive, it makes sense that the employee would be “castigated,” or severely criticized. He wouldn’t be “deposed”—that word is for kings, dictators, etc., forced out of power. And the employee would not be “enamored,” or filled with a feeling of love, for the mistake he just made.

37. Facile. The sentence suggests that the idea of bringing about world peace by saying “love one another” is naïve, or oversimplified. “Facile” matches well and has the sense of superficial. Neither “convoluted” (difficult to understand, complicated) nor “impeccable” (flawless) fit the desired meaning. “Amicable,” which means friendly, and “dulcet,” which means sweet and soothing, have a similar problem: while the suggestion might be a friendly and sweet one, those definitions don’t properly convey the idea that the suggestion is naïve.

38. Garrulous. A “euphemism” is a mild or indirect term substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt. Adults referred to the girl with the positive word “precocious,” which means forward or advanced for her age, whereas she really was “overly talkative,” so the blank should mean something like too talkative, or garrulous. “Skittish” could be cast as positive (excitable) or negative (unpredicable, jittery), but neither is a negative spin on “forward” nor “talkative.” The other choices are either neutral, such as “naïve,” meaning innocent or unworldly, or positive, such as “solicitous” (concerned or attentive) and “endearing” (lovable or charming). None of these choices would require a euphemistic replacement. “Impudent,” then, is the correct choice.

39. Motley, even, sole. This question is an excellent lesson in the principle: don’t add anything to your reading of the sentence that wasn’t there already. The sentence indicates that the first short story collection had many diverse voices and the second collection has “a ________ narrator”—in other words, just one speaker. The word “sole” fits the third blank; neither “lonely” nor “disingenuous” convey the idea of a single narrator. The first story collection was a “hodgepodge” (jumble), but the second was not a jumble; it was an “even” set of stories. “Insightful” and “facetious” (not serious) are not antonyms for a jumble. For the first blank, “motley” works because it means composed of diverse and often incongruous elements. “Variable” is a trap: a variable hodgepodge of voices would imply that the voices in the first collection can change over time, not that the voices were varied or diverse. And “homogenous” would indicate that the voices were all similar; this describes the second collection, not the first.

40. Reversing. The opening words, “In contrast,” alert you to look for the opposition between “environmental economics” and “ecological economics.” The latter field “positions the human economy as a subsystem of natural economies,” which is the opposite of a system that “subordinates” nature to the economy. The new system is opposite, or “reversing,” the way the old system thought of things. “Corroborating” is a reversal trap for those who missed “in contrast.” “Circumscribing” means to enclose or encircle and is thus inappropriate. “Ameliorating” is the process of mitigating or making better and is not a good match. “Refuting,” a spin trap, is the most tempting incorrect answer, but the sentence only provides evidence for opposition, not contradiction.

41. Efficacious. Because the semicolon indicates agreement, the blank will agree with “opponents were still able to set aside differences and work across party lines, as is typically necessary to pass productive legislation.” In other words, political opponents were once able to govern effectively despite their differences but they can no longer do so today. “Efficacious” means effective as a means or remedy and so is a good match. “Polemical,” meaning strongly opinionated, and “civil” are not justified by the clue. “Enjoyable” and “immutable,” meaning unchangeable, do not match the desired meaning. Note that “enjoyable” introduces a new idea not present in the original sentence. Don’t assume that the old days were necessarily enjoyable; all you know is that they were effective, or efficacious.

42. Deification, garlands. The straightforward structure and positive spin indicate positive choices for both blanks. “Excoriation” means harsh criticism and is the opposite tone of what the sentence requires. “Praise” is positive but doesn’t match the clue “laid at the altar,” which suggests a more extreme version of a positive word. That leaves the correct answer, “deification” for blank (i). The second blank has two words with negatives meanings: “calumnies” means slander and “obloquies” means abusive language. That leaves “garlands,” the correct answer, a word that is most commonly used to describe a wreath of flowers and leaves worn as an honorable décoration, but can also mean a prize or distinction.

43. Artifices. The clues “bifurcated” and “but” signal a contrast: commercial portrait painters are similar to other painters in some ways, but the blank refers to how they are in some ways different than those other painters (they try to make the subject look more attractive in the painting). The correct answer, “artifices,” means a trickery or deception and fits perfectly with the clue. Trap answers “palettes” and “aesthetics” are related to painting, but don’t match the meaning of the blank. “Artifacts” is a trap word that looks similar to “artifices” but means a historic relic. “Sentiments” is an attitude, but the sentence provides no information about the painter’s attitude or how that would make the subject of the piece more attractive.

44. Pedantry. The correct answer should parallel “dogmatic” and match the negative spin of “enervates rather than inspires.” “Wisdom,” “pulchritude” (beauty), and “wit” are all positive terms that don’t match with the sentence structure. Only “pedantry” (being arrogant in relation to learning) and “parsimony” (stinginess) are negative, and only “pedantry” fits the idea of an uninspiring professor.

45. Minutiae. The correct answer must reflect the clue “petty” and oppose the idea of “lofty goals.” Lincoln felt that McClellan paid so much attention to trivial details, or “minutiae,” that he ignored the big picture. The trap answer “irrelevancies” is incorrect because the “logistical details” are not irrelevant; they are merely minor, or not worthy of so much attention. “Tactics” and “strategy” don’t convey the idea of minor details. And nothing in the sentence suggests that attention was being placed on minor offenses or “peccadilloes.”

46. Appealing shyness, enthralled. As is often the case, the second blank is easier; given the structure, it must match the clue “captivating” in meaning and spin. “Enthralled” is a perfect match here and the correct answer. “Repelled” is far too negative a tone, and “amused,” while positive, does not match the idea of “captivating.” The first blank must parallel “hesitancy and understatement” and also have a positive spin. “Awkward lisp” does not have a positive spin and “overwhelming passion” does not parallel “hesitancy and understatement.” That leaves the correct answer “appealing shyness.”

47. Conventionality, laudatory. The word “surprisingly” before blank (ii) indicates that the blanks will oppose each other in tone; since the reviewers gave “unabashed approbation,” the second blank should be a positive word, such as receptive. “Laudatory” is a synonym for “approbation” and is therefore the correct answer. “Tepid,” meaning lukewarm, and “deprecating,” meaning to belittle or express disapproval, are not good matches. Given the oppositional structure, blank (i) should be negative. “Ingenuity” is too positive. “Tortuousness,” meaning twisting or crooked, and “conventionality” both have negative connotations. The reviewers “usually pounce on the slightest orthodoxy,” or widely accepted theory, so the best match is “conventionality.”

48. Dissipation, profligate. “Ironically” is a good clue here—the commentator condemned a quality that he himself actually possessed! Both words should be negative, similar in meaning, and match the idea of bankruptcy. “Dissipation” and “profligate” are both related to wastefulness or irresponsible living. “Indolence” means laziness, “probity” means integrity, “antediluvian” means outdated, and “ascetic” means austere. Notice that while some of the other words do have a negative spin, none of the incorrect choices are similar in meaning or match the idea of bankruptcy.

49. A deplorable. This sentence begins with the expression “For all,” an idiomatic way of saying “despite.” The second half of the sentence, then, should contradict the “meticulous preparation” reported in the first half: the student’s grade must have been bad. “Passable” wouldn’t do the job here—it would suggest a decent but not fantastic grade—and “outstanding” is the exact opposite of what you want. “Exacting” means demanding, and while the test must have been exacting on the student, his grade could not be described as such. “Surprising” is the most pernicious option, because the student was likely very surprised by a grade that did not reflect the work he put into studying; this choice does not make clear, however, that the student’s grade was terrible. “Deplorable,” on the other hand, fits the bill—it means surprisingly bad.

50. Informed. The clue “Just as” indicates that the second part of the sentence will need to mirror the first part. Thus, the blank must match the meaning of “provided the Romans with a model.” “Informed” can be used in this way and is the correct answer. Don’t be tricked by “duplicate” (to provide a model isn’t to make an exact copy) or “foresaw” (the remnants of Roman culture didn’t tell the future). Both “curbed” and “hindered” have too strong of a negative spin and do not mirror the first part of the sentence.

51. Enhances. The sentence requires a word that means helps or strengthens—“enhances” is a perfect synonym for strengthen and the correct answer. Don’t fall for “ensures,” which is too extreme. Having a head that can measure spaces is cool, but hardly guarantees the success of a species. “Reproduces” is a word related to success as a species, but does not fit the blank. “Mitigate” means to make less severe, and “inundate” means to overwhelm, neither of which fit in the blank.

52. Guileless, canny. The sentence contrasts the teacher’s “novice” appearance with what he in fact was. The second half of the sentence indicates that he understood the “byzantine” (complicated) power structures and was using the administration “to his advantage.” This suggests that he was quite sharp, making “canny” a perfect fit for blank (ii). “Unseemly” means improper, and there’s no clue in the sentence that suggests his behavior was inappropriate. “Desultory” would mean that the teacher lacked a plan, but his use of the administration would suggest otherwise. Blank (i) describes the word “novice” and helps to explain how the teacher made himself appear: the opposite of “canny.” “Cunning” has a similar meaning to canny and might be selected by someone who misses the contrast between the two blanks. There’s no reason to believe that the teacher was “capricious,” or whimsical. That leaves “guileless,” a synonym for innocent, and a perfect fit in this sentence.

53. Irregularities, credible. If the methodologies are “flawed,” then there would be “significant irregularities” in the meta-study. Neither “subtleties” nor “consistencies” fits with the clue “flawed.” If there are “significant irregularities,” then the analysis is “anything but” good. For blank (ii) the best answer with a positive connotation is “credible,” or believable. “Intelligible” is also positive, but does not fit the contrast with the first blank, and “unreliable” is negative.

54. Berserk, recede. There are two major clues about the middle phases of a revolution: transferring power to “less temperate” forces would cause chaos, and a more peaceful period follows the difficult times. Therefore, blank (i) needs a word that means the opposite of peaceful. “Brusque” means short but is not the opposite of peaceful, and “pacific” is a synonym of peaceful and the exact opposite of what the blank requires. That leaves “berserk,” which is the correct answer. The second sentence states that a more peaceful time comes later, so the “excesses” should become more stable. “Metastasize” means to spread, which is the opposite of what the blank requires. “Grow” has the same problem. That leaves the correct answer “recedes.” If the difficult times “recede,” then a more peaceful time arrives.

55. Parlous. The correct answer must match dangerous—only “parlous” does this, and it is the correct answer. Note that “suicidal” is too extreme and not indicated by the sentence. Both “prudent” (wise) and “providential” (opportune) have the wrong tone for the blank. And “semiotic,” which means related to signs and symbols, is not supported by the sentence.

56. Commercial. The sentence gives two clues about the engineer: she is not interested in making products that match “market needs,” and her work is known more for “its technical brilliance” than for “its _________ potential.” Her work is technically good, then, but does not necessarily match “market” or customer needs; that is, it lacks “commercial” potential. Work that has technical brilliance could very well have lots of “scientific,” “academic,” or possibly even “revolutionary” potential; therefore none of these answer choices can be correct, since they do not offer any contrast. “Ergonomic” is a tempting choice since a brilliant piece of engineering might be quite uncomfortable for its user, but an engineer who lacks interest in developing needed products would not necessarily think to create uncomfortable products.

57. Sangfroid, mercurial. The sentence says that Frederick the Great was known for “his _________ under fire,” but goes on to say that his “equilibrium sometimes failed him.” That is the clue. The blank must mean something like grace or calm. “Sangfroid” (composure) is the best fit. “Intrepidity” (bravery) and “cruelty” do not match the clue. The failed equilibrium and “tirades” are both clues for blank (ii), which describes the way he sometimes behaved with his ministers. “Mercurial” (temperamental) is the best fit. “Fascist” (despotic) and “vainglorious” (boastful) go too far.

58. Paradox, brook. This sentence gives you very little to go on for blank (i); as is often the case, the clue for the first part appears in the second part of the sentence. This second part presents a dilemma indicated by “on the one hand” and “on the other”: “teachers can’t ill-afford to _________ indisputably disruptive behaviors,” but too much strictness can actually promote disruptions. So blank (ii) must be something like “tolerate,” as being tolerant would contradict being “overly strict,” and blank (i) needs a word that indicates a contradiction. Starting with blank (i), “entreaty” means a request, and so doesn’t fit this phrase at all. The “necessity of taking disciplinary action” sounds good in general, but the word “necessity” does not convey the idea of a contradiction. Instead, “paradox,” which means a seemingly self-contradictory situation, is the choice that best communicates the nature of the situation. Moving to blank (ii), “fabricate” means to make up, and “mitigate” means to lessen the impact of something; neither fits the idea of “tolerate.” Here “brook,” which means to tolerate or condone, is the best fit.

59. A stopgap, paragon, perpetuity. The implication of the phrase “a more permanent solution” is that the original building was not permanent: it was “a stopgap,” or a temporary fix. “An ornament” and “a modicum” (a small amount) don’t fit the desired meaning for the first blank. The clue for the second blank is “canonization.” To canonize something literally means to declare to be a saint, but in its figurative sense, it means to hold up as an exemplar or a “paragon.” The third blank gets its clue from “originally,” which indicates that you are looking for an opposite of transient. “In perpetuity” means forever, which fits. “Consecration” (dedication to the sacred) is a theme trap for “canonization,” a religious step to sainthood, but this word can also describe the process by which something comes to be regarded as figuratively saintlike, or as an ideal example. “Chronology” (order in time) is about time, but does not mean lasts forever.

60. Amity, mores. The word “though” indicates that the negotiation did not actually proceed smoothly. The first blank comes after “semblance of,” which indicates an outward appearance, especially one different from the reality. The word “disingenuous” backs up that meaning. You need something positive—the parties are showing false “amity,” or friendliness, out of “a superficial adherence to” (pretense of following) customs or rules—“mores.” The other choices for the first blank, “duplicity” (deliberate deceptiveness) and “solace” (comfort or consolation in sorrow) don’t fit logically with “disingenuous.” Similarly, “truisms” (self-evident claims) and “plaudits” (expressions of praise) would create a nonsensical meaning in the second blank.

61. Elaboration, expatiation. “Eschew” means to avoid or abstain, thus the speaker was unable to resist something that lengthened her presentation. The correct answer, “elaboration,” would lengthen a presentation. “Terseness” means brevity and is a reversal trap, and “precision” also is generally not something that would cause a presentation to become excessively long. For the second blank, the clue is “turned a five-minute policy brief into an hour-long,” making “expatiation,” which means to speak or write at length, the correct choice. Since the second blank must match the general meaning of the first blank, “elaboration,” the answer for the first blank provides another clue. “Distension,” the act of swelling, refers only to a physical swelling. Similarly, “repertory,” a collection of information or examples, doesn’t fit the context either.

62. Cosmopolitan. Because the clue is “no effect,” the blank will oppose championing “economic, political, and even cultural isolationism.” Isolationism is a policy of abstaining from relationships with other countries, so the senator’s upbringing must have been non-isolationist, or worldly. “Cosmopolitan” means worldly and is therefore a good fit. “Opulent” (wealthy), “tendentious” (opinionated), and “liberal” are all theme traps that ignore the contrast between the senator’s upbringing and his views. “Bucolic” refers to an idyllic rural life and does not match the sentence.

63. Protean, quixotic. The first blank needs an idea that contrasts with “concrete proposal.” “Protean” matches nicely. “Oppositional” and “martial” (warlike) don’t contrast with “concrete” and so aren’t correct. For the second blank, you need a word that also represents the idea of not being “concrete,” as well as the idea of being “unlikely to ever come to fruition.” “Quixotic” matches perfectly. “Pragmatic” is the exact opposite, and the sentence does not indicate whether the idea is “unorthodox” (against tradition).

64. An arcadian, hinterland, spartan. A “refuge” is positive; you also have the clue “quiet and rural.” “Arcadian” conveys a positive view of rural life. “Parochial” (provincial) has a similar meaning except that it is somewhat negative. “Squalid” (dirty and run down) is even worse. The clue for the second blank is the word “but,” which indicates that the “well-heeled” (wealthy) visitors see the region very differently; the sentence requires a negative version of the first blank. “Hinterland” conveys the idea of a backwater or an undesirable place. Neither “asylum” (place of refuge) nor “utopia” (a perfect place) have the required negative spin. The wealthy visitors see life there as “unpleasantly _________,” so a negative word is needed. The only choice that can be negative is “spartan” (simple, austere.) “Tony” (posh, stylish) and “rational” are both positive.

65. Debauchery, licentious. This sentence features a somewhat complex structure. “Though” indicates that both blanks will oppose “prudish,” since her stories are very different than her life. “Debauchery” (referring to sexual excess) fits the first blank, and “licentious” (lewd or sexually unrestrained) fits the second blank. “Propriety” (proper behavior) and “moralizing” are reversal traps, as they are aligned with prudishness. “Dissent” and “perspicacious” (perceptive) do not match the meaning or structure.

66. Regressive, an auxiliary. Given the lengthy explanation of the club’s history, the elderly male member’s suggestion was backwards, or hopelessly old-fashioned. Only “regressive” matches. “Rustic” (rural) and “prudish” (excessively proper or modest) both add something to the description of the old man that is not in the original sentence. In the second blank, you want something that reflects the idea “play bridge and drink tea without having to worry about serious issues.” “Auxiliary” has this sense of secondary or on the side. The word “incendiary” (flammable) is almost an opposite of the desired meeting. Although the proposed organization might be “hierarchical,” there is nothing in the sentence that suggests that.

67. A deft, whet. “Although” indicates that the first blank must be something positive or interesting to the students. Only “deft” (skillful) works. “Insipid” (uninteresting) and “effete” (weak or ineffectual) are not positive ways of describing a politician. Despite the fact that the historical figure was so accomplished, he also had old-fashioned views; as a result, the professor hasn’t been able to get the students interested in him. “Whet,” which means stimulate, is the only word that fits. “Tout” is a bit of a trap—the professor could “tout” the historical figure as an interesting thing to learn about, but she can’t “tout” someone’s interest. Similarly, “accrue” means accumulate over time, which doesn’t fit here; although interest (money earned on a loan or bank deposit) can be accumulated over time, people’s interest in a topic is not said to accumulate.

68. Acerbic. The comedian has a “caustic” (critical or sarcastic) sense of humor. Also, she’s polarizing, as some people adore her, and some hate, or “abhor,” her. A good word for the blank would mean something like sharp or biting or controversial. “Acerbic” (sharp, sarcastic, or candid in an almost bitter way) is the best choice. “Ample” (big or large) doesn’t explain why her wit is so controversial. “Anachronistic” means out of place in time, and “abstruse” means difficult to understand. An “astounding” sense of humor would probably cause everyone to feel the same way about her and so can be eliminated.

69. Halcyon. The opposition structure is complicated. “Contrary” followed by “anything but” functions as a double negative, so the blank will agree with the Western-held assumptions about mindfulness. Additionally, a semicolon followed by “while” indicates that the blank will agree with “calm the mind” and oppose “restlessness and doubt.” “Mystical,” then, does not match the meaning and might be considered a theme trap. “Beneficial” and “benign” both add a negative spin not justified by the the rest of the sentence. “Orthodox” also does not match the meaning. That leaves “halcyon” (calm or joyful) as the best choice.

70. An anemic. While anemia is a medical condition, “anemic” as a metaphor means weak or lacking vitality; the job market is weak, so young people are choosing graduate school instead. “Myopia,” or nearsightedness, also makes a good metaphor, but describes people and their decisions. The job market hasn’t been “botched” (who botched it?), and it isn’t “booming” (the sentence says that there aren’t many jobs available). “Educated” is a trap answer; the young people are going to graduate school because the job market is bad, not because the job market is “educated.”

71. Beholden to, obligations. “Despite” the fact that the politician was in favor of “campaign finance reform,” he was “_________ corporate interests.” A clear contrast is indicated, but it’s tough to fill in this first blank with this information. Start with the second. His opponent is relatively new to politics so he doesn’t have as many campaign promises, or “obligations,” to “make good on.” It isn’t possible to make good on “dilemmas” or on “affiliations.” In contrast to the new politician, then, the “career politician” must must have had more obligations; in other words, he is “more beholden to corporate interests.” If he were “leery of” these interests, then the word “despite” couldn’t be used at the beginning of the sentence. The sentence doesn’t contain any information to suggest that he is “apathetic about,” or lacking interest in, “corporate interests.”

72. Diffident, quietly. The initial “Far too” indicates that the first blank will oppose “limelight” (an old theatrical expression meaning to be in the spotlight) and agree with “unassuming” (shy). “Diffident” (shy or reserved) is a good match and is also a clue for the second blank, which must match the first one; “quietly” is the best choice. Neither “implicitly” nor “skeptically” matches the meaning of shy or reserved. “Ideologically” is a theme trap that ignores the objective clues. “Apathetic” (unenergetic, indifferent) is also a spin trap.

73. Groaning. You might feel stuck if the idiom “groan under the strain” isn’t familiar to you, but process of elimination can still work here. The part of the sentence following the colon must be equivalent—either an example or a restatement—to the part before it. The word that fills the blank must make “city infrastructure is already _________ under the strain of excess auto traffic” a good reason to create bike lanes in the city. Since bike lanes would help to relieve the traffic burden, the blank must mean something like struggling. “Groaning,” which is something that a person struggling with a heavy load would do, is used figuratively here. The words “seething” (very angry), “waiting,” “baying” (yelling loudly), and “intensifying” don’t create an image of a person struggling under a heavy load the way that “groaning” does and so are not correct.

74. Heterodox, iconoclasm, abolition. The first two blanks both describe the professor’s tendencies and should have a similar meaning. The clue for those blanks follows the colon: “she persistently challenged the academic methods and the institutional procedures of her department and of the university as a whole.” For the first blank, “intellectual” is a theme trap. “Illiberal” means narrow-minded and does not describe someone who challenges institutions and established procedures. “Heterodox” (unorthodox or not in accordance with established thought) is a good match. Similarly, for the second blank, “iconoclasm” (opposing established beliefs) fits, while “intelligence” is another theme trap and “theories” does not match the desired meaning. The last blank describes arguing for doing something to “inherently elitist institutions” to democratize education. Since getting rid of universities entirely would have that effect, “abolition” is a great fit. “Enshrinement” (to cherish as sacred) is a reversal trap and “mitigation” (make less severe) is too mild to match the language “going so far as.”

75. Belies. The phrase “apparent simplicity” is the clue that indicates that there is more to coffee than meets the eye. This sentence sets up a contrast between the phrases (“apparent simplicity” and “dizzying number of hours of toil”) that are both used to describe coffee; the word that fills the blank must be a contrast word. “Confirms,” “furnishes,” and “fosters” (supports) are all incorrect because those words would be used to connect two phrases that agreed with each other. “Redresses” (corrects or rights a wrong) could be used for an opposite connection but doesn’t fit here because there is no sense that the “simplicity” is correcting all those hours of work. “Belies” (to be at odds with) is most appropriate here.

76. Unkempt, surprisingly deliberate. The tricky blank structure masks what is ultimately a not-so-tricky word relationship: that of opposites. The clues for this relationship are the words “notwithstanding” and “if.” The first part of the sentence says that in spite of the clutter of tools lying about, the studio was orderly. The part after the semicolon talks about the décor, and the idiomatic structure “if X, Y” is used to show a similar contrast. The first blank must match “cluttered,” and the second must match “orderly.” The best match for cluttered is “unkempt,” and the better match for orderly is “surprisingly deliberate,” because something that is deliberate is not random and so must have a certain order to it. The words “dire” (dreadful or grim) and “arduous” (difficult) may describe the way some people feel about clutter, but do not describe a cluttered décor. Similarly, “unsophisticated” (simple) and “callous” (uncaring) do not describe an orderly décor.

77. Heralded, appropriated. The phrase “equally public” provides a clue that the legislator’s approval was also highly publicized, or “heralded.” “Ratified,” which means officially approved, would be redundant in this context. The sentence does not indicate that anyone “scorned” (rejected or was disdainful of) the approval. The sentence doesn’t provide much of a clue for the second blank. When this happens, only one answer choice will make sense (and usually that correct choice won’t add much to the sentence), while the other, incorrect answer choices will drastically change the meaning. Here, “appropriated,” which means allocated or assigned, fits nicely and doesn’t add any unintended meaning. Neither “stolen” nor “exacerbated” (made worse) is an appropriate description of funding that was approved by a legislature.

78. Benign, decamped. The first blank hinges on the meaning of the word “purportedly,” which means pretending to be, or masquerading as. The sentence implies that the bureau is pretending to be harmless, or “benign.” It wouldn’t make sense to say that the bureau pretended that its “inquisitions” (inquiries or questionings) were “suspicious”; that word is an opposite trap. The sentence does not suggest that the inquisitions were “risqué” (sexually suggestive). The second blank requires a word that means to leave hurriedly; “decamped” fits. The word “immigrated,” though close in meaning, isn’t quite right because it means to arrive at a country or region rather than to leave from it. “Immigrated” is especially tricky because is sounds very similar to the word emigrated, which does mean to leave a country or region and move to another one. “Pandered,” which means indulged another’s desire, is not appropriate in this sentence.

79. Congenial, erode. When a relationship goes from something to “chilly at best,” the relationship used to be warm or cordial: “congenial” fits best for the first blank. “Peaceful” doesn’t go far enough, and “reverent” goes too far. If the relationship has gotten worse, then there has been an undermining, or an eroding, of mutual trust. To “bolster” something is to support or to improve it, so this choice is opposite to the desired meaning. “Fester” (not improve and likely get worse over time) is a negative word; something positive, such as “trust,” cannot be said to “fester.” Only something negative, such as a wound or resentment, can be described as “festering.”

80. Anomalies. The opening phrase “It is in no way shocking that” suggests that whatever follows will at first appear to be “shocking.” The second part of the sentence provides another clue when it says “however” other scientists must be able to “duplicate the normal pattern” of the original experiment in order to consider its results valid. So the blank must be filled by a word that describes results that deviate from what is expected, such as the correct answer “anomalies.” Although “anxiety” and “malfunctions” might be unexpected outcomes of scientific experiments, they do not fit with the second part of the sentence and so are not correct. “Vaccines” and “paradigms,” or models, are expected outcomes of scientific experiments and so cannot be correct either.

81. Responsible for, eschews, fundamental. Your first clue is “free will.” One can only be “responsible for” the things one decides, or freely wills, to do. Judgments of people might well be “determined by” or “based on” something that they have done, but such judgments would be an outcome of determining responsibility, not the responsibility itself. For the second blank, the word “instead,” even though it occurs later in the sentence, implies that Dr. Wegner is avoiding “the traditional talking points of the controversy.” He “eschews” them. There is nothing in the sentence to suggest that Dr. Wegner “mitigates” (reduces the severity of) or “contradicts” the points that are usually made when “free will” is discussed. The word “though” indicates that the third blank contrasts with the word “tangential.” A “tangential” question is one that is related to the issue but not at its core, so such a question would usually be regarded as less important to answer. The third blank, then, should mean something like at the core of the issue, or “fundamental.” There is nothing in the sentence to suggest that the question is “ideological” (strongly related to a particular belief system or ideology) or “flashy.”

82. Detractors, fealty, tantamount to. “Erstwhile” means past or former, indicating that those who are now “gathering around” the candidate were once doing something different—that is, criticizing or detracting. The correct answer for the first blank must be “detractors.” “Supporters” and “zealots” (fanatical supporters) are the reverse of what you want and are there to trap anyone who doesn’t notice the word “erstwhile.” These former “detractors” are “gathering around her” to proclaim their loyalty, or “fealty,” in a way that is deeply inconsistent with their past actions, as they are “behaving in a manner” that one might call “outright hypocrisy.” They are not proclaiming their “distaste” or “magnanimity,” which means generosity, especially from a former opponent. Since the last sentence says that the former opponents didn’t feel at all embarrassed about behavior that might be described “as _________ outright hypocrisy,” the third blank must mean equivalent to or the same as, which is exactly what “tantamount to” means. Neither “reciprocal with” (an equal exchange with) nor “hinging on” (dependent on) fit the desired meaning here.

83. Convulsions, retching. This sentence contrasts various symptoms of exposure to toxic substances. The two blanks must contrast with “lassitude” (tiredness) and “torpor” (sluggishness) because of the word “whereas.” Additionally, the word “incite” indicates that the blanks will contain words that are active rather than passive. Although “convulsions” (violent seizures) and “retching” are not opposites of “lassitude” and “torpor,” these are the only choices that might be active symptoms of poisoning. “Quarrels” (arguments) and “complaints” are not symptoms of poisoning. Incorrect choices “apathy” and “drowsiness” are somewhat similar to “lassitude” and “torpor” and are therefore the opposite of what you want.

84. Wag. The sentence concerns “Commentators and comedians.” Since defining a “gaffe” (a mistake) “as a politician accidentally telling the truth” is meant to be funny, the blank needs to be a word for a comedian. A “wag” is a joker, although not necessarily a professional one, and a decent match. An “apologist” would be a supporter who made excuses for the corrupt politicians; this doesn’t fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole. A “diplomat” also wouldn’t be likely to publicly say something so impolite about politicians. And finally, although a comedian could also be an “egoist” (self-centered person) or “transgressor” (violator of rules), these words are not synonyms for “commentators and comedians.”

85. Pathetic, of actual decreases, sentenced. The first sentence alone provides little indication of what the first blank should be: there is a “low rate of growth” and “the 2007 financial crisis,” which are both negative, but the blank isn’t necessarily so. Economists describe the low rate of growth as surprising? Not surprising? Terrible? Normal? Read on for more context. Blank (ii) describes examples of something that causes “a corresponding decline in lifestyles.” The best fit is “actual decreases,” which refers back to the “wages” in the first sentence. “Medical bills” represent a cost, but this goes unquantified, so to claim “a corresponding decline in lifestyles” would be a stretch. “Buoyancy” when applied to the economy means a high level of activity, so this choice is the opposite of what is needed. With “actual decreases” in the second sentence, there is better context for the first blank. Economists (in general) describe a “low rate of growth in wages,” and “many cite examples of actual decreases,” which is even worse, so indeed the first blank should be something like “paltry” or “poor”; “pathetic” in this context is a synonym. “Promising” is opposite and “partisan,” which means biased or prejudiced, is unrelated. The final sentence continues the negative characterization of this “unfortunate trend,” predicting “years of poverty and deprivation” for an “often blameless” group. “Uplifted” and “devoted” are too positive, but “sentenced” to (i.e., punished with) “years of poverty and deprivation” works.

86. Scintillating, wry. The first blank describes Martin Amis’s “wit.” The second sentence describes Amis’s novels as full of sharp “jibes,” or insulting remarks; “scintillating,” which means clever or amusing, describes such an author’s wit quite well. “Sartorial” (relating to style of dress) and “feckless” (incompetent or good-for-nothing) are great GRE words, but don’t describe a clever author’s wit. The second sentence says that because of the author’s wit, descriptions of sad and horrible scenes “often bring a _________ smile to the reader’s lips.” Why would a reader smile when reading about something awful? The smile must be ironic, because of the contrast between the tragic scene and the clever writing. The word that fits best is “wry,” which can mean ironic. A “disapproving” smile doesn’t make sense, and there is no need for a reader to be “discreet” or inconspicuous while reading a disturbing section of a book; no one else knows what the reader is smiling about anyway.

87. Chide. The sentence describes what the teacher “gently” does to “students who don’t do their homework.” She is too “amiable” (friendly or good-natured) to punish them, so the blank must mean something like lightly criticize, or “chide.” The adverb “gently” is important here, because it’s impossible to gently “detest” or “pillory” them (attack or ridicule publicly). “Malign” (say bad things about) is also too negative, and Ms. Llewellyn doesn’t punish anyone, so “penalize” doesn’t work.

88. Punctiliousness. What was the case “for eons” is contrasted with the situation “now,” which is that “laxity and tardiness” are “fashionable” and “considered appropriate.” So it must be that the blank is some behavior that is not lax or not tardy. “Punctiliousness,” which is the state of being strict in observance of formalities, fits with the former, and with the latter, too, if punctuality is a formality. “Probity,” which means integrity or honesty, certainly fits with “virtuous,” but doesn’t contrast with what is happening “now.” Two of the choices are antonyms: “parsimoniousness” means frugality to the point of stinginess and “prodigality” is the quality or situation of spending money without care. Though opposite, both are negative and wouldn’t be “considered not only polite, but virtuous,” nor do they contrast with “laxity” or “tardiness.” The final choice, “panache,” meaning flamboyance or flair, is not indicated by the sentence—don’t read too much into “fashionable.”

89. Voluble. The first clues in this short sentence are “bombastic” (pompous and verbose) and “long,” one of which should agree with the blank. The word “eloquent” should contrast with the blank due to “rather than.” “Voluble,” which is used to describe someone who talks incessantly, fits perfectly. “Unscrupulous” and “hostile” are negative but don’t really relate to talking too much in a pompous way. “Frank,” meaning direct and sincere in speech, is neither in direct agreement nor in direct disagreement with any of the clues. And finally, “languid,” which means slow and relaxed, is not supported by the rest of the sentence.

90. Specter. If elementary school students ran drills in which “they had to dive under their desks and curl up into a ball,” there was a fear or a threat that was a daily part of people’s lives. A secondary meaning of the word “specter” (which can also mean ghost) is something widely feared as a dangerous occurrence. “Annihilation,” “brutality,” “detonation,” and “arms race” all seem to fit with the theme of a nuclear holocaust, but these words do not mean fear or threat.

91. Apathy, diligence. “As opposed” indicates a reversal between what happened in Boehm’s undergraduate years and during his doctoral program, which is also indicated by the switch from “hedonism,” or pleasure-seeking, to “earnest devotion,” probably to academic studies, as this devotion “led to academic laurels.” The first blank should either match “hedonism” or contrast “devotion,” and the second blank should match “earnest devotion” or be something related to academic success. The best answers are “apathy,” indifference or lack of interest, and “diligence,” commitment or hard work. “Studiousness” would be a good fit for the second blank, but is an opposite trap in the first blank. There are no clues to suggest that he was deceitful, or exhibiting “duplicity.” In the second blank, “morality” might feel right: if your personal view is that “hedonism” is immoral, this would provide the contrast required. However, pleasure-seeking is not by definition immoral, any more than “morality” would necessarily lead to academic laurels. “Detachment” means indifference, so it’s a near synonym of “apathy”; it’s another opposite trap that would work well in the other blank, but not in blank (ii).

92. Land, a plum. The first blank needs to be a synonym of get. “Ascertain” does not fit that meaning, and “ensure” is used incorrectly—the actress might want to ensure that she gets the part, but it doesn’t make sense to say that she wants to “ensure the part” itself. The second blank should describe a role with “lots of onscreen time” and good scenes; you need a synonym for good. That’s exactly what “plum” means. “Grave” (important or harmful) and “theatrical” (relating to theater or overly dramatic in a negative way) do not fit the desired meaning.

93. Touchstone. You need a clue that matches “more than a hit movie” and goes with the idea of having meaning for a whole generation of people. “Touchstone,” or something used to make judgments about other things, matches perfectly. “Cornerstone” doesn’t work—a cultural touchstone is a single important event, place, work of art, etc. A “cultural cornerstone” would be something the whole society is built upon (like individualism, Islam, or the monarchy, depending on the society). A “rudder” is literally part of a ship related to steering; if you are lost in life, you are like a ship without a rudder. A “bolster” is pretty similar to a “stanchion,” at least when used metaphorically to mean a support (literally, a “bolster” is a pillow, and a “stanchion” is an upright bar or post), so neither is the answer.

94. A level of skepticism. The colon means that the blank will agree with the clue “not fully convinced,” so the correct answer is “a level of skepticism.” “An enthusiasm” is the opposite of what would fit this blank. “Degree of humility,” “thoroughness,” and “eloquence” do not match the fact that she is “not fully convinced” about this theory.

95. Mask, part and parcel. The sentence says that people who work in the service industry “put on a smile for the customer,” implying that they hide their true emotions in some way. “Masquerade” is close, but it means either to pretend to be someone or to be disguised as something else; neither meaning works for the first blank. To “simulate” emotions is to pretend to feel them, not to hide them, which doesn’t work either, so the correct answer for the first blank is “mask.” For the second blank, you need something like a requirement. “Apex” is a high point (i.e., The apex of my career was playing for the Knicks). “Conceit” means a fanciful notion. “Part and parcel,” meaning an essential piece of something, is the correct phrase.

96. Bogus. “In an age of near-instantaneous fact checking,” politicians need to be careful about what they say, “as” (which means “because” here) “any fictitious claim” will be proved fictitious or false. “Bogus” (not genuine) is an excellent match. “Genuine” is a reversal trap. “Dull” in this context means boring, which, although negative, is not the desired meaning. Neither “unnecessary” nor “unfamiliar” fit the desired meaning either.

97. Tacky, discerning, tactically. The judgmental mind behind this sentence finds his grandmother’s décor “vulgar,” so the first blank should be a synonym for that. “Tacky” fits the bill. Neither “vitreous” (made from glass) or “grizzled” (having gray hair) can reasonably describe the grandmother’s décorating scheme. The second blank should be something like appropriate: it wouldn’t be appropriate to tell his grandma what he really thinks. Neither “rancorous” (malevolent) or “doting” (to lavish attention on) fits this meaning. “Discerning,” meaning having or showing good judgment or shrewd, fits perfectly. For the third blank, you need a word that describes being nice to someone in order to get a good birthday present. “Amicable” doesn’t capture the strategy of the idea, but “duplicitous” is way too negative. It means deceitful, which is not really an apt description for the act of refraining from telling your grandma that she has terrible taste. “Tactically,” meaning by way of showing adroit planning, is correct.

98. Warded off, mutiny. The second half of the sentence says that the crew became frustrated and “decided to take matters into their own hands,” implying that they took over the ship. “Mutiny” fits perfectly. (A “sea change” is a profound transformation, while “helmsmanship” relates to helmsman, a person who steers a ship.) For the first blank, you need a word implying that the captain tried to fight off the mutiny. “Dissuading” is tempting, but it is something you can do only to people (e.g., I dissuaded the pirates from mutinying). “Warded off” means fended off or averted, which is perfect here. “Depreciated” (to cause to decrease in value) has the wrong meaning.

99. Serendipitous, dispensations. A “birth lottery” is offered as an example of the sort of element the first word describes. Since a lottery is random, based on chance, the first blank should be something like due to luck, and that is just what “serendipitous” means. Be careful of the trap answer “common.” Although “common element” is a frequently used expression, it does not capture the correct meaning, which is random. “Inchoate” (incipient, only partially in existence) is a good GRE word, but it has the wrong meaning. The second blank looks to be roughly synonymous with gifts. “Dispensations” will work there, while “encumbrances” and “piques” are both negative.

100. Discriminate, baseless. The mantis shrimp has more color detecting cells than any other creature. “While one would think” indicates that the common or logical view will turn out to be incorrect. Certainly the logical deduction would be that these shrimp are good at seeing colors, so “discriminate” (which can mean to distinguish accurately) is the best choice for the first blank. The GRE will often use lesser known secondary meanings, as here with “discriminate.” “Distort” is a reversal trap and “improve” does not fit the desired meaning. The second blank should contrast what “one would think.” It turns out that they can’t actually see more colors, so this claim is false, or “baseless” (without basis in fact). “Obvious” and “illiberal” (narrow-minded) do not mean false.

101. Detractors, vulgar. “While” indicates that the clause after the comma will oppose the clause before the comma. So instead of supporters, you want opposers. The word “condemned” further hints that the first blank will be something like opposers/condemners. Only “detractors” works. “Interlocutors” (go-betweens) and “contemporaries” (people who lived at the same time) do not fit the desired meaning. For the second blank, you want a description that a detractor would apply to “earthy speech.” So you want earthy, but in a bad way—perhaps coarse or unrefined would serve. The word “vulgar” fits those descriptions. “Obtuse” (unintelligent or ignorant) is negative but does not match the clue “earthy.” In contrast, “genteel” (polite) is almost the opposite of what you want.

102. Versatile, explicate. The first blank doesn’t offer much of a clue, beyond the idea that the tools are “sophisticated” (and therefore positive). “Versatile” is the best fit. “Eclectic” (drawing from multiple sources) is neutral, not positive. “Populist” (a member of a political party claiming to represent the interests of the common people) is tricky because it looks similar to popular. Next, the social scientists are using these tools “to model and help _________ even decisions.” “Explicate” (explain) is the best match. “Interpolate” means to estimate an intermediate point between two known points, or to insert new words into a text; decisions cannot be interpolated. Similarly, decisions cannot be extended by assuming that existing trends will continue, so “extrapolate” doesn’t fit either.

103. Robust. The bacteria that survive antibiotics would presumably be those hardest to kill. You might also want a word that means something like drug-resistant. The only word that means anything like hard-to-kill is “robust.” “Widespread,” “immature,” and “benign” (not harmful) do not indicate that the bacteria are inherently harder to kill. Although “notorious” (well known for something bad) is tempting, a “notorious” bacteria is not necessarily hard to kill; it could just be particularly infectious or toxic.

104. Prodigies. These very intelligent children actually do “fulfill their early promise,” so the blank should indicate that they really are talented in some way. Such children are “prodigies.” Although “teenagers” is tempting because children become teenagers, the sentence says that the children “go on to fulfill their early promise,” implying that they lead extraordinary lives, and teenager-hood is only a short part of someone’s life. The other answers, “cranks,” theorizers,” and “pragmatists” (practical people), are not supported by the sentence.

105. Heuristic, represent. The first word is defined in the sentence as a device useful for “inciting and guiding discovery.” That’s one of the meanings of “heuristic,” which is the correct answer. A “literary device” is a common expression and so sounds good, but the meaning is wrong because a “literary device” is a technique used in writing to produce a specific effect. An “allegorical” (symbolic or metaphorical) device is a specific type of “literary device” and so doesn’t work either. If you are not meant to take the “model of the psyche” as a guide to the physical structure of the brain, then you want a word that means something like show or depict for the second blank. “Represent” is the closest choice. The word “dictate” is incorrect because a model of the brain doesn’t determine the physical form of the brain. “Ameliorate” (make a bad thing better) also does not fit the desired meaning.

106. Technical, diffident. Since the “medium … lacked a voice,” the technology of the day prevented Lloyd from speaking on film, so the first word should be something like technological. “Technical” will do. Neither “artistic” nor “commercial” describes the limits of films that lacked a voice. The second blank requires an adjective that would explain why a character would fail to speak, perhaps something like mute. “Diffident” means something like self-effacing or very shy and very shy people are often somewhat reluctant to speak; this is the best choice. “Reluctant” is a trap answer—it does not mean reluctant to speak (the similar-sounding reticent does, and the two words are often confused). “Avant-garde” (developing new or experimental artistic concepts) does not fit the desired meaning.

107. Skeptical. Follow the structure to unravel this sentence. The part before the semicolon says that the boss was considered a “figurehead.” However, people slowly realized that he was actually getting a lot of stuff done! The employees were initially critical or doubtful; the best match among the answers is “skeptical.” The other four answers, “senior,” “clueless,” “resolute” (determined), and “scrutinized” (closely observed) do not match the meaning.

108. Scarcity, regional, staff. “Critics” are complaining about something related to “a _________ of unique viewpoints.” The sentence indicates that the “conglomerates will often discuss the same issues and talking points across all platforms,” so there is a lack of, or “scarcity,” of differing viewpoints. Neither “banality” (boring, ordinary) nor “deviation” (different from the norm) fits the desired meaning. The sentence also indicates that there is “a lack of local news coverage,” so local “events are no longer covered by smaller media.” The best match for local is “regional.” “Domestic” is a good trap, but when applied to locations, this word typically refers to an entire country (domestic vs. international). “Elaborate” does not mean local. Finally, the smaller media groups can’t afford to hire, or “staff,” enough employees. “Imply” is a trap because it sounds very close to employ. “Broadcast” seems to go along with media, but does not fit the desired meaning of this blank.

109. Attest to, quotidian. “Just as … so too … ” suggests that the mainstream novels show a gift, just as the science-fiction novels do. The first word should mean something like show, or display. Among these answers, only “attest” has that meaning. Incorrect choices “belie” and “gainsay” both indicate an opposite direction. The second word should describe the world of mainstream, rather than science-fiction, novels: something not fantastic, but just ordinary or everyday. “Quotidian” has just that meaning. “Fantastical” (odd and bizarre) and “ebullient” (cheerful and exuberant) don’t, in general, describe the ordinary, everyday world.

110. Solvent. If a company is far from “flourishing” (prospering), it is not doing well, even if the report “avers” (swears) that it is. “Solvent” means profitable; a “not profitable” company is definitely not doing well. “Thriving” is very tempting but ignores the expression “let alone flourishing.” The correct use of the expression “not X, let alone Y,” requires that X be at a lower level or be an intermediate step towards Y, as in “The paper was not even comprehensible, let alone informative.” Since “thriving” is on the same level as “flourishing,” it can’t logically be used here. “Copious” (detailed), “evasive,” and “unprecedented” don’t fit with “let alone flourishing” either.

111. Supplants, contemptible. “Requisite” means made necessary by circumstances or regulation, so “a requisite amount of regulatory pressure” is the normal, suitable, or necessary amount of pressure on “a business.” But what does this business do? Regarding “pressure” about “industry safety standards,” the business [does something to] “its own non-compliance … with yet another series of suspect omissions.” The blanks must make the sentence generally read this way: A business that [replaces or substitutes = blank (i)] bad safety standards with “yet another” set of bad safety standards is very [bad = blank (ii)]. “Supplants” is a synonym for replaces and “contemptible” means despicable or deplorable, so these choices fit. “Imbue” means inspire or permeate with some characteristic or feeling. “Non-compliance” could be said to be imbued with “omissions” of compliance, but “yet another” separates and distinguishes the “omissions” from the original “non-compliance”; the context and structure of the sentence make this choice wrong. “Verifies” is too positive in the first blank and “laudable,” or worthy of praise, is too positive in the second blank. There is no indication in the sentence that a business that behaves this way is “contrived,” which means unrealistic or artificially created.

112. Draconian. “Belied” means contradicted or was at odds with. Thus, the boss’s on-the-job style is contradicted by his “amiable,” or warm, friendly style in the interview. The clue is that the young hire (the new employee) experiences “chagrin,” which is mental distress or unease. “Draconian,” which means harsh, strict, or severe, is best. Don’t be confused by “nonplussed,” the primary meaning of which is confused or surprised—it doesn’t capture the boss’s strictness. The answer “friendly” is a trap for anyone who doesn’t notice the word “belied” earlier in the sentence. “Fatuous” (silly and pointless) is a great GRE word, but doesn’t match the intended meaning. “Illicit” (illegal) goes too far: there is nothing in the sentence to suggest that the boss is behaving illegally.

113. An exhaustive, remarkable variance. The first blank is tricky; start with the second one. “Fluctuations” cause the “most reliable” wines to be something like unpredictable. Only “remarkable variance” fits. “Taxonomy” is a classification system and “mitigating circumstances” are circumstances that make something less severe or serious. If even the “reliable vintages” exhibit a large variance, then it must be difficult to have full, or “exhaustive,” comprehension of Italian wines. “Futile” (ineffective) and “irredeemable” (unable to be saved or helped) do not fit the desired meaning.

114. Casual nonchalance, farce. If the clerk treats his office (a fancy way to say his job) with a general lack of respect, then he treats his clients with a similarly cool and distant manner, a manner of “casual nonchalance.” “Meticulous” (careful and precise) is positive and “envy” is not indicated by the sentence. As for the second blank, knowing that “grand farce” is a common English idiom is helpful but is not essential—the word “farce,” or mockery, is the only word that fits. A “grand gesture” would be positive (a “grand gesture” would be something like an elaborate marriage proposal, apology, etc.), and it is not possible to treat one’s entire job like a “grand tirade” (angry speech).

115. Engaging, a tired. Since the critics viewed the book negatively, as evidenced by “dry pedantry” (a rigid overemphasis on rules or details) and “humorless presentation,” the author must have turned an interesting topic into a tedious one. Thus, the first blank will be positive in tone and the second negative. “Engaging” matches the tone and content. “Affectless,” meaning showing a lack of emotion or sympathy, and “dogmatic,” meaning opinionated or doctrinal, do not match the positive tone needed for the first blank. Similarly, for the second blank, only “a tired” matches the required negative tone; “a worthy” is positive and “an instructive” is neutral.

116. Rife with contention, critical, seasoned practitioners. This problem is best solved starting from the last blank. Certain “tenets” (principles important to a group of people) are not necessarily accepted as fact (“gospel”) even by those who really believe in the practice of psychoanalysis. These people are “seasoned practitioners,” experienced in psychoanalysis. “Quarrelsome factions” are the opposite of the intended meaning and while “beneficiaries” could work, the sentence does not provide any clues to justify use of the word “esteemed.” Next, move to the second blank. The experts may question “even tenets” that are deemed central to the overall philosophy. The best match is “critical” (crucial). “Immaterial” (unimportant) and “anathema,” used to describe something that is cursed or loathed, do not fit the idea of something that is crucial to the philosophy. Finally, the second sentence provides the necessary clues for the first blank: psychoanalysis is a subject of debate even among those who practice it; it is “rife with contention.” The practitioners do not “ridicule” it or find it “devoid of substance” (lacking substance). Rather, they disagree with some of the principles even as they continue to follow the overall philosophy.

117. Antipathy, patent, mutual benefit. The first and third blanks are highly related, so consider them first. “Apparent antagonism” exists between two people; are they really so hostile to one another? The two individuals also “derive inspiration and motivation from the other.” In other words, there is a “mutual benefit” to the seemingly hostile relationship, which otherwise might be “written off” as pure hatred, or “antipathy.” Neither “flagrancy” (the act of being flagrant, offensive) nor “hypocrisy” fits the meaning of hatred. For the third blank, both “worthless pride” and “tacit disagreement” are negative in nature; they do not convey a “benefit.” Now return to the second blank. The “apparent antagonism” can be “written off,” so “further scrutiny should render” clear or apparent the fact that there is actually a positive to this “rivalry.” The best fit is “patent” (obvious, evident). “Useless” and “spurious” (not genuine, insincere) do not fit the desired meaning.

118. Hyperboles. The answer must match the clues “flights of fancy” and “arching far beyond reality.” “Hyperbole” is exaggeration and is the correct answer. “Tit for tat” (retaliation in kind), “parables” (stories with morals), “conundrums” (difficult questions), and “innuendos” (hint or insinuation, often negative) do not fit this meaning.

119. Initially, given teeth. First, or “initially,” the law in question “had little impact,” but “subsequent legislation” changed this. “Justifiably” and “unbelievably” are value judgments that are not supported by the rest of the sentence. In the second blank, you need something that will contrast with having little impact and will match the idea of a law now gaining “funding and enforcement.” Only “given teeth” has this (metaphorical) meaning. “Rendered moot” and “kept at bay” go against the desired meaning.

120. Counterpoint. The blank requires a word that means having two distinct components, since the opera is capable of evoking two distinct emotions. “Counterpoint” (use of contrast in a work of art) is a good fit. “Macabre” is a trap, since it goes along with horror but leaves out joy. “Articulate” is related to speech and does not fit here. “Contrived” (not natural, planned) and “figurative” (using metaphor or other non-literal device to convey meaning) are not supported by any clues in the sentence

121. Buttress. “Buttress,” as a noun or a verb, relates to support and is therefore justified by the clue “needed additional support.” Note that you certainly do not need to memorize architectural terms for the GRE, but you should definitely know the metaphorical meaning of buttress (to support). A “partition” is tempting, but the purpose of such a feature is to divide or separate two things, not necessarily to support something. An “albatross” is a bird but is also used metaphorically to mean an ongoing problem. While “hallmark” and “trademark” can be synonyms, they don’t mean to support.

122. Veracity, consistent with. No single experiment can ever prove the truth, or “veracity,” of a theory. “Rationality” is close but connotes the idea of the theory being logical, rather than factual. “Candor” (honest and direct communication) is incorrect because the theory is not telling the truth; rather, a theory is true (or is not true). For the second blank, in order for the theory to be supported, or “resilient,” the results from independent labs should agree with each other, or be “consistent with” each other. The results don’t have to be “founded on” or “antithetical to” (opposed to) each other in order for the theory to be supported.

123. Pertinent, deeply humbling. Sleep is important, or relevant, to your daily life, making “pertinent” the best word for the first blank. The explanation in general may be “mysterious” or “obscure,” but the topic is not “mysterious” or “obscure” “to our daily lives.” Regarding the second blank, the expression “at once fascinating and _________” indicates at least a loose contrast, so you need something that could contrast with “fascinating.” The clue “so ignorant” is a good indication that what you want is “deeply humbling.” Don’t fall for the trap answer “fully impenetrable.” While the topic of sleep is presented as somewhat impenetrable (that is, hard to understand), the blank is not describing sleep, but rather human ignorance about it. “Totally blatant,” which means obvious or not at all hidden, doesn’t describe human ignorance about sleep either.

124. Waxed, barely stirred. There is a discrepancy or mismatch between Mozart’s fame and his financial situation, so whatever happened to one did not happen to the other. The clue “beyond measure” indicates that his musical star must have grown, so “waxed” is the only possibility for the first blank; “abated” and “dwindled” both mean to get smaller. Mozart’s income must have either gone down or remained low; “barely stirred” is the correct answer for the second blank. It could not be the case that his income “grew exponentially” or “remained exorbitant,” or there would be no discrepancy.

125. Assent. While the structure might seem tricky, the blank must oppose “refusing for a decade” since the patriarch finally “surrendered.” “Assent” is the best choice because it means agreement. “Ascent” (climb up), “dissent (disagreement), and “descent” (climb down) do not fit the text and are essentially phonetic tricks. “Assertion” does not fit because he cannot “give his assertion.” Rather, he would “assert” something.

126. Peril, simulacrum, terrifies. “Even” suggests that the first blank describes the sort of thing you might otherwise expect a thrill seeker to find attractive. These patrons do not want “danger,” so you could just reuse that word for the first blank. “Peril” is the best choice. Although “titillation” does describe a sort of thrill, it is not negative, nor does it suggest danger. “Lavishness” suggests luxury, not danger, and so does not fit either. The third word is probably easier to anticipate than the second, so skip ahead. “In fact” suggests that you want a word that means seems to be unsafe, and the description of the “thrill-seeking visitors” suggests that you want something, well, thrilling. “Terrifies” is the closest choice. “Satisfies” yields a perfectly fine sentence, but it does not contrast with “perfectly safe.” “Mollifies,” which means to sooth or pacify, is the opposite of what the thrill seekers want. The second blank, then, requires something like imitation, and “simulacrum” is the closest synonym among the answers. Using a “complement” here would imply something that partners with danger, which doesn’t match the meaning of imitation of danger. Similarly, an “abettor” of danger would be an aid or a helper, which doesn’t fit the intended meaning either.

127. Dilettantes, apprenticeship. The first word should indicate an opposite of “professionals.” The word that suggests itself is amateurs, and the closest answer to that is “dilettantes,” which is roughly synonymous with dabblers. “Artisans” (skilled craftspeople) is a reversal trap and “ideologues” (uncompromising advocates of an ideology) is a great GRE vocabulary word that does not fit the meaning of this sentence. The second word should suggest a type of training, and among the options only “apprenticeship” does so. “Acumen” (sharp insight) and “sensibility” are not types of training.

128. Arresting, charismatic. The first singer is good “but” she is not as good as the next singer; the first blank requires a positive word. Only “arresting” (impressive) fits. Both “unremarkable” and “hackneyed” (trite or unoriginal) are negative. If the first singer is not as good, then the second singer is better, so the latter’s stage presence must be much better. “Pedestrian” (unremarkable) doesn’t fit, but both “charismatic” and “experienced” are fairly positive words. Here, there are two ways to eliminate “experienced.” First, while you might call the singer herself “experienced,” the target of this blank is the singer’s “stage presence,” which cannot be properly described as “experienced.” Second, “arresting,” the correct choice for blank (i), aligns very well with a “charismatic” stage presence.

129. Confounding, acumen. The “contradictions in the philosopher’s life were more _________” given that the philosopher had some characteristic that led to “profound insights,” meaning a very deep understanding or awareness. Since the second blank is that characteristic, start there. Although “prodigal” is often used to mean extravagant, here it means something more like abundant. The second blank must mean something like skill then, because a high level of intellectual skill would logically lead to deep understanding, and the first blank must mean surprising, because it would be surprising if someone who was very skilled at making good judgments had a lot of contradictions in his life. The correct answer to the first blank is “confounding,” which means surprising. “Insightful” and “unpremeditated” are words associated with thought, but they do not fit the desired meaning for the first blank. The correct answer for the second blank, “acumen,” is the skill of making good judgements. “Vacuity,” which means empty-headedness, is the exact opposite of what is needed. “Veracity” means truthfulness, which is tempting, but doesn’t quite fit with the clue. A truthful person is not necessarily going to have deep insights.

130. Eminence, influence. Borrowing another word from the sentence, the first word should be something like “significance.” The closest option is “eminence,” which suggests great importance. If Hopper argues that the book was among the most important in spite of the fact that it cannot have had an impact on O’Brien’s contemporaries, then he must appeal to some standard other than impact. “Influence” is the word most nearly synonymous with impact. Because “currency” echoes the concern about how widely read the book was, it might appeal, but this word does not fit the earlier clue; he “appeals to standards other than” the one mentioned earlier, “impact on one’s contemporaries.” Finally, “dissolution” (dissolving or ending something) is not a type of standard.

131. Denigrate, balkanized. Start with the second blank. A society with “class warfare” is divided into hostile groups, or “balkanized,” but it need not be either “socialized” or “politicized.” Politicians who “refuse to accept” such talk would tend to dismiss or belittle, or “denigrate,” it. “Besmirch” means to attack the honor of something—although the word is negative, it isn’t quite appropriate here. “Encourage” is a reversal trap: since the sentence says that the politicians do not believe that society is experiencing “class warfare,” they would not urge people to discuss it.

132. Deftness, peasant, dissembled. The subject “magically acquired an honorific title” and he was able to “parlay this charade into a small fortune.” These hints suggest that his motive was to make himself look and sound more important than he actually was. Blank (i) and blank (ii) contrast how he was able to get away with this trick: because of his “aquiline,” meaning regal, nose and his social tendencies, and despite his genetics. The best fit for blank (i) is “deftness,” which means skilled or clever. The other options here both suggest something negative about his social abilities, be it “arrogance,” meaning conceit, or “maladroitness,” meaning ineffective or clumsy, the opposite of the meaning needed here. Blank (ii) describes his “genetics, which lacked any distinction.” The best match is “peasant,” or a farm worker with little social status. “Perturbing” is too negative in this context. And “patrician,” which means characteristic of aristocracy, is the opposite of what the blank requires. Finally, blank (iii) calls for a word that indicates how he “successfully” was able to act in order “to parlay this charade into a small fortune.” Of the answer choices, “coalesced” means to combine distinct elements, which does not fit in this context. Likewise, “disseminated” means to spread or disperse something, and also doesn’t fit here. “Dissembled” (disguise or conceal) fits best: he successfully disguised his true identity.

133. An ironclad. Since the final part of the sentence is meant to go against the idea that the Second Amendment provides a guarantee of a private right, you need to fill the blank in the first part with something that reinforces the guarantee. “Ironclad” means rigid or fixed and does what you need here. “Defeasible” and “questionable” would undermine the guarantee. Nothing in the passage has any bearing on whether the guarantee is “earnest.” “Amended” is a theme trap because the sentence is talking about the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, but “amended” means added to and does not fit the desired meaning for the blank.

134. Sophistry. The sentence indicates that Lillian Hellman was being honest when calling her disingenuous, or deceitful, argumentative strategy “the nobility racket.” The fact that she calls the deceitful strategy a “racket” indicates that she doesn’t truly believe in the things she states while using this argumentative strategy. Therefore, the word that best fills the blank is “sophistry,” which means the use of fallacious arguments, often with the intent to deceive others. If someone espoused a “philosophy,” she would actually believe in what she was saying. “Sinecure” (a position that requires little work but provides financial benefit), “volubility” (talkativeness), and “serendipity” (fortunate accident) do not fit the desired meaning.

135. Undermined. The fitness guru seems to promote a healthy lifestyle (“salubrious” means healthy). On the other hand, when he’s alone, he’s not very healthy himself. These actions would do something like “corrupt” or “do bad things to” his integrity. The correct answer, “undermined,” means to reduce the power of, undercut, or sabotage. He’s not making fun of himself, so “ridiculed” doesn’t quite work. “Restored” is the opposite of the intended meaning. “Redacted” means to draft or make ready for publication. The guru did not “insinuate,” or subtly suggest, anything about his integrity.

136. Disquieting, casualty. The sentence claims that there are “unexploded World War II munitions,” or bombs, buried in places where people live. This could be upsetting, dangerous, or some other negative word. Of the given options, “disquieting” (disturbing) fits. “Exhilarating” (exciting) is positive and “demeaning” (belittling or disdainful), while negative, does not match the meaning of the sentence. The situation is disturbing because someone could become a victim, or “casualty,” of an old war. It wouldn’t be disturbing to become a “hero” and “martyr” (someone who suffers or is killed for a cause) doesn’t fit the intended meaning of an accidental death.

137. Dauntless, trepidation, peril. The first part of the sentence says that even “perennially,” or enduringly, _________ reporters have had misgivings about entering a war zone. Since war zones are dangerous, the first blank is likely filled by a word that describes people who don’t usually worry about danger. “Dauntless” and “professional” could both fit; “foreign” does not. The part after the semicolon says that “their [the reporters] _________ at the prospect” of entering a war zone must be a reflection of the _________ that “pervades,” or spreads through, a war zone. People in a war zone are in danger and likely scared, not necessarily “professional,” so the first blank must mean not scared, or “dauntless,” the second blank must mean fear, and the third blank must mean fear or danger. The correct answer for the second blank, “trepidation” or sense of fear, fits perfectly. “Excitement” and “skepticism” don’t mean fear. The correct answer for the third blank, “peril,” means danger and so also fits perfectly. Although “awareness” is tempting because “heightened awareness” is often associated with dangerous situations, the meaning is wrong because fear is not “a reflection of the heightened awareness”; rather, “heightened awareness” is a result of fear. “Rhetoric,” or persuasive speaking, is a great GRE word, but has the wrong meaning for the third blank.

138. Practiced restraint, asceticism, permissive. The word “however” in the second sentence indicates that Jean—who “exercises a self-discipline”—is very different from most teenagers. Therefore, teenagers are not associated with self-discipline. For blank (i), the phrase that most closely matches is “practiced restraint.” “Silent obedience” doesn’t quite match and “urbanity” means polite, confident, or polished. For blank (ii), the idiom “verges on” indicates that the word will mean some extreme form of self-discipline. The best word for that is “asceticism” (a lifestyle of extreme self-denial). “Asperity” (harshness in tone or temper) is tempting but usually refers more to emotions or weather conditions. For blank (iii), the words “whether” and “or” indicate that the blank will describe the opposite of a “conservative upbringing.” The best match is “permissive.” Jean might want to react to a “meddlesome,” or very intrusive, upbringing, but it’s not the opposite of conservative. Don’t be tempted by “illiberal,” which means narrow-minded or bigoted.

139. Dissolute, damage, carefully cultivated. The actor had some kind of behavior, but “unexpectedly” it “did little to _________ his reputation as a family man.” The first two blanks must contrast and should be selected together. If his behavior was “dissolute,” it was lax in morals, and thus surprising that it “did little to damage his reputation.” While negative, “impudent” (impertinent or disrespectful) behavior isn’t necessarily the same or the opposite of “family man” behavior. “Paternal” is exactly like fatherly, or “family man” behavior, so it would be unexpected only if “paternal behavior did little to help his reputation,” but no such meaning exists among the blank (ii) choices. “Assuage” means to make something less painful or severe, while “temper” means to neutralize or alleviate; both unjustly imply that “his reputation as a family man” is something unpleasant. The last blank is what “his exceptionally skilled team of publicists” did to his reputation: they “carefully cultivated,” or tried to develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill) his reputation. The team is “his,” so they shouldn’t work against his reputation, as both “cleverly subverted” (undermined) and “easily refuted” (discredited) would.

140. Ubiquitous, maladies, preventable. The information between the dashes provides extra information about the word just before: “fresh produce has become” available everywhere. The best match is “ubiquitous” (existing everywhere). Neither “salubrious” (healthful) or “comestible” (edible) fits the required meaning. For the second blank “were once the inevitable result of nutritional deficiencies,” diseases, or “maladies,” fits. Neither “reactions” nor “cultivars” (cultivated plants) would be “the inevitable result of nutritional deficiencies.” Finally, these once “inevitable” diseases are now mostly avoidable because people have better access to fresh produce. The best match is “preventable.” “Organic” and “dietetic” (relating to the diet) are both related to food but don’t match the meaning of avoidable.

141. Hardline, loath. The sentence is tricky; you may need to fill the two blanks at the same time. Perhaps the senator is not willing to “strike a concessionary tone” or perhaps she is not reluctant to strike such a tone; which meaning is correct? “Concessionary” is the act of conceding a point, so the senator must have a particular position that differs from her opponents. If, in spite of her _________ position,” she is not reluctant to concede a point, then her position must be quite strong, or “hardline.” If, on the other hand, she is not willing to concede anything, then her position must be middle-of-the-road or undetermined. No choice fits this meaning, so “hardline” is the correct answer for the first blank. The sentence does not provide clues to tell whether her position is “conservative” or liberal. “Fiduciary,” (relating to trust, especially with financial matters) does not fit here. For the second blank, the senator was ultimately not unwilling, or not “loath” to concede a point. “Not permitted” would refer to someone else restricting her; the sentence doesn’t indicate this. “Not qualified” implies an outside value judgment; again, the sentence doesn’t indicate this.

142. A paradox in, infirmity The colon in this sentence indicates that the second part is somehow equivalent to or an example of what is described in the first part. Although the duty of medical workers is to “maintain the health of their patients,” they earn money from their patients’ _________ . The second blank must be a word that is opposed to “health,” such as illness. “Infirmity” (weakness, frailty) is a match; neither “inattentiveness” (lack of attention) or “uncertainty” fits this meaning. The first blank must be describing this contrast, or “paradox.” Neither “a protest against” nor “an aversion to” describes a contrast.

143. Focused on, expanded, include. The sentence contrasts early and later work in the field of spectroscopy: “early work” had something to do with “visible light,” while later work had something to do with “any and all interactions” of a certain type. The two blanks likely need to be filled together, so scan the answers. The options for the second blank are fairly similar: they all mean some form of broadened or changed. If the later work broadened or changed something for “any and all interactions,” then the earlier work must have been more narrow in scope. The best pairing is “focused on” and “expanded”: The early work “focused on” a more narrow area, while the later work “expanded” to “include” more interactions. For the first blank, “contrasted with” and “arose from” do not pair with the idea of broadened or changed to create a contrast between the first two blanks. For the second, “transformed” and “amended” both mean changed; “expanded” is a better match for the contrast with the first blank. Finally, “affirm” (assert, declare) and “endure” do not fit the full phrase: “the concept was expanded to affirm any and all interactions” or “the concept was expanded to endure any and all interactions.”

144. Permissiveness. The “while” that starts this sentence sets up a contrast: Abdul is worried that he’s being too “lax,” or easy-going; this same laxness is why his kids love him so much. “Permissiveness” (providing a lot of freedom, possibly too much) matches this meaning. “Complacence” (self-satisfaction), “satisfaction,” and “equanimity” (calmness) don’t mean easy-going and “sternness” (very serious, expressing disapproval) is the opposite.