Section 3. Verbal Reasoning
- A and F The contextual clue is “in prioritizing efficiency.” If society
emphasizes efficiency, then it downplays other traits. Of the choices, the best
word is idealism. “In favor of ” indicates that the word in the second blank is in
line with “efficiency.” Of the choices, the best word is pragmatism. - B The contextual clue “despite” indicates that Wasselman’s ability to
attract followers was in contrast to the nature of his evidence. What would
characterize the evidence of a theory that shouldn’t attract followers? A good
word is absence. Of the choices, the word closest in meaning to “absence”
is dearth. - C and D The first blank is easier, so start there. The phrase “turn from”
indicates that the word in the blank is the opposite of “self-seriousness.” Of the
choices, the best word is irony. The word in the second blank elaborates on the
concept of irony. The best phrase is a mused detachment. - C, D, and H Start with the first blank. The word in the blank should be the
opposite of “central.” A good prediction is “peripheral.” Of the words in the
blank, the word closest in meaning to “peripheral” is superficial. The clue for
the second blank is “even when it’s intended,” which implies that the word in
the first blank means “unintended.” Of the words in the choices, the best is
incidental. The clue for the last word is “outside of the scope.” Of the choices,
the word closest in meaning to “out of scope” is irrelevant. - B, F, and H There are the most clues for the word in the second blank, so
start there. The clue is “wariness of human motives.” Of the choices, the word
closest in meaning to this is cynicism. Now, use cynicism to determine the
word in the first blank. The trigger “though” indicates that the writer explores
more than just cynicism; thus, he is not a cynic. Of the choices, the word
closest in meaning to cynic is misanthrope. Finally, “though” also clues us in
to the meaning of the last word. It should characterize behavior that contrasts
with what a cynic would expect. A simple word here is “good.” Of the choices,
the word closest in meaning to good is benevolence. - C and E The words in the blanks determine each other, so you need to look
at the choices in pairs, instead of individually. The best pair is inability and
effectiveness. - B Based on the given information, class A must have had more students who
scored between 80 percent and 90 percent than did class B.. - B The passage states that “graffiti... can lend insight into the powerless voices
that would otherwise have been censored by most ancient societies.” This is in
contrast to traditional academic perceptions of graffiti. The best answer is thus B. - A The author mentions “exegesis” when discussing the fact that the concise
nature of graffiti makes its study more difficult than what scholars are used to.
The best answer is “explanation.” - C The author’s point is that scholars should study graffiti to gain insight into
the culture in which the graffiti originated. The author is thus “enthusiastic”
about the prospects of graffiti as an academic subject. - A and E How does the “diversity of the citizens’ jobs” relate to the city’s
classification as “industrial”? Since there are a multitude of jobs, the nature of
the jobs is more than simply industrial. Thus, this “diversity” undermines and
subverts the categorization.
CHAPTER 15 ■ PRACTICE TEST 1 50905-GRE-Test-2018_463-582.indd 509 12/05/17 12:14 pm