{"id":13759,"date":"2019-08-22T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/gre\/?p=161"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:41:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:41:21","slug":"sentence-completions-contrast-vs-continuation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gre\/sentence-completions-contrast-vs-continuation\/","title":{"rendered":"Text Completions: Contrast vs. Continuation"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you may have figured out,\u00a0text completions do not only test you on vocabulary. While knowledge of vocabulary is necessary for these questions, logical reasoning is just as important. You must be able to recognize the logical direction of a sentence. In the end, then, words like \u201cdespite,\u201d \u201cbecause,\u201d and \u201csurprisingly\u201d become as important as words like \u201cdespotic,\u201d \u201cbenumbed,\u201d and \u201csurreptitiously.\u201d
\nTrigger words, as you know, are those words that tell us what logical direction a sentence is going. Will one clause support another? Will it contrast another? Will it provide the effect of a cause? Contrast, continuation, and cause and effect are three common types of logic that\u00a0text completions can exhibit.
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Continuation \/ Support<\/h3>
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\nCertain trigger words or phrases indicate that a blank supports or continues an idea in the sentence.
\nHere are some words that will often signal continuation or support: additionally, also, and, furthermore, indeed, likewise, too.<\/em> Also, the semicolon and the colon can function in the same way.
\nExample 1:
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\nSome people believe that there is no such thing as true ——-: every action, they say, is motivated by some degree of self-interest.
\nA.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Greed
\nB.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Benevolence
\nC.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Perspicacity
\nD.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Avidity
\nE.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sentience<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nIn this example, the colon functions as a trigger word signaling continuation or support. Essentially, the clause following the colon defines the blank. In this example, the clause following the colon defines the blank negatively. <\/em>If there is \u201cno such thing\u201d as ______, and, as a result, every action is \u201cmotivated by a degree of self-interest,\u201d then our prediction must be the opposite of self-interest. Indeed, the answer is \u201cbenevolence.\u201d
\nExample 2:
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\nNo other artist rewards the viewer with more sheer pleasure than Van Gogh; he is one of those blessed artists who combine profundity and _________.
\nA.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Education
\nB.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wisdom
\nC.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faith
\nD.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fun
\nE.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Depth<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nHere, we have a more straightforward example of how punctuation can trigger the continuation of an idea. We have two independent clauses separated by a semicolon. Remember that a semicolon often triggers a continuation. The first clause, put simply, says that Van Gogh produces pleasures for the viewer. Thus, he must be \u2018one of those blessed artists who combine profundity with pleasure.<\/em>\u201d It would be a safe bet to make \u2018pleasure\u2019 your prediction word. Look for the word that is closest to \u2018pleasure\u201d in meaning. \u2018Fun\u2019 happens to be our best choice even if you think the word\u2019s simplicity is incongruous with the academic content of the text.
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Contrast<\/h3>
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\nCertain trigger words also can indicate a contrast with an idea in the sentence. Trigger words signaling contrast can be explicit or implicit. Some explicit examples include although, but, despite, even though, in contrast, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, rather than, still, while, yet. <\/em>Some implicit examples, which are often harder to detect, include \u201cironically, paradoxically, surprisingly, illogically, unexpectedly.<\/em>
\nFirst, let\u2019s look at an example without the answer choices just so you can get a sense of how the triggers are used.
\nExample 1:
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\nEven though the teacher continued to ——– her underachieving student, her initial\u00a0anger had been —— by his sincere promise to apply himself in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nIn this example, we have an explicit contrast phrase, \u201ceven though.\u201d Consequently, we know that the teacher\u2019s initial anger that characterizes the first blank must be diminished by his sincere promise to apply himself. We have two contrasting ideas: harsh, angry criticism and then a mollified attitude. \u00a0Thus, we might look for a harsh verb–one that means criticize or reprimand–for the first blank and a verb like \u2018eased\u2019 or \u2018lessened\u2019 for the second blank. The answer to this\u00a0text completion question\u00a0is \u201cberate\u2026abated,\u201d which satisfies our contrast.
\nExample 2:
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\nParadoxically, the more ________ the details this artist chooses, the better able she is to depict her fantastic, other-worldly landscapes.
\nA. Ethereal
\nB. Realistic
\nC. Fanciful
\nD. Extravagant
\nE. Sublime<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\nHere, you should recognize the word \u2018paradoxically\u2019 as an implicit contrast trigger word. The word suggests that the situation being described has an unexpected outcome, one that contrary to our logical expectations. In the sentence, we might expect the artist to better depict her fantastic, other-world landscapes by using equally fantastic details. Without our contrast trigger word, we might choose \u2018fanciful\u2019 or perhaps \u2018ethereal\u2019 as a logical answer. The word \u2018paradoxically,\u2019 however, means that we should choose a word that contrasts our expectations; thus, the best choice should be \u2018realistic,\u2019 the best antonym of \u2018fanciful.\u2019
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Cause and Effect<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nCause and effect signal words are a bit like continuation\/support words, but there is an important distinction. A cause and its effect are rarely synonymous in meaning, nor are they directly opposite in meaning. Make sure you keep this in mind when you encounter these cause and effect trigger words:\u00a0 because, consequently, given, hence, if\u2026then, in order to, therefore, thus.<\/em>
\nHere\u2019s a simple example.
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\nBecause John failed the test that he had been rigorously studying for, he felt ______.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>
\nEven with this oversimplified example, we can distinguish a cause and effect question from a contrast or continuation question. We cannot readily identify a word in the sentence that is either synonymous or antonymous with our blank. We have to use cause and effect reasoning to figure out a prediction. If John failed a test he had been studying for, he would probably feel very disappointed.
\nFor practice, why don\u2019t we change \u201cbecause\u201d to a contrast word, and see how that might change our prediction.
\nAlthough John failed the test that he had been rigorously studying for, he felt ______.
\nWith just a change from \u2018because\u2019 to \u2018although,\u2019 we must radically change our approach to the problem. Now, an appropriate prediction might be \u201cfine,\u201d \u201chappy,\u201d \u201cundeterred,\u201d \u201cundiscouraged.\u201d
\nRemember, we cannot simply gloss over the trigger words in\u00a0text completions. Whenever you practice,\u00a0mentally take note of the trigger words in the text. It will help you avoid simple mistakes that may cost you big points on the exam.<\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you may have figured out,\u00a0text completions do not only test you on vocabulary. While knowledge of vocabulary is necessary for these questions, logical reasoning is just as important. You must be able to recognize the logical direction of a sentence. In the end, then, words like \u201cdespite,\u201d \u201cbecause,\u201d and \u201csurprisingly\u201d become as important as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[68],"tags":[56,84,69,283],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13759"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13759"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34838,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13759\/revisions\/34838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}