In each GRE Verbal section, questions are broken down into Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading Comprehension question types.<\/p>\n
There are approximately 27 questions to complete in 41 minutes in 2 sections on the GRE Verbal section<\/strong>. This will give\u00a0you between 1 and 4 minutes per question, depending on the type.<\/p>\n Each Verbal section will start with Text Completion questions, then you\u2019ll see a block of Reading Comprehension questions, then a block of Sentence Equivalence questions, and you\u2019ll finish up with a second block of Reading Comprehension.<\/p>\n [<\/strong> RELATED:<\/strong> GRE Quantitative Section<\/a> & GRE Analytical Section<\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n GRE Text Completion questions ask you to fill in the blank to complete sentences. Variations include 1-, 2-, and 3-blank questions. You\u2019ll encounter approximately 7 Text Completion questions<\/strong> on the GRE, and you should aim to complete each of them at an average of 1\u20131.5 minutes per question.<\/p>\n To master Text Completion questions, work on building your vocabulary, and using context clues. Hints from the sentence will help you determine what goes in the blanks.<\/p>\n Even when faced with continuing (i) _________ , the recalcitrant graduate student persisted in her spendthrift ways; she abjured any thought of self-(ii) _________\u00a0and spent prodigally.<\/p>\n Blank (i)<\/strong> Blank (ii)<\/strong> Answer Explanation <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p> Answer choices (B) and (F) are correct.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a fairly straightforward question, once you wade through all the polysyllabic words. Look at the end of the second clause; you\u2019ll notice that the student \u201cspent prodigally,\u201d which means \u201cwastefully.\u201d Even if you don\u2019t know the meaning of the word \u201cprodigally,\u201d you can tell from the word \u201cspendthrift\u201d that this is a student who isn\u2019t careful with the way she spends her money. If the student is poor at managing money, she likely doesn\u2019t have much of it.<\/p>\n Start with the first blank. As noted above, the student is poor at managing money. That means whatever goes in the first blank has a meaning roughly synonymous with \u201cpoverty.\u201d<\/p>\n Look at the answer choices for the first blank. Choice (B) penury, which means \u201cpoverty,\u201d matches the prediction precisely. You can eliminate (A) lucre and (C) avarice, as those mean \u201cwealth\u201d and \u201cgreed,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n For the second blank, recall that the student is described as \u201crecalcitrant,\u201d which is a term for \u201cstubborn.\u201d Also, the student \u201cpersisted\u201d in her money-wasting ways. Therefore, she continued to waste money. To \u201cabjure\u201d is to \u201crenounce or repudiate,\u201d so she repudiated spending wisely. Thus, \u201cself-\u201d must carry the meaning of restraint or self-denial, since she is renouncing any thought of restraint or temperance. That points to (F) abnegation, which means \u201cdenial.\u201d The root\u2014\u201cnegate\u201d\u2014provides a helpful vocabulary clue. Choice (D) adumbration means a \u201cforeshadowing,\u201d or \u201cimage of things to come,\u201d which makes no sense in this context. Choice (E) aggrandizement is wrong, as it means \u201can increase in wealth, power, or rank,\u201d and you know she did not shy away from such things if she indulged in overspending.<\/p>\n Putting both answers back into the sentence, you\u2019ll get: Even when faced with continuing penury, the recalcitrant graduate student persisted in her spendthrift ways; she abjured any thought of self-abnegation and spent prodigally. GRE Sentence Equivalence questions require you to fill in a single blank with 2 choices that create a complete, coherent sentence while producing sentences that are logically similar in meaning. You will encounter approximately 6 Sentence Equivalence questions<\/strong> on the GRE and should aim to complete them at an average of 1 minute per question.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cora was not known for her reticence; regardless, she only _________ acquiesced to calls to speak at the conference.<\/p>\n [A] jejunely Answer Explanation <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p> Answer choices (D) and (F) are correct.<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing you should notice is the structural road sign \u201cregardless,\u201d which functions as a detour road sign. Therefore, the clause after the semicolon will depart from the meaning of the first clause. You\u2019re told in the first clause that Cora is \u201cnot known for her reticence,\u201d so the second will indicate hesitance or reluctance. Evaluating the answer choices, you can immediately reject (A) jejunely, \u201cchildishly,\u201d which doesn\u2019t make sense, and (B) exuberantly, \u201cgleefully,\u201d which implies Cora was anything but reluctant to speak at the conference. You can eliminate (C) willfully, since it implies that she was headstrong, which does not harmonize with reluctant. Choice (E) candidly, \u201copenly\u201d, doesn\u2019t have a meaning close to reluctant. That leaves (D) grudgingly, meaning \u201cresentfully unwilling,\u201d and (F) timidly, which means \u201cin an easily frightened way.\u201d These two are the best matches.<\/p>\n If you check your answers in the context of the original sentence, you\u2019ll arrive at two sentences that mean: \u201cCora was not known for being hesitant, but she only reluctantly agreed to speak at the conference.\u201d Notice that the two answer choices are not precise synonyms. Both connote reluctance, but with different shades of meaning. \u00a0Grudgingly has an undertone of resentfulness, while timidly implies that one is fearfully shy. However, both produce sentences with similar meanings, and they\u2019re the correct answers.<\/p>\n <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>\n GRE Reading Comprehension questions come in 2 formats on the GRE; short passages that are 1 paragraph in length, and long passages that are 2\u20133 paragraphs in length. RC questions require you to read and understand a piece of text and answer questions based on the text. You will encounter approximately 14 Reading Comprehension questions<\/strong> on the GRE and you should aim to spend an average of 1\u20133 minutes to read a passage and 1 minute to answer a question.<\/p>\n Reading Comprehension questions require strategic reading and paraphrasing skills.<\/p>\n \nA pioneering figure in modern sociology, French social theorist Emile\u00a0Durkheim examined the effect of societal cohesion on emotional well-being.\u00a0Believing that scientific methods should be applied to the study of society,\u00a0Durkheim studied the levels of integration in various social formations\u00a0and the impact that such cohesion had on individuals within the group. He\u00a0postulated that social groups with high levels of integration serve to buffer\u00a0their members from frustrations and tragedies that could otherwise lead to\u00a0desperation and self-destruction. Integration, in Durkheim\u2019s view, generally\u00a0arises through shared activities and values. Durkheim distinguished between\u00a0mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity in classifying integrated groups.\u00a0Mechanical solidarity dominates in groups in which individual differences\u00a0are minimized and group devotion to a common goal is high.<\/p>\n Durkheim\u00a0identified mechanical solidarity among groups with little division of labor\u00a0and high degrees of cultural similarity, such as among more traditional and\u00a0geographically isolated groups. Organic solidarity, in contrast, prevails in\u00a0groups with high levels of individual differences, such as those with a highly\u00a0specialized division of labor. In such groups, individual differences are a\u00a0powerful source of connection rather than of division. Because people engage\u00a0in highly differentiated ways of life, they are by necessity interdependent. In\u00a0these societies, there is greater freedom from some external controls, but such\u00a0freedom occurs in concert with the interdependence of individuals, not in\u00a0conflict with it. Durkheim realized that societies may take many forms and,\u00a0consequently, that group allegiance can manifest itself in a variety of ways. In\u00a0both types of societies outlined previously, however, Durkheim stressed that\u00a0adherence to a common set of assumptions about the world was a necessary\u00a0prerequisite for maintaining group integrity and avoiding social decay.<\/p>\n Which of the following is NOT a feature of an organic societal formation, according to Emile Durkheim?<\/strong><\/p>\n (A)\u00a0Members are buffered from individual frustration that would lead the individual to cease being a productive member of society. \n<\/div><\/div>\n Answer Explanation <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p> Choice (D) is correct.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As the author sets forth the criteria for Emile Durkheim\u2019s theory of social cohesion, he defines two models of social solidarity by introducing qualities that are common to both constructs before addressing the differences between the two. The passage concludes with a pre-requisite for social cohesion common to both models. The two models have similarities, but note that the author is contrasting them with one another.<\/p>\n This question asks which choice is NOT a feature of the organic solidarity model. Normally, you would approach this question type by researching what the passage says are features of the organic solidarity model and eliminating answers that mention them. In this case, since the passage contrasts two models of societal formation, the correct answer will likely be a feature of the opposed mechanical solidarity model.<\/p>\n The relevant text is the part of the passage that discusses the features of the two types of societal formation. Since the question asks you to find what is not common to the organic solidarity model, research the portion that defines the mechanical solidarity model as well. The author emphasizes one distinction between the models: the lack of a specialized labor force in the mechanical solidarity model versus the presence of a specialized division of labor in the organic solidarity model.<\/p>\n Apply your research to the \u201ccall\u201d of the question stem. The correct answer here is a feature not found in organic solidarity groups. Since the author highlights the organic solidarity model\u2019s highly specialized division of labor, predict that the correct answer will describe a case in which labor is not differentiated. Now, check the answers to find the choice that matches this prediction.<\/p>\n Choice (D) matches your prediction quite well. Societies that distribute labor evenly and parcel out common tasks among everyone are not using a specialized labor force. They fit the mechanical solidaritymodel, not the organic solidarity one. Choice (A) and choice (C)are found among the descriptions for both forms of Durkheim\u2019s societal formations, the first early in the paragraph and the other toward the end, so they are wrong. Within the section discussing organic solidarity societies, you can find, as part of the definition, differently worded forms of both choice (B) and choice (E).<\/p>\n <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>GRE Text Completion Questions<\/h2>
GRE Text Completion Sample Question<\/h3>
\n(A) lucre
\n(B) penury
\n(C) avarice<\/p>\n
\n(D) adumbration
\n(E) aggrandizement
\n(F) abnegation<\/p>\n
\nThis sentence makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGRE Sentence Equivalence Questions<\/h2>
Sentence Equivalence Sample Question<\/h3>
\n[B] exuberantly
\n[C] willfully
\n[D] grudgingly
\n[E] candidly
\n[F] timidly<\/p>\n
\nThe blank will be an adverb that describes \u201cacquiesced,\u201d which means to \u201cgive in\u201d or \u201crelent.\u201d Since you\u2019re looking for a word that shows Cora being uncharacteristically reticent, a good prediction is reluctantly.<\/p>\nGRE Reading Comprehension Questions<\/h2>
GRE Reading Comprehension Sample Question<\/h3>
\n(B)\u00a0Citizens operate independently in their daily lives, but toward a common overall goal.
\n(C)\u00a0Each person must come to accept a series of assumptions that form a collective worldview shared by the formation.
\n(D)\u00a0Workers have an even division of labor and share the work of common tasks.
\n(E) Individual differences are celebrated, and have a strengthening effect on the society.<\/p>\n
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