Practice Text Completion questions for the Graduate Record Examinations. Every question includes a full explanation of why the correct answer is right and why the tempting distractors are wrong.
14 questions available · medium difficulty · GRE · Free, no registration required
10 example questions with full explanations. Use the interactive practice above to work through the complete set.
Question 1hard
Philosophers who characterize Spinoza's God as a straightforwardly atheistic concept — a mere synonym for Nature, drained of all theological content — arguably commit the same interpretive error as those who read him as a conventional theist: both camps mistake a _______ system for a simple one, forcing its careful ambiguities into whichever binary they arrived with.
- A.recondite
- B.syncretic
- C.polysemous✓
- D.antinomian
Correct answer: C
The passage argues that both atheistic and theistic readers err by resolving Spinoza's 'careful ambiguities' into a fixed binary, implying his system sustains multiple, simultaneous meanings rather than collapsing into one. 'Polysemous' (capable of bearing many meanings or interpretations) directly names this property and explains why imposing either reading is reductive. 'Recondite' (obscure, known to few) might describe Spinoza's difficulty but does not explain why opposing readers both fail — a merely obscure system would simply be misread by one camp, not symmetrically distorted by two. 'Syncretic' (blending different traditions) implies a fusion of existing positions, which mischaracterizes the passage's claim about irreducible ambiguity. 'Antinomian' (rejecting established law or morality) is contextually irrelevant to the epistemological point being made.
Question 2hard
Early reviewers praised the novel's emotional power while faulting its structural looseness; subsequent scholarship, however, has argued that what first appeared to be _______ is in fact a sophisticated formal strategy, the apparent disorder deliberately mirroring the protagonist's fracturing interiority.
- A.bathos
- B.solecism
- C.prolixity
- D.incoherence✓
Correct answer: D
The passage sets up a revaluation: what early readers read as a structural flaw is reinterpreted by later scholars as intentional form. The blank must name whatever flaw the early readers saw — specifically, a flaw related to structure and 'looseness,' as stated in the first clause. 'Incoherence' (lack of logical or structural connection) directly maps to 'structural looseness' and is the quality reframed as a mirror of the protagonist's 'fracturing interiority,' making the thematic logic exact. 'Bathos' refers to an abrupt, jarring drop in tone or emotional register — a tonal flaw, not a structural one, and therefore mismatched with 'looseness.' 'Solecism' denotes a grammatical or social impropriety, far too local and syntactic to describe the macro-level structural critique the passage discusses. 'Prolixity' means excessive wordiness, which is a different flaw from structural incoherence and would not be elegantly reinterpreted as mirroring a fractured mind.
Question 3medium
Despite her long-standing reputation as a _______ negotiator who never yielded an inch at the bargaining table, Ambassador Reyes shocked observers by accepting the opposition's terms without a single objection. Select all that apply — which words correctly fill the blank?
- A.intransigent✓
- B.obdurate✓
- C.tractable
- D.implacable✓
- E.compliant
Correct answer: A, B, D
The contrast clue is the pivot phrase 'Despite her long-standing reputation' paired with 'shocked observers by accepting without a single objection.' The blank must describe someone known for stubbornness or inflexibility. Intransigent (refusing to compromise), obdurate (stubbornly resistant), and implacable (unable to be appeased or pacified) all convey this quality and create the necessary contrast. Tractable means easily managed or compliant, and compliant means willing to yield — both are the opposite of what the contrast structure demands, so C and E are incorrect.
Question 4medium
Ironically, the economist who had spent decades advocating for _______ government spending — warning in book after book that deficit financing would destabilize future generations — left office having approved the largest peacetime expansion of public debt in the nation's history. Select all that apply — which words correctly fill the blank?
- A.restrained✓
- B.profligate
- C.prudent✓
- D.austere✓
- E.expansive
Correct answer: A, C, D
The pivot word 'ironically' signals that the blank must be the opposite of what the economist ultimately did (approved massive debt expansion). The blank therefore requires a word meaning fiscally disciplined or conservative. Restrained (limited, controlled), prudent (wisely cautious), and austere (strictly economical) all create the necessary ironic contrast with 'largest peacetime expansion of public debt.' Profligate means recklessly extravagant, which would align with — not contrast — the outcome, eliminating B. Expansive similarly aligns with the outcome rather than contradicting it, eliminating E. Only A, C, and D generate the irony the sentence explicitly announces.
Question 5medium
A prose stylist praised for being _______ achieves a rare economy of expression: every sentence carries substantial meaning, and nothing is wasted on ornament or redundancy. Select all that apply — which words correctly fill the blank?
- A.laconic✓
- B.terse✓
- C.prolix
- D.pithy✓
- E.verbose
Correct answer: A, B, D
The continuation clues — 'economy of expression,' 'every sentence carries substantial meaning,' 'nothing wasted on ornament' — all point to a word meaning brief yet densely meaningful. Laconic means using very few words to express much; terse means brief and to the point; pithy means concise and forcefully expressive. All three correctly fill the blank. The key nuance distinguishing them from mere 'short' is that each implies meaningful compression, which aligns with 'carries substantial meaning.' Prolix means using more words than necessary (wordy), and verbose means excessively wordy — both are antonyms of the quality described, making C and E incorrect.
Question 6medium
The following sentence contains one blank. Select all that apply — which of the following words could logically and idiomatically fill the blank without altering the grammatical correctness or intended meaning of the sentence?
"The newly appointed director sought to __________ a culture of transparency within the organization, believing that open communication would improve both morale and productivity."
Select all that apply.
- A.foster✓
- B.cultivate✓
- C.aggravate
- D.engender✓
- E.truncate
Correct answer: A, B, D
The sentence describes a director actively working to create and grow a culture of transparency, suggesting a word meaning 'to encourage, develop, or bring about.' 'Foster,' 'cultivate,' and 'engender' all collocate naturally with abstract nouns like 'culture' or 'environment' and carry the meaning of nurturing or producing something desired — all three fit grammatically and semantically. 'Aggravate' means to worsen an existing negative condition and does not collocate with 'culture of transparency' in any supportive sense. 'Truncate' means to shorten or cut off, which is contextually and idiomatically incompatible with the sentence's intent.
Question 7medium
The following sentence contains two blanks, labeled (i) and (ii). Four answer pairs are provided below. Select all pairs that would produce a logically coherent and grammatically correct sentence.
"The philosopher's early essays were marked by a tone that was (i) __________, full of bold declarations and sweeping generalizations; her later work, by contrast, became increasingly (ii) __________, characterized by careful qualification and measured conclusions."
Select all that apply.
- A.(i) assertive / (ii) circumspect✓
- B.(i) dogmatic / (ii) tentative✓
- C.(i) polemical / (ii) nuanced✓
- D.(i) reticent / (ii) expansive
Correct answer: A, B, C
The sentence establishes a clear contrast via 'by contrast': the early work is characterized by bold, sweeping declarations while the later work involves careful qualification and measured conclusions. Pairs A, B, and C all respect this opposing relationship — each first blank describes confident, forceful, or absolute expression (assertive, dogmatic, polemical), while each second blank describes cautious or carefully hedged expression (circumspect, tentative, nuanced). Pair D inverts the relationship: 'reticent' means reluctant to speak or restrained, which contradicts the clue 'bold declarations,' and 'expansive' means broad and unreserved, which contradicts 'careful qualification.' Pair D is therefore logically inconsistent with the passage structure.
Question 8medium
The following sentence contains one blank. Select all words that would be both contextually appropriate and idiomatically natural in standard academic English.
"The scientist's refusal to publish her findings until they had been independently verified struck her colleagues as overly cautious, yet it ultimately __________ her reputation when the original data proved sound beyond any reasonable doubt."
Select all that apply.
- A.vindicated✓
- B.cemented✓
- C.validated✓
- D.impugned
- E.galvanized
Correct answer: A, B, C
The sentence establishes that the scientist's caution, initially criticized, was ultimately rewarded when her data proved sound — the blank must convey that her reputation was positively affirmed or strengthened. 'Vindicated' (cleared of doubt or suspicion), 'cemented' (solidified or made permanent), and 'validated' (confirmed or corroborated) all collocate naturally with 'reputation' in academic prose and carry the appropriate positive sense. 'Impugned' means to call into question or attack, which is the opposite of the meaning required by context. 'Galvanize' typically means to shock or stimulate someone into action and does not idiomatically collocate with 'reputation' in this way — one galvanizes people or efforts, not reputations.
Question 9easy
The museum curator was known for her __________ approach to acquiring new works: she evaluated each piece not only for its aesthetic merit but also for its cultural and historical significance before making any recommendation to the board.
Select the word that best completes the sentence.
- A.methodical✓
- B.impulsive
- C.indifferent
- D.erratic
Correct answer: A
The sentence describes a curator who carefully evaluates pieces across multiple criteria before making a recommendation, which directly supports 'methodical' (systematic and thorough). 'Impulsive' and 'erratic' both imply a lack of careful planning, which contradicts the detailed evaluation process described. 'Indifferent' would mean she lacked interest, which is also contradicted by her active evaluation. 'Methodical' is the only word consistent with the deliberate, step-by-step approach outlined in the passage.
Question 10easy
Because the new employee had only a __________ understanding of the company's accounting software, her supervisor arranged for her to attend a two-week training seminar before she was assigned any independent projects.
Select the word that best completes the sentence.
- A.comprehensive
- B.rudimentary✓
- C.sophisticated
- D.authoritative
Correct answer: B
The clue is that the supervisor arranged for additional training before the employee could work independently, signaling her knowledge was insufficient. 'Rudimentary' means basic or underdeveloped, which explains why training was necessary. 'Comprehensive,' 'sophisticated,' and 'authoritative' all describe strong, well-developed knowledge, which would make the remedial training seminar unnecessary and logically inconsistent with the sentence.