Three-Blank Texts - GRE Verbal

From context you know that the subject had to win over his workmates. This suggests what they previously considered him to be was negative and perhaps related to insincerity, it also tells you that the subjects sincerity must have been genuine. So the correct answers are “artless” (without deception, genuine); “hackneyed” (unoriginal and trite); “spurious” (false, fake). To provide additional help, “blatant” means obvious; “somber” means serious and sad; “lachrymose” means constantly crying; “boorish” means not interesting; “caustic” means harsh, severe; “pecuniary” means related to money; “hollow” means empty, meaningless; “craven” means cowardly; “inchoate” means immature, not developed; “belligerent” and “hawkish” both mean warmongering, aggressive; “despotic” means autocratic, tyrannical, ruling without challenge.

You are told that the falling apart house is in stark contrast to the mansion across the street. So the house must be “dilapidated” (in a state of disrepair, falling apart) and the mansion must be the opposite. This means the mansion is “ostentatious” (fancy, showy) and “extravagant” (luxurious). To provide additional help, “deleterious” means harmful; “beneficial” means helpful; “doggerel” means a poem with an irregular rhythm; “convivial” means friendly and lively; “outlandish” means bizarre and unorthodox; “irresolute” means uncertain; “mettlesome” means full of courage; “circumspect” means careful and wary; “assiduous” means diligent, attentive; “consummate” means accomplished; “immutable” means not changeable.

The best clue for starting this sentence is the fact that the second and third blanks are opposed to each other. The old woman seems to have noted something in the young man's attitude that is positive (to be encouraged, at least). The young man also seems to have a certain attitude regarding difficulties. When something is "insuperable" it is unable to be overcome. (The prefix "in-" here means not, and "super" generally means over or over top of.) When someone has a "sanguine" attitude, he or she is very optimistic. Thus, a sanguine person is not too likely to think that many difficulties will be insuperable. The old woman's advice was likely offered out of kindness, so it is understandably referred to as being "benevolent" or coming from a good will.

From context it is clear that the author of this sentence has strong feelings about banks; it is not clear what the nature of those feelings are, so you have to try to see which three words fit together logically. The correct answer is, therefore, "indignation" (anger at a perceived injustice, umbrage); "exorbiant" (excessively costly); "eschewing" (abstaining from). To provide additional help, “mendacity” means untruthfulness, dishonesty; “cumbersome” means heavy, a burden; “espousing” means declaring; “credulity” means a tendency to believe everything; “wanton” means random; “delineating” means making a list of; “indulgence” means allowing oneself to gratify a desire; “halcyon” means happy, idyllic, a period of time in the past that was carefree; “jettisoning” means getting rid of; “zealotry” is passion, uncompromising and intense belief in some dogma; “miniscule” means tiny; “remedying” means fixing.

The final blank of this sentence is probably the best place to start with this question. The methodology described is that of using etymologies, which are the historical origins of a given word. (This was, in fact, the method followed by Isidore of Seville in his aptly named Etymologiae.) For the second blank, notice that the sentence says that the various topics were gathered brought "into a single text." The word that most quickly comes to mind is "gathered." While this is not an option, "collated" is, for it means to collect or gather together. It literally comes from the roots "col-," meaning with or together, and "-late," which here means to bring. (There is an etymology for you, too!) Such a work likely is comprehensive or, as is an option here, "exhaustive."

The last blank of the sentence may be the simplest to fill in first. The scholar is known for writing on issues that are either large-scale or what seems to be contrasted to this, namely "small-scale." The word "minute" is not the same as the time measurement (i.e. minutes vs. hours). "Minute," in this context, means small. Thus, he wrote on minute, detailed topics as well as large-scale investigations. For such work, he was likely known for his vast learning and erudition. This does not mean he was known for his education or even his brilliance. "Erudition" describes having attained an impressive degree of learning and scholarship. Finally, we can guess that he has written many articles. (This is hinted at by the fact that he wrote "on many issues.") It is quite reasonable to describe these articles as being "innumerable."

The options given for this question contain many tempting, but ultimately less correct, answers. A "novice" is someone who is new to a given field or position, as is a "greenhorn." A "charlatan" is someone who lies in claiming to have a given set of skills or knowledge. One could very easily convince oneself that these sets are correct; however, the best hint for the answer is the "superficial grasp." A "dilettante" is specifically a person who gathers together various forms of knowledge without any interest in going deeply into the details. We might call such a person a "dabbler." He or she would accumulate knowledge on a variety of topics. "Sundry" means of several kinds or, merely_, various._

The clearest clue in this sentence is the fact that the first and the third blanks are opposed to each other. This is indicated by the use of "however" in the second independent clause. Likewise, the description of the old man given in the second blank is likely to be related to the word chosen for the third. The words "trite" and "perceptive" are well opposed to each other. Something "cursory" is made in passing, often with little thought. (It is related to the Latin word for to run, "currere," which we find in other words like "current" and "course." Something "cursory" just "runs by" in discussion and perception—missing the details.) A "perceptive" remark is one that truly notes the details involved in the matter at hand. Thus, "perceptive" is a good word to oppose to "cursory." Finally, someone who is perceptive is likely wise. The word "sage" can describe a person who is wise—either as a noun or an adjective.

"Abstemious" means moderate and responsible in one's eating and drinking, a "comestible" is a foodstuff, and "salubrity" is promoting healthful, energetic behavior.

The use of a semicolon is a clue that the two clauses will have similar and complementary themes.

In this sentence, the first and second blanks are clearly contrasted to each other. In addition, the final subordinate clause gives us a description of the events hosted by Nigel, thus also hinting at his personality. If he invited many neighbors to events, it can be inferred that he liked their company—at least from what we know in this sentence. Thus, he was likely a sociable person. Someone who is "gregarious" is just that—an interesting word coming from the Latin for a flock (e.g. of sheep) or herd. In contrast to this, a "curmudgeon" is an unpleasant person (likely also implying that such a person is not sociable, at least for our purposes closely enough). Finally, it is quite fine to describe these events as "communal," for the general idea is that Nigel is actually a rather friendly person who likes gatherings. Thus, the sentence draws attention to the communal nature of the events.

The best clue for this sentence is that the younger colleague's essay is said to be "little more than a patchwork of sources." This hints that the younger colleague merely gathered together a bunch of sources without doing sufficient work to order or connect them together. Such an approach can be called "eclectic," which means drawn from various sources. This is the best option for this sentence. (While the work might have been poor, we are not 100% guaranteed of that from our context clues.) The work seems to have lacked internal cohesion or unity. Thus, it is understandably called "disunified." In contrast to this, a "systematic" approach is one that follows a careful plan. This is an acceptable contrast to the "eclectic" method mentioned in the case of the younger colleague.

The general idea of the sentence is that it is often simpler to avoid disagreement completely rather than to choose topics that could possibly be disagreeable to someone in a large group. An "anodyne" remark is chosen to be very inoffensive. "Peculiar" things are ones that are unique to a given person, group, or object. Finally, someone chooses to make such anodyne remarks in contrast to the much more difficult task of making carefully chosen, but substantive, remarks that will be acceptable to all. Such latter attempts would require careful balancing. That is, they would require deft action, meaning quite clever and (metaphorically speaking) nimble action.

Clearly, Eggbert has a very upbeat personality, and Wilbert's personality is negative and depressive. We see at the end of the sentence that Eggbert had an "exceedingly optimistic disposition." When something is "saccharine," it is o_verly sweet_—often describing an overly optimistic personality. The contrast is clearly between being depressive and being so very positive. For this reason, the best pair of words for the second and the third blanks are "melancholic" and "doleful." A "melancholic" person is someone who is generally sad. A "doleful" remark is one that expresses sorrow.

It is important to note that the elders in question were able to serve as examples of virtue and success. This means that they not only succeeded in overcoming their difficulties but likely managed to do very well in life after that. Hence, the best pair for the second and third blanks are "overcome" and "flourishing." This, of course, indicates that they were well respected. To "venerate" someone is to hold him or her in high esteem. Often related words are used in the context of religion, as when someone "venerates" a statue.

Concerning the first blank: The context clues for this word are in the first clause, where the text indicates that the doctor's handwriting was impossible to read. Thus, in context, "inscrutable" (unable to be understood) makes much more sense than "remonstrate" (to protest and complain to someone).

Concerning the second blank: In this sentence, we have a situation: the doctor's handwriting could not be read. And then, we have a consequence: the pharmacist nearly killed someone, and the doctor was forced to do something. Therefore, "theretofore" (up until that point or beforehand) makes no sense in context, as this is a "cause, effect" sentence, not "effect, cause" sentence. Thus, "as a result" is the correct choice.

Concerning the third blank: As a result of a doctor's bad handwriting, a patient almost died. Thus, you can conclude that the doctor was ordered to not write poorly anymore. Keeping that in mind, you have "careen" (move while swaying in an unstable fashion) and "improve" (get better). Thus, the doctor was likely ordered to improve, not continue moving uncontrollably (perhaps his hand had originally careened?).

The clues here lead us to see that Peter has in mind several options that are short-term. While these solutions do not provide the final solution to his long-term goals, they do contribute to the accomplishment of such things. From the structure of the sentence, we can see that the first and the third blanks must be filled with words that are relatively similar in meaning. "Intermediary" and "temporary" are not exactly the same, but things that are only "in the middle" (i.e. intermediary) are not generally meant to last for the long-term. The general idea is that as time passes, these temporary solutions can set the stage for greater, more durable things in the future.

The closest incorrect answer is "gelatinous . . . puddles . . . encircle"; however, such gelatinous matter would not make "puddles." Clearly, however, the oatmeal is some kind of thick material. This is indicated by the clue latent in the language that states that it fell "reluctantly from the ladle" as well the explicit word "thick" used in the sentence. The word "viscous" describes a thick material that is neither fully solid nor liquid in its general characteristics. The related word "viscosity" represents a measure of such thickness. Such matter certainly would fall into little globules into the bowl.

A number of these possible answers do have a correct word (or set of words) for the second blank. This needs to be something like "colder" or "brisker." However, the key blank is the first. It clearly needs to be opposed to the word "literally." The point is that most people use words in ways that are not literal, even when they say they are speaking "literally." A metaphorical use of a word is one that is extended, as when we say that the glass is "sweating" when what is really occurring is condensation. The last blank, likewise, is quite obviously something like "initially" or "originally."

The best first clue for this sentence is the clause "expressing his passing thoughts with little hesitation." This means that Robert apparently did talk about his views. To "opine" on something is to express one's opinion on the matter, even if one is not certain of the truth of the matter. (This is the nature of opinion.) It seems that he would express thoughts in just this way. Thus, it seems that he does not have any really "set" beliefs. Hence, "settled" is good—though "certain" and, perhaps, even "dogmatic" both could work if the other words were well-combined with them (though they are not). Since Robert's friends are described as being reticent and conservative, they likely do not express matters of opinion this freely. (Note, this has nothing to do with conservatism in the political sense but instead with the general temperamental outlook of being cautious about new things.) Such people would be disconcerted by his opining, and this would lead to feelings of anxiety or consternation.