Two Adjectives or Adverbs in Two-Blank Texts - GRE Verbal

“Notorious” means famous, but not in a good way. “Igneous” means volcanic. “Proverbial” refers to a saying that is well known. If someone is “abstemious,” they exercise restraint in eating and drinking. “Proverbial . . . abstemious” is the correct answer.

"Rabid" works as an adjective because it provides a reason for why the dog would be foaming at the mouth. "Frightened" works as a descriptor for the veterinarian, as the following phrase alludes to his fear.

To be "gregarious" means to be social and to enjoy companionship. To be "loquacious" is to be talkative. In this case, it makes sense that a gregarious, social person would be talkative.

In this question, there are more possibilities for the blanks: the teacher can use popular themes to deliver a new curriculum, or classical themes to deliver a classical curriculum, etc. Here only "apposite" and "au courant" match with each other; "apposite" means appropriate while "au courant" refers to something up-to-date. "Canonical" and "prosaic" are valid options for the first blank, but do not have an adequate matching word for the second blank. Be careful of similar sounding words with completely different meanings: apposite / opposite, opprobrious / appropriate.

The sentence clearly is trying to contrast Sam and Isidore ("On the contrary . . ."). The sense of the sentence is that Sam is upbeat in the worst of situations, while Isidore is never able to suffer such light-hearteness in the best of times.

This immediately eliminates "amorous . . . dolorous," because "dolorous" does not fit. It really is not a matter of "maturity," so "immature . . . convivial" isn't directly spot on. "Disconsolate" means hopelessly sad, so "disconsolate . . . jovial" is out. The last two choices are the toughest: "joyful . . . uplifiting" and "jocular . . . festive." The latter is correct, because "jocular" captures the sense of joking that is indicated in the sentence about Isidore. "Joyful" is related but just a bit shy.

The sense of the blanks implies that the tasks were difficult or tiring (or something of the like). The second blank implies that such energy was not well spent (particularly because of the key word "however").

The most tempting answers are "gargantuan . . . stunning", "heroic . . . significant," and "multitude . . . surprising"; however, in both cases, the second word does not match the negative sense implied by the "however."

"Strenuous, frivolous" best captures the sense of these two blanks.

Do not be tricked by "desire" into thinking that "avaricous" is an acceptable value for the first blank. Many of the other answers are far from the mark. The clear sense of the sentence indicates that the first blank addresses the prosecutor's zeal and devotion to the case. (This could make some answers tempting, such as "untiring" or "devoted"); however, the case for "zealous" is strengthened by the meaning of "exculpatory," namely, removing the guilt from one, which fulfills the sense of the second blank describing the evidence that led to proof of the young man's innocence.

"Buoyantly, warm" is a trap to try to get you to choose a seemingly close, "practice list" word—buoyant—with "warm," luring you because of the apparent connection to the sun rays. Likewise, "ceaselessly . . . fleeting" tries to trap you into overthinking the answer. The sense of the sentence wants you to consider the calmness of the waves because of the key word "lulling;" therefore, the best answer is "placidly" (calmly) and "undulating" (moving like a wave—with the overtone of gentleness, though not necessarily).

For the first blank, it is key to note the intensification implied from the first clause to the second one. The second blank aims to describe the style of politics. If you note both of these clues, you might be tempted to choose "extravagant . . . sacrosanct"; however, "sacrosanct" really indicates holiness. Don't be tricked by this kind of surface-level proximity to "churchmen." Also, "extravagant" is a bit weak for the purpose of intensifying the notion of complexity (though it could work if no better options were available). There is a better option, however: "labyrinthine . . . ecclesiastical."

From the context, it would seem that Suzanne has a rather innocent and naïve personality. (She misses even the most well known scoundrels.) Now, we might call the liar "notable," but in this case, "forgiving" does not completely fit as well as does the correct answer. "Mendacious" does in a sense reduplicate the sense of lying, but in so doing, it strengthens the indictment against such persons. Particularly, "ingenuous" captures Suzanne's innocent and unsuspecting personality.

Several of these options are tempting. Perhaps "amorous" and "joyfully" seem to make sense, as does "tedious" and "lovingly." The key phrase, though, is "often overwhelming." This indicates that the perseverance is more than a minor affair of "pushing along;" therefore, it would be best to have a word to capture a certain tenacity in this regard. "Rapaciously" does not really fit the bill for this, but "doggedly" does. Likewise, "connubial" means related to marriage and thus fits the fact that the duties are "of" the life-long commitment. That is, they are "of a marital nature" (or at least related thereto).

The first blank emphasizes the oldness of the method, so the only answer that makes sense is "obsolete." The second blank implies that the effects are bad in some way, which is described by "deleterious." "Boorish" would be used to describe a person, not “effects."

The man most likely did not follow the rules of high etiquette, or behaved indecorously. The dinner guests, on the other hand, seem to over-value the rules of politeness, being prudish.

“Bucolic” describes ideal country living and thus doesn’t pair well with “sickly.” “Contrite” means feeling remorse. “Fallow” means left unplowed and unseeded, and “florid” means healthy red or flowery. This leaves us with “diseased . . . acarpous” as the correct answer.

The key here is to note that the young often think they can accomplish more than they actually can. For this reason, the most likely candidate, at first glance, would be "bright-eyed"; however, the option having "grandiose" for its second word is closer in that regard. The key here is to remember a (fictional) man of chivalrous idealism—Don Quixote—from whose name we derive the adjective "quixotic," meaning impractical in the pursuit of ideals. This fits just as well as "bright-eyed," if not better. Coupled with "grandiose," it makes for the correct pick.

The key phrase is the intensifying "indeed . . ." Here, the only option is "acrid," which can mean not only bitter and angry, but also sarcastic in tone. The first word, "sanctimonious," fits as well, for it indicates being showy with one's holiness—from the Latin word sanctus, whence we derive other words like "sancity" and "sanctify."

The sentence gives few clues, but it does tell us that the behavior of the teenagers upset the older women. So, the word that goes in the first blank must describe a personality trait that could potentially upset someone else; thus, we can eliminate "reticent" (rarely speaking) and "egalitarian" (fair and equal), neither of which make sense in the sentence. It is possible, though, that being "boorish" (ill-mannered and rude), "puerile" (immature), or "histrionic" (excessively dramatic) could upset someone else. Examining the remaining potential answers for the second blank describing the teenagers' behavior—"callow" (immature) "sophisticated" (complex or experienced) and "poised" (elegant)—only "callow" makes sense in the sentence, so "boorish . . . callow" is the correct answer.

The sentence explicitly notes that the two descriptions are "distinctly at odds," so the correct answer will have two words that mean opposite things. "Terse," meaning concise and to the point, and "loquacious," meaning extremely talkative, together make the best choice.

For the first choice, "chary" works best as it means careful or cautious, while "vigilant" has a different connotation, closer to watchful for danger. The second choice must mean rash, which is the definition of "impetuous."