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GRE Vocabulary Quiz: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence

GRE quiz · Verba Editorial ·

This original quiz practices GRE verbal logic and vocabulary without reproducing ETS questions. Predict first, then reveal each explanation.

These are Verba questions, not recalled or adapted ETS items. Read for structure before opening the choices. For Sentence Equivalence study, ask whether two options create the same completed meaning, not merely whether they resemble each other.

Question 1

Although the report was praised for its ambition, reviewers criticized the _____ of its analysis.

  1. certainty
  2. superficiality
  3. plausibility
  4. innovation
Answer and explanation

B. superficiality. Although creates a turn from praise to a criticism of limited depth.

Question 2

The new archive did not settle the debate, but it did _____ several overlooked connections.

  1. obscure
  2. invalidate
  3. illuminate
  4. worsen
Answer and explanation

C. illuminate. The archive makes the connections clearer.

Question 3

Because the policy increased the very delay it was meant to reduce, it was _____.

  1. orthodox
  2. counterproductive
  3. imperceptible
  4. conventional
Answer and explanation

B. counterproductive. The result is opposite to the policy's purpose.

Question 4

The repairs temporarily _____ the shortage, but they did not eliminate it.

  1. ameliorated
  2. diagnosed
  3. overshadowed
  4. exacerbated
Answer and explanation

A. ameliorated. The repairs made the bad situation better.

Question 5

The first experiment was too small to _____ the larger theory.

  1. enhance
  2. underscore
  3. invalidate
  4. ascertain
Answer and explanation

C. invalidate. A limited experiment cannot prove the theory unsound.

Question 6

Her method seemed _____ at first, yet later became standard practice.

  1. eccentric
  2. orthodox
  3. relentless
  4. trifling
Answer and explanation

A. eccentric. The contrast points from unusual to standard.

Question 7

The footnote does not merely repeat the claim; it _____ a limitation.

  1. obscures
  2. underscores
  3. worsens
  4. overshadows
Answer and explanation

B. underscores. The footnote emphasizes the limitation.

Question 8

The transition between the two habitats occurs so gradually as to be nearly _____.

  1. precarious
  2. imperceptible
  3. innovative
  4. orthodox
Answer and explanation

B. imperceptible. A gradual transition may be too subtle to notice.

Question 9

The evidence increased the explanation's _____ without establishing it as fact.

  1. certainty
  2. superficiality
  3. plausibility
  4. irregularity
Answer and explanation

C. plausibility. The explanation seems more reasonable but is not certain.

Question 10

The extra restrictions may _____ rather than solve the access problem.

  1. ameliorate
  2. illuminate
  3. exacerbate
  4. ascertain
Answer and explanation

C. exacerbate. The contrast with solve requires 'make worse.'

Question 11

The critic dismissed the discrepancy as _____, but the researchers treated it as important.

  1. trifling
  2. innovative
  3. relentless
  4. conventional
Answer and explanation

A. trifling. The contrast is between unimportant and important.

Question 12

The committee could not _____ whether the change caused the decline.

  1. obscure
  2. ascertain
  3. overshadow
  4. enhance
Answer and explanation

B. ascertain. The committee could not determine the cause.

Review every miss by naming the logical signal and the exact meaning boundary. Then practice the official format with ETS materials.

Sources and further reading

  1. ETS, GRE Verbal Reasoning overview
  2. ETS, GRE sample questions with explanations
  3. ETS, official GRE prep books and services

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