GRE Verbal Reasoning Quiz: Nuance Connotation Text Completion

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

The professor's feedback on the thesis was far from (i) ; rather than merely pointing out typos, she offered (ii)  critiques that forced the student to rethink his entire argument.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Despite the meteorologist's (i)  warnings about the storm's potential to cause widespread flooding and power outages, most residents remained (ii) , assuming, as in past years, that the forecast was needlessly exaggerated.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Economists who once dismissed the policy as (i) , certain it would collapse under its own contradictions, have grown noticeably (ii)  as unemployment figures have defied every prediction of disaster.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Though the reviewer's tone was ostensibly (i) , praising the novel's ambition and scope, her subsequent remarks about the author's "tedious" prose revealed a more (ii)  assessment lurking beneath the surface.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

The ambassador's statement was calculated to be (i)  enough to reassure both governments that war was not imminent, yet (ii)  enough that neither side could claim she had committed her country to anything specific.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Critics often mistake the novelist's spare, unadorned prose for (i) , failing to notice that beneath its surface simplicity lies a (ii)  structure of recurring motifs and buried allusions.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Maria's compliments to her rival struck most listeners as (i) , since her tone and timing suggested she meant the opposite of what she said; only the rival herself took the praise (ii) .

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

The senator's blunt remarks were hailed by supporters as admirably (i)  but condemned by opponents as dangerously (ii) , even though both camps agreed on what she had actually said.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

Unlike her predecessor, whose management style was notoriously (i) , constantly second-guessing every decision employees made, the new director proved refreshingly (ii) , trusting her staff to complete projects without interference.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F.

The research team's initial findings were (i) , hinting at a breakthrough, but subsequent replication attempts proved so (ii)  that most colleagues now regard the original claim with considerable skepticism.

Read in a flat monotone and lasting under a minute, the CEO's   apology convinced few that the company felt real remorse.

In the sentence "Her studied indifference to the award fooled no one," the word "studied" most nearly means

Select the word that best completes the sentence. What admirers praised as his self-assurance, critics dismissed as mere  .

In the sentence "The critic's review was pointed but never cruel," the word "pointed" most nearly means

In "Far from a dilettante, she was an assiduous scholar of medieval law," how does "assiduous" relate to "dilettante"?

In the sentence "The senator's remarks were calculated to soothe, not inform," the word "calculated" most nearly means

In "The child was curious, never nosy," how does "nosy" differ from "curious"?

In "The critic's praise was so fulsome that the author suspected mockery," "fulsome" most nearly means

In the sentence "Her prose is spare but never thin," the word "spare" most nearly means

The memoir's account of loss is   rather than maudlin: it admits grief plainly but never lingers to wring sympathy from the reader.