Nouns in One-Blank Texts - GRE Verbal

Card 0 of 2597

Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Opera singers must endure years of training in order to achieve the correct __________ in Italian, French, German, and Russian.

Answer

Given that opera singers must perform in several different languages, inflection is important. In this sentence, “inflection” refers to the rising and falling tones of a word in speech or song.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

They searched the library for hours, but there was a(n)__________ of informative literature on metallurgy.

Answer

"Dearth" means a lack or an absence of. Since the second phrase begins with “but,” the word in the blank must indicate a meaning counter to the expectation of finding a lot of information that was set up in the first phrase.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

When his friend described the skyscraper as “reaching all the way to outer space,” John suspected he was using __________.

Answer

His friend is using an exaggeration to describe the building, and hyperbole is this kind of stretching the truth.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Having labored for hours in the sweltering heat, the exhausted porter looked forward to his __________ and the cool beverage he would buy with it.

Answer

The word that fills in the blank must be something with which the exhausted porter can buy a cool beverage. "Remuneration," meaning payment, is the only word that satisfies that requirement. "Reprieve" and "respite" are short intervals of relief, while "abasement" is humiliation and "parity" is equality.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Fearful of being accused of __________, the student was very careful to cite all of her sources.

Answer

The word that fills in the blank must meet two requirements: 1) It must be something of which the student fears being accused, and 2) it must be a fear that proper citation allays. The fear of being accused of "plagiarism" (the fear of being accused of unethically taking credit for someone else’s work) can be reduced by proper citation.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

While translating Pablo Neruda’s stirring poem from Spanish to English, Javier struggled to recreate the __________ of the great poet’s original words.

Answer

The word that fills in the blank must be faithful to the sentence’s original assertion that Pablo Neruda’s poem is "stirring," and therefore not "monotonous" or "listless." Because translators cannot recreate "renown" or "disparity," Javier struggled to recreate the "nuances," the subtleties, of the original poem in English.

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Question

Fill in the blank with the best answer.

The company's move to allow more employees to work from their homes, although supported by many, will increase individual production while reducing workers' _________ with peers.

Answer

"Synergy" means combined action. "Emolument" is the money paid for services; the passage does not provide any evidence that work-at-home employees will be paid less.

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Question

Fill in the blank with the best answer.

Although some see Nostradamus as offering valid _________, his critics believe many of his prophecies were explained after the event.

Answer

"Augury" refers to a predicted event or an omen. Nostradamus could have written anecdotes or stories, but that word doesn't fit within the context of the sentence, which is referring to prophecies.

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Question

Instead of being generous and gracious, his speech became a ___________ against his opponent.

Answer

The speech is defined as not being "generous and gracious." The correct answer, then, should mean an angry or even nasty speech, which is the definition of "rant."

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Question

Many have thought the period from 400–1400 AD as one of a lone period of barbarism and . This view neglects the fact that this time period features two pivotal revivals of learning—the so-called "Carolingian Renaissance" and the "Renaissance of the 12th century."

Answer

None of the answers to this question are ideal; however, the sense of the second sentence indicates that it is a question of "learning." Perhaps the most tempting words are "stupor" or "indolence." The first, however, deals with a state of being dazed, not necessarily lack of intellectual acumen. The latter indicates laziness. The closest word on the list would be "stultification," which can mean the process of making of one become stupid.

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Question

When considering an argument, it is necessary to know its . You must know both from whence it has proceeded and whither it is going.

Answer

The key word in the second sentence is "both." It is particularly tempting to choose "premises," "conclusions," or "implications;" However, these do not deal two cases—a "both" fulfilling the "whence" and "whither." The only word that really fits that is "termini" —as strange as it might seem in this context.

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Question

The novelist crafted his newest work around correspondence between the protagonist and his wife, finding ___________ to reveal particular features of his characters.

Answer

The use of "correspondence" indicates the main storytelling device in the novel is a series of letters. Epistle is simply another word for letter, and is the correct answer.

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Question

The professor's new calculations of the earth's age was seen as a major ___________ in the scientific community, ostracizing him from his peers.

Answer

The fact that the professor was ostracized means his calculations were at the very least controversial and against the prevailing thought of the scientific community. Breakthrough and achievement do not have the kind of disagreement indicated in the sentence, while restoration and reformation do not convey the appropriate level of hatred for the professor's ideas.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted into the sentence, best completes the sentence.

The holiday could not come quickly enough for the CEO, who needed a __________ from his hectic work schedule.

Answer

The fact that he needed a holiday indicates what the CEO needed was a rest. While "renewal" and "reenergizing" might look potentially correct, they do not make sense when followed by "from his hectic work schedule." Of the given answer choices, only "respite," meaning a break during which one can rest, works appropriately in context with the mention of a "holiday" and the CEO's "hectic work schedule."

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Question

The actor's unplanned and unannounced _____________ from the film set left the producers wondering where he went.

Answer

The fact the producers of the film did not know where the actor went indicate he had gone somewhere. Hiatus, meaning a pause or leave of absence, fits best in the context of the sentence.

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Question

Underestimated by her teachers, the kindergartner showed surprising _____________ on her intelligence test.

Answer

The two words that give the best context for the sentence are "intelligence" and "underestimated." Both words indicate the kindergartner showed smarts and ability beyond her teachers assumptions. Only acuity, meaning "mental sharpness," fits the appropriate meaning.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

While the boy thought he was letting the group of girls know about his accomplishments, his arrogance made him seem like a __________.

Answer

The best word to understand the context for the answer choice is "arrogance," which limits the answer choices. The correct choice needs to indicate arrogance and a tendency to talk too much, ruling out every answer choice but "braggart."

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Question

Travelling from one town to the next, Jason felt more like a than a citizen of any one locale.

Answer

The sense that fits the blank is that Jason feels like a person that is unrooted from any single place. It might be tempting to imagine that such a person is a rascal, a miscreant, or perhaps even a beggar; however, these words do not capture the sense of being unrooted as much as effects often following on that. The same goes for "stranger," though in a slightly more removed way; therefore, the word that makes the most sense is "migrant."

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The captain's attempt to __________ the mutiny was unsuccessful, and his crew placed him in a rowboat and sailed away.

Answer

The second clause of the sentence indicates the mutiny was accomplished, so the captain unsuccessfully tried to stop the mutiny. Of all the answer choices, only "thwart," meaning prevent or frustrate something, carries the correct meaning.

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Question

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Although the police never found any stolen property in his home, they were convinced the man had been committing __________ for years.

Answer

The phrase "stolen property" is the best clue in the sentence. While all the answer choices are some kind of crime, only "larceny" means robbery or theft, which correctly completes the sentence.

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