GRE Verbal Reasoning
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GRE Verbal › GRE Verbal Reasoning
Although the stadium had been filled with a(n) of voices and sounds, it was now stilled to a(n) . The people stood with mouths silent and as the lightning struck multiple times on the field.
cacophony . . . hush . . . agape
crowd . . . din . . . amazed
blather . . . whisper . . . teeming
elation . . . murmur . . . horrified
mixture . . . mumble . . . kinetic
Explanation
This whole sentence indicates that the stadium was filled with sound but then became "silent." It is key to note this word, for the stadium did not merely become quiet. Thus, options like "whisper," "murmur," and "mumble" are not acceptable for our purposes. If the people's mouths were silent, they were either closed or open without making a sound. To be "agape" is to be hanging open, often in amazement. This works well. To be "stilled to a hush" means to be brought to absolute silence. Finally, a "cacophony" is a loud and unpleasant mixture of sounds—a situation which seems to be well described regarding the initial state of the stadium.
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The Pope decided to the martyrs who refused at gunpoint to their faith.
canonize . . . abjure
glorify . . . abate
bless . . . eschew
regale . . . repudiate
exculpate . . . renounce
Explanation
The answer choice with “eschew” might look reasonable. Given the context, however, it doesn’t quite fit that the martyrs were told shun their faith, the way you might avoid something morally wrong. “Exculpate” means to pardon, which could make sense if the martyrs had done something against church doctrine in the past. “Canonize” in this case means to declare a dead person to be a saint, and “abjure” means to swear off. These two form the correct answer.
My neighbor's well-behaved, son displayed his patience and while he sat still amidst the chaos, refusing to wander and about.
Stoic . . . Compliance . . . Ramble
Irritable . . . Cunning . . . Garrison
Erudite . . . Gravitas . . . Curtail
Fleeting . . . Apathy . . . Emigrate
Wizened . . . Ignominy . . . Appropriate
Explanation
You are told that the neighbor's son is "well-behaved" and shows "patience." From this information it is reasonable to conclude that the son could be described as "stoic" meaning calm, not emotional, impassive. Further, if the son is demonstrating his patience it makes sense that he is also demonstrating "compliance" or obedience, by not running around and disrupting his parent. Finally, the last blank is clearly related to running around heedlessly, so the correct answer is "ramble." To provide additional help, "irritable" means easily annoyed; "garrison" refers to troops stationed in a fort to protect it; "erudite" means well-educated, scholarly; "gravitas" means dignity; "curtail" means reduce in impact; "fleeting" means not lasting very long; "emigrate" means move to a new country; "apathy" means not caring; "wizened" means_ancient, very old_; "ignominy" means shame, disgrace; "appropriate" (when used as a verb) means take something not belonging to you and refit it to fit your need.
Often a person who is a mere can appear to have a vast of knowledge when he or she has a merely superficial grasp of topics.
dilettante . . . accumulation . . . sundry
charlatan . . . scholarship . . . trivial
novice . . . collection . . . ordinary
greenhorn . . . repertoire . . . recurrent
perjurer . . . assimilation . . . elementary
Explanation
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._
Often a person who is a mere can appear to have a vast of knowledge when he or she has a merely superficial grasp of topics.
dilettante . . . accumulation . . . sundry
charlatan . . . scholarship . . . trivial
novice . . . collection . . . ordinary
greenhorn . . . repertoire . . . recurrent
perjurer . . . assimilation . . . elementary
Explanation
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._
"Poetry and Philosophy" by Justin Bailey
As the logical positivism rose to ascendancy, poetic language was increasingly seen as merely emotive. Wittgenstein’s influential Tractatus argued that only language corresponding to observable states of affairs in the world was meaningful, thus ruling out the value of imaginative language in saying anything about the world. Poetry’s contribution was rather that it showed what could not be said, a layer of reality which Wittgenstein called the “mystical.” Despite Wittgenstein’s interest in the mystical value of poetry, his successors abandoned the mystical as a meaningful category, exiling poetry in a sort of no man’s land where its only power to move came through the empathy of shared feeling.
Yet some thinkers, like Martin Heidegger, reacted strongly to the pretensions of an instrumental theory of knowledge to make sense of the world. Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur all gave central value to poetry in their philosophical method; signifying a growing sense among continental thinkers that poetic knowing was an important key to recovering some vital way of talking about and experiencing the world that had been lost.
The author is primarily concerned with .
describing the mainstream marginalization of poetry among philosophers of a certain period before noting significant exceptions
arguing that given the current trajectory of philosophy, poetry will soon no longer be studied in mainstream society
enumerating the reasons why Wittgenstein and his successors were misguided in their philosophical approach
explaining various theories of why poetic language has the power to move the human spirit
exploring the contribution of philosophy to discussions of poetic method and appreciation
Explanation
The first paragraph states the main argument, which can be gleaned from the first and last sentence of the paragraph. The second paragraph introduces a contrast with the word "yet" and then proceeds to enumerate three examples of philosophers who made poetry a part of their philosophical method.
"A Short History of Recent Zoos" by Will Floyd
Throughout the twentieth century, zoos underwent large-scale transformations. Before World War I, zoos were small parts of larger municipal parks, and featured sparse cages with little room for their inhabitants. This model held sway until mid-century, with many zoos struggling to remain open during the Great Depression and World War II. The successful zoos survived through making themselves cheap family entertainment. In the 1960s, zoos began to change in drastic ways. With the growing strength of environmental and animal rights movements, the public clamored for more naturalistic and spacious environments in which the animals could live.
The most emblematic of these transformations was the development of the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1966, the cramped and antiquated zoo used grants from the city government to move to a brand-new facility. Although the zoo moved just two miles away, the new location was exponentially bigger, and it featured fresh landscapes that resembled the animals’ natural habitats, instead of dilapidated cages. As the Los Angeles Zoo developed, it was able to work on preservation and conservation efforts for endangered species. New educational programs also became key elements of the Zoo’s mission. Now the old Zoo’s cages stand as ruins and reminders of what past generations saw when they visited years ago.
The author would suggest a new zoo should .
focus on conservation, preservation, and educational programs
look like pre-World War II zoos
not consult environmentalists or animal rights activists
ignore the desires of the public
build only sparse cages with few extra environments for the animals
Explanation
The author's main point throughout the passage is that zoos have changed for the better by becoming bigger, with more naturalistic environments, and through a focus on various kinds of programs. In particular, the author highlights the Los Angeles Zoo's conservation, preservation, and educational programs. It is safe to presume that the author views these as key elements of a modern zoo.
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The scientist's theories initially seemed at best, as there existed little evidence to support them; however, later advances in her field her claims and she received many for her work.
tenuous . . . corroborated . . . accolades
esoteric . . . disparaged . . . harangues
ambiguous . . . vindicated . . . elegies
empirical . . . bolstered . . . panegyrics
spurious . . . enervated . . . encomiums
Explanation
We know that initially, not a lot of evidence supported the scientist's theories. We know the word for the first blank is a adjective with a negative connotation because of the phrase "at best" that follows it; from these context clues, we can select "ambiguous," "esoteric," and "tenuous" as possible choices. For the second blank, we need a word similar to "confirmed," so "corroborated" and "vindicated" are both suitable choices. For the final blank, we need to choose between "accolades" (a wards granted as acknowledgments of merit) and "elegies" (laments for the dead), and "accolades" is the best choice. So, the correct answer is "tenuous . . . corroborated . . . accolades."
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Authoritarian regimes often lead to a in civic spirit. Although they often begin by the people to high-spirited patriotism, they often end by creating wholly cynical citizens.
waxing . . . leading
decline . . . inciting
coup . . . deceiving
increase . . . inviting
waning . . . discouraging
Explanation
The key phrase is "although . . ." and the sense of the juxtaposition is completed by "they often end by creating wholly cynical citizens." The sense is that the regimes begin by making the citizens very engaged, but they end in destroying this civic involvement; therefore, we can immediately eliminate "increase . . . inviting", "coup . . . deceiving," "waxing . . . leading", and "waning . . . discouraging." The best fit is "decline . . . inciting" because it captures the sense of the loss of spirit as well as its initial inspiration (even if through incitement).
"A Short History of Recent Zoos" by Will Floyd
Throughout the twentieth century, zoos underwent large-scale transformations. Before World War I, zoos were small parts of larger municipal parks, and featured sparse cages with little room for their inhabitants. This model held sway until mid-century, with many zoos struggling to remain open during the Great Depression and World War II. The successful zoos survived through making themselves cheap family entertainment. In the 1960s, zoos began to change in drastic ways. With the growing strength of environmental and animal rights movements, the public clamored for more naturalistic and spacious environments in which the animals could live.
The most emblematic of these transformations was the development of the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1966, the cramped and antiquated zoo used grants from the city government to move to a brand-new facility. Although the zoo moved just two miles away, the new location was exponentially bigger, and it featured fresh landscapes that resembled the animals’ natural habitats, instead of dilapidated cages. As the Los Angeles Zoo developed, it was able to work on preservation and conservation efforts for endangered species. New educational programs also became key elements of the Zoo’s mission. Now the old Zoo’s cages stand as ruins and reminders of what past generations saw when they visited years ago.
The author would suggest a new zoo should .
focus on conservation, preservation, and educational programs
look like pre-World War II zoos
not consult environmentalists or animal rights activists
ignore the desires of the public
build only sparse cages with few extra environments for the animals
Explanation
The author's main point throughout the passage is that zoos have changed for the better by becoming bigger, with more naturalistic environments, and through a focus on various kinds of programs. In particular, the author highlights the Los Angeles Zoo's conservation, preservation, and educational programs. It is safe to presume that the author views these as key elements of a modern zoo.