GRE Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions Set C
Categories: GRE (The Graduate Records Examination)
Question.14. Stories are a haunted genre; hardly (i) _____ kind of story, the ghost story is almost the paradigm of the form, and (ii) _____ was undoubtedly one effect that Poe had in mind when he wrote about how stories work.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| A. a debased | D. pessimism |
| B. a normative | E. goosebumps |
| C. a meticulous | F. curiosity |
Answer: Blank (i) A, (ii) E
Question.15. Given how (i)_____ the shortcomings of the standard economic model are in its portrayal of human behavior, the failure of many economists to respond to them is astonishing. They continue to fill the journals with yet more proofs of yet more (ii)______ theorems. Others, by contrast, accept the criticisms as a challenge, seeking to expand the basic model to embrace a wider range of things people do.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| A. overlooked | D. comprehensive |
| B. occasional | E. improbable |
| C. patent | F. pervasive |
Answer: Blank (i) C, (ii) E
Question.16. The playwright’s approach is (i)_______ in that her works (ii)_______ the theatrical devices normally used to create drama on the stage.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| A. pedestrian | D. jettison |
| B. startling | E. experiment with |
| C. celebrated | F. distill |
Answer: Blank (i) B, (ii) D
Question.17. Scientists are not the only persons who examine the world about them by the use of rational processes, although they sometimes (i) ______ this impression by extending the definition of “scientist” to include anyone who is (ii) ______ in his or her investigational practices.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| A. conceal | D. intuitive |
| B. create | E. haphazard |
| C. undermine | F. logical |
Answer: Blank (i) B, (ii) F
Questions 18 and 19 are based on the following reading passage.
(A part of one sentence is shown underlined and in boldface for reference in answering question 18, and a word is shown underlined and in boldface for reference in answering question 19.)
The most plausible justification for higher taxes on automobile fuel is that fuel consumption harms the environment and thus adds to the costs of traffic congestion. But the fact that burning fuel
Line: creates these “negative externalities” does not imply that no tax on
5: fuel could ever be too high. Economics is precise about the tax that should, in principle, be levied to deal with negative externalities: the tax on a liter of fuel should be equal to the harm caused by using a liter of fuel. If the tax is more than that, its costs (including the inconvenience to those who would rather have used their cars)
10: will exceed its benefits (including any reduction in congestion and pollution).
Question.18. Select and indicate the best answer from among the five answer choices:
Which of the following best characterizes the function of the underlined and boldfaced partial sentence in lines 7-8 of the passage?
A. It restates a point made earlier in the passage.
B. It provides the evidence on which a theory is based.
C. It presents a specific application of a general principle.
D. It summarizes a justification with which the author disagrees.
E. It suggests that the benefits of a particular strategy have been overestimated.
Answer: (c)
Question.19. Select and indicate the best answer from among the five answer choices:
The word “exceed” appears underlined and boldfaced in line 10 of the passage. In the context in which it appears, “exceed” most nearly means
A. outstrip
B. magnify
C. delimit
D. offset
E. supplant
Answer: (a)
You should have an idea of the kinds of questions you might see on the GRE Verbal Reasoning portion after reading these sample questions. To score better in the test, keep up your practise and familiarise yourself with a wide variety of vocabulary words.