GRE Verbal Reasoning Topic-wise Weightage
Now that we have covered the topics and the syllabus of the verbal section, let’s look at the weightage of the different Verbal sections. So far you know two things.
This section of the GRE® Verbal covers roughly about 50 -55% of the total content. This herculean section of the GRE® has about 10 questions with different question types. Owing to the sheer size and dull topic, this is the most feared section of the GRE® Verbal that needs a good 20 minutes for completion.
Text Completion
The TC section of the GRE® Verbal requires the test taker to be well versed with the GRE® words and also have a good command over the English language. This section roughly spans about 25% fo the total and roughly feature about 6 Questions in the GRE®. The time spent of this section should be not a second more than 5 minutes.
Sentence Equivalence
The SE like its predecessor needs the test taker to be well versed with the GRE® words and also have a decent understanding of the basics of the language. This section also spans 25% and hosts about 4 Question while demands a good six minutes.
*Approximate numbers.
- The Verbal section has 3 major sections - Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion and Reading Comprehension. The Verbal section has 2 separate subsections of 20 questions each.
- There are multiple types of questions that can be asked from these 3 sections - MCQ question with a single correct answer, Sentence Completion with one, two and three blanks, select sentences from paragraphs and answering questions based on the given paragraphs.
What is GRE® Test Pattern?
Reading ComprehensionThis section of the GRE® Verbal covers roughly about 50 -55% of the total content. This herculean section of the GRE® has about 10 questions with different question types. Owing to the sheer size and dull topic, this is the most feared section of the GRE® Verbal that needs a good 20 minutes for completion.
Text Completion
The TC section of the GRE® Verbal requires the test taker to be well versed with the GRE® words and also have a good command over the English language. This section roughly spans about 25% fo the total and roughly feature about 6 Questions in the GRE®. The time spent of this section should be not a second more than 5 minutes.
Sentence Equivalence
The SE like its predecessor needs the test taker to be well versed with the GRE® words and also have a decent understanding of the basics of the language. This section also spans 25% and hosts about 4 Question while demands a good six minutes.
*Approximate numbers.
GRE® Verbal – Question Level
We have gathered a considerable idea about the GRE® Verbal Reasoning Section from the previously discussed topics - including its structure, question types and scoring patterns. As you know by now, the GRE® is an adaptive test. That means that the difficulty of the questions you face in the examination depends on your own performance in the previous sections. You will be tested with easier questions if your performance is poor and with more difficult questions if you are able to answer most of the questions in the previous sections.
At AdmitEDGE, we have a bucket-load of such questions in stock to help our students prepare effectively and ensure that they are acquainted with the pattern and difficulty level of the actual GRE®. We will now take a look at some sample questions from each of the difficulty levels, as mentioned above.
Level 1 & 2 - Easy Questions
I truly appreciate Martha's spirit - not one to ______ over not being recognized, she strives relentlessly to be the best at whatever she does.
A. contemplate over
B. hesitate about
C. shudder about
D. vacillate on
E. agonize over
In order to answer this question correctly, you should be able to clearly identify the differences between the options - contemplate, hesitate, shudder, vacillate, agonize.
Contemplate: To think over or mull about something
Hesitate: To be reluctant or indecisive about something.
Shudder: To be afraid of something.
Vacillate: Similar to hesitation.
Agonize: To worry about something.
We can see that Option E fits perfectly i.e. Martha does not agonize (worry) about not being recognized for her work, but strives to be the best at whatever she does
That was easy, wasn’t it? Let us see another one.
A. contemplate over
B. hesitate about
C. shudder about
D. vacillate on
E. agonize over
In order to answer this question correctly, you should be able to clearly identify the differences between the options - contemplate, hesitate, shudder, vacillate, agonize.
Contemplate: To think over or mull about something
Hesitate: To be reluctant or indecisive about something.
Shudder: To be afraid of something.
Vacillate: Similar to hesitation.
Agonize: To worry about something.
We can see that Option E fits perfectly i.e. Martha does not agonize (worry) about not being recognized for her work, but strives to be the best at whatever she does
That was easy, wasn’t it? Let us see another one.
We know that water is our potential ______ since it is widely agreed that if there were to be another World War, it would be waged over this precious resource.
[Hint: You have to pick two options]
A. nemesis
B. relief
C. affliction
D. antagonist
E. manipulator
F. competitor
If you read the sentence very clearly, it says that
“Everyone knows that if there were to be another world war, it would be a fight over water - such is the magnitude of the role of water in our lives”
From this, we can understand that the blank describes the position of water in human life. Since it is widely agreed that if there were another world war, it would be waged over this precious resource.
To choose the right options, it is important to know the meaning of each of the given choices.
Nemesis - The cause for someone’s or something’s downfall.
Water has been described as the most probable reason for the next world war. Therefore, this word definitely fits the blank.
Relief- Respite or break.
Since, water could be the cause of the next world war, the word ‘relief’ would not be the right fit. In fact, it is quite the opposite and can therefore be eliminated!
Affliction - Something that causes pain, damage or harm
Synonym Alert! This word could surely fit as water is a precious resource that can be the root cause for the next world war, causing great devastation.
Antagonist - Opponent or Rival.
Water would become so scarce that people would fight over it. Thus, it might be the indirect cause of destruction, not a direct antagonist.
Manipulator - Someone who controls or influences others.
This word is unrelated to the context mentioned, mainly because the scarcity of water would be the root cause of the next world war. Water, having no mind of its own, is not directly influencing or manipulating the course of events and hence this too is obviously incorrect
Competitor - Contestant or Rival.
Again, this word is a synonym of the word ‘Antagonist’. Water is not a competitor, but it is the object of competition. Thus, it doesn’t fit.
Thus, the right options are Nemesis and Affliction.
[Hint: You have to pick two options]
A. nemesis
B. relief
C. affliction
D. antagonist
E. manipulator
F. competitor
If you read the sentence very clearly, it says that
“Everyone knows that if there were to be another world war, it would be a fight over water - such is the magnitude of the role of water in our lives”
From this, we can understand that the blank describes the position of water in human life. Since it is widely agreed that if there were another world war, it would be waged over this precious resource.
To choose the right options, it is important to know the meaning of each of the given choices.
Nemesis - The cause for someone’s or something’s downfall.
Water has been described as the most probable reason for the next world war. Therefore, this word definitely fits the blank.
Relief- Respite or break.
Since, water could be the cause of the next world war, the word ‘relief’ would not be the right fit. In fact, it is quite the opposite and can therefore be eliminated!
Affliction - Something that causes pain, damage or harm
Synonym Alert! This word could surely fit as water is a precious resource that can be the root cause for the next world war, causing great devastation.
Antagonist - Opponent or Rival.
Water would become so scarce that people would fight over it. Thus, it might be the indirect cause of destruction, not a direct antagonist.
Manipulator - Someone who controls or influences others.
This word is unrelated to the context mentioned, mainly because the scarcity of water would be the root cause of the next world war. Water, having no mind of its own, is not directly influencing or manipulating the course of events and hence this too is obviously incorrect
Competitor - Contestant or Rival.
Again, this word is a synonym of the word ‘Antagonist’. Water is not a competitor, but it is the object of competition. Thus, it doesn’t fit.
Thus, the right options are Nemesis and Affliction.
Level 3 – Medium Questions
With 25 plays, pageants and operas, in a span of three years, Beth has been ______ in her creations as a professional dramatist.
[Hint: You have to pick two options]
A. Creative
B. Prolific
C. Gradual
D. Profound
E. Profuse
F. Imaginative
The simpler explanation for this sentence is:
“Within just three years, Beth has created 25 plays, pageants, and operas. This shows that she has really kept herself busy in the capacity of a professional dramatist.”
Therefore, from this we can understand that the blank describes how deeply Beth is involved in her profession. Let us look at the options and see which ones suit this blank the best!
Creative: Imaginative or Resourceful -
While this word describes the quality of work, it does not describe the magnitude of work she has accomplished. Besides, we cannot be sure whether she had been creative in her creations or not.
Prolific: Producing in large numbers.
This word is a correct fit for the blank because it describes how Beth has produced over 25 plays, pageants, and operas in just three years.
Gradual: slow and steady
Beth has created 25 works within three years. This progress cannot be termed as gradual. It is in fact quite quick. Besides, there is no word synonymous to this one among the other choices. Since you need two similar-sounding words, you cannot choose this.
Profound: deep or insightful
The passage only gives a count of Beth's performances. We cannot be sure about the quality of her creations―whether profound or shallow.
Profuse: Abundant
This word is a synonym to the word prolific and it fits the context explained in the sentence perfectly!
Imaginative: inventive or resourceful
Once again, we cannot comment on the resourcefulness and imagination of Beth only on the basis of the number of her creations.
Thus, Prolific and Profound are the correct set of options!
[Hint: You have to pick two options]
A. Creative
B. Prolific
C. Gradual
D. Profound
E. Profuse
F. Imaginative
The simpler explanation for this sentence is:
“Within just three years, Beth has created 25 plays, pageants, and operas. This shows that she has really kept herself busy in the capacity of a professional dramatist.”
Therefore, from this we can understand that the blank describes how deeply Beth is involved in her profession. Let us look at the options and see which ones suit this blank the best!
Creative: Imaginative or Resourceful -
While this word describes the quality of work, it does not describe the magnitude of work she has accomplished. Besides, we cannot be sure whether she had been creative in her creations or not.
Prolific: Producing in large numbers.
This word is a correct fit for the blank because it describes how Beth has produced over 25 plays, pageants, and operas in just three years.
Gradual: slow and steady
Beth has created 25 works within three years. This progress cannot be termed as gradual. It is in fact quite quick. Besides, there is no word synonymous to this one among the other choices. Since you need two similar-sounding words, you cannot choose this.
Profound: deep or insightful
The passage only gives a count of Beth's performances. We cannot be sure about the quality of her creations―whether profound or shallow.
Profuse: Abundant
This word is a synonym to the word prolific and it fits the context explained in the sentence perfectly!
Imaginative: inventive or resourceful
Once again, we cannot comment on the resourcefulness and imagination of Beth only on the basis of the number of her creations.
Thus, Prolific and Profound are the correct set of options!
Level 4 & 5 – Hard Questions
Q. One of the constant sources of ______ concern for most governments is that of tax evasion. The problem lies in the fact that as a taxpayer, you know what your income is, but the revenue collector does not. So you have an incentive to ______ your income report.
A. ethical
B. legal
C. fiscal
D. manipulate
E. be truthful of
F. estimate
Now you have a multilayered question. Let us take the solution approach.
Generally, for any double blank TC question, it’s best to read the sentence fully and then fill in your own words. Don’t look at the options first.
Now, let’s read the question.
”One of the constant sources of _________ concern for most governments is that of tax evasion.”
This means that tax evasion causes some kind of concern for the government. What kind of concern can it be? Let’s look at the option.
Option A: It cannot be an ethical concern, since the person who is evading tax should be worried about ethics and not the government.
Option B: It cannot be a legal concern too, since this too applies to the one who evades tax. They should be worried about the legal tangles they could get into by their act.
Option C: It should be a fiscal concern, since matters of economy can suffer when the government fails to get revenue in the form of taxes. So, “fiscal” is the right answer for the first blank.
“The problem lies in the fact that as a taxpayer, you know what your income is, but the revenue collector does not. So you have an incentive to _________ your income report”
The second sentence describes what the problem is. It says that as a taxpayer, you know what your income is, but the revenue collector does not. So, this implies that you get an opportunity to do something to your report.
What would you do to your income report? You can tamper with it, since your intention is tax evasion. So, options that closely mean ‘tamper’ are the right options.
Option D: Yes, you can “manipulate” your report by changing, editing, or hiding information. This is the right option for the second blank.
Option E: You would not “be truthful of” the information you provide in your income report, if your motive is tax evasion.
Option F: What would you estimate in your income report? An estimation is an educated guess one makes. This meaning does not logically fit in the context.
Therefore, the right options are fiscal & manipulate.
A. ethical
B. legal
C. fiscal
D. manipulate
E. be truthful of
F. estimate
Now you have a multilayered question. Let us take the solution approach.
Generally, for any double blank TC question, it’s best to read the sentence fully and then fill in your own words. Don’t look at the options first.
Now, let’s read the question.
”One of the constant sources of _________ concern for most governments is that of tax evasion.”
This means that tax evasion causes some kind of concern for the government. What kind of concern can it be? Let’s look at the option.
Option A: It cannot be an ethical concern, since the person who is evading tax should be worried about ethics and not the government.
Option B: It cannot be a legal concern too, since this too applies to the one who evades tax. They should be worried about the legal tangles they could get into by their act.
Option C: It should be a fiscal concern, since matters of economy can suffer when the government fails to get revenue in the form of taxes. So, “fiscal” is the right answer for the first blank.
“The problem lies in the fact that as a taxpayer, you know what your income is, but the revenue collector does not. So you have an incentive to _________ your income report”
The second sentence describes what the problem is. It says that as a taxpayer, you know what your income is, but the revenue collector does not. So, this implies that you get an opportunity to do something to your report.
What would you do to your income report? You can tamper with it, since your intention is tax evasion. So, options that closely mean ‘tamper’ are the right options.
Option D: Yes, you can “manipulate” your report by changing, editing, or hiding information. This is the right option for the second blank.
Option E: You would not “be truthful of” the information you provide in your income report, if your motive is tax evasion.
Option F: What would you estimate in your income report? An estimation is an educated guess one makes. This meaning does not logically fit in the context.
Therefore, the right options are fiscal & manipulate.
You can gauge from the above questions, the various difficulty levels of questions that you might encounter on your GRE®. Though there is no fixed pattern to prepare for the GRE® Verbal Section, just for your peace of mind, it’s a good idea to have a decent concept of the topics. You can also help yourself by taking a sufficient number of mock tests moving forward with your preparation, to keep a track of your own progress. Head over to our next page to find out some handy tips and tricks to help you reach your target GRE® score, in the least time .
Take a look at the AdmitEDGE progress tracker below, to see how you can evaluate your performance real-time by comparing it with that of other students who have achieved your target score!
Take a look at the AdmitEDGE progress tracker below, to see how you can evaluate your performance real-time by comparing it with that of other students who have achieved your target score!
Make your GRE® Verbal Preparation effortless! Download your free GREedge verbal guide eBook, now!
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