Part II. VERBAL REASONING

Chapter 5. Text Completion

Introduction to Text Completion

In the Text Completion question type, you will be asked to select one entry for each blank from the corresponding column of choices. Each question may include as many as three blanks.

You will find about six Text Completion questions in each Verbal Reasoning section. In each of these questions, one or more words from the sentence will be missing. This question type tests your ability to read critically—to recognize the point of the sentence and find the best word(s) to fit this meaning.

The directions for Text Completion will look like this:

·        Each sentence below has one or more blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words for one-blank questions and sets of three words for each blank for two- and three-blank questions. Choose the word or set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

A Text Completion question with one blank will look like this:

A Text Completion question with two blanks will look like this:

A Text Completion question with three blanks will look like this:

The Kaplan Method for Text Completion (One-Blank)

1.    STEP 1Read the sentence, looking for clues.

2.    STEP 2Predict an answer.

3.    STEP 3Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

4.    STEP 4Check your answer.

HOW THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR TEXT COMPLETION (ONE-BLANK) WORKS

Now let’s discuss how the Kaplan Method will help you answer these questions correctly.

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

There are always clues in the sentence that will point you to the right answer. The missing words in Text Completion questions will usually have a relationship with key words in the sentence. Key words and key phrases are descriptors that lead to the meaning of the missing words.

A road sign is a structural key word that signals a connection between ideas; it also determines the direction of the relationship. There are road signs in the GRE that tell you to go straight ahead and those that tell you to take a detour. A semicolon also functions as a road sign, indicating a close connection between two clauses.

“Straight-ahead” road signs are used to make one part of the sentence support or elaborate upon another part. They continue the sentence in the same direction. The positive or negative connotation of what follows is not changed by these clues.

“Detour” road signs change the direction of the sentence. They make one part of the sentence contradict or qualify another part. The positive or negative connotation of an answer is changed by these clues.

Review the following examples of road signs. Interpreting the road sign will help you to determine which way the sentence is going and predict what words will best complete the blanks.

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer.

Once you’ve found the road sign and the key word(s) relevant to the blank, predict an answer for the blank. Your prediction does not have to be a sophisticated or complex word or phrase; it just needs to be a paraphrase that logically fits into the sentence. By predicting, you avoid the temptation of trying every answer choice on its own, which can take up valuable time on Test Day.

3.     STEP 3
Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Quickly go through the choices, see which one most closely matches, and eliminate whichever choices do not fit your prediction. If none of the choices match your prediction, reread the question and revisit Steps 1 and 2.

4.     STEP 4
Check your answer.

This step is simply double-checking that you did your work correctly and that your answer choice is correct in context. If your answer makes sense when you read your choice back into the sentence, you can confirm and move on. If your choice does not make sense when you read it back into the sentence, you should reread the question and revisit Steps 1–3.

HOW TO APPLY THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR TEXT COMPLETION (ONE-BLANK)

Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method to a Text Completion (One-Blank) question:

The yearly financial statement of a large corporation may seem  at first, but the persistent reader soon finds its pages of facts and figures easy to decipher.

1.   bewildering

2.   surprising

3.   inviting

4.   misguided

5.   uncoordinated

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

The sentence contains the detour road sign but, which indicates that the correct answer will mean the opposite of another key word or key phrase in the sentence. The key phrase to note in this example is “easy to decipher.”

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer.

Knowing that the blank must contrast with the phrase “easy to decipher,” you can predict that the missing word will be similar to “difficult to understand.”

3.     STEP 3
Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Quickly go through the choices and see which one most closely matches “difficult to understand,” which in this case is choice (A) bewildering.

4.     STEP 4
Check your answer.

Plugging the word bewildering into the sentence fits the context: “The yearly financial statement of a large corporation may seem bewildering at first, but the persistent reader soon finds its pages of facts and figures easy to decipher.”

Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method to a second Text Completion (One-Blank) question:

Although the initial cost of installing solar panels to produce electricity can be , the financial benefits are realized for years to come in the form of reduced electric bills.

1.   encouraging

2.   minimal

3.   exciting

4.   misleading

5.   exorbitant

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

The sentence contains the detour road sign although, which indicates that the correct answer will mean the opposite of a key word or key phrase in the sentence. The key phrase to note in this example is “reduced electric bills.”

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer.

Knowing that the blank must contrast with the phrase “reduced electric bills,” you can predict that the correct answer will be similar to “increased or high payments or costs.”

3.     STEP 3
Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Quickly go through the five choices and see which one most closely matches “increased or high payments or costs,” which in this case is choice (E) exorbitant.

4.     STEP 4
Check your answer.

Plugging the word exorbitant into the sentence fits the context: “Although the initial cost of installing solar panels to produce electricity can be exorbitant, the financial benefits are realized for years to come in the form of reduced electric bills.”

The Kaplan Method for Text Completion (Two-Blank and Three-Blank)

1.    STEP 1Read the sentence, looking for clues.

2.    STEP 2Predict an answer for the easier/easiest blank.

3.    STEP 3Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

4.    STEP 4Predict and select for the remaining blanks.

5.    STEP 5Check your answers.

HOW THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR TEXT COMPLETION (TWO-BLANK AND THREE-BLANK) WORKS

Now let’s discuss how the Kaplan Method for Text Completion changes when there are multiple blanks.

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

This step is the same.

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer for the easier/easiest blank.

Instead of immediately making a prediction for the first blank, take a moment to identify the easier/easiest blank to work with. Once you’ve found the road sign and the key word(s) relevant to the easier/easiest blank, predict an answer for that blank.

3.     STEP 3
Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction.

This step is the same.

4.     STEP 4
Predict and select for the remaining blanks.

Once you have completed the easier/easiest blank, you have more context in which to interpret the remaining blanks.

For two-blank Text Completions, use the context to help you choose the answer for the remaining blank. If the answers for the second blank are not working out, you know you need to go back to Step 2.

For three-blank Text Completions, repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the next easiest blank. You now have two completed blanks to provide context for the last, most difficult blank. This way, your approach to two- and three-blank questions is just a logical extension of your approach to one-blank questions.

5.     STEP 5
Check your answers.

This step is the same.

HOW TO APPLY THE KAPLAN METHOD FOR TEXT COMPLETION (TWO-BLANK AND THREE-BLANK)

Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method to a Text Completion (Two-Blank) question:

Everyone believed the team was favored with athletic talent and a seasoned, successful coaching staff; consequently, it was difficult to (i)  why the team was (ii)  so badly against one of the worst teams in the division.

1.      fathom 2.      interpolate 3.      explore

1.      elevating 2.      dominating 3.      floundering

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

In this sentence, the straight-ahead road sign “consequently” indicates that the correct answer will support or elaborate on another word or phrase in the text. The key word to note in this example is “badly.”

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer for the easier/easiest blank.

Knowing that the second blank must support or elaborate on the phrase “so badly,” you can predict that the correct answer will be similar to “not doing very well.”

3.     STEP 3
Select the answer choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Quickly go through the three choices and see which one most closely matches “not doing very well,” which, in this case, is choice (F) floundering.

4.     STEP 4
Predict and select for the remaining blanks.

Once you have completed the easier blank, you have a context in which to interpret the remaining missing word.

For the remaining blank, select the choice that will most logically complete the sentence. The first clause in the sentence indicates that the team should be good. However, the team is doing poorly, and this is “difficult” for everyone because it does not make sense. In other words, it is hard to understand. The answer choice most like “understand” is (A) fathom.

5.     STEP 5
Check your answers.

Plugging the selected words into the sentence fits the context: “Everyone believed the team was favored with athletic talent and a seasoned, successful coaching staff; consequently, it was difficult to fathom why the team was floundering so badly against one of the worst teams in the division.”

Now let’s apply the Kaplan Method to a Text Completion (Three-Blank) question:

1.    It seemed there would be no resolving the matter since both sides felt they had reached an (i) ; neither side would (ii) , and the resulting (iii)  would keep their relationship strained and fragile for years to come.

1.      apogee 2.      epiphany 3.      impasse

4.      capitulate 5.      regress 6.      impugn

7.      acrimony 8.      cacophony 9.      sinecure

1.     STEP 1
Read the sentence, looking for clues.

In this sentence, there are clues in the phrases “no resolving the matter” and “strained and fragile,” which, along with the straight-ahead road signs “since” and “and,” suggest that the correct answers are going to describe or support a conflict between disagreeing parties. In this example, you may already sense the words that complete at least one of the blanks just from the construction of the sentence.

2.     STEP 2
Predict an answer for the easier/easiest blank.

Determine that the answer for the first blank must support or elaborate on the phrase “no resolving the matter.”

3.     STEP 3
Select the answer choice that most closely matches your prediction.

Quickly go through the choices and see which one most closely matches “no resolving the matter.” You can predict the answer will be (C) impasse.

4.     STEP 4
Predict and select for the remaining blanks.

For the remaining blanks, select the choice that will most logically complete the sentence. The sentence tells us the sides are at an impasse, or blocked path. Predict the answers for the second and third blanks by thinking how groups at an impasse would feel and act. Determine that they are not willing to (D) capitulate, or give in on their demands, and that the result would be (G) acrimony, or bitter feelings, between the two sides.

5.     STEP 5
Check your answers.

Plugging the words impasse, capitulate, and acrimony into the sentence fits the context: “It seemed there would be no resolving the matter since both sides felt they had reached an impasse; neither side would capitulate, and the resulting acrimony would keep their relationship strained and fragile for years to come.”

Kaplan’s Additional Tips for Text Completion Questions

Look for what’s directly implied and not an ambiguous interpretation

The questions you’ll encounter are written in sophisticated but still logical and straightforward prose. Therefore, the correct answer is the one most directly implied by the meanings of the words in the sentence. These sentences are constructed to allow you to identify the answer using the inferential strategies you just practiced.

Don’t be too creative

Read the sentence literally, not imaginatively. Pay attention to the meaning of the words instead of to any associations or feelings that might come up for you.

Paraphrase long or complex sentences

You may encounter a sentence that, because of its length or structure, is hard to get a handle on. When faced with a complex sentence, slow down and put it in your own words. You could break it into pieces as well and tackle one phrase at a time.

Use word roots

In the GRE Resources section at the back of this book, you can learn the Latin and Greek roots of many common GRE words. If you can’t figure out the meaning of a word, take a look at its root to try to get close to its meaning. Etymology can often provide clues to meaning, especially when you couple a root definition with the word in context.

Text Completion Practice Set

Try the following Text Completion questions using the Kaplan Method for Text Completion. If you’re up to the challenge, time yourself; on Test Day, you’ll want to spend only 1 to 1.5 minutes on each question, depending on the number of blanks.

1.     

1.    The young man always had to have the last word; he would rather be disliked than .

1.    gainsaid

2.    selfish

3.    remembered

4.    praised

5.    different

2.    The giant squid’s massive body, adapted for deep-sea life, breaks apart in the reduced pressures of shallower ocean depths, making the search for an intact specimen one of the most  quests in all of marine biology.

1.    meaningful

2.    elusive

3.    popular

4.    expensive

5.    profitable

3.    Although well built and well kept, the little brick house seemed (i)  compared to the ornate, almost (ii) new house beside it.

1.      impressive 2.      dilapidated 3.      desirable

4.      translucent 5.      diminutive 6.      ostentatious

4.    The (i)  gave such an impassioned speech that even the most forlorn members of the crowd were briefly moved to (ii) .

1.      orator 2.      miscreant 3.      interloper

4.      despair 5.      duress 6.      ebullience

5.    His explosive, rude remarks convinced many that he was (i)  and of (ii)  character, suddenly making his future as a politician seem (iii) .

1.      indifferent 2.      charming 3.      volatile

4.      courageous 5.      virtuous 6.      ignoble

7.      guaranteed 8.      precarious 9.      facetious

Answers and Explanations

TEXT COMPLETION PRACTICE SET

1.    A

The semicolon between these clauses is a straight-ahead road sign; these two ideas are closely related or elaborate upon each other. Since the blank is in the second clause, look to the first for direction. There you discover that this person always has to be right or have the last word in an argument. The second clause will be consistent with this notion; it explains just how much he needs to have the last word. He would rather be disliked than have what happen? A good prediction would be: “He’d rather be disliked than contradicted.”

Choice (A) gainsaid matches the prediction, but look at the others just to be sure. Scanning the other choices quickly, you see that all of the remaining options do not support the first part of the sentence. None of these other choices reinforces the idea that he always has to be right, so even if you aren’t familiar with the word gainsaid, you can still get the right answer.

2.    BThe key word here is “intact,” which means that although specimens have been collected, they have rarely (if ever) been in one piece when recovered. You can fairly assume that recovering an intact specimen is difficult. When you look for a synonym for “difficult” in the answer choices, you recognize elusive (B) as your answer.

3.    B, F

In this case, the second blank is easier to predict than the first, so start with that one. The word “almost” before the second blank tells you the correct choice will be a word that means nearly the same as “ornate.” Something ostentatious is considered showy, excessive, or ornate, so the correct choice is (F).

There are several road signs, key words, and phrases in this sentence that give clues. “Although” with “compared” tells you there is something different about the two houses. The detour road sign “although” allows us to predict that the choice in the first blank will have a meaning opposite to “ornate” and will be close in meaning to “plain.” Such a condition is not considered impressive (A) or desirable (C), so the correct choice is (B) dilapidated.

4.    A, F

The key phrase for the first blank is “impassioned speech.” You can tell the correct answer for the first blank is someone who can speak expressively. Miscreants (B) and interlopers(C) are not necessarily excellent speakers, but orators are. The correct choice is (A).

For the second blank, the key phrase here is “even the most forlorn”; “even” works as a detour road sign, and “forlorn” is negative, so you want a positive term. Since despair (D)and duress (E) are not positive, the answer is (F) ebullience.

5.    C, F, H

For the first blank, the key phrase is “explosive, rude remarks.” Choice (A) indifferent suggests neutrality, but being explosive and rude is far from being neutral. The second choice, charming (B), does not make sense because someone who is “explosive” and “rude” is not seen as being charming. Choice (C) volatile means “unstable,” the same as “explosive.”

Since we know the subject of the sentence is explosive, rude, and volatile, we can predict his character will be seen in negative ways. Because courageous and virtuous have positive connotations, choice (F) ignoble is the correct choice.

With the information that he is explosive, rude, volatile, and ignoble, predict what kind of “future as a politician” he will have. This is the key phrase for identifying the third blank. His character suggests he is not popular, so we can conclude his future is not (G) guaranteed. Choice (I) facetious means “flippant,” which does not make sense as a description of the politician’s future. Choice (H) precarious means “uncertain,” which fits the context of the sentence and is the correct choice.