Test: Text Completion - 2 - GRE MCQ

First, we read through the sentence. Next, we locate the signal word “despite.” We then determine that “despite” conveys a contrast. Now, we evaluate our known information: “The mayor opted to uphold (maintain) the curfew.” Finally, we must select the answer choice that best maintains a contrast with the known information.

(A) Incorrect. There is no contrast between upholding the curfew and being pressured to “maintain” the curfew. Those two things are in perfect agreement. Notice that “uphold” and “maintain” actually mean the same thing. Thus, this answer is the opposite of what we need.

(B) Incorrect. There is no contrast between upholding the curfew and being pressured to “endorse” (approve, support) the curfew. Those two things agree. Thus, this answer is the opposite of what we need.

(C) Incorrect. There is no contrast between upholding the curfew and being pressured to “attempt” the curfew. If anything, those two things agree.

Moreover, “attempt” does not really make sense in this context, since upholding the curfew indicates that it was already in place, and thus the “attempt” was already made. So, this choice does not create a logical time sequence.

(D) Incorrect. There is no contrast between upholding the curfew and being pressured to “promote” the curfew. Those two things agree. Thus, this answer is the opposite of what we need.

(E) Correct. There is a clear contrast between upholding the curfew and being pressured to “rescind” (take away) the curfew.

The mayor opted to uphold the curfew, despite relentless pressure from residents to rescind it.

This answer creates the needed contrast between the information that was given in the sentence and the statement that was incomplete.

The known information that will help us fill the blanks is that the weather “needs to be shut out.” Given that information, it must be that the weather is somehow unpleasant or unfavorable.

Thus, we can immediately eliminate choice (C), temperate (mild, moderate), as the opposite of what makes sense for blank (i). After all, why would “temperate weather” need to be shut out? This choice goes in the opposite direction of what is logical in context. We have to be careful not to choose this trap answer simply because “temperate” sounds like “temperature-controlled.”

“Congenial” (pleasant, agreeable) is similarly illogical and can be eliminated as the opposite of what makes sense in the context of “weather that needs to be shut out.”

Choice (A), severe, is the only answer that fits the context of “weather that needs to be shut out.”

Moving on to blank (ii), we can see from the agreement signal “by” that blank (ii) should be in keeping with the information that precedes it. So, how would it be that temperature-controlled passageways “can increase the overall physical fitness of a town’s population?” What would bring about that result?

Well, what we know so far is that temperature-controlled sidewalk passageways shut out “severe weather” — a positive effect. Logically, then, people must choose to use the passageways, and thus the population’s physical fitness increases because people are walking instead of commuting in other ways.

Thus, choice (F), enticing (appealing, attractive), fits the context well. A commute in which “severe weather” is no longer an issue would be “more enticing than any alternative,” and so people would end up walking more —  and becoming fitter —  than they would if they commuted in other ways (and thus still had to deal with “severe weather”).

Choice (D), agile, is illogical. Perhaps the townspeople themselves are “agile” when moving through the passageways, but it does not make sense to call “a commute on foot” itself “more agile than any alternative.”

Choice (E), monotonous (boring and repetitive), does not make sense because we need something that directly connects to “can increase the overall physical fitness of a town’s population.” Making a commute on foot “more monotonous than any alternative” would not necessarily result in increased fitness — a commute by car or train could also be “monotonous,” and the fitness of commuters would not increase. “Monotonous” is not relevant to what is discussed in the sentence.

A single blank text completion question can sometimes be trickier than multiple blank sentences, because multiple blank sentences are (usually) longer and contain more clues. So, it is easier to work out how the blanks affect each other.

This single blank text completion question offers us a clue in its very first word. The sentence starts with the word “Unlike”, which we know describes a contrast. For example: “Unlike A which is high, B is low”.

The comparison in this sentence is between expatriates of yester-years and expatriates today. The expatriates of yester years gave back nothing to their native lands. IN CONTRAST what are the expatriates of today expected to do? They are expected to be generous and contribute to their native lands.

So, a comparison of their contributions will reveal that expatriates today will be a lot more generous and will make more significant investments that are truly commendable.

Choice C is the correct answer.

Meanings for the words given in this question are provided in the table. Before going through the detailed explanation, check whether you are able to arrive at the answer after knowing meanings for the words.

In case of sentences with multiple blanks, we can start by filling in the easiest blank(s) first, and then work our way around the sentence. Here, the easiest blanks are the second and the third, which are separated by the keyword “also”.

Rearranging the second part of the sentence, we see that Sampras has suffered ____ and he has ALSO had ____ moments. The blank that immediately follows suffered has to be a negative. So second blank has to be a positive word. Blank 2 in this sentence has to be “euphoria”. Sampras has had moments of euphoria in his career. He has ALSO suffered difficulties, so blank 3 has to be “tribulations”.

Attenuation cannot be an appropriate choice for Blank 3 because it would mean that his career had been on a downward path. Constraints are restrictions and do not describe difficulties.

The first blank describes how Sampras has experienced both successes and difficulties. These are fluctuations that Sampras has seen in his career. The word that perfectly captures this meaning is “vacillations”. Capriciousness and Fickleness convey a negative meaning, and cast his career in a bad light. Vacillations is a more neutral word which just indicates changing fortunes.

Choices A, E, and G are the correct answers.

This is a relatively straightforward single blank sentence. If we use our own word in the blank (without looking at the answer options), we can say that since Istanbul lies in both Asia and Europe, it has a good combination of both cultures. The only word which matches the meaning is answer option C.

Choice C is the correct answer.

The clue to the meaning of the sentence lies in understanding why Richard decided not to stay in the hotel. The decision was made because he did not like the hotel. This is because the rooms were bad and the staff were not helpful, or courteous or efficient.

From among the answer options, only B and F fit the bill. The rooms were in really bad (deplorable) conditions, and the staff were “inept” (root for ineptitude).

Dilapidated is a close answer, but it is not correct because the blank describes the condition of the room, and not the room itself. The room may be dilapidated, but the condition cannot be said to be dilapidated.

Choice B & F are the correct answers.

The word “ironically”, much like the word surprisingly indicates that two phenomena that are not expected to occur together, indeed happen together.

Some countries criticized Greece for a certain kind of (maybe high or low – we don't know this yet) government spending, but the same countries sponsored the same kind of public spending. This hypocrisy by the countries is what makes the situation ironical.

Looking at the choices for blank 1, it is obvious that the countries were calling for Greece to reduce its spending (because all the words imply more caution and lesser spending, or showing restraint). So you would expect such countries to also implement the same measures, but no – they did quite the opposite. They themselves spent a lot of money. But what made it ironical was that they were criticizing Greece for its high (and possibly reckless) spending.

The best option for Blank 1 is “austerity”. Caution is too general a word (and can mean non-economical things as well). Restraint does not have the same shade of meaning as austerity when it comes to spending, because restraint is a word that requires qualification (for ex: “restraint in spending”, or “economic restraint”.)

The second blank is “extravagant”, because there is nothing to indicate that the criticism for Greece's spending was because it was unwarranted. We don't know if the spending was unwarranted.

The third blank is “ostentatious” because it shows that the same countries which advocated austerity themselves spend money extravagantly, which is what makes the situation ironical.

Choices B, F, G are the correct answers.

The first blank should be filled with a word that describes the appearance or condition of the old man's garb and home. From the given options, "austerity," "obsolescence," and "poverty" all relate to a lack or simplicity of material possessions. Among these, "austerity" is the most appropriate choice as it suggests a plain or simple lifestyle. So, for the first blank, the answer is A. (i) austerity.

The second blank should be filled with a word that contrasts with the adjective chosen for the first blank. Since the first blank implies a lack or simplicity, the second blank should describe a characteristic that contradicts this. "Jovial" means cheerful or merry, which fits well as a contrast to the austerity suggested by the first blank. Thus, for the second blank, the answer is D. (ii) jovial.

Therefore, the completed sentence reads:

"The austerity of the old man's garb and home belied a jovial nature, and many people lamented his tendency to be outright juvenile in somber circumstances."

For the first blank, we need to choose a word that describes the governor's stance towards businesses. "Staunchly" means steadfastly or strongly, which fits well with being pro-business. Therefore, for the first blank, the answer is C. (i) staunchly.

For the second blank, we need a word that describes the unexpectedness or surprise of the governor's announcement about the environmental preserve. "Arresting" means striking or attention-grabbing, which fits the context well. So, for the second blank, the answer is E. (ii) arresting.

For the third blank, we need a word that describes the motive behind the governor's decision. "Opportunistic" means taking advantage of opportunities, which fits the context of the sentence, suggesting that the governor's decision was politically motivated to gain support from independent voters. Thus, for the third blank, the answer is I. (iii) opportunistic.

Therefore, the completed sentence reads:

"Due to his lengthy industry-friendly record, the governor was thought to be staunchly pro-business. So it was arresting when he announced the creation of a large environmental preserve at the expense of industry interests. However, his decision was not met with unqualified enthusiasm. Many astute observers noted the politically opportunistic motive of using the decision to court independent voters."

(A) Incorrect. Although “sensational” may seem related to the topic of presidential campaigns, this trap answer is actually off-topic. The fact is, the only information provided in the first part of the sentence deals with the length of campaigns. Thus, we have no evidence that the campaigns were “sensational” — or completely dull, for that matter.

(B) Incorrect. Although “partisan” (biased) may seem related to the topic of presidential campaigns, this trap answer is actually off-topic. The fact is, the sentence does not give us any information about the nature of the campaigns other than their length. Thus, we have no evidence that the campaigns were particularly “partisan” — although we might argue that campaigns in any country, by their very nature, are “partisan.” Regardless, “partisan” has nothing to do with the fact that “some presidential campaigns begin nearly two years before an election,” so this choice is unrelated to the given context.

(C) Incorrect. This answer choice is illogical in context. It does not make sense to say that presidential campaigns that “begin nearly two years before an election” are “nonexistent.” Clearly, the campaigns exist.

The key to avoiding this illogical answer is recognizing that “such __________ campaigns” refers to presidential campaigns that “begin nearly two years before an election.”

(D) Correct. This is the only answer choice that is logical in context. Given that the sentence discusses presidential campaigns that “begin nearly two years before an election,” it makes sense to refer to those campaigns as “protracted” (drawn out, prolonged).

In the United States, some presidential campaigns begin nearly two years before an election, while in the United Kingdom, such protracted campaigns are unheard of.

(E) Incorrect. Although “monotonous” (boring and repetitive) may seem appropriate to describe presidential campaigns that “begin nearly two years before an election,” the sentence does not actually give us any information about the nature of the campaigns other than their length. Thus, the campaigns could just as easily be “monotonous” or incredibly exciting. In other words, we can’t assume that because the campaigns are lengthy, they are “monotonous.”

Answer: D