GRE Sentence Equivalence Advanced Questions

Question 1

The professor's lectures were so __________ that students often left the hall more confused than when they had entered.

Select TWO answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

(A) perspicuous (B) abstruse (C) convoluted (D) lucid (E) pellucid (F) trenchant

Accepted Answer

abstruse

Answer

Abstruse (B) and convoluted (C) both mean difficult to understand — lectures so difficult they confuse students. The two words create equivalent sentences.

Question 2

Critics noted that the author's later style had become increasingly __________, relying on unnecessary complexity to disguise a poverty of ideas.

Select TWO answer choices that produce completed sentences alike in meaning.

(A) turgid (B) lapidary (C) pellucid (D) prolix (E) laconic (F) succinct

Accepted Answer

turgid

Answer

Turgid (A) and prolix (D) both describe style that is unnecessarily wordy or inflated. Both fit the idea of using complexity to hide shallow thinking.

Question 3

Despite appearances, the negotiation was entirely __________ — each concession calculated, each show of emotion performed for strategic effect.

Select TWO answer choices that produce completed sentences alike in meaning.

(A) spontaneous (B) guileless (C) premeditated (D) scripted (E) genuine (F) candid

Accepted Answer

premeditated

Answer

Premeditated (C) and scripted (D) both mean planned in advance — 'each concession calculated, each emotion performed' confirms every action was pre-planned.

Question 4

The once-________ ecosystem of the wetlands had been reduced, through decades of drainage and pollution, to a shadow of its former biodiversity.

Select TWO answer choices that produce completed sentences alike in meaning.

(A) barren (B) fecund (C) desolate (D) arid (E) verdant (F) teeming

Accepted Answer

fecund

Answer

Fecund (B) and teeming (F) both describe a formerly rich, productive, and abundant ecosystem — now reduced by pollution.

Question 5

The committee's decision to postpone the vote indefinitely was seen as __________ — effectively killing the bill without requiring anyone to vote against it.

Select TWO answer choices that produce completed sentences alike in meaning.

(A) transparent (B) pusillanimous (C) disingenuous (D) craven (E) forthright (F) principled

Accepted Answer

pusillanimous

Answer

Pusillanimous (B) and craven (D) both mean cowardly — killing a bill without voting against it is a cowardly maneuver that avoids responsibility.

GRE Practice Test

GRE Practice Test

GRE Sentence Equivalence Advanced Questions