Introduction
The GRE Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE General Test assesses the ability of the candidates to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it; analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and concepts; analyze and draw conclusions from discourse; reason from incomplete data; identify author's assumptions and/or perspective; and understand the meanings of words, sentences and entire texts. This article describes the GRE Sentence Equivalence category of GRE Verbal Reasoning in detail.
The GRE Verbal Reasoning questions appear in 2 sections, and the test takers need to answer around 20 questions in the 2 sections, the time duration for each section is 30 minutes.
Verbal Reasoning questions appear in 3 formats: Reading Comprehension, Sentence Equivalence, and, Text Completion. Few questions require test-takers to read passages and answer questions on those passages. The other questions require test-takers to read, interpret and complete existing sentences, groups of sentences or paragraphs.
- Reading Comprehension
- Text Completion
- Sentence Equivalence
Why SE
Why GRE Sentence Equivalence?
Like Text Completion questions, Sentence Equivalence questions test the ability to reach a conclusion about how a passage should be completed on the basis of partial information, but to a greater extent, they focus on the meaning of the completed whole. Sentence Equivalence questions consist of a single sentence with just one blank, and they ask you to find two choices that lead to a complete, coherent sentence while producing sentences that mean the same thing.
Q.Structure
GRE Sentence Equivalence - Question Structure
- Consists of:
- a single sentence
- one blank
- six answer choices
- Requires you to select two of the answer choices; no credit for partially correct answers.
Tips for SE
GRE Sentence Equivalence - Tips
Do not simply look among the answer choices for two words that mean the same thing. This can be misleading for two reasons. First, the answer choices may contain pairs of words that mean the same thing but do not fit coherently into the sentence. Second, the pair of words that do constitute the correct answer may not mean exactly the same thing, since all that matters is that the resultant sentences mean the same thing.
- Read the sentence to get an overall sense of it.
- Identify words or phrases that seem particularly significant, either because they emphasize the structure of the sentence (words like although or moreover) or because they are central to understanding what the sentence is about.
- Try to fill in the blank with a word that seems appropriate to you and then see if two similar words are offered among the answer choices. If you find some word that is similar to what you are expecting but cannot find a second one, do not become fixated on your interpretation; instead, see whether there are other words among the answer choices that can be used to fill the blank coherently.
- When you have selected your pair of answer choices, check to make sure that each one produces a sentence that is logically, grammatically and stylistically coherent, and that the two sentences mean the same thing.
Samples
Select the 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.
Question - 1
Pardoning was fine in theory, however, she experienced difficulty in tolerating a religion that would permit ___________ evil-doers access to heaven.
-
A. Repentant
B. Contrite
C. Blatant
D. Venial
E. Pardoned
F. Recalcitrant
-
A. Inured
B. Miserly
C. Disgusted
D. Hardened
E. Bored
F. Overwrought