The GRE Verbal Reasoning section assesses your knowledge of reading, vocabulary, and comprehension. In this article, we will talk about the kind of questions you will encounter in your GRE Verbal Reasoning and give you some tips on how best to answer them!
So, the first things first–the GRE Verbal Reasoning section will contain three types of questions:
Text completion
Sentence Equivalence
Reading Comprehension
We will look at all three sections in details, and provide one studying tip for each of them:
Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence
Both Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions primarily test vocabulary knowledge. However, it is not just enough to cram vocabulary words or rote-learn them from memory. It is important to understand newer and unfamiliar words in the context of the sentence, so one can retain its meaning and use.
For Sentence Equivalence questions, know that the words you choose should give the sentence a similar meaning. Sometimes, it happens that test-takers use synonyms thinking it would be the correct answer.
But most times, words that don’t seemingly look like synonyms of each other CAN give the sentence a similar meaning, when used in correct context, and often, that is the correct answer.
Thus, it is very important to not just know the meaning of the word, but also understand its usage in different contexts.
For Text Completion questions, you will have to select words that will best complete the sentence. For these types of questions, the quickest strategy is to think about whether the blank is a positive word, or a negative word.
Often, sentences will imply whether the word in the blank will have a positive effect on the sentence, or negative. Thus, that is your fastest clue to figuring out the word and eliminating the words which are against your interpretation.
Sometimes, test-takers do not know most, or some of the words given in the options. When such a situation arises, try to remember the most similar sounding word to the ones given in the option. For example, if you have the word “providential” in your option and you don’t know what it means, think of similar words, like “provident” or “providence” —about which you may know that it means care.
Quick tip: While learning new words, you may want to make something called GRE vocabulary flashcards—where you have the word written with its meaning, and preferably, also its usage in a sentence or context.
You can go through these flashcards every day and assess your own knowledge and progress of GRE vocabulary words.
Reading Comprehension
The second most important aspect in the Verbal Reasoning section is reading comprehension and answering questions from the passage. Here, the crucial skills assessed and needed are reading and comprehension skills, as well as the ability to form linkages between sentences and paragraphs, and understand the information provided.
There is no shortcut way to prepare for the reading comprehension section of the Verbal Reasoning. We recommend that you read as much as possible, through academic and research articles, as well as newspaper editorials, etc.
A quick strategy here is to read wide. GRE passages can range from different subjects such as philosophy, art, science, physics, etc. and so reading widely will help you familiarize yourself with such subjects. In the real GRE test, you have no idea what kind of passage you will get. Hence, it is best that you are prepared for any scenario.
Reading as much as possible will lessen your reading time and develop your ability to read and understand information simultaneously and quickly. This ability will no doubt prove to be an asset when you are attempting the real exam. You will realize how much of the GRE score range is dependent upon this skill of understanding information quickly.
Some of the websites and newspapers we recommend for reading passages are aldaily.com, The New Yorker, New York Times, Science News, and The Economist. The academic and other passages on these platforms most closely mimic the ones that you are most likely to encounter in your actual GRE exam.
Quick tip: While attempting questions from reading comprehensions, do not rely on your prior or any outside information. All evidence should be present (implicitly or explicitly) within the very passage you are answering the questions from.
This information will help you narrow down your choices and increase your chances of choosing the correct option.
So, these were some of the strategies and tips to be mindful of when attempting the GRE Verbal Reasoning section to make sure that you answer all questions within time, and choose as many correct answers as possible!
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