Master the Gre 2010 - Part 37

For the first blank, you want a word that describes what the second part of the sentence also describes.. Where: The 30-minute Verbal Reasoning section of the computer-based GRE How Many

expectations when it comes to government rules for business (Notice the signpost

word “yet,” which signals the contradiction.) Start with the second blank, looking

for a word that accurately captures the public attitude Choices (A), (B), and (D)

work best; divided, confused, and ambiguous all convey the idea that the public

wants two things that don’t go together very well For the first blank, you want a

word that describes what the second part of the sentence also describes Choice

(D) appears to be the best fit; the sentence as a whole has to do with “business

regulation”; that is, the rules laid down by government for business Two other

choices, (A) and (C), work all right for the first blank But “ethics” is a bit too

specific, while “practices” is a bit too vague (Besides, you already eliminated

choice (C) based on the second missing word.)

As you just saw, the semicolon without a connector word might provide a wordless

warning of a restatement Also look for these key words and phrases, which often

mark restatements:

in fact

in other words

in short

namely

that is

Three of these markers could easily be inserted into the sentence about business

regulation to strengthen the restatement signal Try reading the sentence again using

each marker in turn, and you’ll find out which three work

Cause and Effect

In a sentence fitting this pattern, one part describes something that causes, produces, or

influences what’s described in another part Here’s an example:

13 When waging election campaigns against challengers, most incumbent

politicians have significant _ as a result of the power and

recognition that are typically part and parcel of holding public office

(A) propensities

(B) expenses

(C) contributions

(D) budgets

(E) advantages

The correct answer is (E) In this sentence, the operative phrase is as a result.

What precedes this phrase describes the effect or result of the power and

recog-nition that goes with holding an official position in the government Put another

way, the power and recognition of public office causes or influences what the

earlier part of the sentence intends to describe Logically, what effects would be

caused by the power and recognition of public office? One natural effect would be

to make it easier to run for reelection, if for no other reason than because the

current officeholder is already well known So, advantages is an apt expression of

this natural effect The most tempting wrong answer choices are probably choices

(C) and (D) However, significant contributions or budgets wouldn’t necessarily be

TIP

Punctuation, especially colons and semicolons, is often used

to restate (paraphrase, define,

or elucidate) an idea But a key word or phrase can be used for the same purpose

as well.

phrase “have contributions” is an awkward idiom (A more effective and clearer phrase is “receive contributions.”) So choice (C) cannot be the best one

By the way, to complete the sentence correctly, it helps to know that an

“incumbent politician” is one who is already in office Even if you don’t know what

incumbent means, you can make an educated guess based on the sentence as a

whole “Incumbent politicians” are depicted here as running against “chal-lengers,” and a “challenger” is typically a person who goes up against a current title holder So it would be a good guess that an incumbent candidate is the current office holder

In the above example, the signpost “as a result” marked the cause-and-effect con-nection Here are some other signposts that mark this kind of connection:

because hence consequently due to leads to

produces results in since therefore thus

You can redraft the sentence about incumbent candidates using any of these signposts

in place of “as a result.” If you try it, you’ll see that you can simply plug in some as substitutes for “as a result”; to use others, though, you’d also need to restructure the sentence

KEY FACTS ABOUT TEXT COMPLETIONS

The Text Completion format is more complex than the Sentence Completion format You first looked at Text Completions in Chapter 2 and in the Diagnostic Test Let’s quickly review all the key facts about this format

Where: The 30-minute Verbal Reasoning section of the computer-based GRE How Many: 0–1

What’s Tested:

• Your ability to understand the intended meaning of a sentence or paragraph

• Your ability to distinguish between a paragraph that is cohesive and coherent and one that lacks these qualities

• Your ability to recognize and distinguish between proper and improper word usage and idiom

• Your ability to recognize and distinguish between a clear and unclear written expression

Directions: During the computerized GRE, test directions similar to the following

will precede a Text Completion test item:

NOTE

Only the computer-based GRE

can include a Text Completion

question This format is not

used at all on the

paper-based test.

Other Key Facts:

• A Text Completion involves one to five sentences containing two to three blanks

in all

• You’ll fill in blanks with either single words or brief phrases

• You select fill-in choices by clicking directly on them with your mouse

• The primary emphasis is on idiom, sense, and paragraph structure; secondary

emphasis is on vocabulary

• You complete each blank independently of the other blank(s)

• You must choose the best completion for all blanks in a question to earn credit for

a correct response; no partial credit is awarded

• The best choice will make for an excellent sentence or paragraph that’s cohesive,

rhetorically effective, and correct in grammar, diction, and idiom

THE 4-STEP PLAN (TEXT COMPLETIONS)

Your approach to GRE Text Completions should be similar to your plan for Sentence

Completions However, in the following step-by-step plan, notice that you don’t

formu-late your own completion (step 2 for Sentence Completions) before weighing the answer

choices That’s because Text Completions are usually too lengthy and complex for this

strategy

Step 1: Read the Passage in Its Entirety

Pay particular attention to key words that indicate a description, point of view,

conclusion, comparison, or contrast

Step 2: Test Each Answer Choice for the First Blank

Eliminate choices that you’re sure are wrong

Step 3: Test Each Answer Choice for the Second Blank

Eliminate choices that you’re sure are wrong Repeat for the third blank as needed

Step 4: Compare Remaining Choices by Rereading the Passage

Compare the remaining choices for all blanks by reading the entire passage again with

each combination Pay close attention to whether each word or phrase is used properly

and appropriately in context If you’re still undecided, take your best guess among the

viable choices

Applying the 4-Step Plan

Now let’s apply this four-step plan to a GRE-style Text Completion This example is

about as brief as any you’d see on the GRE

ALERT!

Don’t assume you’ll be able to zero in on the best choice for one blank without considering the other blank(s) as well Text Completions are generally not designed to be solved that easily.

14 Friends of the theater have long decried the (i) _ of big-city drama

critics, whose reviews can determine the (ii) _ a play in a single night

Blank (i)

callous indifference unfettered sway incisive judgment

Blank (ii)

popularity of outcome of audience for

Step 1: To handle this Text Completion, it helps to know that the word decry means

“to discredit or criticize.” If you’re completely unfamiliar with the word, you can at

least guess at its definition The root cry provides a good clue that decry is a negatively

charged word As a whole, then, the sentence is describing how a play reviewer’s action can impact a play in a way that evokes a critical response from the theatrical community

Step 2: Let’s weigh the choices for blank (i) It wouldn’t make much sense for “friends

of the theater” to discredit or criticize a drama critic’s “incisive judgment.” (The word

incisive in this context means “keen or sharp.”) So you can at least eliminate this

choice, without even considering blank (ii) But the other two choices both make sense

as a characteristic of big-city drama critics that friends of the theater might not think

highly of (Of course, it helps to know that unfettered sway means “unconstrained

influence or power.”) So you’ll need to consider blank (ii) to determine the best choice for blank (i)

Step 3: Now let’s look at the choices for blank (ii) The phrase outcome of doesn’t make

much sense in context It’s the playwright, not the critic, that determines the outcome

of a play But the other two choices both seem to make sense: A drama critic’s review

can determine a play’s popularity and its audience Notice that regardless of which

phrase you use in the second blank, the second part of the sentence provides a better

description of unfettered sway than callous indifference In other words, the sentence

as a whole is more consistent and cohesive with the former phrase than with the latter

Step 4: You need to decide between popularity of and audience for When you say that

a critic’s review determines a play’s “audience,” aren’t you really saying that it has a great impact on the size of the audience—that is, the play’s “popularity”? It’s for this

reason that popularity of is the better completion for blank (ii); it makes for a clearer,

more effective sentence The correct answer is (i) unfettered sway and (ii)

popularity of.

Remember: If you had selected any other choice for either blank, you’d have received

no credit whatsoever for this question Also, notice the subtle distinction between the best choice and the runner-up for blank (ii)

Now let’s look at some paragraph-length (two- to five-sentence) Text Completions, which focus chiefly on idiomatic phrases and sentence transitions The use of longer

ALERT!

In a challenging Text

Completion question, nuances

in meaning can mark the

difference between the best

The following example is a bit easier than average for a paragraph-length Text

Completion

15 Low-context cultures, such as those of the United States, England, and

Germany, spell things out verbally and rely on a rather (i) _

interpretation of the spoken word There tends to be no gap between what

is said and what is meant (ii) _, high-context cultures, including

those of Spain, France, Mexico, and Japan, communicate more by nuance

and implication, relying less on actual words than on gestures and

situations In these cultures, (iii) _ often what is most important

Blank (i)

literal

straightforward

glib

Blank (ii)

Generally speaking

By the same token

On the other hand

Blank (iii)

what remains unsaid is what words actually mean is emphasis and tone are

Let’s apply our four-step approach to this paragraph-length Text Completion

Step 1: The first two sentences discuss how low-context cultures communicate; the

final two sentences talk about communication in high-context cultures Based on the

passage’s descriptions, there’s clearly a marked difference between the two In fact,

this seems to be the paragraph’s main thrust (Notice the phrases “more by” and “less

on” in the third sentence.)

Step 2: Let’s start with blank (ii), which connects the description of a low-context

culture with the discussion of high-context cultures Since the text strongly suggests a

contrast, a word like “however” would lead nicely from one to the other The phrase

On the other hand fits perfectly (The phrase By the same token signals similarity, not

contrast The phrase Generally speaking signals an elaboration or explanation just

ahead Neither phrase is at all appropriate in context.)

Step 3: Notice that the first and second sentences both provide a description of

whatever should fill in blank (i) The second sentence in particular provides a good

definition of the word literally (The word glib means “fluent or articulate”—not a good

fit for the description in the first two sentences.) On to blank (iii) The final sentence

appears to be a restatement or interpretation of the idea in the preceding

sen-tence—that gestures and implication are more important than actual words The

phrase what remains unsaid is an artful characterization of what’s gestured or

implied but not put into actual words, so it’s a perfect fit for blank (iii) The other two

phrases confuse the idea; neither one makes the appropriate point

Step 4: We already determined the best choice for each blank, so we can skip step 4.

The correct answer is (i) literal, (ii) On the other hand, and (iii) what remains

unsaid is.

Now try applying the four steps to another example This one contains only two

blanks, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier than the previous example

16 The medical profession has traditionally scoffed at the claims of

alternative medicine When (i) _ its successes is trotted out, doctors routinely and dismissively put it down to the placebo effect (ii) _, perhaps one of the reasons that alternative medicine is booming today is precisely because in an era in which medical procedures and antibiotics are prescribed at the drop of a hat while alternative treatments are rarely even suggested, people have become less trusting of medical science

Blank (i)

a compelling reason for anecdotal evidence of

a cogent theory about

Blank (ii)

Ironically

As a result

On the other hand

Let’s apply the four steps to this example:

Step 1: Here’s the overall gist of the passage: Traditional medical practitioners do not

take alternative treatments seriously and do not recommend them to patients—and

this fact might be the reason that patients have grown suspicious of traditional

medicine and are therefore seeking alternatives

Step 2: Let’s start with blank (i), which you can fill in based on the first two

sentences Notice that the pronoun “it” refers to whatever goes in the blank What might doctors dismiss as the result of the placebo effect? Well, probably the results of certain scientific experiments—in other words, scientific evidence, not a theory or a

reason Accordingly, the phrase anecdotal evidence of is the only one of the three that

makes logical sense in grammatical context of the first two sentences

Step 3: Now let’s tackle blank (ii), which requires you to assimilate the entire

passage Recall the gist of the passage from step 1 Since the passage doesn’t set up

any sort of contrast in ideas, the phrase On the other hand makes no sense for blank

(ii) You can at least eliminate one of the three choices But neither of the others are easy to eliminate at first glance

Step 4: Notice that you could insert nothing in blank (ii) and still understand how the

idea preceding it connects to what follows it—the connection is cause and effect So does that mean that the phrase “As a result,” which signals that an effect lies just ahead, is the best choice for blank (ii)? Not necessarily If you look at the entire

sentence, you would have As a result precede “perhaps the reason that,” which would

be redundant So by process of elimination, the best choice for blank (ii) appears to be

Ironically And if you think about it, the word aptly characterizes the cause-and-effect

relationship described in the passage The correct answer is (i) anecdotal

evi-dence of and (ii) Ironically.

LOGICAL CONNECTIONS FOR COMPLETING TEXT

As you probably figured out based on the preceding examples, the blanks in GRE paragraphs often call for “connectors”—words and phrases that link ideas together To

ALERT!

Process of elimination can

work for Text Completions, but

don’t rely on it as a crutch Try

to complete the passage with

the words and phrases you

know do work well, rather than

simply ruling out completions

that don’t work.

Tips for Spotting Connections Between Ideas in the Text

A connecting word or phrase should steer the reader in the right direction by signaling

a conclusion, an opposing or contradictory idea, or an elaboration It’s like a good

directional sign that shows which way the next sentence is headed When we looked at

the Sentence Completion format earlier in this chapter, we examined the connectors

used to link two parts of the same sentence Here, we’ll review the connectors most often

used as the “glue” between sentences to create a cohesive, rhetorically effective

para-graph:

• Similarity

• Contrast

• Continuation (description, definition, or illustration)

• Cause and effect

• Premise and conclusion

• Rhetorical emphasis

The following examples focus just on appropriate connecting words and phrases;

wrong answer choices are omitted Keep in mind that a Text Completion might also

focus on other issues—and it will, of course, require a choice from among three options

for each blank

SIMILARITY, THEN CAUSE AND EFFECT

17 When El Niño hit, vast schools of small fish, such as anchovies and

sardines, sought cooler temperatures at farther depths of the Pacific than

the levels where they are usually found (i) _ their response protected

these fish from the unseasonable weather conditions, their predators were

unable to reach them at these new, greater depths (ii) _, the

predators suddenly lost their regular food supply

The second sentence suggests a similarity between two results of the

fishes’ response to El Niño: It protected them from bad weather and it

protected them from predators Either of the following would be

appropriate in blank (i) to signal the similarity:

While

At the same time that

The final sentence indicates what is probably a result of the event

described in the preceding sentence In other words, what precedes blank

(ii) caused what follows it Any of these would be appropriate in blank (ii):

As a result

Consequently

Not surprisingly

CONTINUATION, THEN SIMILARITY

18 When El Niño hit, aquatic mammals were affected especially hard.

(i) _, along one Peruvian beach, the Punta San Juan, a whole season’s pup production of fur seals and sea lions died, as well as thousands of juveniles and breeding adults By May 13, 1998, only 15 fur seals were counted, when there are usually hundreds; (ii) _, only 1,500 sea lions were found in an area that usually houses 8,000

The second sentence provides an example of the phenomenon described in the first sentence Either of the following would fit blank (i):

For example For instance

The phrase after blank (ii) describes a situation similar to the one described before the blank Any of the following would work in blank (ii):

similarly

by the same token also

CONTRAST, THEN RHETORICAL EMPHASIS

19 The United States, which was founded mainly by people who had

emigrated from northern Europe, had an essentially open-door immigration policy for the first 100 years of its existence (i) _, starting in the 1880s and continuing through the 1920s, Congress passed a series of restrictive immigration laws ultimately leading to a quota system based on the number of individuals of each national origin reported in the

1989 census (ii) _, the door to freedom hadn’t exactly been slammed shut, but it was now open only to the “right” sort of people

What follows the blank is an idea that contradicts the idea expressed in the preceding sentence Accordingly, the word in blank (i) should signal that a contrasting idea lies just ahead Either of the following completions would work:

however but

The final sentence seems to put a negative rhetorical spin on the events described in the previous sentence Any of the following would work in blank (ii):

Obviously Clearly Apparently

CONTRAST AND CONCLUSION

20 The polar ice cap’s high-pressure system controls the cold, relatively stable

climate of Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica (i) _ Vinson

is located in an arctic climate, snowstorms and terrific wind gusts are

always possible

The first sentence tells us that Mount Vinson’s climate is stable; the

second sentence provides opposing, contrary information A connector is

needed to signal that opposing ideas are being presented Either of the

following phrases provides the appropriate connection and fits the

paragraph’s grammatical construction:

However, since

Yet, because

RHETORICAL EMPHASIS, THEN CONTRAST

21 (i) _, the most significant revolution in modern art was the invention

of the purely abstract painting in the 1930s Pablo Picasso is generally

regarded as the quintessential modern artist (ii) _, in the course of

Picasso’s long and varied career, he never painted any significant abstract

picture

The first blank could be left empty without sacrificing the flow of ideas in

the paragraph All that is appropriate for blank (i) is some rhetorical

flourish Any of the following would serve the purpose:

Without a doubt

Indisputably

Clearly

The idea that follows the blank comes as a surprise, considering the idea

that precedes it The fact that Picasso never made an abstract painting

doesn’t follow as a logical result; it’s a surprising contradiction—not at all

what we would reasonably expect Any of the following would be

appropriate in blank (ii) as a signal that an opposing idea is coming:

Yet

Nevertheless

However

Surprisingly, however

Ironically

TEXT COMPLETION STRATEGIES

attention to rhetorical structure and to “signpost” words that show direction and logical flow

If an answer doesn’t make sense, move on to the next choice

best and second-best answer can be subtle

whole Keep in mind that you might need to determine the best choice based on

nuanced meanings

same token, don’t rule it out for this reason If you don’t know what a word means, try to guess based on the word’s prefix or root, how the word “sounds,” or even your gut instinct

awk-wardness in context The correct answer should not sound strange or forced in

the context of the passage Checking for good grammar can make the difference between picking the right choice and the wrong one