Master the Gre 2010 - Part 41

This type of answer choice includes information found in the passage, but the information isn’t useful in helping you answer the question.. • The capitalized headword is always one word

GRE TEST DESIGNERS’ TOP 10 WRONG-ANSWER PLOYS

If you’ve read the analysis of each sample question in this lesson carefully, you now

know a great deal about how test designers formulate wrong-answer choices Here’s a

review list of the 10 techniques in GRE Reading Comprehension questions:

The response distorts the information in the passage An answer choice

may understate, overstate, or otherwise alter the passage’s information or the

author’s point in presenting that information

The response uses information in the passage but does not answer the

question This type of answer choice includes information found in the passage,

but the information isn’t useful in helping you answer the question

The response relies on speculation or an unsupported inference This type

of choice calls for speculation; the statement won’t be readily inferable from the

information given

The response is contrary to what the passage says The answer choice

contradicts the passage’s information or runs contrary to what the passage infers

The response reverses the logic of an idea This type of response confuses

cause with effect or otherwise turns around information in the passage

The response confuses one opinion or position with another The answer

choice incorrectly represents the viewpoint of one person or group as being that of

another’s

The response is too narrow or specific The answer choice focuses on

infor-mation in the passage that is too specific or narrowly focused to adequately

answer the question

The response is too broad This type of answer choice embraces information or

ideas that are too general or widely focused to adequately answer the question

The response relies on information not mentioned in the passage The

answer choice draws on information not found anywhere in the passage

The response is utter nonsense This type of answer choice makes almost no

logical sense in the context of the question; essentially, it’s gibberish

SUMMING IT UP

• Practice reading “interactively” for Reading Comprehension questions Ask yourself what the passage’s central idea is, what the author’s overall concern is, how each part of the passage relates to the main idea, and what the author’s line

of reasoning is

• Take brief notes while reading the GRE passages; this will help you organize your thoughts and keep facts straight

• Simple recall questions require that you remember or find appropriate infor-mation in the passage

• For recap questions, work on recognizing the passage’s overall scope and its main emphasis

• With restatement questions, you won’t find the answer explicitly in the passage; you need to detect the specific idea the author is conveying, even if it isn’t specifically mentioned in the text

• Inference questions require that you discover a logical connection between two pieces of information in a passage and draw a reasonable conclusion from them

• For purpose-of-detail questions, look for a stem (such as “The author mentions” or

“The author’s discussion of ”) that helps you infer the author’s purpose in men-tioning a specific idea in the passage

• For method questions, let the question guide you to the appropriate area of the passage to determine how the author goes about making his or her points

• Vocabulary-in-context questions assess your vocabulary and your ability to under-stand how a word is intended to be used in the context of a passage

• Keep an eye out for “wrong-answer ploys” that can derail you on GRE Verbal Reasoning questions

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OVERVIEW

• Key facts about GRE Antonyms

• The 5-step plan for Antonyms

• Antonym strategies

• How the GRE tests your vocabulary

• How GRE test designers choose vocabulary

• Strategies for building a GRE vocabulary

• Summing it up

In this chapter, you’ll learn a step-by-step approach to handling any GRE

Antonym question, and you’ll apply that approach to some GRE-style

Ant-onyms You’ll also learn strategies for handling GRE Antonyms and for

avoiding common test-taking pitfalls when it comes to these test items

Later in the chapter, you’ll learn how the GRE Verbal Reasoning section tests

your vocabulary and how the GRE test designers choose the vocabulary words

they incorporate into the test At the end of the chapter, you’ll learn useful tips

for making the most of your time to learn new words for the GRE

KEY FACTS ABOUT GRE ANTONYMS

You first looked at GRE Antonyms in Chapter 2 and in this book’s Diagnostic

Test Here’s a quick review of key facts about this question format

Where: The 30-minute Verbal Reasoning section

How Many: Approximately 7 test items (out of 30 altogether), interspersed

with other question types on the computerized GRE

What’s Tested:

• Your vocabulary

• Your ability to recognize subtle distinctions between words with similar

meanings

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

following will precede your first Antonym question, and a briefer version will

appear above each succeeding Antonym question:

.

Directions: The following question consists of a word printed in capital letters

followed by five lettered words or phrases Choose the lettered word or phrase that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the word in capital letters Since some questions of this type require you to distinguish fine shades of meaning, be sure

to consider all the choices before deciding which one is best

Testing Format:

• The headword is capitalized (all caps), but the five answer choices are not

• The capitalized headword is always one word only (no phrases), but the answer choices can be either single words or brief phrases

• Each answer choice is expressed using the same part of speech (noun, verb, or adjective) as the capitalized word

Scope of Vocabulary:

• All words are part of the modern English language—but no slang, obsolete, or non-English words that have not been adopted into the English language

• A common, everyday headword usually has an alternate meaning that is being tested

• The best answer choice is not always a perfect opposite

THE 5-STEP PLAN FOR ANTONYMS

Your first task in this chapter is to learn the five basic steps for handling a GRE-style Antonym After reviewing the following steps, you’ll apply them to three examples

Step 1: Determine the Headword’s Part of Speech

Check whether the answer choices are nouns, verbs, or adjectives (They’ll all be the same within each question.) Assume that the headword is of the same part of speech as the answer choices

Step 2: Define the Headword

Be as specific as possible If the headword is difficult to define, try to think of a close synonym that’s an everyday word If the headword has two distinct definitions (given its part of speech), keep both in mind

Step 3: Compare Each Answer Choice with Your Definition of the Headword

At this point, eliminate any answer choices that fit your definition (those that are synonyms instead of antonyms) Also eliminate answer choices that bear no clear relationship to your definition

Step 4: Compare the Quality of the Remaining Choices

Choose the answer that is most nearly opposite in meaning to your definition If you’re having trouble choosing a clear winner, either you have the definition of the headword

PART V: Verbal Reasoning 386

TIP

To help you improve your

vocabulary, Appendix C of this

book includes a survey of

vocabulary-building

resources—books, software,

and Web sites.

www.petersons.com

wrong or you failed to consider another meaning of the headword Don’t give up: Go back

to step 2 and try again

Step 5: Confirm Your Selection by Comparing It to the Headword

Ask yourself, “Is my selection a close antonym of the capitalized word?” If so, confirm

that selection and move on to the next question

Applying the 5-Step Plan

Let’s apply these five steps to three GRE-style Antonyms Here’s the first one:

1 LOQUACIOUS:

(A) rational

(B) abrasive

(C) agitated

(D) compact

(E) articulate

Step 1: The first three answer choices are adjectives only Thus, LOQUACIOUS must

be an adjective

Step 2: LOQUACIOUS carries two similar but distinct meanings: “talkative” (more

common) and “wordy” (less common) These are good synonyms as well Keep them

both in mind

Step 3: Choices (A), (B), and (C) bear no clear relationship either to talkative or

wordy Eliminate them.

Step 4: Choices (D) and (E) are the only two viable answer choices Let’s examine

each one in turn

First, choice (D) The word compact (an adjective here) means “condensed or

com-pressed.” Wordy speech is characterized by the opposite of compactness So compact is

clearly contrary in meaning to LOQUACIOUS Next, choice (E) The word articulate

(an adjective here) means “well-spoken, eloquent, or fluent.” But does an articulate

person necessarily speak in a brief, concise manner (the opposite of wordy)? Not

necessarily Brevity or conciseness is not part of the job description for an articulate

person Accordingly, articulate is not nearly as opposite in meaning to LOQUACIOUS

as compact.

Step 5: Choice (D) appears to be the best answer Let’s verify our decision Is

LOQUACIOUS contrary in meaning to compact? Yes The correct answer is (D).

2 TABLE:

(A) proceed

(B) flatten

(C) raise

(D) conform

(E) stall

NOTE

This chapter will refer to GRE Antonym test items simply as Antonyms This chapter will

also use the term headword to

refer to the capitalized word preceding the five answer choices.

Step 1: TABLE is a very common word, so you can bet that it has an uncommon

definition that is the focus of this question All the answer choices are verbs, so TABLE must also be a verb here

Step 2: TABLE as a verb means “to lay aside a proposal for an indefinite period of

time.” Two everyday words that are similar in meaning are delay and postpone.

Step 3: Choices (B), (C), and (D) are completely unrelated to delay and postpone (and

to TABLE) Eliminate them

Step 4: Proceed is contrary in meaning to table Stall means “to delay or

procras-tinate.” Stall is a synonym for TABLE, so choice (E) gets it backwards Eliminate it.

Step 5: Choice (A) appears to be the best answer Let’s verify our decision Is proceed

contrary in meaning to TABLE? Yes The correct answer is (A).

3 RETRIBUTION:

(A) delightful experience (B) forgiveness for an offense (C) restraint in behavior (D) return to normality (E) generous donation Step 1: All of the answer choices define nouns, so RETRIBUTION must be a noun Step 2: RETRIBUTION means “revenge or vengeance“—in other words, “getting even

with someone.” Both are good synonyms

Step 3: Let’s consider each answer choice We’ll compare each one to the phrase

“getting even.” Is a delightful experience a good definition of what “getting even” is

not? No In fact, vengeance might actually be a delightful experience, at least for the

avenger Eliminate choice (A) Is forgiveness for an offense a good definition of what

“getting even” is not? Yes A person who seeks to get even with another has not forgiven the other person So choice (B) is indeed part of the definition of what

retribution is not Is restraint in behavior a good definition of what “getting even” is

not? Perhaps “Getting even” is indeed characterized by a lack of restraint in behavior But is restraint part of the definition of the opposite of “getting even”? Perhaps not Let’s earmark answer choice (C) for now, and move on to choices (D) and (E)

Is return to normality a good definition of what “getting even” is not? No Getting even

results in a return to equilibrium, but it may or may not result in a return to a normal relationship between the avenger and avenged The connection is not clear enough, so

eliminate choice (D) Is a generous donation a good definition of what “getting even” is

not? No “Getting even” is certainly contrary to making a gift; but it isn’t part of the definition Eliminate choice (E)

Step 4: Choices (B) and (C) are the only two viable choices Notice that choice (C)

describes the lack of vengeance, but it doesn’t describe what vengeance is not This

distinction is crucial—in fact, it’s the reason why choice (B) is a better answer choice than choice (C) If you’re still not convinced, try the reverse route: What word is the

PART V: Verbal Reasoning 388

ALERT!

If you think definitions as

offbeat as the one for table

here are too obscure for the

test makers, think again! The

verb table has indeed

appeared as an Antonym

headword on the GRE.

www.petersons.com

opposite of “restraint in behavior”? Impulsiveness or spontaneity These are hardly

good synonyms for vengeance, are they?

Step 5: Let’s verify our decision Is “forgiveness for an offense” a good definition of

what retribution (vengeance) is not? Yes The correct answer is (B).

ANTONYM STRATEGIES

In the previous section, you picked up some valuable ideas for gaining a tactical

advantage on GRE Antonyms Here you’ll review those ideas and learn about some

others As a whole, these strategies will give you the insights into Antonyms that you

need to be able to think clearly about them and handle them efficiently They’ll also help

you avoid the kinds of blunders that average test takers might commit

Don’t Expect to Find a Perfect Opposite Every Time

In many GRE Antonyms, you won’t find a perfect opposite among the five choices Look

again at Antonym 1 in this chapter, for example, which involves the headword

LOQUA-CIOUS Words such as terse, concise, and succinct are all better antonyms than the word

compact But none of those three words is among the five answer choices, so compact is

the correct answer Here’s another example:

4 SATE:

(A) gather

(B) want

(C) linger

(D) unhinge

(E) criticize

The correct answer is (B) To SATE is to “fully satisfy an appetite or desire,” as

in He sated his appetite The word deprive, which means “withhold a need or

want,” is probably the best antonym, but it’s not among the five choices One

meaning of the word want is “to be without or to lack.” Though not as good an

antonym as deprive, the word want is certainly contrary to SATE in meaning,

and it’s the best of the five listed choices

Resolve Close Judgment Calls in Favor of the More Specific

Antonym

Among the test designers’ favorite Antonym ploys—especially for more challenging

questions—is to provide a “runner-up” answer choice that is wrong because it is not

quite as specific or on-target as the correct choice You saw this strategy in use earlier in

this chapter, in Question 3 Notice again that restraint in behavior does indeed describe

the lack or absence of retribution, but it’s a bit too general; forgiveness of an offense

relates more specifically to the idea of RETRIBUTION

Take a look at another GRE-style Antonym in which you need to make a judgment call

between the best two choices:

TIP

If the answer choices are phrases, it’s a good bet that one of them will provide a fine definition of what the

headword is not Think of answer choice phrases as

possible definitions, not just

potential Antonyms.

5 DELIBERATIVE:

(A) free-spirited (B) rash

(C) judgmental (D) indecisive (E) uninterested The correct answer is (B) A person who is careful, thoughtful, and ponderous

in his or her actions and decisions is said to be DELIBERATIVE The only viable

choices are (B) and (D) A rash decision is one that is made hastily and with little

or no thought So rash is a good antonym As for choice (D), slowness to make decisions may appear to be indecisive behavior, but what characterizes a

delib-erative person is not decisiveness as much as the thought and care used in deciding

Think of a Common Synonym for an Uncommon Headword

It can be difficult to analyze answer choices accompanying a difficult headword Assuming you have an idea what the headword means, try thinking of an everyday synonym of the headword—a less difficult word or short phrase—and then compare the five answer choices with that commonly used word

For example, in Questions 1, 2, and 3 of this chapter, it helped to substitute simple synonyms for headwords:

• In Question 1, we substituted wordy for LOQUACIOUS

• In Question 2, we substituted delay for TABLE

• In Question 3, we substituted vengeance for RETRIBUTION

Let’s try applying this technique to another GRE-style Antonym:

6 VITRIOLIC:

(A) simple (B) agreeable (C) uncertain (D) kind (E) humble The correct answer is (D) VITRIOLIC means “caustic” or “scathing.” But even

these two synonyms are a bit unwieldy, so try using an easier word, such as mean

or nasty Now it’s easier to spot the best antonym among the five choices The opposite of mean is kind.

Don’t Give Up Just Because a Word Is Unfamiliar

Ask yourself whether an unfamiliar word resembles a familiar one in any way Perhaps the two words have the same root If so, the two words are likely to have related meanings

For example, the word LOQUACIOUS (Question 1 in this chapter) includes the root

loqu, which you’ve no doubt seen before in words such as eloquent and soliloquy.

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Those two words both involve speech or talking So does LOQUACIOUS That’s no

coincidence; the root loqu is based on the Latin word for speak.

Here are some other headwords that are uncommon words but look like familiar ones:

HEADWORD: Definition

Familiar Word That Looks Similar

AGGRANDIZE: to make more important grand (large)

EVINCE: to demonstrate convincingly convince

FORESTALL: to hinder from advancing stall (to delay)

LARGESSE: generous donation large

PERENNIAL: enduring annual (occurring every year)

Here’s another GRE-style Antonym that involves a familiar root:

7 FLAGRANT:

(A) tasteful

(B) slow to act

(C) lacking imagination

(D) intimidating

(E) barely perceptible

The correct answer is (E) The headword FLAGRANT contains the root flag.

You’ve probably used the phrase “flag down” to describe a disabled motorist’s

signaling for help It makes sense that the adjective form, FLAGRANT, means

“obvious or conspicuous”—just what a stranded motorist is trying to be by

flagging down passersby, and quite contrary to barely perceptible.

To Gain Insight, Try Starting with the Answer Choice

Working backwards from an answer choice to the headword may help when you’re stuck

on a question Try to think of a single word (not a phrase) that expresses the opposite of

the answer choice Then ask yourself whether that word is also a good synonym of the

headword If it isn’t, you can eliminate the answer choice Let’s apply this technique to

a GRE-style Antonym:

ALERT!

When encountering unfamiliar words, you can examine roots and prefixes to help you make educated guesses—but don’t expect this technique to work every time.

8 UNSEEMLY:

(A) shy (B) sacred (C) resolute (D) arid (E) obvious The correct answer is (B) The word UNSEEMLY means “improper or

indecent.” We can easily rule out choices (C), (D), and (E), none of which are related to UNSEEMLY We’re left with a difficult choice between (A) and (B) Choice (A) is tempting because we often think of a shy person as modest, a trait

that is somewhat contrary to indecent (our synonym for UNSEEMLY) But what

is the opposite of shy? It’s bold or outgoing, neither of which is a close antonym of UNSEEMLY Apply the same technique to choice (B): the opposite of sacred is

unholy or profane Although profane is a much stronger word than UNSEEMLY,

it is a better antonym than shy.

If you’re working backwards from an answer choice to the headword and you have trouble thinking of—or even imagining—a one-word Antonym for the answer choice (as opposed to a phrase), then it’s a good bet that you can eliminate that choice In Question 3 of this chapter, for example, can you imagine a word (not a phrase) that expresses the opposite of “a return to normality”? Probably not, which is a clue that choice (D) is a wrong answer Here’s another example:

9 INGRATIATE:

(A) distance (B) move on (C) obstruct (D) command (E) thank The correct answer is (A) Let’s say that you have no idea what INGRATIATE

means Instead of selecting an answer choice at random, scan the choices for words that have no easy one-word Antonyms Can you think of a single-word

Antonym for thank? Probably not—so it’s unlikely that choice (E) is the correct

answer For the record, to INGRATIATE oneself is to “work one’s way into

another’s confidence”; to distance oneself is to “deliberately keep apart from

another”—not a perfect antonym but certainly the best of the five choices

If You’re Stuck, Try Converting a Word to Another Part of Speech

Many GRE words are difficult to deal with mainly because their part of speech (noun, verb, or adjective) is not commonly used Converting the word into a more familiar form can help Here are some examples that have appeared previously on the GRE:

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