GRE Text Completion Practice Test Practice Questions with Answers

Concept Explanation

GRE Text Completion questions are verbal reasoning tasks that require you to fill in missing words in a short passage to create a coherent and logically sound statement. These questions assess your ability to interpret complex sentences by identifying clues, transitions, and structural indicators within the text. According to the ETS official guidelines, Text Completion items can feature one, two, or three blanks, and you must select the correct word for every blank to receive credit. Success on a GRE Text Completion practice test depends less on memorizing obscure definitions and more on recognizing how words function in context. You should look for "signal words"—such as however, moreover, or paradoxically—which indicate whether the missing word should support or contradict the surrounding ideas. For students looking to diversify their study routine, using an AI Flashcard Generator can help solidify the high-level vocabulary often found in these passages.

Solved Examples

To master these questions, you must follow a systematic approach: read the entire sentence, identify the "clue" and the "direction," and then predict the word before looking at the options.

1. Single Blank Example: The novel was widely praised for its (i)__________ prose; however, some critics found the ornate language to be unnecessarily dense.
   • Step 1: Identify the transition word "however," which indicates a contrast between the praise and the criticism.
   • Step 2: The criticism is that the language is "ornate" and "dense." The praise must therefore be for the same quality but framed positively.
   • Step 3: Look for a word that means ornate or detailed. If the options are (A) Spartan, (B) Florid, or (C) Pellucid, the answer is Florid.
2. Double Blank Example: While the scientist’s theory was initially dismissed as (i)__________, subsequent experiments provided (ii)__________ evidence that forced the community to reconsider.
   • Step 1: The word "While" indicates a shift. The first blank should be negative (since it was dismissed), and the second blank should be positive (since it forced reconsideration).
   • Step 2: For blank (i), words like "untenable" or "specious" work. For blank (ii), "corroborating" or "irrefutable" work.
   • Step 3: Matching with options: (i) untenable; (ii) irrefutable.
3. Triple Blank Example: The governor’s reputation for (i)__________ was well-earned; she rarely spoke without (ii)__________ her words, a habit that often (iii)__________ those who preferred a more direct approach.
   • Step 1: The third blank relates to people who prefer a "direct approach." This implies the governor is NOT direct.
   • Step 2: If she isn't direct, she might be "circumspect" (i) and "mincing" (ii) her words. This would "irk" or "vex" (iii) direct people.
   • Step 3: Final Selection: (i) circumspection, (ii) hedging, (iii) exasperated.

Practice Questions

1. Despite the professor's reputation for being __________, he surprised his students by delivering a lecture that was remarkably concise and easy to follow.

1. Laconic
2. Garrulous
3. Taciturn
4. Fastidious
5. Precocious

2. The artist’s work was characterized by a (i)__________ style that utilized vibrant colors and bold textures, yet this very (ii)__________ often overwhelmed the subtle emotional nuances he intended to convey.

Blank (i): (A) drab, (B) flamboyant, (C) understated
Blank (ii): (D) ostentation, (E) austerity, (F) brevity

3. Because the diplomat was known for his (i)__________, his colleagues were (ii)__________ when he suddenly engaged in a series of highly inflammatory public tirades.

Blank (i): (A) equanimity, (B) pugnacity, (C) arrogance
Blank (ii): (D) nonplussed, (E) indifferent, (F) emboldened

4. The CEO’s decision to cut employee benefits was seen as (i)__________ by the labor union, especially given the company's (ii)__________ profits during the previous fiscal year.

Blank (i): (A) benevolent, (B) parsimonious, (C) magnanimous
Blank (ii): (D) stagnant, (E) unprecedented, (F) dwindling

5. Although the ancient ruins were once thought to be (i)__________, recent archaeological excavations have revealed that the site was actually (ii)__________ with activity for centuries, serving as a (iii)__________ for regional trade.

Blank (i): (A) desolate, (B) opulent, (C) fortified
Blank (ii): (D) teeming, (E) devoid, (F) struggling
Blank (iii): (G) nexus, (H) periphery, (I) vacuum

6. It is a common misconception that the desert is a (i)__________ environment; in reality, many arid regions support a (ii)__________ array of flora and fauna that have adapted to extreme conditions.

Blank (i): (A) lush, (B) barren, (C) resilient
Blank (ii): (D) meager, (E) diverse, (F) uniform

7. The politician’s speech was filled with (i)__________ rhetoric, designed to appeal to the emotions of the crowd rather than offer (ii)__________ solutions to the economic crisis.

Blank (i): (A) bombastic, (B) pithy, (C) candid
Blank (ii): (D) abstract, (E) substantive, (F) ephemeral

8. While some find her writing style (i)__________, others argue that its complexity is (ii)__________ to the depth of the philosophical questions she explores.

Blank (i): (A) pellucid, (B) convoluted, (C) succinct
Blank (ii): (D) extraneous, (E) intrinsic, (F) detrimental

Answers & Explanations

1. Answer: B (Garrulous). The word "Despite" signals a contrast. The lecture was "concise," so his reputation must be for the opposite—being wordy or talkative. "Garrulous" means excessively talkative.
2. Answer: B (flamboyant) and D (ostentation). The clue "vibrant colors and bold textures" describes a flamboyant style. The second blank refers back to this style using the word "this," so "ostentation" (pretentious display) fits the negative context of overwhelming the nuances.
3. Answer: A (equanimity) and D (nonplussed). The shift happens at "suddenly." If he engaged in inflammatory tirades, and this was surprising, he must usually be calm. "Equanimity" means mental calmness. His colleagues would be "nonplussed" (surprised and confused) by the change.
4. Answer: B (parsimonious) and E (unprecedented). Cutting benefits is "parsimonious" (stingy). This is especially notable if profit was high, so "unprecedented" (never done before/record-breaking) fits the context of irony.
5. Answer: A (desolate), D (teeming), and G (nexus). "Although" signals a change from the old thought to the new reality. Old thought: empty (desolate). New reality: full (teeming). A center for trade is a "nexus."
6. Answer: B (barren) and E (diverse). The sentence corrects a misconception. The misconception is that it is empty (barren), while the reality is that it supports many different types of life (diverse).
7. Answer: A (bombastic) and E (substantive). Rhetoric that appeals to emotion over logic is often "bombastic" (high-sounding but with little meaning). The contrast is with "substantive" (meaningful or real) solutions.
8. Answer: B (convoluted) and E (intrinsic). The contrast is between people who dislike the complexity (convoluted) and those who believe it is an essential part (intrinsic) of the work's depth.

If you are struggling with the logic of these questions, you might find it helpful to practice with GRE Arithmetic practice or other quantitative sections to give your verbal brain a rest. You can also use the AI Question Generator to create more sets like these.

1. In a Text Completion question, what should you do before looking at the provided answer choices?

• ARead only the first half of the sentence
• BPredict your own word based on context clues
• CSelect the most difficult vocabulary word
• DCheck the dictionary for every word in the sentence

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Text Completion questions are on the GRE?

Each Verbal Reasoning section typically contains about six Text Completion questions, ranging from single-blank to triple-blank formats. These questions appear early in the section and are essential for a high verbal score.

Do I get partial credit for 2-blank or 3-blank questions?

No, the GRE does not award partial credit for Text Completion questions. You must correctly identify every missing word in the passage to receive points for that item.

What is the best strategy for triple-blank questions?

Start with the blank that is easiest to solve based on the available clues, which is not always the first one. Once you fill one blank, it often provides the context needed to solve the remaining ones.

How can I improve my GRE vocabulary?

Read high-quality publications like The Economist or Scientific American and use active recall tools. Focusing on root words and context clues is often more effective than rote memorization.

Are Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence the same?

While both test vocabulary and context, Text Completion requires you to fill in one or more blanks within a passage, while Sentence Equivalence requires you to choose two different words that complete a single blank in the same way.