One-Blank Text Completion Questions Practice Questions with Answers

Twenty-five percent of the Verbal Reasoning section on the GRE consists of Text Completion tasks that evaluate your ability to interpret complex prose. One-blank text completion questions provide a single sentence or a short paragraph with one missing word, requiring you to select the most appropriate choice from a list of five options. To succeed, you must look beyond mere vocabulary knowledge and analyze the logical structure of the text to identify clues and keywords that signal the intended meaning.

Concept Explanation

One-blank text completion questions are vocabulary-in-context problems that ask you to fill a single gap in a sentence using one of five provided answer choices. These questions test your ability to understand the author's tone, the relationship between different parts of a sentence, and the nuances of high-level English words. Unlike GRE Prep for quantitative sections, which relies on mathematical formulas, text completion relies on linguistic logic. You must identify "clue words" (adjectives or nouns that describe the blank) and "indicator words" (conjunctions like 'although', 'because', or 'similarly') that dictate whether the blank should match or oppose another idea in the sentence. Effective strategies include reading the entire sentence first, predicting a word for the blank before looking at the options, and using the process of elimination to discard words that do not fit the grammatical or logical flow.

Solved Examples

1. Example 1: The committee's report was surprisingly __________, containing none of the expected bureaucratic jargon and instead offering a clear, concise summary of the project's status.
   1. verbose
   2. lucid
   3. opaque
   4. redundant
   5. abstruse
   Solution:
   1. Identify the clue: The sentence mentions the report contained "none of the expected bureaucratic jargon" and was "clear" and "concise."
   2. Identify the indicator: "Instead" suggests a contrast to jargon, but "surprisingly" suggests the report deviated from the norm of being difficult.
   3. Predict: A word meaning "clear" or "easy to understand."
   4. Evaluate: "Lucid" means clear and easy to understand. "Verbose" and "redundant" mean wordy; "opaque" and "abstruse" mean difficult to understand.
   5. Correct Answer: (b) lucid.
2. Example 2: Despite the professor's __________ reputation for being strict, he proved to be quite lenient when students asked for extensions on their final papers.
   1. undeserved
   2. formidable
   3. erroneous
   4. warranted
   5. spurious
   Solution:
   1. Identify the clue: The professor is actually "quite lenient."
   2. Identify the indicator: "Despite" signals a contrast between his reputation and his actual behavior.
   3. Predict: The reputation for being strict was actually true, or the contrast is between the reputation and the action. However, the logic here is: Despite having a (real) reputation for X, he did Y.
   4. Evaluate: If he is lenient, a reputation for being strict would be "formidable" (inspiring fear or respect). "Warranted" would mean it was deserved, which fits the contrast of his behavior. However, the most natural fit for a reputation that precedes someone is "formidable."
   5. Correct Answer: (b) formidable.
3. Example 3: The scientist’s claim was so __________ that even her most loyal supporters found it difficult to defend her against charges of fraud.
   1. tenable
   2. specious
   3. rigorous
   4. veracious
   5. empirical
   Solution:
   1. Identify the clue: Even "loyal supporters" could not defend her against "charges of fraud."
   2. Identify the indicator: "So... that" indicates a cause-and-effect relationship. The nature of the claim caused the lack of defense.
   3. Predict: A word meaning false, misleading, or deceptive.
   4. Evaluate: "Specious" means superficially plausible, but actually wrong. "Tenable" (defensible), "rigorous" (thorough), "veracious" (truthful), and "empirical" (based on observation) are all positive or neutral.
   5. Correct Answer: (b) specious.

Practice Questions

1. Because of the witness's __________ testimony, the jury found it nearly impossible to reach a verdict, as his statements were riddled with contradictions.

• (A) cogent
• (B) equivocal
• (C) pellucid
• (D) unwavering
• (E) authoritative

2. The new CEO realized that the company's survival depended on __________ its outdated manufacturing processes, which were far too costly and slow.

• (A) perpetuating
• (B) maintaining
• (C) jettisoning
• (D) bolstering
• (E) enshrining

3. While many found the artist's later works to be revolutionary, the traditionalists in the gallery dismissed them as mere __________.

• (A) masterpieces
• (B) innovations
• (C) aberrations
• (D) paradigms
• (E) benchmarks

4. The diplomat was known for his __________, a trait that allowed him to navigate delicate international negotiations without offending any party.

• (A) insolence
• (B) mendacity
• (C) circumspection
• (D) bellicosity
• (E) precipitance

5. Many historical accounts describe the monarch as __________, but recent evidence suggests he was actually quite decisive and firm in his policies.

• (A) resolute
• (B) vacillating
• (C) tyrannical
• (D) intrepid
• (E) dogmatic

6. The software developer’s approach was __________, as he meticulously tested every single line of code before moving to the next phase of the project.

• (A) haphazard
• (B) scrupulous
• (C) perfunctory
• (D) desultory
• (E) cursory

7. Although the task seemed __________ at first, the team quickly realized that with proper planning, they could complete it well ahead of the deadline.

• (A) trivial
• (B) facile
• (C) insuperable
• (D) mundane
• (E) elementary

8. The critic’s review was notably __________, sparing no detail in its harsh condemnation of the director's latest film.

• (A) laudatory
• (B) vitriolic
• (C) temperate
• (D) laudable
• (E) benign

Answers & Explanations

1. (B) equivocal: The clue is "riddled with contradictions." Equivocal means open to more than one interpretation or ambiguous. If a testimony is contradictory, it cannot be cogent (clear/logical) or pellucid (translucent/clear).
2. (C) jettisoning: The processes are "outdated," "costly," and "slow." For a company to survive, it must get rid of these. Jettisoning means to discard or cast off. Bolstering or maintaining would worsen the situation.
3. (C) aberrations: The word "While" signals a contrast between "revolutionary" and what the "traditionalists" think. Traditionalists would see a departure from the norm as a negative. An aberration is a departure from what is normal or expected, typically an unwelcome one.
4. (C) circumspection: The diplomat navigates delicate situations without offending anyone. This requires being wary and unwilling to take risks (circumspection). Insolence (rudeness) and bellicosity (aggression) would cause offense.
5. (B) vacillating: The indicator "but" signals a contrast with "decisive and firm." The blank needs a word that means indecisive. Vacillating means wavering between different opinions or actions.
6. (B) scrupulous: The developer "meticulously tested every single line." Scrupulous means diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details. Haphazard and perfunctory are the opposites.
7. (C) insuperable: The indicator "Although" signals a contrast. If they could complete it easily with planning, it must have initially seemed impossible. Insuperable means impossible to overcome.
8. (B) vitriolic: The review was a "harsh condemnation." Vitriolic means filled with bitter criticism or malice. Laudatory means expressing praise, which contradicts the context.

1. Which word best completes a sentence describing a person who is extremely frugal and avoids spending money?

• AProfligate
• BParsimonious
• CMagnanimous
• DMunificent

Frequently Asked Questions

How many answer choices are there for one-blank text completion questions?

One-blank text completion questions always provide five answer choices. Unlike two-blank or three-blank questions where you must select one correct option for each blank from a list of three, the one-blank format offers a wider variety of potential vocabulary words for a single gap.

Should I learn the entire dictionary for the GRE Verbal section?

Focusing on high-frequency GRE words and understanding context is more effective than memorizing the entire dictionary. You can use tools like the AI Flashcard Generator to master words that frequently appear in GRE Statistics contexts or literary passages.

What are "indicator words" in Text Completion?

Indicator words are logical signposts such as "however," "although," "because," and "moreover" that tell you the relationship between ideas. They indicate whether the blank should support the existing sentiment of the sentence or provide a counterpoint to it.

Can I get partial credit on GRE Text Completion questions?

No, the GRE does not offer partial credit for Text Completion questions. For one-blank questions, this is straightforward, but for multi-blank questions, you must get every single blank correct to receive points for that question.

How much time should I spend on a single-blank question?

Ideally, you should aim to solve a one-blank question in about 45 to 60 seconds. Since these are generally faster to read than long-passage Reading Comprehension, saving time here allows you more room to tackle GRE Data Interpretation Questions or complex logic puzzles.