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GRE sentence equivalence practice

One sentence. Two answers. Practice finding the pair that fits the context and gives the completed sentence the same meaning.

Verbal Reasoning · 6 questions with explanations · By StudyPattern

Let the sentence tell you what belongs.

These six questions begin with direct clues and move toward denser language. Read the whole sentence before considering the answer choices.

  1. Identify the change in direction.

    In Question 1, “Although” separates the organizers’ expectation from what happened. The answer pair needs to explain that reversal.

  2. Use the evidence after the punctuation.

    Question 2 supplies a concrete result after the semicolon. Use that result to interpret the missing description.

  3. Check both completed sentences.

    In Question 5, judge each choice against the researchers’ eventual access to the files. Two related words are useful only if both preserve that outcome.

6 GRE sentence equivalence questions

Sentence equivalence has one blank and six choices. Select two choices that produce equivalent completed sentences. On the GRE, both answers must be correct to receive credit.

Question format: ETS Verbal Reasoning overview.

Question 1

Although organizers expected the remote location to limit attendance, favorable reviews of the sculpture garden caused visitors to [Blank 1] the site on weekends.

Select two answers.

Question 1 answers

Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation for question 1

Answer: B (converge on) and C (flock to)

The organizers expected the remote location to discourage attendance, but the favorable reviews had the opposite effect. Visitors therefore came to the site in large numbers. "Flock to" and "converge on" both express this meaning.

Question 2

The curator's descriptions of the newly acquired manuscripts were notably [Blank 1]; indeed, visitors with no training in paleography could readily understand both the documents' contents and their historical importance.

Select two answers.

Question 2 answers

Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation for question 2

Answer: C (lucid) and F (intelligible)

The continuation signaled by “indeed” provides the decisive clue: visitors without specialized training could readily understand the descriptions. Thus, the descriptions must have been clear. “Lucid” and “intelligible” both mean clear and understandable, so both produce sentences with the same coherent meaning.

Question 3

Although several council members had initially rejected the transit proposal, the evidence from the pilot program was so compelling that even the plan’s most vocal opponents had to [Blank 1] its merits.

Select two answers.

Question 3 answers

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Answer: E (acknowledge) and F (concede)

The word “Although” establishes a contrast between the opponents’ initial rejection of the proposal and their response to compelling evidence. They therefore had to admit that the proposal possessed merits. “Concede” and “acknowledge” both mean to admit something to be true, so either word produces the same coherent meaning.

Question 4

The archivist’s reputation for caution led her colleagues to expect a restrained conclusion, yet after reviewing several independent records, she became unusually [Blank 1] in asserting that the disputed letter was authentic.

Select two answers.

Question 4 answers

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Answer: D (categorical) and E (unequivocal)

The archivist was known for caution, so the word “yet” signals an unexpected change in her manner. After examining several independent records, she asserted the letter’s authenticity firmly. “Categorical” and “unequivocal” both mean unambiguous and unqualified, so either word produces the same coherent meaning.

Question 5

Paradoxically, the museum's decision to digitize its uncatalogued holdings proved [Blank 1] independent researchers: publicity generated by preliminary images attracted commercial partners, whose licensing agreements then placed the high-resolution files behind fees few such researchers could afford.

Select two answers.

Question 5 answers

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Answer: D (inimical to) and E (detrimental to)

Digitizing the holdings might initially appear to benefit independent researchers. However, the preliminary images attracted commercial partners, and the resulting licensing agreements imposed fees that many of those researchers could not afford. Thus, the decision ultimately harmed the very researchers it might have been expected to help. "Inimical to" and "detrimental to" both mean harmful to and produce sentences with equivalent meanings.

Question 6

The critic judged the composer's newest suite to be [Blank 1]: its supposed innovations were merely imitations of techniques that earlier composers had pioneered decades before.

Select two answers.

Question 6 answers

Show answer and explanationHide answer and explanation for question 6

Answer: D (derivative) and E (epigonic)

The clause following the colon defines the criticism: the suite does not genuinely innovate but instead imitates techniques introduced by earlier composers. “Epigonic” describes work that imitates that of influential predecessors, and “derivative” likewise describes work lacking originality because it draws heavily on existing models. The other choices do not express this specific lack of originality.

Something unclear? Report a question or explanation with this page link and the question number.

Review the pair, not just the unfamiliar word.

  • For each missed question, underline the phrase that supports the correct pair. Explain its role in your own words.
  • If you chose two similar words that did not fit, reread the sentence with each choice inserted. Notice the claim it makes.
  • Save a vocabulary note with the original sentence context. For Question 6, connect the new word to the description of the composer’s work.

Give your next session a direction

Continue with StudyPattern’s GRE Verbal lessons and practice. Work on contrast, continuation, and vocabulary in context, then retry the questions you missed.

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