Trickiest GRE Verbal Practice Questions With Answers

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Are you scoring how you hoped you would in the GRE Verbal section? If your answer is no, we have a plan you can replace crying with! Jamboree is now posting a series of quality GRE Verbal practice questions. In this series, we will slowly pump up the difficulty of questions to build your exam-time stamina and aptitude for GRE Verbal. And in this blog, we are tackling some of the trickiest topics of the section with an easy to moderate level of difficulty. So let’s dive in!

IN THIS BLOG:

1. GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Sentence Equivalence
2. GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Modifiers & Parallelism
3. GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Subject-Verb Agreement

GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Sentence Equivalence

1. The company’s ___________ performance this quarter exceeded expectations, prompting a surge in stock prices.

1. abysmal
2. mediocre
3. impressive
4. subpar
5. lacklustre

Answer: c. impressive

2. The professor’s lectures were so ___________ that many students found themselves dozing off during class.

1. engrossing
2. captivating
3. soporific
4. stimulating
5. invigorating

Answer: c. soporific

3. The novel’s ___________ ending left readers feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.

1. inconclusive
2. conclusive
3. ambiguous
4. definite
5. resolute

Answer: a. inconclusive

4. The new manager’s ___________ approach to leadership proved to be quite effective in improving employee morale.

1. autocratic
2. dictatorial
3. democratic
4. laissez-faire
5. authoritarian

Answer: c. democratic

5. Despite the ___________ of the evidence against him, the defendant maintained his innocence.

1. abundance
2. scarcity
3. paucity
4. excess
5. plethora

Answer: c. paucity

6. The storm’s ___________ winds and rain caused widespread damage to homes and businesses in the area.

1. gentle
2. mild
3. fierce
4. tranquil
5. placid

Answer: c. fierce

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7. The athlete’s ___________ training regimen allowed him to excel in his sport and win multiple championships.

1. rigorous
2. lenient
3. lax
4. easygoing
5. casual

Answer: a. rigorous

8. The comedian’s ___________ jokes were met with silence from the audience, who found them offensive and tasteless.

1. tasteful
2. hilarious
3. witty
4. offensive
5. amusing

Answer: d. offensive

9. The company’s ___________ decision to invest in new technology paid off in the long run, increasing productivity and profits.

1. impulsive
2. reckless
3. cautious
4. calculated
5. arbitrary

Answer: d. calculated

10. The politician’s ___________ behaviour during the debate turned off many voters and hurt her chances of winning the election.

1. diplomatic
2. courteous
3. civil
4. boorish
5. refined

Answer: d. Boorish

GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Modifiers and Parallelism

1. Which of the following sentences uses a misplaced modifier?
2. A) The dog ran to the park, chasing the ball.
3. B) Chasing the ball, the dog ran to the park.
4. C) Running to the park, the ball was chased by the dog.

Answer: C. The sentence places the action of “chasing” on the ball, rather than the dog.

2. Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?
3. A) She likes hiking, to swim, and playing tennis.
4. B) She likes hiking, swimming, and playing tennis.
5. C) She likes hiking, swim, and tennis.

Answer: B. All three items in the list are in the same form: verb+ing.

3. Which of the following sentences contains a faulty comparison?
4. A) The Nile River is longer than any river in Asia.
5. B) The Nile River is longer than the Amazon River.
6. C) The Nile River is the longest river in the world.

Answer: A. The sentence compares the length of the Nile River to “any river in Asia,” which is an inappropriate comparison.

4. Which of the following sentences uses a modifier to create a sentence fragment?
5. A) Eating ice cream on a hot day.
6. B) Although I was tired, I continued to study for the exam.
7. C) The book that I read last night.

Answer: A. The sentence lacks a subject and a verb, making it a sentence fragment.

5. Which of the following sentences is an example of parallelism?
6. A) She likes to hike, swim, and playing tennis.
7. B) She likes hiking, swimming, and playing tennis.
8. C) She likes to hike, swimming, and playing tennis.

Answer: B. All three items in the list are in the same form: verb+ing.

6. Which sentence uses a misplaced modifier?
7. A) After running five miles, the pizza tasted delicious.
8. B) The pizza tasted delicious after running five miles.
9. C) The pizza after running five miles tasted delicious.

Answer: C. The sentence places the phrase “after running five miles” next to “pizza,” creating a misplaced modifier.

7. Which of the following sentences is an example of faulty parallelism?
8. A) He enjoys hiking, camping, and to fish.
9. B) He enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing.
10. C) He enjoys to hike, to camp, and to fish.

Answer: A. The verb “to fish” is in a different form than the other two items in the list.

8. Which sentence uses a modifier correctly?
9. A) Running in the park, the trees were beautiful.
10. B) Running in the park, I saw beautiful trees.
11. C) I saw beautiful trees running in the park.

Answer: B. The modifier “running in the park” correctly modifies the subject “I saw.”

9. Which of the following sentences contains a faulty comparison?
10. A) Apples are healthier than oranges.
11. B) Apples are more healthy than oranges.
12. C) Apples are healthiest than oranges.

Answer: B. “More healthy” is not a correct comparative form.

10. Which of the following sentences uses parallelism correctly?
11. A) She likes to hike, swimming, and playing tennis.
12. B) She likes hiking, to swim, and playing tennis.
13. C) She likes hiking, swimming, and playing tennis.

Answer: C. All three items in the list are in the same form: verb+ing.

 GRE Verbal Practice Questions On Subject-Verb Agreement

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The team of players were practising their moves.
2. B) The team of players was practising their moves.

Answer: B. “The team of players was practising their moves.” The subject “team” is singular and therefore requires the singular verb “was”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) Each of the students are required to submit their project by Friday.
2. B) Each of the students is required to submit their project by Friday.

Answer: B. “Each of the students is required to submit their project by Friday.” The phrase “each of the students” is singular and requires the singular verb “is”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The book on the table needs to be read before the exam.
2. B) The books on the table need to be read before the exam.

Answer: A. “The book on the table needs to be read before the exam.” The subject “book” is singular and requires the singular verb “needs”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The group of tourists were excited to explore the city.
2. B) The group of tourists was excited to explore the city.

Answer: B. “The group of tourists was excited to explore the city.” The subject “group” is singular and requires the singular verb “was”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) My sister and I is planning a surprise party for our mother.
2. B) My sister and I are planning a surprise party for our mother.

Answer: B. “My sister and I are planning a surprise party for our mother.” The subject “my sister and I” is plural and requires the plural verb “are”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The number of students who are late for class is increasing.
2. B) The number of students who is late for class is increasing.

Answer: A. “The number of students who are late for class is increasing.” The subject “number” is singular and requires the singular verb “is”, but the verb must agree with “students”, which is plural, so the verb must be “are”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The teacher, along with her students, are attending the conference.
2. B) The teacher, along with her students, is attending the conference.

Answer: B. “The teacher, along with her students, is attending the conference.” The subject “teacher” is singular and requires the singular verb “is”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) There is a lot of people in the park today.
2. B) There are a lot of people in the park today.

Answer: B. “There are a lot of people in the park today.” The subject “people” is plural and requires the plural verb “are”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) The committee has decided to approve the proposal.
2. B) The committee have decided to approve the proposal.

Answer: A. “The committee has decided to approve the proposal.” The subject “committee” is singular and requires the singular verb “has”.

Which sentence shows correct subject-verb agreement?

1. A) One of my favourite movies is The Godfather.
2. B) One of my favourite movies are The Godfather.

Answer: A. “One of my favourite movies is The Godfather.” The subject “one” is singular and requires the singular verb “is”.

Regardless of where you are at in your GRE prep, Jamboree can help! Our GRE faculty simplifies GRE by catering to your current level of proficiency and individual learning style. You can easily sign up for a free GRE doubt class and ask your doubts directly from our experienced faculty. 

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