GRE Sentence Completion No. 2



.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 1 of 10

 

Dependence by primitive humans on their environment would
not have permitted them to be ------- the effects of the
surrounding world on them.

(A) intrigued by
(B) protected from
(C) indifferent about
(D) surprised by
(E) knowledgeable about

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 2 of 10

 

Shakespeare's ------- of Richard III is so ------- that it is
difficult to imagine that the ruler had been dead for more than
a century before the Bard cast him as the central character in
one of his plays.

(A) rendition..compelling
(B) criticism..candid
(C) caricature..inventive
(D) portrayal..droll
(E) depiction..vivid

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 3 of 10

 

When listening to a medieval Gregorian chant, the listener does
not encounter the composer's individual personality; -------,
the chant merely ------- both the musical and religious rules
of the period.

(A) rather..embodies
(B) in addition..conveys
(C) instead..belies
(D) in other words..repudiates
(E) moreover..reflects

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 4 of 10

 

Even detractors who warn of its potential for abuse by powerful
despots agree that genetic engineering, if used -------, can
reduce the incidence of the sort of physical and mental
deformities that any society would want to eliminate.

(A) premeditatedly
(B) biologically
(C) recklessly
(D) discriminately
(E) illicitly

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 5 of 10

 

Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, having become a manifesto for
psychopaths and potential miscreants, is viewed by many high-
school administrators as too ------- to be suitable for teenage
students.

(A) austere
(B) insipid
(C) provocative
(D) aberrant
(E) progressive

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 6 of 10

 

The high incidence of speech articulation disorders among young
children suggests that such "disorders" are ------- developmental
phenomena, since they generally occur less frequently among
------- age groups.

(A) actually normal..other
(B) relatively rare..certain
(C) very serious..most
(D) clinically acceptable.. younger
(E) commonly misunderstood..older

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 7 of 10

 

Paradoxically, industrialist Andrew Carnegie gained his reputation
for ------- at the expense of his own factory workers, who
were oppressed by the ------- steel magnate to an extent that
would be considered by today's standards of labor practice to be unconscionable.

(A) efficiency..affluent
(B) innovation..benevolent
(C) stinginess..entrepreneurial
(D) ruthlessness..shrewd
(E) philanthropy..cost-conscious

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 8 of 10

 

The fossil record reveals innumerable instances of environmental
------- by which one can draw an analogy between the evolution
of life on Earth and the branches of a bush, a few of which
------- but most of which branch again and again.

(A) calamities..end abruptly
(B) adaptations..progress linearly
(C) safeguards..wither and die
(D) events..intertwine
(E) changes..produce leaves

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 9 of 10

 

The government's ------- clinical study requirements for
approval of new drugs do not ------- pharmaceutical firms when
it comes to research and development, chiefly because of the
profit potential afforded by patent protection.

(A) official..permit
(B) onerous..dissuade
(C) extensive..motivate
(D) unenforceable..favor
(E) vague..prejudice

 

.GRE Sentence Completion

Question 10 of 10

 

In the United States, the development of the field of sociology
was not ------- controversies; rather, it burgeoned from social
experience, which explains the relatively ------- approach among
American sociologists to identifying and solving social problems.

(A) impeded by political..academic
(B) challenged by academic..theoretical
(C) hindered by petty..controversial
(D) stimulated by ideological..empirical
(E) sparked by social..experimental

Question 1—Analysis

The correct response to Question 1 is (C). Dependence on one's environment would in all likelihood make one concerned about it. Version (C) makes sense; primitive humans would surely not have been indifferent (unconcerned) about how the environment might affect them.

Question 2—Analysis

The correct response to Question 2 is (E). The first part of the sentence (containing both missing words) must explain why it difficult to imagine that Richard III had been dead for so long when Shakespeare wrote the play. A vivid (lifelike or realistic) depiction (characterization or description) of the ruler would provide just such an explanation.

Question 3—Analysis

The correct response to Question 3 is (A). The operative word in this sentence is merely, which calls for a contrast between the first and second clause. The first missing word should set up that contrast. Only (A) and (C) accomplish this. Of these two choices, only (A) makes complete sense. (The word belies means "misleads or deceives" and makes no sense here in tandem with the word merely.)

Question 4—Analysis

The correct response to Question 4 is (D). The missing word must contrast with the notion of abuse of genetic engineering, while at the same time be consistent with the desirable goal of reducing the incidence of deformities. Only (D) accomplishes both. To use the technology "discriminately" would be to conscientiously apply it only toward certain ends (such as reducing deformities) and not toward others (such as creating a master race that dominates others).

Question 5—Analysis

The correct response to Question 5 is (C). A miscreant is a villain, scoundrel, or criminal. The sentence infers that Catcher In the Rye might provoke (incite) potential miscreants to engage in violent antisocial behavior.

Question 6—Analysis

The correct response to Question 6 is (A). The first operative word in the sentence is since, which means "because" here. The fact that the disorders appear frequently only among young children would explain the conclusion that these "disorders" are not disorders at all, but rather normal developmental phenomena that children grow out of. Version (A) conveys this idea. The second operative word is disorders (in quotes). The fact that the word appears in quotes provides a clue that the term might be a misnomer--an inappropriate label. Again, version (A) conveys this idea.

Question 7—Analysis

The correct response to Question 7 is (E). The operative word in this sentence is paradoxically. A paradox is an apparent contradiction. So the sentence intends to point out two contradictory traits of Carnegie. (E) accomplishes this. Philanthropy literally means "love of humankind" and is usually used to describe generous charitable giving by wealthy individuals. Carnegie's cost-cutting business practices and oppressive treatment of his labor force would seem paradoxical, given his reputation as a philanthropist.

Question 8—Analysis

The correct response to Question 8 is (B). The operative phrase in this sentence is by which. What precedes this key phrase must adequately explain the analogy that follows it. Version (B) fits the bill. In the context of evolution, many organisms have continually adapted to environmental changes, resulting in a large variety of species (in a continual branching manner); in other words, for most organisms evolution is not linear.

Question 9—Analysis

The correct response to Question 9 is (B). The operative word in this sentence is because, which requires that what follows it must explain what precedes it. Profit potential would explain why drug companies persist in developing new drugs despite onerous (burdensome) government regulations. Version (B) expresses this idea. (The word dissuade means "discourage or persuade not to.")

Question 10—Analysis

The correct response to Question 10 is (D). The first operative word in the sentence is rather, which sets up a contrast between what precedes it and what follows it. So the first clause must run contrary to the phrase "it burgeoned [grew] from social experience." Only (A), (C), and (D) fit the bill. Of these three choices, (D) establishes the clearest contrast--between ideology and experience. A second operative term in the sentence is which explains. What follows this phrase must be consistent with what precedes it. Version (D) accomplishes just that. The word empirical means "based on observation or experience (as opposed to theory)."