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Verbal Reasoning: Sentence Equivalence

One sentence, six words, choose exactly two that leave sentences alike in meaning — a meaning-space problem rather than a synonym hunt.

8 topics · 31 questions

Each topic is a path, not a menu: work down it in order and every question builds on the one above. Click any of them to watch the answer draw itself.

How a Sentence Equivalence Item Is Built

  1. How it worksHow does 'alike in meaning' get judged on the two finished sentences rather than on the two words?
  2. Worked exampleWalk me through 'The lecture was so ___ that even the note-takers gave up' among soporific, dense, brisk, enthralling, turgid and terse.
  3. Common mistakeWhy isn't picking the two best-sounding words enough when the pair has to leave two sentences alike?
  4. Going furtherWhat happens when three of the six words would each make a perfectly fine sentence on their own?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. Select the TWO answer choices that, used to complete the sentence, produce two sentences alike in meaning. One word alone earns nothing. The lecture ran 44 minutes past its hour and was so ___ that 9 of the note-takers in the front row had given up before the end. Choices: soporific, dense, brisk, enthralling, turgid, terse. Which pair is correct?

Why It Is Not a Synonym Hunt

  1. How it worksHow does the sentence's own constraint decide which pair of words counts as equivalent here?
  2. How it worksWalk me through drawing the sentence's constraint as a region and each of the six words as a point in meaning space.
  3. Worked exampleShow me why 'laconic' and 'terse' both fail in 'Her speech was ___, running past the hour and losing the room.'
  4. Common mistakeWhy isn't the dictionary relationship between two words the thing this question type tests?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. Her speech was ___, running 36 minutes past its slot and losing the room somewhere among the 7 digressions. Choices: laconic, terse, prolix, diffuse, impassioned, scripted. Which pair is correct?

The Orphan: a Perfect Fit With No Partner

  1. How it worksHow do you check a word you have fallen in love with for a partner before committing to it?
  2. Worked exampleShow me the orphan among doomed, fated, quixotic, lavish, ornate and sumptuous for 'The treaty was ___ from the start.'
  3. Common mistakeWhy doesn't the best single completion earn any credit when no second word carries its meaning?
  4. Going furtherWhat happens when two different pairs would each leave sentences that are coherent and alike in meaning?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. The treaty was ___ from the start: 8 of its 17 signatories had begun rearming before the ink dried. Choices: doomed, fated, quixotic, lavish, ornate, sumptuous. Which pair is correct?

The Irrelevant Pair

  1. How it worksHow do you test a tempting pair against the sentence's constraint before you trust it?
  2. Worked exampleShow me why garrulous and loquacious are a decoy in 'Witnesses described the suspect as unnervingly ___ under questioning.'
  3. Going furtherWhat changes when the decoy pair is the only obvious pair sitting among the six words?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. Witnesses described the suspect as unnervingly ___ under questioning: in 7 hours he volunteered 5 sentences, none of them about the night in question. Choices: garrulous, loquacious, impassive, phlegmatic, hostile, nervous. Which pair is correct?

Predicting Before Reading the Six Choices

  1. How it worksHow do you turn one prediction into a hunt for two words instead of a hunt for one?
  2. How it worksWalk me through covering the six choices, writing a plain everyday word in the blank, then uncovering them.
  3. Worked exampleShow me predicting the gap in 'Far from being ___, the reforms left every existing privilege intact.'
  4. Common mistakeWhy isn't a fancy GRE word a better prediction than a blunt everyday one?
  5. Going furtherWhat happens when your prediction matches three of the six words rather than two?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. Far from being ___, the reforms left every one of the 16 existing privileges intact and added 5 more. Choices: sweeping, thoroughgoing, cosmetic, modest, contentious, overdue. Which pair is correct?

From Constraint to Meaning to Pair

  1. How it worksHow do you name the one meaning a blank must carry before hunting for two words that carry it?
  2. Worked exampleWalk me through 'The professor's manner was ___, discouraging questions and cutting every conversation short.'
  3. Common mistakeWhy doesn't a word with the right part of speech and the right tone automatically have the right meaning?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. The professor's manner was ___, discouraging questions and cutting each of the 8 conversations of the afternoon short within 5 minutes. Choices: brusque, curt, erudite, learned, anxious, formal. Which pair is correct?

The Three-Pair Structure Many Items Hide

  1. How it worksHow does pairing the six words first turn a six-way decision into a three-way one?
  2. Worked exampleShow me sorting soporific, tedious, riveting, gripping, terse and laconic into three pairs and choosing one.
  3. Common mistakeWhy isn't every item built from three clean pairs, and what does a leftover word tell you about the item?
  4. Going furtherWhat happens when two of the six words share a meaning but differ sharply in intensity?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. The documentary held 87 of the 106 volunteers at the test screening to the end, and reviewers found it ___. Choices: soporific, tedious, riveting, gripping, terse, laconic. Which pair is correct?

Alike in Meaning, Not Identical in Meaning

  1. How it worksHow does the scoring judge two finished sentences as alike rather than two words as interchangeable?
  2. Worked exampleShow me why frugal and penurious can both be right in a sentence about a household that spends almost nothing.
  3. Going furtherWhat changes when a sentence's tone is disapproving and one candidate word is perfectly neutral?
  4. Ties togetherHow does judging two finished sentences alike in meaning connect to summarizing a whole passage in one line?
Your turneasy1 of 3
Sentence Equivalence. The household lived on 37 percent of what the father earned and banked the rest; neighbours called them ___. Choices: frugal, penurious, destitute, bankrupt, generous, secretive. Which pair is correct?

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