GRE Verbal Reasoning - Text Completion
Greetings, aspiring winners!
In case you are perusing this, then it is most likely that you are preparing for quite possibly the most difficult and yet fulfilling stage in your academic ladder: the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Today, we dedicate our attention to one of the crucial aspects of the GRE Verbal Reasoning section, especially in the Text Completion questions.
Whether you’re apprehensive regarding this section or simply wish to work on your strengths, we are ready to assist you with it. There is always the D Vivid Consultant for you as you navigate these processes so contact us without fear.
We will also examine the Text Completion question types and some possible ways to deal with them in order to ensure the success of the test taker.
What Are GRE Text Completion Questions?
In the GRE Verbal Reasoning section, Text Completion questions are sentences or short extracts containing between one and three blanks. Each blank has several answer options and your task is to choose the one that fills the intended meaning of the excerpt. This type of task measures the degree of comprehension of a particular text and the ability to use the accompanying information in order to fill the gaps in the text correctly.
However, here is the irony, you have to come up with the most appropriate answer to the optional seen in each and every blank of the passage given—a form which challenges how far systemic thinking can be taken.
Why Are Text Completion Questions Essential?
Text Completion questions form a significant part of your GRE Verbal Reasoning component.
These questions are meant to evaluate how well you can:
- Understand main ideas through context. You must comprehend how several ideas relate, even if this relationship is not stated openly.
- Add to your wordbase. Text Completion questions require knowledge of more than just terminology. An appreciation of a word is useless without knowing how to use it semantically.
- Use reasoning. All of the empty spaces should blend with the remaining passage and each and every one of them has to fit nicely in the passage.
- Make the best use of available time. Text Completion questions are numerous in the GRE and more so the more you incorporate them in your answer and the more efficient the approach helps in preserving time for other complex questions.
Categories of Questions on Text Completion
Text Completion questions differ depending upon the number of blanks in the sentence:
1)One Blank Text Completion
These are more or less simple. A single word is to be restored in a sentence and the student is only required to determine which word is appropriate with respect to tone and meaning of the given sentence.
2) Two Blank Text Completion
These call for greater focus and concentration. Two words that make sense in constructing a sentence should be provided. Credit will not be given unless both such words are supplied.
3) Three Blank Text Completion
These are the hardest because here the candidate is expected to fill in three blanks. The way the words interact with one another and the sentence as a whole can get quite troublesome as it requires one to be careful of the surrounding text.
Approach to Text Completion Questions: A Guide
Having understood the core aspects, let’s now see our favorite method step by step in dealing with the Text Completion questions.
1. Read the Passage First and Then Look at the Answers
Whenever you are about to answer a given question, at least read the provided sentence or paragraph. This implies the meaning of the answer choices. Do try to figure out the complete picture and the gist of the sentence and even the background information hints. This will allow you to gauge what type of word(s) will fit into the blank(s).
2. Utilize Context Clues to Hypothesize Correctly
If you have already gone through the entire passage, then try to think of a word or a group of words that can go in each blank. It is very important to know how these elements are interconnected in such pieces of writing. Pay attention to words that connect opposing ideas or thoughts, like the following:
• Contradictions: “however,” “offer how,” “yet,” “but,” etc.
• Causes and Effects: “since,” “so,” “consequently,” etc.
• Equivalents: “similarly,” “in like manner,” “as,” etc.
3. Do Not Analyze Blanks in Isolation
When asked to fill in more than one blank, do not analyze them one by one. Rather think about how the terms work together and if the words when put together, think about the passage as a whole. At times, one can justify the incorrect options for one blank using the meaning of another blank(s).
4. Correlate Your Estimations with the Given Multiple-choice Solutions
After you have made your predictions, check the answer options and make sure which ones fit your predictions best. If none of them seem fit, take time to reflect on the tone and meaning of the passage once more.
5. Avoid the Words that are Used to Bait Over the years of working on exams,
we have discovered that the GRE has some incidental words that fit into the context but are not appropriate in usage. Do not select or eliminate any words based on frequency, only ensure that all those words fit within the context of the passage.
6. Depart from the Incorrect Options If you have no idea about the right answer,
then guess it using eliminations. The Expedition to Fit the Gaps or Choose the Worst Fitting Answer Group Out of All the Answers It is frequent that only one or two of these will be accurate, allowing you to eliminate another option and increasing the probability that you will choose the correct answer.
7. Go Through the Final Version of the Sentence and Any Relevant Text
Read once again the whole text incorporating the vocabulary you have chosen after answering the question. Reperuse the sentence or the passage that includes your selected words and ensure it is coherent. If something is not sounding right, change your selections.
Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Text Completion Skills
1. Broaden Your Lexicon
It is an understatement to say that vocabulary has a significant impact on answering Text Completion questions. Make it a point to learn the words which are most likely to be used in the GRE test. There are flashcards, vocabulary apps, and many word lists available online for one to learn the meanings of commonly used words in GRE and their applications. It is also important to learn synonyms and antonyms and how to use them in different sentences.
2. Regenerate Context Clues
Recognizing the context is only half of the work done. And, to that end, regularly read articles, essays, and other complicated materials, as they will help you to learn how to make assumptions based on context. The more difficult and complex text you practice, the easy it will be to comprehend understanding in more deep ideas.
3. Engage In GRE Practice
How To Answer Text Completion Questions for GRE, you may take trips down memory lane and undertake some timed GRE testing for practice. Above all, it enables you to manage your time efficiently and avoid wasting it on one question during the actual examination.
4. Analyze Your Errors
Look back at the aspects of your performance after each skill practice that were deemed unsuccessful. If there is a right answer, take time to analyze why it is right and why your answer was wrong. This, in turn, will assist in reformulating and planning the response for the next in the series of less confident questions.
Avoiding the Most Common Mistakes
1. Getting Too Caught Up in Words
Vocabulary is one of the important elements but do not forget about other skills. In everyday usage, most often there are some common-sense reasoning and context considerations to find the right option.
2. Missing out on the Context Clues
The moment you look at other context or signal words as not necessary, chances are you will misread the whole passage. Always try to find any information that will help you in understanding the meaning of a particular sentence in the passage.
3. Forgetting about the General Sense
Do not focus only on the attentively blanked or missing words. It is important to think about how the options one selects contributes to the broader meaning of the entire passage as well.
Conclusion:
Well done! You have taken an important stride in learning about how to approach the GRE Verbal Reasoning Text Completion question type. The solution to this part of the test is, as it has always been, a lot of practice accompanied by increasing one’s word bank and improving reasoning skills.
D Vivid Consultant is committed to seeing you through your GRE preparations. Be it one-on-one instruction or learning materials, D Vivid is with you from the beginning to the end of your preparation. Follow us for more information that will assist you to strategize and execute your plans for success.
But do not forget: it is possible to pass the GRE and it is very near!’
) :
