Preparing for the GRE

1. Preparing for the GRE Verbal Section October 2008

2. Geography of the Verbal Section • 30 minutes • 30 questions (in no particular order) • 6-8 analogies • 5-7 sentence completions • 8-10 antonyms • 2-4 reading comprehension passages (6-8 questions) • 0-1 text completion questions (starting Nov 2007) • Typically starts with a few antonyms

3. Analogies • What is an analogy? • light : dark :: pleasure : pain • Looking for a clear and necessary relationship between the word pairs • Create a sentence to describe the relationship • Examples: • stone : sculptor • aviary : birds

4. Analogy Tips • Clear and necessary relationship • Form a simple sentence between the stem words • Plug in all of the choices • Eliminate answers with: • Triangular relationships • Words that don’t have C & N relationship • Work backward

5. Analogies – common relationships • Type of • elation : emotion (i.e. elation is a “type of” emotion) • Used to • ultimatum : coerce • Degree • abhorrence : dislike (i.e. abhorrence is a strong degree of dislike) • Characterized by • bigot : intolerance • Without / Lacking • courageous : fear

6. Analogy question • Tile : mosaic Form a basic sentence with the two words

7. Analogy question (with the 5 choices) • tile : mosaic :: “A tile is a basic unit of a mosaic.” wood : totem stitch : sampler ink : scroll pedestal : column tapestry : rug

8. Reading Comprehension Tips • Read quickly; main ideas, topic sentence • Locate trigger words (although, but, however, yet) • Use general knowledge & common sense • Avoid answers that have: • Disputable choices • Direct quotes and repetitions

9. Antonyms – “opposites” • When you can define the stem word: • Make your own opposite • Use POE • Down to two? Make opposites and work backward • Read all choices to avoid careless errors

10. Antonyms • When you “sort of” know the word • Use positive/negative • Work backward on choices • Guess? Choose the most extreme choice remaining • Don’t know the stem word • Make opposites for all choices – eliminate those that don’t have an opposite • Avoid words that “sound like” the stem word • Guess? Choose the most extreme choice remaining

11. Antonyms – no clear opposites • Exhume • Breathe • Inter • Approve • Assess • Facilitate

12. Antonyms – when you “sort of” know the stem word • Positive/Negative connotation • What is the “stem”? • Debilitate • discharge • strengthen • undermine • squelch • Delete • Example (de – away, off, down, reversal)

13. Sentence completions (“fill in the blanks”) • Anticipate the word(s) in the blank(s) • Find the clue that restricts the meaning • Look for trigger words (although, but) • A fair AND ______ judge • A fair BUT ______ judge • Positive or negative? • Two blanks: solve one and eliminate

14. Text Completions with 2 or 3 Blanks • New Verbal Question (added in Nov 07) • Passage of 1 to 5 sentences • Questions have 2 or 3 blanks • Three answer choices per blank

15. Text Completion example • Of course anyone who has ever perused an unmodernized text of Captain Clark’s journals knows that the Captain was one of the most _____(i)___ spellers ever to write in English, but despite this ____(ii)____ orthographical rules, Clark is never unclear.