GRE Verbal Reasoning flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Primary purpose question

Asks why the author wrote the passage as a whole; the correct answer must cover the entire passage, not a single paragraph or supporting detail.

Select-in-passage question

Requires clicking the exact sentence in the passage that answers the question; paraphrases and neighboring sentences are not accepted, so match the claim precisely.

Inference question

Asks what must be true given the passage; the correct answer follows necessarily from stated evidence with only a small logical step.

Vocabulary-in-context question

Asks the meaning of a word as used in the passage; test each option by substituting it into the sentence and checking whether the logic survives.

Author's attitude question

Asks for the author's tone toward a subject; correct answers are usually measured, and strongly emotional or extreme language is rarely right in academic prose.

Function question

Asks what role a sentence or paragraph plays in the argument, such as supplying evidence, conceding a point, or introducing a counterargument.

Out-of-scope trap

An answer choice that is plausible or true in the real world but not supported by the passage; it must be eliminated regardless of its general accuracy.

True-but-doesn't-answer trap

A choice that accurately restates passage content but does not respond to the specific question asked, making it wrong despite being factually correct.

Extreme language trap

Choices using words like all, never, only, or proves are usually wrong unless the passage itself makes an equally absolute claim.

Passage map

Brief notes on each paragraph's job, such as thesis, evidence, counterpoint, or conclusion, built before reading the questions to locate information quickly.

Reversal trap

A choice that flips a relationship stated in the passage, such as swapping cause and effect or exchanging support for opposition.

Detail question

Asks about information stated explicitly in the passage; the answer is directly supported by the text, usually paraphrased rather than quoted verbatim.

Single-blank strategy

Read the sentence, predict your own word for the blank from the context clues, then choose the option closest in meaning to that prediction.

Multi-blank order

Start with whichever blank has the clearest clues; the blanks constrain each other, so the chosen words must fit together as a set.

Contrast pivot words

Words such as although, despite, yet, rather than, and notwithstanding signal that the blank opposes the meaning of nearby material.

Continuation pivot words

Words such as because, indeed, moreover, thus, and since signal that the blank restates, explains, or extends the nearby idea rather than opposing it.

Colon and semicolon clues

A colon or semicolon usually introduces a restatement or explanation of the preceding clause, which effectively defines the meaning the blank must carry.

Synonym-pair elimination

In single-blank items, two choices with nearly identical meanings are usually both wrong, because only one answer can be correct.

Plug-in check

After selecting an answer, reread the complete sentence with the word inserted to confirm that grammar, tone, and logic all hold.

Register rule

Academic sentences rarely accept slang, extreme, or emotionally loaded words; neutral and precise vocabulary is far more likely to be correct.

Blank interdependence

In multi-blank items, a word that fits one blank may force an implausible meaning in another, so combinations must be tested together.

Definition clue

An appositive or phrase set off by commas often defines the blank directly, so the answer should match that description closely.

Two-answer requirement

Sentence Equivalence gives six choices; exactly two are correct, and both must be selected to earn credit for the question.

Equivalent meaning rule

The two correct choices need not be exact synonyms; each must fit the sentence, and the resulting sentences must mean the same thing in context.

Synonym-pair trap

Two options that are synonyms of each other but do not fit the sentence's logic form a deliberate distractor pair and should both be rejected.

Predict first

Generate your own word for the blank before reading the options, then look for two choices that match that predicted meaning.

Pivot words in SE

Although, despite, and yet reverse the blank's meaning; because, thus, and indeed keep it consistent with the surrounding clause.

Strong versus weak pair

If two synonyms differ in intensity, one may be too strong or too weak for the sentence, so check the degree of certainty expressed there.

Grammar fit check

Both selected words must fit the sentence's syntax, including part of speech, transitivity, and compatibility with any preposition that follows.

No partial credit

A single correct selection scores zero; commit to a second answer only when two options jointly satisfy both meaning and context.

Secondary meanings

Some words have a less common dictionary sense that fits the sentence; do not discard a word based only on its primary meaning.

Sentence core

Strip away modifiers to find the subject-verb-object core; the blank's logic usually depends on that core relationship rather than on descriptive details.