Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning measures how precisely you understand word meaning, word relationships, and the logic of sentences. Expect vocabulary in context (a common word used in a technical sense), synonyms and antonyms, analogies, and sentence completion. For analogies, state the relationship in a full sentence before looking at the options: "A hose is used to carry water as a ladder is used to ____." For sentence completion, use the logic clues-contrast words (although, but, despite) signal an opposite meaning, while continuation words (because, therefore, and) signal a matching meaning.
Traps include words with more than one meaning, near-synonyms that differ in tone or intensity, and answer choices that fit grammatically but not logically. On antonym questions, watch for answer choices that are synonyms of each other-they usually cannot both be the single correct answer. On sentence completion, predict your own word for the blank before reading the choices.
Worked example: "Although the smoke was thick, the crew remained ____." The contrast word although signals the blank opposes the danger, so calm fits. A choice like panicked matches the danger but ignores the contrast signal. Rule of thumb: name the relationship or the logic clue first, then test choices against it.