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Directions: Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning as a whole and produce two completed sentences that are alike in meaning.

7. A successful business-process _____ designed to streamline existing operations will, by its nature, also support the company’s strategic planning.

reaction

management

innovation

initiative

supply chain

method

Is this business-process thing a new event or ongoing? That it’s designed to affect “existing operations” tells you that it doesn’t currently exist and is therefore new. Look for words that suggest an early phase of development. Reaction obviously doesn’t fit. Management and supply chain are business-sounding words that don’t suggest anything new. Method also isn’t distinctly new (a method could have been around for a while). The words innovation and initiative suggest something in the early stages of development. The correct answers are Choices (C) and (D).

8. The sea tortoise, though lumbering and slow on land, moves with _____ speed and agility in water.

surprising

actual

according

defiant

unexpected

unequivocal

If the tortoise is lumbering and slow on land, wouldn’t you expect it to be slow in water, too? The crocodile, for example, is fast and nimble in either environment (which can be bad news). In this sentence, however, the transition word though tells you that the tortoise’s speed and agility in water is a surprise. The words actual, according, defiant, and unequivocal (straightforward) don’t suggest any sort of surprise. The correct answers are Choices (A) and (E).

9. The speaker _____ the very point he had stood up to make and hurriedly sat down, hoping no one had caught his solecism.

prognosticated

divulged

refuted

countered

duplicated

ferreted out

A solecism is an inconsistency, such as a mistake. From the context of the sentence, you can gather that something negative happened because the speaker hoped no one had noticed it. Sounds like the speaker contradicted himself. Now review and eliminate wrong answers:

To prognosticate is to predict, which is out. Divulge, meaning to reveal, is also out. To ferret out is to search diligently, and you know what duplicate is, both of which don’t work, leaving refute (disprove) and counter (contradict), similar enough to produce sentences alike in meaning. The correct answers are Choices (C) and (D).

10. Dismayed by the _____ evidence available to her, the defense attorney spent her own money to hire a private investigator to acquire additional evidence.

dearth of

scanty

vestigial

immense

concrete

impartial

Predict words to fit in the blanks. If the attorney is dismayed by the evidence and hires an investigator to get more evidence, she must not have had much evidence to begin with. Vestigial means functionless, immense means large, concrete, in this context, means irrefutable, and impartial means neutral, which has nothing to do with the amount of evidence.

What remain are scanty, meaning barely sufficient, and dearth of, meaning lack of, both of which match the meaning of the sentence and each other. So the correct answers are Choices (A) and (B).

11. Rather than be decadent, the actor adopted an _____ lifestyle to help him focus on the professional side of his work.

austere

anachronous

ascetic

assiduous

abject

avarice

The actor could have adopted any kind of lifestyle, but look for a meaning that indicates the opposite of decadent. Anachronous describes something out of the proper time, as if Robin Hood had a flashlight. Avarice refers to greed, so that’s definitely out. Assiduous means hardworking, which may also describe the actor, but you need a word that’s the opposite of decadent. Abject means miserable or wretched, which may also be true, but it doesn’t fit the opposite of decadent.

Austere and ascetic both describe one who practices self-denial, so these surviving words match each other and fit the sentence. The correct answers are Choices (A) and (C).

Assiduous (hardworking) is a trap answer. It fits both the meaning of the sentence and your assessment of the actor: He certainly is hardworking. But it doesn’t go with the self-denial words, and it doesn’t have a match. If you find a perfect word that doesn’t have a match, you’ve found a trap answer.

A trap answer may still have a trap match, so don’t rely only on the presence of a synonym to tell whether the answer is correct. Instead, when filling the missing word with your own meaning, stick with the meaning that you picked.

12. A fearless countenance may only belie a(n) _____ affect.

artless

contentious

craven

deferent

mealymouthed

pusillanimous

This is an example of Sentence Equivalence questions being simpler to interpret but having challenging vocab, both to choose from and in the sentence. Countenance means facial expression, while belie means to put up a false front (think lie in belie). Affect in this context, as a noun, means attitude (not to be confused with effect as a noun, which means result). So you’re looking for a word that means the opposite of fearless, say, fearful.

Artless means honest and natural, which may be the face behind a pretense, but you’re looking for fearful. Contentious describes someone willing to take a stand, which may be this posturing person, but it, too, doesn’t mean fearful. Deferent means giving in out of respect for another, and mealymouthed means insincere, which may refer to the pretense but wouldn’t be behind it.

What’s left are craven and pusillanimous, both synonyms for fearful, so the correct answers are Choices (C) and (F).

13. Inspired by their leader’s diatribe, the protestors took it upon themselves to continue the _____.

tirade

diffidence

harangue

hyperbole

euphemism

equivocation

A diatribe is a poignant verbal attack, so the protestors could only continue with their own diatribes. Tirade and harangue are synonyms for diatribe, making the correct answers Choices (A) and (C).

Diffidence refers to a lack of confidence. Hyperbole is an exaggeration, euphemism is the use of gentle words in place of intense language, and equivocation is the use of intentionally vague language.

14. The welfare system, designed to help the _____, is in dire need of reform.

indigent

mendacious

mendicant

misanthropic

morose

quiescent

The welfare system was designed to help the poor or destitute. Indigent and mendicant are synonyms for destitute, making the correct answers Choices (A) and (C).

Mendacious means dishonest, misanthropic means antisocial, morose means sullen, and quiescent means at rest.

15. As a rule, the company hires only _____ engineers, believing years of experience tend to jade engineers, blinding them to new ideas.

felicitous

fledgling

gregarious

insensible

ingenuous

neophyte

If the company wants only inexperienced engineers, then the engineers would have to be beginners or novices. Fledgling and neophyte fit this meaning, making the correct answers Choices (B) and (F).

Felicitous means suitable or appropriate, which may be true of the desired engineers but doesn’t support the sentence’s meaning of hiring novices. Gregarious means sociable and outgoing, which is also possibly true of the new hires but again doesn’t support the sentence’s meaning. Insensible means unresponsive. Ingenuous means naive and trusting, which is close, but a company wouldn’t necessarily look to hire someone who is naive.

16. Many _____ social media hacks continue to aver countless half-truths, despite ample evidence to the contrary.

dissonant

doctrinaire

dogmatic

ebullient

eclectic

erudite

Aver means to declare something to be true. If these hacks declare half-truths to be true despite the contrary evidence, then they’re ignoring the evidence. Doctrinaire and dogmatic fit this meaning, making the correct answers Choices (B) and (C).

Dissonant means ill-fitting, which may be true of the hacks but doesn’t address their aversion to the evidence. Ebullient means buoyant in disposition, which also doesn’t fit. Eclectic means derived from various sources, and erudite means educated.

17. The buffalo, once _____ to this area, has been hunted nearly to extinction.

endemic

indigenous

quintessential

truculent

veracious

viable

The buffalo must have originated and lived in the area. Endemic and indigenous fit this meaning, making the correct answers Choices (A) and (B).

Quintessential refers to a perfect state, truculent means displaying poor behavior, veracious means truthful and accurate, and viable means practical.

18. The _____ spares no time for a cordial gesture.

stolid

wistful

consummate

contrite

coy

stoic

Cordial refers to an effort to be friendly. Also you know that the sentence is talking about a person, because only a person spares time.

What kind of person would not spare time to be friendly? One who is emotionless, such as a stolid or a stoic. The correct answers are Choices (A) and (F).

Wistful means regretful and. consummate means complete and perfect, neither of which is the case here. Contrite refers to one who is filled with sorrow for a wrongdoing, and coy means shy or modest.

19. A talent for easy conversation can help one build relationships, but too much can make one appear _____ and have the opposite effect.

abstruse

garrulous

loquacious

lachrymose

gregarious

recondite

If too much conversation can be bad, then find words that mean too talkative. Garrulous and loquacious refer to one who talks too much, in a bad way, so Choices (B) and (C) are correct.

Abstruse and recondite refer to one who isn’t easily understood, and they wouldn’t necessarily have the ill effect of talking too much. Lachrymose means tearful, which is certainly not the case here. Gregarious refers to one who is social and outgoing — also talkative, but in a good way.

Gregarious is another type of trap answer, but its giveaway is that it has a positive connotation, as a social connector. Garrulous and loquacious have a negative connotation, as in a nuisance.

20. Beneath the _____, the man is something else entirely.

disingenuousness

divergence

exculpation

superciliousness

superfluity

veneer

If the man is something else, then he puts up a false front, so disingenuousness and veneer both accurately describe what is in front of this person. The correct answers are Choices (A) and (F).

Divergence refers to straying away from the main point of a discussion. Exculpation means no longer considered guilty. Superciliousness would refer to someone who is disdained and scorned. Superfluity refers to someone or something that’s extraneous.