GRE Big Book Text Completion / Sentence Completion 편입영어

1. Exposure to low-intensity gamma radiation slows the rate of growth of the spoilage microorganisms in food in much the same way that the low heat used in pasteurization ------- the spoilage action of the microorganism in milk.

(A) precludes

(B) initiates

(C) inhibits

(D) isolates

(E) purifies

-> The phrase "in much the same way that" indicates that the sentences are similar in meaning. I think the key word in the first sentence is "slows". So (C) is proper.

-> Updated :  Here two examples are being compared. the word required for the blank is similar in nature to the part of the sentence 'slows the rate of growth'. Preclude means to make impossible or to stop from happening. However we need a word that slows down the rate of spoilage action as such inhibits which means something is not allowed to flourish or grow is a more appropriate choice.

2. It is difficult to distinguish between the things that charismatic figures do ------- and those that are carefully contrived for effect.

(A) formally

(B) publicly

(C) prolifically

(D) spontaneously

(E) willfully

-> The expression "distinguish between A and B" indicates that A is opposite to B. In the phrase B, I think that clue is  "carefully contrived". So (D) is proper.

Gre Key words : ad-lib

3. Joe spoke of superfluous and ------- matters with exactly the same degree of intensity, as though for him serious issues mattered neither more nor less than did -------.

(A) vital. .trivialities

(B) redundant. .superficialities

(C) important. .necessities

(D) impractical. .outcomes

(E) humdrum. .essentials

-> The expression " more ~ than " indicates that the two objects which are compared are opposite in meaning. So the opposite word of "serious" must be put in the second blank. And because of the phrase "as though", the two sentences may be similar in meaning. (A) is proper.

4. Just as the authors' book on eels is often a key text for courses in marine vertebrate zoology, their ideas on animal development and phylogeny ------- teaching in this area.

(A) prevent

(B) defy

(C) replicate

(D) inform

(E) use

->  The “just as” structure indicates that the second half of the sentence should somehow parallel the idea presented in the first half (i.e., the idea that the authors’ book on eels is a “key text” in marine vertebrate zoology). Among the choices given, “inform” is clearly the best choice. “Prevent” and “defy” work in the opposite direction, while “use” and “replicate” would suggest that the authors’ ideas are drawing upon the teaching in this area rather than the other way around. “Inform” leads to a meaning that nicely matches the first half of the sentence.

Thus, the correct answer is inform (Choice D).

-> In an above question, "inform" is used in the following mening.

5. The ------- costumes of Renaissance Italy, with their gold and silver embroidery and figured brocades, were the antithesis of Spanish -------, with its dark muted colors, plain short capes, and high collars edged with small ruffs.

(A) striking. .obliqueness

(B) extravagant. .profligacy

(C) austere. .informality

(D) unpretentious. .asceticism

(E) sumptuous. .sobriety

-> The phrase "the antithesis of" indicates that the first half of the sentence is opposite to the second half. And the phrase "with their gold and silver ~ " is related with the first blank. (E) is proper.

-> sobriety : When thinking about sobriety, think about the Puritans, and the way they kept the Sabbath. For them, even laughing on a Sunday was seen as an excessive display. Known for sobriety, they preferred a day marked by prayer and contemplation. It goes without saying that they frowned upon the consumption of any form of alcohol––favoring sobriety of both kinds.

6. As early as the seventeenth century, philosophers called attention to the ------- character of the issue, and their twentieth-century counterparts still approach it with -------.

(A) absorbing. .indifference

(B) unusual. .composure

(C) complex. .antipathy

(D) auspicious. .caution

(E) problematic. .uneasiness

-> In sentence completion, different ages mean situation had changed from one time to the other time. But in this sentence, "sitll" is key word. "Still" means "no change". So the circumstance in 17C may be similar to that of 20C. (E) is proper. 

7. Just as some writers have ------- the capacity of language to express meaning, Giacometti ------- the failure of art to convey reality.

(A) scoffed at. .abjured

(B) demonstrated. .exemplified

(C) denied. .refuted

(D) proclaimed. .affirmed

(E) despaired of. .bewailed

->  just as = when,while --> 2 sentence have contrast meaning.

Look at the "failure of art", what do you think? Is it the result of the people in the first sentence? so this clause is a type of cause and effect. The negative in the first gap (a,c,e) and not negative in the second gap. The only ans fits this need is e.

bewail : The verb bewail is from the Old Norse word væla, meaning to lament. The prefix be- is added when you want to make something stronger or more intense. So bewail means to greatly lament and when compared to bemoan, a word with similar meaning, bewailing would be louder and more intense. You can bewail the death of a friend, but if you bewail a minor irritation like a broken nail, people will accuse you of being overly dramatic.