GRE Vocab Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A “prolific” scholar would most likely be known for:
Writing only for a highly specialized audience
Revising one influential work over many years
Producing a large number of works or ideas
Introducing an unusually controversial argument
2. A supervisor praises an action one day and punishes the same action the next without explaining why. The supervisor’s decisions appear:
Methodical
Magnanimous
Capricious
Conventional
3. Interest in the online trend was intense for two days and then disappeared. The interest was:
Cumulative
Ephemeral
Intermittent
Pervasive
4. After completing the steep hike without enough food, Maya felt “enervated.” How did she most likely feel?
Restless and impatient
Drained of strength or energy
Energized by the challenge
Confused about her surroundings
5. Engineers added barriers to “mitigate” noise from the highway. What were the barriers intended to do?
Identify the original source of the noise
Redirect all traffic permanently
Reduce the noise’s severity or impact
Measure changes in noise over time
6. Unlike an “iconoclast,” the historian defended long-established traditions. What is an iconoclast?
A person who reconciles two competing traditions
A person who records traditions without evaluating them
A person who challenges established beliefs or institutions
A person who follows accepted customs with unusual care
7. In academic analysis, a “parsimonious” explanation is generally one that:
Uses no more assumptions than necessary
Accounts for every imaginable exception
Avoids drawing any firm conclusion
Relies mainly on extensive technical terminology
8. The two companies selected a “disinterested” mediator to review their dispute. In this context, “disinterested” means:
Unwilling to spend time on the issue
Unfamiliar with the facts of the case
Skeptical that either side can compromise
Impartial and free from personal advantage
9. A city introduces shaded bus stops to “ameliorate” the effects of extreme heat. What does “ameliorate” mean here?
Make less severe or improve
Draw attention to
Measure precisely
Prevent from occurring at all
10. A committee member rejects every compromise and refuses to reconsider her position. Which word best describes her?
Fastidious
Intransigent
Diffident
Impartial
11. Which meaning is closest to “laconic”?
Repeating an idea for emphasis
Speaking in an indirect or evasive way
Sounding overly formal and ceremonial
Using very few words
12. Researchers seek a second source to “corroborate” a surprising claim. What do they want the source to do?
Replace the claim with a broader theory
Provide confirming evidence for the claim
Reveal the personal motive behind the claim
Make the claim easier for the public to understand
13. After an ideal plan proves too expensive, a team adopts a simpler approach that works within its budget. The new approach is best described as:
Dogmatic
Speculative
Superficial
Pragmatic
14. A critic’s praise was “qualified”: she admired the novel’s style but warned that its plot was predictable. What does “qualified” mean in this sentence?
Written in technical language
Supported by professional credentials
Expressed with complete confidence
Limited or modified by reservations
15. Which word is closest in meaning to “ubiquitous”?
Present or encountered almost everywhere
Recently developed
Useful in several different ways
Difficult to detect
16. A witness gives an “equivocal” answer that leaves both sides claiming support. What is the answer most likely like?
Ambiguous or open to more than one interpretation
Detailed enough to settle the dispute
Emotionally forceful but factually unsupported
Consistent with every earlier statement