Sentence Completion questions are one of the four styles of questions covered in the Verbal section of the GRE. Each question asks you to fill in the blank with the best choice from the options given below. Some questions ask you to fill in two blanks, others only a single blank. Each possible answer will be a grammatic match for the question, so you won’t be able to use that cheat to help you through, however here are some other tips that will work.
- Watch for usage and idiom problems. While technically not grammatically incorrect, usage and idiom problems affect how a phrase will sound. So take a moment to read the sentence (quietly!) aloud. Do the words flow nicely over the tongue? If no, this likely isn’t the best choice.
- Answer the question before looking to your options. This may sound strange, but it works! Read the sentence, filling in the blank with whatever word you would use in it, then look at the answers. While the word you picked is unlikely to be there, a synonym will be.
- Be wary when something is a little too perfect. A common trick with double blank questions is to pair one absolutely perfect word with one that really does not fit the sentence well. Be sure to consider each blank.
- Your best chance of eliminating answers will be with double blank questions. Do a quick appraisal of both words, if not doesn’t fit, strike out the answer and move on.
- Look for indicators that offer hints as to what kind of word you’re looking for. Support indicators (and, for, likewise, etc) signal a continuation of the current line of thought; contrast indicators (but, nevertheless, although, etc) signal the opposite. Cause and effect indicators (if;then, because, hence, ect) signal that one thing causes another.
- Consider each option. Even if you think you know the answer, pause quickly to consider each alternative; remember, this questions want the best possible answer, and the different between the best and second best can be abstruse.
Sentance Completion articles:
http://www.west.net/~stewart/gre/qt_sc.htm
http://gre-verbal.blogspot.com/2006/05/gre-tips-for-sentence-completion.html
Read the full article: Sentence Completion Cheats