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Question of the Day: GRE Verbal
Adapted from Seven Discourses Delivered in the Royal Academy By the President by Joshua Reynolds (1778)
All the objects which are exhibited to our view by nature, upon close examination will be found to have their blemishes and defects. The most beautiful forms have something about them like weakness, minuteness, or imperfection. But it is not every eye that perceives these blemishes. It must be an eye long used to the contemplation and comparison of these forms—and which, by a long habit of observing what any set of objects of the same kind have in common, that alone can acquire the power of discerning what each wants in particular. This long laborious comparison should be the first study of the painter who aims at the greatest style. By this means, he acquires a just idea of beautiful forms; he corrects nature by herself, her imperfect state by her more perfect. His eye being enabled to distinguish the accidental deficiencies, excrescences, and deformities of things from their general figures, he makes out an abstract idea of their forms more perfect than any one original—and what may seem a paradox, he learns to design naturally by drawing his figures unlike to any one object. This idea of the perfect state of nature, which the artist calls the ideal beauty, is the great leading principle by which works of genius are conducted. By this, Phidias acquired his fame. He wrought upon a sober principle what has so much excited the enthusiasm of the world—and by this method you, who have courage to tread the same path, may acquire equal reputation.
The author's view of nature is best summarized as __________.
it has a beauty that cannot be represented by human art
it is a threat to humanity
it cannot be improved by humanity
it is unable to be studied by humans
it is inherently imperfect
In many ways, the GRE Verbal section can be approached completely from the aspect of time management. This is, perhaps, a simplification, but the remark does have truth to it. There really are two focal skills necessary for success in these sections: a mastery of vocabulary and a keen eye for reading and interpreting passages of writing. Each of these skills will greatly help throughout the examination questions found in these sections. Whether you need top GRE tutors in New York, GRE tutors in Chicago, or top GRE tutors in Los Angeles, working with a pro may take your studies to the next level.
In the Verbal sections’ Sentence Completion and Sentence Equivalence problems, it is almost impossible to finish your work efficiently without having the requisite vocabulary skills. When answering these questions, it is necessary to discern clues throughout the sentences that can help you choose appropriate words to complete their contents. Often, the whole answer in one of these questions will be indicated by a single word or turn of phrase. Without the requisite vocabulary, it can often be impossible to discern the general meaning needed for the question’s content. Varsity Tutors offers resources like free GRE Verbal flashcards to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider a GRE Verbal tutor.
Of course, it is equally crucial to have vocabulary skills to apply to the word choices given in each question. There is nothing more dreadful than facing down a list of three to six words and not knowing the meanings of several of them! While it is possible to use a process of elimination to limit your potential choices, if several words remain unknown, you will likely be faced with taking a guess with little clarity regarding the meaning of your choice. Vocabulary knowledge greatly helps you avoid such situations.
Likewise, a large vocabulary will help you quickly pass through these types of questions. You will have little need to puzzle over potential choices if you actually know most of the choices. You will be able to eliminate blatantly incorrect words and quickly focus on obviously correct ones. With celerity in your execution of these problems, you will gain for yourself extra time for working on the lengthy reading passages, which can take quite a bit of time to complete.
One can also benefit from good time management skills when considering the reading passages. Like the other questions in the verbal sections, the reading passages are well keyed to certain modes of reading—both skimming as well as interpreting with quick insight. With adequate preparation, you can pass through such sections with much greater ease than is often possible without such instruction. This can help you avoid the dreadful situation of having four minutes to complete ten minutes’ worth of work.
Like all good things, these skills take time to build, of course. Plan into your preparation adequate time to learn new vocabulary and to strengthen the reading skills needed to succeed. However, take heart as well, for the GRE verbal section is not an insuperable beast that cannot be slain. Like all other rigors, it merely requires devotion and time. With these, you will be well on your way to succeeding on these sections of the exam.
If you’d like to begin preparing for your GRE right now by augmenting your vocabulary and practicing requisite reading skills, you can do so by attempting our free GRE Verbal question of the day. We feature one GRE Verbal question every day; anyone who answers gets to see the answer as well as a complete explanation of how to solve the problem correctly. Even if you miss the question, it can help you pick up new vocabulary terms and avoid common missteps as you solidify your approach to various problem types through repeated practice. In addition to the GRE Verbal Question of the Day and GRE Verbal tutoring, you may also want to consider taking some of our GRE Verbal practice tests. Try out our GRE Verbal question of the day and other free GRE study resources to add more high-quality learning tools to your preparation!
All GRE Verbal Resources
