TOEIC : Logic-based completions based on a passage
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Logic Based Completions Based On A Passage
At three o’clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had not yet returned. The landlady ____________ me that he had left the house shortly after eight o’clock in the morning. I sat down beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, however long he might be.
Adapted from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1892)
The landlady ____________ me that he had left the house shortly after eight o’clock in the morning.
informing
inform
informed
asked
informed
The correct answer is "informed." This is because the sentence uses the past tense, and so the verb must also be in past tense. Neither "inform" nor "informing" are in past tense. The word "asked" is in past tense, but it does not make sense in this sentence, since the landlady is giving the speaker information, not asking him a question.
Example Question #2 : Logic Based Completions Based On A Passage
Without a map, it was hard to _________ the best route to take.
determine
diminish
deviate
differentiate
define
determine
Without a map, it's hard to figure out which route to take. The word that best replaces "figure out" is determine.
Though define and determine are close in meaning, to define something means to establish its definition or meaning, while determine means more to reach a conclusion or make a choice.
Example Question #3 : Logic Based Completions Based On A Passage
Jean-Paul was a mountain guide; his _________ were useful to the group.
expert
expertise
essence
expertness
exasperate
expertise
Expertise is a plural noun meaning skills or knowledge. It is the only choice that fits both grammatically and logically.
Example Question #61 : Sentence Completion
It was a tough hike that would take the whole day. They needed to be sure they had enough __________.
prerequisites
possibilities
provisions
provisos
percocets
provisions
Both the difficulty and duration of the hike indicate that the group will need to have supplies with them. Used as a noun, provisions is a synonym for supplies.
Though the word looks similar, proviso has a very different meaning: it denotes a modification or clause in a contract.
Though prerequisite also connotes preparation, it means a specific qualification one needs to have in order to be allowed to enrol in something. For example, you might say that a specific wilderness safety training course was a prerequisite to join a hiking group.
Example Question #62 : Sentence Completion
They planned to __________ the mountain before 2:00pm in order to leave themselves plenty of time to hike back down.
surfeit
descend
submit
summit
diminish
summit
Used as a verb, to summit means to reach the top of something. Because the second half of the sentence lets you know the group is going back down the mountain, this is the only answer that fits.
Example Question #63 : Sentence Completion
There were cougars on the mountain. Jean-Paul stressed the importance of remaining _________.
vigilante
vigilant
virile
vivacious
vacuous
vigilant
Vigilant is an adjective meaning aware and attentive; vigilante is a noun meaning someone who takes the law into their own hands (like most comic book superheroes, for example).
Example Question #64 : Sentence Completion
There was a fork in the hiking trail; the group stopped at the point where the trail __________.
dividended
divulged
diverged
disrupted
disreputed
diverged
From the first sentence, you know there is a fork in the road. To diverge means to extend in different directions. Although the other words sound similar, none of them has a similar meaning.
Example Question #65 : Sentence Completion
As the day wore on and the apex of the mountain seemed no closer, the group began to feel ___________ about their prospects of getting back to camp before dark.
erroneous
impervious
imperial
advantageous
anxious
anxious
There are only two options that convey emotional states: anxious means worried and is therefore the right choice. The only other emotional state on this list, impervious, means impenetrable.
Example Question #66 : Sentence Completion
__________ his years of experience climbing mountains, Jean-Paul was unsure which path was the right one.
Respite
Thither
Heretofore
Because
Despite
Despite
There is a conflict in the sentence between Jean-Paul's uncertainty and his experience. The word despite is the only way to maintain that tension logically.
Example Question #67 : Sentence Completion
Over many years working in the mountains, Jean-Paul had developed instinctive survival skills. When the cougar leapt out of the woods, his reflexes were swift and ___________.
automatic
automat
automaton
auto
automobile
automatic
The word instinctive in the first sentence is the first clue to helping you fill in the blank. The structure of the sentence, too, should also indicate that the word you're looking for is an adjective. Automatic is the only option that fits.
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