GRE Sentence Equivalence: Parallelism

A key aspect of your GRE prep is understanding the structures of sentences in Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion questions; one such structure is parallelism. On GRE Sentence Equivalence questions, parallelism-based setups appear when the sentence uses a repeated structure across two ideas or two clauses, and the blank must match that structure in both meaning and form. The key is to notice the parallel pattern and use it to predict what kind of word fits, and then select a synonymous pair that preserves the same structure and meaning. The video below explains a simple and practical way to handle parallelism-based Sentence Equivalence questions and then demonstrates this approach on GRE-style questions with answer choices designed to test this pattern.

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What is Parallelism | GRE SE

Parallelism is all about conveying similar meanings in a similar way. If one part of a sentence sets up a pattern, it requires a logical counterpart to complete the thought properly.

Parallelism on GRE SE

Common Parallelism “Triggers”

..as (e.g., as tall as)
the more/less/bigger… the better/fitter/worse… (e.g., the more you practice, the better you get)
..to (e.g., too tired to run)

For a detailed explanation for examples on the slide, please refer to the video featured earlier on this page. Following is step-by-step written explanation.

Example 1

Scarcity is at the core of all economics: the more _______ a resource is, the less it is worth.

Step 1 (Identify the Trigger): We see the trigger “the more… the less…”
Step 2 (Find the Logical Counterpart): If a resource is worth less, does that happen when there is a lot of it or a little of it?
Step 3 (The Answer): ~ abundant.

Full Thought: The more abundant a resource is, the less it is worth. This creates a perfect logical balance!

Example 2

Paul’s sense of risk assessment is rather poor; the less _______ a scenario is, the more he fears it will happen.

Step 1 (Identify the Trigger): We have “the less… the more…”
Step 2 (Find the Logical Counterpart): If Paul fears something more, but his risk assessment is poor, he is likely worrying about things that aren’t actually going to happen.
Step 3 (The Answer): ~ likely; a GRE-like word for ‘likely is “plausible”.

Full Thought: The less likely (or plausible) a scenario is, the more he fears it will happen.

Example 3

Luiz needs high pressure to function; the less _______ the problem is, the less focused he becomes.

Step 1 (Identify the Trigger): We have “the less… the less…”
Step 2 (Find the Logical Counterpart): Since Luiz needs high pressure to work well, he loses focus when the problem is NOT high-pressure.
Step 3 (The Answer): Stressful, Exasperating, or Pernicious.

Full Thought: The less stressful the problem is, the less focused he becomes.

GRE-style Question: Parallelism | GRE SE

A GRE SE-like example: Parallelism

Correct answers: understated, subtle

For a detailed explanation of this question, please refer the last ~2 minutes of the video featured earlier on this page. Following is a step-by-step written solution:

Solution

It is a common misconception among audiences that conveying strong emotion necessitates exaggerated speech and body language: the less restrained the emotion, the less ______ the performance.

enunciated
eclectic
understated
pronounced
subtle
abject

Core Meaning

The sentence argues that people wrongly believe strong emotion requires “exaggerated” behavior. The colon introduces a parallel structure explaining this misconception: if an emotion is “less restrained” (more exaggerated), the performance is described as being “less” of the opposite quality.

Broad Expectation

I expect a word meaning “restrained,” “controlled,” or “low-key” to complete the idea that an exaggerated performance lacks these qualities.

Eliminate

enunciated: Spoken clearly. Relates to speech but not to the level of restraint. Incorrect.
eclectic: Derived from various sources. Irrelevant to the context of emotion. Incorrect.
understated: Presented in a conservative or subtle way. Matches the idea of restraint. Keep.
pronounced: Very noticeable or marked. This is a synonym for exaggerated, not its opposite. Incorrect.
subtle: Fine or delicate; not loud or bright. Matches the idea of restraint. Keep.
abject: Extremely bad or low. Does not fit the context of performance style. Incorrect.

Cross-check

Understated and subtle are synonyms that both describe a performance that is not exaggerated. They fit the parallel structure by showing that as restraint decreases, subtlety also decreases.

Correct answers: understated, subtle