Text completion two-blank questions form roughly 10% of the GRE Verbal Reasoning section, and their thorough coverage is essential for a thorough GRE preparation course. These questions present a short, dense passage with two important words missing and three answer choices for each blank; your job is to select the best of the three answer choices for each blank that leads to a complete and coherent passage. The two blanks often work together in determining the correct choices, so a sound strategy and due practice on this question type are essential for success. On this page, we present a GRE text completion two-blank practice questions. Use this practice set and the explanations carefully, and apply the learnings in further practice across GRE exercises, GRE sectional practice, and GRE full-length practice.
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Practice Question 1 | GRE Text Completion 2-Blank
The intensifying (i)_____ of skilled professionals from the country has the potential to negatively impact the nation’s long-term economic growth more severely than the (ii)_____ inflation does. Unfortunately, neither issue seems to be receiving due attention from authorities.
Blank (i)
A. acclamation
B. incisiveness
C. flight
Blank (ii)
D. recent bout of
E. perennial concern of
F. predictable boon of
Written Explanation
Reasoning:
The usage of the phrase “negatively impact the nation’s long-term economic growth more severely than” suggests that the context draws a comparison between two elements that can, logically, be assumed to harm long-term economic growth; hence, both the first and the second blank must form phrases that refer to something economically damaging. Therefore, due to the usage of the phrase “of skilled professionals from the country” the most fitting answer choice for blank (i) is C – “flight”.
For blank (ii), “predictable boon of” is clearly incorrect, as it refers to something beneficial; “recent bout of” is a fairly fitting answer choice, but the sentence is concerned with “long-term” growth, so characterizing the inflation as “recent” weakens this choice. Therefore, the most fitting answer choice for blank (ii) is E – “perennial concern of”.
Correct combination of answer choices:
C. “flight”, meaning “the act of escaping” or “the process of travelling by air”.
E. “perennial concern of”, meaning “an issue that continues over time”.
The aforesaid combination of answer choices leads to a logical and coherent completion of the paragraph.
Incorrect answer choices:
A. This answer choice “acclamation”, meaning “a loud expression of praise”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
B. This answer choice “incisiveness”, meaning “communication of ideas in a clear way”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
D. This answer choice “recent bout of”, meaning “recent short, intense episode of something”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
F. This answer choice “predictable boon of”, meaning “expected advantage of something”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
Thus, C and E are the correct combination of answer choices.
Practice Question 2 | GRE Text Completion 2-Blank
The recently elected governor’s inaugural address featured the concerns of the state’s metropolises as (i)_____ theme; from this, political analysts inferred that his term would be spent tackling (ii)_____ issues.
Blank (i)
A. a brief
B. a central
C. an incidental
Blank (ii)
D. recondite
E. straightforward
F. urban
Written Explanation
Reasoning:
The usage of the term “concerns of the state’s metropolises” suggests that the governor is focused on issues related to large cities, especially since no other topic is mentioned. Therefore, for Blank (ii), the most appropriate answer choice is F – “urban”.
The only topic that the sentence mentions as part of the “governor’s inaugural address” is “the concerns of the state’s metropolises”, and the usage of the phrase “from this, political analysts inferred” implies that the conclusion regarding what “his term would be spent tackling” was derived from the contents of the Governor’s speech. Therefore, the only logical answer choice for Blank (i) is B – “a central”.
Correct combination of answer choices:
B. “a central”, meaning “of the greatest importance” or “at the middle of something”.
F. “urban”, meaning “relating to a city”.
The aforesaid combination of answer choices leads to a logical and coherent completion of the paragraph.
Incorrect answer choices:
A. This answer choice “a brief”, meaning “a short”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
C. This answer choice “an incidental”, meaning “not of central importance”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
D. This answer choice “recondite”, meaning “difficult to understand”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
E. This answer choice “straightforward”, meaning “easy to understand”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
Thus, B and F are the correct combination of answer choices.
Practice Question 3 | GRE Text Completion 2-Blank
Comedy has always been an integral component of theatre; hardly (i)_____ genre, comedy is a foundational part of stagecraft, and (ii)_____ was undeniably one vector that Aristotle was referring to when he wrote of the cleansing power of art.
Blank (i)
A. a prominent
B. a calculated
C. a degraded
Blank (ii)
D. laughter
E. goosebumps
F. awe
Written Explanation
Reasoning:
The usage of the clause “Comedy has always been an integral component of theatre” conveys that comedy has always been important; hence, the usage of the contrasting phrase “hardly…genre” indicates that the phrase formed by the first blank must characterize “comedy” positively; in other words, the first blank must be a negative quality. Therefore, the only fitting answer choice for blank (i) is C – “degraded”.
The usage of the clause “…was undeniably one vector that Aristotle was referring to when he wrote of the cleansing power of art” indicates that the second blank refers to a component of “art”, and the usage of the clauses “Comedy has always been an integral component of theatre” and “comedy is a foundational part of stagecraft” implies that this element is related to comedy. Therefore, the only fitting answer choice for blank (ii) is D – “laughter”.
Correct combination of answer choices:
C. “a degraded”, meaning “an inferior” or “treated with disrespect”.
D. “laughter”, meaning “the act of expressing joy”.
The aforesaid combination of answer choices leads to a logical and coherent completion of the paragraph.
Incorrect answer choices:
A. This answer choice “a prominent”, meaning “a well-known”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
B. This answer choice “a calculated”, meaning “a carefully planned”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
E. This answer choice “goosebumps”, meaning “erection of skin hair in response to cold”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
F. This answer choice “awe”, meaning “a feeling of respect mixed with fear”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
Thus, C and D are the correct combination of answer choices.
Practice Question 4 | GRE Text Completion 2-Blank
The spirit of (i)_____ that once permeated online forums devoted to coding faded away once the hobbyists were displaced by professionals: since professional credentials make it easier to signal levels of experience and proficiency, a sense of (ii)_____ rapidly emerged.
Blank (i)
A. rarefication
B. egalitarianism
C. monotony
Blank (ii)
D. erudition
E. hierarchy
F. malignancy
Written Explanation
Reasoning:
The phrase “once the hobbyists were displaced by professionals” indicates that, at some point, “online forums devoted to coding” became more focused on professional activities, and the usage of the clause “since professional credentials make it easier to signal levels of experience and proficiency” conveys that an increased focus on professional activity promotes a form of stratification; further, this clause, in conjunction with the final clause – “a sense of…rapidly emerged” – states that a certain quality emerged within these forums, as they became more focused on professional activity. Thus, the second blank must refer to a characteristic that is along the lines of stratification. Therefore, the most fitting answer choice for blank (ii) is E – “hierarchy”.
The usage of the phrase “faded away once the hobbyists were displaced by professionals” conveys that a characteristic of the forums ceased, as they became more professional, and we have established that, as the forums became more professional, they became more hierarchical; hence, the first blank must be something that contrasts against “hierarchy”. Therefore, the most fitting answer choice for blank (i) is B – “egalitarianism”.
Correct combination of answer choices:
B. “egalitarianism”, meaning “belief in the equality of all individuals”.
E. “hierarchy”, meaning “organization of people at different ranks within a system”.
The aforesaid combination of answer choices leads to a logical and coherent completion of the paragraph.
Incorrect answer choices:
A. This answer choice “rarefication”, meaning “lessen the solidity of”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
C. This answer choice “monotony”, meaning “lack of variety”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
D. This answer choice “erudition”, meaning “depth of knowledge”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
F. This answer choice “malignancy”, meaning “the quality of being harmful”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
Thus, B and E are the correct combination of answer choices.
Practice Question 5 | GRE Text Completion 2-Blank
Sir Issac Newton brought to his duties as the Master of the Royal Mint not only a profound intellect but also a surprisingly (i)_____. This is evident from the many pioneering anti-counterfeiting measures he designed and implemented, and this (ii)_____ is what led to Newton’s success in this often overlooked role.
Blank (i)
A. draconian ideology
B. experimental mindset
C. compassionate disposition
Blank (ii)
D. stagger
E. fastidiousness
F. innovativeness
Written Explanation
Reasoning:
The usage of the phrase “the many pioneering anti-counterfeiting measures he designed and implemented” indicates that Newton’s contributions as “the Master of the Royal Mint” were characterized by the adoption of new ideas, and the clause “this… is what led to Newton’s success in this often overlooked role” indicates that the second blank refers to a quality that can be said to have been important in Newton’s work as the Master of the Royal Mint. Therefore, the most logical answer choice for blank (ii) is F – “innovativeness”.
The first blank refers to something Newton brought or contributed to his role as Master of the Royal Mint. Therefore, since the sentence states that Newton’s contributions in this role were characterized by “innovativeness”, the most fitting answer choice for blank (i) is B – “experimental mindset”.
Correct combination of answer choices:
B. “experimental mindset”, meaning “creative approach”.
F. “innovativeness”, meaning “originality”.
The aforesaid combination of answer choices leads to a logical and coherent completion of the paragraph.
Incorrect answer choices:
A. This answer choice “draconian ideology”, meaning “harsh philosophy”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
C. This answer choice “compassionate disposition”, meaning “kind nature”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
D. This answer choice “stagger”, meaning “uneven walk”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
E. This answer choice “fastidiousness”, meaning “extremely attentive to detail”, cannot form a logical combination of answer choices for a coherent completion of the paragraph. Hence, this answer choice is incorrect.
Thus, B and F are the correct combination of answer choices.
GRE-style Text Completion 2-Blank Questions with Explanations
Please find a set of GRE-style TC 2-blank questions with explanations on: Free GRE Text Completion 2-Blank Practice Questions with Solutions
Please find a set of GRE-style TC questions with explanations on: Free GRE Text Completion Practice Questions with Solutions
Please find a set of assorted GRE-style Verbal questions (all types) with explanations on: Free GRE Verbal Practice Questions with Solutions
Please find a set of assorted GRE-style questions (all sections and types) with explanations on: Free GRE Practice Questions with Solutions
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