# GRE Sentence Equivalence: How to Find the Pair | topin

GRE guidesSentence Equivalence

Section

Verbal Reasoning, a few in each section

Format

One sentence, one blank, six choices

Answer

Exactly two choices, which must give sentences alike in meaning

Credit

No partial credit: both choices must be right

Time

Usually among the quickest Verbal questions, often under a minute

## How it works

You read a single sentence with one blank and choose exactly two of six words. Each word must fit the sentence on its own, and the two completed sentences must mean the same thing. The two words do not have to be perfect synonyms, but they must produce the same overall meaning, and one right word with one wrong one scores nothing.

## Worked example

The biographer's portrait of the senator is far from \_\_\_\_: it dwells as readily on his petty feuds and broken promises as on his legislative triumphs.

1. Aadulatory
2. Bcritical
3. Ceven-handed
4. Dlaudatory
5. Eunsparing
6. Fconcise
Show the answer

adulatory and laudatory

The second half says the book gives equal space to the senator's failings, so it is far from praising him. Predict "full of praise": adulatory and laudatory both fit and give the same meaning. Critical and unsparing are a near-synonym trap pair: they describe the book accurately, but "far from critical" would contradict the colon. Even-handed is also accurate, so "far from even-handed" says the opposite of the sentence, and concise has nothing to do with the clue.

## A method for Sentence Equivalence

1. 1  
### Cover the choices and read the sentence  
Read the whole sentence and find the clue that defines the blank, plus any signal such as a colon, although or not.
2. 2  
### Predict a simple meaning  
Put your own plain word or short phrase in the blank. With "far from" or other negatives, predict what the blank must be after the negation is applied.
3. 3  
### Mark every choice that matches  
Go through all six choices and keep each one that fits your prediction. Do not stop at the first match.
4. 4  
### Check for a pair  
If you have exactly two matches, check that both complete sentences mean the same thing. If you have one, look for its partner among words you were unsure of; if you have three or more, reread the clue to tighten the prediction.
5. 5  
### Test each word in the sentence  
Read the sentence once with each chosen word. Both must fit on their own; a word that only makes sense as a partner to the other is wrong.

## Traps to avoid

* A pair of synonyms that fit together perfectly but not in the sentence, placed to catch you if you look for pairs before predicting.
* A word that fits the sentence well but has no partner among the choices, so it cannot be one of the two.
* Two words that each fit the sentence but give different meanings, such as "cautious" and "reckless" in a sentence open to either.
* Overlooking a negative such as "far from" or "hardly", which flips the meaning you need.

## Sentence Equivalence FAQs

How many answers do you choose in GRE Sentence Equivalence?

Exactly two of the six choices. The test will not accept one or three.

Do the two answers have to be synonyms?

Not exactly. They must produce sentences alike in meaning, which usually means close synonyms in that context, but two synonyms that do not fit the sentence are wrong.

Is there partial credit on Sentence Equivalence?

No. You score only when both choices are correct.

What should I do if I only know one of the words?

Choose the word that fits your prediction, then pick the unfamiliar word that is most likely its partner by ruling out words you know are wrong. A guess costs nothing, so always select two.

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