Gre verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning With Explanations

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Overview of the Verbal Reasoning Measure 
The Verbal Reasoning measure of the GRE
®
General Test assesses your ability to analyze and 
evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships 
among component parts of sentences and recognize relationships among words and concepts.
Verbal Reasoning questions appear in several formats, each of which is discussed in detail in the 
corresponding sections linked to below. About half of the measure requires you to read passages 
and answer questions on those passages. The other half requires you to read, interpret and 
complete existing sentences, groups of sentences or paragraphs. 
The passages that appear in the Verbal Reasoning measure have been selected by assessment 
specialists as representing the kinds of reading typically encountered by graduate students. Some 
or all of the passages have been adapted from published material to provide the test taker with 
significant problems for analysis and evaluation. The inclusion of the passages in the test is not 
intended as an endorsement by ETS of the content, ideas or values expressed in the passages. 
Verbal Reasoning Question Types 
The Verbal Reasoning measure contains three types of questions: Reading Comprehension, Text 
Completion and Sentence Equivalence. 
Click here
 to get a closer look at each, 
including sample 
questions with explanations
. 
Reading Comprehension Questions 
Introduction 
Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test a wide range of abilities that are required 
in order to read and understand the kinds of prose commonly encountered in graduate school. 
Those abilities include: 
•
understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences
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understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text
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distinguishing between minor and major points
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summarizing a passage
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drawing conclusions from the information provided
•
reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information
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understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to one another
•
identifying the author's assumptions and perspective
•
analyzing a text and reaching conclusions about it
•
identifying strengths and weaknesses of a position
•
developing and considering alternative explanations
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As this list implies, reading and understanding a piece of text requires far more than a passive 
understanding of the words and sentences it contains; it requires active engagement with the text, 
asking questions, formulating and evaluating hypotheses and reflecting on the relationship of the