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GRE Vocabulary: 60 High-Frequency Words — quiz
16 multiple-choice questions covering Sentence Equivalence Basics, Talkativeness & Reticence, Speech & Evasion, Flattery & Compliance, Stubbornness. One answer each; you get a score at the end and the explanation for every question. No account needed.
Updated 2026-11-03. Keys 1–4 pick an answer, Enter moves on. Redo it any time, in order or shuffled.
The questions
Answers and explanations are shown after you finish.
- Sentence Equivalence Basics
A student answers a Sentence Equivalence question by choosing one word that perfectly fits the sentence's meaning, but doesn't pick a second word with a similar meaning. What error did the student make?
- Selected a word that was too obscure for the context
- Ignored that two answers must be selected and must produce sentences with equivalent meaning
- Misread the blank's grammatical form
- Chose an antonym instead of a synonym
- Talkativeness & Reticence
A businessman answers every question with exactly one word and never elaborates, though he's happy to chat at length about unrelated topics. Which word best fits his speaking style in this moment?
- garrulous
- laconic
- perfunctory
- reticent
- Talkativeness & Reticence
Which word is the best antonym for 'garrulous'?
- truculent
- laconic
- loquacious
- obsequious
- Speech & Evasion
A politician, when asked directly whether he supports a bill, gives a vague answer that could be read as either a yes or a no. Which verb best describes his behavior?
- ameliorate
- mitigate
- equivocate
- vacillate
- Flattery & Compliance
Which word is a noun naming a person who flatters powerful people for personal gain, rather than an adjective describing fawning behavior?
- obsequious
- zealot
- sycophant
- intransigent
- Stubbornness
Which word emphasizes aggressive, confrontational defiance and a readiness to argue or fight, rather than simply a refusal to change one's mind?
- obdurate
- truculent
- penurious
- intransigent
- Fanaticism & Idealism
A young activist proposes a noble but utterly impractical plan to end world hunger within a year. Which word best describes this plan?
- laudable
- zealot
- sanguine
- quixotic
- Improvement & Easing
A city installs sound barriers specifically to make highway noise less severe for nearby residents, without eliminating it entirely. Which verb best fits this action?
- mitigate
- ameliorate
- venerate
- vacillate
- Fleeting & Routine
A clerk stamps each form without reading it, finishing the task quickly with no real attention or care. Which word describes the clerk's action?
- perfunctory
- prosaic
- ephemeral
- obdurate
- Indecision
Before buying a car, a shopper keeps changing his mind back and forth between two models for several days. Which verb fits his behavior?
- truculent
- vacillate
- ameliorate
- equivocate
- Respect & Praise
Which word is a verb meaning to regard someone or something with deep reverence, rather than an adjective meaning worthy of praise?
- esoteric
- sanguine
- laudable
- venerate
- Outlook & Temperament
Despite missing several deadlines, a project manager insists the team will still finish on schedule and seems entirely untroubled by the setbacks. Which word describes her outlook?
- laudable
- sanguine
- obdurate
- quixotic
- Obscure & Scholarly
A professor interrupts a casual conversation to correct a trivial grammatical error, insisting rigidly on an obscure stylistic rule. Which word best describes the professor's behavior?
- pedantic
- esoteric
- perfunctory
- recondite
- Obscure & Scholarly
Which word describes a subject so obscure that only a handful of specialists can understand it, as opposed to a person who fusses over minor academic details?
- pedantic
- recondite
- penurious
- prosaic
- Poverty & Dullness
A wealthy man refuses to buy new clothes or spend money on basic comforts despite his fortune. Which word describes him?
- obdurate
- penurious
- prosaic
- intransigent
- Word Roots & Etymology
The Latin root 'loqu/locu', meaning 'to speak,' appears in which word from this deck?
- laconic
- loquacious
- obsequious
- reticent
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