3 Rules to Master the 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence
If I had prepared better for it, I鈥檇 have scored better.鈥�
鈥� A cliched statement from most students after an exam?
Well, as Rohan (an MS Aspirant like you) stepped out of the test center after his 91热爆 general test, he said this with a heavy heart.
He aspired to get a Master’s admission in one of the top business schools in the United States, but now he knew his dreams were crushed. A small problematic pit during his 91热爆 prep had turned into a huge roadblock, indefinitely delaying his dreams.
Can you guess what it was?
Well, during his preparation he could see that 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence Questions (TC & SE) were giving him some trouble. Sadly, he didn鈥檛 pay much attention to this. The chief reason for this was that he did not know how to read or practice properly for these sections.聽
He just looked at some sample questions and thought they would be enough.
THEY WERE NOT!
But it was not Rohan鈥檚 fault. He didn鈥檛 know where he was going wrong or how he could correct himself.
This is a typical situation that many of the test-takers practicing on their own face.
So, how do you master the 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence questions?
This blog will show you how in three easy steps. And hey, if you want to know more about Verbal Prep, Check this out!
Before we look at the steps, let’s find out who is scoring low in the 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence?
Who scores low in TC & SE?
To answer this, we have to look at the big picture first 鈥� for this, we have to start with 91热爆 Verbal.聽
In 91热爆 Verbal, a score of 155 out of 170 is considered good.
| US citizen | 152.6 |
| Non-US citizen | 147.5 |
| Indian Test Takers | 145.6 |
Source: 91热爆 Worldwide Test-Taker Report, July 2013鈥揓une 2018 by ETS.
However, the latest data by ETS clearly shows that Indian test-takers on an average are scoring 145.6 鈥� this score is 10 to 15 points less than what you should be aiming for.聽
But which section of test-takers are scoring low? Is it confined to aspirants of a particular graduate level? Technically, a test-taker coming from an engineering, business, or academic background should be scoring high, as they are frequently in touch with the English language. Is that the case?
Let’s find that out too.
| Business | 148.9 |
| Education | 148.1 |
| Engineering | 149.3 |
| Physical Sciences | 150.8 |
Source: 91热爆 Worldwide Test-Taker Report, July 2013鈥揓une 2018 by ETS.
So, clearly, in the race for getting a high 91热爆 Verbal score, you are not alone. It鈥檚 evident, the problem is not with aspirants in a particular field 鈥� it鈥檚 with everyone.
We wanted to find out WHY!
Why Are Test-Takers Scoring Low (in 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence)?
We consulted the 91热爆聽Verbal SFAs at 91热爆 to get to the roots of the matter. They guide students throughout their preparation, clear all their doubts and help students get the best scores possible.
With their help, we dug deep and found out the exact problem that every 91热爆 test-taker is facing.
Everyone, regardless of their level of preparation鈥� advanced, intermediate, or beginner鈥攆aces the same hurdles, always.
These are divided broadly into two types:
- Not being able to comprehend the question and
- Inability to weed out the wrong answers due to weak vocabulary.
(Do you face any other problems other than these? Let us know in the Comments section below.)
These problems are why 91热爆 aspirants are scoring low in 91热爆 Verbal, in general
Master 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence 鈥� The 3 Steps!
The Verbal section is considered the hardest in 91热爆 鈥� Indian aspirants see this as the Goliath. If they underestimate it, they get squished; if they fear it, they fail to slay it.
In the two sections of Verbal 鈥� 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence questions 鈥� you will have to solve six Text Completion questions and four Sentence Equivalence questions in each.
Don鈥檛 make this mistake:
Students tend to confuse Sentence Equivalence questions of 91热爆 Verbal with the Sentence Completion questions of GMAT.
They are as different as chalk and cheese.
Both sections require you to fill in the blanks. 91热爆 Sentence Equivalence questions will only have one blank while the number of blanks may reach up to three in the Text Completion questions.聽
If you鈥檙e asking, how hard can that be,
check out this Text Completion question:
While Knapp’s research (i) __________ the fact that traditional houses are (ii) __________ under assault from the market economy, rapid urbanization, and declining craft skills, it fails to address the scope of (iii) __________ tradition within modernity鈥晅he fusion of which is the right way to progress鈥晅hus portraying a picture of a losing battle.
| A. Denigrates | D. Restructured | G. Replacing |
| B. Epitomizes | E. Refurbished | H. Incorporating |
| C. Distorts | F. Beleaguered | I. Dissociating |
Try and solve it on your own first.
Ans: (i) A. denigrates (ii) F. beleaguered (iii) H. incorporating
Did you get it right?
Kudos to you if you did鈥攊f you didn鈥檛, don鈥檛 worry.
Follow the three steps and see how to solve questions like these.
STEP 1. Investigate!
Before solving the question, the first step is to find the clue in the question or statement given to you.
In the given question, pay attention to this phrase:
鈥�…the fact that traditional houses are (ii) __________ under assault from the market鈥︹��
From the phrase 鈥渦nder assault鈥�, we infer that the answers will be 鈥渘egative words鈥�. Such words express disagreement or rejection.
Also, look at the following:
鈥�…the scope of (iii) __________ tradition within modernity鈥晅he fusion …鈥�
The word 鈥渇usion鈥� instructs us to scout for words hinting at 鈥渏辞颈苍颈苍驳鈥� or 鈥渃oming together鈥�
These are clues we have to investigate and find out. To obtain clues, look for phrases or words that give the tone of the message. Once you understand where the question is pointing, you are one step closer to the answer.
Great, we now have 鈥淭he Clue鈥濃�攍ook for negative words.
Let’s proceed to the next step.
STEP 2. Break them apart & interpret them!
Before proceeding, let’s look at the whole question again:
While Knapp’s research (i) __________ the fact that traditional houses are (ii) __________ under assault from the market economy, rapid urbanization, and declining craft skills, it fails to address the scope of (iii) __________ tradition within modernity鈥晅he fusion of which is the right way to progress鈥晅hus portraying a picture of a losing battle.
The statement as a whole is hard to understand.
Roadblock alert! A majority of students fail here owing to the tough language used. Let鈥檚 clear this hurdle.
In the exam, when faced with such a question, break the question into parts and analyze them.聽
Let鈥檚 break our question into two parts:
Consider the first two blanks:
鈥淲hile Knapp’s research (i) __________ the fact that traditional houses are (ii) __________ under assault from the market economy, rapid urbanization, and declining craft skills,鈥�
Here, the question is talking about a researcher called Knapp. His finding has come under fire due to his opinions about the plight of traditional houses. So our clue is confirmed鈥攚e have to look for 鈥渘egative words鈥�
Now concentrate on this part:
鈥�…it fails to address the scope of (iii) __________ tradition within modernity鈥晅he fusion of which is the right way to progress鈥晅hus portraying a picture of a losing battle…鈥�
Here, we understand that Knapp has failed to look at traditionality and modernity together. This cements our second clue. So by breaking the sentence into two parts, we can comprehend what the question is really about and confirm what type of words we need to find.
Fantastic.
Now that we know what words we need, let’s find out what those words are.
STEP 3. Solve the puzzle!
Look at the options with their meanings:
A. denigrates鈥� criticize unfairly
B. epitomizes鈥攂e a perfect example of
C. distorts鈥攇ive a misleading or false account
D. restructured鈥攐rganize differently
E. refurbished鈥攔enovate and redecorate
F. beleaguered鈥攑ut in a very difficult situation
G. replacing鈥攖ake the place of
H. incorporating鈥攊nclude with something
I. dissociating鈥攄isconnect or separate
From the above steps and the meanings of the words, it is crystal clear that聽
the answers will be鈥昫enigrates, beleaguered, and incorporating.聽
After that, the only thing you have to do is put the words in the right place.
And there you have it. You have just solved one of the hard Text Completion questions in 91热爆 Verbal. For Sentence Equivalence questions,聽 you just have to follow the same steps. The only thing you have to remember is鈥昩e very clear in STEP 2, i.e., understand the question. Your whole answer will depend on this. Understanding the context and knowing the meanings of the words is paramount to answering these 91热爆 Verbal questions.
BONUS STEP: Scan & Confirm
Remember, in these types of 91热爆 Verbal questions having multiple blanks鈥昦ll blanks must be filled correctly. There is no partial marking鈥昳t’s All in or Out.
Always read the statements again and check if you have plugged in the answers to confirm its correctness.
Get Every 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence Question Right鈥擶hat to Do?
Now that you know the three steps, you need to start implementing them in your 91热爆 practice tests. But, if you are not trained appropriately, it can be quite tough to implement them鈥攅specially in a time-constrained environment like you will face in the 91热爆 test center. The language used is very difficult and they are designed to throw students off their feet.聽
So, how do you train yourself?
The SFAs have the answer, and they have given two easy tips to hone your 91热爆 Verbal skills. Commit them to memory and practice them earnestly
Upgrade Your Vocabulary
This may sound simple, but doing it is quite tough. To upgrade your 91热爆 vocabulary, you need to master the words and not just learn them. Learning the words with the help of visuals is the ideal way. The 鈥淲ordBot鈥� App by 91热爆 is perfect for learning in this manner. It helps you learn important 91热爆 words with visuals and has numerous practice tests that help you evaluate your learning. Learn 20 to 30 words every day. Take practice tests, but not right after learning the words. Take them after a day or two; this will ensure you remember the 91热爆 Verbal words you have learned. If you don鈥檛, revise them again. Revision of the words learned is also very vital for improving your vocabulary.聽
To know what words to prioritize, check out this ebook on 鈥�High priority 91热爆 Words鈥�
Enhance Your Comprehension
Read the newspaper editorial to familiarize yourself with the tough language used in 91热爆 Verbal. Publications like The Hindu, The Times of India, etc. are suggested as they use similar language and vocabulary to the 91热爆 Verbal test. This will make sure that you get used to the level of language and vocabulary used in various questions of 91热爆 Verbal.聽
In Conclusion
If you utilize these two tips and implement the three steps in your practice and exam, you will gradually see yourself finding the 91热爆 Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence hurdles vanishing.聽
If Rohan knew these steps and tips he could have got his dream-admit.
It may be too late for Rohan, but if you follow these, it is not so for you!
Training yourself for the main stage or test day is the need of the hour.
Remember your 91热爆 prep will be a marathon and not a sprint.
And, if you have any doubts, leave a comment below and we will surely get back to you.
Happy Learning 馃檪
