The verbal portion of the GRE presents many opportunities to test us on our understanding of idiomatic language. Such language can come in the form of expressions or constructions that mean something different than what the individual words might mean on their own. Alternatively, we may be looking at a secondary or more rare definition of a word. This kind of language can be tested both on vocab questions (text completion and sentence equivalence) and on reading comprehension.

First, try this problem (© Manhattan Prep). Select the answer choice that most closely represents the meaning of the original sentence.

The experiment only looks like a success.

(A) It is not possible to see the experiment as anything other than a success.

(B) The experiment might be successful, but we don’t know for sure.

(C) The experiment has the appearance of a success, but really is a failure.

Have you picked your choice? Great, let’s talk about it!

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Take a sneak peek into Manhattan Prep’s 500 Essential Words and 500 Advanced Words GRE flashcard sets!

Turns out, metaphysical doesn’t just mean “really deep, man.” And let’s not even talk about ontological and empirical. Check it out:

Want to adopt 1,000 new flashcards? Visit our store here.

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

If you have been prepping for the GRE, flash cards, prep books, and practice problems have probably become your closest companions. Being the ambitious studier that you are, you may find yourself feeling a strong sense of guilt if you stray from your prep plan to take a leisurely break. Fortunately, we have a simple, guilt-free activity that is both enjoyable and helpful in prepping for the GRE: Reading! Because you (hopefully) keep up with the standard stock list (The New York Times, The Economist, National Geographic, etc.), we have compiled a list of fresh reading material, compliments of our very own GRE instructors, that combines a plethora of GRE words with beguiling storylines. Plus, now that it’s finally summertime, what better way to fill your study breaks than to lay out in the warm sun with a great novel in hand?

Recommendations from Stacey Koprince:

The Source by James Michener: The book chronicles an archaeological dig in Israel, hopping back and forth in time, sometimes telling the story of a certain artifact, and sometimes returning to the present to talk about modern day political and social issues (set in 1960s).

The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder: A renowned 1967 National Book Award-winning novel that is a murder mystery and philosophical novel all in one.

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Check out some of these great articles that we have gathered from the month of June!

I Have a Low GPA: Should I Apply to Grad School? (About’s Grad School Guide)
About’s Grad School Guide considers all of elements of the graduate school application and answers the tough question of whether to apply to competitive schools with a low GPA.

Negotiate 7 Graduate School Pitfalls (U.S. News Education)
Read up on how to respond to unwelcomed grad school situations such as having a difficult professor, less-than-ideal student service, cheating classmates, and unfair grades.

How Writing A Science Blog Saved my PhD (Next Scientist)
A young scientist shares his grad school experiences and explains how blogging helped him to not give up on his PhD.

To Stay on Schedule, Take a Break (The New York Times)
Are you spending hours and hours at a time prepping for the GRE? The New York Times shares why breaks are necessary to recharge your internal resources.

Why the Admission Essay Shouldn’t Drive You Insane (Grad Share)
This post from Grad Share offers some great information about graduate school admission essays as well as tips for how to make your essay standout.

Check out some of these great articles that we have gathered from the month of June!

I Have a Low GPA: Should I Apply to Grad School? (About’s Grad School Guide)
About’s Grad School Guide considers all of elements of the graduate school application and answers the tough question of whether to apply to competitive schools with a low GPA.

Negotiate 7 Graduate School Pitfalls (U.S. News Education)
Read up on how to respond to unwelcomed grad school situations such as having a difficult professor, less-than-ideal student service, cheating classmates, and unfair grades.

How Writing A Science Blog Saved my PhD (Next Scientist)
A young scientist shares his grad school experiences and explains how blogging helped him to not give up on his PhD.

To Stay on Schedule, Take a Break (The New York Times)
Are you spending hours and hours at a time prepping for the GRE? The New York Times shares why breaks are necessary to recharge your internal resources.

Why the Admission Essay Shouldn’t Drive You Insane (Grad Share)
This post from Grad Share offers some great information about graduate school admission essays as well as tips for how to make your essay standout.

During class 2 of our program, we teach a lesson entitled Math Refresher. I thought it would be fun to share one of the problems with you and talk through two things: (1) the actual algebra (real math) we would need to solve the problem, and (2) the standardized testing skills that allow us to solve the problem much more easily.

First, try this problem (© Manhattan Prep). Note: there are no multiple choice answers: you have to come up with a number on your own!

Sarita and Bob together contribute to the cost of a $40 gift. If Bob contributes $12 more than Sarita does, how much does Bob contribute?

How did you do it? Did you write some equations? Try out some numbers? Find some other cool shortcut?

On this one, the best approach is a very neat shortcut that I’m going to show you “ but only after I show you the actual algebra. It’s important to know how to do the algebra, just in case you don’t know or can’t find any good shortcuts.
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Mnemonics or mnemonic devices are memory tricks to help us remember things like vocabulary words. However, many mnemonics are pretty cheesy — often involving the kind of jokes some people call “groaners.” For instance…

Disingenuous means, “insincere; lacking in frankness or candor; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous.”

Here’s the mnemonic:

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Each week, we post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for two free Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides.

The 11th grade girls at Stumpville High School have an average GPA of 3.1, and the overall 11th grade average GPA is 3.05. If all of the boys enrolled in Honors Chemistry are in the 11th grade and those boys have an average GPA of 3.8, what is the average GPA of all the 11th grade boys who are not enrolled in Honors Chemistry?

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The following, by Jeff Brechlin, is the winning entry from a Washington Post Style Invitational contest that asked readers to submit “instructions” for something in the style of a famous person.

Here is Shakespeare’s Hokey Pokey.

For the benefit of our international students, the “Hokey Pokey” is a silly dance for children that goes something like this:

You put your [right leg] in,
You put your [right leg] out;
You put your [right leg] in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

A different part of the body is referenced in each verse (so, the song can go on for kind of a long time).

The Shakespearean version contains some antiquated words that wouldn’t appear on the GRE (“anon” means soon, quickly), but also some very excellent GRE words:

Lithe – bending readily; pliant; limber; supple; flexible: the lithe body of a ballerina.

Wanton – Done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably (a wanton attack; wanton cruelty); without regard for what is right, just, humane, etc.; careless; reckless; sexually lawless or unrestrained (wanton lust); extravagantly or excessively luxurious (Kanye West’s Tweets about how fur pillows are actually hard to sleep on might indicate a wanton lifestyle). Basically, wanton can mean lacking restraint in a number of ways.

Yoke – a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal; a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets or the like, one at each end; an agency of oppression, subjection, servitude, etc.

Here’s a yoke pictured on Wikipedia:

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The following, by Jeff Brechlin, is the winning entry from a Washington Post Style Invitational contest that asked readers to submit “instructions” for something in the style of a famous person.

Here is Shakespeare’s Hokey Pokey.

For the benefit of our international students, the “Hokey Pokey” is a silly dance for children that goes something like this:

You put your [right leg] in,
You put your [right leg] out;
You put your [right leg] in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the hokey pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

A different part of the body is referenced in each verse (so, the song can go on for kind of a long time).

The Shakespearean version contains some antiquated words that wouldn’t appear on the GRE (“anon” means soon, quickly), but also some very excellent GRE words:

Lithe – bending readily; pliant; limber; supple; flexible: the lithe body of a ballerina.

Wanton – Done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably (a wanton attack; wanton cruelty); without regard for what is right, just, humane, etc.; careless; reckless; sexually lawless or unrestrained (wanton lust); extravagantly or excessively luxurious (Kanye West’s Tweets about how fur pillows are actually hard to sleep on might indicate a wanton lifestyle). Basically, wanton can mean lacking restraint in a number of ways.

Yoke – a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal; a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets or the like, one at each end; an agency of oppression, subjection, servitude, etc.

Here’s a yoke pictured on Wikipedia:

Read more