Verbal TC Question Clarification

GRE Verbal Problem Solving
1

Hello,

For Question : Though science is often imagined as a ------- exploration of external reality, scientists are no different from anyone else: they are ------- human beings enmeshed in a web of personal and social circumstances.
My Ans selection: fervent…vulnerable

Why can’t the answer Fervent & vulnerable.
My Logic:
Part A: Though science is often imagined as a -(different)------ exploration of external reality, scientists are no different from anyone else:
i.e Different Though(-) No different
Part B: ( : ) - Supports both Part A & B
Part C: they are --(vulnerable)----- human beings enmeshed in a web of personal and social circumstances.

Where an I going wrong with the logic?

Also my average score in last 4 Bigbook tests are between 10-11. Is it bad? And how can I make it better.

Thanks a lot in advance :slight_smile:

2

Part A: You’re correct about “though” as a contrast signal, and your conclusion that the words will be opposites. However, I would push back on using “different/no different” as the filler words. No different doesn’t fill the meaning of Blank 2 — it’s a setup to explain how scientists are like everyone else.

Part B: I agree the colon is support for blank 1, but does it also support for blank 2? Look at the words after the blank: “human beings enmeshed in a web of personal and social circumstances”.

This is what fills the meaning of blank 2–it describes in what way the scientists are “no different” from the rest of us. Since the scientists are unable to escape outside influences, we know they are something closer tobiased.

If blank 2 is biased, we need a contrasting word for blank 1: unbiased.

That’s why answer choice D, disinterested/passionate, works:

  • disinterested: * free from selfish or interest; unbiased*
  • passionate: showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief

Eliminating fervent/vulnerable: we need options that are opposites of each other, so let’s first see if these words work as opposites:

  • fervent: exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling
  • vulnerable: open to attack or harm

These don’t really have any effect on each other, meaning they aren’t opposites, and can be eliminated.

Your Practice Scores

It’s hard to assess the quality of your practice scores without knowing:

  • How long you’ve been studying
  • Your target score
  • How long until your test

Everyone has different goals, so there’s no universal “good” or “bad”.

As for ways to improve, please check this post out:

1 Like