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Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

Far from being a purely ______ shift in demographic distribution, the rapid growth of suburban micro-cities reflects profound underlying changes in workforce mobility and regional economics.

Which two of the following answer choices, when inserted into the sentence, produce completed sentences that are similar in meaning?

  1. superficialAnswer
  2. B
    aesthetic
  3. cosmeticAnswer
  4. D
    artistic
  5. E
    ephemeral
  6. F
    spatial

Answer

The words 'superficial' and 'cosmetic' complete the sentence to produce equivalent meanings.
The sentence relies on the contrast signal 'Far from being a purely ______ shift...' to oppose 'profound underlying changes'. The correct choices must both mean surface-level or minor. The words 'superficial' and 'cosmetic' both carry this meaning and yield completed sentences with equivalent sense.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence syntax and structural transition clues
The opening concession 'Far from being a purely ______ shift' establishes a direct contrast with 'profound underlying changes' in the second clause.
The contrast pivot signals that the target word must mean shallow, surface-level, or minor.
2
Evaluate candidate vocabulary for contextual fit and synonymy
'Superficial' and 'cosmetic' both denote surface-level or non-essential characteristics, perfectly contrasting with 'profound'.
Both words complete the sentence with logically coherent and identical meanings.
3
Eliminate invalid distractors and false synonym pairs
'Aesthetic' and 'artistic' form a synonym pair but fail contextually. 'Ephemeral' fits tone but lacks a partner. 'Spatial' is topically relevant but lacks contrast and a pair.
GRE Sentence Equivalence requires both contextual fit and absolute semantic equivalence between the two chosen words.

Key Concept

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs in Context
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

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