Predict what belongs in the blank from the whole sentence. Contrast and degree matter: “only a few errors” supports a different judgement from “errors throughout.” Avoid choosing pairs before reading the context. The pair must yield two coherent sentences that convey alike meanings, rather than merely share a dictionary association.
Group possible equivalents after establishing the needed sense. A word can have several meanings, and a candidate synonym may match the wrong one. “Reserved” can mean restrained in manner or set aside in advance. The complete sentence selects the sense, so test each candidate using a plain paraphrase.
Sentence Equivalence has six choices and requires two selections. There is no partial credit for one correct word, and selecting a third word invalidates the answer. The practice check requires exactly the correct pair; it does not award an official GRE score.
Compare the remaining plausible pair for scope and tone. Small versus negligible, uncertain versus impossible, or critical versus hostile may differ in strength. If the passage supports modest gains, do not infer that no gains occurred. Keep a vocabulary record with the contextual sense and one contrasting use rather than learning isolated translation pairs only.
