Lesson 6 of 46 · Sentence Equivalence
Sentence Equivalence: a method that finds the pair
Predict the blank, find every choice that fits, then keep only the two that give sentences alike in meaning. One perfect word without a partner is not enough.
About 18 minutes
In this lesson
- Apply a four-step method to a Sentence Equivalence question.
- Explain why the answer must be two choices that produce sentences alike in meaning.
- Reject a synonym pair that does not fit the sentence, and a fitting word that has no partner.
The idea
What the question asks
A Sentence Equivalence question gives you one sentence with one blank and six choices. You must select two choices, and you score only if both are right; there is no partial credit for one. The instruction asks for the two choices that each complete the sentence coherently and give two sentences that are alike in meaning.
Both conditions matter. The two words do not have to be perfect synonyms, but the two finished sentences must say essentially the same thing. And each word must fit the sentence on its own; two synonyms that do not fit are still wrong.
The method
- Read the sentence and find the clue, exactly as in Text Completion: what does the blank describe, and which words tell you about it? Mark any signal words that set the direction.
- Predict a plain-words answer before looking at the six choices.
- Find every choice that fits the prediction. Go through all six and keep each one that could complete the sentence with the predicted meaning.
- Pair them. From the words you kept, choose the two that give sentences alike in meaning. Then read the sentence twice, once with each word, and compare.
Many questions resolve at step 3: exactly two choices fit, and they are your pair. The method earns its keep when step 3 leaves one, three or four candidates.
When only one choice fits
Sometimes a single word fits the sentence beautifully and nothing else does. That word cannot be the answer on its own: the correct answer is always a pair. Either you have misread the clue (so another word fits better than you thought), or the "perfect" word is a distractor without a partner. Go back to step 1 and look for the meaning that two of the choices share.
This is the most distinctive feature of the format and a real advantage: the pair requirement is a check on your reading. If your prediction picks out one word only, your prediction is probably too narrow or wrong.
When three or four fit
Then you need precision. Ask which two produce the same sentence. Typical cases:
- Two words fit but say different things: in "The critic's review was ______", harsh and short can both complete it, but they are different reviews.
- One word is stronger or weaker than the other, or has a different positive or negative charge. The next two lessons deal with this in detail.
Synonym pairs are not automatically right
A choice list can contain more than one pair of near-synonyms. Often the second pair is the reverse of the answer, ready for anyone who misses a contrast word. So "these two mean the same" is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. Always check the pair against the clue.
A quick way to use this: after reading the six choices, notice the pairs of words that are alike. There may be two or three such pairs. The question is then which pair fits the sentence, and that question is usually easy once you have a prediction.
Why predicting still matters
With six choices on screen, it is tempting to skip the prediction and look for pairs straight away. Resist it. A list built with a reversed pair and a topic pair can make several readings of the sentence seem possible, and without a prediction you end up choosing between pairs on instinct. A plain-words prediction made before you look turns that choice into a quick comparison.
Working order and time
Sentence Equivalence questions are short, so they reward a steady routine rather than speed reading. A sensible order: clue, prediction, scan all six, pair, double reread. If you cannot find a pair after a fair attempt, choose the two most likely words (never leave it with one selection or none, since nothing is subtracted for a wrong answer), mark it and move on.
Worked examples
Example 1: Two pairs, one fits
Visitors expecting a grand estate were surprised by the house's ______ rooms, which held little more than a bed, a table and a single chair.
Choices: austere, opulent, cramped, spartan, lavish, ornate
Clue: the rooms held almost nothing, and visitors expecting grandeur were surprised.
Predict: "bare, plain".
Scan all six: austere (severely plain) and spartan (simple, without comfort) fit. Opulent, lavish and ornate describe grandeur, the visitors' expectation, not the rooms. Cramped means too small; the clue is about how little the rooms contained, not their size.
Pair: austere and spartan both give "bare, plain rooms". Reread both sentences: they say the same thing.
Answer
Austere and spartan. Opulent and lavish are also a synonym pair, but they describe the grand estate the visitors expected.
Example 2: A word that fits but has no partner
Although the theory was at first greeted with ______, a decade of confirming experiments turned most of its critics into supporters.
Choices: scepticism, enthusiasm, hostility, incredulity, acclaim, indifference
Clue: "Although" sets the first reception against a decade of confirmation that turned critics into supporters. The first reception was doubt about whether the theory was true.
Predict: "doubt, disbelief".
Scan: scepticism and incredulity (unwillingness to believe) fit. Hostility also fits the sentence: critics can be hostile. Enthusiasm and acclaim are the reverse; indifference does not match people who were actively critics.
Pair: hostility has no partner among the six, and confirming experiments answer doubt more directly than they answer hostility. Scepticism and incredulity give two sentences alike in meaning.
Answer
Scepticism and incredulity. Hostility is the trap: it completes the sentence, but nothing else on the list gives the same meaning with it.
Example 3: Prediction first
The diplomat's reply was deliberately ______, committing her government to nothing while appearing to agree with everyone.
Choices: candid, equivocal, hostile, forthright, ambiguous, belated
Clue: the reply committed to nothing and seemed to agree with everyone; "deliberately" says it was meant that way.
Predict: "open to more than one reading, non-committal".
Scan: equivocal (open to more than one interpretation, often to avoid commitment) and ambiguous (having more than one possible meaning) fit. Candid and forthright mean frank and direct, the reverse. Hostile contradicts "appearing to agree with everyone". Belated is about timing.
Pair equivocal and ambiguous; both sentences describe a reply that can be read several ways.
Answer
Equivocal and ambiguous. Candid and forthright are the reversed pair.
Common traps
The synonym pair that does not fit
A choice list may contain two or more pairs of near-synonyms. Spotting a pair is a start, not an answer: check it against your prediction from the clue.
The perfect word with no partner
A word that fits the sentence well but has no match among the other five cannot be one of the answers. Look for the meaning two choices share, and reread the clue if you cannot find it.
Two fitting words that make different sentences
Harsh and brief can both complete "the review was ______", but they describe different reviews. Read the sentence once with each word and ask whether the two versions say the same thing.
Expecting credit for one right word
There is no partial credit. One right word and one wrong word score the same as two wrong words, so always select two, and choose them as a pair.
Check yourself
Answer each question before you open its answer.
Question 1: The new manager's budget
Sentence Equivalence
The new manager's ______ approach to the budget surprised staff used to her predecessor's habit of approving almost every request.
Choices: frugal, lavish, haphazard, thrifty, profligate, transparent. Which pair completes the sentence with two sentences alike in meaning?
- A.lavish and profligate
- B.frugal and transparent
- C.thrifty and lavish
- D.frugal and thrifty
- E.haphazard and profligate
Show the answer
Answer: D. frugal and thrifty
Working
Staff were surprised because they were used to a predecessor who approved almost everything, so the new approach is the opposite: careful with money. Frugal and thrifty both mean sparing in spending and give the same sentence.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. These are synonyms, but they describe the predecessor's free spending; the "surprised" signal calls for the opposite.
- B. Each could complete the sentence, but they describe different things: careful spending versus openness. The sentences are not alike in meaning.
- C. These are opposites, so they cannot produce sentences alike in meaning.
- E. Neither contrasts with approving almost every request, and they do not mean the same thing.
What carries over
Use the clue to decide which synonym pair fits; the reversed pair is usually on the list too.
Question 2: Once reluctant to share
Sentence Equivalence
Once ______ about sharing his research, the physicist has lately begun posting his data online the day it is collected.
Choices: secretive, forthcoming, careless, guarded, open, prolific. Which pair completes the sentence with two sentences alike in meaning?
- A.forthcoming and open
- B.guarded and careless
- C.secretive and guarded
- D.secretive and prolific
- E.open and prolific
Show the answer
Answer: C. secretive and guarded
Working
"Once ... has lately begun" is a time contrast: before, he was the opposite of someone who posts data the same day. Secretive and guarded both mean unwilling to share, and give the same sentence.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. These describe him now. "Once ... lately" calls for a past attitude that contrasts with posting data at once.
- B. "Guarded" fits, but "careless about sharing" means something different, almost the reverse.
- D. "Prolific" (producing a lot) does not contrast with sharing data, and it does not mean the same as secretive.
- E. "Open" is his present attitude, and the two words do not share a meaning.
What carries over
Time contrasts like "once ... now" ask for the earlier state, the opposite of the one described.
Question 3: The witness's account
Sentence Equivalence
The witness's account was so ______ that the investigators could not reconcile it with either the camera footage or her own earlier statement.
Choices: detailed, inconsistent, fabricated, vivid, contradictory, rehearsed. Which pair completes the sentence with two sentences alike in meaning?
- A.detailed and vivid
- B.fabricated and rehearsed
- C.inconsistent and fabricated
- D.vivid and rehearsed
- E.inconsistent and contradictory
Show the answer
Answer: E. inconsistent and contradictory
Working
"So ... that" gives the effect: the account could not be squared with the footage or with her own earlier statement. The account clashed with other evidence and with itself. Inconsistent and contradictory both say that. Fabricated is the word without a partner.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. These are alike, but rich detail does not stop an account being reconciled with the evidence; they miss the clue.
- B. A rehearsed account would tend to be consistent, and the two words do not mean the same thing.
- C. "Fabricated" fits on its own, but invented is not the same as inconsistent; the two sentences make different charges.
- D. Neither explains why the account could not be reconciled, and they do not share a meaning.
What carries over
A word that fits but has no partner is not part of the answer; find the meaning that two choices share.
Key points
The answer is always two choices that each fit and give sentences alike in meaning.
Clue, prediction, scan all six, pair, then reread the sentence with each word.
A fitting word without a partner is a distractor; a synonym pair that does not fit is too.
No partial credit: always select two, and select them as a pair.
All questions here are original and written for UniExamer; none comes from the test maker.
Written by the UniExamer team with AI assistance. Every worked example and check question was re-solved by an independent checker before publication. No subject expert has reviewed this lesson yet. If you find a mistake, write to support@uniexamer.com.