Triple blank text completion

Triple-blank questions are some of the most challenging problems on the GRE. If you use a consistent strategy and work through them step by step, you’ll be much more likely to choose the correct answers.

As with single- and double-blank questions, start by reading the entire passage before you look at the answer choices. Because triple-blank questions are longer, it often helps to write down your own “filler words” (your predicted answers) for each blank first. Then compare your predictions to the choices.

Also remember: you can often work backward from the last blank to clarify the passage’s meaning.

Let’s try an example.

It’s (i) to see that the firm has laid off so many employees in recent months. One would expect the company should be (ii) employees since demand for their services has risen so dramatically in the past year. Nonetheless, the management has (iii) that the company needs to cut costs.

Blank (i)
A. sad
B. unsurprising
C. surprising

Blank (ii)
D. hiring
E. managing
F. firing

Blank (iii)
G. enjoyed
H. denied
I. made it clear

Do you know the correct answers?

At first, it may be unclear whether the company should be firing or hiring. To resolve that, look for a clue about the company’s situation: “demand for their services has risen so dramatically in the past year.” Rising demand suggests the company is doing well.

If the company is doing well, then laying off many employees would be surprising, so Blank (i) should be C. surprising. Even though it might feel “sad” that people are losing their jobs, the passage doesn’t focus on emotion. It focuses on what you would logically expect given the business conditions. The phrase “One would expect” in the second sentence reinforces that the first blank should reflect expectation, not feelings.

Once you have that, Blank (ii) becomes straightforward. If demand has risen, you’d expect the company to do the opposite of laying people off - so it should be hiring. That makes Blank (ii) D. hiring.

Finally, look at the last sentence: “Nonetheless, the management has ___ that the company needs to cut costs.” The word “Nonetheless” signals a contrast: even though demand is up (so hiring would make sense), management is emphasizing cost-cutting. The choice that fits this idea is I. made it clear.

The other options don’t match the sentence:

• “denied” would mean management said the company does not need to cut costs.
• “enjoyed” doesn’t fit the meaning or tone of the sentence.

So the correct set is:

• Blank (i): C. surprising
• Blank (ii): D. hiring
• Blank (iii): I. made it clear