1014 GRE Practice Questions by the Princeton Review Excerpt

1,014 GRE Practice Questions Neill Seltzer and the Sta o The Princeton Review

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Acknowledgments The ollowing people deserve thanks or their help with this book: Lauren Akamine, Jonathan Arak, Forrest Bankston, Maralyssa Bann, Laura Braswell, Adam Cadre, Ed Carroll, Vanessa Coggshall, Joe Consiglio, Cynthia Cowan, Adam Davis, Cathy Evans, John Fulmer, Peter Hanink, Christopher Hinkle, Dara Hogue, Karen Hoover, Kim Howie, Jary Juliano, Kimberly Kendal, John Kim, Stephen Klosterman, Anna Konstantatos, Rebecca Lessem, Sionainn Marcoux, Joan Martin, Melanie Martin, John Massari, Mike Matera, Lisa Mayo, Seamus Mullarkey, Aaron Murray, Andrew Nynka, Abolaji Ogunshola, Jerome O’Neill, Emma Parker, Emillie Parrish, Adam Perry, Doug Pierce, Nicole-Henriett Pirnie, Krista Prouty, Debbi Reynolds, Lisa Rothstein, Liz Rutzel, Meave Shelton, David Stoll, Phil Thomas, Scott Thompson, Kerry Thornton, Shawn Waugh, David Weiskop, Jonathan Weitzell, Sarah Woodru, and David Zharkovsky. A special thanks to Neill Seltzer or conceptualizing this book rom start to fnish, and to Graham Sultan or helping those conceptions become a reality. A very special thanks to Adam Robinson, who conceived o and perected the Joe Bloggs approach to standardized tests and many o the other successul techniques used by The Princeton Review.


Contents Introduction. . 1

Drills

         17 Diagnostic Test. .19 Math Drill. .20 20 Verbal Drill. .28 28 Answers & Explanations . .36

Verbal

         49

Analogies       51 Drill 1. .57 57 Drill 2. .59 59 Drill 3. .61 61 Drill 4. .63 63 Drill 5. .65 65 Drill 6. .67 67 Drill 7. .69 69 Answers & Explanations. .71 Sentence Completions. 99

. Drill 1. 105 Drill 2 .............................................................................................108 108 Drill 3 .............................................................................................1 .............................................................................................111 Drill 4 .............................................................................................114 Drill 5 .............................................................................................117 Drill 6. 120 .

. Drill 7. 123 Answers & Explanations. 126 . Reading Comprehension      145 Drill 1. 156 . Drill 2. 163 .

. Drill 3. 171 Drill 4. 179 . Drill 5. 187 .

. Drill 6. 196 Answers & Explanations. 204 .


Antonyms . 223 Drill 1.227 . Drill 2.229 .

. Drill 3. 231 Drill 4.233 . Drill 5.235 .

. Drill 6.237 Drill 7.239 . Answers & Explanations. 24 241 .1

Math

                     259

Plugging In & PITA.261 .

. Plugging In Drill. 268 Answers & Explanations. 276 . PITA Drill      285 Answers & Explanations. 290 . Number Properties.299 .

   305 . Number Properties Drill  Answers & Explanations. 31 311 .1 Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages . 317

  325 Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages Drill  Answers & Explanations. 332 . Ratios and Proportions      339

. Ratios and Proportions Drill . 342 Answers & Explanations. 345 . Exponents and Square Roots  349

. Exponents and Square Root Drill .354 Answers & Explanations. 359 . Lines and Angles. 365 Lines and Angles Drill .368 . Answers & Explanations. 372 .

. Triangles.375 Triangles Drill      381 Answers & Explanations. 389 . Circles.397 Circles Drill.400 . Answers & Explanations. 408 .


3D Figures. 41 4155 3D Figures Drill 41 418 .8 Answers & Explanations. 421 . Charts and Graphs. 425 Charts and Graphs Drill.428 . Answers & Explanations. 442 .

. Linear Equations and Inequalities.449 Linear Equations and Inequalities Drill    452 . Answers & Explanations. 457 . Quadratic Equations .463 Quadratic Equations Drill.465 . Answers & Explanations. 469 .

   475 . Probability, Rates, and Statistics  Probability, Rates, and Statistics Drill 483 . Answers & Explanations. 488 . Groups, Sequences, and Functions . 495 Groups, Sequences, and Functions: Drill 1   499 .

 501 . Groups, Sequences, and Functions: Drill 2  Answers & Explanations. 504 . Combinations and Permutations 509 Combinations and Permutations Drill . 512 5. 12 Answers & Explanations. 51 515 .5 Coordinate Geometry. 51 5199

. Coordinate Geometry Drill. 527 Answers & Explanations. 534 .

       539 Writing  Analytical Writing      541 Issue Essay Drill. 551 Argument Essay Drill.553 About The Author. 557 .


Introduction


SoYou’veDeciDeDtoGotoGraDSchool… Much like the SA that you probably took to get into college, the GRE, or the Graduate Record Exam as it is ocially known, is required or admission to many graduate programs. GRE test takers include uture engineers, historians, philosophers, psychologists, nurses; even veterinarians. In short, the GRE is used by almost all graduate gra duate programs except medical school, sc hool, law school, school, and business school. It may seem odd that a student who is applying or an advanced degree in architecture must take the same exam that a student applying or a degree in comparative literature does. In many respects, it is. Te GRE, like the SA, purports to test aptitude instead o specic knowledge o a subject. Depending on what grad school program you are going to, you might also have to take a GRE subject exam. Some programs simply have a minimum combined score that all applicants must achieve. Others, such as creative writing programs, care ar more about the Verbal score than they do about the Math. One would think that engineering programs would care more about the t he Math score (and some do), do), but most engineering applia pplicants score in the very highest percentiles on the GRE quantitative section. Tereore Verbal scores, not Math scores, become more eective when comparing one candidate to another. I you are rustrated that the skills you need or the GRE bear little resemblance to the subjects you will be studying in grad school, remember three things: 1.

2.

3.

Te GRE is not a content test. It It does does not not test a body o knowledge, such as U.S. History or French. It is designed to test a very specic way o thinking. aki aking ng the GRE is a skil skill, l, and like any other skill, it can be learned. Tat is what this book and Cracking the GRE are GRE are all about. With diligence and practice, you can learn everything you need to know or the GRE in a surprisingly short period o time. Te GRE is only one actor o many that will be considered or admission, and it is oten the easiest to change.

howMuchDoeStheGreMatter? Te simple answer is: It depends. Some programs consider the GRE very important, and others view it as more o a ormality. Because the GRE is used or such a wide range o graduate studies, the relative weight given to it will vary rom eld to eld and rom school to school. A master’s program in English Literature will not evaluate the GRE the same way that a Ph.D. program in physics will, but it’s hard to predict what the exact dierences will be. A physics department may care more about the Math score than the Verbal score, but given that nearly all o its applicants will have high Math scores, a strong Verbal score might make you stand out and help you gain admission.

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1 , 0 1 4 Practice Questions for the GRE


How schools weigh the scores will dier not only rom school to school but also rom student to student. Schools may use GRE scores to validate the verbal abilities o international students who wrote antastic essays. Tey may also be used in lieu o work experience or applicants who are only a year or two out o undergrad, or as a more recent snapshot or adult students returning to school ater a decade or so. Mostly they are there so that schools have an a n apples-to-apples comparison o applicants with wildly divergent college, work, and lie experiences. Also, most applicants are pretty qualied, so GRE scores are oten an easy way to narrow down the pool. How your program uses your scores will determine quite a bit about how you prepare or the test. Te best way to nd out how your GRE score will be weighted is to contact the programs that you’re thinking about applying to and ask them. Speak directly with someone in your prospective graduate department. Contrary to what many people think, grad schools are usually quite willing to tell you how they evaluate the GRE and other aspects o your application, and they might just give you an idea o what they’re looking or. In any case, remember that the GRE is only one part o an application to grad school. Many other actors are considered, such as: •

• • • • • •

undergraduate transcripts (i.e., your GPA, relevant courses, and the quality o the school you attended) work experience any research resea rch or work you've you've done in that academic a cademic eld subject GREs (or certain programs) essays (Personal Statements or other essays) recommendations interviews

Te GRE can be a signicant part o your graduate school application (which is why you bought this book), but it certainly isn't the only part. Don't worry about getting a good or bad GRE score. Tere is only the score you have and the score you need to get to go where you want to go. Te gap between the two represents the amount o work you will have to do in the meantime. I you need an additional 50 points, that shouldn’t be too dicult to achieve. Polish up on your vocabulary, master the pacing o the exam, take some practice tests, and you should do ne. I you need another 100 points, that will take some more work. You’ll need to learn more vocabulary, identiy and address your weaknesses on the quantitative section, and continue to practice. I you can push yoursel to do that on your own, then this book and access to a ew practice tests should be all you need. I you need more than 100 points, or i you aren’t likely to put in the time on your own, you will need a course or a tutor. It all starts with the research. Once you know the score you have and the score you need, you will know how much time you need to put in to prepare or the real test.

Introduction


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

theteSt—overview Tere are our primary sections on the GRE: Analytical Writing, Verbal, Quantitative, and “Pretest.” Te Pretest is typically a third experimental, unscored quantitative or Verbal section masquerading as a scored one. Here is the breakdown: S     n

Nmb f Qsns

t m

Analytical Writing

1 Issue task

45 min.

1 Argument ta sk

3 0 m i n.

Verba l

30

3 0 m i n.

Qua ntitative

28

45 min.

Experimenta l

Varies

Varies

Te total testing time is approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes, but the whole experience will take about 4 hours. When you are taking practice tests, make sure to complete all sections—even the essays—because stamina is an issue. Knowing how your brain works ater two to three hours o intense concentration is big part o being prepared.

wnYGt Te testing centers can be intimidating places. You will be asked to show ID when you come in. You will be issued a locker where you can store your belongings, because you cannot bring anything with you into the test center. Ten you will be asked to ll out a questionnaire and a legal disclaimer stating that you are who you say you are and that your reasons or taking the test are on the up and up; no taking it just or un! Te test centers cater to people taking a wide variety o tests, which means that you will be sitting in a very plain waiting room with a bunch o other dgety, stressed-out people until you are called to the testing room. In the testing room you will be issued a cubicle with a computer, six sheets o scratch paper, two pencils, and a set o headphones that you can use to block out noise. In the beginning o the test you will be given a tutorial on how to work the computer (scrolling, clicking with the mouse, accepting answers, etc). I you have taken a ew practice tests, you’ll already know what to do. Save yoursel time and skip the section.

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ttsisf Te rst section is the 45-minute Analysis o an Issue essay. You will be given a choice between two issue topics. Te clock starts as soon as the two topics appear on screen. A complete list o the issue topics can be ound on the ES website under GRE —General est— est— est Preparation—Sample Preparat ion—Sample Questions. Te test ha s a basic word processing unction that will allow you to cut, paste, erase, and scroll. It does not have a spell check, but spelling is not scored on the GRE, so don’t worry about it. Te second section is the 30-minute Analysis o an Argument essay. You get only one Argument, so you don’t get to choose. A complete list o potential arguments can be ound on the ES website in the place mentioned above. You will be oered an optional 10-minute break ater you complete your second essay. ake as much time as you need to reresh yoursel, but the more time you take, the longer you’ll be stuck in i n your cubicle. echnica echnically, lly, you are not allowed to use your scratch paper during untimed sections, but this is not always enorced, so you can start setting up your scratch paper i you want. (More on this later.) Ater the essays, most students will have three multiple-choice sections with one minute between each section. You cannot skip questions or go back to a question once you have entered and accepted an answer. All three sections will look like typical Verbal or Math sections, but only two o the three will count. Te experimental section may be either Math or Verbal and may come rst, second, or third. Occasionally ES will identiy the experimental section i it steps too ar outside o the standard ormat so as to not conuse those who are taking the test. For the most part, the experimental section is used to gather data on new questions so that they can be added to the general pool o scored questions. Tere may also be an optional Research section. I present, it will come ater the multiple choice sections. ES will attempt to bribe you with a chance at winning a small scholarship ($500) toward your grad school tuition. Unless you are a particularly ticula rly generous soul, don’ don’tt bother.

Introduction


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

ScoriNG Ater you have taken the scored portion o the exam, you will be given the opportunity to cancel your scores. Unless you passed out mid-section, let ve to ten questions blank, or started hallucinating while on the clock, there is not much to be gained rom canceling your scores. Your test ee is non-reundable. I you cancel, you will never know how you did. Your record will refect that you took the test on this day, but that you cancelled your scores. You should nd out how the program you want to attend will deal with multiple scores. Unless you have a compelling reason to believe that your scores were a disaster, accept them. Once you accept your scores, you will see your Math and Verbal scores only. Writing scores and percentiles will come about ten days later in the mail. You must turn in your scratch paper and collect your ID on your way out. Some schools look only at the most recent scores, while others combine scores, but most preer to accept the highest. Te CA (Computer Adaptive est) is not like any other test most students have taken. People don’t oten do their best the rst time they take it. Tey tend to do better the second time, even i it is only a week or two later, because they are more comortable and more relaxed. Practice tests can make a world o dierence. In addition to the dubious honor o contributing to ES’s research and development, your registration ee also buys you score reporting or up to our schools. Tis will be the last section o your test. Later, i you wish to have scores sent to schools, ES will charge you approximately $15 per school. Some students are reluctant to send scores to rst-choice schools beore knowing their scores. Send the scores anyway. I you are planning to apply to a particular school, that school will see all o your prior scores, even i you take the test ve times. I you don’t apply,, they’ll ply they’l l put the scores in a le, and a ter a year or t wo, they’ll throw t hrow them away. away. I you happen to know the school and department code or the schools o your choice, this part will go a bit aster. I not, no problem, you will have to negotiate a series o drop-down menus by state, school, and department. aking the GRE is a long and grueling process. Te more you have prepared, the less stressed you will wi ll eel on test day. Every Math or Verbal Verbal concept that t hat you might see on the test is contained in this book. For the well prepared student, there should be no surprises on test day. You should know precisely what your target score is and how to achieve it.

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wDsGreSll? You will receive separate Verbal and Quantitative scores. Tey are reported on a scale rom 200 to 800, and they can rise or all by multiples o ten. Te third digit is thus always a zero—you can’t receive a score o 409 or 715 on a section o the GRE. Your Analytical Writing section will be listed separately, and it is scored on a scale o 0–6 in hal-point increments. Here’s a look at the percentile rankings o dierent GRE scores. Percentile rankings tell you what percent o test takers scored beneath a given score. For example, a 620 in Verbal corresponds to the 88th percentile; this means that 88 percent o test takers scored below below 620 620 on the Verbal section. Math

verbal

Math

verbal

Score

Percentile

Percentile

Score

Percentile

Percentile

800

94

99

500

26

60

780

89

99

480

23

54

760

85

99

460

20

48

740

80

99

440

17

43

720

75

98

420

14

37

700

70

97

400

12

31

680

66

95

380

10

25

660

61

93

360

8

20

640

57

91

340

6

15

620

52

88

320

5

10

600

47

85

300

3

5

580

42

81

280

2

3

560

38

76

260

2

1

540

34

70

240

1

1

520

30

65

220

1

otherreSourceS In addition to this book, you have some other worthwhile resources to consider. Princeton Review.com contains one ull-length ree CA test and a ree online course demo. It also contains e-mail tips or test takers and Word du Jour to help with your vocabulary. Cracking the GRE —While this book is primarily about providing additional practice items or each subject, Cracking the GRE is GRE is like a ull course in your hands. It contains all o the strategies, tips, and advice that have the made Te Princeton Review the best standardized test preparation company in the world. GRE Verbal Workout —Verbal Workout for the GRE gives you everything you need to tackle the t he Verbal Verbal portion o the GRE GR E test. It includes hundreds o practice exercises to sharpen your skills. Introduction


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

Word Smart or the GRE—Tis book highlights denes and breaks down the words that are most requently tested on the exam. Tere are also quizzes and secondary denitions to help you avoid test tricks and traps.

howtouSethiSBook Tis book is about building good test-taking habits, not about nding answers. Over our hours o testing, your brain will get tired, and you will begin to do things by habit without thinking about them actively. I your habits are good, they will help carry you even when your brain starts to check out. I you have not taken the time to create good test-taking habits, you will just get sloppy, and sloppiness will kill your score. Te creation o habits requires repetition, and that’s where this book comes in. Practice your approach to dierent question types. Ten, time and large score fuctuations will cease to be an issue. Tere will be no such thing as having a good or bad test day. You will be in control, and you will have your scores right where you want them.

1.tassssmn Start by taking the Math and Verbal assessment tests provided at the beginning o the book. Check your scores and nd your areas o weakness. Pick two or three areas to ocus on. Te number o questions in a drill represents the requency with which the question type shows up on most CA exams. Start with the high requency topics and ocus on those rst.

.lnoSgs Each question type begins with a brie synopsis o the basic approach. Read these sections careully. Tese approaches have been tried, tested, and rened by hundreds o test takers over the years. Tey are here because they work and represent good habits. How does the approach described by the book dier rom your own? Can yours be improved? Some o the new techniques may eel awkward at rst, but they’re there because they work.

.PoSgs Start working on the drills in this book. Use your scratch paper, stick to your approach, and drill until it becomes habit. By the time you are done, every time a question o that type pops up, your hand and your mind will know instinctively what to do, no matter how tired you get. Tis is a powerul tool.

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wYwn’FndntsB I you are just starting your GRE prep, need more than 50–60 points, or don’t yet have an approach, this book is not the place to start. Tis book is not or teaching. It is a workbook or practice and drilling. Cracking the GRE describes GRE describes the test and the techniques in much more depth. It breaks break s down the approach to each question in a step-by-step manner with plenty o examples. Cracking the GRE is GRE is where you go to learn how how to to take the test; this book is where you go to practice practice taking taking it.

StrateGieS Now that you know a little about the test and the book, let’s review a ew quick strategies.

Png Here’s how it works. When you sit down at the computer, your potential score could be anything between 200 (the lowest) and 800 (the highest). Te computer doesn’t know your potential, so it throws an average question at you. I you get it right, it assumes that you must be an above-average test taker. Tereore, it automatically assigns you a harder question. At the same time, it narrows down your potential scoring range, because now it has some data. You can no longer get a 200, but an 800 is still in range. By answering the rst question correctly, you have just bumped yoursel into a higher scoring bracket. I you answer the second question correctly, the process continues. In act, every time you answer a question, correctly or incorrectly, the computer adjusts its assumptions and assigns you another question, so it can gather more data. Te additional data allows it to narrow your potential scoring range. By the time you get to the end o the test, the computer has lots o data (all cross-reerenced with that o other test takers), and your potential scoring range, at this point, is quite narrow. By the time you get to the end o the test, the computer is just ne-tuning; a correct or incorrect answer won’t have all that much impact. While the actual algorithms used in scoring the test can get quite complicated, there is really only one central act that you should take away rom this description o the test. Questions at the beginning o the test have an enormous impact on your score, while questions at the end have very little. Strategically, this means that you need to go as slowly as necessary to ensure that you get the rst ten to twelve questions correct. I that means that you run out o time at the tail end, so be it. Speed kills on the GRE. In the frst hal o the test, accuracy is everyth ing. O course there are a ew caveats to this system. I you got a question right, then a question wrong, then one right, then one wrong, and so on or a stretch o six questions in the middle o the test, the questions would cancel each other out, and your score would not change signicantly. I you got those same three questions Introduction


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wrong in a row, however, you would have sent your score into a negative trend, thereby negatively impacting your nal score. I you guess on one question, pay particular attention to the next one. Te last wrinkle to this system is that leaving blanks at the end o the test counts against you more than wrong answers do. When you are down to your last three minutes, stop trying to solve problems. Simply eliminate one or two obvious wrong answers per question and guess. I time gets really tight and you still have questions let, pick one letter and use it as your answer or all remaining questions, so that you have responded to every item beore time runs out.

Smmy: •

•

•

Te rst ten questions are all about accuracy. Work slowly and careully. Accuracy is more important than time. I you know you guessed on the prior question, pay particularly close attention to the next one. I you are running out o time, select one letter or all remaining items rather than leave questions blank.

howtouSeScratchPaPer Ater pacing, the next important skill on the GRE is the use o your scratch paper. On a paper and pencil test, you can solve problems right on the page. pa ge. On the GRE CA, you don’t have that luxury. Proper use o scratch paper ensures that techniques are happening and happening correctly. It can help you deal with a question that you might not otherwise know how to approach, protect against careless errors, have a remarkable eect on eciency, and relieve an enormous amount o the mental stress that occurs during testing. On the Verbal section, the scratch paper has two primary unctions: It allows you to park your thinking on the page and to keep track o which answer choices are still in and which are out. Quickly evaluate each answer choice with a check or one that could work, an X or one that will not, an M or horizontal squiggle or a maybe, and a question mark or one you do not know. By parking your thinking on the page you create clarity and organization, both o which lead to less stress, less mental eort, and ultimately less mental atigue. Students who do the work in their heads will spend 20 percent o their time just looking at the screen, keeping track o what is in or out. On the Math section, there are a ew question types that provoke very specic setups on your scratch paper. Keep your page organized with space on one side or the question set-up and space on the other side or calculations. Once you see the question type, make your set ups and start lling in inormation. When you have 10

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completed a question, draw a horizontal horizontal line l ine across the page and sta rt the next one in a clean space. Now you have organized your thinking and approach and set yoursel up to succeed on the problem. Tis is stress-ree living on the GRE CA. It all starts with the scratch paper. On the Verbal, use your scratch paper as a place to park your thinking. Once you have evaluated each answer choice, select rom the ones that remain and move on. Learn the set-ups or each question type. Do your work on the page. I you get o track, you will be able to nd out why and where. On the Verbal, do not be araid to use the maybe sign. Beore you spend ten minutes scratching your head trying to assess a dicult answer choice, give it the maybe. You can always spend more time on an answer choice IF you have to, but you never want to spend more time than you have to.

Poe(ProceSSoFeliMiNatioN) POE means nding (and eliminating) all the wrong answers you can. Eliminating one or two obviously incorrect answers can increase your chances o choosing the correct answer. Eliminate three incorrect choices, and you have a ty-ty chance o earning points by guessing! You have to answer each question to get to the next one, and i you have to guess, why not improve your odds?

vbSgs Tere are our types o questions in the Verbal portion o the test. Tey are Analogies, Antonyms, Reading Comprehension, and Sentence Completions. You will have 30 minutes to answer 30 questions. Within the rst ten problems, you are guaranteed to see at least a couple o each question type. Te Verbal portion o the GRE is one giant vocabulary test. Te more words you know, the better you will do. Learning giant lists o vocabulary words is an inecient process, because only a tiny portion o those words will act ual ually ly show up on on the test. Learning new words, however, is never bad and is one o the ew aspects o this process that has lasting value. Te ve hundred words in this book have been selected or the requency with which they appear on the GRE. O the ve hundred words you will learn, our might appear on the test you take. Because they are dicult words, however, they are likely to show up on questions where knowing them is the dierence between getting that question right or wrong. No one knows all o the words on the GRE. Tat means Process o Elimination is critical. Tis is where scratch paper comes in handy. Use your techniques to give each word a check, a squiggle, an x, or a question mark, and then move on. Use scratch paper or your POE work. I your hand is moving, you are actively assessing and eliminating answer choices; you are parking that thinking on the page. Introduction


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11

On average, you have one minute per question. A Reading Comprehension question, however, may take two, three, or even our minutes. One way to improve your score is to get good at Analogies, Sentence Completions, and Antonyms, so that you have plenty o time let to devote to Reading Comprehension. With good technique, none o the Sentence Completions, analogies, or antonyms should take more than 30–40 seconds. Te drilling ensures that you are getting the maximum number o points that your vocabulary will allow and that you are doing the problems in the most ecient way possible. Once this is done you can relax and spend plenty o time on Reading Comprehension, where speed can lead to the greatest number o mistakes.

MSgs In the Math portion o the test, you will have 45 minutes to answer 28 questions. Math questions come in our basic ormats: Charts, Problem Solving, Quantitative Comparisons, and Numeric Entry. •

•

•

•

Charts are just that: Tey give inormation in charts, graphs, or tables and ask or inormation (oten percentages). Just as you do on Reading Comprehension, you will have a split screen and multiple questions (usually two or three) that reer to the same set o charts. Problem Solving questions resemble the standard ve-answer multiple choice questions that you might m ight remember rom the SA. SA. Quantitative Comparisons—also known as Quant Comps—give inormation in two columns. You are asked to identiy i one quantity is bigger, i both quantities are always the same, or i there is not enough inormation to determine which column is bigger. Tese have only our answer choices. Numeric Entry questions are new to the GRE, and they are not multiple choice. Te concepts are the same as elsewhere on the test, but you must supply your own answer. an swer.

Here is a brie description o some general techniques that apply to the Math section as a whole. echniques that relate to specic question types will be discussed at the top o each drill. Tese are brie descriptions, so or a more in depth look at the techniques and practice problems, use Cracking the GRE .

1

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cng In general, ES is not interested in testing your ability to do lots o calculations. Tereore, i you nd yoursel doing extensive calculations on a particular question, you are probably o track. Oten you can calculate your way to the correct answer i necessary, but usually there is a better way. Your success depends upon how quickly and readily you can spot the opportunities or shortcuts and eliminate wrong answers.

rdng In many ways, the Math portion o the test is as much a test o reading as the Verbal portion. When you see a large block o text, break it down into bite-sized pieces and solve the problem one step at a time. Skipping or combining steps leads to trouble. Use your pencil to ollow along with the text on the screen as you’re reading. Reading too quickly leads to careless errors, which will hurt your score.

Bpng Ballparking is the use o approximation to more easily spot the wrong answers. First, you can Ballpark by rounding o the numbers to make a calculation simpler. Tis saves time and reduces the chances cha nces or careless error. In order to Ballpark, you need to understand what the question is asking. Make sure to park your thinking and your Ballparked answers on paper. Ballparking is also a valuable way to check your work, because it helps you eliminate answers that don’t make sense. Te correct answer to a question which asks or the number o students in a class will not contain a raction. (ES won’t generally chop a student in hal.) A question in which a person bicycles uphill one way and downhill on the way home will not involve a distance greater than the distance a person could or would bike to work in a day. Ballparking won’t necessarily eliminate our out o ve wrong answers (although it could), but it will eliminate a ew incorrect answers, and it will tell you whether the answer you came up with actually makes sense.

Introduction


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1

Let’s try some examples. Question 1 o 2 Four containers o our are on the table: The frst contains

1

o a pound, the second contains

1

o 6 3 1 a pound, the third contains o a pound, and the 9 1 ourth contains o a pound. I each container 18 can hold one pound o our, our, how many additional pounds o our are required to fll all our containers? 2 9 2 3 11 9 25 9 10 3

Te question is asking or how many pounds o four are required to ll the our containers. Te rst container requires third

8 9

, and the ourth

Te ractions

5 8 , , 6 9

calculation becomes

and 2 3

17 18 17

2 3

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5 6

, the

. Simpliy the calculation ca lculation by rounding o the ractions.

18

are all very close to one, so round those up and your

+ 1+ 1+ 1

. Tus, the answer will about 3.5. Te only answer

that is even close is choice (E).

1

o a pound more four, the second sec ond



Question 2 o 2 Paul drives rom his apartment to his parents’ house and back. On the trip to his parents’ house, he travels at an average speed o 60 miles per hour.. On the return trip, Paul drives at an average hour speed o 80 miles per hour. hour. Which o the ollowing is the closest approximation o Paul’s average speed, in miles per hour, or the round trip? 60.0 68.6 70.0 71.4 80.0

Combine elimination o trap answers with Ballparking. Eliminate choice (C) as a trap answer an swer because it’s too obvious. Now Now use Ballparking Ballpa rking to eliminate eli minate some more answer choices. You know that the average speed should be somewhere near 70 mph even though that’s not exactly the answer. Tat helps you eliminate choices (A) and (E) because you are looking or the average. Now think about the time spent on each leg o the trip. Going to his parents’ house, Paul spends more time driving at 60 mph than at 80 mph. Tus, the overall average speed will be weighted on the side o 60; the answer is 68.6. I you have to make a guess, at the very least, you have a 50/50 shot on a tough question.

1. Double-check beore you choose an answer that was “too easy” on a dicult question. 2. When you get stuck on a tough tough question, eliminate the predictable trap answers beore you guess.

Now that you have the basic strategies, let’s move on to the drills so you can put them to use!

Introduction


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1

Drills


Diagnostic Test


MathDrill Question 1 o 28

Question 3 o 28 y ≠ 0

Column A

The “hash” o a three-digit integer with three distinct integers is defned as the result o interchanging its units and hundreds digits. The absolute value o the dierence between a three-digit integer and its hash must be divisible by

Column B −

2

175 17 5 y

y 2

7

The quantity in Column A is greater greater.. The quantity in Column B is greater greater.. The two quantities are equal. The relationship cannot be determined rom the inormation given. Question 2 o 28

9 7 5 4 2 Question 4 o 28

Q 60°

2

Column A

Column B

35, 043 × 25, 430

35, 430 × 25, 043

The quantity in Column A is greater greater.. The quantity in Column B is greater greater.. The two quantities are equal. The relationship cannot be determined rom the inormation given.

45°

P

S

Column A 8

R

Column B The length o line segment PR


Question 5 o 28 a = (17)4

Column A

Column B

1

The units digits o a


20

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Question 8 o 28

Question 6 o 28 P

The positive sequence s1, s2 , s3 … s n … is defned by s n Q

x ° O• x °

60°

5 n 5 n 5 n 5 n 5 n

30°

R

2π

3

−

+

2 3

+

2 3

+

6

Column B The least prime actor o 27

The average (arithmetic mean) o a, b, c, and d is 7. Column A

6

15

x and y are positive numbers.

Column A −

7,

8

Question 7 o 28

x

=

Question 10 o 28

3 2π

2. I s1


3 +

≥

+2 +7

The least prime actor o 72

2 3

3

5 or n

–5 –2

Column A

2π

2π

+

Question 9 o 28

In the circle with center O above, PS = 8. I x = 75, then what is the perimeter o the shaded region? −

sn −1

then the nth term in the sequence is

S

6

=

y

Column B x− 2

xy+ y

Column B The average (arithmetic mean) o 4 a – 5c, b – 24, 8c – a, and 3d + 2 b



Diagnostic Test


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21

Question 11 o 28

Question 13 o 28 x , y , and z are positive integers such that x + y + z = 10.

Column A

In the fgure above, the width o the larger square is equal to the diagonal (not shown) o the smaller square. Column A The area o the smaller square

The number o solutions o the equation above in which at least one o the three variables is greater than 3

Column B The area o the shaded region

The quantity in Column A is greater greater.. The quantity in Column B is greater greater.. The two quantities are equal. The relationship cannot be determined rom the inormation given. Question 12 o 28 I x = 32, then what is the value o x x ? 34 38 39 312 318

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Column B The total number o solutions o the equation above


Questions 14–15 reer to the ollowing graphs. INCOME OF CLUB G BY SOURCE IN 2002 (total income = $17,000,000)

MEMBERSHIP OF CLUB G, 1995–2003 30

Other 14% Rentals 11% Magazine subsciptions 20%

) 25 s d e r d n 20 u h n i ( p 15 i h s r e b 10 m e M

Grapefruit sales 39%

5 0

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Charitable contributions 10%

Year

Car wash 6%

Question 15 o 28 What was the approximate average (arithmetic mean) membership or the years 1997 through 2001, inclusive?

Question 14 o 28 I income rom graperuit sales decreased 45 percent rom 2002 to 2003, then which o the ollowing represents income rom graperuit sales in 2003 ? 0.39 0.45 0.39 1.55 0.39 0.55

600 1,300 1,500 1,700 2,500

($17,000, 000) ($17,000, 000) ($17,000, 000)

45)( 0.39 39)($17,00 000, 000) (1.45 55)( 0.39 39)( $17,00 000,000) (0.55

Diagnostic Test


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23

Question 16 o 28

Question 18 o 28 11 < y < 17

Column A

Column B

y + 17

y + 11

y

11

To fll a larger l arger concert hall, a madrigal singing group consisting o sopranos, altos, and basses, in a 5:7:3 ratio, needs 40 singers. What is the least number o basses the group will need?


Question 19 o 28 I mx + qy – nx – py = 0, p – q = 2, and

Question 17 o 28

y

Column A

Column B

1.07

1

= −

x

1 then which o the ollowing is true? , 3

n

−

n

−

=

m

= −

3

1 − 0.07 The quantity in Column A is greater greater.. The quantity in Column B is greater greater.. The two quantities are equal. The relationship cannot be determined rom the inormation given.

24

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2

m

2 3

2

m + n

=

m + n

=

m + n

= −

3 3 2 3 2

Questions 20–21 reer to the ollowing graphs. SENIOR MANAGEMENT OF COMPANY Y Average Salaries of Senior Managers at Company 120

80

n i ( y r a l a S

40

Y

25

100

) s d n a s u o h t

Number of Senior Managers at Company

Y

20

s r e g a15 n a M r o10 i n e S

60

5

20

0

0

1 95 95 0 1 96 96 0

1950 19 50 19 1960 60 1970 1970 19 1980 80 1990 1990 20 2000 00

1 97 97 0 1 98 98 0

1 99 99 0 2 00 00 0

Year

Year in 1950 dollars in actual-year dollars

Question 20 o 28

Question 21 o 28

I rom 1980 to 2007, the number o senior managers increased by 60 percent, then what was the increase in the number o senior managers rom 2000 through 2007, inclusive? 2 4 6 9 12

Which o the ollowing can be inerred rom the data? I.

II. III.

From 1990 to 2000, the average salary, in 1950 dollars, increased by more than 10%. In 1960, there were ewer than 5 senior managers. For the decades shown, the number o senior managers increased by the greatest percentage between 1980 and 1990. None I only II only II and III only I, II, and III

Diagnostic Test


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25

Question 22 o 28

Question 24 o 28

The volume o a cube with edge o length 2 is how many times the volume o a cube with edge o length

2?

2 2

Mr. Sjogren deposited a total o $2,000 in two Mr. dierent CDs. He deposited x dollars in one CD at 1% interest and y dollars in another CD at 2% interest. The total simple annual interest earned rom the two CDs at the end o one year was $25. Column A

Column B

x

y

2 2


4 8 Question 23 o 28

Question 25 o 28 V

x− y = x− z a

U

Y

X

7 4

a

Column B

x

y

W

Column B The perimeter o

∆VX VXY Y


26

|

y− z

Column A

In equilateral triangle UVW , Y is the midpoint o line segment UW and X is the midpoint o line segment YW . Column A

−




Question 26 o 28

Question 28 o 28

Rachel and Rob live 190 miles apart. They both drive in a straight line toward each other to meet or tea. I Rachel drives at 50 mph and Rob drives at 70 mph, then how many miles apart will they be exactly 45 minutes beore they meet?

What is the probability that the sum o two dierent single-digit prime numbers will NOT be prime?

50 60 70 90 100

0 1 2 2 3 5 6

Question 27 o 28

1 BILLIE’S TIME SHEET FOR JULY 2 Time in: Time out: Time spent stacking shelves:

8:57 in the morning 5:16 in the afternoon 80% of total time spent at work.

According to the time sheet above, Billie spent approximately how many hours stacking shelves on July 2 ?

5

6

7

8

9

1 3 2 3 1 3 2 3 1 3

Diagnostic Test


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27

VerbalDrill Question 4 o 30

Question 1 o 30 British modernists used the literary tropes o ragmentation and ailure to explore the impending ------- o British colonialism; through their literature, the modernists illustrated the imminent ------- o the Empire. avarice. .destruction demise. .sunset envy.. .eclipse envy castigation. .rise dissolution. .wealth

LUMINOUS: stentorian incandescent melliuous stygian innocuous Question 5 o 30 SINGULARITY: hilarity ordinariness plurality celerity opprobrium

Question 2 o 30 PIQUE: aggrieve dulciy shirk aggrandize rouse

Question 6 o 30 AUSTERE: spartan ticklish unadventurous plumed fendish

Question 3 o 30 INSENSIBLE: pragmatic cogent insensate rational cognizant

28

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Question 7 o 30

Question 11 o 30

EQUIVOCATION EQUIVOCA TION : HEDGE::

QUARRY : HUNT::

valedictory : greet afdavit : swear peroration : summarize homily : praise exhortation : dismiss

terminus : voyage guerdon : repetition accolade : campaign epitome : culture anomaly : puzzle

Question 8 o 30

Question 12 o 30

MISCREANT : BASE::

The development o hydrogen-powered cars will always be ------- by the physical act that, although hydrogen contains more energy per gallon than does gasoline, it is much less dense than gasoline, and thus carries less energy per pound, making it ------- or any vehicle to carry enough hydrogen on board or long trips.

harridan : charming magistrate : lax adjudicator : dismissive regent : stately tyro : green Question 9 o 30

assisted. .easy inhibited. .convenient enhanced. .austere hindered. .exacting parodied. .unrealistic

PENURIOUS: repentant harmless wealthy penal parsimonious Question 10 o 30 Although one would think it impossible to design ------- defnition or such a subjective conceipt, the French have defned the worlds greatest cuisine as that which does the most with the least, using their innumberable varieties o cheese as verifable proo. an endemic a metaphysical a theoretical an ephemeral an empirical

Diagnostic Test


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29

Questions 13–14 reer to the ollowing passage. Critics o Mark Twain’s novel, Huckleberry Finn, view the protagonist’s proclamation “All right then I will go to hell” in chapter 31 as the story’s climax. Twain’s novel lent itsel to such radical interpretations because it was the frst major American work to depart rom traditional European novelistic structures, thus providing critics with an unamiliar ramework. The remaining twelve chapters act as a counterpoint, commenting on, i not reversing, the frst part where a morality play receives greater confrmation. Huck’s journey down the Mississippi represents a rite o passage, in which the character’s personal notions o right and wrong comes into constant conict with his socially constructed conscience by the various people and situations the protagonist encounters. The novel’s cyclical structure encourages critics to see the novel’s disparate parts as interlinked; the novel begins and ends with the boys playing games. Granted, this need not argue to an authorial awareness o novelistic construction; however, it does acilitate attempts to view the novel as a unifed whole. Nevertheless, any interpretation that seeks to unite the last ew chapters with the remaining book is bound to be somewhat unconvincing. This is not because such an interpretation is unnecessarily rigid, but because Huckleberry Finn encompasses individual scenes o the protagonist’s sel-recognition that resist inclusion into an all-encompassing interpretation. In this respect, the protagonist can best be likened to the Greek tragic fgure, Oedipus.

30

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Question 13 o 30 The author most probably mentions the “novel’s cyclical structure” in order to demonstrate that Twain was keenly aware o novelistic construction show that the remaining twelve chapters have little connection to the rest o the novel support the critic’s position that Twain was unaware o novelistic construction provide support or a particular critical interpretation o Twain’s work argue that Twain’s protagonist has much in common with Oedipus Question 14 o 30 Which o the ollowing best expresses the main idea o the passage?



In order to understand Twain’s Twain’s novel, critics must compare its protagonist to Oedipus Twain’s novel contains some chapters that resist easy inclusion into a unifed interpretation. The unconventional structure o Huckleberry Finn indicates a lack o authorial awareness. Twain’s novel was the frst major American novel to discard traditional European structures. The protagonist o Huckleberry Finn is considered a modern day Oedipus by critics.

Question 15 o 30

Question 19 o 30

ASPERITY:

MERCENARY : SOLDIER::

visual expression partition contretemps hallucinatory experience empressement

amanuensis : stenographer soubrette : maid botanist : researcher academician : proessor culinarian : cook

Question 16 o 30

Question 20 o 30

IMPECCABLE : REPROACH::

Dr. Hanash would never entirely abjure the Dr. oten ------- article; despite its many detractors, the work ------- polemic discourse or years ater its publication and remains pervasive in the literature today today..

implacable : stoicism interminable : sojourn impotent : puissance indeterminate : certitude impenetrable : quagmire

spurned. .orestalled praised. .omented cited. .solidifed traduced. .engendered evidenced. .produced

Question 17 o 30 DEMIT : ABDICATE:: enter : disembark approve : ratiy maintain : supply unetter : liberate receive : rescind Question 18 o 30 The prosecutor ailed to make a ------- argument; despite a sureit o ------- to bolster his claims, he let the jury little choice but to acquit the deendant. meticulous. .consternation condescending. .reutation dubious. .peroration trenchant. .sanctimony cogent. .substantiation

Diagnostic Test


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31

Questions 21–24 reer to the ollowing passage. Comparative historian Marc Ferro claims that the largest discrepancy in knowledge between what academic historians and what the average citizen knows about history is ound in the United States. How has this situation come about? Certainly the problem does not lie with the secondary literature. Whereas in the past, American historians were handicapped by secondary literature that was clearly biased towards a European viewpoint, since the civil rights movement o the 1950s and 60s, the secondary literature in American history has become ar more comprehensive. And it cannot be simply a matter o space constraints; the average high school history textbook is well over a thousand pages in length. One theory holds that American history textbooks are simply the socializing instruments o a controlling elite. The stratifcation o American society is preserved, according to this theory, theory, by the creation o what Marx termed “alse consciousness.” The theory holds that the way people think about their society and their history is crucial to maintaining the status quo. I the power elites come to believe that their success is the deserved product o their hard work and ingenuity, then there will be no desire to change the system. Similarly, i the lower classes are taught that their plight is solely due to their ailings, they will be more likely to accept their ate and less likely to rise up in revolution. Grifn and Marciano contend that history textbooks promote nothing more than hegemony. Many educational theorists share this viewpoint, which in their discipline is oten known as critical theory. Proponents o this view, including Kozol, Friere, and Giroux, argue that the dominant classes would never create or oster an educational system that taught subordinate classes how to critically evaluate society and the injustices it contains. As long as schools serve to transmit culture, the power elite will never allow any real reorm in the system.

as much power as the critical theorists contend, they would surely censor or marginalize the works o social scientists in this feld. Furthermore, graduates o “elite” preparatory schools are exposed to alternative interpretations o history, subversive teachers, and unfltered primary source materials more requently than are students at public institutions. This would seem to indicate that the powerbrokers have little control over what happens at their very own schools, let alone ar ung rural schools or schools deep in urban territory. territory. The real culprit may be something not as insidious as a vast upper class conspiracy, but more along the lines o pernicious orces working at a highly local level. Almost hal o the states have textbook adoption boards consisting o members o the community.. These boards review and recommend what nity books are taught in neighborhood schools. And because textbook publishers are frst and oremost seeking to maximize proft, it is these local boards that they must appease. Question 21 o 30 According to the passage, proponents o critical theory believe which o the ollowing? I.

II.

III.

It is all too easy to blame citizens’ poor understanding o American history on some shadowy coterie o cultural aristocracy. But critical theory and other theories that lay the blame or American ignorance o history on the doorstep o the elites cannot explain their own success. Is it not a paradox that critical theory scholarship dominates its feld? I the titans o society had 32

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The creation o a alse consciousness is necessary to preserve the stratifcation o American society. It is not in the interests o the powerul classes o society to engender critical reection among the majority o citizens. Members o the upper classes may be reely taught alternative interpretations o history, but not members o the subordinate classes. I only II only I and II only II and III only I, II, and III

Question 22 o 30

Question 24 o 30

It can be inerred rom the passage that Marx was an early proponent o critical theory textbooks are not solely designed as teaching instruments the secondary literature on American history is no longer biased textbook publishers do not take the views o the power elite into account under the current system, real education reorm is impossible Question 23 o 30

The passages indicate that Grifn and Marciano are among the leading critical theorists believe that the lower classes may revolt see textbooks as tools o domination hold many o the same views as Kozol, Friere, and Giroux believe textbook publishers should not make proft a priority Question 25 o 30 LUCULENT:

The author o the passage suggests that critical theory is simply another means by which the power elite preserves the stratifcation o American society does not contain any o the same biases which have appeared in the secondary literature prior to the civil rights movement is the predominant theoretical ramework used by historians to explain the discrepancies in the historical knowledge o the average citizen is not unique in its attempts to attribute Americans’ poor knowledge o history to the machinations o a particular class o individuals is unable to explain how the power elites in society are able to create a alse consciousness among the citizens

comprehensible recondite illegible meretricious intelligent

Diagnostic Test


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33

Questions 26–27 reer to the ollowing passage. One o the most noxious wind-borne allergens is ragweed (Ambrosia), as evidenced by an estimated 30 million suerers in the U.S. alone and a societal cost o over $3 billion. Each plant is able to produce more than a billion grains o pollen over the course o a season, and the plant is the prime cause o most cases o hay ever in North America. Although the plant produces more pollen in wet years, humidity rates above seventy percent tend to depress the spread o pollen by causing the grains to clump. Ragweed spreads rapidly by colonizing recently disturbed soil, such as that engendered by roads, subdivisions, and cultivation and has adapted to a multitude o climatic conditions, including desert and high mountain areas. Complete elimination is virtually impossible. Physical removal is undone by even one seed or one bit o root let behind. Ragweed regenerates in about two weeks rom only a hal-inch o stem, usually with additional branching and owering, so mowing can actually be counterproductive. Ragweed is susceptible to only the most aggressive herbicides, and because ragweed tends to cover large areas, control would mean widespread use o highly toxic chemicals. Control by natural predators? No known mammal browses on ragweed. Some species o Lepidoptera (butteries, skippers, and moths) larvae eed on ragweed, but this arena o control is not well unded, and consequently not well-researched. Given the health issues and costs occasioned by ragweed, government unding or natural control research is warranted.

34

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Question 26 o 30 Which o the ollowing can be inerred about the spread o ragweed pollen? Allergies caused by the spread o ragweed pollen cost the U.S U.S.. more to treat than any other type o allergy. Some ragweed plants produce ewer grains o pollen when exposed to certain highly toxic herbicides. Ragweed plants adapted to desert and mountain climes tend to spread ewer grains o pollen than do plants in other locations. The clumping o pollen grains caused by high humidity levels aects the ability o the wind to carry the grains. The spread o ragweed pollen is the cause o all cases o hay ever in the United States. Question 27 o 30 The author most probably mentions some species o Lepidoptera in order to



detail a species that may be more eective at controlling ragweed than are the most aggressive herbicides suggest a potential research avenue to the problem o controlling ragweed that is at present poorly explored discuss a type o mammal that eeds on ragweed plants and may be successul at controlling the spread o ragweed plead with the government to spend more money and put more research eorts into fnding a natural control or ragweed argue that complete elimination o the ragweed plant will only be possible i the government unds research into natural controls o ragweed

Question 28 o 30 COUNTENANCE: innervate sanction inveigh tolerate interdict

Question 30 o 30 Bolstered in part by the ------- economy, the “decluttering” movement has expanded its ollowing to include those initiates who have ------- purged existences in order to prioritize their fnancial, as well as emotional, necessities. necessities. oundering. .rejected robust. .attempted agging. .embraced steady.. .maintained steady rising. .endorsed

Question 29 o 30 COZEN : DUPE:: navigate : martyr ensconce : mercenary panegyrize : narcissist iname : alchemist contemn : churl

Diagnostic Test


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35

answers

MhD

VD

1 1.. 2.  3. 3. 4.  5. 5.  6. 6.  7. 7.  8. 8.  9. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 2 0. 21. 22 . 23. 2 4. 25. 26 . 27. 2 8.

1 1.. 2. 3.  4. 4.  5. 5.  6. 6.  7. 7. 8.  9. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22 . 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28 . 29. 3 0.

36

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A B A A C D C D A C C E C E D D B 9 A A A C B A D D B C

B B E D B D B E C E A D D B E D B E A D C B D C B D B E E C



explanations

MhD 1.

A

Since y 2isalwayspositive,ColumnA isalwayspositive,ColumnAispositiveandCol ispositiveandColumnBisnegative.Te umnBisnegative.Teanswerischoice(A). answerischoice(A). YoucanprovethisbyPluggingInseveraldierentvaluesor y y .

 2. 2.

B

Straightangle PSR measures180degrees,soangle measures180degrees,soangle QSR mustbe90degrees,andangle mustbe90degrees,andangle SQR must must be45degrees.SotriangleQSR isa45-45-90triangle.Dividing isa45-45-90triangle.DividingQR by by 2 givesyouthelengthso 2 andSR ,thatis, ,thatis, measures30°,sotriangle PQS isa30-60-90triangle,and isa30-60-90triangle,andyou you . AngleQPS measures30°,sotriangle QS and 2 cannd PS bymultiplying bymultiplyingQS by by 3 , whichgivesyou 6. Addthelengthso SR and and PS tond tond thelengtho PR ,whichis ,whichis 2 + 6 . But 2 + 6

≠ 8 . Rather,simpliy 8 to 2 2 = 2 + 2 .

ComparethistoColumnB,andrealizethatyoucanignorea

2 ineachcolumn. 6 isgreater

than 2 ,soColumnBisgreater.  3. 3.

A

PlugInathree-digitinteger,suchas341.Swappingthe1andthe3givesyou143.Subtracting143 rom341givesyou198(whichisalreadypositive,soitsabsolutevalueisalso198).198isnotdivisibleby7, ible by7,5,or4, 5,or4, soeliminatechoices soeliminatechoices(B), (B),(C) (C),and(D).Plug ,and(D).PlugIn Inanothernumb anothernumber er,suchas ,suchas 546.Its hashis645.Subtracting546rom645givesyou99,whichisnotdivisibleby2,soeliminatechoice (E).Eve (E) .Evenithehundredsdigi nithehundredsdigitortheunitsdigitarezero tortheunitsdigitarezero,thedieren ,thedierencebetweenathree-digitin cebetweenathree-digitintetegeranditshashisstilldivisibleby9.Teanswerischoice(A).

 4. 4.

A

Beoreyoustartmultiplyingthesehugenumbers,realizethatnoGREquestionrequiresagreatdeal oarithmetic.Noticethatthethreedigitsaterthethousandsplacehavemerelybeenswappedto ormColumnBromColumnA.So,representColumnAas(35K+43)(25K+430)andColumn Bas(35K+430)(25K+43)(Kisshortor1,000).InFOILingthese,you’llseethattheresultrom multiplyingtheFirstexpressionstogetheris(3 multiplyingtheFirstexpressions togetheris(35K)(25 5K)(25K)inbothColumns.Similarly,the K)inbothColumns.Similarly,theresultrom resultrom multiplyingtheLastexpressionsis(43)(430)inbothColumns.Sotheseexpressionscanbeignored incomparingthetwoColumns.AllthatremainsistheOutertermsaddedtotheInnerterms.In ColumnA,thisis(3 ColumnA,thi sis(35K)(430 5K)(430)+(43 )+(43)(25 )(25K),andinColumnB,thisis(35K)( K),andinColumnB,thisis(35K)(43)+(2 43)+(25K)(430) 5K)(430).Iyou .Iyou actorout43 actorout 43romeachColumn,you romeachColumn,youobtain43(35 obtain43(350K+25K)and43(3 0K+25K)and43(35K+250K) 5K+250K),or43(37 ,or43(375K) 5K) and43(285K)orColumnsAandB,respectively.ColumnAislarger.

 5. 5.

C

Youdon’tneedactuallytocalculatethevalueo a,justthevalueotheunitsdigit.172hasaunits digito9because72is49.Squaring17 2givesyou174,whoselastdigitisthereorethelastdigitin92, thatis,1.Hence,bothColumnsareequal,andtheanswerischoice(C).

Diagnostic Test


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37

 6. 6.

D

I x =75,bothanglesmarked x addupto150degrees,sotheremainingangleinthesemicircle(angle x =75,bothanglesmarked x addupto150degrees,sotheremainingangleinthesemicircle(angle )mustmeasure30degrees. PS isadiameter,sothecircumerenceothecirclemustbe isadiameter,sothecircumerenceothecirclemustbe QOR )mustmeasure30degrees. mustrepresentthesameractionothecircumerenceascenπd = 8π. Telengthoarc QR mustrepresentthesameractionothecircumerenceascenlength of QR 2π 30 tralangle QOR doeso360degrees: doeso360degrees: is .Te = , sothelengthoarc QR is 3 8π 360 





diameterothecircleis8,soradii OQ and and OR havelength4.Tetriangleinsidesector havelength4.Tetriangleinsidesector QOR is is a30-60-90trianglebecauseangle QOR measures30degreesandyouareshownarightangle. measures30degreesandyouareshownarightangle. Teremaininganglemustbe60degreestoaddupto1 Teremaininganglemustbe60degreestoaddu pto180.So,theleg 80.So,thelegothetriangleacrossrom othetriangleacrossrom the30degreeanglewillbehalo OQ ,whichis2,andtheotherlegthatormspartoradius ,whichis2,andtheotherlegthatormspartoradius willhavelength 2 3. So,theremainderoradiusOR musthavelength musthavelength 4 − 2 3 . Adding OR willhavelength thethreeedgelengthsotheshadedregiongivesyou 2 π + 2 + 4 − 2 3 3 answerischoice(D).

(

7.

C

(

x−

)

y

2

= x−

y. BothColumnsareequal,sotheansweris

 8. 8.

D

PlugIn2or ntond tondthesecondte thesecondtermintheseque rminthesequence: nce: s n=s n–1+5sos 2=s 2–1+5=s 1+5=12,your targetnumber.NowPl targetnumber .NowPlugIn2intotheanswerchoi ugIn2intotheanswerchoicesor cesor ntoseewhichequals12.Onlychoice (D)works.

 9. 9.

A

TeColumnsarealreadyrepresentedastheproductoprimeactors:72=(7)(7),sotheleastprime actoroColumnAisitsonlyprimeactor,7.Similarly,2 7=(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2)(2),soColumnBis 2.Becareul!Rememberthatyo 2.Becareul!Remem berthatyouarebeingaske uarebeingaskedtodete dtodeterminethe rminethe greater othesetwoColumns. greater othesetwoColumns. Teanswerischoice(A).

10.

C

ond ondtheaverag theaverageo eoalisto alistonumber numbers,addthem s,addthemupanddivideby upanddividebythenumberoelementsin thenumberoelementsinthelist thelist.. a+b+c+d = 7, soa+b+c + Youaretoldthat +d =28.Yo =28.Youcansubstitutethisintothe ucansubstitutethisintothesimplied simplied 4 ( 4a − 5c ) + (b − 24) + (8c − a ) + ( 3d + 2b ) 3a + 3b + 3 c + 3d − 24 24 ormoColumnBasollows: = = 4 4 3 ( a + b + c + d ) − 24 3 ( 28) − 24 60 = = = 15. BothColumns BothColumnsare areequ equal,sotheanswer al,sotheansweris is cho choice ice 4 4 4 (C).Alternatively,youcanPlugInvaluesor a, b, c ,and ,andd .Teeasiestwaytomaketheiraverage .Teeasiestwaytomaketheiraverage equal7istoPlugIn7orallourvalues.

|

3 + 6;the

ColumnBcontainsacommonquadraticpattern.Factortheright-handside x− 2 xy + y = choice(C).

38

) = 23π − 2



11.

C

PlugInaneasynumberorthewidthothesmallersquare,suchas3.Sotheareaothesmaller squareis s 2=32= 9. 9.Drawinginthediagon Drawinginthediagonaloa aloa squ squareor areormstwo45-4 mstwo45-45-90 5-90 triangl triangles,sothe es,sothe diagonal(thehypotenuseoeithertriangle)haslength 3 2 . Youaretoldthatthisisthewidtho 2 thelargersquare,sotheareaothelargersquareis s 2 = 3 2 = 18. Teareaotheshadedregion istheresultwhentheareaothesmallersquareissubtractedromthatothelarger:18–9=9. Tus,bothColumnsareequal,andtheanswerischoice(C).

(

)

12 .

E

x :: x x =3 First,evaluate x =32=9.Noticethattheanswersarepresentedaspowerso3,notalistoactual numbers.So x x x =(32)9=318,andtheanswerischoice(E).

1 3.

C

Besystematic.Startgeneratingsolutions( x , , y ,z)bymaking x and y assmallaspossible,sothat y ,z)bymaking x and y assmallaspossible,sothat will beaslargeaspossible:(1, 1,1,8) 1,8).Nowincrease .Nowincrease x and y oneunitatatimetotrytomake z willbeaslargeaspossible:( x and y oneunitatatimetotrytomake z decreaseto3:(2,2,6)and(3,3, decreaseto3:(2,2,6)and(3,3,4)arethenextsol 4)arethenextsolutionsy utionsyoucangenerate oucangenerate.Atthispoint,i .Atthispoint,i youincreaseeither x or y by1,z becomes3,butthevariableyouincreasedbecomesgreaterthan becomes3,butthevariableyouincreasedbecomesgreaterthan x or y by1, 3:(3,4,3) 3:(3, 4,3),or( ,or(4,3,3 4,3,3).N ).Nomatterwhatyoudo, omatterwhatyoudo,oneo oneothevariableswi thevariableswi llbegreaterthan3.Tus, allsolutionsincludeavariablegreaterthan3,andtheanswerischoice(C).

14.

E

Tequestionasksortheamountoa45%decreaseonthecurrentgraperuitsales.rysettingup youractualequationbeoredoinganycalculations.Tecurrentamountograperuitsalesis.39 (17M).45%othatnumberis(.45)(.39)(17M).Becauseit’sadecrease,wehavetosubtract45% romthecurrenttotal,or[.3 romthecurrenttota l,or[.39(1 9(17M)]–[ 7M)]–[(.4 (.45)(.3 5)(.39)( 9)(17 17M)] M)].Noticethatyouh .Noticethatyouhavethesametermson avethesametermson bothsidesotheminussign.Tismeansthatwecanactorthesetermsout,likethis:(.39)(17M) (1–45).N (1 –45).Nowtakealookattheanswerchoices.ChoiceEtsthebillw owtakealookattheanswerchoices.ChoiceEtsthebillw ith(. ith(.55 55)(.3 )(.39)( 9)(17 17M). M).

15.

D

ondtheaveragemembership,addupthetotalmembershipanddividebythenumberoyears. 6 + 15 + 17 + 22 + 26 86 = = 17.2 . 5 5 Teverticalaxisindicatesnumbersinhundreds,somultiplyby100toget17,200;theansweris

Ignoringthehundredsinthesecondchart,theaverageshouldbe:

choice(D). 16.

D

First, Fir st, sim simpliy pliy theexpr theexpress essio ion n in each Col Columnby umnby sp splitti littingup ngup theractio theraction.Tus, n.Tus, Col ColumnA umnA 17 y becomes 1 + andColumnBbecomes + 1.BothColumnscontain1,soitcanbeelimi y 11 17 5 natedromthecomparison.NowPlugIn12or y :ColumnAbecomes y :ColumnAbecomes = 1 ,andColumn 12 12 12 1 Bbecomes = 1 . ColumnAislarger,soeliminatechoices(B)and(C).NowPlugIn16or 11 11 16 5 17 1 :ColumnAbecomes y :ColumnAbecomes = 1 , andColumnBbecomes = 1 .ColumnBislarger,so 11 11 16 16 eliminatechoice(A);theanswerischoice(D).

Diagnostic Test


|

39

17.

B

First, Firs t, sim simpliy pliy the theexp express ressio ion n in each Col Column umn by turnin turning g it itint into o a racti raction. on. Tus Tus, , Col Column umn A 1 100 7 = = 1 . BothColumnscontain1,soit 93 93 93 100 canbeeliminatedromthecomparison.7dividedby93willbelargerthan7dividedby100;the

becomes 1

1 7 andColumnBbecomes 0.93 100

=

latterisdividedintomorepieces,soeachpiecewillbesmaller.Tereore,theanswerischoice(B). 18.

9

Witharatioo5:7:3,thetotalnumberosingersmustbeatleast15.Iyoudoublethenumber,and keeptheratio,therewouldbe30singers. keeptheratio,therewo uldbe30singers.ohaveat ohaveatleast40singerswiththesameratio,theactua least40singerswiththesameratio,theactuall totalwouldbe45,or3times1 totalwouldbe45 ,or3times15,whichmeanstherearethreetimesthenumbero 5,whichmeanstherearethreetimesthenumberobasses(3)inthe basses(3)inthe ratio,or9.

19.

A

Noticethatthequestiongivesyouinormationabout p and q ,andtheanswerchoicesreerto ,andtheanswerchoicesreertomand n. Tereore,youneedtoisolatethoseromthevariables x and y byactoring.Regroupingtherst x and y byactoring.Regroupingtherst givenequationgivesyou( m–n) x +(q – – p =0.Because p =–(q – – p x +( p) y y =0.Because p–q =–( p),thesecondgivenequation tellsyouthatq – – p 2.Cross-multiplyingthethirdgiveneq ultiplyingthethirdgivenequationyields uationyields x =– 3 y .Substitutingthe .Substitutingthe p=–2.Cross-m x = lasttworesultsintotheregroupedrstequationyields(m–n)(–3 y )+( )+(–2) y =0.Movingthesecond y =0.Movingthesecond expressiontotheothersideotheequationyields( m– n)(–3 y )=2 )=2 y .Inspectingthisequationtells .Inspectingthisequationtells 2 2 m − n = − . Becausem–n=–(n–m),youknowthat n − m = , and youthat(m–n)(–3)=2,so )(–3)=2,som 3 3 theanswerischoice(A).

20.

A

Te num umb ber o seni nioor man anag ageers in 1980 was 15. o n nd d 60 perce cen nt o th this is,, mul ulti tip ply 60 3 Soin2007,therewere1 ,therewere15+9=24senior 5+9=24seniormanager managers.In2000,therewere22, s.In2000,therewere22, (15) = (15) = 9. Soin2007 100 5 sotheincreaserom2000to2007was2;theanswerischoice(A).

21.

A

Intherstbargraph,theaveragesalary, in 1950 dollars ,actuallyappearstohaveslightlydecreased ,actuallyappearstohaveslightlydecreased rom1990to2000,sostatementIisalse.Eliminatechoices(B)and(E).Inthesecondbargraph, therewere8seniormanagersin1960,sostatementIIisalsoalse.Eliminatechoices(C)and(D); theanswerischoice(A).

22.

C

Tevolumeothelargercubeis s 3

3

= 23 = 8 andthevolumeothesmallercubeis s 3 = ( 2 ) = 2 2 .

Dividingthelargerbythesmalleryields

40

|

8 2 2

=

4 2

=

4 2 2



= 2 2 , andtheanswerischoice(C).

23.

B

Because VY bisects bisects UW ,itisanaltitude—thisistrueinanytrianglethatisatleastisosceles.So ,itisanaltitude—thisistrueinanytrianglethatisatleastisosceles.So

∠VYW measures90degrees.Inanequilateraltriangle,allthreeanglesmeasure60degrees.So ∠YVW measures30degrees,and ∆VYW isa30-60-90triangle.PlugInaneasynumberora,such as4.Allthreesideshavelength4,andbecaus as4.Allthreesideshav elength4,andbecauseyouaregi eyouaregiventhat venthat Y and and X arethemidpointso UW X arethemidpointso andYW ,respectively,youcanconcludethat ,respectively,youcanconcludethat YW =2,and =2,and YX =1.Using =1.UsingYW asthesideoppositethe asthesideoppositethe 30degreeangleinthe30-60-90triangle,multiplyby

.Now 3 toget 2 3 , thelengtho VY .Now

usethePythagoreantheoremtondthenalsideo ∆VXY : (1)2 − (2 3 )2 theperimetero ∆VXY is 1 + 2 3 + 13 ≈ 1 + 2(1.7) + 13 = 4.4 + 13.

= (VX )2 ;VX = 13 . So 9

= 3 and 16 = 4,

so 13 mustbebiggerthan3,andColumnBisthereorelargerthan7.4.PluggingIn4or ain ColumnAgivesyou7,soColumnBislarger. 2 4.

A

I x and y wereequal,then$1,000wouldbeinvestedateachrate,earning ateachrate,earning$1 $10at1%and$20at 0at1%and$20at x and y wereequal,then$1,000wouldbeinvested 2%,oratotalo$30.TeCDsearnedonly$25,somoremusthavebeeninvestedatthelower rate;theanswerischoice(A).

25.

D

Youcandene a − b as“thedistancerom ato bonanumberline.”Tus,thegivenequation becomes“thedistancerom x to to y isthedistancerom x to toz minusthedistancerom minusthedistancerom y to toz .”You .”You y isthedistancerom candrawthisonanumberlinetwodierentways:

x

y

z

or

z

26 .

D

y

x

You are a sked to compare x = x − 0to y = y − 0 ,whichcanbetranslatedas“thedistancerom x to0”and“thedistancerom y to0”.Youonlyknowthat y isbetween x and to0”and“thedistancerom y to0”.Youonlyknowthat y isbetween x andz ,andyouaregiven ,andyouaregiven noinormationaboutwhetherthepointsareonthepositiveornegativehalothenumberline,so youcannotdeterminewhichiscloserto0,sotheanswerischoice(D). 3 ogether ogether,RachelandRobco ,RachelandRobcover1 ver120othe1 20othe190milesinone 90milesinonehour. hour.Tismeansthattheycove Tismeansthattheycover r 4 3 thatdistancein thattime,thatis,90milesinany45minute thattime,thatis,90milesinany45minuteperiod.So,4 period.So,45minutesbeore 5minutesbeorethey they 4 meet,theyare90milesapart,andtheanswerischoice(D).Iyoupickedchoice(E),youound howartheyhadtraveled45minutesbeoretheymet,ratherthanhowartheyhadlettotravel.

Diagnostic Test


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41

27.

B

First,gureouthowmanyhoursBillieworked.From9a.m.to First,gureouthowmanyhoursBillieworked.F rom9a.m.to5p.m.is 5p.m.is8hours.Shestartedwork 8hours.Shestartedwork 3minutesbeore9a.m.andnishedat16minutesater5p.m.,oratotalo19moreminutes, whichiscloseto20minutes,or 80percentothis,multiplyby

1 1 oanhour.SoBillieworkedapproximately 8 hours.otake 3 3

80 100

4 4   1   4   25  100 2 = . Soshespent  8  =     = = 6 hours;    5  5   3   5   3  15 3

theanswerischoice(B). 28.

C

Tesingle-digitprimesare2,3,5,and7.Besystematicinlistingtheresults.Startwith2,adding ittotheothernumbers,thenmoveto3,andsoorth:2+3=5;2+5=7 ittotheothernumbers,thenmove to3,andsoorth:2+3=5;2+5=7;2+7=9;3+5=8; ;2+7=9;3+5=8;3+ 3+ 7=10;5+7=12.Outothesesixresults,5and7areprime,buttheotherourresultsarenot,so 4 2 theprobabilityyouseekis = , andtheanswerischoice(C). 6 3

VD

42

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 1. 1.

B

Tissentenceemploys Tissentenceem ploysparallelstructure,andthese parallelstructure,andthesemicolo micolontriggertellsyo ntriggertellsyouthatbothblankswill uthatbothblankswill gointhesamedirection.Youcanrecycle ragmentation orthesec ragmentation ortherstblankand ailure ailure orthesecondblank;POEallanswersexceptchoice(B).

 2. 2.

B

Althoughthemostamiliardenitionotheword pique istoexciteinterestorcuriosity,theprimarydenitionistowoundpride mar ydenitionistowoundprideorvanity.Tat’ orvanity.Tat’sthedenitionbeingtestedhere,sotheop sthedenitionbeingtestedhere,sotheopposite posite istosootheorplease. Aggrieve isasynonymorthemeaningtestedhere,and rouse isasynonymo Aggrieve isasynonymorthemeaningtestedhere,and themoreamiliardenitiono pique .Iyouknowthat .Iyouknowthat pique isnegative,thenyouknowyouneed apositiveword. Aggrieve isnegative,soeliminatechoice(A). Dulciy meanstomolliy,whichisa meanstomolliy,whichisa Aggrieve isnegative,soeliminatechoice(A). prettygoodmatch,sothebestanswerischoice(B).

 3. 3.

E

meansunconsciousorunaware,sotheoppositeisaware. Insensate isasynonym. isasynonym. PragInsensible meansunconsciousorunaware,sotheoppositeisaware. aretraps,becauseiyouthinkthatinsensible meansnotsensible,youarelooking meansnotsensible,youarelooking matic andrational aretraps,becauseiyouthinkthat orananswerlikesensible.Iyou’renotsurewhat insensible means,youcanstilleliminatechoice means,youcanstilleliminatechoice (C);ithasthesameprexas insensible ,soit’snotlikelytobeitsopposite. ,soit’snotlikelytobeitsopposite. Cognizant meansaware, meansaware, sothebestanswerischoice(E).

 4. 4.

D

meansemittinglight,sotheopposit positeischaracterizedb eischaracterizedbydarkness. ydarkness. Incandescent isasynisasynLuminous meansemittinglight,sotheop onym.Iyou’renotsurewhat luminous means,youmaybeabletoguessitsmeaningusingroots. means,youmaybeabletoguessitsmeaningusingroots. meanslight,sotheco ight,sothecorrectanswermust rrectanswermusthavesom havesomethingtodowithdarkness. ethingtodowithdarkness. Stygian means Lummeansl darkorgloomy,sothebestanswerischoice(D).



 5. 5.

B

isunusualnessorexceptionalness,sotheoppositeisnormality. Singularity containsthe containsthe Singularity isunusualnessorexceptionalness,sotheoppositeisnormality. wordsingular,so plurality isatrap.Dependingonthecontext, singularity iseitherpositiveorneuiseitherpositiveorneu plurality isatrap.Dependingonthecontext, tral,soyoucaneliminatesolelypositivewords. Hilarity and andcelerity arepositive;eliminatechoices arepositive;eliminatechoices (A)and(D).Ordinariness meansnormality,sothebestanswerischoice(B). meansnormality,sothebestanswerischoice(B).

 6. 6.

D

meansbareorunadorned,sotheoppositeisadorned.Spartanisasynonym. Austere isnega Austere meansbareorunadorned,sotheoppositeisadorned. Austere isnegative,soyou’relookingorananswerthat’spositive. Spartan, unadventurous, and endish endisharenegativeand ticklishisneutral;eliminatechoices(A),(B),(C),and(E). Plumed meansadorned,sothe meansadorned,sothe bestanswerischoice(D).

7.

B

one’spointortoavoidgettingpinneddown.NotethesecEquivocationisspeechusedto hedge one’spointortoavoidgettingpinneddown.Notethesecondarymeaningohedge here;youcanseethatitisaverbbycomparingittotheotherright-side here;youcanseethatitisaverbbycomparingittotheotherright-side words.Avaledictory (thinkothevaledictorianatagraduation)issomeonewhosaysgoodbye,not (thinkothevaledictorianatagraduation)issomeonewhosaysgoodbye,not someonewhosepurposeisto greet theaudience.An adavit isspeechusedto isspeechusedto swear thatastatethatastate greet theaudience.An mentistrue,sokeepchoice(B).A perorationdoesnot summarize ;inact,a ;inact,a perorationisavery per -canmeanthroughorthoroughly,so longspeech.(Teprex per -canmeanthroughorthoroughly,so perorationisanorationwhich isverythoroughandlengthy.)A homily isasermonwhichgivesamorallesson,butitmayormay isasermonwhichgivesamorallesson,butitmayormay not praise someone.Finally,an exhortationisspeechusedto isspeechusedtoencourage encourageanaudience, anaudience,not not dismiss it, it, praise someone.Finally,an leavingyouwithchoice(B)ortheanswer.

 8. 8.

E

A miscreant isapersonwitha isapersonwithabase orvillainousnature.Notethesecondarymeaningo orvillainousnature.Notethesecondarymeaningobase here, here, whichyoucanseeisanadjectivebyglancingattheotherright-si whichyoucanseeisanadjective byglancingattheotherright-sidewords.Is dewords.Isa a harridanacharming person?Actually,no—aharridanisascolding,shrewishwoman.Isamagistrate ,oralegaladmin,oralegaladministrator,a lax person?Notnecessarily.An person?Notnecessarily.An adjudicator issomeonewhojudgesasituation,butis issomeonewhojudgesasituation,butis notnecessarily dismissive .A .A regent issomeonewhohelpsrule,buta issomeonewhohelpsrule,buta regent isnotnecessarily isnotnecessarilystately . . Finally,atyroisabeginner,orsomeonewhois green green ,leavingyouchoice(E)ortheanswer.

 9. 9.

C

Althoughtheprimarydenitiono penurious isstingy,itcanalsomeanpoor.Tat’sthedenition isstingy,itcanalsomeanpoor.Tat’sthedenition beingtestedhere,sotheoppositeisrich. Parsimonious isasynonymortheprimarydenition.I isasynonymortheprimarydenition.I youknowthat penurious isnegative,youknowyouneedapositivewo apositiveword. rd. Penal and parsimonious penurious isnegative,youknowyouneed parsimonious areclearlynegative,soeliminatechoices(D)and(E). Wealthy meansrich,sothebestansweris meansrich,sothebestansweris choice(C).

10.

E

Tesentencestartswithadierentdirectiontrigger: Although.Inthiscasethesentenceislooking Tesentencestartswithadierentdirectiontrigger: orsomethingwhichistheoppositeo subjective .Agoodwordortheblank,ther .Agoodwordortheblank,thereore eore,wouldbe ,wouldbe .Tisissupportedbythenotionthatthedenitionmustbeveriable. Empirical means means objective .Tisissupportedbythenotionthatthedenitionmustbeveriable. provable andisthereorethebestsynonym.Teanswerischoice(E). andisthereorethebestsynonym.Teanswerischoice(E).

Diagnostic Test


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43

44

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11.

A

Aquarry isthegoaloa isthegoaloahunt ;orexample,a ;orexample,aquarry couldbeabuckoraox.Te couldbeabuckoraox.Techoicesusesome choicesusesome hardvocabulary,sotrytoeliminatechoices hardvocabulary ,sotrytoeliminatechoiceswithwordsyoukno withwordsyouknowbasedonthisrelations wbasedonthisrelationship. hip.For For example,isanaccolade ,orstatementopraise,thegoaloa ,orstatementopraise,thegoaloacampaign?Notnecessarily.Isanepitthegoaloaculture ?No,soeliminatethatchoiceaswell.Isan ?No,soeliminatethatchoiceaswell.Isananomaly thegoaloa thegoaloa puzzle ? ome thegoaloa puzzle ? No.Youareletwithtwodicultchoices.A terminus istheendpoint,orgoal,oa istheendpoint,orgoal,oa voyage .A .A guer guerdonisareward,whichisnotthegoaloa repetition,leavingyouwithchoice(A)ortheanswer.

12 .

D

Tetrigger althoughintroducestwoconfictingaspectsohydrogen-poweredcars.Terstclue statesthat hydrogen contains more energy per gallon than does gasoline ,whichisagoodthing.Te triggerindicatesachangeo triggerindica tesachangeodirection direction,soagood ,soagoodword wordortherst ortherstblankischallenged. blankischallenged.Startwith Startwith thersthalothe answe answersandlookor rsandlookor aword thatmeans thatmeanschallenge challenged.UsePOE d.UsePOE toelimin toeliminate ate choices(A),( choi ces(A),(C), C),and(E).Te and(E).Tesecondblankcon secondblankcontinuesinthesamedirectio tinuesinthesamedirectionastherst,basedon nastherst,basedon thesecondtrigger, thus ,soagoodwordorthatblankisunlikely.Tatmeansyoucaneliminate ,soagoodwordorthatblankisunlikely.Tatmeansyoucaneliminate choice(B),becauseconvenient doesnotmatchunlikely.Choice(D)isthebestmatch. doesnotmatchunlikely.Choice(D)isthebestmatch.

13.

D

Accordingtotheauthor, Te novel’s cyclical structure encourages critics to see the novel’s disparate parts as interlinked…however, it does acilitate attempts to view the novel as a unied whole. Tus,the cyclicalstructuresupportsacriticalinterpretatio cyclicalstructuresupportsacriticalinterp retationothenovel. nothenovel.Choice(D Choice(D)bestsummarizesth )bestsummarizesthis is idea.

14.

B

Intherstparagraph,theauthorstates, Te remaining twelve chapters act as a counterpoint, commenting on—i not reversing,—the rst part where a morality play receives greater conrmation. Accordingtothesecondparagraphothepassage, Huckleberry Finn encompasses individual scenes o the protagonist’s sel-recognition , that res resist ist incl inclusi usion on int into o an all-en all-encom compass passing ing int interp erpreta retatio tion. n. Troughoutthepassage,theauthorshowsthatthenovelhascertainelementsthatdonottnicely intoauniedvisionothebook.Choice(B) intoauniedvisiono thebook.Choice(B)isthebestrestatemento isthebestrestatementotheinormationgiveninthe theinormationgiveninthe passage.

15.

E

Asperity meansh meansharshnessintoneormanner,sotheoppositeisriendlinessorwarmth.Iyouknow arshnessintoneormanner,sotheoppositeisriendlinessorwarmth.Iyouknow that asperity isnegative,youknowyouneedapositiveanswer. isnegative,youknowyouneedapositiveanswer. Visual expression and partition are neutral,and contretemps isnegative;eliminatechoices(A),(B),and(C).Youcanalsoeliminate isnegative;eliminatechoices(A),(B),and(C).Youcanalsoeliminate choice(D),because,like visual expression ,ithasnoopposite. Empressement meansextremecordialmeansextremecordiality,sothebestanswerischoice(E).

16.

D

Someonewhois impeccable isaultless,ornotdeservingo isaultless,ornotdeservingo reproach.Tereissometoughvocabularyintheanswerchoices.Startbytry laryintheanswerchoices.S tartbytryingtoeliminate ingtoeliminatebasedonvocab basedonvocabularyyouknow. ularyyouknow.ForexamForexample,an implacable personisbeyondpleasing,notundeservingo personisbeyondpleasing,notundeservingo stoicism.Something interminable isendless,butnotundeservingoasojourn,orabriestay.Someone impotent lacks lacks puissance ,but puissance ,but isnotundeservingoit.Something indeterminate isnotdeservingo isnotdeservingo certitude becauseitisnot becauseitisnot certain;holdontothatchoice.Aquagmire maybe maybeimpenetrable ,butsomething ,butsomethingimpenetrable isnot isnot unworthyoaquagmire ,leavingyouwithchoice(D)asthebestanswer. ,leavingyouwithchoice(D)asthebestanswer.



17.

B

o abdicate istoormally istoormallydemit —orgiveup—aposition.Iyouweren’tsureaboutthemeanings —orgiveup—aposition.Iyouweren’tsureaboutthemeanings othosewords,oraboutwhatkindorelationshiptheyhad,youcouldstilltrytoeliminateby workingbackwards.Enter isthereverseo isthereverseo disembark .Do .Do demit and and abdicate seemsimilarordiseemsimilarordierent?Iyouknowthattheyaresimilarwords,youcaneliminatechoice(A)byusingthisside-othe-enceapproach.oratiy somethingistoormally somethingistoormallyapprove it,whichdoesmatchthestem-pair it,whichdoesmatchthestem-pair relationship,iyouwereabletorecognizeit.Eveniyoudidnotknowthatrelationshipyet,keep choice(B)becauseitdoesatleasthaveadeningrelationship. Maintainand supply donothave donothave adeningrelationship adeningrelati onship(youcouldmain (youcouldmaintainsomethingbys tainsomethingbysuppl upplyingit,bu yingit,butthisisastretch,no tthisisastretch,nota ta denition),soeliminatechoice(C).ounetter someoneisto someoneistoliberate them,sokeepchoice(D)or them,sokeepchoice(D)or now. Receive and  and rescind havenorelationship,eliminatingchoice(E).Comparingyournalophavenorelationship,eliminatingchoice(E).Comparingyournaloptions—choice(B)andchoice(D)—theaspectoormalitymakeschoice(B)thebettermatchand thebestanswer.

18.

E

Ithejuryacquittedthedeendant,orlethimothehook,theprosecutorcouldnothavedonea verygoodjob.Ter verygoodjo b.Tereore eore,youknowthathe ,youknowthatheailedtomakeagoodargument, ailedtomakeagoodargument,despi despitetheactthat tetheactthat hehadaloto hehada lotosomethingtobolsterhisclaims.Whatwouldbolster, somethingtobolsterhisclaims.Whatwouldbolster,orhelp orhelp,hisclaims?Somegreat ,hisclaims?Somegreat evidencewoulddeni eviden cewoulddenitelyhel telyhelphim,souseevide phim,souseevidenceor nceorthesecondblank.W thesecondblank.Workingrom orkingromtherst therst blankrst,youcanseethatcondescending and and dubious donotmatchthewordyoulledin,good. donotmatchthewordyoulledin,good. ,andcogent allcouldreertogoodarguments,sokeepthosechoicesornow. allcouldreertogoodarguments,sokeepthosechoicesornow. Meticulous ,, trenchant ,and Lookatthesecondblankoptions; consternationandsanctimony donotmatchevidence. donotmatchevidence. Substantiationisagoodmatch,soselectchoice(E).

19.

A

A mercenary isahired isahired soldier .Lookingatyourchoices,an .Lookingatyourchoices,anamanuensis isahired isahired stenographer . . Souisaancywordormaid ,butitdoesn’tmeanahiredmaid. ,butitdoesn’tmeanahiredmaid. Botanist and and researcher donot donot brette isaancywordor proessor ,anda haveadeningrelationship. Academicianisaancywordor proessor ,anda culinarianisaancy wordorcook ,butneitherpairmatchesthestempairrelationship,leavingyouwithchoice(A)or ,butneitherpairmatchesthestempairrelationship,leavingyouwithchoice(A)or theanswer.

20.

D

Tearticleisdescribedinturnsashaving detractors andasa andasa xture xture intheliterature.Tereismore thanonetriggerinthesentence,sobe thanonetriggerinthesenten ce,sobesuretokeep suretokeeptrackowhichcluesare trackowhichcluesarerelevanttowhichblank. relevanttowhichblank. Iyoustartwiththerstblank,andknowthemeaningso abjure anddetractor ,youmightiner ,youmightiner thatthearticlewasotencriticized.Youcanimmediatelyeliminatechoice(B). Cited andevidenced aredistractingchoices.Teyareassociatedwithresearchandpublication,butitisunlikelythat someone som eonewouldregretwritingarequen wouldregretwritingarequentlycitedwor tlycitedwork.Tesecond k.Tesecondblankis blankisneutral, neutral,butknowing butknowing that polemic polemic discourse ollowed or or years ater its publication ,youshouldlookorawordthatmeans encouraged. Forestalled isoppos isoppositeinmeaningtoenco iteinmeaningtoencouraged,there uraged,thereoreyou oreyoucaneliminatechoice caneliminatechoice (B).Choice(D)isthebestmatchhere.

Diagnostic Test


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45

46

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21.

C

Inordertoanswerthisquestion,youmustunderstandwhatcriticaltheoryis.Tethirdparagraph mentionscriti men tionscriticaltheorydirectly,andstatesthatitsprop caltheorydirectly,andstatesthatitspropone onentsbelieve ntsbelieve the dominant classes would never create or oster an educational system that taught subordinate classes how to critically evaluate society and the injustices it contains. TismostcloselymatchesstatementII.Eliminatechoice(A).Te secondparagraphisalsoim secon dparagraphisalsoimportantbecaus portantbecausetheau etheauthorstat thorstatesthatcriti esthatcriticaltheoristsshare caltheoristssharetheviews theviews othetheoristsmentionedinthesecondparagraph.Tesetheoristsholdthat the stratication o American society is preserved…by the creation o what Marx termed alse consciousness…Te theory holds that the way people think about their society and their history is crucial to maintaining the status quo.TismatchesstatementI.Eliminatechoices(B)and(D).Tethirdchoiceisincorrect.Te authormentionsthispointinthecritiqueocriticaltheoryinthenalparagraph.Choice(C)is thebestanswer.

22.

B

Choice(B)issupportedbythenal Choice(B)issupporte dbythenal linesothepassage,whichindicate linesothepassage,whichindicatethattextbookpublish thattextbookpublishers ers rst and oremost seekingtomaximizeprot.Tus,textbooksarenotjustteachinginstruments, are rst seekingtomaximizeprot.Tus,textbooksarenotjustteachinginstruments, butmoneymakers.Choice(A)isnotsupportedbythepassage.TetheoristsuseMarx’sterm,but thatdoesn’tmeanhewasamember thatdoesn’ tmeanhewasamemberotheschool.Choi otheschool.Choice(C)iswrong;thepassagesimplysaysthe ce(C)iswrong;thepassagesimplysaysthe literatureis more comprehensive .Tat’snotthesameassayingitisnolongerbiased.Choice(D)is .Tat’snotthesameassayingitisnolongerbiased.Choice(D)is notsupportedbythepassage.Althoughtheauthorrejectstheideathatthepowerelitesareincontrolotextbooks,itmaystillbetruethatpublisherstaketheirviewsintoaccount.Cho trolotextbooks,it maystillbetruethatpublisherstaketheirviewsintoaccount.Choice(E)is ice(E)isput put orthbythecriticaltheorists,butitisnotnecessarilytrue.

23.

D

Inthenalparagraph,theauthorstates,but critical theory and other theories that lay the blame or American ignorance o history on the doorstep o the elites cannot explain their own success .Tus,there mustbeothertheoriessimilartocriti mustbeothe rtheoriessimilartocriticaltheoryandcriticaltheoryisnotunique, caltheoryandcriticaltheoryisnotunique,whichsuppo whichsupports rts choice(D).Tereisnoinormationtosupporteitherchoice(A)or(B).Choice(C)iswrongbecausecriticaltheoryisusedbyeducationaltheorists,nothistorians.Choice(E)isnotsupportedby thepassage.

2 4.

C

Tepassage’sdiscussionoGrinandMarcianoislimitedtoasinglesentence: Grin and Marciano contend that history textbooks promote nothing more than hegemony. Techoicethatmostclosely matchesthissentenceischoice(C).TeotherchoicesarenotmentionedinconjunctionwithGrinandMarciano.

25.

B

meansclearoreasytounderstand,sotheopposi ppositeisdiculttound teisdiculttounderstand. erstand. ComprehenLuculent meansclearoreasytounderstand,sotheo sible isasynonym. isasynonym. Illegible isatrapbecause isatrapbecauseluculent reerstodicultyinunderstandingconcepts reerstodicultyinunderstandingconcepts ormeanings,notwordsthataren’twrittenclearly.Iyouknowthat luculent ispositive,youknow ispositive,youknow youneedanegativeword.Comprehensible and andintelligent arepositive;eliminatechoices(A)and(E). arepositive;eliminatechoices(A)and(E). Recondite meansdiculttounderstand,sothebestanswerischoice(B). meansdiculttounderstand,sothebestanswerischoice(B).



26 .

D

Terstparagraphstatesthatragweedisoneothemos Terstparagraphstatesthatragweedisone othemostnoxio tnoxious us wind-borne allergens. Later,the paragraphstatesthathumidity rates above seventy percent tend to depress the spread o pollen by causing the grains to clump. Ithepollenisbornebythewindanditsspreadisdepressedbyclumping, theclumping theclum ping mus musthavesom thavesomenegati enegativeaectonthewind’ veaectonthewind’sabili sabilityto tyto carrythepollen carrythepollen.Tepas.Tepassagedoesn’tmentionthecostotreatingotherallergies,sochoice(A)iswrong.Nothingsupports choice(B).Tepassagedoesn’tcomparetheratesoproductionoplantsindierentclimates,so choice(C)cannotbeinerred.Choice(E)goestooar;thepassagestatesthatragweedpollenisthe causeo most cases notallasthechoicestates. notallasthechoicestates.

27.

B

Teanswertothisquestionliesintheline,Some species o Lepidoptera (butterfies, skippers, and moths) larvae eed on ragweed, but this arena o control is not well unded, and consequently not wellresearched. Teauthormentionsthespeciestoindicatethattheremaybeapotentialanswertothe proble pro blemo mocon contro trollingragweed llingragweed,butthis ,butthis answe answerhas rhas no notbeenully tbeenully exp explo lored red.Tis .Tis mos mostclosel tclosely y matcheschoice(B) matches choice(B).Choice(A)iswrongbecausetheauthordoes .Choice(A)iswrongbecausetheauthordoesn’ n’tmakea tmakea comp comparisonbetween arisonbetween themethodsocontrol.Choice(C)iswrongbecausethespeciesdiscussedarenotmammals.Te authordoessuggestthegovernmentexplorenaturalremedies,butchoice(D)doesn’tproperlyan plead with the governswerthequestion.Tementi swerthequestio n.Tementiono ono some species o Lepidoptera isnotusedto plead ment.Choice(E)isincorrectbecauseearlierinthepassagetheauthorindicatesthatcomplete eliminationotheragweedisunlikely.

28 .

E

Teprimarymeaningo countenance isaceorvisage,butwhenusedasaverbitmeanstotolerate isaceorvisage,butwhenusedasaverbitmeanstotolerate orapprove.Tat’sthedenitionbeingtestedhere,sotheoppositeistodenounceororbid.Iyou knowthat innervate isamedicalwordthatrelatestonerves,youcaneliminatechoice(A)—othisamedicalwordthatrelatestonerves,youcaneliminatechoice(A)—otherwise,holdontoit. Sanctionandtolerate arebothsynonymsor arebothsynonymsor countenance .Eveniyouweren’t .Eveniyouweren’t surewhatcountenancemeant,twoanswerswiththesamemeaningcan’tbothbecorrect,soeliminatechoices(B)and(D).o inveighagainstsomethingmeanstospeakagainstit,butit’snotquite strongenough. Interdict meanstoprohibitororbid,whichisclosertowhatweneed,makingthe meanstoprohibitororbid,whichisclosertowhatweneed,makingthe bestanswerchoice(E).

29.

E

Tisis den denite itelya lya dicul dicultquesti tquestion, on, starting withhardvocab withhardvocabularyin ularyin thestem pair pair.A .A dupe is  is someonewhoiseasytocozen,ortrick.Iyoudon’tknowthesewords,tryworkingbackwardsand seeianypairsdonothavedeningrelationships.Do navigate and and martyr haveadeningrelahaveadeningrelationship?No,soeliminatechoice(A). tionshi p?No,soeliminatechoice(A).Similarly, Similarly, ensconce and and mercenary havenorealconnection. havenorealconnection. A narcissist issomeonewhoislikesto issomeonewhoislikesto panegyrize ,orbestowpraisesupon,himorhersel ,himorhersel.Coulda .Coulda panegyrize ,orbestowpraisesupon besomeonewholikesto cozenhimorhersel?Maybe—keepchoice(C). Infame and and alchedupe besomeonewholikesto mist donothave donothaveadeningrelationship.A adeningrelationship.Achurl isarudeandboorishperson, isarudeandboorishperson,whowouldbe whowouldbeeasy easy to issomeonewhoiseasytocozen,orool,sochoice(E)isagoodmatchorthestemcontemn.Adupe issomeonewhoiseasyto pairrelationship.Tatmakesmoresensethanchoice(C)does,makingchoice(E)thebestanswer. Remember,don’ Remember, don’tbeara tbearaidtochoosewordsyoud idtochoosewordsyoudon’ on’treallyk treallyknowitherestdenitelydon’ nowitherestdenitelydon’twork. twork.

Diagnostic Test


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47

30.

48

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C

Startwithoneblankatatime.Don’tbeimmediatelydrawninby bolstered intherstblank,as intherstblank,as therereallyisnotenoughinormati therereallyisnoten oughinormationtodescri ontodescribetheecono betheeconomy my.Iyoumov .Iyoumovetothesecond etothesecondblank, blank, theclueinitiates maysigniythatnewollowershavebegun simplied existence. Youshouldthenbe abletoeliminatechoice(A). Maintained doesn’tquitemean“begin,”butholdontoitorthemodoesn’tquitemean“begin,”butholdontoitorthemoment.urningbacktotherstblank,youknowthatnewollowershavejoinedthemovement in ,thusyoumightinerthattheeconomyisbad.Noweliminate order to prioritize nancial necessities ,thusyoumightinerthattheeconomyisbad.Noweliminate answers(B),(D),and(E).Choice(C)isthebestmatchhere.



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