GRE Premier 2017 with 6 Practice Tests
Part V. PRACTICE TEST
Chapter 20. Practice Test
Before taking this practice test, find a quiet place where you can work without interruption for 3 hours and 45 minutes. Make sure you have a comfortable desk, several pencils, and scratch paper. Time yourself according to the time limits shown at the beginning of each section. For the most accurate results, you should go through all five sections in one sitting. Use the online answer grid available in your Online Center to enter your answers to the multiple-choice sections of this test to see a detailed breakdown of your performance by question type and topic. You’ll find the answer key and explanations in the next chapter. Good luck!
Note that the time limits and section lengths for this paper-based practice GRE are the same as those for the computer-based GRE. On the actual test, you will have the capability to mark questions within a section to return to them later if time allows. It would be a good idea to use that same approach as you take the practice test. Also, write your essay if you’re going to take the paper-based GRE, and type it if you plan to take the computer-based GRE, to better simulate the Test Day experience. You should type it with spell-check and grammar-check off.
Analytical Writing 1: Analyze an Issue
30 Minutes 1 Question
Directions
You will be given a brief quotation that states or implies a topic of general interest, along with explicit instructions on how to respond to that topic. Your response will be evaluated according to how well you do the following:
· Respond to the specific directions the task gives you.
· Reflect on the complexities of the issue.
· Organize and develop your thoughts.
· Support your reasoning with relevant examples.
· Express yourself in standard written English.
1.
2. “Scientific theories, which most people consider as ‘fact,’ almost invariably prove to be inaccurate. Thus, one should look upon any information described as ‘factual’ with skepticism since it may well be proven false in the future.”
Write an essay in which you take a position on the statement above. In developing and supporting your viewpoint, consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.
Analytical Writing 2: Analyze an Argument
30 Minutes 1 Question
Directions
You will be presented with a short passage that asserts an argument or position, along with explicit instructions on how to respond to the passage. Your response will be evaluated according to how well you do the following:
· Respond to the specific directions the task gives you.
· Analyze and interpret important elements of the passage.
· Organize and develop your analysis.
· Support your reasoning with relevant examples.
· Express yourself in standard written English.
1.
2. The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of the Juniper Café, a small, local coffee shop in the downtown area of a small American city:
“We must reduce overhead here at the café. Instead of opening at 6 a.m. weekdays, we will now open at 8 a.m. On weekends, we will only be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The decrease in hours of operations will help save money because we won’t be paying for utilities, employee wages, or other operating costs during the hours we are closed. This is the best strategy for us to save money and remain in business without having to eliminate jobs.”
Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to assess the reasonableness of both the prediction and the argument upon which it is based. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the prediction.
YOU HAVE FINISHED THIS SECTION AND NOW WILL BEGIN THE NEXT SECTION.
Verbal Reasoning 1
30 Minutes 20 Questions
Directions
For each item, select the best answer choice using the directions given.
If a question has answer choices with ovals, then the correct answer will be a single choice. If a question’s answer choices have squares, the correct answer may have more than one choice. Be sure to read all directions carefully.
1.
2. Select one answer choice for the blank. Fill in the blank in such a way that it best completes the text.
3.
1.
1. Known for their devotion to their masters, dogs were often used as symbols of in Medieval and Renaissance paintings.
1. treachery
2. opulence
3. fidelity
4. antiquity
5. valor
2. By nature , the poet Philip Larkin nonetheless maintained a spirited correspondence with a wide circle of friends.
1. voluble
2. reclusive
3. prolific
4. gregarious
5. pensive
4. For each blank, select an answer choice from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in such a way that they best complete the text.
5.
2.
3. Because the decision-making process was entirely (i) , there was no way to predict its outcome. The process was (ii) rolling dice, where there is a finite number of possibilities but no way to accurately predict which two numbers will come up.
|
1. arbitrary 2. regimented 3. unilateral |
4. likened to 5. belittled by 6. dissimilar to |
4. For the following questions, select the two answer choices that, when inserted into the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and yield complete sentences that are similar in meaning.
4. Although the heralded “variance in taxation bill” at first received much (i) , it has had a (ii) impact on the majority of the middle-class population, who are burdened mainly by the relatively unvarying property tax.
|
1. commotion 2. acclaim 3. hullabaloo |
4. negligible 5. necessary 6. detrimental |
5. Critics’ practice of making allusions to earlier work when reviewing a new piece is detrimental to the person reading the review prior to seeing the piece, as any (i) viewpoint the reader already holds toward the referenced earlier piece will inevitably (ii) the opinion of the unseen piece, potentially not allowing for (iii) viewing of the new piece.
|
1. established 2. culpable 3. thermic |
4. rebuke 5. skew 6. complete |
7. biased 8. impartial 9. enjoyable |
6. The shift away from fossil fuels as the world’s primary energy source will not be sufficient to stabilize or reduce carbon emissions, and therefore carbon (i) technologies should be implemented to (ii) and store carbon waste.
|
1. sequestration 2. reduction 3. diminution |
4. incarcerate 5. capture 6. liberate |
6.
6.
7. W.C. Handy’s self-conferred sobriquet, “The Father of the Blues,” is widely ; although he composed and published the first written blues song, other musicians had been playing the blues for several years.
1. professed
2. deconstructed
3. disputed
4. proven
5. contested
6. demonstrated
8. The expectation of instant gratification engendered by the ease and speed of modern communication can set one up for in personal relationships if one’s digital messages are not promptly returned.
1. chagrin
2. endearment
3. recompense
4. vexation
5. elation
6. pacifism
9. Anticipating the arrival of the baby panda, zookeepers the panda exhibit to handle the influx of visitors, scientists, and veterinarians.
1. abridged
2. augmented
3. meliorated
4. maintained
5. truncated
6. neglected
10.Some scientists that by sensing a change in barometric pressure or electricity, certain species of fish may be able to portend seismic events; just before a recent earthquake, several fish were observed leaping into the air from the ocean.
1. repudiate
2. authorize
3. foresee
4. hypothesize
5. question
6. contend
7. Questions 11 and 12 are based on the passage below.
8. Modern entomologists are primarily engaged in the research of insects that provide a direct benefit, or cause direct harm, to human interests. The benefits of researching and protecting insect life may be immediate, such as using an insect presence to control pests or diseases, or long-term, such as protecting benign native insect species from unnecessary human extirpation in order to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Research on harmful insect life endeavors to produce methods of insect control that are reliable and effective, while minimizing the effect of the control on other species. Although most insect orders include both pests and beneficial species, a few orders, such as lice and fleas, provide no benefits to humans and are said to be entirely parasitic.
9.
10.
11. Consider each of the following choices separately and select all that apply.
11.Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?
1. The majority of insect orders are capable of both advancing and inhibiting human interests.
2. An effective insect control method will never cause side effects to insect or animal life outside the targeted order.
3. Entomological research has facilitated the development of insect species that are considered parasitic.
12.In the context in which it appears, “extirpation” most nearly means
1. intrusion
2. excision
3. uprooting
4. obliteration
5. ablation
10.Question 13 is based on the passage below.
Instigated primarily by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Easter Rising of 1916 was a landmark event in the battle against English rule. Armed members of the Brotherhood, in concert with the Irish Volunteers, seized control of several government buildings in the capital city of Dublin and issued the Easter Proclamation, a proclamation of Irish independence. However, the rebels were outnumbered by British forces, which had greater access to weapons and ammunition.
The siege ended with the unconditional surrender of the militant forces, and sixteen of their leaders were subsequently executed for their roles in the uprising. Those who survived, however, went on with renewed fervor to lobby for Ireland’s independence, and the public nature of the uprising changed popular sentiment about British rule. While the Easter Rising was a failure by military and tactical standards, it is viewed as an important milestone in the 1919 establishment of the Republic of Ireland.
13.The two highlighted sentences play which of the following roles in the passage above?
1. The first provides support for the passage’s conclusion; the second is that conclusion.
2. The first is a fact that would seem to contradict the passage’s conclusion; the second is that conclusion.
3. The first states the main point of the passage; the second is a fact that seems at odds with that point.
4. The first provides support for an intermediate conclusion that supports a further conclusion stated in the passage; the second states that intermediate conclusion.
5. The first states an outside position that the passage as a whole supports; the second states the main point of the passage.
14.Questions 14–16 are based on the passage below.
15.Many Iranian Americans, whether they are immigrants or American born, identify themselves as being of Persian heritage. This descriptor is a frequent cause of confusion among non-Persians who know the country as Iran and understand Persia to be an antiquated name for the empire that encompassed part of Iran as well as parts of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. Opponents of the term argue that because some Afghani and Pakistani groups refer to themselves as being of Persian heritage, the term loses meaning as a signifier of nationality. However, others argue that just as the English language recognizes Spainrather than España, English speakers should refer to the country as Persia, and not as Iran, which is the Persian translation of the country’s name.
16.
1.
14.The author is primarily concerned with
1. arguing that English usage of descriptors of nationality should reflect usage within the native languages of the countries in question
2. clarifying how the fall of the Persian Empire has influenced the terminology that modern citizens of Iran use to define their nationality
3. distinguishing among three groups that use the same term to describe their national identities
4. explaining two opposing positions in an argument about the use of a descriptor of national identity
5. persuading readers that in order for the term Persian to have a clear relationship to nationality, only Iranians, not Afghanis or Pakistanis, should use the term
15.Consider each of the following choices separately and select all that apply.
15.Based on the information in the passage, which of the following individuals might describe themselves as Persian?
1. an Afghani-born woman who is a naturalized citizen of Iran
2. an American man born in the United States to Iranian immigrant parents
3. an American woman of English descent who has worked in Pakistan for 15 years
16.The passage cites which one of the following as a source of confusion for some non-Persians?
1. the fact that some Afghani and Pakistani groups both refer to themselves as Persian
2. the use in English of Spain rather than España
3. the scope of the Persian Empire
4. the loss of meaning in a signifier of nationality
5. Iranian Americans’ decision to self-identify as Persian
17.Questions 17–19 are based on the passage below.
18.In Greco-Roman societies, women applied white lead and chalk to their faces to attract attention. Ancient Egyptians wore light foundation to gild their skin, while their kohl eyeliner was only slightly heavier than the eye makeup popular in the mid-1960s. Persians believed that henna dyes, used to stain hair and faces dark, enabled them to summon the majesty of the earth. The European Middle Ages followed the Greco-Roman trend of pale faces. Those rich enough not to work outdoors and acquire a suntan wanted to flaunt their affluence by being pale. To look feminine, fashionable sixth-century women would achieve the same ideal by bleeding themselves. While pale of skin, regal 13th-century Italian women wore bright pink lipstick to show that they could afford makeup.
19.
16.
17.Which of the following statements presents a situation most analogous to that described in the highlighted sentence?
1. Contrary to common opinion, zebras are dark animals, with white stripes where the pigmentation is inhibited.
2. The frog’s brown and yellow coloring, as well as its rough texture, allows it to blend in with tree trunks.
3. The short-tailed cricket is known to eat its own wings to survive.
4. To look masculine, birds called budgerigars display naturally occurring yellow fluorescent plumage on their crowns.
5. The male blue-tailed iguana will chew down some of its spines to appear more masculine.
18.Consider each of the following choices separately and select all that apply.
18.Which of the following statements is supported by this passage?
1. The lightening of women’s skin has often, but not always, been preferred.
2. A woman’s social position could be revealed by her makeup.
3. The practice of lightening the skin originated in Greco-Roman societies.
19.The passage cites each of the following reasons for some cultures’ preferring artificially pale skin EXCEPT
1. to flaunt affluence
2. to look golden
3. to call forth the splendor of the earth
4. to attract attention
5. to look feminine
20.Question 20 is based on the passage below.
Solipsism is the belief that only oneself and one’s own experiences are real, while anything else—a physical object or another person—is nothing more than an object of one’s consciousness. Thus, in a sense, solipsism is the concept that nothing “exists” outside of one’s own mind. As a philosophical position, solipsism is usually the unintended consequence of an overemphasis on the reliability of internal mental states, which provide no evidence for the existence of external referents.
20.In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with
1. discussing the importance of a phenomenon
2. refuting a hypothesis advanced by philosophers
3. contrasting two schools of thought
4. presenting the definition of a concept
5. comparing a physical object to a person
YOU HAVE FINISHED THIS SECTION AND NOW WILL BEGIN THE NEXT SECTION.
Quantitative Reasoning 1
35 Minutes 20 Questions
Directions
For each question, indicate the best answer, using the directions given.
You may use a calculator for all the questions in this section.
If a question has answer choices with ovals, then the correct answer is a single choice. If a question has answer choices with squares, then the correct answer consists of one or more answer choices. Read each question carefully.
Important Facts:
All numbers used are real numbers.
All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise noted.
Geometric figures, such as lines, circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals, may or may not be drawn to scale. That is, you should not assume that quantities such as lengths and angle measures are as they appear in a drawing. But you can assume that lines shown as straight are indeed straight, points on a line are in the order shown, and all geometric objects are in the relative positions shown. For questions involving drawn figures, base your answers on geometric reasoning rather than on estimation, measurement, or comparison by sight.
Coordinate systems, such as xy-planes and number lines, are drawn to scale. Therefore, you may read, estimate, and compare quantities in these figures by sight or by measurement.
Graphical data presentations, such as bar graphs, line graphs, and pie charts, are drawn to scale. Therefore, you may read, estimate, and compare data values by sight or by measurement.
1.
2. 
1.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
w2 + x2 |
y2 + z2 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
2. x + 4y = 6
x = 2y
2.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
x |
y |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
3. In a certain accounting firm, each employee is either a manager, a technician, or an assistant. Twenty-five percent of all employees are managers. Of the remaining employees, one-third are assistants.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The number of managers |
Half of the number of technicians |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
4.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
(a + 1)(b + 1) |
ab + 1 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
5. In the two-digit number jk, the value of the digit j is twice the value of the digit k.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
k |
6 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
6. Henry purchased x apples, and Jack purchased 10 apples less than one-third of the number of apples Henry purchased.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The number of apples Jack purchased |
|
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
7. 
7.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The length of arc QRS |
2 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
8. 4 < x < 6
1 < y < 2
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The volume of a rectangular solid with a length of 5 feet, a width of 4 feet, and a height of x feet |
The volume of a rectangular solid with a length of 10 feet, a width of 8 feet, and a height of y feet |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
9. 
9. In the figure shown above, what is x?
1. 40
2. 50
3. 60
4. 70
5. 80
10.A producer must select a duo, consisting of one lead actor and one supporting actor, from six candidates. What is the number of possible duos the producer could select?
possible duos
11.Jane must select three different items for each dinner she will serve. The items are to be chosen from among five different vegetarian and four different meat selections. If at least one of the selections must be vegetarian, how many different dinners could Jane create?
1. 30
2. 40
3. 60
4. 70
5. 80
12.A computer can perform 30 identical tasks in six hours. At that rate, what is the minimum number of computers that should be assigned to complete 80 tasks within three hours?
computers
13.Given a positive integer c, how many integers are greater than c and less than 2c?
1. 
2. c
3. c − 1
4. c − 2
5. c + 1
14.If the ratio of 2a to b is 8 times the ratio of b to a, then 
could be which of the following?
Indicate all possible choices.
1. −2
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 2
15. 
15.In the figure above, the area of ΔABC is 35. What is the length of DC?
16.If 3m = 81, then m3 =
1. 4
2. 9
3. 16
4. 64
5. 81
17.If 0 < x < 1, which of the following must be true?
Indicate all possible choices.
1. 2x < x
2. 2x < 1
3. 2x > 1
4. x2 < x
5. x2 < 1
18.Questions 18–20 are based on the following graphs.
19. 
20.
1.
18.In 1995, how many of the categories shown had energy use greater than 150 million kilowatt-hours?
1. None
2. One
3. Two
4. Three
5. Four
19.If the population of Country Y in 2005 was 500 million, what was the per capita personal energy use in 2005? (in millions of kilowatt-hours)
1. 0.04
2. 0.14
3. 0.27
4. 0.37
5. 0.50
20.According to the graphs, total kilowatt-hours of energy for farm use increased between which of the following years?
Choose all that apply.
1. 1990 and 1995
2. 1995 and 2000
3. 2000 and 2005
4. 2005 and 2010
YOU HAVE FINISHED THIS SECTION AND NOW WILL BEGIN THE NEXT SECTION.
Verbal Reasoning 2
30 Minutes 20 Questions
Directions
For each item, select the best answer choice using the directions given.
If a question has answer choices with ovals, then the correct answer will be a single choice. If a question’s answer choices have squares, the correct answer may be more than one choice. Be sure to read all directions carefully.
1.
2. Select one answer choice for the blank. Fill in the blank in such a way that it best completes the text.
1. The current need for diversification does not mean the organization should be diverted from its earlier and historical purpose; instead, this diversification should be construed as a means of that purpose.
1. undermining
2. furthering
3. retracting
4. classifying
5. deterring
2. For each blank, select an answer choice from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in such a way that they best complete the text.
3.
1.
2. Animals rely on a combination of internal traits and external behaviors to survive. Bees, for example, have a keen sense of smell that enables them to (i) kin from foe. Their ability to resist (ii) , by contrast, is deficient, making them vulnerable to disease. Scientists speculate that the observed extensive grooming among hive mates (iii) various diseases, thus protecting the colony.
|
1. promulgate 2. discern 3. arbitrate |
4. pathogens 5. cold 6. poison |
7. minimizes incursions by 8. implicates replication of 9. simulates action by |
3. A United Nations working group issued a report describing (i) need to draw up valid plans for dealing with the global water crisis. The report emphasizes the critical necessity of galvanizing political efforts to (ii) resources and (iii) international attention on both water and sanitation.
|
1. an exigent 2. a cretaceous 3. a specious |
4. produce ineffable 5. retain abundant 6. mobilize limited |
7. foment 8. focus 9. ferment |
4. Select one answer choice for the blank. Fill in the blank in such a way that it best completes the text.
4. Although the French general Henri Philippe Pétain was greatly honored for his role as military leader of France during World War I, he incurred for his collaboration during the German occupation of France during World War II.
1. status
2. reputation
3. kudos
4. recompense
5. obloquy
5. For each blank, select an answer choice from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in such a way that they best complete the text.
5. Cellophane—the transparent, plasticky film used everywhere to wrap food—is actually a paper product. Implausibly, this (i) material is made from the same components as the opaque brown paper bag. Its inventor, Jacques E. Brandenberger, originally conceived of cellophane as a means to prevent stains, but after the wider utility of the product became (ii) to him, he patented cellophane and it became (iii) .
|
1. diaphanous 2. standardized 3. opaque |
4. marketable 5. apparent 6. fashionable |
7. amorphous 8. ingenuous 9. ubiquitous |
6. Select one answer choice for the blank. Fill in the blank in such a way that it best completes the text.
6. Unlike most other philosophers, who try to determine whether an objective reality exists, David Hume felt that the issue was .
1. pragmatic
2. challenging
3. theoretical
4. insoluble
5. esoteric
7. For the following questions, select the two answer choices that, when inserted into the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and yield complete sentences that are similar in meaning.
8.
1.
7. A portion of the population still disregards warnings about the effects of nicotine and continues to smoke, believing no harm is done to its health, even though a plethora of evidence exists to the contrary.
1. deleterious
2. addictive
3. anemic
4. antagonistic
5. benign
6. pernicious
8. To the public’s great shock, the group recently voted into power on a platform of peaceable reform conducted acts against existing branches of government as soon as the election was over.
1. contumacious
2. endemic
3. erratic
4. estimable
5. irresolute
6. seditious
9. Photo retouching and inflated claims are so well concealed in most advertising campaigns that consumers are unaware of the being employed.
1. cabal
2. artifice
3. hegemony
4. chicanery
5. dominance
6. imprecation
10.The performers agreed that the topic of marriage was an excellent theme for their upcoming performance at a conservative organization’s charity event; however, the audience was unreceptive to the jokes made during the show.
1. plucky
2. ribald
3. coarse
4. traitorous
5. politic
6. treacherous
9. Question 11 is based on the passage below.
11.Although sharks are classified as fish, they differ significantly in several respects from other freshwater and saltwater fish. Most significantly, a shark’s skeleton is composed of lightweight, flexible cartilage, providing an advantage in hunting other marine life; other superclasses of fish have stable calcified skeletons. Additionally, sharks possess no swim bladder, the small organ that allows most fish to control their buoyancy; instead, a substantial liver filled with oil works to keep the sharks afloat.
In the argument given, the two highlighted sentences play which of the following roles?
1. The first supports the conclusion of the argument; the second summarizes a position that is in opposition to that conclusion.
2. The first provides support for the conclusion of the argument; the second provides that conclusion.
3. The first states the main point of the argument; the second states an opposing point.
4. The first serves as an intermediate conclusion; the second states the ultimate conclusion.
5. The first states the conclusion of the argument; the second provides support for that conclusion.
12.Question 12 is based on the passage below.
12.The Dewey decimal system provided the first standardized, easily understood method of classifying the items in a library’s collection. Classification, in combination with the process of cataloging, meant that patrons could easily identify and locate for themselves items that had a certain title, were written by a certain author, or related to a given subject. Because the system was adopted at most libraries, patrons who learned the system could use it at any library.
Based on the information in the passage, it can be inferred that, prior to the implementation of the Dewey decimal system,
1. libraries were generally small enough that no classification system was needed.
2. libraries refused to make public the systems they used to classify books.
3. patrons may have relied heavily on library staff to identify and locate the materials they sought.
4. more people worked as librarians than after its use became widespread.
5. library patrons were never able to understand the order in which books were shelved.
13.Questions 13 and 14 are based on the passage below.
14.The first smallpox prevention methods were inoculations, intentional infections with active diseased matter that typically caused a mild illness and would later result in immunity. Modern epidemiologists believe that inoculated patients were less likely to contract a fatal case of smallpox because they contracted the disease through skin contact, not inhalation. However, due to extreme disparities in the type and amount of virus used, health practitioners could offer no real prediction of how severe a case a given patient might contract after being inoculated. Inoculation differs from vaccination, which uses a standard dose of dead or weakened virus culture and therefore poses a much lower risk of fatal infection. After a smallpox vaccine was developed in the 1790s, inoculation gradually fell from favor and was eventually banned in numerous jurisdictions.
15.
1.
2. Consider each of the following choices separately and select all that apply.
13.Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?
1. Vaccination replaced inoculation because it was a safer method of protecting against disease.
2. Two random doses of a vaccine are likely to be more similar than two random doses of an inoculum.
3. Prior to the 1790s, live virus cultures were often used in tuberculosis inoculations.
14.In the context in which it appears, “contracted” most nearly means which of the following?
1. agreed
2. shrunk
3. acquired
4. shortened
5. hired
16.Questions 15–20 are based on the passage below.
17.Surveying paradigmatic works of tragic literature from antiquity to the present alongside the immense and ever-growing body of secondary literature on the subject, the literary critic Terry Eagleton arrived at the pat judgment that not only had no satisfactory definition of tragedy been offered to date, but also that none besides the admittedly vacuous “very sad” could ever be offered. Overly broad definitions, which for all intents and purposes equate the tragic with seriousness, lead invariably to Scylla; overly narrow ones, such as the Renaissance-inspired struggle theory, to Charybdis. Notwithstanding this definitional dilemma, Eagleton’s conclusion, as clear a case of defeatism as any heretofore advanced, leaves much to be desired.
In A Definition of Tragedy, Oscar Mandel, who is decidedly more sanguine than Eagleton on this score, discerns in Aristotle’s De Poetica the rudiments of a substantive definition of the tragic. Following the spirit, albeit not the letter, of Aristotle’s text, Mandel sets forth three requirements for any work to be counted as tragic, the third weighing most heavily in his account. First, it must have a protagonist whom we highly (or at least moderately) esteem. Second, it must show how the protagonist comes to suffer greatly. And, third, it must reveal how the protagonist’s downfall was inevitably but unwittingly brought about by his or her own action. It is plain to see that, of the three requirements, the third (call this the inevitability requirement) is beyond question the most contentious as well as the most dubious. The truth is that the inevitability requirement is entirely too stringent. While it may be a sufficient condition, it is not, Mandel’s assertions notwithstanding, the sine qua non of tragic literature.
One need look no further than Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, a quintessential work of modern tragedy, to see why this is so. In a provincial capital quite remote from cosmopolitan Moscow, the well-educated, tireless, but spiritually drained sisters are ground down by the inexorable forces of time and fortune. Their failure to leave for Moscow, the childhood home they yearn for, can be understood as their failure to extricate themselves from the tedious and insufferable life brought on by their workaday habits. This suggests a certain acknowledgment on their part of their powerlessness to defy the hands of fate. In the final analysis, the question of whether the protagonist’s fate is sealed in consequence of tragic action, as in Greek and Renaissance tragic dramas, or of inaction, as with modern tragedies, has very little to do with one of the absolutely essential ingredients of tragic literature. That ingredient, of course, is the profound sense of insurmountable powerlessness that yields an unnameable, implacable feeling expressing alienation from life itself.
18.
14.
15.While discussing Terry Eagleton’s work, the author alludes to Scylla and Charybdis in order to
1. point out the principal faults with Eagleton’s ideas about tragedy
2. argue for the importance of understanding myths in our investigation into the nature of tragedy
3. establish that a dilemma pertaining to the essence of tragedy has its origin in myth
4. illustrate how a dilemma common to other intellectual inquiries also applies to our understanding of tragedy
5. delineate the potential problems that lie in wait for anyone who wishes to define tragedy
16.The primary purpose of the passage is to
1. criticize Eagleton’s view that the most adequate definition of tragedy is “very sad”
2. cast doubt on Eagleton’s and Mandel’s views of tragic literature for failing to enumerate all the necessary conditions for tragedy
3. conclude, after analyzing the views of two literary theorists, that tragedy cannot be defined adequately
4. criticize Eagleton’s view that tragedy cannot be adequately defined and Mandel’s view that tragedy requires tragic action and to offer up another condition indispensable for tragedy
5. find fault with Eagleton’s view that tragedy amounts to what is “very sad” and Mandel’s view that tragedy requires great suffering in order to advance a new definition of tragedy in their place
17.The author’s attitude toward Three Sisters can best be characterized as
1. laudatory
2. conciliatory
3. despondent
4. myopic
5. diffident
18.It can reasonably be inferred from the author’s assessments of Eagleton’s and Mandel’s views of tragedy that
1. Mandel’s and Eagleton’s conceptions of tragedy can ultimately be dismissed
2. both theorists fall short of the mark of what constitutes tragedy, but for different reasons
3. the tragic has as much to do with what is very sad as it has to do with the inevitability requirement
4. the fact that tragic heroes undergo great suffering is at the center of both accounts
5. tragic literature is most fully understood when it combines the insights of many different thinkers
19.The author voices dissatisfaction with Mandel’s conception of tragedy by
1. describing in some detail how a particular genre influences the way we think about tragic literature more generally
2. analyzing a work of literature in order to help us appreciate its supreme aesthetic value
3. raising a pointed objection and supporting the objection with a counterexample
4. quibbling with the main criteria, none of which are applicable to a particular work of literature
5. cogently defending conclusions about works of tragedy that, on pain of contradiction, Mandel cannot accept
20.Regarding the passage as a whole, the author’s opinion of the first and second requirements spelled out in Mandel’s definition of tragedy is most likely that
1. neither the first nor the second requirement fits very easily with the condition of powerlessness that the author defends in the final paragraph
2. the first, but not the second, requirement is essentially at odds with the author’s claim that Chekhov’s Three Sisters is a work that exemplifies the condition of powerlessness
3. the second, but not the first, requirement would have to be rejected on the grounds that it is ostensibly the case that the sisters in Three Sisters do not undergo great suffering
4. in light of the condition of powerlessness that the author endorses, it can be concluded that both requirements should not figure prominently in any account of tragedy
5. neither the first nor the second requirement should be necessarily ruled out in our attempt to grasp the essence of tragedy, provided that neither is antithetical to the condition of powerlessness
YOU HAVE FINISHED THIS SECTION AND NOW WILL BEGIN THE NEXT SECTION.
Quantitative Reasoning 2
35 Minutes 20 Questions
Directions
For each question, indicate the best answer, using the directions given.
You may use a calculator for all the questions in this section.
If a question has answer choices with ovals, then the correct answer is a single choice. If a question has answer choices with squares, then the correct answer consists of one or more answer choices. Read each question carefully.
Important Facts:
All numbers used are real numbers.
All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise noted.
Geometric figures, such as lines, circles, triangles, and quadrilaterals, may or may not be drawn to scale. That is, you should not assume that quantities such as lengths and angle measures are as they appear in a drawing. But you can assume that lines shown as straight are indeed straight, points on a line are in the order shown, and all geometric objects are in the relative positions shown. For questions involving drawn figures, base your answers on geometric reasoning, rather than on estimation, measurement, or comparison by sight.
Coordinate systems, such as xy-planes and number lines, are drawn to scale. Therefore, you may read, estimate, and compare quantities in these figures by sight or by measurement.
Graphical data presentations, such as bar graphs, line graphs, and pie charts, are drawn to scale. Therefore, you may read, estimate, and compare data values by sight or by measurement.
1.
1. The perimeter of isosceles ΔABC is 40, and the length of side BC is 12.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The length of side AB |
14 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
2. f(x) = (x + 3)2
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
f(0.5) |
9 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
3.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The number of miles traveled by a car that traveled for four hours at an average speed of 40 miles per hour |
The number of miles traveled by a train that traveled for two and a half hours at an average speed of 70 miles per hour |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
4. A single cookie weighs between 5 and 15 grams.
A single grape weighs exactly 1 gram.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The number of cookies in a bag that weighs 300 grams and contains only cookies |
The number of grapes in a bag that weighs 50 grams and contains only grapes |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
5. 
5.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The length of side AB |
The length of side BC |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given
6. 
6.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The length of segment PQ |
2 |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
7. x < y
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
y − x |
x − y |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
8. 
8.
|
Quantity A |
Quantity B |
|
The length of side AD |
The length of side AC |
1. Quantity A is greater.
2. Quantity B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
9. 
9. The two circles with centers A and B have the same radius, r. If r = 3, what is the perimeter of rectangle PQRS?
1. 12
2. 18
3. 24
4. 36
5. 48
10.What is the least integer value of x for which 
is greater than 0?
1. −2
2. −1
3. 0
4. 1
5. 2
11.If 
then 
1. 
2. 
3. 1
4. 
5. 
12. 
12.What is the area of the shaded region in the figure above?
square units
13.Which of the following is 850% greater than 8 × 103?
1. 8.5 × 103
2. 6.4 × 104
3. 6.8 × 104
4. 7.6 × 104
5. 1.6 × 105
14.Which of the following are divisible by exactly 4 distinct, positive integers?
Indicate all possible numbers.
1. 4
2. 6
3. 8
4. 12
5. 14
15. 
15.The figure above represents a triangular field. What is the minimum distance, in meters, that a person would have to walk to go from point A to a point on side BC?
meters
16.If the average of two numbers is 3y and one of the numbers is y − z, what is the other number, in terms of y and z?
1. y + z
2. 3y + z
3. 4y − z
4. 5y − z
5. 5y + z
17.Which points lie on the graph of 
Indicate all possible choices.
1. (−3, −5)
2. (−2, −4)
3. (−1, −3)
4. 
5. 
18.Questions 18–20 refer to the charts below.
19. 
20.
1.
18.Which of the following physician specialties had the lowest ratio of males to females in 1986?
1. family practice
2. general surgery
3. obstetrics/gynecology
4. pediatrics
5. psychiatry
19.If the number of female general surgery physicians in the under-35 category represented 3.5 percent of all the general surgery physicians, approximately how many male general surgery physicians were under 35 years?
1. 9,200
2. 9,800
3. 10,750
4. 11,260
5. 11,980
20.Approximately what percent of all general practice physicians in 1986 were male?
1. 23%
2. 50%
3. 75%
4. 82%
5. 90%
Your Practice Test is now complete.