Crash Course for the New GRE, 4th Edition (2011)

Part III. Drills

VERBAL DRILL #1

  1. Children, after more than a generation of television, have become “hasty viewers”; as a result, if the camera lags, the attention of these young viewers _______.

          expands

          starts

          alternates

          wanes

          clarifies

  2. Certainly the architect’s ____ is not due to his promotional skills, indeed, he isolated himself from everything that could disturb his work.

          proficiency

          temperament

          prominence

          superiority

          reticence

  3. The violinist’s (i)____ performance, coupled with the (ii) ____ cadences of the renowned composer’s music, roused the audience to a standing ovation.

  4. Research into early childhood education, which advocates providing toddlers as young as two or three with a plenitude of intellectually-stimulating activities, has produced (i)____ results. Such findings, however, have failed to (ii)____ many parents from enrolling their children in such unproven programs.

  5. Classical economics views humans as rational, pragmatic creatures who nonetheless seek to maximize their own (i)____. Veblen, in contrast, depicts humans as (ii)____ beings, pursuing social status with (iii)____ regard for their own happiness.

  6. While (i) ____ has always been a problem in college classrooms, some feared the availability of online resources would cause the problem to (ii) ____. However, educators have been able to take advantage of internet tools to check their students’ work against any material online and thus (iii) ____ that their students are truly submitting their own work and not simply copying from a website.

  7. The skill level of medieval stoneworkers clearly exceeds that of their modern counterparts. A trade journal recently published the results of a decade-long survey of master stonemasons in Europe. According to the report, a clear majority of respondents noted that medieval cathedrals exhibit a consistently higher level of craftsmanship in their stonework than do similar edifices built in the last hundred years.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the above argument?

          The stonemason’s main tools are virtually unchanged since the Middle Ages.

          The stonework in cathedrals is typical of that in surviving medieval structures.

          Most medieval cathedrals are significantly larger than modern stone edifices.

          The practice of apprenticeship had declined significantly since the Middle Ages.

          Higher quality stonework is less likely to fall into disrepair and be destroyed.

Reading Comprehension

Questions 8–11 refer to the following passage.

  8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

          present an overview of the economic changes that led to the English women’s movement

          evaluate a view of the English women’s movement as presented in a literary work

          describe the social and political context of the women’s movement in England

          offer a novel analysis of England’s reaction to the women’s movement

          profile several of the women who were instrumental in the success of the English women’s movement

  9. The author includes Strachey’s claim that “the true history of the Women’s Movement … is the whole history of the nineteenth century” (lines 16–18) in order to emphasize

          Strachey’s belief that the advancement of women’s rights was the most significant development of its century

          the importance Strachey attributes to the women’s movement in bringing about the Enlightenment

          Strachey’s awareness of the interconnection of the women’s movement and other societal changes in the 1800s

          Strachey’s contention that the women’s movement, unlike other social and political developments of the time, actually transformed society

          Strachey’s argument that the nineteenth century must play a role in any criticism of the limitations of women

10. While the author acknowledges Strachey’s importance in the study of women’s history, she faults Strachey for

          focusing her study on the legal and political reform enacted by the women’s movement

          oversimplifying her conception of the social condition of women prior to the reforms of the women’s movement

          failing to eliminate the anachronistic idea of “women’s duty” from her articulation of nineteenth-century feminism

          omitting Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More from her discussion of important influences in feminism

          recommending a static and domestic social role for women following the women’s movement

11. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the author’s assertion about the similarity between the English and American women’s movements?

          The English and American women’s movements took place in very different sociohistorical climates.

          The English women’s movement began almost a century before the American women’s movement.

          The English women’s movement excluded men, while the American women’s movement did not.

          Few members of the English women’s movement were aware of the impact it would have on society.

          Many participants in the English women’s movement continued to perform traditional domestic roles.

12. Though not completely ____, the newest edition of the book is certainly very different from any previously published version.

          familiar

          unrecognizable

          answerable

          legitimate

          reworked

          gentrified

13. Merzon’s ____ behavior convinced his colleagues that he had ulterior motives.

          inconspicuous

          furtive

          overt

          unorthodox

          predictable

          surreptitious

14. With its refined interiors and amply stocked reading room, the hotel catered to the most ____ of travelers.

          philistine

          urbane

          cosmopolitan

          uncouth

          grandiloquent

          pretentious

15. By far not the most ____ of men, Wilbert nonetheless enjoyed renown that was unimpeded by his inherent irascibility.

          loquacious

          pedantic

          amiable

          garrulous

          affable

          stentorian

16. Click on the sentence in the passage that best supports the author’s main idea.

It is hard from our modern perspective to imagine that theater has the power to influence politics, yet the plays of pre-republican Ireland did just that. Crippled by the censorious English rule and muted by population migration, Irish culture had fallen into an almost irrevocable decline by the second half of the 19th Century. A group of Dublin intellectuals and writers, calling themselves the Gaelic League, formed a society dedicated to the revival of Irish culture. Among its illustrious members, the League boasted William Butler Yeats, J.M. Synge, Sean O’Casey, and Lady Gregory. The founding of the Abbey Theatre and the production of Irish plays were directly responsible for the resurgence of interest in Irish language and culture, culminating in the European Union’s decision in 2005 to make Irish an official language of that body.

Questions 17–20 refer to the following passage.

17. Which of the following best describes the reason that scientists were initially perplexed at the discovery that malaria was spread by Anopheles mosquitoes?

          Scientists had evidence that malaria was carried by the protozoan blood parasite Plasmodium.

          Scientists felt that because so many species of Anopheles existed, they could not be carriers.

          Scientists were unable to find a direct correlation between Anopheles density and frequency of malaria occurrence.

          Scientists knew that many species of Anopheles mosquito did not feed on human blood.

          Scientists believed that the Anopheles mosquito could not be host to the parasite Plasmodium.

18. In the context in which it appears, “host” (line 12) most nearly means

          scarcity

          sacrament

          multitude

          organism receiving a transplant

          organism supporting a parasite

19. It can be inferred from the passage that a mosquito becomes a carrier of malaria when

          it ingests the blood of a human being infected with malaria

          it lives in regions where malaria is widespread

          it consumes blood from a protozoan malarial agent

          it has extended contact with other insect vectors

          it is spawned in Plasmodium-infested localities

20. The bolded text plays which of the following roles in the passage?

          It provides evidence to weaken the author’s main point.

          It provides evidence to strengthen the author’s main point.

          It clarifies the importance of solving a paradox expressed in the passage.

          It gives the resolution to a paradox expressed in the passage.

          It explains why a paradox expressed in the passage resisted easy resolution.

VERBAL DRILL 2

  1. Many scholars feel that historical events can be seen as ____; what one group sees as peacekeeping, another group might see as subjugation.

          academic

          portentous

          paradoxical

          trifling

          bellicose

  2. The American public venerates medical researchers because the researchers make frequent discoveries of tremendous humanitarian consequence; however, the daily routines of scientists are largely made up of result verification and statistical analysis, making their occupation seem ____.

          fascinating

          quotidian

          recalcitrant

          experimental

          amorphous

  3. The (i) ____ clothing store faced its first real crisis just six months after opening when new owners took over the building, raised the rent (ii) ____, and asked for a five-year extension on the lease.

  4. Ronald Reagan became known as “The Great Communicator” particularly because of his ability to make (i) ____ topics in domestic and foreign affairs more (ii) ____ to persons of widely varying educational levels.

  5. The census taker’s (i) ____ job is made even more difficult by the (ii) ____ nature of modern civilization. Increasing numbers of people seldom reside in any one place for very long. Even among those who do remain (iii) ____, however, there are frequent changes of livelihood, income, and even socioeconomic status.

  6. By nightfall the city council debate had long since degenerated into (i) ____. What had begun in the late afternoon as an earnest but polite discussion turned personal as both sides hurled (ii) ____ and personal attacks at each other. Disinterested observers, however, blamed the (iii)____ chairman of the council for allowing such disarray, arguing that a moderator with more experience could have managed the meeting more constructively.

Reading Comprehension

Questions 7-9 refer to the following passage.

  7. The passage mentions the difference between “sponsors” and “advertisers” primarily in order to

          illustrate the confusing nature of legal proceedings that surround naming rights’ deals

          provide an example of the kinds of issues that surround a naming rights agreement

          prove that it is always important to consider terminology carefully

          reveal the pernicious nature of one and the benevolent nature of the other

          explain why communities often do not benefit from neighborhood stadiums

  8. In which sentence of the passage does the author attempt to anticipate and preclude a possible reaction on the part of the reader?

          Building a new sports or entertainment facility is a major financial undertaking; as branding and sponsorship become increasingly ubiquitous, it is perhaps inevitable that big business will shoulder more of the burden in exchange for publicity.

          Theoretically, the selling of naming rights seems like a win-win proposition, but practically, the situation is more complicated.

          For companies, naming rights alone often do not justify the high prices charged.

          Thus, the difficulty of reaching a mutually acceptable wording of complicated agreements creates a quagmire of litigation.

          Though the practice was nearly unheard of thirty-five years ago, there are currently 72 sponsorship deals in place.

  9. In the context in which it appears in the last paragraph, the word “practice” most nearly means

          observance

          rite

          rehearsal

          action

          office

Questions 10–11 refer to the following passage.

  10. With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?

          Aristophanes was uniquely influential among Athenian playwrights.

          Wartime comedies without a serious message are inappropriate subjects of study.

          Some knowledge of history can be useful in interpreting literature from other eras.

  11. The author mentions the oracle primarily in order to

          emphasize the importance of Lampito among the conspirators

          provide additional evidence in support of the main idea of the passage

          clarify the origins of the conspiracy in the play

          suggest that earlier interpretations of Lysistrata were based on false assumptions

          concede a point in opposition to the main idea of the passage

Question 12 refers to the following passage.

  12. The above argument depends on which of the following as an assumption?

          Cancer is not being diagnosed in progressively earlier stages.

          The trend is more pronounced in some kinds of cancer than in others.

          Fewer people are diagnosed with cancer each year.

          The number of patients whose cancer goes into full remission is also rising.

          Cancer is no longer the leading cause of death among people over 60 years of age.

  13. Fervent schisms among the delegates were largely overplayed; the area of ____ was sizable enough to keep the convention from being disbanded.

          congruence

          asperity

          contradiction

          concurrence

          impassivity

          truculence

  14. What Andrew Johnson lacked in education he made up for with his ______; though he never attended school, he taught himself to read and write, entered politics, and ultimately succeeded Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States.

          mettle

          timidity

          tenacity

          tenuousness

          candor

          alacrity

  15. The ____ sales clerk, desperate to unload her burgeoning inventory, unwittingly drove many a potential customer away with her pushy, overeager manner.

          loquacious

          irreverent

          officious

          innocuous

          meddlesome

          vigilant

  16. ____ is no guarantee of worker loyalty; even the most compliant of employees may be motivated by a hidden agenda.

          effrontery

          deference

          prevarication

          complaisance

          truculence

          chicanery

Questions 17–18 refer to the following passage.

  17. In the context in which is appears, “pique” most nearly means

          impair

          heal

          excite

          relax

          irritate

  18. The passage explains the conventional focus of substance abuse research in order to

          argue that such an approach is based on a false understanding of the way that most illegal drugs act on the brain

          suggest that the positron emission technology is not accurate in its depiction of D2 reduction

          provide evidence in favor of continuing research into DAT blockage

          make clear why the discovery of an alternateconsequence of substance abuse might be unexpected

          offer a reasonable explanation for the inability of many people to overcome drug addiction

Questions 19–20 refer to the following passage.

  19. The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?

          How far from a central homestead could oxen be driven for a day’s work?

          What developments helped lead to the military primacy of horses?

          What made ancient harnesses unsuitable for horses?

  20. In the above passage, the text in boldface plays which of the following roles?

          It cites factors facilitating the development under discussion.

          It cites factors inhibiting the development under discussion.

          It eliminates an alternate cause for the development under discussion.

          It resolves a paradox presented in the passage.

          It suggests further ramifications of a paradox presented in the passage.

MATH DRILL 1

RSTU is a parallelogram

  1.

Quantity A

Quantity B

x

45

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Mr. Jones purchased a new bedroom set by using an extended payment plan. The regular price of the set was $900, but on the payment plan he paid $300 up front and 9 monthly payments of $69 each.

  2.

Quantity A

Quantity B

$23

The amount Mr. Jones paid in addition to the regular price of the bedroom set.

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  3.

Quantity A

Quantity B

The perimeter of triangle BCD

          42          

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

The circumference of a circle with a radius of  meter is C meters.

  4.

Quantity A

Quantity B

C

4

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  5.

Quantity A

Quantity B

x + 1

1 − x

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

The average (arithmetic mean) of two positive integers is equal to 17. Each of the integers is greater than 12.

  6.

Quantity A

Quantity B

Twice the larger of the two integers

          44          

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  7.

Quantity A

Quantity B

xy

x 

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  8.

Quantity A

Quantity B

          30          

The number of integers from 15 to −15, inclusive

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  9. Mike bought a used car and had it repainted. If the cost of the paint job was one-fifth of the purchase price of the car, and if the cost of the car and the paint job combined was $4,800, then what was the purchase price of the car?

          $800

          $960

          $3,840

          $4,000

          $4,250

Note: Figure is not drawn to scale.

10. What is the perimeter of the figure above?

          51

          64

          68

          77

          91

11. If x and y are integers and xy is an even integer, which of the following must be an odd integer?

          xy + 5

          x + y

          

          4x

          7xy

12. If 3x = −2, then (3x − 3)2 = 

13. In the figure above, what does b equal if a = 3b?

          40

          30

          25

          20

          10

Questions 14-16 refer to the following chart.

14. If the total number of registered voters in Township X increased 10% from 2000 to 2010, then how many registered voters were in Township X in 2000 ?

15. How many registered voters in Township X in 2010 were females, less than 48 years old, or both?

          5,701

          5,715

          6,745

          6,815

          8,106

16. In Township X in 2010, the ratio of the number of voters registered as Democrats to the number of male registered voters age 48 to 62 was most nearly

          1 to 1

          2 to 1

          3 to 1

          3 to 2

          5 to 2

17. What is the least number r for which (3r + 2)(r − 3) = 0?

           3

           2

          

            

            3

18. What is the perimeter, in centimeters, of a rectangular newspaper ad 14 centimeters wide that has the same area as a rectangular newspaper ad 52 centimeters long and 28 centimeters wide?

19. In a certain election, 60 percent of the voters were women. If 30 percent of the women and 20 percent of the men voted for candidate X, what percent of all the voters in that election voted for candidate X?

          18%

          25%

          26%

          30%

          50%

20. Which of the following is an integer if

K = 21 × 54 × 22?

 

 

 

 

 

 

MATH DRILL 2

  1.

Quantity A

Quantity B

4(26)

6(42)

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  2.

Quantity A

Quantity B

The percent increase from 4 to 5

The percent decrease from 5 to 4

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  3.

Quantity A

Quantity B

The circumference of a circular region with radius r

The perimeter of a square with side r

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  4.

Quantity A

Quantity B

The average (arithmetic mean) of 7, 3, 4, and 2

The average (arithmetic mean) of 2a + 5, 4a, and 7 − 6a

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  5.

Quantity A

Quantity B

The area of the shaded region in ABC divided by the area of the unshaded region in ABC.
Triangle ABC is isosceles.

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  6.

Quantity A

Quantity B

317 + 318

(4)317

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  7.

Quantity A

Quantity B

b + c

180 − a

          Quantity A is greater.

          Quantity B is greater.

          The two quantities are equal.

          The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

  8. If the cost of a one-hour telephone call is $7.20, what would be the cost of a ten-minute telephone call at the same rate?

          $7.10

          $3.60

          $1.80

          $1.20

          $0.72

  9. What is the value of n in the figure above?

          9

          15

          16

          12

          20

10. If x + y = z and x = y, then which of the following must be true?

          2x + 2y = 2z

          x − y = 0

          x − z = y − z

          x = z

          x − y = 2z

11. A movie theater is 3 blocks due north of a supermarket and a beauty parlor is 4 blocks due east of the movie theater. How many blocks long is the street that runs directly from the supermarket to the beauty parlor?

          2.5

          3

          4

          5

          7

12. The units digit of a 2-digit number is 3 times the tens digit. If the digits are reversed, the resulting number is 36 more than the original number. What is the original number?

          13

          26

          36

          62

          93

13. A restaurant owner sold 2 dishes to each of his customers at $4 per dish. At the end of the day, he had taken in $180, which included $20 in tips. How many customers did he serve?

Questions 14-16 refer to the following charts.

(Click here to view a larger image.)

14. Which of the following categories of charitable causes received the third-greatest amount in private donations from January 1971 to April 1978?

          Disaster Relief

          Homeless Aid

          Environmental Protection

          Child Safety

          “Other” Causes

15. If funds contributed to child safety organizations in September 1989 were distributed evenly to those organizations, approximately how much did each charity receive?

          $12,000,000

          $9,400,000

          $2,500,000

          $250,000

          $38,000

16. From September 1985 to December 1989, what was the approximate ratio of Private Donations, in millions, to Homeless Aid to Private Donations, in millions, to Animal Rights?

          20:9

          3:2

          4:3

          9:7

          5:6

17. Alex gave Jonathan a dollars. She gave Gina two dollars more than she gave Jonathan and she gave Louanne three dollars less than she gave Gina. In terms of a, how many dollars did Alex give Gina, Jonathan, and Louanne altogether?

          

          a − 1

          3a

          3a − 1

          3a + 1

18. If m + n = p, then m2 + 2mn + n2 =

          4p

          np − m

          p2

          p2 + 4 (m + p)

          p2 + np + m2

19. For all real numbers x and y, if x * y = x(x − y), then x * (x * y) =

          x2 − xy

          x2 − 2xy

          x3 − x2 − xy

          x3 − (xy)2

          x2 − x3 + x2y

20. If x is an integer 1 < x < 10, then which of the following could be the remainder when 117 is divided by x?

          1

          2

          3

          4

          5

          6

          7