Barron's GRE, 18th Edition (2009)

Part 1. INTRODUCTION/DIAGNOSTIC TEST

Chapter 1. What You Need to Know About the GRE

AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPUTER-BASED GRE GENERAL TEST

The GRE General Test is an examination designed to measure the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills you have developed in the course of your academic career. High GRE scores strongly correlate with the probability of success in graduate school: the higher you score, the more likely you are to complete your graduate degree. For this reason, many graduate and professional schools require applicants to take the GRE General Test, a test now given only on computer. (They may also require you to take a GRE Subject Test in your particular field. Subject Tests currently are available in 14 fields.)

The computer-based GRE General Test you take will have three or four sections. There will always be

·        a 30-question verbal section (30 minutes)

·        a 28-question quantitative section (45 minutes)

·        an analytical writing section composed of two tasks (75 minutes)

   In addition, there may be

·        an unidentified experimental section, which would be a second verbal or quantitative section

   Occasionally there may be

·        an identified optional research section

The verbal section measures your ability to use words as tools in reasoning; you are tested not only on the extent of your vocabulary but on your ability to discern the relationships that exist both within written passages and among individual groups of words. The quantitative section measures your ability to use and reason with numbers or mathematical concepts; you are tested not on advanced mathematical theory but on general concepts expected to be part of everyone’s academic background. The analytical writing section measures your ability to make rational assessments about unfamiliar, fictitious relationships and to logically present your perspective on an issue.

There are four very important points you should be aware of:

1.    In each multiple-choice section, before you can move from one question to the next, you must answer the question currently on the screen.

2.    Once you have clicked on an answer and confirmed your choice, you cannot go back to that question and change your answer choice.

3.    Not every question is worth the same number of points; harder questions are worth more than easy ones.

4.    The GRE General Test does not penalize you for incorrect answers. When you don’t know an answer, try to make an educated guess by eliminating clearly incorrect choices; if you can’t eliminate any choices, make a wild guess, and move on.

Keep these points in mind as you learn more about what’s on the computer-based test, and, in the next chapter, about the tactics and strategies that will help you maximize your test score.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMPUTER-BASED GRE

How Does the GRE Differ from Other Tests?

Most tests college students take are straightforward achievement tests. They attempt to find out how much you have learned, usually in a specific subject, and how well you can apply that information. Without emphasizing memorized data, the GRE General Test attempts to measure verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills that you have acquired over the years both in and out of school.

Although the GRE General Test is claimed to measure skills that you have developed over a long period, even a brief period of intensive study can make a great difference in your eventual GRE scores. By thoroughly familiarizing yourself with the process of computer-based testing, the GRE test format, and the various question types, you can enhance your chances of doing well on the test and of being accepted by the graduate school of your choice.

How Can I Learn to Handle the Mechanics of Taking a Computer-Based Test?

By using the CD-ROM that accompanies this book, you will become familiar with everything you need to know. In addition, at the test site before you get to the actual computer-based GRE, you have to work through four tutorials that train you in the mechanics of taking this particular test. They are

·        How to Use a Mouse

·        How to Select an Answer

·        How to Use the Testing Tools

·        How to Scroll

You can’t skip these tutorials; they’re mandatory, even for computer majors. They’re also important — every computer program has its idiosyncrasies, and you need to familiarize yourself with how to handle this particular computer setup.

Plan to take your time on these tutorials, and don’t worry about how much time you’re taking. The 20 to 30 minutes you spend working through the tutorials before you begin testing don’t count against your time for taking the test. You can even use this free time to organize your scratch paper before you begin the actual timed test. (More on setting up your scratch paper later.)

What Is It Like to Take a Computer-Based GRE?

You sit in a carrel in a computer lab or testing center, facing a computer screen. You may be alone in the room, or other test-takers may be taking tests in nearby carrels. With your mouse, you click on an icon to start your test. A question appears on screen. You answer it, clicking on the oval next to your answer choice. Satisfied with your answer, you click on a box marked Confirm, to indicate you have no second thoughts about your choice. Then, ready to move on, you click on the box marked Next. A new question appears on screen, and you go through the process again.

This is what it is like to take a computerized GRE. At the end of the first section, you are given a one-minute break. After finishing the second section, you have a ten-minute break. The third section may include another one-minute break. (This is the most likely scenario; it’s possible you may be instructed to answer a fourth experimental section.)

How Does Taking a Computer-Based Test Differ from Taking a Pencil-and-Paper Test?

On a pencil-and-paper standardized test, within any given section of your test booklet you are free to skip from question to question and to answer questions in any order you choose. If you do better on antonyms than on reading comprehension questions, for example, you can temporarily skip the time-consuming reading passages and go straight to the antonyms. Likewise, if you have second thoughts about a particular answer choice, on a pencil-and-paper test you can go back to the question, erase your original pencil mark, and select a different answer choice. You are also free to write in your test booklet, crossing out incorrect answer choices, underlining key words, and highlighting questions you need to reconsider.

On a computer-based test (CBT), there is no test booklet. Your test questions appear, one at a time, on your computer screen. You must answer the question currently on the screen and confirm that you are sure of your answer choice before you can move on to the next question. Once you have confirmed your answer choice and moved on, you cannot go back and change it.

In addition, on the CBT, questions are not arranged in groups according to question type: two analogy questions may follow two antonyms; they may in turn be followed by a single sentence completion. You cannot predict what type of question will come up next.

Why Do Some People Call the Computer-Based General Test a CAT?

CAT stands for Computer-Adaptive Test. What does this mean?

When you take a pencil-and-paper test, the questions in the test booklet you receive are basically the same as the questions printed in every other booklet distributed to test-takers on that day. When you take a computer-based GRE General Test, however, the questions you face on screen are likely to differ markedly from those that come up on the screens of the test-takers in the carrels next to you.

Why will your test be different from someone else’s test? Because the CBT GRE is a computer-adaptive test. The test adapts to your skill level: it is customized.

How does this work? The computer program begins by assuming you are the “average” GRE candidate, an imaginary figure whose score would place him or her precisely in the middle of the entire test-taking population. The computer program contains a pool of some 1,000 questions organized by content, question type, and level of difficulty. From this pool the computer selects a math question of medium difficulty, a question the average GRE candidate (someone who would wind up in the 50th percentile of test-takers with a Quantitative score of 550) would be likely to get correct. If you answer this question correctly, the computer revises its estimate of your eventual score upward and proceeds to give you a slightly harder question, one that a student scoring 600 should get correct. However, if you answer that question incorrectly, the computer again revises its estimate of your eventual score — downward this time, and you are presented with an easier question, one that a student scoring 500 might get correct. Thus, as you answer each question, the computer adapts your test, tailoring it to reflect your previous performance. In the process, it fine-tunes its estimate of your skill level, gradually zeroing in on your eventual score.

Can I Tell How Well I’m Doing on the Test from the Questions the Computer Assigns Me?

Don’t even try; it never pays to try to second-guess the computer. There’s no point in wasting time and energy wondering whether it’s feeding you harder questions or easier ones. Let the computer keep track of how well you’re doing — you concentrate on answering questions and pacing yourself.

Should I Guess?

Yes, you must! You are not going to know the correct answer to every question on the GRE. That’s a given. But you can’t just skip a question. In order to move on to the next question, you first must answer the question currently on screen, even if you haven’t a clue as to what the correct answer might be. So if the question on screen has you stumped, eliminate any obviously incorrect answer choices, and then guess and don’t worry whether you’ve guessed right or wrong. Your job is to get to the next question you can answer. Just remember to use the process of elimination to improve your guessing odds.

How Can I Use the Process of Elimination on a Computer-Based GRE?

Even though the current CBT GRE makes no provision for you to cross out incorrect answer choices on screen, you still can eliminate answers you know are wrong before guessing which of the remaining answer choices is correct. This is where your scratch paper comes in. Take a couple of minutes to write out three rough, scratch-paper answer sheets—one for each section. Use these answer sheets as your guessing guides. Before you guess, first cross out any choices on your answer sheet that you are sure are wrong. Then choose between the answer choices that are left. You’ll increase your chances of coming up with the right answer by making this sort of “educated” guess.

Make use of your scratch paper throughout the test. In the verbal section, jot down key words or phrases from the reading passages. On the mathematics questions, use your scratch paper to draw diagrams and, of course, to do all of your calculations.

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How Can I Determine the Unidentified Experimental Section?

You can’t. Do not waste time in the exam room trying to identify the experimental section. If you are presented with extra sections, do your best on all of them. Some claim that most often the last section is the experimental section. Others claim that the section with unusual questions is the one that does not count. Ignore the claims: you have no sure way to tell. If you encounter a series of questions that seem strange to you, do your best. Either these are experimental and will not count, in which case you have no reason to worry about them, or they will count, in which case they probably will seem just as strange and troublesome to your fellow examinees.

When and Where Can I Take the Computer-Based GRE?

You can take the computer-based GRE General Test almost any Monday through Saturday all year round. (Testing centers are closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day and other major federal holidays.) Because appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, you should be sure to register early to get the date you want, especially if that date falls in the highly popular November through January testing period.

The computer-based GRE is administered at a variety of sites: Prometric Centers, university testing centers, and other academic institutions. Test centers are located in all 50 states, in American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight provinces of Canada. International test centers also exist: a list of them can be found on-line at www.ets.org/gre or in the GRE Registration and Information Bulletin.

How Can I Register to Take the GRE?

If you have a credit card, you can register on-line to take the GRE. This is by far the fastest way. Go to http://www.ets.org/gre/grereg and follow the directions there.

With a credit card, you can also register by phone to take the GRE. In the United States, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada, call Prometric Candidate Services at 1-443-751-4820 or 1-800-GRE-CALL (1-800-473-2255). If you are applying to take the GRE at an international location, call the appropriate international Regional Registration Center (RRC), listed on-line at http://www.ets.org/gre as well as in the GRE Registration and Information Bulletin.

In addition, you can register by mail to take the GRE. Simply download and complete the Computer-Based General Test Authorization Voucher Request Form found in the center of the GRE Registration and Information Bulletin. Then mail the completed form and a certified check or money order for the appropriate fee (currently $140; $195 or $170 for test locations outside the United States and U.S. territories) to ETS-CBT/GRE, P.O. Box 371859, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7859. (If you are applying for special testing accommodations as a test-taker with disabilities, mail your completed form and payment to ETS-GRE, Disability Services, P.O. Box 6054, Princeton, NJ 08541-6054.) You will receive a test authorization voucher in about three weeks. At that point, you can call to schedule an appointment to take the test.

If you are applying to take the GRE at an international location, mail your completed form and payment to the Regional Registration Center in the country in which you plan to take your test. Based on the information on your form, the RRC will assign you a test date, time, and location. If this test date does not work for you, you must contact the RRC immediately.

     TIP

Be sure your information is up to the minute:
Go online.
Go to www.ets.org/gre
Click on Test-Takers.
Click on Get Bulletin.
Download the current GRE Registration and Information Bulletin.

(You should also be able to pick up a copy of the current GRE bulletin at your college counseling office.)

How and When Are GRE Scores Reported?

The General Test raw score, the number of correct answers, is converted to a score on a scale of 200 to 800. With no correct answers at all, a student would still have a score of 200. With one or two incorrectly answered questions, a student could still have a score of 800. You receive separate scores (from 200 to 800) on the verbal and quantitative sections. Your score report will include both your scaled scores and your percentile rank indicating the percent of examinees scoring below your scaled scores on the General Test.

Your analytical writing score will be the average of the scores assigned to your essays by two trained readers. These scores are rounded up to the nearest half-point. Your combined analytical writing score can vary from 0 to 6, with 6 the highest score possible.

As soon as you have finished taking the test, the computer will calculate your unofficial scaled scores for the verbal and quantitative sections and display them to you on the screen. Because your essays are sent to trained readers for holistic scoring, you will not receive a score for the analytical writing section on the day of the test. You should receive in the mail an official report containing all three scores approximately three weeks after the test date. (If you have chosen to handwrite your essays, you should allow up to six weeks for the official report to arrive.)

NOTE: Except in the analytical writing sections, every question on the GRE is a multiple-choice question with five choices—except for the quantitative comparisons, which have four choices. In this book, the choices are always labeled A, B, C, D, and E, and these letters are used in the Answer Keys and the explanations. On an actual GRE, these letters never appear on the screen. Rather, each choice is preceded by a blank oval, and you will answer a question by clicking with the mouse on the oval in front of your choice.

GRE TEST FORMAT

VERBAL ABILITY

The verbal section consists of 30 questions. These fall into four types: antonyms, analogies, sentence completions, and reading comprehension questions. Your academic success will depend on your verbal abilities, especially your ability to understand scholarly prose and to work with specialized and technical vocabulary.

Here is how the 30-question verbal section generally breaks down:

·        8–10 antonym questions

·        6–8 analogy questions

·        5–7 sentence completion questions

·        6–10 reading comprehension questions (based on two to four passages)

Although the amount of time spent on each type of question varies from person to person, in general, antonyms take the least time, then analogies, then sentence completions, and, finally, reading comprehension questions.

Antonym Questions

The antonym questions are the most straightforward vocabulary questions on the test. You are given a word and must choose, from the five choices that follow it, the best antonym (opposite). Some of these words may be totally unfamiliar to you.

A typical antonym question looks like this:

The word perfidy contains the root fid, meaning faith (as in fidelity). Perfidy means treachery, the betrayal of faith. Its opposite is faithfulness, the last choice given.

Even if you do not know the meaning of perfidy, if you know its root, you can guess that its antonym must be either a word meaning faith or loyalty, or a word opposite in meaning to faith, such as treachery or disloyalty. The only answer containing such a word is the final answer choice.

See Chapter 4 for antonym testing tactics and practice exercises that will help you handle these questions, and Chapter 8 for vocabulary and word-part exercises that will help you throughout the verbal section.

Analogy Questions

Like antonyms, analogy questions are vocabulary questions. They test your understanding of the relationships among words and ideas. You are given one pair of words and must choose another pair that is related in the same way. Many relationships are possible. The two terms in the pair can be synonyms; one term can be a cause, the other the effect; one can be a tool, the other the worker who uses the tool.

A typical analogy question looks like this:

When energy flags, it weakens or grows less. Likewise when determination or resolve falters, it weakens or grows less. The correct answer is the second choice.

See Chapter 5 for analogy question tactics and practice exercises that will help you handle these questions.

Sentence Completion Questions

In the sentence completion questions you are asked to choose the best way to complete a sentence from which one or two words have been omitted. These questions test a combination of reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. You must be able to recognize the logic, style, and tone of the sentence so that you will be able to choose the answer that makes sense in context. You must also be able to recognize differences in usage. The sentences cover a wide variety of topics from a number of academic fields. They do not, however, test specific academic knowledge. You may feel more comfortable if you are familiar with the topic the sentence is discussing, but you should be able to handle any of the sentences using your knowledge of the English language.

Here is a typical sentence completion question.

The medical researchers defend their new treatment by saying it follows accepted, conventional practices. What, therefore, must have been the critics’ accusation about the treatment? They must have claimed it was unconventional, violating accepted practices. The missing word is the third choice, unorthodox.

See Chapter 6 for sentence completion question tactics and practice exercises that will help you handle these questions.

Reading Comprehension Questions

Reading comprehension questions test your ability to understand and interpret what you read. This is probably the most important ability you will need in graduate school and afterward.

Although the passages may encompass any subject matter, you do not need to know anything about the subject discussed in the passage in order to answer the questions on that passage. The purpose of the questions is to test your reading ability, not your knowledge of history, science, literature, or art.

Here is a typical reading comprehension passage and question.

The key lines here are the passage’s final sentences. Does the author acknowledge hypothetical objections to the comparison? Definitely. Does the author conclude by reaffirming the significance of the termite/macaque comparison? Clearly he does: he concludes by quoting Wilson (whom he calls an eminent scholar), in doing so giving implicit support to Wilson’s assertion that such oversimplified comparisons can provide the basis for an important general theory. The correct answer is the third choice.

See Chapter 7 for reading comprehension tactics and practice exercises that will help you handle these questions.

QUANTITATIVE ABILITY

The quantitative section consists of 28 questions:

·        14 quantitative comparison questions

·        10 discrete quantitative questions (another name for standard multiple-choice questions)

·        4 data interpretation questions

In order to answer these questions, you need to know arithmetic, some very elementary algebra, and a little geometry. Most of this material you learned in elementary and middle school. You do not need to know any advanced mathematics. The questions are intended to determine if you have a basic knowledge of elementary mathematics, and if you have the ability to reason clearly.

If you haven’t done any mathematics in a while, go through the math review in this book before attempting the Model Tests, and certainly before registering to take the GRE. If you feel that your math skills are still pretty good, you can try the Diagnostic Test first, and then read only those sections of the math review relating to those topics that gave you trouble.

Quantitative Comparison Questions

Of the 28 mathematics questions on the GRE, half of them (14) are what is known as quantitative comparisons. It is very likely that you have not seen such a question since you were in high school preparing for the SAT; if you didn’t have to take the SAT, it is possible that you have never even seen a quantitative comparison. Therefore, read these instructions very carefully.

In these questions there are two quantities, one in Column A and one in Column B, and it is your job to compare them. For these problems there are only four possible answers:

The quantity in Column A is greater;
The quantity in Column B is greater;
The two quantities are equal; and
The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

In this book, these four answer choices will be referred to as A, B, C, and D, respectively. In some of the questions, information about the quantities being compared is centered above the columns. This information must be taken into consideration when comparing the two quantities.

In Chapter 12 you will learn several important strategies for handling quantitative comparisons. For now, let’s look at three examples to make sure that you understand the concepts involved.

EXAMPLE

 

Column A

 

Column B

 
 

   (3 + 4)2   

 

   32 + 42   

 

·        Evaluate each column: (3 + 4)2 = 72 = 49, whereas 32 + 42 = 9 + 16 = 25.

·        Since 49 > 25, the quantity in Column A is greater. The answer is A.

EXAMPLE

 

Column A

 

Column B

                                                      a + b = 16

 
 

The average (arithmetic mean) of aand b

 

   8   

 

The quantity in Column A is the average of a and b. Since we are told that a + b = 16, the quantity in Column A is  = 8. So, the quantities in Columns A and B are equal. The answer is C.

NOTE: We cannot determine the value of either a or b; all we know is that their sum is 16. Perhaps a = 10 and b = 6, or a = 0 and b = 16, or a = −4 and b = 20. It doesn’t matter. The average of 10 and 6 is 8; the average of 0 and 16 is 8; and the average of −4 and 20 is 8. Since a + b is 16, the average of a and b is 8, all the time, no matter what. The answer, therefore, is C.

EXAMPLE

 

Column A

 

Column B

 

      a2      

 

      b2      

·        If a = 1, a3 = 1 and a2 = 1. In this case, the quantities in the two columns are equal.

·        This means that the answer to this problem cannot be A or B. Why?

·        The answer can be A (or B) only if the quantity in Column A (or B) is greater all the time. But it isn’t—not when a = 1.

·        So, is the answer C? Maybe. But for the answer to be C, the quantities would have to be equal all the time. Are they?

·        No. If a = 2, a3 = 8 and a2 = 4, and in this case the two quantities are not equal.

·        The answer, therefore, is D.

Discrete Quantitative Questions

Of the 28 mathematics questions on the GRE, 10 are standard multiple-choice questions, what the ETS calls discrete quantitative questions. The way to answer such a question is to do the necessary work, get the solution, and then look at the five choices to find your answer. In Chapter 11 we will discuss other techniques for answering these questions, but for now let’s look at two examples.

EXAMPLE

Edison High School has 840 students, and the ratio of the number of students taking Spanish to the number not taking Spanish is 4:3. How many of the students take Spanish?

(A) 280   (B) 360   (C) 480   (D) 560   (E) 630

To solve this problem requires only that you understand what a ratio is. Ignore the fact that this is a multiple-choice question. Don’t even look at the choices.

·        Let 4x and 3x be the number of students taking and not taking Spanish, respectively.

·        Then 4x + 3x = 840 ⇒ 7x = 840 ⇒ x = 120.

·        The number of students taking Spanish is 4 × 120 = 480.

·        Having found the answer to be 480, now look at the five choices, see 480 listed as Choice C, click on that choice, and confirm your answer.

Another type of multiple-choice question that appears on the GRE is the Roman numeral-type question. These questions consist of three statements labeled I, II, and III. The five answer choices give various possibilities for which of the statements are true. Here is a typical example.

EXAMPLE

If x is negative, which of the following must be true?

·        I. x3 < x2

·        II. x +  < 0

·        III. x = 

·        (A) I only

·        (B) II only

·        (C) I and II only

·        (D) II and III only

·        (E) I, II, and III

To solve this problem, examine each statement independently, and think of it as a true-false question.

·        If x is negative, x3 is negative, and so must be less than x2, which is positive. Statement I is true.

·        If x is negative, so is , and the sum of two negative numbers is negative. Statement II is true.

·        The square root of a number is never negative, and so could not possibly equal x. Statement III is false.

·        Only I and II are true. The answer is C.

Data Interpretation Questions

Four of the questions in the quantitative section are data interpretation questions. There are always two questions based on one set of data, and later in the section, two more questions based on a second set of data. As you might guess from their name, these questions are based on information provided in graphs, tables, or charts. The questions test your ability to interpret the data that have been provided. You will either have to do a calculation or make an inference from the given data. The various types of questions that could arise will be explored in Chapter 13. Here are two questions based on one set of data.

EXAMPLE 1

In 1990 how many faculty members did not have a professorial rank?

(A) 200   (B) 240   (C) 320   (D) 400   (E) 520

This is a straightforward question that can easily be answered by looking at the chart and doing a small calculation.

·        In 1990, 30% of the faculty were not professors (5% were instructors and 25% were adjunct faculty).

·        30% of 800 = .30 × 800 = 240.

EXAMPLE 2

From 1990 to 2000 the number of faculty members at CSU increased by 20%. If the total number of assistant, associate, and full professors remained the same, and the number of instructors increased by 50%, how many adjunct faculty were there in 2000? 
(A) 240   (B) 340   (C) 384   (D) 480   (E) 516

This question is more complicated and requires several calculations.

·        Since the number of faculty members increased by 20%, in 2000 there were 960 people on the faculty (20% of 800 = 160, and 800 + 160 = 960).

·        In 1990, there were 560 professors.

35% + 10% + 25% = 70% and 70% of 800 = 560

     So in 2000, there were also 560 professors.

·        In 1990, there were 40 instructors (5% of 800 = 40); since that number increased by 50%, and 50% of 40 is 20, there were 60 instructors in 2000.

·        Of the 960 faculty members in 2000, 560 were professors and 60 were instructors. The remaining 340 were adjuncts (960 − 560 − 60 = 340).

ANALYTICAL WRITING

The analytical writing section consists of two tasks:

·        Writing an essay presenting your point of view on an issue of general intellectual concern

·        Writing an essay analyzing the line of reasoning in an argument

You are allotted 45 minutes to complete the issue task and 30 minutes to complete the argument analysis task. There is no break between the two tasks. You must finish the first task before you begin the other.

You will find suggestions for tackling both writing tasks in Chapter 9.

The Issue Task

In this task, you are asked to respond to a particular issue, clearly presenting your viewpoint on that issue and supporting your position with reasons and examples. This task is intended to test your ability to write persuasively and effectively.

At the test center, before you begin the timed portion of your issue writing assignment, you first will be shown a set of directions on screen. The directions for the issue task are straightforward. In essence, they say the following:

Give Your Viewpoint on an Issue
45 Minutes

Choose one of the two following topics and compose an essay on that topic. You may not write on any other topic.

Each topic is presented as a one- to two-sentence quotation commenting on an issue of general concern. Your essay may support, refute, or qualify the views expressed in the quotation. Whatever you write, however, must be relevant to the issue under discussion, and you must support your viewpoint with reasons and examples derived from your studies and/or experience.

Before you choose a topic, read both topics carefully. Consider which topic would give you greater scope for writing an effective, well-argued essay.

Faculty members from various institutions will evaluate your essay, judging it on the basis of your skill in the following areas:

·        Analysis of the quotation’s implications

·        Organization and articulation of your ideas

·        Use of relevant examples and arguments to support your case

·        Handling of the mechanics of standard written English

Once you have decided which topic you prefer, click on the appropriate icon (Topic 1 or Topic 2) to confirm your choice. Do not be hasty confirming your choice of topic. Once you have clicked on a topic, you will not be able to switch to the alternate choice.

To begin the timed portion of this task, click on the icon labeled Proceed.

Once you click on Proceed, a second screen will appear. This screen contains some general words of advice about how to write an issue essay:

·        Think before you write. Plan what you are going to say.

·        Work out your ideas in detail.

·        Be coherent.

·        Leave yourself enough time to revise.

None of this is rocket science. You already know what you are supposed to do. The clock is ticking away, so don’t waste your time reading pro forma advice. Just click on the Dismiss Directions icon and get to work.

Here are two issue topics modeled on the kinds of topics found in the GRE’s “Pool of Issue Topics” available on their web site [www.gre.org/issuetop.html]. Please note that these are not official GRE issue topics, though they resemble the official topics closely in subject matter and form.

“‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste.’ No society can afford to let its exceptionally bright or talented children go without the training they need to develop their talents fully.”

“The great artists in any medium—painters, poets, choreographers, sculptors—are those who create works of art that the majority of people can comprehend.”

The Argument Task

In this task, you are asked to critique the line of reasoning of an argument given in a brief passage, clearly pointing out that argument’s strengths and weaknesses and supporting your position with reasons and examples. This task is intended to test both your ability to evaluate the soundness of a position and your ability to get your point across to an academic audience.

Again, before you begin the timed portion of your argument analysis task, you first will be shown a set of directions on screen. The directions for the argument task are straightforward. In essence, they say the following:

Evaluate an Argument
30 Minutes

In 30 minutes, prepare a critical analysis of an argument expressed in a short paragraph. You may not offer an analysis of any other argument.

As you critique the argument, think about the author’s underlying assumptions. Ask yourself whether any of them are questionable. Also evaluate any evidence the author brings up. Ask yourself whether it actually supports the author’s conclusion.

In your analysis, you may suggest additional kinds of evidence to reinforce the author’s argument. You may also suggest methods to refute the argument, or additional data that might be useful to you as you assess the soundness of the argument. You may not, however, present your personal views on the topic. Your job is to analyze the elements of an argument, not to support or contradict that argument.

Faculty members from various institutions will judge your essay, assessing it on the basis of your skill in the following areas:

·        Identification and assessment of the argument’s main elements

·        Organization and articulation of your thoughts

·        Use of relevant examples and arguments to support your case

·        Handling of the mechanics of standard written English

Here is an argument topic modeled on the kinds of topics found in the GRE’s “Pool of Argument Topics” available on their web site [www.gre.org/argutop.html]. Please note that it is not an official GRE argument topic, though it resembles the official topics closely in subject matter and form.

The following was written as part of an application for a parade permit made by a special events production company in San Francisco.

A televised Christmas parade held in San Francisco would be a surefire source of profits and publicity for the city. Currently the only nationally televised pre-Christmas parade is the New York Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in late November; our proposed early December Santa Day parade would both capitalize on the Macy’s parade publicity and attract shoppers to San Francisco to take advantage of the pre-Christmas sales. San Franciscans love parades: over 10,000 people attended the St. Patrick’s Day parade, while last October’s Halloween parade through the Haight-Ashbury district drew at least twice that number. Finally, a recent marketing survey shows that people who come to New York to attend the Thanksgiving Day parade spend over $1,000 that weekend on restaurant meals, hotel rooms, and Christmas shopping.