Kaplan Practice Qs

The (i)___________ of the old man's garb and home belied a (ii)___________ nature, and many people lamented his tendency to be outright juvenile in somber circumstances. blank (i) a. austerity b. obsolescence c. poverty blank (ii) d. jovial e. jejune f. inquisitive

(i) A. austerity (somberness, dullness) (ii) E. jejune (naive, childish) The only contextual clues occur after the comma. The old man is sometimes inappropriately "juvenile," so let's start with the second blank, which describes his "nature." A good prediction would be "childish." Choice (E) jejune, "childish" or "immature," matches this prediction precisely and is thus correct. Choice (D) jovial, which means "happy" or "jolly," is incorrect because it connotes happiness, not immaturity. Choice (F) inquisitive, or "curious," might describe a trait associated with children, but it does not explicitly mean "childish," so we can eliminate it. For the first blank, we now know that the old man's clothes and furnishings contrast with his immature nature, and so we can predict an answer that means "maturity" or "seriousness." Choice (A) austerity, meaning "somberness," matches our prediction and is the correct response. Choice (B) obsolescence, meaning "the quality of being outdated or "old-fashioned," might be tempting because of the man's age, but it does not provide a strong enough contrast to the man's immature behavior, so (B) can be rejected. Choice (C) poverty does not provide a contrast with the man's immature nature and thus is also incorrect.

Due to his lengthy industry-friendly record, the governor was thought to be (i)______ pro-business. So it was (ii)______ when he announced the creation of a large environmental preserve at the expense of industry interests. However, his decision was not met with unqualified enthusiasm. Many astute observers noted the politically (iii)_______ motive of using the decision to court independent voters. (i) A. desultorily B. unsustainably C. staunchly (ii) D. debilitating E. arresting F. vitiating (iii) G. ingenuous H. uncouth I. opportunistic

(i) staunchly (dependably) Because the first blank describes how "pro-business" the governor was, we can predict a simple word like "very" for the first blank. Choice (C) staunchly, meaning "dependably," is a great match and is correct. Choice (A) desultorily means "lacking in consistency," which contradicts the governor's "lengthy" pro-business record. Choice (B) unsustainably is incorrect because nothing in the passage relates to sustainability; this choice is therefore outside the scope of the passage. (ii) arresting (striking) The second blank describes the reaction to the governor's latest move: the creation of a large environmental preserve. Because the preserve is "at the expense of" pro-business interests, its creation is out of character for the governor. Thus, we can predict a word like "surprising." Choice (E) arresting, or "striking," is a great match and is the correct response. Choice (D) debilitating is incorrect because the passage does not discuss the potential consequences, good or bad, of the governor's decision. Choice (F) vitiating, which means "morally corrupting," is too negatively charged to be correct. (iii) opportunistic The detour road sign "However" introduces a sentence that expresses skepticism toward the governor's decision. "Astute," or shrewd, observers suspect political motivations behind the decision; perhaps the governor doesn't care about the environment at all and only wants to win some votes. So we might predict a word like "calculated" for the final blank, which describes the governor's motive. Choice (I) opportunistic matches this prediction and is correct. The governor's move is indeed opportunistic because it seizes on a chance to sway voters in his favor. Choice (G) ingenuous, which means "honest," is contrary to what we predicted and is thus incorrect. Choice (H) uncouth, which means "vulgar," does not make sense in this context and is also incorrect.

g and h are consecutive multiples of 4. Quantity A: 5(g - h)^2 Quantity B: 80 Compare the two quantities and select the appropriate answer. A. Quantity A is greater. B. Quantity B is greater. C. The two quantities are equal. D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

C. The two quantities are equal. If g and h are consecutive multiples of 4, the absolute difference between g and h will always be 4. The quantity in Quantity A is 80.

Which of the following expressions are factors of 12^17? Indicate all possible correct answers. A. (-2)^2(-3)^4 B. 12^3 + 12^3 C. 4^18 D. 2^16× 3^15 E. 3^17× 4^17 F. 12^17 + 12^17

A. (-2)^2(-3)^4 - two 2s and four 3s B. 12^3 + 12^3 - seven 2s and three 3s D. 2^16× 3^15 - sixteen 2s and fifteen 3s E. 3^17× 4^17 - seventeen 3s and 34 2s 34 2s and 17 3s total

p^2 + 3p + 2 = 0 Quantity A: p Quantitiy B: 1 Compare the two quantities and select the appropriate answer. A. Quantity A is greater. B. Quantity B is greater. C. The two quantities are equal. D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

B. B is greater Quadratic formula gives p = -2 or -1

The protest at the capital yesterday was an absolute _______; while the activists had the best of intentions, the demonstration showed a complete lack of organization and was actually counterproductive to their cause. Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning. A. stalemate B. debacle C. impasse D. fiasco E. obstacle F. enigma

B. debacle D. fiasco

In response to recent criticism of inhumane and unhygienic practices throughout the agricultural industry, farmers resolved to commission an advertising campaign portraying virtuous ranchers that would ________the industry. A.recriminate B. exonerate C. vindicate D. repudiate E. eradicate F. adulterate

B. exonerate C. vindicate

After a 12-year imprisonment under false treason charges, Alfred Dreyfus was justly ________, effectively putting an end to the French political scandal known as the Dreyfus Affair. Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning. A. abrogated B. exonerated C. acquitted D. interred E. assassinated F. shunned

B. exonerated C. acquitted

The average (arithmetic mean) of the numbers v, w, x, y, and z is j, and the average of the numbers x, y, and z is k. What is the average of v and w in terms of j and k ? A. (j - k) / 2 B. (j + k) / 2 C. (5j - 3k) / 3 D. (5j - 3k) / 2 E. (5j - k) / 2

D. (5j - 3k) / 2

If the integer m is a multiple of both 10 and 12, then all of the following must be factors of m EXCEPT A. 15 B. 12 C. 10 D. 8 E. 6

D. 8 see which isn't a multiple of 60

Conflict between generations may be a problem that has persisted for centuries, but the nature and intensity of the conflict obviously _____ in response to changes in social and economic conditions A. increase B. disappear C. decline D. vary E. wane

D. vary You need a word that conveys a shift in intensity and nature. DISAPPEAR, DECLINE, and WANE (to get smaller or weaker) all convey a reduction of intensity. Although you know there will be a change in the problem, nothing in the sentence indicates that the problem will decrease. You are looking for a more neutral term. By this logic, you can also eliminate INCREASE, which suggests the problem has worsened. Only VARY provides a neutral expression of change.