[Actual GRE Test #2] - Verbal
Far from being ________ the corporate world because of cutbacks, serious researchers are playing a growing role in innovation at many firms. A lured to B enchanted with C banished from D protected by E immured in
-Here I found this hard to breakdown but steps are easy: 1) read quickly without pausing 2) make sense of the sentence and realize that it is a shifter and the key word we are trying to oppose is "playing a GROWING role" 3) we need a word that says that far from being "fired from" or "turned away by" C makes the most sense
[Detailed oriented questions such as these MUST be substantiated from the passage.] The passage suggests that which of the following factors contributes to the "notoriously problematic" (line 1) nature of authorial attribution in early- nineteenth-century English fiction? A The unwillingness of any writers to acknowledge their authorship of works that were originally published anonymously or pseudonymously B The possibility that the title page of a work may attribute works written by other authors to the author of that work C The possibility that the author's name printed on a title page is fictitious
-A is wrong "any" -B is true -C I thought was FASLE, since at that time I didn't look back and read and also didn't think this was mentioned as a problem however: The attribution of early-nineteenth-century English fiction is notoriously problematic. *Fewer than half of new novels published in Britain between 1800 and 1829 had the author's true name printed on the title page.* -Here is our PROOF for C
Repression of painful memories is sometimes called "willed forgetting." Yet true forgetting is (i)________ than the phenomenon of repressed memory. In spite of the effort that it (ii)________, repressing unwanted memories is less (iii) ________ than truly forgetting them, for repressed memories are prone to come back. A less controlled B different in its effect C far more common D eases E conveys F entails G permanent H arduous I immediate
-Here I got this right -I did the last blank first, G because of the clue "are prone to come back" -This would mean that the middle blank is F, at first I picked conveys but entails is more direct, convey would mean something hasn't been done it is being conveyed -The first blank now makes sense B
[If it is a GRE word you MUST define it CALMY and FULLY.] Everyone has routines that govern their work. The myth is that artists are somehow different, that they reject (i)________, but of course that's not true: most artists work as the rest of us do, (ii) ________, day by day, according to their own customs. A latitude B habit C materialism D impetuously E ploddingly F sporadically
-Here the first blank is easy because of the clue "routine" -The second blank could be anything but I AGAIN mistakenly thought that "impetuous" = "hard working/diligent" -This is WRONG impetuous means "hasty and not deliberate/rash" -The clue for the second blank is "day by day" -F doesn't make sense "sporadic" would be the opposite of routine E works best
[Look for explicit clue before looking at choices.] The incipient (i)________ regarding taxes could affect trade between the two countries much more than the (ii)________ banana imports, which has been going on for years. Unfortunately, the trade regulators seem to be ignoring both disagreements. A row B accord C investigation D profitable dealing in E predicament regarding F festering dispute over
-I read the sentence and then immediately looked at the choices which will confuse you since any of them can work -Even if you DO NOT know what word to think of, at least try to pinpoint an explicit word or phrase that can be used as a clue: both regulators seem to be ignoring BOTH "disagreements" -If that's the case then row and F make the most sense
In the context in which it appears, "robust" (line 8) most nearly means A crude B demanding C productive D vigorous E rich
-I thought about C but rely on your first choice the entire passage was about how crops can be wiped out D makes the most sense
[CLUE, CLUE, CLUE, CLUE. This is the only way to solve GRE questions FAST and be confident in your answers.] The point we might still take from the First World War is the old one that wars are always, as one historian aptly put it, ________: they produce unforeseeable results. A unsurprising B astounding C conventional D ruinous E stunning F devastating
-I thought about this a lot and then settled on "unsurprising" and "conventional" which is the exact opposite of what we need. -The clue is AFTER the colon, "unforeseeable" which means that we cannot anticipate or predict them -Thus B and E (which means to "surprise" and stunning "to stun or astonish or shock") make the MOST sense
[I missed this] The brief survey, published under the title The Work of Nature: How the Diversity of Life Sustains Us, is surprisingly (i)________. Indeed it makes several longer treatments of the effects of lost biodiversity seem (ii)________. A distorted B objective C comprehensive D redundant E pithy F premature
-The first blank was easy C since we are trying to oppose "brief" -I thought the second blank would be pithy (which I thought means "full of meaning" which to some extent is correct but its full definition is "Short, concise, and full of meaning" -- this would imply that E CANNOT work since the works is actually NOT short, the only answer that makes sense is redundant
[I missed this] [Try to think of the opposite thing. Here when trying to come up with my own explanation I, like many, would think about something directly related to "injuries being concealed". But here I should think about injuries that CANNOT be concealed.] In Gilavia, the number of reported workplace injuries has declined 16 percent in the last five years. However, perhaps part of the decline results from injuries going unre- ported: many employers have introduced safety-incentive programs, such as prize drawings for which only employees who have a perfect work-safety record are eligible. Since a workplace injury would disqualify an employee from such programs, some employees might be concealing injury, when it is feasible to do so. 21. Which of the following, if true in Gilavia, most strongly supports the proposed explanation? A In the last five years, there has been no decline in the number of workplace injuries leading to immediate admission to a hospital emergency room. B Employers generally have to pay financial compensation to employees who suffer work-related injuries. C Many injuries that happen on the job are injuries that would be impossible to conceal and yet would not be severe enough to require any change to either the employee's work schedule or the employee's job responsibilities. D A continuing shift in employment patterns has led to a decline in the percentage of the workforce that is employed in the dangerous occupations in which workplace injuries are likely. E Employers who have instituted safety-incentive programs do not in general have a lower proportion of reported workplace injuries among their employees than do employers without such programs.
-This one requires some real break-down: -We are essentially told that the 16% reduction is injury is due to the fact that some injuries are being concealed rather than reported. What additional fact would make this explanation true? -Apparently A says that injuries that are serious and cannot be concealed have NOT gone down. This would mean that injuries haven't actually gone down across the board but rather that injuries are being concealed
Astronomers found a large body orbiting close to the star Upsilon Andromedae. The standard theory of planet formation holds that no planet that large could be formed so close to a star, leading to the suggestion that the body is a companion star. A subse- quent discovery puts that suggestion in doubt: two other large bodies were found orbit- ing close to Upsilon Andromedae, and the standard theory of companion stars allows for at most one companion star. 20. Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the status of the orbiting body without casting doubt on the two standard theories mentioned? A The smaller a planet orbiting a star is, and the farther away it is from the star, the less likely it is to be discovered. B If a planet's orbit is disturbed, the planet can be drawn by gravity toward the star it is orbiting. C The largest of the bodies orbiting Upsilon Andromedae is the farthest away from the star, and the smallest is the nearest. D It is likely that there are many stars, in addition to Upsilon Andromedae and the Sun, that are orbited by more than one smaller body. E In most cases of companion stars, the smaller companion is much fainter than the larger star.
-This was tough but I narrowed down to the right one by this method: A is wrong since it is just a fact B I crossed off at first but then came back to it C doesn't really fix and paradoxes D It is just a fact E We are not told about the brightness and thus this is wrong B makes the most sense now
It seems obvious that Miles Davis' ________ the Juilliard School, which resulted in his decision to drop out, was based on the school's training of musicians for a kind of music that he did not want to play. A disaffection with B dislocation of C disentanglement from D subversion of E displacement of F estrangement from
-This was tough, but it is dependent on coming up with your own answer: -I did this by reading it and thinking that "discontentment" made sense A works, I realized that B and C are trap answer but also with a clear head you can see why those two don't make logical sense -The only other choice that works is F which suggests some feeling similar to A
[I missed this] In 1998 the United States Department of Transportation received nearly 10,000 consumer complaints about airlines; in 1999 it received over 20,000. Moreover, the number of complaints per 100,000 passengers also more than doubled. In both years the vast majority of complaints concerned flight delays, cancellations, mishandled bag- gage, and customer service. Clearly, therefore, despite the United States airline industry's serious efforts to improve performance in these areas, passenger dissatisfaction with airline service increased significantly in 1999. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument? A Although the percentage of flights that arrived on time dropped slightly overall, from 77 percent in 1998 to 76 percent in 1999, some United States airlines' 1999 on-time rate was actually better than their 1998 on-time rate. B The number of passengers flying on United States airlines was significantly higher in 1999 than in 1998. C Fewer bags per 1,000 passengers flying on United States airlines were lost or delayed in 1999 than in 1998. D The appearance in 1999 of many new Internet sites that relay complaints directly to the Department of Transportation has made filing a complaint about airlines much easier for consumers than ever before. E Although the number of consumer complaints increased for every major United States airline in 1999, for some airlines the extent of the increase was substantial, whereas for others it was extremely small.
-We are asked to weaken this, the conclusion states that "dissatisfaction has increased significantly" -We need to show that dissatisfaction HAS NOT increased -D would help, this would mean that dissatisfaction was the same as before but now they are just being reported
[This took long because I'm NOT being mindful when reading and approaching the GRE.] It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following activities is NOT an example of a population responding to high-frequency environmental processes? A Developing watertight jars in which to collect and store water during the rainy season B Building multistory dwellings in low-lying areas to avoid the flash flooding that occurs each summer C Moving a village because groundwater levels have changed over the last generation D Trading with other groups for furs from which to make winter clothes E Moving one's herds of grazing animals each year between summer and winter pastures
-We are dealing with "high frequency" -C is the ONLY one that is talking about "generation" which is low frequency
[I missed this.] The author's argument concerning Notre-Dame's flying buttresses depends on which of the following assumptions about the choir's lower flyers? A They accurately reproduce the decoration on the choir's original lower flyers. B They have a type of decoration used exclusively for exterior surfaces. C They were the models for the choir's original upper flyers. D They were the models for the nave's original lower flyers. E They were constructed after the nave's flyers were constructed.
Moreover, the choir's lower flyers have chevron (zigzag) decoration. Chevron decoration, which was characteristic of the second half of the twelfth century and was out of favor by the fourteenth century, is entirely absent from modifications to the building that can be dated with confidence to the thirteenth century. -I did not pay attention to what the question asked, I should've focused only on the last part which essentially says that the choir had decorations which were used in 12th century and were out of style by the 14th -We know that modifications were made in the 13th thus A makes the most sense, if the decorations are the one and the same this would prove the author's point that the structures were in place from the 12th century
[I missed this.] The claim of the "other commentators" (line 6) suggests that they believe which: A It was the inspiration for many vaulted cathedrals built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. B Its design flaws were not apparent until flying buttresses were added in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. C Its flying buttresses are embellished with decoration characteristic of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. D It had been modified in some respects before flying buttresses were added in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. E It was originally constructed in an architectural style that was considered outmoded by the thirteenth or fourteenth century.
Other commentators insist, however, that Notre-Dame did not have flying buttresses until the thirteenth or fourteenth century, when they were added to update the build- ing aesthetically and correct its structural flaws. A Nothing is stated about this B We don't know this C Wrong, this is using something else in the passage D We don't know this E We have to settle with this but apparently it's true because "changes were made to correct for this"
[Questions of this type deal with another SENTENCE or IDEA that precede them.] [I missed this] The importance of the study mentioned in lines 12-14 is that it A reveals the mechanism by which declarative memory is stabilized during sleep B identifies a specific function that sleep plays in the memory-consolidation process C demonstrates that some kinds of mental activity can interfere with memory consolidation D suggests that sleep and wakefulness are both important to memory consolidation E explains how the passage of time contributes to memory consolidation
These researchers also claim that improvements of memory overnight can be ex-plained by the mere passage of time, rather than attributed to sleep. But recent studies of memory performance after sleep—including one demonstrating that sleep stabilizes declarative memories from future interference caused by mental activity during wakefulness—make this claim unsustainable. -Based off the above passage we know the first sentence is saying that "sleep does not play a role in memory consolidation". -The role of the second sentence, which begins with "but" is that it is trying to say that sleep DOES play a role in memory consolidation -If I had followed this process, I would have gotten this right. I narrow down to B and C, I picked C which is wrong, this is NOT why the study is important, the study is important because it is trying ti DISPROVE the idea that came before it which so B makes the most sense
