GRE Sample Questions : Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

Directions:
Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible. Therefore, though the situation seems dark in the context of the confrontation between the superpowers, the silver lining is provided by amazing phenomenon that the very nations which have spent incalculable resources and energy for the production of deadly weapons are desperately trying to find out how they might never be used. They threaten each other, intimidate each other and go to the brink, but before the total hour arrives they withdraw from the brink.
1. The main point from the author's view is that
  1. Man's soul and spirit can not be destroyed by superpowers.
  2. Man's destiny is not fully clear or visible.
  3. Man's soul and spirit are immortal.
  4. Man's safety is assured by the delicate balance of power in terms of nuclear weapons.
  5. Human society will survive despite the serious threat of total annihilation.
  Ans : E
2. The phrase 'Go to the brink' in the passage means
  1. Retreating from extreme danger.
  2. Declare war on each other.
  3. Advancing to the stage of war but not engaging in it.
  4. Negotiate for peace.
  5. Commit suicide.
  Ans : C
3. In the author's opinion
  1. Huge stockpiles of destructive weapons have so far saved mankind from a catastrophe.
  2. Superpowers have at last realized the need for abandoning the production of lethal weapons.
  3. Mankind is heading towards complete destruction.
  4. Nations in possession of huge stockpiles of lethal weapons are trying hard to avoid actual conflict.
  5. There is a Silverlining over the production of deadly weapons.
  Ans : D
4. 'Irrepressible' in the second line means
  1. incompatible
  2. strong
  3. oppressive
  4. unrestrainable
  5. unspirited
  Ans : D
5. A suitable title for the above passage is
  1. Destruction of mankind is in evitable.
  2. Man's desire to survive inhibits use of deadly weapons.
  3. Mounting cost of modern weapons.
  4. Threats and intimidation between super powers.
  5. Cowardly retreat by man
  Ans : B
6. Disequilibrium at the interface of water and air is a factor on which the transfer of heat and water vapor from the ocean to the air depends. The air within about a millimeter of the water is almost saturated with water vapor and the temperature of the air is close to that of the surface water. Irrespective of how small these differences might be, they are crucial, and the disequilibrium is maintained by air near the surface mixing with air higher up, which is typically appreciably cooler and lower in water vapor content. The turbulence, which takes its energy from the wind mixes the air. As the speed of wind increases, so does the turbulence, and consequently the rate of heat and moisture transfer. We can arrive at a detailed understanding of this phenomenon after further study. The transfer of momentum from wind to water, which occurs when waves are formed is an interacting-and complicated phenomenon. When waves are made by the wind, it transfers important amounts of energy-energy, which is consequently not available for the production of turbulence.
7. 1. This passage principally intends to:
    1. resolve a controversy
    2. attempt a description of a phenomenon
    3. sketch a theory
    4. reinforce certain research findings
    5. tabulate various observations
    Ans : B
  2. The wind over the ocean usually does which of the following according to the given passage?
    I. Leads to cool, dry air coming in proximity with the ocean surface.
    II. Maintains a steady rate of heat and moisture transfer between the ocean and the air.
    III. Results in frequent changes in the ocean surface temperature.
    1. I only
    2. II only
    3. I and II only
    4. II and III only
    5. I, II, and III
    Ans : A
  3. According to the author the present knowledge regarding heat and moisture transfer from the ocean to air as
    1. revolutionary
    2. inconsequential
    3. outdated
    4. derivative
    5. incomplete
    Ans : E
  4. According to the given passage, in case the wind was to decrease until there was no wind at all, which of the following would occur?
    1. The air, which is closest to the ocean surface would get saturated with water vapor.
    2. The water would be cooler than the air closest to the ocean surface.
    3. There would be a decrease in the amount of moisture in the air closest to the ocean surface.
    4. There would be an increase in the rate of heat and moisture transfer.
    5. The temperature of the air closest to the ocean and that of the air higher up would be the same.
    Ans : A
Directions:
Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
The Food and Drug Administration has formulated certain severe restrictions regarding the use of antibiotics, which are used to promote the health and growth of meat animals. Though the different types of medicines mixed with the fodder of the animals kills many microorganisms, it also encourages the appearance of bacterial strains, which are resistant to anti-infective drugs.
It has already been observed that penicillin and the tetracyclines are not as effective therapeutically as they once used to be. This resistance to drugs is chiefly caused due to tiny circlets of genes, called plasmids, which are transferable between different species of bacteria. These plasmids are also one of the two kinds of vehicles on which molecular biologists depend on while performing gene transplant experiments. Existing guidelines also forbid the use of plasmids, which bear genes for resistance to antibiotics, in the laboratories. Though congressional dabate goes on as to whether these restrictions need to be toughened with reference to scientists in their laboratories, almost no congressional attention is being paid to an ill advised agricultural practice, which produces deleterious effects.
1. In the present passage, the author's primary concern is with:
  1. The discovery of methods, which eliminate harmful microorganisms without generating drug-resistant bacteria.
  2. Attempting an explanation of the reasons for congressional inaction about the regulation of gene transplant experiments.
  3. Portraying a problematic agricultural practice and its serious genetic consequences
  4. The verification of the therapeutic ineffectiveness of anti-infective drugs
  5. Evaluation of the recently proposed restrictions, which are intended to promote the growth of meat animals.
  Ans : C
2. As inferred from the above passage, the mutual transfer of plasmids between different bacteria can result in which of the following?
  1. Microorganisms, which have an in-built resistance to drugs
  2. Therapeutically useful circlets of genes
  3. Penicillin like anti-infective drugs
  4. Viruses used by molecular biologists
  5. Carriers for performing gene transplant experiments.
  Ans : A
3. According to the above passage the author believes that those who favor the stiffening of restrictions on gene transplant research should logically also.
  1. Approve and aid experiments with any plasmids except those, which bear genes for antibiotic resistance.
  2. Inquire regarding the addition of anti-infective drugs to livestock feeds
  3. Oppose the using of penicillin and tetracyclines in order to kill microorganisms
  4. Agree to the development of meatier live-stock through the use of antibiotics
  5. Approve of congressional debate and discussion regarding science and health issues.
  Ans : B
4. The attitude the author has with reference to the development of bacterial strains that render antibiotic drugs in effective can best be described as
  1. indifferent
  2. perplexed
  3. pretentious
  4. insincere
  5. apprehensive
  Ans : E
Directions:
Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Roger Rosenblatt's book Black Fiction, manages to alter the approach taken in many previous studies by making an attempt to apply literary rather than sociopolitical criteria to its subject. Rosenblatt points out that criticism of Black writing has very often served as a pretext for an expounding on Black history. The recent work of Addison Gayle's passes a judgement on the value of Black fiction by clearly political standards, rating each work according to the ideas of Black identity, which it propounds.
Though fiction results from political circumstances, its author react not in ideological ways to those circumstances, and talking about novels and stories primarily as instruments of ideology circumvents much of the fictional enterprise. Affinities and connections are revealed in the works of Black fiction in Rosenblatt's literary analysis; these affinities and connections have been overlooked and ignored by solely political studies.
The writing of acceptable criticism of Black fiction, however, presumes giving satisfactory answers to a quite a few questions. The most important of all, is there a sufficient reason, apart from the racial identity of the authors, for the grouping together of Black authors? Secondly, what is the distinction of Black fiction from other modern fiction with which it is largely contemporaneous? In the work Rosenblatt demonstrates that Black fiction is a distinct body of writing, which has an identifiable, coherent literary tradition. He highlights recurring concerns and designs, which are independent of chronology in Black fiction written over the past eighty years. These concerns and designs are thematic, and they come form the central fact of the predominant white culture, where the Black characters in the novel are situated irrespective of whether they attempt to conform to that culture or they rebel against it.
Rosenblatt's work does leave certain aesthetic questions open. His thematic analysis allows considerable objectivity; he even clearly states that he does not intend to judge the merit of the various works yet his reluctance seems misplaced, especially since an attempt to appraise might have led to interesting results. For example, certain novels have an appearance of structural diffusion. Is this a defeat, or are the authors working out of, or attempting to forge, a different kind of aesthetic? Apart from this, the style of certain Black novels, like Jean Toomer's Cane, verges on expressionism or surrealism; does this technique provide a counterpoint to the prevalent theme that portrays the fate against which Black heroes are pitted, a theme usually conveyed by more naturalistic modes of expressions?
Irrespective of such omissions, what Rosenblatt talks about in his work makes for an astute and worthwhile study. His book very effectively surveys a variety of novels, highlighting certain fascinating and little-known works like James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. Black Fiction is tightly constructed, and levelheaded and penetrating criticism is exemplified in its forthright and lucid style.
1. The author of the passage raises and objection to criticism of Black fiction like that by Addison Gayle as it:
  1. Highlights only the purely literary aspects of such works
  2. Misconceive the ideological content of such fiction
  3. Miscalculate the notions of Black identity presented in such fiction
  4. Replaces political for literary criteria in evaluating such fiction
  5. Disregards the reciprocation between Black history and Black identity exhibited in such fiction.
  Ans : D
2. The primary concern of the author in the above passage is:
  1. Reviewing the validity of a work of criticism
  2. Comparing various critical approaches to a subject
  3. Talking of the limitations of a particular kind of criticism
  4. Recapitulation of the major points in a work of criticism
  5. Illustrating the theoretical background of a certain kind of criticism.
  Ans : A
3. The author is of the opinion that Black Fiction would have been improved had Rosenblatt:
  1. Undertaken a more careful evaluation of the ideological and historical aspects of Black Fiction
  2. Been more objective in his approach to novels and stories by Black authors
  3. Attempted a more detailed exploration of the recurring themes in Black fiction throughout its history
  4. Established a basis for placing Black fiction within its own unique literary tradition
  5. Calculated the relative literary merit of the novels he analyzed thematically.
  Ans : E
4. Rosenblatt's discussion of Black Fiction is :
  1. Pedantic and contentious
  2. Critical but admiring
  3. Ironic and deprecating
  4. Argumentative but unfocused
  5. Stilted and insincere.
  Ans : B
5. According to the given passage the author would be LEAST likely to approve of which among the following?
  1. Analyzing the influence of political events on the personal ideology of Black writers
  2. Attempting a critical study, which applies sociopolitical criteria to the autobiographies of Black authors
  3. A literary study of Black poetry that appraises the merits of poems according to the political acceptability of their themes
  4. Studying the growth of a distinct Black literary tradition within the context of Black history
  5. Undertaking a literary study, which attempts to isolate aesthetic qualities unique to Black fiction.
  Ans : C
6. From the following options, which does the author not make use of while discussing Black Fiction?
  1. Rhetorical questions
  2. Specific examples
  3. Comparison and contrast
  4. Definition of terms
  5. Personal opinion.
  Ans : D
7. The author makes a reference to James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man most probably to:
  1. Highlight the affinities between Rosenblatt's method of thematic analysis and earlier criticism
  2. Elucidate regarding the point made regarding expressionistic style earlier in the passage
  3. Qualify the assessment of Rosenblatt's book made in the first paragraph of the passage
  4. Demonstrate the affinities among the various Black novels talked of by Rosenblatt's literary analysis
  5. Present a specific example of one of the accomplishments of Rosenblatt's work.
  Ans : E
8. Directions:
  Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
9. Some modern anthropologists hold that biological evolution has shaped not only human morphology but also human behavior. The role those anthropologists ascribe to evolution is not of dictating the details of human behavior but one of imposing constraints - ways of feeling, thinking, and acting that ''come naturally'' in archetypal situations in any culture. Our ''frailties'' - emotions and motivs such as rage, fear, greed, gluttony, joy,lust, love-may be a very mixed assortment quality: we are, as we say, ''in the grip'' of them. And thus they give us oursense of constraints.
  Unhappily, some of those frailties our need for ever-increasing security among them are presently maladaptive. Yet beneath the overlay of cultural detail, they, too, are said to be biological in direction, and therefore as natural to us as are our appendixes. We would need to comprehend throughly their adaptive origins in order to understand how badly they guide us now. And we might then begin to resist their pressure.
  1. The author implies that control to any extent over the ''frailties'' that constrain our behavior is though to presuppose
    1. That those frailties and adaptive are recognized as currently beneficial and adaptive
    2. That there is little or no overlay of cultural detail that masks their true nature.
    3. That there are cultures in which those frailties do not ''come naturally'' and from which such control can be learned
    4. A full understanding of why those frailties evolved and of how they function now
    5. A thorough grasp of the principle that cultural detail in human behavior can differ arbitrarily from society to society.
    Ans : D
  2. It can be inferred that in his discussion of maladaptive frailties the author assumes that
    1. Evolution does not favor the emergence of adaptive characteristics over the emergence of maladaptive ones
    2. Any structure or behavior not positively adaptive is regarded as transitory in evolutionary theory
    3. Maladaptive characteristics, once fixed, make the emergence of other maladaptive characteristics more likely
    4. The designation of a characteristic as being maladaptive must always remain highly tentative
    5. Changes in the total human environment can outpace evolutionary change.
    Ans : E
  3. The primary purpose of the passage is to present
    1. A position on the foundations of human behavior and on what those foundations imply
    2. A theory outlining the parallel development of human morphology and of human behavior
    3. A diagnostic test for separating biologically determined behavior patters from culture - specific detail
    4. An overview of those human emotions and motive's that impose constraints on human behaviour
    5. A practical method for resting the pressures of biologically determined drives.
    Ans : A
  4. Which of the following most probably provides an appropriate analogy from human morphology for the ''details'' versus ''constraints'' distinction made in the passage in relation to human behaviour?
    1. The ability of most people to see all the colors of the visible spectrum as against most peoples inability to name any but the primary colors
    2. The ability of even the least fortunate people to show compassion as against people's inability to mask their feelings completely
    3. The ability of some people to dive to great depths as against most people's inability to swim long distance
    4. The psychological profile of those people who are able to delay gratification as against people's inability to control their lives completely
    5. The greater lung capacity of mountain peoples that helps them live in oxygen-poor air as against people's inability to fly without special apparatus.
    Ans : E
  5. Directions:
    Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
  6. The existence of mammals on the earth can be traced back to at least the Triassic time. The rate of development was retarded, till evolutional change suddenly accelerated in the oldest Paleocene. This resulted in an increase in average size, larger mental capacity, and special adaptations for different modes of life, during the Eocene time. Further improvement was seen during the Oligocene Epoch, with the appearance of some new lines and extinction of others. The Miocene and Pliocene times are especially significant as they mark the culmination of various groups and a continued approach toward modern characters. It is in the Miocene time that the mammals reached their peak with reference to variety and size.
    The ability of the mammals to adapt to various modes of life finds a parallel in the reptiles of the Mesozoic time, and apart form their greater intelligence, the mammals apparently have not done much better than the corresponding reptilian forms. Undoubtedly the bat is a better flying animal than the pterosaur, but at the same time the dolphin and whale are hardly more fish like than the ichthyosaur. Quite a few of the swift-running mammals inhabiting the plains, like the horse and the antelope, must excel any of the dinosaurs. Although the tyrannosaur was a more weighty and robust carnivore than perhaps any carnivorous mammal, the lion and the tiger, by virtue of their superior brain are far more efficient and dangerous beasts of prey. It is significant to note that various species of mammals gradually adapted themselves to various kinds of lifestyles, some took to grazing on the plains and were able to run swiftly (horse, deer, bison), others started living in rivers and swamps (hippopotamus, beaver), inhabiting trees (sloth, monkey), burrowing underground (rodent, mole), feeding on flesh (tiger, wolf), swimming in the water (dolphin, whale, seal), and flying in the air (bat). Human beings on account of their superior brain have been able to harness mechanical methods to conquer the physical world and adapt to any set of conditions.
    Such adaptation to different conditions leads to a gradual change in form and structure. This is a biological characteristic of the youthful, plastic stage of a group. It is seen that early in its evolutional cycle animals possess the capacity for change, but as the animal progresses in its cycle becoming old and fixed, this capacity for change disappears. The generalized types of organisms retain longest the ability to make adjustments when required, and it is from them that new, fecund stocks take origin-certainly not from any specialized end products. With reference to mammals, we see their birth, plastic spread in many directions, increased specialization, and in some cases, extinction; this is a characteristic of the evolution of life, which can be seen in the geologic record of life.
    1. From the following, choose the most appropriate title for the above passage?
      1. From Dinosaur to Man
      2. Adaptation and Extinction
      3. The Superior Mammals
      4. The Geologic Life Span
      5. Man, the Vanquisher of the Physical World.
      Ans : B
    2. According to the passage the chronological order of the geologic periods is:
      1. Paleocene, Miocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
      2. Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic, Miocene
      3. Miocene, Paleocene, Triassic, Mesozoic
      4. Mesozoic, Oligocene, Paleocene, Miocene
      5. Mesozoic, Paleocene, Eocene, Miocene
      Ans : E
    3. From the above passage, we can infer that, the pterosaur
      1. resembled the bat
      2. was a Mesozoic mammal
      3. was a flying reptile
      4. inhabited the seas
      5. evolved during the Miocene period
      Ans : C
    4. As inferred from the passage, the largest number of mammals were found in which of the following periods?
      1. Triassic period
      2. Eocene period
      3. Oligocene epoch
      4. Pliocene period
      5. Miocene period
      Ans : E
    5. Among the following statements, which statement, if true, would weaken the argument put forth in the first sentence of Paragraph 1?
      1. It has been found that the tryannosaur had a larger brain, than was previously known.
      2. Within the next thousand years, mammals will become extinct.
      3. Recently certain forms of flying ichthyosaurs have been discovered.
      4. It has now been proved, that the tiger is more powerful than the carnivorous reptiles.
      5. It is now possible to double human mental capacity, by the use of certain recently developed computers.
      Ans : A
    6. It is clear from the passage, that the evidence used to discuss the life of past time periods
      1. was developed by Charles Darwin
      2. was unearthed by the author
      3. has been negated by more recent evidence
      4. was never truly established
      5. is based on fossilized remains
      Ans : E
    7. As inferred from the passage, which of the following proverbial expressions is the author most likely to agree with?
      1. It's a cruel world.
      2. All the world's a stage.
      3. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
      4. Footprints in the sands of time.
      5. A short life, but a merry one.
      Ans : D
    8. Directions:
      Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
    9. For a period of more than two centuries paleontologists have been intrigued by the fossilized remains of pterosaurs, the first flying vertebartes. The issues, which puzzle them, are how these heavy creatures, having a wingspan of about 8-12 meters managed the various problems associated with powered flight and whether these creatures were reptiles or birds.
      Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls, pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a winglike membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws. In birds the second finger is the principal strut of the wing, which consists primarily of feathers. If the pterosaurs walked on all fours, the three short fingers may have been employed for grasping. When a pterosaurs walked or remained stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only urn upward in an extended inverted V- shape along each side of the animal's body.
      In resemblance they were extremely similar to both birds and bats, with regard to their overall body structure and proportion. This is hardly surprising as the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents a savings in weight. There is a difference, which is that the bones of the birds are more massively reinforced by internal struts.
      Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned that flying vertebrates must have been warm-blooded because flying implies a high rate of metabolism, which in turn implies a high internal temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in long, dense, and relatively thick hair like fossil material was the first clear evidence that his reasoning was correct.
      Some paleontologists are of the opinion that the pterosaurs jumped from s dropped from trees or perhaps rose into the light winds from the crests of waves in order to become airborne. Each theory has its associated difficulties. The first makes a wrong assumption that the pterosaurs hind feet resembled a bat's and could serve as hooks by which the animal could hang in preparation for flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees without damaging their wings. The third calls for high aces to channel updrafts. The pterosaurs would have been unable to control their flight once airborne as the wind from which such waves arose would have been too strong.
      1. As seen in the above passage scientists generally agree that:
        the pterosaurs could fly over large distances because of their large wingspan.
        a close evolutionary relationship can be seen between the pterosaurs and bats, when the structure of their skeletons is studied.
        the study of the fossilized remains of the pterosaurs reveals how they solved the problem associated with powered flight
        the pterosaurs were reptiles
        Pterosaurs walked on all fours.
        
        Ans : D
      2. The view that, the pterosaurs rose into light winds from the crest of the waves to become airborne, is viewed by the author as
        revolutionary
        unlikely
        unassailable
        probable
        outdated.
        
        Ans : B
      3. As inferred from the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur is distinguishable from that of a bird by the
        length of its wingspan
        hollow spaces in its bones
        anatomic origin of its wing strut
        evidence of the hooklike projections on its hind feet
        location of the shoulder joint joining the wing to its body.
        
        Ans : C
      4. From the viewpoint of T.H.Huxley, as given in the passage, which of the following statements is he most likely to agree with?
        An animal can master complex behaviors irrespective of the size of it's brain.
        Environmental capabilities and physical capabilities often influence the appearance of an animal.
        Usually animals in a particular family group do not change their appearance dramatically over a period of time
        The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome of specialization or adaption
        The pterosaurs should be classified as birds, not reptiles.
        
        Ans : B
      5. According to the passage which of the following is a characteristic of the pterosaurs?
        The pterosaurs were not able to fold their wings when not in use
        Like the bats, they hung upside down from branches
        They flew in order to capture prey
        They can be said to be an earlier stage in the evolution of the birds
        They lived principally in a forest like habitat.
        
        Ans : A
      6. The organization of the last paragraph of the passage can best be described as:
        New data is introduced in order to support a traditional point of view
        Three explanations are put forth and each of them is disputed by means of specific information
        An outline of three hypotheses are given and evidence supporting each of them is given
        Description of three recent discoveries is presented, and their implications for future study are projected
        The material in the earlier paragraphs is summarized and certain conclusions are from it.
        
        Ans : B
      7. According to the passage, some scientists believe that pterosaurs
        Lived near large bodies of water
        Had sharp teeth for tearing food
        Were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles
        Had longer tails than many birds
        Consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature.
        
        Ans : A
      8. Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
      9. Certain scraps of evidence bear out those who hold a very high opinion of the average level of culture among the Athenians of the great age. Pericles's funeral speech is undoubtedly the most famous evidence from Athenian literature, that its level was indeed high. However, Pericles was a politician, and it is possible that he was flattering his audience. We know that thousands of Athenians sat hour after hour in the theater listening to the plays of the great Greek dramatists. The Greek plays, particularly the tragedies, maintained an extremely high intellectual level throughout, with no letdowns, no concessions to the lowbrows or to the demands of ''realism'', like the gravediggers scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet. The music and dancing seen in these plays were also of an equally high level. The best modern parallel can be seen in the restrained, difficult opera of the 18th century. The comparison is no doubt dangerous, but can you imagine almost the entire population of an American city (in suitable installments, of course) sitting through performances of Mozart's Don Giovanni or Gluck's Orpheus? Perhaps the Athenian masses went to these plays because of a lack of other amusements. They could at least understand something of what went on, since the subjects were part of their folklore. Undoubtedly the theme of grand opera is not part of the folklore of the American people.
        
        From the passage it is evident that the author seems to question the sincerity of
        politicians
        playwrights
        opera goers
        ''low brows''
        gravediggers.
        
        Ans : A
        
        According to the author the average American
        Enjoys Hamlet
        Loves folklore
        Is not able to understand grand opera
        Seeks a high cultural level
        Lacks entertainment.
        
        Ans : C
        
        From the passage, we can say that the author's attitude toward Greek plays is one of
        Qualified approval
        Grudging admiration
        Studied indifference
        Partial hostility
        Great respect.
        
        Ans : E
        
        The author makes a suggestion that Greek plays
        Were demanding on the actors
        Flattered their audiences
        Were focussed on a limited audience
        Were dominated by music and dancing
        Stimulated their audiences.
        
        Ans : E
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        Everyone conforms to infancy, infancy conforms to nobody, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who prattle and play to it. So God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself. Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! In the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then, he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary.
        The healthy attitude of human nature can be seen in the nonchalance of boys who are sure of a dinner, and would disdain as much as a lord to do or say aught to conciliate one. A boy is in the parlor what the pit is in the playhouse; independent, irresponsible, looking out from his corner on such people and facts as pass by, he tries and sentences them on their merits, in the swift, summary way of boys, as good, bad, interesting, silly, eloquent, troublesome. He never cumbers himself regarding consequences, about interests and he gives an independent, genuine verdict. You should court him: he will not court you. But the man is, as it were, clapped into jail by his consciousness. As soon as he has once acted or spoken with eclat, he is a committed person, watched by the sympathy or the hatred of hundreds, whose affections must now enter into his account. There is no Lethe for this. Ah, that he could pass again into his neutrality.
        These are the voices, which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Everywhere society is conspiring against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is joint - stock company, in which members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. It is averse to self-reliance. What it loves is names and customs and not realities and creators.
        Whosoever is a man has to be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.
        No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that to this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only right is what is after me constitution, the only wrong what is against it. A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition as if every thing were titular and ephemeral but he. I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions. Every decent and well-spoken individual affects and sways me more than is right. I ought to go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.
        I shun father and mother and wife and brother, when my genius calls me. I would write on the lintels of the doorpost, whim. I hope it is somewhat better than whim at last, but we cannot spend the day in explanation. Except me not to show cause why I seek or why I exclude company. Then, again, do not tell me, as a good man did not to-day, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor? I tell thee, thou foolish philanthropist, that I grudge the dollar, the time, the cent, I give to such men as do not belong to me and to whom I do not belong. There is a class of person to whom by all spiritual affinity I am bought and sold; for them I will go to prison, if need be; but your miscellaneous popular charities; the education at collage of fools; the building of meeting - house to the vain end to which many now stand; alms to sots; and the thousandfold Relief Societies; - though I confess with shame I sometimes succumb and give the dollar, it is a wicked dollar which by and by I shall have the manhood to withhold.
        If you refuse to conform, you can experience the displeasure of the world. Hence, a man should know how to estimate a sour face. The by - standers look askance on him in the public street or in the friend's parlor. In case this aversion originates from contempt and resistance similar to his own, it might result in a sad countenance; but the sour faces of the multitude, like their sweet faces, have no deep cause, but are caused by reasons as diverse as the direction of the wind and what he reads in the newspapers. Yet is the discontent of the multitude more formidable than that of the senate and the collage.
        Another factor, which frightens us from self - trust in our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them.
        But why should you keep your head over your shoulder? Why drag about this corpse of your memory, lest you contradict somewhat you have stated in this or that public place? Suppose you should contradict yourself; what then?
        This is a rather silly consistency in our minds, which is adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. Uniformly a great soul has almost nothing to do, he could just occupy himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words; and to-morrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said to-day. - ''Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.'' - Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. What can be considered to be truly great is to be misunderstood.
        
        Which of the following statements would best describe the main theme of the above passage?
        "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little mind."
        "Eternal youth means eternal independence."
        "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist."
        "Colleges are designed to educate fools."
        "Infancy conforms to nobody."
        
        Ans : C
        
        When is the period during which we are most nonconformist?
        infancy
        puberty
        youth
        manhood
        old age
        
        Ans : A
        
        In his statement ''What can be considered to be truly great is to be misunderstood'' the author means:
        One should refrain from saying, what one exactly means
        Being misunderstood, equals being great
        All great man have always been misunderstood
        Even though a person might be considered inconsistent, he shouldn't hesitate to change his mind if he feels the need to.
        It is seldom, that nice people succeed
        
        Ans : D
        
        As inferred from the passage, the refusal of young people to cater to accept public opinion is:
        A feature of the rebelliousness of youth
        A healthy attitude of human nature
        A manifestation of deep - seated immaturity
        Simply bad manners
        Part of growing up
        
        Ans : B
        
        "Society is a joint-stock company etc." is one way which the author shows
        The anti-culture attitude of the public
        Society is highly organized and structured
        The self-rejection of society
        The lack of room for solitude in our world
        The public's interest in the stock market
        
        Ans : C
        
        " I would write on the lintels of the doorpost, whim." What does the author mean by this statement:
        That one should renounce his immediate family
        That signposts have an important educational function in our society
        That an impulsive action may have a subsequent rational explanation
        That one must never be held responsible for what one says and does
        That everyone should do foolish things occasionally
        
        Ans : C
        
        Which of the following statements best summarizes the spirit and sense of the above passage?
        "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."
        "With consistency, a great soul; has simply nothing to do."
        "Do not think the youth has no force, because cannot speak to you and me."
        "The virtue in most request is conformity."
        "A man must know how to estimate a sour force."
        
        Ans : A
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        Furthermore, insofar as any conclusion about its author can be drawn from five or six plays attributed to him, the Wakefield Master is without exception considered to be a man of sharp contemporary observation. He was, probably clerically educated, as indicated by his Latin and music, his Biblical and patristic lore. Even today he is remembered for his his quick sympathy for the oppressed and forgotten man, his sharp eye for character, a ready ear for colloquial, vernacular turns of speech and a humor alternately rude and boisterous, coarse and happy. Therefore in spite of his conscious artistry as can be seen in his feeling for intricate metrical and stanza forms, he is regarded as a kind of medieval Steinbeck, indignantly angry at, uncompromisingly and even brutally realistic in presenting the plight of the agricultural poor.
        It is now fairly accepted to regard the play as a kind of ultimate point in the secularization of the medieval drama. Therefore more stress has been laid on it as depicting realistically humble manners and pastoral life in the bleak of the west riding of Yorkshire on a typically cold night of December 24th. After what are often regarded as almost ''documentaries'' given in the three successive monologues of the three shepherds, critics go on to affirm that the realism is then intensified into a burlesque mock-treatment of the Nativity. Finally as a sort of epilogue or after-thought in deference to the Biblical origins of the materials, the play slides back into an atavistic mood of early innocent reverence. In actuality, the final scene is the culminating scene and also the raison dâ€™etre of the introductory ''realism.''
        Superficially the present play supports the conventional view of its mood of secular realism. At the same time, the ''realism'' of the Wakefield Master is of a paradoxical turn. His wide knowledge of people, as well as books indicates no cloistered contemplative but one in close relation to his times. Still, that life was after all a predominantly religious one, a time which never neglected the belief that man was a rebellious and sinful creature in need of redemption . So deeply (one can hardly say ''naively'' of so sophisticated a writer) and implicitly religious is the Master that he is less able (or less willing) to present actual history realistically than is the author of the Brome Abraham and Isaac. His historical sense is even less realistic than that of Chaucer who just a few years before had done for his own time ''costume romances,'' such as The Knight's Tele, Troilus and Cressida, etc. Furthermore, used highly romantic materials, which could excuse his taking liberties with history.
        
        Of the following statements, which is not true of Wakefield Master?
        He and Chaucer were contemporaries.
        Wakefield Master is remembered as having written five or six realistic plays.
        His plays realistically portray the plight of the country folk of his day
        His writing was similar to that of John Steinbeck.
        He was an accomplished artist.
        
        Ans : D
        
        The word 'patristic' in the first paragraph is used to mean:
        patriotic
        superstitious
        folk
        relating to the Christian Fathers
        realistic
        
        Ans : D
        
        The statement about the ''secularization of the medieval drama'' (opening sentence of the second paragraph) refers to the
        Introduction of religious themes in the early days
        Presentation of erudite material
        Use of contemporary materials
        Return to early innocent reverence at the end of the play
        Introduction of mundane matters in religious plays
        
        Ans : E
        
        From the following what would the writer be expected to do in the subsequent paragraphs:
        Make a justification for his comparison with Steinbeck
        Put forth a view point, which would take up the thought of the second paragraph
        Point out the anachronisms in the play
        Discuss the works of Chaucer
        Talk about the lack of realism in the works of the Wakefield Master.
        
        Ans : B
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        The establishment of the third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The complete destruction of democracy, the persecution of laws, the war on religion, the cruelty and barrbarism of the Nazis and especially, the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler's atrocities, the American profile generally favored isolationist policies, and neutrality. The neutrality acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the president was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion
        American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt's quarantine the aggvessor speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler's policies. Germany's seizure of Austria and Munich pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also around the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the third Reich. In August, 1939, came the shock of the Nazi - Soviet pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempt to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arranged against the Third Reich. The Neutrality act of 1939 repeated the arms embargo and permitted 'cash' and 'carry' exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend - Lease Act (1940) authorized the president to sell, exchange or lend materials to any county deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain territory in the western Hemisphere. In August 1941, President Roosevelt and prime minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl harbor, immediately thereafter Germany declared war on the united states.
        
        USA entered the war against Germany
        because Pearl Harbor was attacked
        after peaceful efforts had failed
        because Germany declare war against it
        because Japan was an ally of Germany
        after Germany had signed the Nazi - Soviet pact
        
        Ans : C
        
        The Neutrality Act of 1939 favored Great Britain because
        the British had command of the sea
        the law permitted U.S.A. to trade only with the allies.
        it antagonized Japan
        it led to the Land - Lease Act
        it agreed with the British on the principle of the Atlantic Charter
        
        Ans : A
        
        An event that did not occur in 1939 was the
        invasion of Poland
        invasion of Czechoslovakia
        passing of the Neutrality Act
        passing of the Land - Lease act
        outbreak of the war in Europe
        
        Ans : D
        
        One item occurring 1937 that the author does not mention in the list of actions that alienated the American Public was
        The persecution of religious groups
        Nazi barbarism
        The pacts with Italy
        German plans for conquest of the world
        The burning of the Reich tag.
        
        Ans : E
        
        The Land - Lease Act has designed to
        Strengthen USA's national defense
        Provide battle shit to the Allies
        Help the British
        the Atlantic Charter
        Avenge Pearl Harbor
        
        Ans : A
        
        The Neutrality Act of 1939
        restated America's isolationist policies
        proclaimed American neutrality
        permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nation
        was cause of USA's entrances in to WORLD WAR II
        started USA's national defense programs
        
        Ans : C
        
        During the years 1933-36, American policy may be described as having been
        watchful
        isolationist
        pacific
        incorrect
        discretionary
        
        Ans : B
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        There was in increase of about 10 % in the investment in the public sector, like electricity, irrigation quarrying, public services and transport; even though the emphasis leaned towards transport and away from the other sectors mentioned. A 16-17% growth in investment, including a 30% increase in investment in business premises has been recorded in trade and services. Although there continued to be a decline in the share of agriculture in total gross investment in the economy, investment grew by 9% in absolute terms, largely spurred on by a 23% expansion of investment in agriculture equipment. Housing construction had 12% more invested in it in 1964, not so much owing to increase demand, as to fears of impending new taxes and limitation of building.
        There was a rise of close to 11% in the total consumption in real terms during 1964 and per capita personal consumption by under 7%, as in 1963. The undesirable trend towards a rapid rise in consumption, evident in previous years, remains unaltered. Since at current prices consumption rose by 16% and disposable income by 13%, there was evidently a fall in the rate of saving in the private sector of the economy. Once again a swift advance in the standard of living was indicated in consumption patterns. Though fruit consumption increased, expenditure on food, especially bread and staple items, declined significantly. There was a continuing increase in the outlay on furniture and household equipment, health, education and recreation. The greatest proof of altered living standards was the rapid expansion of expenditure on transport (including private cars) and personal services of all kinds, which occurred during 1964. The changing composition if purchased durable goods demonstrated the progressive affluence of large sectors of the public. On the one hand increased purchase of automobiles and television sets were registered, a point of saturation was rapidly being approached for items like the first household radio, gas cookers, and electric refrigerators.
        
        It is possible to to conclude from this passage, that the people of the country were
        spending more money than they earn
        investing and consuming at an accelerated pace
        saving more money than previously
        spending their money wisely
        lacking in necessities
        
        Ans : B
        
        According to the author the trend towards a rapid rise in consumption is "undesirable" as:
        there was an increase in the expenditure on frills and luxuries
        the people were affluent
        there was a rise in the standard of living
        people were eating less
        people were saving less
        
        Ans : E
        
        It is possible to conclude that the United States is not the discussed country as:
        there was a decline in the expenditures for food
        From the statement that the saturation point was rapidly being approached for first household radios
        there is no mention of military expenditures
        the people were affluent
        the people were not saving their money
        
        Ans : B
        
        The area, which saw the greatest expenditure of investment funds was
        The public sector
        Business premises
        Housing construction
        Agricultural equipment
        A field which cannot be determined
        
        Ans : E
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        Visual recognition involves storing and retrieving memories. Neural activity, triggered by the eye, forms an image in the brains memory system that constitutes an internal representation of the viewed object. When an object is encountered again, it is matched with its internal representation and thereby recognized. Controversy surrounds the question of whether recognition is a parallel, one-step process or a serial, step-by-step one. Psychologists of the Gestalt school maintain that object are recognized as wholes in a parallel procedure : , the internal representation is matched with the retinal image in a single operation. Other psychologists have proposed that internal representation features are matched serially with an object's features. Although some experiments show that, as an object become familiar, its internal representation becomes more familiar, its internal representation becomes more holistic and the recognition process correspondingly more parallel, the weight of evidence seems to support the serial hypothesis, at least for objects that are not notably simple and familiar.
        
        It can be inferred from the passage that the matching process in visual recognition is
        Not a natural activity.
        Not possible when an object is viewed for the very first time.
        Not possible if a feature of a familiar object is changed in same way.
        Only possible when a retinal image is received in the brain as a unitary whole.
        Now fully understood as a combination of the serial and parallel process.
        
        Ans : A
        
        In terms of its tone and form, the passage can best be characterized as
        A biased exposition
        A speculative study
        A dispassionate presentation
        An indignant denial
        A dogmatic explanation.
        
        Ans : C
        
        The author is primarily concerned with
        Explaining how the brain receives images
        Synthesizing hypotheses of visual recognition
        Examining the evidence supporting the serial recognition hypothesis
        Discussing visual recognition and some hypotheses proposed to explain it.
        Reporting on recent experiments dealing with memory systems and their relationship to neural activity.
        
        Ans : B
        
        According to the passage, Gestalt psychologists make which of the following suppositions about visual recognition?
        I A retinal image is in exactly the same form as its internal representation
        II An object is recognized as a whole without any need for analysis into component parts.
        III The matching of an object with its internal representation occurs in only one step
        II only
        III only
        I and III only
        II and III only
        I, II and III
        
        Ans : D
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        According to Albert Einstein the non mathematician, is seized by a mysterious shuddering when he hears of 'four-dimensional' things, he is seized by a feeling, which is very similar to the thoughts awakened by the occult. And at the same time the statement that the world in which we live is a four-dimensional space - time continuum is quite a common place statement.
        This might lead to an argument regarding the use of the term ''commonplace'' by Einstein. Yet the difficulty lies more in the wording than the ideas. Einstein's concept of the universe as a four-dimensional space-time continuum becomes plain and clear, when what he means by ''continuum'' becomes clear. A continuum is something that is continuous, A ruler, for example, is a one-dimensional space continuum. Most rulers are divided into inches and fractions, scaled down to one-sixteenth of an inch.
        Will it be possible to conceive a ruler, which is calibrated to a millionth or billionth of an inch. In theory there is no reason why the steps from point to point should not be even smaller. What distinguishes a continuum is the fact that the space between any two points can be sub-divided into an infinite number of smaller divisions.
        A railroad track is a one-dimensional space continuum and on it the engineer of a train can describe his position at any time by citing a single co-ordinate point - i.e., a station or a milestone. A sea captain, however, has to worry about two dimensions. The surface of the sea is a two-dimensional continuum and the co-ordinate points by which sailor fixes his positions in his two dimensional continuum are latitude and longitude. An airplane pilot guides his plane through a three - dimensional continuum, hence he has to consider not only latitude and longitude, but also his height above the ground. The continuum of an airplane pilot constitutes space as we perceive it. In other words, the space of our world is a three-dimensional continuum.
        Just indicating its position in space is not enough while describing any physical event, which involves motion. How position changes in time also needs to be mentioned. Thus to give an accurate picture of the operation of a New York - Chicago express, one must mention not only that it goes from New - York to Albany to Syracuse to Cleveland to Toledo to Chicago, but also the times at which it touches each of those points. This can be done either by means of a timetable or a visual chart. If the miles between New York and Chicago are plotted horizontally on a piece of ruled paper and the hours and minutes are plotted vertically, then a diagonal line properly drawn across the page illustrates the progress of the train in two - dimensional space - time continuum. This type of graphic representation is familiar to most newspaper readers; a stock market chart, for example, pictures financial events in a two - dimensional dollar - time continuum. Similarly for the best picturization of the flight of an airplane from New York to Los Angeles a four - dimensional space - time continuum is essential. The latitude, longitude and altitude will only make sense to the traffic manager of the airline if the time co - ordinate is also mentioned. Therefore time is the fourth dimension. If a flight has to be looked at, perceived as a whole, it wouldn't work if it is broken down into a series of disconnected take - offs, climbs, glides, and landing, it needs to be looked at and perceived as a continuous four - dimensional space - time continuum curve.
        
        In order to explain a difficult topic, the author use
        Simply phrased definition's
        An incessant metaphor
        A plain writing style
        Familiar images
        A quotation from Einstein
        
        Ans : D
        
        The significant feature of a continuum, according to the passage, revolves around
        The divisibility of the interval between any two points.
        An ordinary ruler's caliber for marking
        Its unending curve
        Its lucid from providing comprehensibility to the non - scientists as well
        Its variety of co - ordinates.
        
        Ans : A
        
        The purpose of this passage is to highlight the point that
        Plots and sea captains have something in common
        Stock market charts may be helpful to physicists
        The fourth dimension is time.
        Non - mathematician's are often afraid of the commonplace
        There is a marked quality to distance
        
        Ans : C
        
        According to the passage, an airlines traffic manager depends upon all of the following EXCEPT
        latitude
        altitude
        the time co - ordinate
        longitude
        the continuous curve in co four
        
        Ans : E
        
        The underlying tone of this selection is
        persuasive
        deferential
        candid
        instructive
        gently condescending
        
        Ans : D
        
        According to the author if on wishes portray a physical event in which motion plays a role - one has to
        Make use of a time-table
        Indicate how position changes in time
        Be conversant with the scientist's theories
        Describe it graphically
        Be aware of altitude, latitude and longitude
        
        Ans : B
        
        The sea-captain's example has been cited in order to
        Help understand a two - dimensional continuum
        Set up a logical progression
        Simplify what ever is too elaborate
        Mitigate the gap between the engineer and pilot
        To sustain out interest in the reading of the passage.
        
        Ans : A
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        From the 197 million square miles, which make up the surface of the globe, 71 per cent is covered by the interconnecting bodies of marine water; the Pacific Ocean alone covers half the Earth and averages near 14,000 feet in depth. The portions which rise above sea level are the continents-Eurasia, Africa; North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. The submerged borders of the continental masses are the continental shelves, beyond which lie the deep-sea basins.
        The ocean are deepest not in the center but in some elongated furrows, or long narrow troughs, called deeps. These profound troughs have a peripheral arrangement, notably around the borders of the pacific and Indian oceans. The position of the deeps, like the highest mountains, are of recent origin, since otherwise they would have been filled with waste from the lands. This is further strengthened by the observation that the deeps are quite often, where world-shaking earthquakes occur. To cite an example, the "tidal wave" that in April, 1946, caused widespread destruction along Pacific coasts resulted from a strong earthquake on the floor of the Aleutian Deep.
        The topography of the ocean floors is none too well known, since in great areas the available soundings are hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. However, the floor of the Atlantic is becoming fairly well known as a result of special surveys since 1920. A broad, well-defined ridge-the Mid-Atlantic ridge-runs north and south between Africa and the two Americas and numerous other major irregularities diversify the Atlantic floor. Closely spaced soundings show that many parts of the oceanic floors are as rugged as mountainous regions of the continents. Use of the recently perfected method of submarine topography. During world war II great strides were made in mapping submarine surfaces, particularly in many parts of the vast Pacific basin.
        Most of the continents stand on an average of 2870 feet above sea level. North America averages 2300 feet; Europe averages only 1150 feet; and Asia, the highest of the larger continental subdivisions, averages 3200 feet. Mount Everest, which is the highest point in the globe, is 29,000 feet above the sea; and as the greatest known depth in the sea is over 35,000 feet, the maximum relief (that is, the difference in altitude between the lowest and highest points) exceeds 64,000 feet, or exceeds 12 miles. The continental masses and the deep-sea basins are relief features of the first order; the deeps, ridges, and volcanic cones that diversify the sea floor, as well as the plains, plateaus, and mountains of the continents, are relief features of the second order. The lands are unendingly subject to a complex of activities summarized in the term erosion, which first sculptures them in great detail and then tends to reduce them ultimately to sea level. The modeling of the landscape by weather, running water, and other agents is apparent to the keenly observant eye and causes thinking people to speculate on what must be the final result of the ceaseless wearing down of the lands. Much before there was any recognizable science as geology, Shakespeare wrote "the revolution of the times makes mountains level."
        
        The peripheral furrows or deeps are found
        only in the pacific and Indian oceans
        near earthquakes
        near the shore
        in the center of the ocean
        to be 14,000 feet in depth in the pacific.
        
        Ans : C
        
        The largest ocean is the
        Atlantic
        pacific
        Aleutian deep
        arctic
        Indian.
        
        Ans : B
        
        We may conclude from this passage that earth quakes
        Occur more frequently in newly formed land or sea formations
        Are caused by the weight of the water
        Cause erosion
        Occur in the deeps
        Will ultimately "make mountains level".
        
        Ans : A
        
        The highest mountains are
        oldest
        in excess of 12 miles
        near the deeps
        relief features of the first order
        of recent origin.
        
        Ans : E
        
        The science of geology was started
        By the Greeks
        During world war II
        April 1946
        After 1600
        In 1920
        
        Ans : D
        
        The highest point on North America is
        2870 feet above sea level
        not mentioned in the passage
        higher than the highest point in Europe
        2300 feet above sea level
        in Mexico.
        
        Ans : B
        
        The deeps are subject to change caused by
        erosion
        soundings
        earthquakes
        waste
        weathering
        
        Ans : C
        
        The continental masses
        Rise above sea level
        Consist of six continents
        Are relief features of the second order
        Are partially submerged
        Comprise 29 per cent of the earth's surface.
        
        Ans : D
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        A clear answer to whether the languages of the ancient American peoples were made use of for expressing abstract universal concepts can be sought in the case of Nahuatl, which like Greek and German, is a language that allows the formation of extensive compounds. By combining radicals or semantic elements, single compound words can express complex conceptual relations, often of an abstract universal character.
        The tlamatinime ("those who know") were able to use this rich stock of abstract terms to express the nuances of their thought. They also availed themselves of other forms of expression with metaphorical meaning, some probably original, some derived from Toltec coinages. Of these forms the most characteristic in Nahuatl is the juxtaposition of two words that, because they are synonyms, associated terms, or even contraries, complement each other to evoke one single idea. The juxtaposed terms, used as metaphor, suggest specific or essential traits of the being they refer to, introducing a mode of poetry as an almost habitual form of expression.
        
        According to the passage, some abstract universal ideas can be expressed in Nahuatl by
        Putting various meaningful elements together in one word
        Taking away from a word any reference to particular instances
        Turning each word of a phrase into a poetic metaphor
        Giving a word a new and opposite meaning
        Removing a word from its associations with other words.
        
        Ans : A
        
        It can be inferred solely from the information in the passage that
        Metaphors are always used in Nahuatl to express abstract conceptual relationships
        There are many languages that, like Greek or German, allow extensive compounding
        The abstract terms of the Nahuatl language are habitually used in poetry
        Some record or evidence of the though of the tlamatinime exists
        All abstract universal ideas are ideas of complex relations.
        
        Ans : D
        
        A main purpose of the passage is to
        Argue against a theory of poetic expression by citing evidence about the Nahuatl
        Delineate the function of the tlamatinime in Nahuatl society
        Explore the rich metaphorical heritage the Nahuatl received from the toltecs
        Describe some conceptual and aesthetic resources of the Nahuatl language
        Explain the abstract philosophy of the Nahuatl thinkers.
        
        Ans : D
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        Few areas of neuron behavioral research seemed more promising is the early sixties than that investigating the relationship between protein synthesis and learning. The conceptual framework for the research was derived directly from molecular biology, which had shown that genetic information is stored in nucleic acids and expressed in proteins why not acquired information as well.
        The first step towards establishing a connection between protein synthesis and learning seemed to be to block memory (cause adhesion) by interrupting the production of proteins. We were fortunate in finding a non lethal dosage of puromycin that could, it first appealed, thoroughly inhibit brain protein synthesis as well as reliability produce amnesia.
        Before the actual connection between protein synthesis and learning could be established however we began to have douche about whether inhibition of protein synthesis was in fact the method by which puromycin produced amnesia. First, ocher drugs, glutavimides themselves potent protein synthesis inhibitors either failed to cause amnesia in some situations where it could easily be induced by puromycin or produced an amnesia with a different time course from that of puromycin. Second, puromycin was found to inhabit protein synthesis by breaking certain amino acid chaim, and the resulting fragments were suspected of being the actual cause of amnesia is some eases. Third, puromycin was reported to cause abnormalities in the train, including seizures. Thus, not only were decreased protein synthesis and amnesia dissociated, but alternative mechanism for the amnestic action of puromycin were readily suggested.
        So, puromycin turned out to be a disappointment. It came to be regarded as a poor agent for amnesia studies, although, of course, it was poor only in the context of our original paradigm of protein synthesis inhibition. In our frustration, our initial response was simply to change dregs rather than our conceptual orientation. After many such disappointments, however, it now appears unlikely, that we will make a firm connection between protein synthesis and learning merely by pursuing the approaches of the past our experience with drugs has shown that all the amnestic agents, often interfere with memory in ways that seem unrelated to their inhibition of protein synthesis. More importantly, the notion that the interruption or intensification of protein production in the train can be related in cause and affect fashion to learning non seems simplistic and unproductive. Remove the battery from a car and the car will not go Drive the car a long distance at high speed and the battery will become more highly charged. Neither of these facts proves that the battery power the car, only knowledge of the overall automotive system will reveal it mechanism of locomotion and the role of the battery with in the system.
        
        The primary purpose a the passage is to show that extensive experimentation has
        Mot supported the hypothesis that learning is directly dependent on protein synthesis
        Cast doubt on the value of puromycin in the newer behavioral study of learning
        Revealed the importance of amnesia in the neuron behavioral study of learning
        Demonstrated the importance of amino acid fragmentation in the induction of amnesia.
        Not yet demonstrated the applicability of molecular biology to behavioral research.
        
        Ans : A
        
        According to the passage, neuron behaviorists initially based their belief that protein synthesis was related to learning on which of the following?
        Specific research into learning on which of the following
        Traditional theories about learning
        Historic experiments on the effects puromycin
        Previous discoveries in molecular biology
        Now technique in protein synthesis.
        
        Ans : D
        
        This passage was most likely excepted from
        A book review in a leading journal devoted to genetic research.
        A diary kept by a practicing neuron behavioral research
        An article summarizing a series of scientific investigations in neuron behavioral research.
        A news paper article on recent advances in the biochemistry of learning
        A technical article on experimental techniques in the field of molecular biology.
        
        Ans : C
        
        It can be inferred from the passage that after puromycin was perceived to be a disappointment, researches did which of the following?
        They continued to experiment with puromycin until a neuron anatomical framework was developed.
        They continued to experiment with puromycin, but also tried other protein synthesis inhibitors
        They ceased to experiment with puromycin and shifted to other promising protein synthesis inhibitors.
        They ceased to experiment with puromycin and reexamined through experiments the relationship between genetic information and acquired information.
        They continued to experiment with puromycin, but applied their results to other facts of memory research.
        
        Ans : C
        
        In the example of the car (lines 62-70) the battery is meant to represent which of the following elements in the neuron behavioral research program?
        glutarimides
        acquired information
        puromycin
        amnesia
        protein synthesis
        
        Ans : E
        
        The passage all of the following as effects of puromycin except
        Fragmentation of amino-acid chaim
        Inhibition of protein synthesis
        Brain seizures
        Memory loss
        Destruction of genetic information
        
        Ans : E
        
        Which of the following statements would be most likely to come after the last sentences of the passage?
        It is important in the future, therefore for behavioral bio- chemist to focus on the several components of the total learning system.
        The ambivalent status of current research, however should not deter neuron behaviorists from exploring the deeper connection between protein production and learning.
        The failures of the past, however must not impede further research into the amnestic of protein-synthesis inhibitors.
        It is important in the future, therefore, for behavioral biochemist to emphasize more strongly place of their specific findings within the overall protein synthesis model of learning.
        It is a legacy of this research, therefore, that molecular biology's genetic models have led to disagreement among neuron behaviorists.
        
        Ans : A
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        In any country, the wages commanded by the laborers who have comparable skills but who work in various industries are determined by the productivity of the least productive unit of labour, i.e. the unit of labour which works in the industry which has greatest economic disadvantages. We will represent the various opportunities of employment in a country like united states by Symbols. A standing for a group of industries in which we have exceptional economic advantage over foreign countries; B for a group in which our advantages are less; E , one in which they are still less; D, the group of industries in which they are the least of all.
        When our population is so small that all our labour can be engaged in the group represented by A, productivity of labour and (therefore wages) will be at their maximum. when our population increases so that some of the labour will have to work in group B, the wages of all labour must decline to the level of productivity in that group. But no employer, without government aid, will yet be able to afford to hire labour to exploit the opportunities, represented by E and D, unless there is a further increase in population.
        But suppose that the political party in power holds the belief that we should produce everything that we consume, that the opportunities represented by E and D should also be exploited. The commodities, that the industries composing C and D will produce have been hitherto obtained from abroad in exchange for commodities produce by A and B. The government now renders this difficult by imposing high duties upon the former class of commodities. This means that workers in A and B must pay higher prices for what they buy, but do not receive higher prices for what they sell.
        After the duty has gone into effect and the prices of commodities that can be produced by C and D have risch sufficiently enterprises will be able to hire labour at the wages prevailing in A and B and establish industries in C and D. So far as the remaining labours in A and B buy the products of C and D ,the difference between the price which they pay for these product and the price they would pay it they were permitted to import those products duty-free is a tax paid not to the government, but to the producers in C and D, to enable the later to remain in business. It is on uncompensated deduction from the natural earnings of the labourers in A and B. nor are the workers in C and D paid as much, estimated in purchasing power as they would have received if they had been allowed to remain in A and B under the earlier conditions.
        
        The authors main point is that
        The government ought to subsidize C and D
        Wages ought to be independent of international trade
        It is impossible to attain national self sufficiency
        The varying productivity of the various industries leads tot he inequalities in wages of workers in these industries
        A policy that draws labour from the fields of greater natural productiveness to fields of lower natural productiveness tends to redirect purchasing power.
        
        Ans : E
        
        No employer, without government aid will yet be able to afford to hire labour to exploit the opportunities represented by C and D because
        The population has increased
        Productivity of labour is not at the maximum
        Productivity would drop correspondingly with the wages of labour
        We cannot produce everything we consume
        Enterprises would have to pay wages equivalent to those obtained by workers in A and B while producing under greater disadvantages.
        
        Ans : E
        
        When C and D are established, workers in these industries
        Receives wages equal to those workers in A and B
        Receives higher wages than do the workers in A and B
        Are not affected so adversely by the levying of duties as are workers in A and B
        Must be paid by government funds collected from the duties on imports.
        Receive lower wages than do the workers in A and B.
        
        Ans : A
        
        We cannot exploit C and D unless
        The producers in E and D are compensated for the disadvantages under which they operate.
        We export large quantities of commodities produced by A and B
        The prices of commodities produced by A and B are raised
        The productivity of labour in all industries is increased
        We allow duties to be paid to the producers in C and D rather than to the government.
        
        Ans : A
        
        Directions:
        Each reading passage in this section is followed by questions based on the content of the reading passage. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to each question. The questions are to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
        MARK HUGHES is a master of the fine art of survival. His Los Angeles-based Herbalife International Inc. is a pyramid outfit that peddles weight-loss and nutrition concoctions of dubious value. Bad publicity and regulatory crackdowns hurt his U.S. business in the late 1980s. But Hughes, 41, continues to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle in a $20 million Beverly Hills mansion. He has been sharing the pad and a yacht with his third wife, a former Miss Petite U.S.A. He can finance this lavish lifestyle just on his salary and bonus, which last year came to $7.3 million.
        He survived his troubles in the U.S. by moving overseas, where regulators are less zealous and consumers even more naive, at least initially. Today 77% of Herbalife retail sales derive from overseas. Its new prowling grounds: Asia and Russia. Last year Herbalife's net earnings doubled, to $45 million, on net sales of $632 million. Based on Herbalife's Nasdaq-traded stock, the company has a market capitalization of $790 million, making Hughes 58% worth $454 million.
        There's a worm, though, in Hughes apple. Foreigners aren't stupid. In the end they know when they've been had. In France, for instance, retail sales rose to $97 million by 1993 and then plunged to $12 million last year. In Germany sales hit $159 million in 1994 and have since dropped to $54 million.
        Perhaps aware that the world may not provide an infinite supply of suckers, Hughes wanted to unload some of his shares. But in March, after Herbalife's stock collapsed, he put off a plan to dump about a third of his holdings on the public.
        Contributing to Hughes' woes, Herbalife's chief counsel and legal attack dog, David Addis, quit in January. Before packing up, he reportedly bellowed at Hughes, "I can't protect you anymore." Addis, who says he wants to spend more time with his family, chuckles and claims attorney-client privilege.
        Trouble on the home front, too. On a recent conference call with distributors, Hughes revealed he's divorcing his wife, Suzan, whose beaming and perky image adorns much of Herbalife's literature.
        Meanwhile, in a lawsuit that's been quietly moving through Arizona's Superior Court, former Herbalife distributor Daniel Fallow of Sandpoint, Idaho charges that Herbalife arbitrarily withholds payment to distributors and marks up its products over seven times the cost of manufacturing. Fallow also claims Hughes wanted to use the Russian mafia to gain entry to that nation's market.
        Fallow himself is no angel, but his lawsuit, which was posted on the Internet, brought out other complaints. Randy Cox of Lewiston, Idaho says Herbalife "destroyed my business" after he and his wife complained to the company that they were being cheated out of their money by higher-ups in the pyramid organization.
        Will Hughes survive again? Don't count on it this time.
        
        Herbalife Inc is based in:
        Los Angeles
        Columbus
        New York
        Austin
        
        Ans : A
        
        Daniel Fallow:
        Was a former attorney for Hughes
        Was a former distributor of Herbalife
        Co-founded Herbalife
        Ran Herbalife's German unit
        
        Ans : B
        
        Which of the following countries is mentioned where Hughes operated Herbalife?
        India
        China
        Germany
        Ukraine
        
        Ans : C
        
        The complaint of Randy Cox of Lewiston, Idaho, against Herbalife was:
        The company did not pay them their dues
        The products supplied by Hughes were inferior
        Their higher-ups in the pyramid cheated them
        Hughes had connections with the Russian mafia
        
        Ans : C
        
        Which of the following countries is NOT mentioned in the passage?
        Russia
        USA
        France
        Italy
        
        Ans : D
        
        In the year in which Hughes' salary and bonuses came to US$ 7.3 million, what was the retail sales for Herbalife in France?
        $12 million
        $159 million
        $54 million
        $97 million
        
        Ans : A
        
        At the time when this article was written, if Herbalife had had a market capitalisation of $ 1 billion, what would have been Hughes' share?
        $420 million
        $580 million
        $125 million
        $500 million
        
        Ans : B

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GRE Sample Questions : Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

Verbal Section: Reading Comprehension

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