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GRE Verbal Reasoning study materials
GRE Verbal Reasoning study resources

GRE Verbal Reasoning practice questions

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Question 1Reading Comprehension

Hermit crabs occupy discarded snail shells and must relocate as they grow. Early biologists called this parasitism, yet the crabs scavenge debris and cycle nutrients into the sediment. Which best states the passage's main point?

  1. Shell relocation is the only notable behavior of hermit crabs.
  2. Early biologists were correct to classify the crab as a parasite.
  3. Hermit crabs are true parasites of the snails whose shells they occupy, and this relationship measurably harms snail populations over time.
  4. A behavior once called parasitic is better understood as ecologically useful. Correct answer.

Explanation

A main-idea answer must cover the whole passage: the older label and the correction to it. The passage's second clause explicitly replaces 'parasitism' with scavenging and nutrient cycling.

Question 2Reading Comprehension

The 1883 Krakatoa eruption was heard nearly 5,000 km away, the farthest sound ever reliably reported. Barometers worldwide recorded the resulting pressure wave for several days. According to the passage, what did barometers detect?

  1. A measurable worldwide drop in temperature.
  2. The sound of the blast heard 5,000 km away.
  3. Nothing unusual outside the immediate region.
  4. A pressure wave lasting several days. Correct answer.

Explanation

The question asks specifically what instruments recorded, not what human ears heard. The passage states that barometers registered the pressure wave for several days.

Question 3Reading Comprehension

Critics called the novel's ending facile: the family's debts vanish overnight and every quarrel resolves without cost. In context, 'facile' most nearly means

  1. carefully prepared
  2. difficult to interpret
  3. too easily achieved Correct answer.
  4. bitter in tone

Explanation

The colon introduces evidence that explains the word: debts disappearing overnight and quarrels resolving at no cost. That evidence points to solutions reached too easily to be convincing.

Question 4Reading Comprehension

Reviewers praised the bridge's engineering but noted, dryly, that its pedestrian walkway ends eight meters above the riverbank. The reviewer's remark about the walkway is best described as

  1. warmly admiring
  2. wryly critical Correct answer.
  3. purely technical
  4. openly hostile

Explanation

The word 'dryly' signals understated humor rather than outrage, and the observation is clearly a complaint. The remark combines mild amusement with criticism.

Question 5Reading Comprehension

Honeybees returning from a rich patch of flowers perform a longer waggle dance. Recruits then fly farther to forage, even to sites the dancer never visited. The passage suggests the dance conveys information about

  1. the quality of the hive's stored honey from the previous season
  2. the age of the returning forager
  3. the distance of a food source Correct answer.
  4. the number of recruits available in the hive

Explanation

The passage links the length of the dance to how far recruits subsequently fly. That relation supports distance as the encoded information.

Question 6Reading Comprehension

Octopuses have no bones, so a small octopus can squeeze through a gap the width of its eye. The only rigid parts are the beak and the brain case. According to the passage, which structures are rigid?

  1. The eye and the funnel
  2. The beak and the brain case Correct answer.
  3. The arms and the mantle
  4. The soft tissue of the arms and the suckers

Explanation

The passage states directly that only the beak and the brain case are rigid. Everything else in the body is flexible enough to compress.

Question 7Reading Comprehension

Antibiotic courses are often stopped early once symptoms fade. In one trial, patients who stopped on day three relapsed twice as often as those who finished the full course. The author uses the trial to

  1. question the safety of the drugs
  2. describe how antibiotics work
  3. compare two different classes of antibiotics used in hospitals
  4. support completing the full course Correct answer.

Explanation

The trial data show worse outcomes for early stoppage, so it functions as evidence for finishing the prescribed course. The author cites the comparison to discourage the common practice described first.

Question 8Reading Comprehension

Unlike mosses, which lack vascular tissue and stay low and damp, ferns have internal tubes that carry water upward, allowing taller growth. The passage contrasts mosses and ferns mainly in terms of

  1. their preferred soil chemistry and moisture levels
  2. their internal transport tissue Correct answer.
  3. their methods of reproduction
  4. their geographic range

Explanation

The explicit contrast is between mosses lacking vascular tissue and ferns possessing water-carrying tubes. Height is presented as a consequence of that structural difference.

Question 9Reading Comprehension

In 1900 most physicists expected only small refinements to their field. Within twenty-five years quantum mechanics had overturned its core assumptions. Historians note that the discipline's confidence and its upheaval grew together. The passage implies that scientific confidence and upheaval

  1. can coexist and even reinforce each other Correct answer.
  2. follow each other in a fixed sequence over decades
  3. are fundamentally incompatible in any discipline
  4. explain why physicists eventually abandoned quantum theory

Explanation

The passage says confidence and upheaval 'grew together,' which implies coexistence rather than opposition. The 1900 expectation of minor refinements alongside a major revolution illustrates that pairing.

Question 10Reading Comprehension

A town banned plastic bags in 2019, and bag litter in its river fell 60 percent by 2021. Officials credit the ban. A new sewer system installed in 2020, however, also trapped street litter. Which fact most weakens the officials' conclusion?

  1. The ban was opposed by several local retailers, who argued it would raise costs for shoppers.
  2. River water quality improved over the same two-year period.
  3. The sewer upgrade independently reduced the litter reaching the river. Correct answer.
  4. Several neighboring towns adopted similar bans in the same year.

Explanation

The argument attributes the drop in litter to the ban, so an alternative cause occurring at the same time undermines that attribution. A sewer system that traps litter is exactly such a rival explanation.

Question 11Reading Comprehension

A damaged reef recovered within a decade. 'Such resilience surprised researchers, who had predicted centuries of damage.' Still, the recovery masked a loss: the reef returned with fewer species than before. The quoted sentence serves mainly to

  1. summarize the article's central claim about coral reef conservation policy
  2. criticize the researchers' methods
  3. qualify enthusiasm about the recovery Correct answer.
  4. introduce a contradiction in the data

Explanation

The sentence establishes how impressive the recovery seemed, which the following sentence then limits. Its function is to set up a qualified rather than uncomplicated assessment.

Question 12Reading Comprehension

A museum raised ticket prices by 20 percent and total revenue rose. The director concludes that visitors are insensitive to price. The director's conclusion depends on assuming that

  1. visitors were surveyed about their spending habits after each visit
  2. ticket prices at other museums did not change during the period
  3. the museum's operating costs remained flat throughout the period
  4. no other factor, such as a popular new exhibit, drew the crowds Correct answer.

Explanation

Rising revenue could reflect higher prices or greater attendance, and greater attendance could have an unrelated cause. The inference to price insensitivity requires ruling out such alternative draws.

Question 13Reading Comprehension

The committee's report was studiously vague: it named no companies, cited no figures, and set no deadlines. In context, 'studiously' most nearly means

  1. deliberately Correct answer.
  2. thoroughly
  3. reluctantly
  4. hurriedly

Explanation

The list of omissions suggests the vagueness was purposeful rather than accidental. 'Studiously' here modifies the intent behind the vagueness, meaning done on purpose.

Question 14Reading Comprehension

Both cities opened tram lines in 2010. Ridership in city A tripled; in city B it barely moved. A's line ran through dense housing, while B's followed an empty freight corridor. The passage suggests the difference in ridership is best explained by

  1. the price of fares charged in each of the two cities
  2. the age of the tram fleets
  3. public opposition in city B
  4. where each line was routed Correct answer.

Explanation

The only difference the passage supplies is the surroundings of each line: dense housing versus an empty corridor. That contrast is offered as the explanation for the ridership gap.

Question 15Reading Comprehension

Translators of poetry face a choice: preserve the rhyme and lose the sense, or keep the sense and lose the music. Some now print both versions side by side. This practice suggests that such translators

  1. believe rhyme is unimportant to poetry
  2. think readers should learn the source language
  3. prefer prose translations of verse
  4. regard the loss as unavoidable but not fatal Correct answer.

Explanation

Printing both versions acknowledges that neither alone captures the original, while still offering the poem to readers. That implies the translators accept a real loss without treating it as disqualifying.

Question 16Reading Comprehension

Workers who took twenty-minute naps made fewer errors on an afternoon task than those who did not nap. The researchers concluded that brief naps improve vigilance. Which finding would most strengthen that conclusion?

  1. The task was performed in a quiet, dimly lit room.
  2. Error rates were recorded by supervisors rather than by the workers themselves.
  3. Participants were randomly assigned to nap or stay awake. Correct answer.
  4. Nappers reported feeling more refreshed than non-nappers.

Explanation

A causal claim is strengthened when subjects are assigned at random, since that removes self-selection as an explanation for the difference. Random assignment supports the inference that napping, not some prior trait, produced the result.

Question 17Reading Comprehension

The biographer devotes three hundred pages to her subject's childhood and eleven to a forty-year career. One closes the book knowing the nursery wallpaper and nothing of the treaties. The author's tone toward the biography is

  1. reverent
  2. cautiously admiring
  3. mildly mocking Correct answer.
  4. indifferent

Explanation

The exaggerated proportion and the comic wallpaper-versus-treaties contrast signal gentle ridicule. The tone is amused and critical rather than neutral or admiring.

Question 18Reading Comprehension

The treaty bound signatories to cut sulfur emissions by 30 percent by 1993. Sulfur fell faster than required, mainly because coal plants switched to low-sulfur fuel rather than because of the treaty's technology mandates. According to the passage, the decline was mostly due to

  1. the treaty's technology mandates
  2. a change in the fuel that plants burned Correct answer.
  3. stricter enforcement after 1993
  4. the withdrawal of several major signatories from the agreement

Explanation

The passage explicitly attributes the faster-than-required decline to fuel switching and explicitly denies that mandates were the main cause. The requested cause is therefore the change in fuel.

Question 19Reading Comprehension

Some argue that cities should plant only native trees, since natives support local insects. Yet a street tree must also survive heat, salt, and cramped soil, and some non-natives do that far better. The word 'Yet' signals that the author will

  1. abandon the topic of street trees entirely
  2. concede that the argument just presented is entirely decisive and complete
  3. restate the argument just given
  4. introduce a consideration that limits the argument Correct answer.

Explanation

The concession about insects is followed by an opposing consideration about street conditions. 'Yet' marks that shift toward a factor the original argument neglected, which limits rather than refutes it.

Question 20Reading Comprehension

The map labels the region 'uninhabited,' yet it marks forty wells, a mill, and a road. Cartographers of the period often reserved that word for land without permanent settled farmers. The passage suggests that the map's label

  1. contradicts every other part of the map
  2. was based on careful surveys conducted over several years
  3. reflects a narrow definition of habitation Correct answer.
  4. referred only to the region's climate

Explanation

The final sentence supplies the sense in which 'uninhabited' was used, one that excludes well-diggers and road-users. The label therefore reflects a restricted definition rather than a factual void.

Question 21Reading Comprehension

Regions with more bookshops have higher literacy, and economists propose funding bookshops to raise literacy. A critic replies that wealthy, educated regions support both bookshops and libraries, and that libraries may do the real work. The critic's reply mainly aims to

  1. deny that literacy varies between regions
  2. show that bookshops are unprofitable businesses
  3. offer an alternative explanation for the correlation Correct answer.
  4. prove that public funding for libraries is more expensive per reader than bookshops

Explanation

The critic grants the correlation but proposes a different causal story: wealth and existing education drive both bookshops and literacy. That undercuts the inference from correlation to policy.

Question 22Reading Comprehension

The composer's late quartets were dismissed as incoherent in 1830 and canonized by 1900. The notes never changed; the ear did. Audiences had learned to hear unresolved chords as tension rather than as error. The passage implies that judgments of coherence

  1. depend partly on listeners' learned expectations Correct answer.
  2. are stable once a work enters the canon
  3. are entirely unrelated to the musical training and habits of audiences
  4. rest chiefly on the composer's stated intentions

Explanation

The reversal of judgment without any change in the music points to the audience as the variable. Since listeners had to learn a new way of hearing, coherence judgments depend on acquired expectation.

Question 23Reading Comprehension

Bacteria in a biofilm behave unlike free-floating cells: they share nutrients, resist antibiotics collectively, and coordinate through chemical signals. A lone cell is vulnerable; a community is not. Some therefore call biofilms a kind of tissue. The comparison to tissue is offered to

  1. explain why free-floating cells reproduce faster than those inside a biofilm in culture
  2. prove that bacteria are multicellular organisms
  3. criticize the use of antibiotics in medicine
  4. capture how collective behavior changes bacterial capacity Correct answer.

Explanation

The tissue comparison follows a list of capacities that appear only in groups, so it names the difference that group living makes. It is a descriptive analogy rather than a taxonomic or clinical claim.

Question 24Reading Comprehension

A study found that students who read on paper recalled more than students who read on screens, and the authors urge schools to return to print. But the paper group also took notes by hand, while the screen group typed. The most serious problem with the recommendation is that

  1. recall was measured immediately after reading rather than after a delay of a week or more
  2. an uncontrolled difference between the groups could explain the result Correct answer.
  3. the study did not use standardized reading passages across the groups
  4. the recommendation ignores the cost of printed textbooks

Explanation

The two groups differ in note-taking method as well as in reading medium, so the medium is confounded with another variable. Until that difference is controlled, the causal claim behind the recommendation is unsupported.

Question 25Reading Comprehension

Defenders of the congestion fee say it reduces traffic. But the fee falls hardest on drivers who can least change their hours, while flexible workers simply shift their trips, and congestion has fallen only at the margins. The author's attitude toward the fee is

  1. strictly neutral and descriptive
  2. puzzled that the policy has proven so broadly popular with voters
  3. enthusiastic about its results
  4. skeptical of its claimed benefit Correct answer.

Explanation

The author concedes the stated goal and then lists burdens and a modest outcome, which amounts to doubt about the size of the benefit. The word 'only' in the final clause carries the evaluation.

Question 26Reading Comprehension

Passage: In the 1950s, geologist Marie Tharp used sonar data to map the ocean floor. Her maps revealed a continuous ridge system running through the Atlantic. Initially, many scientists dismissed her findings as 'girl talk,' but the ridge later became key evidence for plate tectonics. Question: What does the passage suggest about the initial reception of Tharp's work?

  1. It was immediately accepted by the scientific community.
  2. It was praised for its innovative use of sonar.
  3. It was met with skepticism due to her gender. Correct answer.
  4. It was ignored because the data were classified.

Explanation

The passage states that scientists dismissed her findings as 'girl talk,' which indicates skepticism tied to her gender. The other options are contradicted by the text or introduce unsupported details.

Question 27Reading Comprehension

Passage: In the novel, the protagonist returns to her childhood home after twenty years. She finds the garden overgrown and the house silent. Yet she feels a strange comfort, as if the walls remember her. Question: The protagonist's reaction to the house is best described as:

  1. Nostalgic Correct answer.
  2. Indifferent
  3. Angry
  4. Terrified

Explanation

The passage says she feels 'a strange comfort' and imagines the walls remember her, suggesting nostalgic attachment. The other emotions are not supported by the text.

Question 28Reading Comprehension

Passage: The city council proposed a ban on single-use plastics. Supporters argued it would reduce waste; opponents claimed it would hurt small businesses. The mayor, noting that both sides had valid points, suggested a compromise: a small fee on plastic bags rather than an outright ban. Question: The mayor's suggestion can best be characterized as:

  1. A firm endorsement of the ban
  2. A rejection of both sides' arguments
  3. An attempt to balance competing concerns Correct answer.
  4. A delay tactic to avoid a decision

Explanation

The mayor acknowledges both sides and proposes a middle ground (a fee instead of a ban), which is an attempt to balance concerns. It is not an endorsement, rejection, or delay.

Question 29Reading Comprehension

Passage: The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, imposed heavy reparations on Germany. Many historians argue that these reparations fueled economic instability and resentment, contributing to the rise of extremism in the 1930s. Question: According to the passage, what did the Treaty of Versailles do?

  1. Granted Germany territorial expansion
  2. Ended World War II
  3. Established the League of Nations
  4. Imposed heavy reparations on Germany Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states that the treaty 'imposed heavy reparations on Germany.' The other options are not mentioned or contradict historical fact.

Question 30Reading Comprehension

Passage: The scientist's lecture was so abstruse that even her colleagues struggled to follow. She peppered her talk with jargon and skipped over key explanations, leaving the audience more confused than enlightened. Question: As used in the passage, 'abstruse' most nearly means:

  1. Poorly organized
  2. Highly entertaining
  3. Overly simplistic
  4. Difficult to understand Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage indicates that colleagues struggled to follow, that jargon was used, and that the audience was confused, so 'abstruse' means difficult to understand. It is not entertaining or simplistic; 'poorly organized' is not the primary meaning.

Question 31Reading Comprehension

Passage: The author spends three chapters describing the protagonist's childhood, then abruptly summarizes his entire adult career in two pages. This imbalance suggests that the author's true interest lies in the formative years, not in the achievements of maturity. Question: The function of the second sentence in the passage is to:

  1. Provide a counterexample to the first sentence
  2. Interpret the significance of a structural choice Correct answer.
  3. Criticize the author's writing style
  4. Summarize the plot of the book

Explanation

The second sentence explains what the imbalance (a structural choice) suggests about the author's interest, so it interprets significance. It does not counter, summarize plot, or primarily criticize.

Question 32Reading Comprehension

Passage: Theory A posits that the universe will expand forever. Theory B contends that gravity will eventually halt the expansion and cause a contraction. Recent measurements of distant supernovae, however, show that the expansion is accelerating, which supports Theory A over Theory B. Question: The passage suggests that the recent measurements:

  1. Favor Theory A over Theory B Correct answer.
  2. Support Theory B over Theory A
  3. Are irrelevant to both theories
  4. Refute Theory A

Explanation

The passage states that the measurements 'support Theory A over Theory B.' The other options contradict the text.

Question 33Reading Comprehension

Passage: The committee reviewed the proposal for three hours. They asked pointed questions about the budget, the timeline, and the feasibility of the technology. At the end, they unanimously recommended approval. Question: The committee's questions most likely served to:

  1. Delay the decision indefinitely
  2. Highlight the proposal's flaws
  3. Ensure the proposal was thoroughly vetted Correct answer.
  4. Express hostility toward the proposal

Explanation

The questions covered important aspects and led to unanimous approval, indicating they were part of a thorough review, not hostility or delay. They may have tested for flaws, but the outcome suggests vetting.

Question 34Reading Comprehension

Passage: In a study of memory, participants who slept after learning a list of words recalled more words than those who stayed awake. The researchers concluded that sleep consolidates memory. However, the sleep group also had fewer distractions during the retention interval. Question: The conclusion that sleep consolidates memory is weakened by the fact that:

  1. The sleep group had fewer distractions Correct answer.
  2. The study used a list of words
  3. The recall test was not standardized
  4. The participants were not randomly assigned

Explanation

The passage notes that the sleep group had fewer distractions, which could explain the better recall independently of sleep. This confound weakens the causal claim. The other options are not mentioned or are less directly problematic.

Question 35Reading Comprehension

Passage: The company claims that its new software will increase productivity because it automates repetitive tasks. But the software requires extensive training, and during the learning period, productivity may actually drop. Thus, the company's claim is premature. Question: The author's argument assumes that:

  1. The software is too expensive for most companies
  2. Automation always leads to productivity gains
  3. A temporary drop in productivity undermines the claim of an overall increase Correct answer.
  4. Training is unnecessary for productivity gains

Explanation

The author argues the claim is premature because productivity may drop during learning, assuming that such a drop is relevant to the overall productivity claim. The other options are not assumed or are contrary.

Question 36Reading Comprehension

Passage: Studies show that students who eat breakfast earn higher grades than those who skip it. Therefore, schools should provide free breakfast to all students to improve academic performance. Question: Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?

  1. Free breakfast programs are expensive
  2. Some students dislike breakfast foods
  3. Students who eat breakfast tend to come from higher-income families Correct answer.
  4. Skipping breakfast can cause short-term hunger

Explanation

If breakfast eaters are from higher-income families, then family income (not breakfast) might explain the higher grades, weakening the causal claim. Cost is a practical concern but does not weaken the logical link.

Question 37Reading Comprehension

Passage: The author describes the city as 'a labyrinth of mirrored glass,' where every building reflects the others, creating an illusion of infinite depth. Question: The description primarily serves to:

  1. Emphasize the city's historical significance
  2. Convey the city's disorienting visual effect Correct answer.
  3. Criticize the city's architecture as unoriginal
  4. Highlight the city's chaotic street layout

Explanation

The metaphor of a labyrinth and mirrored glass creates a sense of confusion and infinite reflection, so it conveys a disorienting visual effect. It does not necessarily criticize, emphasize history, or refer to street layout.

Question 38Reading Comprehension

Passage: The critics praised the film for its stunning visuals but complained that the plot was predictable. Audiences, however, flocked to theaters, making it the highest-grossing film of the year. Question: The passage suggests that:

  1. The film was a critical failure
  2. Audiences agreed with the critics about the plot
  3. Critical acclaim and commercial success do not always align Correct answer.
  4. Visuals are more important than plot for critics

Explanation

The critics had mixed reviews (praise for visuals, complaints about plot) while audiences made it successful, indicating a divergence between critical and popular opinion. The other options are not supported.

Question 39Reading Comprehension

Passage: The archaeologist found a coin dated 100 BCE in a layer of soil also containing pottery from 300 CE. She concluded that the coin must have been introduced into the later layer by disturbance. Question: The archaeologist's conclusion is based on:

  1. The style of the pottery
  2. The assumption that coins are always valuable
  3. The coin's inscription
  4. The principle of stratigraphy, where older objects should be in lower layers Correct answer.

Explanation

The archaeologist uses the fact that the coin is much older than the pottery in the same layer, so the layer must be disturbed. This relies on stratigraphy, the idea that layers form in order. The other options are not mentioned.

Question 40Reading Comprehension

Passage: The company's profits rose after it increased its advertising budget. However, during the same period, a competitor went bankrupt, reducing competition. Therefore, the advertising increase may not be the sole cause of the profit rise. Question: The passage points out that:

  1. Advertising never affects profits
  2. The competitor's bankruptcy was caused by the advertising
  3. An alternative explanation for the profit rise exists Correct answer.
  4. The company should reduce its advertising

Explanation

The passage notes that reduced competition could also explain the profit rise, so advertising may not be the sole cause. It does not claim advertising never works, nor that advertising caused the bankruptcy, nor recommend reducing advertising.

Question 41Reading Comprehension

Passage: The philosopher's argument hinges on the premise that all knowledge derives from sensory experience. If this premise is false, then his entire theory collapses. Question: The passage implies that the philosopher's theory is:

  1. Dependent on a single controversial premise Correct answer.
  2. Certainly true
  3. Independent of sensory experience
  4. Based on empirical evidence

Explanation

The theory hinges on one premise, and if false, collapses, so it is dependent on that premise. The passage does not assert truth, and the premise is about sensory experience, not necessarily empirical evidence.

Question 42Reading Comprehension

Passage: The historian argues that the revolution was inevitable because economic inequality had reached extreme levels. But similar inequality existed in other countries that did not experience revolution. Thus, inequality alone cannot explain the revolution. Question: The historian's argument is weakened by the fact that:

  1. Economic inequality was extreme
  2. The historian is biased
  3. Other countries with similar inequality did not have revolutions Correct answer.
  4. The revolution occurred

Explanation

The passage itself states that other countries with similar inequality did not have revolutions, which undermines the claim that inequality alone made revolution inevitable. The other options are either premises or unsupported.

Question 43Reading Comprehension

Passage: The novel's protagonist is described as 'a calm sea before a storm.' Throughout the story, she remains outwardly composed while internal tensions build, eventually leading to a dramatic confrontation. Question: The phrase 'a calm sea before a storm' primarily serves to:

  1. Foreshadow the protagonist's inner turmoil Correct answer.
  2. Suggest that the protagonist is unpredictable
  3. Indicate the protagonist's love of nature
  4. Describe the setting

Explanation

The metaphor suggests a peaceful exterior hiding impending turmoil, which matches the description of outward composure and building internal tensions. It is not about setting, nature, or unpredictability.

Question 44Reading Comprehension

Passage: The economist claims that raising the minimum wage will reduce poverty. However, she ignores the possibility that employers might reduce hours or cut jobs in response, which could offset the wage gains. Question: The author's criticism of the economist is that she:

  1. Relies on outdated data
  2. Fails to define poverty
  3. Overestimates the number of low-wage workers
  4. Overlooks a potential negative consequence Correct answer.

Explanation

The author points out that the economist ignores possible reductions in hours or jobs, which is a potential negative consequence. The other options are not mentioned.

Question 45Reading Comprehension

Passage: The author begins by describing the bustling city, then shifts to a quiet rural village, and finally returns to the city. This structure emphasizes the contrast between the two settings and suggests that the protagonist's journey is circular. Question: The passage describes the author's use of:

  1. Flashback
  2. Structural contrast Correct answer.
  3. Foreshadowing
  4. Irony

Explanation

The author moves between city and village and back, using the structure to highlight contrast and circularity. This is a structural technique, not foreshadowing, flashback, or irony.

Question 46Reading Comprehension

Passage A: Standardized tests are biased against minority students because the questions assume cultural knowledge not equally available to all. Passage B: Test scores predict college performance equally well for all groups, so the tests are not biased in a predictive sense. Question: The disagreement between the two passages centers on:

  1. The validity of college admissions
  2. The definition of test bias Correct answer.
  3. The importance of cultural knowledge
  4. The fairness of predicting performance

Explanation

Passage A defines bias in terms of cultural content, while Passage B defines it in terms of predictive validity. Thus, they disagree on what constitutes bias. The other options are not the central disagreement.

Question 47Reading Comprehension

Passage: The historian argues that the fall of the Roman Empire was caused by lead poisoning from lead pipes. He cites the prevalence of lead pipes and the known health effects of lead. However, the argument overlooks the fact that the empire's elite, who were most exposed, continued to thrive for generations. Question: Which of the following is an unstated assumption in the historian's argument?

  1. The elite were the only ones affected by lead
  2. The health effects of lead were sufficient to cause a societal collapse Correct answer.
  3. Lead pipes were common in all social classes
  4. The empire fell abruptly

Explanation

The historian assumes that the health effects of lead poisoning were severe enough to cause the fall of an empire, which is a large assumption. The other options are either not assumed or contradicted by the passage.

Question 48Reading Comprehension

Passage: A study found that people who drink moderate amounts of red wine live longer than those who abstain. The authors concluded that moderate drinking improves longevity. A critic noted that the abstainers included former heavy drinkers who had quit due to health problems. Question: The critic's point is that the study:

  1. Failed to measure wine consumption accurately
  2. May have misclassified a group, confounding the results Correct answer.
  3. Ignored the benefits of other types of alcohol
  4. Did not include enough participants

Explanation

The critic notes that abstainers included former heavy drinkers, so the abstention group may have had worse health, confounding the comparison. This is a misclassification issue, not measurement, sample size, or other alcohol.

Question 49Reading Comprehension

Passage: The poet writes, 'The moon is a cold stone / that warms to no one.' Question: This line is best interpreted as:

  1. A metaphor for unrequited love
  2. A literal description of the moon
  3. A celebration of lunar beauty
  4. A metaphor for emotional isolation Correct answer.

Explanation

The moon as a 'cold stone' that 'warms to no one' suggests emotional coldness and isolation, not literal description, beauty, or specifically unrequited love.

Question 50Reading Comprehension

Passage: The author writes that the committee's decision was 'as transparent as a brick wall.' Question: This remark is an example of:

  1. Irony Correct answer.
  2. Metaphor
  3. Hyperbole
  4. Understatement

Explanation

The phrase says 'transparent' but compares it to a brick wall, which is opaque, so the intended meaning is the opposite: the decision was not transparent at all. This is verbal irony.