LOOK INSIDE!™ Nervtoairs a i? Kemp namie SMUT veka! weriven pia mens da HI cottinas’ searcina qeartiansCONTENTS INTRODUCTION The Importance of Being Verbal ix CHAPTERS Test-Taking Tips 1 Sentence Correction 7 Be a Better Reader 35 Arguments 49 Reading Comprehension 87 Be a Better Writer 111 Essays 117 Answers to Exercises 14] Sample GMAT Verbal Section 163 Answers to Sample GMAT Verbal Section 185 oO DON O OH BR DD DO — i APPENDIXES | Grammar Odds and Ends 195 ll Grammar Glossary 207 lil Idiom List 211 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 223INTRODUCTION THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING VERBAL Welcome to The Princeton Review’s GMAT Verbal Workout. If you've just pur- chased this book (or you’re just casually browsing while you throw back your third cup of overpriced coffee), you probably fall into one of the following three categories: (1) | You’re about the take the GMAT and you feel okay about the math section, but you need to brush up on your verbal skills so that you can get the best score possible; (2) You're about the take the GMAT, you’re petrified that you'll bomb it, and you’ve made it your goal to get the best test prep guide to ensure that you will avoid utter humiliation; (3) You have no plans to take the GMAT, but you're just one of those people who digs books about grammar and wants to learn to read more efficiently. If your circumstances match any of those above, you've found the right book. Sure, there are many prep guides for taking the GMAT (and as the GMAT increases in importance, these guides are sure to multiply), but this one is espe- cially designed to concentrate only on your verbal skills. If you want to follow a test prep book that reviews all aspects of the GMAT, check out The Princeton Review’s Cracking the GMAT. For further, specific review of the math section of the GMAT, The Princeton Review’s GMAT Math Workout is an excellent resource. Having strong verbal skills extends beyond increasing your appreciation of proper grammar and learning how to deconstruct arguments. Applying to busi- ness school is a decidedly verbal process, during which you will be judged by how well you assimilate information and how well you express yourself. If you doubt this, just look at all of the essays on Harvard’s business school application. Most applicants don’t get into b-school because they know the Pythagorean theorem or can calculate x to the 1,000th decimal place. Most students gain admission because their essays eloquently tell admissions committees about themselves and indicate how well they can share ideas with others. This book’s purpose is twofold. First and foremost, the goal of this book is to teach you how to improve your score on the GMAT’s verbal section. But we're also going to look at the bigger picture; by learning to read aggressively and write expressively, you'll build skills that will serve you long after you gleefully de- scend some podium clutching your M.B.A. diploma.