GRE Revised General Test: Verbal Reasoning Sample Questions

The GRE Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE revised General Test contains three types of questions: Reading Comprehension Text Completion Sentence Equivalence Reading Comprehension questions appear in sets Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions are independent!

Reading Comprehension Questions

There are three types of Reading Comprehension questions: Multiple-choice QuestionsSelect One examinee must select one! Multiple-choice QuestionsSelect One or More ns!er "hoices: These ns!er "hoice: These are the

traditional multiple"choice questions #ith five ans#er choices of #hich the

provide three ans#er choices and as$ the examinee to select all that are correct one% t#o% or all three of the ans#er choices may be correct! To gain credit for these questions% the examinee must select all the correct ans#ers% and only those there is no credit for partially correct ans#ers! Select-in-#assage: The question as$s the examinee to clic$ on the sentence in the passage that meets a certain description! To ans#er the question% the examinee chooses one of the sentences and clic$s on it clic$ing any#here on a sentence #ill highlight it!
206154486.doc Page 1 of $$

Reading comprehension passages are dra#n from the physical sciences% the biological sciences% the social sciences% the arts and humanities% and everyday topics% and are based on material found in boo$s and periodicals% both academic and nonacademic! The passages range in length from one paragraph to four or five paragraphs!

Sample %uestions $ to & belo! are based on this passage:

&olicyma$ers must confront the dilemma that fossil fuels continue to be an indispensable source of energy even though burning them produces atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide that increase the li$elihood of potentially disastrous global climate change! Currently% technology that #ould capture carbon dioxide emitted by po#er plants and sequester it harmlessly underground or undersea instead of releasing it into the atmosphere might double the cost of generating electricity! 'ut because sequestration does not affect the cost of electricity transmission and distribution% delivered prices #ill rise less% by no more than () percent! Research into better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide #ill undoubtedly lead to lo#ered costs!

206154486.doc

Page 2 of $$

Sample Multiple-choice QuestionSelect

*!

ne !ns"e# $hoice

The passage implies #hich of the follo#ing about the current cost of

generating electricity+ ,! '! C! .! E! -t is higher than it #ould be if better technologies for capturing carbon -t is some#hat less than the cost of electricity transmission and -t constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity! -t is d#elt on by policyma$ers to the exclusion of other costs associated -t is not fully recovered by the prices charged directly to electricity

dioxide #ere available! distribution!

#ith electricity delivery! consumers! ns!er: C! -t constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity!

206154486.doc

Page % of $$

Sample Multiple-choice QuestionSelect $hoices

ne o# Mo#e !ns"e#

Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply! /! The passage suggests that extensive use of sequestration #ould% over

time% have #hich of the follo#ing consequences+ ,! '! C! The burning of fossil fuels #ould eventually cease to produce atmospheric The proportion of the delivered price of electricity due to generation #ould &o#er plants #ould consume progressively lo#er quantities of fossil fuels!

accumulations of carbon dioxide! rise and then decline!

ns!er: '! The proportion of the delivered price of electricity due to generation #ould rise and then decline!

Sample Select-in-Passage Question

0! Select the sentence that explains #hy an outcome of sequestration that

might have been expected #ould not occur! ns!er: percent!2 1'ut because sequestration does not affect the cost of electricity

transmission and distribution% delivered prices #ill rise less% by no more than ()

206154486.doc

Page 4 of $$

Sample %uestions ' to ( belo! are based on this passage:

Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition% an approach that had been in hibernation in the 3nited States during the *45)6s% composer &hilip Glass 7born *4089 embraced the ethos of popular music #ithout imitating it! Glass based t#o symphonies on music by roc$ musicians .avid 'o#ie and 'rian Eno% but the symphonies6 sound is distinctively his! &opular elements do not appear out of place in Glass6s classical music% #hich from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms #ith roc$ music! :et this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music! ;is music is not a version of popular music pac$aged to attract classical listeners it is high art for listeners steeped in roc$ rather than the classics!

Sample Multiple-choice QuestionSelect

<!

ne !ns"e# $hoice

The passage addresses #hich of the follo#ing issues related to Glass6s use

of popular elements in his classical compositions+ ,! '! C! .! E! ;o# it is regarded by listeners #ho prefer roc$ to the classics ;o# it has affected the commercial success of Glass6s music =hether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers =hether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass6s reputation as a =hether it has caused certain of Glass6s #or$s to be derivative in quality

in using popular elements in their compositions composer of classical music

ns!er: E! =hether it has caused certain of Glass6s #or$s to be derivative in quality

Page 5 of $$

206154486.doc

Sample Multiple-$hoice QuestionSelect $hoices

ne o# Mo#e !ns"e#

Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply! (! The passage suggests that Glass6s #or$ displays #hich of the follo#ing

qualities+ ,! '! C! , return to the use of popular music in classical compositions ,n attempt to elevate roc$ music to an artistic status more closely , long"standing tendency to incorporate elements from t#o apparently

approximating that of classical music disparate musical styles ns!er: , 7, return to the use of popular music in classical compositions9 and C 7, long"standing tendency to incorporate elements from t#o apparently disparate musical styles9

Sample Select-in-Passage Question

5! Select the sentence that distinguishes t#o #ays of integrating roc$ and

classical music! ns!er: classics!2 1;is music is not a version of popular music pac$aged to attract

classical listeners it is high art for listeners steeped in roc$ rather than the

206154486.doc

Page 6 of $$

Text Completion Questions

Text Completion questions include a passage composed of one to five sentences #ith one to three blan$s! There are three ans#er choices per blan$% or five ans#er choices if there is a single blan$! There is a single correct ans#er% consisting of one choice for each blan$! The examinee receives no credit for partially correct ans#ers!

Sample &e't $ompletion Questions

.irections: >or each blan$ select one entry from the corresponding column of choices! >ill all blan$s in the #ay that best completes the text!

Te)t "ompletion Question $*

-t is refreshing to read a boo$ about our planet by an author #ho does not allo# facts to be +, -. by politics: #ell a#are of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity% this author does not permit them to +, -. his comprehensive description of #hat #e $no# about our biosphere! ;e emphasi?es the enormous gaps in our $no#ledge% the sparseness of our observations% and the +, -.% calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before #e can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet!

ns!er choices /or %uestion $*

'lan$ * overshado#ed invalidated illuminated 'lan$ / enhance obscure underscore 'lan$ 0 plausibility of our hypotheses certainty of our entitlement superficiality of our theories

ns!er: overshado!ed% obscure% and super/icialit0 o/ our theories

206154486.doc Page ( of $$

ns!er to Question $ in "onte)t:

-t is refreshing to read a boo$ about our planet by an author #ho does not allo# facts to be overshado!ed by politics: #ell a#are of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity% this author does not permit them to obscure his comprehensive description of #hat #e $no# about our biosphere! ;e emphasi?es the enormous gaps in our $no#ledge% the sparseness of our observations% and the super/icialit0 o/ our theories% calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before #e can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet!

Te)t "ompletion Question 1*

Vain and prone to violence% Caravaggio could not handle success: the more his +, -. as an artist increased% the more +, -. his life became!

ns!er choices /or %uestion 1*

'lan$ * temperance notoriety eminence 'lan$ / tumultuous providential dispassionate

ns!er: eminence and tumultuous

206154486.doc

Page 8 of $$

ns!er to Question 1 in "onte)t:

Vain and prone to violence% Caravaggio could not handle success: the more his eminence as an artist increased% the more tumultuous his life became!

Te)t "ompletion Question &*

The author6s +, -. style renders a fascinating sub@ect% the role played by luc$ in everyday life% extraordinarily +, -.!

ns!er choices /or %uestion &*

'lan$ * soporific lucid colloquial 'lan$ / pedantic tedious opaque

ns!er: sopori/ic and tedious

ns!er to Question & in "onte)t:

The author6s sopori/ic style renders a fascinating sub@ect% the role played by luc$ in everyday life% extraordinarily tedious!

206154486.doc

Page ) of $$

Te)t "ompletion Question '*

>rom the outset% the concept of freedom of the seas from the proprietary claims of nations #as challenged by a contrary notionAthat of the +, -. of the oceans for reasons of national security and profit! ,! '! C! .! E! promotion exploration surveying conservation appropriation

ns!er: E* appropriation ns!er to Question ' in "onte)t: >rom the outset% the concept of freedom of the seas from the proprietary claims of nations #as challenged by a contrary notionAthat of the appropriation of the oceans for reasons of national security and profit!

Sentence Equivalence Questions

Sentence Equivalence questions consist of a single sentence% one blan$% and six ans#er choices! These questions require the examinee to select t#o of the ans#er choices! The examinee receives no credit for partially correct ans#ers!

Sample Sentence *+ui,alence Questions

.irections: Select the t!o ans#er choices that% #hen used to complete the sentence% fit the meaning of the sentence as a #hole and produce completed sentences that are ali$e in meaning!

206154486.doc

Page 10 of $$

*!

,lthough it does contain some pioneering ideas% one #ould hardly

characteri?e the #or$ as +, -.! ,! '! C! .! E! >! orthodox eccentric original trifling conventional innovative

ns!er: C 7original9 and > 7innovative9 /! The corporation expects only +, -. increases in sales next year despite

a yearlong effort to revive its retailing business! ,! '! C! .! E! >! dynamic predictable expanding modest slight volatile

ns!er: . 7modest9 and E 7slight9

206154486.doc

Page 11 of $$