GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

Select two answer choices each of which can be used to complete the sentence in a logical manner, and both of which produce sentences with closely similar meanings 1. The prize competition was ____ as a showcase for new technology, but instead the competition was marred by disqualifications and disputes. A. B. C. D. E. F. disappointing conceived touted heralded promising required

2. The new institute provides intensive postgraduate teaching to a wide range of students, in the hope that these students will use their knowledge to boost the country's ____ economy. A. B. C. D. E. F. Languishing Emerging Booming Domestic Bankrupt Flagging

3. Like other metaphors, the "book of Nature" has two facets: it is ____ but if taken literally, it may mislead. A. B. C. D. E. F. Heuristic Perceptive Poetic Insightful Prosaic Iconoclastic

4. The increasing interactivity emerging in the latest computer systems means that the traditional view of the computer as a ____ of information now unduly limiting. A. B. C. D. E. F. Gleaner Transformer Processor Producer Repository Cache

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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

5. Turings life exerts a powerful and ____ effect on writers the combination of the highly intellectual and the personally dramatic is hard to resist. A. B. C. D. E. F. Abiding Pervasive Perennial Irresistible Unmitigated Multifaceted

6. As a result of his regimented upbringing, that left him unable to see the nuances of complex situations, he was often accused of being ____ . A. B. C. D. E. F. Indecisive Tyrannical Obtuse Boorish Xenophobic Imperceptive

7. It is paradoxical that String Theory inspires such widespread respect when it is so ____ that few could ever hope to master its claims. A. B. C. D. E. F. Intractable Confusing Elevated Arcane Obscure Rigorous

8. Those with a reputation for ____ behavior seldom inspire respect: unwavering adherence to a viewpoint is more admired than flexibility. A. B. C. D. E. F. Capricious Bombastic Dogmatic Dogmatic Honorable Stalwart

9. The courtiers of the time had to be ____ in order to survive in an atmosphere where the least sign of rebellion could lead to banishment or worse. A. Taciturn B. Fawning C. Docile
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GRE Verbal Test 1 D. self-serving E. upright F. servile

40 Questions

60 mins

10. Forgiveness was fine in theory, but she had trouble in accepting a religion that would allow ____ evil-doers access to heaven. A. B. C. D. E. F. Penitent Contrite Blatant Venial Pardoned Recalcitrant

The energy contained in rock within the earths crust represents a nearly unlimited energy source, but until recently commercial retrieval has been limited to underground hot water and/or steam recovery systems. These systems have been developed in areas of recent volcanic activity, where high rates of heat flow cause visible eruption of water in the form of geysers and hot springs. In other areas, however, hot rock also exists near the surface but there is insufficient water present to produce eruptive phenomena. Thus a potential hot dry rock (HDR) reservoir exists whenever the amount of spontaneously produced geothermal fluid has been judged inadequate for existing commercial systems. As a result of recent energy crisis, new concepts for creating HDR recovery systemswhich involve drilling holes and connecting them to artificial reservoirs placed deep within the crustare being developed. In all attempts to retrieve energy from HDRs, artificial stimulation will be required to create either sufficient permeability or bounded flow paths to facilitate the removal of heat by circulation of a fluid over the surface of the rock. The HDR resource base is generally defined to include crustal rock that is hotter than 150, is at depths less than ten kilometers, and can be drilled with presently available equipment. Although wells deeper than ten kilometers are technically feasible, prevailing economic factors will obviously determine the commercial feasibility of wells at such depths. Rock temperatures as low as 100 may be useful for space heating; however, for producing electricity, temperatures greater than 200 are desirable. The geothermal gradient, which specifically determines the depth of drilling required to reach a desired temperature, is a major factor in the recoverability of geothermal resources. Temperature gradient maps generated from oil and gas well temperature-depth records kept by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists suggest that tappable high-temperature gradients are distributed all across the United States. (There are many areas, however, for which no temperature gradient records exist.)

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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

Indications are that the HDR resource base is very large. If an average geothermal temperature gradient of 220 per kilometer of depth is used, a staggering 13,000,000 quadrillion B.T.U.s of total energy are calculated to be contained in crustal rock to a ten-kilometer depth in the United States. If we conservatively estimate that only about 0.2 percent is recoverable, we find a total of all the coal remaining in the United States. The remaining problem is to balance the economics of deeper, hotter, more costly wells and shallower, cooler, less expensive wells against the value of the final product, electricity and/or heat.

11. The primary purpose of the passage is to (A) alert readers to the existence of HDRs as an available energy source (B) document the challengers that have been surmounted in the effort to recover energy from HDRs (C) warn the users of coal and oil that HDRs are not an economically feasible alternative (D) encourage the use of new techniques for the recovery of energy from underground hot water and steam (E) urge consumers to demand quicker development of HDR resources for the production of energy 12. The passage would be most likely to appear in a (A) petrological research report focused on the history of temperature-depth records in the United States (B) congressional report urging the conservation of oil and natural gas reserves in the United States (C) technical journal article concerned with the recoverability of newly identified energy sources (D) consumer report describing the extent and accessibility of remaining coal resources (E) pamphlet designed to introduce homeowners to the advantages of HDR space-heating systems 13. According the passage, an average geothermal gradient of 22 per kilometer of depth can be used to (A) balance the economics of HDR energy retrieval against that of underground hot water or steam recovery systems
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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

(B) determine the amount of energy that will used for space heating in the United States (C) provide comparisons between hot water and HDR energy sources in United States (D) revise the estimates on the extent of remaining coal resources in the United States (E) estimate the total HDR resource base in the United States 14. It can be inferred from the passage that the availability of temperature-depth records for any specific area in the United States depends primarily on the (A) possibility that HDRs may be found in that area (B) existence of previous attempts to obtain oil or gas in that area (C) history of successful hot water or steam recovery efforts in that area (D) failure of inhabitants to conserve oil gas reserves in that area (E) use of coal as a substitute for oil or gas in that area 15. According to the passage, in all HDR recovery systems fluid will be necessary in order to allow (A) sufficient permeability (B) artificial stimulation (C) drilling of holes (D) construction of reservoirs (E) transfer of heat 16. According to the passage, if the average geothermal gradient in an area is 22 per kilometer of depth, which of the following can be reliably predicted? I. The temperature at the base of a 10-kilometer well will be sufficient for the production of electricity. II. Drilling of wells deeper than 10 kilometers will be economically feasible.

III. Insufficient water is present to produce eruptive phenomena. (A) I only (C) I and II only (E) I, II, and III 17. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?
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(B) II only (D) II and III only

GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

(A) Energy from Water Sources: The Feasibility of Commercial Systems (B) Geothermal Energy Retrieval: Volcanic Activity and Hot Dry Rocks (C) Energy Underground: Geothermal Sources Give Way to Fossil Fuels (D) Tappable Energy for Americas Future: Hot Dry Rocks (E) High Geothermal Gradients in the United States: Myth or Reality?

Choose the correct word from the choices given for each blank, to best complete the text.

18. With his sub-four minute mile Bannister broke a psychological barrier, and inspired thousands of others to attempt to overcome seemingly ____ hurdles. A. B. C. D. E. Insurmountable Inane Trivial Traumatic Ineffable

19. Ricks has written extensively not only on the poetry of such (i)____ figures in English poetry as Milton and Housman, but also on the less obviously (ii)____ lyrics of Bob Dylan. Blank (i) Blank (ii) A. obscurantist D. canonical B. arcane E. popular C. established F. judicious

20. People who seek advice from (i)____ often find that what they are told can seem true, because these seekers of information attribute significance to some predictions and ignore others. The mind seeks to make sense of predictions that, in themselves, have no (ii)____ value, and thus it becomes difficult to prove that the forecasts are (iii)____ . Blank (i) A. experts B. philosophers C. clairvoyants Blank (ii) D. special E. general F. legal Blank (iii) G. genuine H. specious I. accurate

21. Are you still reading the other newspaper in town? Did you know that the Daily Bugle is owned by an out-of-town business syndicate that couldnt care less about the people of Gotham City? Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City!
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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

Which of the following most directly refutes the argument raised in the advertisement above? (A) Over half of the advertising revenues of the Daily Clarion come from firms whose headquarters are located outside of Gotham City. (B) The Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle. (C) Nearly 40 percent of the readers of the Daily Clarion reside outside the limits of Gotham City. (D) The editor-in-chief and all the other members of the editorial staff of the Daily Bugle have lived and worked in Gotham City for ten years or more. (E) The Daily Bugle has been published in Gotham City for a longer time than has the Daily Clarion.

22. Stress-induced amnesia is a rare and (i)____ phenomenon; it strikes the patient apparently without warning and the memory loss can be as (i)____ as that induced by (iii)____ trauma. Blank (i) A. devastating B. venial C. pervasive Blank (ii) D. generic E. limited F. complete Blank (iii) G. unexpected H. mental I. physical

23. The publishers, unwilling to (i)____ the entire risk, insisted that the author pay half the cost of the initial print run of his (ii)____ new book. Blank (i) A. hedge B. shoulder C. mitigate Blank (ii) D. unexceptionable E. controversial F. jaundiced

24. Science advances (i)____ as (ii)____ change abruptly and we are forced to stop and reorient ourselves to view old information in new ways. Blank (i) A. exponentially B. inexorably C. jerkily Blank (ii) D. paradigms E. axioms F. continuities

25. The game of chess is an example of a ___ information system: the pieces sit inertly on the board until the players move them according to known rules. A. Interactive B. Passive C. Cybernetic
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GRE Verbal Test 1 D. Disruptive E. Logistic

40 Questions

60 mins

26.

At one time, European and Japanese companies tried to imitate their American rivals. Today, American appliance manufacturers import European scientists to lead their research staffs; American automakers design cars that mimic the styling of German, Italian, and French imports; and American electronics firms boast in their advertising of Japanese-style devotion to quality and reliability. In the world of high technology, America has lost the battle for international prestige. Each of the following statements, if true, would help to support the claim above EXCEPT: (A) An American camera company claims in its promotional literature to produce cameras as fine as the best Swiss imports. (B) An American maker of stereo components designs its products to resemble those of a popular Japanese firm. (C) An American manufacturer of video games uses a brand name chosen because it sounds like a Japanese word. (D) An American maker of televisions studies German-made televisions in order to adopt German manufacturing techniques. (E) An American maker of frozen foods advertises its dinners as Real European-style entrees prepared by fine French and Italian chefs.

Questions 27-28 are based on the following. The earths resources are being depleted much too fast. To correct this, the United States must keep its resource consumption at present levels for many years to come. 27. The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions? (A) Per capita resource consumption in the United States is at an all-time high. (B) The United States wastes resources. (C) The United States uses more resources than any other country. (D) The United States imports most of the resources it uses. (E) Curbing U.S. resource consumption will significantly retard world resource depletion. 28. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the argument above? (A) New resource deposits are constantly being discovered. (B) The United States consumes one-third of all resources used in the world. (C) Other countries need economic development more than the United States does. (D) Other countries have agreed to hold their resource consumption at present levels. (E) The United States has been conserving resources for several years.

29. A highly intelligent person often thinks (i)____; a few snippets of information can trigger a (ii)____ conclusion that might not stand up to closer, and (iii)____, scrutiny.
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GRE Verbal Test 1 Blank (i) A. too deeply B. too warily C. too quickly

40 Questions Blank (ii) D. firm E. labored F. hasty Blank (iii) G. slower H. precipitous I. overt

60 mins

30. Major philosophical (i)____ about morality, identity and rationality, for example, can often be (ii)____ by thought experiments: short and simple expositions that pose an abstract and complex problem in a concrete manner with all the (iii)____ factors removed. Blank (i) A. certitudes B. dilemmas C. dogmas Blank (ii) D. mimicked E. illuminated F. evoked Blank (iii) G. extraneous H. inherent I. pivotal

31. All good comic writers use humor to ____, not to side-step the problems of human behavior. A. B. C. D. E. Amuse Avert Juxtapose Confront Solve

32. Studies of fatal automobile accidents reveal that, in the majority of cases in which one occupant of an automobile is killed while another survives, it is the passenger, not the driver, who is killed. It is ironic that the innocent passenger should suffer for the drivers carelessness, while the driver often suffers only minor injuries or none at all. Which of the following is an assumption underlying the reasoning in the passage above? (A) In most fatal automobile accidents, the driver of a car in which an occupant is killed is at fault. (B) Drivers of automobiles are rarely killed in auto accidents. (C) Most deaths in fatal automobile accidents are suffered by occupants of cars rather than by pedestrians. (D) Auto safety experts should increase their efforts to provide protection for those in the passenger seats of automobiles. (E) Automobile passengers sometimes play a contributing role in causing auto accidents.

33. With Proposition 13, if you bought your house 11 years ago for $75,000, your property tax would be approximately $914 a year (1 percent of $75,000 increased by 2 percent each year for 11 years); and if your neighbor bought an identical house next door to you for $200,000 this year, his tax would be $2,000 (1 percent of $200,000). Without Proposition 13, both you and your neighbor would pay $6,000 a year in property taxes (3
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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

percent of $200,000). Which of the following is the conclusion for which the author most likely is arguing in the passage above? (A) Proposition 13 is unconstitutional because it imposes an unequal tax on properties of equal value. (B) If Proposition 13 is repealed, every homeowner is likely to experience a substantial increase in property taxes. (C) By preventing inflation from driving up property values, Proposition 13 has saved homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes. (D) If Proposition 13 is not repealed, identical properties will continue to be taxed at different rates. (E) Proposition 13 has benefited some homeowners more than others.
Four legal approaches may be followed in attempting to channel technological development in socially useful direction: specific directives, market incentive modifications, criminal prohibitions, and changes in decision-making structures. Specific directives involve the governments identifying one or more factors controlling research, development, or implementation of a given technology. Directives affecting such factors may vary from administrative regulation of private activity to government ownership of a technological operation. Market incentive modifications are deliberate alterations of the market within which private decisions regarding the development and implementation of technology are made. Such modifications may consist of imposing taxes to cover the costs to society of a given technology, granting subsidies to pay for social benefits of a technology, creating the right to sue to prevent certain technological development, or easing procedural rules to enable the recovery of damages to compensate for harm caused by destructive technological activity. Criminal prohibitions may modify technological activity in areas impinging on fundamental social values, or they may modify human behavior likely to result from technological applicationsfor example, the deactivation of automotive pollution control devices in order to improve vehicle performance. Alteration of decision-making structures includes all possible modifications in the authority, constitution, or responsibility of private and public entities deciding questions of technological development and implementation. Such alterations include the addition of public-interest members to corporate boards, the imposition by statute of duties on governmental decision-makers, and the extension of warranties in response to consumer action. Effective use of these methods to control technology depends on whether or not the goal of regulation is the optimal allocation of resources. When the object is optimal resource allocation, that combination of legal methods should be used that most nearly yields the allocation that would exist if there were no external costs resulting from allocating resources through market activity. There are external costs when the price set by buyers and sellers of goods fails to include some costs, to anyone, that result from the production and use of the goods. Such costs are internalized when buyers pay them.

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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

Air pollution from motor vehicles imposes external costs on all those exposed to it, in the form of soiling, materials damage, and disease: these externalities result from failure to place a price on air, thus making it a free good, common to all. Such externalities lead to nonoptimal resource allocation, because the private net product and the social net product of market activity are not often identical. If all externalities were internalized, transactions would occur until bargaining could no longer improve the situation, thus giving an optimal allocation of resources at a given time.

34. The passage is primarily concerned with describing (A) objectives and legal method for directing technological development (B) technical approaches to the problem of controlling market activity (C) economic procedures for facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers (D) reasons for slowing the technological development in light of environmentalist objections (E) technological innovations making it possible to achieve optimum allocation of resources 35. The author cites air pollution from motor vehicles in lines 54-56 in order to (A) revise cost estimates calculated by including the costs of resources (B) evaluate legal methods used to prevent technological developments (C) give examples of costs not included in buyer-seller bargains (D) refute hypotheses not made on the basis of monetary exchange values (E) commend technological research undertaken for the common welfare 36. According to the passage, transactions between private buyers and sellers have effects on society that generally (A) are harmful when all factors are considered (B) give rise to ever-increasing resource costs (C) reflect an optimal allocation of natural resources (D) encompass more than the effects on the buyers and sellers alone (E) are guided by legal controls on the development of technology 37. It can be inferred from the passage that the author does NOT favor which of the following? (A) Protecting the environment for future use (B) Changing the balance of power between opposing interests in business
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GRE Verbal Test 1

40 Questions

60 mins

(C) Intervening in the activity of the free market (D) Making prices reflect costs to everyone in society (E) Causing technological development to cease 38. A gasoline-conservation tax on the purchase of large automobiles, with the proceeds of the tax rebated to purchasers of small automobiles, is an example of (A) a specific directive (B) a market incentive modification (C) an optimal resource allocation (D) an alteration of a decision-making structure (E) an external cost 39. If there were no external costs, as they are described in the passage, which of the following would be true? (A) All technology-control methods would be effective. (B) Some resource allocations would be illegal. (C) Prices would include all costs to members of society. (D) Some decision-making structures would be altered. (E) The availability of common goods would increase. 40. The author assumes that, in determining what would be an optimal allocation of resources, it would be possible to (A) assign monetary value to all damage resulting from the use of technology (B) combine legal methods to yield the theoretical optimum (C) convince buyers to bear the burden of damage from technological developments (D) predict the costs of new technological developments (E) derive an equation making costs depend on prices

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GRE Verbal Test 1

CD AF BD EF

40 Questions
AC CF DE AD BF

60 mins
AB

11 A

12 C

13 E

14 B

15 E

16 A

17 D

18 A

19 CD

20 CDH

21 D

22 AFI

23 BE

24 CD

25 B

26 E

27 E

28 B

29 CFG

30 BEG

31 D

32 A

33 B

34 A

35 C

36 D

37 E

38 B

39 C

40 A

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