10. Babies who are breast fed instead of bottle fed until at least their first birthday are 70 percent less likely to become obese children than babies who are bottle fed but not breast fed. A child is obese if the ratio of the child’s weight to height is among the highest 3 percent of all children. But breast feeding instead of bottle feeding during the first three months of a baby’s life also reduces the likelihood that the baby will become an obese child. Which of the following can be most properly inferred from the informa- tion in the passage? (A) Genetic propensity for obesity is not significant in determining whether a baby will become an obese child. (B) Bottle feeding is more likely than breast feeding to result in obesity in children. (C) Unless a baby is breast fed in- stead of bottle fed until at least its first birthday, the baby is likely to become an obese child. (D) If a child is obese, there is a 70 percent likelihood that, as a baby, the child was bottle fed but not breast fed. (E) Breast feeding is ineffective to prevent obesity unless it is continued until at least the baby’s first birthday. 11. When people are worried about general economic conditions, they tend to spend less on consumer goods. Official government figures show that retail inventory levels throughout the economy have been increasing in recent months. How- ever, consumer-confidence levels are currently the highest they’ve been in several years. Any of the following, if true, would help to explain the apparent discrep- ancy described above EXCEPT: (A) High interest rates tend to discourage consumers from buying products on credit that they otherwise could not afford. (B) Businesses often increase production of consumer goods in anticipation of improving economic conditions. (C) Consumer-spending levels tend to follow seasonal patterns. (D) When the domestic currency’s value increases compared to that of foreign currencies, foreign products become less expensive for domestic consumers. (E) Increased business spending generally precedes a decline in consumer-confidence levels. 12. Ignorance of the law does not preclude one being arrested for violating it. (A) one being arrested for violating it (B) arrest for one’s violation of it (C) one’s violation and arrest for it (D) one from being arrested for violating that law (E) one from an arrest for having violated the law practice test Practice Test 3 483 www.petersons.com 13. Rationalizing the protracted and bloody war with the Philippines, President McKinley described the process of subjugating the Filipinos as “benign assimilation.” (A) Rationalizing the protracted and bloody war (B) To rationalize the protracted war and bloody war (C) The protracted and bloody war was rationalized (D) Rationalizing the war, which was protracted as well as bloody (E) To rationalize the war, a protracted and bloody one 14. Cambodia remains being a largely underdeveloped country because virtually all educated citizens were slaughtered during the regime of Pol Pot. (A) remains being (B) is still remaining (C) is being (D) remains (E) remains still QUESTIONS 15–17 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line For absolute dating of archeological artifacts, the radiocarbon method emerged during the latter half of the twentieth century as the most reliable and precise method. The results of obsidian (volcanic glass) dating, a method based on the belief that newly exposed obsidian surfaces absorb moisture from the surrounding atmo- sphere at a constant rate, proved uneven. It was initially thought that the thickness of the hydration layer would provide a means of calculating the time elapsed since the fresh surface was made. But this method failed to account for the chemical variability in the physical and chemical mechanism of obsidian hydration. Moreover, each geographic source presented unique chemical characteris- tics, necessitating a trace element analysis for each such source. Yet, despite its limitations, obsidian dating helped archeologists identify the sources of many obsidian artifacts and to identify in turn ancient exchange networks for the flow of goods. Nor were ceramic studies and fluoride analysis supplanted entirely by the radiocarbon method, which in use allows for field labeling and laboratory errors, as well as sample contamina- tion. In addition, in the 1970s dendro- chronological (tree-ring) studies on the bristlecone pine showed that deviation from radiocarbon values increases as one moves back in time. Eventually calibration curves were developed to account for this phenomenon; but in the archeological literature we still find dual references to radiocarbon and sidereal, or calendar, time. 15. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following is LEAST likely to have been a means of dating archeological artifacts? (A) Ceramics studies (B) Radiocarbon dating (C) Dendrochronological studies (D) Fluoride analysis (E) Obsidian hydration-layer analysis 16. In the passage, the author mentions all of the following as problems with radiocarbon dating EXCEPT: (A) disparities with the calendar dating system. (B) deterioration of samples. (C) identification errors by archeo- logical field workers. (D) contamination of artifacts. (E) mistakes by laboratory workers. 484 PART VI: Five Practice Tests 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 www.petersons.com 17. With which of the following state- ments would the passage’s author most likely agree? (A) The greater the time that has elapsed since exposure of obsidian surface to moisture the less reliable the results of obsidian dating. (B) The hydration layer accumulat- ing through obsidian moisture absorption varies in thickness depending on the amount of sur- face area exposed to moisture. (C) The unpredictability of the ob- sidian hydration process renders the obsidian dating method problematic as a means of deter- mining historical trade routes. (D) The results of obsidian dating are as reliable and precise as those of fluoride analysis only if trace element analysis is performed for the geographic source of the obsidian. (E) An obsidian artifact can be reliably dated using the obsid- ian method only if certain environmental conditions where the artifact was found are considered. 18. When inhaled, asbestos fibers are known to significantly increase the likelihood of lung cancer and other respiratory ailments. Thousands of buildings in this state, especially apartment houses, are insulated with asbestos. Some local governments in the state have initiated massive and costly efforts to remove this asbestos. Which of the following, if true, taken together with the information above, best supports the conclusion that the health of those who occupy the buildings would be better preserved by leaving the asbestos in place than by removing it? (A) In removing the asbestos, millions of fibers are likely to be dislodged and sent into circula- tionintheair. (B) Asbestos removal is a hazard- ous procedure, posing signifi- cant health dangers to those who perform it. (C) Fewer than one person in a hundred who breathes asbestos- contaminated air is likely to contract a respiratory ailment as a result. (D) Apartment dwellers typically move from one residence to another more frequently than people who live in single family homes. (E) Most people who live in apart- ment buildings insulated with asbestos are aware of that fact. practice test Practice Test 3 485 www.petersons.com 19. Over the last year, the price that toy manufacturer FunTime charges for each toy it produces and sells directly to consumers has, on average, nearly doubled, prompting complaints to the company by many consumers. To combat this problem, FunTime’s management must make every effort to improve relations with its union workers in order to help prevent them from striking, as these workers did for several weeks during the past year. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the effective- ness of the proposal suggested above? (A) Despite the complaints from consumers, sales of FunTime toys directly to consumers have increased steadily over the last year. (B) FunTime’s union workers are likely to be skeptical of any attempt by management to improve its relations with them. (C) Some consumers who buy FunTime toys don’t mind paying more for them because they are the highest quality toys available. (D) FunTime’s union workers are likely to strike again in the near future, regardless of management’s efforts to im- prove relations with them. (E) Most of the increase in the prices of FunTime toys is attributable to an increase in the cost of the raw materials the company uses to manufac- ture its toys. 20. The emission of fluorocarbons into the earth’s atmosphere has been shown to deplete the ozone layer in the atmo- sphere. Therefore, if we were to elimi- nate all sources of fluorocarbon emis- sion, we could successfully halt ozone layer depletion. Which of the following demonstrates a pattern of reasoning that is most similar to the flawed reasoning in the argument above? (A) When challenged to prove their psychic abilities, several of the world’s most celebrated so- called psychics were unable to do so, clearly proving that the psychic phenomenon is fiction rather than fact. (B) The theory that the earth’s temperature would be shown to be cyclical if measured over millions of years is convincing, in light of the fact that the extinction of the dinosaurs occurred due to changes in the earth’s temperature. (C) Flag burning is ultimately in the state’s interest as well as the individual’s interest, because the First Amendment right to free expression was created for the purpose of preserving our democratic way of life. (D) Any person suffering from phlebitis must take the drug Anatol in order to prevent the condition from worsening, as evidenced by the fact that doctors have used Anatol successfully for many years to treat and control phlebitis. (E) Autopsies of the residents of Huiki Island killed by a recent volcanic eruption have shown excessive bone deterioration, which leads to my conclusion that the Huikan culture encourages a diet that promotes bone marrow disease. 486 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 21. Advertising executive: Those who oppose the use of humor in advertis- ing, whether print or television, either lack a sense of humor or fail to understand the advantage of using humor to advertise a product or service. After all, numerous surveys show that ordinary consumers are almost twice as likely to recall a humorous commercial as they are to recall a serious commercial. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the accuracy of the advertising execu- tive’s contention? (A) Although most consumers surveyed were able to recall viewing humorous commercials, many said they enjoyed the serious commercials more. (B) For certain types of products, humorous advertising would be inappropriate and potentially offensive. (C) Although most consumers surveyed were able to recall viewing humorous commercials, most failed to recall the name of the product advertised. (D) The consumers surveyed about humorous commercials included people considered unlikely to buy the particular product advertised. (E) The use of humorous television commercials by advertisers has been declining over the last few years. 22. Upon man-made toxins’ invading the human body, special enzymes are deployed, rebuilding any damaged DNA strands that result. (A) Upon man-made toxins’ invad- ing the human body, special enzymes are deployed, rebuild- ing any damaged DNA strands that result. (B) Upon man-made toxins, inva- sion of the human body, special enzymes are deployed that rebuild any damaged DNA strands resulting from the invasion. (C) When man-made toxins invade the human body, special enzymes are deployed to rebuild any DNA strands damaged as a result. (D) Special enzymes are deployed whenever man-made toxins invade the human body; they rebuild any damage that results to DNA strands. (E) Damage to DNA strands that results when man-made toxins invade the human body are repaired by deployed special enzymes. 23. The fact that the tie between the Manchus and the Chinese was cultural rather than racial helps to account for the homogeneity of the Chinese people. (A) cultural rather than racial helps to account for (B) not racial but cultural in nature helps explain (C) a cultural tie but not racial helps explain (D) cultural rather than a racial one helps to explain (E) cultural rather than a racial tie helps to account for practice test Practice Test 3 487 www.petersons.com 24. The atmospheric study reported last month in the “Journal of the Envi- ronment” would not have been taken seriously by the scientific community if they were cognizant of the ques- tionable methodology employed. (A) have been taken seriously by the scientific community if they were (B) be taken seriously by the scientific community in the event that it had become (C) have been taken seriously by the scientific community were they (D) have been taken seriously by the scientific community when the scientific community became (E) have been taken seriously by the scientific community had scientists been 25. Although the use of fertilizers tends to diminish the flavor of fruits, the use of pesticides makes virtually no difference in flavor, assuming the fruit is washed thoroughly. Moreover, the use of pesticides repels insects that would otherwise leave unsightly blemishes on the fruit. Therefore, in the interest of appealing to consumer tastes, fruit growers would be well advised to use pesticides but not artificial fertilizers. Which of the following, if true, could proponents of the argument most appropriately cite as evidence for the soundness of the advice to fruit growers given in the last sentence? (A) The use of natural fertilizer results in larger, more colorful fruit than the use of artificial fertilizer. (B) The use of pesticides and fertilizers increases fruit growers’ costs, which the growers generally pass on to consumers in the form of higher fruit prices. (C) Consumers generally consider a fruit’s flavor to be important but consider a fruit’s appear- ance to be less important. (D) Chemicals in artificial fertiliz- ers pose a health threat to consumers who eat fruits produced using artificial fertilizers. (E) The use of artificial fertilizers in growing fruit has no effect on the appearance of the fruit. 488 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 26. A recent research study of a particu- lar state’s prison systems indicates that prisoners participating in the weekend furlough program are less likely to become repeat offenders after they are released than prison- ers who do not participate in the program. The study confirms the researchers’ hypothesis that weekend furlough programs at the state’s prisons are an effective means of reducing crime. Which of the following, if true, would cast the most serious doubt on the hypothesis to which the last sentence above refers? (A) The furlough program was available only to prisoners who had demonstrated good behav- ior while in prison. (B) The crime rate in other states with similar furlough programs is lower overall than the crime rate in states without furlough programs. (C) Whether the weekend furlough program is effective depends on how greatly one values the reform of any one prisoner. (D) Less than half of the prisoners not involved in the furlough program become repeat offend- ers after they are released. (E) Less than half of all the prisoners studied participated in the furlough program. 27. Too many naive consumers hasty and happily provide credit information to unscrupulous merchants, who provide nothing in exchange but a credit fraud nightmare. (A) hasty and happily provide (B) hastily and happily provide (C) hasty and happy providing (D) hastily and happily providing (E) providing hastily and happily QUESTIONS 28–30 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line The 35-millimeter (mm) format for movie production became a de facto standard around 1913. The mid-1920s through the mid-1930s, however, saw a resurgence of wide-film formats. During this time period, formats used by studios ranged in gauge from 55mm to 70mm. Research and development then slackened until the 1950s, when wide-screen film-making came back in direct response to the erosion of box-office receipts because of the rising popularity of television. This Cinerama (1952) is generally considered to mark the beginning of the modern era of wide-screen film-making, which saw another flurry of specialized formats, such as CinemaScope. In 1956, Panavi- sion developed Camera 65 for MGM Studios; it was first used during the filming of Raintree County. Panavision soon contributed another key technical advance by developing spherical 65mm lenses, which eliminated the “fat faces” syndrome that had plagued earlier CinemaScope films. Some forty “roadshow” films were filmed in wide-screen formats during this period. But wide-screen formats foundered due to expense, unwieldy cameras, and slow film stocks and lenses. After the invention of a set of 35mm anamorphic lenses, which could be used in conjunction with much more mobile cameras to squeeze a wide- screen image onto theatrical screens, film technology improved to the point where quality 70mm prints could be blown up from 35mm negatives. practice test Practice Test 3 489 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 www.petersons.com 28. It can be inferred from the informa- tion in the passage that wide-film formats were (A) in use before 1913. (B) not used during the 1940s. (C) more widely used during the 1920s than during the 1930s. (D) not used after 1956. (E) more widely used for some types of movies than for others. 29. The passage mentions all the follow- ing as factors contributing to the increased use of wide-film formats for moviemaking EXCEPT: (A) spherical camera lenses. (B) Panavision’s Camera 65. (C) television. (D) anamorphic camera lenses. (E) movie theater revenues. 30. Which of the following statements is most strongly supported by the passage’s information? (A) If a movie does not suffer from the “fat faces” syndrome, then it was not produced in a wide-film format. (B) Prior to the invention of the 35mm anamorphic lens, quality larger prints could not be made from smaller negatives. (C) The same factors that contrib- uted to the resurgence of wide-film formats in the 1950s also led to the subsequent decline in their use. (D) The most significant develop- ments in 35mm technology occurred after the release of Raintree County. (E) Movie-theater revenues are not significantly affected by whether the movies shown are in wide-screen format. 31. Many individuals take antihistamine medications to alleviate the symp- toms of allergies. Although all antihistamines are essentially similar, there is sufficient variation among the available formulas to make some more effective than others for any particular individual. Therefore, by trying different antihis- tamine formulations, any allergy sufferer can eventually find one that is effective. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the argument above? (A) Antihistamines are the only types of medications proven effective in treating allergy symptoms. (B) At least one antihistamine will relieve any individual’s allergy symptoms. (C) The effectiveness of an antihista- mine is partially determined by the drug’s specific formulation. (D) The specific formulation used most often by allergy sufferers is not the one that would be most effective for the greatest number of allergy sufferers. (E) Most allergy sufferers experi- ence allergy symptoms that are typical of many different types of allergies. 490 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 32. All college students read either literary classics or current best- selling books as a habit, but some avid readers of current best-selling books do not read literary classics as a habit because they do not appreci- ate these books. People who enjoy classical music do not find current best-selling books interesting, and therefore do not read them as a habit. Since Javier is a college student who enjoys classical music, he must appreciate literary classics. Which of the following must be true for the conclusion drawn above to be logically correct? (A) Literary classics are more interesting than current best-selling books. (B) All college students who appreciate literary classics read them as a habit. (C) Literary classics are more interesting than classical music. (D) All avid readers of literary classics appreciate this type of book. (E) All college students who find classical music enjoyable also read current best-selling books as a habit. 33. Due to racial discrimination, some of the most gifted and influential jazz musicians were prohibited from dining at the venues they have performed in. (A) at the venues they have performed in (B) at the very same venues they have performed in (C) where they have performed (D) at the same venues at which they performed (E) in venues, which were where they performed 34. In asserting that a thing is honor- able, a favorable distinction is bestowed upon it. (A) a favorable distinction is bestowed upon it (B) we bestow a distinction upon it favorably (C) we bestow upon it a favorable distinction (D) a favorable distinction upon it is bestowed (E) bestowing a favorable distinc- tion upon it 35. A proposed law would prohibit any individual who has been employed as a lobbyist on behalf of a particular industry from serving as the director of a government agency charged with regulating that same industry. The purpose of the proposed law is to prevent conflicts of interest. How- ever, if passed, the law would prove counterproductive because it would prevent individuals who are knowl- edgeable about industries from serving as government regulators. The argument above depends most directly on which of the following assumptions? (A) The individuals in government that hold the power to enact the proposed law are susceptible to influence on the part of indus- try lobbyists. (B) Government has a legitimate role to play in the regulation of most industries. (C) Only individuals who have served as lobbyists on behalf of an industry are knowledgeable about that industry. (D) Those who have served as lobbyists on behalf of an industry are capable of objec- tive, unbiased decisions as regulators. (E) The primary objective of govern- ment regulation of industry should be to strengthen and sup- port that industry. practice test Practice Test 3 491 www.petersons.com QUESTIONS 36–39 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line In 1930, a century after the birth of Victorian poetess Christina Rossetti, writer and scholar Virginia Woolf identified her as “one of Shakespeare’s more recent sisters” whose life had been reclusively Victorian but whose artistic achievement was enduring. Woolf remembered Rossetti for the explosive originality, vivid imagery, and emotional energy of her poems. “A Birthday,” for instance, is no typical Victorian poem and is certainly unlike predictable works of the era’s best- known women poets. Rossetti’s most famous poem, “Goblin Market,” is at once Christian, psychological, and pro-feminist. Like many of Rossetti’s works, it is extraordinarily original, risky in subject matter, and unorthodox in form. Its Christian allusions are obvious but grounded in opulent images whose lushness borders on the erotic. From Rossetti’s work emerge not only emotional force, frequently-ironic playfulness, and intellectual vigor, but also an intriguing, enigmatic quality. “Winter: My Secret,” for example, combines these traits along with a very high (and un-Victorian) level of poetic self-consciousness. “How does one reconcile the aesthetic sensuality of Rossetti’s poetry with her repressed, ascetic lifestyle?” Woolf wondered. That Rossetti did indeed withhold a “secret” both from those intimate with her and from posterity is Lorna Packer’s thesis in her 1963 biography of Rossetti. Packer’s claim that Rossetti’s was a secret of the heart has since been disproved through the discovery of hundreds of letters by Rossetti, which reinforce the conventional image of her as pious, scrupulously abstinent, and semi-reclusive. Yet the passions expressed in Rossetti’s love poems do expose the “secret” at the heart of both her life and art: a willingness to forego worldly pleasures in favor of an aestheticized Christian version of transcendent fulfillment in heaven. The world, for Rossetti, is a fallen place, and her work is pervasively designed to convey this inescapable truth. The beauty of her poetry must be seen, therefore, as an artistic strategy, a means toward a moral end. 36. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as qualities that emerge from Rossetti’s work EXCEPT: (A) lush imagery (B) ironic playfulness (C) stark realism (D) unorthodox form (E) intellectual vigor 37. Which of the following statements is most reasonably inferable from the passage? (A) “Winter: My Secret” is Rossetti’s best-known poem. (B) Rossetti was not among the best- known poets during her era. (C) The accounts of Rossetti’s life contained in Packer’s biography of Rossetti differ from those included in Woolf’s biography of Rossetti. (D) Rossetti’s display of poetic self-consciousness drew criti- cism from her contemporaries. (E) “Goblin Market” was published later than “A Birthday.” 492 PART VI: Five Practice Tests 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 www.petersons.com . appearance of the fruit. 488 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 26. A recent research study of a particu- lar state’s prison systems indicates that prisoners participating in the weekend. ailment as a result. (D) Apartment dwellers typically move from one residence to another more frequently than people who live in single family homes. (E) Most people who live in apart- ment buildings. archeo- logical field workers. (D) contamination of artifacts. (E) mistakes by laboratory workers. 484 PART VI: Five Practice Tests 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 www.petersons.com 17. With which of the