Master gmat 2010 part 60 docx

9. In the passage, the author’s chief concern is to (A) acknowledge an error in mainstream science. (B) explain the reason for a modifi- cation of a system. (C) describe an anomalous biologi- cal phenomenon. (D) trace the development of a scientific theory. (E) outline a system of scientific classification. 10. To ensure the integrity of fossil evidence found at climatically unstable archeological sites, the immediate coating of newly exposed fossils with a specially formulated alkaline solution is as crucial, if not more crucial than, the prompt removal of the fossil from the site. (A) crucial, if not more crucial than, the (B) crucial as, if not more crucial than, the (C) crucial as, if not more than the (D) crucial, if not more crucial, than the (E) crucial, if not more crucial, as the 11. While hiring decisions for most types of jobs are based strictly on resumes and interviews, job applicants for computer programming jobs are at times asked to demonstrate their programming skills on the spot. (A) job applicants for computer programming jobs are at times (B) some job applicants for com- puter programming jobs are (C) for some computer program- ming jobs, job applicants are at times (D) in some cases some applicants for computer programming jobs are (E) applicants for computer pro- gramming jobs are sometimes 12. Airplanes departing in a timely manner can some times be prevented by any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat. (A) Airplanes departing in a timely manner can some times be prevented by any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat. (B) Any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat, some times can prevent airplanes from their timely departing. (C) Any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat, can sometimes prevent the timely departure of airplanes. (D) The severity of the weather or a security threat, among a variety of other factors, can some of the time prevent airplanes depart- ingontime. (E) Timely departures of airplanes are sometimes prevented as a result of severe weather, a security threat, or various other factors. practice test Practice Test 5 573 www.petersons.com 13. For large pharmaceutical companies, the profit motive has long been a deterrent to the preparation of medicines that treat illnesses afflicting primarily people who cannot easily afford to pay for medicines. While diseases such as cholera and malaria claim millions of lives every year, medicines that the companies have developed and that can prevent these deaths are simply not made available for this purpose. Pharmaceutical companies have expressed essentially the same attitude toward preparing antidotes in the event of germ warfare. The passage is structured to lead to which of the following conclusions? (A) Large pharmaceutical compa- nies fail to appreciate the potential dangers of germ warfare. (B) The government must subsidize the preparation of germ-war antidotes in order to prevent a large-scale catastrophe. (C) Potential victims of germ warfare cannot rely on large pharmaceutical companies for antidotes that might be needed during war. (D) A victim of cholera or malaria is more likely to die from germ warfare than a person who has not contracted either disease. (E) Large pharmaceutical compa- nies do not have sufficient resources to develop antidotes for use in the event of germ warfare. 14. Bayside Aquarium plans to capture a great white shark and to display it at the aquarium, in the hope that doing so will help raise public awareness that this species of shark is in danger of extinction. But few such sharks have ever survived in captiv- ity for more than one month. In all likelihood, then, this plan would amount to a waste of the aquarium’s financial resources, which would be better directed toward other efforts to preserve the great white shark. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above? (A) Bayside Aquarium’s shark habitat would resemble the species’ natural environment far more closely than the shark habitats provided previously at other facilities. (B) Most visitors to the aquarium are already aware that the great white shark is an endan- gered species. (C) Certain other species of sharks are at greater risk of extinction than the great white shark. (D) The expense involved in capturing a great white shark is difficult to predict. (E) Bayside Aquarium’s popularity is due primarily to its large variety of sea life. 574 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com QUESTIONS 15–17 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line The eighteenth-century literary work Encyclopédie, which coincided with nascent industrialization, distinguished itself from its predecessors with its mix of the theoretical with the practical. While twenty pages were devoted to metaphysical speculation about the human soul, nearly as many were devoted to the machine manufacture of stockings, a principal industrial product of the day. In fact, seventeen volumes of text were accompanied by eleven volumes of illustrations, at the insistence of chief editors Denis Diderot and Jean d’Alembert, known as the “Encyclopedists.” Prior to the mid-eighteenth century, scholars had not dared to publicly assert the intellectual freedom to reason about the mundane tools of daily life with the same seriousness as the human soul. Understandably, in 1759 Pope Clement XIII listed Encyclo- pédie in the Church’s Index of Prohib- ited Books, and the French government refused to license its printing. But due in part to the surreptitious assistance of an enlightened government official and in part to greedy booksellers, the work quickly became a best-seller throughout Europe. 15. The author mentions the machine manufacture of stockings most likely in order to (A) show that for the Encyclope- dists illustrations were just as important as text. (B) underscore the Encyclopedists’ skepticism about prevailing metaphysical notions. (C) demonstrate the Encyclopedists’ concern for the practical realm of human endeavor. (D) point out the Encyclopedists’ great attention to detail. (E) explain why it was necessary to include eleven volumes of illustrations in the work. 16. In the context of the passage, which of the following is the most reason- able explanation for the author’s characterization of government suppression of Encyclopédie as understandable? (A) Pope Clement XIII had already called for the suppression of the work. (B) The same government official who aided the Encyclopedists also refused to grant a license to print the work. (C) The work’s entry about Chris- tianity was briefer than its entry about certain other religions. (D) In challenging the general status quo, the work might incite readers to question political authority. (E) The government had previously banned similar works. 17. The author suggests that the com- mercial success of Encyclopédie (A) was the product of illegal printing operations. (B) brought fame to the work’s chief editors. (C) spawned more volumes than were originally planned. (D) was largely due to a publicity campaign by one individual. (E) owed to the work’s extensive use of illustrations. practice test Practice Test 5 575 5 10 15 20 25 30 www.petersons.com 18. Human exposure to even low levels of nuclear radiation dramatically increases the likelihood of contract- ing some form of cancer. According to a research study involving a town near a former nuclear testing site, no person who resided in the town during the testing—which occurred more than sixty years ago—and who was under the age of 10 during the testing lived beyond 50 years of age. However, some of the town’s former residents who are now over 50 years old are cancer survivors but resided in the town during the nuclear testing. If the information provided is true, which of the following must on the basis of it also be true about the town that is the subject of the research study? (A) Some people who resided in the town during the nuclear testing do not remember the testing. (B) The cancers contracted by the town’s cancer survivors were not caused by exposure to nuclear radiation. (C) Some of the town’s former residents living today were over 10 years of age during the nuclear testing. (D) The nuclear testing resulted in the emission of lower levels of radiation than initially believed. (E) Some of the town’s residents died before turning 50 years of age due to causes other than cancer. 19. Since the release of MicroTeam Corporation’s newest version of its ActiveWeb software, more copies of this new version have been sold than any software product that competes with ActiveWeb. Therefore, Mi- croTeam Corporation’s marketing campaign to promote the new version of ActiveWeb was highly effective. Which of the following, if true, provides the best indication that the conclusion in the argument above is logically well supported? (A) The number of potential purchasers of ActiveWeb and of products that compete with it has increased since the release of the new version of ActiveWeb. (B) The number of products compet- ing with ActiveWeb has dimin- ished since the release of the new version of ActiveWeb. (C) The new version of ActiveWeb corrected every known opera- tional problem with previous versions. (D) More copies of the new version of ActiveWeb have been sold than of any earlier version of ActiveWeb. (E) Shortly after the release of the new version of ActiveWeb, a popular and influential maga- zine recommended a competing product over the new version of ActiveWeb. 20. A pluralistic democracy, in greater degree than any system of govern- ment, diffuses power away from a center. (A) in greater degree than any (B) which more than any (C) to a greater extent than any (D) as opposed to any other (E) more than any other 576 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 21. During her internship at the hospi- tal, Dr. Paulson observed that through careful examination, compe- tent diagnosing and successful treatment, patients can grow to trust their physicians. (A) diagnosing and successful treatment, patients can grow to trust their physicians (B) diagnosis and treatment, if successful, can lead patients to trust their physicians (C) and successful diagnosing and treatment, physicians can develop trust in their patients (D) diagnosis and successful treat- ment, physicians can help their patients grow to trust them (E) diagnosis and successful treatment, physicians can develop in their patients growing trust 22. Topical application of oil from the bark of aoli trees, which are quite rare and grow only in certain regions of South America, has been shown to be the only effective means of treating certain skin disorders. At the current rate of harvesting bark for aoli oil, however, aoli trees will become extinct within fifty years. Clearly, measures must be taken soon to reduce the demand for aoli oil; otherwise, fifty years from now it will no longer be possible to treat these skin disorders effectively. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above? (A) One of the skin disorders for which aoli oil is an effective treatment is caused by exposure to chemicals used in a manufac- turing process that is quickly becoming obsolete. (B) The bark of newly planted aoli trees can be harvested for oil within twenty years after the new trees are planted. (C) The cause of skin disorders treatable with aoli oil is also the cause of certain other health problems which are treated effectively by ingesting aoli oil. (D) In South America aoli tree bark is widely used in making a variety of decorative craft items and utensils. (E) Only people who live in the regions of South America where aoli trees are found suffer from skin disorders treatable with aoli oil. practice test Practice Test 5 577 www.petersons.com 23. A child’s conception of whether certain behavior is right or wrong, referred to as “behavioral predisposi- tion,” is fully developed by the age of 10. During a person’s teenage years, other teenagers with whom the person associates regularly have a significant influence on whether the person later acts in accordance with his or her predisposition. In other words, teenagers tend to mimic their peers’ behavior. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of adult criminals also committed crimes as teenagers and associated primarily with other teenagers who later became adult criminals. Which of the following conclusions can most properly be drawn from the information above? (A) A child’s conception of whether certain behavior is right or wrong can change during the child’s teenage years. (B) Until a child becomes a teen- ager it is impossible to predict whether the child will eventu- ally become an adult criminal. (C) Law-abiding adults are unlikely to have developed a predisposi- tion for adult criminal behavior. (D) An adult criminal is likely to have been predisposed as a child to criminal behavior. (E) Pre-teen children who are not predisposed to criminal behav- ior are unlikely to become adult criminals. 24. The game of Rugby began in the Middle Ages as a day-long free-for-all between neighboring villages, without limit of the numbers of players on a side or of the boundaries to the playing field. (A) without limit of the numbers of players on a side or of the boundaries (B) with no limit on the number of players on a side and with no boundaries (C) without limitation as to how many players on each side or as to boundaries (D) and it was without a limit on the number of players on a side or on boundaries (E) with no limits on the numbers of players or boundaries 25. Rather than approving the rebuilding of oceanfront houses destroyed by the hurricane, land-use authorities are considering alternative ways to utilize the land on which the houses once sat, acknowledging that the region will always be vulnerable to nature’s fury. (A) alternative ways to utilize (B) alternative ways of utilization of (C) alternatives to using (D) using alternatives as for (E) alternative utilizations for 578 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com QUESTIONS 26–29 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line In the past century, Irish painting has changed from a British-influenced lyrical tradition to an art that evokes the ruggedness and roots of an Irish Celtic past. At the turn of the twenti- eth century, Irish painters—including notables Walter Frederick Osborne and Sir William Orpen—looked elsewhere for influence. Osborne’s exposure to “plein air” painting deeply affected his stylistic development, and Orpen allied himself with a group of English artists, while at the same time participating in the French avant-garde experiment, both as painter and teacher. However, nationalist energies were beginning to coalesce, reviving interest in Irish culture, including Irish visual arts. Beatrice Elvery’s Éire (1907), a landmark achievement, merged the devotional simplicity of fifteenth-cen- tury Italian painting with the iconogra- phy of Ireland’s Celtic past, linking the history of Irish Catholicism with the still-nascent Irish republic. And, al- though also captivated by the French plein air school, Sir John Lavery in- voked the mythology of his native land for a 1928 commission to paint the cen- tral figure for the bank note of the new Irish Free State. Lavery chose as this figure Éire, with her arm on a Celtic harp, the national symbol of indepen- dent Ireland. In Irish painting from about 1910, memories of Edwardian romanticism coexisted with a new sense of realism, exemplified by the paintings of Paul Henry and Seán Keating, a student of Orpen. Realism also crept into the work of Edwardians Lavery and Orpen, both of whom made paintings depicting World War I, Lavery with a distanced Victorian nobility, Orpen closer to the front, revealing a more sinister and realistic vision. Meanwhile, counter- point to the Edwardians and realists came Jack B. Yeats, whose travels throughout the rugged and more authentically Irish West led him to depict subjects ranging from street scenes in Dublin to boxing matches and funerals. Fusing close observations of Irish life and icons with an Irish identity in a new way, Yeats changed the face of Irish painting and became the most important Irish artist of his century. 26. With respect to which of the follow- ing painters does the passage provide LEAST support for the assertion that the painter was influenced by the contemporary art of France? (A) Walter Frederick Osborne (B) Sir William Orpen (C) Beatrice Elvery (D) Seán Keating (E) Sir John Lavery 27. Which of the following best explains the author’s use of the word “counter- point” (lines 46–47) in referring to Yeats? (A) Yeats’ paintings differed significantly in subject matter from those of his contemporar- ies in Ireland. (B) Yeats reacted to the realism of his contemporary artists by in- voking nineteenth-century natu- ralism in his own painting style. (C) Yeats avoided religious and mythological themes in favor of mundane portrayals of Irish life. (D) Yeats’ paintings suggested that his political views departed radically from those of the Edwardians and the realists. (E) Yeats built upon the realism painting tradition, elevating it to unprecedented artistic heights. practice test Practice Test 5 579 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 www.petersons.com 28. The author points out the coexistence of romanticism and realism (lines 36–37) most probably in order to show that (A) Irish painters of the early twentieth century often com- bined elements of realism with those of romanticism into a single painting. (B) Irish painters of the early twentieth century tended to romanticize the harsh reality of war. (C) for a time painters from each school influenced painters from the other school. (D) Yeats was influenced by both the romantic and realist schools of Irish painting. (E) the transition in Irish painting from one predominant style to the other was not an abrupt one. 29. Which of the following is the most likely title of a longer article in which the passage might have appeared? (A) “Twentieth Century Irish Masterpieces: A Coalescence of Painting Styles” (B) “Among Irish Painters, who Deserves Credit for the Preemi- nence of Yeats?” (C) “Realism vs. Romanticism: Ireland’s Struggle for National Identity” (D) “Irish Paintings: Reflections of an Emerging Independent State” (E) “The Role of Celtic Mythology in Irish Painting” 30. Newspaper publishers earn their profits primarily from advertising revenue, and potential advertisers are more likely to advertise in newspapers with a wide circula- tion—a large number of subscribers and other readers—than with other newspapers. However, the circulation of the newspaper that is currently the most profitable one in this city has steadily declined during the last two years, while the circulation of one of its competitors has steadily increased. Any of the following, if true, would help explain the apparent discrep- ancy between the two statements above EXCEPT: (A) Advertisers generally switch from the most widely circulated newspaper to another one only when the other one becomes the most widely circulated newspa- per instead. (B) The number of newspapers competing viably with the most profitable newspaper in the city has increased during the last two years. (C) The most profitable newspaper in the city receives revenue from its subscribers as well from advertisers. (D) The circulation of the most profitable newspaper in the city is still greater than of any of its competitors. (E) Advertising rates charged by the most profitable newspaper in the city are significantly higher than those charged by its competitors. 580 PART VI: Five Practice Tests www.petersons.com 31. The purpose of the proposed law requiring a doctor’s prescription for obtaining hypodermic needles is to lower the incidence of drug-related deaths, both accidental and inten- tional, involving hypodermic needles. But even knitting needles can be lethal if they fall into the wrong hands; yet everyone would agree that imposing legal restrictions on obtaining knitting needles would be preposterous. Hence the proposed law involving hypodermic needles makes no sense and should not be enacted. Which of the following, it true, would provide most support for the argu- ment above? (A) Knitting needles have been known to cause injury and death. (B) The benefits of hypodermic needles outweigh those of knitting needles. (C) The proposed law would not deter the sort of activity known to result in drug-related deaths. (D) The proposed law could not be effectively enforced. (E) Knitting needles are not readily available to anybody who wants to obtain them. 32. The celestial equator divides an imagined celestial globe into two hemispheres just as Earth’s equator does, and the center of Earth’s own galaxy, the Milky Way, lies to the south of the celestial equator. (A) the center of Earth’s own galaxy, the Milky Way, lies (B) the center of the Milky Way, the galaxy where Earth is located, lies (C) Earth’s own galaxy, which lies at the Milky Way’s center, lies (D) the Milky Way’s center of Earth’s own galaxy is located (E) the Milky Way, which is located at Earth’s galaxy’s center, lies 33. Neither result of the two experiments involving Alzheimer’s patients were what the researchers have expected. (A) Neither result of the two experiments involving Alzhe- imer’s patients were what the researchers have expected. (B) Of the two experiments involv- ing Alzheimer’s patients, neither result was expected by the researchers. (C) Neither of the two experiments involving Alzheimer’s patients result in what the researchers expected. (D) Neither of the two experiments involving Alzheimer’s patients resulted in what the research- ers had expected. (E) What the researchers have expected was the result of neither of the two experiments involving Alzheimer’s patients. 34. Were empty space nothing real, then any two atoms located in this “nothingness” would contact each other since nothing would be between them. (A) Were empty space (B) In the event that empty space is (C) If empty space is (D) That empty space were (E) If empty space was practice test Practice Test 5 581 www.petersons.com 35. During the past year, nationwide membership in health and fitness clubs has declined by about 7 percent. Over the same time period, sales of fast-food products widely known to contribute to health problems have risen by about the same percent. These statistics clearly show that consumers have become decreasingly concerned about their health and level of fitness during the past year. The argument that consumers have become decreasingly concerned about their health and fitness over the most recent one-year period depends most heavily on which of the follow- ing assumptions? (A) Concern about health is a major reason that consumers join fitness clubs and maintain their memberships. (B) The overall level of health and fitness among consumers declined over the most recent one-year period. (C) Consumers spent less money on health- and fitness-club mem- berships than on fast food during the past year. (D) Fitness equipment designed for home use has become increas- ingly affordable over the past year. (E) Consumers who have a low level of health and fitness tend to spend more money than other consumers on fast food. QUESTIONS 36–38 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE: Line The Andean cordillera is made up of many interwoven mountain ranges, which include high intermontane plateaus, basins, and valleys. The Northern Andes contains several broad ecosystems falling into four altitudinal belts. Its northern subregion is distin- guished from the rest of the region by higher relative humidity and greater climatic symmetry between the eastern and western flanks of the range. The Central Andes are characterized by a succession of agricultural zones with varied climatic conditions along the mountains’ flanks and by large, high-altitude plateaus, variously called puna or altiplano, which are not present in the Northern Andes. The soil fertility of the northern altiplano is generally good. The western Central Andean ranges are relatively arid with desert-like soils, whereas the eastern ranges are more humid and have more diverse soils. The eastern slopes of the Central Andes in many ways are similar to the wet forests of the Northern Andes. Unlike the Northern Andes, however, these slopes have a dry season. Extreme topography and climate make regional weather projections in the Andean cordillera difficult. For example, while air temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude, variability of mountain topography can produce much lower than expected air temperatures. Vegetation can also be unpredictable, although certain general patterns are discernible. At the regional or macros- cale level, vegetation patterns in the Northern and Central Andes tend to reflect climatic zones determined by latitude and altitude. At the local or mesoscale level, however, this corre- spondence becomes less precise, as local variations in soil type, slope, drainage, climate, and human inter- vention come into play. 582 PART VI: Five Practice Tests 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 www.petersons.com . sometimes 12. Airplanes departing in a timely manner can some times be prevented by any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat. (A) Airplanes departing in a timely manner. can prevent airplanes from their timely departing. (C) Any one of a variety of factors, such as severe weather or a security threat, can sometimes prevent the timely departure of airplanes. (D) The severity. threat, among a variety of other factors, can some of the time prevent airplanes depart- ingontime. (E) Timely departures of airplanes are sometimes prevented as a result of severe weather, a security