Practice Test 6 NOTE: For the purposes of this book—making sure you’re fully prepared to take theGRE exam—one Text Completion question (Verbal Reasoning section) and one numeric entry question (Quantitative Reasoning section) are included in each of the Practice Tests. On the actual GRE, however, you will not see both of these questions; in fact, you may not see either one. ANALYTICAL WRITING Issue Task Time: 45 Minutes Using a word processor, compose a response to the following statement and directive. Do not use any spell-checking or grammar-checking functions (they are not available on the actual GRE): “Most people are actually happier when they have fewer goods and services from which to choose; this is especially true today, when we are deluged with advertising as never before and from more sources than ever before.” Write an essay in which you assess the accuracy of the statement above. Develop and support your viewpoint with relevant reasons and examples and by considering ways in which the statement may or may not be true. practicetest6 543 Argument Task Time: 30 Minutes Using a word processor, compose an essay that responds to the following argument and directive. Do not use any spell-checking or grammar-checking functions (they are not available on the actual GRE). The following appeared in a memo from the principal of Harper Elementary School to the school’s faculty and staff: “In order to raise the level of reading skills of our students to a level that at least represents the national average for students in the same age group, we should adopt the ‘Back to Basics’ reading program. After all, according to the company that created the program and provides it directly to elementary schools throughout the country, Back to Basics has a superior record for improving reading skills among youngsters nationwide. By adopting Back to Basics, the parents of Harper Elementary School students would be assured that their children will develop the reading skills they will need throughout their lives.” Discuss how well-reasoned you find the argument above. PART VI: Five Practice Tests544 . www.petersons.com VERBAL REASONING 30 Questions • 30 Minutes NOTE: In this section, questions of different formats are interspersed, just as they are on the computer-based GRE. However, this practice session contains more challenging questions than easy ones, whereas the actual computer-based GRE adapts to your ability level. 1. TREMBLE : FEAR :: (A) scream : envy (B) smile : rage (C) demand : anger (D) follow : adoration (E) weep : grief 2. WATERMARK : PAPER :: (A) landmark : monument (B) envelope : stamp (C) character : novel (D) badge : employee (E) signature : author 3. The government’s _______ clinical study requirements for new drugs do not _______ pharmaceutical firms when it comes to research and devel- opment, chiefly because of the profit potential afforded by patent pro- tection. (A) official please (B) onerous dissuade (C) extensive impel (D) unenforceable favor (E) vague . . prejudice 4. PROPRIETY: (A) selfishness (B) lack of decorum (C) sensuality (D) impudence (E) lack of virtue 5. SCIENTIAL: (A) ignorant (B) intuitive (C) stupid (D) regressive (E) gullible 6. CLOISTERED: (A) extraverted (B) extrapolated (C) gregarious (D) savvy (E) dispersed 7. Recent advances in molecular biology and genetics (i)_______ to the position that as physical beings our actions are determined by physical forces beyond our control—the age-old “determinist” viewpoint. (ii)_______, this new research sug- gests that such physical forces include our individual genetic makeup. Blank (i) lend credence take exception give rise Blank (ii) In fact In addition Specifically 8. COTTON : SOFT :: (A) wool : warming (B) wood : polished (C) nylon : strong (D) iron : hard (E) silk : expensive 9. FISH : AQUARIUM :: (A) lions : den (B) insects : ground (C) automobile : garage (D) stew : cauldron (E) birds: aviary practicetest Practice Test 6 545 . www.petersons.com 10. SPARK : CONFLAGRATION :: (A) yeast : fermentation (B) match : light (C) drizzle : downpour (D) sugar : sweetness (E) volcano : eruption 11. Just as Mozart’s music broke new ground in the world of classicism, so Beethoven’s work _______ the unspoken rules of the classical period and _______ changes which eventually led to romanticism. (A) obeyed implemented (B) eradicated . . avoided (C) conformed to . . supported (D) evaded . . resisted (E) overturned initiated Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following passage. In the 1970s, the idea of building so- called “New Towns” to absorb growth was considered a potential cure-all for urban problems in the United States. It was assumed that by diverting residents from existing centers, current urban problems would at least get no worse. It was also assumed that, since European New Towns had been financially and socially suc- cessful, the same could be expected in the United States. In the end, these ill-considered projects actually weakened U.S. cities further by drawing away high-income citizens. While industry and commerce sought in turn to escape, the lower-income groups left behind were unable to provide the nec- essary tax base to support the cities. Not surprisingly, development occurred in areas where land was cheap and con- struction profitable rather than where New Towns were genuinely needed. Moreover, the failure on thepart of planners and federal legislators to con- sider social needs resulted not in the sort of successful New Towns seen in Britain but in nothing more than sprawling suburbs. 12. The passage states that New Towns in the United States (A) spurred economic redevel- opment in decaying urban centers (B) provided a thriving social center away from the problems of the older city (C) provided affluent urban residents an escape from the city (D) were different than those in Great Britain in certain important respects (E) provided models for many of today’s urban redevelopment projects 13. Which of the following phenomena is most closely analogous to the New Towns established in the United States? (A) A business that fails as a result of insufficient demand for its products or services (B) A new game that fails to attain widespread popularity because its rules are unfair (C) A scientific theory that lacks supporting empirical evidence (D) A new drug that is never approved for legal sale because of its severe side effects (E) A new computer program that attempts to solve one software problem but that creates another 14. SATIATE: (A) crave deeply (B) deplete entirely (C) be repelled by (D) apply forcefully (E) enjoy thoroughly 15. OSSIFIED: (A) liquefied (B) encrusted (C) excavated (D) deconstructed (E) contaminated PART VI: Five Practice Tests546 . www.petersons.com 16. RECTITUDE: (A) lack of self-confidence (B) difference of opinion (C) intellectual uncertainty (D) moral weakness (E) ethical dilemma Questions 17 and 18 are based on the following passage. The amount of bone in the elderly skel- eton—a key determinant in its suscepti- bility to fractures—is believed to be a function of two major factors. The first is the peak amount of bone mass attained, determined to a large extent by genetic inheritance. The marked effect of gender is obvious: Elderly men experience only one-half as many hip fractures per capita as elderly women. But also, African- American women have a lower incidence of osteoporotic fractures than Caucasian women. Other important variables include diet, exposure to sunlight, and physical activity. The second major factor is the rate of bone loss after peak bone mass has been attained. While many of the vari- ables that affect peak bone mass also affect rates of bone loss, additional factors influencing bone loss include physiological stresses such as pregnancy and lactation. It is hormonal status, however, reflected primarily by estrogen and progesterone levels, that may exert the greatest effect on rates of decline in skeletal mass. 17. The passage clearly identifies all of the following as factors in the rate of bone-mass loss EXCEPT for (A) lactation (B) sunlight exposure (C) progesterone levels (D) pregnancy (E) estrogen levels 18. It can be inferred from the passage that the peak amount of bone mass in women (A) is not affected by either pregnancy or lactation (B) is determined primarily by diet (C) depends partly upon hormonal status (D) may be a factor in the rate of decrease in estrogen and progesterone levels (E) is not dependent upon genetic makeup 19. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, having become a manifesto for psychopaths and potential miscreants, is viewed by many high-school administrators as too _______ to be suitable for teenage students. (A) austere (B) insipid (C) provocative (D) aberrant (E) progressive 20. INTERLOPER : MEDDLE :: (A) misanthrope : usurp (B) rogue : repent (C) advocate : espouse (D) dilettante : proselytize (E) ombudsman : refine 21. WALK : AMBLE :: (A) work : tinker (B) play : rest (C) run : jump (D) jog:trot (E) disperse : leave 22. SENSATION : PARALYSIS :: (A) sincerity : dishonesty (B) obesity : diet (C) insult : injury (D) apathy : curiosity (E) scarcity : surplus practicetest Practice Test 6 547 . www.petersons.com Questions 23–26 are based on the following passage. The origin of the attempt to distinguish early from modern music and to establish the canons of performance practice for each lies in the eighteenth century. In the first half of that century, when Telemann and Bach ran the collegium musicum in Leipzig, Germany, they performed their own and other modern music. In the German universities of the early twen- tieth century, however, the reconstituted collegium musicum devoted itself to per- forming music from the centuries before the beginning of the “standard reper- tory”—by which was understood music from before the time of Bach and Handel. Alongside this modern collegium musicum, German musicologists devel- oped the historical sub-discipline known as “performance practice,” which included the deciphering of obsolete musical notation and its transcription into modern notation, the study of obsolete instru- ments, and the re-establishment of lost oral traditions associated with those for- gotten repertories. The cutoff date for this study was understood to be around 1750, the year of Bach’s death, since the music of Bach, Handel, Telemann and their con- temporaries did call for obsolete instru- ments and voices and unannotated performing traditions—for instance, the spontaneous realization of vocal and instrumental melodic ornamentation. Fur- thermore, with a few exceptions, late baroque music had ceased to be performed for nearly a century, and the orally trans- mitted performing traditions associated with it were forgotten as a result. In con- trast, the notation in the music of Haydn and Mozart from the second half of the eighteenth century was more complete than in the earlier styles, and the instru- ments seemed familiar, so no “special” knowledge appeared necessary. Also, the music of Haydn and Mozart, having never ceased to be performed, had maintained some kind of oral tradition of performance practice. Beginning around 1960, however, early- music performers began to encroach upon the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Why? Scholars studying per- formance practice had discovered that the living oral traditions associated with the Viennese classics frequently could not be traced to the eighteenth century and that there were nearly as many performance mysteries to solve for music after 1750 as for earlier repertories. Furthermore, more and more young singers and instrumen- talists became attracted to early music, and as many of them graduated from stu- dent-amateur to professional status, the technical level of early-music perfor- mances took a giant leap forward. As professional early-music groups, building on these developments, expanded their repertories to include later music, the mainstream protested vehemently. The differences between the two camps extended beyond the question of which instruments to use to the more critical matter of style and delivery. At the heart of their disagreement is whether historical knowledge about performing traditions is a prerequisite for proper interpretation of music or whether it merely creates an obstacle to inspired musical tradition. 23. It can be inferred from the passage that the “standard repertory” might have included music that was written (A) before 1700 (B) during the early twentieth century (C) by the performance-practice composers (D) before the time of Handel (E) to be played using obsolete instruments PART VI: Five Practice Tests548 . www.petersons.com 24. The passage mentions all of the fol- lowing as aspects of performance practice of the early twentieth cen- tury EXCEPT for (A) deciphering outdated music notation (B) reestablishing unannotated performing traditions (C) spontaneous vocal and instru- mental ornamentation (D) varying the delivery of music to suit particular audiences (E) transcribing older music into modern notation 25. Which of the following statements, if true, would best support the author’s explanation for the encroachment by the early musicians upon the music of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven? (A) Unannotated performing traditions associated with these composers were distinct from those associated with pre-1750 works. (B) The mainstream approved of the manner in which the early musicians treated the music of Bach and Handel. (C) Most instrumentalists are attracted to early music because of the opportunities to play obsolete instruments. (D) The music of these composers is notated more completely than the music of Bach and Handel. (E) The early musicians and the mainstream both prefer the same style and delivery of music. 26. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage? (A) “Performance Practice: The Legacy of the German Col- legium Musicum” (B) “Performance Practice and New Interpretations of the Viennese Classics” (C) “Unannotated Performing Traditions of the Eighteenth and Twentieth Centuries” (D) “How Far Should Early Music Extend?” (E) “Competing Views on the Necessity of Historical Knowledge for Inspired Musical Tradition” 27. When her older sister’s _______ aca- demic record had gained her well- earned admission to a highly respected college, Martha became commensurately _______, hoping to secure admission at a top-rated uni- versity herself. (A) impeccable studious (B) laudable . . ambitious (C) salutary diligent (D) exemplary . . optimistic (E) perfunctory . . hard-working 28. SYNERGIZE: (A) lapse (B) catalyze (C) atrophy (D) languish (E) sabotage 29. MUNIFICENT : GENEROSITY :: (A) dolorous : sorrow (B) domineering : timidity (C) indisputable : confidence (D) fortunate : luck (E) beguiled : judiciousness practicetest Practice Test 6 549 . www.petersons.com 30. Many child psychologists believe that a playground bully’s _______ behavior is mere bravado—an attempt to compensate for insecuri- ties—and that this _______ superi- ority portends trouble coping with responsibilities as an adult. (A) antisocial airof (B) cruel . . merely feigned (C) unchecked . . show of (D) superior . . pretense of (E) aggressive . . obsession with PART VI: Five Practice Tests550 . www.petersons.com QUANTITATIVE REASONING 28 Questions • 45 Minutes NOTE: In this section, questions of different formats are interspersed, just as they are on the computer-based GRE. However, this practice session contains more challenging questions than easy ones, whereas the actual computer-based GRE adapts to your ability level. 1. A drawer contains four pairs of socks: two gray pairs and two blue pairs. If two pairs are selected at random, what is the probability of choosing a blue pair and a gray pair? (A) 2 3 (B) 3 5 (C) 1 2 (D) 2 5 (E) 1 3 2. x Þ 0 Column A Column B x x 8 2 (x)(x 2 )(x 3 ) (A) The quantity in Column A is greater. (B) The quantity in Column B is greater. (C) The quantities are equal. (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given. 3. The ratio of Jennifer’s weekly salary to Carl’s weekly salary is 3:2. If Carl were to receive a raise of $200 per week, their salaries would be the same. What is Jennifer’s current weekly salary? (A) $720 (B) $600 (C) $540 (D) $480 (E) $400 practicetest Practice Test 6 551 . www.petersons.com 4. The number of attendees at a certain annual conference is 256 this year and has always doubled every five years. How many people attended the conference 20 years ago? Enter a number in the box. 5. In the figure above, what is the value of x? (A) 36 (B) 40 (C) 60 (D) 64 (E) 72 Column A Column B 6. The greatest prime factor of 99 The greatest prime factor of 39 (A) The quantity in Column A is greater. (B) The quantity in Column B is greater. (C) The quantities are equal. (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given. 7. Horse Q weighs 15 percent more than horse P. Horse R weighs 150 pounds more than horse P. Column A Column B The weight of horse R The weight of horse Q (A) The quantity in Column A is greater. (B) The quantity in Column B is greater. (C) The quantities are equal. (D) The relationship cannot be determined from the information given. PART VI: Five Practice Tests552 . www.petersons.com . responds to the following argument and directive. Do not use any spell-checking or grammar-checking functions (they are not available on the actual GRE) . The following. socially suc- cessful, the same could be expected in the United States. In the end, these ill-considered projects actually weakened U.S. cities further by