Diagnostic Test – GRE Verbal

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Choose the right word in the blank:

Although plant and animal species that become established in ecosystems where they did not originate are sometimes referred to by the alarming term “invasive species”, many such species are ______ in their new environments.

Choose the right word in the blank:

The labor union and the company’s management, despite their long history of unfailingly acerbic disagreement on nearly every issue, have nevertheless reached an unexpectedly ______, albeit still tentative, agreement on next year’s contract.

The theory of cosmic evolution states that the universe, having begun in a state of simplicity and (i)______, has (ii)______ into great variety.

Choices for each blank are:

Now select the correct words for each blank from the options below:

The incipient (i)______ regarding taxes could affect trade between the two countries much more than the (ii)______ banana imports, which has been going on for years. Unfortunately, the trade regulators seem to be ignoring both disagreements.

Choices for each blank are:

Now select the correct choices for each blank from the options below:

Philosophy, unlike most other subjects, does not try to extend our knowledge by discovering new information about the world. Instead, it tries to deepen our understanding through (i)______ what is already closest to us– the experiences, thoughts, concepts, and activities that make up our lives but that ordinarily escape our notice precisely because they are so familiar. Philosophy begins by finding (ii)______ the things that are (iii)______.

Choices for each blank are:

Now select the correct choices for each blank from the options below:

This question is based on the following reading passage:

Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire in 1783, was an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton. In the book’s frontispiece, Voltaire is seen writing at his desk, and over him, a shaft of light from heaven, the light of truth, passes through Newton to Voltaire’s collaborator Madame du Châtelet; she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire. Voltaire’s book commanded a wide audience, according to Feingold, because “he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, but a literary giant aloof from the academic dispute over Newtonian ideas.” In other words, Voltaire’s amateurism in science “was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists.”

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

Question: Which of the following statements about Voltaire’s Elements of the Philosophy of Newton can be inferred from the passage?

Despite a dramatic increase in the number of people riding bicycles for recreation in Parkville, a recent report by the Parkville Department of Transportation shows that the number of accidents involving bicycles has decreased for the third consecutive year.

Which of the following, if true during the last three years, best reconciles the apparent discrepancy in the facts?

This question is based on the following reading passage:

Fossil bones of the huge herbivorous dinosaurs known as sauropods were first discovered and studied between 1840 and 1880, providing evidence for the gargantuan dimensions of the adults. The shape of sauropod teeth suggested what they ate. But aside from trackways, or series of fossilized footprints — which established that sauropods at least occasionally lived in herds — fossils incorporating direct evidence of other behavior, such as reproductive behavior, have been almost nonexistent. Because no modern land animals even approach sauropod size, scientists have also lacked a living analogue to use as a guide to possible sauropod behavior. Until the recent discovery of fossilized sauropod nesting grounds, scientists were thus uncertain whether sauropods laid eggs or gave birth directly.

Question: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding the evidence provided by sauropod teeth?

This question is based on the following reading passage (the same passage from the previous question):

Fossil bones of the huge herbivorous dinosaurs known as sauropods were first discovered and studied between 1840 and 1880, providing evidence for the gargantuan dimensions of the adults. The shape of sauropod teeth suggested what they ate. But aside from trackways, or series of fossilized footprints — which established that sauropods at least occasionally lived in herds — fossils incorporating direct evidence of other behavior, such as reproductive behavior, have been almost nonexistent. Because no modern land animals even approach sauropod size, scientists have also lacked a living analogue to use as a guide to possible sauropod behavior. Until the recent discovery of fossilized sauropod nesting grounds, scientists were thus uncertain whether sauropods laid eggs or gave birth directly.

Question: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding the recently discovered fossilized sauropod nesting grounds?

In a strong indication of the way the entire party is ______ the candidate with moderate credentials, the outspokenly conservative former mayor of a major city has promised to raise a substantial amount of money for the candidate’s campaign.

Select two answer choices that, when used to complete the above sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce complete sentences that are alike in meaning.

After a long, hard practice in the summer sun, the players were visibly ______

Select two answer choices that, when used to complete the above sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and produce complete sentences that are alike in meaning.