GRE Practice Test: Verbal Reasoning
The section aims to evaluate how well you can interpret written material, form arguments and come to conclusions.
Typically, you’ll be asked to read passages and answer the following questions. The answers can be MCQs (1 or more answers) or Short answer questions.
Below are a few GRE sample questions for Verbal Reasoning.
Question and Answers 1
Questions 1 to 3 are based on this passage.
Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies’ sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass’s classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.
Select only one answer choice.
1. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?
A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glass’s music
C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions
D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass’s reputation as a composer of classical music
E. Whether it has caused certain of Glass’s works to be derivative in quality. Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply.
2. The passage suggests that Glass’s work displays which of the following qualities?
A. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions
B. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music
C. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles
3. Select the sentence that distinguishes two ways of integrating rock and classical music.
Answers:
1. Choice E
2. Choice A and C
3. The last sentence of the passage
Question and Answers 2
For each blank, select one entry from the corresponding column of choices. Fill in all the blanks in the way that best completes the text.
It is refreshing to read a book about our planet by an author who does not allow facts to be (i) by politics: well aware of the political disputes about the effects of human activities on climate and biodiversity. This author does not permit them to (ii) his comprehensive description of what we know about our biosphere. He emphasises the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our observations, and the (iii) calling attention to the many aspects of planetary evolution that must be better understood before we can accurately diagnose the condition of our planet.
Answers:
1. Choice A (overshadowed), Choice E (obscure) and Choice I (superficiality of our theories).
2. Choice B (imperceptibly)
3. Choice G (plausibility of our hypotheses)
GRE Practice Test: Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning section covers basic mathematical concepts. Business schools love to see how well you can analyse quantitative data and apply reasoning skills in real-life scenarios.
This section will include arithmetic, geometry, probabilities, statistics, and basic trigonometry.
Below are some GRE Quantitative Reasoning sample questions to better help you understand this section!
Question and Answer 1
Question 1.
Quantity A | Quantity B |
The least prime number is greater than 24 | The greatest prime number is less than 28 |
A. Quantity A is greater.
B. Quantity B is greater.
C. The two quantities are equal.
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Answer:
A: Quantity A is greater
Question 2
Quantity A | Quantity B |
PS | SR |
A. Quantity A is greater.
B. Quantity B is greater.
C. The two quantities are equal.
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Answer: D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
Question and Answer 2
1. Which of the following numbers is farthest from the number 1 on the number line?
A. -10
B. -5
C. 0
D. 5
E. 10
Answer: A. -10
2. A car got 33 miles per gallon using gasoline that cost $2.95 per gallon. Approximately what was the cost, in dollars, of the gasoline used in driving the car 350 miles?
A. $10
B. $20
C. $30
D. $40
E. $50
Answer: C. $30
GRE Practice Test: Analytical Writing
The GRE's Analytical Writing section allows you to demonstrate your skill in analysing complicated topics, making clear arguments, and expressing thoughts in written form.
Previously, the GRE’s Analytical Writing section consisted of 2 tasks:
- Analyse an ‘Issue’
- Analyse an ‘Argument’
As per the new update, this section will contain only the ‘Analyse an Issue’ task.
Below is a GRE Analytical Writing sample for your deeper understanding.
