GMAT Section 3 Verbal Ability

GMAT Section 3 Verbal Ability practice questions, page 16 of 30, with answer review and explanations.

Question 76

With more and more classes being offered online, more and more students will earn their degrees in virtual universities. Students in California will graduate from schools in New York without ever leaving their state. Because online courses offer flexibility without geographic boundaries, virtual degrees will be in greater demand, and colleges and universities should invest the bulk of their resources in developing online degree programs. All of the following, if true, are valid objections to this argument EXCEPT

  1. online courses are more time consuming for faculty to develop than regular courses.
  2. many students need the ability to attend class outside of regular classroom hours.
  3. some students prefer the traditional classroom to the virtual classroom.
  4. not every course is suitable for an online environment.
  5. there is no way to ensure the authenticity of a student’s work in an online environment.

Question 77

Property values in South Orange, New Jersey, have nearly doubled in the last six years. South Orange is located in Essex County, 17 miles from New York City. Which of the following, if true, best explains the results described in the statement?

  1. the proximity of South Orange to New York City
  2. the completion of a direct rail line to New York City
  3. the addition of 240 housing units in South Orange
  4. improved schools and a renovated downtown in South Orange
  5. the relocation of a major technical corporation to Union, New Jersey, two miles from South Orange

Question 78

One out of four heart surgery patients at St.Vincents dies from complications during surgery. Only one out of six heart surgery patients at St.Marys dies from complications during surgery. If you need heart surgery, make sure you go to St.Marys, not St.Vincents. Which of the following, if true, is the best reason to reject this argument?

  1. St.Vincent’s specializes in heart surgery for elderly and high-risk patients.
  2. St.Mary’s surgical equipment is more up to date than St.Vincent’s.
  3. St.Vincent’s has the most renowned heart surgeon in the country on its staff.
  4. St.Vincent’s offers flexible payment options for balances not covered by insurance.
  5. Two doctors who used to work at St.Mary’s now work at St.Vincent’s.

Question 79

DNA evidence has increasingly been used in court to prove guilt and to exonerate the innocent. Because so many convicted felons have been cleared by DNA evidence, all cases in which someone was convicted largely on circumstantial evidence should be called into question and reviewed. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen this argument?

  1. One in three convictions today rests largely on DNA evidence.
  2. DNA evidence is admissible even after the statute of limitations has expired.
  3. Of every ten cases in which DNA evidence becomes available post-conviction, five convictions are overturned.
  4. DNA evidence is 99.8% accurate.
  5. DNA evidence is very difficult to falsify or tamper with.

Question 80

For each question, select the best answer from the choices given. Without a doubt, one of Americas greatest science-fiction writers is Kurt Vonnegut, who has written dozens of stories and novels, including the masterpiece Slaughterhouse Five. Yet for decades, Vonnegut denied that what he was writing was science fiction. Today, however, Vonnegut embraces his rightful place as a master of the genre. All of the following, if true, are helpful in accounting for the phenomenon described in this passage EXCEPT -

  1. early in Vonnegut’s career, science fiction was largely considered by critics to be an inferior genre.
  2. Vonnegut did not want to be pigeonholed as a science-fiction writer.
  3. as a young author, Vonnegut’s favorite writers were all science-fiction writers.
  4. science fiction has become a legitimate literary genre.
  5. science fiction has become an increasingly popular genre (for readers and writers alike) because of the increased importance of science and technology in our