GMAT Section 3 Verbal Ability

GMAT Section 3 Verbal Ability practice questions, page 29 of 30, with answer review and explanations.

Question 141

Excavations on the now uninhabited isle of Kelton reveal a scene typical of towns decimated by volcanic ash. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to volcanic activity known to have occurred in the vicinity of the island in 160 B. C. Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists hypothesis?

  1. No coins minted after 160 B.C. were found in Kelton, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.
  2. Pieces of gold and pearl jewelry that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following 160 B.C. were also found in several graves on the island.
  3. Most modern histories of the region mention that several major volcano eruptions occurred near the island in 160 B.C.
  4. Several small jugs carved in styles popular in the region in the century between 200 B.C. and 100 B.C. were found in Kelton.
  5. Drawings of the styles that were definitely used in the region after 160 B.C. were found in Kelton.

Question 142

Many community colleges suffer declining enrollments during periods of economic recession. At government retraining programs, which are not provided free of charge, enrollment figures boom during these periods when many people have less money and there is more competition for jobs. Each of the following, if true, helps to explain the enrollment increases in government retraining programs above EXCEPT:

  1. During periods of economic slowdown, government-retraining programs are more likely that community colleges to prepare their students for the jobs that are still available.
  2. During periods of economic prosperity, graduates of government retraining programs often continue their studies in community colleges.
  3. Tuition at most government retraining programs is a fraction of that at community colleges.
  4. Government retraining programs devote more resources than do other colleges to attracting those students especially affected by economic slowdowns.
  5. Students at government retraining programs, but not those at most community colleges, can control the cost of their studies by choosing the number of

Question 143

Parents of some of the children in a particular class have claimed that the teacher is not objective and favors his male students with higher grades. But the record showed that 92% of the female students received a passing grade in this teachers class. This record demonstrates that the teacher has not discriminated against women when assigning grades. The argument above is flawed in that it ignored the possibility that

  1. a large number of the teacher’s student were in his class the previous year.
  2. many teachers find it difficult to be objective when assigning grades to male and female students.
  3. the evidence shows that more than 92% of the female students should have received a passing grade.
  4. the majority of tests written by female students and that have been rechecked by another teacher were given a higher grade by the second teacher.
  5. the teacher is biased against female students in the case of only some of the subjects he teachers.

Question 144

The number of young adults that are illiterate has dropped significantly in a certain county over the last fifteen years. Education officials attribute this decrease entirely to improved conditions in the schools, which made for a better teaching environment, reducing the level of illiteracy. Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the education officials explanation for the lower incidence of the disease?

  1. Many similar improvements in school conditions have been made over the last twenty-five years in the county.
  2. Home-schooling has not been more prevalent among the illiterate as compared to people who are not illiterate.
  3. Because of a new assessment scale, many people who until this year would have been considered illiterate are now considered low-level readers.
  4. The same percentage of the population has been tested every year for the last 30 years.
  5. The conditions in the schools were brought up to the standards of the neighboring counties twenty years ago

Question 145

In many hospitals, more and more monitoring is being carried out by automated equipment instead of human employees who previous carried out the work. This is done in an attempt to save hospital expenses. However, many employees who lose their jobs to automation will need government assistance to get by, and the same corporations that are laying people off will eventually pay for that assistance through increased taxes and unemployment insurance payments. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the authors argument?

  1. Most of the new jobs created by automated equipment pay less than the jobs that were eliminated by automated equipment did.
  2. Many hospitals that have failed to automate have seen their profits decline.
  3. Unemployment insurance and taxes are paid also by corporations that are not automating.
  4. Many workers who have already lost their jobs to automated equipment have been unable to find new employment.
  5. The initial investment in machinery for automated equipment is often greater than the short-term savings in labor costs.