SENTENCE CORRECTON

The Glass House Mountains in Queensland, Australia,
were sighted in 1770 by the English navigator Captain
James Cook, by whom they were named supposedly
because its sheer wet rocks glistened like glass.

(A) by whom they were named supposedly
because its
(B) by whom they were named supposedly and their
(C) naming them supposedly since their
(D) who so named them supposedly because their
(E) who so named it since supposedly their


2. Although a surge in retail sales have raised hopes that
there is a recovery finally under way, many
economists say that without a large amount of
spending the recovery might not last.
(A) have raised hopes that there is a recovery finally
(B) raised hopes for there being a recovery finally
(C) had raised hopes for a recovery finally being
(D) has raised hopes that a recovery is finally
(E) raised hopes for a recovery finally


3. Although various eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
American poets had professed an interest in Native
American poetry and had pretended to imitate Native
American forms in their own works, until almost 1900,
scholars and critics did not begin seriously to study
traditional Native American poetry in native
languages.
(A) until almost 1900, scholars and critics did not
begin seriously to study
(B) until almost 1900 scholars and critics had not
begun seriously studying
(C) not until almost 1900 were scholars and critics
to begin seriously to study
(D) it was not almost until 1900 when scholars and
critics began to seriously study
(E) it was not until almost 1900 that scholars and
critics seriously began studying

4. Of all the vast tides of migration that have swept
through history, maybe none is more concentrated as
the wave that brought 12 million immigrants onto
American shores in little more than three decades.
(A) maybe none is more concentrated as
(B) it may be that none is more concentrated as
(C) perhaps it is none that is more concentrated
than
(D) maybe it is none that was more concentrated
than
(E) perhaps none was more concentrated than

5. Diabetes, together with its serious complications,
ranks as the nation’s third leading cause of death,
surpassed only by heart disease and cancer.

(A) ranks as the nation’s third leading cause of
death, surpassed only
(B) rank as the nation’s third leading cause of death,
only surpassed
(C) has the rank of the nation’s third leading cause
of death, only surpassed
(D) are the nation’s third leading causes of death,
surpassed only
(E) have been ranked as the nation’s third leading
causes of death, only surpassed



6. In late 1997, the chambers inside the pyramid of the
Pharaoh Menkaure at Giza were closed to visitors for
cleaning and repair (due to moisture exhaled by
tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so
that salt from the stone was crystallizing) and fungus
was growing on the walls.
(A) due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which
raised its humidity to such levels so that salt
from the stone was crystallizing
(B) due to moisture that tourists had exhaled,
thereby raising its humidity to such levels that
salt from the stone would crystallize
(C) because tourists were exhaling moisture, which
had raised the humidity within them to levels
such that salt from the stone would crystallize
(D) because of moisture that was exhaled by tourists
raising the humidity within them to levels so high
as to make the salt from the stone crystallize
(E) because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised
the humidity within them to such levels that salt
from the stone was crystallizing

7. As its sales of computer products have surpassed
those of measuring instruments, the company has
become increasingly willing to compete for the mass
market sales (they would in the past have conceded
to rivals.)
(A) they would in the past have conceded to rivals
(B) they would have conceded previously to their
rivals
(C) that in the past would have been conceded
previously to rivals
(D) it previously would have conceded to rivals in
the past
(E) it would in the past have conceded to rivals


8. The widely accepted big bang theory holds (that the
universe began in an explosive instant ten to twenty
billion years ago and has been expanding) ever since.


(A) that the universe began in an explosive instant
ten to twenty billion years ago and has been
expanding
(B) that the universe had begun in an explosive
instant ten to twenty billion years ago and had
been expanding
(C) that the beginning of the universe was an
explosive instant ten to twenty billion years ago
that has expanded
(D) the beginning of the universe to have been an
explosive instant ten to twenty billion years ago
that is expanding
(E) the universe to have begun in an explosive
instant ten to twenty billion years ago and has
been expanding

9. (Like the idolization accorded the Brontës and
Brownings,) James Joyce and Virginia Woolf are often
subjected to the kind of veneration that blurs the
distinction between the artist and the human being.

(A) Like the idolization accorded the Brontës and
Brownings,
(B) As the Brontës’ and Brownings’ idolization,
(C) Like that accorded to the Brontës and Brownings,
(D) As it is of the Brontës and Brownings,
(E) Like the Brontës and Brownings,

10. Carnivorous mammals can endure what would
otherwise be lethal levels of body heat because they
have a heat-exchange network (which kept) the brain
from getting too hot.
(A) which kept
(B) that keeps
(C) which has kept
(D) that has been keeping
(E) having kept

11. There are several ways to build solid walls using just
mud or clay, but the most extensively used method
has been (the forming of bricks out of mud or clay,
and, after some preliminary air drying or sun drying,
they are laid) in the wall in mud mortar.

(A) the forming of bricks out of mud or clay, and,
after some preliminary air drying or sun drying,
they are laid
(B) forming the mud or clay into bricks, and, after
some preliminary air drying or sun drying, to
lay them
(C) having bricks formed from mud or clay, and,
after some preliminary air drying or sun drying,
they were laid
(D) to form the mud or clay into bricks, and, after
some preliminary air drying or sun drying, to
lay them
(E) that bricks were formed from mud or clay,
which, after some preliminary air drying or sun
drying, were laid


12. Rising inventories, (when unaccompanied
correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead)
to production cutbacks that would hamper
economic growth.
(A) when unaccompanied correspondingly by
increases in sales, can lead
(B) when not accompanied by corresponding
increases in sales, possibly leads
(C) when they were unaccompanied by
corresponding sales increases, can lead
(D) if not accompanied by correspondingly
increased sales, possibly leads
(E) if not accompanied by corresponding increases
in sales, can lead


13. A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly
unemployment (claims suggest that the economy might
not be as weak as some analysts previously thought.)


(A) claims suggest that the economy might not be
as weak as some analysts previously thought
(B) claims suggests that the economy might not
be so weak as some analysts have previously
thought
(C) claims suggest that the economy might not be
as weak as have been previously thought by
some analysts
(D) claims, suggesting about the economy that it
might not be so weak as previously thought by
some analysts
(E) claims, suggesting the economy might not be as
weak as previously thought to be by some
analysts


14. Sunspots, vortices of gas associated with strong
electromagnetic activity, (are visible as dark spots on
the surface of the Sun but have never been sighted on)
the Sun’s poles or equator.
(A) are visible as dark spots on the surface of the
Sun but have never been sighted on
(B) are visible as dark spots that never have been
sighted on the surface of the Sun
(C) appear on the surface of the Sun as dark spots
although never sighted at
(D) appear as dark spots on the surface of the Sun,
although never having been sighted at
(E) appear as dark spots on the Sun’s surface,
which have never been sighted on


15. Warning that computers in the United States are not
secure, the National Academy of Sciences has urged
the nation to revamp computer security procedures,
institute new emergency response teams, (creating a
special nongovernment organization to take ) charge of
computer security planning.
(A) creating a special nongovernment organization
to take
(B) creating a special nongovernment organization
that takes
(C) creating a special nongovernment organization
for taking
(D) and create a special nongovernment
organization for taking
(E) and create a special nongovernment
organization to take

16. Retail sales rose 0.8 of 1 percent in August,
intensifying expectations (that personal spending in
the July–September quarter more than doubled that)
of the 1.4 percent growth rate in personal spending
for the previous quarter.

(A) that personal spending in the July–September
quarter more than doubled that of
(B) that personal spending in the July–September
quarter would more than double
(C) of personal spending in the July–September
quarter, that it more than doubled
(D) of personal spending in the July–September
quarter more than doubling that of
(E) of personal spending in the July–September
quarter, that it would more than double that of

17. The commission has directed advertisers to
restrict the use of the word “natural” to foods that
do not contain color or flavor additives, chemical
preservatives, (or nothing that has been )synthesized.

(A) or nothing that has been
(B) or that has been
(C) and nothing that is
(D) or anything that has been
(E) and anything


18. (Plants are more effi cient at acquiring carbon than are
fungi,) in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it
to energy-rich sugars.
(A) Plants are more effi cient at acquiring carbon
than are fungi,
(B) Plants are more effi cient at acquiring carbon
than fungi,
(C) Plants are more effi cient than fungi at acquiring
carbon,
(D) Plants, more effi cient than fungi at acquiring
carbon,
(E) Plants acquire carbon more effi ciently than fungi,


19. The Iroquois were primarily planters, (but supplementing)
their cultivation of maize, squash, and beans with
fishing and hunting.
(A) but supplementing
(B) and had supplemented
(C) and even though they supplemented
(D) although they supplemented
(E) but with supplementing


20. (As contrasted with the honeybee), the yellow jacket
can sting repeatedly without dying and carries a
potent venom that can cause intense pain.
(A) As contrasted with the honeybee,
(B) In contrast to the honeybee’s,
(C) Unlike the sting of the honeybee,
(D) Unlike that of the honeybee,
(E) Unlike the honeybee,


21. Neuroscientists, having (amassed a wealth of
knowledge over the past twenty years about the brain)
and its development from birth to adulthood, are now
drawing solid conclusions about how the human brain
grows and how babies acquire language.
(A) Neuroscientists, having amassed a wealth of
knowledge over the past twenty years about
the brain and its development from birth to
adulthood, are
(B) Neuroscientists, having amassed a wealth of
knowledge about the brain and its development
from birth to adulthood over the past twenty
years, and are
(C) Neuroscientists amassing a wealth of knowledge
about the brain and its development from birth
to adulthood over the past twenty years, and are
(D) Neuroscientists have amassed a wealth of
knowledge over the past twenty years about
the brain and its development from birth to
adulthood,
(E) Neuroscientists have amassed, over the past
twenty years, a wealth of knowledge about the
brain and its development from birth to
adulthood,



22. None of the attempts to specify the causes of crime
explains why most of the people exposed to the
alleged causes do not commit crimes and, conversely,
why so many of those not so exposed (have.)
(A) have
(B) has
(C) shall
(D) do
(E) could


23. (In a previous design, the weight of the discus used in
track competition is concentrated in a metal center,)
but now it is lined with lead around the perimeter,
thereby improving stability in fl ight and resulting in
longer throws.
(A) In a previous design, the weight of the discus
used in track competition is concentrated in a
metal center, but now it is
(B) According to a previous design, the weight of
the discus used in track competition was
concentrated in a metal center, but now it is
(C) Once designed with its weight concentrated
in a metal center, the discus used in track
competition is now
(D) The discus used in track competition, once
designed with its weight concentrated in a metal
center, but now
(E) The discus used in track competition was once
designed having its weight concentrated in a
metal center and now

24. In virtually all types of tissue in every animal species,
dioxin induces the production of enzymes that are the
organism’s (trying to metabolize, or render harmless,
the chemical that is irritating it.)

(A) trying to metabolize, or render harmless, the
chemical that is irritating it
(B) trying that it metabolize, or render harmless,
the chemical irritant
(C) attempt to try to metabolize, or render
harmless, such a chemical irritant
(D) attempt to try and metabolize, or render
harmless, the chemical irritating it
(E) attempt to metabolize, or render harmless,
the chemical irritant

25. (Based on accounts of various ancient writers,) scholars
have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an
all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth
century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as
Bona Dea, “the good goddess.”
(A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers,
(B) Basing it on various ancient writers’ accounts,
(C) With accounts of various ancient writers used
for a basis,
(D) By the accounts of various ancient writers
they used,
(E) Using accounts of various ancient writers,

CRITICAL REASONING - SET 1

1. “Life expectancy” is the average age at death of the
entire live-born population. In the middle of the
nineteenth century, life expectancy in North America
was 40 years, whereas now it is nearly 80 years.
Thus, in those days, people must have been
considered old at an age that we now consider the
prime of life.
Which of the following, if true, undermines the
argument above?
(A) In the middle of the nineteenth century, the
population of North America was significantly
smaller than it is today.
(B) Most of the gains in life expectancy in the last
150 years have come from reductions in the
number of infants who die in their first year
of life.
(C) Many of the people who live to an advanced age
today do so only because of medical technology
that was unknown in the nineteenth century.
(D) The proportion of people who die in their
seventies is significantly smaller today than is the
proportion of people who die in their eighties.
(E) More people in the middle of the nineteenth
century engaged regularly in vigorous physical
activity than do so today.


2. Scientists propose placing seismic stations on the
fl oor of the Pacifi c Ocean to warn threatened coastal
communities on the northwestern coast of the United
States of approaching tidal waves caused by
earthquakes. Since forewarned communities could
take steps to evacuate, many of the injuries and
deaths that would otherwise occur could be avoided
if the government would implement this proposal.
The answer to which of the following questions
would be most important in determining whether
implementing the proposal would be likely to achieve
the desired result?
(A) When was the last time that the coastal
communities were threatened by an approaching
tidal wave?
(B) How far below sea level would the stations be
located?
(C) Would there be enough time after receiving
warning of an approaching tidal wave for
communities to evacuate safely?
(D) How soon after a tidal wave hits land is it safe
for evacuees to return to their communities?
(E) Can the stations be equipped to collect and
relay information about phenomena other than
tidal waves caused by earthquakes?


3. Homeowners aged 40 to 50 are more likely to
purchase ice cream and are more likely to purchase
it in larger amounts than are members of any other
demographic group. The popular belief that teenagers
eat more ice cream than adults must, therefore,
be false.
The argument is flawed primarily because the author
(A) fails to distinguish between purchasing and
consuming
(B) does not supply information about homeowners
in age groups other than 40 to 50
(C) depends on popular belief rather than on
documented research findings
(D) does not specify the precise amount of ice
cream purchased by any demographic group
(E) discusses ice cream rather than more nutritious
and healthful foods


4. According to a prediction of the not-so-distant future
published in 1940, electricity would revolutionize
agriculture. Electrodes would be inserted into the soil,
and the current between them would kill bugs and
weeds and make crop plants stronger.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly indicates
that the logic of the prediction above is fl awed?
(A) In order for farmers to avoid electric shock while
working in the fi elds, the current could be turned
off at such times without diminishing the
intended effects.
(B) If the proposed plan for using electricity were
put into practice, farmers would save on
chemicals now being added to the soil.
(C) It cannot be taken for granted that the use of
electricity is always benefi cial.
(D) Since weeds are plants, electricity would affect
weeds in the same way as it would affect crop
plants.
(E) Because a planting machine would need to avoid
coming into contact with the electrodes, new
parts for planting machines would need to be
designed.


5. A company is considering changing its policy
concerning daily working hours. Currently, this
company requires all employees to arrive at work
at 8 a.m. The proposed policy would permit each
employee to decide when to arrive—from as early
as 6 a.m. to as late as 11 a.m.
The adoption of this policy would be most likely to
decrease employees’ productivity if the employees’
job functions required them to
(A) work without interruption from other employees
(B) consult at least once a day with employees from
other companies
(C) submit their work for a supervisor’s eventual
approval
(D) interact frequently with each other throughout
the entire workday
(E) undertake projects that take several days to
complete


6. The amount of time it takes for most of a worker’s
occupational knowledge and skills to become obsolete
has been declining because of the introduction of
advanced manufacturing technology (AMT). Given the
rate at which AMT is currently being introduced in
manufacturing, the average worker’s old skills become
obsolete and new skills are required within as little as
five years.
Which of the following plans, if feasible, would allow
a company to prepare most effectively for the rapid
obsolescence of skills described above?
(A) The company will develop a program to offer
selected employees the opportunity to receive
training six years after they were originally hired.
(B) The company will increase its investment in AMT
every year for a period of at least five years.
(C) The company will periodically survey its
employees to determine how the introduction of
AMT has affected them.
(D) Before the introduction of AMT, the company will
institute an educational program to inform its
employees of the probable consequences of the
introduction of AMT.
(E) The company will ensure that it can offer its
employees any training necessary for meeting
their job requirements.


7. Traverton’s city council wants to minimize the city’s
average yearly expenditures on its traffi c signal lights
and so is considering replacing the incandescent bulbs
currently in use with arrays of light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) as the incandescent bulbs burn out. Compared
to incandescent bulbs, LED arrays consume
signifi cantly less energy and cost no more to
purchase. Moreover, the costs associated with the
conversion of existing fi xtures so as to accept LED
arrays would be minimal.
Which of the following would it be most useful to
know in determining whether switching to LED arrays
would be likely to help minimize Traverton’s yearly
maintenance costs?
(A) Whether the expected service life of LED arrays
is at least as long as that of the currently used
incandescent bulbs
(B) Whether any cities have switched from
incandescent lights in their traffi c signals to
lighting elements other than LED arrays
(C) Whether the company from which Traverton
currently buys incandescent bulbs for traffi c
signals also sells LED arrays
(D) Whether Traverton’s city council plans to
increase the number of traffi c signal lights in
Traverton
(E) Whether the crews that currently replace
incandescent bulbs in Traverton’s traffi c signals
know how to convert the existing fi xtures so as
to accept LED arrays


8. A report that many apples contain a cancer-causing
preservative called Alar apparently had little effect on
consumers. Few consumers planned to change their
apple-buying habits as a result of the report.
Nonetheless, sales of apples in grocery stores fell
sharply in March, a month after the report was issued.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the reason
for the apparent discrepancy described above?
(A) In March, many grocers removed apples from
their shelves in order to demonstrate concern
about their customers’ health.
(B) Because of a growing number of food-safety
warnings, consumers in March were indifferent
to such warnings.
(C) The report was delivered on television and also
appeared in newspapers.
(D) The report did not mention that any other fruit
contains Alar, although the preservative is used
on other fruit.
(E) Public health officials did not believe that apples
posed a health threat because only minute
traces of Alar were present in affected apples.


9. In order to reduce the number of items damaged while
in transit to customers, packaging consultants
recommended that the TrueSave mail-order company
increase the amount of packing material so as to fi ll
any empty spaces in its cartons. Accordingly,
TrueSave offi cials instructed the company’s packers
to use more packing material than before, and the
packers zealously acted on these instructions and
used as much as they could. Nevertheless, customer
reports of damaged items rose somewhat.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain
why acting on the consultants’ recommendation failed
to achieve its goal?
(A) The change in packing policy led to an increase
in expenditure on packing material and labor.
(B) When packing material is compressed too
densely, it loses some of its capacity to absorb
shock.
(C) The amount of packing material used in a carton
does not signifi cantly infl uence the ease with
which a customer can unpack the package.
(D) Most of the goods that TrueSave ships are
electronic products that are highly vulnerable to
being damaged in transit.
(E) TrueSave has lost some of its regular customers
as a result of the high number of damaged items
they received.

10. Cable-television spokesperson: Subscriptions to
cable television are a bargain in comparison to “free”
television. Remember that “free” television is not really
free. It is consumers, in the end, who pay for the
costly advertising that supports “free” television.
Which of the following, if true, is most damaging to the
position of the cable-television spokesperson?
(A) Consumers who do not own television sets are
less likely to be influenced in their purchasing
decisions by television advertising than are
consumers who own television sets.
(B) Subscriptions to cable television include access
to some public-television channels, which do not
accept advertising.
(C) For locations with poor television reception,
cable television provides picture quality superior
to that provided by free television.
(D) There is as much advertising on many cabletelevision
channels as there is on “free”
television channels.
(E) Cable-television subscribers can choose which
channels they wish to receive.


11. Wood smoke contains dangerous toxins that cause
changes in human cells. Because wood smoke
presents such a high health risk, legislation is needed
to regulate the use of open-air fires and wood-burning
stoves.
Which of the following, if true, provides the most
support for the argument above?
(A) The amount of dangerous toxins contained in
wood smoke is much less than the amount
contained in an equal volume of automobile
exhaust.
(B) Within the jurisdiction covered by the proposed
legislation, most heating and cooking is done
with oil or natural gas.
(C) Smoke produced by coal-burning stoves is
significantly more toxic than smoke from woodburning
stoves.
(D) No significant beneficial effect on air quality
would result if open-air fires were banned within
the jurisdiction covered by the proposed
legislation.
(E) In valleys where wood is used as the primary
heating fuel, the concentration of smoke results
in poor air quality.

12. A certain automaker aims to increase its market share
by deeply discounting its vehicles’ prices for the next
several months. The discounts will cut into profi ts,
but because they will be heavily advertised the
manufacturer hopes that they will attract buyers away
from rival manufacturers’ cars. In the longer term, the
automaker envisions that customers initially attracted
by the discounts may become loyal customers.
In assessing the plan’s chances of achieving its aim, it
would be most useful to know which of the following?
(A) Whether the automaker’s competitors are likely
to respond by offering deep discounts on their
own products
(B) Whether the advertisements will be created by
the manufacturer’s current advertising agency
(C) Whether some of the automaker’s models will be
more deeply discounted than others
(D) Whether the automaker will be able to cut costs
suffi ciently to maintain profi t margins even when
the discounts are in effect
(E) Whether an alternative strategy might enable the
automaker to enhance its profi tability while
holding a constant or diminishing share of the
market
13. In Swartkans territory, archaeologists discovered
charred bone fragments dating back one million years.
Analysis of the fragments, which came from a variety
of animals, showed that they had been heated to
temperatures no higher than those produced in
experimental campfires made from branches of white
stinkwood, the most common tree around Swartkans.
Which of the following, if true, would, together with the
information above, provide the best basis for the claim
that the charred bone fragments are evidence of the
use of fire by early hominids?
(A) The white stinkwood tree is used for building
material by the present-day inhabitants of
Swartkans.
(B) Forest fires can heat wood to a range of
temperatures that occur in campfires.
(C) The bone fragments were fitted together by the
archaeologists to form the complete skeletons
of several animals.
(D) Apart from the Swartkans discovery, there is
reliable evidence that early hominids used fire as
many as 500,000 years ago.
(E) The bone fragments were found in several
distinct layers of limestone that contained
primitive cutting tools known to have been used
by early hominids.

14. In Washington County, attendance at the movies is just
large enough for the cinema operators to make
modest profi ts. The size of the county’s population is
stable and is not expected to increase much. Yet there
are investors ready to double the number of movie
screens in the county within fi ve years, and they are
predicting solid profi ts both for themselves and for the
established cinema operators.
Which of the following, if true about Washington
County, most helps to provide a justifi cation for the
investors’ prediction?
(A) Over the next ten years, people in their teenage
years, the prime moviegoing age, will be a
rapidly growing proportion of the county’s
population.
(B) As distinct from the existing cinemas, most of
the cinemas being planned would be located in
downtown areas, in hopes of stimulating an
economic revitalization of those areas.
(C) Spending on video purchases, as well as
spending on video rentals, has been increasing
modestly each year for the past ten years.
(D) The average number of screens per cinema is
lower among existing cinemas than it is among
cinemas still in the planning stages.
(E) The sale of snacks and drinks in cinemas
accounts for a steadily growing share of most
cinema operators’ profi ts.

15. A conservation group in the United States is trying to
change the long-standing image of bats as frightening
creatures. The group contends that bats are feared
and persecuted solely because they are shy animals
that are active only at night.
Which of the following, if true, would cast the most
serious doubt on the accuracy of the group’s
contention?
(A) Bats are steadily losing natural roosting places
such as caves and hollow trees and are thus
turning to more developed areas for roosting.
(B) Bats are the chief consumers of nocturnal
insects and thus can help make their hunting
territory more pleasant for humans.
(C) Bats are regarded as frightening creatures not
only in the United States but also in Europe,
Africa, and South America.
(D) Raccoons and owls are shy and active only at
night, yet they are not generally feared and
persecuted.
(E) People know more about the behavior of other
greatly feared animal species, such as lions,
alligators, and snakes, than they do about the
behavior of bats.

16. Which of the following best completes the passage
below?
People buy prestige when they buy a premium product.
They want to be associated with something special.
Mass-marketing techniques and price-reduction
strategies should not be used because .
(A) affluent purchasers currently represent a
shrinking portion of the population of all
purchasers
(B) continued sales depend directly on the
maintenance of an aura of exclusivity
(C) purchasers of premium products are concerned
with the quality as well as with the price of the
products
(D) expansion of the market niche to include a
broader spectrum of consumers will increase
profits
(E) manufacturing a premium brand is not
necessarily more costly than manufacturing a
standard brand of the same product

17. Hunter: Many people blame hunters alone for the
decline in Greenrock National Forest’s deer
population over the past ten years. Yet clearly,
black bears have also played an important role in this
decline. In the past ten years, the forest’s protected
black bear population has risen sharply, and
examination of black bears found dead in the forest
during the deer hunting season showed that a number
of them had recently fed on deer.
In the hunter’s argument, the portion in boldface plays
which of the following roles?
(A) It is the main conclusion of the argument.
(B) It is a fi nding that the argument seeks to explain.
(C) It is an explanation that the argument concludes
is correct.
(D) It provides evidence in support of the main
conclusion of the argument.
(E) It introduces a judgment that the argument
opposes.

18. In Asia, where palm trees are nonnative, the trees’
flowers have traditionally been pollinated by hand,
which has kept palm fruit productivity unnaturally low.
When weevils known to be efficient pollinators of palm
flowers were introduced into Asia in 1980, palm fruit
productivity increased—by up to 50 percent in some
areas—but then decreased sharply in 1984.
Which of the following statements, if true, would best
explain the 1984 decrease in productivity?
(A) Prices for palm fruit fell between 1980 and
1984 following the rise in production and a
concurrent fall in demand.
(B) Imported trees are often more productive than
native trees because the imported ones have
left behind their pests and diseases in their
native lands.
(C) Rapid increases in productivity tend to deplete
trees of nutrients needed for the development of
the fruit-producing female flowers.
(D) The weevil population in Asia remained at
approximately the same level between 1980
and 1984.
(E) Prior to 1980 another species of insect
pollinated the Asian palm trees, but not as
efficiently as the species of weevil that was
introduced in 1980.

Traditionally, the first firm to commercialize a
new technology has benefited from the unique
opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing
followers to adapt to a standard or invest in
an unproven alternative. Today, however, the
largest payoffs may go to companies that lead in
developing integrated approaches for successful
mass production and distribution.
Producers of the Beta format for videocassette
recorders (VCRs), for example, were first to develop
the VCR commercially in 1975, but producers of the
rival VHS (Video Home System) format proved to be
more successful at forming strategic alliances with
other producers and distributors to manufacture
and market their VCR format. Seeking to maintain
exclusive control over VCR distribution, Beta
producers were reluctant to form such alliances and
eventually lost ground to VHS in the competition for
the global VCR market.
Despite Beta’s substantial technological head
start and the fact that VHS was neither technically
better nor cheaper than Beta, developers of VHS
quickly turned a slight early lead in sales into a
dominant position. Strategic alignments with
producers of prerecorded tapes reinforced the VHS
advantage. The perception among consumers that
prerecorded tapes were more available in VHS
format further expanded VHS’s share of the market.
By the end of the 1980s, Beta was no longer in
production.
Questions 12–17 refer to the passage above.

12. The passage is primarily concerned with which of
the following?
(A) Evaluating two competing technologies
(B) Tracing the impact of a new technology by
narrating a sequence of events
(C) Reinterpreting an event from contemporary
business history
(D) Illustrating a business strategy by means of a
case history
(E) Proposing an innovative approach to business
planning


13. According to the passage, today’s successful firms,
unlike successful firms in the past, may earn the
greatest profits by
(A) investing in research to produce cheaper
versions of existing technology
(B) being the first to market a competing technology
(C) adapting rapidly to a technological standard
previously set by a competing firm
(D) establishing technological leadership in order to
shape product definitions in advance of
competing firms
(E) emphasizing the development of methods for
the mass production and distribution of a new
technology

14. According to the passage, consumers began to
develop a preference for VCRs in the VHS format
because they believed which of the following?
(A) VCRs in the VHS format were technically better
than competing format VCRs.
(B) VCRs in the VHS format were less expensive
than competing format VCRs.
(C) VHS was the first standard format for VCRs.
(D) VHS prerecorded videotapes were more
available than those in Beta format.
(E) VCRs in the Beta format would soon cease to
be produced.

RC SET 3

SET THREE
Archaeology as a profession faces two major
problems. First, it is the poorest of the poor.
Only paltry sums are available for excavating and
even less is available for publishing the results
and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet
archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day.
Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation,
resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to the
highest bidder.
I would like to make an outrageous
suggestion that would at one stroke provide
funds for archaeology and reduce the amount
of illegal digging. I would propose that scientific
archaeological expeditions and governmental
authorities sell excavated artifacts on the open
market. Such sales would provide substantial
funds for the excavation and preservation of
archaeological sites and the publication of results.
At the same time, they would break the illegal
excavator’s grip on the market, thereby decreasing
the inducement to engage in illegal activities.
You might object that professionals excavate to
acquire knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient
artifacts are part of our global cultural heritage,
which should be available for all to appreciate, not
sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing that
has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But,
you might reply, everything that comes out of the
ground has scientific value. Here we part company.
Theoretically, you may be correct in claiming
that every artifact has potential scientific value.
Practically, you are wrong.
I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and
ancient lamps that are essentially duplicates of
one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus,
archaeologists recently uncovered 2,000 virtually
indistinguishable small jugs in a single courtyard.
Even precious royal seal impressions known as
l’melekh handles have been found in abundance
—more than 4,000 examples so far.
The basements of museums are simply not
large enough to store the artifacts that are likely
to be discovered in the future. There is not enough
money even to catalog the finds; as a result, they
cannot be found again and become as inaccessible
as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with
the help of a computer, sold artifacts could be more
accessible than are the pieces stored in bulging
museum basements. Prior to sale, each could be
photographed and the list of the purchasers could
be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could
even be required to agree to return the piece if it
should become needed for scientific purposes.
It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal
digging would stop if artifacts were sold on the
open market. But the demand for the clandestine
product would be substantially reduced. Who would
want an unmarked pot when another was available
whose provenance was known, and that was dated
stratigraphically by the professional archaeologist
who excavated it?

9. The primary purpose of the passage is to propose
(A) an alternative to museum display of artifacts
(B) a way to curb illegal digging while benefiting the
archaeological profession
(C) a way to distinguish artifacts with scientific value
from those that have no such value
(D) the governmental regulation of archaeological
sites
(E) a new system for cataloging duplicate artifacts

10. The author implies that all of the following statements
about duplicate artifacts are true EXCEPT
(A) a market for such artifacts already exists
(B) such artifacts seldom have scientific value
(C) there is likely to be a continuing supply of such
artifacts
(D) museums are well supplied with examples of
such artifacts
(E) such artifacts frequently exceed in quality those
already cataloged in museum collections



11. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as
a disadvantage of storing artifacts in museum
basements?
(A) Museum officials rarely allow scholars access to
such artifacts.
(B) Space that could be better used for display is
taken up for storage.
(C) Artifacts discovered in one excavation often
become separated from each other.
(D) Such artifacts are often damaged by variations
in temperature and humidity.
(E) Such artifacts often remain uncataloged and
thus cannot be located once they are put in
storage.