VerbalDiagnosticTest
20Questions
Time:30Minutes
Forquestions1–6,selectoneentryforeachblankfromthecorrespondingcolumnofchoices.Fillin
theblankinthewaythatbestcompletesthetext.
1.Ininterviews,despotsareoftensurprisingly___________;thishelpstoexplainhowseeminglyawfulpeopleareableto
commandsomanyfollowers.
malign
indignant
forgiving
personable
munificent
2.Thethrivinghealthfoodcompanysells__________meatproductssomeat-likethatvegetarianssometimescallthephone
numberontheboxtomakesurethattheproductisreallyanimal-free.
mendacious
nugatory
ersatz
mimetic
clandestine
3.Thesuccessfultechcompanyfacesanironicprobleminthefallquarter;peoplearesoexcitedaboutthenext(i)________
ofitsproduct,whichwillbereleasedovertheholidays,thattheyrefusetopurchasethe(ii)_________version.
Blank(i)
Blank(ii)
ingenuity
obsolete
implication current
iteration
practical
4.Newbornbabiesareperfectly(i)_____________,asyetunabletobeconcernedforothers,oreventounderstanda
differencebetweenthemselvesandtheworldaroundthem.Asyoungchildrenmature,theymakethe(ii)
______________discoverythatotherpeopleexistandhavetheirownneedsanddesires—inotherwords,thatthe
entireworldisnotaboutthem.
Blank(i)
Blank(ii)
solipsistic
arresting
sophomoric selfish
quixotic
undue
5.Historically,argumentsagainstwomen’ssuffrage(i)___________fromtheclaimthatwomenwouldcancelouttheir
husbands’votestothechargethatwomenwouldmerely(ii)___________theirhusbands’preferences,thusmaking
theirvotesredundant.Sucharguments,whileonceconvincing,todayseem(iii)__________indeed.
Blank(i)
Blank(ii) Blank(iii)
ranthegauntlet override
ponderous
ranthegamut
ape
shabby
heldtheline
disclaim
cogent
6.Histheorypurportedthat“proper”enjoymentofartwasamatterofpureaesthetics—itissurely,hesays,abaser
pleasurebeingenjoyedbytheuntrained(i)_________,themuseum“tourist”with(ii)_________sensibilities,and
eventhearttheoristsandarthistorianswhosimplyappreciateculturalreferentsornarrativesinart,apredilectionhe
thinksleadsto(iii)_________viewofanyartthatincludessuchelements.
Blank(i)
Blank(ii)
cabal
incendiary afacile
literati
parochial
hoi-polloi dulcet
Blank(iii)
anurbane
apainstaking
Question7isbasedonthefollowingreadingpassage.
Duringaneconomicdepression,itiscommonforfoodpricestoincreaseevenasincomesdecrease.
Surprisingly,however,researchersdeterminedthatduringadepression,forevery5percentincreaseinthecost
ofbread,thelowestsocioeconomicclassactuallyincreasestheamountofbreadpurchasedpercapitaby3
percent.
7.Whichofthefollowinghypothesesbestaccountsfortheresearchers’findings?
(A)Notallfoodcostsincreaseduringadepression;somefooditemsactuallybecomelessexpensive.
(B)Becausebreadconsumptiondoesnotincreasebythesamepercentageasthecostdoes,peoplearelikely
consumingmoreofotherfooditemstocompensate.
(C)Whenincomesdecrease,peoplearetypicallyforcedtospendalargerproportionoftheirincomeonbasic
needs,suchasfoodandhousing.
(D)Peoplewhosuddenlycannotaffordmoreexpensivefoods,suchasmeat,mustcompensatebyconsuming
moreinexpensivefoods,suchasgrains.
(E)Duringadepression,peopleinthelowestsocioeconomicclasswillcontinuetospendthesameamountof
moneyonfoodastheydidbeforethedepressionbegan.
Question8isbasedonthefollowingreadingpassage.
Bedbuginfestationshavebeenaprobleminmajorcitiesforyears.ThepesticideDDThasbeenfoundtobe
usefulinkillingbedbugs.However,DDTwasbannedintheUnitedStatesandhasbeenreplacedbyweaker
pesticides.Thus,thereisnoeffectivemeansforeradicatingbedbugsintheUnitedStates.
8.Whichofthefollowing,iftrue,mostweakenstheconclusion?
(A)Bedbugsresembleothersmallinsectsintheirappearanceandbehavior.
(B)Bedbugshavelargelybeeneradicatedinotherpartsoftheworld.
(C)SometreatmentsthatdonotincludeDDThaveproveneffectiveagainstbedbugsinotherpartsofthe
world.
(D)Bedbugsareresistanttothetypesofpesticidesusedtotreatcockroachandantinfestations.
(E)Thenumberofbedbuginfestationshasrisensignificantlyinthe21stcentury.
Questions9–12arebasedonthefollowingreadingpassage.
DanFlavin’sthealternatediagonalsofMarch2,1964(toDonJudd),an8-foot-longdiagonalbeamoflight
setata45-degreeangle,isacolorfulsculptureoflightthatisvisuallyarresting,evenfromacrosstheroom.Asone
approachesthework,itisdifficultnottobecomealmostblindedbytheintensityofthelightandthevivacityofthe
colors.Thoughitmaystrikeoneas
5
garishonfirstglance,amorelengthyperusalrevealsadelicateinterplaybetweentheredandyellowbeams,giving
theworkavisualrichness.
AlternatediagonalswasmadebyFlavininresponsetooneofhisownpreviousworks,thediagonalofMay
25,1963(toConstantinBrancusi).Hisfirstpiececomposedsolelyoflight,thediagonalofMay25,1963wasalso
an8-foot-longfluorescentlightsculpture(thoughFlavin
neverlikedtocallthemsculptures—hereferredtothemas“situations”)hungata45-degreeangle,andalso
includedayellowfluorescentlighttube.Alternatediagonalsseemsalmostmoreofanevolutionoftheformerwork
10
thanaresponsetoit,butregardlessoftheexactnatureoftheintendedinterplaybetweenthetwo,itisimportantto
framealternatediagonalsasacompanionwork.
Alternatediagonalsisakindofready-made,entirelymadeoffluorescentlightsthatanyonecouldfindinany
hardwarestoreandconstructasFlavinhas.Thisispreciselywhatissointriguingaboutthework—ittoyswiththe
15 boundariesofwhatwecandefineasaready-madeincontemporaryartand,perhaps,withinthefieldofart
productionitself.Itforcesaspectrumtobeemployedinsteadofablack-and-whitecategorizationoftheready-made
—aspectrum
stretchingbetweenthe“pure”ready-made(anyworkthatessentiallycouldbetransferredstraightfromanyone’s
garagetoagallery,suchasDuchamp’sBottleRack),allthewaytoacontemporarytwo-dimensionalworkwhere
20 theartist’scanvasandpaintswerepurchasedfromanartsupplystoreinaninfinitelymoremanipulatedbutstill
semi-“readymade”fashion.Flavin’spiece,itseems,issituatedsomewhereinthecenterofsuchaspectrum,and
raisesthe
25 questionofwherethe“ready”endsandthe“made”begins.
9.Themainpointofthepassageisto
(A)assertthesuperiorityofready-madeart
(B)decrythebroadeningofthedefinitionofart
(C)discussaworkincontextanditseffectonthediscipline
(D)explaintherelationshipbetweentwoworksofart
(E)praiseanartistandhiscreations
10.Accordingtothepassage,both“diagonal”workscouldbestbedescribedas
(A)usingredandyellowlight
(B)initiallystrikingtheviewerasgarish
(C)toyingwithboundariesofart
(D)runningthroughtheplaneataparticularslope
(E)identicalinconcept
11.Theauthor’stonecouldbestbedescribedas
(A)admiringandsupportive
(B)enthusiasticandfawning
(C)respectfulanddistant
(D)obligatoryandunenthused
(E)eruditeandobjective
12.Thepassageimplieswhichofthefollowing?
(A)Conventionaltwo-dimensionalworkisathingofthepast.
(B)Flavinisoneofthemostimportantartistsofhistime.
(C)BottleRackhasverylittleartisticmanipulation.
(D)FlavindislikedthewordsculpturebecauseoftheRenaissanceassociation.
(E)Thebestartworkisinthecenteroftheartisticspectrumofartproduction.
Forquestions13–16,selectthetwoanswerchoicesthat,whenusedtocompletethesentence,fitthe
meaningofthesentenceasawholeandproducecompletedsentencesthatarealikeinmeaning.
13.Manyyoungemployeesactivelyseekoutmentors,butwhenmanagersattempttomentoryoungemployeeswhohave
notsoughtoutmentoring,thehelpoftencomesacrossaspresumptuousand_____________.
baneful
noxious
patronizing
amenable
pragmatic
condescending
14.Inpreviousdecades,itwassimplyassumedthatfathersofyoungchildrenwouldworkfull-timeandatthesame
intensityastheydidbeforebecomingparents,buttoday,increasingnumbersofmen—wantingtofurthertheir
careersbutalsowantingtospendtimewiththeirchildren—aremore______________aboutthisarrangement.
stolid
ambiguous
whimsical
ambivalent
equivocal
officious
15.Theslipstreamisapartialvacuumcreatedinthewakeofamovingvehiclethatallowsfor“drafting,”wherebyaracecar
can__________anotherbytakingadvantageofreducedwindresistance.
supersede
assume
overtake
champion
collide
outstrip
16.Whilethecelebrationoftheartist’sworkwaspurepaean—nothingbutplauditsandtributes—manyofthoseintheart
worldfeelthatanacknowledgmentoftheartist’s_________wouldhelptohumanizetheartistandmaketheartmore
accessible.
faculties
poultices
foibles
mores
aptitudes
peccadilloes
Questions17and18arebasedonthefollowingreadingpassage.
Inkeepingwiththenotableincorporationofoperaticelementsintotherockmusiclexicon,thegenreinthe
1970’sexperiencedasignificantshiftinemphasisawayfromrecordingandtowardmusicperformanceitself.
Severalfactorseffectedthischange.First,theextendedlengthandthemoralizingsubjectmatterofsongsoftheera
renderedthemlessappropriate
forradioplayandmoresuitableforpublicpresentation.Additionally,theadventoftheconceptalbum,inwhich
multipletracksrevolvedaroundasingleunifyingnarrativeortheme,furnishedabasisuponwhichsimilarly
5 calibratedperformancescouldbeenacted.Finally,asPAsystemtechnologyimproved,itbecamepossibletohold
concertswith100,000peopleormore,whichencouragedartiststocraftconcertsthatdivergedfromthemerely
musicaltoward
theexperiential.Bandsbeganconceivingoftheirperformancesasshows,moreakintomusicaltheaterguidedby
plotandsettingthantothetraditionalconcertguidedbytheomnipresentset-list.Insteadofsimplyplayingonesong
10 afteranother,therefore,bandsdevelopedfullperformancemedleysrevolvingaroundspecificmotifs,and
punctuatedbybombasticlightshows,costumechanges,andothermassivestunts.Forexample,thepopularBritish
band
15
PinkFloydfamouslybuiltabarrierinthemiddleofstageduringoneperformancethenhaditdramaticallyknocked
downmid-showasapromotionfortheirnewalbumTheWall.
17.Thepassagecitesallofthefollowingasreasonsfortheinclusionofoperaticelementsintotherockmusicgenreinthe
1970’sEXCEPT:
(A)Changesinconcertequipmentchangedthewayshowscouldbedelivered.
(B)PinkFloyd’sdramaticstagingservedtopromoteaninfluentialalbum.
(C)Shiftsinthecontentofthemusiccontributedtothesongshavingamore“story-telling”quality.
(D)Onemediumthroughwhichrocksongshadtypicallybeendeliveredtothepublicbecamelessconducive
tothegenre.
(E)Artistsalteredtheirperformancestoreflectchangesinthemodernconcertambiance.
18.Inthecontextofthepassage,thewordeffected(line3)mostnearlymeans
(A)influenced
(B)movedforward
(C)transformed
(D)determined
(E)broughtabout
Questions19and20arebasedonthefollowingreadingpassage.
In1977,theCommunityReinvestmentActwaspassedforthepurposeofreducingdiscriminatorycredit
practicesinlow-incomeneighborhoods.TheactrequiredFederalfinancingsupervisoryagenciestousetheir
authoritytoencouragelendinginstitutionstomeetthecreditneedsofallborrowersintheircommunities.TheCRA
hadlittleimpactuntil1993,
5
whentheDepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD)initiatedlegalproceedingsagainstlenderswho
declinedtoomanyapplicationsfromminorityborrowers.
Somearguethat,whileprovidingequalaccesstocreditisanimportantaim,pressureonlendersfromHUD
ledtopracticesthatlatercausedthosesamelenderstobeassailedas“predatory.”InHousingBoomandBust,
economistThomasSowellwrotethattheCRA,farfrom
10
beingasbenignasitappeared,wasbasedonaflawedassumption:thatgovernmentofficialswerequalifiedtotell
bankshowtolendthemoneyentrustedtothembydepositorsandinvestors.
Considereachoftheanswerchoicesseparatelyandindicateallthatapply.
19.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat
theCRAwasperceivedbysomeasseeminglyinnocuous
HUDhadtheabilitytoaffectbankingpractices
ThomasSowellhasassertedthatprerequisitesexistfortheactofdirectingbanks’lendingactivities
Considereachoftheanswerchoicesseparatelyandindicateallthatapply.
20.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredaboutdiscriminatorycreditpractices?
Theyaremorecommoninmiddle-incomeneighborhoodsthaninhigh-incomeneighborhoods.
LegislatorswhovotedfortheCRAdidsobecausetheywereopposedtosuchpractices.
Criticsallegethatattemptstocombatsuchpracticescanhaveunintendedconsequences.
VerbalDiagnosticTest:AnswerTallySheet
Question
#
Your
Answer
CorrectAnswer
Tallyyourcorrectlyanswered
questions.Nopartialcredit!
Findmorequestionslike
thisinchapter:
1
Personable
3
2
Ersatz
3
3
Iteration,current
3
4
Solipsistic,
arresting
3
5
Ranthegamut,
ape,shabby
3
6
Hoi-polloi,
parochial,facile
3
7
(D)
6
8
(C)
6
9
(C)
5
10
(D)
5
11
(A)
5
12
(C)
5
13
Patronizing,
condescending
4
14
Ambivalent,
equivocal
4
15
Overtake,outstrip
4
16
Foibles,
peccadilloes
4
17
(B)
5
18
(E)
5
19
I,II,andIII
5
20
IIIonly
5
RawVerbalScore:
(#ofverbalquestions
answeredcorrectly)
VerbalDiagnosticTest:ScoringGuide
RawVerbalScore VerbalReasoningDiagnosticScaledScore
20
169–170
19
168–170
18
166–168
17
163–165
16
161–163
15
159–161
14
157–159
13
156–158
12
154–156
11
152–154
10
150–152
9
149–151
8
147–149
7
145–147
6
143–145
5
140–142
4
137–139
3
133–136
2
130–132
1
130–131
0
130
NOTES:
DiagnosticScaledScoreisapproximate.
(a)Ifyourtimeforthisdiagnosticsectionexceededthe30-minuteguideline,thisapproximatescoremaynotbe
indicativeofyourperformanceunderstandardtimeconditions.
(b)ScaledScoredependsnotonlyonhowmanyques-tionswereansweredcorrectly(RawScore),butalsoon
theoveralldifficultyofthesetofquestions.Thisdiagnostictestapproximatesthedifficultyoftheofficial
GRE®revisedGeneralTest.
VerbalDiagnosticTestAnswers
1.Personable.Becauseyouaretoldthatsomethingexplainshowawfulpeoplecommandsomanyfollowers,youneeda
positivewordintheblank.Whilebothforgivingandmunificent(meaning“generous”)arepositive,neitherofthemmake
muchsense.Personable,meaning“pleasantinappearanceandmanner,”fitsbest.
2.Ersatz.Itisclearfrom“vegetarians”and“animal-free”thatthemeatproductsarefake,orersatz.Notethemanytrap
answers:mendacious(lying),nugatory(withoutvalue),mimetic(copying),andclandestine(hidden),allofwhichare
inappropriatetodescribefakemeat.
3.Iteration,current.Thissentenceisclearlycomparingtwo“versions”ofaproduct.Forthefirstblank,youneeda
synonymof“version,”suchasiteration.Forthesecondblank,you’recontrastingsomethingtothe“nextiteration,”which
wouldbethepreviousone.Currentworkswellhere(andobsoleteistoojudgmental;it’snotobsoleteyet!).
4.Solipsistic,arresting.Solipsismisliterallythetheorythatonlytheselfexistsorcanbeknowntoexist(solipsisticis
sometimesusedabitfigurativelytomean“reallyselfish”).Forthesecondblank,the“discovery”inquestionisthatthe
entireworldisnotaboutthem.That’saprettyearth-shakingdiscoveryforsomeonewhothoughtotherwise!Arrestinggets
thisacross.Notethetrapanswerselfish,whichisrelatedtotheoverallmeaningofthesentencebutdoesnotdescribethe
“discovery.”
5.Ranthegamut,ape,shabby.Inthefirstblank,youneedsomethingthatmeans“ranged.”Yourclueisthetwovery
differentbeliefsdescribed—thatwomen’svoteswouldbetheoppositeoftheirhusbands’,orthatthevoteswouldbethe
sameandtherefore“redundant.”Ranthegamutgetsthisacross(muchliketheexpression“fromAtoZ”).Inthesecond
blank,apemeans“mimic”or“copy.”Inthethirdblank,youneedsomethingthatgoesagainst“convincing.”Shabbymeans
“oldandworn-out.”Itcandescribeclothesorfurniture,butisoftenusedmetaphorically(suchasintheexpression“nottoo
shabby,”whichcandescribeanyjobwell-done).Noneoftheotherchoicesopposeconvincing.
6.Hoi-polloi,parochial,facile.Thetheorybeingdescribedisatheoryofincrediblesnobbery!Firstofall,theperson
describedthinksthatthereisa“proper”enjoymentofart(and,presumably,animproperoneaswell).Hethinksthat
untrainedpeopleviewingartenjoyonly“baserpleasures,”andcallsotherpeople“museumtourists.”Inthefirstblank,hoipolloimatchestheideaofcommonpeople,themasses.Regardingthemuseum“tourist,”parochialmatchestheideaof
ordinary,low-class,unsophisticated.Similarly,thearttheoristsandarthistoriansarethoughttohaveafacile,oroverly
simple,view.Thetheoristseemstothinkthatonlyaesthetic(relatingtobeauty)elementsshouldmatter;thetheoristsand
historianshedisdainsarethosewholike“culturalreferentsornarratives”—thatis,recognizablethemesorfigures,or
stories.
7.(D).This“readingcomprehension”questionisreallyalogicquestion.Suchquestionstypicallyconsistofasingle
paragraphwithonequestion.First,analyzetheargument:Duringadepression,itisnormalforfoodpricestoincreaseatthe
sametimethatincomesdecrease.Logically,thiswouldmakeitmoredifficultforpeopletoaffordthesamefoodthatthey
usedtopurchasepriortothedepression.Astudyshowedasurprisingresult,however:whenthecostofbreadwentup
duringadepression,thepoorestpeopleactuallyboughtmorebread.Notethattheargumentdoesn’tsaymerelythatmore
moneyisspentonbread;thatwouldbeexpectedifthepriceincreased.Theargumentsaysthattheactualamountofbread
purchasedincreased.Thecorrectanswerwillexplainwhypeoplewouldbuymorebreadeventhoughthecosthasgoneup
andincomeshavedeclined.
Whilechoice(A)islikelytrueintherealworld,itdoesnotexplainwhypeoplebuymorebreadwhenthecostofbreadhas
increasedandincomeshavedeclined.Choice(B)isanexampleoffaultylogic.Itistruethatthecostincreaseisahigher
percentagethantheconsumptionincrease,butthisdoesnotmeanthatpeopleareconsuminglessbreadandthereforeneedto
eatotherthingstocompensate.Infact,theoppositeistrue:theargumentexplicitlystatesthatpeoplearebuyingmorebread
thantheywere!(C)istemptingbecauseittalksaboutpeoplespendinga“larger”proportionofincomeonfood—but
“proportion”isavaluerelativeonlytotheperson’sincomelevel.Itdoesnotindicatethatthepersonisspendingmore
moneyonsomething.Moreimportantly,though,thischoicedoesnotanswerthequestionasked.Correctchoice(D),in
contrast,providesareasonwhyanincreaseinthecostofonefooditemmightcausepeopletoconsumemoreofthatitem
despitealossofincome:otherfooditemsareevenmoreexpensiveandare,thus,muchlessaffordable.Thepeoplestillneed
someamountoffoodtosurvive,sotheypurchasemoreofthefooditemthatdoesnotcostasmuchmoney.Thisaccounts
fortheresearchers’findings.Evenif(E)weretrue(andthiswouldbedifficultifincomesaredecreasing),itwouldnot
explainwhypeoplebuymorebreadatatimewhenthebreadcostsmoreandincomesaredeclining.
8.(C).Thisisalogicquestionthatasksyoutoweakenanargument.Theauthorcitesaproblem,bedbugs,andapesticide
thatiseffectiveinkillingthemisnolongeravailableforuse.Thus,theauthorclaims,thereisnoeffectivemeanstokillthe
bedbugsintheUnitedStates.Theproblemhereisthattheauthormakesaverylargejumpbetweenthebestmethodno
longerbeinganoptionandtherebeingnoeffectivemethod.Findingsomethingthatattacksthisassumptionwouldbeagood
waytoweakentheargument.Regardingchoice(A),thebehaviorsofbedbugshavenothingtodowiththeabilityto
eradicatethem.Choice(B)doesnotspecifyhowbedbugswereeradicatedinotherpartsoftheworld.Itispossiblethatall
successfuleradicationselsewherereliedonDDT.Correctchoice(C)opensupthepossibilitythattheremightbean
approvedmeanstoeradicatethedreadedbedbugintheUnitedStates.Italsocallstheauthor’sconclusionabouttherebeing
noeffectivemeansintheUnitedStatesintoquestion.Choice(D),thoughlargelyoutofscope,mightbeviewedas
strengtheningtheauthor’sconclusion,asitpointstomoreevidencethatexistingpesticidesarenoteffectiveonbedbugs.
However,eliminatingonepossibilityisnotthesameaseliminatingallpossibilities,whichiswhattheauthordoesinthe
conclusion.Asforchoice(E),thenumberofinfestationshasnothingtodowiththeabilitytoeliminatebedbugsinthe
UnitedStates.
9.(C).AfterdescribingFlavin’swork,theauthorplacesitincontexttoanotherworkinthesecondparagraph,thengoeson
todiscussitseffectonthedefinitionsofatypeofart.(A)isadistortionas“superiority”isnotmentioned.(B),ifanything,
isbackwards,astheauthorseemstoapproveofthebroadening.Choices(D)and(E)ignorethesignificantpartofthe
passagethatdiscussesthebroadeningofdefinitions.
10.(D).Bothworksaresaidtobesetat45degreeangles(thus,“ataparticularslope,”whichincidentallywouldhappento
be1or-1).Choices(A),(B),and(C)areonlyexplicitlymentionedinconnectionwithalternatediagonals.(E)isincorrect,
astheconceptoftheworksisnotdiscussed;furthermore,theauthorwritesthatAlternatediagonalsseemsalmostmoreof
anevolutionoftheformerworkthanaresponsetoit.Ifthesecondworkisan“evolution,”thetwoworkscannotbe
“identical.”
11.(A).Thepassageteemswithpositivewords—“visuallyarresting,”“vivacity,”“intriguing,”tonamejustafew—and
thisindicatestheauthorisbiasedinfavoroftheworks.Thus,theneutralaspectofchoices(C),(D),and(E)isincorrect.As
for(B),fawninghasanegativeconnotationandisaninappropriateattitudeforaGREauthor.
12.(C).Choice(C)mustbetrueastheauthorcitesBottleRackasanexampleoftheextremeendoftheready-made
spectrum,andcontrastsitwithatypeof“infinitelymoremanipulated”work.Asfor(A),thepassageonlymentionssuch
conventionalworkinpassinganddoesnotpredictitsfuture.ThepassagedoesnotrankFlavin(B),nordoesitexplainwhy
hedislikedthewordsculptureforhisworks(D).Similarly,thepassageonlysuggeststhatFlavin’sworkisinthecenter,
notthatsuchlocationisavirtue—the“bestartwork,”asinchoice(E).
13.Patronizing,condescending.Theblankdescribes“help”offeredbymanagerstoyoungemployeeswhodonotwant
help.Furthermore,thehelpis“presumptuous.”Givingarrogant,unwantedhelpispatronizingorcondescending.Notethat
banefulandnoxiousaresimilartoeachother,butmuchtoonegative.
14.Ambivalent,equivocal.Sincethemendescribedwanttofurthertheircareersbutalsospendtimewiththeirchildren,
theirfeelingsaboutthetraditionalworkingarrangementaremixedorcomplex.Ambivalentandequivocalmatchtheideaof
mixedfeelings.Notetrapanswerambiguous,whichmeans“unclear,”andismoreappropriatefordescribingasituationor
statementthanaperson.
15.Overtake,outstrip.Theslipstreamallowsaracecartotakeadvantageof“reducedwindresistance,”whichmeansthe
trailingcarwouldlikelygofasterthanthecarinfrontofit.Youneedawordlikepass.Supersedemaylookthepart,butit’s
actuallyafigurativeword,likesupplant(e.g.,Iwassupplantedbyyoungerworkersatmyjob.)Onlyoutstripandovertake
carrytheliteralmeaningof“physicallypassingsomething.”
16.Foibles,peccadilloes.“Paean”ispraise,asare“plauditsandtributes.”Youaretoldthatthecelebrationwas“pure”
praise.Thepivotwordwhiletellsyouthattherestofthesentenceshouldgointheoppositedirection.Acknowledgingflaws
andmistakes—thatis,foiblesandpeccadilloes—canindeedhelptohumanizeanartist.
17.(B).WhileitistruethatPinkFloyd’sdramaticstagingservedtopromoteitsalbum,thisisnotareasonfortheinclusion
ofoperaticelementsintotherockmusicgenreinthe1970’s.Itisanexample,notacause.(A)isincorrectbecauseyouare
toldthatPAsystems(atypeofconcertequipment)changed;(C)isincorrectbecauseyouaretoldthatconceptalbums
contained“narrative”themes;(D)isincorrectbecauseyouaretoldthatrocksongswerelessappropriateforradioplay,and
(E)isincorrectbecauseyouaretoldthatthelargerconcertsencouragedartiststocraftconcertsthatdivergedfromthe
merelymusicaltowardtheexperiential.
18.(E).Thepassagetellsyouaboutseveralphenomenaoccurringinthe1970’sthatwereinpartresponsibleforthe
incorporationofoperaticelementsintotherockmusiclexicon.Thesefactorsthushelpedto“bringabout,”oreffect,this
change.Don’tgetconfusedbyinfluenced,onesynonymofwhichis“affected.”
19.I,II,andIII.SowellwrotethattheCRAwasfarfrombeingasbenignasitappeared.Thus,theCRAappeared
benign,orinnocuous,atleasttosome.YouaretoldthatHUDexertedpressureonlenders,whichledtopracticesthatlater
causedthosesamelenderstobeassailedas“predatory.”Thus,HUDhadtheabilitytoaffectbankingpractices.Finally,
Sowellarguedthattheidea“thatgovernmentofficialswerequalifiedtotellbankshowtolend”wasa“flawedassumption.”
SinceSowellarguesthatgovernmentofficialswerenotnecessarilyqualified,itfollowsthathethinksthatsuch
qualifications,orprerequisites,exist.
20.IIIonly.Youaretoldthatdiscriminatorycreditpracticesexistedinlow-incomeneighborhoods.Donotassumethat
thereisalinearrelationshipwhereinsuchpracticesoccurmostinlow-incomeneighborhoods,lessinmiddle-income
neighborhoods,andleastinhigh-incomeneighborhoods.Maybesuchpracticesexistonlyinlow-incomeneighborhoods.
Thischoiceisoutofscope.Thesecondchoiceisalsooutofscope—youhavenowaytoknowwhatlegislatorswere
thinkingorfeelingwhentheyvotedfortheCRA.Youdohavegoodproofforthethirdstatement—sincesomearguethat
pressureonlendersfromHUDledtopracticesthatlatercausedthosesamelenderstobeassailedas“predatory,”you
cansafelyconcludethatsomecriticsthinkthatattemptstocombatdiscriminatorycreditpractices(passingtheCRAand
enforcingitthroughHUD)canhaveunintendedconsequences—inthiscase,replacingalackoflendingwithpredatory
lending.