GRE Test 7
1. Give Antonym for the following word: Peripatetic (a) worldly (b) stationary (e) inherent (c) disarming (d) seeking
Solution. (b) Peripatetic means walking about. (a) worldly means material, related to the world (b) stationary means stable (c) disarming means tending to placate (d) seeking means to find out (e) inherent means innate, existing in. Thus (b) is the correct answer. 2. Give Antonym for the following word : Exonerate (a) free from blame (b) acquit (e) charge
(c) liberty
(d) enlarge
Solution. (e) Exonerate means free from the burden of blame (b) acquit means to free, to release (c) liberty means freedom (d) enlarge means to make large, detailed (e) charge means to accuse Thus (e) is the correct answer. 3. Complete the following sentence with given options : As a step towards protesting against the spiraling prices, the farmers have decided to stage a picket in an effort is __________ (a) show their virility (b) make themselves heard (c) curb the prices (d) topple the government (e) none of the above
Solution. (b) is the correct option. Thus to make themselves heard farmers are protesting for the hike in prices. 4. Complete the following sentence with given options: In the tradition of scholarly __________, the poet and scholar A.E. Housman once assailed a German rival for relying on manuscripts "as a drunkard relies on lamp posts, for __________ rather than illumination." (a) animosity ..... current (b) discourse ..... stability (c) erudition ..... shadow (d) invective ..... support (e) competition ..... assistance
Solution. (d) The key word here is assailed. Housman is attacking his rival. Thus he is in the tradition of scholarly invective (vehement attack), criticizing his foe for turning to manuscripts merely for support of old theories and not for illumination or enlightenment. Figurative language is used in case of simile of the drunkard. Thus the answer is (d). 5. Give Analogy : Larval : Insect : :
(a) serpentive : snake (c) amphibian : reptile (e) alate : bird
(b) floral : plant (d)
embryonic : mammal
Solution. (d) The larval (immature) stage of an insect best corresponds to the embryonic stage of a mammal. (Defining characteristic) Correct answer is (d). 6. Give Analogy : Ruffle : Composure : : (a) flounce : turmoil (b) flourish : prosperity (d) adjust : balance (e) upset : equilibrium
(c)
provoke : discussion
Solution. (e) To ruffle someone's composure is to disturb or trouble his self possession. To upset someone's equilibrium is to disturb or trouble his balance. Thus, (e) is the correct answer. DIRECTIONS for questions 7 to 9 : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: Billie Holiday died a few weeks ago. I have been unable until now to write about her, but since she will survive many who receive longer obituaries, a short delay in one small appreciation will not harm her or us. When she died we -- the musicians, critics, all who were ever transfixed by the most heart-rending voice of the past generation -grieved bitterly. There was no reason to. Few people pursed self-destruction more whole-heartedly than she, and when the pursuit was at an end, at the age of 44, she had turned herself into a physical and artistic wreck. Some of us tried gallantly to pretend otherwise, taking comfort in the occasional moments when she still sounded like a ravaged echo of her greatness. Others had not even the heart to seed and listen any more. We preferred to stay home and, if old and lucky enough to own the incomparable records of her heyday from 1937 to 1946, many of which are not even available on British LP, to recrate those coarse-textured, sinuous, sensual and unbearable sad noises which gave her a sure corner of immortality. Her physical death called, if anything, for relief rather than sorrow. What sort of middle age would she have faced without the voice to earn money for her drinks and fixes, without the looks -and in her day she was hauntingly beautiful -- to attract the men she needed, without business sense, without anything but the disinterested worship of ageing men who had heard and seen her in her glory? And yet, irrational though it is, our grief expressed Billie Holiday's art, that of a woman for whom one must be sorry. The great blues singers, to whom she may be justly compared, played their game from strength. Lionessses, though often wounded or at bay (did not Bessie Smith call herself 'a tiger, ready to jump'?), their tragic equivalents were Cleopatra and Phaedra; Holiday's was an embittered Ophelia. She was the Puccini heroine among blues singers or rather among jazz singers, for though she sang a cabaret version of the blues incomparably, her natural idiom was the pop song. Her unique achievement was to have twisted this into a genuine expression of the major passions by means of a total disregard of its sugary tunes, or indeed of any tune other than her own few delicately crying elongated notes, phrased like Bessie Smith or Louis Armstrong in sackcloth, sung in a thin, gritty, haunting voice whose natural mood was an unresigned and voluptuous welcome for the pains of love. Nobody has sung, or will sing. Bess's songs from Porgy as she did. It was this combination of bitterness and physical submission, as of someone lying still while watching his legs being amputated, which gives such a blood-curdling quality to her Strange Fruit, the anti-lynching poem which she turned into an unforgettable art song. Suffering was her profession; but she did not accept it. 7. Why will Bille Holiday survive many who receive longer obituaries? (a) Because of her blues creations (b) Because she was not as self-destructive as some other blues exponents (c) Because of her smooth & mellow voice (d) Because of her expression of anger in her songs (e) None of the above
Solution. (a) is the correct answer. 8. According to the author, if Bille Holiday had not died in her middle age. (a) she would have gone to make her future mark (b) she would have become richer
(c) she would have lived a ravaged existence (d) she would have led a comfortable existence (e) None of these Solution. (c) is the correct answer. 9. What does anti-lynching symbolise? (a) a disheartening poem (c) a defiance note (e) none of the above
(b) a cheerful note (d) merry note
Solution. (e) is the correct answer. 10. Give Antonym for the following word : Adsctitious : (a) additional (b) supplementary (e) compensation
(c) prolixity
(d) limited
Solution. (d) Adsctitious means additional (c) prolixity means long, over flowy (d) limited is narrow, restricted (e) compensation is to make amends. Thus (d) is the correct answer. 11. Give Antonym for the following word : Garish (a) goddy (b) show off (e) lugubrious
(c) ostentatious
(d) simple
Solution. (d) Garish means showy, goddy and lugubrious means dull. (d) is the correct answer. 12. Give Antonym for the following word : Doff (a) put off (b) put on (e) to clean
(c) to clear
(d) take away
Solution. (b) Doff means to take off, remove. (b) is the correct answer. 13. Complete the following sentence with given options : There is an essential ________ in human gestures, and when someone raises the palms of their hand together, we do not know whether it is a positive sign or a negative sign. (a) economy (b) dignity (c) insincerity (d) reverence (e) ambiguity
Solution. (e) Ambiguity means confusion, unclear. Thus, (e) is the correct answer. 14. Complete the following sentence with given options : Tocqueville decided to swear the oath of loyalty to the new Orleanist king in part ________ (he wanted to keep his position magistrate) and in part pragmatically (he was convinced that the democratization of politics represented by the new regime was ________ ). (a) expediently ..... calamitous (b) opportunistically ..... inevitable (c) imprudently ..... circumspect (d) selflessly ..... idealistic (e) theoretically ..... negligible
Solution. (b) expediently means desirable, conduciveness. (a) calamitous means disastrous. (b) opportunistically means great opportune, inevitable is unavoidable (c) imprudently means inconsiderately (d) selflessly is not suited and (e) is not apt. Thus, (b) is the correct answer. 15. Give Analogy : Virology : Virus (a) semantics : language (c) phonetics : language (e) book : pages
(b) Nature : society (d) insect : amoeba
Solution. (a) Virology is the study of virus and (a) semantics is the study of language phonetics is the study of sound. Thus (a) is the correct answer. 16. Give Analogy : Xylograph : Engraving (a) Diorama : Exhibition (c) Director : Play (e) Drama : Characters
(b) Colour : Painter (d) Shape : Size
Solution. (a) The given word is synonym of each other. Thus, (a) is the correct answer. DIRECTIONS for questions 17 to 19 : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: Although vocal cords are lacking in cetaceans, phonation is undoubtedly centered in the larynx. The toothed whales or odontocetes (sperm whale Line and porpoises) are much more vociferous than the (5) whalebone whales, or mysticetes. In this country observers have recorded only occasional sounds from two species of mysticetes (the humpback and right whale). A Russian cetologist reports hearing sounds from at least five species of whalebone (10) whales but gives no details of the circumstances or descriptions of the sounds themselves. Although comparison of the sound-producing apparatus in the two whale groups cannot yet be made, it is interesting to note that the auditory centers of the (15) brain are much more highly developed in the odontocetes than in the mysticetes, in fact, to a degree unsurpassed by any other mammalian group. 17. The passage contains information that would answer which of the following questions? I. What are odontocetes and mysticetes? II. In which part of the body do whales produce sounds? III. In which animals is the auditory center of the brain most developed? (a) I only (b) II only (c) I and II only (d) II and III only (e) I, II and III
Solution. (c) is the correct answer.
18.
The author's attitude toward the observations reported by the Russian cetologist mentioned in lines 811 is best described as one of (a) admiration (b) indignation (c) surprise (d) skepticism (e) pessimism
Solution. (d) is the correct answer. Skeptic is a non-believer in religious notions. 19. It can be inferred from the passage that (a) animals with more highly developed auditory apparatuses tend to produce more sounds (b) animals without vocal cords tend to produce as much sound as those with vocal cords (c) highly intelligent animals tend to produce more sound than less intelligent species (d) the absence of vocal cords has hindered the adaptation of cetaceans (e) sound is an important means of communication among whales
Solution. (a) is the correct answer. 20. Give Antonym for the following word : Dank (a) dry (b) guiltless (e) reserved
(c) warm
(d) babbling
Solution. (a) Dank means wet, moist. Thus (a) is the correct answer. 21. Give Antonym for the following word: Catholic (a) religious (b) pacific (e) funny
(c) narrow minded
(d) weighty
Solution. (c) Catholic means broad minded. Thus the antonym is (c) 22. Complete the following sentence with given options : When the people whom he had injured accused him of being a _________ , he retorted that he had never been a quack. (a) libertine (b) sycophant (c) charlatan (d) wicked (e) corrupt
Solution. (c) (a) libertine means a debauchee. (b) sychophant is a flatterer. (c) charlatan someone who pretends to have special knowledge. Thus (c) is the correct answer. 23. Complete the following sentence with given options : Since the day he has been charge-sheeted, he _________ (a) looks much worried (b) (c) shout at his friends (d) (e) is despondent
feels his ears burning is restless
Solution. (b) is the correct answer as idiomatically it means that he thinks others talk about him. 24. Give Analogy : Song : Cycle : : (a) Waltz : Dance (b) Sonnet : Sequence (c) Tune : Arrangement (d) Agenda : Meeting (e) Cadenza : Aria
Solution. (c) A song is a part of cycle or series of songs. A sonnet is part of a sequence or series of sonnets. Thus (c) is correct. 25. Give Analogy : Buoy : Channel : : (a) White Line : Highway (c) Red Light : Street (e) Catalogue : Directions
(b) Lighthouse : Ship (d) Road map : Travel
Solution. (a) A buoy indicates special channel or a path for ship to follow, white line shows the path on a highway to be followed by vehicles. Thus (a) is the correct answer. 26. Give Antonym for the following word : Obstreperous (a) turbid (b) quiet (e) active
(c) remote
(d) lucid
Solution. (b) Obstreperous means noisy, unruly. (a) turbid means disordered, muddy Thus, (b) quiet is the correct answer. 27. Give Antonym for the following word : Odious (a) abominable (b) redolent (e) puny
(c) feted
(d) delightful
Solution. (b) Odious means smelling, fetid. Redolent means fragrant. Abominable means hateful. Thus (b) is the correct answer. DIRECTIONS for questions 28 to 30 : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow: If translated into English, most of the ways economists talk among themselves would sound plausible enough to poets, journalists, business people and other thoughtful though non-economical folk. Like serious talk anywhere among boat designers and baseball fans, say - the talk is hard to follow when one has not made a habit of listening to it for a while. The culture of the conversation makes the words acrane. But the people in the unfamiliar conversation are not Martians. Underneath it all (the economist's favorite phrase) conversational habits are similar. Economics uses mathematical models and statistical tests and market arguments, all of which look alien to the literary eye. But looked at closely they are not so alien. They may be seen as figured of speech-metaphors, analogies and appeals to authority. Figures of speech are not mere frills. They think for us. Someone who thinks of a market as an 'invisible hand' and the organization of work as a 'production function' and his coefficients as being 'significant' as an economist does, is giving the language a lot of responsibility. It seems a good idea to look hard at his language. If the economic conversation were found to depend a lot on its verbal forms, this would not mean that economics would be not a science or just a matter of opinion or some sort of confidence game. Good poets, though not scientists, are serious thinkers about symbols; good historians, though not scientists are serious thinkers about data. Good scientists also use language. What is more (though it remains to be shown) they use the cunning of language, without particularly meaning to. The language used is a social object and using language is a social act. It requires cunning (or if you prefer, consideration), attention to the other minds present when one speaks. The paying of attention to one's audience is called 'rhetoric', a word that I later exercise hard. One uses rhetoric, of course, to warn of a fire in a theatre or to arouse the xenophobia of the electorate. This sort of yelling is the vulgar meaning of the word, like the president's 'heated rhetoric' in a press conference or the 'mere rhetoric' to which our
enemies stoop. Since the Greek flame was lit, though, the word has been used also in a broader and more amiable sense, to mean the study of all the ways of accomplishing things with language: inciting a mob to lynch the accused, to be sure, but also persuading readers of a novel that its characters breathe or bringing scholars to accept the better argument and reject the worse. The question is whether the scholar - who usually fancies himself an announcer of 'results' or a state of 'conclusions' free of rhetoric - speaks rhetorically. Does he try to persuade? It would seem so. Language, I just said, is not a solitary accomplishment. The scholar doesn't speak into the void, or to himself. He speaks to a community of voices. He desires to be heeded, praised, published, imitated, honored, en-nobeled. These are the desires. The devices of language are the means. Rhetoric is the proportioning of means to desires in speech. Rhetoric is an economics of language, the study of how scarce means are allocated to the insatiable desires of people to be heard. It seems on the face of it a reasonable hypothesis that economists are like other people in being talkers, who desire listeners when they go to the library or the laboratory as much as when they go to the office or the polls. The purpose here is to see if this is true, and to see if it is useful : to study the rhetoric of economic scholarship. 28. In the light of the definition of rhetoric given in the passage, which of the following will have the least element of rhetoric? (a) An election speech (b) An advertisement jingle (c) Dialogues in a play (d) Commands given by army officers (e) None of these
Solution. (d) is the correct answer. 29. As used in the passage, which of the following is the closest meaning to the statement 'The cultural of the conversation makes the words arcane'? (a) Economists belong to a different culture (b) Only mathematicians can understand economists (c) Economists tend to use terms unfamiliar to the lay person, but depends on familiar linguistic forms (d) Economists use similes and adjectives in their analysis. (e) None of these
Solution. (c) is the correct answer. 30. As used in the passage, which of the following is the closest alternatives to the word 'arcane'? (a) Mysterious (b) Secret (c) Covert (d) Perfidious (e) Outdated
Solution. (a) is the correct answer.