Test: Verbal Aptitude - 7 - GMAT MCQ

Aligns with the passage's emphasis on diversity and checks and balances within the governing body. If a small group dominates, it could disrupt the balance and potentially lead to a failure of self-regulation. This is a plausible reason for self-regulation to fail.

The underline states that in one lament, "the singer offers her own positive interpretation of her deceased son's behavior while characterizing community officials' discussions of that behavior not as the authoritative discourse of leaders but as 'idle talk.'" This suggests that community officials had previously spoken negatively about the son's behavior, which the singer attempts to reframe in a more favorable light.
(A) Incorrect – The passage does mention that irony is used in laments, but there is no specific mention of this particular singer being renowned for her use of irony.
(B) Incorrect – There is no evidence in the passage that the relatives of the deceased requested the singer to express her views.
(C) Correct – The passage explicitly states that the singer reinterprets community officials' discussions as "idle talk," which indicates they had disapproved of her son's behavior.
(D) Incorrect – There is no mention in the passage of the singer’s son using mocking epithets for high-ranking figures.
(E) Incorrect – The passage does mention a lament that led to the banning of youths from a neighboring township, but it does not state that this particular lament was about the singer’s son.

The passage states that "reported (or invented) conversations between community members form a large part of the laments," meaning that actual or fictional dialogue is a key component of these ritual songs.
(A) Incorrect – The passage does not mention elaborate metaphor as a feature of the laments.
(B) Correct – The passage explicitly states that both real and fictional dialogue are used in the laments.
(C) Incorrect – The passage does not indicate that the lament directly addresses the deceased.
(D) Incorrect – The passage mentions irony and mocking epithets but does not describe the laments as comedic.
(E) Incorrect – The passage does not discuss rhythmic patterning in the laments.

The passage suggests that lamentations offer an alternative or even oppositional perspective to that of community officials. For example, in one lament, the singer presents her own positive interpretation of her deceased son's behavior while dismissing the community officials’ opinions as "idle talk." This indicates that the laments do not necessarily reflect the views of community authorities but rather provide a separate or counter-narrative.
(A) Correct – The passage describes different lamentations, such as one that blamed youths from a neighboring township, implying that lamentations vary based on circumstances.
(B) Correct – The passage states that reported or fictional conversations are a key part of the lamentations.
(C) Incorrect – The passage suggests that laments can challenge rather than reflect community authorities' opinions.
(D) Correct – The passage mentions that the full attention of the community is directed toward the laments.
(E) Correct – The passage states that the lamentations mention community officials and other figures besides the deceased.

The passage primarily discusses how Warao women, who do not typically hold positions of authority, use ritual mourning as a platform to express their perspectives and influence social processes. The fact that these laments can lead to specific actions (e.g., banning youths from a neighboring township) demonstrates their impact.
(A) Correct – The passage emphasizes how Warao women, despite their lack of formal authority, gain influence through ritual mourning.
(B) Incorrect – While the passage mentions linguists' interest in gendered speech differences, this is not the central theme.
(C) Incorrect – The passage does not claim that the purpose of ritual mourning is to undermine authority; rather, it provides women with a parallel forum to express their views.
(D) Incorrect – The passage does not focus on mourning customs in many cultures, but rather on the specific practices of the Warao.
(E) Incorrect – While reformulating and characterizing speech is an aspect of the laments, the passage specifically focuses on how this allows Warao women to gain influence, rather than making a general claim about all cultures.

A. Determining the death rates caused by the Black Death in specific regions and towns - Correct. As is stated in the passage
B. Demonstrating how the Black Death intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages - Goes against the passage
C. Presenting evidence to prove that many medieval epidemics were mislabeled - Goes against the passage
D. Arguing that the consequences of the Black Death led to the Renaissance and the rise of modern Europe - Goes against the passage
E. Employing urban case studies to determine the number of rats in medieval Europe - Goes against the passage

A. The decay of European feudalism precipitated by the Black Death - Goes against the passage
B. Greater availability of employment, sustenance, and housing for survivors of the epidemic - Correct
C. Strengthening of the human species through natural selection - Goes against the passage
D. Better understanding of how to limit the spread of contagious diseases - Goes against the passage
E. Immunities and resistance to the Black Death gained by later generations - Goes against the passage

A. The rats escaped from ships that had been in Asia. - He agreed rats escaped from ships. He disagreed with the version that the number of such plague infested escaping rats was huge
B. The rats were immune to the diseases that they carried. - Nothing like this mentioned in the passage
C. The rats population was larger in medieval Europe than Twigg believes it actually was. - His conclusion will fall apart if it is proven that the number of plague infested rats that escaped from Nile ships was large. Twigg believed that such rats were too few to create the large scale deaths within Europe that the Black Death is believed to have caused
D. The rats population primarily infested densely populated areas. - No mention of this within the passage
E. The rats interacted with other animals that Twigg believes could have carried plague. - Twigg never said this. The author brought this point up in order to give credance to his disagreement with Twigg

A. Dismissive - Yes. Author brings to light some of facts which he believes Twigg had overlooked.
B. Indifferent - Nope
C. Vindictive - He criticised Twigg but based on logic and not plain vandetta
D. Cautious - Author had more points to disagree with with Twigg and hence he couldnot be cautious.
E. Ambivalent - Totally the opposite of ambivalent

A. demonstrating the relationship between bubonic plague and the Black Death - We are looking for a reference to the importance of Black Death in history
B. interpreting historical and scientific works on the origins of the Black Death - This is done in the passage to establish the historical importance of Black Death
C. employing the Black Death as a case study of disease transmission in medieval Europe - No!
D. presenting aspects of past and current debate on the historical importance of the Black Death - Yes. Exactly the words we were looking for
E. analyzing the differences between capitalist and Marxist interpretations of the historical significance of the Black Death - Marxist interpretation is just taken as a point of evolution of establishing the historical importance of Black Death

A) Eradicon has been proven to repel boll weevils in a laboratory setting. Not our answer (Opposite answer, this strengthens the agricultural board's expectations.)
B) Those cotton farmers who chose not to use Eradicon tended to witness a greater drop in cotton production during the last three years than those who started to use Eradicon. Not our answer (This is irrelevant to the agricultural board's expectations.)
C) Most boll weevil infestations happen in the early spring, when cotton plants are highly vulnerable. Not our answer (This is irrelevant to the agricultural board's expectations.)
D) When used for more than a week, Eradicon begins to rob the ground of nitrates, without which cotton plants cannot adequately grow. This is our answer (This option clearly gives us another reason as to why using Eradicon could in the long term not help the production levels return to what they were 3 years ago.)
E) Farmers need to spray Eradicon on their fields once every few days for it to be effective. Not our answer (Out of scope, how many times Eradicon has to be sprayed does not add or subtract anything from the argument.)

(A) The pharmacy’s employees say that they prefer the later break time.
The preference of the employees does not matter unless this can be connected to productivity. You are “not allowed” to connect the dots with assumptions such as “Well, if the employees prefer the later break time, they’ll work better, and therefore fill more prescriptions.

(B) Most of the pharmacy’s customers work or live within a 10-minute drive of the pharmacy.
This does not lead to a strengthening of the conclusion. It is out of the scope of the argument.

(C) Many of the pharmacy’s customers would prefer to get their prescriptions filled while they are on their lunch break or on weekends.
This would only strengthen (or perhaps weaken) the conclusion if we knew when their breaks were. We have no way of knowing this, so the point is irrelevant. - correct

(D) A greater number of customers seeking prescriptions on weekdays are able to come to the pharmacy between 12 and 12:30 than between 12:45 and 1:15
This is the correct choice. Since the goal is to fill more prescriptions, then it makes sense to stay open during the time people can come.

(E) The pharmacy is within a supermarket that is least busy between 12:45 and 1:45 each weekday.
This does not provide us enough information about the customers specific to the pharmacy. One can’t bring in assumptions about people going to the pharmacy at the same time they go to the supermarket.

(A) Only certain strains of streptococcal bacteria are associated with rheumatic fever.
This tells us that R fever happens only in case of some strains of S bacteria. But it doesn't explain why R fever happens only with S bacteria.

(B) The antibodies that the body produces to control a streptococcal infection can attack cells of the mucous membranes
We don't know the relation between mucous membranes and heart and kidney (R fever). This doesn't help explain anything.

(C) Antibiotics have not proved as effective against streptococcal infections as they have against some other bacterial infections.
Doesn't explain why only S infection causes R fever.

(D) Streptococcal bacteria are the only bacteria that are structurally similar to the cells of the body attacked in the rheumatic fever.
S bacteria are the only bacteria that are similar to the cells attacked in R fever (cells of heart and kidney). So now we know that S bacteria are structurally similar to cells of heart and kidney. Hence the antibodies against S bacteria end up attacking heart and kidney too and hence lead to R fever. This is the reason that R fever occurs in case of S bacteria only. - Correct.

(E) Rheumatic fever can be misdiagnosed if it is not preceded by a serious streptococcal infection.
If a serious S infection doesn't happen, R fever can me misdiagnosed as say, viral fever or some other fever. So without a serious previous S infection, doctors may not be able to diagnose R fever correctly. Say if the S infection is mild, doctors may not come to know that it is there and the subsequent fever may not be diagnosed as R fever. But this doesn't explain why only S infection causes R fever.
Answer (D)

A) Water hyacinths are closely related to bog plants that are not highly invasive.
This choice has no effect on the argument.
The passage states as fact that "the water hyacinth is highly invasive," and this choice doesn't change that fact.
Incorrect

B) In its native range, the water hyacinth's spread is kept in check by animals that feed on the plants.
This choice has no effect on the argument. After all, the argument is about the effect of dumping water hyacinths "outside their native range," not "in its native range."
So, regardless of how it's kept in check in its native range, dumping appears to have caused it to spread, and the support that that fact provides for the conclusion remains the same.
Incorrect

C) Strong winds can pick up water hyacinths, which have no roots, and carry them many miles from where they had been growing.
The author has reasoned that, since water hyacinths were spread outside their native range by dumping, "the water hyacinth would not now be a nuisance in these areas" outside its native range if the dumping had not occurred.
correct
If this choice is true, then we have reason to doubt the conclusion. After all, if strong winds can carry water hyacinths many miles, then even if the gardeners had not dumped water hyacinths outside their native range, the winds might have carried them outside their native range.
In that case, it would not be correct to conclude that "the water hyacinth would not now be a nuisance in these areas" outside its native range if the dumping had not occurred because it could still have become a nuisance even if dumping had not occurred if the wind blew it outside its native range.
In other words, this choice weakens the case for the conclusion by showing that water hyacinths could have spread in another way.
So, this choice weakens the argument.

D) Many gardeners who grow water plants now refuse to grow water hyacinths, knowing that these plants are invasive.
This choice about "now" doesn't change what the argument is about, which is dumping that occurred in the past.
In other words, regardless of what gardeners do now, it could still be the case that the water hyacinth would not be a nuisance if gardeners had not dumped it in the past.
Incorrect

E) Although water hyacinths are native to tropical regions, they grow well outside these regions.­
This choice is related to the argument in that it follows from what the argument says. After all, if water hyacinths have "spread" and become a "nuisance," then it follows that water hyacinths grow well outside their native regions.
At the same time, we don't need a conclusion that follows from what the argument says. We need a weakener.
Incorrect

Correct answer: C ­

(a) Immediately after a child has suffered a bout of malaria, the child caregivers tend to go to great lengths in taking precautions to prevent another infection, but this level of attention is not sustained. IRRELEVANT
(b) Malaria is spread from person to person by mosquitoes, and mosquitoes have become increasingly resistant to the pesticides used to control them. IRRELEVANT
(c) A certain gene, if inherited by children from only one of their parents, can render those children largely immune to infection with malaria IRRELEVANT
(d) Antimalaria vaccines, of which several are in development, are all designed to work by stimulating the body immune system SO WHAT__ WE ARE TALKING OF SELF BUILT IMMUNITY
(e) There are several distinct strains of malaria, and the body's immune response to any one of them does not protect it against the others. CORRECT

The argument generalizes from a small sample to the population as a whole. If the sample is shown not to be representative of the general population, then the author’s conclusion is weakened. If goal oriented and serious-minded people were more likely to respond to the author’s newspaper ad and agree to be studied, then this shows that the sample was not representative of the general population.

Selection (E) points out this weakness and is the correct answer. If first-born people who were not serious-minded and goal-oriented simply didn’t respond to the newspaper ad, then the sample studied by the author was not representative of firstborns in the general population. Rather, his sample consisted heavily of first-borns who had those two personality traits, and thus his conclusion would be seriously flawed.

Selection (C) is tempting. Although it goes to the core of the question, that is, how representative is the study sample of the general public, it actually strengthens the writer’s argument. Selection (C) suggests that the newspaper ad was exposed to the general public as opposed to a more limited audience.

(A) This statement weakens the hypothesis. If clinical depression were genetically transmitted, then the amount of leisure time would have no effect on the percentage of the population diagnosed with clinical depression.

(B) CORRECT- If individuals in the developing and developed worlds do not have equal access to accurate diagnostic procedures, it is possible that either frequent misdiagnoses or a lack of correct diagnoses causes the seeming disparity between the populations. Thus, for the argument to be valid, this assumption must hold true. Put another way, this assumption eliminates the possible outside cause (the difference in diagnostic techniques between the developing and the developed worlds).

(C) Nothing indicates that most leisure activities must be inherently boring. As long as more individuals in the developed world than in the developing world are experiencing boredom, the logic of the passage remains valid.

(D) This choice weakens the researchers’ hypothesis. If fewer effective medications were available in the developing world, the incidence of clinical depression there should be higher than in developed countries.

(E) It is unimportant to determine whether few residents of developing countries dedicate any of their time to leisure. The argument already states that residents of developed countries have "increased' leisure time relative to residents of developing countries, so this assumption is unnecessary.

E. provides us an alternative reason directly undermining analyst's argument.
others -
A. Confirms that all submitted stories were aired. Doesn’t explain why fewer stories were submitted.
B. Speaks to efficiency in reporting. Might suggest more stories could be aired, not fewer.
C. Total number of stories aired stayed the same. Doesn’t address the content of those stories.
D. True, but doesn’t contradict the idea that fewer conflicts = fewer stories. It’s a general observation.

Argument Summary: The argument states that, for most people, the finer differences between two very closely related words do not matter. However, there are certain people who are very particular about such differences.

Prediction for the two bold parts: The first is a statement that will hold true for most people. The second points out a group of people who will disagree with the first statement.
(A) The first bold sentence is just a statement; it is not really a conclusion. In any case, the group of people mentioned in the second bold sentence are against such a conclusion.
(B) The second bold sentence does not support the first.
(C) Again, the second does not call the first into question; it merely states that there is a group of people who would not agree with the first.
(D) This matches our prediction perfectly and is the correct answer.
(E) Neither is the accuracy of the first statement doubtful in the argument, nor does the second statement falsify the first.