GRE Verbal Sample Questions Set T
Categories: GRE (The Graduate Records Examination)
Directions: Questions 1 and 2 are based on the passage provided below. Select only one answer choice.
Passage 1: Called by some the “island that time forgot,” Madagascar is home to a vast array of unique, exotic creatures. One such animal is the aye-aye. First described by western science in 1782, it was initially categorized as a member of the order Rodentia. Further research then revealed that it was more closely related to the lemur, a member of the primate order. Since the aye-aye is so different from its fellow primates, however, it was given its own family: Daubentoniidae. The aye-aye has been listed as an endangered species and, as a result, the government of Madagascar has designated an island off the northeastern coast of Madagascar as a protected reserve for aye-ayes and other wildlife.
Long before Western science became enthralled with this nocturnal denizen of Madagascar’s jungles, the aye-aye had its own reputation with the local people. The aye-aye is perhaps best known for its large, round eyes and long, extremely thin middle finger. These adaptations are quite sensible, allowing the aye-aye to see well at night and retrieve grubs, which are one of its primary food sources, from deep within hollow branches.
However, the aye-aye’s striking appearance may end up causing its extinction. The people of Madagascar believe that the aye-aye is a type of spirit animal, and that its appearance is an omen of death. Whenever one is sighted, it is immediately killed. When combined with the loss of large swaths of jungle habitat, this practice may result in the loss of a superb
Question.1. Based on the information given in the passage, the intended audience would most likely be
(A) Visitors to a natural science museum
(B) Professors of evolutionary science
(C) A third-grade science class
(D) Students of comparative religions
(E) Attendees at a world cultural symposium
Answer: (a)
Question.2. Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply. Which of the following statements can be logically inferred from the passage?
(A) Taxonomic classifications are not always absolute.
(B) The traditional religion of Madagascar involves augury.
(C) There are no longer enough resources on the main island to support the aye-aye population.
Answer: (a) & (b)
Directions: Questions 3 to 5 are based on the passage provided below. Select only one answer choice.
Passage 2:“Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies' sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass's classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.
Question.3. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass's use of popular elements in his classical compositions?
A. How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
B. How it has affected the commercial success of Glass's music
C. Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions
D. Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass's reputation as a composer of classical music
E. Whether it has caused certain of Glass's works to be derivative in quality
Answer: (e)
Question.4. Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply from the passage above.
A. The passage suggests that Glass's work displays which of the following qualities?
B. A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions
C. An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music
D. A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles
Answer: (c)
Question.5. From the passage above, select the sentence that distinguishes two ways of integrating rock and classical music from the passage provided above.
Answer: His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.