GMAT Verbal Reasoning Practice Test 2

Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, is infamous for her role in the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette has been given important emphasis in history to the decline of the French monarchy, few people know about her life before the French Revolution.

Archduchess Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria in 1755. The fifteenth and youngest child of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette was born into a life of luxury and politics.  ‘Antoine,’ as Marie Antoinette was affectionately known to her family, and her siblings grew up in the beautiful Vienna court while their mother determined how to use her large family to gain political ground.

As a political move by her mother, Antoine was pledged to marry dauphin Louis before Antoine was even a teenager. The marriage was pledged to solidify the alliance of Austria and France after the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. As was orthodox for an 18th-century aristocratic girl, Antoine’s education focused on religious and moral principles. However, before bringing Antoine to France, King Louis XV sent a tutor to Austria to prepare Antione for life as a French royal.

In May 1770, Antoine, a girl of only fourteen years old, was escorted by a royal procession to France. Despite the lukewarm welcome by the French people, who were still angry with the Austrians after the war, Antoine and Louis were married on May 16, 1770.

King Louis XVI took the throne in May 1774 making Marie Antoinette the Queen of France before the age of twenty. King Louis XVI was introverted and thus allowed his wife to assume a more prominent role at Court than was conventionally accepted at the time. Antoine was very social and, while the French people did not care for the native Austrian, she loved hosting lavish entertaining events for those around her. It was because of these lavish habits that King Louis XVI became weary of her extravagant taste.

Regardless of public opinion, the financial problems of France were not caused by their queen. The French government was facing financial upheavals relating to the American Revolution and nobility taxes. Nonetheless, the French newspapers and pamphlets printed endless jokes poking fun at the queen’s reckless behavior. Print media, coupled with the frustrations of the French common people, led to a wide acceptance of faulting Queen Marie Antoinette for France’s struggles.

King Louis XVI attempted to appease both the nobility and the common people of France with no success. What led in the following years is the well-known fate of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The royal couple was convicted of treason and executed in 1793.

Each of the following is mentioned as a reason the French people distrusted Queen Marie Antoinette EXCEPT

Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, is infamous for her role in the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette has been given important emphasis in history to the decline of the French monarchy, few people know about her life before the French Revolution.

Archduchess Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria in 1755. The fifteenth and youngest child of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette was born into a life of luxury and politics.  ‘Antoine,’ as Marie Antoinette was affectionately known to her family, and her siblings grew up in the beautiful Vienna court while their mother determined how to use her large family to gain political ground.

As a political move by her mother, Antoine was pledged to marry dauphin Louis before Antoine was even a teenager. The marriage was pledged to solidify the alliance of Austria and France after the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. As was orthodox for an 18th-century aristocratic girl, Antoine’s education focused on religious and moral principles. However, before bringing Antoine to France, King Louis XV sent a tutor to Austria to prepare Antione for life as a French royal.

In May 1770, Antoine, a girl of only fourteen years old, was escorted by a royal procession to France. Despite the lukewarm welcome by the French people, who were still angry with the Austrians after the war, Antoine and Louis were married on May 16, 1770.

King Louis XVI took the throne in May 1774 making Marie Antoinette the Queen of France before the age of twenty. King Louis XVI was introverted and thus allowed his wife to assume a more prominent role at Court than was conventionally accepted at the time. Antoine was very social and, while the French people did not care for the native Austrian, she loved hosting lavish entertaining events for those around her. It was because of these lavish habits that King Louis XVI became weary of her extravagant taste.

Regardless of public opinion, the financial problems of France were not caused by their queen. The French government was facing financial upheavals relating to the American Revolution and nobility taxes. Nonetheless, the French newspapers and pamphlets printed endless jokes poking fun at the queen’s reckless behavior. Print media, coupled with the frustrations of the French common people, led to a wide acceptance of faulting Queen Marie Antoinette for France’s struggles.

King Louis XVI attempted to appease both the nobility and the common people of France with no success. What led in the following years is the well-known fate of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The royal couple was convicted of treason and executed in 1793.

The author included the highlighted text most likely in order to

Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI, is infamous for her role in the French Revolution. While Marie Antoinette has been given important emphasis in history to the decline of the French monarchy, few people know about her life before the French Revolution.

Archduchess Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna, Austria in 1755. The fifteenth and youngest child of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa, Marie Antoinette was born into a life of luxury and politics.  ‘Antoine,’ as Marie Antoinette was affectionately known to her family, and her siblings grew up in the beautiful Vienna court while their mother determined how to use her large family to gain political ground.

As a political move by her mother, Antoine was pledged to marry dauphin Louis before Antoine was even a teenager. The marriage was pledged to solidify the alliance of Austria and France after the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. As was orthodox for an 18th-century aristocratic girl, Antoine’s education focused on religious and moral principles. However, before bringing Antoine to France, King Louis XV sent a tutor to Austria to prepare Antione for life as a French royal.

In May 1770, Antoine, a girl of only fourteen years old, was escorted by a royal procession to France. Despite the lukewarm welcome by the French people, who were still angry with the Austrians after the war, Antoine and Louis were married on May 16, 1770.

King Louis XVI took the throne in May 1774 making Marie Antoinette the Queen of France before the age of twenty. King Louis XVI was introverted and thus allowed his wife to assume a more prominent role at Court than was conventionally accepted at the time. Antoine was very social and, while the French people did not care for the native Austrian, she loved hosting lavish entertaining events for those around her. It was because of these lavish habits that King Louis XVI became weary of her extravagant taste.

Regardless of public opinion, the financial problems of France were not caused by their queen. The French government was facing financial upheavals relating to the American Revolution and nobility taxes. Nonetheless, the French newspapers and pamphlets printed endless jokes poking fun at the queen’s reckless behavior. Print media, coupled with the frustrations of the French common people, led to a wide acceptance of faulting Queen Marie Antoinette for France’s struggles.

King Louis XVI attempted to appease both the nobility and the common people of France with no success. What led in the following years is the well-known fate of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The royal couple was convicted of treason and executed in 1793.

According to the passage, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette disagreed upon which of the following points below?

Despite what may be reported by the news, the majority of Americans believe local governments do a fantastic job. This was proven by a large group of community members polled while leaving a community board meeting last month. The community members stated satisfaction with how efficiently the local government has been implementing new policies and upholding community standards.

Which of the following, if true, calls into question the explanation above?

Marketing Environmentalist: The use of green marketing is better for the planet than traditional marketing methods. In green marketing, businesses highlight their environmental and sustainable practices, consequently allowing consumers to make environmentally-smart purchases. However, choosing green marketing companies can be confusing and that confusion can keep shoppers from practicing environmentally-friendly shopping. In order to help alleviate that confusion, a monthly flier should be mailed out to consumers listing green marketing companies and traditional marketing companies. Such a system would help the environment as it would help aid consumers in making green choices.

Which of the following, if true, poses the most serious challenge to the argument?

Work boots should be replaced regularly for any worker who spends ten to twelve hours a day on their feet with few breaks. If the boots are taken care of, they may last the worker anywhere from six to twenty-four months. High-quality work boots are made with well-cushioned footbeds and shock-absorbing features designed to keep feet from developing serious foot issues in the future. While there is no set timeframe that work boots must be replaced, material wear and breakdown are inevitable and a new pair of work boots can be very costly. There are cheaper options available to help save money, but that is due to those shoes being made from lesser-quality materials. Lesser-quality materials result in less foot support and faster material breakdown of the boots. Therefore, for workers working ten to twelve hours a day, the lesser quality boots do not save money over time.

Which of the following would be most useful to know in evaluating the argument?

The most powerful space telescope built to date is the James Webb Space Telescope, also known as Webb. It contains a mirror so large that the pieces of the mirror had to be folded to fit into a launching rocket. Once in orbit, the telescope unfolded all the pieces to capture light from various celestial sources.

Powered by an array of onboard solars, the ten billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope has been built to aid in scientific discoveries for at least ten years. The telescope is also composed of a sunshield, eighteen gold-plated mirrors, and infrared detector cameras.

Webb’s sunshield acts as a big hat. Because space is an extremely hot environment, the instruments and mirrors needed a form of protection from the harsh elements. The five layers of protection block the light to help preserve the longevity of Webb’s scientific life. Sun-facing sides of the telescope have been known to be more than six-hundred degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the shaded sides.

Upon entering orbit, Webb’s eighteen smaller mirrors unfolded to create one large mirror. The mirrors are plated with a 100 nanometers layer of gold to reflect infrared light. A highly reflective material, gold allows the mirrors to focus the light of faraway objects onto the sensitive instruments.

The camera and instrument technology of Webb sees through dust and observes approximately thirty-nine percent of the sky at once as the telescope moves around the sun. The goal of Webb’s instruments is to capture images from light undetectable to the human eye. Therefore, catapulting scientists’ knowledge of the universe far beyond what would be possible without this innovative technology. The data gathered by the telescope surpasses human detection so greatly, scientists must convert Webb’s raw data into a representation the human eye can comprehend.

All these components work together to capture the pieces of the universe that are invisible to the human eye. The telescope can transmit over fifty-seven gigabytes of recorded data daily. Scientists are excited to see the discoveries made daily by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The passage suggests which of the following about the types of mirrors needed to collect celestial data?

The most powerful space telescope built to date is the James Webb Space Telescope, also known as Webb. It contains a mirror so large that the pieces of the mirror had to be folded to fit into a launching rocket. Once in orbit, the telescope unfolded all the pieces to capture light from various celestial sources.

Powered by an array of onboard solars, the ten billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope has been built to aid in scientific discoveries for at least ten years. The telescope is also composed of a sunshield, eighteen gold-plated mirrors, and infrared detector cameras.

Webb’s sunshield acts as a big hat. Because space is an extremely hot environment, the instruments and mirrors needed a form of protection from the harsh elements. The five layers of protection block the light to help preserve the longevity of Webb’s scientific life. Sun-facing sides of the telescope have been known to be more than six-hundred degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the shaded sides.

Upon entering orbit, Webb’s eighteen smaller mirrors unfolded to create one large mirror. The mirrors are plated with a 100 nanometers layer of gold to reflect infrared light. A highly reflective material, gold allows the mirrors to focus the light of faraway objects onto the sensitive instruments.

The camera and instrument technology of Webb sees through dust and observes approximately thirty-nine percent of the sky at once as the telescope moves around the sun. The goal of Webb’s instruments is to capture images from light undetectable to the human eye. Therefore, catapulting scientists’ knowledge of the universe far beyond what would be possible without this innovative technology. The data gathered by the telescope surpasses human detection so greatly, scientists must convert Webb’s raw data into a representation the human eye can comprehend.

All these components work together to capture the pieces of the universe that are invisible to the human eye. The telescope can transmit over fifty-seven gigabytes of recorded data daily. Scientists are excited to see the discoveries made daily by the James Webb Space Telescope.

What is the author implying by using the word orbit when referring to the Webb?

The most powerful space telescope built to date is the James Webb Space Telescope, also known as Webb. It contains a mirror so large that the pieces of the mirror had to be folded to fit into a launching rocket. Once in orbit, the telescope unfolded all the pieces to capture light from various celestial sources.

Powered by an array of onboard solars, the ten billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope has been built to aid in scientific discoveries for at least ten years. The telescope is also composed of a sunshield, eighteen gold-plated mirrors, and infrared detector cameras.

Webb’s sunshield acts as a big hat. Because space is an extremely hot environment, the instruments and mirrors needed a form of protection from the harsh elements. The five layers of protection block the light to help preserve the longevity of Webb’s scientific life. Sun-facing sides of the telescope have been known to be more than six-hundred degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the shaded sides.

Upon entering orbit, Webb’s eighteen smaller mirrors unfolded to create one large mirror. The mirrors are plated with a 100 nanometers layer of gold to reflect infrared light. A highly reflective material, gold allows the mirrors to focus the light of faraway objects onto the sensitive instruments.

The camera and instrument technology of Webb sees through dust and observes approximately thirty-nine percent of the sky at once as the telescope moves around the sun. The goal of Webb’s instruments is to capture images from light undetectable to the human eye. Therefore, catapulting scientists’ knowledge of the universe far beyond what would be possible without this innovative technology. The data gathered by the telescope surpasses human detection so greatly, scientists must convert Webb’s raw data into a representation the human eye can comprehend.

All these components work together to capture the pieces of the universe that are invisible to the human eye. The telescope can transmit over fifty-seven gigabytes of recorded data daily. Scientists are excited to see the discoveries made daily by the James Webb Space Telescope.

According to the passage, what do many of Webb’s parts have in common?

College Student: I admit the themes in my new thesis An Examination of the Influence of Live Streaming reflect the thesis of my older brother’s thesis, titled The Impact of Streaming Platforms on Today’s Society. However, the institution’s allegation of plagiarism is groundless. While both works detail similar ideas on streaming platforms, I had never read my brother’s work, which was published two years ago, before completing my own thesis.

Which of the following provides the most support for the graduate student’s position?

Last month, the Department of Transportation released a progress report on the new bridge construction on Elmire Street. The bridge was originally predicted to be finished within six months. State regulations require the public to be notified if construction is behind by more than two months. It had only been four months of construction, instead of the full six months, since the bridge construction began when the Department of Transportation released the notice to the public.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain the Department of Transportation’s reason for releasing the report?

The results of a parent response survey showed that parents who paid for their child’s school lunch by the month sent a packed lunch with their child on average once a week. By contrast, parents who paid for their child’s school lunch by the semester sent a packed lunch with their child only twice a month. This indicates that the cost of school lunch is a key motivator in whether a parent packs their child’s lunch.

If true, which of the following answer choices calls into question the explanation above?

Numerous studies have concluded that music positively impacts the human brain. The studies have spanned across age ranges, genders, diverse medical backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. The results showed that music benefits the brain regardless of any of the factors listed above.

When the brain hears music, its overall function is enhanced. For example, the frontal lobe’s purpose is to think, make decisions, and plan. When music is introduced, the frontal lobe has shown an increase in all three functions. Another example of music elevating brain function is the effect music has on the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe bridges the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain interprets language and words, whereas the right side of the brain processes sounds. Music creates bilateral stimulation in the temporal lobe. Bilateral stimulation is important for the development of communication skills.

As brain function is improved, human behavior is positively impacted. Music has the ability to trigger behavioral responses that include contentment, anticipation, emotions, and memories. When these responses are triggered, a person’s behavior is altered. Music deemed pleasurable by the listener has been proven to improve mood, increase confidence, and soothe feelings of unease.

The benefits of music are so great, that music is being used in various types of therapy. Whether a person has endured trauma or has a neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), music therapy has aided in bringing peace and healing to people.

The primary purpose of the passage is to

Numerous studies have concluded that music positively impacts the human brain. The studies have spanned across age ranges, genders, diverse medical backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. The results showed that music benefits the brain regardless of any of the factors listed above.

When the brain hears music, its overall function is enhanced. For example, the frontal lobe’s purpose is to think, make decisions, and plan. When music is introduced, the frontal lobe has shown an increase in all three functions. Another example of music elevating brain function is the effect music has on the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe bridges the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain interprets language and words, whereas the right side of the brain processes sounds. Music creates bilateral stimulation in the temporal lobe. Bilateral stimulation is important for the development of communication skills.

As brain function is improved, human behavior is positively impacted. Music has the ability to trigger behavioral responses that include contentment, anticipation, emotions, and memories. When these responses are triggered, a person’s behavior is altered. Music deemed pleasurable by the listener has been proven to improve mood, increase confidence, and soothe feelings of unease.

The benefits of music are so great, that music is being used in various types of therapy. Whether a person has endured trauma or has a neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), music therapy has aided in bringing peace and healing to people.

Each of the following is mentioned in the passage as characteristics of exposing the brain to music EXCEPT

Numerous studies have concluded that music positively impacts the human brain. The studies have spanned across age ranges, genders, diverse medical backgrounds, and socio-economic statuses. The results showed that music benefits the brain regardless of any of the factors listed above.

When the brain hears music, its overall function is enhanced. For example, the frontal lobe’s purpose is to think, make decisions, and plan. When music is introduced, the frontal lobe has shown an increase in all three functions. Another example of music elevating brain function is the effect music has on the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe bridges the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain interprets language and words, whereas the right side of the brain processes sounds. Music creates bilateral stimulation in the temporal lobe. Bilateral stimulation is important for the development of communication skills.

As brain function is improved, human behavior is positively impacted. Music has the ability to trigger behavioral responses that include contentment, anticipation, emotions, and memories. When these responses are triggered, a person’s behavior is altered. Music deemed pleasurable by the listener has been proven to improve mood, increase confidence, and soothe feelings of unease.

The benefits of music are so great, that music is being used in various types of therapy. Whether a person has endured trauma or has a neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), music therapy has aided in bringing peace and healing to people.

Which detail from the text best helps readers to understand the meaning of the bolded words?

A nutritionist wrote an informational column in a health magazine. The claim was that reducing the amount of processed foods one intakes each day can lead to better health. Based on this claim, some readers removed all processed foods from their daily diet in order to attain better health.

The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

The Board of Elections for the city of Asheville studied the political records of the Copan party and the Hogan party. The Board of Elections discovered that for the past twenty years, the Copan party’s projection of their rival party’s donations over the following five years was incorrect by an average of 27%. Furthermore, the study also revealed, the Copan party’s estimate of the Hogan party donations was only off by an average of 0.3% when estimated for the previous year even though the Hogan party never released these records publicly.

Which of the claims below most strongly supports the information presented above?

There are many online tools available to collegiate students interested in having their writing evaluated before submitting the writing for a grade. Despite this convenience, students should never rely on these tools to evaluate the quality of their writing. While these online tools are designed for easy understanding, a student’s writing quality depends on the specific requirements of the assignment. In order to accurately determine their writing’s quality, a student should seek the view of an indifferent and objective party.

Which of the following, if true, best strengthens the argument above?

The United States experiences appropriately 1,200 tornadoes each year. Tornado records only go back as far as 1950 so it is difficult to reason how the 1,200 annual tornadoes compare to the average of tornadoes across the nation throughout the United State’s history. What is known are the methods of tornado spotting and recording have improved a lot. The improved technology has enabled atmospheric scientists, also known as meteorologists, to observe more tornadoes that before may have gone unreported.

Tornadoes are classified as violently rotating vertical funnels. Also referred to as twisters, tornadoes develop from a thunderstorm extending to the ground. The funnel is water droplets, dust, and debris and can be accompanied by hail. Tornadoes have been reported with winds topping 250 miles an hour and spanning a mile across and fifty miles long.

Tornado season refers to the time of year from May to June when the United States is most likely to see tornadoes, but tornadoes can occur at any time. In order to best predict tornadoes, meteorologists look at computerized models that use current forecast models to predict weather patterns. If experts determine the data shows in favor of a tornado, a watch will be issued to inform the public on the date the storm begins forming. The majority of the time, the data does not show a tornado and therefore is not shared with the public. For the instances when the atmospheric conditions are primed for a tornado, meteorologists are well-equipped to alert the public as early as possible.

Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

The United States experiences appropriately 1,200 tornadoes each year. Tornado records only go back as far as 1950 so it is difficult to reason how the 1,200 annual tornadoes compare to the average of tornadoes across the nation throughout the United State’s history. What is known are the methods of tornado spotting and recording have improved a lot. The improved technology has enabled atmospheric scientists, also known as meteorologists, to observe more tornadoes that before may have gone unreported.

Tornadoes are classified as violently rotating vertical funnels. Also referred to as twisters, tornadoes develop from a thunderstorm extending to the ground. The funnel is water droplets, dust, and debris and can be accompanied by hail. Tornadoes have been reported with winds topping 250 miles an hour and spanning a mile across and fifty miles long.

Tornado season refers to the time of year from May to June when the United States is most likely to see tornadoes, but tornadoes can occur at any time. In order to best predict tornadoes, meteorologists look at computerized models that use current forecast models to predict weather patterns. If experts determine the data shows in favor of a tornado, a watch will be issued to inform the public on the date the storm begins forming. The majority of the time, the data does not show a tornado and therefore is not shared with the public. For the instances when the atmospheric conditions are primed for a tornado, meteorologists are well-equipped to alert the public as early as possible.

It can be inferred from the passage that the reason more tornadoes are reported today than were reported in 1950 is due to which of the following reasons?

The United States experiences appropriately 1,200 tornadoes each year. Tornado records only go back as far as 1950 so it is difficult to reason how the 1,200 annual tornadoes compare to the average of tornadoes across the nation throughout the United State’s history. What is known are the methods of tornado spotting and recording have improved a lot. The improved technology has enabled atmospheric scientists, also known as meteorologists, to observe more tornadoes that before may have gone unreported.

Tornadoes are classified as violently rotating vertical funnels. Also referred to as twisters, tornadoes develop from a thunderstorm extending to the ground. The funnel is water droplets, dust, and debris and can be accompanied by hail. Tornadoes have been reported with winds topping 250 miles an hour and spanning a mile across and fifty miles long.

Tornado season refers to the time of year from May to June when the United States is most likely to see tornadoes, but tornadoes can occur at any time. In order to best predict tornadoes, meteorologists look at computerized models that use current forecast models to predict weather patterns. If experts determine the data shows in favor of a tornado, a watch will be issued to inform the public on the date the storm begins forming. The majority of the time, the data does not show a tornado and therefore is not shared with the public. For the instances when the atmospheric conditions are primed for a tornado, meteorologists are well-equipped to alert the public as early as possible.

The passage suggests which of the following about tornado season as mentioned in the third paragraph?

Children can begin taking gymnastics classes when they are as young as eighteen months. Many people within the sport believe that it is vital to the future success of a young child to enroll in gymnastics classes as soon as possible. These people believe early muscle development and early coordination practice help gymnasts excel at the sport faster. However, early training does not bypass the natural timeline a child’s body develops. Many outside factors, including nutrition and DNA, determine how a child’s body develops and at what rate. Therefore, it is more probable that talent determines a gymnast’s success instead of early training.

Identify the roles that the bold text plays within the argument.

Successful car salesmen are defined by their number of sales and are always looking to build new business connections. In doing so, salesmen must be prepared for objections from buyers. Having a field-tested and approved rebuttal for every objection helps the seasoned salesman remain in control of the sales conversation and make more sales. Clearly, buyers are more willing to trust a knowledgeable,  and experienced salesman than one that is young and inexperienced.

Which of the following most calls into question the conclusion above?