Verbal Reasoning Practice Set 3

1. 1. Veteran technical support staff members feel that their services are by the use of computer programs to do the same work; they claim that technical support can’t be provided procedurally but rather is a case-by-case effort that requires a skill set built upon training and experience.

      1. devalued
      2. tarnished
      3. ridiculed
      4. vituperated
      5. impaired

   2. The spice saffron is made from the stigma of the Crocus sativus plant; the (i) number of blossoms required to produce saffron and the (ii) of the flower makes the spice the most expensive in the world.

      vast meager unique

      color hardiness delicacy

   3. The field of cryptozoology is the search for animals unknown to science and those for which we have no scientific attestation; (i) physical evidence, it relies upon (ii) sightings for proof of creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster.

      ignoring lacking needing

      anecdotal imagined nominal

   4. Companies that give employees the flexibility to (i) their more (ii) responsibilities in favor of more exciting projects see dramatically increased productivity compared to businesses that are more (iii) in their minute-to-minute structuring of daily routine.

      undertake eschew supplement

      quotidian latent arresting

      disingenuous lax authoritarian

   5. The neglect of the old theater was (i) in the extreme (ii) of the building, which was no longer safe to enter.

      hinted at suggested manifest

      dilapidation depilation radiance

   6. The countless (i) days left everyone (ii) for the sudden downpour; the deluge brought traffic to a halt as it (iii) the roads.

      arid calm humid

      waiting unprepared anxious

      inundated soaked sprayed

2. 1. Questions 7–10 are based on the passage below.

   2. The origins of the English language can be traced back to the Saxon and other Germanic settlers in Britain beginning in the 5th century CE. The English language’s unusual nature can be attributed to the diverse linguistic origins of the groups that contributed to its development and their role in English society. Although English belongs to the Germanic language family and its grammatical and syntactical rules reflect this, English vocabulary can be seen to be from multiple origins. In fact, a large part of the vocabulary was not derived from the Germanic languages at all but is rather of Latin origin. This can be explained by the influence on Old English of Old French and Latin during the Norman Invasion in the 11th century. By the time of the Norman Invasion, Old English was already a language, with both its grammar and vocabulary based in the Germanic language family. However, the establishment of a ruling class who spoke a Romance language caused significant changes in the indigenous tongue. It is also interesting to note that there is a distinct correlation between the length of a word and its origin—most of the shorter words in the English language are derived from the Germanic languages, whereas the longer words are from a Latin background. One theory to explain this is that these more elaborate and complex words were primarily used by the elite after the Norman Invasion—who would have favored a Latin-based (or Romance) vocabulary—whereas words with the same meaning in the Old English were used primarily by the lower classes and thus fell into disuse. Modern English words, then, concerning more complex and theoretical rather than utilitarian ideas (astronomy, poetry, and epistemology), can generally be found to be of Romance origin, whereas more mundane words, such as pronouns and auxiliary verbs, can be traced back to a Germanic origin.

   7. Which of the following is implied by the passage?

      1. English was more heavily influenced by Germanic languages than by Romance languages.
      2. In the 11th century, English speakers of the lower classes did not discuss abstract, theoretical topics.
      3. No auxiliary verbs in English can be traced back to a Latin-based origin.
      4. English owes some of its abnormality to the Norman Invasion.
      5. Fewer words in English are derived from Latin than from the Germanic languages.

   8. 1. Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

      8. The passage suggests that the word “they,” a pronoun, would most likely have which of the following origins?

         1. Germanic
         2. Romance
         3. Norse

   9. Based on the passage, what is a likely reason why English has not been reclassified as a Romance language?

      1. It developed as a Germanic language in its first incarnation, Old English.
      2. The core of the language, its grammar and syntax, is still Germanic.
      3. A larger portion of the English vocabulary is Germanic rather than Romance.
      4. The Normans felt an affinity for the local tongue, which was Germanic.
      5. Neither linguistic heritage has a claim to preeminence.

   10. 1. Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

       10. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

           1. Searching for meaning based on the Latin root of a word is less likely to be useful in shorter words.
           2. The language spoken by the Saxon and Germanic settlers entirely supplanted the indigenous tongue of 5th-century Britain.
           3. The discussion of complex ideas during the Norman era in England was primarily the domain of the ruling class.

3. 1. Directions

      For the following questions, select the two answer choices that, when inserted into the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and yield complete sentences that are similar in meaning.

   11. As modern scholarship continues to dim the possibility that Homer was a single historic figure, the question of authorship of his works has been raised; although we might never know who wrote them, scholars still need some way to refer to the author or authors of the Iliad and Odyssey, so the term “Homeric tradition” has been as a possible new terminology.

       1. selected
       2. established
       3. appropriated
       4. bestowed
       5. suggested
       6. proposed

   12. commercial arsenic usage has diminished, its ongoing presence in water and soil continues to be a major public health concern, given the extremely high toxicity of the substance.

       1. After
       2. Although
       3. Inasmuch as
       4. Considering
       5. While
       6. Because

   13. Early sewing machines were poorly received by textile workers, who feared the technology would the demand for their skills; despite their protests, the sewing machine became popular both in the factory and in the home.

       1. overwhelm
       2. diminish
       3. obviate
       4. mitigate
       5. eliminate
       6. belittle

   14. The protest march quickly turned into a riot, and in the response by police, several people on either side were killed and dozens more wounded; it would later be remembered by both sides as a tragic accident, and no blame would be assigned.

       1. indignantly
       2. mournfully
       3. spitefully
       4. bitterly
       5. soberly
       6. melancholically

4. 1. Questions 15–17 are based on the passage below.

   2. Kleptoplasty (from the Greek kleptes, meaning “thief”) is a phenomenon whereby host organisms ingest a chlorophyll-utilizing species, typically algae, and use the energy-producing organelles called chloroplasts contained within the consumed species to help meet their own metabolic needs. In this way, kleptoplasty is an example of symbiosis, a close relationship between two different species. Further, it is an endosymbiosis, such that one of the species resides completely within another. Unlike the example of mitochondria, thought to have once been fully separate bacteria that came to live within animal cells and perform a mutualistic metabolic function, the algae are only partially utilized; most of the organism is digested and discarded, leaving only the chloroplasts to be retained by the host. Most kleptoplastic species are unicellular ciliates or dinoflagellates. The only known members of the animal kingdom that practice kleptoplasty are several species of sarcoglossan sea slugs. These “solar-powered” sea slugs incorporate whole chloroplasts into their body cells, where the stolen plastids can convert sunlight into useful energy for as long as ten months in some species.

      Chloroplasts produce energy by using sunlight to power a series of reactions that result in sugars that can be used as a food source for the host organism. Algae have genes that encode proteins that act as enzymes that support this process. PRK, for example, is an enzyme that is responsible for the regeneration of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate, an organic molecule used in the reductive pentose phosphate pathway (RPPP) of photosynthesis. Sea slugs lack the PRK gene, so for many kleptoplastic species, once the raw materials within the chloroplasts are exhausted, photosynthesis ceases and new chloroplasts must be obtained. As a result, until recently it remained a mystery how some sarcoglossan sea slug species were able to sustain chloroplast function for many months.

      Genome sequencing revealed the answer. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the genome of individual sarcoglossan sea slugs of species Elysia chlorotica that had been exposed to chlorophyll-utilizing algae revealed that these individuals did in fact have the PRK gene, whereas individuals that had not been exposed to algae lacked the gene. Radioactive labeling confirmed the surprising result: E. chlorotica incorporates genes from the algae into its own genome. This process, known as horizontal gene transfer, is common in bacteria and unicellular eukaryotes but is rare to find in more complex species.

   15. According to the passage, the main difference between the sarcoglossan sea slug species discussed in paragraph 1 and other sea slug species is that

       1. they can incorporate the PRK gene into their genome, whereas other sea slugs cannot
       2. they obtain energy primarily by digesting only certain components of algae, whereas other sea slugs obtain their energy from digesting the entire organism
       3. they obtain at least some of their metabolic energy from chloroplasts, whereas other sea slugs do not
       4. they lack the enzyme to regenerate compounds necessary for photosynthesis, whereas other sea slugs produce this enzyme
       5. they lack mitochondria to perform metabolic functions, whereas other sea slugs utilize mitochondria as their primary source of energy

   16. Which of the following best expresses the main point of the passage?

       1. Until recently, scientists found it difficult to understand the exact mechanisms of kleptoplasty due to misconceptions about the relationship between sea slugs and algae.
       2. Elysia chlorotica incorporates algal genes into its own genome, solving a problem that would leave it unable to survive in the wild.
       3. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate is an organic compound used in photosynthesis that kleptoplastic species lack the ability to produce on their own.
       4. Kleptoplasty is unusual compared to other forms of symbiotic relationships in that the species that practice it derive some benefit from horizontal gene transfer.
       5. Kleptoplastic species not only use the biochemical machinery of another species to meet their own metabolic needs, but can also incorporate genetic material to facilitate this process.

   17. 1. Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

       17. The passage provides support for which of the following statements about E. chlorotica?

           1. In the absence of algae, E. chlorotica typically lacks the ability to synthesize ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate.
           2. Some of the characteristics of E. chlorotica are not commonly found within the animal kingdom.
           3. E. chlorotica is the only sarcoglossan sea-slug species that incorporates the PRK gene into its genome.

   18. Questions 18–20 are based on the passage below.

   19. John Finnis developed his theory of natural law based on the structure that Thomas Aquinas provided, filling in areas where he felt that Aquinas’s theory was lacking; he also amended other aspects of the theory to respond to a world much more culturally diverse than the one in which Aquinas lived. Unlike Aquinas, who gives only a vague account of the first precepts of the natural law, Finnis locates a specific number of basic human goods. Finnis avoids the charge that his theory falls into the “naturalistic fallacy” by asserting that these goods are not moral in themselves but become moral through human participation in them. In addition, these goods are not hierarchical, which allows a much greater range of freedom in choosing actions. Finally, Finnis’s theory does not require the presence of God. Though curiosity about the nature of the universe is one of his basic human goods, the actual existence of God is not required by his theory.
       
       Finnis’s theory raises as many questions as it answers. While formulating an interesting answer to the “is/ought” problem and giving a much more robust definition of human volition than Aquinas, his solutions create their own problems. His account of the goods is stripped of any method for evaluation. The boundaries of each good are difficult to discern. Further, by asserting that each good is self-evident and equal to all the others, Finnis makes any action taken in furtherance of any of them equivalent morally. Finally, by removing the precepts of natural law from our natural habits and inclinations, placing them instead in self-evident goods, Finnis seems not to be describing our nature at all.

   18. Based on the passage, what is the most likely meaning of “good” according to Finnis?

       1. A physical object, such as foodstuffs or textiles
       2. A morally correct action as determined by God
       3. An action that helps us achieve a desirable, material end
       4. Something self-evident that we ought to strive to embrace
       5. Something that is naturally occurring

   19. Based on the passage, the existence of which of the following would most likely undermine Finnis’s definition of “goods”?

       1. Proof of the existence of God
       2. Goods that demand opposing actions
       3. The demands of our natural desires
       4. The definition of additional goods
       5. A method for evaluating goods

   20. 1. Consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

       20. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT an improvement of Finnis’s theory of natural law over Aquinas’s?

           1. Avoiding the “naturalistic fallacy”
           2. Removing the necessity of God in his definition of “good”
           3. Curtailing freedom in human actions