Chapter 11
Polygons are a very familiar sight on the GRE. As you saw in the last chapter, many questions about triangles will often involve other polygons, most notably quadrilaterals. Mastery of polygons will ultimately involve understanding the basic properties, such as perimeter and area, and will also involve the ability to distinguish certain polygons from other polygons or circles within the context of a larger diagram.
A polygon is defined as a closed shape formed entirely by line segments. The polygons tested on the GRE include the following:
This section will focus on polygons of four or more sides. In particular, the GRE emphasizes quadrilaterals—four-sided polygons—especially squares, rectangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids.
Polygons are two-dimensional shapes—they lie in a plane. The GRE tests your ability to work with different measurements associated with polygons. The measurements you must be adept with are 1) interior angles, 2) perimeter, and 3) area.
The GRE also tests your knowledge of three-dimensional shapes formed from polygons, particularly rectangular solids and cubes. The measurements you must be adept with are 1) surface area, and 2) volume.