Graduate Record Examination Practice Test

Graduate Record Examination Practice Test

 

For those preparing for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), here’s a quick overview of the types of questions and practice resources commonly available:

 

Verbal Reasoning

 

• Question Types: Text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension.
• Sample Question: A text completion question might require you to select the appropriate words to complete sentences based on context and implied meaning. Reading comprehension questions ask for main ideas, inferred meanings, and author’s intent within short or long passages.

 

Quantitative Reasonin

 

• Question Types: Problem-solving, quantitative comparison, and data interpretation.
• Sample Question: Quantitative comparison might involve comparing two quantities to determine which is greater, if they are equal, or if the relationship can’t be determined. Data interpretation questions often include graphs, tables, and charts that require careful analysis.

 

 

Analytical Writing

 

• Tasks: Issue task and argument task.
• Sample Prompt: For the Issue task, you might be asked to write an essay responding to a general statement (e.g., “A nation should require all of its students to study the same national curriculum until they enter college”) by developing a position on the issue with examples and reasoning. In the Argument task, you analyze an argument, critiquing its logic and coherence.

 

Practice Resources

 

The official ETS GRE website provides free practice questions, sample tests, and materials. Other popular resources include:

• Magoosh: Offers both free and premium GRE practice questions and study guides.
• Kaplan and Princeton Review: Provide comprehensive practice tests with answer explanations.
• Manhattan Prep: Known for their advanced practice questions, especially useful for higher-level quantitative prep.

 

Here’s a brief overview of GRE question types along with sample questions and answers to guide your practice.

 

Verbal Reasoning

This section tests vocabulary, reading comprehension, and analytical skills.

 

1. Text Completion: Requires filling in blanks with words that make the sentence coherent.
   • Example Question: “Although it was ____, the novel was difficult to read because of its complex language.”
     • Answer Choices: A) comprehensive, B) entertaining, C) succinct, D) tedious, E) thought-provoking.
     • Answer: B) entertaining. The answer implies a paradox — even though the novel was “entertaining,” it was hard to read.

 

Sentence Equivalence: Choose two words that both fit in a sentence and give it the same meaning.

• Example Question: “The scientist was known for his ____ personality, which made him difficult to approach.”
  • Answer Choices: A) amiable, B) irascible, C) mercurial, D) pleasant, E) querulous, F) approachable.
  • Answer: B) irascible and E) querulous. Both options mean easily angered, fitting the sentence’s tone.

 

 

Quantitative Reasoning

 

This section includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.

 

1. Quantitative Comparison: Compare two quantities and choose the relationship between them.
   • Example Question: Quantity A: 3x+43x + 43x+4, Quantity B: 5x5x5x, where x=2x = 2x=2.
     • Answer: Substitute x=2x = 2x=2: Quantity A = 10, Quantity B = 10, so the answer is C) The two quantities are equal.

 

Problem Solving: Involves real-world scenarios or abstract questions.

 

• Example Question: If 5y+7=275y + 7 = 275y+7=27, what is yyy?
  • Solution: Solve for yyy: 5y=205y = 205y=20, y=4y = 4y=4.
  • Answer: y=4y = 4y=4.

 

Analytical Writing

This section involves two tasks:

• Issue Task: Write an essay expressing your opinion on a general topic.
• Argument Task: Critique the logic of a given argument without providing your own opinion.

 

 

Which of the following is not an important determinant when considering the effects of modeling on learning?

1. the role of reinforcement
   b. the retention of the material modeled
   c. the sex of the model
   d. the functional value of the model’s behavior
   e. the nature of the material being modeled

 

The period in which a female of the species is sexually receptive is known as

1. courting
   b. estrus
   c. gestation
   d. copulation
   e. menstruation

 

Which of the following is NOT a morpheme?

1. the “s” in “dogs”
   b. the “dog” in “dogs”
   c. the “ed” in “learned”
   d. the “ou” in “soup”
   e. the “bio” in “biology”

 

Which of the following represents the correct order (from left to right) of Gestalt principles illustrated in the figure above?

1. Closure, similarity, good continuation
   b. proximity, good proximity, similarity
   c. closure, similarity, proximity
   d. shapes, figures, figure ground
   e. proximity, similarity, closure

 

The sound of a sizzling frying pan causes Rudollpho to salivate uncontrollably. The sound of the sizzling frying pan is a(n)

1. unconditioned stimulus
   b. conditioned stimulus
   c. unconditioned response
   d. conditioned response
   e. neutral stimulus

 

Ernst Weber introduced the notion of

1. physiological zero
   b. response bias
   c. just noticeable difference
   d. motion parallax
   e. subliminal processing

 

Dichotic listening tasks are used to study

1. selective attention
   b. spontaneous recovery
   c. good continuation
   d. echoic memory
   e. habituation

 

Which of the following is based on the principles of classical conditioning?

1. token economies
   b. differential reinforcement
   c. systematic desensitization
   d. contingency management
   e. unconditional positive regard

 

which of the following can be inferred from most twin studies?

1. differences between dizygotic twins are most likely the product of environmental factors
   b. differences between monozygotic twins are most likely the product of environmental factors
   c. differences between monozygotic and dizygotic twins are most likely the product of environmental factors
   d. differences between dizygotic twins are most likely the product of genetic factors
   e. differences between monozygotic twins are most likely the product of genetic factors

 

which of the following is commonly referred to as the father of developmental psychology?

1. G. Stanley Hall
   b. Sigmund Freud
   c. Erik Erikson
   d. William James
   e. John Locke

 

If two individuals have the same phenotype, that means that they

1. have the same genes for a particular trait
   b. have the same expressed traits for a particular trait
   c. possess the same number of chromosomes
   d. are both hybrids
   e. are genetically identical

 

Each of the following is true about z-scores EXCEPT

1. the mean of a distribution of z-scores is 0
   b. the standard deviation of a distribution of z-scores is 1
   c. about 68% of scores fall between a z-score of -1 and a z-score of +1
   d. about 96% of scores fall between a z-score of -2 and a z-score of +2
   e. there is no correlation between z-scores and T-scores

 

bombastic

 

(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas

 

 

requisite

 

necessary for relief or supply

 

 

apocryphal

 

 

of questionable authenticity

 

 

 

laconic

 

 

brief and to the point

 

 

garrulous

 

 

full of trivial conversation

 

 

ascetic

 

 

practicing great self-denial

 

 

taciturn

 

 

habitually reserved and uncommunicative

 

 

tempestuous

 

 

(of the elements) as if showing violent anger

 

 

demarcation

 

 

the boundary of a specific area

 

 

execrable

 

 

of very poor quality or condition

 

 

prolific

 

 

bearing in abundance especially offspring

 

 

eclectic

 

 

selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas

 

 

expediency

 

 

A means of achieving a particular end, as in a situation requiring haste or caution.

 

 

harrowing

 

 

extremely painful

 

 

prodigious

 

 

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

 

 

stymied

 

 

thwarted; stumped; blocked

 

 

sidereal

 

 

of or relating to the stars or constellations

 

 

etiolated

 

 

weakened or sickly

 

 

circumscribed

 

restricted or limited

 

 

pragmatic

 

concerned with practical matters

 

 

prerogative

 

 

A special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence

 

 

 

esconce

 

 

put firmly in a position, hide away

 

 

ineluctable

 

 

impossible to avoid or evade:”inescapable conclusion”

 

 

invidious

 

 

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

 

 

plangent

 

 

loud and resounding

 

 

nugatory

 

 

worthless

 

 

contentious

 

 

involving or likely to cause controversy

 

 

denouement

 

 

the outcome of a complex sequence of events

 

 

antediluvian

 

 

so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period

 

 

pusillanimous

 

 

lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution

 

 

 

jejune

 

 

displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity, lacking interest or significance

 

 

ludology

 

 

the study of games and other forms of play

 

 

kinesiology

 

 

study of movement

 

 

cybernetics

 

 

the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things

 

 

disencumber

 

 

to free from burdens, to extricate

 

 

inherent

 

 

in the nature of something though not readily apparent

 

 

stipulated

 

 

insisted; to make an express demand or arrangement as a condition of agreement

 

 

insurgencies

 

 

A group that fights against the gov.

 

 

demarcates

 

 

separates by boundaries, distinguishes

 

 

 

antedates

 

 

predating a current time in history

 

 

superannuation

 

 

the property of being out of date and not current

 

 

senescence

 

 

the property characteristic of old age

 

 

imbibement

 

 

to drink, absorb

 

 

 

abscond

 

 

to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

 

 

aberrant

 

 

deviating from the norm (noun form: aberration)

 

 

alacrity

 

 

eager and enthusiastic willingness

 

 

anomaly

 

 

deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality

 

 

approbation

 

 

an expression of approval or praise

 

 

arduous

 

 

strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort

 

 

assuage

 

 

to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify

 

 

audacious

 

 

daring and fearless; recklessly bold

 

 

austere

 

 

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic

 

 

axiomatic

 

 

taken as given; possessing self-evident truth

 

 

canonical

 

 

following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards

 

 

capricious

 

 

inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable

 

 

censure

 

 

to criticize severely; to officially rebuke

 

 

chicanery

 

 

trickery or subterfuge

 

 

connoisseur

 

 

an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert

 

 

convoluted

 

 

complex or complicated

 

 

disabuse

 

 

to undeceive; to set right

 

 

discordant

 

 

conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound

 

 

disparate

 

 

fundamentally distinct or dissimilar

 

 

effrontery

 

 

extreme boldness; presumptuousness

 

 

eloquent

 

 

well-spoken, expressive, articulate

 

 

enervate

 

 

to weaken; to reduce in vitality

 

 

ennui

 

 

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

 

 

equivocate

 

 

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent

 

 

erudite

 

 

very learned; scholarly

 

 

exculpate

 

 

exonerate; to clear of blame

 

 

exigent

 

 

urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention

 

 

extemporaneous

 

 

improvised; done without preparation

 

 

filibuster

 

 

intentional obstruction, esp. using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action

 

 

fulminate

 

 

to loudly attack or denounce

 

 

ingenuous

 

 

artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication

 

 

inured

 

 

accustomed to accepting something undesirable

 

 

irascible

 

 

easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts

 

 

laud

 

 

to praise highly

 

 

lucid

 

 

clear, easily understood

 

 

magnanimity

 

 

the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp. forgiving

 

 

martial

 

 

associated with war and the armed forces

 

 

mundane

 

 

of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary

 

 

nascent

 

 

coming into being; in early developmental stages

 

 

nebulous

 

 

vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form

 

 

For more extensive GRE practice questions, refer to resources like the ETS GRE Practice Questions and practice books from Kaplan or Magoosh.

 

 

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