1
Consider the spheres of human conduct carefully delineated and harmonized by
the modern legal system, which is based on the idea that one person’s freedom
ends where it begins to _______ another person’s freedom.
constitute
impinge upon
decimate
dampen
rule over
2
Though he did his best to cheer her, his pep talk left her just as _______ as
before.
bored
disconsolate
chirpy
disturbed
distant
3
Once the formerly nomadic people developed farming and settled in a valley
rich in natural resources and protected from invaders, they were able to live a
(i) _______ existence for hundreds of years, a period which was (ii)
_______only in the twentieth century when contact with Westerners destroyed
that way of life.
Blank (i)
Blank (ii)
inveterate
scotched
fatuous
hindered
halcyon
initiated
4
The issue of cafeteria size was in fact (i) _______ to the town’s school
redistricting plans. Despite including (ii) _______classrooms, Lakewood
Middle School lacked the cafeteria facilities to allow additional students to eat
lunch within a reasonable time frame.
Blank (ii)
Blank (i)
superfluous
germane
frangible
salubrious
deficient
extraneous
5
Though it is often taken as point of fact that unemployment is a (i) _______ for
workers, certain research suggests that periods of joblessness actually serve as
a (ii) _______in some middle-class people’s working lives, a time for salutary
career change or the pursuit of new opportunities.
Blank (i)
Blank (ii)
bane
juvenescence
conflagration
perquisite
windfall
pivot
6
Although never one to (i) _______ life’s pleasures, only recently had Paul
devoted himself entirely to (ii) _______pursuits. In years past, Paul had adeptly
balanced his love of fine wine and women with (iii) _______career.
Blank (i)
Blank (ii)
Blank (iii)
revel in
misanthropic
a feckless
eschew
hedonistic
an ugatory
peruse
nefarious
an exacting
7
passage.
preschool will be an economic
burden on the state?
Universal preschool is a misguided
use of public funds. This early
academic focus will undermine the
social, emotional, and mental
development associated with a
A Students who attend preschool are
more likely to complete high school
than students who do not attend
preschool.
The following questions are based on this
carefree early childhood.
Furthermore, the economic burden on
the state to fund such an ambitious
undertaking will be overwhelming in
both the short-term and long-term,
since the state has no way to
offset the program’s costs.
Which of the following, if true, most
weakens the idea that universal
B Preschool educated children fare
much better in kindergarten than do
children without preschool.
C Part of the high cost of universal
preschool stems from its requirement
that preschool teachers must have a
bachelor's degree and a teaching
credential.
D The taxes necessary to fund
universal preschool can come from a
variety of sources, including property
taxes and bond measures.
E Students who attend preschool are
less likely to require special
education, an expensive public
service.
The very concept of forgery is a tricky one. Fine art auction house Christie’s
defines forgery as “the making of something in fraudulent imitation of
something else,” whether mimicry of another artist's style or outright copying
of another artist's work. Christie’s defines a fake as “any work of art
deliberately made or altered to pretend to be something older or better than it
is,” while a copy is “an imitation of an original” that “does not pretend to be
the original.” Replicas and facsimiles are also legitimate copies but typically
differ in scale from the original piece; a facsimile is a close reproduction, while
a replica is an exact reproduction. Yet many of the great masters employed
teams of apprentices to finish their masterpieces, with much of the detail work
carried out by relative novices. Who should properly receive credit for such a
piece of work?
A number of the world’s greatest forgers earned their mendacious
appellation unwittingly. The 19th-century Italian sculptor Giovanni Bastianini is
generally considered the original master forger. Bastianini worked in a style not
of his own era; others took his work and successfully passed it off as the art of
various Renaissance-era Old Masters. Bastianini made no inquiry into how his
art was being marketed by the antique dealer Giovanni Freppa. By Christie’s
definitions, he would likely be considered a faker rather than a forger, as he
never sat down with a book of works by Donatello or Michelangelo and tried to
create a copy of an existing piece for the purpose of passing it off as an
original. Today, no one would attribute Bastianini’s work to the great 14th and
15th century masters. He sculpted an idealized interpretation of Renaissance
Art, rather than a true imitation, a difference that became more obvious with
the passage of time and the dissipation of contemporaneous opinions about
what Renaissance Art should reflect. The question becomes how to classify
Bastianini’s work in the history of sculpture.
In truth, there are few reasonable excuses, notwithstanding critical
elitism and the nebulous cult of the artist, to reject good forgeries as good art;
the classifications need not be mutually exclusive. It is indisputable that the
forgery or fake exists as the tangible creation of some artist; whether it is of
greater or lesser merit may be debated by critics and aficionados. All that
remains to discuss is whether there is a valid reason to accept a given forgery
or fake as good art. It is not inconceivable to imagine that some forgeries may
garner sufficient acclaim as to alter the perception, the very classification, of
the forger himself. At the Hermitage museum, one of Bastianini’s sculptures
(properly attributed) rests not far from those of the masters whom he stands
accused of imitating.
8
Which of the following best reflects the author’s purpose in writing the
passage?
A It can be difficult to determine who should receive credit for a piece of
artwork.
B A forgery can also be considered a good work of art in its own right.
C Bastianini should be classified as an artist, not a forger.
D It is worse to forge a piece of art than it is to fake one.
E It can be difficult to distinguish between forgeries and originals.
9
Which of the following does the claim that some forgers “earned their
mendacious appellation unwittingly” imply?
A. Forgers are wise to avoid asking questions about the sales of their works so
that they can plead ignorance if accused of forgery.
B. Many forgers pretend not to be aware of the fact that they are producing
forgeries.
C. Some forgers were oblivious to the fact that the art they created would be
considered forgery.
D. A work of art is only a forgery if the maker intended to produce a forgery.
E. Many forgers were not adequately warned about the legal definition of
forgery.
10
The passage suggests which of the following with respect to the term “mutually
exclusive” in the third paragraph?
A. Good forgeries are also good works of art.
B. Works of art that are declared good make up an exclusive category of art.
C. It can be appropriate to classify a work simultaneously as good art and a
forgery.
D. Classifications of art are more typically based upon exclusiveness rather
than inclusiveness.
E. Works of art can be judged of greater or lesser merit.
11According
to the passage, which of the following is true about Bastianini?
A. Some of Bastianini’s forgeries are of such good quality that they continue
to cause confusion as to their true origins and era today.
B. As a result of superior education, critics today would not mistakenly
attribute Bastianini’s work to the Renaissance-era masters.
C. Bastianini did not create sculptures reflecting the style or sensibilities of his
own era.
D. Bastianini’s work reveals prejudices regarding what he and his peers
believed art from the Renaissance era should demonstrate.
E. Bastianini should be classified as an artist rather than a forger.
12 双选题
The__________ nature of the room was considered extraordinary by everyone,
even Tamika who realized she was cleaning her own apartment at increasingly
irregular intervals.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
inscrutable
purified
sanitized
squalid
transient
sullied
13
The proposed measure to__________ the management team’s plans to move
the company toward a more environmentally conscious posture is likely to be
rejected by the board; ever since Rodriguez assumed the role of board president
last year, the board has demonstrated a particular bent for progressive action.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
alter
scotch
back
foil
fund
endorse
14
As Michael sat in the bar and wallowed in his mental anguish, he was haunted
by the memory of__________ praise sarcastically offered by so many of the
former colleagues whose unkind words drove him to this desperate point.
A. specious
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
redundant
genuine
mephitic
noisome
feigned
15
Precisely because non-technicians often fail to relate to abstruse__________ ,
Riley ordered that the recruitment manual language be carefully revised to
facilitate external consumption.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
slang
vernacular
argot
dialect
jargon
vituperation
Local authorities are considering an amendment to the litter law that would
raise the fine for littering in the community picnic area to $1,000.Advocates
say that raising the fine will make people take notice of the law.They may be
correct that higher fines get more attention.Since the inception of the litter law,
incremental increases in the littering fine have proven to be consistently
effective at further reducing the amount of litter in the community picnic
area.However, raising the fine to $1,000 would actually have the unintended
effect of increasing the amount of litter in the picnic area.Picnic area users
would perceive this fine to be unreasonable and unenforceable, and would
disregard the litter law altogether.
16
Select the sentence, by clicking on the passage itself, that provides support for
the author's position in the passage.
The most common metal in the Earth’s crust, aluminum (or aluminium) was not
discovered until 1825 because its isolated state is so reactive that free nuggets or
flakes of the metal are never found in nature. Moreover, elemental aluminum is
extremely difficult—and expensive—to separate from its ores by traditional
chemical means. Indeed, the extreme reactivity of aluminum helps protect its
modern, ubiquitous manifestations, such as aluminum foil. The surface of pure
aluminum instantly combines with atmospheric oxygen to form a thin but robust
“passivization” seal of aluminum oxide that prevents further corrosion. Many
other metals, such as iron, are less reactive than aluminum, but their superficial
oxides do not form as swiftly, completely, or impermeably.
For several decades after its discovery, aluminum was considered a
precious metal, not because of any fundamental scarcity, but because of its
elevated cost of production. The price of aluminum suddenly plummeted in 1886,
however, when two 23-year-old inventors independently developed an
electrolytic process of separating pure aluminum from a bath of molten
aluminum salts.
17
According to the passage, the natural passivization layer on the surface of
aluminum metal
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
causes atmospheric oxygen to react chemically with the metal
is less impenetrable than typical iron oxide films formed on pure iron
lowers the utility of aluminum in its uncontaminated state
provides aluminum with a chemical advantage, relative to other metals
precludes the inexpensive purification of the metal by traditional chemical
processes
18
In terms of economic impact, which of the following hypothetical situations
would be most analogous to what the passage indicates happened in 1886?
A. Fossil remains of a previously unknown dinosaur species are
simultaneously discovered by two researchers working independently of
one another.
B. Lead-acid batteries are widely replaced in automobiles by batteries
containing lithium, a much rarer metal than lead.
C. Direct processing of light signals within fiber-optic devices supplants
electronic signal processing performed by solid-state transistors.
D. After supplies of a widely used commodity become unavailable, the price
of the commodity surges.
E. Low-cost artificial synthesis of diamonds, which are expensive to mine but
composed of the common element carbon, is perfected.
19
In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with
A. describing the economic significance of a particular metal
B. contrasting the properties of a particular metal with those of other metals
C. outlining historical and scientific characteristics of a chemical element
D. justifying the initially high production costs of a particular metal
E. highlighting the vicissitudes of technological progress through an example
20
Scientist: Evolutionary biology has long held that the most attractive males
of a species, defined as those with the highest quality physical traits that
have no Darwinian survival value, will draw the most female mates. The
resulting male offspring will inherit that attractiveness and themselves have
more children as a result, thus ensuring widespread dissemination of the
grandparents' genes. Recently, however, scientists have found that the
sons of "high quality" male flycatchers failed to inherit the father's mating
status. Further, the most attractive males were so busy mating that they
neglected their offspring; as a result, the sons of homelier birds, who took
better care of their offspring, had more success at propagating the species.
In the argument given, the two highlighted portions play which of the
following roles?
A. The first is the conclusion of a theory disputed by the scientist; the second
is the scientist's new contention based upon the latest evidence.
B. The first is a premise of a long-held biological theory; the second is an
example of how this theory works.
C. The first is an explanation of how a biological theory is thought to work;
the second is an example of research results that do not support this theory.
D. The first is an example of a theory that used to be prevalent; the second is
the new theory that is now considered predominant by scientists.
E. The first introduces a long-held theory that the scientist is going to
disprove; the second is the scientist's new theory to replace the one she
disproved.
KEY 答案与解析
1
The clue phrase in the first part of the stem is "spheres of human conduct
carefully delineated and harmonized," implying that the modern legal system
defines the boundaries of human behaviors to promote the peaceful coexistence
of these behaviors. In other words, the modern legal system serves to keep people
out of others' space. The second part of the stem should conform to this concept.
Thus, the second part of the stem should mean "one person's freedom ends
where it begins to infringe on" another person's freedom. An appropriate Filler
is infringe on, which means "to encroach on."
(A) Constitute sounds like Constitution, which is a theme trap if you're thinking
of the relationship between the Constitution and the legal system.
(B) CORRECT. Impinge upon means the same thing as infringe on.
(C) Decimate means "to destroy." This has an appropriately negative spin, but
it's much too strong for what we're looking for.
(D) Dampen is an easy, familiar word, but it's not close enough in meaning
to infringe on.
(E) Rule over is not close in meaning, but it does contain a theme trap if you're
thinking of the "rule of law."
2
The pivot "though" suggests that she was not, in fact, left "cheered" or "peppy"
by his talk. Very often the best Filler is one that uses the very clue words
offered by the sentence, say uncheered or cheerless, but in this case the very
simple word sad would suffice.
(A) Though bored is negative, it does not mean sad.
(B) CORRECT. Disconsolate can mean either "very sad" or "unconsolable,
incapable of being consoled."
(C) Chirpy means "peppy, lively," the exact opposite of what we want.
(D) Though disturbed is negative, it does not mean sad.
(E) Though distant is negative (in this context it might suggest "aloof" or
"alienated"), it does not mean sad.
3
"Rich in natural resources and protected from invaders" is a clue that blank (i)
will be filled with a word like prosperous orpeaceful.
(A) Inveterate, meaning "habitual," is not a good match for the filler.
(B) Fatuous means "complacently foolish," which is not a good match for the
filler.
(C) CORRECT. Halcyon means "prosperous, calm, peaceful" and is a perfect
match for our filler.
Later on, when "Westerners destroyed that way of life," that prosperous and
peaceful period must have ended. So, our blank (ii) will be something
like destroyed or ended.
(D) CORRECT. Scotched means "ended," and is a perfect match for our filler.
(E) Hindered is an okay match for the filler, though just okay, as the way of life
was not just hindered but rather destroyed completely.
(F) Initiated has exactly the opposite meaning of our filler.
4
The clear pivot “despite” in the second sentence makes blank (ii) easier to attack
first. We need to contrast the inclusion of classrooms with the lack of cafeteria
facilities. Potential fillers for blank (ii) include “plentiful” or “extra.”
(D) CORRECT. Superfluous means “more than sufficient” and is a match to our
filler.
(E) Frangible means “fragile” and does not make sense in this context.
(F) Deficient would imply there were not enough classrooms. This is opposite of
what we want.
After completing the second sentence, we know that cafeteria facilities are
actually a limiting factor in these plans. Therefore, the issue of cafeteria size is
“relevant” or actually “harmful” to the redistricting plans, providing fillers for
blank (i).
(A) CORRECT. Germane means “relevant or pertinent,” so is a good a match
for our fillers.
(B) Salubrious means “healthful” and does not make sense.
(C) Extraneous means “irrelevant,” opposite of our fillers.
5
The clue phrase comes in the third section of the stem: "a time for salutary career
change or the pursuit of new opportunities." This means that unemployment can
sometimes be good for people. Blank (ii) needs a filler like “beneficial time” or
“time for change.”
(D) Juvenescence means “youthfulness,” so it is not a good fit.
(E) Perquisite, "an exclusive right or benefit," doesn't match at all with what we
want.
(F) CORRECT. Pivot aptly describes how unemployment can serve as a critical
juncture in people's lives, helping them pivottowards a better job.
We then need to notice the pivot word "though" at the beginning of the sentence.
This indicates a need for a contrast between the two blanks, so blank (i) should
be something like "bad thing."
(A) CORRECT. Bane, "something that causes problems or misery," is a perfect
match.
(B) A conflagration is "a large fire" and is not a good match.
(C) Windfall has a positive spin, so is the opposite of what we want.
6
In describing Paul’s life, we know that he has always enjoyed “fine wine and
women,” but in the past these interests were balanced with a career. Looking to
blank (i), we know that Paul has always enjoyed “life’s pleasures” – meaning he
has never “avoided” them, making “avoid” a good filler for blank (i).
(A) Revel means “to delight in” and is opposite to our filler.
(B) CORRECT. Eschew means “avoid,” a perfect match to our filler.
(C) Peruse, meaning “examine,” does not fit in this context.
Turning to blank (ii), we know that Paul has now stepped away from the balance
he previously had between work and pleasure and is “devoted himself entirely”
to “pleasure seeking,” our filler for blank (ii).
(D) Misanthropic, meaning “showing hatred toward human kind,” does not fit
here.
(E) CORRECT. Hedonistic is defined as “devoted to the pursuit of pleasure,”
exactly what we are looking for.
(F) Nefarious, meaning “wicked or villainous,” does not fit. Although we may
feel we are looking for a word with somewhat negative connotation, there is no
indication of Paul’s involvement in criminal or evil pursuits.
Finally, for blank (iii) we need to describe the career Paul used to balance with
his pleasures. A key clue in this case is the word “adeptly,” implying that it took
much skill to achieve this balance. A career that was “challenging” or “successful”
would make sense in this context.
(G) Feckless means “incompetent or lazy,” opposite to what we are looking for.
(H) Nugatory, meaning “trifling or ineffective,” does not fit.
(I) CORRECT. Exacting means “demanding” and has the right tone here.
7
The argument posits that universal preschool is a poor idea for children and an
overwhelming economic burden for the state. In order to weaken the idea that
preschool is an economic burden, the answer choice must demonstrate that
preschool somehow directly allows the state to save money in another capacity.
(A) This choice demonstrates an academic benefit of preschool, but not an
economic benefit.
(B) Similar to (A), this choice strictly refers to an academic benefit of preschool.
(C) This choice provides a partial explanation of why preschool is so expensive,
but does not weaken the idea that preschool will be an economic burden on the
state.
(D) This choice simply indicates that the funding for preschool can come from a
variety of sources, but in no way undermines the economic burden that preschool
imposes.
(E) CORRECT. This choice indicates that special education, an expensive
public service, will be made less necessary by the introduction of universal
preschool. Thus, spending money on preschool now will save money later.
8
The first paragraph defines several art terms, including forgery, fake, copy,
replica and facsimile, and ends with a question: who should receive credit for a
work completed by multiple people? The second paragraph discusses a famous
forger but indicates that he did not set out to fool art purchasers; he merely
sculpted in the style of a past age. The final paragraph ties the passage together:
a good forgery may also qualify as good art, and a good forger may also qualify
as a good artist.
(A) While this can be inferred from the text at the end of the first paragraph,
this information does not reflect the overall message of the entire passage.
(B) CORRECT. The beginning of the third paragraph summarizes the primary
purpose of the passage: Good forgeries can also be considered good art; it is
not the case that something cannot be included in both classifications.
(C) While the second paragraph does state that Bastianini “would likely be
considered a faker rather than a forger,”Bastianini is primarily used as an
example of a concept; the artist himself is not the main point of the passage.
Further, the third paragraph indicates that someone can be called both an artist
and a forger; it is not necessary to classify someone as only one or the other.
Finally, the author does not actually state that Bastianini should be classified as
an artist.
(D) The passage does not discuss whether it is worse to forge or to fake a work
of art.
(E) While this may be true in the real world, the passage does not discuss the
difficulties associated with distinguishing originals from forgeries.
9
The first sentence of paragraph two states, “A number of the world’s greatest
forgers earned their mendacious appellation unwittingly.” The term
“mendacious” refers to a deception or deviation from the absolute truth, and
“mendacious appellation” refers to the labeling of someone as a forger. The
term “unwittingly” means unknowingly or unintentionally. Thus, some forgers
earned that label without intending to create forged works of art.
(A) This may be true, but the passage does not discuss instances in which
forgers do suspect how their works are being sold but avoid asking questions to
confirm their suspicions. The passage only tells us that Bastianini “made no
inquiry into how his art was being marketed” but does not tell us why he did
not.
(B) The passage does not address instances in which forgers are aware that they
are creating forgeries but pretend otherwise.
(C) CORRECT. The first sentence of paragraph two discusses “a number of”
forgers, which corresponds to (at least) some forgers. Such forgers “earned
their mendacious appellation unwittingly” or were unaware that their work
would be considered forgery.
(D) The definition of forgery given in the first paragraph does not indicate
whether the artist must intend to produce a forgery. Further, paragraph two
clearly indicates that Bastianini did not intend to produce forgeries, yet he was
classified as “the original master forger.”
(E) The relevant sentence indicates that at least some forgers earned that label
unintentionally. It is possible that they were not warned in advance of the
specific legal definition of forgery, and yet were aware generally that what they
created was a fraudulent attempt to imitate others.
10
The first sentence of paragraph three states that “there are few reasonable
excuses to reject good forgeries as good art; the classifications need not be
mutually exclusive.” “Mutually exclusive” means that the two categories do
not share any items. If the two categories under discussion “need not be
mutually exclusive,” then it is acceptable to place one item into both categories.
(A) The term “mutually exclusive” is used in the passage to indicate that good
forgeries can also be called good art. This choice says that good forgeries are,
by definition, also good works of art; the wording is too extreme to be
supported by the language in the passage.
(B) While this may be true in the real world, the information in this choice does
not reflect the meaning of the term “mutually exclusive.”
(C) CORRECT. According to the first sentence of the passage, it is acceptable
to classify one item as both a forgery and good art.
(D) The passage does not discuss whether art is more typically classified based
upon exclusive versus inclusive measures.
(E) While the second sentence of the third paragraph does discuss judging
artworks worthy of greater or lesser merit, this text is not relevant to the term
“mutually exclusive,” used in the first sentence.
11
(A) The second paragraph indicates that “no one would attribute Bastianini’s
work to the great 14th and 15th century masters” today. The third paragraph
indicates that the sculpture in the Hermitage museum is correctly labeled with
Bastianini’s name.
(B) Paragraph two does say that “today, no one would attribute Bastianini’s
work to the great 14th and 15th century masters.” The passage does not say,
however, that this is a result of superior education today. Rather, we are told
that Bastianini’s forgery is readily apparent today because he “sculpted an
idealized interpretation of Renaissance Art” that became apparent, over time,
with “the dissipation of contemporaneous opinions as to what Renaissance Art
should reflect.”
(C) Paragraph two states that Bastianini “worked in a style not of his own era.”
However, we are also told that Bastianini’s forgeries are readily apparent today
because he “sculpted an idealized interpretation of Renaissance Art,” an
interpretation that we are told was built upon the prevailing sensibilities of his
era (those that later "dissipated").
(D) CORRECT. Paragraph two states that Bastianini “sculpted an idealized
interpretation of Renaissance Art.” That is, in Bastianini’s era, there was a
specific preconceived idea, or prejudice, about what Renaissance-era art
“should” look like. “With the passage of time,” however, this prejudice became
obvious to later generations due to the “dissipation” or disintegration of
“contemporaneous opinions” (opinions of Bastianini’s time) regarding “what
Renaissance Art should reflect.”
(E) The third paragraph indicates that someone can be called both an artist and
a forger; it is not necessary to classify someone as only one or the other.
Further, the author does not state that Bastianini should not be considered a
forger as a result. Finally, the second paragraph does state that “by Christie’s
definitions, he would likely be considered a faker rather than a forger,” but this
provides support only for classifying Bastianini as a faker rather than a forger.
It does not provide support for classifying Bastianini as an artistrather than a
forger.
12
The room’s appearance could be extraordinary in many ways. Yet, the use of
“even Tamika” who is “cleaning her own apartment at increasingly irregular
intervals” indicates that the room must be extraordinary in how dirty, or unkempt
it has become. “Filthy” would be a good filler.
(A) Inscrutable means “mysterious.” It is not a good match for our filler.
(B) Purified means “uncontaminated” or “untainted.” It is the opposite in
meaning to word we are seeking.
(C) Sanitized means “made clean.” It too is the opposite of the word we are
seeking.
(D) CORRECT. Squalid means “foul” or “dirty.” This is a nice match for our
filler.
(E) Transient means “briefly passing through.” Rooms can be described to have
a transient nature if they are set up to be lived in only temporarily, but this term
is not a good match the sentence.
(F) CORRECT. Sullied means “dirty” or “soiled” This is a nice match for our
filler.
Note that (B) and (C) are a matching pair, but they give the sentence the opposite
meaning from the intended one.
13
This sentence contains a lot of double negatives and switchbacks. The big clue
is “likely to be rejected by the board.” Another clue is that the board has
“demonstrated a particular bent for progressive action.” This means the board is
inclined to favor change or progress, which means the board would be likely to
support any plans for a more environmentally conscious posture. So, if the board
would support the environmentally conscious posture, and if the board is likely
to vote down the new measure, this new measure must be against the plans for a
more environmentally conscious posture. Therefore, the measure must be
designed to “kill” or “prevent” the management team’s plans.
(A) Alter is a word that would fit in the blank. Since the proposed measure is
against the management team’s plans, it’s reasonable to suggest that the measure
would alter, or change, the plans. However, note that there is no synonym match
for alter. Remember, we must always choose two answers that end up giving a
similar meaning to the sentence.
(B) CORRECT. Scotch means “to put an end to, stamp out.” This is exactly
what we want.
(C) Back, meaning “support,” is exactly the opposite of what we want.
(D) CORRECT. Foil means “to prevent the success of.” Again, this is perfect.
(E) Fund is not right. The measure is designed to destroy the plans, not fund
them.
(F) Endorse, meaning “support,” is exactly the opposite of what we want.
One who gets turned around by the switchbacks would be likely to choose (C)
and (F), a synonym pair with exactly the opposite meaning of what we want.
14
There is a clear negative spin to this sentence. Although the sentence mentions
praise, the praise is “sarcastically offered” and leads to “mental pain” and a
“desperate point.” We are looking for an adjective for “praise” as our filler that
turns it negative, such as “false.”
(A) CORRECT. Specious means “falsely appearing true or plausible.” This
fits.
(B) Redundant means “more than is necessary.” This is a fit with the broad
theme of the sentence but the definition does not match what is needed as a
filler.
(C) Genuine is the opposite of what we want as it does not turn the praise into a
negative thing.
(D) Mephitic means “foul or offensive smelling” and does not fit here.
(E) Noisome means “disgustingly offensive, often in odor” but does not work
in context.
(F) CORRECT. Feigned means “invented or made up” and is a perfect fit.
Note that (D) and (E) are near-synonyms and have the negative spin we want,
but have meanings that are too strong and do not fit with the word “praise.”
15
The language of the manual will be “revised to facilitate external
consumption.” This means the language will be made easier for outsiders, or
“non-technicians,” to understand. Thus, the current language must be overly
technical and hard to understand. The adjective “abstruse” confirms
this. Abstruse means “obscure, complicated, hard to understand.” Thus, we
want a word that means “technical language that is difficult to understand.”
That’s our filler.
(A) Slang means “very informal vocabulary.” We want a word that means
“technical vocabulary.”
(B) Vernacular means “the plain, native speech of a place.” We want
something that means “complicated, technical language.” In a way, this word is
the opposite of what we want.
(C) CORRECT. Argot is “a specialized set of vocabulary used by a group.”
This is what we want.
(D) Dialect means “regional subtype of a language.” While it is correct to
choose a subset of language, we are not looking for a regional subset.
(E) CORRECT. Jargon means “technical terminology specific to a field.”
This is what we want.
(F) Vituperation is “verbal abuse.” It is in the language genre, but does not
have the correct meaning.
Note that (A) and (B) make a very tempting synonym pair, but they imply a
“de-elevated vocabulary.” (D) and (F) are thematically correct, but do not have
the correct meaning.
16
The author concludes that raising the fine to $1,000 would have the unintended
effect of increasing the amount of litter in the picnic area.
The "however" is a signal that the author is about to assert his conclusion, in
contrast to the previous statements. Thus, we will not find support for the author's
position before the "however."
The last sentence supports the author's position by explaining WHY people
might litter more, despite facing a higher potential fine for doing so.
17
This question asks us about a specific detail mentioned in the passage: the
“passivization” layer on the surface of aluminum metal. The passage indicates
that this layer: (1) is formed from the combination of atmospheric oxygen with
the pure metal, (2) is thin but robust, and (3) prevents further corrosion. We
should look for an answer that matches one of these facts.
(A) This choice reverses the stated cause-and-effect sequence. The layer is the
result of the reaction between oxygen and aluminum—not the cause of that
reaction.
(B) We are told that this layer is “thin but robust”; in fact, in the next sentence,
we are told that the superficial (= surface) oxides of iron “do not form as
swiftly, completely, or impermeably” (as the surface oxides of aluminum).
Thus, the passivization layer on aluminum is actually more impenetrable than
the one that forms on iron.
(C) We cannot conclude that this layer “lowers the utility” or usefulness of
pure aluminum. If anything, we would guess that this layer, because it prevents
further corrosion, makes pure aluminum very long-lasting and therefore more
useful—and that guess would be an inference anyway.
(D) CORRECT. The passivization seal of aluminum oxide “prevents further
corrosion” in aluminum, while “many other metals” do not form such seals “as
swiftly, completely, or impermeably.” The passivization layer, then, provides
aluminum with at least one advantage relative to other metals.
(E) We do not know whether this layer is what causes the “traditional”
purification of aluminum to be an expensive process.
18
To draw an economic comparison or analogy between what happened in 1886
(according to the passage) and a hypothetical situation, we first need to
understand the stated events of 1886 and grasp their economic import. The
passage tells us that, in 1886, two inventors developed a new process to isolate
aluminum, and that as a result the price plummeted. We might predict that we
are looking for a situation in which a previously expensive product suddenly
becomes cheaper because of a new technology.
(A) While this situation captures a couple of the features of the events of 1886
(two researchers working independently make a discovery at the same time),
these features do not imply anything about the economic impact of that
discovery.
(B) This situation is in some ways opposite to the events of 1886. In this
choice, a product containing one material (lead) is replaced by a product
containing a “much rarer” material (lithium); if anything, we would expect the
price of the product to go up, not down.
(C) In this choice, nothing is indicated or implied about the economic impact of
replacing an old process (electronic signal processing) with a new process
(direct processing of light signals). We do not know whether the new process
would be cheaper or more expensive.
(D) This situation is in some ways opposite to the events of 1886. Here, a
commodity becomes scarce, and the price shoots up.
(E) CORRECT. Expensive diamonds become less expensive due to the
perfection of a new technological process: “low-cost artificial synthesis.” This
situation would be directly analogous, in terms of economic impact, to what
happened with aluminum in 1886.
19
This question asks us to determine the main idea or purpose of the passage. The
passage discusses the history of aluminum, tying that history to particular
chemical properties of aluminum (its high degree of reactivity). The passage
also explains the seeming discrepancy between aluminum’s reactivity and what
is commonly known about aluminum. Finally, the passage mentions another
stage in the history of aluminum – its sudden decline in price.
(A) Although a change in the price of aluminum is described, the “economic
significance” of the metal is not the focus of the passage, which would have to
go into such topics as the use of the metal or the importance of the metal to
various industries.
(B) One sentence in the passage does contrast aluminum’s properties with
those of “many other metals,” but the purpose of the overall passage is not to
make this contrast.
(C) CORRECT. The passage addresses both historical and scientific
characteristics of the element aluminum.
(D) The passage states that the cost of aluminum production was initially high
and that the metal is difficult to isolate by traditional chemical means (a point
that could be considered a justification of that high cost), but significant
portions of the passage have nothing to do with either the cost or its
justification.
(E) At an abstract level, the dramatic price decline of aluminum in 1886 might
be thought of as related to a “vicissitude of technological progress” (the
discovery of a cheaper extraction process), but the connection is a stretch, and
the purpose of the passage is certainly not to highlight the discovery as an
example of any larger pattern or principle.
20
The first two sentences of the argument address the currently-held theory that
certain physical features that serve only to indicate "attractiveness" have
developed in order to help those males distribute their own genes more
widely. For example, a male peacock's plume of tailfeathers does not actively
help him to survive; the theory holds that it helps him to procreate by attracting
females. The first highlighted portion explains to us how this theory works.
The final two sentences of the argument introduce information that contradicts
this theory. In this particular species of bird, the homelier birds are better at
passing on their genes than the attractive birds. The second highlighted
portion provides an example of the specific research results that contradict the
theory.
(A) The first highlighted statement is not a conclusion; it is an explanation of
how the theory works. The second highlighted statement is not a contention
(or conclusion); it simply presents new evidence and allows the reader to draw
a conclusion.
(B) The two highlighted statements address opposite sides of the argument, but
this choice says that the second statement supports the theory advanced by the
first statement.
(C) CORRECT. The first highlighted statement explains how the theory is
thought to work and the second highlighted statement presents research results
that contradict this theory.
(D) Nothing in the argument indicates that the long-held theory discussed in the
first two sentences is not still prevalent. Indeed, the research that contradicts
the theory was only discovered "recently." In addition, the second highlighted
statement does not introduce a new theory; it simply presents research results
that contradict the original theory.
(E) The scientist does not completely disprove the long-held theory; she merely
presents one piece of data that does not support the theory. In addition, the
second highlighted statement does not introduce a new theory; it simply
presents research results that contradict the original theory.