GMAT Sample Questions: Verbal Skills Section; www.gmac.com

GMAT Verbal Skills Section Practice Questions – The GMAT Verbal Skills Section is divided into Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Correction. This section is made up of 36 multiple choice questions and will test the candidates’ ability to comprehend the written material, read and understand the logical relationship between the points mentioned in the passage and concepts. For Critical Reasoning, section candidates would be required to strengthen the argument, weaken the argument, draw an inference, or simply identify some other aspect of the argument.

In this article, we will inform you about the GMAT Verbal section practice questions. You can also look for GMAT Verbal mock test and GMAT Verbal practice tests, so, you can have a clear idea of what type of questions you are going to get in the GMAT test.

Three types of questions in the GMAT Verbal Section

There are three types of questions in the Verbal section of the GMAT test – Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. In these, Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning have sub-types that are given to test specific verbal skills of the candidates.

Reading Comprehension

• According to GMAC, this is designed to measure your ability to understand words and statements, understand logical relationships between significant points and follow the development of quantitative concepts. Also, it checks the following reading skills of the candidates – the main idea, supporting the idea, application, inference, logical structure, and style.

• Every Reading Comprehension passage includes questions that ask you to interpret material, draw inferences or apply to a further context. The passage discusses topics including social sciences and humanities, business-related fields, and physical and biological sciences.

Critical Reasoning

• According to GMAC, this topic is designed to measure candidates’ ability to make arguments, evaluate arguments, and frame or evaluate a plan of action.

• Critical Reasoning questions are based on a short reading message typically less than 100 words. The text also comes with a question that asks you which of the five answer options strengthens or weakens an argument, tells why the argument is flawed, or strongly supports or damages the argument.

Sentence Correction

• This is designed to measure two broad aspects of language proficiency. First, it to correct expression, referring to sentences that are grammatically and structurally sound. Second is an effective expression, that is referring to sentences that effectively express an idea or relationship clearly in a concise manner and grammatically.
• Each Sentence Correction question presents a sentence, part or all of which is underlined. There are five ways of phrasing the underlined part. You need to focus on grammar, word choice, and sentence construction and you have to choose the answer that produces the most effective sentence.

For candidates to be able to score well in this section they would be required to learn the different elements of grammar. Students looking to appear for their GMAT exam can check out the following sample GMAT Critical Reasoning questions along with their answers. For more similar GMAT practice papers kindly visit our page on GMAT Sample Papers.

Question 1

National debates are the engine that powers political campaigns, dissecting issues and not oversimplifying them, as in campaign commercials.

A. dissecting issues and not oversimplifying them, as in campaign commercials

B. dissecting issues instead of oversimplifying them, like campaign commercials

C. dissecting issues rather than oversimplifying them, as campaign commercials do

D. and dissects the issues but does not oversimplify them, as is done in campaign commercials

E. and dissects the issues, unlike campaign commercials that oversimplify them

Question 2

The researcher’s theory of there being different feelings associated with different chemicals in the body has not yet been proven.

A. of there being different feelings associated with different chemicals in the body has not yet been proven

B. of different feelings that are associated with different chemicals in the body has not yet been proven

C. that different feelings are associated with different chemicals has not yet been proven

D. which is that there are different feelings associated with different chemicals has not yet been proven

E. which has not yet been proven is that there are different feelings associated with different chemicals

Question 3

Monika and Suji are world leaders in the production and distribution of colour, and black and white photography films respectively, though, between the two, Monika has a bigger market capital. To beat Monika in terms of business volume, Suji has planned to increase production volume by setting up a state of the art manufacturing facility that will be operational within a year. Still, analysts are of the view that Suji’s plan is not well-founded.

Which of the following, if true, will strengthen the analysts’ contention?

A. Monika uses superior technology to manufacture its films.

B. Monika spends more money than Suji does on marketing and advertisement.

C. Black and White photography is pursued almost exclusively by photography enthusiasts while colour photography is what is generally opted by the general public.

D. Monika’s customers place more orders than do Suji’s.

E. Suji will be pumping in huge sums of money in setting up its new facility.

Question 4

Diane: As we both know, the population of this country is ageing. Elderly people generally prefer not to live in harsh climates characterized by extreme temperatures. Accordingly, in this country’s coastal regions, where the climate is generally most temperate, the population is likely to grow, while other regions are likely to suffer population declines.

Paul: I disagree. With few exceptions, regions, where the climate is harsh, are characterized by comparatively low living costs, a compelling factor for retired people with little savings and on fixed incomes.

Which of the following is the most likely point of disagreement between Diane and Paul?

A. the reason for the population shift toward coastal areas and away from other regions

B. whether the country’s current decline in overall population will continue into the foreseeable future

C. why older people find certain regions where the climate is harsh attractive places to live

D. whether regions characterized by harsh climates are likely to experience population declines in the foreseeable future

E. the extent to which coastal regions are affordable places to live for retired people

Question 5

Artistic success as an actor is directly dependent on how well an actor has developed his craft. This has been demonstrated by the discovery of a positive relationship between the number of classes taken by an actor and the number of professional productions in which the actor has appeared in the past two years. Each of the following, if true, cast doubt on the author’s argument about artistic success for actors EXCEPT:

A. The figures for the number of classes taken were based solely on the information provided by actors.

B. Success as an actor cannot necessarily be judged exclusively by recent credits.

C. For most successful actors, it’s not the quantity but the quality of their classes that has helped to develop their craft.

D. There is no relationship between the number of professional productions in which an actor has appeared and true artistic success.

E. Most successful actors have taken only a small number of intensive classes.

Question 6

A study of 1,000 elementary school students across the nation found that those who had received some training in the violin performed better academically, on average, than those who had not. This suggests that learning to play a musical instrument makes children that age academically stronger.

The conclusion of this argument assumes which of the following?

A. Better academic performance can be attributed to factors other than musical ability.

B. The skills required to learn to play the violin are common to all musical instruments.

C. High academic prowess results from the skills nurtured by learning to play an instrument.

D. There is no proven correlation between musical skill and academic ability.

E. Many high-ranked schools require students to learn to play an instrument at this age.

Question 7

Music Industry executives have claimed that online file-sharing networks are significantly hurting their business because potential consumers are getting music for free that they would otherwise purchase. However, after file-sharing networks started to become popular, CD sales actually increased. Which of the following, if true, best explains the apparent contradictions described above?

A. File-sharing networks carry a more complete variety of music than most traditional music stories.

B. The few people using file-sharing networks already purchased more music than most people.

C. Many people prefer to store their music as computer files rather than maintain large CD collections.

D. Many consumers have purchased music by artists they discovered through file-sharing networks.

E. Music available on file-sharing networks is of the same audio quality as music on commercially produced CDs.

Question 9

State politicians are optimistic that the state’s economic downturn will not be as severe as had been predicted. Their hopes are bolstered by the data released last week: the jobless rate declined two full percentage points in the last six months. But, many economists have pointed out the flight of unemployed residents to the bordering states where jobs are plentiful. Furthermore, many out of work residents have been rehired at minimum wage: virtually all new jobs in the state in the past year have been minimum wage jobs. Economists cast grave doubts on the economic well-being of the state. In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. The first is evidence in support of the conclusion; the second is that conclusion.

B. The first is evidence opposed to the conclusion; the second is an interpretation of the conclusion.

C. The first is an interpretation that calls the conclusion into question; the second is that conclusion.

D. The first is a conclusion the argument calls into question; the second is the evidence that calls it into question.

E. The first is evidence taken to support a conclusion; the second is a position that opposes that conclusion.

Question 10

Amid the present wave of job redundancies for skilled but unemployed youth, the publication of an encouraging report on the viability of garage startup enterprises has led the Federal government to set up an investment fund, under its Federal light-industry program, to provide capital for such enterprises. This plan has drawn opposition from various quarters; the critics claim that similar funds, also set up under the Federal light-industry program, that aim to stimulate small enterprises frequently end up harming other American social groups unconnected to these enterprises. Which of the following best provides support for the claim made by the critics above?

A. Garage enterprises in Washington State now produce almost 12% of the vehicle components previously imported from South East Asia.

B. The funding of the Federal light-industry program depends on the reallocation of resources earmarked for disadvantaged groups.

C. The debate concerning the Federal light-industry program created a backlog in the Federal legislative schedule.

D. The union for Federal light-Industry workers was the prime source of the claim.

E. Programs like Federal light-industry programs have yielded great results in the past.

Question 11

Which of the following best completes the argument? Dexter Solutions is one of the most successful Information Technology (IT) consulting companies around the world. It primarily deals in cloud computing domain. Alex is an IT consultant who specializes in IT infrastructure services. Thus, Alex surely cannot be a consultant at Dexter Solutions because __________.

A. Alex has no skills in cloud computing.

B. Dexter Solutions does no business in the IT infrastructure services domain.

C. there is no overlap between Alex’s skill-set and the domains that Dexter Solutions does business in.

D. the global market size of the IT infrastructure services consulting business is small.

E. an IT consultant who specializes in IT infrastructure services cannot qualify to be a cloud computing expert.

Question 12

In order to better differentiate its product from generic brands, the cereal company first hired a marketing firm that specializes in creating campaigns to build brand awareness and then retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal.

A. then retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal

B. retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal

C. then retooled its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal

D. then will retool its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal

E. then produces a variety of different shapes of cereal through retooling its factory

Question 13

Believed to be one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world, Christine de Pizan’s masterwork The Book of the City of the Ladies was written in 1405 and is a history of the Western world from the woman’s point-of-view.

A. Believed to be one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world

B. Written by one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world

C. One of the first widely read female authors of the Western world, as some believe

D. Written by what some believe as one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world

E. Believed by some as one of the first works by a widely read female author in the Western world

Question 14

The first and most important rule of legitimate or popular

    government, that is to say, of government whose object is the

    good of the people, is therefore, as I have observed, to follow

    in everything the general will. But to follow this will it is

5   necessary to know it, and above all to distinguish it from the

    particular will, beginning with one’s self: this distinction is

    always very difficult to make, and only the most sublime virtue

    can afford sufficient illumination for it. As, in order to will,

    it is necessary to be free, a difficulty no less great than the

10  former arises ? that of preserving at once the public liberty

    and the authority of government. Look into the motives which have

    induced men, once united by their common needs in a general

    society, to unite themselves still more intimately by means of

    civil societies: you will find no other motive than that of

15  assuring the property, life and liberty of each member by the

    protection of all. But can men be forced to defend the liberty

    of any one among them, without trespassing on that of others?

    And how can they provide for the public needs, without alienating

    the individual property of those who are forced to contribute to

20  them? With whatever sophistry all this may be covered over, it is

    certain that if any constraint can be laid on my will, I am no

    longer free, and that I am no longer master of my own property,

    if any one else can lay a hand on it. This difficulty, which would

    have seemed insurmountable, has been removed, like the first, by

25  the most sublime of all human institutions, or rather by a divine

    inspiration, which teaches mankind to imitate here below the

    unchangeable decrees of the Deity. By what inconceivable art has a

    means been found of making men free by making them subject; of

    using in the service of the State the properties, the persons and

30  even the lives of all its members, without constraining and without

    consulting them; of confining their will by their own admission; of

    overcoming their refusal by that consent, and forcing them to punish

    themselves, when they act against their own will? How can it be that

    all should obey, yet nobody take upon him to command, and that all

35  should serve, and yet have no masters, but be the more free, as, in

    apparent subjection, each loses no part of his liberty but what might

    be hurtful to that of another? These wonders are the work of law. It

    is to law alone that men owe justice and liberty. It is this salutary

    organ of the will of all which establishes, in civil right, the

40  natural equality between men. It is this celestial voice which

    dictates to each citizen the precepts of public reason, and teaches

    him to act according to the rules of his own judgment, and not to

    behave inconsistently with himself. It is with this voice alone that

    political rulers should speak when they command; for no sooner does

45  one man, setting aside the law, claim to subject another to his

    private will, than he departs from the state of civil society, and

    confronts him face to face in the pure state of nature, in which

    obedience is prescribed solely by necessity.

Adapted from: A Discourse on Political Economy, Jean Jacques Rousseau (1755)

A. The paradox in line 28 is resolved according to the author when an individual

A. submits to the rule of law and thus is at liberty to do anything that does not harm another person

B. behaves according to the natural rights of man and not according to imposed rules

C. agrees to follow the rule of law even when it is against his best interests

D. belongs to a society which guarantees individual liberty at all times

E. follows the will of the majority

B. The author?s attitude to law in this passage is best conveyed as

A. respect for its inalienable authority

B. extolling its importance as a human institution

C. resignation to the need for its imposition on the majority

D. acceptance of its restrictions

E. praise for its divine origin

C. The author would agree with all of the following except

A. government must maintain its authority without unduly compromising personal liberty

B. individual freedom is threatened in the absence of law

C. justice cannot be ensured in the absence of law

D. political leaders should use the law as their guide to correct leadership

E. the law recognizes that all men are capable of recognizing what is in the general interest

Answer Key