Friday, June 8, 2007
SENTENCE COMPLETION OF THE DAY
One theory about intelligence sees ---- as the
logical structure underlying thinking and insists that
since animals are mute, they must be ---- as well.
(A) behavior.. inactive
(B) instinct.. cooperative
(C) heredity.. thoughtful
(D) adaptation.. brutal
(E) language.. mindless
logical structure underlying thinking and insists that
since animals are mute, they must be ---- as well.
(A) behavior.. inactive
(B) instinct.. cooperative
(C) heredity.. thoughtful
(D) adaptation.. brutal
(E) language.. mindless
ANALOGY OF THE DAY
DRAW: DOODLE::
(A) talk: whisper
(B) travel: ramble
(C) run: walk
(D) calculate: add
(E) eat: gobble
(A) talk: whisper
(B) travel: ramble
(C) run: walk
(D) calculate: add
(E) eat: gobble
ANTONYM OF THE DAY
FORBEARANCE:
(A) fragility
(B) impatience
(C) freedom
(D) nervousness
(E) tactlessness
(A) fragility
(B) impatience
(C) freedom
(D) nervousness
(E) tactlessness
GEOMETRY QUESTION OF THE DAY
A rectangular solid has a square base and altitude
of 7. If the volume of the solid is 252, then the
perimeter of the square base is
(A) 9
(B) 24
(C) 28
(D) 36
(E) 49
of 7. If the volume of the solid is 252, then the
perimeter of the square base is
(A) 9
(B) 24
(C) 28
(D) 36
(E) 49
MATH PROBLEM OF THE DAY
What is the cost, in cents, of using a certain fax
machine to send n pages of a report if the total cost
for sending the first k pagers is r cents and the cost
for sending each additional page is s cents?
(Assume that n > k.)
(A) r + s (n - k)
(B) r + s (n + k)
(C) rs(n + k)
(D) kr + s(n - k)
(E) kr + ns
machine to send n pages of a report if the total cost
for sending the first k pagers is r cents and the cost
for sending each additional page is s cents?
(Assume that n > k.)
(A) r + s (n - k)
(B) r + s (n + k)
(C) rs(n + k)
(D) kr + s(n - k)
(E) kr + ns
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
GRE READING PASSAGE OF THE WEEK
At the heart of the enormous boom in wine consumption that has taken place in the English-speaking world
over the last two decades or so is a fascinating, happy paradox. In the days when wine was exclusively the
preserve of a narrow cultural elite, bought either at auctions or from gentleman wine merchants in wing
collars and bow-ties, to be stored in rambling cellars and decanted to order by one's butler, the ordinary
drinker didn't get a look-in. Wine was considered a highly technical subject, in which anybody without the
necessary ability could only fall flat on his or her face in embarrassment. It wasn't just that you needed a refined aesthetic sensibility for the stuff if it wasn't to be hopelessly wasted on you. It required an intimate
knowledge of what came from where, and what it was supposed to taste like.
Those were times, however, when wine appreciation essentially meant a familiarity with the great French
classics, with perhaps a smattering of other wines—like sherry and port. That was what the wine trade dealt
in. These days, wine is bought daily in supermarkets and high-street chains to be consumed that evening,
hardly anybody has a cellar to store it in and most don't even possess a decanter. Above all, the wines of
literally dozens of countries are available on our market. When a supermarket offers its customers a couple
of fruity little numbers from Brazil, we scarcely raise an eyebrow.
It seems, in other words, that the commercial jungle that wine has now become has not in the slightest
deterred people from plunging adventurously into the thickets in order to taste and see. Consumers are no
longer intimidated by the thought of needing to know their Pouilly-Fume from their Pouilly-Fuisse, just at
the very moment when there is more to know than ever before.
The reason for this new mood of confidence is not hard to find. It is on every wine label from Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa and the United States: the name of the grape from which the wine is made. At
one time that might have sounded like a fairly technical approach in itself. Why should native Englishspeakers
know what Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay were? The answer lies in the popularity that wines
made from those grape varieties now enjoy. Consumers effectively recognize them as brand names, and
have acquired a basic lexicon of wine that can serve them even when confronted with those Brazilian
upstarts.
In the wine heartlands of France, they are scared to death of that trend—not because they think their wine
isn't as good as the best from California or South Australia (what French winemaker will ever admit that?)
but because they don't traditionally call their wines Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. They call them
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou or Corton-Charlemagne, and they aren't about to change. Some areas, in the
middle of southern France, have now produced a generation of growers using the varietal names on their
labels and are tempting consumers back to French wine. It will be an uphill struggle, but there is probably
no other way if France is to avoid simply becoming a specialty source of old-fashioned wines for oldfashioned
connoisseurs.
Wine consumption was also given a significant boost in the early 1990s by the work of Dr. Serge Renaud,
who has spent many years investigating the reasons for the uncannily low incidence of coronary heart
disease in the south of France. One of his major findings is that the fat-derived cholesterol that builds up in
the arteries and can eventually lead to heart trouble, can be dispersed by the tannins in wine. Tannin is
derived from the skins of grapes, and is therefore present in higher levels in red wines, because they have to
be infused with their skins to attain the red colour. That news caused a huge upsurge in red wine
consumption in the United States. It has not been accorded the prominence it deserves in the UK, largely
because the medical profession still sees all alcohol as a menace to health, and is constantly calling for it to
be made prohibitively expensive. Certainly, the manufacturers of anticoagulant drugs might have
something to lose if we all got the message that we would do just as well by our hearts by taking half a
bottle of red wine every day!
1. Which one of the following CANNOT be reasonably attributed to the labelling strategy followed
by wine producers in English-speaking countries?
[1] Consumers buy wines on the basis of their familiarity with a grape variety's name.
[2] Even ordinary customers now have more access to technical knowledge about wine.
[3] Consumers are able to appreciate better quality wines.
[4] Some non-English speaking countries like Brazil indicate grape variety names on their labels.
2. The tone that the author uses while asking "What French winemaker will ever admit that?" is best
described as
[1] caustic. [2] satirical. [3] critical. [4] hypocritical.
3. What according to the author should the French do to avoid becoming a producer of merely oldfashioned
wines?
[1] Follow the labelling strategy of the English-speaking countries.
[2] Give their wines English names.
[3] Introduce fruity wines as Brazil has done.
[4] Produce the wines that have become popular in the English-speaking world.
4. Which one of the following, if true, would provide most support for Dr. Renaud's findings about
the effect of tannins?
[1] A survey showed that film celebrities based in France have a low incidence of coronary heart
disease.
[2] Measurements carried out in southern France showed red wine drinkers had significantly
higher levels of coronary heart incidence than white wine drinkers did.
[3] Data showed a positive association between sales of red wine and incidence of coronary heart
disease.
[4] Long-term surveys in southern France showed that the incidence of coronary heart disease was
significantly lower in red wine drinkers than in those who did not drink red wine.
5. The development which has created fear among winemakers in the wine heartlands of France is
the
[1] tendency not to name wines after the grape varieties that are used in the wines.
[2] 'education' that consumers have derived from wine labels from English-speaking countries.
[3] new generation of local winegrowers who use labels that show names of grape varieties.
[4] ability of consumers to understand a wine's qualities when confronted with "Brazilian
upstarts".
over the last two decades or so is a fascinating, happy paradox. In the days when wine was exclusively the
preserve of a narrow cultural elite, bought either at auctions or from gentleman wine merchants in wing
collars and bow-ties, to be stored in rambling cellars and decanted to order by one's butler, the ordinary
drinker didn't get a look-in. Wine was considered a highly technical subject, in which anybody without the
necessary ability could only fall flat on his or her face in embarrassment. It wasn't just that you needed a refined aesthetic sensibility for the stuff if it wasn't to be hopelessly wasted on you. It required an intimate
knowledge of what came from where, and what it was supposed to taste like.
Those were times, however, when wine appreciation essentially meant a familiarity with the great French
classics, with perhaps a smattering of other wines—like sherry and port. That was what the wine trade dealt
in. These days, wine is bought daily in supermarkets and high-street chains to be consumed that evening,
hardly anybody has a cellar to store it in and most don't even possess a decanter. Above all, the wines of
literally dozens of countries are available on our market. When a supermarket offers its customers a couple
of fruity little numbers from Brazil, we scarcely raise an eyebrow.
It seems, in other words, that the commercial jungle that wine has now become has not in the slightest
deterred people from plunging adventurously into the thickets in order to taste and see. Consumers are no
longer intimidated by the thought of needing to know their Pouilly-Fume from their Pouilly-Fuisse, just at
the very moment when there is more to know than ever before.
The reason for this new mood of confidence is not hard to find. It is on every wine label from Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa and the United States: the name of the grape from which the wine is made. At
one time that might have sounded like a fairly technical approach in itself. Why should native Englishspeakers
know what Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay were? The answer lies in the popularity that wines
made from those grape varieties now enjoy. Consumers effectively recognize them as brand names, and
have acquired a basic lexicon of wine that can serve them even when confronted with those Brazilian
upstarts.
In the wine heartlands of France, they are scared to death of that trend—not because they think their wine
isn't as good as the best from California or South Australia (what French winemaker will ever admit that?)
but because they don't traditionally call their wines Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. They call them
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou or Corton-Charlemagne, and they aren't about to change. Some areas, in the
middle of southern France, have now produced a generation of growers using the varietal names on their
labels and are tempting consumers back to French wine. It will be an uphill struggle, but there is probably
no other way if France is to avoid simply becoming a specialty source of old-fashioned wines for oldfashioned
connoisseurs.
Wine consumption was also given a significant boost in the early 1990s by the work of Dr. Serge Renaud,
who has spent many years investigating the reasons for the uncannily low incidence of coronary heart
disease in the south of France. One of his major findings is that the fat-derived cholesterol that builds up in
the arteries and can eventually lead to heart trouble, can be dispersed by the tannins in wine. Tannin is
derived from the skins of grapes, and is therefore present in higher levels in red wines, because they have to
be infused with their skins to attain the red colour. That news caused a huge upsurge in red wine
consumption in the United States. It has not been accorded the prominence it deserves in the UK, largely
because the medical profession still sees all alcohol as a menace to health, and is constantly calling for it to
be made prohibitively expensive. Certainly, the manufacturers of anticoagulant drugs might have
something to lose if we all got the message that we would do just as well by our hearts by taking half a
bottle of red wine every day!
1. Which one of the following CANNOT be reasonably attributed to the labelling strategy followed
by wine producers in English-speaking countries?
[1] Consumers buy wines on the basis of their familiarity with a grape variety's name.
[2] Even ordinary customers now have more access to technical knowledge about wine.
[3] Consumers are able to appreciate better quality wines.
[4] Some non-English speaking countries like Brazil indicate grape variety names on their labels.
2. The tone that the author uses while asking "What French winemaker will ever admit that?" is best
described as
[1] caustic. [2] satirical. [3] critical. [4] hypocritical.
3. What according to the author should the French do to avoid becoming a producer of merely oldfashioned
wines?
[1] Follow the labelling strategy of the English-speaking countries.
[2] Give their wines English names.
[3] Introduce fruity wines as Brazil has done.
[4] Produce the wines that have become popular in the English-speaking world.
4. Which one of the following, if true, would provide most support for Dr. Renaud's findings about
the effect of tannins?
[1] A survey showed that film celebrities based in France have a low incidence of coronary heart
disease.
[2] Measurements carried out in southern France showed red wine drinkers had significantly
higher levels of coronary heart incidence than white wine drinkers did.
[3] Data showed a positive association between sales of red wine and incidence of coronary heart
disease.
[4] Long-term surveys in southern France showed that the incidence of coronary heart disease was
significantly lower in red wine drinkers than in those who did not drink red wine.
5. The development which has created fear among winemakers in the wine heartlands of France is
the
[1] tendency not to name wines after the grape varieties that are used in the wines.
[2] 'education' that consumers have derived from wine labels from English-speaking countries.
[3] new generation of local winegrowers who use labels that show names of grape varieties.
[4] ability of consumers to understand a wine's qualities when confronted with "Brazilian
upstarts".
GRE ISSUE ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Present your perspective on the issue below, using relevant reasons and/or examples to support your views.
"In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field."
"In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field."
GRE GEOMETRY QUESTION OF THE DAY
Suppose five circles, each 4 inches in diameter, are cut from a rectangular strip of paper 12 inches
long. If the least amount of paper is to be wasted, what is the width of the paper strip?
(A) 5
(B) 4+2 3
(C) 8
(D) 4(1 + 3)
(E) not enough information
long. If the least amount of paper is to be wasted, what is the width of the paper strip?
(A) 5
(B) 4+2 3
(C) 8
(D) 4(1 + 3)
(E) not enough information
GRE PROBABLITY QUESTION OF THE DAY
How many different ways can 3 cubes be painted if each cube is painted one color and only the 3
colors red, blue, and green are available? (Order is not considered, for example, green, green, blue is
considered the same as green, blue, green.)
(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 9 (D) 10 (E) 27
colors red, blue, and green are available? (Order is not considered, for example, green, green, blue is
considered the same as green, blue, green.)
(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 9 (D) 10 (E) 27
GRE ANTONYM OF THE DAY
UNTOWARD:
(A) propitious
(B) improvident
(C) ominous
(D) narcissistic
(E) headlong
(A) propitious
(B) improvident
(C) ominous
(D) narcissistic
(E) headlong
GRE MATH PROBLEM OF THE DAY
After being marked down 20 percent, a calculator sells for $10. The original selling price was
(A) $20 (B) $12.5 (C) $12 (D) $9 (E) $7
(A) $20 (B) $12.5 (C) $12 (D) $9 (E) $7
GRE SENTENCE COMPLETION QUESTION OF THE DAY
By ________ celebrities from the sports,
entertainment, or business arenas, the show
narrates the stories of the ________ newsmakers
from all walks of life.
(A) displaying . . pedestrian
(B) profiling . . influential
(C) parading . . effective
(D) narrating . . dominating
(E) setting forth . . ordinary
entertainment, or business arenas, the show
narrates the stories of the ________ newsmakers
from all walks of life.
(A) displaying . . pedestrian
(B) profiling . . influential
(C) parading . . effective
(D) narrating . . dominating
(E) setting forth . . ordinary
GRE ANALOGY QUESTION OF THE DAY
ETERNAL : EPHEMERAL ::
(A) equivocal : ambiguous
(B) hopeless : chance
(C) animated : blithe
(D) mysterious : perplexing
(E) foreign : familiar
(A) equivocal : ambiguous
(B) hopeless : chance
(C) animated : blithe
(D) mysterious : perplexing
(E) foreign : familiar
GRE ALGEBRA QUESTION OF THE DAY
In sequence S, the 3rd term is 4, the 2nd term is three times the 1st, and the 3rd term is four
times the 2nd. What is the 1st term in sequence S?
(A) 0
(B)1/3
(C) 1
(D)3/2
(E) 4
times the 2nd. What is the 1st term in sequence S?
(A) 0
(B)1/3
(C) 1
(D)3/2
(E) 4
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