gmatprep rc1

8/11/2019 GMATPrep RC1

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Practice Test #1 Reading Comprehension(18 Essays, 61 Questions)

Essay #1.During the nineteenth century, occupational information about women that was provided by theUnited States census--a population count conducted each decade--became more detailed andprecise in response to social changes. hrough 1!", simple enumeration by household

mirrored a home-based agricultural economy and hierarchical social order$ the head of thehousehold %presumed male or absent& was speci'ed by name, whereas other householdmembers were only indicated by the total number of persons counted in various categories,including occupational categories. (i)e farms, most enterprises were family-run, so that thecensus measured economic activity as an attribute of the entire household, rather than ofindividuals.

he 1!* census, partly responding to antislavery and women+s rights movements, initiated thecollection of speci'c information about each individual in a household. ot until 1! wasoccupational information analyed by gender$ the census superintendent reported 1.! millionwomen employed outside the home in /gainful and reputable occupations./ 0n addition, hearbitrarily attributed to each family one woman /)eeping house./ verlap between the twogroups was not calculated until 1!2, when the rapid entry of women into the paid labor force

and social issues arising from industrialiation were causing women+s advocates and womenstatisticians to press for more thorough and accurate accounting of women+s occupations andwages.

3uestion #1.

he primary purpose of the passage is to

%4& e5plain and criti6ue the methods used by early statisticians%7& compare and contrast a historical situation with a current-day one%8& describe and e5plain a historical change%D& discuss historical opposition to an established institution%E& trace the origin of a contemporary controversy

3uestion #9.

Each of the following aspects of nineteenth-century United States censuses is mentioned in thepassage E:8E; the

%4& year in which data on occupations began to be analyed by gender%7& year in which speci'c information began to be collected on individuals in addition to thehead of the household%8& year in which overlap between women employed outside the home and women )eepinghouse was 'rst calculated%D& way in which the 1!2 census measured women+s income levels and educationalbac)grounds%E& way in which household members were counted in the 1!" census

3uestion #ect certaineconomic changes in the United States.%8& hey had begun to press for changes in census-ta)ing methods as part of their participation


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in the antislavery movement.%D& hey thought that census statistics about women would be more accurate if more womenwere employed as census o?cials.%E& hey had conducted independent studies that disputed the o?cial statistics provided byprevious United States censuses.

Essay #9.

he general density dependence model can be applied to e5plain the founding of specialist'rms %those attempting to serve a narrow target mar)et&. 4ccording to this model, specialistfoundings hinge on the interplay between legitimation and competitive forces, both of which arefunctions of the density %total number& of 'rms in a particular specialist population.(egitimation occurs as a new type of 'rm moves from being viewed as unfamiliar to beingviewed as a natural way to organie. 4t low density levels, each founding increaseslegitimation, reducing barriers to entry and easing subse6uent foundings. 8ompetition occursbecause the resources that 'rms see)--customers, suppliers, and employees--are limited, but aslong as density is low relative to plentiful resources, the addition of another 'rm has a negligibleimpact on the intensity of competition. 4t high density levels, however, competitive e@ectsoutweigh legitimation e@ects, discouraging foundings. he more numerous the competitors,the 'ercer the competition will be and the smaller will be the incentive for new 'rms to enterthe 'eld.

Ahile several studies have found a signi'cant correspondence between the densitydependence model and actual patterns of foundings, other studies have found patterns notconsistent with the model. 4 possible e5planation for this inconsistency is that legitimation andcompetitive forces transcend national boundaries, while studies typically restrict their analysisto the national level. hus a national-level analysis can understate the true legitimation andcompetitive forces as well as the number of foundings in an industry that is internationallyintegrated. Bany industries are or are becoming international, and since media and informationeasily cross national borders, so should legitimation and its e@ects on overseas foundings. Core5ample, if a type of 'rm becomes established in the United States, that information transcendsborders, reduces uncertainties, and helps foundings of that type of 'rm in other countries. Evenwithin national conte5ts, studies have found more support for the density dependence modelwhen they employ broader geographic units of analysis--for e5ample, 'nding that the model+s

operation is seen more clearly at the state and national levels than at city levels.

3uestion #".4ccording to the passage, which of the following may account for the inconsistency betweenthe general density dependence model and the evidence provided by certain studies offoundings=

%4& Such studies have overemphasied the impact of pree5isting 'rms on the establishment ofnew 'rms.%7& Such studies have not focused strongly enough on the role of competition among newlyestablished 'rms operating at the city and state levels.%8& Such studies fail to di@erentiate among specialist 'rms with regard to the degree to whichthey deviate from familiar forms of organiation.

%D& Such studies have not ta)en into account the fact that many industries are internationallyintegrated.%E& Such studies have neglected to investigate 'rms that attempt to serve only a narrow targetmar)et.

3uestion #*.0n the second paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with

%4& noting various e5ceptions to a certain general 'nding%7& e5amining the impact of one type of industry on another%8& proposing a possible e5planation for an inconsistency


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%D& providing speci'c e5amples of a particular phenomenon%E& defending the validity of a particular study+s conclusions

3uestion #.he passage suggests that when a population of specialist 'rms reaches a high density level,which of the following is li)ely to occur=

%4& Coundings will decline despite legitimation that has occurred in these industries.

%7& 0ncreasing competition will encourage many 'rms to broaden their target mar)et.%8& 8ompetition for resources will become stabilied and thus foundings will be encouraged.%D& Bany customers will abandon their loyalty to older 'rms as more innovative 'rms enter themar)et.%E& Cirms will begin to cross national borders in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.

3uestion #.he primary purpose of the passage is to

%4& 6uestion the validity of an economic model%7& point out some inconsistencies within an economic model%8& outline an economic model and suggest revisions to it%D& describe an economic model and provide speci'c e5amples to illustrate its use

%E& e5plain why an economic model remains valid despite inconsistent research results

Essay #


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%4& he Supreme 8ourt too) on a greater role in ative 4merican a@airs.%7& ative 4merican tribes lost their legal standing as sovereign nations in their dealings withthe federal government, but their ownership of tribal lands was con'rmed.%8& he federal government no longer needed to conclude a formal agreement with a ative4merican tribe in order to carry out policy decisions that a@ected the tribe.%D& he federal government began to appropriate tribal lands for distribution to non-0ndiansettlers.

%E& ative 4merican tribes were no longer able to challenge congressional actions by appealingto the Supreme 8ourt.

3uestion #1.he author of the passage is primarily concerned with

%4& identifying similarities in two di@erent theories%7& evaluating a wor) of scholarship%8& analying the signi'cance of a historical event%D& debun)ing a revisionist interpretation%E& e5ploring the relationship between law and social reality

Essay #".Some historians contend that conditions in the United States during the Second Aorld Aar gaverise to a dynamic wartime alliance between trade unions and the 4frican 4merican community,an alliance that advanced the cause of civil rights. hey conclude that the postwar demise ofthis vital alliance constituted a lost opportunity for the civil rights movement that followed thewar. ther scholars, however, have portrayed organied labor as defending all along therelatively privileged position of Ahite wor)ers relative to 4frican 4merican wor)ers. 8learly,these two perspectives are not easily reconcilable, but the historical reality is not reducible toone or the other.

Unions faced a choice between either maintaining the prewar status 6uo or promoting a moreinclusive approach that sought for all members the right to participate in the internal a@airs ofunions, access to s)illed and high-paying positions within the occupational hierarchy, and

protection against management+s arbitrary authority in the wor)place. Ahile unionrepresentatives often voiced this inclusive ideal, in practice unions far more often favoredentrenched interests. he accelerating development of the civil rights movement following theSecond Aorld Aar e5acerbated the unions+ dilemma, forcing trade unionists to confrontcontradictions in their own practices.

3uestion #11.he /unions+ dilemma/ mentioned in the highlighted te5t can best be described as the 6uestionof whether or not to

%4& pressure management to create more s)illed and high-paying positions%7& 'ght for greater union participation in management decisions%8& include minority wor)ers in their membership

%D& e5tend full rights and bene'ts to all their members%E& emphasie the recruitment of new members over serving the needs of current members

3uestion #19.4ccording to the passage, the historians mentioned in the 'rst highlighted portion of te5t andthe scholars mentioned in the second highlighted portion disagree about the

%4& contribution made by organied labor to the war e@ort during the Second Aorld Aar%7& issues that union members considered most important during the Second Aorld Aar%8& relationship between unions and 4frican 4mericans during the Second Aorld Aar%D& e@ect of the Second Aorld Aar on the in>uence of unions in the wor)place


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%E& e5tent to which 4frican 4mericans bene'ted from social and political changes following theSecond Aorld Aar

3uestion #1awed assumption underlying one interpretation of a historical phenomenon%8& assessing the merits and wea)nesses of a controversial theory about a historicalphenomenon%D& discussing the historical importance of the development of a wartime alliance%E& evaluating evidence used to support a particular interpretation of a historical phenomenon

Essay #*.Fistorians have identi'ed two dominant currents in the Gussian women+s movement of the latetsarist period. /7ourgeois/ feminism, so called by its more radical opponents, emphasied/individualist/ feminist goals such as access to education, career opportunities, and legale6uality. /Socialist/ feminists, by contrast, emphasied class, rather than gender, as theprincipal source of women+s ine6uality and oppression, and socialist revolution, not legal reform,

as the only road to emancipation and e6uality.

Fowever, despite antagonism between bourgeois feminists and socialist feminists, the twomovements shared certain underlying beliefs. 7oth regarded paid labor as the principal meansby which women might attain emancipation$ participation in the wor)place and economic self-su?ciency, they believed, would ma)e women socially useful and therefore deserving ofe6uality with men. 7oth groups also recognied the enormous di?culties women faced whenthey combined paid labor with motherhood. 0n fact, at the Cirst 4ll-Gussian Aomen+s 8ongressin 12!, most participants advocated maternity insurance and paid maternity leave, althoughthe intense hostility between some socialists and bourgeois feminists at the 8ongress made itdi?cult for them to recognie these areas of agreement. Cinally, socialist feminists and mostbourgeois feminists concurred in subordinating women+s emancipation to what they consideredthe more important goal of liberating the entire Gussian population from political oppression,

economic bac)wardness, and social inustice.

3uestion #1".he passage suggests that socialists within the Gussian women+s movement and mostbourgeois feminists believed that in Gussia

%4& women would not achieve economic e6uality until they had political representation withinthe government%7& the achievement of larger political aims should ta)e precedence over the achievement ofwomen+s rights%8& the emancipation of women would ultimately bring about the liberation of the entire Gussianpopulation from political oppression%D& women+s oppression was more rooted in economic ine6uality than was the case in other

countries%E& the women+s movement was more ideologically divided than were women+s movements inother countries

3uestion #1*.he passage is primarily concerned with

%4& identifying points of agreement between two groups%7& advocating one approach to social reform over another%8& contrasting two approaches to solving a political problem%D& arguing that the views espoused by one political group were more radical than those


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espoused by another group%E& criticiing historians for overloo)ing similarities between the views espoused by twosuper'cially dissimilar groups

3uestion #1.4ccording to the passage, Gussian socialists within the women+s movement and most bourgeoisfeminists disagreed about which of the following=

%4& Ahether legal reform was central to the achievement of feminist goals%7& Ahether paid employment was important for the achievement of e6uality%8& Ahether maternity insurance was desirable for wor)ing mothers%D& Ahether wor)ing mothers faced obstacles%E& Ahether women+s emancipation should be subordinated to the liberation of the Gussianpopulation

Essay #.8olonial historian David 4llen+s intensive study of 've communities in seventeenth-centuryBassachusetts is a model of meticulous scholarship on the detailed microcosmic level, and isconvincing up to a point. 4llen suggests that much more coherence and direct continuitye5isted between English and colonial agricultural practices and administrative organiation than

other historians have suggested. Fowever, he overstates his case with the declaration that hehas proved /the remar)able e5tent to which diversity in ew England local institutions wasdirectly imitative of regional di@erences in the mother country./

Such an assertion ignores critical di@erences between seventeenth-century England and ewEngland. Cirst, England was overcrowded and land-hungryH ew England was sparselypopulated and labor-hungry. Second, England su@ered the normal European rate of mortalityHew England, especially in the 'rst generation of English colonists, was virtually free frominfectious diseases. hird, England had an all-embracing state churchH in ew Englandmembership in a church was restricted to the elect. Courth, a high proportion of Englishvillagers lived under paternalistic resident s6uiresH no such class e5isted in ew England. 7ynarrowing his focus to village institutions and ignoring these critical di@erences, which studiesby Ireven, Demos, and (oc)ridge have shown to be so important, 4llen has created a

somewhat distorted picture of reality.

4llen+s wor) is a rather e5treme e5ample of the /country community/ school of seventeenth-century English history whose intemperate e5cesses in removing all national issues from thehistory of that period have been e5posed by ;rofessor 8live Folmes. Ahat conclusion can bedrawn, for e5ample, from 4llen+s discovery that ;uritan clergy who had come to the coloniesfrom East 4nglia were one-third to one-half as li)ely to return to England by 1 as were;uritan ministers from western and northern England= Ae are not told in what way, if at all, thisdiscovery illuminates historical understanding. Studies of local history have enormouslye5panded our horions, but it is a mista)e for their authors to conclude that village institutionsare all that mattered, simply because their functions are all that the records of villageinstitutions reveal.

3uestion #1.4ccording to the passage, which of the following was true of most villages in seventeenth-century England=

%4& he resident s6uire had signi'cant authority.%7& 8hurch members were selected on the basis of their social status within the community.%8& (ow population density restricted agricultural and economic growth.%D& here was little diversity in local institutions from one region to another.%E& ational events had little impact on local customs and administrative organiation.

3uestion #1!.


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he passage suggests that ;rofessor 8live Folmes would most li)ely agree with which of thefollowing statements=

%4& 4n understanding of seventeenth-century English local institutions re6uires a considerationof national issues.%7& he /country community/ school of seventeenth-century English history distorts historicalevidence in order to establish continuity between old and new institutions.%8& Bost historians distort reality by focusing on national concerns to the e5clusion of local

concerns.%D& ational issues are best understood from the perspective of those at the local level.%E& (ocal histories of seventeenth-century English villages have contributed little to theunderstanding of village life.

3uestion #12.0t can be inferred from the passage that the author of the passage considers 4llen+s /discovery/%see highlighted te5t& to be

%4& already )nown to earlier historians%7& based on a logical fallacy%8& improbable but nevertheless convincing%D& an une5plained, isolated fact

%E& a new, insightful observation

3uestion #9.he author of the passage is primarily concerned with

%4& substantiating a claim about a historical event%7& reconciling two opposing ideas about a historical era%8& disputing evidence a scholar uses to substantiate a claim about a historical event%D& analying two approaches to scholarly research and evaluating their methodologies%E& criticiing a particular study and the approach to historical scholarship it represents

Essay #.

he United States government has a long-standing policy of using federal funds to )eep smallbusiness viable. he Small 7usiness 4ct of 12*< authoried the Small 7usiness 4dministration%S74& to enter into contracts with government agencies having procurement powers and toarrange for ful'llment of these contracts by awarding subcontracts to small businesses. 0n themid-12+s, during the war on poverty years, 8ongress hoped to encourage minorityentrepreneurs by directing such funding to minority businesses. 4t 'rst this funding wasdirected toward minority entrepreneurs with very low incomes. 4 12 amendment to theEconomic pportunity 4ct directed the S74 to pay special attention to minority-ownedbusinesses located in urban or rural areas characteried by high proportions of unemployed orlow-income individuals. Since then, the answer given to the fundamental 6uestion of who therecipients should be--the most economically disadvantaged or those with the best prospects forbusiness success--has changed, and the social goals of the programs have shifted, resulting inpolicy changes.

he 'rst shift occurred during the early 12+s. Ahile the goal of assisting the economicallydisadvantaged entrepreneur remained, a new goal emerged$ to remedy the e@ects of pastdiscrimination. 0n fact, in 12 the S74 e5plicitly stated that their main goal was to increasethe number of minority-owned businesses. 4t the time, minorities constituted seventeenpercent of the nation+s population, but only four percent of the nation+s self-employed. hisownership gap was held to be the result of past discrimination. 0ncreasing the number ofminority-owned 'rms was seen as a way to remedy this problem. 0n that conte5t, providingfunding to minority entrepreneurs in middle- and high-income brac)ets seemed usti'ed.

0n the late 12+s, the goals of minority-business funding programs shifted again. 4t the


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Binority 7usiness Development 4gency, for e5ample, the goal of increasing numbers ofminority-owned 'rms was supplanted by the goal of creating and assisting more minority-owned substantive 'rms with future growth potential. 4ssisting manufacturers or wholesalersbecame far more important than assisting small service businesses. Binority-business fundingprograms were now usti'ed as instruments for economic development, particularly for creating

obs in minority communities of high unemployment.

3uestion #91.

he primary purpose of the passage is to

%4& discuss historical changes in a government policy%7& describe the role of 8ongress in regulating the wor) of the S74%8& contrast types of funding sources used by minority businesses%D& correct a misconception about minority entrepreneurship%E& advocate an alternative approach to funding minority entrepreneurs

3uestion #99.0t can be inferred that the /ownership gap/ %see highlighted te5t& would be narrowed if which ofthe following were to occur=

%4& Binority entrepreneurs received a percentage of government contracts e6ual to that

received by nonminority entrepreneurs.%7& Biddle- and high-income minority entrepreneurs gave more assistance to their low-incomecounterparts in the business community.%8& Binority entrepreneurs hired a percentage of minority employees e6ual to the percentage ofminority residents in their own communities.%D& he percentage of self-employed minority persons rose to more than ten percent of all self-employed persons.%E& Seventeen percent of all persons employed in small businesses were self-employed.

3uestion #9


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he problem confronting terrestrial sna)es is best illustrated by what happens to sea sna)eswhen removed from their supportive medium. 7ecause the vertical pressure gradients withinthe blood vessels are counteracted by similar pressure gradients in the surrounding water, thedistribution of blood throughout the body of sea sna)es remains about the same regardless oftheir orientation in space, provided they remain in the ocean. Ahen removed from the waterand tilted at various angles with the head up, however, blood pressure at their midpoint dropssigni'cantly, and at brain level falls to ero. hat many terrestrial sna)es in similar spatialorientations do not e5perience this )ind of circulatory failure suggests that certain adaptations

enable them to regulate blood pressure more e@ectively in those orientations.

ne such adaptation is the closer pro5imity of the terrestrial sna)e+s heart to its head, whichhelps to ensure circulation to the brain, regardless of the sna)e+s orientation in space. heheart of sea sna)es can be located near the middle of the body, a position that minimies thewor) entailed in circulating blood to both e5tremities. 0n arboreal sna)es, however, which dwellin trees and often assume a vertical posture, the average distance from the heart to the headcan be as little as 1* percent of overall body length. Such a location re6uires that bloodcirculated to the tail of the sna)e travel a greater distance bac) to the heart, a problem solvedby another adaptation. Ahen climbing, arboreal sna)es often pause momentarily to wiggletheir bodies, causing waves of muscle contraction that advance from the lower torso to head.7y compressing the veins and forcing blood forward, these contractions apparently improve the>ow of venous blood returning to the heart.

3uestion #9*.he passage provides information in support of which of the following assertions=

%4& he disadvantages of an adaptation to a particular feature of an environment oftenoutweigh the advantages of such an adaptation.%7& 4n organism+s reaction to being placed in an environment to which it is not well adapted cansometimes illustrate the problems that have been solved by the adaptations of organismsindigenous to that environment.%8& he e@ectiveness of an organism+s adaptation to a particular feature of its environment canonly be evaluated by e5amining the e@ectiveness with which organisms of other species haveadapted to a similar feature of a di@erent environment.%D& rganisms of the same species that inhabit stri)ingly di@erent environments will often adapt

in remar)ably similar ways to the few features of those environments that are common.%E& Di@erent species of organisms living in the same environment will seldom adapt to featuresof that environment in the same way.

3uestion #9.4ccording to the passage, one reason that the distribution of blood in the sea sna)e changeslittle while the creature remains in the ocean is that

%4& the heart of the sea sna)e tends to be located near the center of its body%7& pressure gradients in the water surrounding the sea sna)e counter the e@ects of verticalpressure gradients within its blood vessels%8& the sea sna)e assumes a vertical posture less fre6uently than do the terrestrial and thearboreal sna)e

%D& the sea sna)e often relies on waves of muscle contractions to help move blood from thetorso to the head%E& the force of pressure gradients in the water surrounding the sea sna)e e5ceeds that ofvertical pressure gradients within its circulatory system

3uestion #9.he author suggests that which of the following is a disadvantage that results from the locationof a sna)e+s heart in close pro5imity to its head=

%4& 4 decrease in the e?ciency with which the sna)e regulates the >ow of blood to the brain%7& 4 decrease in the number of orientations in space that a sna)e can assume without loss of


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blood >ow to the brain%8& 4 decrease in blood pressure at the sna)e+s midpoint when it is tilted at various angles withits head up%D& 4n increase in the tendency of blood to pool at the sna)e+s head when the sna)e is tilted atvarious angles with its head down%E& 4n increase in the amount of e@ort re6uired to distribute blood to and from the sna)e+s tail

3uestion #9!.

0n the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which of the following=

%4& E5plaining adaptations that enable the terrestrial sna)e to cope with the e@ects ofgravitational pressure on its circulatory system%7& 8omparing the circulatory system of the sea sna)e with that of the terrestrial sna)e%8& E5plaining why the circulatory system of the terrestrial sna)e is di@erent from that of thesea sna)e%D& ;ointing out features of the terrestrial sna)e+s cardiovascular system that ma)e it superiorto that of the sea sna)e%E& E5plaining how the sea sna)e is able to neutralie the e@ects of gravitational pressure on itscirculatory system

Essay #2.0n a new boo) about the antiparty feeling of the early political leaders of the United States,Galph Jetcham argues that the 'rst si5 ;residents di@ered decisively from later ;residentsbecause the 'rst si5 held values inherited from the classical humanist tradition of eighteenth-century England. 0n this view, government was designed not to satisfy the private desires of thepeople but to ma)e them better citiensH this tradition stressed the disinterested devotion ofpolitical leaders to the public good. Kustice, wisdom, and courage were more important 6ualitiesin a leader than the ability to organie voters and win elections. 0ndeed, leaders were supposedto be called to o?ce rather than to run for o?ce. 4nd if they too) up the burdens of publico?ce with a sense of duty, leaders also believed that such o?ces were naturally their duebecause of their social preeminence or their contributions to the country. Iiven this classicalconception of leadership, it is not surprising that the 'rst si5 ;residents condemned politicalparties. ;arties were partial by de'nition, self-interested, and therefore serving something

other than the transcendent public good.

Even during the 'rst presidency %Aashington+s&, however, the classical conception of virtuousleadership was being undermined by commercial forces that had been gathering since at leastthe beginning of the eighteenth century. 8ommerce--its pro't-ma)ing, its self-interestedness,its individualism--became the enemy of these classical ideals. 4lthough Jetcham does notpicture the struggle in 6uite this way, he does rightly see Kac)son+s tenure %the seventhpresidency& as the culmination of the acceptance of party, commerce, and individualism. Corthe Kac)sonians, nonpartisanship lost its relevance, and under the direction of Lan 7uren, partygained a new legitimacy. he classical ideals of the 'rst si5 ;residents became identi'ed with aprivileged aristocracy, an aristocracy that had to be overcome in order to allow competitionbetween opposing political interests. Jetcham is so strongly committed to ustifying theclassical ideals, however, that he underestimates the advantages of their decline. Cor e5ample,

the classical conception of leadership was incompatible with our modern notion of the freedomsof speech and press, freedoms intimately associated with the legitimacy of opposing politicalparties.

3uestion #92.he passage is primarily concerned with

%4& describing and comparing two theories about the early history of the United States%7& describing and analying an argument about the early history of the United States%8& discussing new evidence that 6uali'es a theory about the early history of the United States%D& refuting a theory about political leadership in the United States


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%E& resolving an ambiguity in an argument about political leadership in the United States

3uestion #


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in>ation rates%E& 'nanciers generally do not thin) that the author+s criticisms of the second argument areworthy of consideration

Essay #11.8urrent feminist theory, in validating women+s own stories of their e5perience, has encouragedscholars of women+s history to view the use of women+s oral narratives as the methodology,

ne5t to the use of women+s written autobiography, that brings historians closest to the /reality/of women+s lives. Such narratives, unli)e most standard histories, represent e5perience fromthe perspective of women, a?rm the importance of women+s contributions, and furnish present-day women with historical continuity that is essential to their identity, individually andcollectively.

Scholars of women+s history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives atface value as they already are about written memories. ral narratives are no more li)ely thanare written narratives to provide a disinterested commentary on events or people. Boreover,the stories people tell to e5plain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytellingconventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers maybe unaware of. he political rhetoric of a particular era, for e5ample, may in>uence women+sinterpretations of the signi'cance of their e5perience. hus a woman who views the Second

Aorld Aar as pivotal in increasing the social acceptance of women+s paid wor) outside thehome may reach that conclusion partly and unwittingly because of wartime rhetoricencouraging a positive view of women+s participation in such wor).

3uestion #uence of current feminist views on women+s interpretations of their

e5perience

3uestion #

%4& Gelying on traditional historical sources when women+s oral narratives are unavailable%7& Cocusing on the in>uence of political rhetoric on women+s perceptions to the e5clusion ofother e6ually important factors%8& 4ttempting to discover the cultural and historical factors that in>uence the stories womentell%D& 4ssuming that the conventions of women+s written autobiographies are similar to theconventions of women+s oral narratives

%E& 4ccepting women+s oral narratives less critically than they accept women+s written histories

3uestion #


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%E& Aomen+s oral histories are crucial to the collective identity of today+s women.

Essay #19.he professionaliation of the study of history in the second half of the nineteenth century,including history+s transformation from a literary genre to a scienti'c discipline, had importantconse6uences not only for historians+ perceptions of women but also for women as historians.

he disappearance of women as obects of historical studies during this period has elements of

irony to it. n the one hand, in writing about women, earlier historians had relied not on'rsthand sources but rather on secondary sourcesH the shift to more rigorous research methodsre6uired that secondary sources be disregarded. n the other hand, the development ofarchival research and the critical editing of collections of documents began to reveal signi'cantnew historical evidence concerning women, yet this evidence was perceived as substantiallyirrelevant$ historians saw political history as the general framewor) for historical writing.7ecause women were seen as belonging to the private rather than to the public sphere, thediscovery of documents about them, or by them, did not, by itself, produce historyac)nowledging the contributions of women. 0n addition, genres such as biography and memoir,those forms of /particular history/ that women had traditionally authored, fell into disrepute.

he dividing line between /particular history/ and general history was rede'ned in strongerterms, widening the gulf between amateur and professional practices of historical research.

3uestion #".he passage is primarily concerned with

%4& describing some e@ects of the professionaliation of the study of history on the writing ofwomen+s history%7& e5plaining some reasons for the professionaliation of the writing of history%8& discussing the )inds of historical writing traditionally practiced by women%D& contrasting the approach to the writing of history ta)en by women with the approach ta)enby men%E& criticiing certain changes that occurred in the writing of history during the second half ofthe nineteenth century

3uestion #"1.

Ahich of the following best describes one of the /elements of irony/ referred to in thehighlighted te5t=

%4& 4lthough the more scienti'c-minded historians of the second half of the nineteenth centuryconsidered women appropriate subects for historical writing, earlier historians did not.%7& 4lthough archival research uncovered documentary evidence of women+s role in history,historians continued to rely on secondary sources for information about women.%8& 4lthough historians were primarily concerned with writing about the public sphere, theygenerally relegated women to the private sphere.%D& he scienti'c approach to history revealed more information about women, but thatinformation was ignored.%E& he professionaliation of history, while marginaliing much of women+s writing abouthistory, enhanced the importance of women as historical subects.

3uestion #"9.4ccording to the passage, the development of archival research and the critical editing ofcollections of documents had which of the following e@ects=

%4& Fistorians increasingly ac)nowledged women+s contributions to history.%7& Fistorians began to debate whether secondary sources could provide reliable information.%8& Fistorians began to apply less rigorous scienti'c research criteria to the study of women+shistory.%D& Bore evidence concerning women became available to historical researchers.%E& Aomen began to study history as professional historians.


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Essay #1


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0$ males employed as long-distance truc) drivers for a furniture company ma)e M


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%D& recommending an alternative approach%E& criticiing the wor) of a researcher

3uestion #"!.he author of the passage asserts which of the following about managing health care costs inan e@ective manner=

%4& Educating employees to use health care wisely is the best way to reduce health care costs.

%7& 4llowing employees to select health care programs is the most e@ective means ofcontrolling health care costs.%8& 8ompanies should pass rising health care costs on to employees rather than to consumersof the companies+ products.%D& 8ompanies should use strategies in procuring health care similar to those used in procuringcomponents necessary for production.%E& 8ompanies should control health care costs by reducing the e5tent of medical coveragerather than by shifting costs to employees.

3uestion #"2.Ahich of the following, if true, would provide the most support for the author+s view aboutintervening on the supply side of health care=

%4& Bost companies do not have enough employees to ma)e on-site clinics cost-e@ective.%7& Bany companies with on-site clinics o@er their employees the option of going outside thecompany+s system to obtain health care.%8& he costs of establishing and running an on-site clinic are demonstrably higher than thecosts of paying for health care from an outside provider.%D& 8ompanies with health care clinics 'nd that employees are unwilling to assist in controllingthe costs of health care.%E& Employees at companies with on-site clinics see) preventive screening and are thus lessli)ely to delay medical treatment.

Essay #1*.Dendrochronology, the study of tree-ring records to glean information about the past, is

possible because each year a tree adds a new layer of wood between the e5isting wood and thebar). 0n temperate and subpolar climates, cells added at the growing season+s start are largeand thin-walled, but later the new cells that develop are smaller and thic)-walledH the growingseason is followed by a period of dormancy. Ahen a tree trun) is viewed in cross section, aboundary line is normally visible between the small-celled wood added at the end of thegrowing season in the previous year and the large-celled spring wood of the following year+sgrowing season. he annual growth pattern appears as a series of larger and larger rings. 0nwet years rings are broadH during drought years they are narrow, since the trees grow less.ften, ring patterns of dead trees of di@erent, but overlapping, ages can be correlated toprovide an e5tended inde5 of past climate conditions.

Fowever, trees that grew in areas with a steady supply of groundwater show little variation inring width from year to yearH these /complacent/ rings tell nothing about changes in climate.

4nd trees in e5tremely dry regions may go a year or two without adding any rings, therebyintroducing uncertainties into the count. 8ertain species sometimes add more than one ring ina single year, when growth halts temporarily and then starts again.

3uestion #*.he passage suggests which of the following about the ring patterns of two trees that grew inthe same area and that were of di@erent, but overlapping, ages=

%4& he rings corresponding to the overlapping years would often e5hibit similar patterns.%7& he rings corresponding to the years in which only one of the trees was alive would notreliably indicate the climate conditions of those years.


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%8& he rings corresponding to the overlapping years would e5hibit similar patterns only if thetrees were of the same species.%D& he rings corresponding to the overlapping years could not be complacent rings.%E& he rings corresponding to the overlapping years would provide a more reliable inde5 of dryclimate conditions than of wet conditions.

3uestion #*1.0n the highlighted te5t, /uncertainties/ refers to

%4& dendrochronologists+ failure to consider the prevalence of erratic weather patterns%7& inconsistencies introduced because of changes in methodology%8& some tree species+ tendency to deviate from the norm%D& the lac) of detectable variation in trees with complacent rings%E& the lac) of perfect correlation between the number of a tree+s rings and its age

3uestion #*9.he passage is primarily concerned with

%4& evaluating the e@ect of climate on the growth of trees of di@erent species%7& 6uestioning the validity of a method used to study tree-ring records%8& e5plaining how climatic conditions can be deduced from tree-ring patterns

%D& outlining the relation between tree sie and cell structure within the tree%E& tracing the development of a scienti'c method of analying tree-ring patterns

Essay #1.Ahat )inds of property rights apply to 4lgon6uian family hunting territories, and how did theycome to be= he dominant view in recent decades has been that family hunting territories, li)eother forms of private landownership, were not found among 4lgon6uians %a group of orth4merican 0ndian tribes& before contact with Europeans but are the result of changes in4lgon6uian society brought about by the European-4lgon6uian fur trade, in combination withother factors such as ecological changes and conse6uent shifts in wildlife harvesting patterns.4nother view claims that 4lgon6uian family hunting territories predate contact with Europeansand are forms of private landownership by individuals and families. Bore recent 'eldwor),

however, has shown that individual and family rights to hunting territories form part of a largerland-use system of multifamilial hunting groups, that rights to hunting territories at this largercommunity level ta)e precedence over those at the individual or family level, and that thissystem re>ects a concept of spiritual and social reciprocity that con>icts with Europeanconcepts of private property. 0n short, there are now strong reasons to thin) that it waserroneous to claim that 4lgon6uian family hunting territories ever were, or were becoming, a)ind of private property system.

3uestion #*


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%8& hey are based on certain spiritual beliefs.%D& hey developed as a result of contact with Europeans.%E& hey developed as a result of trade with non-4lgon6uian 0ndian tribes.

3uestion #**.4ccording to the passage, proponents of the view mentioned in the 'rst highlighted portion ofte5t and proponents of the view mentioned in the second highlighted portion of te5t bothbelieve which of the following about 4lgon6uian family hunting territories=

%4& hey are a form of private landownership.%7& hey are a form of community, rather than individual, landownership.%8& hey were a form of private landownership prior to contact with Europeans.%D& hey became a form of private landownership due to contact with Europeans.%E& hey have replaced reciprocal practices relating to land use in 4lgon6uian society.

Essay #1.Bany people believe that because wages are lower in developing countries than in developedcountries, competition from developing countries in goods traded internationally will sooneliminate large numbers of obs in developed countries. 8urrently, developed countries+advanced technology results in higher productivity, which accounts for their higher wages.

4dvanced technology is being transferred ever more speedily across borders, but even with thelatest technology, productivity and wages in developing countries will remain lower than indeveloped countries for many years because developed countries have better infrastructureand better-educated wor)ers. Ahen productivity in a developing country does catch up,e5perience suggests that wages there will rise. Some individual 'rms in developing countrieshave raised their productivity but )ept their wages %which are in>uenced by averageproductivity in the country+s economy& low. Fowever, in a developing country+s economy as awhole, productivity improvements in goods traded internationally are li)ely to cause an increasein wages. Curthermore, if wages are not allowed to rise, the value of the country+s currency willappreciate, which %from the developed countries+ point of view& is the e6uivalent of increasedwages in the developing country. 4nd although in the past a few countries have deliberately)ept their currencies undervalued, that is now much harder to do in a world where capitalmoves more freely.

3uestion #*.he primary purpose of the passage is to

%4& identify the origin of a common misconception%7& discuss the implications of a generally accepted principle%8& present information relevant in evaluating a commonly held belief%D& defend a controversial assertion against a variety of counterarguments%E& e5plain under what circumstances a well-)nown phenomenon occurs

3uestion #*.he passage suggests that if the movement of capital in the world were restricted, which of thefollowing would be li)ely=

%4& 4dvanced technology could move more 6uic)ly from developed countries to developingcountries.%7& Developed countries could compete more e@ectively for obs with developing countries.%8& 4 country+s average wages could increase without signi'cantly increasing the sophisticationof its technology or the value of its currency.%D& 4 country+s productivity could increase without signi'cantly increasing the value of itscurrency.%E& Aor)ers could obtain higher wages by increasing their productivity.

3uestion #*!.


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he passage suggests that which of the following would best e5plain why, in a developingcountry, some 'rms that have raised their productivity continue to pay low wages=

%4& Aages are in>uenced by the e5tent to which productivity increases are based on the latesttechnology.%7& Aages are in>uenced by the e5tent to which labor unions have organied the country+swor)ers.%8& Aages are not determined by productivity improvements in goods traded internationally.

%D& he average productivity of the wor)ers in the country has not risen.%E& he education level of the wor)ers in the country determines wages.

Essay #1!.4 recent study has provided clues to predator-prey dynamics in the late ;leistocene era.Gesearchers compared the number of tooth fractures in present-day carnivores with toothfractures in carnivores that lived


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%E& in species that regularly stole carcasses from other species


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Practice Test #1 Reading Comprehension Keys

1. C

2. D

3. B

4. D

5. C

6. A

7. E

8. A

9. C

10. C

11. D

12. C

13. A

14. B

15. A

16. A

17. A

18. A

19. D

20. E

21. A

22. D

23. B

24. B

25. B

26. B

27. E

28. A

29. B

30. E

31. D

32. A

33. C

34. C

35. E

36. A

37. C38. E

39. C

40. A

41. D

42. D

43. B

44. B

45. B


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46. D

47. D

48. D

49. E

50. A

51. E

52. C

53. C

54. D

55. A

56. C

57. D

58. D

59. E

60. B

61. A

gmatprep rc1

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