a variation on espoused. You are looking for positive words to fit with the concept of a benevolent, enlightened ruler.Only reforms enhance work well in the sentence. 13. c. The key word here is polyphonic. If you don’t know the word, separate it into poly (meaning several or many) and phonic (hav- ing to do with sound). That will lead you to the correct answer, complex. 14. b. The first unit of the sentence defines the word metacognition. The second unit restates the definition, as cued by the phrase in other words. 15. a. The lack of a word or phrase signaling contrast or any other relationship means that the second unit is a restatement of the first. Something that is an enhancement is also an advantage. 16. d. In the first unit of this sentence, there are two pairs of words that set up the meaning of the sentence. Rarely is paired with without, and truth is paired with extremes. The first two cancel each other out in the same way double negatives would, leaving the meaning that we usually get to the summit of truth by way of extremes. The phrase in fact signals a restate- ment or even amplification of the first unit. The answer choice that fits with the concept of extremes is choice d, error folly. 17. c. The key phrases in this sentence are grand quest and against all odds. The answer choice that contrasts with against all odds and completes the thought is choice c, triumph. 18. b. This sentence has no punctuation to guide you, but it does contain the phrase contrast between, which leads you to look at the next phrase, the objective material conditions of life. The word that contrasts most clearly with objective, meaning factual, is subjective, referring to personal perception. That leads to choice b as the correct answer. 19. e. This sentence has three units. Each unit is referring to a plan. The first unit does not rec- ommend blind approbation (approval). The second unit uses the word nor to signal a con- trast (disapproval), and the final unit recom- mends consideration. The answer choice that means disapproval is choice e, reprobation. 20. a. The two words not but juxtaposed in this sentence mean only, when taken together. The second unit of the sentence contrasts with the first, because it is an imperative sentence, giving advice. The word avoid sig- nals the contrast, and choice a, trifling, is the word that contrasts with the advice given in the first unit. Reading Comprehension 1. d. Although the author makes several points within the article, each one supports the main thesis that laughter is a social function. 2. c. In lines 5 — 8, in particular, the author clearly discusses the point that we are most likely to laugh in the company of others with whom we share the laughter. Even a sitcom has a laugh track, which reminds us that others find it amusing. 3. c. The author supports assertion I in lines 14 — 16 and assertion II in lines 9 — 11. Assertion III is contradicted throughout the passage. 4. b. The phrase would fain be prolonged by rever- berating from one to another in lines 2 — 3 refers to the method by which a laugh, like an echo, bounces successively off surfaces (people). Fain is an archaic word meaning willingly. 5. e. The author uses several examples to make this point. If one is not a member of a group, of a social circle that is sharing a laugh, one is not inclined to laugh along with the others. – THE GRE VERBAL SECTION– 140 141 Groups can be variously defined and may vary in size, but it is safe to say that no social group includes all of humankind. 6. b. The author repeatedly refers to truth in rela- tion to geometrical propositions. See, for example, lines 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 18. The author (Albert Einstein) is laying the ground- work for an argument that the principles of geometry are only apparently true. 7. c. To answer this question, you have to find the antecedent of it. First, you discover that it refers to the last question. Then you must trace back to realize that the last question itself refers to the “truth” of the axioms in the previ- ous sentence. 8. e. This question deals with the same two sen- tences as the previous question and adds the previous sentence. Lines 3 — 8 contain the state- ments that argue that the truth of the proposi- tions depends on the truth of the axioms. 9. b. The sentence that begins on line 12 and goes through line 16 is the one that contains the assertion about pure geometry. 10. a. To answer this question correctly, you must tie together the first sentence of the passage and the series of sentences that begin on line 18. 11. c. This assertion is contained in the first sen- tence of the passage and further supported in the second sentence. 12. c. Lines 3 — 8 contain the sentences that set up and support the discussion of the exclusion of foreigners from office. 13. b. The answer to this question requires you to extrapolate from the author’s opening two sentences, stating that the first constitution was written in response to the necessities of trade among the provinces. The prefix inter more clearly denotes interaction among the provinces than does the prefix intra, which has a connotation of internal interaction. 14. e. Lines 9 — 11 state that the exclusion of foreign- ers continued after unification. 15. d. The choice of d as the correct answer (as opposed to c) requires you to know the mean- ing of the word vagaries, which connotes capriciousness and does not apply to the author’s discussion of legal development in the provinces. 16. c. Lines 6 — 8 discuss Hipparchus’s most impor- tant contribution to science. The first two statements are not supported by the passage. The last statement is not a contribution. 17. e. The sentence that begins on line 26 is the one that most clearly states that each equinox was moving relatively to the stars . . .That is the phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes. 18. d. The sentence that begins on line 25 sets up Hipparchus’s method. The next sentence, beginning on line 26, most clearly states that he made periodic comparisons. 19. b. The last sentence of the passage is the key to the correct answer. You have to know roughly when Newton lived and subtract 2,000 years. 20. a. The author devotes much of the first para- graph to a discussion of the limited means and methods available to Hipparchus. Choice b is correct but does not diminish Hip- parchus’s achievements. Neither choice c nor d would have any bearing whatsoever on something that happened 2,000 years earlier. Even if choice e were true, it would in no way detract from Hipparchus’s work. – THE GRE VERBAL SECTION–  What Now? Go back and assess your performance on each of the three sections.Why did you miss the questions you missed? Are there strategies that would help you if you practiced them? Were there many words you didn’t know? Whatever your weaknesses, it’s much better to learn about them now and spend the time between now and the GRE turning them into strengths than it is to pretend they don’t exist. It can be hard to focus on your weaknesses. The human tendency is to want to ignore them; nevertheless, if you focus on this task—doing well on the GRE—your effort will repay you many times over. You will go to the school you want and enjoy the career you want, and it will have all started with the relatively few hours you devoted to preparing for a standardized test. What are you waiting for?  Finally One last consideration about the Verbal section of the GRE is the effect of good time management during the exam. The basic rule is a minute a question, but some questions (analogies and antonyms) will take less time, and others will take more time. Don’t hold yourself to a strict schedule, but learn to be aware of the time you are taking. If you can eliminate one or more answers on a tough question, go ahead and make a guess. Don’t leave any questions blank and don’t spend too much time on any one question. These time management strategies apply to the Verbal section of the GRE; they also will serve you well on the Quantitative portion of the test. The Quantitative review in this book will provide you with additional powerful strategies for that section of the exam. – THE GRE VERBAL SECTION– 142 T his chapter will help you prepare for the Quantitative section of the GRE. The Quantitative sec- tion of the GRE contains 28 total questions: ■ 14 quantitative comparison questions ■ 14 problem-solving questions You will have 45 minutes to complete these questions. This section of the GRE assesses general high school mathematical knowledge. More information regarding the type and content of the questions is reviewed in this chapter. It is important to remember that a computer-adaptive test (CAT) is tailored to your performance level. The test will begin with a question of medium difficulty. Each question that follows is based on how you responded to earlier questions. If you answer a question correctly, the next question will be more difficult. If you answer a question incorrectly, the next question will be easier. The test is designed to analyze every answer you give as you take the test to determine the next question that will be presented. This is done to ascertain a precise measure of your quantitative abilities, using fewer test questions than traditional paper tests would use. CHAPTER The GRE Quantitative Section 5 143  Introduction to the Quantitative Section The Quantitative section measures your general understanding of basic high school mathematical concepts. You will not need to know any advanced mathematics. This test is a simple measure of your availability to reason clearly in a quantitative setting. Therefore, you will not be allowed to use a calculator on this exam. Many of the questions are posed as word problems relating to real-life situations. The quantitative informa- tion is given in the text of the questions, in tables and graphs, or in coordinate systems. It is important to know that all the questions are based on real numbers. In terms of measurement, units of measure are used from both the English and metric systems. Although conversion will be given between English and metric systems when needed, simple conversions will not be given. (Examples of simple con- versions are minutes to hours or centimeters to millimeters.) Most of the geometric figures on the exam are not drawn to scale. For this reason, do not attempt to estimate answers by sight. These answers should be calculated by using geometric reasoning. In addition, on a CAT, some geometric figures may appear a bit jagged on the computer screen. Ignore these minor irregu- larities in lines and curves. They will not affect your answers. There are eight symbols listed below with their meanings. It is important to become familiar with them before proceeding further. < x < y x is less than y > x > y x is greater than y Յ x Յ y x is less than or equal to y Ն x Ն y x is greater than or equal to y  x  y x is not equal to y ʈ x ʈ y x is parallel to y ⊥ x ⊥ y x is perpendicular to y angle A is a right angle A B C – THE GRE QUANTITATIVE SECTION– 144 The Quantitative section covers four types of math: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Arithmetic The types of arithmetic concepts you should prepare for in the Quantitative section include the following: ■ arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and powers of real numbers ■ operations with radical expressions ■ the real numbers line and its applications ■ estimation, percent, and absolute value ■ properties of integers (divisibility, factoring, prime numbers, and odd and even integers) Algebra The types of algebra concepts you should prepare for in the Quantitative section include the following: ■ rules of exponents ■ factoring and simplifying of algebraic expressions ■ concepts of relations and functions ■ equations and inequalities ■ solving linear and quadratic equations and inequalities ■ reading word problems and writing equations from assigned variables ■ applying basic algebra skills to solve problems Geometry The types of geometry concepts you should prepare for in the Quantitative section include the following: ■ properties associated with parallel lines, circles, triangles, rectangles, and other polygons ■ calculating area, volume, and perimeter ■ the Pythagorean theorem and angle measure There will be no questions regarding geometric proofs. Data Analysis The type of data analysis concepts you should prepare for in the Quantitative section include the following: ■ general statistical operations such as mean, mode, median, range, standard deviation, and percentages ■ interpretation of data given in graphs and tables ■ simple probability ■ synthesizing information about and selecting appropriate data for answering questions – THE GRE QUANTITATIVE SECTION– 145 . strategies for that section of the exam. – THE GRE VERBAL SECTION 14 2 T his chapter will help you prepare for the Quantitative section of the GRE. The Quantitative sec- tion of the GRE contains 28. tie together the first sentence of the passage and the series of sentences that begin on line 18 . 11 . c. This assertion is contained in the first sen- tence of the passage and further supported in the. you to the correct answer, complex. 14 . b. The first unit of the sentence defines the word metacognition. The second unit restates the definition, as cued by the phrase in other words. 15 . a. The lack