assumptions make a logical connection between the premise and conclusion of the argument. It is possible that the speaker’s leadership ability will be questioned by the Task Force findings (choice d) or that the Task Force wants to hire more police officers (choice e), but these two assumptions also do not link the premise and conclusion. Sentence Correction 51. c. Choices a, b, and d have problems with word order. In choices a and d, the modifier presumed to be genetic or partially genetic in origin is misplaced. In b, the subject and predicate are reversed. Choice e is unnecessarily wordy and redundant. 52. a. The original is the most clear and correct version. Choices b and c are unnecessarily wordy, and c also creates a sentence fragment with the semicolon. Choice d is awkward and unclear, and the use of since in choice e is illogical. 53. b. The correct idiom is hazard a guess. All of the other choices incorrectly express the idiom. In addi- tion, the idiom completes an independent clause, and we need more data to draw a real conclusion is also an independent clause; they cannot be separated with a comma, so choices a and d are also incorrect. 54. d. This choice is nearly identical to a, except that choice a makes a mistake in subject-verb agreement (have instead of has, which must be singular to agree with each). Choice b reverses the subject and predicate, creating awkward word order. Choice c disrupts the parallel structure of the list, and choice e is slightly wordy and less direct than choice d. 55. c. Errors is a plural noun, so it should be modified by fewer, not less. Thus, choices a, b, and e are incorrect. Choice e also reverses the word order, placing the modifier less after the noun. Choice d is incorrect because it is less concise than choice c and the placement of 20% to 30% in parenthesis is slightly awkward and less direct than in choice c. 56. b. Choices a, c, and d are wordy and redundant, with a being the most problematic. Choice e changes to make decisions into deciding, creating an awkward sentence because the sentence opens with a par- ticiple rather than an infinitive clause, suggesting action already in progress rather than action that will be taken once reasons for punishment are understood. 57. c. The correct idiom is to live a life of privilege, so choices a and d are incorrect. Choice b is wordy (simultaneously repeats while and she is repeated unnecessarily), as is choice e (wealth is redundant with life of privilege). 58. e. This is the most correct and concise version. Choices a, b, and d are less concise, and d creates an illogical sentence by changing have to having. Choice c is incorrect because declining over the last 20 years is misplaced and as a result modifies main reason. 59. e. Choice a reverses the subject and predicate. Choice b is correct but is less effective than choice e because it sets up the two items of information as equal — that stalking is probably as old as human society and its definition. Choice e uses probably as old as human society as an introduction to the focus of the sentence — the definition of stalking. Choice e is also more direct and does not need to repeat – VERBAL SECTION PRACTICE TEST– 203 the verb is. Choice c uses the phrase the definition of stalking is rather than the more direct stalking is defined as. Choice d puts the definition before the word being defined, which is less effective, making readers wait until they have finished the definition to find out what is being defined. 60. c. This choice maintains the parallel structure necessary in a not only/but also construction. Choices a and d disrupt the parallel structure, and d is also wordy. Choice b uses the grammatically incorrect phrase being that. Choice e has two problems. First, it creates an illogical sentence by changing as hav- ing to as it has. If you eliminate the whether clause in the middle of the sentence, the core sentence would read Typically people think of genius as it has two qualities, not only supernatural but as well eccentric. Second, it changes not only/but also to not only/but as well, an incorrect idiom. 61. a. Choice b is a run-on sentence. Choice c inserts an unnecessary which clause, making the sentence unnecessarily wordy. Choice d misplaces the modifier a system of recording, analyzing, and reporting economic transactions, which should be as close as possible to accounting. Choice e has awkward word order and the indirect and bulky phrase in that it is. 62. b. Choices a, c, and e are incorrect because the helping verb is is required to make the sentence logical. Choice e is also missing the preposition through, which is necessary for the correct meaning as sug- gested by the context of the sentence. Choice d uses the preposition by instead of through, which is inconsistent with the final phrase and also less correct as suggested by the context of the sentence. 63. d. Choice a uses a double superlative, combining most and a modifier with -est. Choice b uses a double comparison as well, using more and a modifier with -er. Choice c incorrectly uses evolving instead of evolved, changing a modifier to a verb and making the sentence illogical. Choice e makes evolutionarily an adverb, which creates an awkward and unclear sentence. 64. c. The proper idiom is in conjunction with. Choices a and e are therefore incorrect. Choices b and d are incorrect because the pronoun who, not that, must be used to refer to doctor. 65. d. Choice a is wordy and redundant. Choice b is correct, but it is less effective than choice d because the word choice and sentence structure are less sophisticated. Choice c has an error in subject-verb agreement (problems shows) and has awkward word order. Choice e has a misplaced modifier; because of its placement, lacking computer-related skills modifies today’s job market. 66. a. This is a complicated sentence, and many phrases and clauses separate the subject story from the verb is (this subject-verb pair is not the main subject of the sentence but the subject and verb in the that clause describing what Jung and Campbell believed). Because story is the subject, choice c is incor- rect; the verb must be singular. Choices d and e are incorrect because they do not provide a verb to complete the clause; rather, they create an additional clause or phrase. Choice b creates a sentence fragment by inserting a semicolon after people. 67. c. The correct idiom is based on, so all other choices are incorrect. 68. d. The pronoun who should be used to refer to people. Choices a and c are therefore incorrect. The clause who suffer from antisocial personality disorder is necessary to describe which people demonstrate a disturbing emotional shallowness. Choices b and e do not use a pronoun to create such a clause, mak- ing the sentence unclear and/or illogical. – VERBAL SECTION PRACTICE TEST– 204 69. e. Choices a, b, and c misplace the modifier in protracted space flight, which should follow astronauts, and a also misplaces brought on by weightlessness, which should follow atrophy. Choice c also makes an error in the idiom brought on by. Choice d is wordy. 70. b. All of the other choices are unnecessarily wordy and/or less direct. Choices a and e also disrupt the parallel structure of the list. Choice e is also awkward. 71. e. The correct idiom is of a like mind. All other choices are therefore incorrect. 72. a. This is the most concise version. Choice b disrupts the parallel structure by turning the modifier renowned into a clause. Choices c and d are wordy. Choice e incorrectly uses being to create an awk- ward sentence. 73. c. Choice a misplaces the modifier also called genetic engineering, which should immediately follow recombinant DNA technology. Choice b turns what should be the predicate of the sentence (the main action and focus of the sentence) into a huge introductory phrase, shifting the emphasis onto also called genetic engineering, which becomes the new predicate. Choice d incorrectly uses the wordy and indirect phrases the cutting of instead of the infinitive to cut and the combination of them with instead of combine them with. Choice e is wordy. 74. b. Choice a is a run-on sentence, which choice b corrects by changing the comma to a semicolon. Choice c creates a wordy and awkward sentence. Choice d changes the meaning of the sentence and makes it unclear — 90% more of what? Choice e is also a run-on. 75. d. Choice a is an unclear sentence because it could refer to several antecedents, including foreign body, molecules, immune system, and species. The correct antecedent is immune system. Choice e also has an error in subject-verb agreement (species requires a singular verb — reacts). – VERBAL SECTION PRACTICE TEST– 205 . in subject -verb agreement (species requires a singular verb — reacts). – VERBAL SECTION PRACTICE TEST– 205