MASTER THE GRE 2015 ® About Peterson’s Peterson’s provides the accurate, dependable, high-quality education content and guidance you need to succeed No matter where you are on your academic or professional path, you can rely on Peterson’s print and digital publications for the most up-to-date education exploration data, expert test-prep tools, and top-notch career success resources—everything you need to achieve your goals For more information, contact Peterson’s, Columbia Circle, Suite 205, cqx, Albany, NY 12203-5158; 800-338-3282 Ext 54229; or find us online at www.petersonsbooks.com © 2014 Peterson’s, a Nelnet company Previous editions © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 GRE® is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, or information storage and retrieval systems—without the prior written permission of the publisher For permission to use material from this text or product, complete the Permission Request Form at http://www.petersonspublishing.com/spa/permissions.aspx ISBN: 978-0-7689-3865-4 Printed in the United States of America 10 16 15 14 By printing this book on recycled paper (40% post-consumer waste) 187 trees were saved Petersonspublishing.com/publishingupdates Check out our website at www.petersonspublishing.com/publishingupdates to see if there is any new information regarding the test and any revisions or corrections to the content of this book We’ve made sure the information in this book is accurate and up-to-date; however, the test format or content may have changed since the time of publication SFI-00453 Sustainability—Its Importance to Peterson’s What does sustainability mean to Peterson’s? As a leading publisher, we are aware that our business has a direct impact on vital resources—most importantly the raw material used to make our books Peterson’s is proud that its products are printed at SFI Chain-of-Custody certified facilities and that all of its books are printed on SFI certified paper with 10 percent post-consumer waste using vegetable-based ink Supporting the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) means that we only use vendors—from paper suppliers to printers—who have undergone rigorous certification audits by independent parties to demonstrate that they meet the standards Peterson’s continuously strives to find new ways to incorporate responsible sourcing throughout all aspects of its business ACCESS GRE® TESTS ONLINE: http://www.petersonspublishing.com/gre Enter your e-mail address, and Peterson’s will e-mail you an activation code and the link needed to access the GRE online practice tests ANOTHER RECOMMENDED TITLE Peterson’s GRE/GMAT Math Review Contents Before You Begin ix How This Book Is Organized ix Special Study Features x Using This Book to Prepare for the Computer-Based GRE xi Access Three GRE Tests Online xi You Are Well on Your Way to Success xi Give Us Your Feedback xi Strategies for Answering Different Question Types on the GRE xii PART I: ABOUT THE GRE REVISED GENERAL TEST The Basics of the GRE revised General Test Test Organization Test Time Limits Test Tools Scoring the Test Test Day General Test-Taking Strategies to Remember International Test-Takers: Paper-and-Pencil Version 11 Summing It Up 12 A Quick Look at GRE Question Formats 13 Analytical Writing 13 Answer Option Differences 21 Verbal Reasoning 21 Quantitative Reasoning 25 Summing It Up 29 PART II: DIAGNOSING STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Practice Test 1: Diagnostic 45 Section 1: Analytical Writing 46 Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections 48 Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning 49 Section 3: Verbal Reasoning 55 Section 4: Verbal Reasoning 62 Section 5: Quantitative Reasoning 69 Answer Key and Explanations 76 v vi Contents PART III: ANALYTICAL WRITING The Issue Task 127 Basic Information About the Issue Task 128 Understand the Prompt: The Issue 128 Understand the Prompt: The Writing Instructions 129 Understand the Scoring Rubric 129 Review the Anatomy of an Issue Essay 132 Create Your Writing Plan 137 A Final Note of Caution 139 Issue Prompt with Six Model Responses, Scoring, and Analyses 139 Summing It Up 156 The Argument Task 157 Basic Information About the Argument Task 157 Understand the Prompt: The Argument 158 Understand the Prompt: The Writing Instructions 159 Understand the Scoring Rubric 160 Review the Basics of Argumentation 162 Learn the Flaws in Arguments 164 Create Your Writing Plan 165 A Final Note of Caution 170 Argument Prompt with Six Model Responses, Scoring, and Analyses 170 Summing It Up 187 PART IV: VERBAL REASONING Strategies for Reading Comprehension Questions 191 Basic Information About Reading Comprehension Questions 191 Active Reading 195 General Strategies for Answering Multiple-Choice Questions 196 Additional Strategies for Multiple-Choice Questions— Select One or More Answer Choices 205 Strategies for Select-In-Passage Questions 206 Practice Questions 208 Answer Key and Explanations 214 Summing It Up 224 Strategies for Text Completion Questions 227 Basic Information About Text Completion Questions 227 Strategies for Text Completion 229 Practice Questions 242 Answer Key and Explanations 245 Summing It Up 251 Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions 253 Basic Information About Sentence Equivalence Questions 253 Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions 254 Practice Questions 261 Master the GRE® 2015 Contents vii Answer Key and Explanations 264 Summing It Up 269 PART V: QUANTITATIVE REASONING Strategies for Multiple-Choice Questions 273 Basic Information About Multiple-Choice Question Types 273 Math Conventions 274 Strategies for Selecting One Answer Choice 276 Strategies for Selecting One or More Answer Choices 281 Strategies for Multiple-Choice Questions in Data Interpretation Sets 285 Practice Questions 288 Answer Key and Explanations 293 Summing It Up 304 10 Strategies for Numeric Entry Questions 305 Answer Format for Numeric Entry Questions 305 A Reminder About Using the On-Screen Calculator 306 Strategies for Numeric Entry Questions 306 Practice Questions 310 Answer Key and Explanations 312 Summing It Up 318 11 Strategies for Quantitative Comparison Questions 319 Basic Information About Quantitative Comparison Questions 319 Strategies for Quantitative Comparison Questions 320 Practice Questions 328 Answer Key and Explanations 333 Summing It Up 346 PART VI: THREE PRACTICE TESTS Practice Test 361 Section 1: Analytical Writing 362 Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections 364 Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning 365 Section 3: Quantitative Reasoning 374 Section 4: Verbal Reasoning 382 Section 5: Verbal Reasoning 390 Answer Key and Explanations 396 Practice Test 459 Section 1: Analytical Writing 460 Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections 462 Section 2: Verbal Reasoning 463 Section 3: Verbal Reasoning 470 Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning 477 Section 5: Quantitative Reasoning 485 Answer Key and Explanations 492 www.petersonsbooks.com viii Contents Practice Test 555 Section 1: Analytical Writing 556 Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections 558 Section 2: Verbal Reasoning 559 Section 3: Quantitative Reasoning 565 Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning 572 Section 5: Verbal Reasoning 579 Answer Key and Explanations 586 APPENDIXES Common Errors in Grammar and Mechanics 641 Often Confused and Confusing Words 651 Master the GRE® 2015 Before You Begin Master the GRE is your guidebook for navigating the GRE revised General Test In 2011, the test changed dramatically from the previous version The current version of the GRE is designed to better predict test-takers’ overall performance in graduate school The emphasis is on the testtakers’ ability to think You’ll see that in the design of questions You’ll find reading comprehension questions that ask you to critique the validity of an author’s argument or ask you to identify information that supports an author’s argument Other questions in the Verbal Reasoning section ask you to select the best word choice based on analyzing the context of a sentence or passage In the Analytical Writing section, you’ll be asked to evaluate someone else’s argument and to develop an argument of your own To de-emphasize computation and emphasize the thought processes used to arrive at answers in the Quantitative Reasoning section, you will find an on-screen calculator for the computer-based version If you are taking the paper-and-pencil version, you will be given a calculator You needn’t begin to hyperventilate at this information Master the GRE will • • • • • • walk you through the parts of the test give you strategies to use for each type of question explain how to avoid some common writing problems review basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis help you develop your vocabulary for word-choice questions provide simulated practice with four practice tests HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED Master the GRE is divided into six parts to facilitate your study: • Part I explains basic information about the GRE revised General Test and provides an overview with examples of the different question types you’ll find on the test • Part II offers a diagnostic test to help you identify your areas of strength and those areas where you will need to spend more time in your review sessions • Part III explores the Analytical Writing section of the test and offers strategies for developing well-supported and coherent responses to the types of tasks that you will be required to answer • Part IV goes into detail about the different question formats that you will find in the Verbal Reasoning section and offers strategies for answering each type • Part V describes the different question formats in the Quantitative Reasoning section of the test and offers strategies to help you figure out answers to the math questions ix x Before You Begin • Part VI has three more tests that provide you with simulated practice in taking the GRE exam under timed conditions • The Appendixes offer two additional chapters to help you improve your writing “Appendix A: Common Errors in Grammar and Mechanics,” can help you avoid such mistakes as sentence faults, misplaced modifiers, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun problems If misspelled words are a problem for you, check out “Appendix B: Often Confused and Confusing Words.” Here you’ll find a list of commonly misspelled words—words that sound somewhat similar but have completely different meanings and when used incorrectly could lower your score Each chapter in Parts IV and V contains practice sections to help you review what you have just learned SPECIAL STUDY FEATURES Master the GRE has several features that will help you get the most from your study time Overview Each chapter begins with a listing of the major topics in that chapter followed by an introduction that explains what you will be reviewing Summing It Up Each chapter ends with a point-by-point summary of the main points of the chapter It can be a handy last-minute guide to review before the test Bonus Information You will find three types of notes in the margin of the Master the GRE to alert you to important information Note Margin notes marked “Note” highlight information about the test structure itself Tip A note marked “Tip” points out valuable advice for taking the GRE revised General Test Alert An “Alert” identifies pitfalls in the testing format or question types that can cause mistakes in selecting answers Master the GRE® 2015 ... 651 Master the GRE 2015 Before You Begin Master the GRE is your guidebook for navigating the GRE revised General Test In 2011, the test changed dramatically from the previous version The current... summary of the main points of the chapter It can be a handy last-minute guide to review before the test Bonus Information You will find three types of notes in the margin of the Master the GRE to... friendly?” The Educational Testing Service (ETS), the makers of the GRE, thinks so As proof, ETS points to the maneuverability and functionality of the computer-based version of the GRE that was