Practice Test 13 - GRE Verbal Reasoning

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F. Economists who once dismissed the policy as (i)______, certain it would collapse under its own contradictions, have grown noticeably (ii)______ as unemployment figures have defied every prediction of disaster.
Though the professor's comments were meant to encourage revision, students found her ______ remarks about their grammar unsettling, for they went far beyond what any gentle correction would require.
In "The fossil lacks hollow bones; hence, it is unlikely to be an early bird," the word "hence" signals that what follows is:
Rather than launching a scathing attack on his opponent's voting record, as many had expected, the senator offered only a ______ critique, gently noting a few minor inconsistencies in the timeline.
For each blank, choose the word or phrase that best contributes to a clear, logical sentence. Choose one answer for each blank: the choices for the first blank are labeled A–C; the choices for the second blank are labeled D–F. Although the committee had promised a (i) ______ review of the proposal, its members spent barely ten minutes discussing it before voting, leaving many observers to conclude that the process had been merely (ii) ______.
Because the survey reached only volunteers already enthusiastic about the program, its glowing results offer only _____ evidence of the program's broad appeal.
Read the passage and answer the question. Economic inequality is frequently discussed as a single gap between "the rich" and "everyone else," but different forms of inequality can have different causes and consequences. Income inequality concerns flows of earnings over time, while wealth inequality concerns accumulated assets and debts. Because wealth can be passed across generations, wealth disparities may persist even when income gaps narrow. In addition, measures that reduce poverty—such as wage subsidies—may improve the bottom of the income distribution without substantially affecting concentration at the top. Conversely, policies that affect asset prices or inheritance rules may reshape wealth distribution while leaving wages largely unchanged. Treating inequality as a unitary phenomenon can therefore produce mismatched policy expectations: a reform designed to address one dimension may be criticized for failing to move another. A clearer debate begins by specifying which inequality is at issue and what mechanism is presumed to connect policy levers to distributional outcomes. Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
Passage: Some critics of consumer credit argue that borrowing for everyday purchases is irrational because it involves paying more than an item's sticker price. The passage responds that this critique overlooks the role of timing and uncertainty. For households with volatile income, access to credit can prevent costly disruptions—such as missed rent or utilities shutoffs—that may have larger long-term consequences than interest payments. However, the author also emphasizes that credit can amplify vulnerability when terms are opaque or when repayment depends on optimistic assumptions about future income. The passage therefore suggests evaluating credit not as inherently prudent or imprudent but as a tool whose value depends on contract design, borrower circumstances, and the availability of safer alternatives like emergency savings or social insurance. Question: Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
Passage: Some philosophers of technology claim that algorithmic decision systems are objectionable chiefly because they are opaque: if only the public could see how the model works, the argument goes, legitimacy would be restored. Transparency is indeed valuable, since it can reveal errors and enable contestation. Yet the emphasis on opacity can distract from a different problem: even perfectly interpretable rules can encode priorities that many people reject. A city might openly publish an algorithm for allocating housing inspections that weights complaints from homeowners more heavily than those from renters. The rule could be simple, visible, and faithfully implemented—and still exacerbate existing inequalities by directing enforcement toward neighborhoods with greater political influence. In such cases, the issue is not that citizens cannot understand the system, but that they dispute the values it operationalizes. Accordingly, governance should treat transparency as a tool rather than an endpoint, pairing it with mechanisms for revising objectives and for representing affected groups in setting them. The sentence beginning with "A city might openly publish an algorithm…" primarily functions to:
During the formal defense, the professor asked the student to ______ her hypothesis in more rigorous, technical terms.
In the sentence "Her prose is spare but never thin," the word "spare" most nearly means
Passage: Political theorists debating deliberative democracy argue that public reasoning can legitimize collective decisions. Ideally, citizens exchange reasons, revise views, and reach outcomes that reflect more than raw power. Empirical studies of deliberative forums, however, show that design features matter. Facilitated small-group discussions can increase participation among quieter members, while unmoderated settings often allow confident speakers to dominate. Additionally, providing balanced briefing materials can improve factual accuracy, though participants sometimes interpret the same facts through different value frameworks. A separate body of work examines online deliberation. Digital platforms can broaden participation geographically, but they also increase opportunities for strategic behavior, such as coordinated messaging that gives the appearance of consensus. Some platforms have experimented with identity verification and rate limits to reduce manipulation, but these measures can deter participation by those concerned about privacy. Finally, scholars of legitimacy note that even well-run deliberation may not translate into policy influence. When participants perceive that outcomes are ignored by decision makers, trust can decline, potentially undermining the very legitimacy deliberation was meant to bolster. Question: Which of the following is most strongly supported by information from the passage taken as a whole?
The senator's speech was praised by supporters as ______ but derided by critics as merely a rehash of tired platitudes.
Read the passage and answer the question. The rapid spread of "micro-credentials" has been hailed as a democratizing alternative to traditional degrees: short, skills-focused certificates purportedly aligned with labor-market needs. Employers' interest is understandable, especially in fast-changing technical fields. Yet the micro-credential ecosystem is fragmented, with uneven standards and limited transparency about assessment rigor. The result is a paradox: credentials proliferate, but their signaling value can erode as outsiders struggle to distinguish substantive programs from perfunctory ones. Furthermore, the narrative of democratization can obscure the possibility that micro-credentials simply layer additional costs onto workers who already face precarious employment, without offering the wage premiums implied in marketing materials. Micro-credentials may complement degrees in certain contexts; treating them as a wholesale substitute seems premature. The author's stance toward micro-credentials is best described as…
A technology review site argues: "The new AlphaPhone has a battery that lasts 20% longer than last year's model. Longer battery life is what consumers want most in a smartphone. Therefore, the AlphaPhone is the best smartphone on the market." The argument is most vulnerable to which criticism?
A public health agency evaluated a smoking-cessation text-messaging program offered to adults who enrolled through clinics. Among participants who received messages, 6-month self-reported abstinence was 19%, compared with 12% among similar enrollees who did not opt in. The program's per-person cost was low because messages were automated, and clinics reported no increase in staff workload. Given the agency's goal of expanding effective interventions without adding staffing demands, it argues that the text-messaging program should be offered statewide. Which of the following best states the conclusion of the argument?
Read the passage and answer the question. In discussions of urban heat, policymakers often focus on citywide averages, yet residents experience temperature at street level, where shade, pavement, and building height matter. A recent analysis of three mid-sized cities combined satellite-derived surface temperatures with on-the-ground sensor readings and found that neighborhoods with similar average incomes could still differ by several degrees during summer afternoons. The discrepancy arose partly because satellite images capture roof and road surfaces more readily than air temperatures felt by pedestrians. To address this mismatch, the researchers proposed a "thermal equity audit" that pairs remote sensing with walking-route measurements taken at the times when outdoor labor is most common. Critics of the proposal argue that such audits would be costly and would merely confirm what residents already know: that tree cover is unevenly distributed. But the researchers note that without standardized measurements, cities tend to invest in highly visible downtown cooling projects rather than in less conspicuous residential corridors. Moreover, when the team piloted the audit in one city, they discovered that two neighborhoods with equal tree canopy percentages had different heat exposure because one had wider streets and more dark asphalt. This finding suggests that focusing solely on planting trees may overlook other design levers, such as reflective paving or altered traffic patterns. In short, a thermal equity audit is offered not as a substitute for residents' testimony but as a way to translate that testimony into comparable, budget-relevant metrics. The primary function of the highlighted sentence is to:
Read the passage and answer the question. In evaluating new technologies, policymakers often ask whether an innovation is "efficient," typically meaning that it reduces costs or increases output. The passage argues that this narrow framing can obscure a different question: efficient for whom and under what constraints. A tool that lowers production costs might simultaneously shift risks onto workers, concentrate market power, or increase environmental damage. In such cases, aggregate efficiency gains may coexist with losses that are substantial for particular groups. The passage does not deny that efficiency matters; rather, it claims that efficiency is an incomplete criterion for public decision-making. Because many technological effects are distributed unevenly, evaluation should incorporate considerations of resilience, fairness, and accountability. For example, a highly optimized supply chain may minimize inventory costs but become fragile when disruptions occur; similarly, automated decision systems may speed administrative processes while making errors harder to contest. The passage concludes that technology assessment should treat efficiency as one value among several, not as a substitute for broader judgments about social outcomes. Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
Passage: For decades, museum curators have justified the acquisition of archaeological artifacts by claiming that removal from unstable regions is a form of "rescue." The argument holds that, because looting and conflict threaten objects in situ, placing them in well-funded institutions preserves them for humanity and enables scholarly study. Opponents counter that this rationale confuses preservation with possession. They note that demand from wealthy institutions can incentivize looting by raising prices and by providing a veneer of legitimacy to poorly documented objects. Furthermore, even when artifacts are physically safe in a museum, the loss of provenance—the record of where and how an object was found—can permanently diminish its scientific value. In response, some curators have begun to defend a different model: long-term loans and joint stewardship agreements with source countries. Rather than treating acquisition as the endpoint, these arrangements treat conservation, documentation, and public access as shared responsibilities. The shift does not resolve every dispute, but it changes the debate from who "owns" an object to what institutional practices best protect knowledge. Question: The primary function of the third paragraph is to
A climate scientist claims that recent increases in wildfire season length in a region are linked to earlier spring snowmelt. The scientist cites: (1) satellite-derived snow cover data showing average snow-off dates shifted 12 days earlier from 1990 to 2020; (2) fire agency records showing the average date of the first large wildfire shifted 9 days earlier over the same interval; and (3) a model simulation in which earlier soil drying increased the number of days with high fire danger indices. Which statement best evaluates how the author uses evidence?

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