GRE Verbal Reasoning Questions
Reading Comprehension Questions
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| Question |
Questions 1 to 3 below are based on this passage:
Questions 4 to 6 below are based on this passage:
Questions 7 to 8 below are based on this passage:
Questions 9 to 10 below are based on this passage:
Policymakers must confront the dilemma that fossil fuels continue to be an indispensable source of energy even though burning them produces atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide that increase the likelihood of potentially disastrous global climate change. Currently, technology that would capture carbon dioxide emitted by power plants and sequester it harmlessly underground or undersea instead of releasing it into the atmosphere might double the cost of generating electricity. But because sequestration does not affect the cost of electricity transmission and distribution, delivered prices will rise less, by no more than 50 percent. Research into better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide will undoubtedly lead to lowered costs.
Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies' sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass's classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.
| Answer Sheet of Set 1 |
Check Answer:
1. The passage implies which of the following about the current cost of generating electricity?
 | It is higher than it would be if better technologies for capturing carbon dioxide were available. |
| It is somewhat less than the cost of electricity transmission and distribution. |
| It constitutes at most half of the delivered price of electricity. |
| It is dwelt on by policymakers to the exclusion of other costs associated with electricity delivery. |
| It is not fully recovered by the prices charged directly to electricity consumers. |
2. The passage suggests that extensive use of sequestration would, over time, have which of the following consequences?
 | The burning of fossil fuels would eventually cease to produce atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide. |
| The proportion of the delivered price of electricity due to generation would rise and then decline. |
| Power plants would consume progressively lower quantities of fossil fuels. |
3. Select the sentence that explains why an outcome of sequestration that might have been expected would not occur.
4. The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass's use of popular elements in his classical compositions?
| How it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics |
| How it has affected the commercial success of Glass's music |
| Whether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions |
| Whether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass's reputation as a composer of classical music |
| Whether it has caused certain of Glass's works to be derivative in quality |
Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply.
5. The passage suggests that Glass's work displays which of the following qualities?
5. The passage suggests that Glass's work displays which of the following qualities?
| A return to the use of popular music in classical compositions |
| An attempt to elevate rock music to an artistic status more closely approximating that of classical music |
| A long-standing tendency to incorporate elements from two apparently disparate musical styles |
6. Select the sentence that distinguishes two ways of integrating rock and classical music.
7. The author most probably mentions the “novel’s cyclical structure” in order to
| demonstrate that Twain was keenly aware of novelistic construction |
| show that the remaining twelve chapters have little connection to the rest of the novel |
| support the critic’s position that Twain was unaware of novelistic construction |
| provide support for a particular critical interpretation of Twain’s work |
| argue that Twain’s protagonist has much in common with Oedipus |
8. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
| In order to understand Twain’s novel, critics must compare its protagonist to Oedipus. |
| Twain’s novel contains some chapters that resist easy inclusion into a unified interpretation. |
| The unconventional structure of Huckleberry Finn indicates a lack of authorial awareness. |
| Twain’s novel was the first major American novel to discard traditional European structures. |
| The protagonist of Huckleberry Finn is considered a modern day Oedipus by critics. |
9. Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.
Which of the following can be inferred about the spread of ragweed pollen?
Which of the following can be inferred about the spread of ragweed pollen?
| Ragweed plants adapted to desert and mountain climes tend to spread fewer grains of pollen than do plants in other locations. |
| Some attempts to control it may exacerbate the problem. |
| The clumping of pollen grains caused by high humidity levels affects the ability of the wind to carry the grains. |
10. The author most probably mentions some species of Lepidoptera in order to
| detail a species that may be more effective at controlling ragweed than are the most aggressive herbicides |
| suggest a potential research avenue to the problem of controlling ragweed that is at present poorly explored |
| discuss a type of mammal that feeds on ragweed plants and may be successful at controlling the spread of ragweed |
| plead with the government to spend more money and put more research efforts into finding a natural control for ragweed |
| argue that complete elimination of the ragweed plant will only be possible if the government funds research into natural controls of ragweed |