GMAT

Reading Comprehension / Sentence Correction

and Critical Reasoning
 CONTENTS

• GMAT Reading Comprehension

14 Questions

• GMAT Sentence Correction

17 Questions

• GMAT Critical Reasoning

10 Questions

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 GMAT Reading Comprehension

Questions 1- 4 are based on the following passage.

The cutting-edge science is ringing alarm bells. Avian flu virus picked up by pigs can swap
genetic materials with another flu virus already in the pig and become a new, hitherto
unknown flu virus for which no person, no animal has preexisting immunity. The kind of
virus causes a pandemic because it spreads from human to human.

If you took a peek into history, it turns out that previous influenza pandemics have similar
scenarios. The greatest influenza pandemic in 1918 caused more than 20 million deaths of
soldiers stationed in France. The last influenza pandemic was in 1968, known as the Hong
Kong flu (H3N2). Thousands of deaths and millions were infected worldwide.

The other examples are the Nipah virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus, which find pigs
to be good hosts. With JE, the virus circulates in the blood of infected pigs. When infected
pigs are bitten by Culex mosquitoes, the virus replicates in the mosquito's gut. The next
time the mosquito bites a human, the virus is passed on. The pig doesn't get sick as such.
The Nipah virus causes pneumonia symptoms in pigs. In humans, it causes encephalitis,
and humans catch it only with direct contact with infected pigs. Symptoms range from mild
headache to permanent brain damage, and can be fatal.

It's merely a phenomenon of nature that the pig is the "mixing vessel" for the new germ.
But make no mistake, the pig is not the villain, neither is the chicken. It's actually us, and
our horrible farm practices, outdated agricultural policy and, most of all, reckless disregard
of our ecology and environment. "Hygiene and management can control what eventually
happens," says Lam. "Good farming practice will prevent serious outbreaks and infection
to humans." Despite knowing that, animal diseases and the possibility of transmission to
humans are becoming quite alarming. Of the 35 new emerging diseases in the last 20
years, more than 70 per cent involved animals.

In fact, what we may have done is unwittingly create the perfect launch pad for an
influenza pandemic that will likely kill large numbers of people across the globe. Although
scientists say it's impossible to predict the odds that the virus will alter its genetic form
radically enough to start leaping from human to human, the longer H5N1 is out there killing
chickens, the higher the chances are.

1. Which of the following statement can be inferred from the passage?

(A) New emerging diseases causes more deaths of human than animal.
(B) Animals are the villain for most flues.
(C) Hygiene and management can not control the spread of viruses.
(D) The current bird flu epidemic may be a launch pad for the next influenza pandemic.
(E) The influenza pandemic is always a regional phenomenon.
2. Which of the following best describes the topic of the passage?

(A) What causes the Nipah virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus to happen?
(B) Does Hong Kong flu originate from pig?
(C) From fowl to pigs to humans?
(D) Is influenza pandemic horrible?
(E) Shall we eat chicken?

3. All of the following situations are similar to the spread of avian flu virus described in the
first paragraph EXCEPT:

(A) The BT2 spread from a pig to another pig, and thus causes significant disease in pig.
(B) The AIDS viruses transferred from monkeys to man and spread across the world.
(C) The SARS virus originates from some wildlife and is picked up by civet cats from which
humans got it.
(D) Nipah virus circulates in the blood of infected pig, which is bitten by Culex mosquitoes,
the virus replicates in the mosquito's gut. The next time the mosquito bites a human, the
virus is passed on.
(E) H5N1 starts in chickens and leaps from human to human.

4. What does the author mean by describing the pig as "mixing vessel”?

(A) Pig is the place where various viruses reside.

(B) Pig is the pot in which viruses swap genes and become new, deadly germs.
(C) Viruses are mixed inside the body of pig.
(D) New germs come to the body of pig and reside there.
(E) Pig attracts viruses.

Questions 5-9 are based on the following passage.

Indian firms have achieved the highest levels of efficiency in the world software
outsourcing industry. Some researchers have assumed that Indian firms use the same
programming languages and techniques as Chinese firms but have benefited from their
familiarity with English, the language used to write software code. However, if this were
true, then one would expect software vendors in Hong Kong, where most people speak
English, to perform not worse than do Indian vendors. However, this is obviously not the
case.

Other researchers link high Indian productivity to higher levels of human resource
investment per engineer. But a historical perspective leads to a different conclusion. When
the two top Indian vendors matched and then doubled Chinese productivity levels in the
mid-eighties, human resource investment per employee was comparable to that of
Chinese vendors. Furthermore, by the late eighties, the amount of fixed assets required to
develop one software package was roughly equivalent in India and in the China. Since
human resource investment was not higher in India, it had to be other factors that led to
higher productivity.
A more fruitful explanation may lie with Indian strategic approach in outsourcing. Indian
software vendors did not simply seek outsourced contract more effectively: they made
aggressive strategic in outsourcing. For instance, most software firms of India were initially
set up to outsource the contract in western countries, such as United States. By contrary,
most Chinese firms seem to position their business in China, a promising yet under-
developed market. However, rampant piracy in China took almost 90 percents of potential
market, making it impossible for most Chinese firms to obtain sufficient compensation for
the investment on development and research, let alone thrive in competitive environment.

5. Which of the following statements concerning the productivity levels of engineers can be
inferred from the passage?

(A) Prior to the 1980's, the productivity levels of the top Indian software firms were
exceeded by those of Chinese software firms.
(B) The official language of a country has a large effect on the productivity levels of its
software developers.
(C) During the late 1980's and early 1990's, productivity levels were comparable in China
and India.
(D) The greater the number of engineers that a software firm has, the higher a firm's
productivity level.
(E) The amount of human resource investment made by software developers in their firms
determines the level of productivity.
6. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) contrast possible outcomes of a type of business strategy
(B) suggest more careful evaluation of a type of business strategy
(C) illustrate various ways in which a type of business strategy could fail to enhance
revenues
(D) trace the general problems of a company to a certain type of business strategy
(E) criticize the way in which managers tend to analyze the costs and benefits of business
strategies

7. Which of the following best describes the organization of the first paragraph?

(A) A thesis is presented and supporting examples are provided.

(B) Opposing views are presented, classified, and then reconciled.
(C) A fact is stated, and an explanation is advanced and then refuted.
(D) A theory is proposed, considered, and then amended.
(E) An opinion is presented, qualified, and then reaffirmed.

8. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true of Indian software
developers?

(A) Their productivity levels did not equal those of Chinese software engineers until the
late eighties.
(B) Their high efficiency levels are a direct result of English language familiarity.
(C) They develop component-specific software.
(D) They are built to outsource the western orders.
(E) They develop more packages of software than do those in Chinese developers.

9. The author suggests that if the researchers of India mentioned in paragraph 1 were
correct, which of the following would be the case?

(A) The computer used in India software firms would be different from the computer used
in China firms.
(B) Indian engineers would be trained to do several different programming jobs.
(C) Familiarity with English language would not have an influence on the productivity levels
of engineers.
(D) The engineers in India-run firms would have lower productivity levels if they have a
poor command of English.
(E) The production levels of India-run firms located in the China would be equal to those of
firms run by China firms.

Questions 10-14 are based on the following passage.

The fact that reducing price can generate a competitive advantage for a company does not
mean that every reduction in price will create such an advantage. Price reduction, like
improvement in service, must be balanced against other types of efforts on the basis of
direct, tangible benefits such as increased revenues. If a company is already effectively on
a par with its competitors because it provides product at an acceptable price and keeps
customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate, then reduction in price may not be
effective, since price is not necessarily the deciding factor for any customer in any
situation.

This truth was not apparent to managers of one operating system software vendor, which
failed to improve its competitive position despite its attempt to reduce price. The software
managers did not recognize the level of customer inertia that arises from the
inconvenience of switching operating system. Nor did they analyze their reduction in price
to determine whether it would attract new customers by producing a new standard of price
that would excite customers or by proving difficult for competitors to copy.

10. According to the passage, reduction in price are comparable to improvement in service
in terms of the

(A) tangibility of the benefits that they tend to confer

(B) increased revenues that they ultimately produce
(C) basis on which they need to be weighed
(D) insufficient analysis that managers devote to them
(E) degree of competitive advantage that they are likely to provide

11. The passage suggests which of the following about price charged by an operating
system software vendor prior to its strategy in reducing its price?

(A) It was slightly low to that of the vendor's competitors.

(B) It threatened to weaken the vendor's competitive position with respect to other
operating system software vendor
(C) It had already been reduced after having caused damage to the vendor's reputation in
the past.
(D) It enabled the vendor to retain customers at an acceptable rate
(E) It needed to be reduced to attain parity with the software provided by competing
vendors.

12. The passage suggests which of the following about price charged by an operating
system software vendor prior to its strategy in reducing its price?

(A) It enabled the vendor to retain customers at an acceptable rate

(B) It threatened to weaken the vendor's competitive position with respect to other
operating system software vendor
(C) It had already been reduced after having caused damage to the vendor's reputation in
the past.
(D) It was slightly low to that of the vendor's competitors.
(E) It needed to be reduced to attain parity with the software provided by competing
vendors.

13. The discussion of the operating system software vendor last paragraph serves which
of the following functions within the passage as a whole?

(A) It describes an exceptional case in which reduction in price actually failed to produce a
competitive advantage.
(B) It illustrates the pitfalls of choosing to reduce price at a time when business strategy is
needed more urgently in another area.
(C) It demonstrates the kind of analysis that managers apply when they choose one kind of
business strategy over another
(D) It supports the argument that strategies in certain aspects are more advantageous than
strategies in other aspects.
(E) It provides an example of the point about reduction in price made in the first paragraph.

14. The passage suggests that operating system software managers failed to consider
whether or not the price reduction mentioned last sentence

(A) was too complicated to be easily described to prospective customers

(B) made a measurable change in the experiences of customers purchasing
(C) could be sustained if the number of customers increased significantly
(D) was an innovation that competing vendors could have imitated
(E) was adequate to bring the vendor's general level of price to a level that was
comparable with that of its competitors
 GMAT Sentence Correction
1. Satisfied by the strong performance on GMAT test, it was decided by Peter to give
himself a two-week rest.
A. it was decided by Peter to give himself a two-week rest
B. Peter decided to give himself a two-week rest
C. a two-week rest was given by Peter to himself
D. Peter's decision was to give himself a two-week rest
E. it was decided that Peter give himself a two-week rest
2. Since 1999, the number of internet websites with the domain name ending with .com
have grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million.
A. have grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million

B. are growing from 62 million to nearly 78 million

C. grew from 62 million to nearly 78 million
D. grow from 62 million to nearly 78 million

E. has grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million

3. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year were
manufactured in China, a country that has the largest population in the world.

A. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year were
B. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year had
been
C. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year have
been

D. Last year eighty percent of notebook computers were sold in United States that have
been
E. Last year eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States had
been

4. According to a report from Anderson Accounting, the gross sales of General Movies in
2002 were $86 millions as many as their expected revenues.
A. as many as their expected
B. more than their expected
C. as many as their excepted
D. more than their expectedly
E. as many as their expectedly
5. The current downturn in the U.S. economy is encouraging many young professionals to
return to school, which doubles to twice the number of applicants five years ago.

A. which doubles to twice the number of applicants five years ago

B. doubling to twice the number of applicants five years ago

C. which doubles to twice the number of applicants that were five years ago

D. doubling to twice the number of applicants five years before

E. which doubles to twice the number of applicants five years before

6. Using the KB833330, a new virus known as Bagle can be blocked outside the Local
Area Network.

A. Using the KB833330, a new virus known as Bagle can be blocked outside the Local
Area Network.

B. A new virus known as Bagle can be blocked outside the Local Area Network, using the
KB833330.

C. Blocking a new virus known as Bagle outside the Local Area Network, an engineer can
use the KB833330 by an engineer

D. Outside the Local Area Network, a new virus known as Bagle can be blocked using the
KB833330 by an engineer

E. Using the KB833330, an engineer can block a new virus known as Bagle outside the
Local Area Network.

7. The GMAT math section consists of 37 questions, each question a test of a certain math
concept.
A. each question a test on a certain math concept
B. all the questions a test on a certain math concept
C. all the questions are tested on a certain math concept
D. every question is tested on a certain math concept
E. each question is tested on a certain math concept
8. According to a survey, a company president typically spends 60 percent of his or her
time on communicational activities, such as answering the calls, communicating with
clients and to speak on the meetings.
A. communicating with clients and to speak
B. communicating with clients and speaking
C. to communicate with clients and speak
D. to communicate with clients and to speak
E. to communicate with clients and speaking
9. The best way for an IT professional to protect data is to periodically back it in a pre-
formatted disc.
A. to periodically back it in a pre-formatted disc
B. if it is quickly backed in a pre-formatted disc
C. for it to be backed periodically in a pre-formatted disc
D. if the data is periodically backed in a pre-formatted disc
E. to have them periodically backed in a pre-formatted disc
10. Unlike a corporation, which pays tax based on its related revenues, a fixed amount of
tax is paid by a sole ownership business.
A. a fixed amount of tax is paid by a sole ownership business
B. with a sole ownership business a fixed amount of tax is paid

C. a sole ownership is paid a fixed amount of tax

D. for a sole ownership business a fixed amount of tax is paid
E. a sole ownership pays a fixed amount of tax

11. In addition to having more employees than UT StartCom, the employees in

GenericSart are higher educated than those in UT StartCom, with more graduate students.
A. the employees in GenericSart are higher educated than those in

B. GenericStart has higher educated employees than those do

C. the employees in GenericStart are higher educated than those are in
D. GenericStart employees are higher educated that those are in

E. GenericStart has higher educated employees than

12. The gravity will apply the same to an airplane flying in the air as a ship floating on the
water.

A. air as a
B. air as to a
C. air; just as it would to a

D. air, as it would to the

E. air; just as to the
B, the best choice, uses the idiomatic and grammatically parallel form the same to X as to
Y.

13. A report by Business Weekly indicated that the number of money invested by
companies in Business and Research in 2003 was twice that in 2002.

A. the number of money invested by companies in Business and Research in 2003 was
B. the number of money invested by companies in Business and Research in 2003 were
C. the number of money invested by companies in Business and Research in 2003 are
D. the amount of money invested by companies in Business and Research in 2003 were
E. the amount of money invested by companies in Business and Research in 2003 was
14. However much people may agree that there is substantial corruption in Chinese
government and that government does its endeavor, it is difficult to keep the problem
under control.
A. However much United States voters may agree that
B. Despite the agreement among people to the fact
C. Although people agree
D. Even though people may agree
E. There is agreement among people that

15. Given that most Misubishi cars on the road have some problems with tyre, the
Misubishi Company yielded to hundreds of unsatisfied buyers requesting that it should call
back the cars on the market.

A. requesting that it should

B. requesting it to
C and their request to
D. who requested that it

E. who request it to
16. Opposites of privatization in China consider state-owned business to be an integral
part of national treasury and question if privatization could weaken the ability of the country
to adjust national economy.
A. to be an integral part of the criminal justice system and question if
B. as an integral part of the national treasure and they question if

C. as being an integral part of the national treasure and question whether

D. integral part of the national treasure and question whether
E. are an integral part of the national treasure, and they question whether

17. At least as much as 204 millions or more people in the world earn fewer than $10 per
day.
A. At least as much as 204 millions or more people in the world earn fewer than
B. At least as much as 204 millions or more people in the world earn less than
C. More than 204 millions people in the world earn fewer than
D. More than 204 millions people in the world earn less than
E. There are at least 204 millions or more people earn less than
 GMAT Critical Reasoning
1. Bill earns more commission than does Sandra. But since Andrew earns more
commission than does Lisa, it follows that Bill earns more commission than does Lisa.
Any of the following, if introduced into the argument as an additional premise, makes the
argument above logically correct EXCEPT:
A. Andrew earns more commission than Bill
B. Sandra earns more commission than Lisa
C. Sandra earns more commission than Andrew
D. Sandra and Andrew earn the same amount of commission
E. Bill and Andrew earn the same amount of commission

2. During the SARS days, about 23,500 doctors who had treated SARS sufferers died and
about 23,670 doctors who had not engaged in treatment for SARS sufferers died. On the
basis of those figures, it can be concluded that it was not much more dangerous to
participate in SARS treatment during the SARS day than it was not to participate in SARS
treatment.

Which of the following would reveal most clearly the absurdity of the conclusion drawn
above?
A. Counting deaths among doctors who had participated in SARS treatment in addition to
deaths among doctors who had not participated in SARS treatment
B. Expressing the difference between the numbers of deaths among doctors who had
treated SARS sufferers and doctors who had not treated SARS suffers as a percentage of
the total number of deaths
C. Separating deaths caused by accidents during the treatment to SARS suffers from
deaths caused by infect of SARS suffers.
D. Comparing death rates per thousand members of each group rather than comparing
total numbers of deaths
E. Comparing deaths caused by accidents in the United States to deaths caused by infect
in treating SARS suffers.

3. In 2003 an airline in United State lost more than half, on average, of the foreign
passengers they had previously served each year. Researchers have alleged that this
extreme drop resulted from a rise in price of tickets for international lines from $60 to $90
per 1,000 miles.

Which of the following, if feasible, offers the best prospects for alleviating the problem of
the drop in passengers as the researchers assessed it?
A. Cooperating with other airlines to provide more international lines.
B. Allowing foreign passengers to pay the same as the previous international line
C. Reemphasizing the goals and mission of the airline as serving both domestic
passengers and foreign passengers
D. Increasing the financial resources of the airline by raising the ticket price for domestic
passengers
E. Offering superior VIP service for foreign passengers.

4. Our work proves to be very successful. In the past three years, each of our five clients
has experienced the fastest growth of sales in their history. Therefore, if your company
wants to increase sales, do not hesitate to call Sigma & Max, since we are the solution.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously jeopardizes the validity of the argument by
the speaker above?
A. Most of the consultants at Sigma & Max hold MBA degrees.
B. Even without the help of Sigma & Max, the five clients of Sigma & Max will achieve the
same growth rate in sale.
C. Sigma & Max is one of the five leading management consulting companies.
D. Sigma & Max uses an updated accounting approach to help companies to cut cost.
E. All of the five clients of Sigma & Max are doing business in financial industry.

Questions 5-6 are based on the following passage.

If highways were restricted to cars and only those truck with capacity of less than 8 tons,
most the truck traffic would be forced to run outside highway. Such a reduction in the
amount of truck traffic would reduce the risk of collision in highway.

5. The conclusion draw in the first sentence depends on which of the following
assumptions?
A. The roads outside highway would be as convenient as highway for most drivers of truck.
B. Most roads outside highways are not ready to handle truck traffic.
C. Most trucks that are currently running in highway have a capacity of more than 8 tons.
D. Cars are at greater risk of becoming involved in collisions than are trucks.
E. A reduction in the risk of collision would eventually lead to increases in car traffic.

6. Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion drawn in the
second sentence?
A. Cars with a capacity of more than 8 tons are already excluded outside highways.
B. Highways are experiencing overcrowded traffic primarily because of sharp increases in
car traffic.
C. Many drivers of trucks would rather buy truck with a capacity of less than 8 tons than be
excluded from highways.
D. The number of collisions that occur near highways has decreased in recent years.
E. Trucks that have a capacity of more than 8 tons cause a disproportionately large
number of collisions in highways.

7. A life insurance company allows people to prepay their endowment insurance at current
rates. The policyholder then pays the premium every year. People should participate in the
program as a means of decreasing the cost for their living after retirement.

Which of the following, if true, is the most appropriate reason for people NOT to participate
in the program?
A. Peoples are unsure about which insurance company they will choose after retirement.
B. The amount of money accumulated by putting the prepayment funds in an interest-
bearing account today will be greater than the total cost of insurance when they retire.
C. The annual cost of premium is expected to increase at a faster rate than the annual
increase in the cost of living.
D. Some of the insurance companies are contemplating large increases in premium next
year.
E. The prepayment plan would not cover the cost of hospitalization.
8. The price of purchasing a car in Country Q is 120 percent less than the price of
purchasing a car in Country Y. Even after transportation fees and tariff charges are added,
it is still cheaper for a buyer to import car from Country Q to Country Y than to buy car in
Country Y.
The statements above, if true, best support which of the following assertions?
A. Gasoline prices in Country Q are 120 percent below those in Country Y.
B. Importing cars from Country Q to Country Y will eliminate 120 percent of the sales of
cars in Country Y.
C. The tariff on a car imported from Country Q to Country Y is less than 120 percent of the
price of a car in Country Y.
D. The fee for transporting a car from Country Q to Country Y is more than 120 percent of
the price of a car in Country Q.
E. It takes 120 percent less time to transport a car in Country Q than it does in Country Y.

9. In 1992, 5 percent of every dollar paid in tax went to support the unemployed citizens. In
1998, 8 percent of every dollar paid in tax went to such funds, although that unemployment
rate has decreased in 1998 than in 1992. Each of the following, if true, could explain the
simultaneous increase in percent of every dollar paid in tax to support the unemployed
citizens and decrease in the number of unemployment rate EXCEPT:
A. On average, each unemployed citizen received more money in 1998 than 1992.
B. On average, people paid less tax in 1998 than in 1992.
C. The individuals had paid more tax than did enterprises during this period.
D. Income before tax has significantly decreased since 1992.
E. The number of tax evaders rose sharply between 1992 and 1998.

10. Something must be done to stop spam. In early days, people seldom received
unsolicited email advertisement; but now that numerous bulk email software and email
address finders are developed to collect email address all around the world. Advertisers
use email addresses to market their products and even sell such email lists to other
advertisers. As a result, almost everyone ever get junk email, and sometime several and
even tens of annoying emails a day. So, relevant anti-spam regulations should be
framed to stop unsolicited advertising.

The two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. Background that the argument depends on and conclusion that can be drawn from the
argument.

B. Part of evidence that the argument includes, and inference that can be drawn from this
passage.

C. Pre-evidence that the argument depends on and part of evidence that supports the
conclusion.

D. Background that argument depends on and part of evidence that supports the
conclusion.

E. Pre-evidence that argument includes and a method that helps to supports that
conclusion.