About gmat exam 3 pps

The Verbal section of the GMAT® exam is the last part of the test, but it is the first section covered in this book because many of the concepts and skills you need to do well on the Ver

You can hide the onscreen clock if you want to, but do check it periodically in each section to see how you are doing on time You don’t want to suddenly realize you have only five minutes and a lot of unanswered questions

If you find yourself getting anxious during the test, remember to breathe If you need to, take a minute

or two to slip into your relaxation visualization or your visualization of success You have worked hard to pre-pare for this day You are ready

After the GMAT Exam

Celebrate! Reward yourself for a job well done

 I n a N u t s h e l l

As you go through this review book, as you make your study plan, and as you prepare to take the GMAT exam, always remember why you are doing these things You are doing them for your future and for your dreams, whatever they may be Whenever you hit a snag, when you feel weary and unmotivated and are tempted to give up, remember why you committed yourself to this path Call up the vision of yourself, with an MBA or other business school degree in hand, living your dreams Only you can make that vision a reality, but this book is here to help you take your first step Read on

– S T U D Y S K I L L S –

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P A R T

The GMAT Verbal Section II

The Verbal section of the GMAT® exam is the last part of the test, but it is the first section covered in this book because many of the concepts and skills you need to do well on the Verbal section are also important to your success on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section In the following chapters, you will learn all about the Verbal section: what this portion of the test is like, what kinds of questions to expect, and how to tackle those questions You will also review the core skills you will need for each type of question and specific tips and strategies to use on the exam

Before you begin this section, take a few minutes to do the pretest that follows The passage and ques-tions on the pretest are the same types you will find on the GMAT exam When you are finished, check the answer key carefully to assess your results Your pretest score will help you determine how much preparation you need and the areas in which you need the most careful review and practice

C H A P T E R

Verbal Pretest

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 P r e t e s t

The Verbal section pretest contains 20 multiple-choice questions—approximately half the number of questions you will see on the actual exam To practice the timing of the GMAT exam, take approximately 37 minutes to complete the pretest Record your answers on the answer sheet provided on this page Make sure you mark your answer clearly in the circle that corresponds to the question

Remember that the GMAT exam is a CAT, so you will not be able to write anywhere on the exam To mimic the exam environment, do not write on the pretest pages Make any notes or calculations on a sepa-rate piece of paper

– V E R B A L P R E T E S T –

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ANSWER SHEET

 R e a d i n g C o m p r e h e n s i o n

Directions: Questions 1—6 are based on the following passage Read the passage carefully and then choose

the best answer to each question Answer the questions based upon what is stated or implied in the reading passage

In Ursula LeGuin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” everyone in the city of Ome-las is happy—everyone, that is, except the child who is kept locked in a basement closet The child is left entirely alone and neglected except for occasional visits from the citizens of Omelas They come at a certain age as a rite of initiation, to learn the secret of the happiness they enjoy They come to learn that their hap-piness has a price: the suffering of an innocent child In the end, most people stay in Omelas; but a few, unable

to bear the fact that they are responsible for the suffering of that child, reject this utopia built upon a utili-tarian morality

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory based upon the belief that happiness is the ultimate good and that people should use happiness as the measure for determining right and wrong For utilitarians, the right thing

to do is that which will bring about the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people

Fur-thermore, utilitarianism argues that the intention of people’s actions does not matter; only the consequences

of their actions are morally relevant, because only the consequences determine how much happiness is produced

Although many useful social policies and much legislation are founded on this “greatest good” philoso-phy, utilitarianism can be problematic as a basis for morality First, happiness is not so easy to quantify, and any

measurement is bound to be subjective Second, in a theory that treats everything except happiness as

instru-mentally rather than intrinsically valuable, anything—or, more importantly, anyone—can (and should) be

treated as a means to an end, if it means greater happiness This rejects the notion that human beings have their own intrinsic value Further, utilitarianism puts the burden of the happiness of the masses on the suffering of the few Is the happiness of many worth the suffering of a few? Why do those few deserve to suffer? Isn’t this burden of suffering morally irresponsible? This is the dilemma so brilliantly illustrated in LeGuin’s story

1 Which of the following best sums up the author’s opinion of utilitarianism?

a It is an ethical theory.

b It is the ethical theory that people should all live by.

c It is a useful but problematic ethical theory.

d It does not adequately measure happiness.

e It underestimates the intrinsic value of human beings.

2 According to the passage, in utilitarianism

a only intentions have moral significance.

b consequences are important, but intentions are more important.

c intentions and consequences are equally important.

d intentions are important, but consequences are more important.

e only consequences have moral significance.

3 The author summarizes LeGuin’s story primarily to

a show how good the story is.

b get readers interested in the story.

c illustrate the power of words.

d illustrate the central problem with utilitarianism.

e illustrate a utilitarian utopia.

4 From the passage, it can be inferred that the author

a may use utilitarianism occasionally but not as a guiding moral principle.

b would never use utilitarianism to make a decision about what is right or wrong.

c uses utilitarianism regularly to make moral decisions.

d believes utilitarianism is a good basis for social policy.

e thinks most people do not really understand utilitarianism.

5 From the author’s summary of LeGuin’s story, the reader can infer that

a most people in Omelas are utilitarians.

b most people in Omelas reject utilitarianism.

c everyone in Omelas is happy.

d the child willingly sacrifices himself for others.

e LeGuin is a popular science-fiction writer.

– V E R B A L P R E T E S T –

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