1. more than 1 million copies sold worldwide
®
12th EDITION
GMAT REVIEW
The only study guide with
more than 800 past GMAT
®
questions—and their
answers—
—by the creators
of the test. ~The ~ L
ICIA
OFF uide
THE OFFICIAL GUIDE FOR
G
GMAT ® REVIEW, 12TH EDITION
• Actual questions from past GMAT tests
• Diagnostic section helps you assess where to focus
your test-prep efforts
• Insights into the GMAT exam that debunk test-taking myths
®
From the Graduate Management Admission Council
2.
3. more than 1 million copies sold worldwide
®
12th EDITION
GMAT REVIEW
The only study guide with
more than 800 past GMAT
®
questions—and their
answers—
—by the creators
of the test. ~The ~ L
ICIA
OFF uide
THE OFFICIAL GUIDE FOR
G
GMAT ® REVIEW, 12TH EDITION
• Actual questions from past GMAT tests
• Diagnostic section helps you assess where to focus
your test-prep efforts
• Insights into the GMAT exam that debunk test-taking myths
®
From the Graduate Management Admission Council
5. Table of Contents 1.0 What Is the GMAT®? 6
1.1 Why Take the GMAT® Test? 7
1.2 GMAT® Test Format 8
1.3 What Is the Content of the Test Like? 10
1.4 Quantitative Section 10
1.5 Verbal Section 10
1.6 What Computer Skills Will I Need? 11
1.7 What Are the Test Centers Like? 11
1.8 How Are Scores Calculated? 11
1.9 Analytical Writing Assessment Scores 12
1.10 Test Development Process 13
2.0 How to Prepare 14
2.1 How Can I Best Prepare to Take the Test? 15
2.2 What About Practice Tests? 15
2.3 How Should I Use the Diagnostic Test? 16
2.4 Where Can I Get Additional Practice? 16
2.5 General Test-Taking Suggestions 16
3.0 Diagnostic Test 18
3.1 Quantitative Sample Questions 20
3.2 Verbal Sample Questions 27
3.3 Quantitative and Verbal Answer Keys 45
3.4 Interpretive Guide 45
3.5 Quantitative Answer Explanations 46
3.6 Verbal Answer Explanations 65
4.0 Math Review 106
4.1 Arithmetic 108
4.2 Algebra 120
4.3 Geometry 127
4.4 Word Problems 140
5.0 Problem Solving 148
5.1 Test-Taking Strategies 150
5.2 The Directions 150
5.3 Sample Questions 152
5.4 Answer Key 186
5.5 Answer Explanations 188
6.0 Data Sufficiency 266
6.1 Test-Taking Strategies 268
6.2 The Directions 270
6.3 Sample Questions 272
6.4 Answer Key 289
6.5 Answer Explanations 290
7.0 Reading Comprehension 352
7.1 What Is Measured 354
7.2 Test-Taking Strategies 356
7.3 The Directions 357
7.4 Sample Questions 358
7.5 Answer Key 408
7.6 Answer Explanations 409
6. 8.0 Critical Reasoning 482
8.1 What Is Measured 484
8.2 Test-Taking Strategies 484
8.3 The Directions 485
8.4 Sample Questions 486
8.5 Answer Key 525
8.6 Answer Explanations 526
9.0 Sentence Correction 650
9.1 Basic English Grammar Rules 651
9.2 Study Suggestions 656
9.3 What Is Measured 656
9.4 Test-Taking Strategies 656
9.5 The Directions 657
9.6 Sample Questions 658
9.7 Answer Key 684
9.8 Answer Explanations 685
10.0 Analytical Writing Assessment 758
10.1 What Is Measured 759
10.2 Test-Taking Strategies 760
10.3 The Directions 761
10.4 GMAT® Scoring Guide: Analysis of an Issue 762
10.5 Sample: Analysis of an Issue 764
10.6 Analysis of an Issue Sample Topics 769
10.7 GMAT® Scoring Guide: Analysis of an Argument 790
10.8 Sample: Analysis of an Argument 792
10.9 Analysis of an Argument Sample Topics 796
Appendix A Percentile Ranking Tables 828
Appendix B Answer Sheets 834
Diagnostic Answer Sheet 835
Problem Solving Answer Sheet 836
Data Sufficiency Answer Sheet 837
Reading Comprehension Answer Sheet 838
Critical Reasoning Answer Sheet 839
Sentence Correction Answer Sheet 840
7. Dear Future Business Leader,
By using this book to prepare for the GMAT® test, you are taking a very important step toward
gaining admission to a high-quality business or management program and achieving a rewarding
career in management. I applaud your decision.
The Graduate Management Admission Council® developed the GMAT test more than 50 years
ago to help leading graduate schools of business and management choose the applicants who best
suit their programs. Today, the test is used by more than 1,800 graduate programs and is given to
test takers daily in more than 110 countries around the world. Programs that use GMAT scores in
selective admissions have helped establish the MBA degree as a hallmark of excellence worldwide.
Why do GMAT scores matter so much? Other admissions factors—such as work experience,
grades, admissions essays, and interviews—can say something about who you are and what you have
done in your career, but only your GMAT scores can tell schools how you are likely to perform
academically in the business school courses that are fundamental to the MBA degree. In fact, the
test has been proven reliable as a predictor of academic performance for more than half a century.
In other words, business schools that require you to take the GMAT really care about the
quality of their student body. And excellent MBA students mean a stronger MBA program, a
more enriching learning environment, and a more valuable degree for you to take into the business
world. By enrolling in a school that uses the GMAT test for your graduate business degree, you
will maximize the value of your degree, and that value will pay off in many ways, throughout
your career.
I wish you great success in preparing for this important next step in your professional education,
and I wish you a very rewarding management career.
Sincerely
David A. Wilson
President and CEO
Graduate Management Admission Council®
9. 1.0 What Is the GMAT®?
1.0 What Is the GMAT®?
The Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) is a standardized, three-part test delivered
in English. The test was designed to help admissions officers evaluate how suitable individual
applicants are for their graduate business and management programs. It measures basic verbal,
mathematical, and analytical writing skills that a test taker has developed over a long period of time
through education and work.
The GMAT test does not a measure a person’s knowledge of specific fields of study. Graduate
business and management programs enroll people from many different undergraduate and work
backgrounds, so rather than test your mastery of any particular subject area, the GMAT test will
assess your acquired skills. Your GMAT score will give admissions officers a statistically reliable
measure of how well you are likely to perform academically in the core curriculum of a graduate
business program.
Of course, there are many other qualifications that can help people succeed in business school and in
their careers—for instance, job experience, leadership ability, motivation, and interpersonal skills.
The GMAT test does not gauge these qualities. That is why your GMAT score is intended to be
used as one standard admissions criterion among other, more subjective, criteria, such as admissions
essays and interviews.
1.1 Why Take the GMAT® Test?
GMAT scores are used by admissions officers in roughly 1,800 graduate business and management
programs worldwide. Schools that require prospective students to submit GMAT scores in the
application process are generally interested in
admitting the best-qualified applicants for their
programs, which means that you may find a more -vs- FACT
beneficial learning environment at schools that
require GMAT scores as part of your application. – If I don’t score in the 90th
percentile, I won’t get into
Because the GMAT test gauges skills that are any school I choose.
important to successful study of business and
F – Very few people get very
management at the graduate level, your scores will
high scores.
give you a good indication of how well prepared
you are to succeed academically in a graduate Fewer than 50 of the more than 200,000
management program; how well you do on the test people taking the GMAT test each year
get a perfect score of 800. Thus, while
may also help you choose the business schools to you may be exceptionally capable, the odds
which you apply. Furthermore, the percentile table are against your achieving a perfect score.
you receive with your scores will tell you how your Also, the GMAT test is just one piece of
your application packet. Admissions officers
performance on the test compares to the use GMAT scores in conjunction with
performance of other test takers, giving you one undergraduate records, application essays,
way to gauge your competition for admission to interviews, letters of recommendation, and
other information when deciding whom to
business school. accept into their programs.
7
10. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
Schools consider many different aspects of an application before making an admissions decision, so
even if you score well on the GMAT test, you should contact the schools that interest you to learn
more about them and to ask about how they use GMAT scores and other admissions criteria (such
as your undergraduate grades, essays, and letters of recommendation) to evaluate candidates for
admission. School admissions offices, school Web sites, and materials published by the school are
the best sources for you to tap when you are doing research about where you might want to go to
business school.
For more information about how schools should use GMAT scores in admissions decisions,
please read Appendix A of this book. For more information on the GMAT, registering to take
the test, sending your scores to schools, and applying to business school, please visit our Web site
at www.mba.com.
1.2 GMAT® Test Format
The GMAT test consists of four separately timed sections (see the table on the next page).
You start the test with two 30-minute Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) questions that
require you to type your responses using the computer keyboard. The writing section is followed by
two 75-minute, multiple-choice sections: the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the test.
The GMAT is a computer-adaptive test (CAT),
which means that in the multiple-choice sections -vs- FACT
of the test, the computer constantly gauges how
well you are doing on the test and presents you – Getting an easier question
with questions that are appropriate to your ability means I answered the last one
level. These questions are drawn from a huge pool wrong.
of possible test questions. So, although we talk
about the GMAT as one test, the GMAT test you F – Getting an easier question
take may be completely different from the test of does not necessarily mean you
got the previous question
the person sitting next to you.
wrong.
Here’s how it works. At the start of each GMAT To ensure that everyone receives the same
multiple-choice section (Verbal and Quantitative), content, the test selects a specific number
of questions of each type. The test may call
you will be presented with a question of moderate for your next question to be a relatively
difficulty. The computer uses your response to that hard problem-solving item involving
first question to determine which question to arithmetic operations. But, if there are no
more relatively difficult problem-solving
present next. If you respond correctly, the test items involving arithmetic, you might be
usually will give you questions of increasing given an easier item.
difficulty. If you respond incorrectly, the next Most people are not skilled at estimating
question you see usually will be easier than the one item difficulty, so don’t worry when taking
you answered incorrectly. As you continue to the test or waste valuable time trying to
determine the difficulty of the questions
respond to the questions presented, the computer you are answering.
will narrow your score to the number that best
characterizes your ability. When you complete
each section, the computer will have an accurate
assessment of your ability.
8
11. 1.2 What Is the GMAT®? GMAT® Test Format
Because each question is presented on the basis of your answers to all previous questions, you must
answer each question as it appears. You may not skip, return to, or change your responses to
previous questions. Random guessing can significantly lower your scores. If you do not know the
answer to a question, you should try to eliminate as many choices as possible, then select the answer
you think is best. If you answer a question incorrectly by mistake—or correctly by lucky guess—
your answers to subsequent questions will lead you back to questions that are at the appropriate level
of difficulty for you.
Each multiple-choice question used in the GMAT test has been thoroughly reviewed by
professional test developers. New multiple-choice questions are tested each time the test is
administered. Answers to trial questions are not counted in the scoring of your test, but the trial
questions are not identified and could appear anywhere in the test. Therefore, you should try to do
your best on every question.
The test includes the types of questions found in this guide, but the format and presentation of the
questions are different on the computer. When you take the test:
• Only one question at a time is presented on the computer screen.
• The answer choices for the multiple-choice questions will be preceded by circles, rather than by
letters.
• Different question types appear in random order in the multiple-choice sections of the test.
• You must select your answer using the computer.
• You must choose an answer and confirm your choice before moving on to the next question.
• You may not go back to change answers to previous questions.
Format of the GMAT®
Questions Timing
Analytical Writing
Analysis of an Argument 1 30 min.
Analysis of an Issue 1 30 min.
Optional break 5 min.
Quantitative 37 75 min.
Problem Solving
Data Sufficiency
Optional break 5 min.
Verbal 41 75 min.
Reading Comprehension
Critical Reasoning
Sentence Correction
Total Time: 210–220 min.
9
12. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
1.3 What Is the Content of the Test Like?
It is important to recognize that the GMAT test evaluates skills and abilities developed over a
relatively long period of time. Although the sections contain questions that are basically verbal and
mathematical, the complete test provides one method of measuring overall ability.
Keep in mind that although the questions in this guide are arranged by question type and ordered
from easy to difficult, the test is organized differently. When you take the test, you may see different
types of questions in any order.
1.4 Quantitative Section
The GMAT Quantitative section measures your ability to reason quantitatively, solve quantitative
problems, and interpret graphic data.
Two types of multiple-choice questions are used in the Quantitative section:
• Problem solving
• Data sufficiency
Problem solving and data sufficiency questions are intermingled throughout the Quantitative
section. Both types of questions require basic knowledge of:
• Arithmetic
• Elementary algebra
• Commonly known concepts of geometry
To review the basic mathematical concepts that will be tested in the GMAT Quantitative
questions, see the math review in chapter 4. For test-taking tips specific to the question types in
the Quantitative section of the GMAT test, sample questions, and answer explanations, see
chapters 5 and 6.
1.5 Verbal Section
The GMAT Verbal section measures your ability to read and comprehend written material, to
reason and evaluate arguments, and to correct written material to conform to standard written
English. Because the Verbal section includes reading sections from several different content areas,
you may be generally familiar with some of the material; however, neither the reading passages nor
the questions assume detailed knowledge of the topics discussed.
Three types of multiple-choice questions are used in the Verbal section:
• Reading comprehension
• Critical reasoning
• Sentence correction
These question types are intermingled throughout the Verbal section.
10
13. 1.6 What Is the GMAT®? What Computer Skills Will I Need?
For test-taking tips specific to each question type in the Verbal section, sample questions, and
answer explanations, see chapters 7 through 9.
1.6 What Computer Skills Will I Need?
You only need minimal computer skills to take the GMAT Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT). You
will be required to type your essays on the computer keyboard using standard word-processing
keystrokes. In the multiple-choice sections, you will select your responses using either your mouse or
the keyboard.
To learn more about the specific skills required to take the GMAT CAT, download the free test-
preparation software available at www.mba.com.
1.7 What Are the Test Centers Like?
The GMAT test is administered at a test center providing the quiet and privacy of individual
computer workstations. You will have the opportunity to take two five-minute breaks—one after
completing the essays and another between the Quantitative and Verbal sections. An erasable
notepad will be provided for your use during the test.
1.8 How Are Scores Calculated?
Your GMAT scores are determined by:
• The number of questions you answer
• Whether you answer correctly or incorrectly
• The level of difficulty and other statistical characteristics of each question
Your Verbal, Quantitative, and Total GMAT scores are determined by a complex mathematical
procedure that takes into account the difficulty of the questions that were presented to you and how
you answered them. When you answer the easier questions correctly, you get a chance to answer
harder questions—making it possible to earn a higher score. After you have completed all the
questions on the test—or when your time is up—the computer will calculate your scores. Your
scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections are combined to produce your Total score. If you have
not responded to all the questions in a section (37 Quantitative questions or 41 Verbal questions),
your score is adjusted, using the proportion of questions answered.
Appendix A contains the 2007 percentile ranking tables that explain how your GMAT scores
compare with scores of other 2007 GMAT test takers.
11
14. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
1.9 Analytical Writing Assessment Scores
The Analytical Writing Assessment consists of two writing tasks: Analysis of an Issue and Analysis
of an Argument. The responses to each of these tasks are scored on a 6-point scale, with 6 being the
highest score and 1, the lowest. A score of zero (0) is given to responses that are off-topic, are in a
foreign language, merely attempt to copy the topic, consist only of keystroke characters, or are
blank.
The readers who evaluate the responses are college and university faculty members from various
subject matter areas, including management education. These readers read holistically—that is, they
respond to the overall quality of your critical thinking and writing. (For details on how readers are
qualified, visit www.mba.com.) In addition, responses may be scored by an automated scoring
program designed to reflect the judgment of expert readers.
Each response is given two independent ratings. If the ratings differ by more than a point, a third
reader adjudicates. (Because of ongoing training and monitoring, discrepant ratings are rare.)
Your final score is the average (rounded to the nearest half point) of the four scores independently
assigned to your responses—two scores for the Analysis of an Issue and two for the Analysis of an
Argument. For example, if you earned scores of 6 and 5 on the Analysis of an Issue and 4 and 4 on
the Analysis of an Argument, your final score would be 5: (6 + 5 + 4 + 4) ÷ 4 = 4.75, which rounds
up to 5.
Your Analytical Writing Assessment scores are computed and reported separately from the
multiple-choice sections of the test and have no effect on your Verbal, Quantitative, or Total scores.
The schools that you have designated to receive your scores may receive your responses to the
Analytical Writing Assessment with your score report. Your own copy of your score report will not
include copies of your responses.
12
15. 1.10 What Is the GMAT®? Test Development Process
1.10 Test Development Process
The GMAT test is developed by experts who use standardized procedures to ensure high-quality,
widely appropriate test material. All questions are subjected to independent reviews and are revised
or discarded as necessary. Multiple-choice questions are tested during GMAT test administrations.
Analytical Writing Assessment tasks are tried out on first-year business school students and then
assessed for their fairness and reliability. For more information on test development, see www.
mba.com.
13
17. 2.0 How to Prepare
2.0 How to Prepare
2.1 How Can I Best Prepare to Take the Test?
We at the Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) firmly believe that the test-
taking skills you can develop by using this guide—and the Verbal and Quantitative guides, if you
want additional practice—are all you need to perform your best when you take the GMAT® test.
By answering questions that have appeared on the GMAT test before, you will gain experience with
the types of questions you may see on the test when you take it. As you practice with this guide, you
will develop confidence in your ability to reason through the test questions. No additional
techniques or strategies are needed to do well on the standardized test if you develop a practical
familiarity with the abilities it requires. Simply by practicing and understanding the concepts that
are assessed on the test, you will learn what you need to know to answer the questions correctly.
2.2 What About Practice Tests?
Because a computer-adaptive test cannot be presented in paper form, we have created GMATPrep
software to help you prepare for the test. The software is available for download at no charge for
those who have created a user profile on www.mba.com. It is also provided on a disk, by request, to
anyone who has registered for the GMAT test. The software includes two practice GMAT tests
plus additional practice questions, information about the test, and tutorials to help you become
familiar with how the GMAT test will appear on the computer screen at the test center.
We recommend that you download the software as
you start to prepare for the test. Take one practice -vs- FACT
test to familiarize yourself with the test and to get
an idea of how you might score. After you have – You need very advanced
studied using this book, and as your test date math skills to get a high
approaches, take the second practice test to GMAT score.
determine whether you need to shift your focus
to other areas you need to strengthen. F – The math skills tested on the
GMAT test are quite basic.
If you complete all the questions in this guide and The GMAT test only requires basic
think you would like additional practice, you may quantitative analytic skills. You should
purchase The Official Guide for GMAT® Verbal review the math skills (algebra, geometry,
basic arithmetic) presented in this book, but
Review or The Official Guide for GMAT® the required skill level is low. The difficulty
Quantitative Review at www.mba.com. of GMAT Quantitative questions stems
from the logic and analysis used to solve
the problems and not the underlying math
Note: There may be some overlap between this skills.
book and the review sections of the GMATPrep
software.
15
18. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
2.3 How Should I Use the Diagnostic Test?
This book contains a Diagnostic Test to help you determine the types of questions that you need to
practice most. You should take the Diagnostic Test around the same time that you take the first
electronic sample test (using the test-preparation software). The Diagnostic Test will give you a
rating—below average, average, above average, or excellent—of your skills in each type of GMAT
test question. These ratings will help you identify areas to focus on as you prepare for the
GMAT test.
Use the results of the Diagnostic Test to help you select the right chapter of this book to start with.
Next, read the introductory material carefully, and answer the sample questions in that chapter.
Make sure you follow the directions for each type of question and try to work as quickly and as
efficiently as possible. Then review the explanations for the correct answers, spending as much time
as necessary to familiarize yourself with the range of questions or problems presented.
2.4 Where Can I Get Additional Practice?
If you find you would like additional practice with the Verbal section of the test, The Official Guide
for GMAT® Verbal Review is available for purchase at www.mba.com. If you want more practice
with the Quantitative section, The Official Guide for GMAT® Quantitative Review is also available
for purchase at www.mba.com.
2.5 General Test-Taking Suggestions
Specific test-taking strategies for individual question types are presented later in this book. The
following are general suggestions to help you perform your best on the test.
1. Use your time wisely.
Although the GMAT test stresses accuracy more than speed, it is important to use your time wisely.
On average, you will have about 1¾ minutes for each verbal question and about two minutes for
each quantitative question. Once you start the test, an onscreen clock will continuously count the
time you have left. You can hide this display if you want, but it is a good idea to check the clock
periodically to monitor your progress. The clock will automatically alert you when five minutes
remain in the allotted time for the section you are working on.
2. Answer practice questions ahead of time.
After you become generally familiar with all question types, use the sample questions in this book
to prepare for the actual test. It may be useful to time yourself as you answer the practice questions
to get an idea of how long you will have for each question during the actual GMAT test as well as
to determine whether you are answering quickly enough to complete the test in the time allotted.
3. Read all test directions carefully.
The directions explain exactly what is required to answer each question type. If you read hastily, you
may miss important instructions and lower your scores. To review directions during the test, click
16
19. 2.5 How to Prepare General Test-Taking Suggestions
on the Help icon. But be aware that the time you spend reviewing directions will count against the
time allotted for that section of the test.
4. Read each question carefully and
thoroughly. -vs- FACT
Before you answer a multiple-choice question, – It is more important to
determine exactly what is being asked, then respond correctly to the test
eliminate the wrong answers and select the best questions than it is to finish
choice. Never skim a question or the possible the test.
answers; skimming may cause you to miss
important information or nuances. F – There is a severe penalty
for not completing the
GMAT test.
5. Do not spend too much time on any one
question. If you are stumped by a question, give it
your best guess and move on. If you guess
If you do not know the correct answer, or if the incorrectly, the computer program will likely
give you an easier question, which you are
question is too time-consuming, try to eliminate likely to answer correctly, and the computer
choices you know are wrong, select the best of the will rapidly return to giving you questions
matched to your ability. If you don’t finish
remaining answer choices, and move on to the next the test, your score will be reduced greatly.
question. Try not to worry about the impact on Failing to answer five verbal questions, for
your score—guessing may lower your score, but example, could reduce your score from
the 91st percentile to the 77th percentile.
not finishing the section will lower your score Pacing is important.
more.
Bear in mind that if you do not finish a section in
the allotted time, you will still receive a score.
-vs- FACT
6. Confirm your answers ONLY when you are – The first 10 questions are
ready to move on. critical and you should invest
the most time on those.
Once you have selected your answer to a multiple-
choice question, you will be asked to confirm it. F – All questions count.
Once you confirm your response, you cannot go
back and change it. You may not skip questions, It is true that the computer-adaptive testing
algorithm uses the first 10 questions to
because the computer selects each question on the obtain an initial estimate of your ability;
basis of your responses to preceding questions. however, that is only an initial estimate. As
you continue to answer questions, the
algorithm self-corrects by computing an
updated estimate on the basis of all the
7. Plan your essay answers before you begin questions you have answered, and then
to write. administers items that are closely matched
to this new estimate of your ability. Your
The best way to approach the two writing tasks final score is based on all your responses
that comprise the Analytical Writing Assessment and considers the difficulty of all the
questions you answered. Taking additional
is to read the directions carefully, take a few time on the first 10 questions will not game
minutes to think about the question, and plan a the system and can hurt your ability to
finish the test.
response before you begin writing. Take care to
organize your ideas and develop them fully, but
leave time to reread your response and make any
revisions that you think would improve it.
17
21. 3.0 Diagnostic Test
3.0 Diagnostic Test
Like the practice sections later in the book, the Diagnostic Test uses questions from real GMAT®
tests. The purpose of the Diagnostic Test is to help you determine how skilled you are in answering
each of the five types of questions on the GMAT test: data sufficiency, problem solving, reading
comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction.
Scores on the Diagnostic Test are designed to help you answer the question, “If all the questions on
the GMAT test were like the questions in this section, how well would I do?” Your scores are
classified as being excellent, above average, average, or below average, relative to the scores of other test
takers. You can use this information to focus your test-preparation activities.
Instructions
1. Take your time answering these questions. The Diagnostic Test is not timed.
2. If you are stumped by a question, you should guess and move on, just like you should
do on the real GMAT test.
3. You can take one segment at a time, if you want. It is better to finish an entire section
(Quantitative or Verbal) in one sitting, but this is not a requirement.
4. You can go back and change your answers in the Diagnostic Test.
5. After you take the test, check your answers using the answer key that follows the test.
The number of correct answers is your raw score.
6. Convert your raw score, using the table provided.
Note: The Diagnostic Test is designed to give you guidance on how to prepare for the GMAT test;
however, a strong score on one type of question does not guarantee that you will perform as well on
the real GMAT test. The statistical reliability of scores on the Diagnostic Test ranges from 0.75 to
0.89, and the subscale classification is about 85%–90% accurate, meaning that your scores on the
Diagnostic Test are a good, but not perfect, measure of how you are likely to perform on the real
test. Use the tests on the free online software to obtain a good estimate of your expected GMAT
Verbal, Quantitative, and Total scores.
You should not compare the number of questions you got right in each section. Instead, you should
compare how your responses are rated in each section.
19
22. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
3.1 Quantitative Sample Questions
Problem Solving
Solve the problem and indicate the best of the answer choices given.
Numbers: All numbers used are real numbers.
Figures: All figures accompanying problem solving questions are intended to provide information
useful in solving the problems. Figures are drawn as accurately as possible. Exceptions will be
clearly noted. Lines shown as straight are straight, and lines that appear jagged are also
straight. The positions of points, angles, regions, etc., exist in the order shown, and angle
measures are greater than zero. All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
1. Last month a certain music club offered a discount to 4. Among a group of 2,500 people, 35 percent invest in
preferred customers. After the first compact disc municipal bonds, 18 percent invest in oil stocks, and
purchased, preferred customers paid $3.99 for each 7 percent invest in both municipal bonds and oil
additional compact disc purchased. If a preferred stocks. If 1 person is to be randomly selected from
customer purchased a total of 6 compact discs and the 2,500 people, what is the probability that the
paid $15.95 for the first compact disc, then the dollar person selected will be one who invests in municipal
amount that the customer paid for the 6 compact bonds but NOT in oil stocks?
discs is equivalent to which of the following?
(A)
(A) 5(4.00) + 15.90
(B) 5(4.00) + 15.95 7
(B)
(C) 5(4.00) + 16.00 25
(D) 5(4.00 – 0.01) + 15.90 7
(C)
(E) 5(4.00 – 0.05) + 15.95 20
21
(D)
2. The average (arithmetic mean) of the integers from 50
200 to 400, inclusive, is how much greater than the 27
(E)
average of the integers from 50 to 100, inclusive? 50
(A) 150
(B) 175 5. A closed cylindrical tank contains 36π cubic feet of
(C) 200 water and is filled to half its capacity. When the tank
is placed upright on its circular base on level ground,
(D) 225
the height of the water in the tank is 4 feet. When the
(E) 300
tank is placed on its side on level ground, what is the
height, in feet, of the surface of the water above the
3. The sequence a1, a2, a3,...,an,... is such that ground?
an = for all n ≥ 3. If a3 = 4 and (A) 2
(B) 3
a5 = 20, what is the value of a6 ?
(C) 4
(A) 12 (D) 6
(B) 16 (E) 9
(C) 20
(D) 24
(E) 28
20
23. 3.1 Diagnostic Test Quantitative Sample Questions
6. A marketing firm determined that, of 200 households 1
(A)
surveyed, 80 used neither Brand A nor Brand B soap, 4
60 used only Brand A soap, and for every household 1
that used both brands of soap, 3 used only Brand B (B)
2
soap. How many of the 200 households surveyed used
2
both brands of soap? (C)
3
(A) 15
(D) 2
(B) 20
(E) 4
(C) 30
(D) 40
9. A researcher computed the mean, the median, and the
(E) 45
standard deviation for a set of performance scores.
If 5 were to be added to each score, which of these
7. A certain club has 10 members, including Harry. One three statistics would change?
of the 10 members is to be chosen at random to be
the president, one of the remaining 9 members is to (A) The mean only
be chosen at random to be the secretary, and one of (B) The median only
the remaining 8 members is to be chosen at random (C) The standard deviation only
to be the treasurer. What is the probability that Harry (D) The mean and the median
will be either the member chosen to be the secretary (E) The mean and the standard deviation
or the member chosen to be the treasurer?
1
(A) y°
720
1
(B) x° z°
80
1
(C)
10
1
(D) v°
9 w°
1
(E)
5
10. In the figure shown, what is the value of
8. If a certain toy store’s revenue in November was v+x+y+z+w?
2
of its revenue in December and its revenue in (A) 45
5
1 (B) 90
January was of its revenue in November, then the
4 (C) 180
store’s revenue in December was how many times the
(D) 270
average (arithmetic mean) of its revenues in November
and January? (E) 360
21
24. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
11. Of the three-digit integers greater than 700, how many 15. The product of all the prime numbers less than 20 is
have two digits that are equal to each other and the closest to which of the following powers of 10 ?
remaining digit different from the other two?
(A) 109
(A) 90 (B) 108
(B) 82 (C) 107
(C) 80 (D) 106
(D) 45 (E) 105
(E) 36
16. If 3 − 2x = 2x + 1 , then 4x2 =
12. Positive integer y is 50 percent of 50 percent of
(A) 1
positive integer x, and y percent of x equals 100. What
is the value of x ? (B) 4
(C) 2 − 2x
(A) 50 (D) 4x − 2
(B) 100 (E) 6x − 1
(C) 200
(D) 1,000 16
17. If n = , what is the value of ?
(E) 2,000 81
1
s (A)
13. If s and t are positive integers such that = 64.12, 9
t
which of the following could be the remainder when 1
(B)
s is divided by t ? 4
4
(A) 2 (C)
9
(B) 4 2
(D)
(C) 8 3
(D) 20 9
(E)
(E) 45 2
14. Of the 84 parents who attended a meeting at a 18. If n is the product of the integers from 1 to 8,
school, 35 volunteered to supervise children during inclusive, how many different prime factors greater
the school picnic and 11 volunteered both to supervise than 1 does n have?
children during the picnic and to bring refreshments to
the picnic. If the number of parents who volunteered (A) Four
to bring refreshments was 1.5 times the number of (B) Five
parents who neither volunteered to supervise children (C) Six
during the picnic nor volunteered to bring (D) Seven
refreshments, how many of the parents volunteered to (E) Eight
bring refreshments?
(A) 25 19. If k is an integer and 2 < k < 7, for how many different
(B) 36 values of k is there a triangle with sides of lengths 2,
7, and k ?
(C) 38
(D) 42 (A) One
(E) 45 (B) Two
(C) Three
(D) Four
(E) Five
22
25. 3.1 Diagnostic Test Quantitative Sample Questions
20. A right circular cone is inscribed in a hemisphere so 23. If the positive integer x is a multiple of 4 and the
that the base of the cone coincides with the base of positive integer y is a multiple of 6, then xy must be a
the hemisphere. What is the ratio of the height of the multiple of which of the following?
cone to the radius of the hemisphere?
I. 8
(A) II. 12
III. 18
(B) 1:1
1 (A) II only
(C) :1
2 (B) I and II only
(D) (C) I and III only
(E) 2:1 (D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
21. John deposited $10,000 to open a new savings
account that earned 4 percent annual interest, 24. Aaron will jog from home at x miles per hour and then
compounded quarterly. If there were no other walk back home by the same route at y miles per hour.
transactions in the account, what was the amount of How many miles from home can Aaron jog so that he
money in John’s account 6 months after the account spends a total of t hours jogging and walking?
was opened?
xt
(A)
(A) $10,100 y
(B) $10,101 x+t
(C) $10,200 (B)
xy
(D) $10,201
xy t
(E) $10,400 (C)
x+y
22. A container in the shape of a right circular cylinder x+y+t
(D)
1 xy
is full of water. If the volume of water in the
2
container is 36 cubic inches and the height of the y+t t
(E) –
container is 9 inches, what is the diameter of the base x y
of the cylinder, in inches?
16
(A)
9π
4
(B)
π
12
(C)
π
2
(D)
π
2
(E) 4
π
23
26. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
Data Sufficiency
Each data sufficiency problem consists of a question and two statements, labeled (1) and (2), which
contain certain data. Using these data and your knowledge of mathematics and everyday facts (such as
the number of days in July or the meaning of the word counterclockwise), decide whether the data
given are sufficient for answering the question and then indicate one of the following answer choices:
A Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
B Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
C BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
D EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
E Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are not sufficient.
Note: In data sufficiency problems that ask for the value of a quantity, the data given in the statements
are sufficient only when it is possible to determine exactly one numerical value for the quantity.
Example:
P
xº
yº zº
Q R
In ∆PQR, what is the value of x ?
(1) PQ = PR
(2) y = 40
Explanation: According to statement (1) PQ = PR; therefore, ∆PQR is isosceles and y = z. Since x + y + z =
180, it follows that x + 2y = 180. Since statement (1) does not give a value for y, you cannot answer the
question using statement (1) alone. According to statement (2), y = 40; therefore, x + z = 140. Since
statement (2) does not give a value for z, you cannot answer the question using statement (2) alone.
Using both statements together, since x + 2y = 180 and the value of y is given, you can find the value
of x. Therefore, BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question, but
NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
Numbers: All numbers used are real numbers.
Figures:
• Figures conform to the information given in the question, but will not necessarily conform to the
additional information given in statements (1) and (2).
• Lines shown as straight are straight, and lines that appear jagged are also straight.
• The positions of points, angles, regions, etc., exist in the order shown, and angle measures are
greater than zero.
• All figures lie in a plane unless otherwise indicated.
24
27. 3.1 Diagnostic Test Quantitative Sample Questions
25. If the units digit of integer n is greater than 2, what is 31. Is the standard deviation of the set of measurements
the units digit of n ? x1, x2, x3, x4, . . ., x20 less than 3 ?
(1) The units digit of n is the same as the units digit (1) The variance for the set of measurements is 4.
of n2. (2) For each measurement, the difference between
(2) The units digit of n is the same as the units digit the mean and that measurement is 2.
of n3.
32. Is the range of the integers 6, 3, y, 4, 5, and x greater
26. What is the value of the integer p ? than 9 ?
(1) Each of the integers 2, 3, and 5 is a factor of p. (1) y > 3x
(2) Each of the integers 2, 5, and 7 is a factor of p. (2) y>x>3
27. If the length of Wanda’s telephone call was rounded up 33. Is ?
to the nearest whole minute by her telephone
company, then Wanda was charged for how many (1) 5x < 1
minutes for her telephone call? (2) x<0
(1) The total charge for Wanda’s telephone call was
$6.50. 34. Of the companies surveyed about the skills they
required in prospective employees, 20 percent
(2) Wanda was charged $0.50 more for the first
required both computer skills and writing skills. What
minute of the telephone call than for each
percent of the companies surveyed required neither
minute after the first.
computer skills nor writing skills?
28. What is the perimeter of isosceles triangle MNP ? (1) Of those companies surveyed that required
computer skills, half required writing skills.
(1) MN = 16
(2) 45 percent of the companies surveyed required
(2) NP = 20
writing skills but not computer skills.
29. In a survey of retailers, what percent had purchased
35. What is the value of w + q ?
computers for business purposes?
(1) 85 percent of the retailers surveyed who owned (1) 3w = 3 − 3q
their own store had purchased computers for (2) 5w + 5q = 5
business purposes.
(2) 40 percent of the retailers surveyed owned their 36. If X and Y are points in a plane and X lies inside the
own store. circle C with center O and radius 2, does Y lie inside
circle C ?
30. The only gift certificates that a certain store sold
yesterday were worth either $100 each or $10 each. If (1) The length of line segment XY is 3.
the store sold a total of 20 gift certificates yesterday, (2) The length of line segment OY is 1.5.
how many gift certificates worth $10 each did the
store sell yesterday? 37. Is x > y ?
(1) The gift certificates sold by the store yesterday (1) x=y+2
were worth a total of between $1,650 and
(2) =y−1
$1,800.
(2) Yesterday the store sold more than 15 gift
certificates worth $100 each.
25
28. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
38. If Paula drove the distance from her home to her
college at an average speed that was greater than 44. If m and n are positive integers, is an integer?
70 kilometers per hour, did it take her less than
(1) is an integer.
3 hours to drive this distance?
(1) The distance that Paula drove from her home to (2) is an integer.
her college was greater than 200 kilometers.
45. Of the 66 people in a certain auditorium, at most
(2) The distance that Paula drove from her home to
6 people have their birthdays in any one given month.
her college was less than 205 kilometers.
Does at least one person in the auditorium have a
birthday in January?
39. In the xy-plane, if line k has negative slope and passes
through the point (−5,r ) , is the x-intercept of line k (1) More of the people in the auditorium have their
positive? birthday in February than in March.
(1) The slope of line k is –5. (2) Five of the people in the auditorium have their
birthday in March.
(2) r>0
46. Last year the average (arithmetic mean) salary of the
40. If $5,000 invested for one year at p percent simple
10 employees of Company X was $42,800. What is the
annual interest yields $500, what amount must be
average salary of the same 10 employees this year?
invested at k percent simple annual interest for one
year to yield the same number of dollars? (1) For 8 of the 10 employees, this year’s salary is
15 percent greater than last year’s salary.
(1) k = 0.8p
(2) For 2 of the 10 employees, this year’s salary is
(2) k=8
the same as last year’s salary.
x+y
41. If > 0, is x < 0 ?
z 47. In a certain classroom, there are 80 books, of which
24 are fiction and 23 are written in Spanish. How many
(1) x<y
of the fiction books are written in Spanish?
(2) z<0
(1) Of the fiction books, there are 6 more that are
42. Does the integer k have at least three different not written in Spanish than are written in
positive prime factors? Spanish.
(2) Of the books written in Spanish, there are 5
k more nonfiction books than fiction books.
(1) is an integer.
15
k 48. If p is the perimeter of rectangle Q, what is the value
(2) is an integer.
10 of p ?
43. In City X last April, was the average (arithmetic mean) (1) Each diagonal of rectangle Q has length 10.
daily high temperature greater than the median daily
(2) The area of rectangle Q is 48.
high temperature?
(1) In City X last April, the sum of the 30 daily high
temperatures was 2,160°.
(2) In City X last April, 60 percent of the daily high
temperatures were less than the average daily
high temperature.
26
29. 3.2 Diagnostic Test Verbal Sample Questions
3.2 Verbal Sample Questions
Reading Comprehension
Each of the reading comprehension questions is based on the content of a passage. After reading the
passage, answer all questions pertaining to it on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. For
each question, select the best answer of the choices given.
Line According to economic signaling theory, 1. Which of the following best describes the purpose of
consumers may perceive the frequency with the sentence in lines 10–15 ?
which an unfamiliar brand is advertised as a cue
that the brand is of high quality. The notion that (A) To show that economic signaling theory fails to
(5) highly advertised brands are associated with explain a finding
high-quality products does have some empirical (B) To introduce a distinction not accounted for by
support. Marquardt and McGann found that economic signaling theory
heavily advertised products did indeed rank high (C) To account for an exception to a generalization
on certain measures of product quality. Because suggested by Marquardt and McGann
(10) large advertising expenditures represent
(D) To explain why Marquardt and McGann’s
a significant investment on the part of a
research was conducted
manufacturer, only companies that expect to
(E) To offer an explanation for an observation
recoup these costs in the long run, through
reported by Marquardt and McGann
consumers’ repeat purchases of the product,
(15) can afford to spend such amounts.
However, two studies by Kirmani have found 2. The primary purpose of the passage is to
that although consumers initially perceive expensive
(A) present findings that contradict one explanation
advertising as a signal of high brand quality,
for the effects of a particular advertising
at some level of spending the manufacturer’s
practice
(20) advertising effort may be perceived as unreasonably
high, implying low manufacturer confidence in (B) argue that theoretical explanations about the
product quality. If consumers perceive excessive effects of a particular advertising practice are
advertising effort as a sign of a manufacturer’s of limited value without empirical evidence
desperation, the result may be less favorable (C) discuss how and why particular advertising
(25) brand perceptions. In addition, a third study by practices may affect consumers’ perceptions
Kirmani, of print advertisements, found that the (D) contrast the research methods used in two
use of color affected consumer perception of different studies of a particular advertising
brand quality. Because consumers recognize that practice
color advertisements are more expensive than
(E) explain why a finding about consumer responses
(30) black and white, the point at which repetition of an
to a particular advertising practice was
advertisement is perceived as excessive comes
unexpected
sooner for a color advertisement than for a black-
and-white advertisement.
27
30. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
3. Kirmani’s research, as described in the passage, 5. The passage suggests that Kirmani would be most
suggests which of the following regarding consumers’ likely to agree with which of the following statements
expectations about the quality of advertised products? about consumers’ perceptions of the relationship
between the frequency with which a product is
(A) Those expectations are likely to be highest if a advertised and the product’s quality?
manufacturer runs both black-and-white and
color advertisements for the same product. (A) Consumers’ perceptions about the frequency
(B) Those expectations can be shaped by the with which an advertisement appears are their
presence of color in an advertisement as well as primary consideration when evaluating an
by the frequency with which an advertisement advertisement’s claims about product quality.
appears. (B) Because most consumers do not notice the
(C) Those expectations are usually high for frequency of advertisement, it has little impact
frequently advertised new brands but not for on most consumers’ expectations regarding
frequently advertised familiar brands. product quality.
(D) Those expectations are likely to be higher for (C) Consumers perceive frequency of advertisement
products whose black-and-white advertisements as a signal about product quality only when the
are often repeated than for those whose color advertisement is for a product that is newly on
advertisements are less often repeated. the market.
(E) Those expectations are less definitively shaped (D) The frequency of advertisement is not always
by the manufacturer’s advertisements than by perceived by consumers to indicate that
information that consumers gather from other manufacturers are highly confident about their
sources. products’ quality.
(E) Consumers who try a new product that has been
4. Kirmani’s third study, as described in the passage, frequently advertised are likely to perceive the
suggests which of the following conclusions about a advertisement’s frequency as having been an
black-and-white advertisement? accurate indicator of the product’s quality.
(A) It can be repeated more frequently than a
comparable color advertisement could before
consumers begin to suspect low manufacturer
confidence in the quality of the advertised
product.
(B) It will have the greatest impact on consumers’
perceptions of the quality of the advertised
product if it appears during periods when a color
version of the same advertisement is also being
used.
(C) It will attract more attention from readers of the
print publication in which it appears if it is used
only a few times.
(D) It may be perceived by some consumers as
more expensive than a comparable color
advertisement.
(E) It is likely to be perceived by consumers as a
sign of higher manufacturer confidence in the
quality of the advertised product than a
comparable color advertisement would be.
28
31. 3.2 Diagnostic Test Verbal Sample Questions
Line The idea of the brain as an information 6. The main purpose of the passage is to
processor—a machine manipulating blips of energy
according to fathomable rules—has come to (A) propose an experiment
dominate neuroscience. However, one enemy of (B) analyze a function
(5) the brain-as-computer metaphor is John R. Searle, (C) refute an argument
a philosopher who argues that since computers
(D) explain a contradiction
simply follow algorithms, they cannot deal with
(E) simulate a process
important aspects of human thought such as
meaning and content. Computers are syntactic,
(10) rather than semantic, creatures. People, on the 7. Which of the following is most consistent with Searle’s
other hand, understand meaning because they have reasoning as presented in the passage?
something Searle obscurely calls the causal powers
(A) Meaning and content cannot be reduced to
of the brain.
algorithms.
Yet how would a brain work if not by reducing
(15) what it learns about the world to information—some (B) The process of digestion can be simulated
kind of code that can be transmitted from neuron mechanically, but not on a computer.
to neuron? What else could meaning and content (C) Simulated thoughts and real thoughts are
be? If the code can be cracked, a computer should essentially similar because they are composed
be able to simulate it, at least in principle. But primarily of information.
(20) even if a computer could simulate the workings (D) A computer can use “causal powers” similar to
of the mind, Searle would claim that the machine those of the human brain when processing
would not really be thinking; it would just be acting information.
as if it were. His argument proceeds thus: if a
(E) Computer simulations of the world can achieve
computer were used to simulate a stomach, with
the complexity of the brain’s representations of
(25) the stomach’s churnings faithfully reproduced on a
the world.
video screen, the machine would not be digesting
real food. It would just be blindly manipulating the
8. The author of the passage would be most likely to
symbols that generate the visual display.
agree with which of the following statements about the
Suppose, though, that a stomach were simulated
simulation of organ functions?
(30) using plastic tubes, a motor to do the churning, a
supply of digestive juices, and a timing mechanism. (A) An artificial device that achieves the functions of
If food went in one end of the device, what came out the stomach could be considered a valid model
the other end would surely be digested food. Brains, of the stomach.
unlike stomachs, are information processors, and if
(B) Computer simulations of the brain are best used
(35) one information processor were made to simulate
to crack the brain’s codes of meaning and
another information processor, it is hard to see
content.
how one and not the other could be said to think.
Simulated thoughts and real thoughts are made of (C) Computer simulations of the brain challenge
the same element: information. The representations ideas that are fundamental to psychology and
(40) of the world that humans carry around in their heads neuroscience.
are already simulations. To accept Searle’s argument, (D) Because the brain and the stomach both act as
one would have to deny the most fundamental notion processors, they can best be simulated by
in psychology and neuroscience: that brains work mechanical devices.
by processing information. (E) The computer’s limitations in simulating
digestion suggest equal limitations in computer-
simulated thinking.
29
32. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
9. It can be inferred that the author of the passage
believes that Searle’s argument is flawed by its
failure to
(A) distinguish between syntactic and semantic
operations
(B) explain adequately how people, unlike
computers, are able to understand meaning
(C) provide concrete examples illustrating its claims
about thinking
(D) understand how computers use algorithms to
process information
(E) decipher the code that is transmitted from
neuron to neuron in the brain
10. From the passage, it can be inferred that the author
would agree with Searle on which of the following
points?
(A) Computers operate by following algorithms.
(B) The human brain can never fully understand its
own functions.
(C) The comparison of the brain to a machine is
overly simplistic.
(D) The most accurate models of physical
processes are computer simulations.
(E) Human thought and computer-simulated thought
involve similar processes of representation.
11. Which of the following most accurately represents
Searle’s criticism of the brain-as-computer metaphor,
as that criticism is described in the passage?
(A) The metaphor is not experimentally verifiable.
(B) The metaphor does not take into account the
unique powers of the brain.
(C) The metaphor suggests that a brain’s functions
can be simulated as easily as those of a
stomach.
(D) The metaphor suggests that a computer can
simulate the workings of the mind by using the
codes of neural transmission.
(E) The metaphor is unhelpful because both the
brain and the computer process information.
30
33. 3.2 Diagnostic Test Verbal Sample Questions
Line Women’s grassroots activism and their vision 12. The primary purpose of the passage is to
of a new civic consciousness lay at the heart of
social reform in the United States throughout the (A) explain why women reformers of the Progressive
Progressive Era, the period between the depression Era failed to achieve their goals
(5) of 1893 and America’s entry into the Second (B) discuss the origins of child labor laws in the late
World War. Though largely disenfranchised except nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
for school elections, white middle-class women (C) compare the living conditions of working-class
reformers won a variety of victories, notably in and middle-class women in the Progressive Era
the improvement of working conditions, especially
(D) discuss an oversight on the part of women
(10) for women and children. Ironically, though,
reformers of the Progressive Era
child labor legislation pitted women of different
(E) revise a traditional view of the role played by
classes against one another. To the reformers,
women reformers in enacting Progressive Era
child labor and industrial home work were equally
reforms
inhumane practices that should be outlawed, but,
(15) as a number of women historians have recently
observed, working-class mothers did not always 13. The view mentioned in line 17 of the passage refers to
share this view. Given the precarious finances of which of the following?
working-class families and the necessity of pooling
(A) Some working-class mothers’ resistance to the
the wages of as many family members as possible,
enforcement of child labor laws
(20) working-class families viewed the passage and
enforcement of stringent child labor statutes as a (B) Reformers’ belief that child labor and industrial
personal economic disaster and made strenuous home work should be abolished
efforts to circumvent child labor laws. Yet (C) Reformers’ opinions about how working-class
reformers rarely understood this resistance in terms families raised their children
(25) of the desperate economic situation of working- (D) Certain women historians’ observation that there
class families, interpreting it instead as evidence was a lack of consensus between women of
of poor parenting. This is not to dispute women different classes on the issue of child labor and
reformers’ perception of child labor as a terribly industrial home work
exploitative practice, but their understanding of
(E) Working-class families’ fears about the adverse
(30) child labor and their legislative solutions for ending
consequences that child labor laws would have
it failed to take account of the economic needs of
on their ability to earn an adequate living
working-class families.
14. The author of the passage mentions the observations
of women historians (lines 15–17) most probably in
order to
(A) provide support for an assertion made in the
preceding sentence (lines 10–12)
(B) raise a question that is answered in the last
sentence of the passage (lines 27–32)
(C) introduce an opinion that challenges a statement
made in the first sentence of the passage
(D) offer an alternative view to the one attributed in
the passage to working-class mothers
(E) point out a contradiction inherent in the
traditional view of child labor reform as it is
presented in the passage
31
34. The Official Guide for GMAT® Review 12th Edition
15. The passage suggests that which of the following was 17. According to the passage, one of the most striking
a reason for the difference of opinion between achievements of white middle-class women reformers
working-class mothers and women reformers on the during the Progressive Era was
issue of child labor?
(A) gaining the right to vote in school elections
(A) Reformers’ belief that industrial home work was (B) mobilizing working-class women in the fight
preferable to child labor outside the home
against child labor
(B) Reformers’ belief that child labor laws should
pertain to working conditions but not to pay (C) uniting women of different classes in grassroots
activism
(C) Working-class mothers’ resentment at reformers’
attempts to interfere with their parenting (D) improving the economic conditions of working-
(D) Working-class mothers’ belief that child labor class families
was an inhumane practice (E) improving women’s and children’s working
(E) Working-class families’ need for every conditions
employable member of their families to earn
money
16. The author of the passage asserts which of the
following about women reformers who tried to abolish
child labor?
(A) They alienated working-class mothers by
attempting to enlist them in agitating for
progressive causes.
(B) They underestimated the prevalence of child
labor among the working classes.
(C) They were correct in their conviction that child
labor was deplorable but shortsighted about the
impact of child labor legislation on working-class
families.
(D) They were aggressive in their attempts to
enforce child labor legislation, but were unable
to prevent working-class families from
circumventing them.
(E) They were prevented by their nearly total
disenfranchisement from making significant
progress in child labor reform.
32