Example Questions Abstract

1. Which symbol in the Answer Figure completes the sequence in the Problem Figure ?

2. Which of the Answer Figures belongs in neither group?

3. Which of the Answer Figures belongs in neither group?

4. Which of the Answer Figures fits the missing space in the Question Figure?

Answers
1. C - The question figure is rotated clockwise through 90 degrees each time.
2. D & E - Group 1 shapes are all straight lines, group 2 shapes are all curved.
3. A, B & D - Same color shapes are diagonally opposite (Group1) or above/below (Group 2).
4. D - Each row and column contains one line of each type.
Practice GRE Quantitative Reasoning Questions
1. If x4 = 16, then 4x =

A: 2
B: 4
C: 8
D: 12
E: 16

2. Arnold has enough gas to last him for thirty days. If he starts using 50% more gas, how many days will the
same supply last him?

A: 10
B: 12
C: 15
D: 20
E: 25

3. If 2x > 24 and 3x < 48, which of the following is a possible value for x?

A: 12
B: 14
C: 16
D: 18
E: 20

4. Dan drives to Cheryl's house at an average speed of 40 mph. If he can drive 2/3 of the way there in an hour,
how far away is Cheryl's house?

A: 60 miles
B: 20 miles
C: 80 miles
D: 50 miles
E: 55 miles

5. |-5| + |3| - |-5| =

A: -2
B: -13
C: 8
D: 3
E: 2

6. If a cube has a volume of 343 cubic inches, what is the length of one side?

A: 7 square inches
B: 30 square inches
C: 7 inches
D: 49 inches
E: 49 square inches

7. If 3x - 6 = 14 - x, then x =

A: 5
B: 3
C: 4
D: 8
E: 10
8. Factor: a2 -3a - 18

A: (a - 3)(a - 9)
B: (a - 2)(a - 9)
C: (a + 3)(a + 6)
D: (a + 2)(a + 9)
E: (a - 6)(a + 3)

9. There are ten teams in a basketball league. During the season, each team plays the others five times. How
many games are played in the basketball league in total?

A: 45
B: 85
C: 125
D: 225
E: 450

10. If a = 2, then 3a + (a3)2 =

A: 73
B: 70
C: 7
D: 12
E: 27

11.

Column A Column B
0.05124 0.04877

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

12. Blanche drives for x amount of time at a speed of 45 miles per hour.

Column A Column B
45x 45 + x

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

13.

Column A Column B
3/4 + 3/4 (3/4)2

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
14. In the two-digit number xy, x has a value twice as great as y.

Column A Column B
y 5

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

15. There are fifteen marbles in a jar: 3 red, 7 blue, and 5 green. One marble is drawn at random.

Column A Column B
1 in 3 The chance of selecting a green marble

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

16. Isosceles triangle XYZ has a side XY with length 5.

Column A Column B
Length of YZ 5

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

17. Xavier drives for 30 minutes at an average speed of 80 miles per hour. Rex drives for 45 minutes at an
average speed of 60 miles per hour.

Column A Column B
Distance driven by Xavier Distance driven by Rex

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

18. The product of x and y is negative.

Column A Column B
x2 y2

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

19. a = (b - 6)2
 Column A Column B
The value of a if b = 12 35

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

20.

Column A Column B
2(x9 - x7) 2(x2)

A: The quantity in Column A is greater.

B: The quantity in Column B is greater.
C: The two quantities are equal.
D: The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice QuestionsAnswer Key

1. E. To solve this problem, first determine through trial and error the number that equals 16 when taken to the 4th power
(in other words, when multiplied by itself four times). The number is 2. Then square 4.

2. D. The rate of gas use and the time it will last exist in an inverse relationship. If Arnold uses 3/2 as much gas, he will go
through it in 2/3 the time. Multiply 2/3 by 30 to find the solution.

3. B. Solve both of the inequalities for x, thus determining that 16 > x >12.

4. A. Dan travels 40 miles in an hour, and he needs to go half this distance to reach Cheryl's house (that is, he has
traveled two-thirds of the way and needs to travel one more third). Divide 40 by 2 to determine a third of the total distance,
and then add this to the distance traveled so far: 40 + 20 = 60.

5. D. The problem requires an understanding of absolute value, the distance from zero on a number line. For instance, the
absolute value of -5 is 5.

6. C. The volume of a cube is the length of one side taken to the third power. In order to solve this problem, find the cube
root of 343 through trial and error.

7. A. To solve for x, first add x to both sides of the equation. Then add 6 to both sides and divide each side by 4.

8. E. To factor a polynomial of this kind, find the set of numbers that have a sum equal to the coefficient of the second
term and a product equal to the coefficient of the third term. In this case, -6 and 3 have a sum of -3 and a product of -18.

9. D. Each team plays 45 games (9 other teams multiplied by 5 games against each). Multiply 45 by the number of teams,
and then divide by 2 since each game includes two teams.

10. B. Simply substitute 2 into the equation and solve. Cube the two in parentheses before squaring.

11. A. The number in the hundredths place of Column A is larger, so it is a greater number even though the numbers in
the thousandths, ten-thousandths, and hundred-thousandths places are smaller.

12. D. It is impossible to tell which value is larger without knowing the value of x. There are possible values for x that
make either column larger.

13. A. This problem can be easily solved by remembering that multiplying 3/4 by itself is the same as finding 3/4 of 3/4,
which will necessarily be a smaller number. If this is not apparent, however, the problem can be easily solved by solving
the problems: 3/4 + 3/4 = 6/4 = 1 1/2 and 3/4 x 3/4 = 9/16.

14. B. Since the value of the digit x must be twice the value of the digit y, y can only be 4, 3, 2, or 1.

15. C. There is a 5 in 15 chance of selecting a green marble. This is equivalent to a 1 in 3 chance.

16. D. An isosceles triangle has two sides with equal length. However, it is impossible to determine which two sides are
equal in triangle XYZ.

17. B. The distance covered by each driver can be calculated by multiplying the time (as a fraction of an hour) by the rate
of speed. For Xavier: 80 x 1/2 = 40 miles. For Rex: 60 x 3/4 = 45 miles.

18. D. Since the product of x and y is negative, one of the numbers must be negative and the other must be positive.
However, it is impossible to determine which is which. Squaring the variables has no bearing on this question.

19. A. If b = 12, then the equation works out as follows: a = (12 - 6)2 = 62 = 36.

20. C. So long as the coefficients are the same, one can simply subtract the exponents. So, 9 -7 = 2, and the two
terms have the same value.

Example Questions verbal

 1. Which of the following words are incorrectly spelt?

A) separate B) ordnance C) obviously D) sucess E) none of these

2. Choose the pair of words that best completes the sentence

The -------- of the timetable caused some ----------

A) rivision B) revision C) revission D) revition

A) inconvenience B) inconvenince C) inconveneince D)inconvenience

3. The following list of 20 words contains 10 that are incorrectly spelt. Write the letter that corresponds to
each incorrectly spelt word in the answer box

A) occurence
B) dissipate
C) weird
D) accommodate
E) embarassment
F) ecstacy
G) repetition
H) batallion
I) dispair
J) irritable
K) accidently
L) liaison
M) memento
N) millenium
O) yield
P) existance
Q) independent
R) insistant
S) excede
T) privilege

Answers
1. D
2. B A
3. A E F H I K N P R S

In most cases the longer that you have been out of the education system the more your spelling will have
deteriorated. Most people now use word processors with inbuilt spell-checking software and it is very easy
to forget how words are spelt as we don’t physically write them down and often rely on the software to
correct them for us. Many people find it quite embarrassing when they realize how much their spelling has
deteriorated – this is one area where remedial action is straightforward and is guaranteed to produce
positive results.

Missing Word Questions

These questions are designed to measure your vocabulary, specifically your understanding of precise word
meanings. You will usually be offered a choice of four or five words, any of which could complete the
sentence. These questions are relatively straightforward but because more than one of the options will
complete the sentence satisfactorily you must read it carefully and choose the best word.

Example Questions

4. Which of these words completes the sentence in the way that makes most sense?
 A spirit-level should be used to ensure that the surface is -----------

A) straight B) flat C) horizontal D) parallel E) aligned

5. Which of these words completes the sentence in the way that makes most sense?

He avoided --------- because he was ------------

A) redundency B) indispensable C) redundancy D) indispensible

6. Which of these words completes the sentence in the way that makes most sense?

The plan must be --------- to make the project ------------

A) feasible B) revised C) rivised D) feasable

Answers
4. C
5. C B
6. B A

Related Word Questions

To answer these word relationship questions you need to understanding of precise meaning of the words
in the question and establish what exactly the relationship is between them. You should then look at the
answer options and decide which one is the most appropriate. These questions test your reasoning ability
as well as your vocabulary.

Example Questions

7. Which of these is the missing word?

kick, -----------, walk

A) throw B) toes C) shin D) feet E) hand

8. Which of these is the missing word?

key, -----------, walk

A) lock B) stand C) board D) fob E) stone

9. Which of these is the missing word?

water, -----------, over

A) ice B) drive C) wet D) flow E) fall

Answers
7. D – Feet are used for both kicking and walking.
8. C – Board forms the words ‘keyboard’ and ‘boardwalk’
9. E – Fall forms ‘waterfall’ and ‘fall over’

There will usually be more than one possible answer, so it is important to read the question carefully and
pick the best option.
Synonym and Antonym Questions
These are words which have either the same or opposite meanings. Once again, these word meaning
questions test your vocabulary – you need to know the precise meaning of the words given in order to
select the appropriate synonym (same meaning) or antonym (opposite meaning).

Example Questions

10. Which of two of these words are opposite in meaning?

A) lose B) winner C) victor D) loser E) vanquish

11. Which of these words is the odd one out?

A) swindle B) harass C) provoke D) annoy E) pester

12. Which of these words is the odd one out?

A) verify B) authenticate C) confirm D) ask E) substantiate

Answers
10. B D – are exact opposites.
11. A – The others are synonyms
12. D – The others are synonyms

Word Pair Questions

Firstly, you need to establish the relationship between the ‘X is to Y’ words before you can arrive at the
answer. Some people find it helpful to mentally express the relationship before they look at the answer
options. This can short circuit the process of considering and rejecting each option because you know in
advance exactly what you are looking for.

Example Questions

13. Dog is to canine as wolf is to ---------

A) vulpine B) ursine C) piscine D) bovine E) lupine

14. Sadness is to happiness as defeat is to ---------

A) joy B) victory C) tears D) victor E) none of these

15. Paper is to timber as --------- is to hide

A) tree B) seek C) ox D) animal E) leather

Answers
13. E – lupine means ‘relating to the characteristics of wolves’
14. B – The word pairs are opposites
15. E – Paper is made from timber, leather is made from hide

Comprehension Questions
These questions consist of a short passage and some related questions. They will often be about a topic
which is unfamiliar to you, but this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage because you need to
answer the questions based only on the information that you are given – not using any knowledge that
you already have. Most people find that the best way to tackle these verbal comprehension questions is to
scan the text fairly quickly to get the general idea and then to attempt each question in turn, referring
back to the appropriate part of the text.
Example Question
16. Read the following short passage and say whether or not the statements are true.

There are seven species of deer living wild in Britain. The Red Deer and the Roe Deer are native species.
Fallow Deer were introduced by the Romans and, since the seventeenth century, have been joined by
three other non-native species: Sika, Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer which have escaped from parks. In
addition, a herd of Reindeer was established in Scotland in 1952. Most of the Red Deer in Britain are found
in Scotland, but there are significant wild populations in south-west and north-west England, East Anglia
and the north Midlands. Red deer can interbreed with the introduced Japanese Sika deer and in some
areas, hybrids are common.

16a. All of the Red Deer in Britain are found in Scotland.

A) true B) false C) can’t say

16b. Red Deer can interbreed with Fallow Deer.

A) true B) false C) can’t say

16c. The Fallow Deer is not native to Britain.

A) true B) false C) can’t say

16d. There are no Reindeer in England.

A) true B) false C) can’t say

Answers
16a. B
16b. C*
16c. A
16d. C

*Note that you must answer these verbal comprehension questions using only the information supplied.
Red Deer cannot interbreed with Fallow Deer but, because this is not stated in the text, you must answer
‘can’t say’ even if you know that the statement is technically false.

Reasoning Questions
These questions are not concerned with measuring your facility with English. They are designed to test
your ability to take a series of facts expressed in words and to understand and manipulate the information
to solve a specific problem. Verbal reasoning questions are usually restricted to graduate and
management level tests.

Example Question
17. Working together, Tom, Dick and Harry need 9 hours to paint a 400 meter long fence. Working alone,
Tom could complete the task in 18 hours. Dick can not work as fast and needs 36 hours to paint the fence
by himself. If Tom and Dick take the day off, how long will it take Harry to paint the fence by himself?

A) 9 B) 12 C) 18 D) 36

Answer
17. D – In 9 hours Tom would have painted half of the fence and Dick would have painted one quarter of
it. This leaves one quarter to be painted by Harry who must therefore work at the same speed as Dick.

Summary
Verbal ability tests can be divided into tests of simple verbal ability, for example; spelling, grammar,
synonyms and antonyms etc. These tests usually consist of 30 to 40 questions which need to be
completed in 15 to 20 minutes. They are speed tests in that they don’t require very much reasoning
ability. You either know the answer or you don’t.

Verbal reasoning tests, on the other hand, are designed to measure your problem solving abilities. These
questions may take the form of comprehension exercises, which are straightforward (as long as you
remember to read the relevant part of the text carefully) or more complex statements where the best
tactic is to make notes about what you can deduce from each part of the text. These tests usually consist
of 10 to 15 questions which need to be completed in 20 to 30 minutes and are designed to test your
reasoning ability rather than your facility with the language.

Verbal critical reasoning questions assess your ability to use words in a logical way. The questions
measure your understanding of vocabulary, class membership and the relationships between words. Some
questions measure your ability to perceive and understand concepts and ideas expressed verbally. While
these questions are designed to measure reasoning ability rather than educational achievement, it is
generally recognized that verbal reasoning test scores are influenced by educational and cultural
background.

Practice GRE Verbal Reasoning

Antonyms:
1. MERCURIAL

A: flighty
B: subversive
C: innocuous
D: tranquil
E: divested

2. PROLOGUE

A: decalogue
B: travelogue
C: ideologue
D: epilogue
E: analog

3. SPARTAN

A: decadent
B: teutonic
C: slavish
D: autonomous
E: interdependent

4. ACRID

A: rancid
B: viscous
C: sweet
D: livid
E: obsequious

5. EUPHONY

A: melody
B: cacophony
C: entropy
D: apostrophe
E: density

Analogies
Select the pair of words that has the most similar relationship to the capitalized pair of words.

6. INEFFABLE : EXPLICIT ::

A: derisive: complicit
B: selective : exclusive
C: incontestable : illicit
D: depraved : interconnected
E: circumscribed : implicit

7. DEVOUR : NIBBLE ::

A: chug : sip
B: slug : gulp
C: glass : drink
D: drain : drug
E: sniff : snort

8. DICTIONARY : THESAURUS ::

A: encyclopedia : historian
B: listing : marker
C: derivation : description
D: etymology : tautology
E: definition: synonym

9. MISANTHROPY : SAINT ::

A: dictator : cruelty
B: diplomacy : harlot
C: benevolence : despot
D: subservience : zealot
E: reserve : ingot

10. NOISOME : HIDEOUS ::

A: aromatic : beautiful
B: derelict : defenestrated
C: bohemian : slack
D: tendentious : irreproachable
E: vacillating : incredible

Sentence Completion
Select the word or words that best complete the sentence.

11. Despite the depressing news from the Eastern front, Colonel Ramberg maintained his _____ outlook.

A: gloomy
B: schizophrenic
C: philandering
D: frowsy
E: sanguine

12. The satirical play put on by the students was meant to be good natured, though some felt the humor was a bit
_____.

A: caustic
B: demonstrative
C: beneficial
D: salient
E: vacuous

13. Mark's morning routine was in keeping with his _____ nature: he lay in bed brooding and then reluctantly put
on his clothes.

A: stealthy
B: incoherent
C: saturnine
D: devout
E: bellicose
14. No one was surprised when the famously _____ Dr. Green delivered a ______ lecture on the importance of
dental hygiene.

A: verbose...ponderous
B: histrionic...temperate
C: flagrant...frivolous
D: gaunt....withering
E: stalwart...craven

15. The original idea was ____, but Fred's service initiative was still _____ five months after its creation.

A: laudable...floundering
B: defensive...musical
C: laughable...amusing
D: ingenious...soaring
E: delicious...serendipitous

GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions Answer Key

1. D. Mercurial means impulsive or flighty, so tranquil is the best antonym.

2. D. The prologue is the introductory part of a work of a text, and the epilogue is the concluding part.

3. A. Spartan means ascetic or dismissive of physical comfort; a decadent person is sensuous and revels in creature
comforts.

4. C. An acrid substance has a bitter or pungent taste; obviously, sweet is the appropriate antonym.

5. B. Euphony is the quality of being harmonious or pleasing to the ear; a cacophony is a jangle of discordant sound.

6. E. The paired terms are virtual antonyms: something that is ineffable cannot be made explicit (put into words); similarly,
something that is circumscribed (clearly defined) is more than implicit (unspoken).

7. A. The paired terms describe two different ways of eating: one which is rapid and sloppy (devour), and one which is
slower and more careful (nibble). The correct answer expresses a similar relationship between two modes of drinking.

8. E. A dictionary lists the definition of a word, while a thesaurus lists the synonyms.

9. C. Misanthropy is generalized hatred for mankind, an attitude unlikely to be held by a saint. Likewise, a despot (harsh
dictator) is unlikely to demonstrate benevolence.

10. A. The first paired terms are negative adjectives related to two different senses: noisome means stinky, while hideous
denotes an ugly appearance. Similarly, the correct answer contains positive adjectives related to the senses of smell and
sight.

11. E. A sanguine temperament is even, neither too euphoric nor too despondent.

12. A. Caustic humor is overly personal and biting.

13. C. A saturnine individual is gloomy and sluggish.

14. A. It would be no surprise to the group that a verbose (wordy) speaker would deliver a ponderous (long and dull)
speech.

15. A. Laudable means worthy of praise, while floundering indicates a lack of success.