Use of Subjunctive Mood in GMAT Sentence Correction

Use of Subjunctive Mood in GMAT Sentence Correction


Subjunctive mood sentences are tested in GMAT Sentence Correction module fairly frequently. Although there are many types of subjunctive mood usage, the most relevant from the perspective of GMAT, is the one using a dependent clause, introduced by the word - that –. Although the subjunctive mood seems to foul normal verb tense grammar, still the usage is considered grammatical.
.

The subjunctive mood is used when the verb indicates a desire, intention, command, recommendation request, resolution, or advice. It is also used along with such words as advisable, better, desirable, and directive, essential, fitting, imperative, important, necessary, urge urgent and vital. Very important thing here is that the word - that -will always introduce the dependent clause in such subjunctive mood sentences and the verb of the relative sentences will always be the base or root form of the verb

Q: Rules governing participation in new extreme sports fantasy camp require that applicants should be physically fit enough to endure the demanding activities in which they will be engaging.

A. that applicants should be physically fit enough to endure the demanding
B. that applicants be physically fit enough to endure the demanding
C. applicants should have enough physical fitness to allow enduring the demands of
D. applicants are physically fit enough as to endure the demands of
E. physical fitness in applicants, enough for endurance of demanding

B is the answer.

Some more example of subjunctive mood

1. Wrong: The students are demanding that a swimming pool should be constructed inside the college hostel

Correct; The students are demanding that a swimming pool be constructed inside the college hostel
.
2. Wrong. The Parliament recommends that the speaker is dismissed.
Correct The Parliament recommends that the speaker be dismissed

3. Wrong; The Principal ordered that the student to pay a fine of one hundred rupees for his late coming.


Correct: The Principal ordered that the student pay a fine of one hundred rupees for his late coming.


4. Wrong: The committee proposes that the opposition member apologizes to the Prime Minister for using unparliamentarily words.

Correct: The committee proposes that the opposition member apologize to the Prime Minister for using unparliamentarily words

5. Wrong: My son always insists that people should tap the door before entering his room.

Correct: My son always insists that people tap the door before entering his room.



Some GMAT examples

1: Judicial rules in many states require that the identities of all prosecution witnesses are made known to defendants so they can attempt to rebut the testimony, but the Constitution explicitly requires only that the defendant have the opportunity to confront an accuser in court.

(A) that the identities of all prosecution witnesses are made known to defendants so they can attempt to rebut
(B) that the identities of all prosecution witnesses be made known to defendants so that they can attempt to rebut
(C) that the defendants should know the identities of all prosecution witnesses so they can attempt a rebuttal of
(D) the identities of all prosecution witnesses should be made known to defendants so they can attempt rebutting
(E) making known to defendants the identities of all prosecution witnesses so that they can attempt to rebut
B is the right answer

2. In one of the most stunning reversals in the history of marketing, the Coca-Cola Company in July 1985 yielded to thousands of irate consumers demanding that it should bring back the original Coke formula.

(A) demanding that it should
(B) demanding it to
(C) and their demand to
(D) who demanded that it
(E) who demanded it to

D is the right answer

3. Most state constitutions now mandate that the state budget be balanced each year.

(A) mandate that the state budget be balanced
(B) mandate the state budget to be balanced
(C) mandate that the state budget will be balanced
(D) have a mandate for a balanced state budget
(E) have a mandate to balance the state budget

No error

GMAT Critical Reasoning- Weaken passages

GMAT Critical Reasoning- Weaken passages


While normal thinking is incidental, routine and adhoc, critical thinking is deliberate. It seeks to evaluate the quality of thinking, which involves a positive attitude toward observation and analysis of ones own surroudings, an earnest desire to read and experience, and a strong willingness to explore logic and pragmatic decision making.

In GMAT, Critical Reasoning (CR) entails anywhere between 10 to 14 multiple choice questions, interspaced among the 41 verbal questions. These questions measure the ability to evaluate an argument, study its construction and infer a meaningful strategy in rhetorical argumentation, strength, weakness and assumptions.
A good number CR questions on the GMAT, are based on the concept of weakening .The following examples may help the learners to get a bird's eye view of this very important type of verbal questions.
1. A law requiring companies to offer employees unpaid time off to care for their children will harm the economic competitiveness of our nation's businesses. Companies must be free to set their own employment policies without mandated parental-leave regulations.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion of the argument above?
(A) A parental-leave law will serve to strengthen the family as a social institution in this country.
(B) Many businesses in this country already offer employees some form of parental leave.
(C) Some of the countries with the most economically competitive businesses have strong parental-leave regulations.
(D) Only companies with one hundred or more employees would be subject to the proposed parental-leave law.（C）
(E) In most polls, a majority of citizens say they favor passage of a parental-leave law.

2. Are you still reading the other newspaper in town? Did you know that the Daily Bugle is owned by an out-of-town business syndicate that couldn't care less about the people of Gotham City? Read the Daily Clarion, the only real voice of the people of Gotham City!
Which of the following most directly refutes the argument raised in the advertisement above?
(A) Over half of the advertising revenues of the Daily Clarion come from firms whose headquarters are located outside of Gotham City.
(B) The Daily Clarion usually devotes more of its pages to out-of-town news than does the Daily Bugle.
(C) Nearly 40 percent of the readers of the Daily Clarion reside outside the limits of Gotham City.
(D) The editor-in-chief and all the other members of the editorial staff of the Daily Bugle have lived and worked in Gotham City for ten years or more.
(E) The Daily Bugle has been published in Gotham City for a longer time than has the Daily Clarion.

3. At an enormous research cost, a leading chemical company has developed a manufacturing process for converting wood fibers into a plastic. According to the company, this new plastic can be used for, among other things, the hulls of small sailboats. But what does the company think sailboat hulls used to be made of? Surely the mania for high technology can scarcely go further than this.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the author's conclusion?
(A) The plastic produced by the process is considerably lighter, stronger, and more watertight than wood.
(B) The wood used in producing the plastic is itself in increasingly short supply.
(C) The cost of the manufacturing process of the plastic increases the cost of producing a sailboat hull by 10 to 15 percent.
(D) Much of the cost of the research that developed the new process will be written off for tax purposes by the chemical company.（A）
(E) The development of the new plastic is expected to help make the chemical company an important supplier of boat-building materials.
4. Â Psychologists conducted a series of experiments to test the effect upon schoolchildren of violence in films. In the first experiment, grammar school children were shown a film that included scenes of a male teenager engaging in violent acts against others, such as punching, pushing, and kicking. During a free-play session following the film viewing, 42 percent of the children were observed to engage in one or more violent acts similar to those in the film. In a second experiment, a different group of children was shown a similar film featuring a female teenager. Only 14 percent of the children were observed behaving violently afterward. The psychologists concluded that children are more likely to imitate violent behavior on film when a male model is shown than when a female model is shown.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the psychologists' conclusion?
(A) In both experiments, the victims of the filmed violence included both males and females.
(B) In the second experiment, 28 percent of the children appeared upset during the viewing the violent film scenes.
(C) The first group included 19 male students and 20 female students; the second group included 20 male students and 21 female students.
(D) In the first group, 58 percent of the children appeared bored during the showing of the film, and 12 percent fell asleep.（E）
(E) The percentage of children known to have discipline problems prior to the experiment was greater in the first group than in the second group.
5. Mainline Airways was bought by its employees six years ago. Three years ago, Mainline hired QualiCo Advertising Agency to handle its promotions and advertising division. Today Mainline's profits are over 20 percent higher than they were five years ago and 10 percent higher than they were three years ago. Employee ownership and a good advertising agency have combined to make Mainline more profitable.

Which of the following best describes the weak point in the argument above?
(A) It fails to establish a causal connection between the change in ownership at Mainline Airways and the hiring of QualiCo, on the one hand, and the rise in Mainline's profits, on the other.
(B) It presents no evidence showing that employee-owned airlines are any more profitable than other airlines.
(C) It assumes that the profits of Mainline Airways will continue to rise.
(D) It gives no exact figures for the current profits of Mainline Airways.（A）
(E) It fails to explain how the profits of Mainline Airways are calculated.


6. In 1980, a Danish ten-øre coin minted in 1747 was sold at auction for $8,000. Eleanor Bixby owns another Danish ten-øre coin minted in 1747. When she puts it on the market next week, it will fetch a price over $18,000.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion drawn above?
(A) Since 1980, the average price for rare coins has increased by over 150 percent.
(B) There are only four coins like the one in question in the entire world.
(C) Since 1980, the consumer price index has risen by over 150 percent.
(D) In 1986, a previously unknown cache of one hundred coins just like the one in question was found.
(E) Thirty prominent, wealthy coin collectors are expected to bid for Bixby's coin.

7. From time to time, the press indulges in outbursts of indignation over the use of false or misleading information by the U.S.government in support of its policies and programs. No one endorses needless deception. But consider this historical analogy. It is known that Christopher Columbus, on his first voyage to the New World, deliberately falsified the log to show a shorter sailing distance for each day out than the ships had actually traveled. In this way, Columbuswas able to convince his skeptical sailors that they had not sailed past the point at which they expected to find the shores of India. Without this deception, Columbus's sailors might well have mutinied, and the New World might never have been discovered
Which of the following is the main weakness of the historical analogy drawn in the passage above?
(A) The sailors in Columbus's crew never knew that they had been deceived, while government deception is generally uncovered by the press.
(B) A ship's log is a record intended mainly for use by the captain, while press reports are generally disseminated for use by the public at large.
(C) The members of a ship's crew are selected by the captain of the ship, while those who work in the press are self-selected.
(D) The crew of a ship is responsible for the success of a voyage, while the press is not responsible for the use others make of the factual information it publishes.（E）
(E) In a democracy, the people are expected to participate in the nation's political decision making, while the members of a ship's crew are expected simply to obey the orders of the captain.
8. Contrary to the statements of labor leaders, the central economic problem facing America today is not the distribution of wealth. It is productivity. With the productivity of U.S.industry stagnant or even declining slightly, the economic pie is no longer growing. Labor leaders, of course, point to what they consider an unfair distribution of the slices of pie to justify their demands for further increases in wages and benefits. And in the past, when the pie was still growing, management could afford to acquiesce. No longer. Until productivity resumes its growth, there can be no justification for further increases in the compensation of workers.

Which of the following statements by a labor leader focuses on the logical weakness in the argument above?
(A) Although the economic pie is no longer growing, the portion of the pie allocated to American workers remains unjustly small.
(B) If management fails to accommodate the demands of workers, labor leaders will be forced to call strikes that will cripple the operation of industry.
(C) Although productivity is stagnant, the U.S. population is growing, so that the absolute size of the economic pie continues to grow as well.
(D) As a labor leader, I can be concerned only with the needs of working people, not with the problems faced by management.（A）
(E) The stagnation of U.S. industry has been caused largely by factorsâ€"such as foreign competitionâ€"beyond the control of American workers.

9. In 1981, for the first time in over two decades, the average scores of high school students on standardized math and English tests did not decline. During the same year, millions of American students enjoyed their first exposure to the new world of the microcomputer, whether in schools, video arcades, or other settings. The conclusion is clear: far from stultifying the intellectual capacities of students, exposure to computers can actually enhance them.

The most serious weakness of the argument above is its failure to
(A) discuss the underlying causes of the twenty-year decline in students' test scores
(B) cite specific figures documenting the increases in test scores
(C) distinguish among the various types of computer being used by high school students
(D) define the intellectual capacities tested by the standardized math and English tests referred to（E）
(E) explain exactly how high school students' abilities on math and English tests could have been enhanced by exposure to computers

10. The city council will certainly vote to approve the new downtown redevelopment plan, despite the objections of environmentalists. After all, most of the campaign contributions received by members of the city council come from real estate development firms, which stand to benefit from the plan.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the argument above?
(A) Several members of the city council receive sizable campaign contributions from environmental lobbying groups.
(B) Members of the city council are required to report the size and source of each campaign contribution they receive.
(C) Not every real estate development firm in the city will be able to participate in, and profit from, the new downtown redevelopment plan.
(D) The members of the city council have often voted in ways that are opposed to the interests of their campaign contributors.
(E) Some environmentalists have stated that the new downtown redevelopment plan might be environmentally sound if certain minor modifications are made.

Full Length TOEFL Reading Test

Full Length TOEFL Reading Test

This full length diagnostic TOEFL Reading Test can reveal one’s true standing in the real time TOEFL iBT. Those who want an interpretation of their performance in the given test can approach the author at his email: newnaren@gmail.com
This is a timed test. There are 13 questions and they have to be answered in 20
minutes.

This passage is adapted from non-copy right material from The Future of Astronomy by Professor Edward c. Pickering





Astronomy


It is claimed by astronomers that their science is not only the oldest,
but also the most highly developed of the sciences. Indeed it
should be so, since no other science has ever received such support from
royalty, from the state and from the private individual. One might expect that the practical results of a science like physics would appeal to the man who has made a vast fortune through some of its applications. The telephone, the electric transmission of power, wireless telegraphy and the submarine cable are instances of immense
financial returns derived from the most abstruse principles of physics.

Yet there are scarcely any physical laboratories devoted to research, or
endowed with independent funds for this object except those supported
by the government. The endowment of astronomical observatories devoted
to research, and not including that given for teaching, is estimated to
amount to several million dollars annually. Several of the larger
Observatories have an annual income of fifty thousand dollars.


The practical value of astronomy in the past is easily established.
Without it, international commerce on a large scale would have been
impossible. Without the aid of astronomy, accurate boundaries of large
tracts of land could not have been defined and standard time would have
been impossible. The work of the early astronomers was eminently
practical, and appealed at once to every one.. We can compute the positions of the stars for years, almost for centuries, with all the accuracy needed for navigation, for
determining time or for approximate boundaries of countries.



Three great advances have been made in astronomy. First, the invention
of the telescope, with which we commonly associate the name of Galileo,
from the wonderful results he obtained with it. The second great advance in astronomy originated in America, and was in an entirely different direction, the application of photography to the study of the stars. The first photographic image of a star was obtained in 1850, by George P. Bond, with the assistance of Mr. J.A. Whipple, at
the Harvard College Observatory. Since then Photography has superseded visual observations, in many departments of astronomy, and is now carrying them far beyond the limits that would have been deemed possible a few years ago. The third great advance in astronomy is in photographing the spectra of the stars. The first photograph showing the lines in a stellar spectrum was obtained by Dr. Henry Draper, of New York, in 1872. Sir William Huggins in 1863 had obtained an image of the spectrum of Sirius, on a
photographic plate, but no lines were visible in it. In 1876 he again
took up the subject, and, by an early publication, preceded Dr. Draper.
When we consider the attention the photography of stellar spectra is
receiving at the present time, in nearly all the great observatories in
the world, it may well be regarded as the third great advance in
astronomy.


What will be the fourth advance, and how will it be brought about?
First, by educating astronomers. There are many observatories where
excellent instruction in astronomy is given, either to the general
student or to one who wishes to make it his profession. At almost any
active observatory a student would be received as a volunteer assistant.
Unfortunately, few young men can afford to accept an unpaid position,
and the establishment of a number of fellowships each offering a small
salary sufficient to support the student would enable him to acquire the
necessary knowledge to fill a permanent position.


1. According to the author, Astronomy in the past has achieved significantly

a) in the development of telescopes
b) in the fields of wireless telegraphy
c) in the field of transmission of electrical power
d) in the arenas of cable transmission


2. According to the passage, which of the following choices is not an area of astronomical achievement

a) Use of photography
b) accurate navigation
c) Invention of telescope
d) invention of telephone

3. The word advances in paragraph 3 is closest to meaning
a) loans
b) Progress
c ) marches ahead
d) suggestive gestures

4. The word stellar in the third paragraph is closes to meaning in
a) relating to Stella
b) relating star
c) spectacular
d) twinkling


5. Why does the author mention Physics in the first paragraph?

a. to illustrate the difference between two basic sciences
b. to say Astronomy and Physics arte equally popular sciences
c. to say that Astronomy has no day to day applications
d. to maintain that both sciences under discussion deal with stars



6. The author uses the second paragraph mainly in order to
a) prove that astronomical achievements in the past have been of immense use
b) to cite the three advances made in the past in Astronomy
c) to admit that astronomical findings did not have popular appeal
d) to claim that time could be determined without the use of astronomy

7. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

Physics is an inferior science.
Astronomy does not contribute to practical applications
There is more financial gain in the pursuit of astronomy than in that of any other field
The astronomers feel that no other science can be as old or developed as their own


8. The bolded phrase this object,in paragraph one refers to

Physical laboratories
Research
Endowment
Astronomy

9. The bolded phrase it in paragraph three refers to
Astronomy
Advance
Invention
Telescope

10. Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information in the sentence below? (In correct answer choices omit important information or change the meaning of the original sentence in an important way.)
The work of the early astronomers was eminently practical, and appealed at once to every one


Early astronomers were eminent scientists who were appreciated a lot

The early jobs done by the contemporary astronomers are appreciated by everybody

Astronomers in the early days did a very useful job that was instantly and universally acclaimed.

Early astronomers appealed to every one by asking for funds



11. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

On the contrary, there are many research oriented bodies in the field of Astronomy which receive financial support not just from state but also from other private sources.


It is claimed by astronomers that their science is not only the oldest,
but that it is the most highly developed of the sciences. Indeed it
should be so, since no other science has ever received such support from
royalty, from the state and from the private individual. ■ One might expect that the practical results of a science like physics would appeal to the man who has made a vast fortune through some of its applications. ■ The telephone, the electric transmission of power, wireless telegraphy and the submarine cable are instances of immense
financial returns derived from the most abstruse principles of physics.
Yet there are scarcely any physical laboratories devoted to research, or
endowed with independent funds for this object, except those supported
by the government. ■ The endowment of astronomical observatories devoted
to research, and not including that given for teaching, is estimated to
amount to several million dollars annually. Several of the larger
observatories have an annual income of fifty thousand dollars. ■

Indeed it should be so, since no other science has ever received such support from
royalty, from the state and from the private individual. ■ On the contrary, there are many research oriented bodies in the field of Astronomy which receive financial support not just from state but also from other private sources


One might expect that the practical results of a science like physics would appeal to the man who has made a vast fortune through some of its applications. ■ On the contrary, there are many research oriented bodies in the field of Astronomy which receive financial support not just from state but also from other private sources

Yet there are scarcely any physical laboratories devoted to research, or
endowed with independent funds for this object, except those supported
by the government. ■ On the contrary, there are many research oriented bodies in the field of Astronomy which receive financial support not just from state but also from other private sources


Several of the larger observatories have an annual income of fifty thousand dollars. ■ On the contrary, there are many research oriented bodies in the field of Astronomy which receive financial support not just from state but also from other private sources

12. DIRECTIONS: Below is an introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage. Complete the summary by selecting three of the answer choices that express the most important ideas of the passage and writing your choices inside the box. Some of the answer choices are incorrect because they express ideas that are not given in the passage or because they express only details from the passage.
That Astronomy, an age old science had made significant advances can be illustrated amply by concrete examples.


1. Invention of telescope
2. Dr Henry Draper preceded Dr Williams Huggins in producing a stellar spectrum with visible lines, though the latter was the first who got a star’s image without lines
3.Use of photography in the capture of the star spectrum
4.Physics attracts more attention than astronomy
5. Use of photography

Items 1, 2 and 3
Items 1, 2 and 5
Items 1, 3 and 5
Items 2, 3 and 4
13. DIRECTIONS: Match the phrases in the answer choices on the left side of the chart to the correct category or concept on the right side of the chart by writing the letter of the choice in the blank next to the bullet point. For questions with five answers, one choice will not be used. For questions with seven answers, two choices will not be used.
On an actual exam, five-answer questions are worth three points


1. Receives financial approval fore a variety of bodies
2. Uses photography to a great extent
3. There are immense financial returns in
4. More laboratories devoted to research
5. More popularly visible results obtained
6 Helpful in navigation, determination of time and marking of boundaries

Choice 1
Astronomy:
1 Receives financial approval from a variety of bodies
2 Uses Photography to a large extent
5. More popularly visible results obtained
Physics

3There are immense financial returns in
4.More laboratories devoted to research




Choice 2
Astronomy
1.Receives financial approval from a variety of bodies
4. More laboratories devoted to research
6. Helpful in navigation, determination of time and marking of boundaries

Physics

3. There are immense financial returns in
5. More popularly visible results obtained



Choice 3

Astronomy
3.There are immense financial returns in
4. More laboratories devoted to research
6.Helpful in navigation, determination of time and marking of boundaries
Physics
1. Receives financial approval from a variety of bodies
5. More popularly visible results obtained


Choice 4

Astronomy
2.Uses photography to a great extent
3. There are immense financial returns in
6. Helpful in navigation, determination of time and marking of boundaries

Physics
1. Receives financial approval from a variety of bodies
3 There are immense financial returns in

GMAT Verbal Diagnostic Test 1 - 10 questions – 18 minutes

GMAT Verbal Diagnostic Test 1 - 10 questions – 18 m minutes

After completing the test, ask the author through a private message with details of the test performance (such as the questions attended, the questions that were right) to know your possible verbal score ranging from 100 to 400. (e.mail: newnaren@gmail.com)

P.S: Timing is important to this test. Therefore for a realistic evaluation, please stick to timing in your own interest.

1. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

Government imposed restrictions on what maximum they may charge b> on their proprietary products has made it difficult for MNC pharmacy companies as they are competing with such unregulated outfits as generic formulators and loan-licensees.

(A) has made it difficult for MNC pharmacy companies as they are competing with such

(B) has made difficulties for MNC Pharmacy companies competing with such

(C) have made difficulties for MNC pharmacy companies as they are competing with

(D) have made it difficult for MNC pharmacy companies to compete with such（D）

(E) have made it difficult for MNC pharmacy as they are competing with such

2. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

1. Carnatic Music vocalist GB, whose repertory, views on musical collaboration, and vocal style were influential on generations of carnatic artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians that included DKP and KBS whose music differed significantly from his own.

(A) were influential on generations of carnatic artists was also an inspiration to many musicians, that included DKP and KBS whose music differed significantly from

(B) influenced generations of carnatic artists, also inspired many musicians, including, DKP and KBS whose music differed significantly from

(C) was influential to generations of carnatic artists, was also inspirational to many musicians, that included DKP and KBS whose music was different significantly in comparison to

(D) was influential to generations of carnatic artists, also inspired many musicians, who included DKP and KBS, the music of whom differed significantly when compared to

(E) were an influence on generations of carnatic artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, including DKP and KBS, whose music was significantly different from that of

3 For the following question, select the best of the answer choices given

Most Indian historians believe that people first reached the Andamans less than 10, 000 years ago by crossing a land bridge into the Island. But recent discoveries of human shelters in Nicobar dating from 15,000 years ago have led researchers to speculate that people arrived in Nicobar first, after voyaging across the Bay of Bengal and then spread too Andamans

Which of the following, if it were discovered, would weaken the speculation above?

(A) A rock shelter near Port Blair, the current capital of Andaman contains evidence of use by human beings 9, 000 years ago

(B) Some Andaman islands of human habitation predate any sites found in Nicobar

(C) The climate is warmer at the 15, 000-year-old Nicobar Islands than at the oldest known Andaman Island

(D) The site in Nicobar that was occupied 15, 000 years ago was continuously occupied until 6, 000 years ago

(E) The last Ice Age, between 11, 500 and 20, 000 years ago, considerably lowered worldwide sea levels

4. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

Results of the South Indian political dynasties in the medieval age of Indian History was seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thanavur, , the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura , the Pallavas in Kanchi , and the victory of the RajaRaja Chola in SriLanka

(A) Results of the South Indian political dynasties in the medieval age of Indian History was seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thajavur , the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura, the Pallavas in Kanchi , and

(B) Results of the South Indian political dynasties in the medieval age of Indian History were seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thajavur , the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura, the Pallavas in Kanchi , and also

(C) In the medieval age of Indian History, results of the South Indian political dynasties were seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thajavur , of the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura, the Pallavas in Kanchi , and

(D) In the medieval age of Indian History, results of the South Indian political dynasties was seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thajavur , the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura, the Pallavas in Kanchi , and

(E) In the medieval age of Indian History, results of the South Indian political dynasties were seen in the rise of the Cholas in Thajavur, the Cheras in Kerala, the Pandyas in Madura, and the Pallavas in Kanchi, and in

5. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to the question. The question is to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poorest of the poor. Only paltry sums are available for excavating and even less is available for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to the highest bidder.

I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds for archaeology and reduce the amount of illegal digging. I would propose that scientific archeological expeditions and governmental authorities sell excavated artifacts on the open market. Such sales would provide substantial funds for the excavation and preservation of archaeological sites and the publication of results. At the same time, they would break the illegal excavator’s grip on the market, thereby decreasing the inducement to engage in illegal activities.

You might object that professionals excavate to acquire knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts are part of our global cultural heritage, which should be available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing that has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But, you might reply everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here we part company. Theoretically, you may be correct in claiming that every artifact has potential scientific value. Practically, you are wrong.

I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and ancient lamps that are essentially duplicates of one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus, archaeologists recently uncovered 2,000 virtually indistinguishable small jugs in a single courtyard, Even precious royal seal impressions known as l’melekh handles have been found in abundance—more than 4,000 examples so far.

The basements of museums are simply not large enough to store the artifacts that are likely to be discovered in the future. There is not enough money even to catalogue the finds; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of a computer, sold artifacts could be more accessible than are the pieces stored in bulging museum basements. Prior to sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.

It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal digging would stop if artifacts were sold on the open market. But the demand for the clandestine product would be substantially reduced. Who would want an unmarked pot when another was available whose provenance was known, and that was dated stratigraphically by the professional archaeologist who excavated it?

The primary purpose of the passage is to propose

(A) an alternative to museum display of artifacts

(B) a way to curb illegal digging while benefiting the archaeological profession

(C) a way to distinguish artifacts with scientific value from those that have no such value

(D) the governmental regulation of archaeological sites

(E) a new system for cataloguing duplicate artifacts

6. For each question, select the best of the answer choices given

A helpless parent: Whenever law provides that test prep companies which want to advertise have to specify the tuition fees in their ads, they have charged less than those companies, who do not advertise. Therefore, when such restrictions are removed, it would result in many companies taking up advertising and thereby reduce their fees to compete effectively with the other advertisers. However it is unlikely to happen and the rates may not come down eventually. In the absence of either mandatory controls or a voluntary code of ethics, many companies which are adept at luring the gullible students will advertise cleverly and charge even more exorbitantly.

In the helpless parent’s argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A The first is a generalization that the parent accepts as true; the second is presented as a consequence that follows from the truth of that generalization

(B) The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the parent argues will be repeated in the case at issue, the second acknowledges a circumstance in which that pattern would not hold

(C) The first is a pattern of cause and effect that the parent predicts will not hold in the case at issue; the second offers a consideration in support of that prediction.

(D) The first is evidence that the parent offers in support of a certain prediction; the second is that prediction.

(E) The first acknowledges a consideration that weighs against the main position that the parent defends; the second is that position

7. For each question, select the best of the answer choices given

If the arterial roads within the centrally located Downtown were restricted to public transport and to those private vehicles fitted with speed cappers, most of the private- vehicles would be forced to use lateral roads. Such a reduction in the amount of private- vehicles would reduce the risk of collision in the arterial roads within the centrally located Downtown

The conclusion drawn in the first sentence depends on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Lateral Roads would be as convenient as arterial for most drivers of private vehicles.

(B) Most lateral roads are not equipped to handle public transport

(C) Most private vehicles that use arterial roads are not equipped with speed cappers.

(D) Public Transport is at greater risk of becoming involved in collisions than are private vehicles

(E) A reduction in the risk of collision would eventually lead to increases in the public transport

8. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

The ambient temperature in the city of Delhi either shoots beyond 45 degrees in the months of March through May, which forces people stay indoors and friezes far too below five degrees during November through January, again forcing people to stay indoors.

1. which forces people stay indoors and friezes
2. forcing people stay indoors and friezing
3. with the forcing of people stay indoors or friezing
4. forcing people stay indoors or friezes
5. with a forcing of people staying indoors and friezes

9. Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to the question. The question is to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

As the economic role of multinational, global corporations expands, the international economic environment will be shaped increasingly not by governments or international institutions, but by the interaction between governments and global corporations, especially in the United States, Europe, and Japan. A significant factor in this shifting world economy is the trend toward regional trading blocs of nations, which has a potentially large effect on the evolution of the world trading system. Two examples of this trend are the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Europe 1992, the move by the European Community (EC) to dismantle impediments to the free flow of goods, services, capital, and labor among member states by the end of 1992. However, although numerous political and economic factors were operative in launching the move to integrate the EC’s markets, concern about protectionism within the EC does not appear to have been a major consideration. This is in sharp contrast to the FTA; the overwhelming reason for that bilateral initiative was fear of increasing United States protectionism. Nonetheless, although markedly different in origin and nature, both regional developments are highly significant in that they will foster integration in the two largest and richest markets of the world, as well as provoke questions about the future direction of the world trading system.

According to the passage, all of the following are elements of the shifting world economy EXCEPT

(A) an alteration in the role played by governments

(B) an increase in interaction between national governments and international regulatory institutions

(C) an increase in the formation of multinational trading alliances

(D) an increase in integration in the two richest markets of the world（B）

(E) a fear of increasing United States protectionism

10 Read the passage carefully and chose the best answer to the question. The question is to be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

Historians sometimes forget that history is continually being made and experienced before it is studied, interpreted, and read. These latter activities have their own history, of course, which may impinge in unexpected ways on public events. It is difficult to predict when “new pasts” will overturn established historical interpretations and change the course of history.

In the fall of 1954, for example, C. Vann Woodward delivered a lecture series at the University of Virginia which challenged the prevailing dogma concerning the history, continuity, and uniformity of racial segregation in the South. He argued that the Jim Crow (Jim Crow: n. 〈贬〉黑人) laws of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries not only codified traditional practice but also were a determined effort to erase the considerable progress made by Black people during and after Reconstruction in the 1870’s. This revisionist view of Jim Crow legislation grew in part from the research that Woodward had done for the NAACP legal campaign during its preparation for Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court had issued its ruling in this epochal desegregation case a few months before Woodward’s lectures.

The lectures were soon published as a book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. Ten years later, in a preface to the second revised edition, Woodward confessed with ironic modesty that the first edition “had begun to suffer under some of the handicaps that might be expected in a history of the American Revolution published in 1776.” That was a bit like hearing Thomas Paine apologize for the timing of his pamphlet Common Sense, which had a comparable impact. Although Common Sense also had a mass readership, Paine had intended to reach and inspire: he was not a historian, and thus not concerned with accuracy or the dangers of historical anachronism. Yet, like Paine, Woodward had an unerring sense of the revolutionary moment, and of how historical evidence could undermine the mythological tradition that was crushing the dreams of new social possibilities. Martin Luther King, Jr., testified to the profound effect of The Strange Career of Jim Crow on the civil rights movement by praising the book and quoting it frequently.

The passage suggests that C. Vann Woodward and Thomas Paine were similar in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

(A) Both had works published in the midst of important historical events.

(B) Both wrote works that enjoyed widespread popularity.

(C) Both exhibited an understanding of the relevance of historical evidence to contemporary issues.

(D) The works of both had a significant effect on events following their publication.

(E) Both were able to set aside worries about historical anachronism in order to reach and inspire.

Here is a bit of GMAT Test Prep - Subject-verb agreement

Here is a bit of GMAT Test Prep - Subject-verb agreement

Serious students of GMAT prep. understand the importance of the subject -verb agreement in the Sentence Correction module. These questions form at least two to three per sitting. In order to familiarize students with this important aspect, I give below ten of some typical GMAT examples. The bolded portions of the sentences plausibly contain some error or probably not. Those who wish to practice, please post the answers to my email newnaren@gmail.com.



1. Although the bite of brown recluse spiders are rarely fatal, they cause chronic flesh wounds, posing the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to its poison.

2. Among the emotions on display in the negotiating room were anger for repeatedly raising the issue over and over again and preventing the raw wounds from earlier battles from ever beginning to heal.

3. As the etched lines on computer memory chips have become thinner and the chips’ circuits more complex, both the power of the chips and the electronic devices they drive have vastly increased.

4. Developing nations in various parts of the world have amassed $700 billion in debts; at stake, should a significant number of these debts be repudiated, is the solvency of some of the world’s largest multinational banks.

5. In the most common procedure for harvesting forage crops such as alfalfa, as much as 20 percent of the leaf and small-stem materials, which is the most nutritious of all the parts of the plant, shattered and fell to the ground.

6. Most Corporations pay at least twice as much to full-time employees, if the value of benefits, sick days, and paid vacation days are included in earnings, than to part-time employees, whose hourly wages are often higher than those of their full-time colleagues.

7. Amid the forty and odd students in this SAT class is a brother and a sister, who happens to hail from Japan

8. There are more than forty newspapers published in the cities of Kerala, a state on the Malabar Coast, a fact that reflects that Keralans are by far India’s most literate citizens.

9. The coyote is one of several recent ecological success stories: along with the white-tailed deer, the moose, and other species that are enlarging their natural domains, they have established themselves as supreme adapters in an era when the capability to adjust to the environmental changes wrought by human beings has created a whole new class of dominant large mammals.

10. A study by the Ocean Wildlife Campaign urged states to undertake remedies to reverse a decline in the shark population, a number of which includes the establishment of size limits for shark catches, closing state waters for shark fishing during pupping season, and requiring commercial fishers to have federal shark permits.

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Tackling GMAT/ GRE RC Passages – A Strategy by Narendran

Solving Reading Comprehension passages is a nightmare for the GMAT and GRE test - takers. To a large number, the passages are neither readable nor comprehensible within the limited time available in the test. On top of it, the RC questions tend to appear in the latter part of the test, when one encounters acute time pressure and is almost sucked up due to fatigue in the closing minutes. The result is that you always feel like saying 'Oh! My God! Why should the RC passage come now?" Out of frustration, some people get out of the test saying that GMAT or GRE is not their cup of tea. How do you tackle this defeatism?

My first suggestion to the students is to realize that there are some workable strategies to get almost 100% of the questions rightly. I repeat again - almost 100% and not always 100%. And the next thing is to believe that you can understand that strategy, effectively implement it, and confidently practice it. And that strategy includes one important step i.e. that you do not read the entire passage, just as you read your text book.


Even if God were to take the GMAT or GRE Reading Comprehension passages, he will miserably fail, if he resorted to normal reading. The very reason of giving such a long passage and giving so little time is enough to make one understand that one can not fully red the passages for solving the question within the available time .
Therefore, there should be a short-cut for solving RC and that short - cut is known as Gisting, a process in which you run through the passage with an eye for answers to a few normal common sense questions such as the ensuing.




1 Why the author has written this passage (not definitely becos, he has nothing better do} He must be trying to say something. What is that something?

2 What is his point of view?

3. Is he trying to discuss a theory?

4 How does he introduce his purpose?

5 Does he talk about some numbers? Say like there are three ways in which some body or something will react. So it may that the author wants to describe those three methods.


What are the special words he uses to describe things or his feelings? Does he call any given thing as a problem? In the last sentence of the first paragraph, is he trying to sum his proposal?


6. Then what does he do in the middle paragraphs? Is he describing any examples?

7. Does he counter one example with another?

8. Dose he say in his conclusion that anyone is better than the others? Or does he simply say that all are equally good or bad, taking a neutral stand



Although the questionnaire may look exhaustive, yet it is not exclusive. One may add his own tit-bits to the template and improvise.


The answers to the above questions will in the firs place give a mental picture of the essay, as one glides through it. Generally you will find that the first paragraph is more conceptual and broad based than the subsequent paragraphs


Then try to scurry through the subsequent paragraphs, to see whether what specific things the author is discussing. The body or middle paragraphs will always be more specific than the head paragraphs

The last or the tail paragraph may sum up the whole issue and give an idea of what stand the author takes regarding the contents of what he is discussing.

The mental picture you form during the Gisting, may also give you a clue to some more global questions such as what the author’s feelings are, and what can be suitable title for the passage, The Gisting will also help you to solve some specific inference question such as what he author might agree or disagree with certain issues.

In other words, you can hit so many mangoes with one stone. Why don’t you try it out?

Narendran

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