30 Questions

Time--30 minutes

Directions: Each sentence below has one or two blanks with dashes to indicate that something has
been left out. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled (A) through (E). Choose
the word of set of words that best completes the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

1. The critic thought the film was completely unrealistic; he termed the plot ---- and the acting ---- .

(A) contrived . . unbelievable

(B) imaginative . . genuine
(C) ambitious . . courageous
(D) artificial . . unparalleled
(E) absorbing . . uninspiring

2. Dedicated wildlife photographers willingly travel great distances and gladly endure considerable
hardship to share with audiences their ---- for the natural world.

(A) distaste
(B) contempt
(C) preference
(D) expectations
(E) enthusiasm

3. Though the story is set in a small village in a remote area of South America, the novel's themes
are so ---- that its events could have occurred anywhere and involved any of us at any time.

(A) mythical
(B) universal
(C) overstated
(D) anguished
(E) complex

4. A good historian merely makes ---- and accumulates facts; a great historian uses ---- to
understand why events occurred the way they did.

(A) statements . . research

(B) references . . evidence
(C) observations . . imagination
(D) arguments . . texts
(E) errors . . sympathy

5. The experienced ambassador was generally an ---- person who regained her composure quickly
even on those ---- occasions when she was close to losing her temper.

(A) articulate . . momentous

(B) imperturbable . . infrequent
(C) unforgiving . . numerous
(D) idealistic . . rare
(E) insistent . . trying
 6. In Doyle's famous detective stories, Mycroft, the brother of Sherlock Holmes, is described as ----,
going only from his apartment to his office to his club and back to his apartment.

(A) illustrious
(B) omnivorous
(C) loquacious
(D) spontaneous
(E) sedentary

7. Determinist philosophers have argued that our moral intuitions are ---- rather than learned and
they are dictated by genetic makeup.

(A) transcendental
(B) fortuitous
(C) innate
(D) contingent
(E) empirical

Directions: Each question below consists of a related pair of words or phrases in capitalized letters
followed by five pairs of words or phrases in lowercase letters. Choose the lettered pair that best
expresses a relationship similar to that expressed by the original pair.

8. VALVE:PIPE::

(A) switch:wire
(B) map:detour
(C) menu:diner
(D) dam:electricity
(E) cap:jacket

9. PIROUETTE:BALLET:

(A) coach:diving
(B) market:farming
(C) swirl:painting
(D) fame:acting
(E) somersault:tumbling

10. STATIC:MOTION::

(A) lengthy: time

(B) arid:moisture
(C) cautious:bravery
(D) gentle:impulse
(E) careless:danger

12. RECLUSIVE:SOLITUDE::

(A) miserly:generosity
(B) inventive:reward
(C) meticulous:order
(D) compassionate:aid
(E) visionary:past
 13. EMBAR ASMENT:MORTIFICATION::

(A) mistake:error
(B) faith:doubt
(C) pain:agony
(D) favor:bias
(E) worry:cause

14. CORPULENT:WEIGHT::

(A) extravagant:expenditure
(B) illustrious:honor
(C) insensitive:sympathy
(D) ill-advised:diet
(E) ambivalent:conviction

15. INSOMNIA:SLEEP::

(A) starvation:famine
(B) enlightenment:data
(C) hypochondria:physician
(D) inattention:negligence
(E) disaffection:trust

16. DISINGENUOUS:DECEIVE::

(A) contemptuous:praise
(B) creative:stabilize
(C) accommodating:compromise
(D) inactive:healthy
(E) hereditary:transmit

Directions: Each passage in this section is followed by questions based on its content. For each
question you are to choose the best answer; that is, the one that answers the question most
accurately and completely. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or
implied in that passage.

The key to the human immune system is its ability to distinguish between self and nonself. Molecules
that mark a cell as self are encoded by a group of genes contained in a section of a specific
chromosome and are known as the major histocompatability complex, or MHC. An antigen, which is
any substance such as a virus, a bacterium, a fungus, or a parasite that is capable of triggering a
response, announces its foreignness by means of intricate and characteristic shapes called eiptopes,
which protrude from its surface. Cells in the immune system are capable of recognizing an endless
variety of distinguishable epitopes; the body will even reject nourishing proteins unless they are first
broken down by the digestive system into their primary, nonantigenic building blocks. Tissues or cells
from another individual, except an identical twin whose cells carry identical self-markers, also act as
antigens. Because MHC genes and the molecules they encodes vary widely in the details of their
structure from one individual to another--a diversity known as polymorphism--transplants are very
likely to be identified as foreign by the immune system and rejected.

17. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) refute a scientific theory

(B) define a biological concept
(C) describe a biochemical process
(D) propose a plan for treatment
(E) explain the evolution of disease
18. Which of the following best explains why tissue transplanted from an identical twin is not
attacked by the immune system?

(A) The transplanted tissue has the same self-identifying molecules as the body.
(B) The transplanted tissue triggers an allergic, not antigenic, reaction.
(C) The transplanted tissue has no unique identifying self or nonself markers.
(D) The body's immune system recognizes the transplanted tissue as foreign but ignores it.
(E) The body's immune system is unable to recognize the self/nonself markers.

19. The author mentions the fact that the body would reject undigested but nourishing proteins in
order to

(A) explain the mechanisms by which the digestive system absorbs nutrients
(B) theorize about the ability of immune cells to destroy foreign cells
(C) underscore the importance of the immune system in combating disease
(D) inform the reader of the health hazards of a poor diet
(E) emphasize how effective the immune system is in recognizing nonself cells

20. With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

(A) The ability of the human immune system to distinguish self and nonself depends upon
polymorphism.
(B) The capacity of immune cells to distinguish an endless variety of nonself markers makes
polymorphism a potential problem in transplants.
(C) The major histocompatibility complex is likely to be as different in two non-twin siblings as in
completely unrelated subjects.
(D) Epitopes of major antigen groups are likely to be similar and therefore to trigger similar
responses by the body's immune sytem.
(E) Human immune cells are most likely produced by the major histocompatbility complex.

In a recent survey, Garber and Holtz concluded

that the average half-hour children's
television show contains 47 violent acts.
When asked about the survey, network
(5) television executive Jean Pater responded, "I
sure as heck don't think that Bugs Bunny's
pouring a glass of milk over a chipmunk's
head is violence." Unfortunately, both
Garber and Holtz and Pater beg the question.
(10) The real issue is whether children view such
acts as violence.

The violence programming aimed at

children almost always appears in the context
of fantasy. Cartoon violence generally
(15) includes animation, humor, and a remote
setting; make-believe violence generally uses
only the first two cues; realistic, acted violence,
which is not used in programming for children,
depends entirely on the viewer's
(20) knowledge that the portrayal is fictional.
Most children as young as four years can
distinguish these three contexts, though
there is no support for the idea that children,
especially young children, can differentiate
(25) types of violence on a cognitive or rational
basis --for example, by justification of the
motives for the violent behavior.
There is no evidence of direct imitation
of television violence by children, though
(30) there is evidence that fantasy violence can
energize previously learned aggressive responses
such as a physical attack on another
child during play. It is by no means clear,
however, that the violence in a portrayal is
(35) solely responsible for this energizing effect.
Rather, the evidence suggests that any
exciting material can trigger subsequent
aggressive behavior and that it is the excitation
rather than the portrayal of violence
(40) that instigates or energizes any subsequent
violent behavior. "Cold" imitation of violence
by children is extremely rare, and the
very occasional evidence of direct, imitative
associations between television violence and
(45) aggressive behavior has been limited to
extremely novel and violent acts by teenagers
or adults with already established patterns of
deviant behavior. The instigational effect
means, in the short-term, that exposure to
(50) violent portrayals could be dangerous if
shortly after the exposure (within 15 to 20
minutes), the child happens to be in a
situation that calls for interpersonal aggression
as an appropriate response, e.g., an
(55) argument between siblings or among peers.
This same instigational effect, however, could
be produced by other exciting but nonviolent
television content or by any other
excitational source, including, ironically, a
(60) parent's turning off the set.

So there is no convincing causal evidence

of any cumulative instigational effects such
as more aggressive or violent dispositions in
children. In fact, passivity is more likely a
(65) long-term result of heavy viewing of television
violence. The evidence does not warrant
the strong conclusions advanced by many
critics who tend to use television violence as
a scapegoat to draw public attention away
(70) from the real causes of violence--causes like
abusive spouses and parents and a culture
that celebrates violence generally.

21. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) correct a popular misconception
(B) outline the history of a theory
(C) propose a solution to a social problem
(D) criticize the work of earlier researchers
(E) offer a theory of criminal behavior

22. According to the passage, all of the following

would deter a child from regarding an incident of
television violence as real EXCEPT:
(A) including easily recognized cartoon characters
(B) explaining that characters mean to do no harm
(C) having characters laugh at their misfortunes
(D) using a futuristic setting with spaceships and robots
(E) setting the action in prehistoric times
23. It can be inferred that the author uses the word
appropriate in line 54 to mean
(A) acceptable
(B) desirable
(C) learned
(D) normal
(E) violent

24. The author implies that a child who has an argument

with a sibling two to three hours after watching fantasy
violence on television would
(A) almost surely be more aggressive than usual
(B) tend to act out the fantasy violence on the sibling
(C) probably not be unusually violent or aggressive
(D) likely lapse into a state of passivity
(E) generally, but not always, be more violent

25. The author mentions the possible effect of a parent's

turning off a television (line 60) in order to
(A) demonstrate that children are able to distinguish
fantasy violence from real violence
(B) highlight the fact that it is not violence but energy
level that stimulates behavior
(C) refute the suggestion that children are able to
understand the motive for a violent action
(D) question the evidence for the proposition that
television violence causes violent behavior
(E) show that reducing the number of hours a
child watches television effectively eliminates passivity

26. The author would most likely agree with which

of the following statements?
(A) The question of how television affects children
cannot be answered by defining or redefining the term
"violent" but only by assessing the effect of programming
on behavior.
(B) The lack of direct causal evidence of any long-lasting
effect of television viewing on the behavior of children proves
that children's programs do not contain violence.
(C) The number of violent acts in a television program
provides an indication of the cumulative energizing effect
that viewing the program is likely to have on behavior.
(D) Adult action programming which features actors
engaged in violent behavior is likely to have the same
behavioral effects as a cartoon showing similar behavior.
(E) The disagreement between the television industry and
its critics over the content of programming for children
could be resolved by finding an appropriate definition
of "violent."

27. Which of the following best describes the author's

attitude about critics who say that television is an important
cause of violent behavior in children?
(A) qualified endorsement
(B) contemptuous dismissal
(C) enthusiastic acceptance
(D) moderate skepticism
(E) cautious criticism
Directions: Each question below consists of a capitalized word followed by lowercase words or
phrases. Choose the letter of the lowercase word or phrase that is most nearly opposite in meaning to
the capitalized word.

28. EVACUATE:

(A) veer off

(B) extinguish
(C) replenish
(D) strain
(E) withstand

29. LACERATE:

(A) sew together

(B) pack tightly
(C) push aside
(D) rap sharply
(E) learn fast

30. CARDINAL:

(A) successful
(B) developing
(C) devastating
(D) wholesome
(E) insignificant

31. EERIE:

(A) elusive
(B) irreverent
(C) mature
(D) normal
(E) confused

32. OBDURATE:

(A) yielding
(B) fearful
(C) capricious
(D) tranquil
(E) erratic

33. CAVIL:

(A) incite
(B) arrest
(C) refund
(D) assent
(E) withhold
34. TEMPER:

(A) prepare
(B) intensify
(C) generate
(D) whisper
(E) sugarcoat

35. DIVESTITURE:

(A) competition
(B) reconciliation
(C) acquisition
(D) precondition
(E) investigation

36. AVER:

(A) repay
(B) calm
(C) amass
(D) concede
(E) deny

37. SOLICITOUSNESS:

(A) disregard
(B) sincerity
(C) fealty
(D) curiosity
(E) testimony

38. APOSTATE:

(A) believer
(B) magician
(C) functionary
(D) trainer
(E) vendor
Answer Key

1. A
2. E
3. B
4. C
5. B

6. E
7. C
8. A
9. E
10. B

11. B
12. C
13. C
14. A
15. E

16. C
17. C
18. A
19. E
20. B

21. A
22. B
23. D
24. C
25. B

26. A
27. B
28. C
29. A
30. E

31. D
32. A
33. D
34. B
35. C

36. E
37. A
38. A