ARCO - Master The GRE 2014 Edition

672 Pages·2013·5.53 MB·English

M
aster the
Gre®
2014
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ANOThER RECOmmENdEd TITLE
Peterson’s GRE/GMAT Math Review
Contents
Before You Begin .............................................................................................ix
How This Book Is Organized ..............................................................................................ix
Special Study Features ...........................................................................................................x
Using This Book to Prepare for the Computer-Based GRE ................................................xi
Access Three New GRE Tests Online .................................................................................xi
You are Well on Your Way to Success .................................................................................xi
Find Us on Facebook® ..........................................................................................................xi
Give Us Your Feedback ........................................................................................................xi
PART I: ABOUT ThE GRE REvISEd GENERAL TEST
1 The Basics of the GRE revised General Test ............................................3
Test Organization ...................................................................................................................3
Test Time Limits ....................................................................................................................5
Test Tools ................................................................................................................................6
Scoring the Test ......................................................................................................................6
Test Day ..................................................................................................................................7
General Test-Taking Strategies to Remember .......................................................................9
International Test-Takers: Paper-and-Pencil Version ...........................................................11
Summing It Up .....................................................................................................................12
2 A Quick Look at GRE Question Formats ...............................................13
Analytical Writing ...............................................................................................................13
Answer Option Differences .................................................................................................21
Verbal Reasoning .................................................................................................................21
Quantitative Reasoning ........................................................................................................26
Summing It Up .....................................................................................................................29
PART II: dIAGNOSING STRENGThS ANd WEAkNESSES
3 Practice Test 1: diagnostic .....................................................................45
Section 1: Analytical Writing ..............................................................................................46
Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections ....................48
Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning .......................................................................................49
Section 3: Verbal Reasoning ................................................................................................55
Section 4: Verbal Reasoning ................................................................................................62
Section 5: Quantitative Reasoning .......................................................................................69
Answer Key and Explanations .............................................................................................76
v
vi Contents
PART III: ANALYTICAL WRITING
4 The Issue Task ........................................................................................125
Basic Information About the Issue Task ............................................................................126
Understand the Prompt: The Issue .....................................................................................126
Understand the Prompt: The Writing Instructions ............................................................127
Understand the Scoring Rubric ..........................................................................................127
Review the Anatomy of an Issue Essay .............................................................................130
Create Your Writing Plan ...................................................................................................135
A Final Note of Caution .....................................................................................................137
Issue Prompt with Six Model Responses, Scoring, and Analyses ....................................137
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................154
5 The Argument Task ...............................................................................155
Basic Information About the Argument Task ...................................................................155
Understand the Prompt: The Argument ............................................................................156
Understand the Prompt: The Writing Instructions ............................................................157
Understand the Scoring Rubric ..........................................................................................158
Review the Basics of Argumentation ................................................................................160
Learn the Flaws in Arguments ..........................................................................................162
Create Your Writing Plan ...................................................................................................163
A Final Note of Caution .....................................................................................................168
Argument Prompt with Six Model Responses, Scoring, and Analyses ............................168
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................185
PART Iv: vERBAL REASONING
6 Strategies for Reading Comprehension Questions ...........................189
Basic Information About Reading Comprehension Questions .........................................189
Active Reading ...................................................................................................................193
General Strategies for Answering Multiple-Choice Questions .........................................194
Additional Strategies for Multiple-Choice Questions—
Select One or More Answer Choices ............................................................................203
Strategies for Select-In-Passage Questions.......................................................................204
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................206
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................212
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................222
7 Strategies for Text Completion Questions ...........................................225
Basic Information About Text Completion Questions ......................................................225
Strategies for Text Completion ..........................................................................................227
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................240
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................243
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................249
8 Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions ................................251
Basic Information About Sentence Equivalence Questions ..............................................251
Strategies for Sentence Equivalence Questions.................................................................252
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................259
master the GRE® 2014
Contents vii
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................262
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................267
PART v: QUANTITATIvE REASONING
9 Strategies for multiple-Choice Questions ...........................................271
Basic Information About Multiple-Choice Question Types ..............................................271
Math Conventions ..............................................................................................................272
Strategies for Selecting One Answer Choice .....................................................................274
Strategies for Selecting One or More Answer Choices .....................................................279
Strategies for Multiple-Choice Questions in Data Interpretation Sets ..............................283
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................286
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................291
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................302
10 Strategies for Numeric Entry Questions...............................................303
Answer Format for Numeric Entry Questions...................................................................303
A Reminder About Using the On-Screen Calculator ........................................................304
Strategies for Numeric Entry Questions ............................................................................304
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................308
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................310
Summing It Up ...................................................................................................................316
11 Strategies for Quantitative Comparison Questions ..............................317
Basic Information About Quantitative Comparison Questions ........................................317
Strategies for Quantitative Comparison Questions ...........................................................318
Practice Questions..............................................................................................................326
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................331
Summing It Up ..................................................................................................................344
PART vI: ThREE PRACTICE TESTS
Practice Test 2 .......................................................................................359
Section 1: Analytical Writing ............................................................................................360
Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections ..................362
Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................363
Section 3: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................372
Section 4: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................381
Section 5: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................389
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................396
Practice Test 3 .......................................................................................459
Section 1: Analytical Writing ...........................................................................................460
Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections ..................462
Section 2: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................463
Section 3: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................470
Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................476
Section 5: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................484
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................491
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viii Contents
Practice Test 4 .......................................................................................555
Section 1: Analytical Writing ............................................................................................556
Instructions for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning Sections ..................558
Section 2: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................559
Section 3: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................565
Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning .....................................................................................572
Section 5: Verbal Reasoning ..............................................................................................579
Answer Key and Explanations ...........................................................................................586
APPENdIxES
Common Errors in Grammar and Mechanics ...................................................................641
Often Confused and Confusing Words ............................................................................651
master the GRE® 2014
Before You Begin

Master the GRE is your guidebook for navigating the GRE revised General Test. In 2011, the
test changed dramatically from the previous version. The biggest news was probably the removal
of analogy and antonym questions. The test-makers finally woke up to the fact that in real life,
a person is unlikely to be asked for the antonym of a word—unless the person is a crossword
or Scrabble aficionado. The new version of the GRE is designed to better predict test-takers’
overall performance in graduate school.
The emphasis is on the test-takers’ ability to think. You’ll see that in the design of questions.
You’ll find reading comprehension questions that ask you to critique the validity of an author’s
argument or ask you to identify information that supports an author’s argument. Other questions
in the Verbal Reasoning section ask you to select the best word choice based on analyzing the
context of a sentence or passage. In the Analytical Writing section, you’ll be asked to evaluate
someone else’s argument and to develop an argument of your own. In the Quantitative Reasoning
section, an on-screen calculator has been added for those taking the computer-based version of
the test (those taking the paper-and-pencil test will be given a calculator at the testing site to
use) to de-emphasize computation and emphasize the thought process used to arrive at answers.
You needn’t begin to hyperventilate at this information. Master the GRE will
• walk you through the parts of the test.
• give you strategies to use for each type of question.
• explain how to avoid some common writing problems.
• review basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
• help you develop your vocabulary for word-choice questions.
• provide simulated practice with four practice tests.
hOW ThIS BOOk IS ORGANIzEd
Master the GRE is divided into six parts to facilitate your study:
• Part I explains basic information about the GRE revised General Test and provides an
overview with examples of the different question types you’ll find on the test.
• Part II offers a diagnostic test to help you identify your areas of strength and those areas
where you will need to spend more time in your review sessions.
• Part III explores the Analytical Writing section of the test and offers strategies for developing
well-supported and coherent responses to the types of tasks that you will be required to answer.
• Part IV goes into detail about the different question formats that you will find in the Verbal
Reasoning section and offers strategies for answering each type.
ix
x Before You Begin
• Part V describes the different question formats in the Quantitative Reasoning section of the test
and offers strategies to help you figure out answers to the math questions.
• Part VI has three more tests that provide you with simulated practice in taking the GRE exam
under timed conditions.
• The Appendixes offer two additional chapters to help you improve your writing. “Appendix A:
Common Errors in Grammar and Mechanics,” can help you avoid such mistakes as sentence
faults, misplaced modifiers, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun problems. If misspelled words
are a problem for you, check out “Appendix B: Often Confused and Confusing Words.” Here
you’ll find a list of commonly misspelled words—words that sound somewhat similar but have
completely different meanings and when used incorrectly could lower your score.
Each chapter in Parts IV and V contains practice sections to help you review what you have just
learned.
SPECIAL STUdY FEATURES
Master the GRE has several features that will help you get the most from your study time.
Overview
Each chapter begins with a listing of the major topics in that chapter followed by an introduction
that explains what you will be reviewing.
Summing It Up
Each chapter ends with a point-by-point summary of the main points of the chapter. It can be a handy
last-minute guide to review before the test.
Bonus Information
You will find three types of notes in the margin of the Master the GRE to alert you to important
information.
Note
Margin notes marked “Note” highlight information about the test structure itself.
Tip
A note marked “Tip” points out valuable advice for taking the GRE revised General Test.
Alert
An “Alert” identifies pitfalls in the testing format or question types that can cause mistakes in
selecting answers.
Master the GRE® 2014