Sample Questions for the Revised Graduate Record Examinations General Test
　　Reader’s Script Edition
　　Important: The Quantitative Reasoning sample questions in this document are intended to be used with a figure supplement. A large-print (18 point) figure supplement will be available on the website where you obtained this script. A tactile (braille) figure supplement can be ordered free of charge from the ETS Disabilities Services Office, phone: 1-866-387-8602 in the United States, U.S. Territories, and Canada; 1-609-771-7780 all other locations. E-mail stassd@ets.org.
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　　Table of Contents
　　(Note: In this plain text (ASCII) version, page numbers have been removed from the table of contents, as pagination will depend on print options chosen. Instead, use the headings to search for the sections you wish to read. A "live" table of contents is available in the Word version of this document, which is available from the website where you obtained this plain text version.)
　　Changes in the General Test
　　Description of the Revised General Test
　　Sample Questions from the Revised GRE General Test
　　Sample Test Instructions
　　Analytical Writing Topics
　　Sample Issue Topic Directions
　　Sample Issue Topic:
　　Sample Argument Topic Directions
　　Sample Argument Topic:
　　Sample Quantitative Reasoning Questions
　　Answer Key: Sample Quantitative Reasoning Questions
　　Sample Verbal Reasoning Questions
　　Answer Key: Sample Verbal Reasoning Questions
　　Changes in the General Test
　　The revised GRE General Test will reflect changes made to the verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing measures. These changes reflect a desire to increase the validity of the test, enhance test security, provide faculty with better information about applicants’ performance, increase worldwide access to the test, and make better use of advances in technology and psychometric design. As part of these changes, a range of new question types will be introduced in the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections, and the topics in the analytical writing section will be revised in order to elicit more focused responses.
　　Description of the Revised General Test
　　The verbal reasoning measure is designed to assess the fundamental abilities required for understanding written texts and reasoning about them. Questions will measure your ability to interpret, analyze, and evaluate texts of various lengths and to reason with words in solving problems. There is a balance of passages across different subject matter areas, including humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, but the questions do not assess specific content knowledge.
　　The quantitative reasoning measure is designed to assess your ability to solve problems in a quantitative setting, using quantitative reasoning, elementary mathematical concepts, and basic mathematical skills. The mathematical content required does not go beyond the mathematics usually studied in high school and includes arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. For individuals taking the test by computer, an online calculator will be provided for use in the quantitative sections. For individuals testing in alternate formats, a hand-held basic calculator (one that supports order of operations is recommended), including a talking calculator if approved as an accommodation, will be permi
tted in the quantitative sections.
　　The analytical writing section tests your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge.
　　Sample Questions from the Revised GRE General Test
　　The questions that follow represent the full range of question types that will appear on the revised GRE General Test.
　　Sample Test Instructions
　　This material is copyright 2006 by Educational Testing Service. Reproduction of any part of it is prohibited. In an actual test, you will have the additional time approved by Educational Testing Service to complete the test. You will be permitted to start, stop, and repeat the tape as needed within a section. Breaks, including lunch breaks, must occur at the end of sections.
　　These sample questions may include certain types of test questions that would not be used in an actual test administered in an alternate format because they have been determined to be less suitable for presentation in such formats.
　　If you are using the script edition along with another format of the sample questions, you may notice some differences in the wording of some questions. Differences in wording between the script and other editions are the result of adaptations made each edition. In addition, the selection and order of questions has been slightly modified for the alternate format versions of this material. That modification was done in order to group together some questions that share a common set of directions.
　　Analytical Writing Topics
　　The Analytical Writing portion of the GRE consists of two writing topics, an Issue topic and an Argument topic.
　　Sample Issue Topic Directions
　　You will be given a brief quotation that states or implies an issue of general interest and specific instructions on how to respond to that issue. Plan and compose a response in which you develop a position on the issue according to the specific instructions. A response to any other issue will receive a score of zero. Standard timing for an issue topic is 30 minutes.
　　Make sure that you respond to the specific instructions and support your position on the issue with reasons and examples drawn from such areas as your reading, experience, observations, and/or academic studies.
　　GRE readers, who are college and university faculty, will read your response and evaluate its overall quality according to how well you do each of the following:
　　o Respond to the specific instructions on the issue
　　o Consider the complexities of the issue
　　o Organize, develop, and express your ideas
　　o Support your position with relevant reasons and/or examples
　　o Control the elements of standard written English
　　Before you begin writing, you may want to think for a few minutes about the issue and the instructions and then plan your response. Be sure to develop your position fully and organize it coherently, but leave time to reread what you have written and make any revisions you think are necessary.
　　Sample Issue Topic:
　　QUOTE, The best ideas arise from a passionate interest in commonplace things, END QUOTE
　　Write an essay in which you take a position on the statement given. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true.
　　Sample Argument Topic Directions
　　You will be given a short passage that presents an argument, or an argument to be completed, and specific instructions on how
to respond to that passage. Plan and compose a response in which you analyze the passage according to the specific instructions. A response to any other argument will receive a score of zero. Standard timing for an argument topic is 30 minutes.
　　Note that you are NOT being asked to present your own views on the subject. Make sure that you respond to the specific instructions and support your analysis with relevant reasons and/or examples.
　　GRE readers, who are college and university faculty, will read your analysis and evaluate its overall quality according to how well you do each of the following:
　　o Respond to the specific instructions on the passage
　　o Identify and analyze important features of the passage
　　o Organize, develop, and express your analysis
　　o Support your analysis with relevant reasons and/or examples
　　o Control the elements of standard written English
　　Before you begin writing, you may want to think for a few minutes about
　　the passage and the instructions and then plan your response. Be sure to develop your analysis fully and organize it coherently, but leave time
　　to reread what you have written and make any revisions you think are necessary.
　　Sample Argument Topic:
　　The argument to be analyzed is as follows:
　　Hospital statistics regarding people who go to the emergency room after roller-skating accidents indicate the need for more protective equipment. Within that group of people, 75 percent of those who had accidents in streets or parking lots had not been wearing any protective clothing (helmets, knee pads, etc.) or any light-reflecting material (clip-on lights, glow-in-the-dark wrist pads, etc.). Clearly, the statistics indicate that by investing in high-quality protective gear and reflective equipment, roller skaters will greatly reduce their risk of being severely injured in an accident.
　　[end topic statement]