GMAT Sample Questions

GMAT Verbal Section : GMAT Sample Critical Reasoning Questions

51. Mr. Primm: If hospitals were private enterprises, dependent on profits for their survival, there would be no teaching hospitals, because of the intrinsically high cost of running such hospitals.
    Ms. Nakai: I disagree. The medical challenges provided by teaching hospitals attract the very best physicians. This, in turn, enables those hospitals to concentrate on nonroutine cases.

    Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen Ms. Nakai's attempt to refute Mr. Primm's claim?

    1. Doctors at teaching hospitals command high salaries.
    2. Sophisticated, nonroutine medical care commands a high price.
    3. Existing teaching hospitals derive some revenue from public subsidies.
    4. The patient mortality rate at teaching hospitals is high.
    5. The modern trend among physicians is to become highly specialized.

    Answer : B

52. A recent survey of all auto accident victims in Dole County found that, of the severely injured drivers and front-seat passengers, 80 percent were not wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents. This indicates that, by wearing seat belts, drivers and front-seat passengers can greatly reduce their risk of being severely injured if they are in an auto accident.

    The conclusion above is not properly drawn unless which of the following is true?

    1. Of all the drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey, more than 20 percent were wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents.
    2. Considerably more than 20 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers in Dole County always wear seat belts when traveling by car.
    3. More drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey than rear-seat passengers were very severely injured.
    4. More than half of the drivers and front-seat passengers in the survey were not wearing seat belts at the time of their accidents.
    5. Most of the auto accidents reported to police in Dole County do not involve any serious injury.

    Answer : A

53. Six months or so after getting a video recorder, many early buyers apparently lost interest in obtaining videos to watch on it. The trade of businesses selling and renting videos is still buoyant, because the number of homes with video recorders is still growing. But clearly, once the market for video recorders is saturated, businesses distributing videos face hard times.

    Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion above?

    1. The market for video recorders would not be considered saturated until there was one in 80 percent of homes.
    2. Among the items handled by video distributors are many films specifically produced as video features.
    3. Few of the early buyers of video recorders raised any complaints about performance aspects of the new product.
    4. The early buyers of a novel product are always people who are quick to acquire novelties, but also often as quick to tire of them.
    5. In a shrinking market, competition always intensifies and marginal businesses fail.

    Answer : D

54. Advertiser: The revenue that newspapers and magazines earn by publishing advertisements allows publishers to keep the prices per copy of their publications much lower than would otherwise be possible. Therefore, consumers benefit economically from advertising.
    Consumer: But who pays for the advertising that pays for low-priced newspapers and magazines?
    We consumers do, because advertisers pass along advertising costs to us through the higher prices they charge for their products.

    Which of the following best describes how the consumer counters the advertiser's argument?

    1. By alleging something that, if true, would weaken the plausibility of the advertiser's conclusion
    2. By questioning the truth of the purportedly factual statement on which the advertiser's conclusion is based
    3. By offering an interpretation of the advertiser's opening statement that, if accurate, shows that there is an implicit contradiction in it
    4. By pointing out that the advertiser's point of view is biased
    5. By arguing that the advertiser too narrowly restricts the discussion to the effects of advertising that are economic

    Answer : A

55. Mr. Lawson: We should adopt a national family policy that includes legislation requiring employers to provide paid parental leave and establishing government-sponsored day care. Such laws would decrease the stress levels of employees who have responsibility for small children. Thus, such laws would lead to happier, better-adjusted families.

    Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conclusion above?

    1. An employee's high stress level can be a cause of unhappiness and poor adjustment for his or her family.
    2. People who have responsibility for small children and who work outside the home have higher stress levels than those who do not.
    3. The goal of a national family policy is to lower the stress levels of parents.
    4. Any national family policy that is adopted would include legislation requiring employers to provide paid parental leave and establishing government-sponsored day care.
    5. Most children who have been cared for in daycare centers are happy and well adjusted.

    Answer : A