GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam Questions and Answers

QUESTION: 146

Clarinet reeds often lose their freshness – become less responsive – after a few weeks of intense use. One clarinetist has hypothesized that a buildup of oil, rather than changes in the material properties of the reed, were responsible.

Which of the following investigations is most likely to yield significant information that would help to evaluate the hypothesis?

Determining what kind of wood is used to make the reeds used by jazz clarinetists.
Determining whether jazz clarinetists make their reeds lose their freshness faster than do classical clarinetists.
Determining whether identical lengths of reeds, of the same thickness, lose their freshness at different rates when put onto various brands of clarinets.
Determining whether rubbing various substances on the new reed causes them to lose their freshness.
Determining whether a fresh reed and one that has lost its freshness produce different qualities of sound

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

The best answer is D. The hypothesis has two parts: first, that intense use does not bring material changes that cause the reed to lose its freshness and, second, that oil causes the phenomenon. The experiment suggested in choice D directly test this hypothesis by contaminating strings that are known to have their original material properties.

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QUESTION: 147

Many people claim that advertisements of alcoholic drinks influence young people to start drinking socially. In Iceland, however, where there has been a ban on the advertisement of alcoholic beverages since 1982, drinking is at least as prevalent among young people as it is in countries that do not have a similar ban.

Which of the following statements draws the most reliable conclusion from the information above?

Advertising does not play a role in causing young people to start or continue drinking.
Advertisements of alcoholic drinks cannot be the only factor that affects the prevalence of drinking among young people.
Banning advertisements of alcoholic drinks does not reduce the consumption of alcoholic drinks.
More youths drink if they are not exposed to advertisements of alcoholic drinks than if they are.
Most youths who drank in 1982 did not stop when the ban on advertisements of alcoholic drinks was implemented.

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The best answer is B. If advertisements of alcoholic drinks were the only factor that affected young people’s drinking habits, there would be a difference in the prevalence of drinking between countries that ban such advertising and those that do not. According to the passage, there is no difference, so advertisements of alcoholic drinks cannot be the only factor.

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QUESTION: 148

Wheat has more nutritional value than rye. But since oats have more nutritional value than rice, it follows that wheat has more nutritional value than rice.
Any of the following, if introduced into the argument as an additional premise, makes the argument above logically correct EXCEPT:

Wheat and oats have the same nutritional value.
Rye has more nutritional value than oats.
Rye has more nutritional value than rice.
Rye and oats have the same nutritional value.
Oats have more nutritional value than wheat

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The best answer is E. The question asks for a different premise that does not make the argument logically correct. Choice A leaves open the possibility that the conclusion of the argument is false.

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QUESTION: 149

A famous painter has recently won a lawsuit against a major food manufacturer for commissioning a graphic designer to design the packaging of its chocolate chip cookies in the painter’s distinctive style. As a result of the lawsuit, manufacturers will stop asking graphic artists to copy distinctive painting styles. Therefore, the cost of package design will rise because employing the services of known artists cost more than those of graphic designer that imitate their style.

The conclusion above is based on which of the following assumptions?

Most people are unable to distinguish a famous artist’s illustration from that of a good graphic artist imitating the painter’s style.
Manufacturers will use well-known painting styles in their packaging.
The original version of some well-knows paintings are unavailable for use in packaging.
Manufacturers will continue to use graphic artists to imitate the artistic style of famous painters.
Packaging using a famous painter’s style usually sell better than packaging using the artistry of imitators.

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The best answer is B. If choice E were not assumed, the costs of the services of the famous painters would not be said to affect packaging costs. Since packaging costs are, however, projected to rise because of the relatively high cost of famous painters’ services, choice E is assumed and is the best answer.

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QUESTION: 150

Excavations on the now uninhabited isle of Kelton reveal a scene typical of towns decimated by volcanic ash. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to volcanic activity known to have occurred in the vicinity of the island in 160 B. C.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists’ hypothesis?

No coins minted after 160 B.C. were found in Kelton, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.
Pieces of gold and pearl jewelry that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following 160 C. were also found in several graves on the island.
Most modern histories of the region mention that several major volcano eruptions occurred near the island in 160 B.
Several small jugs carved in styles popular in the region in the century between 200 B.C. and 100 B.C. were found in Kelton.
Drawings of the styles that were definitely used in the region after 160 B.C. were found in Kelton.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The best answer is A. The archeologist hypothesized that Kelton was decimated by volcanic ash in 160 B.C. Since A provides evidence that 160 B.C. was the date when life in Kelton was disrupted, A supports the hypothesis.

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GMAT GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam (page: 30) GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability Updated on: 12-Feb-2026

QUESTION: 146

Explanation:

QUESTION: 147

Explanation:

QUESTION: 148

Explanation:

QUESTION: 149

Explanation:

QUESTION: 150

Explanation:

GMAT GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam (page: 30)
GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability
Updated on: 12-Feb-2026