GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam Questions and Answers

QUESTION: 26

Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them are put into foster care. These children are moved into strangers’ homes, where they are cared for until their own parents can regain custody, which may not happen for years, if it happens at all. Although it means well, the current foster care program is so poorly funded, staffed, and managed that it cannot ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in the system. The laudable idea behind foster care is that children will fare best if placed in a family setting until they can be reunited with their parents, even if it is a family of strangers. However, while in foster care, children typically get shuffled between many different foster homes, preventing them from developing long-term, supportive relationships with their foster families. Foster care placements can also force siblings to be separated, further isolating these vulnerable children. When a child is moved to a new foster home, he or she may also have to enroll in a new school, a disruptive process that has a negative impact on the child’s education. The bureaucracy that oversees this system is overwhelmed to the point that social workers are unable to adequately screen potential foster parents and keep accurate track of the children placed in foster care. There must be a better means of caring for these children. Perhaps it is time to consider creating special group homes as a means of providing these children with stable and safe environments.
A child could live in one group home for the duration of his or her time in foster care and be supervised by a team of social workers and other lay people. Children would receive proper meals and healthcare, attend the same school, and develop relationships with others experiencing the trauma of being separated from their parents. In addition, social workers and staff would have daily access to these children, enabling them to better determine if a child has a special physical or psychological need and arrange for the necessary services. Would this approach be perfect? No, but it would solve many of the problems that plague the current system. For some, the idea of a government agency housing, clothing, and feeding needy children may sound extreme, but it only suggests that we provide these children with the same basic necessities that we give to prison inmates.

The passage suggests that the idea of creating group homes in lieu of foster care

is long overdue.
is the only viable option to foster care.
is likely to meet with much resistance.
should be researched extensively.
is a basic right that should not be denied to children in need.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

In the last paragraph, the author acknowledges that “For some, the idea of a government agency housing, clothing, and feeding needy children may sound extreme.” This suggests that the idea will be resisted. The author does not appear to think that this idea is long overdue (choice a); the author says “perhaps it is time” to consider group homes, not “it is high time” or some other phrase that would suggest impatience. The author is not close-minded enough to suggest that group homes are the only option (choice b). The statement “There must be a better means of caring for these children” and the word “perhaps” indicate that the author is thinking about options and possibilities. The author would probably agree that the idea of creating group homes should be researched (choice d), but the passage does not indicate this point. Finally, the author suggests that the basic rights that should not be denied to children are food, clothes, and shelter — not orphanages themselves, so choice e is incorrect.

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QUESTION: 27

Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them are put into foster care. These children are moved into strangers’ homes, where they are cared for until their own parents can regain custody, which may not happen for years, if it happens at all. Although it means well, the current foster care program is so poorly funded, staffed, and managed that it cannot ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in the system. The laudable idea behind foster care is that children will fare best if placed in a family setting until they can be reunited with their parents, even if it is a family of strangers. However, while in foster care, children typically get shuffled between many different foster homes, preventing them from developing long-term, supportive relationships with their foster families. Foster care placements can also force siblings to be separated, further isolating these vulnerable children. When a child is moved to a new foster home, he or she may also have to enroll in a new school, a disruptive process that has a negative impact on the child’s education. The bureaucracy that oversees this system is overwhelmed to the point that social workers are unable to adequately screen potential foster parents and keep accurate track of the children placed in foster care. There must be a better means of caring for these children. Perhaps it is time to consider creating special group homes as a means of providing these children with stable and safe environments.
A child could live in one group home for the duration of his or her time in foster care and be supervised by a team of social workers and other lay people. Children would receive proper meals and healthcare, attend the same school, and develop relationships with others experiencing the trauma of being separated from their parents. In addition, social workers and staff would have daily access to these children, enabling them to better determine if a child has a special physical or psychological need and arrange for the necessary services. Would this approach be perfect? No, but it would solve many of the problems that plague the current system. For some, the idea of a government agency housing, clothing, and feeding needy children may sound extreme, but it only suggests that we provide these children with the same basic necessities that we give to prison inmates.

It can be inferred from the passage that the author

was once in prison.
believes foster care parents are often too lenient.
was a foster child.
believes prison inmates are treated better than some children in foster care.
believes group homes are essentially prisons for children.

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

The final sentence suggests that prison inmates — who are provided with food, shelter, and clothing—are sometimes better cared for than children in foster care, who may not get the attention and care they need for their physical and emotional wellbeing. Nothing states that the author was in prison (choice a) or was a foster child (choice c). The author also does not suggest that foster parents are often too lenient (choice b). Because the author is advocating the creation of group homes to provide better care than the current foster care system, choice e is also incorrect.

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QUESTION: 28

Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them are put into foster care. These children are moved into strangers’ homes, where they are cared for until their own parents can regain custody, which may not happen for years, if it happens at all. Although it means well, the current foster care program is so poorly funded, staffed, and managed that it cannot ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in the system. The laudable idea behind foster care is that children will fare best if placed in a family setting until they can be reunited with their parents, even if it is a family of strangers. However, while in foster care, children typically get shuffled between many different foster homes, preventing them from developing long-term, supportive relationships with their foster families. Foster care placements can also force siblings to be separated, further isolating these vulnerable children. When a child is moved to a new foster home, he or she may also have to enroll in a new school, a disruptive process that has a negative impact on the child’s education. The bureaucracy that oversees this system is overwhelmed to the point that social workers are unable to adequately screen potential foster parents and keep accurate track of the children placed in foster care. There must be a better means of caring for these children. Perhaps it is time to consider creating special group homes as a means of providing these children with stable and safe environments.
A child could live in one group home for the duration of his or her time in foster care and be supervised by a team of social workers and other lay people. Children would receive proper meals and healthcare, attend the same school, and develop relationships with others experiencing the trauma of being separated from their parents. In addition, social workers and staff would have daily access to these children, enabling them to better determine if a child has a special physical or psychological need and arrange for the necessary services. Would this approach be perfect? No, but it would solve many of the problems that plague the current system. For some, the idea of a government agency housing, clothing, and feeding needy children may sound extreme, but it only suggests that we provide these children with the same basic necessities that we give to prison inmates.

The passage states that

children in group homes would get a better education than children in foster care.
children in group homes would have more individual attention than children in foster care.
children in group homes would find comfort in being with other children who have been taken from their parents.
group homes are more cost effective than foster care.
a group home system is less likely to be bogged down by bureaucracy.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Listed among the benefits of a group home is the fact that children would “develop relationships with others experiencing the trauma of being separated from their parents.” This suggests that children would find comfort in being with others in similar circumstances. This inference is especially logical given the passage’s emphasis in the second paragraph on how foster care isolates children who have been taken from their parents. The passage does not mention the quality of education that would be provided to children in group homes, so choice a is incorrect. Choice b is incorrect because the author does not state how much attention children would get in the group home and because there is no standard for how much attention children get in foster care (some likely get inordinate amounts of attention, whereas others are neglected). The cost of either childcare option is not discussed, so choice d is incorrect. Finally, because the passage does not discuss the management of the group home system, and because it is logical to conclude that a government-run group home system would also be heavily bureaucratic in nature, choice e is also incorrect.

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QUESTION: 29

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS (aka Stein-Leventhal disease), is a condition that affects between 6% and 20% of women in the United States. It is a little understood syndrome that often goes undetected and is frequently misdiagnosed. PCOS produces tiny cysts on the surface of a woman’s ovaries. These cysts are undeveloped follicles (eggs) that inexplicably fail to release through the ovarian wall as part of the menstrual cycle. Some researchers believe the eggs fail to release from the ovary because of the presence of male hormones in the blood. However, new research is indicating that PCOS is related to insulin resistance.
Unfortunately, the cysts themselves are only a small part of this syndrome. PCOS can present a variety of symptoms, including hair growth on the face and chest, stubborn acne, hair loss, obesity, irregular menses, infertility, and an increased risk of diabetes. Many of these symptoms impact a woman’s physical appearance and her self-esteem. If left untreated, women suffering from PCOS may experience greater levels of stress and depression. A woman exhibiting any of these symptoms should contact her physician to determine if she has PCOS. Although there is no cure for PCOS, a number of different treatments can stop or reverse many of the symptoms.

According to the passage, many women who have PCOS

are unable to have children.
have an excess of male hormones in their blood.
overreact to the symptoms.
cannot afford proper treatment.
do not even know they have the disease.

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

The second sentence says that PCOS is “little understood” and “often goes undetected and is frequently misdiagnosed.” Thus, many women who have the syndrome do not even know they have it. One symptom of PCOS is infertility, but not all women who have PCOS are infertile, so choice a, is incorrect. The passage tells us that new research has debunked the theory that male hormones in the blood cause the disease, so choice b is incorrect. Nothing in the passage suggests that women who have the syndrome overreact (choice c) or cannot afford treatment (choice d).

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QUESTION: 30

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS (aka Stein-Leventhal disease), is a condition that affects between 6% and 20% of women in the United States. It is a little understood syndrome that often goes undetected and is frequently misdiagnosed. PCOS produces tiny cysts on the surface of a woman’s ovaries. These cysts are undeveloped follicles (eggs) that inexplicably fail to release through the ovarian wall as part of the menstrual cycle. Some researchers believe the eggs fail to release from the ovary because of the presence of male hormones in the blood. However, new research is indicating that PCOS is related to insulin resistance.
Unfortunately, the cysts themselves are only a small part of this syndrome. PCOS can present a variety of symptoms, including hair growth on the face and chest, stubborn acne, hair loss, obesity, irregular menses, infertility, and an increased risk of diabetes. Many of these symptoms impact a woman’s physical appearance and her self-esteem. If left untreated, women suffering from PCOS may experience greater levels of stress and depression. A woman exhibiting any of these symptoms should contact her physician to determine if she has PCOS. Although there is no cure for PCOS, a number of different treatments can stop or reverse many of the symptoms.

The passage suggests that the most damaging aspect of misdiagnosed or untreated PCOS is often

infertility caused by the cysts.
health problems caused by weight gain
psychological ailments, including anxiety and depression
skin rashes and acne
the sudden onset of diabetes

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The second paragraph discusses the symptoms and complications of the disease. Notice how the author lists seven physical symptoms in just one sentence, whereas two full sentences are devoted to psychological issues: the impact of these symptoms on a woman’s self-esteem and the stress and depression caused by the symptoms. Infertility (choice a), obesity and its attendant problems (choice b), and skin rashes and acne (choice d) are all physical symptoms listed in the first sentence of the second paragraph. Choice e is incorrect because the syndrome does not cause the sudden onset of diabetes; it only creates “an increased risk of diabetes.”

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GMAT GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam (page: 6) GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability Updated on: 09-Feb-2026

QUESTION: 26

Explanation:

QUESTION: 27

Explanation:

QUESTION: 28

Explanation:

QUESTION: 29

Explanation:

QUESTION: 30

Explanation:

GMAT GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam (page: 6)
GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability
Updated on: 09-Feb-2026