Admission Tests Admission Tests Certifications GMAT Questions & Answers

• Question 51:

  If n is an even Integer, which of the following must also be an even integer?

  

  A. II only

  B. III only

  C. I and II only

  D. II, and III, only

  E. I, II, and III

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 52:

  Subjects asked to make which of the following predictions would be most likely to commit the fallacy discussed in the passage (if the claims of the passage are correct)?

  A. Whether the next president of the United States will come from California, or be a rancher from Texas

  B. Whether the next president of the United States will come from California, or be an actor who comes from California

  C. Whether the next president of the United States will come from Texas, or be an actor who comes from California

  D. Whether the next president of the United States will be an actor, or come from California

  E. Whether the next president of the United States will be a rancher from Texas, or an actor from California

  Correct Answer: E

  Mathematical principles of probability entail that for any future event, the probability that it will occur Is at least as great as the probability that both it and some other given event will occur. Consider, for example, the following statements that were shown to subjects in a 1998 study. X The percentage of adolescent smokers In Texas will decrease at least 15% from current levels by September 1, 1999. Y The cigarette tax in Texas will increase by $1.00 per pack in 1999. Z The cigarette tax in Texas will increase by $1.00 per pack in 1999, and the percentage of adolescent smokers in Texas will decrease at least 15% from current levels by September 1, 1999. Z("Kand X") could not have been more probable than X. Nevertheless, many of the subjects judged Zto be more probable than X. This mistaken form of reasoning, displayed with surprising frequency in various studies in addition to the 1998 study, is known as the "conjunction fallacy." A number of researchers have offered alternative explanations for the seeming manifestations of the mistake, thus arguing that the fallacy is less widely committed than the various studies would indicate. Some have claimed that research subjects can take "probability" in a sense that does not conform to the mathematical principles of probability. Detailed descriptions of some such conceptions of "probability" have been developed under the names of "confirmation" and "support." Other researchers would claim, correctly, that subjects shown Z(" Kand X") and ^simultaneously will sometimes think of Xas involving the negation of Y--as a claim that the percentage of adolescent smokers in Texas will decrease, but without the $1.00 increase in the cigarette tax. However, although the subjects in the 1998 study were to consider Xand Z simultaneously, the statements were presented in terms of bets rather than explicit requests for judgments of relative probability. Subjects were asked to choose between Zand X, with a chance of winning $50.00 if the chosen statement turned out to be true. Terms such as "most probable," "likely," etc., were thus avoided, and the interpretation of X\n conjunction with the negation of Kwas thereby eliminated. And with these alternative explanations eliminated, many of the subjects nonetheless bet on Zrather than

  X:

• Question 53:

  It can most reasonably be inferred from the passage that multinational companies

  A. are more likely to be financially successful in emerging nations if they aty themselves with local businesses that are using environmental sustainability Initiatives to drive growth

  B. are less prone to the problems associated with the halo effect than are companies based only in one nation.

  C. are increasingly likely to buy out emerging-nation companies that have successfully developed and Implemented environmental sustainability initiatives

  D. are usually able to implement large-scale environmental sustainability Initiatives only after they have achieved a certain level of profitability.

  E. tend to develop environmental sustainability initiatives that differ significantly from those that have been successfully and more easily implemented by smaller companies In the emerging world

  Correct Answer: E

  Many policymakers adopt a macro approach to environmental problems in emerging markets (countries experiencing rapid economic growth): discussing ambitious regulations in global faums and looking to giant multinational companies and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) for insight. But examining what successful companies in these countries are already doing to make growth more environmentally sustainable may make more sense. One study identifies several such firms that are turning eco-consciousness into a source of competitive advantage. The most salient quality of these highly profitable companies Is that they turn limitations (of resources, labor, and Infrastructure) into opportunities. An Indian cement company suffering water shortages developed the world's most water-efficient cement-making method, using air-cooling rather than water cooling. A Philippines utility reduced its water loss through wastage and illegal tapping from 63 percent (1997) to 12 percent (2010) by making water more affordable for lower-Income consumers. A Chinese company makes air conditioners powered with buildings' waste heat, reducing strain on the electric grid. The companies also seek to shape their business environment to support sustainable objectives. Some lobby regulators: a Brazilian organic-sugar producer works with Brazil's government to establish an organic certification system. Some form partnerships: Kenya's Equity Bank allies with international groups to reduce its risks when lending to smallholders or single-family farms; a Brazilian cosmetics company works with suppliers to produce sustainable packaging. Some firms also work to reach and educate lower-income consumers, sacrificing short-term profits to create future markets: a Chilean forestry company organizes local carpenters into networks and connects them to low-income customers. One could quibble with the study. Switzerland's Phil Rosenzweig has argued that management writers are prone to a halo effect: they treat a company's temporary success as proof that It has discovered some eternal principle of good management. That some successful companies have embraced environmental sustainability does not prove that It makes companies successful. Some firms, having prospered, can afford splurging on green Initiatives; some pursue eco-Initiatives for public relations purposes. Nonetheless, the study Is thought-provoking. Critics argue that environmentalism Is a rich- world luxury, but such fears are overblown. When natural resources are scarce and consumers are cash-strapped, sustainability can be a lucrative business strategy.

• Question 54:

  TV critic: Contrary to popular belief, the densely plotted script of modern television comedy typically demands far more insight from the viewer than did the crude products of the past Although much recent television comedy is inane, this does not mean that television is being "dumbed down." Today's worst programs should be measured not against the best and most renowned products of yesteryear but rather against the worst.

  In the TV critic's argument, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

  A. The first is a premise on which the argument relies; the second is also a premise, and is used to clarify the significance of the first.

  B. The first is a claim that logically contradicts an assumption in the argument; the second is a conclusion of the argument, but not the argument's main conclusion.

  C. The first states an opinion that Is irrelevant to the argument; the second is the argument's main conclusion.

  D. The first suggests a potential objection to the main conclusion of the TV critic's argument; the second sets out a principle meant to address that objection.

  E. The first is the conclusion of another argument that the TV critic's argument is intended to refute; the second is a general principle to which the TV critic's own argument appeals.

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 55:

  Until the Apollo astronauts brought samples of lunar material to Earth during 196?72, scientists believed that the Moon's surface was largely undisturbed, given its dry, airless environment. Examination of the samples has shown otherwise. Micrometeorites, many smaller than a pencil point, constantly rain onto the Moon at up to 100,000 kilometers per hour, chipping materials or forming microscopic craters. Some melt the soil and vaporize and recondense as glassy coats on other specks of dust. Impacts weld debris into lumps of heterogeneous matter called "agglutinates." Complicated interactions with solar particle streams convert iron into myriads of microscopic iron grains. The regdith--pebbles, sand, and dust-from these erosion processes blankets the Moon. Much of the top layer consists of a complex abrasive dust of microscopic glass shards that can grind machinery and sealing devices and damage human lungs.

  The Apollo specimens held by the United States are doled out in ultra-small samples to scientists who demonstrate that nothing else will suffice for high-value experiments. Renewed interest In lunar exploration in the late 1980s meant that

  materials designed to simulate lunar regolith--simulants--were needed for research to develop schemes for lunar building and procedures for extracting elements such as oxygen found abundantly in regolith. That led to the development of JSC-1 in 1993, made of volcanic cinder cone from a quarry in Arizona in the U.S. The more than 22 metric tons made was in high demand. Efforts are now afoot to manufacture 16 metric tons of JSC-1 A, with 1 ton of fine grains, 14 tons of moderately fine, and 1 ton of coarse.

  The reason cited in the passage for developing a few root simulants (see highlighting) is

  A. the similarity of the physical structure of lunar regolith from different areas of the Moon

  B. the nature of the tests for which the lunar regolith simulants were originally developed

  C. the impracticality and expense of individually producing a unique simulant for each of many different lunar locations

  D. the similarity of chemical composition of lunar regolith and terrestrial volcanic soils

  E. the difficulty of obtaining simulant components from widely scattered quarries and mines

  Correct Answer: C

• Question 56:

  The primary purpose of the passage is to

  A. explain why some of the subjects in the study did not commit the conjunction fallacy

  B. discuss why the conjunction fallacy is a mistake

  C. Identify an area In which mathematical probability theory needs to make further advancements

  D. illustrate how the formulation of choices in terms of betting can eliminate certain forms of ambiguity

  E. describe the conjunction fallacy and consider evidence as to whether it is in fact widely committed

  Correct Answer: C

  Mathematical principles of probability entail that for any future event, the probability that it will occur Is at least as great as the probability that both it and some other given event will occur. Consider, for example, the following statements that were shown to subjects in a 1998 study. X The percentage of adolescent smokers In Texas will decrease at least 15% from current levels by September 1, 1999. Y The cigarette tax in Texas will increase by $1.00 per pack in 1999. Z The cigarette tax in Texas will increase by $1.00 per pack in 1999, and the percentage of adolescent smokers in Texas will decrease at least 15% from current levels by September 1, 1999. Z("Kand X") could not have been more probable than X. Nevertheless, many of the subjects judged Zto be more probable than X. This mistaken form of reasoning, displayed with surprising frequency in various studies in addition to the 1998 study, is known as the "conjunction fallacy." A number of researchers have offered alternative explanations for the seeming manifestations of the mistake, thus arguing that the fallacy is less widely committed than the various studies would indicate. Some have claimed that research subjects can take "probability" in a sense that does not conform to the mathematical principles of probability. Detailed descriptions of some such conceptions of "probability" have been developed under the names of "confirmation" and "support." Other researchers would claim, correctly, that subjects shown Z(" Kand X") and ^simultaneously will sometimes think of Xas involving the negation of Y--as a claim that the percentage of adolescent smokers in Texas will decrease, but without the $1.00 increase in the cigarette tax. However, although the subjects in the 1998 study were to consider Xand Z simultaneously, the statements were presented in terms of bets rather than explicit requests for judgments of relative probability. Subjects were asked to choose between Zand X, with a chance of winning $50.00 if the chosen statement turned out to be true. Terms such as "most probable," "likely," etc., were thus avoided, and the interpretation of X\n conjunction with the negation of Kwas thereby eliminated. And with these alternative explanations eliminated, many of the subjects nonetheless bet on Zrather than

  X:

• Question 57:

  Triangle 7 is in the (x,y) coordinate plane. What is the area, in square coordinate units, of triangle Tl

  (1)

  Triangle 7"is an isosceles right triangle.

  (2)

  Triangle 7"has 1 side that is longer than each of the other 2 sides, and the midpoints of the other 2 sides are (5,6) and (5,3).

  A.

  Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.

  B.

  Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) atone is not sufficient.

  C.

  BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.

  D.

  EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

  E.

  Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

  Correct Answer: C

• Question 58:

  Historians create Ideas we cal "history," which are derived from an order existing in the real work) of historical fact. Since the patterns discovered In that world depend In part on the alms of the Investigator, however, historical periods will tend

  to be defined In Incompatible ways by historians with different interests. Thus, insofar as the aims of historians of music, painting, literature, and poetry are different, it cannot be assumed that_________.

  Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

  A. real-world facts about art will ever be accurately represented

  B. the accounts of these historians will ever be anything but arbitrary

  C. the periods of artistic style delineated by these historians will coincide

  D. the historical patterns defined by these historians will differ appreciably

  E. there are any facts from which patterns of artistic style may be derived

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 59:

  Under United States law, a distinctive package design can be legally protected against copying. Lorex shampoo, a leading brand, is packaged in a triangular-shaped bottle with a gold label. A major pharmacy chain has introduced a similar, less expensive shampoo in similarly shaped bottles with plain black-and- white labels carrying the chain's name. Though the triangular shape is distinctive, the manufacturer of Lorex has not legally challenged its use for the chain's shampoo.

  Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest reason for the manufacturer of Lorex not to challenge the chain's use of the triangular package design?

  A. The manufacturer of Lorex depends for sales on the willingness of the chain to stock Lorex and other of the manufacturer's products.

  B. The black-and-white labeling of the chain's shampoo indicates to the consumer that irrelevant expense has been spared in order to bring the product to the consumer at lower cost.

  C. The cost of manufacturing the chain's shampoo is substantially lower than the cost of manufacturing Lorex.

  D. Lawsuits brought for the purpose of protecting distinctive package designs are generally successful.

  E. The manufacturer of Lorex also manufactures other shampoos, and those shampoos are not sold in triangular-shaped bottles.

  Correct Answer: E

• Question 60:

  During the nineteenth century, the popularity of Charles Dickens's fiction owed much to its being so easily adaptable into effective stage versions: so that, during anv given period many as 20 London theaters might be simultaneously in production of adaptations of Dickens's latest story, and thus even nonreaders quickly became acquainted with simplified versions of his works.

  A. its being so easily adaptable into effective stage versions; so that, during any given period, as many as 20 London theaters might be simultaneously in production of

  B. it being so easy to adapt it for effective stage versions; during any given period, as many as 20 London theaters might have been producing simultaneous

  C. the fact that it was so easy to adapt into effective stage versions; during any given period, as many as 20 London theaters might be simultaneously producing

  D. the fact that it was so easily adaptable for effective stage versions; during any given period, as many as 20 London theaters simultaneously might be producing

  E. the fact of its being so easy to adapt it Into effective stage versions; so during any given period, as many as 20 London theaters might simultaneously be in production of

  Correct Answer: C