GMAT Verbal Practice Test

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Last year the city added protected bike lanes to Main Street. Since then, the number of bicycle accidents on Main Street has fallen by 30 percent. The city council concludes that the bike lanes have made cycling on Main Street safer.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the council's conclusion?

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Employees at Firm X who completed an optional time-management course finished 15 percent more projects in the following year than employees who did not take it. The firm's managers conclude that the course increases productivity.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the managers' conclusion?

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Brand Q's sales doubled in the year after it began advertising on podcasts. Therefore, Brand Q should move its entire advertising budget to podcasts.

The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?

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Every member of the chess club also belongs to the debate club. No member of the debate club is on the swim team.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?

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A study found that people who drink green tea every day have lower rates of heart disease than people who do not. The researchers conclude that drinking green tea reduces the risk of heart disease.

Which of the following would be most useful to know in evaluating the researchers' conclusion?

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Town M's population grew by 10 percent last year, yet the number of cars registered in the town fell.

Which of the following, if true, best helps to explain the situation described above?

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Our restaurant's online reviews average 4.8 out of 5 stars. Clearly, nearly all of our customers are highly satisfied.

The reasoning above is most vulnerable to which criticism?

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Sales of dedicated e-reader devices have fallen for three years in a row. This shows that people are reading fewer books.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the argument?

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To shorten waiting times, a medical clinic plans to introduce an online check-in system that lets patients complete their registration forms at home before their appointments.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly suggests the plan will succeed?

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Factory Z replaced its old lighting with LED lights that use 60 percent less electricity. The plant manager predicts that the factory's electricity bill will therefore fall by 60 percent.

The manager's prediction relies on which of the following assumptions?

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In a survey of 500 office workers, 70 percent said they prefer working from home. Yet 60 percent of the same respondents said they would accept a job requiring full-time office attendance if it paid 10 percent more.

Which of the following is most strongly supported by the information above?

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After shared electric scooters were introduced in City K, short car trips there fell by 20 percent. So if City L introduces shared scooters, short car trips in City L will also fall by about 20 percent.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the prediction?

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

The primary purpose of the passage is to

Topic 2.2 · Concept check

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

According to the passage, subscriptions give companies

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

The author mentions discounts primarily in order to

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

The analysts mentioned in the passage would most likely agree that

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

The final sentence of the passage expresses

Topic 2.2 · Concept check

Over the past decade, many software companies have replaced one-time purchases with subscriptions. The shift is usually explained in terms of revenue stability: a steady stream of monthly payments is easier to forecast than irregular sales of new versions. But stability is only part of the story. Subscriptions also change what a company learns about its customers. A firm that sells a product once may never hear from the buyer again; a firm that bills every month sees, in real time, which customers leave and when. This information has a cost as well as a benefit. Because cancellations are visible immediately, managers may be tempted to chase short-term retention with discounts that erode long-term profitability. Some analysts argue that the most successful subscription businesses are those that resist this temptation, treating cancellations as evidence about the product rather than as problems to be patched with price cuts. Whether that discipline can survive pressure from investors who watch monthly figures closely remains an open question.

The passage suggests that, compared with subscription revenue, revenue from one-time sales of new versions is

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Migratory birds can orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field, but how they sense it has long been debated. One hypothesis holds that tiny particles of the iron mineral magnetite in the beak act like compass needles. A second proposes that light-sensitive proteins in the eye undergo chemical reactions whose outcome depends on the orientation of the magnetic field. Experiments have favored the second view: birds lose their magnetic orientation under certain wavelengths of light, which should not affect magnetite, and the magnetite-rich cells in the beak once thought to be receptors turned out to be immune cells. The magnetite hypothesis has not been abandoned entirely, however; some researchers suspect that birds use both systems, one to sense direction and another to detect the field's strength, which varies with location.

Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Migratory birds can orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field, but how they sense it has long been debated. One hypothesis holds that tiny particles of the iron mineral magnetite in the beak act like compass needles. A second proposes that light-sensitive proteins in the eye undergo chemical reactions whose outcome depends on the orientation of the magnetic field. Experiments have favored the second view: birds lose their magnetic orientation under certain wavelengths of light, which should not affect magnetite, and the magnetite-rich cells in the beak once thought to be receptors turned out to be immune cells. The magnetite hypothesis has not been abandoned entirely, however; some researchers suspect that birds use both systems, one to sense direction and another to detect the field's strength, which varies with location.

The experiments with certain wavelengths of light support the eye-based hypothesis because

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Migratory birds can orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field, but how they sense it has long been debated. One hypothesis holds that tiny particles of the iron mineral magnetite in the beak act like compass needles. A second proposes that light-sensitive proteins in the eye undergo chemical reactions whose outcome depends on the orientation of the magnetic field. Experiments have favored the second view: birds lose their magnetic orientation under certain wavelengths of light, which should not affect magnetite, and the magnetite-rich cells in the beak once thought to be receptors turned out to be immune cells. The magnetite hypothesis has not been abandoned entirely, however; some researchers suspect that birds use both systems, one to sense direction and another to detect the field's strength, which varies with location.

The discovery that the magnetite-rich cells were immune cells is significant because it

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Migratory birds can orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field, but how they sense it has long been debated. One hypothesis holds that tiny particles of the iron mineral magnetite in the beak act like compass needles. A second proposes that light-sensitive proteins in the eye undergo chemical reactions whose outcome depends on the orientation of the magnetic field. Experiments have favored the second view: birds lose their magnetic orientation under certain wavelengths of light, which should not affect magnetite, and the magnetite-rich cells in the beak once thought to be receptors turned out to be immune cells. The magnetite hypothesis has not been abandoned entirely, however; some researchers suspect that birds use both systems, one to sense direction and another to detect the field's strength, which varies with location.

The researchers who suspect birds use both systems believe that

Topic 2.2 · Apply it

Migratory birds can orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field, but how they sense it has long been debated. One hypothesis holds that tiny particles of the iron mineral magnetite in the beak act like compass needles. A second proposes that light-sensitive proteins in the eye undergo chemical reactions whose outcome depends on the orientation of the magnetic field. Experiments have favored the second view: birds lose their magnetic orientation under certain wavelengths of light, which should not affect magnetite, and the magnetite-rich cells in the beak once thought to be receptors turned out to be immune cells. The magnetite hypothesis has not been abandoned entirely, however; some researchers suspect that birds use both systems, one to sense direction and another to detect the field's strength, which varies with location.

The author's treatment of the debate is best described as