Graduate Management Admission Test GMAT Real Exam Questions

1. Parasitic wasps propagate by injecting their eggs into a caterpillar that then becomes paralyzed as the eggs inside develop into wasp larvae. The wasp larvae kill the caterpillar host as they feed on it, form cocoons, and finally develop into wasps. In attempting to discover how such wasps detect the presence of the caterpillar hosts that are so critical to the wasps' propagation, researchers have uncovered an intriguing defense mechanism developed by the plants on which the caterpillars feed.

When chewed on, many plants release volatile compounds from both damaged and undamaged tissues. When these compounds are toxic to the insects that feed on the plants, they can help defend the plants from such attacks. However, the plants on which the wasps' caterpillar hosts feed have evolved an even more complex defense: the caterpillar-infested plants appear to release volatile chemicals that attract parasitic wasps, which then prey on the caterpillars. Scientists originally suspected that the wasps were attracted by an odor, reminiscent of cut grass, that is released as the caterpillar feeds, but a recent study suggests that a different set of volatile attractants is involved. In this study, when researchers used a razor blade to mimic caterpillar damage on the leaves, only grassy odors were emitted, not the volatile compounds that attracted wasps. However, when oral secretions from the caterpillars were applied to these damaged leaves, the leaves released the wasp attractants several hours later. Further tests revealed that oral secretions placed on the razor-damaged leaves stimulated the release of such attractants, making the plants as attractive to wasps as plants that had suffered actual caterpillar damage. These results suggest that chemicals from the caterpillar must be present for these attractants to be released and that unlike the grassy scent, which emanates only as the caterpillar on the plant, the wasp attractants are produced several hours after the attack and persist for several hours, perhaps days. Researchers have launched additional studies to determine whether the wasps' capacity to prey on caterpillars can be enhanced to the extent that the wasps could be used as a natural pesticide to "police" plants and protect them from crop-destroying caterpillars.

It can be inferred from the passage that if the leaves of a plant were damaged by wind rather than by caterpillars, the parasitic wasps would

2. Parasitic wasps propagate by injecting their eggs into a caterpillar that then becomes paralyzed as the eggs inside develop into wasp larvae. The wasp larvae kill the caterpillar host as they feed on it, form cocoons, and finally develop into wasps. In attempting to discover how such wasps detect the presence of the caterpillar hosts that are so critical to the wasps' propagation, researchers have uncovered an intriguing defense mechanism developed by the plants on which the caterpillars feed.

When chewed on, many plants release volatile compounds from both damaged and undamaged tissues. When these compounds are toxic to the insects that feed on the plants, they can help defend the plants from such attacks. However, the plants on which the wasps' caterpillar hosts feed have evolved an even more complex defense: the caterpillar-infested plants appear to release volatile chemicals that attract parasitic wasps, which then prey on the caterpillars. Scientists originally suspected that the wasps were attracted by an odor, reminiscent of cut grass, that is released as the caterpillar feeds, but a recent study suggests that a different set of volatile attractants is involved. In this study, when researchers used a razor blade to mimic caterpillar damage on the leaves, only grassy odors were emitted, not the volatile compounds that attracted wasps. However, when oral secretions from the caterpillars were applied to these damaged leaves, the leaves released the wasp attractants several hours later. Further tests revealed that oral secretions placed on the razor-damaged leaves stimulated the release of such attractants, making the plants as attractive to wasps as plants that had suffered actual caterpillar damage. These results suggest that chemicals from the caterpillar must be present for these attractants to be released and that unlike the grassy scent, which emanates only as the caterpillar feeds on the plant, the wasp attractants are produced several hours after the attack and persist for several hours, perhaps days. Researchers have launched additional studies to determine whether the wasps' capacity to prey on caterpillars can be enhanced to the extent that the wasps could be used as a natural pesticide to "police" plants and protect them from crop-destroying caterpillars.

The author implies that if, in the experiment described in the second paragraph, the parasitic wasps had been drawn to the plants after they had been damaged by a razor blade but without application of oral secretions from the caterpillar, then scientists would likely have concluded which of the following?

Wasps are attracted to the plants by the grassy odor released as the caterpillars feed on the plants' leaves.

3. The ornithologist interpreted the ravens' behavior as indicating that they were looking for another bird's food cache of which it did not know its exact location.

4. Purina her lifetime, when her 1922 book Etiquette was running second only to the Bible in United States sales. Emily Post was ridiculed as a period-piece snob focused on minutiae, even though her book argued against snobbery.

5. A series of financial reports in recent months has portrayed an economy that is slowing sharply, thus raising expectations that the Federal Reserve v.ill be comp.. -xi to cut interest rates in order to avert a recession.

6. Despite his renowned contributions to resolving archaeological questions, he was unable to provide hardly any insight into reconciling the conflicting linguistic and cultural evidence with respect to the expansion of agriculture.

7. Manufacturers and retailers tend to look askance at gray markets, where products are sold at cut-rate prices outside their authorized distribution channels. Manufacturers fear that gray markets will undercut margins and tarnish brand names. Retailers fear that they will siphon away customers and erode prices.

A new study indicates, however, that gray marketing actually benefits manufacturers and retailers in markets that meet two criteria: first, sharp differences exist in consumers' price sensitivity; second, large numbers of consumers are price-insensitive. In such markets, the low prices of the gray market will attract the most price-sensitive customers. The authorized channels will then compete only for the remaining customers―those who are insensitive to price but sensitive to service.

When that happens, the structure of competition and the economics of the market shift. The authorized retailers, freed from having to cater to the bargain hunters, can raise their prices and focus on service. If the concentration of price-insensitive shoppers is high enough, the resulting increase in prices will more than offset the loss of sales to the bargain hunters. The margins and profits of the authorized retailers will increase, and manufacturers will, as a result, be able to boost their wholesale prices.

Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the reasoning offered for the claim that gray markets can in certain conditions lead to increased profits among authorized retailers?

8. Members of many primate species approach an opponent shortly after conflict and initiate behaviors such as embracing, grooming, or huddling―a phenomenon researchers call postconflict reconciliation. Existing research, however, suffers from several shortcomings. The variability between groups of the same species is rarely addressed; the majority of studies investigate only a small fraction of the pairings that exist in a given group; and almost all reports are restricted to animals in captivity.

In an attempt to address some of these shortcomings, Sommer et al. recently conducted a study of postconflict reconciliation in wild Hanuman langurs, a species of colobine monkey. They observed rates of postconflict reconciliation much lower than would be expected based on previous research, and found that over 80 percent of all pairings exhibited no postconflict affinity whatsoever. The rarity of friendly postconflict reunion in wild langurs draws attention to the possibility that conflicts are modulated through avoidance. The option of temporarily avoiding contact with opponents is not easily available to captive primates, and certainly not to the extent present in the wild. Still, studies of postconflict behavior of primates in captivity remain valuable: above all, they demonstrate the flexibility of nonhuman primates in various environments. It is likely, however, that the reported frequency of reconciliation among primates is artificially inflated by the conditions of captivity.

Which of the following is a research shortcoming mentioned in the passage that is not addressed in the information provided about Sommer's study?

9. The passage suggests most strongly that in the presence of certain economic conditions, gray markets will encourage authorized retailers to

10. Government regulations in Nation X require that milk products labeled "organic" come from cows that have access to pasture. Many industrial dairies have begun using the organic label on their products even though their cows spend most of their milk-bearing lives confined to feed lots eating grain. Critics charge that industrial dairy cows spend too little time grazing in pastures for their milk to bear the organic label, but the cows' owners insist that the animals are in good health and show no signs of discontent.

Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to determine whether the industrial dairies' use of the organic label complies with government regulations?

11. A study examining ninety large cities found that in those with more kilometers of bicycle paths and roadway bicycle lanes per capita, higher percentages of the population commute to work by bicycle. For this reason the study concluded that adding bicycle paths and lanes is an effective way to encourage commuters to bicycle rather than drive.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the reasoning in the study'

12. Members of many primate species approach an opponent shortly after conflict and initiate behaviors such as embracing, grooming, or huddling―a phenomenon researchers call postconflict reconciliation. Existing research, however, suffers from several shortcomings. The variability between groups of the same species is rarely addressed; the majority of studies investigate only a small fraction of the pairings that exist in a given group; and almost all reports are restricted to animals in captivity.

In an attempt to address some of these shortcomings, Sommer et al. recently conducted a study of postconflict reconciliation in wild Hanuman langurs, a species of colobine monkey. They observed rates of postconflict reconciliation much lower than would be expected based on previous research, and found that over 80 percent of all pairings exhibited no postconflict affinity whatsoever. The rarity of friendly postconflict reunion in wild langurs draws attention to the possibility that conflicts are modulated through avoidance. The option of temporarily avoiding contact with opponents is not easily available to captive primates, and certainly not to the extent present in the wild. Still, studies of postconflict behavior of primates in captivity remain valuable: above all, they demonstrate the flexibility of nonhuman primates in various environments. It is likely, however, that the reported frequency of reconciliation among primates is artificially inflated by the conditions of captivity.

The passage suggests that one reason that the "conditions of captivity" (see bolded text) were significant was that

13. It can be inferred from the passage that if Cope's hypothesis were correct, which of the following would most likely be true concerning salt-affected areas in Victoria?

14. Excavation in City Y found ten ships that all sank at the same time in the city's harbor, in one sudden event in approximately A.D. 800. One possible explanation for the sinking is a tsunami, caused by a strong earthquake from a fault under the sea about fifteen miles away. However, it is more likely that a powerful storm sank the ships, since, if an earthquake had been responsible, there would also have been major damage to the city's walls and buildings―but there apparently was no such major damage, otherwise we would have discovered records from that time mentioning major building repairs.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

15. Although a village in a drouqht-stncken area may at first be resistant to using new agricultural techniques, if the village leaders are consulted beforehand and the benefits of the techniques are demonstrated clearly, the agricultural ministry can often effect a real and positive change in agricultural productivity and thus in economic security.

16. When new regulations were imposed on businesses selling in the same markets as Acme Inc. and the demographics began to change unfavorably for its main product: there was very little that it could have done different in the short term.

17. The real estate company pleaded guilty in a district court in failing to report all of the profits from the sale of land for the new shopping mall.

18. For the first time, prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and a possible fight with conservationists over exploitation of the sea's dark recesses.

19. Parasitic wasps propagate by injecting their eggs into a caterpillar that then becomes paralyzed as the eggs inside develop into wasp larvae. The wasp larvae kill the caterpillar host as they feed on it, form cocoons, and finally develop into wasps. In attempting to discover how such wasps detect the presence of the caterpillar hosts that are so critical to the wasps' propagation, researchers have uncovered an intriguing defense mechanism developed by the plants on which the caterpillars feed.

When chewed on, many plants release volatile compounds from both damaged and undamaged tissues. When these compounds are toxic to the insects that feed on the plants, they can help defend the plants from such attacks. However, the plants on which the wasps' caterpillar hosts feed have evolved an even more complex defense: the caterpillar-infested plants appear to release volatile chemicals that attract parasitic wasps, which then prey on the caterpillars. Scientists originally suspected that the wasps were attracted by an odor, reminiscent of cut grass, that is released as the caterpillar feeds, but a recent study suggests that a different set of volatile attractants is involved. In this study,

when researchers used a razor blade to mimic caterpillar damage on the leaves, only grassy odors were emitted, not the volatile compounds that attracted wasps. However, when oral secretions from the caterpillars were applied to these damaged leaves, the leaves released the wasp attractants several hours later. Further tests revealed that oral secretions placed on the razor-damaged leaves stimulated the release of such attractants, making the plants as attractive to wasps as plants that had suffered actual caterpillar damage. These results suggest that chemicals from the caterpillar must be present for these attractants to be released and that unlike the grassy scent, which emanates only as the caterpillar on the plant, the wasp attractants are produced several hours after the attack and persist for several hours, perhaps days. Researchers have launched additional studies to determine whether the wasps' capacity to prey on caterpillars can be enhanced to the extent that the wasps could be used as a natural pesticide to "police" plants and protect them from crop-destroying caterpillars.

The passage is primarily concerned with doing which of the following?

20. Parasitic wasps propagate by injecting their eggs into a caterpillar that then becomes paralyzed as the eggs inside develop into wasp larvae. The wasp larvae kill the caterpillar host as they feed on it, form cocoons, and finally develop into wasps. In attempting to discover how such wasps detect the presence of the caterpillar hosts that are so critical to the wasps' propagation, researchers have uncovered an intriguing defense mechanism developed by the plants on which the caterpillars feed.

When chewed on, many plants release volatile compounds from both damaged and undamaged tissues. When these compounds are toxic to the insects that feed on the plants, they can help defend the plants from such attacks. However, the plants on which the wasps' caterpillar hosts feed have evolved an even more complex defense: the caterpillar-infested plants appear to release volatile chemicals that attract parasitic wasps, which then prey on the caterpillars. Scientists originally suspected that the wasps were attracted by an odor, reminiscent of cut grass, that is released as the caterpillar feeds, but a recent study suggests that a different set of volatile attractants is involved. In this study, when researchers used a razor blade to mimic caterpillar damage on the leaves, only grassy odors were emitted, not the volatile compounds that attracted wasps. However, when oral secretions from the caterpillars were applied to these damaged leaves, the leaves released the wasp attractants several hours later. Further tests revealed that oral secretions placed on the razor-damaged leaves stimulated the release of such attractants, making the plants as attractive to wasps as plants that had suffered actual caterpillar damage. These results suggest that chemicals from the caterpillar must be present for these attractants to be released and that unlike the grassy scent, which emanates only as the caterpillar on the plant, the wasp attractants are produced several hours after the attack and persist for several hours, perhaps days. Researchers have launched additional studies to determine whether the wasps' capacity to prey on caterpillars can be enhanced to the extent that the wasps could be used as a natural pesticide to "police" plants and protect them from crop-destroying caterpillars.

The first two sentences of the second paragraph serve primarily to

21. Manufacturers and retailers tend to look askance at gray markets, where products are sold at cut-rate prices outside their authorized distribution channels. Manufacturers fear that gray markets will undercut margins and tarnish brand names. Retailers fear that they will siphon away customers and erode prices.

A new study indicates, however, that gray marketing actually benefits manufacturers and retailers in markets that meet two criteria: first, sharp differences exist in consumers' price sensitivity; second, large numbers of consumers are price-insensitive. In such markets, the low prices of the gray market will attract the most price-sensitive customers. The authonzed channels will then compete only for the remaining customers―those who are insensitive to price but sensitive to service.

When that happens, the structure of competition and the economics of the market shift. The authorized retailers, freed from having to cater to the bargain hunters, can raise their prices and focus on service. If the concentration of price-insensitive shoppers is high enough, the resulting increase in prices will more than offset the loss of sales to the bargain hunters. The margins and profits of the authorized retailers will increase, and manufacturers will, as a result, be able to boost their wholesale prices.

The primary purpose of the passage is to

22. I It is said of parasitic forms of life that, although they burden their hosts, they do not kill them, since a parasite cannot survive unless its host does. Mr. Craig's prize-winning lilies, however, were invaded by dodder, a parasitic plant, and every one of the lilies died soon after. Plainly, therefore, a parasite can be deadly.

The argument above depends on which of the following assumptions?

23. Although abundant in many areas of the southern United States, the evening bat has always been uncommon to rare across the northern part of its range―most of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio―their already small populations decreasing even further during the latter part of the twentieth century.

24. Daniel: Historically, railroads substantially altered the course of the United States economy, enabling the country to enjoy unprecedented growth in the nineteenth century.

Robert: It's true that growth required cheap inland transportation, which railroads provided. But with government support similar to the massive land grants that subsidized rapid railroad expansion, canals and roads could have had the same effect.

Which of the following is most likely a point that Robert believes is at issue between Daniel and himself?

25. Soil salinization―the process by which soil acquires excess soluble salt, adversely affecting pasture or crop growth―is regarded as Australia's most serious environmental problem. Cope, whose 1958 investigation is considered the earliest survey of salt-affected areas in Victoria, hypothesized that surplus rainwater mobilized soluble salt stored in the permeable layer of soil, causing it to accumulate above an impermeable layer and then discharge downslope or onto a valley floor. In the late 1970s, however, Jenkin identified saline water underground as the main and immediate (though not ultimate) source of the salt, and hypothesized that the spread of salinity resulted from a rise in that groundwater. He attributed the rise to a decrease in coverage by water-absorbing trees and other vegetation at some ill-defined point in Australia's post-settlement history.

However, more-recent research suggests there was no rise in post-settlement groundwater levels. Furthermore, soil salinity probably antedated European settlement: early cartographic evidence indicates that some streams were saline when Europeans arrived. Dahlhaus suggests that salt accumulation resulted from marine incursions several million years ago, when parts of Victoria may have been submerged―as well as from transport of salt from the sea by wind and rain. Dahlhaus also notes that various minerals dissolved in groundwater by weathering may have produced salt.

The passage most strongly suggests that the author agrees with which of the following?

26. Legislator: Relatively few people in this society object to allowing the potential use of gene replacement techniques to treat disease, but most react negatively to allowing the use of such techniques to enhance people's performance in competitive sports. A clear distinction should therefore be made between medical treatment and performance enhancement when regulations concerning gene replacement are being formulated, because otherwise__________,

Which of the following most logically completes the passage?

27. Soil salinization―the process by which soil acquires excess soluble salt, adversely affecting pasture or crop growth―is regarded as Australia's most serious environmental problem. Cope, whose 1958 investigation is considered the earliest survey of salt-affected areas in Victoria, hypothesized that surplus rainwater mobilized soluble salt stored in the permeable layer of soil, causing it to accumulate above an impermeable layer and then discharge downslope or onto a valley floor. In the late 1970s, however, Jenkin identified saline water underground as the main and immediate (though not ultimate) source of the salt, and hypothesized that the spread of salinity resulted from a rise in that groundwater. He attributed the rise to a decrease in coverage by water-absorbing trees and other vegetation at some ill-defined point in Australia's post-settlement history.

However, more-recent research suggests there was no rise in post-settlement groundwater levels. Furthermore, soil salinity probably antedated European settlement: early cartographic evidence indicates that some streams were saline when Europeans arrived. Dahlhaus suggests that salt accumulation resulted from marine incursions several million years ago, when parts of Victoria may have been submerged―as well as from transport of salt from the sea by wind and rain. Dahlhaus also notes that various minerals dissolved in groundwater by weathering may have produced salt.

The passage is primarily concerned with discussing

28. Doctor: People who have grown up on farms and have been frequently exposed to germs from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies than are people who were raised in more sanitary environments. This suggests that childhood exposure to certain microorganisms improves the function of the immune system.

In order to assess the strength of the doctor's argument, it would be most helpful to know which of the following?

29. In Moldova in 1979, Russian was claimed as a native language by a large proportion of Jews (66 percent), ethnic Belarusians (62 percent), and bv a significant proportion of ethnic Ukrainians (30 percent).

30. Members of many primate species approach an opponent shortly after conflict and initiate behaviors such as embracing, grooming, or huddling―a phenomenon researchers call postconflict reconciliation. Existing research, however, suffers from several shortcomings.

The variability between groups of the same species is rarely addressed; the majority of studies investigate only a small fraction of the pairings that exist in a given group; and almost all reports are restricted to animals in captivity.

In an attempt to address some of these shortcomings, Sommer et al. recentfy conducted a study of postconflict reconciliation in wild Hanuman langurs, a species of colobine monkey. They observed rates of postconflict reconciliation much lower than would be expected based on previous research, and found that over 80 percent of all pairings exhibited no postconflict affinity whatsoever. The rarity of friendly postconflict reunion in wild langurs draws attention to the possibility that conflicts are modulated through avoidance. The option of temporarily avoiding contact with opponents is not easily available to captive primates, and certainly not to the extent present in the wild. Still, studies of postconflict behavior of primates in captivity remain valuable: above all, they demonstrate the flexibility of nonhuman primates in various environments. It is likely, however, that the reported frequency of reconciliation among primates is artificially inflated by the conditions of captivity.

According to the passage, the majority of the pairings observed in Sommer's study exhibited postconflict affinity under what conditions?

31. The decision as to when to bring charges for a criminal offense is the prerogative of the prosecutor, not the prospective defendant. This prerogative should not be put to unfair advantage. Sometimes decades elapse before charges are brought. Though this may be appropriate when striking new evidence implicates someone, bringing charges after many years simply because evidence favoring the prospective defendant has become inaccessible would be grossly unjust.

Which of the following most accurately states the passage's main point?

32. Editorial: Since our city's airport is too small to handle increasing air traffic, analysts propose building a second airport to benefit our city's economy by allowing more flights and hence attracting more visitors. But this plan would not succeed. If flights to different cities were inconveniently divided between two airports, fewer travelers would make flight connections in our city.

Which of the following would, if true, most seriously weaken the editorial's argument that the plan would not succeed'

33. Psychologist: People tend instinctively to impose patterns on events even when such patterns are not really present. If early humans believed that a rustle in the grass indicated a dangerous predator when it was just the wind, they were more likely to survive than if they believed that it was just the wind when a dangerous predator was there. Thus, in a world of split-second interactions between predators and prey, a person who made an error of the first type was more likely to survive than a person who made an error of the second type. So the tendency to make the first type of error is probably due to__________.

Which of the following would, if true, most logically complete the psychologist's argument?

34. The decision-making model is unique in not only making prescriptions about proper leader behavkx while arriving at decisions but also gives prescriptions for the decision maker to follow.

35. Manufacturers and retailers tend to look askance at gray markets, where products are sold at cut-rate prices outside their authorized distribution channels. Manufacturers fear that gray markets will undercut margins and tarnish brand names. Retailers fear that they will siphon away customers and erode prices.

A new study indicates, however, that gray marketing actually benefits manufacturers and retailers in markets that meet two criteria: first, sharp differences exist in consumers' price sensitivity; second, large numbers of consumers are price-insensitive. In such markets, the low prices of the gray market will attract the most price-sensitive customers. The authorized channels will then compete only for the remaining customers―those who are insensitive to price but sensitive to service.

When that happens, the structure of competition and the economics of the market shift. The authorized retailers, freed from having to cater to the bargain hunters, can raise their prices and focus on service. If the concentration of price-insensitive shoppers is high enough, the resulting increase in prices will more than offset the loss of sales to the bargain hunters. The margins and profits of the authorized retailers will increase, and manufacturers will, as a result, be able to boost their wholesale prices.

The Sanpoil, a Native American tribe of the central Plateau west of the Rocky Mountains, sought peace constantly, and not only avoided war and feuds with neighboring peoples and among one another, but also they refused to retaliate if attacked.

36. 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?

38. Store S's gross profit from a certain product is 40 percent of the store's revenue from the product.

The store's gross profit from the product is what percent of the store's cost for the product?

39. What is the value of ac(1 ― b)?

(1) bc = c

(2) ac = 1

40. If a committee of 3 men and 3 women is to be selected from a group of 7 men and 7 women, how many different committees are possible choices?