GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability

Here you have the best Test Prep GMAT Section 3 practice exam questions

  • You have 4 total questions to study from
  • Each page has 5 questions, making a total of 1 pages
  • You can navigate through the pages using the buttons at the bottom
  • This questions were last updated on October 29, 2025
  • This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Test Prep.
Question 1 of 4
Read the passage carefully and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the question based upon what is stated or implied in the reading passage.
In Ursula LeGuin's short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," everyone in the city of Omelas is happy "" everyone, that is, except the child who is kept locked in a basement closet. The child is left entirely alone and neglected except for occasional visits from the citizens of Omelas. They come at a certain age as a rite of initiation, to learn the secret of the happiness they enjoy. They come to learn that their happiness has a price: the suffering of an innocent child. In the end, most people stay in Omelas; but a few, unable to bear the fact that they are responsible for the suffering of that child, reject this utopia built upon a utilitarian morality.
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory based upon the belief that happiness is the ultimate good and that people should use happiness as the measure for determining right and wrong. For utilitarian, the right thing to do is that which will bring about the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Furthermore, utilitarianism argues that the intention of people's actions does not matter; only the consequences of their actions are morally relevant, because only the consequences determine how much happiness is produced.
Although many useful social policies and much legislation are founded on this "greatest good" philosophy, utilitarianism can be problematic as a basis for morality.
First, happiness is not so easy to quantify, and any measurement is bound to be subjective. Second, in a theory that treats everything except happiness as instrumentally rather than intrinsically valuable, anything "" or, more importantly, anyone "" can (and should) be treated as a means to an end, if it means greater happiness. This rejects the notion that human beings have their own intrinsic value. Further, utilitarianism puts the burden of the happiness of the masses on the suffering of the few. Is the happiness of many worth the suffering of a few? Why do those few deserve to suffer? Isn't this burden of suffering morally irresponsible? This is the dilemma so brilliantly illustrated in LeGuin's story.
Which of the following best sums up the author's opinion of utilitarianism?
    Correct Answer: C

Question 2 of 4
Read each passage carefully and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions based upon what is stated or implied in the reading passage.
For many years, there has been much hand-wringing over the fate of Social Security once the baby boomers reach retirement age. Baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, represent the largest single sustained growth of population in the history of the United States. It is the sheer enormity of this generation that has had economists worried as retirement beckons. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2020, an estimated 80,000,000 Americans will have reached or surpassed the conventional age of retirement. With so many boomers retiring and drawing benefits but no longer paying into Social Security, many fear that the
Social Security fund itself could go bankrupt.
However, a study released by the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) that examined baby boomers' plans for retirement found that for the most part, this generation is not expected to adhere to the conventional retirement scheme, a fact that may please the worriers in Washington, DC.
In its survey, the AARP broke baby boomers into different categories based on their financial standing, degree of preparedness for retirement, and optimism toward the future. The AARP found that of all groups surveyed, only 13% planned to stop working altogether once they reached retirement age; the remaining
87% planned to continue working for pay. The reasons to continue working varied among the different groups. For some, the plan to continue working is a financial decision. Between 25% and 44% of respondents reported they are not financially prepared to retire and will therefore continue working past retirement age. For the remainder of those planning to work past their mid to late 60s, the decision is based on long-held goals to start a business and/or the desire to stay active in their industry or community.
Eventually, most baby boomers will need to stop working as they progress into their 70s, 80s, and beyond. But with such large numbers planning to continue working, thereby continuing to pay into the Social Security fund, perhaps Social Security will be able to withstand the end of the baby boom and continue to be a safety net for future generations.
The author cites statistics from the AARP survey primarily to
    Correct Answer: B

Question 3 of 4
According to a review of 38 studies of patients suffering from water retention, a large majority of the patients reported that fasting eased their suffering considerably. Yet fasting is not used to treat water retention even though the conventional medications often have serious side effects.
Which of the following, if true, best explains the fact that fasting is not used as a treatment for water retention?
    Correct Answer: A

Question 4 of 4
The more frequently employees that take a break for guided relaxation exercises during working hours each week, the fewer sick days they take. Even workers who take a guided relaxation break once a week during working hours take less sick leave than those who do not perform relaxation. Therefore, if companies started guided relaxation programs, the absentee rate in those companies would decrease significantly.
Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument above?
    Correct Answer: C