GRE Test: A Gateway to Study Abroad

GRE Questions

• 1.

  Should we really care for the greatest actors of the past could we have them before us? Should we find them too different from our accent of thought, of feeling, of speech, in a thousand minute particulars which are of the essence of all three? Dr. Doran's long and interesting records of the triumphs of Garrick, and other less familiar, but in their day hardly less astonishing, players, do not relieve one of the doubt. Garrick himself, as sometimes happens with people who have been the subject of much anecdote and other conversation, here as elsewhere, bears no very distinct figure. One hardly sees the wood for the trees. On the other hand, the account of Betterton, "perhaps the greatest of English actors," is delightfully fresh. That intimate friend of Dryden, Tillatson, Pope, who executed a copy of the actor's portrait by Kneller which is still extant, was worthy of their friendship; his career brings out the best elements in stage life. The stage in these volumes presents itself indeed not merely as a mirror of life, but as an illustration of the utmost intensity of life, in the fortunes and characters of the players. Ups and downs, generosity, dark fates, the most delicate goodness, have nowhere been more prominent than in the private existence of those devoted to the public mimicry of men and women. Contact with the stage, almost throughout its history, presents itself as a kind of touchstone, to bring out the bizarrerie, the theatrical tricks and contrasts, of the actual world.

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• 2.

  “Claim: A person in authority should always encourage those under him or her to share their thoughts and ideas. Reason: A leader’s main goal should be to promote innovation and change.”

  • Agree, as open dialogue fosters creativity and innovation.
    
  • Disagree, as not all ideas are practical or beneficial to share.
    
  • Agree, but only when it is necessary for progress.
    
  • Disagree, as promoting change without evaluating all ideas can be harmful.
    
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• 3.

  “Color photography has eliminated the need for realism in artistic painting, in the opinion of a number of art scholars and artists. At the same time, many members of the art community still feel that realistic artwork is still valuable and worthwhile.”

  • Agree, because color photography has eliminated the need for realistic art.
    
  • Disagree, as realism in art serves as an important expression of human creativity.
    
  • Agree, but only in some cases, color photography does not affect all artistic forms.
    
  • Disagree, as traditional forms of art hold inherent value independent of color photography.
    
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• 4.

  Three years ago, because of flooding at the Western Palean Wildlife Preserve, 100 lions and 100 western gazelles were moved to the East Palean Preserve, an area that is home to most of the same species that are found in the western preserve, though in larger numbers, and to the eastern gazelle, a close relative of the western gazelle.
  Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
  

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• 5.

  “Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies' sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass's classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.

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• 6.

  It has been suggested that long-term prisoners, on release from jail, be given a reasonable state pension to reduce the likelihood of their resorting to crime. Most people instinctively reject the suggestion as they feel it would be like rewarding criminal activity. The supporters of the prisoners' pension scheme have criticized those who reject this possibility, by claiming that for the critics...
  Which of the following is the most logical completion of the sentence above?

  • emotion is more important than justice
    
  • punishment for criminals is more important than crime prevention
    
  • crime prevention is not an important issue
    
  • money has too high a value
    
  • the law should not be concerned with what happens after jail
    
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