GRE Reading Comprehension (RC) Practice Questions

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The lack of attention paid to a particular subject is questioned (Lines 1 – 5)
A possible justification for this lack of attention is proposed (Lines 6 – 9)
The proposed justification is challenged (Lines 10 – 11)
A second possible justification is proposed (Lines 12 – 16)
The second proposed justification is challenged (Line 17 – end)

A. Trap. The passage does not reference any claim regarding how average people and the elite differed in their reactions to art and entertainment. Incorrect.

B. Correct. The passage states that “…secular art was widely consumed by the rich and poor and the urban and rural alike…”; hence, it can be inferred there was a broad range of medieval Europeans who were exposed to secular art and entertainment.

C. Although the passage asserts that “…secular art was widely consumed by the rich and poor and the urban and rural alike…”, it does not reference how commonly secular art was consumed, relative to religious art. Incorrect.

D. The passage does not reference any potential inaccuracies in the mentioned recent findings. Incorrect.

E. The only assumption the passage refers to is the common presumption that “…most medieval Europeans had little exposure to secular art and entertainment…”, and the passage states that “…secular art was widely consumed by the rich and poor and the urban and rural alike…”, implying that this assumption is not accurate. Incorrect.

Thus, B is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The lack of attention paid to a particular subject is questioned (Lines 1 – 5)
A possible justification for this lack of attention is proposed (Lines 6 – 9)
The proposed justification is challenged (Lines 10 – 11)
A second possible justification is proposed (Lines 12 – 16)
The second proposed justification is challenged (Line 17 – end)

The “common presumption” referenced here is that “…most medieval Europeans had little exposure to secular art and entertainment…”.

A. The passage does not reference religious medieval art. Incorrect.

B. Trap. The passage states that “…secular art was widely consumed…not just the elites…”; the passage references “…the elites…” only in this statement and does not suggest that this statement is incorrect. Incorrect.

C. Trap. The passage states that “Another possible explanation for the lack of attention paid to this area of study is the common presumption…”; although the passage refutes this presumption, it does so on the basis of factual accuracy – the passage shows that the presumption is incorrect; it does not make the argument that the presumption merely fails to justify the lack of attention paid to secular art. Incorrect.

D. The passage does not reference general anthropologists or general anthropology; rather, it discusses the study of secular art and entertainment in medieval Europe only in the context of “…cultural anthropologists…”. Incorrect.

E. Correct. Referring to the “common presumption”, the passage states, “If this were the case, the study of these elements would contribute little to general anthropological scholarship.”; the passage then asserts that “…secular art was widely consumed by the rich and poor and the urban and rural alike…”; hence, it can be inferred that the “common presumption” is incorrect, and thus the study of secular art and entertainment in medieval Europe should enhance the general anthropological scholarship of that time period.

Thus, E is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The lack of attention paid to a particular subject is questioned (Lines 1 – 5)
A possible justification for this lack of attention is proposed (Lines 6 – 9)
The proposed justification is challenged (Lines 10 – 11)
A second possible justification is proposed (Lines 12 – 16)
The second proposed justification is challenged (Line 17 – end)

A. The passage does not reference general anthropologists or general anthropology; rather, it discusses the study of secular art and entertainment in medieval Europe only in the context of “…cultural anthropologists…”. Incorrect.

B. The passage does not reference the “contemporary public”. Incorrect.

C. Trap. The passage does not compare what percentage of the population must be analysed in studying medieval European religious art and medieval European secular art and entertainment, respectively. Incorrect.

D. Correct. Referring to the challenges involved in studying the secular art and entertainment of medieval Europe, the passage states that “…these challenges are no greater than those…surmounted…in studying religious art and…”, implying that cultural anthropologists have solved the challenges involved in studying religious art in a way that they have not done for the study of secular art and entertainment; hence, it can be inferred that they have studied religious medieval art to a greater extent than secular art and entertainment.

E. The passage states that studying secular medieval European art requires an understanding of a complex network of social norms and cultural references and, in this context, states that “…these challenges are no greater than those…surmounted…in studying religious art…, implying that studying religious medieval European art also requires an understanding of a complex network of social norms and cultural references. Incorrect.

Thus, D is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The physical differences between two subspecies are explained (Lines 1 – 4)
Two theories about the origin of these differences are put forward (Lines 5 – 10)
That the second theory is more interesting than the first is asserted (Line 11 – end)

A. The passage does not reference a misunderstanding of any kind. Incorrect.

B. As the mind-map indicates, the passage references only two explanations and does not reference these explanations as alternatives to a third. Incorrect.

C. As the mind-map indicates, the passage not only mentions a species and describes its physical features, but also examines two theories about a particular feature; hence, this answer choice does not do justice to the passage as a whole. Incorrect.

D. As the mind-map indicates, the passage puts forward two theories, not one, and does not reference any reason to doubt either theory; rather, the passage asserts that one theory is more interesting than the other. Incorrect.

E. Correct. As the mind-map indicates, the passage explains how one species physically differs from another, puts forward two theories about these differences, and then asserts that one theory is more interesting than the other; hence, the passage describes one of the species and can be said to examine different theories pertaining to one of its physical features.

Thus, E is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The physical differences between two subspecies are explained (Lines 1 – 4)
Two theories about the origin of these differences are put forward (Lines 5 – 10)
That the second theory is more interesting than the first is asserted (Line 11 – end)

In the context in which it is used, “plausible” (possible/believable/reasonable) conveys that there is a possibility that certain theories may be true. Our broad expectation from the correct answer choice is to convey a meaning along the lines of “possible”.

A. Correct. “potential” (meaning: possible) can be considered synonymous with “plausible” and conveys a meaning along the lines of “possible”, meeting our broad expectation.

B. Although “credible” (meaning: trustworthy) can be considered synonymous with “plausible”, in the context in which “plausible” is used, the usage of “credible” leads to a change in meaning, as “credible” conveys a meaning along the lines of “reliable”, and not the desired meaning on the lines of “possible”. Incorrect.

C. Although “probable” (meaning: likely/possible) can be considered synonymous with “plausible”, in the context in which “plausible” is used, the usage of “probable” leads to a change in meaning, as “probable” conveys a meaning along the lines of “likely”, and not the desired meaning on the lines of “possible”. Incorrect.

D. There is no meaning of “presumptive” (meaning: assumed) that can be considered synonymous with “plausible”. Incorrect.

E. There is no meaning of “palatable” (meaning: agreeable) that can be considered synonymous with “plausible”. Incorrect.

Thus, A is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The idea that an art form had to be heavily altered to become popular in America is introduced (Lines 1 – 5)
That the alteration of the art form was not as heavy as believed is argued (Lines 6 – 10)
That the nature of this art form was retained despite its alteration is asserted (Lines 11 – end)

A. The passage states, “…manga had already been heavily borrowing from Western cartoons for decades…”; hence, the passage does not reference a misconception that the cartoons that influenced manga were unknown in America; rather, the passage asserts that manga was influenced by Western cartoons. Incorrect.

B. The passage neither explains an art form unfamiliar to Americans nor references manga heavily borrowing from Western cartoons to do so; rather, the passage refers manga heavily borrowing from Western cartoons to argue that manga shared significant similarities with Western works, even before it was edited. Incorrect.

C. In referring to manga heavily borrowing from Western cartoons, the passage does not provide any example of the art form unknown to American audiences (manga). Incorrect.

D. Correct. By mentioning that manga had been borrowing from Western cartoons, the passage suggests that manga already had significant similarities with Western works, meaning manga did not need to be heavily edited to resemble Western works, and thus, did not need to be heavily edited to appeal to American audiences.

E. The passage makes no reference to the influence of Western cartoons being edited out of manga. Incorrect.

Thus, D is the correct answer choice. 

Written Explanation

Mind-map

The idea that an art form had to be heavily altered to become popular in America is introduced (Lines 1 – 5)
That the alteration of the art form was not as heavy as believed is argued (Lines 6 – 10)
That the nature of this art form was retained despite its alteration is asserted (Lines 11 – end)

First Sentence (“The distinctive…initially slow.”): Trap. The passage presents no information contrary to the claim that manga was already popular in Japan when it was introduced to America or that manga’s adoption in America was slow. Incorrect.

Second Sentence (“It is…American audiences.”): Correct. As the mind-map indicates, the passage argues against the idea that manga had to be heavily edited to suit Western tastes to become popular in America; hence, the passage can be said to argue against the idea that manga had to be heavily edited for it to appeal to American audiences.

Third Sentence (“However, while…for decades.”): The passage presents no information contrary to the claim that manga plots and dialogues were often heavily edited to make them more like Western works or that Western cartoons had already had a heavy influence on manga. Incorrect.

Fourth Sentence (“This cross-cultural…grew stronger.”): The passage presents no information contrary to the claim that the cross-cultural influence between manga and Western cartoons intensified with globalization. Incorrect.

Fifth Sentence (“Likewise, though…fitting parallels.”): The passage presents no information contrary to the claim that when substituting Japanese cultural references for American ones in translated manga, an effort was made to find fitting parallels. Incorrect.

Sixth Sentence (“The degree…been exaggerated.”): As the mind-map indicates, the passage argues that manga did not need to be heavily edited to become popular in America; hence, the passage is likely to agree that the degree to which manga was edited to suit American tastes has been exaggerated. Incorrect.

Thus, the second sentence is the correct answer choice.