GRE CHALLENGING PROBLEMS...

_ Set 8 (Answers begin on page 123.)

Here’s another set of classification questions. Remember,

you are looking for the word that does NOT belong

in the same group as the others. Sometimes, all four

words seem to fit in the same group. If so, look more

closely to further narrow your classification.

119. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. core

b. seeds

c. pulp

d. slice

120. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. unique

b. beautiful

c. rare

d. exceptional

121. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. biology

b. chemistry

c. theology

d. zoology

122. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. triangle

b. circle

c. oval

d. sphere

123. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. excite

b. flourish

c. prosper

d. thrive

124. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. evaluate

b. assess

c. appraise

d. instruct

125. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. eel

b. lobster

c. crab

d. shrimp

126. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. scythe

b. knife

c. pliers

d. saw

127. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. two

b. three

c. six

d. eight

128. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. peninsula

b. island

c. bay

d. cape

129. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. seat

b. rung

c. cushion

d. leg

–QUESTIONS–

15

130. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. fair

b. just

c. equitable

d. favorable

131. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. defendant

b. prosecutor

c. trial

d. judge

132. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. area

b. variable

c. circumference

d. quadrilateral

133. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. mayor

b. lawyer

c. governor

d. senator

134. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. acute

b. right

c. obtuse

d. parallel

135. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. wing

b. fin

c. beak

d. rudder

136. Which word does NOT belong with the

others?

a. aorta

b. heart

c. liver

d. stomach

–QUESTIONS–

16

_ Set 9 (Answers begin on page 108.)

In the next three sets, you will be looking for the essential

part of something. Each question has an underlined

word followed by four answer choices. You will choose

the word that is a necessary part of the underlined

word. A good way to approach this type of question is

to say the following sentence: “A ______ could not

exist without ______.” Put the underlined word in the

first blank. Try each of the answer choices in the second

blank to see which choice is most logical.

For questions 137 through 151, find the word that

names a necessary part of the underlined word.

137. book

a. fiction

b. pages

c. pictures

d. learning

138. guitar

a. band

b. teacher

c. songs

d. strings

139. shoe

a. sole

b. leather

c. laces

d. walking

140. respiration

a. mouth

b. circulation

c. oxygen

d. carbon monoxide

141. election

a. president

b. voter

c. November

d. nation

142. diploma

a. principal

b. curriculum

c. employment

d. graduation

143. swimming

a. pool

b. bathing suit

c. water

d. life jacket

144. school

a. student

b. report card

c. test

d. learning

145. language

a. tongue

b. slang

c. writing

d. words

146. desert

a. cactus

b. arid

c. oasis

d. flat

147. lightning

a. electricity

b. thunder

c. brightness

d. rain

–QUESTIONS–

17

148. monopoly

a. corrupt

b. exclusive

c. rich

d. gigantic

149. harvest

a. autumn

b. stockpile

c. tractor

d. crop

150. gala

a. celebration

b. tuxedo

c. appetizer

d. orator

151. pain

a. cut

b. burn

c. nuisance

d. hurt

–QUESTIONS–

18

_ Set 10 (Answers begin on page 109.)

Remember, you are looking for the essential part of

something. If you had trouble with Set 9, go back

through the items and study each answer explanation.

Then work through this set of more difficult necessary

part questions.

For questions 152 through 166, find the word that

names a necessary part of the underlined word.

152. infirmary

a. surgery

b. disease

c. patient

d. receptionist

153. facsimile

a. picture

b. image

c. mimeograph

d. copier

154. domicile

a. tenant

b. dwelling

c. kitchen

d. house

155. culture

a. civility

b. education

c. agriculture

d. customs

156. bonus

a. reward

b. raise

c. cash

d. employer

157. antique

a. rarity

b. artifact

c. aged

d. prehistoric

158. itinerary

a. map

b. route

c. travel

d. guidebook

159. orchestra

a. violin

b. stage

c. musician

d. soloist

160. knowledge

a. school

b. teacher

c. textbook

d. learning

161. dimension

a. compass

b. ruler

c. inch

d. measure

162. sustenance

a. nourishment

b. water

c. grains

d. menu

163. ovation

a. outburst

b. bravo

c. applause

d. encore

–QUESTIONS–

19

164. vertebrate

a. backbone

b. reptile

c. mammal

d. animal

165. provisions

a. groceries

b. supplies

c. gear

d. caterers

166. purchase

a. trade

b. money

c. bank

d. acquisition

ANSWERS:

_ Set 8

119.d. The core, seeds, and pulp are all parts of an

apple. A slice would be a piece taken out of an

apple.

120.b. Unique, rare, and exceptional are all synonyms.

Beautiful has a different meaning.

121. c. Biology, chemistry, and zoology are all branches

of science. Theology is the study of religion.

122. a. A circle, oval, and sphere are all circular shapes

with no angles. A triangle is a different kind of

shape with angles and three straight sides.

123. a. Flourish, prosper, and thrive are all synonyms;

excite does not mean the same thing.

124.d. Evaluate, assess, and appraise are all synonyms;

instruct does not mean the same thing.

125. a. The lobster, crab, and shrimp are all types of

crustaceans; an eel is a fish.

126. c. The scythe, knife, and saw are all cutting tools.

Pliers are tools, but they are not used for cutting.

127.b. Two, six, and eight are all even numbers; three

is an odd number.

128. c. A peninsula, island, and cape are all landforms;

a bay is a body of water.

129. c. Seat, rung, and leg are all parts of a chair. Not

all chairs have cushions.

130.d. Fair, just, and equitable are all synonyms meaning

impartial. Favorable means expressing

approval.

131. c. Defendant, prosecutor, and judge are all persons

involved in a trial. A trial is not a person.

132.b. Area, circumference, and quadrilateral are all

terms used in the study of geometry. Variable is

a term generally used in the study of algebra.

133.b. The mayor, governor, and senator are all persons

elected to government offices; the lawyer

is not an elected official.

134.d. Acute, right, and obtuse are geometric terms

describing particular angles. Parallel refers to

two lines that never intersect.

135. c. The wing, fin, and rudder are all parts of an

airplane.

136. a. The heart, liver, and stomach are all organs of

the body. The aorta is an artery, not an organ.

–ANSWERS–

107

_ Set 9 (Page 17)

137.b. The necessary part of a book is its pages; there

is no book without pages. Not all books are

fiction (choice a), and not all books have pictures

(choice c). Learning (choice d) may or

may not take place with a book.

138.d. A guitar does not exist without strings, so

strings are an essential part of a guitar. A band

is not necessary to a guitar (choice a). Guitar

playing can be learned without a teacher

(choice b). Songs are byproducts of a guitar

(choice c).

139. a. All shoes have a sole of some sort.Not all shoes

are made of leather (choice b); nor do they all

have laces (choice c).Walking (choice d) is not

essential to a shoe.

140. c. A person or animal must take in oxygen for

respiration to occur. A mouth (choice a) is not

essential because breathing can occur through

the nose. Choices b and d are clearly not essential

and can be ruled out.

141.b. An election does not exist without voters. The

election of a president (choice a) is a byproduct.

Not all elections are held in November (choice

c), nor are they nationwide (choice d).

142.d. A diploma is awarded at graduation, so graduation

is essential to obtaining a diploma.

Employment may be a byproduct (choice c). A

principal and a curriculum (choices a and b)

may play a role in the awarding of some diplomas,

but they are not essential.

143. c. Water is essential for swimming—without

water, there is no swimming. The other choices

are things that may or may not be present.

144. a. Without students, a school cannot exist; therefore,

students are the essential part of schools.

The other choices may be related, but they are

not essential.

145.d. Words are a necessary part of language. Slang is

not necessary to language (choice b). Not all

languages are written (choice c).Words do not

have to be spoken in order to be part of a language

(choice a).

146.b. A desert is an arid tract of land. Not all deserts

are flat (choice d). Not all deserts have cacti or

oases (choices a and c).

147. a. Lightning is produced from a discharge of electricity,

so electricity is essential. Thunder and

rain are not essential to the production of lightning

(choices b and d). Brightness may be a

byproduct of lightning, but it is not essential

(choice c).

148.b. The essential part of a monopoly is that it

involves exclusive ownership or control.

149.d. To harvest something, one must have a crop,

which is the essential element for this item.

Autumn (choice a) is not the only time crops

are harvested. There may not be enough of a

crop to stockpile (choice b), and you can harvest

crops without a tractor (choice c).

150. a. A gala indicates a celebration, the necessary

element here. A tuxedo (choice b) is not

required garb at a gala, nor is an appetizer

(choice c). A gala may be held without the benefit

of anyone speaking (choice d).

151.d. Pain is suffering or hurt, so choice d is the

essential element. Without hurt, there is no

pain. A cut (choice a) or a burn (choice b) may

cause pain, but so do many other types of

injury. A nuisance (choice c) is an annoyance

that may or may not cause pain.

–ANSWERS–

108

_ Set 10 (Page 19)

152. c. An infirmary is a place that takes care of the

infirm, sick, or injured.Without patients, there

is no infirmary. Surgery (choice a) may not be

required for patients. A disease (choice b) is

not necessary because the infirmary may only

see patients with injuries. A receptionist (choice

d) would be helpful but not essential.

153.b. A facsimile must involve an image of some sort.

The image or facsimile need not, however, be a

picture (choice a). A mimeograph and a copier

machine (choices c and d) are just a two of the

ways that images may be produced, so they do

not qualify as the essential element for this item.

154.b. A domicile is a legal residence, so dwelling is the

essential component for this item. You do not

need a tenant (choice a) in the domicile, nor do

you need a kitchen (choice c). A house (choice

d) is just one form of a domicile (which could

also be a tent, hogan, van, camper, motor

home, apartment, dormitory, etc.).

155.d. A culture is the behavior pattern of a particular

population, so customs are the essential

element. A culture may or may not be civil or

educated (choices a and b). A culture may be an

agricultural society (choice c), but this is not the

essential element.

156. a. A bonus is something given or paid beyond

what is usual or expected, so reward is the

essential element. A bonus may not involve a

raise in pay or cash (choices b and c), and it may

be received from someone other than an

employer (choice d).

157. c. An antique is something that belongs to, or

was made in, an earlier period. It may or may

not be a rarity (choice a), and it does not have

to be an artifact, an object produced or shaped

by human craft (choice b). An antique is old

but does not have to be prehistoric (choice d).

158.b. An itinerary is a proposed route of a journey. A

map (choice a) is not necessary to have a

planned route. Travel (choice c) is usually the

outcome of an itinerary, but not always. A

guidebook (choice d) may be used to plan the

journey but is not essential.

159. c. An orchestra is a large group of musicians, so

musicians are essential. Although many orchestras

have violin sections, violins aren’t essential

to an orchestra (choice a). Neither a stage

(choice b) nor a soloist (choice d) is necessary.

160.d. Knowledge is understanding gained through

experience or study, so learning is the essential

element. A school (choice a) is not necessary for

learning or knowledge to take place, nor is a

teacher or a textbook (choices b and c).

161.d. A dimension is a measure of spatial content. A

compass (choice a) and ruler (choice b) may

help determine the dimension, but other

instruments may also be used, so these are not

the essential element here. An inch (choice c) is

only one way to determine a dimension.

162. a. Sustenance is something, especially food, that

sustains life or health, so nourishment is the

essential element.Water and grains (choices b

and c) are components of nourishment, but

other things can be taken in as well. A menu

(choice d) may present a list of foods, but it is

not essential to sustenance.

163. c. An ovation is prolonged, enthusiastic applause,

so applause is necessary to an ovation. An outburst

(choice a) may take place during an ovation;

“bravo” (choice b) may or may not be

uttered; and an encore (choice d) would take

place after an ovation.

164. a. All vertebrates have a backbone. Reptiles

(choice b) are vertebrates, but so are many

other animals. Mammals (choice c) are vertebrates,

but so are birds and reptiles. All vertebrates

(choice d) are animals, but not all

animals are vertebrates.

–ANSWERS–

109

165.b. Provisions imply the general supplies needed,

so choice b is the essential element. The other

choices are byproducts, but they are not

essential.

166.d. A purchase is an acquisition of something. A

purchase may be made by trade (choice a) or

with money (choice b), so those are not essential

elements. A bank (choice c) may or may not

be involved in a purchase.