Reading Comprehension Practice Test 3

Directions: GMAT reading comprehension questions are based on the content of a passage. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

Questions #1-6 refer to the following passage:

Many writers have expressed surprise that with all the use made of voltaic cells after 1800, including the enormous cells that produced the electric arc and vaporized wires, no one for twenty years happened to see a deflection of any of the nearby compass needles, which were a basic component of the scientific apparatus kept by any experimenter at this time. The surprise is still greater when one realizes that many of the contemporary natural philosophers were firmly persuaded, even in the absence of positive evidence, that there must be a connection between electricity and magnetism. Hans Christian Oersted himself held this latter opinion, and had been seeking electromagnetic relationships more or less deliberately for several years before he made his decisive observations.

His familiarity with the subject was such that he fully appreciated the immense importance of his discovery. This accounts for his employing a rather uncommon method of publication. Instead of submitting a letter to a scientific society or a report to the editor of a journal, he had privately printed a four-page pamphlet describing his results. This, he forwarded simultaneously to the learned societies and outstanding scientists all over Europe. Written in Latin, the paper was published in various journals in English, French, German, Italian and Danish during the next few weeks.

In summary, he reported that a compass needle experienced deviations when placed near a wire connecting the terminals of a voltaic battery. He described fully how the direction and magnitude of the needle deflections varied with the relative position of the wire and the polarity of the battery, stating that, “from the preceding facts, we may likewise collect that this conflict performs circles…” Oersted’s comment that the voltaic apparatus used should “be strong enough to heat a metallic wire red hot” does not excuse the twenty-year delay of the discovery.

Congratulations - you have completed . You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
The passage offers support for the inference that Oersted was:

A
From a family of Danish origin
B
Younger than most experimenters
C
Well-known in the scientific community
D
Not initially aware of the nature of the relationship between electricity and magnetism
E
Employed primarily as a physicist
Question 1 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (D). We are told that Oersted “had been seeking electromagnetic relationships more or less deliberately for several years before he made his decisive observations”. After his discovery, he “described fully how the direction and magnitude of the needle deflections varied with the relative position of the wire and the polarity of the battery”. We can infer that he was not fully aware of the nature of the relationship between electricity and magnetism although he might have suspected that there was a relationship between the two.
Question 2
The speed with which Oersted's pamphlet was translated and disseminated attests to:

A
The scientific irrefutability of his "decisive observations"
B
The general credulity of the scientific community
C
The innovativeness of his self-publicizing methods
D
The general acceptance of Oersted’s findings
E
European scientists' problematic linguistic diversity
Question 2 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (D). Oersted’s ideas would not have been published in so many journals within a short time frame if major objections were raised about his findings.
Question 3
Concerning the connection between electricity and magnetism, the author of the passage takes the opinion that:

A
It is surprising that Oersted was the first to articulate it
B
The scientific community should have observed it sooner
C
Oersted was lucky to stumble upon an illustration of it
D
Scientific progress was waylaid severely before it was found
E
Some forgotten scientist likely found it before Oersted did
Question 3 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (B). Using what you know about the passage's logical structure, identify the answer choice that squares most readily with the author's overall argument. It is supported by both the very beginning and the very end of the passage.
Question 4
It can be surmised from the passage that:

A
Oersted worked at a cautious remove from the scientific community
B
Latin was a commonly-known European language in the early nineteenth century
C
Compass needles and voltaic cells were relatively inexpensive at the time
D
Other scientists approached Oersted's findings, but with insufficient voltage
E
Oersted was strongly influenced by philosophy as well as by physics
Question 4 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (B). The passage states that Oersted wrote his pamphlet in Latin and forwarded it to “the learned societies and outstanding scientists all over Europe.” We are also told that “the paper was published in various journals”. Thus we can infer that the readers of those journals knew the Latin language.
Question 5
What would be a modern-day parallel to the underlying viewpoint expressed in the passage?

A
The Internet existed long before it became popular among lay users
B
Scientists were slow to realize the likely connection between smoking and cancer
C
Medical research based on stem cells has been unfairly waylaid by non-scientific factors
D
Genomic mapping has come about almost half a century after the discovery of DNA
E
Experiments currently active in particle physics could revolutionize our idea of matter
Question 5 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (B). The passage discusses the surprise that many writers felt about the fact that although many “natural philosophers were firmly persuaded, even in the absence of positive evidence, that there must be a connection between electricity and magnetism” no one actually discovered the connection for about 20 years. Answer choice (B) describes a situation where there was a connection between two things, but scientists were slow to discover that connection. (B) is the only answer choice that describes a situation that is parallel to the one described in the passage.
Question 6
Which of the following best describes the tone used by the author of this passage?

A
Harsh criticism of the delay in scientific progress
B
Singular focus on Oersted as a player in this period
C
Alignment with the frustrations of past critics
D
Observation and eventual agreement with earlier writers
E
Qualified praise of Oersted as a scientific genius
Question 6 Explanation: 
The correct answer is (D). You can derive the author's purpose, tone and sentiment as indicated by the passage's language and structure; although word choice is important, the overall layout of the text should be taken into account as well.

In the last paragraph of the passage, the author states that “Oersted’s comment that the voltaic apparatus used should “be strong enough to heat a metallic wire red hot” does not excuse the twenty-year delay of the discovery”. This statement suggests that the author agrees with the earlier writers that the discovery of the connection between electricity and magnetism took too long given the circumstances.

Answer choice (C) is incorrect because author does not align with the frustrations of past critics.
Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results
There are 6 questions to complete.
List
Return
Shaded items are complete.
12345
6End
Return

 

More Practice Tests:
More Verbal Tests>>
Quantitative Tests>>
Integrated Reasoning Tests>>
Main Menu>>