Chapter 2

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension questions on the GRE comprise almost half of the Verbal questions. The questions are grouped by passage, where a single passage has one to five questions on it. The screen is split, with the passage on the left side and the question on the right. If the passage has more than one question, you see one question at a time, and the passage stays while the question changes.

All Reading Comprehension questions are based directly on what's in the passage. You don't need to know anything about the subject outside the passage. If you're familiar with the topic, you may easily comprehend the passage, but be careful not to mix your own knowledge of the topic with what's in the passage.

The Problems You'll Work On

When working through the questions in this chapter, be prepared to

• Choose one answer from a multiple-choice selection.
• Choose two or more answers from a multiple-choice selection.
• Select a sentence in the passage to answer the question.
• Answer questions based on biological and physical science topics, including physics, astronomy, chemistry, and astronomy.
• Understand the impact of social science topics, including history, psychology, and business.
• Get the gist of humanities topics, including art, music, philosophy, drama, and literature.

What to Watch Out For

Trap answers include the following

• Facts that aren't mentioned in the passage
• Information that's partly accurate and partly inaccurate
• Subtle distinctions with words such as mostly, best, and primarily

Choose the correct answer(s) for each reading comprehension question.

Questions 151 through 153 are based on the following passage.

It would seem unlikely that anything weighing 45 tons would move easily, but that is just what the male humpback whale does every winter. With a deft gracefulness, the massive sea mammal travels from the Gulf of Alaska to Hawaii in less than two months. Part of the baleen whale species, the male humpback can stretch 40 to 52 feet in length and weigh up to 45 tons. Even with those dimensions, the whales are able to propel themselves out of the ocean in a breach, revealing 40% to 90% of their bodies. The purpose of the breach is not completely understood, but different theories abound to explain this behavior, such as assertions of dominance, warnings to other whales in the pod, or as a form of courting.

The latter explanation, perhaps, makes the most sense concerning the North Pacific male humpback population in that the purpose of their mission is to mate with the females. Approximately two-thirds of the whales residing in the Gulf of Alaska travel more than 3,000 miles to breed and nurse their newborns during a five- to six-month period. The migration is a fierce race among the male humpbacks, who may be tracking a female with other competing males in order to be first in line when they reach the breeding grounds off the coast of Hawaii. A female whale only breeds every two to three years, and the gestation period is 11.5 months. These courting rituals, although turbulent in the social structure of humpback whales, make for entertaining displays for human spectators watching as the pods of males gather and breach to win the female's attention.

151. What is the best title for this passage?

(A) "Courting Rituals of the Humpback Whale"

(B) "Popular Breeding Grounds for Different Whale Species"

(C) "To Alaska and Back: The Treacherous Journey of the Whale"

(D) "The Motivating Factors of Whale Migration Activities"

(E) "Great Place to Whale Watch"

152. What are the possible reasons male whales breach out of the water?

Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply.

[A] To attract the attention of female whales

[B] To take a breath of air

[C] To make a stand against other whales in the pod

153. Why did the author provide information about the female whale's birthing process?

(A) To set a timeframe for whale migration

(B) To express the intense nature of competition between male whales

(C) To show the superiority of the female whale

(D) To explain why whale migration is entertaining

(E) To highlight the main point of the passage

Questions 154 through 158 are based on the following passage.

Theodor Adorno believed that the true value in knowledge is partly owed to the struggle to attain it. As a philosopher, critic, and musicologist, he often praised works that were difficult to comprehend, attesting that the richness of what is gained when working through the information or movement is more beneficial than easily digested ideas.

Adorno was born in 1903 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was the son of an opera singer, which likely led to his appreciation and immersion in the study of music. He began publishing essays concerning the work of German composers in 1925 while studying to be a concert pianist. He eventually received his doctorate degree in music, as well as in sociology and psychology.

In the late 1920s, Adorno became heavily influenced by certain parts of Marxist theory, namely, the relationship between economically driven innovation and social structure divisions. He began to formulate his theories on self-preservation and the disparities between capitalist motivation and the equity of distribution among the social classes. His ideas were strengthened by the rise of the fascist movement in Germany at the time. In 1931, he and fellow philosopher Max Horkheimer created the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, as a way to address these issues.

Adorno was forced to flee Germany in 1934 after Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party began their genocidal campaign. He was able to reestablish the institute in New York City in 1938, where his authoritative attack on advanced capitalist theory became rooted. Over the next 30 years, he would write five books relating to critical theory and capitalism, as well as a number of musical compositions, for which he never lost his passion or talent. His early critiques of music expanded to all forms of art later in life, and he began to purport art as an embodiment of the subjective and divergent characteristics that challenge the conforming and homogenizing dominance of society.

The basis for much of Adorno's argument stemmed from this concept of standardization of society through the delineation of thought through economic growth and uniform conceptualization of mass media. He argued that popular media is shaped by cultural industry to sustain the dominance of capitalism and social inequality. In keeping the population passive, social media is able to conjure the false sensation of needs in a culture, diverting any free thought of what exists outside of those needs. In this way, socialist theories are expunged, and economic production is able to continue its reign as the predominant effort of the culture.

This focus on the cultural aspects of social segregation differentiated Adorno's theories from those of Marxism, for which he inevitably came to attribute its failure in society. During the political unrest of the 1960s, Adorno found himself the target of student activists who once heralded his line of thinking as revolutionary and an affront to the bourgeoisie. However, his lack of support for actions such as protests and sit-ins quickly moved him into a position of opposition in the students' eyes. His life ended in 1969 in the midst of this rejection.

154. What is the main idea of the passage?

(A) Theodor Adorno was a Marxist with many musical talents.

(B) Theodor Adorno was a progressive philosopher whose ideas challenged the fabric of global society and economic policies.

(C) Marxism is socialist theory that was popularized by Theodor Adorno.

(D) Music composition is a format used to understand social policies and development.

(E) Even famous members of the Jewish faith were persecuted by the Nazis in Germany.

155. According to the passage, Adorno saw the expression of art as

(A) not being significant in the context of social action.

(B) the only logical connection between a free society and governmental law.

(C) a hindrance to the growth of social capital.

(D) exemplifying the civil rights movement in America.

(E) signifying individual thought beyond the collective ideals of society.

156. Select the sentence from the fifth paragraph (reproduced below) that most efficiently describes Adorno's belief that social constructs, such as media sources, are manipulated for the purpose of maintaining a discrepant class structure.

(1) The basis for much of Adorno's argument stemmed from this concept of standardization of society through the delineation of thought through economic growth and uniform conceptualization of mass media. (2) He argued that popular media is shaped by cultural industry to sustain the dominance of capitalism and social inequality. (3) In keeping the population passive, social media is able to conjure the false sensation of needs in a culture, diverting any...