Conquer the Reading Comprehension section of your GRE or GMAT with Wizako’s expertly curated February 2024 practice list! From Wizreads by Wizako, this list provides high-caliber passages that target the specific skills tested on the exam. Here is the breakdown of the topics covered in this recommended reading list
Literature: Dive deep into a captivating literary piece on Black Women Writers.
History: Explore a fascinating historical account.
Science & Technology: Delve into an interesting exploration of science and technology on Valentine’s day
Business & Economy: Gain insights with a thought-provoking article on a success recipe in business and the economy section.
Each passage is accompanied by a realistic GRE/GMAT-style practice question to assess your comprehension. Detailed answer explanations ensure you learn from every passage and question. We hope you enjoy the exercise.
Black Women Writers | Feb 28, 2024
This Black History Month, we are giving a nod to the most influential women writers from the 1970s who added to the canon of Black Women literature in an impactful and profound manner. Read this article to find out more.
Read the GRE GMAT Social Sciences article
Answer this Moderate difficulty “role of a sentence” question
Why does the author discuss the physical size of “The Black Woman: An Anthology”?
- to offer an example of the thought Bambara invested in the book and her consideration for the readers
- to argue that working-class Black women might not have otherwise liked the book
- to show that readers found smaller-sized books convenient to discuss in a book club
- to point out that no one could be a better editor for the anthology than Bambara
- to describe some of the efforts taken by Bambara to reduce the cost of the book
RC Practice Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The author discusses how “intentional” Bambara was in the creation of the anthology, paying attention to the size and cost of the book in order to make it accessible to working black women.
Correct Answer: Choice (1)
Categories: GRE GMAT RC Literature Articles | Moderate
A high stake on stakeholders | Feb 21, 2024
A recent global study conducted by the Saïd Business School shows that companies that focus on all stakeholders are more likely to be successful than companies that focus only on shareholders. Read this easy-difficulty write-up to know more.
Read the Business & Economy article
Answer this Moderate to Hard CR question
Which of the following points out the flaw in the author’s reasoning regarding overperforming and underperforming businesses?
- More overperforming businesses responded to the survey, leading to a higher percentage of leaders reporting purpose-driven decision-making.
- Even though a low percentage of underperforming businesses represented stakeholders in their decision-making, their numbers are high.
- The study report fails to account for those businesses that are neither underperforming nor overperforming.
- It could be that leaders of overperforming businesses represent stakeholders in decision-making after the business reaches a certain threshold of performance.
- While the survey studied global leaders across 450 organizations, nearly 20% of these organizations were headquartered in the same continent.
CR Practice Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The passage indicates that a focus on stakeholders instead of a focus on shareholders is the reason that some organizations are able to overperform. In order to weaken this causal relationship, we need to point out that such a focus need not be the reason for success. Option (4) does that by pointing out that overperforming organizations likely began focusing on stakeholders only on success and that the focus was not necessarily a prerequisite to success.
Correct Answer: Option (4) thus weakens the reasoning and is the answer.
Categories: Business & Economy Reading List | Easy
The brain and new love | Feb 14, 2024
Love is blind…. says Science. There is scientific evidence that new love can lead to changes in the brain, in our attitude, and our behavior. This Valentine’s day, let us check out this easy read on how new love affects our brain and answer a medium-difficulty question.
Read the easy Science & Tech article
Answer this Moderate difficulty Inference Question
Which of the following can be inferred from the article?
- The release of dopamine activates the brain’s reward system.
- Of all rodents, Prairie voles are the most similar to human neurosystems.
- The brain’s region linked with drive and motivation is not in the cerebral cortex.
- People who crave drugs are more likley to replace that craving with one for relationships.
- Only new love is single-minded – making one think of their paramour a lot of the time.
RC Sample Question Answer & Explanation ▼
The passage states that “Romantic love does not emanate from your cerebral cortex, where you do your thinking….. It’s based in the brain regions linked with drive, with focus, with motivation.” If love is not from your cerebral cortex but is from the region linked with drive, then drive is not from the cerebral cortex either. Many people pick option (1) – however, the causal relationship is inverted in the option: the activation of the reward system releases dopamine and not the other way around.
Correct Answer: Option (3).
Categories: Science & Tech GRE GMAT Reading List | Easy
Scotland and the Tartan Connection | Feb 7, 2024
Read this article to better understand the historic association of the tartan or plaid fabric with Scotland’s relationship with England and its sense of independence and identity. But…. the tartan is more than about the scots. It is a global phenomenon.
Read the Moderate difficulty History article
Answer this Moderate difficulty Inference Question
Which of the following can be inferred about King George IV?
- His attempts at demonstrating unity changed Scotland into a vacation destination.
- He was not the only monarch to be accused of tartanry.
- No one of Scot descent approved of his appearance in full highland dress.
- He was the first English monarch to visit Scotland in peace.
- He was the grandson of King George II, whose armies fought at Culloden
RC Inference Question Answer & Explanation ▼
From the first few sentences under the subheading “Tartan’s Brand Power” in the article, we can understand all of the following information about King George IV.
- He was already king in 1822
- He appeared in full Highland dress during the crown’s first visit since Culloden (not the first ever peaceful one)
- He wanted to demonstrate unity (not necessarily to make Scotland a tourist spot)
- His move did not go down well with critics, who dubbed it “tartanry”
- He was blamed by at least one person for stifling Scottish culture (we do not know that everyone blamed him)
- He was not the only one to err in tartanry – Queen Victoria did the same with the purchase of Balmoral Castle
Of these possible statements, only statement 6 can be found in the actual answer options given
Correct Answer: Option (2).
Categories: Social Sciences GRE GMAT Reading List | Moderate