The Verbal Mentor

XAT Prep

Sentence Correction
Bible
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
Exercise 1

Instructions: Choose the alternative that best phrases the idea underlined.

1. Although the Supreme Court ruled as long ago as 1880 that Blacks could not be excluded outright from jury service,
nearly a century of case-by-case adjudication has been necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries
must be drawn from “a fair cross section of the community.”
(A) has been necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries must be
(B) was necessary for developing and enforcing the principle of all juries being
(C) was to be necessary in developing and enforcing the principle of all juries to be
(D) is necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries must be
(E) will be necessary for developing and enforcing the principle of all juries being
2. Although the term “psychopath” is popularly applied to an especially brutal criminal, in psychology it is someone
who is apparently incapable of feeling compassion or the pangs of conscience.
(A) it is someone who is
(B) it is a person
(C) they are people who are
(D) it refers to someone who is
(E) it is in reference to people
3. American productivity is declining in relation to Europe’s; the energy expended per unit of production in the United
States is as much as twice that expended in West Germany.
(A) as much as twice that expended in West Germany
(B) as much as twice that of West Germany’s expenditure
(C) up to two times of West Germany’s expenditure
(D) up to two times what West Germans expended
(E) up to double the West German expenditure
4. Among the cossacks, vegetable farming was once so despised that it was forbidden on pain of death.
(A) so despised that it was
(B) so despised to be
(C) so despised it had been
(D) despised enough that it was
(E) despised enough as to be
5. Among the emotions on display in the negotiating room were anger for repeatedly raising the issue over and over
again and preventing the raw wounds from earlier battles from ever beginning to heal.
(A) were anger for repeatedly raising the issue over and over again and preventing the raw wounds from earlier
battles from ever beginning to heal
(B) was anger for repeatedly raising the issue and preventing the raw wounds from earlier battles from ever
beginning to heal
(C) were anger over repeatedly raising the issue and preventing the raw wounds from earlier battles to begin healing
(D) was anger about the issue, which was raised over and over, and preventing the wounds from earlier battles, still
raw, to begin healing
(E) were anger about the issue, which was raised repeatedly, and preventing the raw wounds from earlier battles to
begin to heal
6. Among the objects found in the excavated temple were small terra-cotta effigies left by supplicants who were either
asking the goddess Bona Dea’s aid in healing physical and mental ills or thanking her for such help.
(A) in healing physical and mental ills or thanking her for such help
(B) in healing physical and mental ills and to thank her for helping
(C) in healing physical and mental ills, and thanking her for helping
(D) to heal physical and mental ills or to thank her for such help
(E) to heal physical and mental ills or thanking her for such help
7. Among the reasons for the decline of New England agriculture in the last three decades were the high cost of land,
the pressure of housing and commercial development, and basing a marketing and distribution system on importing
produce from Florida and California.
(A) basing a marketing and distribution system on importing produce from Florida and California
(B) basing a marketing and distribution system on the imported produce of Florida and California
(C) basing a system of marketing and distribution on the import of produce from Florida and California
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XAT Prep
(D) a marketing and distribution system based on importing produce from Florida and California
(E) a marketing and distribution system importing produce from Florida and California as its base
8. An array of tax incentives has led to a boom in the construction of new office buildings; so abundant has capital been
for commercial real estate that investors regularly scour the country for areas in which to build.
(A) so abundant has capital been for commercial real estate that
(B) capital has been so abundant for commercial real estate, so that
(C) the abundance of capital for commercial real estate has been such,
(D) such has the abundance of capital been for commercial real estate that
(E) such has been an abundance of capital for commercial real estate,
9. An artistic presence of the first order, one frequently ranked with Picasso, Stravinsky, and James Joyce, Martha
Graham was acclaimed as a great dancer long before her innovative masterworks made her the most honored of
American choreographers.
(A) Martha Graham was acclaimed as
(B) Martha Graham was acclaimed to be
(C) Martha Graham’s acclaim is as
(D) Martha Graham’s acclaim to be
(E) Martha Graham’s acclaim was in being
10. An attempt to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, begun almost two decades ago, has been unsuccessful despite
efforts by many important groups, including the National Organization for Women.
(A) to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, begun almost two decades ago,
(B) begun almost two decades ago, for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment
(C) begun for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment almost two decades ago
(D) at ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, begun almost two decades ago,
(E) that has begun almost two decades ago to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment
11. An inventory equal to 90 days sales is as much as even the strongest businesses carry, and then only as a way to
anticipate higher prices or ensure against shortages.
(A) as much as even
(B) so much as even
(C) even so much as
(D) even as much that
(E) even so much that
12. An unusually strong cyclist can, it is hoped, provide enough power to set a new distance record for human-powered
aircraft in MIT’s diaphanous construction of graphite fiber and plastic.
(A) can, it is hoped, provide enough power to set
(B) it is hoped, can provide enough power that will set
(C) hopefully can provide enough power, this will set
(D) is hopeful to set
(E) hopes setting
13. Analysts blamed May’s sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than
was usual in some regions, which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.
(A) colder and wetter than was usual in some regions, which slowed
(B) which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, slowing
(C) since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions, which slowed
(D) being colder and wetter than usually in some regions, slowing
(E) having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed
14. Ancient Romans found it therapeutic to bathe in cold milk, in strawberries that had been crushed, or in bathtubs filled
with black caviar.
(A) to bathe in cold milk, in strawberries that had been crushed, or in bathtubs filled with black caviar
(B) that they bathe in cold milk, in strawberries that had been crushed, or in caviar that was black
(C) to bathe in cold milk, crushed strawberries, or black caviar
(D) that they bathe in cold milk, crushed strawberries, or black caviar
(E) to bathe in milk , strawberries, or caviar
15. Any medical test will sometimes fail to detect a condition when it is present and indicate that there is one when it is
not.
(A) a condition when it is present and indicate that there is one
(B) when a condition is present and indicate that there is one
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XAT Prep
(C) a condition when it is present and indicate that it is present
(D) when a condition is present and indicate its presence
(E) the presence of a condition when it is there and indicate its presence
16. Archaeologists in Ireland believe that a recently discovered chalice, which dates from the eighth century, was
probably buried to keep from being stolen by invaders.
(A) to keep from
(B) to keep it from
(C) to avoid
(D) in order that it would avoid
(E) in order to keep from
17. Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or
animal transport.
(A) huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or animal transport
(B) without the benefits of animal transport or the wheel, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya
(C) the Maya built huge palace and temple clusters without the benefit of animal transport or the wheel
(D) there were built, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, huge palace and temple clusters by the
Maya
(E) were the Maya who, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, built huge palace and temple clusters
18. Art museums do not usually think of their collections as capital or consider the interest income that would be
generated if a portion of the capital would have been invested in another form.
(A) be generated if a portion of the capital would have been
(B) have been generated if a portion of the capital would have been
(C) be generated if a portion of the capital were
(D) be generated if a portion of the capital was
(E) be generated if a portion of the capital had been
19. Artificial intelligence emerged during the late 1950’s as an academic discipline based on the assumption that
computers are able to be programmed to think like people.
(A) are able to be programmed to think like people
(B) were able to be programmed to think as people
(C) can be programmed to think as people can
(D) could be programmed to think like people
(E) are capable of being programmed to think like people do
20. As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about
20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
(A) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about
20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
(B) A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about
20/500, or legally blind as an adult.
(C) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision would be rated about 20/500;
qualifying it to be legally blind if an adult.
(D) A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about
20/500; an adult with such vision would be deemed legally blind.
(E) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision, which would be deemed
legally blind for an adult, would be rated about 20/500.
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
Exercise 2

1. As a result of medical advances, many people that might at one time have died as children of such infections as
diphtheria, pneumonia, or rheumatic fever now live well into old age.
(A) that might at one time have died as children
(B) who might once have died in childhood
(C) that as children might once have died
(D) who in childhood might have at one time died
(E) who, when they were children, might at one time have died
2. As a result of the continuing decline in the birth rate, less people will enter the labor force in the 1980’s than did in the
1960’s and 1970’s, a twenty year period during which people born after the war swelled the ranks of workers.
(A) less people will enter the labor force in the 1980’s than
(B) less people will be entering the labor force in the 1980’s as
(C) fewer people will enter the labor force in the 1980’s as
(D) fewer people will be entering the labor force in the 1980’s as
(E) fewer people will enter the labor force in the 1980’s than
3. As a result of the ground-breaking work of Barbara McClintock, many scientists now believe that all of the
information encoded in 50,000 to 100,000 of the different genes found in a human cell are contained in merely three
percent of the cell’s DNA.
(A) 50,000 to 100,000 of the different genes found in a human cell are contained in merely
(B) 50,000 to 100,000 of the human cell’s different genes are contained in a mere
(C) the 50,000 to 100,000 different genes found in human cells are contained in merely
(D) 50,000 to 100,000 of human cell’s different genes is contained in merely
(E) the 50,000 to 100,000 different genes found in a human cell is contained in a mere
4. As business grows more complex, students majoring in specialized areas like those of finance and marketing have
been becoming increasingly successful in the job market.
(A) majoring in specialized areas like those of finance and marketing have been becoming increasingly
(B) who major in such specialized areas as finance and marketing are becoming more and more
(C) who majored in specialized areas such as those of finance and marketing are being increasingly
(D) who major in specialized areas like those of finance and marketing have been becoming more and more
(E) having majored in such specialized areas as finance and marketing are being increasingly
5. As contrasted with the honeybee, the yellow jacket can sting repeatedly without dying and carries a potent venom that
can cause intense pain.
(A) As contrasted with the honeybee
(B) In contrast to the honeybee’s
(C) Unlike the sting of the honeybee
(D) Unlike that of the honeybee
(E) Unlike the honeybee
6. As envisioned by researchers, commercial farming of lobsters will enable fisheries to sell the shellfish year-round,
taking advantage of off-season demand, standardize its sizes and colors, and to predict sales volume in advance.
(A) taking advantage of off-season demand, standardize
(B) taking advantage of off-season demand, to standardize
(C) taking advantage of off-season demand, standardizing
(D) take advantage of off-season demand, standardizing
(E) take advantage of off-season demand, to standardize
7. As Hurricane Hugo approached the Atlantic coast, it increased dramatically in strength, becoming the tenth most
intense hurricane to hit the United States mainland in the twentieth century and most intense since Camille in 1969.
(A) most intense since Camille in 1969
(B) most intense after Camille in 1969
(C) the most intense since Camille in 1969
(D) the most intense after 1969, which had Camille
(E) since 1969 and Camille, the most intense
8. As it becomes more frequent to have spouses who both work outside the home, companies are beginning to help in
finding new employment for the spouses of transferred employees.
(A) it becomes more frequent to have spouses who both work outside the home
(B) it becomes more frequent to have couples both working outside the home
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XAT Prep
(C) it becomes more common that both husband and wife should be working outside the home
(D) it becomes more common for both husband and wife to work outside the home
(E) couples in which both of the spouses working outside the home become more common
9. As litigation grows more complex, the need that experts explain technical issues becomes more apparent.
(A) that experts explain technical issues becomes
(B) for experts to explain technical issues became
(C) for experts to explain technical issues becomes
(D) that technical issues be explained by experts became
(E) that there be explanations of technical issues by experts has become
10. As many as 300 of the 720 paintings attributed to Rembrandt may actually be the works of his students or other
admirers.
(A) the 720 paintings attributed to Rembrandt may
(B) the 720 paintings attributed to be Rembrandt’s might
(C) the 720 paintings that were attributed to be by Rembrandt may
(D) the 720 Rembrandt paintings that were once attributed to him might
(E) Rembrandt’s paintings, although 720 were once attributed to him, may
11. As measured by the Commerce Department, corporate profits peaked in the fourth quarter of 1988 and have slipped
since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs.
(A) and have slipped since then, as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs
(B) and have slipped since then, the reason being because many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs
(C) and slipped since then, many companies being unable to pass on higher costs
(D) but, many companies unable to pass on higher costs, they have slipped since then
(E) yet are slipping since then, because many companies were unable to pass on higher costs
12. As more and more people invest their money in savings certificates or money-market funds in order to earn higher
interest, they are abandoning traditional low-interest investment havens such as passbook accounts and life insurance
policies.
(A) As more and more people invest their money
(B) While people have more and more been investing their money
(C) As money is more and more invested by people
(D) More and more, when investors put their money
(E) While, more and more, investors have been putting their money
13. As part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped to practice falling
during the 1950s, so that they could learn to fall without being hurt.
(A) As part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped to practice falling
during the 1950s
(B) As part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live during the 1950s with their disabilities were helped
to practice falling
(C) Young polio victims learning to live during the 1950s with their disabilities were helped to practice falling as part
of their therapy
(D) Young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped to practice falling during the 1950s as part
of their therapy
(E) During the 1950s, as part of their therapy, young polio victims learning to live with their disabilities were helped
to practice falling
14. As rare as something becomes, be it a baseball card or a musical recording or a postage stamp, the more avidly it is
sought by collectors.
(A) As rare as something becomes, be it
(B) As rare as something becomes, whether it is
(C) As something becomes rarer and rarer, like
(D) The rarer something becomes, like
(E) The rarer something becomes, whether it is
15. As recently as 1950, tuberculosis was never curable unless sequestered in sanitariums; today, the drug Isoniazid has
made such treatment obsolete.
(A) unless sequestered
(B) without sequestering
(C) without being sequestered
(D) unless it was sequestered
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XAT Prep
(E) unless patients were sequestered
16. As researchers continue to probe the highly expressive vocal and postural language of wolves, their close resemblance
to dogs has become ever more striking.
(A) their close resemblance to dogs has become
(B) the closeness of their resemblance to dogs has become
(C) the close resemblance between them and dogs has become
(D) the close resemblance between wolves and dogs becomes
(E) the close resemblance of wolves with dogs becomes
17. As Russell Banks suggests, it is a lack of grand ideas that have only left writers with semiotics, hermeneutics, and
deconstruction.
(A) As Russell Banks suggests, it is a lack of grand ideas that have only left writers with
(B) Writers, Russell Banks suggests, who lack of grand ideas and leave only
(C) Russell Banks suggests that a lack of grand ideas has left writers with only
(D) It is Russell Banks’ suggestion that a lack of grand ideas have left writers only with
(E) It is only a lack of grand ideas, Russell Banks suggests, which leave writers with
18. As sales of cars and light trucks made in North America were declining 13.6 percent in late February, many analysts
conclude that evidence of a recovering automotive market remains slight.
(A) As sales of cars and light trucks made in North America were declining 13.6 percent in late February, many
analysts conclude
(B) Since sales of cars and light trucks made in North America declined 13.6 percent in late February, and many
analysts conclude
(C) With sales of cars and light trucks made in North America declining 13.6 percent in late February, with many
analysts concluding
(D) Because sales of cars and light trucks made in North America declined 13.6 percent in late February, many
analysts concluded
(E) Because of sales of cars and light trucks made in North America declining 13.6 percent in late February,
therefore, many analysts concluded
19. As the etched lines on computer memory chips have become thinner and the chips’ circuits more complex, both the
power of the chips and the electronic devices they drive have vastly increased.
(A) the chips’ circuits more complex, both the power of the chips and the electronic devices they drive have
(B) the chips’ circuits more complex, the power of both the chips and the electronic devices they drive has
(C) the chips’ circuits are more complex, both the power of the chips and the electronic devices they drive has
(D) their circuits are more complex, the power of both the chips and the electronic devices they drive have
(E) their circuits more complex, both the power of the chips and the electronic devices they drive have
20. As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, and these families can no
longer qualify to buy homes, and rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their
incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.
(A) and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and
(B) since these families can no longer afford to buy homes, furthermore
(C) for these families can no longer afford to buy homes, yet
(D) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes; however,
(E) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes, for
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XAT Prep
Exercise 3

1. As the price of gasoline rises, which makes substituting alcohol distilled from cereal grain attractive, the prices of
bread and livestock feed are sure to increase.
(A) which makes substituting alcohol distilled from cereal grain attractive
(B) which makes substituting the distillation of alcohol from cereal grain attractive
(C) which makes distilling alcohol from cereal grain an attractive substitute
(D) making an attractive substitution of alcohol distilled from cereal grain
(E) making alcohol distilled from cereal grain an attractive substitute
2. As U.S. nuclear attack submarines prowl their familiar haunts deep within the oceans of the world these days, they
increasingly are engaged in missions far different from the tasks for which they were built and for which their crews
were trained over the last forty years.
(A) they increasingly are engaged in missions far different from the tasks for which they were built
(B) the missions they increasingly engage in are far different than the tasks they were built for
(C) they engage increasingly in missions that differ significantly from the tasks they were built for
(D) the missions they engage in are increasingly different than the tasks for which they were built
(E) they increasingly engage in missions far different than the tasks for which they were built
3. As virtually all the nation’s 50 busiest airports are, New York’s were built for an age of propellers, before jet planes
weighing 800,000 pounds needed over two miles of runway.
(A) As virtually all the nation’s 50 busiest airports are
(B) As with virtually all of the nation’s 50 busiest airports
(C) Like virtually all of the nation’s 50 busiest airports
(D) Like the cities where virtually all the nation’s 50 busiest airports are
(E) Like other cities where virtually all the nation’s 50 busiest airports are
4. As well as heat and light, the Sun is the source of a continuous stream of atomic particles known as the solar wind.
(A) As well as heat and light, the Sun is the source of a continuous stream
(B) Besides heat and light, also the Sun is the source of a continuous stream
(C) Besides heat and light, the Sun is also the source of a continuous streaming
(D) The Sun is the source not only of heat and light, but also of a continuous stream
(E) The Sun is the source of not only heat and light but, as well, of a continuous streaming
5. Astronomers at the Palomar Observatory have discovered a distant supernova explosion, one that they believe is a
type previously unknown to science.
(A) that they believe is
(B) that they believe it to be
(C) they believe that it is of
(D) they believe that is
(E) they believe to be of
6. Astronomers studying the newly discovered star say that it provides clues about our galaxy’s origin, that it may supply
data about how fast our galaxy is expanding, and moreover it is perhaps the most distant star in the entire Milky Way.
(A) about how fast our galaxy is expanding, and moreover it is perhaps
(B) regarding the speed our galaxy expands at; moreover, they think it may be
(C) about how fast our galaxy expands and perhaps be
(D) on the galaxy’s expansion rate and perhaps
(E) about how fast our galaxy is expanding, and that it is perhaps
7. At a recent session, the French government has decided that Paris needs a second, larger opera house to complement
the famous Paris Opera.
(A) has decided that Paris needs
(B) decided that Paris needs
(C) has decided that Paris will need
(D) decided that Paris has a need of
(E) has decided that Paris needed
8. At a time when it was unusual to do it, Dorothy Sterling wrote about such major figures of Black history as Harriet
Tubman and W. E. B. Du Bois.
(A) it was unusual to do it
(B) it was unusual to do so
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XAT Prep
(C) doing that was unusual
(D) that was an unusual thing to be doing
(E) it was not usual to do
9. At ground level, ozone is a harmful pollutant, but in the stratosphere it shields the Earth from the most biologically
harmful radiation emitted by the Sun, radiation in the ultraviolet band of the spectrum.
(A) in the stratosphere
(B) in the stratosphere, in which
(C) it is in the stratosphere in which
(D) in the stratosphere where
(E) it is in the stratosphere and
10. At Shiprock, New Mexico, a perennially powerful girls’ high school basketball team has become a path to college for
some and a source of pride for a community where the household incomes of 49 percent of them are below the
poverty level.
(A) where the household incomes of 49 percent of them are
(B) where they have 49 percent of the household incomes
(C) where 49 percent of the household incomes are
(D) which has 49 percent of the household incomes
(E) in which 49 percent of them have household incomes
11. At the beginning of the year, the city allocated $150 million to cover the increase in wages that it expected to approve
as a result of negotiations with the municipal labor unions.
(A) increase in wages that it expected to approve as a result of negotiations
(B) increased wages it expected to approve from negotiations
(C) increasing wages expected to be approved as a result of negotiating
(D) negotiated increases in wages it expected to approve
(E) increases expected to be approved in wages from negotiating
12. At the invitation of Kwame Nkrumah, W. E. B. Du Bois settled in Gharla and became the editor of the Encyclopedia
Africana.
(A) At the invitation of
(B) When he was invited by
(C) An invitation coming from
(D) An invitation that came from
(E) After having an invitation by
13. At the time of the Mexican agrarian revolution, the most radical faction, that of Zapata and his followers, proposed a
return to communal ownership of land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the
Spaniards.
(A) land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards
(B) land, a form of ownership of the pre-Columbians and respected by the Spaniards
(C) land, respected by the Spaniards and a pre-Columbian form of ownership
(D) land in which a pre-Columbian form of ownership was respected by the Spaniards
(E) land that had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards
14. Automation has undermined the traditional position of labor as much by robbing workers of the special Skills that
were once their most important strength than by the elimination of jobs.
(A) than by the elimination of jobs
(B) rather than by the elimination of a job
(C) than by eliminating jobs
(D) as by the elimination of a job
(E) as by eliminating jobs
15. Aviation officials have not only failed to determine the cause of the crash, but they have also ignored demands by the
pilots union that the investigation should be expedited.
(A) crash, but they have also ignored demands by the pilots union that the investigation should be expedited
(B) crash but also ignored demands by the pilots union that the investigation be expedited
(C) crash but have ignored demands for expediting the investigation by the pilots’ union
(D) crash, but they are also ignoring the pilots’ union’s demands to expedite the investigation
(E) crash: the demands by the pilots’ union that the investigation should be expedited have also been ignored
16. Balding is much more common among White males than males of other races.
(A) than
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XAT Prep
(B) than among
(C) than is so of
(D) compared to
(E) in comparison with
17. Balzac drank more than fifty cups of coffee a day and died of caffeine poisoning; furthermore, caffeine did not seem to
bother Samuel Johnson, the great writer and lexicographer, who was reported to have drunk twenty-five cups of tea at
one sitting.
(A) furthermore, caffeine did not seem to bother
(B) however, caffeine did not seem to bother
(C) however, caffeine did not seem to have bothered
(D) furthermore, caffeine did not seem to have bothered
(E) in addition, caffeine did not seem to bother
18. Bankers require that the financial information presented to them by mortgage applicants be complete and follow a
prescribed format.
(A) be complete and follow a prescribed format
(B) is complete and it follows a prescribed format
(C) be complete and a prescribed format is followed
(D) to be complete and a prescribed format be following
(E) be completed, and it followed a prescribed format
19. Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an all-female
cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as Bona Dea, “the good
goddess.”
(A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers
(B) Basing it on various ancient writers’ accounts
(C) With accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis
(D) By the accounts of various ancient writers they used
(E) Using accounts of various ancient writers
20. Based on pinto beans and corn tortillas, the Pima Indians have a diet that derives 70 percent of its protein from
vegetable sources and only 30 percent from animal foods, the reverse of the typical North American diet.
(A) Pima Indians have a diet that derives
(B) Pima Indians in their diet derive
(C) diet of the Pima Indians derives
(D) diets of the Pima Indians have derived
(E) diet of the Pima Indians, deriving
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XAT Prep
Exercise 4

1. Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles such as the Galapagos tortoise and examinations of fossils of
juvenile dinosaurs, scientists estimate that the largest dinosaurs probably lived to be between 100 and 200 years old.
(A) Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles such as
(B) On the basis of growth rates of large modern reptiles such as
(C) Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles like
(D) On the basis of growth rates of large modern reptiles, like those of
(E) Based on such growth rates as those of large modern reptiles like
2. Beatrix Potter, in her book illustrations, carefully coordinating them with her narratives, capitalized on her keen
observation and love of the natural world.
(A) Beatrix Potter, in her book illustrations, carefully coordinating them with her narratives,
(B) In her book illustrations, carefully coordinating them with her narratives, Beatrix Potter
(C) In her book illustrations, which she carefully coordinated with her narratives, Beatrix Potter
(D) Carefully coordinated with her narratives, Beatrix Potter, in her book illustrations
(E) Beatrix Potter, in her book illustrations, carefully coordinated them with her narratives and
3. Because Halley’s comet changes orbit slightly during the seventy-six-year interval between passing close to Earth, it
may veer onto a collision course with a planet sometime in the distant future.
(A) between passing
(B) of passing
(C) between its passes
(D) of its passes
(E) as it passes
4. Because natural gas is composed mostly of methane, a simple hydrocarbon, vehicles powered by natural gas emit less
of certain pollutants than the burning of gasoline or diesel fuel.
(A) less of certain pollutants than the burning of gasoline or diesel fuel
(B) fewer of certain pollutants than burning gasoline or diesel fuel do
(C) less of certain pollutants than gasoline or diesel fuel
(D) fewer of certain pollutants than does burning gasoline or diesel fuel
(E) less of certain pollutants than those burning gasoline or diesel fuel
5. Because of the business community’s uncertainty about the President’s position in regard to the issue of the budget
deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rates has occurred.
(A) in regard to the issue of the budget deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rates has
(B) on the deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rates has
(C) regarding the budgetary deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rates have
(D) on the deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rates have
(E) regarding the deficit, an unanticipated rise in interest rats have
6. Because of the enormous research and development expenditures required to survive in the electronics industry, an
industry marked by rapid innovation and volatile demand, such firms tend to be very large.
(A) to survive
(B) of firms to survive
(C) for surviving
(D) for survival
(E) for firms’ survival
7. Because paper of all kinds is the biggest single component of municipal trash, many municipalities have tried
recycling to reduce the cost of trash disposal.
(A) Because paper of all kinds is the biggest single component of municipal trash, many municipalities have tried
recycling to reduce the cost of trash disposal.
(B) Because paper of all kinds is the biggest single component in municipal trash, many municipalities tried to
recycle so that the cost of trash disposal is reduced.
(C) Because paper of all kinds are the biggest single components in municipal trash, many municipalities have tried
to recycle to reduce the cost of trash disposal.
(D) All kinds of paper are the biggest single components of municipal trash, and so many municipalities have tried
recycling to reduce the cost of trash disposal.
(E) All kinds of paper is the biggest single component of municipal trash, so many municipalities have tried to
recycle so that the cost of trash disposal could be reduced.
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
8. Because the Earth’s crust is more solid there and thus better able to transmit shock waves, an earthquake of a given
magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the West.
(A) of a given magnitude typically devastates an area 100 times greater in the eastern United States than it does in the
West
(B) of a given magnitude will typically devastate 100 times the area if it occurs in the eastern United States instead of
the West
(C) will typically devastate 100 times the area in the eastern United States than one of the comparable magnitude
occurring in the West
(D) in the eastern United States will typically devastate an area 100 times greater than will a quake of comparable
magnitude occurring in the West
(E) that occurs in the eastern United States will typically devastate 100 times more area than if it occurred with
comparable magnitude in the West
9. Because the enemy’s new ship is the quietest and it is therefore the most elusive submarine, it is being increasingly
viewed by the military as a threat to security.
(A) and it is therefore the most elusive submarine, it is being increasingly viewed
(B) it is therefore the most elusive of submarines, and it has increased the view
(C) and therefore the most elusive submarine, it is being increasingly viewed
(D) and therefore it is the most elusive of submarines, there is an increasing view
(E) therefore being the most elusive of submarines, it is increasingly viewed
10. Because the financial review covered only the last few fiscal years, and therefore the investigators were unable to
determine the extent to possible earlier overpayments.
(A) and therefore the investigators were unable to determine the extent to possible
(B) so therefore the investigators were not capable of determining the possible extent of
(C) therefore the investigators were unable to determine the possible extent of
(D) the investigators were not capable of determining the possible extent of
(E) the investigators were unable to determine the extent of possible
11. Because young children do not organize their attention or perceptions systematically, like adults, they may notice and
remember details that their elders ignore.
(A) like adults
(B) unlike an adult
(C) as adults
(D) as adults do
(E) as an adult
12. Before the Civil War, Harriet Tubman, herself an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland to guide other
slaves along the Underground Railroad to freedom.
(A) herself an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland to guide
(B) being an escaped slave herself, returned again and again to Maryland so as to guide
(C) an escaped slave herself, returned again and again to Maryland for guiding
(D) herself as an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland so as to be the guide of
(E) who had been herself as an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland for the guiding of
13. Being a United States citizen since 1988 and born in Calcutta in 1940, author Bharati Mukherjee has lived in England
and Canada, and first came to the United States in 1961 to study at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
(A) Being a United States citizen since 1988 and born in Calcutta in 1940, author Bharati Mukherjee has
(B) Having been a United States citizen since 1988, she was born in Calcutta in 1940; author Bharati Mukherjee
(C) Born in Calcutta in 1940, author Bharati Mukherjee became a United States citizen in 1988; she has
(D) Being born in Calcutta in 1940 and having been a United States citizen since 1988, author Bharati Mukherjee
(E) Having been born in Calcutta in 1940 and being a United States citizen since 1988, author Bharati Mukherjee
14. Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used as a
secret language to communicate with other members of the herd.
(A) Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be
used
(B) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they
may use this
(C) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds, believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, that they may
use
(D) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads; elephants emit low-frequency sounds they may
use
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
(E) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads, low-frequency sounds are emitted by elephants
that may be used
15. Besides yielding such psychological rewards as relief from stress, deep relaxation, if practiced regularly, can
strengthen the immune system and produce a host of other physiological benefits.
(A) deep relaxation, if practiced regularly, can strengthen the immune system
(B) one can strengthen the immune system through deep relaxation, if it is practiced regularly
(C) the immune system can be strengthened as a result of deep relaxation if practiced regularly
(D) when deep relaxation is practiced regularly, the immune system can be strengthened
(E) when practiced regularly, the results of deep relaxation can be to strengthen the immune system
16. Beyond the immediate cash flow crisis that the museum faces, its survival depends on if it can broaden its
membership and leave its cramped quarters for a site where it can store and exhibit its more than 12,000 artifacts.
(A) if it can broaden its membership and leave
(B) whether it can broaden its membership and leave
(C) whether or not it has the capability to broaden its membership and can leave
(D) its ability for broadening its membership and leaving
(E) the ability for it to broaden its membership and leave
17. Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111, lower than in the most impoverished countries
of the world.
(A) lower than in
(B) lower than that of
(C) and lower than that of
(D) which is lower than in
(E) which is lower than it is in
18. Bill Walton continued on playing, even though he had injuries that recurred over and over again, always hoping to
return back to his position as a regular starter in the game he loved.
(A) on playing, even though he had injuries that recurred over and over again, always hoping to return back
(B) playing, in spite of recurrent injuries, always hoping to return
(C) playing, though injured over and over, and he was always hoping to return back
(D) on playing, even with injuries that recurred, and always hoped to return
(E) to play, despite recurring injuries, hoping that the return
19. Biologists believe that they have found one of the substances that tell individual genes both when to become active
and when to remain quiescent in the earliest phases of an embryo’s development.
(A) tell individual genes both when to become active and when to remain
(B) tell individual genes both at which time they should become active or should remain
(C) tells individual genes both when to become active or remain
(D) tells individual genes both when to become active or when to remain
(E) will tell an individual gene both about when it should become active and remain
20. Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, whose repertory, views on musical collaboration, and vocal style were influential on
generations of bluegrass artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, that included Elvis Presley and Jerry
Garcia, whose music differed significantly from his own.
(A) were influential on generations of bluegrass artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, that included
Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music differed significantly from
(B) influenced generations of bluegrass artists, also inspired many musicians, including Elvis Presley and Jerry
Garcia, whose music differed significantly from
(C) was influential to generations of bluegrass artists, was also inspirational to many musicians, that included Elvis
Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music was different significantly in comparison to
(D) was influential to generations of bluegrass artists, also inspired many musicians, who included Elvis Presley and
Jerry Garcia, the music of whom differed significantly when compared to
(E) were an influence on generations of bluegrass artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, including Elvis
Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music was significantly different from that of
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
Exercise 5

1. Bob Wilber became Sidney Bechet’s student and protégé when he was nineteen and, for a few years in the 1940’s,
came as close to being a carbon copy of the jazz virtuoso in performance as anyone has ever come.
(A) as anyone has ever come
(B) as anyone ever had been
(C) as anyone ever had done
(D) that anyone ever did
(E) that anyone ever came
2. Bringing the Ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World War was a
special governmentally sanctioned price increase during a period of wage and price controls.
(A) Bringing the Ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World War was a
special governmentally sanctioned price increase during a period of wage and price controls.
(B) What brought the Ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World War
was a special price increase that the government sanctioned during a period of wage and price controls.
(C) That which brought the ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World
War was a special governmentally sanctioned price increase during a period of wage and price controls.
(D) What has brought the Ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World
War was a special price increase that the government sanctioned during a period of wages and price controls.
(E) To bring the Ford Motor Company back from the verge of bankruptcy shortly after the Second World War, there
was a special price increase during a period of wages and price controls that government sanctioned.
3. Bufo marinus toads, fierce predators that will eat frogs, lizards, and even small birds, are native to South America but
were introduced into Florida during the 1930’s in an attempt to control pests in the state’s vast sugarcane fields.
(A) are native to South America but were introduced into Florida during the 1930’s in an attempt to control
(B) are native in South America but were introduced into Florida during the 1930’s as attempts to control
(C) are natives of South America but were introduced into Florida during the 1930’s in an attempt at controlling
(D) had been native to South America but were introduced to Florida during the 1930’s as an attempt at controlling
(E) had been natives of South America but were introduced to Florida during the 1930’s as attempts at controlling
4. Building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, on the basis of avoidance
of duplicated facilities alone.
(A) on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone
(B) on the grounds of avoiding duplicated facilities alone
(C) solely in that duplicated facilities should be avoided
(D) while the duplication of facilities should be avoided
(E) if only because the duplication of facilities should be avoided
5. By 1914, ten of the western states had granted women the right to vote, but only one in the East.
(A) only one in the East
(B) only one eastern state
(C) in the East there was only one state
(D) in the East only one state did
(E) only one in the East had
6. By a vote of 9 to 0, the Supreme Court awarded the Central Intelligence Agency broad discretionary powers enabling
it to withhold from the public the identities of its sources of intelligence information.
(A) enabling it to withhold from the public
(B) for it to withhold from the public
(C) for withholding disclosure to the public of
(D) that enable them to withhold from public disclosure
(E) that they can withhold public disclosure of
7. By analyzing the advanced olfactory apparatus of Pleistocene chordates, paleozoologists have discovered a link
between the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and its regions of long-term memory storage, a link that could
prove invaluable in the treatment of amnesia victims.
(A) paleozoologists have discovered a link between the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and its regions of
long-term memory storage
(B) a link between the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and its regions of long-term memory storage has been
discovered by paleozoologists
(C) there is a link that paleozoologists have discovered between the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and its
regions of long-term memory storage
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
(D) the discovery of a link between the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and its regions of long-term memory
storage was made by paleozoologists
(E) the brain’s regions of scent discrimination and long-term memory storage have a link that was discovered by
paleozoologists
8. By installing special electric pumps, farmers’ houses could be heated by the warmth from cows’ milk, according to
one agricultural engineer.
(A) farmers’ houses could be heated by the warmth from cows’ milk, according to one agricultural engineer
(B) the warmth from cows’ milk could be used by farmers to heat their houses, according to one agricultural engineer
(C) one agricultural engineer reports that farmers could use the warmth from cows’ milk to heat their houses
(D) farmers, according to one agricultural engineer, could use the warmth from cows’ milk to heat their houses
(E) one agricultural engineer reports that farmers’ houses could be heated by the warmth from cows’ milk
9. By offering lower prices and a menu of personal communications options, such as caller identification and voice mail,
the new telecommunications company has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced
them to offer competitive prices.
(A) has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced them
(B) has not only captured customers from other phone companies, but it also forced them
(C) has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced these companies
(D) not only has captured customers from other phone companies but also these companies have been forced
(E) not only captured customers from other phone companies, but it also has forced them
10. By showing that South Africa does not have a free market and is in fact a kind of collectivist welfare state for Whites
only, Sowell argues that American conservatives have no valid ideological grounds to be in sympathy with the
Pretoria regime.
(A) to be in sympathy with
(B) to sympathize with
(C) for sympathizing with
(D) that they should sympathize with
(E) that they should have sympathy for
11. By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms, biophysicists have discovered a striking
similarity between algae and cows, a similarity that indicates the common evolutionary origin of plants and animals:
both algae and cows produce a light-sensitive protein called rhodopsin.
(A) biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows
(B) a striking similarity between algae and cows has been discovered by biophysicists
(C) there is a striking similarity that biophysicists have discovered between algae and cows
(D) the discovery of a striking similarity between algae and cows was made by biophysicists
(E) algae and cows have a striking similarity that was discovered by biophysicists
12. By the mid-seventeenth century, Amsterdam had built a new town hall so large that only St. Peter’s in Rome, the
Escorial in Spain, and the Palazza Ducale in Venice could rival it for scale or magnificence.
(A) could rival it for
(B) were the rivals of it in their
(C) were its rival as to
(D) could be its rivals in their
(E) were rivaling its
13. Byron possessed powers of observation that would have made him a great anthropologist and that makes his letters as
a group the rival of the best novels of the time.
(A) makes his letters as a group the rival of
(B) makes his letters as a group one to rival
(C) makes his letters a group rivaling
(D) make his letters as a group the rival of
(E) make his letters a group which is the rival of
14. Cajuns speak a dialect brought to southern Louisiana by the four thousand Acadians who migrated there in 1755; their
language is basically seventeenth-century French to which has been added English, Spanish and Italian words.
(A) to which has been added English, Spanish and Italian words
(B) added to which is English, Spanish, and Italian words
(C) to which English, Spanish, and Italian words have been added
(D) with English, Spanish, and Italian words having been added to it
(E) and, in addition, English, Spanish, and Italian words are added
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep
15. California’s child-support payments are as high or higher than other states.
(A) as high or higher than other states
(B) at least as high as any states
(C) as high as, or higher than, those of any other state
(D) higher than any state’s, or just as high
(E) higher, or as high as, other states
16. Camille Claudet worked continuously through the 1880’s and early 1890’s with the sculptor Auguste Rodin; since
there are very few signed works of hers, the inescapable conclusion seems to be one of Claudet conceiving and
executing part of Rodin’s enormous production of that period.
(A) inescapable conclusion seems to be one of Claudet conceiving and executing part of Rodin’s enormous
production of that period
(B) conclusion of Claudet conceiving and executing part of Rodin’s enormous production of that period seems
inescapable
(C) conclusion seems inescapable that part of Rodin’s enormous production of that period was conceived and
executed by Claudet
(D) conclusion of part of Rodin’s enormous production of that period having been conceived and executed by
Claudet seems inescapable
(E) seemingly inescapable conclusion is that Claudet would have conceived and executed part of Rodin’s enormous
production of that period
17. Camus broke with Sartre in a bitter dispute over the nature of Stalinism.
(A) in a bitter dispute over
(B) over bitterly disputing
(C) after there was a bitter dispute over
(D) after having bitterly disputed about
(E) over a bitter dispute about
18. Canadian scientists have calculated that one human being should be struck every nine years by a meteorite, while each
year sixteen buildings can be expected to sustain damage from such objects.
(A) one human being should be struck every nine years by a meteorite
(B) a human being should be struck by a meteorite once in every nine years
(C) a meteorite will strike one human being once in every nine years
(D) every nine years a human being will be struck by a meteorite
(E) every nine years a human being should be struck by a meteorite
19. Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the increase in
car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation.
(A) Car owners who inflate their tires properly can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency, since the
increase in car-road friction can waste up to five percent of car fuel by underinflation.
(B) Because the underinflation of tires can waste up to five percent of a car’s fuel by increasing car-road friction, car
owners can substantially boost their vehicles’ fuel efficiency by properly inflating the tires.
(C) Their vehicles’ fuel efficiency is substantially boosted by car owners through the proper inflation of tires that,
when underinflated, can waste up to five percent of car fuel by an increase in car-road friction.
(D) The proper inflation of tires by car owners, due to the fact that underinflation can waste up to five percent of a
car’s fuel by the increase of car-road friction, can substantially boost their fuel efficiency.
(E) Because up to five percent of a car’s fuel are wasted through the increases in car-road friction when the tires are
underinflated, car owners properly inflating tires can substantially boost their fuel efficiency.
20. Carbon-14 dating reveals that the megalithic monuments in Brittany are nearly 2,000 years as old as any of their
supposed Mediterranean predecessors.
(A) as old as any of their supposed
(B) older than any of their supposed
(C) as old as their supposed
(D) older than any of their supposedly
(E) as old as their supposedly
 The Verbal Mentor
XAT Prep

Answer Key
Exercise 1

1. A 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. B
6. A 7. D 8. A 9. A 10. A
11. A 12. A 13. B 14. C 15. C
16. B 17. C 18. C 19. D 20. D

Exercise 2

1. B 2. E 3. E 4. B 5. E
6. B 7. C 8. D 9. C 10. A
11. A 12. A 13. E 14. E 15. E
16. D 17. C 18. D 19. B 20. C

Exercise 3

1. E 2. A 3. C 4. D 5. E
6. E 7. B 8. B 9. A 10. C
11. A 12. A 13. A 14. E 15. B
16. B 17. B 18. A 19. E 20. C

Exercise 4

1. B 2. C 3. C 4. E 5. B
6. B 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. E
11. D 12. A 13. C 14. C 15. A
16. B 17. B 18. B 19. A 20. B

Exercise 5

1. A 2. B 3. A 4. E 5. E
6. A 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. C
11. A 12. A 13. D 14. C 15. C
16. C 17. A 18. D 19. B 20. B