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GMAT GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam
GMAT Section 3: Verbal Ability (Page 2 )

Updated On: 30-Jan-2026
Page 2 of 153
PDF with 747 Questions

Read the passage carefully and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the question based upon what is stated or implied in the reading passage.

In Ursula LeGuin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” everyone in the city of Omelas is happy — everyone, that is, except the child who is kept locked in a basement closet. The child is left entirely alone and neglected except for occasional visits from the citizens of Omelas. They come at a certain age as a rite of initiation, to learn the secret of the happiness they enjoy. They come to learn that their happiness has a price: the suffering of an innocent child. In the end, most people stay in Omelas; but a few, unable to bear the fact that they are responsible for the suffering of that child, reject this utopia built upon a utilitarian morality.

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory based upon the belief that happiness is the ultimate good and that people should use happiness as the measure for determining right and wrong. For utilitarian, the right thing to do is that which will bring about the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Furthermore, utilitarianism argues that the intention of people’s actions does not matter; only the consequences of their actions are morally relevant, because only the consequences determine how much happiness is produced.

Although many useful social policies and much legislation are founded on this “greatest good” philosophy, utilitarianism can be problematic as a basis for morality. First, happiness is not so easy to quantify, and any measurement is bound to be subjective. Second, in a theory that treats everything except happiness as instrumentally rather than intrinsically valuable, anything — or, more importantly, anyone — can (and should) be treated as a means to an end, if it means greater happiness. This rejects the notion that human beings have their own intrinsic value. Further, utilitarianism puts the burden of the happiness of the masses on the suffering of the few. Is the happiness of many worth the suffering of a few? Why do those few deserve to suffer? Isn’t this burden of suffering morally irresponsible? This is the dilemma so brilliantly illustrated in LeGuin’s story.

Which of the following best sums up the author’s opinion of utilitarianism?

  1. It is an ethical theory.
  2. It is the ethical theory that people should all live by.
  3. It is a useful but problematic ethical theory.
  4. It does not adequately measure happiness.
  5. It underestimates the intrinsic value of human beings.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The author is critical of utilitarianism, but she also includes evidence that it is a useful theory. LeGuin’s story, for example, shows how the sacrifice of one can create the happiness of many. The author also notes that “many useful social policies and much legislation are founded on” utilitarianism, demonstrating that it is a useful ethical theory. The word choice throughout also indicates that the author feels that this ethical theory has both positive and negative aspects. For example, she calls it “problematic,” but not “wrongheaded” or “faulty.” She calls the problem of the suffering of the few for the happiness of the many a “dilemma,” not a “flaw” or “failure.” She asks questions rather than making statements about the immorality of utilitarian choices. Choice a is incorrect because it simply states a fact from the essay; it does not express an opinion. The author clearly states that “there are several serious problems with utilitarianism as a basis for morality,” so choice b is incorrect. Although the statements in choices d and e are true and clearly stated in the text, these are specific criticisms of utilitarianism and do not sum up the author’s opinion of this ethical theory.



Less than 50 percent of a certain tropical country’s wildlands remains intact. Efforts are under way to restore biological diversity in that country by restoring some destroyed wild habitats and extending some relatively intact portions of forests. However, opponents argue that these efforts are not needed because there is still plenty of wild land left.
Which of the following, if true, most significantly weakens the argument of the opponents of conservation efforts?

  1. As much, if not more, effort is required to restore a wild habitat as to preserve an intact habitat.
  2. The opponents of restoration efforts are, for the most part, members of the wealthier classes in their own villages and cities.
  3. Existing conservation laws have been very effective in preserving biological diversity within the wildlands that remain intact.
  4. For many tropical species native to that country, the tropical wildlands that are still relatively intact do not provide appropriate habitats for reproduction.
  5. If a suitable population of plants and animals is introduced and is permitted to disperse and grow, tropical habitats can most certainly be restored.

Answer(s): D



A study comparing a group of chronically depressed individuals with an otherwise matched group of individuals free from depression found significantly more disorders of the immune system among the depressed group.
According to the researchers, these results strongly support the hypothesis that mental states influence the body’s vulnerability to infection.
Which of the following, if true, casts the most serious doubt on the researchers’ interpretation of their findings?

  1. The researchers’ view does little more than echo a familiar theme in folklore and literature.
  2. Chronically depressed individuals are no less careful than others to avoid exposure to infections.
  3. Disorders of the immune system cause many of those individuals who have them to become chronically depressed.
  4. Individuals who have previously been free from depression can become depressed quite suddenly.
  5. A high frequency of infections can stem from an unusually high level of exposure rather than from any disorder of the immune system.

Answer(s): C



Exports of United States wood pulp will rise considerably during this year. The reason for the rise is that the falling value of the dollar will make it cheaper for paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe to buy American wood pulp than to get it from any other source.
Which of the following is an assumption made in drawing the conclusion above?

  1. Factory output of paper products in Japan and Western Europe will increase sharply during this year.
  2. The quality of the wood pulp produced in the United States would be adequate for the purposes of Japanese and Western European paper manufacturers.
  3. Paper manufacturers in Japan and Western Europe would prefer to use wood pulp produced in the United States if cost were not a factor.
  4. Demand for paper products made in Japan and Western Europe will not increase sharply during this year.
  5. Production of wood pulp by United States companies will not increase sharply during this year.

Answer(s): B



A company’s personnel director surveyed employees about their satisfaction with the company’s system for awarding employee performance ratings. The survey data indicated that employees who received high ratings were very satisfied with the system. The personnel director concluded from these data that the company’s best- performing employees liked the system.
The personnel director’s conclusion assumes which of the following?

  1. No other performance rating system is as good as the current system.
  2. The company’s best-performing employees received high ratings.
  3. Employees who received low ratings were dissatisfied with the system.
  4. Employees who receive high ratings from a performance-rating system will like that system.
  5. The company’s best-performing employees were motivated to perform well by the knowledge that they would receive performance ratings.

Answer(s): B



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