GMAT practice questions and answers 2026. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q21Science and literature both attempt to describe human experiences, interactions, and observations.<br/><br/>Science tends to describe the more public aspects of human experience, using several similar examples to create generalizations, theories, definitions, and categories by which to communicate this knowledge to others.<br/><br/>Literature also describes public experiences, but rather than generalizing from similar examples, describes single episodes from the vantage point of the inner reactive experience of the characters involved.<br/><br/>Whereas scientists use language to describe phenomena that can be publicly experienced and shared, writers strive to acknowledge the uniqueness of events while suggesting, through their characters' reaction to them, a universal response they may engender.<br/><br/>Writers are extremely careful in how they arrange their words, recognizing that even slight alterations in word choice or sequence could change not only the meaning of a story, but its aesthetic qualities as well.<br/><br/>The structure of a scientific paper is not as restrictive: as long as the scientist follows a valid path of reasoning to a logical conclusion, the specific arrangement of words is not crucial.<br/><br/>In contrast, creative writers freely bend and break many rules of both logic and grammar. This verbal playfulness provides the reader with new ways of perceiving the words, their sounds, their various meanings, and their relations to one another.<br/><br/>Despite such fundamental differences, science and literature can complement each other in a well-balanced society, and for that matter, in a well-balanced individual.<br/><br/>While science sheds light on the mysterious inner-workings of nature, literature illuminates and celebrates the mysterious inner-workings of the human heart and mind.<br/><br/>The points at which the two disciplines intersect create possibilities for understanding ourselves and our world that neither could offer alone. According to the passage, literature is similar to science in which of the following ways?<br/><br/>I. Literature focuses on the personal reactions of individuals.<br/><br/>II. Literature describes public aspects of human experience.<br/><br/>III. Literature attempts to describe interactions and observations.
✓ Correct answer: C. II and III only
In the first paragraph, the author observes that literature and science both describe aspects of human experience, option II, even though their methodologies are different.<br/><br/>In the first sentence of the paragraph, the author states that science and literature both try to describe interactions and observations, option III. Option I is a true statement, according to paragraph 1, but represents a point of distinction between science and literature, not a similarity.<br/><br/>Whereas literature focuses on the personal reactions of individuals, science generalizes from similar examples.
Q22Historically, capitalism has been depicted as both an exploitative economic system that benefits a few owners at the expense of many workers and a system that enables virtually anyone to achieve potentially high profits in a free competitive market.<br/><br/>Since the 1980s, a seemingly ironic blending of capitalism and socialism has emerged in the United States in the form of employee ownership plans that give employee owners a financial stake in their companies. The proliferation of these plans indicates that they are not only viable, but profitable. In some socialist-leaning countries in Europe, the model of employee ownership is somewhat artificial. Employees have voting power in their company, yet they do not have any capital investment at risk. This often leads to decisions that spoil the fruits of the corporation's labors.<br/><br/>By contrast, employee ownership in the United States means exactly that—workers own stock in the corporation, and thus at least a small percentage of the capital. Currently, at least 10,000 U.S. companies have made their employees shareholders, representing approximately 20 percent of the American workforce. But does offering a piece of the pie to workers typically result in higher productivity and profitability? Several studies have found that in the first year of employee ownership, productivity gains are about double the average and continue to be higher in the long run. Another benefit is that profitability and stock market returns are typically higher when a company is partially owned by its employees, while job security is just as stable.<br/><br/>Despite the undeniable benefits, there are a few drawbacks. In surveys, shareholding employees claim to be more committed to their work, yet evidence suggests that they do not typically work any harder. Additionally, the majority are just as likely to remain members of their trade unions. Shareholding employees also face the same risks as other owners, namely that the share price can fall. This risk is more significant for employees who have invested most of their wealth in their own company.<br/><br/>Nonetheless, more corporations and employees are finding that under propitious circumstances, employee ownership can be a win-win situation.<br/><br/>It can be inferred from the passage that the effect of employee ownership on U.S. worker performance
✓ Correct answer: D. has been inconclusive.
In the third paragraph, the author cites studies that found that employee ownership plans resulted in productivity gains that remained higher in the long run. However, in the fourth paragraph, the author states that there is evidence that employee-owners "do not typically work any harder." These conflicting determinations of worker performance indicate that the effect of employee ownership is inconclusive.<br/><br/>Choices A and B are incorrect because the passage cites evidence that suggests that the plans may have both positive and negative effects on performance. Since the author cites studies in the passage, choice D cannot be correct.<br/><br/>As for choice E, it is highly unlikely that companies would have little interest in how employee ownership affects worker performance. This notion is not supported anywhere in the passage.
Q23Which section of the following passage needs to be edited for incorrect spelling, incorrect grammar, inappropriate word choice or wordiness?
✓ Correct answer: A. And he watched some television.
Sentences should have parallel structure, meaning that each item in the list should have the same grammatical structure. When parallel structure is broken, the result is jarring.
Q24Over 2 billion people live in areas with inadequate sanitation, and more than 1 billion people lack access to clean water. With dirty water being a chief contributor to the proliferation of disease and, consequently, higher mortality rates, the global community feels a sense of urgency to solve the problem.<br/><br/>In 2003, a world water forum in Kyoto, Japan, concluded that significant progress would necessitate increasing investments in water supply systems by more than $180 billion per year. It is clear, however, that the bleak situation will not be ameliorated simply by an increase in expenditure. Given the inadequacies of many water supply systems, substantial improvement will not likely occur without large-scale privatization of the water supply.<br/><br/>Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) oppose private funding. They argue that water is too crucial a commodity to be privatized; that it will make water too expensive for poor people to afford; and that private companies are primarily concerned with profits. The NGOs seem to overlook certain realities of existing water supply systems. About 95 percent of the world's water supply systems are publicly operated, but many of these systems are inefficiently run or even corrupt, often failing to properly maintain water lines or build new ones, particularly in slums and villages. The worldwide toll is staggering. Over five million people die annually due to illnesses resulting from poor-quality water. Most of them are children.<br/><br/>In contrast, many privately run water systems have been successful. Between 1991 and 1999, Argentina's local governments were given the option to privatize their water systems. Over this time period, the child mortality rate fell by 8 percent in privatized regions—a steep 24 percent in the poorest areas. The water systems in other countries have also benefited from privatization. Private water companies have provided excellent service in France for hundreds of years. In Chile, 95 percent of the population now has access to clean, affordable water.<br/><br/>It is unrealistic to imagine that privatization will solve all of the problems of the world's water supply. Nonetheless, considering the failures of public suppliers, privatization could be the best solution. The author responds to the objections raised by non-governmental organizations in the second paragraph by
✓ Correct answer: B. arguing that the detriments implied by the objections are in fact worse under the current arrangement.
The author cites the NGOs' central arguments, namely that privatizing water will make this crucial commodity too expensive for the underprivileged, and that private companies are inordinately concerned with profits. The author doesn't refute these objections, but instead goes on to provide evidence suggesting that these very problems exist under the current publicly-operated system whose corruption and inefficiency have had a terrible impact on the very people that these organizations seek to protect.<br/><br/>Choice A is incorrect. The author does include some statistics in the passage, but does not use statistical evidence to refute the specific objections listed in the second paragraph. The stated philosophy of the NGOs, choice B, is not discussed in the passage. At no time does the author imply that the objecting organizations have ulterior motives, choice C. While the author doesn't directly refute the organizations' objections, neither does she explicitly acknowledge their merits, choice D.
Q25“Amelia found out she was pregnant, which her husband found interesting, as she did not want kids when they first met.”<br/><br/>Which of the following corrections for this sentence is accurate?
✓ Correct answer: C. Amelia’s husband thought it was interesting that Amelia was pregnant, as she did not want kids when they first met.
This is the only sentence to clearly and accurately use “she” in the sentence. The original sentence’s spacing suggests that “she” is referring to Amelia’s husband, rather than Amelia, herself.
Q26Historically, capitalism has been depicted as both an exploitative economic system that benefits a few owners at the expense of many workers and a system that enables virtually anyone to achieve potentially high profits in a free competitive market.<br/><br/>Since the 1980s, a seemingly ironic blending of capitalism and socialism has emerged in the United States in the form of employee ownership plans that give employee owners a financial stake in their companies. The proliferation of these plans indicates that they are not only viable, but profitable. In some socialist-leaning countries in Europe, the model of employee ownership is somewhat artificial. Employees have voting power in their company, yet they do not have any capital investment at risk. This often leads to decisions that spoil the fruits of the corporation's labors.<br/><br/>By contrast, employee ownership in the United States means exactly that—workers own stock in the corporation, and thus at least a small percentage of the capital. Currently, at least 10,000 U.S. companies have made their employees shareholders, representing approximately 20 percent of the American workforce. But does offering a piece of the pie to workers typically result in higher productivity and profitability? Several studies have found that in the first year of employee ownership, productivity gains are about double the average and continue to be higher in the long run. Another benefit is that profitability and stock market returns are typically higher when a company is partially owned by its employees, while job security is just as stable.<br/><br/>Despite the undeniable benefits, there are a few drawbacks. In surveys, shareholding employees claim to be more committed to their work, yet evidence suggests that they do not typically work any harder. Additionally, the majority are just as likely to remain members of their trade unions. Shareholding employees also face the same risks as other owners, namely that the share price can fall. This risk is more significant for employees who have invested most of their wealth in their own company.<br/><br/>Nonetheless, more corporations and employees are finding that under propitious circumstances, employee ownership can be a win-win situation.<br/><br/>The author uses the phrase "seemingly ironic" in the first paragraph in order to convey the impression that
✓ Correct answer: A. capitalism and socialism are not typically seen as compatible.
The first paragraph describes how the apparent "blending" of capitalism and socialism in employee ownership programs gives employees the dual role of worker and owner.<br/><br/>By characterizing this situation as "seemingly ironic," the author emphasizes the apparent incompatibility of these two notably different economic and social systems.<br/><br/>The 1980s are mentioned merely to establish the time period during which employee ownership plans emerged.<br/><br/>Nothing in the passage, including the phrase "seemingly ironic," paints that decade as an unusual era in American business history, choice A.<br/><br/>Choice B is incorrect. The irony of blending two seemingly different economic systems does not portend the failure of the result.<br/><br/>In fact, choice B is even less promising since the author focuses on the success, popularity, and promise of employee ownership plans.<br/><br/>As for choice C, the seeming irony the author mentions does not refer to capitalism in itself or conflicting interpretations of its true meaning.<br/><br/>The author sees irony in the blending of capitalism and socialism. The passage makes no statement or suggestion that employee ownership was once considered purely socialist, choice D, so the phrase in question cannot be intended to illustrate that idea.
Q27The Egyptologist chose mostly figurines from the 5th dynasty to display in the latest exhibit, but adding 4th century pottery including coptic jars from several important tombs to round out the display.
✓ Correct answer: A. Yet added some 4th century
If you chose (A), the word second verb “adding” is not parallel with the initial verb “chose.” We’re looking for another simple past tense verb to make the sentence correct.<br/><br/>If you chose (B), “adding” is not parallel with the earlier verb “chose” and the phrase “as well as” is wordy. In order to use the idiom “as well as” in this context, we would need to omit the verb “adding.”<br/><br/>If you chose (C), the conjunction “and” and the word “additionally” are redundant. That is, the meaning of one is inherently contained in the other. Look for a more concise choice.<br/><br/>The conjunction “yet” provides the correct meaning by contrasting with the phrase “mostly” in the first-half of the sentence. More importantly, “added” is parallel with “chose.”<br/><br/>If you chose (E), we’d need an article in front of “addition” for this sentence to be grammatically correct, but more importantly changing the verb to a noun doesn’t allow the two halves of the sentence to be parallel.
Q28Business managers can now turn to a wide array of historical figures for advice on leadership.<br/><br/>Celebrity business guides are based on the premise that the experiences of notable men and women from all time periods and walks of life are relevant to today's business culture, and that skills exhibited in vocations as divergent as prophet, physicist, philosopher, and conqueror are transferable to the corporate boardroom.<br/><br/>The genre particularly favors military figures: Abraham Lincoln, whose entire presidency was consumed by the Civil War, emerges as a modern business consultant in "Lincoln on Leadership;" Attila the Hun, the greatest conqueror of his time, teaches how to get a leg up on the competition in "Victory Secrets of Attila the Hun;" military strategist Sun Tzu's seminal tract on war has re-emerged for aspiring CEOs as "Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Managers."<br/><br/>Perhaps these books contain valid management strategies, but if so, one wonders why they need to wrap themselves in the authority of marginally-relevant personalities.<br/><br/>Some authors of these bestsellers readily admit that marrying modern management techniques with historical figures is a marketing gimmick, but are quick to argue that if the books were not valuable to members of the business community, they would not sell as well.<br/><br/>But is it really reasonable to believe that a manager who, for example, is about to make a presentation launching a new soap product line will take inspiration from episodes of military conquest?<br/><br/>Is it possible that the publishers of celebrity business guides are trading a bit too much on the "business-as-war" metaphor that so heavily pervades modern business culture?<br/><br/>One can accept a publishing phenomenon for what it is: a profit-making venture supported by publicity.<br/><br/>By all accounts these guides are entertaining and include interesting accounts of famous people doing important things.<br/><br/>But the inability of readers to see these books as parodies of the self-importance of corporate managers is mystifying.<br/><br/>Their success may be more attributable to the current business mindset than to any coup on the part of clever authors and publishers.<br/><br/>The author does all of the following in the passage EXCEPT
✓ Correct answer: C. cite advice from historic figures.
Historical figures are mentioned by name in paragraph 1, and presumably the books they populate are filled with advice and anecdotes from them. However, the author never mentions any such specific advice in the passage.<br/><br/>Choice A is incorrect: The last two sentences of paragraph 2 contain questions raised to highlight issues relevant to the author's argument regarding the need to feature famous personalities in the guides.<br/><br/>Choice B is incorrect because the author admits that the guides may contain valid management strategies, and that they are most likely entertaining and interesting. Paragraph 1 contains a plethora of background information regarding what these guides are, including examples of them, so choice C is not right.<br/><br/>As for choice D, the author posits in the final sentence of the passage an alternative explanation for the guides' success, arguing that it's due to resonance with the mindset of the business community rather than cleverness on the part of authors and publishers.
Q29It is now known that an area at the base of the brain, the pons, generates signals that trigger the onset of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the state during which normal dreaming typically occurs.<br/><br/>These signals are received in the thalamus, and then relayed to the cerebral cortex. Some believe that dreams may be the cortex's attempt to organize the random information it receives from the pons during REM sleep. This theory is consistent with the seemingly incoherent montage of people, places, and events that often characterizes dreams.<br/><br/>A nightmare is a dream occurring during REM sleep characterized by feelings of anxiety, fear, distress, sadness, guilt, or terror. Researchers now believe that nightmares may be reactions to the stresses and anxieties of daily life, and that they may even provide us with ways of relieving such stress or coping with issues or traumatic events that we are not willing to face directly during waking hours.<br/><br/>There is much confusion between nightmares and night terrors. Despite apparent similarities between these types of disturbing dreams, they can be differentiated biologically and psychologically. Unlike nightmares, which usually wake the dreamer and are often clearly recalled upon waking, night terrors typically don't wake the dreamer and are most often not remembered in the morning. One who suffers a night terror usually experiences confusion and a pervasive feeling of fear or anxiety upon waking, but is not often able to recollect the substance of the episode or the vivid imagery typically associated with nightmares.<br/><br/>Unlike nightmares, which occur generally during REM stages in the second half of the night, night terrors occur during slow-wave non-REM periods, usually within the first few hours of sleep.It can be inferred from the passage that the author considers the confusion between nightmares and night terrors to be
✓ Correct answer: A. understandable.
The author states that there are "apparent similarities between these types of disturbing dreams" and that they are often confused for one another. It is inferable that the author would consider the confusion understandable since the similarities (such as the feelings of fear and anxiety they trigger) are "apparent," while some of the differences (such as the stage of sleep during which they occur) presumably are not.<br/><br/>Choice A is incorrect. The author never suggests any negative consequences, actual or potential, stemming from the confusion between nightmares and night terrors. As suggested above, choices B and E are close to the opposite of the author's attitude toward this confusion, which he would most likely find understandable considering the apparent similarities between the two types of dreams.<br/><br/>As for choice D, nothing in the passage implies that the author finds anything about nightmares or night terrors funny, including the confusion between them.
Q30The odometer is the mechanism on a car that keeps track of the number of miles that car has traveled.<br/><br/>It is illegal to "roll back" the odometer on a car prior to selling it. The law was intended to ensure that potential buyers would not be duped into thinking they were purchasing a newer car with fewer miles and less wear than was actually the case.<br/><br/>The lawmakers who adopted the law against rolling back odometers presupposed which of the following?
✓ Correct answer: A. It is beyond the expertise of car buyers to determine the age of and wear on a used car from examining parts other than the odometer.
If the law was intended to prevent buyers from being duped as to the age and wear of a car, the lawmakers must have assumed that buyers would not be able to determine the true condition of a used car from other indicators.<br/><br/>Choice A is incorrect because used-car salespeople are outside the scope of the argument.<br/><br/>Choice B is incorrect because the relative ease of rolling back an odometer is not related to the motivation behind enacting the law. The rationale behind the law depends only on the fact that rolling back odometers is possible, not on how difficult it is to do it.<br/><br/>Choice C is incorrect. The roll back in and of itself is not the issue, but rather the possibility for deception that it creates. If people choose to purchase a car knowing that the odometer has been rolled back, that wouldn't alter the intention of the law, so the lawmakers' need not have assumed that no one would ever buy a rolled-back car.<br/><br/>Choice E is incorrect because the law addresses only intentional tampering, not mechanical malfunction.
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Theory