Many manufacturers, having suffered heavy losses during recent disruptions to international shipping, are shifting production from distant low-cost suppliers to suppliers located nearby. Industry analysts predict that this shift will raise these manufacturers' average production costs for years to come. That prediction is probably mistaken. The higher unit prices charged by nearby suppliers are largely offset by the lower freight and inventory-holding costs of sourcing close to home. Moreover, as more manufacturers source locally, nearby suppliers will reach the scale at which their unit prices fall substantially. In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

The first is a prediction that the argument seeks to discredit; the second is a consideration offered in support of the argument's position.

The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a consideration offered in support of that conclusion.

The first is a prediction that the argument opposes; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.

The first is evidence on which the argument relies; the second is an objection that the argument raises against that evidence.

The first is a prediction that the argument accepts for the short term but rejects for the long term; the second is evidence that the argument uses to support that distinction.

Refer to the passage in Question 60. According to the passage, critics of the industrious revolution thesis have objected that

the records used to document household possessions give disproportionate weight to wealthier households

probate inventories were typically compiled many years after the deaths of the people whose possessions they list

the series of daily wages on which the thesis relies is too incomplete to be trusted

factory output rose earlier than proponents of the thesis acknowledge

households in the period actually reduced the number of days they worked each year

A parcel-delivery company plans to replace its three regional warehouses with a single large, highly automated warehouse located at the geographic center of its service area. Package handling at the automated warehouse would cost 40 percent less per package than handling at the current warehouses, and handling currently accounts for about 55 percent of the company's operating cost per package, with transportation accounting for nearly all of the rest. The company's planners conclude that the consolidation will lower the company's operating cost per package. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the planners' argument?

A single central warehouse would roughly double the average distance each package travels, and transportation cost per package rises roughly in proportion to distance.

Building the automated warehouse would require a large up-front capital investment that the company would need several years of operation to recover fully.

Automated warehouses of the kind the company plans to build occasionally experience system failures that halt all package processing for several hours at a time.

Several competitors that have consolidated their warehouses in a similar way report that their package- handling costs per package declined afterward.

Some of the employees who currently work at the three regional warehouses would be offered positions at the new facility if they were willing to relocate.

Refer to the passage in Question 160. According to the passage, Rehn found that in several of the cases Varga cites,

courts did not use their formal powers vigorously until they had gained the support of groups outside government

fragmented assemblies granted courts only weak powers of judicial review

founders who were confident of continued dominance nevertheless granted courts strong formal powers

commercial interests and the opposition press initially opposed the creation of independent courts

courts that failed to build a supporting constituency were eventually abolished or stripped of their powers by the governing party

GMAT

Free GMAT Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the GMAT, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Quantitative Reasoning, Numberproperties, Rates,Ratios&Wordproblems, Statistics,Counting&Probability, Verbal Reasoning, Readingcomprehension · Science, Readingcomprehension · Business, Readingcomprehension · Socialscience, Readingcomprehension · Humanities, Data Insights, Tableanalysis, Graphicsinterpretation, Multi-Sourcereasoning, Two-Partanalysis.

Question 1 · Quantitative Reasoning
What is the units digit of 783 + 342 × 915?
- A.2
- B.4
- C.6
- D.7
- E.8
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. 4
Units digits of powers of 7 cycle 7, 9, 3, 1 with period 4. Since 83 = 4 × 20 + 3, 783 ends in the third digit of the cycle, 3. Powers of 3 cycle 3, 9, 7, 1; since 42 = 4 × 10 + 2, 342 ends in 9. Powers of 9 alternate 9, 1, so the odd power 915 ends in 9. The product 342 × 915 therefore ends in the units digit of 9 × 9 = 81, which is 1. Adding, 3 + 1 = 4, so the units digit is 4. Ignoring the factor 915 gives 3 + 9 = 12, which leads to the trap answer 2, and misreading the position of 783 or 342 in its cycle produces the other distractors.
Question 2 · Rates,Ratios&Wordproblems
If 3x + 5y = 41 and 5x + 3y = 31, what is the value of x² − y²?
- A.−45
- B.−9
- C.5
- D.45
- E.81
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. −45
Rather than solving for each variable first, add and subtract the equations. Adding gives 8x + 8y = 72, so x + y = 9. Subtracting the first from the second gives 2x − 2y = −10, so x − y = −5. Then x² − y² = (x + y)(x − y) = 9 × (−5) = −45. (Indeed x = 2 and y = 7 satisfy both equations, and 4 − 49 = −45.) Losing the sign of x − y produces 45, and computing (x + y)² gives 81.
Question 3 · Verbal Reasoning
Many manufacturers, having suffered heavy losses during recent disruptions to international shipping, are shifting production from distant low-cost suppliers to suppliers located nearby. Industry analysts predict that this shift will raise these manufacturers' average production costs for years to come. That prediction is probably mistaken. The higher unit prices charged by nearby suppliers are largely offset by the lower freight and inventory-holding costs of sourcing close to home. Moreover, as more manufacturers source locally, nearby suppliers will reach the scale at which their unit prices fall substantially.In the argument above, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
- A.The first is the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a consideration offered in support of that conclusion.
- B.The first is a prediction that the argument opposes; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
- C.The first is evidence on which the argument relies; the second is an objection that the argument raises against that evidence.
- D.The first is a prediction that the argument accepts for the short term but rejects for the long term; the second is evidence that the argument uses to support that distinction.
- E.The first is a prediction that the argument seeks to discredit; the second is a consideration offered in support of the argument's position.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: E. The first is a prediction that the argument seeks to discredit; the second is a consideration offered in support of the argument's position.
The first boldface portion reports the analysts' prediction that nearshoring will raise costs for years, and the next sentence declares that prediction probably mistaken, so the argument seeks to discredit it. The main conclusion is the claim that the prediction is probably mistaken. The second boldface portion, introduced by "Moreover," is an additional reason for that conclusion: growing scale will lower nearby suppliers' prices. It therefore supports the argument's position. The first portion is not the conclusion; it is what the conclusion rejects. The second portion is not the main conclusion, because it is offered as support for the claim that the prediction is mistaken. The first portion is not evidence the argument relies on. The argument never concedes that costs will rise in the short term, so the description of a short-term/long-term distinction misreads the passage.
Question 4 · Readingcomprehension · Socialscience
Refer to the passage in Question 60. According to the passage, critics of the industrious revolution thesis have objected that
- A.probate inventories were typically compiled many years after the deaths of the people whose possessions they list
- B.the series of daily wages on which the thesis relies is too incomplete to be trusted
- C.the records used to document household possessions give disproportionate weight to wealthier households
- D.factory output rose earlier than proponents of the thesis acknowledge
- E.households in the period actually reduced the number of days they worked each year
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. the records used to document household possessions give disproportionate weight to wealthier households
The third paragraph reports that "critics note that probate inventories overrepresent the prosperous," the records that document what households owned. The passage never says when inventories were compiled relative to death. The critics' complaint about fragmentary evidence concerns working time, not the wage series; the author in fact relies on the wage series. No one in the passage disputes the timing of factory output. The critics say evidence on working time is fragmentary, not that working time actually fell; that claim goes far beyond the objection reported.
Question 5 · Tableanalysis
Table · Questions 81–83The table shows this year’s results for the seven stores in a home-goods retailer’s Northern region. Revenue per unit sold equals revenue divided by units sold. Ashford 1,248 15,600 +8% 24 Brookline 986 14,500 −3% 19 Carver 1,512 16,800 +12% 30 Dunmore 732 9,150 +15% 14 Elmwood 1,104 13,800 −6% 20 Fairview 864 12,000 +4% 16 Glenhaven 1,330 14,000 +2% 26 Consider the following statements: I. The store with the greatest revenue per employee also had the greatest percent decrease in revenue from last year. II. The store with the greatest revenue per unit sold also had the greatest number of employees. III. More than half of the seven stores had revenue per unit sold of at least $80. Which of the statements are true?
- A.I only
- B.III only
- C.I and II only
- D.I and III only
- E.I, II, and III
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. I and III only
Statement I: revenue per employee (in $ thousands) is Ashford 52.0, Brookline about 51.9, Carver 50.4, Dunmore about 52.3, Elmwood 55.2, Fairview 54.0, and Glenhaven about 51.2, so Elmwood is greatest; Elmwood’s −6% is also the largest decrease (Brookline’s −3% is the only other decrease). True. Statement II: revenue per unit is Ashford $80, Brookline $68, Carver $90, Dunmore $80, Elmwood $80, Fairview $72, and Glenhaven $95. Glenhaven is greatest, but Carver (30) has more employees than Glenhaven (26). False. Statement III: Ashford, Carver, Dunmore, Elmwood, and Glenhaven are at or above $80, which is 5 of 7 stores. True. The correct combination is I and III only.
Question 6 · Quantitative Reasoning
How many positive integers less than 1,000 are multiples of 6 but are multiples of neither 9 nor 15?
- A.78
- B.89
- C.100
- D.111
- E.133
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. 89
There are 166 multiples of 6 below 1,000 (6 × 166 = 996). A multiple of 6 is also a multiple of 9 exactly when it is a multiple of lcm(6, 9) = 18, and there are 55 multiples of 18 below 1,000 (18 × 55 = 990). It is also a multiple of 15 exactly when it is a multiple of lcm(6, 15) = 30, and there are 33 of those (30 × 33 = 990). Numbers counted in both groups are multiples of lcm(18, 30) = 90, of which there are 11 (90 × 11 = 990). By inclusion–exclusion, the multiples of 6 to remove number 55 + 33 − 11 = 77, leaving 166 − 77 = 89. The value 78 subtracts both groups without adding back the 11 multiples of 90 that were removed twice; 111 removes only the multiples of 18 and 133 only the multiples of 30; 100 adds the 11 back instead of subtracting it from the overlap count (166 − 55 − 33 + 22).
Question 7 · Rates,Ratios&Wordproblems
The cost of printing an order of brochures at a certain print shop is a linear function of the number of brochures printed. An order of 400 brochures costs $86, and an order of 1,000 brochures costs $140. For what number of brochures will the average cost per brochure be exactly $0.10?
- A.5,000
- B.5,500
- C.8,000
- D.10,000
- E.50,000
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. 5,000
The rate of change is (140 − 86) ÷ (1,000 − 400) = 54 ÷ 600 = $0.09 per brochure. The fixed part is 86 − 400(0.09) = 86 − 36 = $50, so the cost of n brochures is 50 + 0.09n. The average cost per brochure is (50 + 0.09n)/n; setting this equal to 0.10 gives 50 + 0.09n = 0.10n, so 0.01n = 50 and n = 5,000. (Check: 50 + 450 = $500 for 5,000 brochures, which is $0.10 each.) The value 50,000 misplaces the decimal in 0.01; 5,500 adds the $500 total cost to 5,000; 10,000 uses a fixed cost of $100; the key step is recognizing that the average cost per brochure, not the marginal cost, must equal $0.10.
Question 8 · Quantitative Reasoning
A parcel-delivery company plans to replace its three regional warehouses with a single large, highly automated warehouse located at the geographic center of its service area. Package handling at the automated warehouse would cost 40 percent less per package than handling at the current warehouses, and handling currently accounts for about 55 percent of the company's operating cost per package, with transportation accounting for nearly all of the rest. The company's planners conclude that the consolidation will lower the company's operating cost per package. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the planners' argument?
- A.Building the automated warehouse would require a large up-front capital investment that the company would need several years of operation to recover fully.
- B.Automated warehouses of the kind the company plans to build occasionally experience system failures that halt all package processing for several hours at a time.
- C.Several competitors that have consolidated their warehouses in a similar way report that their package- handling costs per package declined afterward.
- D.Some of the employees who currently work at the three regional warehouses would be offered positions at the new facility if they were willing to relocate.
- E.A single central warehouse would roughly double the average distance each package travels, and transportation cost per package rises roughly in proportion to distance.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: E. A single central warehouse would roughly double the average distance each package travels, and transportation cost per package rises roughly in proportion to distance.
A 40 percent saving on handling, which is 55 percent of per-package cost, reduces total per-package cost by about 22 percent (0.40 × 55). If consolidation doubles the average distance and transportation cost rises in proportion, transportation, which is about 45 percent of cost, adds roughly another 45 percent of the original per-package cost, swamping the handling savings; so the statement about doubled distance and proportional transportation costs undercuts the conclusion. The up-front capital investment concerns capital spending, not operating cost per package. Occasional outages lasting several hours are too minor, as described, to offset a 22 percent saving. Competitors' reported handling savings support the planners. The reassignment of some employees says nothing about per- package cost.
Question 9 · Readingcomprehension · Socialscience
Refer to the passage in Question 160. According to the passage, Rehn found that in several of the cases Varga cites,
- A.fragmented assemblies granted courts only weak powers of judicial review
- B.founders who were confident of continued dominance nevertheless granted courts strong formal powers
- C.courts did not use their formal powers vigorously until they had gained the support of groups outside government
- D.commercial interests and the opposition press initially opposed the creation of independent courts
- E.courts that failed to build a supporting constituency were eventually abolished or stripped of their powers by the governing party
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. courts did not use their formal powers vigorously until they had gained the support of groups outside government
The second paragraph reports that, in several of Varga's cases, formal powers "lay dormant for decades" and were exercised in earnest only after judges cultivated a constituency—commercial interests, bar associations, the opposition press—that made ignoring their rulings politically costly. Fragmented assemblies are said to have adopted strong review, so the claim that they granted weak powers reverses the passage. Nothing indicates that Rehn found confident founders granting strong powers. The groups named are described as supporters courts later cultivated, not as initial opponents. Courts without constituencies are said to have "remained deferential," not to have been abolished.
Question 10 · Tableanalysis
Table · Questions 181–183The table shows last quarter's operating data for the six fulfillment warehouses of a regional distribution company. An order is "late" if it was not shipped on time. Order-handling cost is orders shipped × cost per order. Ashford 48.0 94.5 6.20 120 Brenton 62.5 91.2 5.40 150 Calder 35.2 97.1 7.85 88 Dunmore 71.0 89.4 4.95 175 Easton 54.8 95.8 5.90 140 Farrow 40.6 92.7 6.75 96 Consider the following statements: I. The warehouse that shipped the most orders per staff member also has the lowest cost per order. II. The median on-time rate of the six warehouses is greater than 93%. III. Dunmore had more late orders than Ashford, Calder, and Easton combined. Which of the statements are true?
- A.I only
- B.II only
- C.I and III only
- D.II and III only
- E.I, II, and III
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. II and III only
Statement I is false. Orders per staff member: Ashford 48,000/120 = 400.0, Brenton 62,500/150 ≈ 416.7, Calder 35,200/88 = 400.0, Dunmore 71,000/175 ≈ 405.7, Easton 54,800/140 ≈ 391.4, Farrow 40,600/96 ≈ 422.9. Farrow is highest, but the lowest cost per order ($4.95) belongs to Dunmore, which merely ships the most orders in total. Statement II is true: the sorted on-time rates are 89.4, 91.2, 92.7, 94.5, 95.8, 97.1, so the median is (92.7 + 94.5)/2 = 93.6%. Statement III is true: late orders are orders × (100% − on-time rate). Dunmore: 71,000 × 10.6% = 7,526. Ashford: 48,000 × 5.5% = 2,640; Calder: 35,200 × 2.9% ≈ 1,021; Easton: 54,800 × 4.2% ≈ 2,302; combined ≈ 5,962, which is less than 7,526. The true statements are II and III only.

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