GRE Analylitical Writing Section (Essay)

GRE sets two writing tasks (analysis of an issue, and analysis of an argument), collectively called the Analytical Writing Section. The tasks are designed to test critical thinking and analytical writing skills. The essays come first on the test - 45 minutes for the issue and 30 minutes for the argument.

The first task on the GRE CAT is the discussion of an issue. The topic is intentionally open to interpretation, so that you can marshal your arguments in support of a position. It is rather like a debate. A good essay of this type will give highly specific reasons for a point of view, and back up its thesis with suitable examples. Minor errors in spelling punctuation or grammar will not prevent your getting a good mark - poor logical flow and vagueness will.

The second task on the GRE CAT is the analysis of an argument, which tests your ability to find flaws in apparently logical arguments. It does help if you have a basic familiarity with the terms of logic, so that you can successfully identify the premises and assumptions on which a conclusion rests. Here the mark you obtain is directly linked to the number of problems that you identify in the logic, and sensible suggestions you make to evaluate the conclusion. With a little training and practice, this task is actually easier than the issue.

* You have to type your response. Obviously there is no spell-check or grammar check available.
* The essays a marked by one human reader and one computer program (e-rater)
* Scores range from 1-6 (see the ETS scoring guidelines)
* Topics come from the pool of issue and argument topics on the official GRE website

Analysis of an issue

Follow our guidelines and use our format for a stress-free approach to writing a good essay.

Guidelines:

• You are expected to explain your position on an issue. You must state and justify your opinion of the topic under discussion.
  1. All the issue topics will have two sides.
  2. There is no "right" side: You have to decide your position on the topic after consideration of the pros and cons.
  3. Your position will usually be 80 or 90% in favor of one side.
• Always spend about 5 minutes thinking and planning. (Draw up a table of points before deciding which side will make the most persuasive essay.)
• Always use specific examples to support your point of view.

Format of your essay:

Part I - introduction

Write an introduction explaining in your own words what the issue is about. Try to generate interest in the topic under discussion, and make it clear why the topic is controversial. End your paragraph with a thesis statement. (A thesis statement is a clear summation of your point of view.)

Part II – the body of the essay

Write 2-3 paragraphs to support your thesis. Each paragraph should introduce one point. Explain the point and give a specific example wherever possible. You can also give reasons why the point is important or relevant. Be sure to give connecting words and phrases (links) at the beginning of each paragraph to give a sense of logical flow.

Part III – qualification

Since the issue is never entirely black or white, you do not want to sound too dogmatic, and so you ‘qualify’ (moderate) your position (i.e. you usually explain that under certain circumstances the other side of the issue might be correct). This may involve a sentence beginning with "but" or "however"...

Part IV – conclusion

You cannot leave the essay without reinforcing your thesis. If you have introduced a qualification into your argument, you will need to draw the essay back to your thesis. Try to avoid simply repeating what you have said; find something general to say that makes it clear that you have finished.
Note the following:

• The introduction and the conclusion can be very general, but the body of the essay must be specific.
• Do not give a long list of examples all illustrating the same point. Stick to the one point-one example method.
• The examples can be from your own experience or from your reading or knowledge of current affairs, history etc.
• Good vocabulary is an asset, but don’t use long words if you are not sure of the meaning.

Analysis of an argument

Follow our guidelines and use our format for a stress-free approach to writing a good essay.

Guidelines:

* You are expected to analyze the logic of the argument. You must not start giving your opinion of the subject matter of the argument.
(For example, if the argument claims that a certain newspaper is not selling well because it has recently increased its price, you are not expected to give views on what makes a good newspaper, or on marketing strategies. You simply have to discuss whether the evidence provided warrants that conclusion.)
* All the arguments will be seriously flawed. You will lose marks if you do not identify the major faults. The main categories of logical error that you should be able to spot are:
1. Generalizations
2. Problems with surveys and statistics
3. False causes
4. False analogies
5. Hidden assumptions
6. Inadequate authority

Format of your essay:

Part I - introduction

Write an introduction explaining in your own words what the argument claims.
End your paragraph with a statement such as:
However, this conclusion seems unwarranted, or
However, the information provided does not justify this conclusion or
This conclusion is not well supported / fails to convince/ is flawed etc.

Part II – the body of the essay

Write 2-3 paragraphs to identify and explain the faults that you have found in the argument.
For example, in the case of the ‘false cause’ you can explain what alternative reasons or other causes might need to be considered. In the case of inadequate surveys you can explain what is omitted in the methodology. In the case of misleading statistics and figures you can discuss what is wrong with the information.

Part III – what else is needed?

The final paragraph is the place to cover what else you would need to know before you are able to decide whether the conclusion is actually valid. This ‘what else’ paragraph obviates the necessity for a formal conclusion. Useful statements are along the lines of:
In order to decide whether, indeed, ABC is actually the case, it would be useful to have access to XYZ.
XYZ might include one or other of: Expert opinion (e.g. business consultant) / statistics / surveys / research data etc..

GRE Sentence Completion

Sentence completion questions account for about one quarter of the marks for the verbal section of GRE. Each question contains one or two blanks, and you have to find the best answer choice to make the sentence make complete sense. Be sure to study the sentence carefully so that you notice all the clues built into the sentence.

On average you will need a 45-50 seconds to answer each question. Our mini tests have 12 questions to be answered in 10 minutes.

Directions

Each sentence has one or two blanks. Choose the answer choice that contains the word or words that best complete the sentence.

Example:

There are some people who think that only the poor and less educated people use slang, but this idea is _________.

(A) accurate

(B) popular

(C) erroneous

(D) widespread

(E) ineffectual

Consider these two examples:

Because of the heavy rainfall in the spring, the tenants were ---- about flooding. Despite the heavy rainfall, the tenants were ---- about flooding.

What kind of word fits in the blank in the top sentence? Well, if it is raining a lot, then it is natural for people to be worried about flooding.
So the word worried or concerned might fit in the blank. We know this from the opening words of the sentence which say: "Because of the heavy rainfall."
Now the second sentence begins with the word despite, which is telling us that the tenants are feeling something even though there had been a lot of rain.
The meaning of the word in the blank is therefore probably one that means the opposite of what you would expect the tenants to be feeling if there was heavy rain.
So in the second sentence we should look for an answer that means unconcerned and not worried.
There will always be a clue as to the logical structure of the sentence in the words that are available.

GRE Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension questions test your ability to understand a passage and answer question on the basis of what is stated and implied in the passage. You need to read the passage first so that you can identify the main idea of the passage and appreciate features such as the author's tone and attitude as well as the organization of the passage. Scroll back to the relevant point in the text as you do each question.

Passages on the GRE vary in length from short extracts that take one and a half minutes to read to ones that take three and a half minutes to read. Allow approximately 1 minute to answer each question after completing the reading. The GRE Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) passages will not normally have more than 4 questions per passage. Our mini tests contain two passages each with 3 or 4 questions to be completed in a total of 10-12 minutes.

Directions

The reading passage is accompanied by a set of questions based on the passage and any introductory material that is given. Answer the questions according to what is stated or implied in the passage. 

10 There is not the slightest doubt that birds and mammals are
now being killed off much faster than they can breed. And it
is always the largest and noblest forms of life that suffer
most. The whales and elephants, lions and eagles, go. The rats
and flies, and all mean parasites, remain. This is inevitable
15 in certain cases. But it is wanton killing off that I am
speaking of to-night. Civilized man begins by destroying
the very forms of wild life he learns to appreciate most when
he becomes still more civilized. The obvious remedy is to begin
conservation at an earlier stage, when it is easier and better
20 in every way, by enforcing laws for close seasons, game preserves,
the selective protection of certain species, and sanctuaries.

I have just defined a sanctuary as a place where man is passive
and the rest of Nature active. But this general definition is too
absolute for any special case. The mere fact that man has to
25 protect a sanctuary does away with his purely passive attitude.
Then, he can be beneficially active by destroying pests and
parasites, like bot-flies or mosquitoes, and by finding antidotes
for diseases like the epidemic which periodically kills off the
rabbits and thus starves many of the carnivora to death. But,
30 except in cases where experiment has proved his intervention to
be beneficial, the less he upsets the balance of Nature the
better, even when he tries to be an earthly Providence.

To best understand the passages, we recommend developing a habit of reading actively.

We often ask our students to read a passage aloud. If we hear them drone from one sentence to the next, we know that they're reading indifferently. They haven't caught the tone and flow of the passage.

It is crucial that you integrate and synthesize the passage as you go through it. You can't be passive in your reading: it's not enough just to let your eyes move from word to word. Think about what you read.

GRE VERBAL ABILITY - ANALOGIES

An analogy question gives you a pair of words; from a list of five other pairs you pick the one that most nearly matches the relationship of the original pair.

For example, let's look at a word pair:

CRUMB : BREAD ::

This is a well-known example analogy that has been used for years on test instructions. It's clear how these words relate: a crumb is a piece of bread.

Directions

Choose the answer key which contains a pair of words with a relationship most similar to the relationship between the pair of words in capital letters.

Example:

AVIARY : BIRDS

(A) den : lions
(B) coop : chickens
(C) school : fish
(D) desert : camel
(E) garden : weeds

Now let's think about what might make a good second word pair that has the same relationship. What if, among the answer choices, you saw the word pair:

SPLINTER : WOOD

Just as a crumb is a piece of bread, a splinter is a piece of wood.

n what ways could two words be related?

There are lots of ways. The relationship will always have to do with the meaning of the words. The relationship never involves the number of letters in the words, or whether they rhyme or something like that. Here are some examples of possible relationships between the two words in an analogy question:

• Synonyms or antonyms
• A part to the whole
• A member to the category that contains it
• Cause to effect (or effect to cause)
• Varying degrees of a quantity or quality (for example, one thing is a larger version of the other)

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GRE VERBAL ABILITY - ANTONYMS

Antonym questions account for about one quarter of the marks on the verbal section of GRE. Antonyms test your vocabulary.

Unlike some of the questions in the other verbal sections, antonyms are simple and quite direct.

You are given one word and then find another word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning.

Sometimes more than one answer is plausible; in these cases you'll be distinguishing shades of meaning.

Directions

Choose the answer key corresponding to the word with a meaning most nearly opposite to the meaning of word in capital letters.
Example:

OBDURATE

(A) amenable
(B) stubborn
(C) rash
(D) vacuous
(E) advanced

The best way to approach these questions depends on how familiar you are with the words in the question.

In essence, antonym questions are a gauge of your vocabulary.

Sometimes, they go after your ability to reason a little, or to discernnuance, but for the most part, it's vocabulary.

Which means that, beyond learning the strategies we're about to outline, the best thing you can do to help yourself do well is build your vocabulary.

If you're familiar with all the words in the question, then you may not need to think much about how you approach the question. Just jump right in and find the best answer.

You may, however, find yourself in a situation where you thought you were familiar with all the vocabulary, and yet none of the answers quite seems to work.

First off, relax. You recognize the words; you're halfway there.

Next, remind yourself that the best choice is a specific and exact antonym.

Then give yourself a minute to really think about what the question word could mean.

Occasionally, you'll find that the first word has more than one meaning, and the test-makers are trying to see if you recognize its less common usage or form.

If you don't know all the words, there are a couple of different ways for you to go.

One way is to try and unpack the meaning yourself. This means getting at the core or root of the word.

Begin by stripping off any prefixes or suffixes. These include parts like "-ing," "un-," "pre-," "-in", "-able" and so forth.

What are you left with? You can often guess the meaning once you've arrived at the root, the core of the word.

The Friendly GRE Ghost

Hi friends. I am Saar, the friendly GRE ghost.Welcome to my Site. On this site I will help you to prepare for your GRE.

I will look over you so that you can give your exam calmly and succesfully. I will also tell you some speacial secrets that will energise u with extra natural ability for the exam!

We shall start your preparation now with the content of GRE exam:

• GRE VERBAL ABILTY SECTION
• GRE QUANTITATIVE ABILITY SECTION
• GRE ANALYTICAL ABILTY SECTION

1. GRE VERBAL ABILITY SECTION - The Verbal Ability section of the GRE consists of four types of questions:

• Antonyms
• Analogies
• Sentence Completion
• Reading Comprehension

2. GRE QUANTITAVE ABILITY SECTION - The Quantitative Ability Section of the GRE consists of two types of questions:

• Multiple Choice Probllem Solving
• Quantitative Comparisons

3. GRE ANALYTICAL ABILITY SECTION- The analytical abilty section of the GRE consists of two types of Questions:

• Discussion of Issue
  
• Analuysis of arguement

This was the overview of the content of a Graduate Record Examination. I shall continue all these things ind epth and detail in my subsequent posts. Till then farewell my friends!