Admission Tests GMAT Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Admission Tests GMAT Online Questions & Answers

• Question 171:

  CORRECT TEXT

  

  Select from the drop-down menus the options that create the statement that te most clearly supported by the Information In the graph.

  

  A. check the explanation
  B. PlaceHolder
  A. check the explanation

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• Question 172:

  In criticizing the "second approach" to explaining the supposed lack o* rational transformation of the workplace, the author most likely assumes which of the Wowing?

  A. Upper management sometimes encourages innovative policies of flexible and participative work arrangements.
  B. Versions of the second approach take upper management to have sometimes attempted to transform the workplace to improve performance.
  C. The second approach often takes factors within a firm to have less of an impact on its organizational culture than they in fact do.
  D. The second approach fails to consider the various ways In which new policies an be mediated by the manner In which they are introduced.
  E. The second approach often fails to address the point that middle managers tend to view new work practices as threats to their traditional status and authority.
  B. Versions of the second approach take upper management to have sometimes attempted to transform the workplace to improve performance.

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  Explanation/Reference:

  Although a substantial body of evidence Indicates that flexible and participative work arrangements make possible significant performance advantages over more traditional centralized and hierarchical structures, the proportion of businesses that have so transformed themselves remains quite small. Why, then, do firms that purport to be rationally acting organizations appear to resist the very methods that would best equip them to achieve their stated goals? One line of analysis points toward the phenomenon of structural inertia, suggesting that organizations are "imprinted" with the conditions under which they were born, tending thereafter to ding to long-established routines, production methods, and identities. A second approach fastens on resistance to change among middle managers, who are said to view new work practices as threats to their traditional status and authority. A third approach suggests that because firms have tended to adopt innovations singly, rather than in clusters, the firms often fail to achieve far-reaching organization change. Although each of these perspectives contains a partial truth, each one is limited. Analysis using the concept of structural inertia tends to emphasize the conservative aspects of organizational culture and to neglect inside factors as sources of change. While theories of managerial resistance have stressed the importance of within-firm political processes, they often endow upper levels of management with an omniscience and openness to egalitarian practices that upper-level managers do not possess. Finally, the last approach often views new practices as if they exist in a vacuum--as if they are unmediated by the manner in which they are introduced.

• Question 173:

  HOTSPOT

  While designing a game involving chance, Desmond noticed that the probability a fair coin lands faceup exactly 2 times when the coin is tossed 3 times is equal to the probability that a fair coin lands faceup exactly m times when the coin is tossed 7 times, where n > 3. Select for m and for n values consistent with the given information. Make only two selections, one in each column.

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• Question 174:

  For the first time, prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and a possible fight with conservationists over exploitation of the sea's dark recesses.

  A. prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and a possible fight
  B. prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, which foreshadows a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and possibly a fight
  C. prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and possibly fighting
  D. prospectors, having laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, and foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and a possible fight
  E. prospectors having laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea foreshadows a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and possibly fighting
  A. prospectors have laid claim to rich deposits of gold, silver, and copper in the deep sea, foreshadowing a possible rush to the open oceans for metals and a possible fight

• Question 175:

  Under laboratory conditions, fruit flies can learn to respond to odors that elicit no response from them in nature. Mutant fruit flies that cannot produce a certain enzyme are, however, incapable of such learning. These mutant flies respond to other odors just as ordinary fruit flies do. Thus it is unlikely that the enzyme's absence impairs the fruit flies' perception of odors, since presumably fruit flies would not have an enzyme that was needed only for the perception of odors that fruit flies do not respond to in nature. Given that many researchers believe that this enzyme is somehow involved in the process of forming memories, what the enzyme's absence probably impairs is the fruit flies' ability to learn.

  In the argument given, the two boldfaced portions play which of the following roles?

  A. The first is a conclusion drawn about one possible explanation of the phenomenon at issue; the second presents an explicit assumption that is introduced to support that conclusion.
  B. The first is a hypothesis that the argument seeks to establish; the second is an alternative hypothesis, which the argument provides grounds for rejecting.
  C. The first is a hypothesis that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an explicit assumption that has been used in arguing for the position that the argument opposes.
  D. The first provides evidence in support of the main conclusion of the argument; the second is a claim that has been advanced in order to undermine the force of that evidence.
  E. The first is an objection that has been raised against the position adopted in the argument; the second presents an explicit assumption that is introduced in order to meet that objection.
  E. The first is an objection that has been raised against the position adopted in the argument; the second presents an explicit assumption that is introduced in order to meet that objection.

• Question 176:

  HOTSPOT

  The color red has been shown to induce greater aggression in people than the color blue, Researchers conducted a study to determine whether such colorinduced aggression could influence the amount that consumers were willing to pay for an identical product in online auction and online negotiation scenarios. The researchers photographed a single item against each of four background colors: blue, gray, white, and red. Using a computer, each participant in the study viewed the item against exactly one of the four background colors. Half of the participants were told the item was up for auction and were asked to submit their highest bid for the item. The other half of the participants were told to negotiate a price with the seller and were asked to offer the highest amount that they would be willing to pay for the item. The researchers expected that participants who viewed the red background would typically behave more aggressively than those who viewed the blue background. Among the auction group, the researchers hypothesized that more aggressive participants would submit higher bids as they tried to beat other potential bidders. Among the negotiation group, the researchers hypothesized that more aggressive participants would make lower offers as they tried to compete against the seller to get the best deal. For each of the following statements about the researchers' study, select Yes if that statement accurately reflects the information provided. Otherwise, select No.

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• Question 177:

  We need not, however, asaibe careerist motivations to all movement participants, some may have them, but others may aim to amass prestige and influence simply because they fervently believe in the movement's intellectual merit.

  A. ascribe careerist motivations to all movement participants,
  B. always ascribe careerist motivations to every movement participant; while
  C. uniformly ascribe careerist motivations to movement participants who, since
  D. ascribe careerist motivations to all movement participants whenever
  E. uniformly ascribe careerist motivations to movement participants:
  A. ascribe careerist motivations to all movement participants,

• Question 178:

  Which of the following does the passage NOT indicate is practiced by one or more companies in emerging markets discussed in the study?

  A. Lowering prices in order to decrease certain types ol losses
  B. Reengineering their practices in order to do more with fewer resources
  C. Reducing illegal use of their resources by working with regulators
  D. Allying with other companies In order to develop environmental sustainability Initiatives
  E. Working with outside partners to mitigate risks of the company's investments
  D. Allying with other companies In order to develop environmental sustainability Initiatives

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  Explanation/Reference:

  Many policymakers adopt a macro approach to environmental problems in emerging markets (countries experiencing rapid economic growth): discussing ambitious regulations in global forums and looking to giant multinational companies and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) for insight. But examining what successful companies in these countries are already doing to make growth more environmentally sustainable may make more sense. One study identifies several such firms that are turning eco-consciousness into a source of competitive advantage. The most salient quality of these highly profitable companies Is that they turn limitations (of resources, labor, and Infrastructure) into opportunities. An Indian cement company suffering water shortages developed the world's most water-efficient cement-making method, using air-cooling rather than water cooling. A Philippines utility reduced its water loss through wastage and illegal tapping from 63 percent (1997) to 12 percent (2010) by making water more affordable for lower-Income consumers. A Chinese company makes air conditioners powered with buildings' waste heat, reducing strain on the electric grid. The companies also seek to shape their business environment to support sustainable objectives. Some lobby regulators: a Brazilian organic-sugar producer works with Brazil's government to establish an organic certification system. Some form partnerships: Kenya's Equity Bank allies with international groups to reduce its risks when lending to smallholders or single-family farms; a Brazilian cosmetics company works with suppliers to produce sustainable packaging. Some firms also work to reach and educate lower-income consumers, sacrificing short-term profits to create future markets: a Chilean forestry company organizes local carpenters into networks and connects them to low-income customers. One could quibble with the study. Switzerland's Phil Rosenzweig has argued that management writers are prone to a halo effect: they treat a company's temporary success as proof that It has discovered some eternal principle of good management. That some successful companies have embraced environmental sustainability does not prove that It makes companies successful. Some firms, having prospered, can afford splurging on green Initiatives; some pursue eco-Initiatives for public relations purposes. Nonetheless, the study Is thought-provoking. Critics argue that environmentalism Is a rich- world luxury, but such fears are overblown. When natural resources are scarce and consumers are cash-strapped, sustainability can be a lucrative business strategy

• Question 179:

  CORRECT TEXT

  

  A company is considering replacing its periodic offsite face-to-face meetings with ones that can be conducted online In a virtual environment. The company calculated Its costs for each face-Io-face meeting as well as the initial one-time costs necessary to set up online meeting capabilities. Once those capabilities are established, the company incurs negligible additional costs for each subsequent meeting. The graphic shows the one-time cost to the company for the virtual meetings as well as the total costs for the face-to- face meetings. For example, if the company conducted 5 face-to-face meetings, then the total costs to the company for the meetings would be approximately US$20,000.

  

  A. check the explanation
  B. PlaceHolder
  A. check the explanation

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  Explanation/Reference:

  

• Question 180:

  HOTSPOT

  The color red has been shown to induce greater aggression in people than the color blue. Researchers conducted a study to determine whether such colorinduced aggression could influence the amount that consumers were willing to pay for an identical product in online auction and online negotiation scenarios. The researchers photographed a single item against each of four background colors: blue, gray, white, and red. Using a computer, each participant in the study viewed the item against exactly one of the four background colors. Half of the participants were told the item was up for auction and were asked to submit their highest bid for the item. The other half of the participants were told to negotiate a price with the seller and were asked to offer the highest amount that they would be willing to pay for the item. The researchers expected that participants who viewed the red background would typically behave more aggressively than those who viewed the blue background. Among the auction group, the researchers hypothesized that more aggressive participants would submit higher bids as they tried to beat other potential bidders. Among the negotiation group, the researchers hypothesized that more aggressive participants would make lower offers as they tried to compete against the seller to get the best deal. Assuming the researchers' hypothesized link between offers and aggression is correct, for each of the following background colors select More aggressive if, on average, participants in the negotiation group in the study behaved more aggressively when the product was displayed with that background color than the participants did when the product was displayed with a gray background. Otherwise, select Not more aggressive.

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