Verbal Reasoning Flashcards

Which word is closest in meaning to PRAGMATIC?

Answer: Practical

Pragmatic means dealing with things sensibly and realistically based on practical considerations.

Read: 'Despite the budget cuts, the agency maintained service quality by reallocating internal resources.' What does this suggest?

Answer: Efficiency improvements offset reduced funding.

Reallocating internal resources to maintain quality implies the agency found efficiencies to compensate for cuts.

Identify the sentence with a dangling modifier.

Answer: Running to catch the bus, the files fell to the ground.

In option B, 'running to catch the bus' modifies 'the files,' which cannot run — this is a dangling modifier.

Choose the best synonym for AMBIGUOUS.

Answer: Uncertain

Ambiguous means open to more than one interpretation, making its meaning uncertain.

Complete the analogy: PROLOGUE : EPILOGUE :: INTRODUCTION : ___

Answer: Conclusion

A prologue comes before the main work, as an introduction does; an epilogue comes after, as a conclusion does.

Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?

Answer: Neither the manager nor the employees were informed.

With 'neither...nor,' the verb agrees with the subject closest to it — 'employees' is plural, so 'were' is correct.

Read: 'The memo stated that all travel requests must be approved two weeks in advance.' An employee submits a request five days before travel. What is most accurate?

Answer: The request does not comply with the stated policy.

The policy clearly requires two weeks' notice; five days does not meet that requirement.