GRE General Test (Master of Science Admissions) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the primary purpose of Docker containers in software development?

Packaging an application with its dependencies into a portable, reproducible unit (Correct answer)
Encrypting network traffic between microservices
Virtual machine replacement with full OS isolation
Managing relational database schemas

Correct answer: Packaging an application with its dependencies into a portable, reproducible unit

Docker containers bundle application code and all dependencies so the software runs consistently across development, testing, and production environments.

Question 2: In classical mechanics, what does Newton's Second Law state?

Objects in motion stay in motion
Energy is conserved in all systems
Net force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma) (Correct answer)
Action equals reaction

Correct answer: Net force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma)

Newton's Second Law states that the net force acting on an object equals the product of its mass and acceleration (F = ma).

Question 3: Which technique is commonly used to reduce the number of variables in a dataset while retaining most of its variance?

Linear Discriminant Analysis
Principal Component Analysis (Correct answer)
K-Means Clustering
Decision Tree Pruning

Correct answer: Principal Component Analysis

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a dimensionality reduction technique that projects data onto orthogonal components capturing maximum variance.

Question 4: Which technique provides direct measurement of bond lengths and angles in crystalline solids?

Raman spectroscopy
UV-Vis spectroscopy
X-ray crystallography (Correct answer)
Mass spectrometry

Correct answer: X-ray crystallography

X-ray crystallography uses diffraction patterns from periodic crystal lattices to determine exact atomic positions, yielding precise bond lengths and angles.

Question 5: In occupational health, what does the hierarchy of controls prioritize as the most effective measure?

Administrative controls like job rotation
Elimination of the hazard at the source (Correct answer)
Engineering controls like ventilation
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Correct answer: Elimination of the hazard at the source

The hierarchy of controls ranks hazard elimination as most effective because it removes the hazard entirely, followed by substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE.

Question 6: What is herd immunity threshold, and what determines it?

The proportion of immune individuals needed to prevent epidemic spread, determined by the basic reproduction number R₀ (Correct answer)
The percentage of cases that are fatal
The speed at which a virus mutates
The number of vaccinated individuals in a hospital

Correct answer: The proportion of immune individuals needed to prevent epidemic spread, determined by the basic reproduction number R₀

Herd immunity threshold = 1 - (1/R₀); for measles with R₀ ≈ 15, approximately 93% of the population must be immune to prevent sustained transmission.

Question 7: What is the primary purpose of foodborne illness surveillance systems like FoodNet in the US?

Inspect restaurant sanitation
Monitor trends in foodborne disease incidence and identify outbreak sources (Correct answer)
Regulate food manufacturing processes
Set dietary guidelines for Americans

Correct answer: Monitor trends in foodborne disease incidence and identify outbreak sources

FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network) tracks the incidence of laboratory-confirmed foodborne illnesses to monitor trends, identify outbreaks, and evaluate prevention measures.

Question 8: What does Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs propose about human motivation?

All human needs are equally important simultaneously
Lower-level deficiency needs (physiological, safety) must be satisfied before higher-level growth needs (belonging, esteem, self-actualization) motivate behavior (Correct answer)
Only biological needs drive human motivation
Self-actualization is the most common motivational state

Correct answer: Lower-level deficiency needs (physiological, safety) must be satisfied before higher-level growth needs (belonging, esteem, self-actualization) motivate behavior

Maslow proposed a pyramidal hierarchy where basic physiological and safety needs must be met before people are motivated by psychological needs like belonging, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization.

Question 9: Which option gives the holder the right to BUY an underlying asset at the strike price before expiration?

Swap agreement
Forward contract
Put option
Call option (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Call option

A call option grants the holder the right, but not the obligation, to purchase the underlying asset at the agreed strike price on or before the expiration date.

Question 10: In molecular orbital theory, which condition must be met for two atomic orbitals to combine effectively?

They must be from adjacent elements on the periodic table
They must have the same spin
They must both be valence orbitals
They must have similar energy and symmetry (Correct answer)

Correct answer: They must have similar energy and symmetry

Effective MO overlap requires atomic orbitals to have similar energies and compatible symmetry so that constructive interference can occur.

Question 11: What is 'informed consent' in psychology research ethics?

Participants must be fully informed about the study and voluntarily agree before participation (Correct answer)
Agreement that data will be shared publicly after the study
Researchers obtain permission from institutional review boards only
Participants sign documents waiving their right to withdraw

Correct answer: Participants must be fully informed about the study and voluntarily agree before participation

Informed consent requires that participants be told about the study's purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits, then freely agree to participate without coercion.

Question 12: Which of the statements about the merge sort algorithm is false?

It is a comparison sorting algorithm.
The unsorted array is divided into sub lists, which are, in turn, divided into more sub lists. (Correct answer)
All of the above
The unsorted array is divided into sublists. Each sublist is then sorted recursively by re-applying the algorithm.

Correct answer: The unsorted array is divided into sub lists, which are, in turn, divided into more sub lists.

Merge sort is a 'divide and conquer' algorithm that involves two main phases: dividing and merging. Statement C accurately describes the 'divide' phase, where the array is recursively broken down into smaller sublists. However, it completely omits the crucial 'merge' phase, where these sublists are combined in a sorted manner. Therefore, as a description of the complete merge sort algorithm, which requires both division and merging to function, statement C is incomplete and misleading, making it the false statement in the context of fully describing the algorithm.

Question 13: Which valuation method estimates a company's value based on the present value of its projected future free cash flows?

Comparable company analysis
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis (Correct answer)
Book value method
Precedent transaction analysis

Correct answer: Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis

DCF valuation discounts a company's projected future free cash flows back to the present using a required rate of return (discount rate), estimating intrinsic value.

Question 14: In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), what is the main purpose of randomization?

Increase sample size
Reduce cost of the study
Blind participants to their treatment
Eliminate selection bias and ensure comparable groups at baseline (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Eliminate selection bias and ensure comparable groups at baseline

Randomization distributes both known and unknown confounding variables equally across treatment and control groups, reducing selection bias and allowing causal inference.

Question 15: What is the difference between reliability and validity in a public health measurement instrument?

Reliability and validity are synonymous terms
Both terms describe statistical power
Reliability measures accuracy; validity measures precision
Reliability is consistency of measurement; validity is whether the instrument measures what it intends to (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Reliability is consistency of measurement; validity is whether the instrument measures what it intends to

Reliability refers to producing consistent results across repeated measurements, while validity refers to accurately measuring the true construct of interest.

Question 16: In HPLC with a reverse-phase column, which solvent system would elute a polar compound first?

100% methanol
50% water / 50% methanol
100% acetonitrile
90% water / 10% acetonitrile (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 90% water / 10% acetonitrile

In reverse-phase HPLC, polar compounds have less affinity for the nonpolar C18 stationary phase and elute earlier in high-aqueous (polar) mobile phases.

Question 17: What does the term 'stress concentration factor' (Kt) represent in mechanical design?

The ratio of maximum stress to nominal stress near a geometric discontinuity (Correct answer)
The yield strength ratio
The elastic modulus ratio
The factor of safety for a part

Correct answer: The ratio of maximum stress to nominal stress near a geometric discontinuity

The stress concentration factor Kt is the ratio of the peak local stress at a geometric discontinuity (hole, notch, fillet) to the nominal stress in the net section.

Question 18: What is the primary premise of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?

Environmental reinforcement alone determines behavior
Unconscious drives from childhood are the primary cause of all psychological problems
Medication is always necessary alongside therapy
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, and changing distorted thinking patterns reduces psychological distress (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, and changing distorted thinking patterns reduces psychological distress

CBT is based on the cognitive model that maladaptive thought patterns (cognitive distortions) influence emotions and behaviors, and that systematically challenging these thoughts produces therapeutic change.

Question 19: In inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the plasma temperature (~6,000–10,000 K) primarily serves to:

Separate isotopes based on charge
Vaporize the solvent only
Reduce polyatomic interferences
Ionize analyte atoms for mass analysis (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Ionize analyte atoms for mass analysis

The extremely high plasma temperature atomizes and ionizes nearly all elements with >99% efficiency, producing M⁺ ions that are then separated and detected by the mass spectrometer.

Question 20: What is the purpose of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)?

Make evidence-based recommendations about preventive care services for Americans (Correct answer)
Manage Medicare and Medicaid programs
License healthcare providers
Regulate health insurance premiums

Correct answer: Make evidence-based recommendations about preventive care services for Americans

The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of experts that reviews evidence and issues recommendations on preventive services including screenings, counseling, and preventive medications.

Question 21: What distinguishes a data scientist from a data engineer in particular?

A data engineer analyzes data after a data scientist collects and prepares it.
None of the above
A data engineer builds data pipelines and helps prepare data, while a data scientist is responsible for data collection, preparation and analysis. (Correct answer)
A data engineer collects and prepares data, and a data scientist then analyzes it.

Correct answer: A data engineer builds data pipelines and helps prepare data, while a data scientist is responsible for data collection, preparation and analysis.

Data engineers focus on building and maintaining the robust infrastructure and pipelines necessary to collect, store, and process large volumes of data, ensuring its availability and quality. Data scientists, on the other hand, leverage this prepared data to perform in-depth analysis, develop predictive models, and extract actionable insights. While there can be some overlap, the engineer's role is primarily infrastructure and data flow, while the scientist's is analysis and modeling.

Question 22: Which machine learning technique uses labeled training data to learn a mapping from inputs to outputs?

Supervised learning (Correct answer)
Unsupervised learning
Reinforcement learning
Self-supervised learning

Correct answer: Supervised learning

Supervised learning trains a model on input-output pairs so it can predict outputs for new, unseen inputs.

Question 23: The Hückel rule states that monocyclic, planar, fully conjugated systems are aromatic when they contain:

(4n+2) π electrons where n is a non-negative integer (Correct answer)
Exactly 6 π electrons only
(4n) π electrons where n is a positive integer
Any even number of π electrons

Correct answer: (4n+2) π electrons where n is a non-negative integer

Hückel's rule (4n+2 π electrons, n = 0, 1, 2, …) predicts aromaticity for cyclic conjugated systems; benzene (n=1, 6 π e⁻) is the classic example.

Question 24: 1985 ILA coordinated the IFLA regional UAP seminar in

Chennai
New Delhi (Correct answer)
Bangalore
Pune

Correct answer: New Delhi

In 1985, the Indian Library Association (ILA) coordinated a regional seminar on Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) in New Delhi, in collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). This event was significant for promoting the UAP program's goals in the region, focusing on ensuring that publications are available to users regardless of their location.

Question 25: What is the purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) in public health research?

Publish research findings
Protect the rights and welfare of human research participants (Correct answer)
Fund public health research projects
Train researchers in laboratory techniques

Correct answer: Protect the rights and welfare of human research participants

An IRB reviews research protocols involving human subjects to ensure ethical conduct, informed consent, and minimization of risks to participants.

Question 26: What is the CDC's CASPER (Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response) tool designed for?

Long-term chronic disease surveillance
Hospital capacity planning
Rapid assessment of health and social needs in communities following disasters (Correct answer)
Vaccination registry management

Correct answer: Rapid assessment of health and social needs in communities following disasters

CASPER uses cluster sampling to rapidly gather community-level data on health needs, resource requirements, and population vulnerabilities after public health emergencies.

Question 27: In the CAP theorem, which two properties can a distributed system guarantee during a network partition?

Availability and Partition tolerance
Consistency and Availability
Durability and Consistency
Consistency and Partition tolerance (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Consistency and Partition tolerance

During a partition, a system must choose between consistency (CP) or availability (AP); it cannot guarantee both simultaneously.

Question 28: What is the primary goal of the US Healthy People 2030 initiative?

Reform hospital billing practices
Regulate pharmaceutical pricing
Mandate annual physicals for all citizens
Improve health and well-being of all Americans through science-based national objectives (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Improve health and well-being of all Americans through science-based national objectives

Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives to improve health, well-being, and equity for all Americans over the decade.

Question 29: What is the purpose of a needs assessment in public health program development?

Train public health workers
Identify gaps between current and desired health status to prioritize interventions (Correct answer)
Secure grant funding for programs
Evaluate completed program outcomes

Correct answer: Identify gaps between current and desired health status to prioritize interventions

A needs assessment systematically gathers data to identify community health problems, their causes, and existing resources, providing the evidence base for targeted program planning.

Question 30: What research-based reading instruction approach is supported by the 'Science of Reading' movement?

Sight word memorization as the primary reading strategy
Whole language approach using contextual guessing
Systematic, explicit phonics instruction as foundational for decoding skills (Correct answer)
Silent reading time without teacher-guided phonics instruction

Correct answer: Systematic, explicit phonics instruction as foundational for decoding skills

The Science of Reading confirms that systematic, explicit phonics instruction is essential for developing decoding skills in early readers, supported by decades of cognitive and neuroscience research.

GRE General Test (Master of Science Admissions)

The GRE General Test is the standard graduate admissions exam for Master of Science programs, assessing verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing skills required for graduate-level academic study across STEM, health, business, and social science disciplines.

Questions

35 min

Time Limit

70%

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