Free Test Prep GRE-Verbal-Reasoning Exam Questions

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The Andean cordillera is made up of many inten/voven mountain ranges, which include high intermontane plateaus, basins, and valleys. The Northern Andes contain several broad ecosystems falling into four altitudinal belts. Its northern subregion is distinguished by higher humidity and by greater climatic symmetry between eastern and western flanks. The Central Andes are characterized by a succession of agricultural zones with varied climatic conditions along the mountains’ flanks and by large, highaltitude plateaus, variously called puna or altiplano, which do not occur in the Northern Andes. The soil fertility of the northern altiplano is generally good. The western Central Andean ranges are relatively arid with desert-like soils, whereas the eastern ranges are more humid and have more diverse soils. The eastern slopes of the Central Andes in many ways are similar to the wet forests of the Northern Andes. Unlike the Northern Andes, however, these slopes have a dry season. In regions of gentle topography, such as the Amazon basin, regional climatic variation can be determined from a few widely spaced measurements. Regional projections in the Andean cordillera are quite difficult by comparison. For example, while air temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude, variability of mountain topography can produce much lower than expected air temperatures. Nevertheless, some general climatic patterns are discernible. For example, with increasing distance south of the equator the seasonality of precipitation increases, whereas the total annual amount generally decreases. Humidity commonly increases with increasing altitude, but only to some intermediate altitude, above which it declines. The variability of mountain terrain also affects precipitation, such that conditions of extreme wetness and aridity may exist in close proximity. Related to this temperature gradient is a pattern of ater rainfall at the valley heads, and less rain at lower altitudes, resulting in part from mountain rainshadow effect. The weather patterns of the Andean cordillera and Amazon basin in general refilect movements of highand low-pressure cells associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure trough that moves further north and south on a seasonal basis. Precipitation is high throughout the year in the highlands and on the coast in the Northern Andes. Coastal aridity increases south of central Ecuador, culminating in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. In the Central Andes, highland precipitation is seasonal, and amounts are approximately half those measured in the Northern Andes. The aridity of the Central Andean coastal zone is the result of the drying effect of the cold Pacific Humboldt current and the southern Pacific high-pressure cell. lV|uch of the southern portion of the Central Andes in BolMa is also arid. The dry season causes soil moisture deficits and diminished stream flow part of each year. According to the passage, the northern part of the high-altitude plateaus is characterized by which of the following?

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In the United States, the extent of adult illiteracy at the workplace has been obscured by adequate employment for adults with few or no literacy skills, too-simple definitions of literacy, faulty survey methods, and a stigma associated with illiteracy that keeps many people from admitting illiteracy or seeking help in overcoming it. With today’s increasingly rapid technological advances and increased foreign competition, however, U.S. businesses are growing more and more aware of the extent and the costs of illiteracy in the work force. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics warns that the U.S. labor-force entrants in the years ahead may not have the skills that employers need-that new jobs in the service industries, where most job growth is projected to occur, will demand much higher literacy skill levels than today’s service jobs, and few new jobs will be created for those who cannot read and follow directions, fill out forms and communicate by e-mail with coworkers, and perform simple arithmetical computations applying the basic rules of mathematics. It can be inferred from the passage that

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