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Admission Tests GRE GRE General Test Exam Practice Test

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Total 407 questions

GRE General Test Questions and Answers

Question 1

One reason researchers have long believed that Mars never enjoyed an extensive period of warm and wet climate is that much of the surface not covered by wind-borne dust appears to be composed of unweathered material If water flowed for an extended period, researchers reasoned, it should have altered and weathered the volcanic minerals, creating clays or other oxidized, hydrated phases (minerals that incorporate water molecules in their crystal structure).

It turns out. though, that the scientists were not looking closely enough. New high-resolution mapping data and close-up surface studies have revealed clays and other hydrated minerals in many regions The clay deposits are scattered all over, in ancient volcanic surfaces and heavily cratered highland regions, some of which have apparently been exposed by erosion only recently.

It can be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which of the following statements regarding the reasoning discussed in the highlighted sentence?

Options:

A.

It is based on an underestimation of the extent to which flowing water would alter volcanic materials on Mars

B.

It provides the basis for an explanation of why water on Mars has been difficult to find until recently

C It correctly identifies a consequence of water flowing on the Martian surface.

C.

It results in a new understanding of how water and volcanic materials interact on Mars.

D.

It fails to take into account the impact of wind-borne dust on the Martian surface

Question 2

It is hardly (i)_________that Roland, raised to (ii)_________ostentation, is building a house that is the antithesis of opulence.

Options:

A.

undeniable

B.

remarkable

C.

irrevocable

D.

savor

E.

recognize

F.

flout

Question 3

Female Australian Dunaiothhps [small, sap-sucking insects] create tent-like structures on the surface of leaves to protect themselves and their eggs and larvae from desiccation in the arid Australian climate. Bono and Crespi compared survival and reproduction of thrips that founded structures alone with those in groups of two or more individuals. They found that although per capita egg production fell with increasing group size, foundresses were more likely to survive and lay eggs in groups than when alone. Several studies of other species of nest-building insects have concluded that foundress associations are beneficial to all parties. It is likely that the relative success of groups is at least in part accounted for by a reduction of energy use in the modification of a shared nest.

The author mentions "desiccation" primarily to

Options:

A.

describe an environment suitable for one species* reproduction

B.

characterize a stage in an insect species' developmental cycle

C.

analyze an environmental challenge faced by some insect species

D.

exemplify a changing feature of a particular climate

E.

identify the purpose served by a particular behavior

Question 4

The relevance of the literary personality—a writer's distinctive attitudes, concerns, and artistic choices—to the analysis of a literary work is being scrutinized by various schools of contemporary criticism. Deconstructionists view the literary personality, like the writer's biographical personality, as irrelevant. The proper focus of literary analysis, they argue, is a work's intertextuality (interrelationship with other texts), subtexts (unspoken, concealed. or repressed discourses), and metatexts (self-referential aspects), not a perception of a writer's verbal and aesthetic "fingerprints." New historicists also devalue the literary personality, since, in their emphasis on a work's historical context, they credit a writer with only those insights and ideas that were generally available when the writer lived. However, to readers interested in literary detective work—say scholars of classical (Greek and Roman) literature who wish to reconstruct damaged texts or deduce a work's authorship— the literary personality sometimes provides vital clues.

Which of the following does the author mention in the passage as a concern of (^constructionists?

Options:

A.

A knowledge of the writer's other literary works

B.

A knowledge of the writer's artistic preferences

C.

A cognizance of a work's unarticulated ideas

D.

An appreciation of a work's aesthetic distinctiveness

E.

An awareness of a work's relation to the era in which it was written

Question 5

Sunflower sea slurs help maintain certain kelp forest ecosystems by eating quickly reproducing prey species such as urchins, thus keeping populations low. Without the sea stars, the urchin population explodes, which is bad news for kelp forests and everything in them. Giant kelp can grow to 150 feet underwater at a speed of two feet a day. but their weaknesses are their holdfasts. which are akin to tree roots. The holdfasts are home to brittle stars, prawns, and snails, among other creatures. Urchins like to eat the kelp holdfasts. Once the holdfasts are gone, the rest of the kelp drifts oft* in the tides. In this way. urchins can destroy the forests, which, higher up. are also home to fish, including several types of commercially important rockfish.

According to the passage, sea urchin populations

Options:

A.

often drift in the tide along with sea kelp

B.

are a favored prey of certain commercially important fish

C.

sometimes prey on commercially important fish species

D.

can damage the habitats where brittle stars live

E.

reproduce most rapidly in holdfasts of kelp forests

Question 6

The importance of the Bill of Rights in twentieth-century United States law and politics has led some historians to search for the "original meaning" of its most controversial clauses. This approach. known as "originalism." presumes that each right codified in the Bill of Rights had au independent history that can be studied in isolation from the histories of other rights, and its proponents ask how formulations of the Bill of Rights in 1791 reflected developments in specific areas of legal thinking at that time. Legal and constitutional historians, for example, have found originalism especially useful in the study of provisions of the Bill of Rights that were innovative by eighteenth-century standards, such as the Fourth Amendment's broadly termed protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures." Recent calls in the legal and political arena for a return to a "jurisprudence of original intention." however, have made it a matter of much more than purely scholarly interest when originalists insist that a clause's true meaning was fixed at the moment of its adoption, or maintain that only those rights explicitly mentioned in the United States Constitution deserve constitutional recognition and protection. These two claims seemingly lend support to the notion that an interpreter must apply fixed definitions of a fixed number of rights to contemporary issues, for the claims imply that the central problem of rights in the Revolutionary era was to precisely identity, enumerate, and define those rights that Americans felt were crucial to protecting their liberty.

Both claims, however, are questionable from the perspective of a strictly historical inquiry, however sensible they may seem from the vantage point of contemporary jurisprudence. Even though originalists are correct in claiming that the search for original meaning is inherently historical, historians would not normally seek.

Options:

A.

It can be inferred from the passage that a jurisprudence of original intention is based on which of the following assumptions about the Bill of Rights?

B.

Its framers and ratifiers sought to protect individual rights in as many situations as possible by describing each right in broad terms.

C.

Its framers and ratifiers originally intended the rights enumerated in the various individual clauses to be interpreted in relation to one another.

D.

Each clause has a meaning that can be determined by studying its history and can be applied to contemporary issues.

E.

Each right reflects the diversity of views that its framers held about individual rights.

F.

A study of interpretations of the Bill of Rights suggests that the Bill can legitimately be read in more than one way.

Question 7

In 1755 British writer Samuel Johnson published .in acerbic letter to Lord Chesterfield rebuking his patron for neglect and declining further support. Johnson's rejection of his patron's belated assistance has often been identified as a key moment in the history of publishing, marking the end of the culture of patronage. However, patronage had been in decline for 50 years, yet would survive, in attenuated form, for another 50. Indeed. Johnson was in 1762 awarded a pension by the Crown—a subtle form of sponsorship, tantamount to state patronage. The importance of Johnson's letter is not so much historical as emotional: it would become a touchstone for all who repudiated patrons and for all who embraced the laws of the marketplace.

Which of the following best describes the function of the highlighted phrase in the context of the passage as a whole?

Options:

A.

It points out the most obvious implications of Johnson's letter to his patron.

B.

It suggests a motivation for Johnson's rejection of Chesterfield's patronage.

C.

It provides information that qualifies the assertion that Johnson's letter sharply defined the end of a publishing era.

D.

It provides a possible defense for Chesterfield's alleged neglect of Johnson.

E.

It refines the notion that patrons are found primarily among the nobility.

Question 8

Given the_________of archival materials related to her subject, it is not surprising that the author is unable to

marshal much detailed documentary evidence to support some of her claims.

Options:

A.

diversity

B.

paucity

C.

accessibility

D.

orderliness

E.

profusion

Question 9

The snow-covered surface of the lake presents a reassuring illusion of________. but beneath the snow the ice is riven with treacherous cracks.

Options:

A.

uniformity

B.

isolation

C.

seclusion

D.

protection

E.

substantially

F.

soundness

Question 10

In 1755 British writer Samuel Johnson published an acerbic letter to Lord Chesterfield rebuking his patron for neglect and declining further support. Johnson's rejection of his patron's belated assistance has often been identified as a key moment in the history of publishing, marking the end of the culture of patronage. However, patronage had been in decline for 50 years, yet would survive, in attenuated form, for another 50. Indeed. Johnson was in 1762 awarded a pension by the Crown—a subtle form of sponsorship, tantamount to state patronage. The importance of Johnson's letter is not so much historical as emotional: it would become a touchstone for all who repudiated patrons and for all who embraced the laws of the marketplace.

The author of the passage mentions Johnson's 1762 pension award in order to

Options:

A.

provide a specific example of patronage's surviving into the second half of (he eighteenth century

B.

emphasize that patronage still helped support Johnson's writing after his letter to Chesterfield

C.

provide evidence for a general trend in the later half of the

D.

eighteenth century of private patronage's being replaced by state sponsorship

Question 11

Female Australian Dunalothrips [small, sap-sucking insects] create tent-like structures on the surface of leaves to protect themselves and their eggs and larvae from desiccation in the arid Australian climate. Bono and Crespi compared survival and reproduction of thrips that founded structures alone with those in groups of two or more individuals. They found that although per capita egg production fell with increasing group size, foundresses were more likely to survive and lay eggs in groups than when alone. Several studies of other species of nest-building insects have concluded that foundress associations are beneficial to all panics. It is likely that the relative success of groups is at least in part accounted for by a reduction of energy use in the modification of a shared nest.

The author suggests which of the following about the "reduction of energy use"?

Options:

A.

It may be beneficial enough to insects to offset a decrease in per capita egg production.

B.

It has been shown to occur primarily in species of insects that live in arid climates.

C.

Its negative consequences for insect eggs and larvae are outweighed by other, more advantageous effects.

D.

Its magnitude is most likely smaller than suggested by some early research studies on insect reproduction.

E.

It may help insects to regulate egg production in groups that reach a certain population density.

Question 12

W. E. B. Du Bois's exhibit of African American history and culture at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle attracted the attention of a world of sociological scholarship whose values his work challenged. Du Bois believed that sociological sociologists failed in their attempts to gain greater understanding of human deeds because their work examined not deeds but theories and because they gathered data not to effect social progress but merely to theorize. In his exhibit. Du Bois sought to present cultural artifacts that would shift the focus of sociology from the construction of vast generalizations to die observation of particular. living individual elements of society and the working contributions of individual people to a vast functioning social structure.

The passage implies that Du Bois believed which of the following statements about sociology?

Options:

A.

It should contribute to the betterment of society.

B.

It should study what people actually do.

C.

It should focus on how existing social structures determine individual behavior.

Question 13

In the present climate about half the atmospheric greenhouse effect comes from water vapor, about a quarter from clouds, and a fifth from carbon dioxide. According to Vallis. these numbers are necessarily) (i)_________because the effects of the greenhouse gases are not always (ii)_________. If the atmosphere is dry. then adding CO^ makes a big difference to the greenhouse effect, but if there is a large amount of water vapor in the atmosphere already producing a greenhouse effect, then adding CO (iii)_________.

Options:

A.

exaggerated

B.

conservative

C.

approximate

D.

benign

E.

cumulative

F.

disputed

G.

poses a threat

Question 14

Unfortunately. most of the (i)_________suburbia comes from metropolitan critics who glimpse it only fleethigly. Accustomed to the more structured forms of the city, they see only visual (ii)_________. And failing to recognize the interactions customary in an urban setting in the social and community life of suburbanites, they see social (iii)_________and miss the real diversity and richness.

Options:

A.

appreciation of

B.

analysis of

C.

encroachment on

D.

chaos

E.

analogies

F.

enhancements

G.

development

Question 15

Despite the general_________of Roman archaeological studies toward the major cities and their

monuments, archaeology has contributed much to a better understanding of rural developments in Roman territory.

Options:

A.

openness

B.

indifference

C.

hostility

D.

animus

E.

bias

F.

orientation

Question 16

Like paleontologists who interpret timescales from fossil evidence, we infer the history of star formation in the Milky Way galaxy from the heavy-element composition of its stars. According to the big bang theory of the origin of the universe, the first gas clouds—and the first generation of stars formed from them—were composed of pure hydrogen and helium; most heavier elements— iron and calcium, for example—came later, created by explosions of supernovas, massive stars in their death throes. Loaded with heavy elements, material ejected from supernovas enriched the interstellar gas clouds from which the next generation of stars formed, the level of heavy elements increasing with succeeding generations. Because most stars live for many billions of years and because the Milky Way is thus composed of multiple stellar generations, comparing the number of stars of low heavy-element abundance with those of high heavy-element abundance enables astronomers to untangle the history of star formation in the Milky Way.

The passage contains information about each of the following subjects EXCEPT the

Options:

A.

age of the Milky Way galaxy relative to the age of other galaxies

B.

events that led to the presence of heavier elements in stars

C.

time in the history of the galaxy when calcium and iron first appeared

D.

composition of early generations of stars

E.

composition of early interstellar gas clouds

Question 17

Economists use two competing models to describe the effects of commercial advertising—advertising as market competition and advertising as market power. The market competition model holds that the fundamental function of advertising is to provide information about products and brands. It is argued that information in ads permits greater marketplace efficiencies, such as lower prices and reduced monopoly power. In a similar vein, much discussion regarding political advertising has rested on its informational value Does political advertising provide political information and help voters make informed decisions'1 Nelson argues that promoting bars of soap in commercial ads is no different than promoting political ideas ideology from political candidates in political ads. on the grounds that information is being distributed m both cases. Others, such as Ferguson and Jamieson, disagree with Nelson's proposition Ferguson, for example, pointed out that choosing a political candidate is more like buying an experience good (where the quality is hard to evaluate prior to purchase) rather than a search good (where the quality is easily evaluated before the purchase). According to Ferguson, claims in political ads do not have true informational value, because it is difficult for voters to draw inferences about the future deeds of a candidate from what the ads say Furthermore. Jamieson argues that political ads reshape the public image of political candidates and change voters' feelings about the candidates with subtle emotional cues but without substantive information upon which to base a reasoned judgment.

The passage implies that Ferguson and Jamieson agree that political advertising

Options:

A.

focuses primarily on the communication of subtle emotional cues

B.

Is largely ineffective at promoting particular candidates

C.

misleads voters about the beliefs and future actions of candidates

D.

has only a temporary effect on the public images of candidates

E.

cannot be relied upon by voters who want to make informed decisions

Question 18

Though mathematics is________, like language, it has its roots in the mud of everyday embodied

experience: one such root is counting.

Options:

A.

essential

B.

indispensable

C.

abstract

D.

theoretical

E.

prescriptive

F.

functional

Question 19

When applied to written records, the word "preservation" is fraught with multiple meanings and connotations For some archivists, preservation involves the attempt to save artifacts from physical deterioration and is synonymous with the conservation of original documents. For archivists with a contrary view the overriding obligation is to save intellectual content through the use of surrogates. Thus the original earners of information are seen as superfluous and consequently disposable The practice of microfilming old newspapers and discarding the originals is one example of such preservation. On yet another level, preservation considers whether limited storage space should be allotted indefinitely to materials that are rarely consulted or whether certain items are so peripheral to current interests that they should be discarded altogether to ensure a home for more-pert inent materials.

It can be inferred that which of the following approaches to preservation would be unacceptable to "some archivists: but acceptable to the archivists with a contrary views as the two groups positions are described in the passage?

Options:

A.

Displaying a historical document in a glass case m order to allow the public to view the document without damaging it

B.

Scanning a governor's handwritten commentary on political correspondence into a computer file and disposing of the originals in order to save physical space

C.

Destroying videotapes containing eyewitness accounts of news events if the files have not been viewed by anyone in the previous five years

Question 20

Since it was committed to the idea of science as an international, politically neutral enterprise, the Royal Society of London refused to_________members from enemy nations during the world wars of the twentieth century.

Options:

A.

betray

B.

expel

C.

endorse

D.

oust

E.

sanction

F.

condemn

Question 21

Even the most complex models used in fishery management are cartoons of reality. They reduce hundreds of links in food webs to a handful and inadequately represent processes operating over space. Many of their assumptions are as flawed today as those of the simplest models of the past. Fish stocks, for one. are still assumed to be populations of a species that are isolated from one another. Yet many populations mix at their edges and some even migrate through areas occupied by other populations. Furthermore, the more complex models suffer from a "crisis of complexity"—more is really less. Adding layers of detail, each carrying its own set of assumptions, produces instability. The model's behavior becomes erratic, and conclusions drawn from it can be downright misleading.

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about "models of the past"?

Options:

A.

They depended on more assumptions than do most of today's models.

B.

They often behaved less predictably than do today's more complex models.

C.

At least some of the assumptions they made are still used in models today.

Question 22

The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment complex to its manager.

"Last week, all the showerheads in the first three buildings of the Sunnyside Towers complex were modified to restrict maximum water flow to one-third of what it used to be. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, modifying showerheads to restrict water flow throughout all twelve buildings in the Sunnyside Towers complex will increase our profits further."

Write a response in which you examine the stated and or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Options:

Question 23

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper

"The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. During this same time period, however, the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased from SI.50 to over $3.00 per gallon. To prevent farmers from continuing to receive excessive profits on an apparently increased supply of milk, the Batavia government should begin to regulate retail milk prices Such regulation is necessary to ensure fair prices for consumers."

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation

Options:

Question 24

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a Batavia newspaper

"The department of agriculture in Batavia reports that the number of dairy farms throughout the country is now 25 percent greater than it was 10 years ago. Dunne this same time period, however, the price of milk at the local Excello Food Market has increased from SI.50 to over S3.00 per gallon. To prevent farmers from continuing to receive excessive profits on an apparently increased supply of milk, the Batavia government should begin to regulate retail milk prices Such regulation is necessary to ensure fair prices for consumers."

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation

Options:

Question 25

The following appeared as a letter to the editor from the owner of a skate shop in Central Plaza.

"Two years ago the city council voted to prohibit skateboarding in Central Plaza. They claimed that skateboard users were responsible for litter and vandalism that were keeping other visitors from coming to the plaza. In the past two years, however, there has been only a small increase in the number of visitors to Central Plaza. and litter and vandalism are still problematic. Skateboarding is permitted in Monroe Park, however, and there is no problem with litter or vandalism there. In order to restore Central Plaza to its former glory, then, we recommend that the city lift its prohibition on skateboarding in the plaza."

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

Options:

Question 26

The following appeared in a memo from the president of Bower Builders, a company that constructs new homes.

"A nationwide survey reveals that the two most-desired home features are a large family room and a large, well-appointed kitchen. A number of homes in our area built by our competitor Domus Construction have such features and have sold much faster and at significantly higher prices than the national average. To boost sales and profits, we should increase the size of the family rooms and kitchens in all the homes we build and should make state-of-the-art kitchens a standard feature. Moreover, our larger family rooms and kitchens can come at the expense of the dining room, since many of our recent buyers say they do not need a separate dining room for family meals."

Write a response in which you examine the stated and or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Options:

Question 27

Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with (lie claim. In developing and supporting your position- be sure to address the most compelling reasons and or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

Options:

Question 28

No act is done purely for the benefit of

Claim: others

All actions—even those that seem to be done

for other people—are based on self-interest.

Reason-

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

Options:

Question 29

Claim: Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive.

Reason: It is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based.

Options:

Question 30

Question # 30

If x and v in the equation shown are numbers that satisfy y < 0 and |x| = |y|, which of the following must be the value of x ?

Options:

A.

-5

B.

-3

C.

1

D.

4

E.

5

Question 31

Exhibit.

Question # 31

The variance of n numerical data x1, x2, x3, , , , , xn with the mean x is equal to Question # 31 were S is the sum of the equal differences Question # 31 for Question # 31

For the shares of stock purchased and then sold by the investors shown, the mean of the 5 numbers for Stock Y is 50 and the corresponding mean for Stock X is 70. The variance of the 5 numbers for Stock }' is what fraction of the corresponding variance for Stock X ?

A)

Question # 31

B)

Question # 31

C)

Question # 31

D)

Question # 31

E)

Question # 31

Options:

A.

Option

B.

Option

C.

Option

D.

Option

E.

Option

Question 32

Question # 32

Of the 2.896 people who voted on a certain issue. the number who voted yes and the number who voted no are shown in the table. classified by age-group. Which of the following statements are true?

Indicate all such statements.

Options:

A.

Of all the people who voted- the number of voters from the 40-to-49 age-group was more than the number of voters from any of the other age-groups shown.

B.

There were more votes of no on the issue than votes of yes.

C.

The median age of all the people who voted was in the 50-to-59 age-group.

Question 33

Exhibit.

Question # 33

Options:

A.

Quantity A is greater.

B.

Quantity B is greater.

C.

The two quantities are equal.

D.

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 34

Question # 34

Options:

A.

Quantity A is greater.

B.

Quantity B is greater.

C.

The two quantities are equal.

D.

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 35

Question # 35

Options:

A.

Quantity A is greater.

B.

Quantity B is greater.

C.

The two quantities are equal.

D.

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 36

Question # 36

Options:

A.

Quantity A is greater.

B.

Quantity B is greater.

C.

The two quantities are equal

D.

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 37

Exhibit.

Question # 37

For the years shown, the greatest annual maize production was what percent greater than the median annual maize production?

Give your answer to the nearest whole percent.

Options:

Question 38

Exhibit.

Question # 38

Options:

A.

Quantity A is greater.

B.

Quantity B is greater.

C.

The two quantities are equal

D.

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 39

How many positive integers less than or equal to 29 can be expressed as the product of two different integers greater than 1 ?

Options:

Question 40

The average (arithmetic mean) of a set of n test scores is 70. If a new score of 90 is added to the set. the average of the set of scores will be 72. What is the value of w?

Options:

Question 41

A rectangular floor will be completely covered with square tiles, each of which has sides of length 6 inches. If tiles are laid side by side with no space between them and no tiles are cut. then the number of tiles needed to cover the floor is 1.080. Which of the following could be the dimensions of the floor? (Note: 12 inches- 1 foot.)

Options:

A.

15 feel by 9 feet

B.

15 feet by 18 feet

C.

30 feet by 18 feet

D.

30 feet by 36 feet

E.

45 feet by 36 feet

Question 42

The graph summarizes the responses from 4.500 respondents who rated their degree of confidence in each of eight United States institutions. Each respondent gave each institution one of five confidence ratings: high, moderate, little, none, or undecided.

Question # 42

For the respondents who rated their degree of confidence in state government high or moderate, the ratio of the number who gave a rating of high to the number who gave a rating of moderate was 1 to 3. How many of the respondents rated their degree of confidence in state government high?

Options:

A.

540

B.

570

C.

620

D.

680

E.

720

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Total 407 questions