Admission Test Section One : Verbal : GRE-Verbal Exam

"Old woman," grumbled the burly white man who had just heard Sojourner Truth speak, "do you think your
talk about slavery does any good? I don't care any more for your talk than I do for the bite of a flea." The
tall, imposing black woman turned her piercing eyes on him. "Perhaps not," she answered, "but I'll keep
you scratching." The little incident of the 1840s sums up all that Sojourner Truth was: utterly dedicated to
spreading her message, afraid of no one, forceful and witty in speech. Yet forty years earlier, who could
have suspected that a spindly slave girl growing up in a damp cellar in upstate New York would become
one of the most remarkable women in American history? Her name then was Isabella (many slaves had
no last names), and by the time she was fourteen she had seen both parents die of cold and hunger. She
herself had been sold several times. By 1827, when New York freed its slaves, she had married and
borne five children. The first hint of Isabella's fighting spirit came soon afterwards, when her youngest son
was illegally seized and sold. She marched to the courthouse and badgered officials until her son was
returned to her. In 1843, inspired by religion, she changed her name to Sojourner (meaning "one who
stays briefly") Truth, and, with only pennies in her purse, set out to preach against slavery. From New
England to Minnesota she trekked, gaining a reputation for her plain but powerful and moving words.
Incredibly, despite being black and female (only white males were expected to be public speakers), she
drew thousands to town halls, tents, and churches to hear her powerful, deep-voiced pleas on equality for
blacks-and for women. Often she had to face threatening hoodlums. Once she stood before armed bullies
and sang a hymn to them. Awed by her courage and her commanding presence, they sheepishly
retreated. During the Civil War she cared for homeless ex-slaves in Washington. President Lincoln invited
her to the White House to bestow praise on her. Later, she petitioned Congress to help former slaves get
land in the West. Even in her old age, she forced the city of Washington to integrate its trolley cars so that
black and white could ride together. Shortly before her death at eighty-six, she was asked what kept her
going. "I think of the great things," replied Sojourner.
This incident occurred in the-

• A. 1840s
• B. 1760s
• C. 1900s
• D. 1920s
• E. 1700s

The victory of the small Greek democracy of Athens over the mighty Persian empire in 490 B. C. is one of
the most famous events in history. Darius, king of the Persian empire, was furious because Athens had
interceded for the other Greek city-states in revolt against Persian domination. In anger the king sent an
enormous army to defeat Athens.
He thought it would take drastic steps to pacify the rebellious part of the empire. Persia was ruled by one
man. In Athens, however, all citizens helped to rule. Ennobled by this participation, Athenians were
prepared to die for their city-state. Perhaps this was the secret of the remarkable victory at Marathon,
which freed them from Persian rule. On their way to Marathon, the Persians tried to fool some Greek
city-states by claiming to have come in peace. The frightened citizens of Delos refused to believe this. Not
wanting to abet the conquest of Greece, they fled from their city and did not return until the Persians had
left. They were wise, for the Persians next conquered the city of Etria and captured its people. Tiny
Athens stood alone against PersiA. The Athenian people went to their sanctuaries. There they prayed for
deliverance. They asked their gods to expedite their victory. The Athenians refurbished their weapons and
moved to the plain of Marathon, where their little band would meet the Persians. At the last moment,
soldiers from Plataea reinforced the Athenian troops. The Athenian army attacked, and Greek citizens
fought bravely. The power of the mighty Persians was offset by the love that the Athenians had for their
city. Athenians defeated the Persians in archery and hand combat.
Greek soldiers seized Persian ships and burned them, and the Persians fled in terror.
Herodotus, a famous historian, reports that 6400 Persians died, compared with only 192 Athenians.
Their participation___to the Athenians.

• A. gave hope
• B. gave fear
• C. gave honor
• D. gave comfort
• E. gave strength

When using a metal file, always remember to bear down on the forward stroke only. On the return stroke,
lift the file clear of the surface to avoid dulling the instrument's teeth.
Only when working on very soft metals is it advisable to drag the file's teeth slightly on the return stroke.
This helps clear out metal pieces from between the teeth. It is best to bear down just hard enough to keep
the file cutting at all times. Too little pressure uses only the tips of the teeth; too much pressure can chip
the teeth. Move the file in straight lines across the surface. Use a vice to grip the work so that your hands
are free to hold the file. Protect your hands by equipping the file with a handle. Buy a wooden handle and
install it by inserting the pointed end of the file into the handle hole.
Protect your hands by-

• A. dragging the teeth on the backstroke
• B. using a vise
• C. installing a handle
• D. dulling the teeth
• E. wearing safety gloves

For absolute dating of archeological artifacts, the radiocarbon method emerged during the latter half of
the twentieth century as the most reliable and precise method. The results of obsidian (volcanic glass)
dating, a method based on the belief that newly exposed obsidian surfaces absorb moisture from the
surrounding atmosphere at a constant rate, proved uneven. It was initially thought that the thickness of
the hydration layer would provide a means of calculating the time elapsed since the fresh surface was
made. But this method failed to account for the chemical variability in the physical and chemical
mechanism of obsidian hydration. Moreover, each geographic source presented unique chemical
characteristics, necessitating a trace element analysis for each such source. Yet despite its limitations,
obsidian dating helped archeologists identify the sources of many obsidian artifacts, and to identify in turn
ancient exchange networks for the flow of goods. Nor were ceramic studies and fluoride analysis
supplanted entirely by the radiocarbon method, which in use allows for field labeling and laboratory errors,
as well as sample contamination. In addition, in the 1970s, dendrochronological (tree-ring) studies on the
bristlecone pine showed that deviation from radiocarbon values increases as one moves back in time.
Eventually calibration curves were developed to account for this phenomenon; but in the archeological
literature we still find dual references to radiocarbon and sidereal, or calendar, time.
The author mentions all of the following as problems with radiocarbon dating EXCEPT for

• A. contamination of artifacts
• B. deterioration of samples
• C. identification errors by archeological field workers
• D. mistakes by laboratory workers
• E. disparities with the calendar dating system

CHRONOLOGICAL : TIME

• A. coincidental:health
• B. virtual:truth
• C. abnormal:value
• D. ordinal:place
• E. marginal:knowledge