byRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams
Reading Passage Question
Slowly but surely the great passenger trains of the United States have been fading from the rails. Short-run commuter trains still rattle in and out of the cities. Between major cities you can still find a train, but the schedules are becoming less frequent. The Twentieth Century Limited, The Broadway Limited, and other luxury trains that sang along the rails at 60 to 80 miles an hour are no longer running. Passengers on other long runs complain of poor service, old equipment, and costs in time and money. The long-distance traveler today accepts the noise of jets, the congestion at airports, and the traffic between airport and city. A more elegant and graceful way is becoming only a memory.
“Slowly but Surely the Great Passenger Trains of the United States” - is a reading comprehension passage with answers for the GMAT. Candidates must have a strong understanding of English GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT Reading Comprehension section contains 2 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions assess candidates' abilities to comprehend, analyze, and apply information or concepts. GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions can help candidates actively prepare.
Solutions and Explanation
- With respect to the reduction of long-run passenger trains, the writer expresses
(A) regret
(B) pleasure
(C) grief
(D) elation
(E) anger
Answer: A
Explanation: The author’s emotion must be highlighted before answering this question. The author does not actually state his feelings, but clues are available. So, we may infer his state of mind. Option (B) and (D) are incorrect; he provides no word that shows that he is pleased by the change. Option (C) is too strong, as is Option (E). Hence, Option (A) is the most practical inference to make. He is upset to see the change. He expressed regret in the passage.
- According to the author the air travel is
(A) costly
(B) slow
(C) streamlined
(D) elegant
(E) uncomfortable
Answer: E
Explanation: The last line of the passage states “The long-distance traveler today accepts … traffic between airport and city”. Here we can see what the author says about his minimal experience of air travel. Additionally, the author in this passage states the negative and annoying reasons for air travel. So, the answer choice for this question becomes fairly clear. Option (E) is the correct answer.
Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples
- The phrase “alternative stable state” in ecology refers to the tendency of many ecosystems GMAT Reading Comprehension
- If early twentieth-century geologists and geo-physicists had heeded the fundamental axiom of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Species interdependence in nature confers many benefits on the species involved GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Polychlorinated biphenyls are heavy, syrupy hydrocarbons that were first synthesized in the 1880s GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Mercury is only present in small amounts in marine ecosystems, yet it still presents a potential danger to fish eaters GMAT Reading Comprehension
- About a century ago, the Swedish physical scientist Arrhenius proposed a law of classical chemistry GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Much of the research on hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD has focused on the neurotransmitter serotonin, a chemical GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Musicologists concerned with the “London Pianoforte school,” the group of composers GMAT Reading Comprehension
- While space looks empty, it is in fact filled with matter GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The science of color management developed in response to a very specific need GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Despite its 1989 designation as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act GMAT Reading Comprehension
- During the process of embryonic development, cells become progressively restricted GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Most computers are digital, meaning they display information in discrete intervals GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Recent advances in non-invasive human neuroimaging have provided researchers in the emerging field of social brain science GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Many United States Companies Believe that the Rising Cost of Employees' Health Care Benefits GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Dendrochronology, The Study of Tree-Ring Records to Glean Information About the Past GMAT Reading Comprehension
- What kinds of property rights apply to Algonquian family hunting territories GMAT Reading Comprehension
- Although the Industrial Union Organizations that Emerged GMAT Reading Comprehension
- According to P. F. Drucker, the management philosophy GMAT Reading Comprehension
- The United States Hospital Industry is an Unusual Market GMAT Reading Comprehension
Comments