Section I Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

People are, on the whole, poor at considering background information when making individual decisions. At first glance this might seem like a strength that  1  the ability to make judgments which are unbiased by  2  factors. But Dr. Uri Simonsohn speculated that an inability to consider the big  3  was leading decision-makers to be biased by the daily samples of information they were working with.  4  , he theorised that a judge  5  of appearing too soft  6  crime might be more likely to send someone to prison  7  he had already sentenced five or six other defendants only to forced community service on that day.

To  8  this idea, he turned to the university-admissions process. In theory, the  9  of an applicant should not depend on the few others  10   randomly for interview during the same day, but Dr. Simonsoho suspected the truth was  11  .

He studied the results of 9,323 MBA interviews  12  by 31 admissions officers. The interviewers had  13  applicants on a scale of one to five. This scale  14  numerous factors into consideration. The scores were  15  used in conjunction with an applicant’s score on the Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, a standardized exam which is  16  out of 800 points, to make a decision on whether to accept him or her.

Dr. Simonsohn found if the score of the previous candidate in a daily series of interviewees was 0.75 points or more higher than that of the one  17  that, then the score for the next applicant would  18  by an average of 0.075 points. This might sound small, but to 19  the effects of such a decrease a candidate would need 30 more GMAT points than would otherwise have been  20  .

1.[A] grants  [B] submits  [C] transmits     [D] delivers

2.[A] minor    [B] external   [C] crucial  [D] objective

3.[A] issue    [B] vision   [C] picture   [D] moment

4.[A] Above all   [B] On average     [C] In principle    [D] For example

5.[A] fond  [B] fearful      [C] capable        [D] thoughtless

6.[A] in    [B] for      [C] to    [D] on

7.[A] if   [B] until     [C] though  [D] unless

8.[A] test   [B] emphasize   [C] share  [D] promote

9.[A] decision   [B] quality   [C] status   [D] success

10.[A] found   [B] studied   [C] chosen   [D] identified

11.[A] otherwise    [B] defensible    [C] replaceable   [D] exceptional

12.[A] inspired    [B] expressed    [C] conducted      [D] secured

13.[A] assigned       [B] rated    [C] matched     [D] arranged

14.[A] put    [B] got    [C] took    [D] gave

15.[A] instead     [B] then     [C] ever   [D] rather

16.[A] selected       [B] passed     [C] marked     [D] introduced

17.[A] below   [B] after   [C] above    [D] before

18.[A] jump  [B] float   [C] fluctuate    [D] drop

19.[A] achieve     [B] undo    [C] maintain    [D] disregard

20.[A] necessary      [B] possible     [C] promising