# GMAT Focus Verbal Reading Comprehension & Quantitative Word Problems > 32 GMAT Focus review cards combining Quantitative word problems (distance–rate–time, relative speed, work rates, mixtures, percent change, markup, profit margin, and interest) with Verbal Reading Comprehension passage mapping and question strategies. - **Canonical URL:** https://flashcards.world/flashcards/sets/e721c8fc-06d4-46dc-ab90-15eacf49fd8f/ - **Markdown URL:** https://flashcards.world/flashcards/sets/e721c8fc-06d4-46dc-ab90-15eacf49fd8f.md - **Level:** intermediate - **Languages:** en → en - **Total Cards:** 32 ## Flashcards (32 Cards) | # | Front (Term / Prompt) | Back (Definition / Answer) | Example | Multiple-Choice Options | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | What is the fundamental Distance-Rate-Time relationship and the formula for Average Speed? | Distance = Rate * Time. Crucial rule: Average Speed = (Total Distance) / (Total Time). It is NEVER the simple arithmetic mean of the two speeds unless the time spent at each speed is identical! | | | | 2 | How do you handle rate problems involving simultaneous inlet and outlet pipes? | Net Rate = (Inlet Rate) - (Outlet Rate) = (1/T_in) - (1/T_out). If Net Rate > 0, the pool/tank fills in Time = 1 / (Net Rate). | | | | 3 | What are the common wrong-answer traps in GMAT RC Detail questions? | 1. Verbatim trap: Uses exact phrasing from the text but alters the context or logical relationship. 2. Too broad / Too narrow. 3. Out of scope: True in the real world, but absent from the passage. | | | | 4 | How do you calculate catch-up time in head-start motion problems? | Catch-up Time = (Head-start Distance) / (Relative Speed difference). Example: If Runner B is 10 miles ahead and Runner A is 2 mph faster, Time = 10 / 2 = 5 hours. | | | | 5 | What remains constant during a solvent-evaporation mixture problem? | The mass (or molar amount) of dissolved non-volatile solute remains constant while solvent evaporates. As total solution volume or mass decreases, the solute concentration increases accordingly: C1 * V1 = C2 * V2. | | | | 6 | How does percent profit on cost (markup) differ from profit margin on revenue? | Where Profit = Revenue - Cost: • Percent Profit on Cost (Markup %) = (Profit / Cost) * 100%. • Profit Margin (Gross/Net Margin on Revenue) = (Profit / Revenue) * 100%. Always check whether a word problem defines percentage profit relative to cost price or selling price (revenue). | | | | 7 | In GMAT RC, what does 'According to the passage' signal in the question stem? | It indicates a direct retrieval question. The correct answer will be a paraphrase of an explicit statement in the passage. No deep inference is required. | | | | 8 | What is the markup and discount trap in profit calculations? | Markup is calculated on Cost Price; Discount is calculated on Marked (Selling) Price. A markup of 25% on $100 yields $125; a subsequent 20% discount on $125 brings the price back to $100. | | | | 9 | What is the rule when dilution is performed using pure water? | The solute concentration of pure water is 0%. In C1*V1 + C2*V2 = C_final*(V1 + V2), set C2 = 0, so C1*V1 = C_final*(V1 + V2). | | | | 10 | What is the core strategy of GMAT Reading Comprehension 'Passage Mapping'? | Note three elements per paragraph: (1) Main idea / paragraph function; (2) Author's thesis or stance; (3) Major shifts (e.g., 'However', 'A second explanation'). Do NOT memorize granular facts. | | | | 11 | How do water current or wind speed affect travel rates? | • Downstream (with wind): Effective Speed = Boat Speed + Current Speed • Upstream (against wind): Effective Speed = Boat Speed - Current Speed | | | | 12 | In GMAT RC, how do you recognize a Primary Purpose question? | Question stems ask: 'The primary purpose of the passage is...', 'The author is primarily concerned with...'. Look for active verbs like 'reconcile', 'critique', 'trace', or 'evaluate'. | | | | 13 | What is the difference between Simple Interest and Compound Interest formulas? | • Simple: Interest = P * r * t; Total = P(1 + rt) • Compound: Total = P * (1 + r/n)^(nt), where n is compounding periods per year. | | | | 14 | How does the Alligation Cross Method work for two-component mixtures? | The ratio of volumes V1 / V2 is equal to the inverse ratio of their distances from the target concentration: V1 / V2 = \|C2 - C_target\| / \|C1 - C_target\|. | | | | 15 | How do successive percentage changes combine mathematically? | An increase of a% followed by a decrease of b% results in a multiplier of (1 + a/100) * (1 - b/100). Example: +20% then -20% = 1.20 * 0.80 = 0.96 (a net 4% decrease, NOT 0% change!). | | | | 16 | What is the formula for the distance traveled by a train crossing a stationary platform of length L_p? | Total Distance = (Length of Train) + (Length of Platform). The train has crossed only when its caboose completely exits the far end of the platform. | | | | 17 | What is the formula for the concentration of a mixture created by combining two solutions? | C_final = (C1*V1 + C2*V2) / (V1 + V2), where C is percentage concentration and V is volume. Amount of pure solute = C * V. | | | | 18 | What is the combined work formula for two workers working simultaneously? | Combined Rate = (1/T1) + (1/T2). The combined time to complete 1 job is T = (T1 * T2) / (T1 + T2). | | | | 19 | How does an author qualify a thesis in academic writing? | By introducing boundary conditions or concessions using words like 'to be sure', 'admittedly', 'granted', followed by a defense of the central claim. | | | | 20 | How do you tackle Comparative / Multi-perspective RC passages? | Track exactly where Author 1 and Author 2 agree and where they explicitly disagree. Questions will test whether Scholar B would endorse or refute a specific assertion of Scholar A. | | | | 21 | How do you calculate percent decrease when an item drops from A to B? | Percent Decrease = [(A - B) / A] * 100%. Dividing by B instead of A is a common error. | | | | 22 | How do you calculate relative speed for objects moving toward each other vs moving in the same direction? | • Moving toward each other (converging): Relative Speed = R1 + R2 (closing rate). • Moving in same direction (chasing/overtaking): Relative Speed = R1 - R2 (where R1 > R2). | | | | 23 | In RC, what is an 'Application / Parallel Reasoning' question? | A question asking which new situation is most analogous to a situation described in the passage. You must abstract the core causal relationship and match it to a new domain. | | | | 24 | How do you distinguish an author's tone in GMAT RC? | Pay close attention to adjectives and adverbs. GMAT academic tone is rarely extreme (never 'scornful' or 'rapturous'); it is typically 'measured', 'guardedly optimistic', 'critical', or 'objective'. | | | | 25 | What is the Work-Rate-Time relationship and the rate of an individual working alone? | Work = Rate * Time. If worker A completes a whole job in T hours, worker A's rate is 1/T jobs per hour. | | | | 26 | What is the replacement mixture formula when y liters of solution are repeatedly removed and replaced with pure solvent? | Final Solute = Initial Solute * (1 - y/V)^n, where V is total vessel capacity and n is the number of successive replacement cycles. | | | | 27 | What is the Double-Matrix Method for overlapping categorical word problems? | Create a 2x2 grid for binary traits (e.g., Men vs Women; Employed vs Unemployed). Fill in row and column totals; every row and column must sum correctly, allowing rapid subtraction. | | | | 28 | What is the golden rule for GMAT RC Inference questions? | The correct answer MUST BE TRUE based strictly on facts directly stated in the passage. It is not an imaginative prediction or plausible guess; it is an unstated logical consequence. | | | | 29 | How do you solve rate-work problems where workers work on alternating hours? | Calculate the work completed in one full cycle (e.g., 2 hours). Determine how many full cycles fit into the total job, then calculate the fraction of an hour the remaining worker requires. | | | | 30 | What is the formula for average speed when equal distances are traveled at speed v1 and speed v2? | Harmonic Mean: Average Speed = (2 * v1 * v2) / (v1 + v2). Example: Driving 60 mph out and 40 mph back over the same distance yields (2 * 60 * 40)/(60 + 40) = 48 mph, NOT 50 mph. | | | | 31 | Why is extreme language ('always', 'never', 'completely') almost always wrong in GMAT RC? | Academic passages include nuance and caveats. Answers using universal absolute words are almost impossible to support from measured scholarly texts unless the passage author explicitly uses them. | | | | 32 | What is the formula for percentage increase or decrease? | Percent Change = [(New Value - Old Value) / (Old Value)] * 100%. The denominator is ALWAYS the original/initial value. | | | --- Study this deck interactively with FSRS-6 spaced repetition, audio review, and multiple-choice mode at [Flashcards World](https://flashcards.world/flashcards/sets/e721c8fc-06d4-46dc-ab90-15eacf49fd8f/).