Chapter One
PCAT Practice Test 1
Verbal Ability: Analogies
Directions: Select the word that best completes the analogy.
1. MELLIFLUOUS : DISCORDANT :: DULCET:
A. disastrous
B. incongruous
C. harmonic
D. duet
2. CONVICT : ERRANT :: SAINT:
A. convincing
B. upright
C. sinful
D. happy
3. SIMPLE : AUSTERE :: DECORATED:
A. beautiful
B. expensive
C. garish
D. strict
4. RACONTEUR : NARRATIVE :: LYRICIST:
A. poem
B. short story
C. editorial
D. operetta
5. REITERATE : REPEAT :: RECAPITULATE:
A. redo
B. restate
C. resign
D. remorse
6. PLUMB : STRAIGHTNESS :: PROTRACTOR:
A. circles
B. squares
C. angles
D. waves
7. PANACEA : REMEDY :: PLACEBO
A. substitute
B. antidote
C. aspirin
D. vaccination
8. MINIATURE : PALATIAL :: LILLIPUTIAN
A. people
B. flowers
C. colossal
D. lackadaisical
9. APEX : NADIR :: PINNACLE:
A. zenith
B. mountaintop
C. base
D. point
10. MISER : FRUGAL :: MISCREANT:
A. money
B. evil
C. creation
D. stinginess
11. DISTASTEFUL : REPUGNANT :: TALKATIVE:
A. noisome
B. friendly C. quiet
D. loquacious
12. LEXICON : DEFINITION :: ALMANAC:
A. facts
B. farmers
C. weather
D. fun
13. TRICKLE : INUNDATE :: FLICKER:
A. blaze
B. fail
C. flood
D. fumes
14. MOLLIFY : ALLAY :: APPEASE:
A. allow
B. mitigate
C. circumvent
D. appeal
15. IOTA : MYRIAD :: PAUCITY:
A. ions
B. fluidity
C. profusion
D. poverty
16. PEDESTRIAN : FOOT :: EQUESTRIAN:
A. bridle
B. horse
C. hand
D. dog
17. PARIAH : PARAGON :: OUTCAST:
A. exemplar
B. paramour
C. bigot
D. pedestrian
18. MALEFACTOR : EVIL :: AUTOCRAT:
A. omnipotence
B. country
C. insecurity
D. laws
19. OAK : ARBOREAL :: PINE:
A. needle
B. whine
C. cones
D. coniferous
20. ASCETIC : HEDONISTIC :: PURITANICAL:
A. religious
B. heathen
C. indulgent
D. pensive
21. APPARITION : ETHEREAL :: SPIRIT:
A. corporeal
B. scary
C. diaphanous
D. substantial
22. CACOPHONY : HARSH :: HARMONY:
A. orchestra
B. notes
C. happy
D. mellifluous
23. AMALGAMATE : DISSEMINATE :: FUSE:
A. explode
B. box
C. split
D. spit
24. BANAL : TRITE :: HACKNEYED:
A. fluent
B. weak C. colloquial
D. lackluster
25. COMESTIBLE : SAVORY :: EDIBLE:
A. fragrant
B. odorous
C. pungent
D. tasty
26. ERRATIC : IRREGULAR :: FICKLE:
A. stern
B. stalwart
C. capricious
D. careful
27. ENGRAVE : CUT :: EMBROIDER:
A. knit
B. sew
C. crochet
D. create
28. ELEGY : SORROW :: EULOGY:
A. laudation
B. recrimination
C. death
D. ecstasy
29. ADHESIVE : BOND :: DECORATIONS:
A. beautiful
B. expensive
C. embellish
D. superfluous
Verbal Ability: Sentence Completions
Directions: Select the word or words that best complete the sentence.
30. When soaking a turkey in brine, be sure to _____ the entire bird in the solution.
A. convert
B. immerse
C. converge
D. emerge
31. Because the size of their rural habitat has _____, coyote sighting in _____ areas have become more frequent.
A. divided . . . . . country
B. solidified . . . . . tropical
C. rusted . . . . . flooded
D. decreased . . . . . suburban
32. Although advertisements in magazines rely heavily on _____ elements, their texts also play a part in their _____ power.
A. sensational . . . . . pictorial
B. visual . . . . . persuasive
C. contrasting . . . . .demanding
D. productive . . . . . human
33. The casserole of potatoes, made without salt, pepper, or spices, tasted _____.
A. savory
B. complex
C. necrotic
D. insipid
34. Aspirin, often used to _____ pain, can cause side effects that, unfortunately, most people _____.
A. contradict . . . . . choose
B. recuperate . . . . . restrain
C. alleviate . . . . . ignore
D. restore . . . . . consider
35. The voters showed their _____ by staying away from the polls.
A. affluence
B. apathy
C. interest
D. registration
36. A lunar _____ occurs during a full moon when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon.
A. lull
B. volcano
C. collapse
D. eclipse
37. One of the requirements for employment as a translator is _____ in speaking more than one _____.
A. adaptation . . . . . English
B. customs . . . . . country
C. courtesy . . . . . jargon
D. proficiency . . . . . language
38. Sodium chloride is the _____ name for table salt.
A. everyday
B. chemical
C. luxurious
D. polite
39. Because she was a ______ vegetarian, she glared at anyone eating a hamburger.
A. militant
B. violent
C. pacified
D. vociferous
40. A career as an independent contractor rather than as an employee may provide _____, but without a steady source of income, it can create financial _____.
A. autonomy . . . . . insecurity
B. difficulties . . . . . satisfaction
C. dependence . . . . . wealth
D. chaos . . . . . contradictions
41. When the employee was late for the fourth time, the manager began to _____ about tardiness as a sign of _____.
A. gesture . . . . . wealth
B. orate . . . . . illness
C. demonstrate . . . . . forensics
D. rant . . . . . irresponsibility
42. Her lively and smiling face mirrored her _____ personality.
A. talkative
B. somber
C. vivacious
D. irate
43. The _____ wind blowing off the lake and the freezing temperatures made it seem as if winter would never end.
A. relentless
B. temperate
C. calming
D. relevant
44. Stalactites descend from the _____ of a cave, but stalagmites grow _____ when water containing dissolved minerals drips to the cave's floor. A. bottom . . . . . horizontally
B. hole . . . . . sideways
C. ceiling . . . . . vertically
D. acme . . . . . inward
45. On the one-hundredth anniversary of Mapleton's founding, the city held a _____ celebration to ______ the occasion.
A. binary . . . . . recreate
B. memorial . . . . . bless
C. centennial . . . . . commemorate
D. consecration . . . . . eulogize
46. The king planned an elaborate wedding for the princess, but his _____ vision was _____ by a shortage of funds in the royal treasury.
A. grandiose . . . . . constrained B. fantastic . . . . . implemented
C. imaginary . . . . . omitted
D. beautiful . . . . . built
47. Lye is a _____ and _____ cleaning agent that can cause burns on contact with the skin.
A. weak . . . . . acid
B. fearful . . . . . convenient
C. reactionary . . . . . profligate D. potent . . . . . caustic
48. As people age, the spaces between the bones of the spinal column begin to _____, causing their height to decrease by _____.
A. swell . . . . . feet
B. narrow . . . . . inches
C. open . . . . . pounds
D. create . . . . . grams
49. Seemingly appearing on every utility pole in town, the ______ posters for yard sales contribute to visual _____.
A. helpful . . . . . integrity
B. unusual . . . . . contraries C. proximate . . . . . color
D. ubiquitous . . . . . pollution
50. The alleged criminal's alibi was so peculiar that jurors thought it was _____.
A. incredulous
B. inedible
C. inordinate
D. incredible
51. Many in the audience left after the first act of the play; their _____ opinion of it was clear.
A. verbal
B. tacit
C. dramatic
D. admiring
52. The saying "look before you leap" implies one shouldn't make _____ decisions.
A. itchy B. lucky
C. wrong
D. rash
53. A _____ plan for improving elementary education must consider not only the standards pupils should meet, but also the _____ available to the schools.
A. revolting . . . . . mediocrity
B. willful . . . . . education
C. practical . . . . . resources
D. noble . . . . . playgrounds
54. In Victorian England, the wealthy ate _____ dinners consisting of many courses of rich heavy food.
A. sumptuous
B. nutritious
C. spartan
D. polite
55. One of the tasks of the Red Cross is to provide material _____ to victims of disasters.
A. laughter
B. misery
C. solace
D. alms
56. Adolescents who differ from their peers may suffer from _____ and _____.
A. alienation . . . . . discomfort B. hostility . . . . . enjoyment
C. euphoria . . . . . disenchantment D. enlightenment . . . . . tranquility
57. In the Middle Ages, bubonic plague was so _____ that it killed almost all of its victims.
A. hostile
B. transitory
C. virulent
D. temporary
58. Because the bystanders did not react to the beating of the innocent victim, their _____ made them _____ in the crime.
A. inaction . . . . . guiltless
B. shouts . . . . . helpful
C. ferocity . . . . . useful
D. acquiescence . . . . . complicit
Biology
59. Which of the following processes must occur in order for an individual to express a particular characteristic (for example, blue eye color)?
A. Genes must be transcribed directly into proteins.
B. Genes must be transcribed onto tRNA and then translated into proteins.
C. Genes must be transcribed onto mRNA and then translated into proteins.
D. Genes must be translated directly into proteins.
60. A DNA molecule that is composed of 30% adenine molecules will also contain
A. 30% thymine molecules.
B. 70% thymine molecules.
C. 30% guanine molecules.
D. 30% cytosine molecules.
61. An organism that contains a segment of DNA from a different organism inserted into its own DNA is referred to as a
A. transgenic organism.
B. vector.
C. plasmid.
D. hybrid.
62. If a small amount of DNA (for example, a drop of blood) is found at a crime scene, large quantities of identical DNA can be produced for analysis through the use of
A. DNA fingerprinting techniques.
B. restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques.
C. DNA hybridization techniques.
D. polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques.
63. Which of the following statements best describes the process of evolution?
A. changes in the genetic composition of a population over time B. natural selection
C. genetic drift
D. failure of a population to change in genetic composition over time
64. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of all living cells?
A. All cells are self-contained (surrounded by a plasma membrane).
B. All cells contain DNA.
C. All cells contain a nucleus.
D. All cells contain cytoplasm.
65. Which of the following statements regarding cell structure is FALSE?
A. Plant cells have chloroplasts, while animal cells do not.
B. Animal cells have mitochondria, while plant cells do not.
C. Animal cells lack cell walls surrounding their plasma membranes.
D. Plant cells typically have a large central vacuole, while animal cells typically have one or more small vacuoles.
66. Which of the following cellular organelles serves as the primary site of protein synthesis?
A. nucleus
B. mitochondria
C. ribosome
D. peroxisome
67. In humans, dermal tissue serves which of the following functions?
A. provides the outer covering of the body
B. provides a defense mechanism against invading microorganisms
C. serves as a sensory organ
D. all of the above
68. Most cellular membranes are selectively permeable. This means that they
A. do not allow any substances to pass through them.
B. control which substances pass through them, but not the rate at which those substances pass through.
C. allow all substances to pass through them, but control the rate at which those substances pass through.
D. control which substances pass through them, as well as the rate at which those substances pass through.
69. Diffusion involves
A. the passive movement of substances from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration.
B. the passive movement of substances from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration.
C. the input of energy to move substances from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration.
D. the input of energy to move substances from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration.
(Continues...)
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