Online Access Free GRE-Verbal Exam Questions
| Exam Code: | GRE-Verbal |
| Exam Name: | Section One : Verbal |
| Certification Provider: | Admission Test |
| Free Question Number: | 320 |
| Posted: | Sep 09, 2025 |
The biography depicts the well known actress as _______ but ruthless, _______ the popular notion that
she attained stardom through a series of guileful maneuvers.
The village of Vestmannaeyjar, in the far northern country of Iceland, is as bright and clean and up-to-date
as any American or Canadian suburb. It is located on the island of Heimaey, just off the mainland. One
January night in 1973, however, householders were shocked from their sleep. In some backyards red-hot
liquid was spurting from the ground.
Flaming "skyrockets" shot up and over the houses. The island's volcano, Helgafell, silent for seven
thousand years, was violently erupting! Luckily, the island's fishing fleet was in port, and within twenty-four
hours almost everyone was ferried to the mainland. But then the agony of the island began in earnest. As
in a nightmare, fountains of burning lava spurted three hundred feet high. Black, baseball-size cinders
rained down. An evilsmelling, eye-burning, throat-searing cloud of smoke and gas erupted into the air,
and a river of lava flowed down the mountain. The constant shriek of escaping steam was punctuated by
ear-splitting explosions. As time went on, the once pleasant village of Vestmannaeyjar took on a weird
aspect. Its street lamps still burning against the long Arctic night, the town lay under a thick blanket of
cinders. All that could be seen above the ten-foot black drifts were the tips of street signs. Some houses
had collapsed under the weight of cinders; others had burst into flames as the heat ignited their oil storage
tanks. Lighting the whole lurid scene, fire continued to shoot from the mouth of the looming volcano. The
eruption continued for six months. Scientists and reporters arrived from around the world to observe the
awesome natural event. But the town did not die that easily. In July, when the eruption ceased, the people
of Heimaey Island returned to assess the chances of rebuilding their homes and lives. They found tons of
ash covering the ground. The Icelanders are a tough people, however, accustomed to the strange and
violent nature of their Arctic land. They dug out their homes. They even used the cinders to build new
roads and airport runways. Now the new homes of Heimaey are warmed from water pipes heated by
molten lava.
This liquid was coming from the -
The raisin business in America was born by accident. It happened in 1873 in the San Joaquin Valley of
CaliforniA. Many farmers raised grapes in this valley. That year, just before the grape harvest, there was a
heat wave. It was one of the worst heat waves ever known. It was so hot the grapes dried on the vines.
When they were picked, California had its first raisin crop. People were surprised to find how good raisins
were. Everybody wanted more. So the San Joaquin farmers went into the raisin business. Today, of
course, they do not let the grapes dry on the vines. They treat them with much more care. In late
August the grapes start to ripen. They are tested often for sweetness. The growers wait until the sugar
content is twenty-one percent. Then they know the grapes are ripe enough to be picked. Skilled workers
come to the vineyards. They pick the bunches of grapes by hand. The workers fill their flat pans with
grapes. They gently empty the pans onto squares of paper. These squares lie between the long rows of
vines. They sit in the sun.
Here the grapes stay while the sun does its work. It may take two weeks or longer. The grapes are first
dried on one side. When they have reached the right color, they are turned to dry on the other side. The
grapes are dried until only fifteen percent of the moisture is left. Then they have turned into raisins. The
raisins are rolled up in the paper on which they have dried. Trucks take them from the fields. They are
poured into big boxes called sweatboxes. Each box holds one hundred and sixty pounds of raisins. Here,
any raisins that are a bit too dry take moisture from those that have a bit too much. After a while they are
all just moist enough. The big boxes are trucked next to the packaging plant. They are emptied onto a
conveyor belt that shakes the raisins gently. This knocks them from their stems. A blast of air whisks the
stems away. The water bath is next. Then the plump brown raisins have a last inspection. They are again
checked for moisture and sugar.
Then they go on a belt to packing machines. Here they are poured into packages, which are automatically
weighed and sealed. The raisins are now ready for market.
What is the main idea of this passage?