GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions - Check Here!

GMAT Reading Comprehension: Students often refer to GMAT reading comprehension practice questions while they prepare for the exam and find the GMAT Reading comprehension practice question pdf on GMAT club so that they can practice and excel in this section of the GMAT exam. GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions online can be attempted on various authenticated web portals by taking their subscription. However, if students are active in the GMAT club, they will find many resources for GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions.

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This Story also Contains

1. Understanding the GMAT Reading Comprehension Section
2. Overview of Reading Comprehension Format
3. Types of GMAT Questions Asked
4. 10 GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions with Solutions
5. GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Sample Questions Part-1
6. GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Sample Questions Part-2

Understanding the GMAT Reading Comprehension Section

Before students start attempting the GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions from the GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions pdf, they should be well aware of the GMAT Reading comprehension section and the way it assesses a student’s logical and analytical thinking skills.

Overview of Reading Comprehension Format

The format of reading comprehension questions in the GMAT focus is quite simple:

Passages: There are around 3-4 reading passages on different topics and of varied lengths. The same can easily be practiced in the GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions pdf. There are around 3-4 questions asked under each passage. As the GMAT is a computer-adaptive test, the complexity of each question depends upon your correct answers.

Types of GMAT Questions Asked

The types of questions asked in the GMAT Reading comprehension are as follows:

• Main Idea: These questions ask you to identify the passage's main idea or central theme.

• Details: These questions ask about the specific information mentioned or described in the passage.

• Inference: These questions expect you to deduce the information from the passage or specific lines that are not directly stated.

• Out of context: These questions expect you to answer the author's likely response in a context not discussed directly in the passage.

• Logical structure: These questions check your ability to analyze the structure of the passage and show the way information relates to each other.

• Author tone: This question aims to help the student identify the author’s attitude and the way he conveyed the information using a positive, negative, or neutral tone.

10 GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions with Solutions

Some of the most practiced GMAT Reading comprehension Practice questions taken from the GMAT club and authenticated GMAT reading comprehension practice question PDFs are given below. We recommend you practice all the questions as they are taken and complied with considering varied topics and question types asked in the GMAT Reading comprehensions.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Sample Questions Part-1

We recommend that students should download the GMAT reading comprehension practice questions pdf for regular practice and preparation for the GMAT exam.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 1

Read the passage and answer the question that follows:

The United States government has long upheld a policy of deploying federal resources to sustain the viability of small businesses. This commitment was institutionalized with the enactment of the *Small Business Act* of 1953, which empowered the Small Business Administration (SBA) to collaborate with government agencies wielding procurement authority and to facilitate the execution of these contracts by subcontracting them to small enterprises. By the mid-1960s, amidst the “War on Poverty” era, Congress sought to extend these efforts to minority entrepreneurs, initially focusing on individuals from extremely low-income backgrounds. A pivotal amendment to the *Economic Opportunity Act* in 1967 directed the SBA to prioritize minority-owned businesses situated in urban or rural regions marked by elevated unemployment rates or concentrated poverty. Since that time, however, the core question of eligibility—whether to prioritize those most economically disadvantaged or those with the greatest potential for entrepreneurial success—has undergone significant evolution. These shifts have, in turn, redefined the overarching social objectives of such programs and brought about consequential policy transformations.

The first major pivot occurred in the early 1970s, when a secondary objective emerged alongside the initial aim of aiding economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs: addressing the legacy of systemic discrimination. By 1970, the SBA formally declared that its principal objective was to expand the number of minority-owned businesses. At the time, minorities represented 17 percent of the U.S. population but accounted for only 4 percent of the self-employed. This pronounced disparity in business ownership was attributed to historical inequities and exclusionary practices. Therefore, increasing the representation of minority-owned firms became a central remedy for addressing such disparities, even if it meant extending funding to minority entrepreneurs from middle- or upper-income brackets, where the potential for business success was often higher.

A second transformation in priorities emerged in the late 1970s. At institutions such as the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the emphasis on merely increasing the numerical presence of minority-owned firms was overtaken by a more nuanced objective: fostering the growth of substantive minority enterprises with tangible potential for economic expansion. This strategic realignment placed greater importance on supporting manufacturers and wholesalers rather than small service-oriented businesses. Minority-business funding programs were increasingly framed as mechanisms for broader economic development, particularly as tools for job creation within minority communities burdened by persistently high unemployment rates.

Q. The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. discuss historical changes in a government policy

B. describe the role of Congress in regulating the work of the SBA

C. contrast types of funding sources used by minority businesses

D. correct a misconception about minority entrepreneurship

E. advocate an alternative approach to funding minority entrepreneurs

Answer: A

• The answer is “A” because the passage discusses the historical changes. It describes the changes in goals and focus over time, making the primary purpose of the passage to discuss these historical changes in government policy.

• Option B is incorrect as Congress is not mentioned after the first paragraph.

• The option C is incorrect as different fundings are not discussed, only government funding is discussed.

• The option D is incorrect because there is no supporting evidence for this option.

• The option E is also incorrect as there is no supporting evidence, only one type of funding is discussed in the passage.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 2

This question has a topic: Humanities and the question type is: Logical structure

The first formal mention of slavery within the statutory framework of the English colonies in North America does not appear until after 1660—nearly four decades following the arrival of the first Black individuals. To dispel the assumption that slavery existed in practice prior to its legal codification, Oscar and Mary Handlin argue that the status of Black people in the colonies up until the 1660s was that of servants, rather than slaves. However, a critical reassessment of the Handlins’ interpretation raises significant questions about the relationship between slavery and racial prejudice, suggesting the need to reexamine longstanding assumptions and to broaden the framework for understanding the divergent treatment of Black slaves in North and South America.

The Handlins attribute the emergence of legalized slavery in the 1660s to a shift in the socioeconomic hierarchy, asserting that the position of White servants was improving relative to that of Black servants during this period. According to their argument, Black and White servants, who had previously occupied similar statuses, began to diverge into distinct social categories. However, this interpretation is fraught with critical flaws. First, the Handlins fail to substantiate their claim that the conditions of White servants improved in the 1660s and thereafter. Legislative records from Maryland and Virginia contradict this premise, suggesting that the position of White servants may not have improved as the Handlins contend.

Second, and more significantly, the Handlins presuppose that prior to the establishment of legal slavery, Black individuals were not subjected to systemic discrimination. While it is true that the term slavery was infrequently applied to Black people before 1660, this linguistic absence should not obscure evidence of racial discrimination dating back to the 1630s. Such discrimination, while not always involving the hallmarks of formal slavery—lifetime servitude and inheritance of status—nevertheless operated in ways that frequently encompassed both. The Handlins’ argument, therefore, excludes the substantial possibility that Black individuals in the English colonies were never afforded equal status with their White counterparts, even in the absence of codified slavery.

This possibility carries profound implications. If Black individuals were subjected to racial discrimination from the outset, then the advent of legalized slavery can be understood not as the genesis of racial prejudice, but rather as a formalization and intensification of preexisting biases. This perspective stands in opposition to the views of many historians, including the Handlins, who have posited that slavery itself was the primary catalyst for racial prejudice. Moreover, recognizing the existence of discrimination prior to the legal establishment of slavery offers an additional lens through which to analyze the harsher treatment of Black slaves in North America compared to South America.

While Freyre and Tannenbaum have persuasively argued that the absence of certain cultural traditions—such as the Roman legal conception of slavery or the Roman Catholic emphasis on spiritual equality—accounts for the more severe treatment of Black slaves in the English colonies relative to their counterparts in Spanish and Portuguese colonies, this explanation is ultimately insufficient. Their argument, rooted in the absence of specific traditions, is a negative framework that fails to address deeper, proactive forces at play. A more compelling explanation lies in the entrenched and at times extreme racial discrimination that characterized the early English colonies, which likely shaped the particularly brutal form of slavery that would later emerge.

Q. Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the first paragraph of the passage?

(A) A historical trend is sketched and an exception to that trend is cited.

(B) Evidence for a historical irregularity is mentioned and a generalization from that evidence is advanced.

(C) A paradox about the origins of an institution is pointed out and the author's explanation of the paradox is expounded.

(D) A statement about a historical phenomenon is offered and a possible misinterpretation of that statement is addressed.

(E) An interpretation of the rise of an institution is stated and evidence for that interpretation is provided.

Answer: D

• Option A is wrong as the first paragraph does not highlight the historical trend.

• Option B is wrong as the first paragraph discusses the timing of legal slavery addresses a potential misinterpretation of this timing and does not mention the evidence for a historical irregularity.

• Option C is wrong as the first paragraph introduces the issue of when slavery was first recognized in law and addresses the potential misconception about the status of Black people before this time.

• Option D is correct as the first paragraph starts by mentioning the first legal reference to slavery in the English colonies (the historical phenomenon) and then addresses a possible misinterpretation (that slavery existed in practice before it did in law). The author refers to the Handlins’ work to clarify that Black people were considered servants before the 1660s.

• Option E is as the paragraph does not present evidence supporting an interpretation of the rise of slavery.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 3

The topic for this GMAT Reading comprehension is Business and the question type is to find specific details.

Read the given passage and select the correct answer for the given question

Although some historians trace the origin of British trademark law to Roman times, the medieval guilds, or the sixteenth-century legal case of J. G. Samford, nothing like the modern notion of trademark law took shape until the latter half of the nineteenth century. We can probably say that as of 1850 in the United Kingdom (UK), it made no sense to talk of “a law of trademarks” as such.

To say there was no “law of trademarks” does not mean that there were no laws regulating misrepresentation in trade. However, the protection afforded to traders who found themselves, victims of the fraudulent imitation of their marks, was scattered across different sources (trade-specific statutes or maverick judicial decisions) and lacked any unifying logic.

By 1850, the complex state of the body of these laws was a real cause of inconvenience and expense to traders who wished to gain protection in the UK for their trademarks. Moreover, it was an obstacle to the development of international agreements that would help garner protection for British traders’ marks abroad. And there certainly was a sense that British traders needed protection abroad, as the markets for their goods in the UK, the British colonies, and elsewhere were being penetrated by counterfeit goods.

Q. Which of the following factors is NOT mentioned in the passage as having helped motivate the development of modern British trademark law?

A. The expense of gaining protection against fraudulent imitation in the UK

B. A general trend in the British legal system toward searching for a unifying logic in similar statutes from different sources

C. An influx of counterfeit goods into markets outside of the UK

D. The inconvenience traders experienced due to the complexity of trademark protections in the UK

E. The difficulty of developing agreements to protect against fraudulent imitation of British traders’ marks abroad

Answer: B

• Option A is wrong because this factor is mentioned in the passage as a motivation for developing modern British trademark law.

• Option B is correct it is the only factor not mentioned in the passage as having motivated the development of modern British trademark law.

• Option C is wrong because the passage mentions that British markets and others "were being penetrated by counterfeit goods," which was a concern that motivated the development of modern trademark law.

• Option D is wrong because The passage directly states that the complexity of the existing trademark protections was a "real cause of inconvenience" to traders, motivating the need for a more coherent system.

• Option E is wrong because the passage notes that the complex and scattered state of trademark laws was "an obstacle to the development of international agreements" for protecting British trademarks abroad, which was a motivating factor in the development of modern trademark law.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 4

The topic for this GMAT Reading comprehension is Social Science and the question type is to find

Although the recent debate over the efficacy of capital punishment as a deterrent to violent crime has produced informed commentary from both camps, few of the “experts” cited in public discussion of the issue are aware that the basic concept of deterrence was developed during the eighteenth century by the Italian writer Cesare Beccaria in his book Crimes and Punishments (1764). While arguing vehemently in favour of strict punishments for violent criminals, Beccaria nevertheless rejected torture, secret trials, and capital punishment as viable deterrents to violent crime.

Beccaria's writings have had a profound influence on the treatment of criminals. However, at present there is little evidence to support Beccaria's fundamental contention that strict punishment leads to a reduction in violent crime. In a survey of the American penal system recently carried out by the Justice Department, a vast majority of convicted felons revealed that the threat of strict punishment, even capital punishment, in no way deterred them from committing a particular crime or pursuing a career in crime. One wonders how Beccaria would alter his arguments if evidence like this had been available to him. He might be pleased to note that the evidence does support his belief that capital punishment is an ineffective deterrent, but he would be hard-pressed to find compelling support for his other Draconian recommendations.

Q. In describing Beccaria's book, the author emphasizes which of the following?

A. Beccaria's insistence on maintaining law and order in an increasingly violent society

B. The importance of placing Beccaria's ideas in their proper historical context

C. Beccaria's focus on the use of punishment as a deterrent to crime

D. The similarity between Beccaria's ideas and those of most modern proponents of capital punishment

E. Beccaria's ignorance of statistics on crime and punishment in the eighteenth century

Answer: C

• Option A is wrong because The passage does not specifically mention Beccaria's concern with maintaining law and order in a violent society.

• Option B is wrong because it does not emphasize the importance of placing his ideas in their historical context. The focus is more on the content of his ideas rather than the context in which they were developed.

• Option C is correct because the passage emphasizes Beccaria's ideas about the use of punishment as a deterrent to crime, particularly his rejection of certain forms of punishment.

• Option D is wrong because the passage contrasts Beccaria's rejection of capital punishment with modern debates about its efficacy.

• Option E is wrong because The passage does not suggest that Beccaria was ignorant of statistics. Instead, it discusses how he might have altered his arguments if he had access to modern evidence, but it does not emphasize the ignorance of statistics in his time.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 5

Read the given passage and answer the question that follows by selecting the correct option.

The passage will help you analyze the author's tone and the question type is Inference.

called by some the “island that time forgot,” Madagascar is home to a vast array of unique, exotic creatures. One such animal is the aye-aye. First described by Western science in 1782, it was initially categorized as a member of the order Rodentia. Further research then revealed that it was more closely related to the lemur, a member of the primate order. Since the aye-aye is so different from its fellow primates, however, it was given its own family: Daubentoniidae. The aye-aye has been listed as an endangered species and, as a result, the government of Madagascar has designated an island off the northeastern coast of Madagascar as a protected reserve for aye-ayes and other wildlife.

Long before Western science became enthralled with this nocturnal denizen of Madagascar’s jungles, the aye-aye had its reputation with the local people. The aye-aye is perhaps best known for its large, round eyes and long, extremely thin middle finger. These adaptations are quite sensible, allowing the aye-aye to see well at night and retrieve grubs, which are one of its primary food sources, from deep within hollow branches. However, the aye-aye’s striking appearance may end up causing its extinction. The people of Madagascar believe that the aye-aye is a type of spirit animal and that its appearance is an omen of death. Whenever one is sighted, it is immediately killed. When combined with the loss of large swaths of jungle habitat, this practice may result in the loss of a superb example of life’s variety.

Q. Which of the following statements can be logically inferred from the passage about the aye-aye?

I. The aye-aye currently lives only on a protected reserve off the northeastern coast of Madagascar.

II. The aye-aye is a nocturnal animal.

III. The aye-aye is a prominent part of the religion practised by the people of Madagascar.

A. I only

B. II only

C. III only

D. I and III

E. I, II, and III

Answer: B

• Only the second option is correct as the passage states that the aye-aye is a nocturnal denizen.

• The first option is wrong because the passage does mention that the government of Madagascar has designated an island on the northeastern coast of Madagascar as a protected reserve for aye-ayes.

• The third option is also wrong as there is a clear memory trap.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Sample Questions Part-2

As you have read different passages on distinctive topics and answered different types of questions, now we will have one passage followed by different questions. We assure you that these GMAT Reading comprehension practice questions will help you ace the GMAT exam.

Comparable worth, as a standard applied to eliminate inequities in pay, insists that the values of certain tasks performed in dissimilar jobs can be compared. In the last decade, this approach has become a critical social policy issue, as large numbers of private-sector firms and industries as well as federal, state, and local governmental entities have adopted comparable worth policies or begun to consider doing so.

This widespread institutional awareness of comparable worth indicates increased public awareness that pay inequities—that is, situations in which pay is not "fair" because it does not reflect the true value of a job—exist in the labour market. However, the question remains: have the gains already made in pay equity under comparable worth principles been precedent-setting or are they mostly transitory, a function of concessions made by employers to mislead female employees into believing that they have made long-term pay equity gains?

Comparable worth pay adjustments are indeed precedent-setting. Because of the principles driving them, other mandates that can be applied to reduce or eliminate unjustified pay gaps between male and female workers have not remedied perceived pay inequities satisfactorily for the litigants in cases in which men and women hold different jobs. But whenever comparable worth principles are applied to pay schedules, perceived unjustified pay differences are eliminated. In this sense then, comparable worth is more comprehensive than other mandates, such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Neither compares tasks in dissimilar jobs (that is, jobs across occupational categories) to determine whether or not what is necessary to perform these tasks—know-how, problem-solving, and accountability—can be quantified in terms of its dollar value to the employer. Comparable worth, on the other hand, takes as its premise that certain tasks in dissimilar jobs may require a similar amount of training, effort, and skill; may carry similar responsibility; may be carried on in an environment having a similar impact upon the worker; and may have a similar dollar value to the employer.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 6

According to the passage, which of the following is true of comparable worth as a policy?

(A) Comparable worth policy decisions in pay-inequity cases have often failed to satisfy the complaints

(B) Comparable worth policies have been applied to both public-sector and private-sector employee pay schedules

(C) Comparable worth as a policy has come to be widely criticized in the past decade

(D) Many employers have considered comparable worth as a policy but very few have adopted it.

(E) Early implementations of comparable worth policies resulted in only transitory gains in pay equity

Answer: B

• Option B is correct because the passage clearly states that "large numbers of private-sector firms and industries, as well as federal, state, and local governmental entities, have adopted comparable worth policies."

• In option “C” they have used the word criticized which is not mentioned in the passage rather comparable worth is a critical social policy issue.

• Option D is incorrect because the passage states that many employers have not only considered but also adopted comparable worth policies.

• E is incorrect because the passage suggests that the gains from comparable worth policies are precedent-setting, not just transitory.

Traps: Options A, C, D, and E are wrong as they either introduce information that is not mentioned in the passage or misinterpret the scope of comparable worth.

Question Type: Inference

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 7

Which of the following most accurately states the central purpose of the passage?

(A) To criticize the implementation of a new procedure

(B) To assess the significance of a change in policy

(C) To illustrate how a new standard alters procedures

(D) To explain how a new policy is applied in specific cases

(E) To summarize the changes made to date as a result of social policy

Answer: B because the passage evaluates the significance and impact of comparable worth policies.

Traps: Incomplete information.

All other options are incorrect because:

• A- the passage does not criticize the policy

• C- the passage does not illustrate procedural changes

• D- the passage does not showcase how the policy is applied.

• E- the passage does not summarize the changes but rather focuses on comparable worth.

Question Type: Main idea.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 8

According to the passage, comparable worth principles are different in which of the following ways from other mandates intended to reduce or eliminate pay inequities:

(A) Comparable worth principles address changes in the pay schedules of male as well as female workers

(B) Comparable worth principles can be applied to employees in both the public and the private sector

(C) Comparable worth principles emphasize the training and skill of workers

(D) Comparable worth principles require changes in the employer's resource allocation

(E) Comparable worth principles can be used to quantify the value of elements of dissimilar jobs

Answer: E is the correct answer as the passage states that comparable worth principles involve comparing tasks in dissimilar jobs.

Traps: Irrelevant information

A, B, C, and D are incorrect because they either do not differentiate comparable worth from other mandates or they focus on aspects not discussed in the passage.

Question type: Specific detail.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 9

Which of the following best describes an application of the principles of comparable worth as they are described in the passage?

(A) The current pay, rates of increase, and rates of promotion for female mechanics are compared with those of male mechanics.

(B) The training, skills, and job experience of computer programmers in one division of a corporation are compared to those of programmers making more money in another division.

(C) The number of women holding top executive positions in a corporation is compared to the number of women available for promotion to those positions, and both tallies are matched to the tallies for men in the same corporation.

(D) The skills, training, and job responsibilities of the clerks in the township tax assessor's office are compared to those of the much better-paid township engineers.

(E) The working conditions of female workers in a hazardous-materials environment are reviewed and their pay schedules are compared to those of all workers in similar environments across the nation.

Answer: D

D is correct because it mentions the comparison of the responsibilities of two dissimilar jobs (clerks and engineers)

Traps: Mislead information

A, B, C, and E are incorrect because they either compare similar jobs or focus on other criteria (e.g., promotion rates, and working conditions) not related to the principle of comparable worth.

Question type: Application.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Sample Question 10

It can be inferred from the passage that the application of "other mandates" (see highlighted text) would be unlikely to result in an outcome satisfactory to the female employees in which of the following situations?

I. Males employed as long-distance truck drivers for a furniture company make $3.50 more per hour than do females with comparable job experience employed in the same capacity.

II. Women working in the office of a cement company contend that their jobs are as demanding and valuable as those of the men working in the cement factory, but the women are paid much less per hour.

III. A law firm employs both male and female paralegals with the same educational and career backgrounds, but the starting salary for male paralegals is $5,000 more than for female paralegals.

(A) I only

(B) II only

(C) III only

(D) I and II only

(E) I and III only

Answer: B

B is correct because situation II involves comparing the value of dissimilar jobs

Traps: Usage of assumptions

A (situation I) and C (situation III) are incorrect because these situations involve comparable jobs, which could potentially be addressed by other mandates like the Equal Pay Act.

Question Type: Inference

Note: The GMAT reading comprehension practice questions will surely help you analyze the kind of questions that can be asked in the GMAT exam along with the traps that are used to confuse you with the wrong answers. We highly recommend that you download the GMAT Reading Comprehension Question and Answer pdf so that you can excel at the time of your regular practice and be confident for the main exam.

About the Author:

Pooja Aggarwal is an experienced trainer with over 15 years of expertise in helping students achieve their educational goals. With a degree in Education, she focuses on clear, patient, and personalised instruction. Her approach has successfully guided students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for Academic and General Training modules of various exams in a supportive and engaging environment.