Cracking the GRE Literature Test, 4th Edition (Graduate Test Prep) [Paperback]

Doug McMullen Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002 | ISBN-10: 037576268X | ISBN-13: 978-0375762680 | Edition: 4th

The Princeton Review realizes that acing the GRE Literature Test is very different from getting straight A’s in school. We don't try to teach you everything there is to know about literature–only the techniques you'll need to score higher on the test. There's a big difference. In Cracking the GRE Literature Test, we'll teach you how to think like the test writers and

·Eliminate answer choices that look right but are planted to fool you
·Raise your score by focusing on the material most likely to appear on the test
·Study our brief summaries of major literary works and figures
·Review our introduction to literary terms, verse forms, and schools of criticism

This book includes one full-length, practice GRE Literature Test. All of our practice questions are like the ones you’ll see on the actual GRE Literature Test, and we fully explain every solution.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Princeton Review realizes that acing the GRE Literature Test is very different from getting straight A's in school. We don't try to teach you everything there is to know about literature–only the techniques you'll need to score higher on the test. There's a big difference. In Cracking the GRE Literature Test, we'll teach you how to think like the test writers and

·Eliminate answer choices that look right but are planted to fool you
·Raise your score by focusing on the material most likely to appear on the test
·Study our brief summaries of major literary works and figures
·Review our introduction to literary terms, verse forms, and schools of criticism

This book includes one full-length, practice GRE Literature Test. All of our practice questions are like the ones you'll see on the actual GRE Literature Test, and we fully explain every solution.

About the Author

The Princeton Review is the fastest growing test-preparation company in the country, with over 60 franchise offices in the nation. Each year, we help more than 2 million students prepare for college, grad school, professional licensing exams, and successful careers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; 4th edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037576268X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375762680
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,626,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but then what study guide CAN be?, November 13, 2002

By 

Karl Kukta (Searcy, AR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking the GRE Literature Test, 4th Edition (Graduate Test Prep) (Paperback)

Contrary to the previous two reviewers, I did find that using the Princeton Study guide helped me in my preparation for and approach to the GRE Subject test. It is true that many of the emphasized texts did not appear on the version I took (no "Ulysses" or "Second Coming", "Elegy in a Country Churchyard" or Herrick's Julia poems), but quite a few were there, and the clues this book offered to spot such works (e.g. Pepys' diary, the distinctions between J.S. Mill and Cardinal Newman) helped me rack up more points than I otherwise would have.

I will not argue with the others on the issue of modern lit: the book is much too light on 20th century stuff, which did appear substantially on my test. Princeton Review NEEDS to update this aspect of their book; however, I was prepared for such questions based on my reviewing of Norton Anthologies, a suggestion that this book stresses highly. No 20th century author who appeared on the test is absent from the Nortons.

I dont know about anyone else, but the fact that the sample test in this book was more difficult than the actual test made me feel better about my performance last week. Also, my test featured a comparable amount of questions matching authors to novels and short passages to titles.

I still think that a test-taker who does not utilize this book will be at a serious disadvantage when test-day comes; in addition to purchasing this book, I also recommend using Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" to solidify your knowledge of Greek/Roman stories (it helped me to retain the names of characters, which I often have a problem with when reading plot summaries), and, if your library has it, the Martin S. Day series on the history of English Literature, in three volumes. It's out of print, but a great study tools. Masterplots, if you can check them out or access them in a library, are good for Victorian mega novels and Continental Lit (Goethe, Ibsen, Mann, Balzac, Brecht, etc), though you shouldn't focus too much here. As for the 20th century stuff, focus on any Noble Prize winner, look over Nortons, and possibly through Salon.Com's Guide to Contemporary Authors, but realize that, especially with the last 50 years of lit, it's anybody's guess who they might pick. Good luck!

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inexcusably flawed, November 4, 2002

By 

Ookie Cookie (Charlotte, VT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cracking the GRE Literature Test, 4th Edition (Graduate Test Prep) (Paperback)

This is the only gre literature review book I have used, based on the recommendations of other readers. If this is the best out there, the others must be atrocious.
It does have its good points- the way it breaks down the ideology behind the test is helpful, and the "this is how things really are" tone of the book, while not totally accurate, is comforting. And it's nice to have another practice test, albeit an imperfect one.
But there are major problems. The lists of texts are questionable- I have yet to see any of Herrick's Julia poems in any of the actual ETS tests I've taken, and here they're given primary importance. Secondly, and most problematic, the lists ignore the 20th century completely, with the cop-out excuse that college curriculae dealing with modernism are not yet highly defined. This may be fine and true, but don't be fooled: you'll see a LOT of 20th century authors on the test, and several will certainly appear more than once. Not including information on these authors (except for in the garbled answer explanations- see below) is inexcusable.
The book attempts to make up for this lack by providing explanations of all the questions and possible answers in their practice test. This is certainly helpful and welcome, but there are several major problems with this test. First of all it is much harder than the actual tests are. The Princeton Review authors are working under the assumption that the test deals primarily with identification of names (authors, characters, works, etc), and thus they construct a test that supports their hypothesis. The real tests do indeed have identification questions, and alot of them, but nowhere near to the extent that this book would have you believe. As a result the practice test is unnecessarily difficult and does a poor job of reflecting the character of the actual test. Also the usefulness of the aforementioned answer explanations is limited because the explanations are ordered to correspond with the questions, which are completely random in order. Hence you get a bunch of information that is nice to have, but that is almost impossible to organize coherently and absorb.
The worst thing about this particular edition is that it is a new one, to replace the older edition of a few years ago. And yet the old outdated edition and this new one are IDENTICAL. The lists are the same, the practice test is the same, the instructive material is the same. The authors make no effort to analyze new trends in the ets tests; the book is entirely unaware of what genres and literary areas are receiving more attention than they did years ago. For all of their bravado and feigned "street-smartness" about how the test "really is," the authors don't appear to know much about it at all.
I can't conceive of any reason for all of these shortcomings other than laziness. Perhaps the pool of test-takers for the literature exam is sufficiently small that the Princeton Review doesn't deem it necessary to spend the time to make a comprehensive review book. If you're looking to find some helpful information on the test search the web; there are some sites with very useful information, as well as a few actual ets practice tests floating around. You'll find these to be infinitely more helpful than the Princeton Review's outdated and dishonest posturings.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half of What You Need, December 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cracking the GRE Literature Test, 4th Edition (Graduate Test Prep) (Paperback)

Unfortunately, this is the only study guide for the GRE Literature Test that I know of (the other is just a collection of practice tests). While I felt it helped me prepare for the GRE, I think it needs updated, especially the literary theory. There were numerous questions about literary critics and their books not mentioned even in passing in this book. Many of the older writers are barely on the test, like Chaucer. Urging students to review their Norton is a helpful suggestion and the practice test along with the one supplied by the GRE is also some help in getting ready. Hopefully this book will be updated soon or the test will be discontinued, good luck!!