Verbal Reasoning Test Questions and Answers

Welcome to our free verbal reasoning test practice questions. Here are a few verbal reasoning test questions to practice to give you an understanding of what real verbal reasoning tests will be like. The only way to tackle these types of tests and become good at them is to practice, so make the most of these free questions and use our explanations to help you improve your performance.

Passage

India is home to 30% of the world’s cows. A sacred animal in Hinduism, where they are revered as a symbol of wealth, abundance and motherhood, cows are allowed to roam free - even in the India’s busy cities. Because consuming beef is sacrilegious to Hindus, the slaughter of cattle is banned in six of India’s Hindu-majority states. In an additional 14 states, cattle slaughter is allowed with restrictions. It is illegal to move bovines across state borders for slaughter, but the practise is widespread - and illegal slaughterhouses vastly outnumber regulated institutions. Although exporting cattle is illegal in India, about 1.5 million cows, valued at $500 million, are smuggled out each year. Most of these cows are sold to India’s Muslim-majority neighbour, Bangladesh, where half of the beef eaten derives from Indian cattle. Smuggled cows come from all over India, but most enter Bangladesh by crossing the 1300-mile border with the state of West Bengal. Efforts to control smuggling have included issuing cows with photo identification, but these measures have proven ineffective. While much of India’s border with Bangladesh is fenced with barbed wire and heavily policed, bribery of guards is rife. Each year approximately 100 deaths result from violent clashes between smugglers and border guards. Many object to this excessive use of force and believe cattle trade between the two nations should be legalized. However, mutual distrust and a fear of igniting religious tension make this unlikely.