GMAT vocabulary: science, technology and operations.

Relating to the physical structure of a body or organism

Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings reveal a scientific curiosity far ahead of his time.

Memory cueAn anatomical chart maps the structures and parts of a body.

Relating to the scientific study of material remains from past human cultures

Archaeological evidence suggests that the site was continuously inhabited for over six thousand years.

Memory cueArchaeological work reads past cultures through the material remains they left.

Objects made by humans, typically of historical or cultural interest

The artifacts recovered from the shipwreck provided an invaluable window into medieval maritime trade.

Memory cueArtifacts are human-made objects carrying evidence from another time or culture.

The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or in the world generally

The coral reef's extraordinary biodiversity makes it one of the most scientifically valuable ecosystems on the planet.

Memory cueBiodiversity fills one habitat with a broad variety of living species.

Water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt

Life in the deep ocean brine pools has adapted to salinity levels that would kill most organisms.

Memory cueBrine is water so saturated with salt that crystals nearly form.

A person or thing that precipitates an event or change

The economic downturn served as a catalyst for sweeping regulatory reform.

Memory cueA catalyst is the spark that starts change without becoming the final product.

Overcrowded; blocked or clogged with traffic

Congested urban highways have prompted city planners to invest heavily in public transit alternatives.

Memory cueA congested road is clogged until movement nearly stops.

The process of making something stronger or more solid; stabilization of memories

The consolidation of several small school districts into one large system promised efficiency but sacrificed community identity.

Memory cueConsolidation presses scattered pieces together into one stronger, stable unit.

To come together from different directions so as to meet; to tend toward a common result

Several lines of evidence converge to support the evolutionary hypothesis.

Memory cueSeparate paths converge when they approach and meet at one point.

Purified by the process of evaporation and condensation

The author distilled decades of research into a slim volume accessible to any educated reader.

Memory cueDistilled liquid emerges purified after evaporation and condensation.

To destroy completely; to put an end to

The global campaign to eradicate polio has been one of public health's greatest successes.

Memory cueTo eradicate weeds, pull out every root so none survives.

Systematically dug up for archaeological study

The team excavated a burial chamber containing jewelry, pottery, and tools dating to the third millennium BCE.

Memory cueArchaeologists excavated the site by carefully digging buried remains upward.

(Of a species) introduced from another country or region; non-native

Exotic species introduced by trading ships have displaced native plants throughout the island's coastal ecosystems.

Memory cueAn exotic species arrives from a foreign region rather than growing natively.

To make an action or process happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly

The new software was designed to expedite the processing of insurance claims.

Memory cueAn express lane expedites the process and brings the finish sooner.

The animals of a particular region, habitat, or geological period

The island's fauna includes several species found nowhere else on Earth, making it a priority for conservation.

Memory cueFauna means the animal life found in a region or period.

Possible and practical to do easily or conveniently

The engineers determined that the bridge design was technically feasible but would require an unprecedented span.

Memory cueA feasible plan crosses both bridges marked POSSIBLE and PRACTICAL.

The action of floating on or in a liquid; an experiment testing buoyancy

The engineers tested the raft's flotation capacity before allowing passengers aboard for the river crossing.

Memory cueFlotation tests whether an object can stay floating on liquid.

Broken pieces; incomplete remnants of a larger object

Only fragments of the original manuscript survive, but they are enough to reconstruct the author's central argument.

Memory cueFragments are broken pieces left after a larger whole shatters.

Massive, slow-moving bodies of ice formed from compacted snow on land

As glaciers retreat due to rising temperatures, they expose landscapes that have been buried under ice for millennia.

Memory cueGlaciers are immense rivers of compacted ice moving slowly across land.

Relating to the force of attraction between masses

The gravitational pull of Jupiter shields the inner planets from many asteroids that might otherwise strike Earth.

Memory cueGravitational force pulls masses toward one another across space.

The floor of a fireplace; a structure for containing fire

The ancient hearth at the center of the dwelling contained charcoal that could be radiocarbon dated.

Memory cueThe hearth is the fire-holding floor at the heart of a home.

Diverse in character or content; composed of different or dissimilar elements

The city's heterogeneous population, drawn from dozens of countries, made it a vibrant center of cultural exchange.

Memory cueA heterogeneous mixture visibly contains many different kinds of pieces.

Lacking the power to move or act; having no effect

Noble gases are chemically inert, rarely reacting with other elements under normal conditions.

Memory cueAn inert object remains still because it lacks the strength to move.

Relating to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light, perceived as heat

Infrared telescopes can detect heat signatures from celestial objects invisible to optical instruments.

Memory cueInfrared lies just beyond visible red and is commonly sensed as heat.

Able to be exchanged with each other; essentially identical

The parts were designed to be interchangeable, so that a broken component could be replaced without custom fabrication.

Memory cueInterchangeable parts trade places while the machine continues working the same way.

Goods and materials a business holds for sale or for use in production.

Excess inventory tied up cash when seasonal products remained in the warehouse after demand had fallen.

Memory cueInventory is everything counted inside the warehouse before it is sold or used.

Opposite in position, direction, order, or effect

The study revealed an inverse relationship between screen time and academic performance among adolescents.

Memory cueAn inverse relationship points one arrow up as the other goes down.

A reversal of the normal order or arrangement

The temperature inversion trapped pollutants close to the ground, creating a thick smog over the city.

Memory cueInversion flips the normal order upside down.

The planning and coordination required to move and store goods, information, or resources.

Improved logistics shortened the route from factory to retailer and reduced damage during transportation.

Memory cueLogistics is the route map coordinating every truck, warehouse, package, and deadline.

A person who attempts to resolve a dispute between two or more parties

The retired judge served as a mediator between the two factions, earning the trust of both sides.

Memory cueA mediator stands between disputing parties and helps them find agreement.

The branch of philosophy that deals with the fundamental nature of reality

The seminar on metaphysics explored questions about the nature of existence that science alone cannot answer.

Memory cueMetaphysics asks what reality ultimately is beneath physical appearances.

The scientific study of the atmosphere and weather

Advances in meteorology have dramatically improved the accuracy of weather forecasts over the past fifty years.

Memory cueMeteorology studies the atmosphere’s weather, winds, clouds, and storms.

To make less severe, serious, or painful

The government introduced new regulations to mitigate the environmental impact of industrial waste.

Memory cueTurn the severity dial downward to mitigate pain or seriousness.

The young produced by an organism

The biologist tracked the offspring of the tagged wolves to study how behavioral traits are passed between generations.

Memory cueOffspring spring from their parents as the next generation.

Moving in a curved path around a celestial body

The satellite orbiting Mars has transmitted images that reveal ancient river channels on the planet's surface.

Memory cueAn orbiting moon follows a curved path around its planet.

Ongoing operating expenses that cannot be assigned directly to one product or service.

Rent and administrative salaries remained part of overhead even when the factory produced fewer units.

Memory cueOverhead costs hang above the whole operation rather than attaching to one product.

Having a hole or holes pierced through it

The perforated limestone allowed groundwater to seep through, creating the network of caves beneath the hillside.

Memory cuePerforated paper contains a line of holes pierced through it.

Spreading widely throughout an area or group; prevalent

The pervasive influence of social media has fundamentally altered how people communicate.

Memory cueA pervasive scent spreads until it is present throughout the room.

A substance used for coloring; the natural coloring matter of animal or plant tissue

The ancient Egyptians extracted blue pigment from lapis lazuli, a stone so rare it was valued more highly than gold.

Memory cuePigment supplies the coloring matter in paint, skin, leaves, or fabric.

Not securely held or in position; dependent on chance; dangerously likely to fall

The company's precarious financial position left it vulnerable to even minor market fluctuations.

Memory cueA cup balanced on an edge occupies a precarious position.

The organized process by which an organization obtains supplies, services, or equipment.

Centralizing procurement allowed the hospital network to negotiate lower prices for commonly used medical supplies.

Memory cueProcurement is the professional shopping system that gets an organization what it needs.

A section or quarter (here: a region of space)

The telescope was pointed toward a quadrant of the sky where astronomers expected to find the newly predicted comet.

Memory cueA quadrant is one quarter of a circle, plane, or region.

Having a rough, uneven surface; wild and inhospitable

The rugged terrain of the Scottish Highlands has inspired poets and painters for centuries.

Memory cueRugged land rises in rough, uneven ground difficult to cross.

Relating to or formed from sediment (material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers)

Fossils are most commonly found in sedimentary rock, where layers of sand and mud preserved organisms over millennia.

Memory cueSedimentary rock forms as deposited layers of sediment press together.

Deeply immersed in or thoroughly familiar with a subject or activity

The professor, steeped in the classical tradition, could quote Virgil and Horace from memory.

Memory cueA scholar steeped in history is immersed in it like tea in water.

Chemical substances containing sulfur combined with other elements

Volcanic emissions rich in sulfur compounds can lower global temperatures by reflecting sunlight back into space.

Memory cueSulfur compounds join sulfur atoms chemically with other elements.

Open or receptive to; capable of being affected by

Coral reefs are especially susceptible to changes in ocean temperature, which can trigger widespread bleaching events.

Memory cueA susceptible plant has a thin shield and is easily affected by frost.

Relating to moderate climatic regions between the tropics and the poles

The temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest support some of the tallest trees and most diverse fungal communities on Earth.

Memory cueTemperate climates occupy the moderate zones between tropics and poles.

The speed at which a passage of music is played

The conductor gradually increased the tempo, building the audience's anticipation toward the symphony's explosive finale.

Memory cueTempo is the speedometer showing how quickly music moves.

The rate at which employees leave or inventory is sold and replaced during a period.

High employee turnover forced the retailer to spend repeatedly on recruiting and training new workers.

Memory cueA revolving door captures turnover: people or goods keep leaving and being replaced.

Dug up from the ground; discovered through excavation

Construction workers accidentally unearthed a cache of Roman coins buried beneath the foundation of a medieval church.

Memory cueArchaeologists unearthed the artifact by digging it out of the ground.

Not able to be maintained or defended; not supportable

Current rates of groundwater extraction are unsustainable and will deplete the aquifer within two decades.

Memory cueAn unsustainable pace exhausts the resources needed to keep it going.

The process of estimating the monetary worth of something

An independent valuation of the company placed its worth at considerably less than the asking price.

Memory cueValuation attaches an estimated monetary price to an asset.

Strong, active, and full of energy; characterized by forceful action

A vigorous debate erupted on the Senate floor as legislators clashed over the proposed tax reform.

Memory cueA vigorous body lifts a heavy weight with a full health battery.

To become or make bent or twisted out of shape

Extreme heat can warp metal rails, creating dangerous gaps that derail trains traveling at high speed.

Memory cueHeat can warp a board, bending it out of true shape.