Reading and Writing Test - 2 - SAT MCQ

• Choice A is the best answer because it presents an explanation that is directly stated in the text for why ecologists are worried about Pando. The text states that Pando is a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that represents one of the largest organisms on Earth. According to the text, ecologists are worried that Pando’s growth is declining, partly because animals are feeding on the trees. In other words, the ecologists are worried that Pando isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.
• Choice B is incorrect. Rather than indicating that Pando isn’t producing young trees anymore, the text reveals that Pando is indeed producing young trees, stating that those trees can be protected from grazing deer by strong fences.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text states that fences can be used to prevent deer from eating Pando’s young trees, not that Pando itself can’t grow in new areas because it’s blocked by fences.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text offers no evidence that Pando’s root system is incapable of supporting new trees or is otherwise a cause of worry for ecologists.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of finite and nonfinite verb forms within a sentence. A main clause requires a finite verb to perform the action of the subject (in this case, “a recent study”), and this choice supplies the finite present tense verb “explains” to indicate that the study explains why plants that attract bats have evolved to produce moderately sweet nectar.
• Choice B is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “explaining” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.
• Choice C is incorrect because the nonfinite participle “having explained” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.
• Choice D is incorrect because the nonfinite to-infinitive “to explain” doesn’t supply the main clause with a finite verb.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested here is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “was” agrees in number with the singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”
• Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “were” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “are” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”
• Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “have been” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.”

• Choice C is the best answer because it presents a description of how the human mind is like a flower that is directly supported by the text. The text compares the needs of a “fragile and lovely flower” to those of the speaker’s “tender mind”: both need to be fed if they’re going to survive. Without such feeding, they’ll “beginneth straightway to languish,” or weaken. Thus, the text suggests that the human mind is like a flower in that they both need proper nourishment in order to thrive.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the passage of time or describe either the human mind or a flower as becoming increasingly vigorous.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that human minds or flowers draw strength from changes in weather. The references to rain in the text pertain to a flower’s need for water rather than the general effects of changing weather.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the human mind or a flower will persist regardless of challenging circumstances. In fact, the text indicates that they’ll both languish right away if not given what they need.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of items in a complex series (a series including internal punctuation). The semicolon after “nonnative” is correctly used to separate the first item (“growing diverse plant species, both native and nonnative”) and the second item (“fostering scientific research”) in the series of things that botanical gardens are dedicated to. Further, the comma after “species” is correctly used to separate the noun phrase “diverse plant species” and the supplementary phrase “both native and nonnative” that modifies it.
• Choice A is incorrect because a comma (specifically, the comma after “nonnative”) can’t be used in this way to separate items in a complex series.
• Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to separate the noun phrase “diverse plant species” and the supplementary phrase “both native and nonnative” that modifies it. Further, a comma can’t be used in this way to separate items in a complex series.
• Choice D is incorrect because it fails to use appropriate punctuation to separate the noun phrase “diverse plant species” and the supplementary phrase “both native and nonnative” that modifies it. Further, a comma can’t be used in this way to separate items in a complex series.

• Choice A is the best answer. “Therefore” logically signals that the action described in this sentence—the researchers theorizing that the dish was named for its effect on diners—is a result or consequence of the previous observation that the dish had a calming effect.
• Choice B is incorrect because “alternately” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence offers an alternative or contrast to the previous observation that the dish had a calming effect. Instead, the action is a result or consequence of that observation.
• Choice C is incorrect because “nevertheless” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence occurs despite the previous observation that the dish had a calming effect. Instead, the action is a result or consequence of that observation.
• Choice D is incorrect because “likewise” illogically signals that this sentence merely adds a second, similar detail to the previous observation that the dish had a calming effect. Instead, this sentence describes an action that is a result or consequence of that observation.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of delivering biomolecules to plant cells. In this context, “overcome” means to succeed in dealing with an obstacle. The text suggests that although it’s difficult to move biomolecules through plant cell walls, Landry and her colleagues have shown that carbon nanotubes may be useful, since they can cross cell walls. This context conveys that Landry and her colleagues think it’s possible, using carbon nanotubes, to succeed in dealing with the obstacle of transmitting biomolecules to plant cells.
• Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to “conceptualize,” or form an idea of, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells. The text presents this difficulty as a known problem that Landry and her colleagues think they may have solved, not as a mysterious occurrence that they have yet to form ideas about.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests that Landry and her colleagues think it may be possible to successfully deal with the problem of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells, not that Landry and her colleagues think it may be possible to “neglect,” or simply to disregard and ignore the problem.
• Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to “illustrate,” or demonstrate, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells by using carbon nanotubes. According to the text, carbon nanotubes allow molecules to be transmitted to plant cells—something that is otherwise difficult to do. The text therefore presents carbon nanotubes as a way of possibly solving a problem, not as a means of demonstrating the problem.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Francis Cecil Sumner. As used in this context, “proponent of” means supporter of. The text says that Sumner helped to found the psychology department at historically Black Howard University in 1930. This is evidence that Sumner supported increasing the opportunity for Black students to study psychology.
• Choice B is incorrect because the phrase “supplement to,” or addition to, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text discusses Sumner’s efforts to increase the number of Black psychology students, but it doesn’t make sense to describe him as an addition to his efforts.
• Choice C is incorrect because Sumner was already an accomplished psychologist himself when he helped to found the Howard University psychology department. While Black students were the beneficiaries of his efforts—that is, they received help because of his efforts—it wouldn’t make sense in this context to describe Sumner as a “beneficiary of” opportunities, because he was the one doing the helping.
• Choice D is incorrect because founding a psychology department at Howard University wouldn’t be a “distraction for” Sumner’s aim to increase the opportunity for Black students to study psychology—that is, it wouldn’t be something that draws Sumner’s attention away from that goal, but rather the opposite.

• Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of Ancestral Puebloans’ migration to the Rio Grande Valley. The text states that in the late 1200s C.E., the Ancestral Puebloan civilization abandoned villages in its original homeland, which included the Mesa Verde site. The text goes on to say that recent genetic analysis has demonstrated that the modern turkey population in the Rio Grande Valley descends partly from the ancient turkeys raised at Mesa Verde, and that the genetic markers shared by the two turkey populations first appeared at Mesa Verde only after 1280 C.E. Therefore, it can reasonably be concluded that some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried their agricultural practices—including the farming of turkeys— to their new home.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text never compares the condition of the Rio Grande Valley’s terrain to that of Mesa Verde’s terrain, either in the present or in the past.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although genetic analysis has demonstrated that the modern turkey population in the Rio Grande valley descended in part from the turkey population raised by the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde before their migration to the valley in 1280, this finding doesn’t eliminate the possibility that Indigenous peoples living in the valley before 1280 might also have farmed turkeys.
• Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t consider the possibility that before their migration to the Rio Grande Valley after 1280, the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde might have adopted turkey farming from an outside Indigenous civilization in another region; instead, the text provides evidence suggesting that the Ancestral Puebloans brought turkey farming to another region— the Rio Grande Valley—after 1280.

• Choice A is the best answer. “Afterward” logically signals that the events described in this sentence—the CEO’s public acknowledgment and apology— occurred after the rocket booster’s failure and are part of a chronological sequence of events.
• Choice B is incorrect because “additionally” illogically signals that the events described in this sentence merely occurred in addition to the rocket booster’s failure. Instead, they occurred after the rocket booster’s failure and are part of a chronological sequence of events.
• Choice C is incorrect because “indeed” illogically signals that the events described in this sentence emphasize or strengthen a statement made in the previous sentence. Instead, they occurred after the rocket booster’s failure and are part of a chronological sequence of events.
• Choice D is incorrect because “similarly” illogically signals that the events described in this sentence are similar to the rocket booster’s failure. Instead, they occurred after the rocket booster’s failure and are part of a chronological sequence of events.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of using magnetism to detect stress in buried metal pipes. In this context, “exploited” means made productive use of. The text indicates that the magnetic fields of some metals change under stress and that Saleem and colleagues showed that it is possible to measure those changes from a distance, thereby demonstrating that the integrity of underground metal pipes can be evaluated without having to unearth them. This context thus indicates that Saleem and colleagues made productive use of, or exploited, this tendency of the metals’ magnetic fields.
• Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “hypothesized” would mean made a tentative assumption to be evaluated in a study or experiment. Although Saleem and colleagues may have had one or more hypotheses for these experiments, the text presents the information about the tendency of some metals’ magnetic fields to change under stress as a known fact that the researchers made productive use of, not as a hypothesis to be evaluated. The text after the colon indicates that the researchers were not evaluating whether such changes occur but whether those changes can be measured at a distance.
• Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “discounted” would mean downplayed or ignored, but the text does not suggest that Saleem and colleagues minimized or ignored the tendency of the magnetic fields of some metals to change under stress. Rather, the text indicates that this tendency is the basis for Saleem and colleagues’ method of assessing the pipes’ integrity.
• Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text indicates that Saleem and colleagues “redefined,” or reevaluated or reformulated, the tendency of some metals’ magnetic fields to change under stress. Instead, the text indicates that the researchers made use of that tendency to demonstrate that it is possible to evaluate the integrity of underground pipes without unearthing them.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses a quotation from “The Bet” to illustrate the claim that the banker was very upset about something. The quotation indicates that the banker shed tears, which suggests that he was likely unhappy about something, and that his emotions were so strong that they kept him from sleeping for hours. These details suggest that the banker was very upset.
• Choice A is incorrect because this quotation mainly describes the banker cautiously unlocking a door; it doesn’t suggest that he was particularly upset about anything.
• Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t mention whether the banker was experiencing any particularly strong negative feelings; instead, the quotation focuses on the quietness of the setting.
• Choice C is incorrect because this quotation states that the banker was feeling “delighted,” not that he was upset.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural nouns in a sentence. The plural noun “hands” and the plural noun “antennas” correctly indicate that two hands are placed between two antennas when playing the theremin.
• Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns “hands” and “antennas,” not the singular possessive nouns “hand’s” and “antenna’s.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural nouns “hands” and “antennas,” not the plural possessive nouns “hands’” and “antennas’.”
• Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun “hands,” not the plural possessive noun “hands’.”

• Choice D is the best answer. “Though” logically signals that the claim in the sentence—that Morton’s improvisational skills helped shape jazz as a genre during its early years (“No one can deny” it)—is true despite the previous information about Morton’s exaggerated claim to have invented jazz.
• Choice A is incorrect because “therefore” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence is a result of the previous information about Morton’s claim to have invented jazz. Instead, the sentence states that Morton helped to shape jazz—even if his claim was an exaggeration.
• Choice B is incorrect because “in the second place” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence is a second, separate point in addition to Morton’s claim to have invented jazz. Instead, the sentence states that Morton helped to shape jazz—even if his claim was an exaggeration.
• Choice C is incorrect because “in other words” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence is merely a paraphrase or restatement of the previous information about Morton’s claim to have invented jazz. Instead, the sentence states that Morton helped to shape jazz—even if his claim was an exaggeration.

• Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively indicates the California red-legged frog’s FWS classification category, noting that the FWS classifies the frog as threatened, a classification given to species that are likely to soon become endangered.
• Choice A is incorrect. The sentence specifies the classification categories of the FWS list; it doesn’t indicate the classification category of the California red-legged frog.
• Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence does note that the California red-legged frog is among the species classified by the FWS, it doesn’t indicate what classification category the California red-legged frog occupies.
• Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence does appear to indicate the California red-legged frog’s FWS classification category, the sentence is factually incorrect and therefore ineffective; the frog’s classification category is threatened, not endangered.

• Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Minoan bull-leaping rituals. In this context, “defend” means support in the face of argument. The overall focus of the text is on the difficulty of determining what bull-leaping rituals meant to the Minoans, about whom, the text indicates, we know very little. The text states that because of this scarcity of information, assertions about the meaning of the rituals, which took place a very long time ago (in the second millennium BCE), are highly likely to be based on speculation and guesswork. This context suggests that claims about the meaning of the rituals are difficult to successfully support, or defend.
• Choice A is incorrect because “imagine” in this context would mean form a mental image of something. Although it’s possible to imagine what Minoan bull-leaping rituals might have looked like, the focus of the text isn’t on how the rituals looked but rather on claims about them, which the text suggests are difficult to support because very little is known about the Minoans.
• Choice B is incorrect because “summarize” in this context would mean recap or outline, neither of which makes sense. The text indicates that claims about the significance of Minoan bull-leaping rituals will inevitably rely on speculation and guesswork because very little is known about the Minoans. This suggests that claims about the Minoan rituals are difficult to support in the face of argument, not that they’re difficult to recap or outline.
• Choice D is incorrect because “adjust” in this context would mean modify or correct. Although a claim about a ritual’s meaning could be modified or corrected based on newly discovered evidence, the text doesn’t focus on any specific claims made about the significance of Minoan bull-leaping rituals. Rather, the text focuses on the feasibility of making valid claims about the rituals in general, suggesting that the scarcity of information about the Minoans makes it difficult to support any claims about the rituals.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “them” agrees in number with the plural antecedent “utensils.”
• Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “this” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “utensils.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the singular pronoun “that” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “utensils.”
• Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “utensils.”

• Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ester Hernandez’s art. In this context, “featured” means shown prominently. The text focuses on where Hernandez’s works have been and continue to be displayed, explaining that her early works, which consisted of murals, could be viewed in outdoor spaces in San Francisco. The central contrast developed in the text is between where her early works could be viewed and where her works can be viewed now, which is in museums across the United States and around the world. The context therefore supports the idea that Hernandez’s works are now shown, or featured, in museums globally.
• Choice A is incorrect because in this context “invented” would mean created something for the first time, which isn’t supported since the text doesn’t discuss where Hernandez creates her works or whether they’re original or innovative.
• Choice B is incorrect because “adjusted” in this context would mean adapted. Although the text mentions that many of Hernandez’s early works were outdoor murals and thus it may be reasonable to infer that Hernandez altered her approach to creating art so that her works could be displayed in indoor venues instead, the text makes no mention of how Hernandez’s works might have been adapted for such venues. The text focuses on where Hernandez’s works have been and continue to be displayed, not on how she or anyone else may have adapted, or adjusted, her works.
• Choice D is incorrect because “recommended” in this context would mean endorsed or put forth as a suggestion for something that is worth seeing. Although it may be reasonable to say that in choosing to display certain works, museum curators believe such works are worth seeing, the text doesn’t discuss the reasons why museums display Hernandez’s works. Instead, the text mainly develops a contrast between where Hernandez’s early works could once be viewed and where her work can be viewed now.

• Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text, which is to portray Francie’s determination to reach her goal of reading all the books in the world. The text indicates that to achieve this aim, Francie works systematically and persistently: she reads all the books in the library in alphabetical order and devotes much time and effort to the project, finishing one book per day over a long period of time. The text then suggests that even though she progresses slowly (“she was still in the B’s”) and that she struggled with some books (“some of the B’s had been hard going”), she doesn’t give up because she thinks of herself as “a reader.” These details show Francie’s resolve.
• Choice A is incorrect. Although the text mentions several topics (bees and buffaloes, Bermuda vacations, and Byzantine architecture) that Francie has read about, it doesn’t indicate that any of these topics are unusual or that she especially enjoyed reading about one of these topics in particular. If anything, the text suggests that she may have found some of these topics to be dull, saying that she even read the “dry ones”— that is, the boring books—and that some of the books were “hard going,” meaning they were difficult to get through.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss Francie’s involvement in other activities, only her dedication to reading. Although it’s possible that Francie dedicates herself to reading because she prefers it to other activities, the text doesn’t indicate whether this is the case.
• Choice D is incorrect. Although the text mentions one author (Abbott) whose book Francie has read as well as several topics (bees and buffaloes, Bermuda vacations, and Byzantine architecture) she has encountered, the text doesn’t say whether Francie admires any of the books she’s read so far. Instead, the text focuses on the time and effort she devotes to reaching her goal of reading all the books in the world—even ones she doesn’t enjoy.

• Choice C is the best answer because it accurately describes why the finding about the microorganism community composition was important. The text describes an experiment by Eva Kaštovská and her team in which they collected plant-soil cores at one elevation and transplanted them to sites at a lower elevation, where the mean air temperature was warmer. Kaštovská and her team observed that microorganism-mediated nutrient cycling was accelerated in the transplanted cores and that “crucially, microorganism community composition was unchanged,” which allowed the team to attribute the acceleration to changes in microorganism activity brought about by the difference in temperature. This strongly implies that the team wouldn’t have been able to make that attribution otherwise, meaning that a change in microorganism composition represented another possible explanation for the acceleration that had to be ruled out.
• Choice A is incorrect. Although the text says microorganism-mediated cycling of soil nutrients increased in the transplanted cores, this is unrelated to what’s important about the finding that the microorganism composition didn’t change— that it allowed the team to attribute the change in activity solely to the change in temperature.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although the text compares activity in one core at two different elevations, the text doesn’t address changes in activity at various elevations over time.
• Choice D is incorrect. Although different microorganisms likely exhibit different levels of activity, the text indicates that there was no change in microorganism composition, and there is nothing in the text about different microorganisms having different activity levels.

• Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support the idea advanced by Homero Gil de Zúñiga and Trevor Diehl that NFM (“news finds me”) attitude may reduce voting probability through an indirect effect. The text describes NFM as an attitude that has lowered people’s interest in actively acquiring news and introduces Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s study on the effects of NFM on people in the United States’ political knowledge and interest. The text goes on to say that despite the fact that the study didn’t occur near a major election, Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl still conclude that NFA may reduce voting probability. If the likelihood, or probability, that a person will vote is linked to that person’s level of political knowledge and interest, that would suggest that negatively affecting a person’s level of political knowledge and interest would also negatively affect how likely that person is to vote. Thus, if NFM attitude has a negative effect on political knowledge and interest, then it would also likely reduce voting probability.
• Choice A is incorrect because the finding that NFM attitude increases as major elections approach wouldn’t address the effect of NFM on the likelihood of voting, which is the idea advanced by Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl. Moreover, although the text mentions that there were no major elections that occurred near the time of the study, it doesn’t discern between major and minor elections when discussing voting probability.
• Choice C is incorrect because finding that NFM attitude shows little correlation with either political knowledge or political interest would undermine, not support, Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s idea that NFM may reduce voting probability because it suggests that NFM has no effect on political knowledge or political interest.
• Choice D is incorrect. Although Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s idea would be supported by the finding that the likelihood of voting increases as political knowledge increases, nothing in the text suggests that the researchers’ idea hinges on the size of people’s social networks.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun phrase “topological tapestries” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “woven…grandmother.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that the topological tapestries—and not another noun in the sentence—are being described as woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the pronoun “she” and the noun phrase “Argentine textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou” after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun “Alexandra Kehayoglou” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Kehayoglou is woven from recycled yarn and hand tufted.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, conceptual artists Gins and Arakawa have designed an apartment building that is disorienting because of several unconventional elements, such as uneven kitchen counters and “a door to nowhere.” The text goes on to suggest that there may be benefits to this kind of design because filmmaker Yamaoka lived in the apartment building for four years and reported health benefits. Thus, although the design is impractical, it may improve the well-being of the apartment building’s residents.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the text mentions that Yamaoka lived in the apartment for four years, it doesn’t address how long someone can beneficially live in a home surrounded by fanciful features or whether doing so can be sustained.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions the potential benefits of living in a home with disorienting design features, it doesn’t suggest that this is the most effective method to create a physically stimulating environment.
Choice C is incorrect because the text refers to Yamaoka to support the claim that Gins and Arakawa’s apartment building design may be beneficial, but the text doesn’t indicate that Yamaoka supports the designs of other conceptual artists.

Choice B is the best answer. The text describes how Barve found an association between habitat temperature and feather structure among Himalayan songbirds, which supports the general prediction that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.
Choice A is incorrect. Barve’s study isn’t said to contradict previous predictions. In fact, the study supports the prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.
Choice C is incorrect.Barve’s study isn’t said to “complicate an earlier hypothesis.” In fact, the study supports the earlier prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.
Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t compare the importance of feather length and feather structure, and it doesn’t say that Barve’s study challenges any established beliefs. In fact, the study supports the prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "creates" agrees in number with the singular subject "technique."
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "create" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "technique."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "are creating" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "technique." Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "have created" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "technique."

Choice D is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the researchers’ prediction about the language nest model of education. The text states that Morcom and Roy studied the effects of the language nest model of education on students at an Anishinaabe school, and they found that the model—which is used with students during pre-K or elementary school—increased students’ fluency in the Anishinaabe language and pride in Anishinaabe culture. The researchers predicted that the students’ positive early experiences with the Anishinaabe language would lead them to be more likely to later share the language with younger generations. If former students maintain full fluency and cultural pride after finishing secondary and higher education, it follows that they would be both able and motivated to share what they know with others; this would likely result in a higher probability of transmitting the language to younger generations, as the researchers predict.
Choice A is incorrect because finding that Anishinaabe adults who didn’t attend the school feel approximately the same degree of cultural pride as those adults who did attend wouldn’t support the researchers’ prediction that former students will be more likely to share their knowledge with younger generations. This finding would identify a similarity between the groups rather than a factor that might make former students more likely than other adults to transmit the language to younger people.
Choice B is incorrect because finding that new students experience increased performance in language fluency and academics would suggest that the school has a positive effect on students when they attended but wouldn’t reveal anything about those students’ later actions as adults (such as their likelihood of sharing their knowledge with younger generations).
Choice C is incorrect because finding that Anishinaabe adults who attended the school are equally likely to stay in the community as adults who didn’t attend the school wouldn’t support the researchers’ prediction that former students will be more likely to share their knowledge with younger generations. This finding would identify a similarity between the groups rather than a factor that might make former students more likely than other adults to transmit the language to younger people.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole. The first sentence of the text indicates that Johnson returned to the US in 1938 at which time his painting style suddenly changed. The second sentence is underlined and gives more detail about this stylistic change, noting that his earlier work consisted largely of landscapes in an expressionist style and his new works were highly stylized portraits of Black Americans. In other words, the function of the underlined sentence is to elaborate on a transitional moment in Johnson’s painting career.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although the text does mention that Johnson spent a decade in Europe, it does not discuss what other travel Johnson might have done. Furthermore, although the text mentions African, American, and Scandinavian artistic elements in Johnson’s work, it does not indicate that he traveled to different locations to learn about these practices.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text does not focus on Johnson’s personal life nor does it address how successful his career was in general.
• Choice D is incorrect because, rather than call it into question, the underlined sentence continues the discussion of Johnson’s career by adding further relevant detail of Johnson’s artistic transformation.

• Choice D is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the researchers’ hypothesis that TMAO reduces water’s compressibility. The text explains that at great depths in the ocean, extreme pressure compresses the molecular structure of water by destabilizing the hydrogen bonds between adjacent molecules, thereby allowing water to penetrate proteins and harm the associated organisms. However, deep-sea organisms called piezophiles have adapted to live at these depths and previous studies show a positive correlation between the depth at which a piezophile species lives and the species’ level of the compound TMAO. Because this hypothesis links TMAO levels with reduced compressibility of water’s tetrahedral molecular structure, a finding that TMAO helps maintain the hydrogen bonds between water molecules under high pressure would strongly support that hypothesis.
• Choice A is incorrect. Although the researchers’ hypothesis suggests a relationship between TMAO and water molecules’ tetrahedral molecular structure, that relationship involves TMAO helping maintain water’s tetrahedral molecular structure under high pressure; as presented in the text, the hypothesis doesn’t contend that water molecules are impervious to, or incapable of being penetrated by, TMAO.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text discusses how the molecular structure of water, not TMAO, is compressed under extreme pressure and never addresses how TMAO might be affected by such pressure.
• Choice C is incorrect because the researchers’ hypothesis holds that water under extreme pressure is more resistant, not less, to being compressed when TMAO concentrations are higher. Moreover, the positive correlation mentioned in the text is between TMAO concentrations and the depths at which piezophiles live, not between concentrations of TMAO and the rate at which water’s molecular structure compresses as pressure increases.

• Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “creates” agrees in number with the singular subject “technique.”
• Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “create” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “technique.”
• Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are creating” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “technique.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “have created” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “technique.”

• Choice D is the best answer. “Instead” logically signals that the idea in this sentence—that researchers should use the word “lyfe”—is an alternative to the idea mentioned in the previous sentence (scientists’ use of the word “life”).
• Choice A is incorrect because “previously” illogically signals that the idea in this sentence occurs before the action in the first sentence. Instead, the use of “lyfe” is an alternative to the previously mentioned use of “life.”
• Choice B is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the idea in this sentence is true despite the information in the first sentence. Instead, the use of “lyfe” is an alternative to the previously mentioned use of “life.”
• Choice C is incorrect because “there” illogically signals that the idea in this sentence occurs in a place mentioned in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of “lyfe” is an alternative to the previously mentioned use of “life.”