Reading and Writing Test - 1 - SAT MCQ

• Choice B is the best answer. The sentence effectively emphasizes Kind’s methodology: examining the student policies of 132 medical schools for guidelines about student social media use.
• Choice A is incorrect. The sentence specifies how many medical schools’ student policies are available online; it doesn’t emphasize the study’s methodology.
• Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the study’s results, not the study’s methodology.
• Choice D is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the aim of the study, not the study’s methodology.

• Choice C is the best answer because it accurately describes data from the table that support Barrett and Rayfield’s suggestion about bite force estimates. According to the text, Barrett and Rayfield believe that estimates of dinosaur bite force may be strongly influenced by the methods used to produce them—that is, that different methods may produce significantly different results. The table shows that the studies by Bates and Falkingham and by Cost et al. used the same estimation method (muscular and skeletal modeling) and produced similar bite force estimates (approximately 35,000–57,000 newtons and 35,000–63,000 newtons, respectively). The study by Meers, however, used body-mass scaling and produced a much higher bite force estimate (183,000–235,000 newtons), while the study by Gignac and Erickson used tooth-bone interaction analysis and produced a much lower bite force estimate (8,000–34,000 newtons). The fact that one method produced similar estimates in two different studies and that two different methods used in other studies produced substantially different estimates supports the idea that dinosaur bite force estimates are significantly influenced by the methodology used to produce them.
• Choice A is incorrect because it inaccurately describes data from the table. The table does show that the studies by Meers and by Cost et al. used different estimation methods and produced very different ranges of estimated dinosaur bite force, which would support Barrett and Rayfield’s suggestion that different methodologies may produce significantly different estimates. However, the table doesn’t show that the study by Meers produced the lowest estimated maximum bite force while the study by Cost et al. produced the highest. In fact, the study by Meers estimated a maximum bite force of approximately 235,000 newtons, which is the highest of all the estimated maximums.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although the data from Gignac and Ericson’s study are accurately described, a single set of findings from one study using only one methodology can’t show that different methodologies may produce significantly different dinosaur bite force estimates, as Barrett and Rayfield suggest.
• Choice D is incorrect. Although the table shows that the maximum bite force estimated by Cost et al. was higher than that estimated by Bates and Falkingham, the difference is relatively small; in fact, both teams estimated a minimum bite force of approximately 35,000 newtons and a maximum bite force close to approximately 60,000 newtons. Because these findings demonstrate that a single methodology (muscular and skeletal modeling) produced similar overall results in two studies, the findings don’t support Barrett and Rayfield’s suggestion that different methodologies may produce significantly different dinosaur bite force estimates.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of verbs to express tense in a sentence. In this choice, the present tense verb “reach” is consistent with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted” used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron.
• Choice A is incorrect because the future tense verb “will reach” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron. Though the atoms’ movement is a recurring action and “will reach” can also be used to indicate a habitual or recurring action, it creates a logical inconsistency in this sentence when paired with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the past perfect tense verb “had reached” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron.
• Choice D is incorrect because the present progressive tense verb “are reaching” is inconsistent with the present tense verbs used to describe how atoms move through the synchrotron. While both verbs occur in the present, the present progressive tense suggests that the action is currently in progress. This creates a logical inconsistency when paired with the present tense verbs “travel” and “are diverted,” which offer a general description of the tendencies of the atoms’ movement, rather than a description of an action that is currently in progress.

• Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of main clauses. This choice correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “but” to join the first main clause (“Materials… Ru”) and the second main clause (“the alloy…NiCoCr”).
• Choice A is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two main clauses are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.
• Choice B is incorrect because when coordinating two longer main clauses such as these, it’s conventional to use a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Without a conjunction following it, a comma can’t be used in this way to join two main clauses.

• Choice A is the best answer. “Currently” logically signals that the archaeologists’ use of drones (a current technology) to photograph the lines is the present-day continuation of the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence.
• Choice B is incorrect because “in comparison” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence offers a comparison to the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.
• Choice C is incorrect because “still” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence occurs despite the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.
• Choice D is incorrect because “however” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence occurs either despite or in contrast to the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by stating that the new picture “failed to fit in” with the other items that the shop owner has. The text goes on to illustrate that point by describing the other pictures the shop owner has, indicating that the shop owner is fuming because he doesn’t think the new picture belongs in the store. In the second paragraph, however, the text indicates that the shop owner is “secretly proud of his acquisition.” The main purpose of the text is thus to reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the shop owner resents the young man who sold him the new picture; in fact, the text gives no indication of the owner’s feelings about the young man at all.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although the text indicates that the new picture is different from the other items in the shop, there’s no suggestion that the shop owner prizes either the new picture or the pictures of the city, pets, and landscapes more than he prizes any other items.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe what the new picture looks like; rather, the text identifies some of the other kinds of images that the shop owner has and states that they’re different from the new picture without explaining how they’re different.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text describes Mary’s activities in an overgrown hidden garden, saying that she was “very much absorbed” and was “only becoming more pleased with her work every hour” rather than getting tired of it. She also thinks of garden activities as a “fascinating sort of play.” Thus, the main idea of the text is that Mary feels very satisfied when taking care of the garden.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text never makes any mention of Mary’s chores.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that Mary finds pulling up weeds to be fascinating, not boring.
• Choice C is incorrect because Mary thinks of garden activities in and of themselves as play, not as something necessary to do to create a space to play.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories” correctly indicate that there are multiple stories from multiple people.
• Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories,” not the plural noun “peoples” and the singular possessive noun “story’s.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “people’s,” not the plural noun “peoples.”
• Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun “stories,” not the singular possessive noun “story’s.”

• Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the noun phrase “Julian’s 1935 synthesis” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “named…years.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Julian’s 1935 synthesis of the alkaloid physostigmine—and not another noun in the sentence— was named in 1999 as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years.
• Choice A is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun “Julian” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Julian himself was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years.
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the prepositional phrase “in 1935” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically and confusingly suggests that “in 1935” was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “the alkaloid physostigmine” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically and confusingly suggests that the alkaloid physostigmine itself (not the synthesis of it) was named as one of the greatest achievements by a US chemist in the past hundred years.

• Choice A is the best answer. “In addition” logically signals that the detail in this sentence—that Coleridge-Taylor included traditional African music in his classical compositions—adds to the information in the previous sentence. Specifically, the previous sentence indicates one way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry, and the claim that follows indicates a second, additional way.
• Choice B is incorrect because “actually” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence is surprising in light of the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.
• Choice C is incorrect because “however” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence contrasts with the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.
• Choice D is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence is true despite the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the fashion resale market’s continued growth. As used in this context, “predicted” means forecast, or indicated that something would happen in the future. The text indicates that the fashion resale market made a lot of money in 2019 and that some analysts expected the market to continue to grow. This context suggests that the analysts believed that the fashion resale market was going to make more money than it had already made, with the analysts indicating that revenues would more than double by 2028.
• Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that some analysts “produced,” or manufactured or brought about, the increase in future revenues of the fashion resale market. The analysts themselves couldn’t have brought about the future revenue growth, since, as the text suggests, they were merely in the position of drawing conclusions about future fashion resale market revenue based on 2019 revenue.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected the fashion resale market to continue to grow in the future, not that they “denied,” or rejected, this notion. Nothing in the text supports the idea that these analysts thought the revenues wouldn’t grow.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected the fashion resale market to continue to grow in the future, not that they “worried,” or felt concerned, that revenue would significantly increase by 2028. Nothing in the text suggests that the analysts felt concerned about the increase; rather, the text suggests that the increase would represent a favorable outcome, since it would mean that the fashion resale market grew to generate even more revenue.

• Choice A is the best answer because it describes an experimental outcome that would most directly weaken the student’s hypothesis. According to the text, the student hypothesizes that Brassica rapa parachinensis (choy sum) will benefit more from acidic soil than it will from neutral soil. The text then explains that the student planted 16 choy sum seeds in potting soil with coffee grounds added to increase acidity and another 16 seeds in soil without coffee grounds as a control (a group identical to the experimental group except for the experimental modification being tested). If the hypothesis were correct, the plants in the more acidic soil-and-coffee-grounds mixture would grow faster than those in the control group. However, choice A proposes a scenario in which the plants in soil without coffee grounds were “significantly taller” than those in the more acidic mixture—an outcome that weakens the hypothesis that higher acidity is beneficial to the plants’ growth.
• Choice B is incorrect. If the choy sum planted in the neutral soil produced less plant matter and therefore weighed less than the choy sum planted in the acidic soil-and-coffee-grounds mixture, this finding would strengthen the student’s hypothesis, not weaken it.
• Choice C is incorrect. If seeds planted in neutral soil (without coffee grounds) sprouted significantly later than seeds planted in the acidic soil-and-coffee -grounds mixture, this finding would strengthen, not weaken, the student’s hypothesis that acidic soil benefits choy sum.
• Choice D is incorrect. If seeds planted in the neutral soil (without coffee grounds) sprouted significantly fewer plants than seeds planted in the acidic soil-and-coffeegrounds mixture did, this finding would strengthen, not weaken, the student’s hypothesis that choy sum benefits from acidic soil.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use and punctuation of an integrated relative clause. This choice correctly uses the relative pronoun “that” and no punctuation to create an integrated relative clause that provides essential information about the noun phrase (“a book packaging company”) that it modifies.
• Choice A is incorrect because it doesn’t use a relative pronoun to link the verb phrase beginning with “specializes” to the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).
• Choice C is incorrect because it doesn’t use a relative pronoun to link the verb phrase beginning with “specializes” to the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).
• Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the integrated relative clause beginning with “that specializes” and the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary phrase. In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A study… continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological…above”) and to introduce the following explanation of the origin of Earth’s continents.
• Choice A is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A study…continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological… above”) with appropriate punctuation.
• Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause (“A study…continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological…above”). A semicolon is conventionally used to join two main clauses, whereas a colon is conventionally used to introduce an element that explains or amplifies the information in the preceding clause, making it the better choice in this context.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “geological.”

• Choice A is the best answer. Noting that the Sun (9,800°F) is hotter than most stars within 10 parsecs of it, the sentence emphasizes how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars.
• Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains that astronomer Todd Henry determined the classifications for the Sun and several other stars nearby; it doesn’t emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars.
• Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains that the majority of stars near the Sun are classified as K or M stars; it doesn’t indicate the Sun’s temperature or emphasize how hot it is relative to nearby stars.
• Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that the Sun is classified differently than most nearby stars due to its surface temperature, it doesn’t emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars.

• Choice D is the best answer. “As a result” logically signals that the information in this sentence—the vessel turning black—is a result of the heating technique discussed in the previous sentence.
• Choice A is incorrect because “on the contrary” illogically signals that the information in this sentence directly opposes the heating technique in the previous sentence. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.
• Choice B is incorrect because “for example” illogically signals that the information in this sentence is an example of the heating technique in the previous sentence. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.
• Choice C is incorrect because “previously” illogically signals that the information in this sentence occurs earlier in a chronological series of events than does the heating technique discussed in the first two sentences. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.

• Choice C is the best answer. The sentence specifies how the salt in a freeze-thaw battery enables energy storage, explaining that energy stops flowing and can be stored when the salt solidifies at room temperature.
• Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains some properties of molten salt; it doesn’t specify how that salt enables energy storage.
• Choice B is incorrect. The sentence indicates how the energy in a freeze-thaw battery can be released; it doesn’t specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage.
• Choice D is incorrect. The sentence specifies how much charge the freeze-thaw battery retains when storing energy; it doesn’t specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the significance of the War of 1812 in British historical memory. In this context, “tenuous” means vulnerable or uncertain. The text indicates that the War of 1812 was both smaller, and less prominent, than the conflict with France, and resulted in no significant geopolitical changes. These details imply that the War of 1812 is less likely than other British historical events to be remembered, giving the War of 1812 a tenuous place in British historical memory.
• Choice B is incorrect because in this context “enduring” would mean lasting or durable, but the text describes the War of 1812 as being overshadowed by, and smaller than, the simultaneous conflict with France. This seems to conflict with the notion that the War of 1812 has an enduring place in British historical memory.
• Choice C is incorrect because in this context “contentious” would mean likely to cause disagreement, and while there likely are contentious issues related to the War of 1812, nothing in the text discusses or implies any such disagreement.
• Choice D is incorrect because in this context “conspicuous” would mean obvious, but the text describes the War of 1812 as being overshadowed by, and smaller than, the simultaneous conflict with France. Rather than suggesting that the War of 1812 has a conspicuous place in British historical memory, these descriptions suggest that its place is not particularly obvious.

• Choice D is the best answer. “For this reason” logically signals that the information that follows—that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature—is a result of the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement to guarantee the validity of experimental results.
• Choice A is incorrect because “in contrast” illogically signals that the information that follows contrasts with the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.
• Choice B is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the information that follows is true despite the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measure. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.
• Choice C is incorrect because “in addition” illogically signals that the information that follows is merely an additional fact related to the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.

• Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between P waves and S waves, noting that they both travel beneath Earth’s surface, thereby causing the ground to move.
• Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a difference between P waves and S waves, noting that P waves travel faster than S waves; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two types of waves.
• Choice C is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes how P waves move; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between P waves and S waves.
• Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence acknowledges that P waves and S waves start at the same point, it doesn’t emphasize a similarity; instead, the sentence emphasizes a difference between the two types of waves, noting that they behave very differently.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement comparing the mean ratings for two different groups of participants in a study. The text explains that a research team evaluated the study’s participants using various measures in order to learn whether there might be a medical benefit to telling patients they’re receiving a placebo. The table shows the team’s mean ratings for participants after 21 days for three of the measures: global improvement, symptom severity reduction, and quality of life improvement. According to the table, the mean ratings were higher for all three measures for participants aware of taking a placebo than for participants in the control group. Given that higher ratings indicate greater well-being, as the text states, the mean ratings in the table indicate greater overall well-being for participants aware of taking a placebo than for participants in the control group.
• Choice A is incorrect because the table doesn’t include data about individual participants; rather, it presents means, or mathematical averages, of ratings. For this reason, no conclusions can be drawn from data in the table about the extent to which well-being may have varied from participant to participant.
• Choice B is incorrect because according to the table, the mean ratings for participants aware of taking a placebo were higher for all three measures than for participants in the control group, not lower for two of the measures.
• Choice C is incorrect because it cites data from the table related to participants in the control group, not to participants aware of taking a placebo. Additionally, the mean ratings in the table for participants aware of taking a placebo are higher for all three measures than for participants in the control group. Given that higher ratings indicate greater well-being, as the text states, the ratings in the table for participants aware of taking a placebo indicate greater well-being for these participants in all three measures.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the proper noun “Matthew Henson” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “one… century.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Matthew Henson—and not another noun in the sentence—is being described as one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “1891 and 1909” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that those years were one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the proper noun “Greenland” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Greenland was one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “several treks across Greenland” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the treks were one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.

• Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between two main clauses. In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between one main clause (“goats are notoriously indiscriminate”) and another main clause (“they will devour all kinds of shrubs and weeds”) and to introduce the following explanation of goats’ nondiscriminatory behavior when it comes to what they eat.
• Choice A is incorrect because when coordinating two longer main clauses such as these, it’s conventional to use a comma before the coordinating conjunction. Furthermore, the conjunction “and” fails to indicate that what follows is an explanation of goats’ nondiscriminatory behavior when it comes to their diets.
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to join two main clauses (“goats…indiscriminate” and “they… weeds”).
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two main clauses (“goats…indiscriminate” and “they…weeds”) are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by explaining that many literary theorists rely on the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events) and illustrates these concepts by explaining how they can be applied to the film The Godfather Part II. The text then discusses how Mikhail Bakhtin, a literary theorist, argued that fabula and syuzhet can’t fully describe a narrative, since systematic categorizations such as these fail to account for all the ways in which interactions between the artist, the work, and the audience produce meaning. Thus, the main idea is that Bakhtin argued that there are important characteristics of narratives that are not fully encompassed by two concepts that other theorists have used to analyze narratives.
Choice B is incorrect because according to the text, Mikhail Bakhtin believed that meaning was created through the interactions of the artist, narrative, and audience, not simply through the interaction between the audience and narrative; moreover, the text doesn’t address whether Bakhtin focused on the ways in which different people interpret narratives differently.
Choice C is incorrect. Although the text implies that the storytelling methods used in The Godfather Part II are complicated, it discusses the film only to illustrate how the concepts of fabula and syuzhet may be applied to a narrative.
The film’s storytelling methods aren’t the primary focus of the text.
Choice D is incorrect. The text discusses The Godfather Part II, whose narrative doesn’t adhere to a single chronological order, only to illustrate the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events). The primary focus of this text isn’t the structure of this film or of other narratives that are told out of chronological order; moreover, the text doesn’t consider whether such structures make it harder for audiences to understand narratives.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, Eugene Wigner hypothesized that a crystal could exist that would be composed of electrons and have a honeycomb-like shape. The text goes on to say that the existence of the Wigner crystal remained unconfirmed until Feng Wang and colleagues were able to make an impression of one using two semiconductors and an ultrathin sheet of graphene. Thus, the main idea is that researchers have obtained the most definitive evidence to date of the existence of the Wigner crystal.
Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on one kind of crystal—the Wigner crystal— and doesn’t discuss crystalline structures in general. And although the text conveys that Wang and colleagues figured out a way to capture an image of a Wigner crystal, it doesn’t address the idea of applying this approach to other types of crystals.
Choice C is incorrect because the text describes in general the process Wang and colleagues followed to obtain an impression of the Wigner crystal; it doesn’t address the relative importance of each component in that process. 
Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t state that researchers had a hard time getting an impression of the Wigner crystal because of its honeycomb structure. Nothing in the text indicates why it took so long to prove the existence of this crystal or take an impression of it.

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "takes" agrees in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are taking" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have taken" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "take" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."

Choice B is the best answer because it presents the quotation that best supports the student’s claim about Braschi. By describing how Braschi’s blending of genres invites her audience to think about how other art forms could also engage with literature, the quotation supports the idea that the diversity of responses to Braschi’s work reflects Braschi’s own approach to creating literature.
Choice A is incorrect because the quotation describes scholars from different countries writing essays about Braschi’s use of language in her writings; it doesn’t address how Braschi’s creation of cross-genre literature inspires diverse types of responses, which is the claim the student makes.
Choice C is incorrect because the quotation focuses on the fact that Braschi studied in several different cities, which doesn’t address the student’s claim that Braschi’s creation of cross-genre literature inspires diverse types of responses.
Choice D is incorrect because the quotation lists some of the authors who Braschi has written academic works about, which is irrelevant to the student’s claim that Braschi’s creation of cross-genre literature inspires diverse types of responses. 

Choice A is the best answer. This finding would support the conclusion. If stream banks are collapsing into the water at multiple points, then sediment is getting into the water at those various points. This supports the conclusion that the inflow of sediment is very spread out.
Choice B is incorrect. This finding wouldn’t support the conclusion. The conclusion is about the influx of sediment being “spatially diffuse,” meaning spread out over a large area. The type of sediment wouldn’t have an impact on the conclusions.
Choice C is incorrect. This finding wouldn’t support the conclusion. It doesn’t say anything about the influx of sediment being “spatially diffuse” (spread out).
Choice D is incorrect. This finding wouldn’t support the conclusion. Any sediment that enters downstream of the sampling sites wouldn’t end up in the samples, so it wouldn’t affect the findings or the conclusion.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the twelfth-century Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd. As used in this context, “inconsequential to” means not significant to. According to the text, Ibn Rushd’s works were primarily available in Spain, where he lived, far from central areas of the Muslim world, a fact that could support the conclusion that his influence on Muslim contemporaries was limited. The text implies, however, that recent scholarship has shown that his works still had an impact on other Muslim philosophers of his time. This context supports the idea that his works weren’t inconsequential to Islamic thought in this period.
• Choice A is incorrect because the issue under consideration in the text is whether other Muslim philosophers of Ibn Rushd’s time had access to his works, not whether his works were “controversial among,” or causing dispute among, other philosophers.
• Choice B is incorrect. The text implies that other Muslim philosophers of Ibn Rushd’s era were aware of his works, not that they were “antagonistic toward,” or hostile toward, them. There is no suggestion that Ibn Rushd’s writings elicited hostility from his contemporaries.
• Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “imitated by” would mean followed as a model by. Although the text implies that Ibn Rushd’s works were at least somewhat available in regions that were at the center of Islamic thought during the period, it doesn’t specifically address in what ways his works influenced contemporary Muslim philosophers. Thus, the text doesn’t support the idea that other philosophers modeled their own works after Ibn Rushd’s works.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text indicates that archaeologist Mª Ángeles Medina-Alcaide and her team used replicas of Paleolithic light sources to understand how Paleolithic artists moved through dark caves. The researchers learned, for example, that torches were more helpful for moving through caves than animal-fat lamps were. Thus, the main idea of the text is that Medina-Alcaide and her team tested Paleolithic light sources and learned some details about how Paleolithic artists traveled within dark caves.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the usefulness of fireplaces for Paleolithic cave artists; it only mentions fireplaces briefly as one of the three lighting methods the researchers tested.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss how often Paleolithic cave artists used each kind of light source tested. Although the text does compare animal-fat lamps with another lighting method, the point of that comparison is that animal-fat lamps were less useful than torches when walking, not that one method was used more often than another.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss either how difficult it was for Medina-Alcaide and her team to replicate light sources or how the team felt about drawing conclusions from their study. Instead, the text reveals that the team was able to conclude that each light source likely had a distinct purpose.