Directions:
- The questions in this section address a number of important reading and writing skills.
- Each question includes one or more passages, which may include a table or graph.
- Read each passage and question carefully, and then choose the best answer to the question based on the passage(s).
- All questions in this section are multiple-choice with four answer choices. Each question has a single best answer.
Q41: Passage
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Most, but not all, of the Moon’s oxygen comes from the Sun, via solar wind.
- Cosmochemist Kentaro Terada from Osaka University wondered if some of the unaccounted-for oxygen could be coming from Earth.
- In 2008, he analyzed data from the Japanese satellite Kaguya.
- Kaguya gathered data about gases and particles it encountered while orbiting the Moon.
- Based on the Kaguya data, Terada confirmed his suspicion that Earth is sending oxygen to the Moon.
Q. The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
(a) As it orbited the Moon, the Kaguya satellite collected data that was later analyzed by cosmochemist Kentaro Terada.
(b) Before 2008, Kentaro Terada wondered if the Moon was receiving some of its oxygen from Earth.
(c) Cosmochemist Kentaro Terada set out to determine whether some of the Moon’s oxygen was coming from Earth.
(d) Kentaro Terada’s study determined that Earth is sending a small amount of oxygen to the Moon.
Ans: (c)
- Choice C is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the aim of the research study, noting that cosmochemist Kentaro Terada set out to determine whether some of the Moon’s oxygen was coming from Earth.
- Choice A is incorrect because it focuses on how the Kaguya satellite collected data, rather than the aim of the research.
- Choice B is incorrect because it mentions what Terada wondered before the study but doesn’t emphasize his study’s goal.
- Choice D is incorrect because it presents the conclusion of the study, not the aim.
Q42: Passage
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Ducklings expend up to 62.8% less energy when swimming in a line behind their mother than when swimming alone.
- The physics behind this energy savings hasn’t always been well understood.
- Naval architect Zhiming Yuan used computer simulations to study the effect of the mother duck’s wake.
- The study revealed that ducklings are pushed in a forward direction by the wake’s waves.
- Yuan determined this push reduces the effect of wave drag on the ducklings by 158%.
Q. The student wants to present the study and its methodology. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
(a) A study revealed that ducklings, which expend up to 62.8% less energy when swimming in a line behind their mother, also experience 158% less drag.
(b) Seeking to understand how ducklings swimming in a line behind their mother save energy, Zhiming Yuan used computer simulations to study the effect of the mother duck’s wake.
(c) Zhiming Yuan studied the physics behind the fact that by being pushed in a forward direction by waves, ducklings save energy.
(d) Naval architect Zhiming Yuan discovered that ducklings are pushed in a forward direction by the waves of their mother’s wake, reducing the effect of drag by 158%.
Ans: (b)
- Choice B is the best answer. The sentence presents both the study and its methodology, explaining that Zhiming Yuan used computer simulations to study the effect of the mother duck’s wake on the ducklings’ energy expenditure.
- Choice A is incorrect because it describes the findings of Yuan’s study, not the study’s methodology.
- Choice C is incorrect because it provides general information about the study but doesn’t present the methodology.
- Choice D is incorrect because it describes the findings of the study rather than its methodology.
Q43: Passage
The following text is from Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1899 short story “Martha’s Lady.” Martha is employed by Miss Pyne as a maid.
Miss Pyne sat by the window watching, in her best dress, looking stately and calm; she seldom went out now, and it was almost time for the carriage. Martha was just coming in from the garden with the strawberries, and with more flowers in her apron. It was a bright cool evening in June, the golden robins sang in the elms, and the sun was going down behind the apple-trees at the foot of the garden. The beautiful old house stood wide open to the long-expected guest.
Q. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
(a) To convey the worries brought about by a new guest
(b) To describe how the characters have changed over time
(c) To contrast the activity indoors with the stillness outside
(d) To depict the setting as the characters await a visitor’s arrival
Ans: (d)
- Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately reflects the main purpose of the text. The text portrays Miss Pyne as awaiting the arrival of a carriage while Martha brings strawberries and flowers from the garden into the house. The text also describes the surroundings of the scene, stating that Miss Pyne looks “stately and calm,” the evening is bright and cool, and birds are singing in the garden as the sun sets. Then the last sentence states that the house was “wide open to the long-expected guest,” which strongly suggests that Miss Pyne’s anticipation and Martha’s activities were in preparation for the guest who is expected to arrive in the carriage. Thus, the text depicts the setting and conveys what these characters are doing as they await the arrival of their visitor.
- Choice A is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that the characters feel any worry about the guest’s arrival. The text indicates that the guest was “long-expected,“ but characterizing Miss Pyne as “stately and calm” conflicts with the idea that the characters are worried about the guest.
- Choice B is incorrect because the text describes a moment in time when two characters are awaiting the arrival of a visitor rather than an extended period over which characters could be seen changing.
- Choice C is incorrect. Although the text describes the activity indoors (Miss Pyne sitting calmly), it describes a higher level of activity, not stillness, outside (Martha bringing fruit and flowers and birds singing).
Q44: Passage
Astronomers are confident that the star Betelgeuse will eventually consume all the helium in its core and explode in a supernova. They are much less confident, however, about when this will happen, since that depends on internal characteristics of Betelgeuse that are largely unknown. Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues recently investigated whether acoustic waves in the star could be used to determine internal stellar states but concluded that this method could not sufficiently reveal Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics to allow its evolutionary state to be firmly fixed.
Q. Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
(a) It explains how the work of Nance and colleagues was received by others in the field.
(b) It presents the central finding reported by Nance and colleagues.
(c) It identifies the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but did not.
(d) It describes a serious limitation of the method used by Nance and colleagues.
Ans: (c)
- Choice C is the best answer because it best describes how the second sentence functions in the text as a whole. The first sentence establishes something astronomers believe with some certainty: that Betelgeuse will “explode in a supernova.” The second sentence then introduces a problem: astronomers aren’t certain when Betelgeuse will explode because they don’t have enough information about the star’s internal characteristics. Finally, the third sentence indicates that researcher Sarafina El-Badry Nance and colleagues investigated a possible method of obtaining the necessary information about Betelgeuse’s internal characteristics, though they found that the method wouldn’t be sufficient. Thus, the function of the second sentence is to identify the problem that Nance and colleagues attempted to solve but didn’t.
- Choice A is incorrect because the second sentence doesn’t indicate how other astronomers or astrophysicists responded to the work done by Nance and colleagues; the text doesn’t address this information at all.
- Choice B is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues hoped to solve, not the central finding they ultimately reported. It’s the third sentence that presents Nance and colleagues’ conclusion that a potential method for determining internal stellar states would be insufficient.
- Choice D is incorrect because the second sentence introduces the general problem Nance and colleagues hoped to solve, not a serious limitation of how they tried to solve it. It’s the third sentence that introduces Nance and colleagues, but no serious limitation of their approach to studying a method of determining internal stellar states is described.
Q45: Passage
The following text is from Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Elinor lives with her younger sisters and her mother, Mrs. Dashwood.
Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart;—her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.
Q. According to the text, what is true about Elinor?
(a) Elinor often argues with her mother but fails to change her mind.
(b) Elinor can be overly sensitive with regard to family matters.
(c) Elinor thinks her mother is a bad role model.
(d) Elinor is remarkably mature for her age.
Ans: (d)
- Choice D is the best answer because it provides a detail about Elinor that is established in the text. The text indicates that although Elinor is “only nineteen,” she gives good advice and exhibits such a high level of understanding and judgment that she serves as “the counsellor of her mother.” Thus, Elinor is mature beyond her years.
- Choice A is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text says that Elinor advises her mother and often counteracts her mother’s impulses, there’s no mention of Elinor arguing with her mother or failing to change her mother’s mind.
- Choice B is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text mentions that Elinor has strong feelings, it doesn’t indicate that she’s excessively sensitive when it comes to family issues.
- Choice C is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: there’s no mention of what Elinor thinks about her mother and no suggestion that she thinks her mother is a bad role model. Because she’s described as having “an excellent heart,” Elinor likely doesn’t think ill of her mother.
Q46: Passage
Believing that living in an impractical space can heighten awareness and even improve health, conceptual artists Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa designed an apartment building in Japan to be more fanciful than functional. A kitchen counter is chest-high on one side and knee-high on the other; a ceiling has a door to nowhere. The effect is disorienting but invigorating: after four years there, filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka reported significant health benefits.
Q. Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
(a) Although inhabiting a home surrounded by fanciful features such as those designed by Gins and Arakawa can be rejuvenating, it is unsustainable.
(b) Designing disorienting spaces like those in the Gins and Arakawa building is the most effective way to create a physically stimulating environment.
(c) As a filmmaker, Yamaoka has long supported the designs of conceptual artists such as Gins and Arakawa.
(d) Although impractical, the design of the apartment building by Gins and Arakawa may improve the well-being of the building’s residents.
Ans: (d)
- 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.
Q47: Passage
In a research paper, a student criticizes some historians of modern African politics, claiming that they have evaluated Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily as a symbol rather than in terms of his actions.
Q. Which quotation from a work by a historian would best illustrate the student’s claim?
(a) “Lumumba is a difficult figure to evaluate due to the starkly conflicting opinions he inspired during his life and continues to inspire today.”
(b) “The available information makes it clear that Lumumba’s political beliefs and values were largely consistent throughout his career.”
(c) “Lumumba’s practical accomplishments can be passed over quickly; it is mainly as the personification of Congolese independence that he warrants scholarly attention.”
(d) “Many questions remain about Lumumba’s ultimate vision for an independent Congo; without new evidence coming to light, these questions are likely to remain unanswered.”
Ans: (c)
- Choice C is the best answer because it illustrates the student’s claim about some historians viewing Lumumba primarily as a symbol. This quotation argues that Lumumba “warrants” (or deserves) “scholarly attention” as a symbol and not for his “practical accomplishments”—that is, his actions as prime minister— which “can be passed over quickly,” or dismissed as being of comparatively little importance. Thus, the quotation expresses the view that the student criticizes some historians for holding.
- Choice A is incorrect. Although this quotation touches on the difficulty of evaluating Lumumba’s legacy, it doesn’t address how historians of modern African politics view him as a symbol.
- Choice B is incorrect. While this quotation mentions Lumumba’s political beliefs, it doesn’t discuss historians viewing him as a symbol.
- Choice D is incorrect. This quotation touches on Lumumba’s vision for his country, but it doesn’t discuss historians viewing him as a symbol.
Q48: Passage
Given that stars and planets initially form from the same gas and dust in space, some astronomers have posited that host stars (such as the Sun) and their planets (such as those in our solar system) are composed of the same materials, with the planets containing equal or smaller quantities of the materials that make up the host star. This idea is also supported by evidence that rocky planets in our solar system are composed of some of the same materials as the Sun.
Q. Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the astronomers’ claim?
(a) Most stars are made of hydrogen and helium, but when cooled they are revealed to contain small amounts of iron and silicate.
(b) A nearby host star is observed to contain the same proportion of hydrogen and helium as that of the Sun.
(c) Evidence emerges that the amount of iron in some rocky planets is considerably higher than the amount in their host star.
(d) The method for determining the composition of rocky planets is discovered to be less effective when used to analyze other kinds of planets.
Ans: (c)
- Choice C is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would weaken the astronomers’ claim about the makeup of host stars and their planets. The text explains that because stars and planets begin forming from the same gas and dust, astronomers believe planets should be composed of the same materials as their host stars, but in equal or smaller quantities. The finding that the amount of iron in some rocky planets is much higher than the amount in their host star would weaken the astronomers’ claim because it would show that some planets contain the same material as their host star, but in higher quantities.
- Choice A is incorrect because a finding only about the makeup of stars, whether they’ve cooled or not, would provide no information about the makeup of planets. Thus, it wouldn’t have any bearing on the claim that planets and their host stars are composed of the same materials in differing quantities.
- Choice B is incorrect because a finding about two host stars having similar proportions of certain materials wouldn’t provide any information about the makeup of planets. Thus, it wouldn’t be relevant to the claim that planets and their host stars are composed of the same materials in differing quantities.
- Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that the astronomers’ claim is based on a fact—that stars and planets begin forming from the same gas and dust in space—which would remain true regardless of the effectiveness of a method for analysis of compositions. The text does cite analysis of rocky planets in our solar system and the Sun, but only as a single piece of evidence that is consistent with the claim and not as the source of the claim; the finding that the method used for that analysis is less effective in other scenarios wouldn’t weaken a claim that’s based on knowledge of how stars and planets initially form.
Q49: Passage
In the twentieth century, ethnographers made a concerted effort to collect Mexican American folklore, but they did not always agree about that folklore’s origins. Scholars such as Aurelio Espinosa claimed that Mexican American folklore derived largely from the folklore of Spain, which ruled Mexico and what is now the southwestern United States from the sixteenth to early nineteenth centuries. Scholars such as Américo Paredes, by contrast, argued that while some Spanish influence is undeniable, Mexican American folklore is mainly the product of the ongoing interactions of various cultures in Mexico and the United States.
Q. Which finding, if true, would most directly support Paredes’s argument?
(a) The folklore that the ethnographers collected included several songs written in the form of a décima, a type of poem originating in late sixteenth-century Spain.
(b) Much of the folklore that the ethnographers collected had similar elements from region to region.
(c) Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected was previously unknown to scholars.
(d) Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected consisted of corridos—ballads about history and social life—of a clearly recent origin.
Ans: (d)
- Choice D is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support Paredes’s argument about the origin of Mexican American folklore. The text describes a disagreement among scholars about whether Mexican American folklore mostly derived from the folklore of Spain (the view held by Espinosa and others) or originated in Mexico and the United States through ongoing cultural interactions there (the view held by Paredes and others). If Mexican American folklore collected in the twentieth century mostly consists of ballads about history and social life that originated recently, then that would support Paredes’s argument by suggesting that the folklore mostly arose after Spanish rule ended in the early nineteenth century and that the folklore reflects cultural interactions in Mexico and the United States rather than traditions from Spain.
- Choice A is incorrect because the inclusion of songs influenced by sixteenth-century Spanish poetry among Mexican American folklore collected in the twentieth century would not support Paredes’s view that the folklore was the result of cultural interactions in Mexico and the United States rather than an offshoot of Spanish folklore. If anything, the presence of such songs among the folklore collected in the twentieth century would weaken Paredes’s argument, since it would reflect the influence of Spanish culture on the folklore.
- Choice B is incorrect because the mere presence of similarities in Mexican American folklore across regions would not be sufficient to draw a conclusion about where the folklore originated, let alone to support Paredes’s argument that the folklore reflects various cultural interactions in Mexico and the United States. In fact, Paredes would likely expect there to be regional variations in folklore as different cultures have interacted in different places.
- Choice C is incorrect because scholars’ previous ignorance of the folklore would have no bearing on Paredes’s argument that Mexican American folklore mostly reflects cultural interactions in Mexico and the United States; the folklore’s actual origins exist regardless of the scholars’ awareness.
Q50: Passage
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Sam Maloof (1916–2009) was an American woodworker and furniture designer.
- He was the son of Lebanese immigrants.
- He received a “genius grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1985.
- The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, owns a rocking chair that Maloof made from walnut wood.
- The armrests and the seat of the chair are sleek and contoured, and the back consists of seven spindle-like slats.
Q. The student wants to describe the rocking chair to an audience unfamiliar with Sam Maloof. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
(a) With its sleek, contoured armrests and seat, the walnut rocking chair in Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is just one piece of furniture created by American woodworker Sam Maloof.
(b) Sam Maloof was born in 1916 and died in 2009, and during his life, he made a chair that you can see if you visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
(c) Furniture designer Sam Maloof was a recipient of one of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants.”
(d) The rocking chair is made from walnut, and it has been shaped such that its armrests and seat are sleek and contoured.
Ans: (a)
- Choice A is the best answer. The sentence effectively describes the rocking chair to an audience unfamiliar with Sam Maloof, noting its sleek, contoured armrests and seat and explaining that Sam Maloof (the walnut chair’s creator) was an American woodworker.
- Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence explains who Sam Maloof was and mentions a chair, it doesn’t describe the chair.
- Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence explains who Sam Maloof was, it doesn’t describe the rocking chair.
- Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence describes the rocking chair, it doesn’t explain who Sam Maloof was.
