Vocabulary
"There is no nuance to her character, no secret artistic passion or deep personal pain."
What does Nuance mean?
a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively easy tasks first were less _______ compared to those who did hard tasks first. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense of accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks first actually became more skilled and productive workers over time.
As used in the text, what does the phrase “a void” most nearly mean?
A) A useless B) An empty C) A forgotten D) An incomplete
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, a span of time is described as “a void” space, which most nearly means an empty or vacant one
When ancient oak planks were unearthed during subway construction in Rome, Mauro Bernabei and his team examined the growth rings in the wood to determine where these planks came from. By comparing the growth rings on the planks to records of similar rings in oaks from Europe, the team could trace the wood to the Jura region of France, hundreds of kilometers from Rome. Because timber could only have been transported from distant Jura to Rome by boat, the team’s findings suggest the complexity of Roman trade routes.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A) It presents a conclusion about Roman trade routes based on the team’s findings. B) It questions how the team was able to conclude that the planks were used to build a boat. C) It explains why the planks were made from oak rather than a different kind of wood. D) It describes common methods used in Roman subway construction.
Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes how the underlined sentence functions in the text as a whole
Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials _______ evidence for this theory.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) dismiss B) provide C) regulate D) refuse
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the archaeologists’ study of the ancient amphitheater in Switzerland. In this context, “provide” means make available or supply
How many teaspoons are equivalent to 44 tablespoons? (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon)
A) 47 B) 88 C) 132 D) 176
Choice C is correct. It’s given that 3 teaspoons is equivalent to 1 tablespoon. Therefore, 44 tablespoons is equivalent to ( )( ) 3 teaspoons 1 tablespoon 44 tablespoons , or 132 teaspoons.
They omitted your name from the list.
What does the word omitted mean?
to leave out or leave unmentioned.
In the 1960s, Sam Gilliam, a Black painter from the southern United States, became the first artist to drape painted canvases into flowing shapes. He later explored a different style, _______ quilt-like paintings inspired by the patchwork quilting tradition of Black communities in the South.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) predicting B) refusing C) hiding D) creating
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sam Gilliam’s artworks.
20 Smaller than poppy seeds, tardigrades are tiny, but they are tough. These minuscule animals can survive for thirty years without food or water, and _______ can withstand extreme temperatures as low as minus 328 degrees and as high as 304 degrees Fahrenheit.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) that B) it C) they D) he
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they” agrees in number with the plural antecedent “animals,” which refers to tardigrades.
The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “The second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will be the best plan.” It sounded like an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged; the only difficulty was, that Alice had not the smallest idea how to set about it.
As used in the text, what does the word “simply” most nearly mean?
A) Faintly B) Hastily C) Easily D) Foolishly
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “simply” most nearly means easily, or involving minimal difficulty or effort.
What is 23% of 100?
A) 23 B) 46 C) 77 D) 123
Choice A is correct. 23% of 100 can be calculated by multiplying 23 100 by 100, which yields ( ) 23 100 100, or 23.
What does the English Grammar Conventions focus on?
sentence structure, punctuation, and another other grammatical rules that could apply to a sentence.
Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively easy tasks first were less _______ compared to those who did hard tasks first. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense of accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks first actually became more skilled and productive workers over time.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) secretive B) efficient C) outgoing D) unsympathetic
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about Kouchaki and colleagues’ research into how workload affects productivity. In context, “efficient” means effective or well organized.
Before the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, transporting goods by wagon between New York City and the Midwest took up to forty-five days and cost one hundred dollars per ton. By linking the Hudson River to Lake _______ canal reduced transport time to nine days and cut costs to six dollars per ton.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) Erie; the B) Erie (the C) Erie, the D) Erie: the
Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a supplementary phrase and a main clause.
Cucurbits, a group of plants that includes squash and melons, relied on mastodons to spread their seeds in the Ice Age. When these animals died out, cucurbits faced extinction in turn, having lost their means of seed dispersal. Around this time, however, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America began raising cucurbits as crops, thus _______ the plants’ survival.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) verifying B) multiplying C) comforting D) ensuring
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of cucurbits. In this context, “ensuring” means guaranteeing, or making sure of, the cucurbits’ survival.
9 x y x y + 2 = 6 − 2 = 4
The solution to the given system of equations is ( , ) x y . What is the value of x ?
A) 2.5 B) 5 C) 6 D) 10
Choice B is correct. Adding the first equation to the second equation in the given system yields (xy xy + + - =+ 2 2 64 ) ( ) , or (xx y y ++ - = ) (2 2 10 ) . Combining like terms in this equation yields 2 10 x = . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields x =5. Thus, the value of x is 5.
Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.
What does abhor mean?
to hate, detest
The following text is from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. The narrator is being driven in a carriage through a remote region at night. The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed; he kept turning his head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness.
As used in the text, what does the word “disturbed” most nearly mean?
A) Disorganized B) Alarmed C) Offended D) Interrupted
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, “disturbed” most nearly means alarmed.
Generations of mystery and horror _______ have been influenced by the dark, gothic stories of celebrated American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809−1849).
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) writers B) writers, C) writers— D) writers;
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a subject and a verb. When, as in this case, a subject (“Generations of mystery and horror writers”) is immediately followed by a verb (“have been influenced”), no punctuation is needed.
The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising. Wooden objects _______ survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of sediment in the ditch preserved the figure by creating an oxygen-free environment.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) sturdily B) carelessly C) rarely D) simply
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago. In this context, “rarely” means infrequently.
Henry receives a $60.00 gift card to pay for movies online. He uses his gift card to buy 3 movies for $7.50 each. If he spends the rest of his gift card balance on renting movies for $1.50 each, how many movies can Henry rent?
A) 10 B) 25 C) 35 D) 40
Choice B is correct. It’s given that Henry uses his $60.00 gift card to buy 3 movies for $7.50 each. Therefore, Henry spends 3 $7.50 ( ), or $22.50, of his $60.00 gift card to buy 3 movies. After buying 3 movies with his $60.00 gift card, Henry has a gift card balance of $60.00 $22.50 - , or $37.50. It’s also given that Henry spends the rest of his gift card balance on renting movies for $1.50 each. Therefore, Henry can rent $37.50 $1.50 , or 25, movies.
The elaborately designed fireworks show turned into a debacle when the fireworks started firing in random directions.
What does the word debacle mean?
a disastrous failure, disruption
5 The following text is adapted from Sadakichi Hartmann’s 1894 short story “Magnolia Blossoms.” The narrator is standing on the deck of a boat. What a night it was! My soul had left its body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me—from where it came—and only left a trembling suggestion of its existence within me. The other passengers moved around me like shadows, and again and again my eyes drank in all the glory and wealth of that night.
As used in the text, what does the word “suggestion” most nearly mean?
A) Trace B) Opinion C) Dispute D) Command
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “suggestion” most nearly means trace. T
Midway through her 1968 jazz album A Monastic Trio, Alice Coltrane switches instruments, swapping the piano for the harp. With the same fluid style that Coltrane was famous for on piano, she _______ her fingers across the harp strings and creates a radiant sound.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) sweep B) are sweeping C) were sweeping D) sweeps
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “sweeps” agrees in number with the singular subject “she,” which refers to Alice Coltrane.
Bicycle sharing systems allow users to rent a bicycle at one location within a city and return it to any other designated location in that city, which can cause serious problems of bicycle supply and user demand within the city’s system. Tohru Ikeguchi uses open-source data and statistical modeling to identify when a high number of users making one-way trips is likely to leave some locations within the system _______ bicycles and other areas with insufficient supply.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) susceptible to B) contingent on C) saturated with D) depleted of
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ikeguchi’s model of bicycle supply. In this context, “saturated with” means thoroughly or completely supplied with.
If 2 = 12 x , what is the value of 9x ?
The correct answer is 54. Dividing both sides of the given equation by 2 yields x =6. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 9 yields 9 54 x = . Thus, the value of 9x is 54.