Writing Section 1
To alleviate rush hour traffic jams in a congested downtown area, stoplight timing is coordinated. When any one of these changes 2 occur, it is likely the result of careful analysis conducted by transportation planners.
A. No Change
B. occur, they are
C. occurs, they are
D. occurs, it is
Choice D is the best answer because it maintains agreement between pronoun (“it”) and antecedent (“any one”) and between subject (“any one”) and verb (“occurs”).
A crowd of admiring spectators watched as Kingman squeezes dollops of paint from several tubes into a tin watercolor 13 box, from just a few primary colors, Kingman creates dozens of beautiful hues as he layers the translucent paint onto the paper on his easel.
A. No Change
B. box. From just a few primary colors,
C. box from just a few primary colors,
D. box, from just a few primary colors
Choice B is the best answer because it provides punctuation that creates two grammatically complete and standard sentences.
The pattern is clear: as businesses generated more value from their workers, the country as a whole became richer, which fueled more economic activity and created even more jobs.
As used in line 35, “clear” most nearly means
A) pure.
B) keen.
C) untroubled.
D) unmistakable.
Choice D is the best answer.
The third paragraph states that “the pattern is clear: as businesses generated more value from their workers, the country as a whole became richer.” In this context, the word “clear” most nearly means obvious, or unmistakable.
If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn’t close, and the ant happily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug’s encounter with the first hair?
The use of the phrases “happily meanders” (line 27), and “unassuming bug’s encounter” (lines 28-29) in the paragraph establishes a tone that is
A) academic.
B) melodramatic.
C) informal.
D) mocking.
Choice C is the best answer. The phrases “happily meanders,” and “unassuming bug’s encounter” are less typical of word choices made in formal, scientific writing than of those made in less formal writing modes. Therefore, the tone that these phrases establish is best described as informal.
Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the phrases establish a tone that is informal, not academic (choice A), melodramatic (choice B), or mocking (choice D).
The work of transportation planners generally includes evaluating current transportation needs, assessing the effectiveness of existing facilities, and improving those facilities or 3 they design new ones.
A. No Change
B. to design
C. designing
D. design
Choice C is the best answer because “designing” maintains parallelism with “evaluating,” “assessing,” and “improving.”
As Kingman developed as a painter, his works were often compared to 15 paintings by Chinese landscape artists dating back to CE 960, a time when a strong tradition of landscape painting emerged in Chinese art.
A. No Change
B. Chinese landscape artists
C. painters of Chinese landscapes
D. artists
Choice A is the best answer because it creates a comparison between like terms: “works” by Kingman and “paintings by Chinese landscape artists.”
In economics, productivity—the amount of economic value created for a given unit of input, such as an hour of labor—is a crucial indicator of growth and wealth creation.
The primary purpose of lines 26-28 (“the amount... labor”) is to
A) describe a process.
B) highlight a dilemma.
C) clarify a claim.
D) explain a term.
Choice D is the best answer.
In this context, the primary purpose of the appositive (“the amount of economic value . . . such as an hour of labor”) is to define “productivity.”
A lucky guppy is born above a waterfall or a set of rapids, which keep out the predatory fish called pike cichlids found in calmer downstream waters.
In describing the living conditions of guppies, the author indicates that a “lucky guppy” (line 14) is one that
A) is born in a major river having an established guppy population.
B) inhabits an environment that provides natural protection from predators.
C) manages to navigate the risks associated with living near a waterfall.
D) avoids predatory fish by living in calmer downstream waters.
Choice B is the best answer. In other words, pike cichlids normally eat guppies, but waterfalls and rapids can create natural barriers that prevent these predators from entering certain areas where guppies live. The author indicates that a “lucky guppy” is one that inhabits an environment that provides natural protection from predators.
Choices A and C are incorrect because the author doesn’t indicate that being born in a major river with an established guppy population is an advantage for a guppy (choice A) or that there are risks associated with living near a waterfall or that guppies benefit by avoiding such risks (choice C). Choice D is incorrect because the author doesn’t indicate that there is an advantage for guppies living in calmer
Most transportation planners work in or near cities, 4 but some are employed in rural areas. Say, for example, a large factory is built on the outskirts of a small town. Traffic to and from that location would increase at the beginning and end of work shifts.
Which choice results in the most effective transition to the information that follows in the paragraph?
A. No Change
B. where job opportunities are more plentiful
C. and the majority are employed by government agencies.
D. DELETE the underlined portion and end the sentence with a period.
Choice A is the best answer because it effectively signals the shift in the paragraph to the example of the work a transportation planner might perform if he or she were employed in a rural area and asked to consider the effects of building a new factory “on the outskirts of a small town.”
His fine brushwork conveys detailed street-level activity: a peanut vendor pushing his cart on the sidewalk, a pigeon pecking for crumbs around a fire 19 hydrant, an old man tending to a baby outside a doorway.
A. No Change
B. hydrant—
C. hydrant:
D. hydrant
Choice A is the best answer because a comma after the word “hydrant” separates the phrase “a pigeon pecking for crumbs around a fire hydrant” from the phrase “an old man tending to a baby outside a doorway.” A comma is also consistent with the punctuation choice made to separate the first two phrases in the asyndetic series following the colon in the sentence.
A flock of 14 juveniles carried data loggers specially built by Usherwood and his lab. The device’s GPS determined each bird’s flight position to within 30 cm, and an accelerometer showed the timing of the wing flaps.
What is the most likely reason the author includes the 30 cm measurement in line 30?
A) To demonstrate the accuracy with which the data loggers collected the data
B) To present recorded data about how far an ibis flies between successive wing flaps
C) To provide the wingspan length of a juvenile ibis
D) To show how far behind the microlight plane each ibis flew
Choice A is the best answer.
At the end of the third paragraph the author notes that the GPS tracking devices attached to the birds “determined each bird’s flight position to within 30 cm.” This detail, along with the author’s mention in the same sentence of another device that measured the timing of the wing flaps, provides evidence for the inference that the author likely specified 30 cm to underscore Usherwood’s use of precise data-collection methods.
“And can you guess what we saw from the train?” Miss Spivey asked. We could not. “Camels!” she said. “We saw a whole caravan of camels.” She looked around the room, waiting for us to be amazed and delighted at the thought. We all hung there for a minute, thinking hard, until Mavis Davis spoke up. “She means like the three kings rode to Bethlehem,” Mavis said.
In the passage, when Miss Spivey announces that she had seen camels, the students’ reaction suggests that they are
A) delighted.
B) fascinated.
C) baffled.
D) worried.
Choice C is the best answer. The ninth paragraph describes the students’ reaction to Miss Spivey’s announcement that she had seen camels on her trip to Baghdad: “We all hung there for a minute, thinking hard, until Mavis Davis spoke up.” Mavis reminds the other students that camels appear in a story they are familiar with. Thus, when Miss Spivey announces that she had seen camels, the students’ reaction suggests that they are baffled.
Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because when Miss Spivey announces that she had seen camels, the students’ reaction suggests that they are baffled, not delighted (choice A), fascinated (choice B), or worried (choice D).
The transportation 5 planner’s job, might involve conducting a traffic count to determine the daily number of vehicles traveling on the road to the new factory.
A. No Change
B. planner's job
C. planners job,
D. planners job
Choice B is the best answer because it correctly uses an apostrophe to indicate the possessive and doesn’t introduce any unnecessary punctuation.
The name Kingman was selected for its two 14 parts, “king” and “man”; Cantonese for “scenery” and “composition.”
A. No Change
B. parts: “king” and “man,”
C. parts “king” and “man”;
D. parts; “king” and “man”
Choice B is the best answer because the colon after “parts” effectively signals that what follows in the sentence further defines what the “two parts” of Kingman’s name are and because the comma after “man” properly indicates that “‘king’ and ‘man’” and “Cantonese for ‘scenery’ and ‘composition’” are nonrestrictive appositives.
They plan to investigate how the animals decide who sets the course and the pace, and whether a mistake made by the leader can ripple through the rest of the flock to cause traffic jams.
As used in line 72, “ripple” most nearly means
A) fluctuate.
B) spread.
C) wave.
D) undulate.
Choice B is the best answer.
In the seventh paragraph, the passage explains that one aspect of bird flight that awaits further study by scientists is the question of whether “a mistake made by the leader can ripple through the rest of the flock to cause traffic jams.” In this context, to say that a mistake might “ripple” through the flock most nearly means that it might progressively spread through the flock.
Building good transit isn’t a bad idea, but it can actually backfire if the new trains and buses merely clear space on highway lanes for those who would Line prefer to drive—a group that, historically, has included almost everyone with access to a car. Despite environmental value, new transit has to replace and eliminate driving on a scale sufficient to cut energy consumption overall. Needless to say, those ideas are not popular.
In the first paragraph, the author concedes that his recommendations are
A) costly to implement.
B) not widely supported.
C) strongly opposed by experts.
D) environmentally harmful in the short term.
Choice B is the best answer. In the first paragraph, the author introduces some proposals for reducing car traffic by making driving slower and less convenient. However, he also acknowledges that “those ideas are not popular.” Thus, in the first paragraph, the author concedes that his recommendations aren’t widely supported.
Choice A is incorrect because, in the first paragraph, the author doesn’t indicate that his recommendations are costly to implement. Choice C is incorrect because the author concedes that his recommendations are unpopular with the general public, not strongly opposed by experts. Choice D is incorrect because the author suggests that his recommendations are environmentally beneficial in the long term, not environmentally harmful in the short term.
If analysis of the traffic count indicates that there is more traffic than the 6 current road as it is designed at this time can efficiently accommodate, the transportation planner might recommend widening the road to add another lane.
A. No Change
B. current design of the road right now
C. road as it is now currently designed
D. current design of the road
Choice D is the best answer because it offers a clear and concise wording without redundancy.
During his career, Kingman exhibited his work internationally. He garnered much acclaim. In 1936, a critic described one of Kingman’s solo exhibits as “twenty of the freshest, most satisfying watercolors that have been seen hereabouts in many a day.”
The writer wants to conclude the passage with a sentence that emphasizes an enduring legacy of Kingman’s work. Which choice would best accomplish this goal?
A. Although Kingman’s work might not be as famous as that of some other watercolor painters, such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper, it is well regarded by many people.
B. Since Kingman’s death in 2000, museums across the United States and in China have continued to ensure that his now-iconic landscapes remain available for the public to enjoy.
C. The urban landscapes depicted in Kingman’s body of work are a testament to aptness of the name chosen for Kingman when he was just a boy.
D. Kingman’s work was but one example of a long-lasting tradition refreshed by an innovative artist with a new perspective.
Choice B is the best answer because it concludes the passage with a sentence that emphasizes the enduring legacy of Kingman’s work by indicating that museums continue to make Kingman’s iconic paintings accessible to the public.
No one ever promotes a transit scheme by arguing that it would make traveling less convenient—even though, from an environmental perspective, inconvenient travel is a worthy goal.
As used in line 72, “promotes” most nearly means
A) upgrades.
B) serves.
C) advocates.
D) develops.
Choice C is the best answer. The last paragraph asserts, “No one ever promotes a transit scheme by arguing that it would make traveling less convenient.” In other words, nobody advocates, or pushes for, changes to the transportation system by arguing that they would make traveling less convenient. Thus “promotes,” as used in the passage, most nearly means advocates.
Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because in the context of the passage, “promotes” means advocates, not upgrades (choice A), serves (choice B), or develops (choice D).
Do the blades of a plow, which can reach more than a foot beneath the soil surface, bring some of these buried seeds to the surface where their germination is induced by exposure to sunlight? Two ecologists, Jonathan Sauer and Gwendolyn Struik, began to study this question in the 1960s
The question in the second paragraph (lines 13-17) primarily serves to
A) emphasize the provisional nature of the findings discussed in the passage.
B) introduce the specific research topic addressed in the passage.
C) suggest the hypothetical impact of the studies analyzed in the passage.
D) indicate the level of disagreement about the methods explored in the passage.
Choice B is the best answer. The passage goes on to describe research conducted both in the laboratory and in the field that sought to answer this question. Hence the question in the second paragraph primarily serves to introduce the specific research topic addressed in the passage.
Choice A is incorrect because the question in the second paragraph doesn’t primarily serve to emphasize the provisional nature of the findings discussed in the passage. Choice C is incorrect because the impact of the studies analyzed in the passage has been real and practical, not hypothetical. Choice D is incorrect because the question in the second paragraph doesn’t indicate that there is any significant disagreement about the methods explored in the passage.