Cross Textual Connections
Text 1
Microbes are tiny organisms in the soil, water, and air all around us. They thrive even in very harsh conditions. That’s why Noah Fierer and colleagues were surprised when soil samples they collected from an extremely cold, dry area in Antarctica didn’t seem to contain any life. The finding doesn’t prove that there are no microbes in that area, but the team says it does suggest that the environment severely restricts microbes’ survival.
Text 2
Microbes are found in virtually every environment on Earth. So it’s unlikely they would be completely absent from Fierer’steam’s study site, no matter how extreme the environment is. There were probably so few organisms in the samples that current technology couldn’t detect them. But since a spoonful of typical soil elsewhere might contain billions of microbes, the presence of so few in the Antarctic soil samples would show how challenging the conditions are.
Based on the texts, Fierer’s team and the author of Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement about microbes?
A. Most microbes are better able to survive in environments with extremely dry conditions than in environments with harsh temperatures.
B. A much higher number of microbes would probably be found if another sample of soil were taken from the Antarctic study site.
C. Microbes are likely difficult to detect in the soil at the Antarctic study site because they tend to be smaller than microbes found in typical soil elsewhere.
D. Most microbes are probably unable to withstand the soil conditions at the Antarctic study site.
D. Most microbes are probably unable to withstand the soil conditions at the Antarctic study site.
The Limón technique, developed by Mexican-born dancer and choreographer Jose Limón, is known for its emphasis on breath control and its interplay of weight and ______dancers may explore, for example, the moment of mid-air suspension at the top of a jump.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. weightlessness
B. weightlessness which
C. weightlessness,
D. weightlessness;
D. weightlessness;
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA) is directed by Mari Carmen Ramírez.
Ramírez oversaw an initiative to create an online archive of historical documents related to the history of Latin American and Latino visual art.
The ICAA digitized over 10,000 documents, including the writings of Latin American and Latino artists and critics.
The creation of the archive didn’t require historical documents to be removed from their countries of origin.
Scholars now have more access to these documents.
The student wants to explain an advantage of the ICAA’s archive being digital. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Over 10,000 documents related to the history of Latin American and Latino visual art are part of the ICAA archive.
B. By offering online versions of historical documents, the ICAA’s archive provides more access to these materials without removing them from their countries of origin.
C. Among the historical documents in the ICAA’s archive are the writings of Latin American and Latino artists and critics.
D. The ICAA’s director, Mari Carmen Ramírez, oversaw the creation of an online archive of historical documents related to Latin American and Latino visual art.
B. By offering online versions of historical documents, the ICAA’s archive provides more access to these materials without removing them from their countries of origin.
In 1815, while in exile in Jamaica, Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar penned a letter praising England’s republican government and expressing hope that Latin American nations seeking independence from Spain might achieve something similar. The letter was addressed to a local merchant, Henry Cullen; ______ though, Bolívar’s goal was to persuade political leaders from England and Europe to support his cause.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. additionally,
B. ultimately,
C. accordingly,
D. consequently,
B. ultimately,
An Ideal Husband is an 1895 play by Oscar Wilde. In the play, which is a satire, Wilde suggests that a character named LadyGertrude Chiltern is perceived as both extremely virtuous and unforgiving, as is evident when another character says
Which quotation from An Ideal Husband most effectively illustrates the claim?
A. “Lady Chiltern is a woman of the very highest principles, I am glad to say. I am a little too old now, myself, to trouble about setting a good example, but I always admire people who do.”
B. “Do you know, [Lady Chiltern], I don’t mind your talking morality a bit. Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.”
C. “[Lady Chiltern] does not know what weakness or temptation is. I am of clay like other men. She stands apart as good women do—pitiless in her perfection—cold and stern and without mercy.”
D. “Lady Chiltern, you are a sensible woman, the most sensible woman in London, the most sensible woman I know.”
C. “[Lady Chiltern] does not know what weakness or temptation is. I am of clay like other men. She stands apart as good women do—pitiless in her perfection—cold and stern and without mercy.”
Text 1
Graphic novels are increasingly popular in bookstores and libraries, but they shouldn’t be classified as literature. By definition, literature tells a story or conveys meaning through language only; graphic novels tell stories through illustrations and use language only sparingly, in captions and dialogue. Graphic novels are experienced as series of images and not as language, making them more similar to film than to literature.
Text 2
Graphic novels present their stories through both language and images. Without captions and dialogue, readers would be unable to understand what is depicted in the illustrations: the story results from the interaction of text and image. Moreover, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and many other graphic novels feature text that is as beautifully written as the prose found in many standard novels. Therefore, graphic novels qualify as literary texts.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the overall argument presented in Text 1?
A. By asserting that language plays a more important role in graphic novels than the author of Text 1 recognizes
B. By acknowledging that the author of Text 1 has identified a flaw that is common to all graphic novels
C. By suggesting that the storylines of certain graphic novels are more difficult to understand than the author of Text 1 claims
D. By agreeing with the author of Text 1 that most graphic novels aren’t as well crafted as most literary works are
A. By asserting that language plays a more important role in graphic novels than the author of Text 1 recognizes
Roughly 300 nights a year, when the cold air descending from the Andes Mountains meets the warm air rising fromVenezuela’s coastal Lake Maracaibo, the result is a spectacular lightning storm, its strikes so bright, so localized, and so
______
that it has become known as “Maracaibo’s Lighthouse.”
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. dependable:
B. dependable;
C. dependable
D. dependable,
C. dependable
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Organisms release cellular material into their environment by shedding substances such as hair or skin.
The DNA in these substances is known as environmental DNA, or eDNA.
Researchers collect and analyze eDNA to detect the presence of species that are difficult to observe.
Geneticist Sara Oyler-McCance’s research team analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades to detect invasive constrictor snake species in the area.
The study determined a 91% probability of detecting Burmese python eDNA in a given location.
The student wants to present the study to an audience already familiar with environmental DNA. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades for evidence of invasive constrictor snakes, which are difficult to observe.
B. An analysis of eDNA can detect the presence of invasive species that are difficult to observe, such as constrictor snakes.
C. Researchers found Burmese python eDNA, or environmental DNA, in water samples; eDNA is the DNA in released cellular materials, such as shed skin cells.
D. Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed environmental DNA (eDNA)—that is, DNA from cellular materials released by organisms—in water samples from the Florida Everglades.
A. Sara Oyler-McCance’s researchers analyzed eDNA in water samples from the Florida Everglades for evidence of invasive constrictor snakes, which are difficult to observe.
In hindsight, given the ideas about the natural world circulating among British scientists in the 1800s, the theory of natural selection was an obvious next step. It may not have been a coincidence, ______ that Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace arrived at the concept independently. Indeed, contrary to the popular myth of the lone genius, theirs is not the first paradigm-shifting theory to have emerged from multiple scholars working in parallel.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. however,
B. then,
C. moreover,
D. for example,
B. then,
In 1967 the US Congress created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which in turn created National Public Radio (NPR).NPR began producing and distributing high-quality news and cultural programming to affiliate stations across the United States in 1971. In a research paper, a student claims that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR were inspired by the British Broadcasting System (BBC), which had been established in the 1920s.
Which quotation from a work by a historian would be the most effective evidence for the student to include in support of this claim?
A. “Although the BBC had begun as a private corporation, politicians successfully argued to make it a public company because they believed a public broadcaster could help build national unity in the aftermath of World War I.”
B. “For many decades, the BBC had no competition since it held Britain’s only broadcasting license, whereas in the United States, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting launched NPR in a broadcasting market already filled with competitors.”
C. “Congress’s embrace of publicly funded broadcasting reflected a common belief among US politicians that the role of government was not only to ensure people’s safety and liberty but also to enrich people’s lives in other ways.”
D. “The goal of the BBC was to support British democracy by promoting an informed citizenry, and US legislators believed that ensuring access to high-quality programming could do the same for democracy in the United States.”
D. “The goal of the BBC was to support British democracy by promoting an informed citizenry, and US legislators believed that ensuring access to high-quality programming could do the same for democracy in the United States.”
Text 1
In 1916, H. Dugdale Sykes disputed claims that The Two Noble Kinsmen was coauthored by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. Sykes felt Fletcher’s contributions to the play were obvious—Fletcher had a distinct style in his other plays, so much so that lines with that style were considered sufficient evidence of Fletcher’s authorship. But for the lines not deemed to be by Fletcher, Sykes felt that their depiction of women indicated that their author was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger.
Text 2
Scholars have accepted The Two Noble Kinsmen as coauthored by Shakespeare since the 1970s: it appears in all major one-volume editions of Shakespeare’s complete works. Though scholars disagree about who wrote what exactly, it is generally held that on the basis of style, Shakespeare wrote all of the first act and most of the last, while John Fletcher authored most of the three middle acts.
Based on the texts, both Sykes in Text 1 and the scholars in Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?
A. John Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.
B. The women characters in John Fletcher’s plays are similar to the women characters in Philip Massinger’s plays.
C. The Two Noble Kinsmen belongs in one-volume compilations of Shakespeare’s complete plays.
D. Philip Massinger’s style in the first and last acts of The Two Noble Kinsmen is an homage to Shakespeare’s style.
A. John Fletcher’s writing has a unique, readily identifiable style.
The haiku-like poems of Tomas Tranströmer, which present nature- and dream-influenced images in crisp, spare language, have earned the Swedish poet praise from leading contemporary ______ them Nigerian American essayist and novelist TejuCole, who has written that Tranströmer’s works “contain a luminous simplicity.”
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. writers. Among
B. writers among
C. writers; among
D. writers, among
D. writers, among
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Atlantic Monthly magazine was first published in 1857.
The magazine focused on politics, art, and literature.
In 2019, historian Cathryn Halverson published the book Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly.”
Its subject is female authors whose autobiographies appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.
One of the authors discussed is Juanita Harrison.
The student wants to introduce Cathryn Halverson’s book to an audience already familiar with the Atlantic Monthly. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Cathryn Halverson’s Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly” discusses female authors whose autobiographies appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.
B. A magazine called the Atlantic Monthly, referred to in Cathryn Halverson’s book title, was first published in 1857.
C. Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly” features contributors to the Atlantic Monthly, first published in 1857 as a magazine focusing on politics, art, and literature.
D. An author discussed by Cathryn Halverson is Juanita Harrison, whose autobiography appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in the early 1900s.
A. Cathryn Halverson’s Faraway Women and the “Atlantic Monthly” discusses female authors whose autobiographies appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.
Ugandan-American professor Peter Nazareth believed that Elvis Presley’s music is best understood not as a homogeneous collection but as an anthology (because Elvis showcased the contributions of a wide range of gospel, blues, and rock artists). ______ Nazareth entitled his college course on Elvis and his music, which focused on Elvis’s many musical influences, “Elvis as Anthology.”
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. To that end,
B. In sum,
C. That is,
D.In addition,
A. To that end,
In countries with right-hand traffic, drivers who want to make a left turn at a traffic intersection with stoplights have to wait for either a gap in oncoming traffic or a designated left-turn signal to turn green. At busy intersections, this often causes a backup of vehicles waiting to turn left or being prevented from proceeding by left-turning vehicles in front of them. Transportation researcher Vikash V. Gayah claims that in urban areas eliminating the option to turn left at busy intersections—both with and without dedicated left-turn signals—would improve traffic flow and, as a result, reduce overall travel times even if such a restriction would require drivers to sometimes travel a slightly longer distance.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researcher’s claim?
A. In a town that installed left-turn signals at all busy intersections, seven out of ten survey respondents agreed with the statement “the streets in my community are easier to navigate by motor vehicle than before.”
B. A traffic study of intersections in a large city shows that on average drivers wait longer to make a left turn at intersections without left-turn signals than at intersections with such signals.
C. After a city eliminated left turns at busy intersections, a package-delivery company reports that its drivers have been able to reach more addresses in the city daily, on average, and therefore deliver more packages there annually.
D. Statistics reveal that school buses in a city that eliminated left turns at most intersections took on average two minutes longer to complete their routes after the restriction took effect than they did before.
C. After a city eliminated left turns at busy intersections, a package-delivery company reports that its drivers have been able to reach more addresses in the city daily, on average, and therefore deliver more packages there annually.
Text 1
Growth in the use of novel nanohybrids—materials created from the conjugation of multiple distinct nanomaterials, such as iron oxide and gold nanomaterials conjugated for use in magnetic imaging—has outpaced studies of nanohybrids’ environmental risks. Unfortunately, risk evaluations based on nanohybrids’ constituents are not reliable: conjugation may alter constituents’ physiochemical properties such that innocuous nanomaterials form a nanohybrid that is anything but.
Text 2
The potential for enhanced toxicity of nanohybrids relative to the toxicity of constituent nanomaterials has drawn deserved attention, but the effects of nanomaterial conjugation vary by case. For instance, it was recently shown that a nanohybrid of silicon dioxide and zinc oxide preserved the desired optical transparency of zinc oxide nanoparticles while mitigating the nanoparticles’ potential to damage DNA.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assertion in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. By concurring that the risk described in Text 1 should be evaluated but emphasizing that the risk is more than offset by the potential benefits of nanomaterial conjugation
B. By arguing that the situation described in Text 1 may not be representative but conceding that the effects of nanomaterial conjugation are harder to predict than researchers had expected
C. By denying that the circumstance described in Text 1 is likely to occur but acknowledging that many aspects of nanomaterial conjugation are still poorly understood
D. By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial conjugation does not inevitably produce that result
D. By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial conjugation does not inevitably produce that result
To serve local families during the Great Depression, innovative New York City librarian Pura Belpré offered storytelling in both English and Spanish, an uncommon ______ celebrated el Día de los Tres Reyes Magos, an important community holiday; and put on puppet shows dramatizing Puerto Rican folktales.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. practice, at the time
B. practice at the time;
C. practice, at the time,
D. practice at the time,
B. practice at the time;
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Some powerful works of literature have so influenced readers that new legislation has been passed as a result.
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) is the autobiography of a man who endured slavery on both sides of the Atlantic.
Equiano’s book contributed to the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
The Jungle (1906) is a fictional work by Upton Sinclair that describes unsanitary conditions in US meatpacking plants.
Sinclair’s book contributed to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.
The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two books. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Although both are powerful works of literature that contributed to new legislation, Equiano’s book is an autobiography, while Sinclair’s is fictional.
B. They may have written about different topics, but Equiano and Sinclair both influenced readers.
C. The 1807 Slave Trade Act resulted in part from a book by Equiano, while the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act resulted in part from a book by Sinclair.
D. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and The Jungle are two works of literature that contributed to new legislation (concerning the slave trade and food safety, respectively).
B. C. D. A.
A. Although both are powerful works of literature that contributed to new legislation, Equiano’s book is an autobiography, while Sinclair’s is fictional.
The mineral mtorolite is most commonly found in Zimbabwe. Mtorolite is cryptocrystalline, meaning that its crystalline structure is so fi ne that the individual crystals cannot be distinguished by the naked eye or even under a microscope. The crystals in microcrystalline minerals are also not visible to the naked eye; ______ they can usually be seen under a microscope.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. thus,
B. for example,
C. that said,
D. similarly,
C. that said,
In the mountains of Brazil, Barbacenia tomentosa and Barbacenia macrantha—two plants in the Velloziaceae family—establish themselves on soilless, nutrient-poor patches of quartzite rock. Plant ecologists Anna Abrahão and Patricia deBritto Costa used microscopic analysis to determine that the roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha, which grow directly into the quartzite, have clusters of fine hairs near the root tip; further analysis indicated that these hairs secrete both malic and citric acids. The researchers hypothesize that the plants depend on dissolving underlying rock with these acids, as the process not only creates channels for continued growth but also releases phosphates that provide the vital nutrient phosphorus.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?
A. Other species in the Velloziaceae family are found in terrains with more soil but have root structures similar to those of B.tomentosa and B. macrantha.
B. Though B. tomentosa and B. macrantha both secrete citric and malic acids, each species produces the acids in different proportions.
C. The roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha carve new entry points into rocks even when cracks in the surface are readily available.
D. B. tomentosa and B. macrantha thrive even when transferred to the surfaces of rocks that do not contain phosphates.
C. The roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha carve new entry points into rocks even when cracks in the surface are readily available.
Text 1
Africa’s Sahara region—once a lush ecosystem—began to dry out about 8,000 years ago. A change in Earth’s orbit that affected climate has been posited as a cause of desertification, but archaeologist David Wright also attributes the shift to Neolithic peoples. He cites their adoption of pastoralism as a factor in the region drying out: the pastoralists’ livestock depleted vegetation, prompting the events that created the Sahara Desert.
Text 2
Research by Chris Brierley et al. challenges the idea that Neolithic peoples contributed to the Sahara’s desertification. Using a climate-vegetation model, the team concluded that the end of the region’s humid period occurred 500 years earlier than previously assumed. The timing suggests that Neolithic peoples didn’t exacerbate aridity in the region but, in fact, may have helped delay environmental changes with practices (e.g., selective grazing) that preserved vegetation.
Based on the texts, how would Chris Brierley (Text 2) most likely respond to the discussion in Text 1?
A. By pointing out that given the revised timeline for the end of the Sahara’s humid period, the Neolithic peoples’ mode of subsistence likely didn’t cause the region’s desertification
B. By claiming that pastoralism was only one of many behaviors the Neolithic peoples took part in that may have contributed to the Sahara’s changing climate
C. By insisting that pastoralism can have both beneficial and deleterious effects on a region’s vegetation and climate
D. By asserting that more research needs to be conducted into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of the Sahara region
A. By pointing out that given the revised timeline for the end of the Sahara’s humid period, the Neolithic peoples’ mode of subsistence likely didn’t cause the region’s desertification
In the 1950s, novel audio technologies allowed the addition of another instrument to jazz and swing ______ relatively quiet instrument, its full range of sound was finally audible alongside the blaring brass instruments of the time, allowing flautists like Bennie Maupin and Bobbi Humphrey to perform with other jazz greats.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. music, the flute, a
B. music. The flute, a
C. music; the flute, a
D. music: the flute. A
D. music: the flute. A
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
The Million Song Dataset (MSD) includes main audio features and descriptive tags for popular songs.
Audio features include acoustic traits such as loudness and pitch intervals.
Many algorithms use these audio features to predict a new song’s popularity.
These algorithms may fail to accurately identify main audio features of a song with varying acoustic traits.
Algorithms based on descriptive tags that describe fixed traits such as genre are more reliable predictors of song popularity.
The student wants to explain a disadvantage of relying on audio features to predict a song’s popularity. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Many popularity-predicting algorithms are based on a song’s audio features, such as loudness and pitch intervals.
B. Algorithms based on audio features may misidentify the main features of a song with varying acoustic traits, making such algorithms less reliable predictors of popularity than those based on fixed traits.
C. Audio features describe acoustic traits such as pitch intervals, which may vary within a song, whereas descriptive tags describe fixed traits such as genre, which are reliable predictors of popularity.
D. The MSD’s descriptive tags are reliable predictors of a song’s popularity, as the traits they describe are fixed.
B. Algorithms based on audio features may misidentify the main features of a song with varying acoustic traits, making such algorithms less reliable predictors of popularity than those based on fixed traits.
When designing costumes for film, American artist Suttirat Larlarb typically custom fits the garments to each actor. ______ for the film Sunshine, in which astronauts must reignite a dying Sun, she designed a golden spacesuit and had a factory reproduce it in a few standard sizes; lacking a tailor-made quality, the final creations reflected the ungainliness of actual spacesuits.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Nevertheless,
B. Thus,
C. Likewise,
D. Moreover,
A. Nevertheless,
Gorgets, or necklaces with large pendants, have been part of the ceremonial attire of tribes from the US Southeast for centuries. One of the oldest examples, the Fairfield Gorget, was found in Fairfield, Missouri, in 1958. Its overall design resembles that of other art from the region during the Mississippian period (900–1600 CE). Yet the image on the gorget is of a jaguar—a species whose range doesn’t extend to Missouri. Jaguar images are common in ancient Mexican art, and Mexicolies squarely in the species’ range. Therefore, some scholars argue that long-distance trade in Mexican art objects brought the imagery to Missouri, where a local artist could have adopted it and incorporated it into the Fairfield Gorget.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the underlined explanation?
A. The Fairfield Gorget is dated not to the Mississippian period but instead to the earlier Woodland period, which ended around 900 CE.
B. The range of the jaguar is shown to have expanded dramatically after the Mississippian period came to a close around 1600 CE.
C. An ancient Mexican art object is found at a site that dates to the Mississippian period and is close to where the Fairfield Gorget was found.
D. Certain works by present-day artists from Southeastern tribes reflect outside cultural influences, including contemporary Mexican art.
C. An ancient Mexican art object is found at a site that dates to the Mississippian period and is close to where the Fairfield Gorget was found.