Martha Graham I
Based on the title "Martha Graham: Modern Dance Innovator," which idea is most strongly suggested about the focus of the passage?
A. The passage mainly explains the history of classical ballet.
B. The passage describes the rise of vaudeville theater in New York.
C. The passage centers on a dancer who created new ideas in modern dance.
D. The passage argues that music is more important than choreography.
1. C — The title highlights Graham as a modern dance innovator, signaling the focus on her groundbreaking role. Misconception: Choosing A or D might come from assuming ballet or music is central because they are common in dance discussions, but the title points to innovation in modern dance, not music-over-dance or ballet history.
Looking at paragraph 10, how do Graham’s choices about the Olympics and dances like "Chronicle" contribute to the overall central idea of the passage?
A. They show she tried to avoid serious issues and focused on entertainment only.
B. They prove she preferred traditional European stories to modern themes.
C. They demonstrate she used dance to engage with important social and political ideas.
D. They reveal she stopped creating dances after leaving Denishawn.
C — Her refusal to attend the 1936 Olympics and works like "Chronicle" show engagement with political issues. Misconception: A and B misread her themes; D is factually incorrect.
Which sentence best captures the central idea of paragraph 1 of the reading about Burmese pythons in Florida?
A. Alligators are the only dangerous animals people fear in Florida.
B. Burmese pythons have pretty skin patterns and therefore make good pets.
C. Burmese pythons, a non-native species, are rapidly increasing in Florida and pose dangers to people, animals, and the environment.
D. The Burmese python is the largest snake in the entire world.
C — Paragraph 1 introduces Burmese pythons as a growing, dangerous non-native presence in Florida, challenging alligators and affecting people, animals, and the environment. Distractors: A narrows focus to alligators only; B confuses admiration for appearance with main idea; D overgeneralizes their size claim.
Which option best summarizes the cause-and-effect relationships the text describes between human actions and python population growth?
A. Humans stopped keeping pets, so all animals moved to the Everglades naturally.
B. Hurricanes reduced python numbers, so there are now fewer snakes in the wild.
C. High pet demand, owner releases, and storm damage allowed pythons to escape and establish in a suitable climate, increasing their numbers dramatically.
D. All pet stores perfectly secured their snakes, so escapes are rare to nonexistent.
C — Human demand and storm damage enabled escapes; the favorable climate supports rapid growth. Distractors: A and D are inaccurate generalizations; B reverses cause and effect.
In paragraph 1, the author calls Graham "a giant" and "a true innovator." What main idea do these phrases support?
A. Graham’s work changed dance by breaking from ballet and inspiring others.
B. Graham was mostly interested in acting and theater sets.
C. Graham focused only on teaching children basic dance steps.
D. Graham’s company closed soon after it opened.
A — Calling her "a giant" and "a true innovator" supports the idea that she changed dance and inspired others. Misconception: B and C ignore the text’s emphasis on her broad impact; D is factually incorrect.
Which sentence best states the main idea of paragraph 2 about how Graham’s background shaped her art?
A. Her father’s interest in body movement helped inspire her belief that the body expresses inner feelings.
B. Her father wanted her to be a doctor, and she followed his plan exactly.
C. She avoided learning about emotions when creating dances.
D. She disliked athletics as a child and preferred reading only.
A — Her father’s focus on movement and her belief that the body expresses inner life connect to her dance approach. Misconception: B, C, and D contradict paragraph 2.
Which choice best summarizes how the reading explains how Burmese pythons arrived and spread in Florida (paragraphs 2–4)?
A. Through the pet trade, owner releases as snakes grew too large, and storm damage that allowed escapes from stores and shelters.
B. They swam from Asia across the ocean and settled in the Everglades naturally.
C. Wildlife officers intentionally released them to control deer populations in Florida.
D. They were brought only by tourists who wanted to see snakes in the wild.
A — The text explains pet-trade imports, owner releases as snakes grow, and hurricane damage causing escapes. Distractors: B invents ocean crossing; C fabricates intentional release; D attributes cause to tourists only.
Which statement would be LEAST important to include in a brief summary of the section titled “Environmental Impact” (paragraphs 5–7)?
A. The Everglades’ climate suits pythons, allowing the population to grow.
B. Pythons compete with native predators, such as alligators, and threaten wildlife.
C. Some Floridians worry that pythons can endanger people and large animals.
D. Pythons’ skin has light colors with brown patches that some people admire.
B — Least important to the Environmental Impact summary is appearance of skin; the others address suitability, competition, and safety concerns central to impact. Common misconception: students may include vivid but non-essential descriptive details.
Which statement best captures a central idea developed across paragraphs 6–9 about Graham’s style and works?
A. Graham copied the elegance of classical ballet to win quick popularity.
B. Graham avoided strong emotions and preferred light, cheerful themes only.
C. Graham relied on costumes more than movement to communicate meaning.
D. Graham rejected ballet’s smoothness to express deep emotions through new movement techniques.
D — Graham rejected ballet’s smoothness to express deep emotions through new movement techniques. Misconception: A and B assume imitation or avoidance of emotion; C (now incorrect) overemphasizes costume.
Considering paragraphs 3–5, which idea is best supported by Graham’s move from Denishawn to vaudeville to Eastman?
A. She decided to quit dance and become a full-time musician at Eastman.
B. She returned to ballet because audiences demanded it everywhere she went.
C. She stayed at Denishawn her entire career and avoided change.
D. She kept seeking places with more freedom to try experimental techniques.
D — She kept seeking places with more freedom to try experimental techniques. Misconception: B and C are unsupported; A (now incorrect) would misplace the idea.
Which statement best summarizes the problem described in paragraphs 5–7 about the environmental impact of Burmese pythons?
A. Pythons are too small to affect ecosystems, so they do not threaten other species.
B. Pythons mainly eat insects, so they help balance the food web in the Everglades.
C. As a thriving non-native predator well-suited to the climate, pythons compete with native species like alligators and can harm wildlife populations and people.
D. Alligators have eliminated most pythons, restoring balance to the Everglades.
D — The section states pythons are well-suited to Florida, compete with alligators for prey, harm wildlife, and can threaten people. Distractors: A and B minimize impact; C claims alligators eliminated pythons, which the text does not support.
Based on the final section, “What Can Be Done?”, which concise summary best reflects the policy debate described?
A. Everyone agrees to protect pythons because they are beautiful animals.
B. Officials have already passed strict laws banning all reptile ownership in Florida.
C. There is debate over banning imports or pet ownership and even proposals to remove or destroy pythons in the wild, but no laws have passed yet.
D. The text provides step-by-step instructions for safely relocating all pythons to Asia
D — The text notes proposals (bans on import/ownership; removal/destruction) and that no laws have passed. Distractors: A claims universal protection; B asserts passed laws; C suggests relocation instructions not in the text.
Which detail best supports the idea that Graham’s choices set her apart from classical traditions?
A. She began dancing after seeing Ruth St. Denis perform.
B. She used music by modern composers instead of 18th–19th century music (paragraph 8).
C. She taught at the Eastman School of Music for a time.
D. She performed duets while at Denishawn.
B — Using modern composers shows a clear break from classical traditions. Misconception: A, C, and D are true details but do not directly show departure from classical norms.
Which statement best explains how the description of "Lamentation" in paragraph 9 supports a key idea of the text?
A. It shows Graham preferred bright, comic stories with fast, cheerful music.
B. It proves Graham disliked costumes and never used fabric as part of movement.
C. It illustrates her focus on expressing powerful emotions through inventive staging and movement.
D. It demonstrates her interest in returning to traditional ballet stories.
C — The description of the fabric and mournful movement in "Lamentation" emphasizes expressing grief through innovative staging. Misconception: A and D contradict the tone and content; B is false.
Which detail would be MOST appropriate to include in a concise summary of paragraph 3 about pet ownership?
A. Exact counts of every python sold in Florida last year.
B. As pythons grow from about 3 feet to as long as 20 feet and up to 250 pounds, some owners release them, contributing to the wild population.
C. A list of the most popular reptile names chosen by owners.
D. A long description of python skin patterns and colors.
B — A concise summary-worthy detail is that as pythons grow very large, owners release them, adding to wild populations. Distractors: A demands unnecessary exact counts; C and D are irrelevant descriptive details
Which sentence best combines the main ideas of paragraphs 2–3 into one accurate, concise statement?
A. Because Burmese pythons became popular pets but grow extremely large and hard to manage, many were released, adding to Florida’s wild populations.
B. Most python owners keep their pets forever and rarely have problems with size or safety.
C. Pet stores stopped selling pythons once they reached 3 feet in length, ending releases to the wild.
D. The text focuses only on green iguanas and speckled caimans, not pythons.
A — This combines paragraphs 2–3: popularity as pets + growth to unmanageable size leads to releases. Distractors: B contradicts reports of releases; C invents a policy; D ignores the python focus.
Which main idea is most clearly shown by the audience reactions described in paragraph 7?
A. Audiences immediately loved Graham’s new style because it was graceful.
B. Graham’s bold, angular style challenged expectations and was not always accepted at first.
C. Graham refused to perform anywhere outside the United States.
D. Graham focused mainly on comedy to win over crowds.
B — Booing and criticism show her style challenged expectations and wasn’t immediately accepted. Misconception: A conflicts with the booing detail; C and D are unsupported.
How does paragraph 11 help round out the central idea developed earlier in the passage?
A. By arguing that Graham’s career was short and had little impact.
B. By showing her lifelong commitment and lasting influence through continued teaching and 181 works.
C. By stating that Graham stopped creating works after age 30 to focus on medicine.
D. By focusing only on Denishawn and ignoring her later career.
B — It shows her lifelong commitment and lasting influence through continued teaching and 181 works. Misconception: A and D contradict the paragraph; C (now incorrect) would mislabel placement.
Which answer best represents the article’s overall central idea across all sections?
A. Burmese pythons, introduced largely through the pet trade and storm-related escapes, have become a harmful non-native species in Florida, raising ecological and safety concerns and prompting debate over solutions.
B. Alligators are no longer found in Florida because pythons replaced them completely.
C. The article teaches readers how to safely keep a python as a pet at home in Florida’s climate.
D. Florida’s only environmental issue is hurricane damage to pet stores.
A — This captures causes, impacts, and debates. Distractors: B falsely claims alligators are gone; C is not the text’s purpose; D reduces the issue to one cause.
Which answer best reflects the overall structure a strong summary of the entire reading should follow?
A. Begin with the central problem of rising python populations and dangers; explain causes of introduction and spread; outline environmental and safety impacts; end with proposed solutions and ongoing debate.
B. List every statistic and minor detail in the order you remember them, without transitions.
C. Start with personal opinions about snakes; then add unrelated facts about Asia; finish with a joke to keep readers engaged.
D. Provide only a description of python skin patterns because that is the most interesting part.
A — A well-structured summary starts with the central problem, then causes, impacts, and proposed solutions, using logical sequence and transitions. Distractors: B lists details without structure; C injects opinion; D fixates on a minor detail.