You Wanna Ask Me What?
Sleep-inducing substances may come from the process of making new connections between neurons. Sleep researcher, Chiara Cirelli, suggests that since making these connections, or synapses, is what our brains do when we are awake, maybe what they do during sleep is scale back the unimportant ones, removing the memories or images that don’t fit with the others, or don’t need to be used to make sense of the world.
A. NO CHANGE
B. researcher, Chiara Cirelli
C. researcher Chiara Cirelli,
D. researcher Chiara Cirelli
D. researcher Chiara Cirelli
Many of us listen to music as a way to calm or energize ourselves. Mona Lisa Chanda and Daniel Levitin, professors at McGill University, have had a look at more than 400 scientific papers on the neurochemical effects of music. Their conclusion was that music truly can boost the body’s immune system, reduce anxiety, and regulate people’s moods.
A. NO CHANGE
B. checked out
C. examined
D. overlooked
C. examined
All frozen water consists of molecules arranged in a hexagonal structure similar to a honeycomb; however, the ice coating bobsled tracks or the firm, flattened snow of a ski course is precisely shaped and conditioned, optimizing the properties of this frosty form of water.
A. NO CHANGE
B. firm, flattened, snow of a ski course
C. firm flattened snow, of a ski course
D. firm, flattened snow of a ski course,
A. NO CHANGE
A new type of vaccine, which could become available in the United States over the next few years, is made by growing viruses in cultures of animal cells rather than with chicken eggs.
A. NO CHANGE
B. in
C. to
D. from
B. in
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh earned instantaneous fame for becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic. In 1925, however, he was an obscure Air Mail pilot, where he was responsible for transporting packages between Chicago and St. Louis.
A. NO CHANGE
B. pilot. Who was responsible
C. pilot, he was responsible
D. pilot responsible
D. pilot responsible
A factory needs robots to perform repetitive tasks at high volume 24 hours a day. The most common robots are large industrial machines dedicated to specific processes that run independently and can be more than six feet tall and 30 feet long.
A. NO CHANGE
B. processes, which run independently and can be
C. processes. These machines run independently and can be
D. processes; running independently and being
C. processes. These machines run independently and can be
Killer whales are known to live in groups that have unique vocal “dialects” in the wild, they may also copy sounds made by other members of their species, although that ability has not yet been seriously studied.
A. NO CHANGE
B. dialects. In
C. dialect, in
D. dialects; and in
B. dialects. In
Standard computer processors rely on packets, or bits of information: each of the packets represent a single yes or no answer. Quantum processors, on the other hand, don’t work in the realm of yes or no but rather operating in the almost surreal world of yes and no.
A. NO CHANGE
B. would operate
C. operated
D. operate
D. operate
In July of 1848, a group of men and women gathered in Seneca Fall, New York, for the first women’s rights convention held in the United States. Many important figures of the day attended, and among them were: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Frederick Douglass.
A. NO CHANGE
B. were—Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott
C. were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott,
D. were Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Lucretia Mott,
C. were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott,
Many Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower when it was first erected in 1889. Although they may seem incomprehensible now, that sentiment is perhaps more understandable when you consider that the monument was originally painted red.
A. NO CHANGE
B. it
C. one
D. these
B. it
Reading foreign books and watching international television are recommended to be a way for people to improve their knowledge of world affairs, but neither is a substitute for spending time in another country.
A. NO CHANGE
B. to be ways
C. as a way
D. as ways
D. as ways
Whatever its origins, brunch seems to have caught on in the United States during the 1930s, supposedly because Hollywood stars whom made transcontinental train trips frequently stopped off in Chicago to enjoy a late morning meal.
A. NO CHANGE
B. who
C. which
D. DELETE the underlined word.
B. who
Maglev—or magnetic levitation—trains, which use magnets to lift a train above its rails, reducing friction, and increasing possible speeds are already in operation. The most famous one takes passengers from downtown Shanghai to the city’s airport at 270 miles per hour. But of the plans to make a maglev even faster by putting it in a vacuum tube, Hyperloop One is the most advanced.
A. NO CHANGE
B. reducing friction, and to increase possible speeds,
C. reducing friction and increasing possible speeds,
D. reduce friction, and increasing possible speeds
C. reducing friction and increasing possible speeds,
When researchers first found Angamuco, an ancient city in western Mexico built by rivals of the Aztecs, they tried several methods to explore the site, including an on-the-ground approach. Although this strategy compiled a finding of impressive architectural features, they quickly realized it would take them a decade to survey the entire area. As a result, they turned to a laser mapping technique known as light detection and ranging, or LiDAR scanning.
A. NO CHANGE
B. halted
C. yielded
D. adapted
C. yielded
From his desk at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, space debris analyst Tim Flohrer keeps track of the 23,000 or so catalogued objects currently orbiting the Earth. These objects range from spacecraft and satellites – some working, most not – to rocket parts that they have discarded.
A. NO CHANGE
B. one has
C. we have
D. space agencies have
D. space agencies have
Vocal imitation is a hallmark of human spoken language, yet in other animals it is strikingly rare. Dolphins and beluga whales are among the few mammals that can copy sounds from other species or each other. A small number of animals can also imitate human speech, like parrots are the most famous example, but some members of the crow family are able to do so as well.
A. NO CHANGE
B. speech such as parrots
C. speech; parrots
D. speech, parrots
C. speech: parrots
Often advertised to promote health and reduce stress, some doctors warn that dietary supplements can have harmful effects, even though they are easy to purchase.
A. NO CHANGE
B. it is easy to purchase dietary supplements, but some doctors warn that they can have harmful effects.
C. dietary supplements are easy to purchase, yet some doctors warn they can have harmful effects.
D. harmful effects can be had by dietary supplements, even though they are easy to purchase, some doctors warn.
C. dietary supplements are easy to purchase, yet some doctors warn they can have harmful effects.
From the mechanical humanoids in the 1927 film, Metropolis, to the sinister computer in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 – A Space Odyssey (1968), movie robots have played a crucial role in shaping people’s attitudes toward these machines for decades.
A. NO CHANGE
B. film, Metropolis
C. film Metropolis,
D. film Metropolis
D. film Metropolis
Spiders are among the hardiest creatures in existence: these eight-legged insects live on every continent other than Antarctica and are established in nearly every habitat on Earth, excepting the air and the sea.
A. NO CHANGE
B. exempting
C. to exempt
D. with the exception of
D. with the exception of
Dogs and humans may be the best of friends today, but research on ancient canine remains shows that the relationship didn’t develop overnight. For long periods of time, people lived in tension with their canine companions. Theirs was a relationship of necessity as well as being convenient.
A. NO CHANGE
B. as well as convenience.
C. and it was convenient.
D. and having convenience too.
B. as well as convenience.
Sometimes a symbol can be so familiar that even out of context—different surroundings, different colors and very different materials—it remains immediately recognizable. That’s the case for the five neon-colored tipis that anchor the exhibition “Manifestipi.” Created by ITWE Collective, a trio of artists based in Winnipeg and Montreal, the eight-foot-tall structures made of frosted plexiglass are unmistakeably tipis. Although they look nothing like traditional ones.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Montreal, and the eight-foot tall structures made of frosted plexiglass are unmistakeably tipis, although
C. Montreal the eight-foot tall structures, made of frosted plexiglass are unmistakeably tipis, although
D. Montreal, the eight-foot tall structures made of frosted plexiglass are unmistakeably tipis, although
D. Montreal, the eight-foot tall structures made of frosted plexiglass are unmistakeably tipis, although
Although robots have been used in factories for decades, getting them to leave the shop-floor has been no easy task. In manufacturing plants, they carry out pre-ordained, repetitive tasks all day and night. But if they step outside, they are unable to deal with the chaos of the real world, where order and routine are gone. Even the simplest tasks are complicated by the sensors and wires that must follow them around.
Given that all of the choices are true, which one best concludes the paragraph and reaffirms the idea that the real world is disorderly?
A. NO CHANGE
B. unpredictability and vagueness of human interaction.
C. difficulties of creating robots of different sizes.
D. limited amount of energy provided by batteries.
B. unpredictability and vagueness of human interaction.
The appearance of tiny cracks in concrete can be harmful because they provide an easy route of entry in for liquids and gasses – and the harmful substances they contain. Even a slender breach the width of a hair can let enough water in to undermine the concrete’s integrity. For example, micro-cracks can allow water and oxygen to infiltrate and then corrode steel supports, causing a structure to collapse.
If the author were to delete the underlined portion, the paragraph would primary lose
A. a detail that emphasizes the dangerous consequences of tiny imperfections in concrete.
B. a claim that shifts the paragraph away from the discussion of harmful substances.
C. a comment that introduces the main idea of the paragraph.
D. irrelevant information that distracts from the focus of the paragraph.
A. a detail that emphasizes the dangerous consequences of tiny imperfections in concrete.
While doctors are increasingly dependent on computers, they can also use these devices to help patients in new and important ways. Therefore, electronic medical records can help physicians share information and keep reliable records about which medications a person has been prescribed over a long period of time.
A. NO CHANGE
B. For instance,
C. However,
D. Meanwhile,
B. For instance,
The origins of meteorology, or the study of the weather, date back centuries: members of the first agricultural settlements predicted floods based on annual cycles, and inscriptions on ancient tablets referred to different seasons. It was not until just a few hundred years, however, that technology became sufficiently advanced to permit any real breakthroughs.
Which choice provides the most relevant and specific information?
A. NO CHANGE
B. noted the connection between thunder and rain.
C. were made with simple tools.
D. described a variety of plants and animals.
B. noted the connection between thunder and rain.