Big Picture
Jancsi lifted a basket out of the buggy. A chorus of yipping complaint started up inside and Lily spun around. “What… What have you got there?” she asked, her voice half eager, half suspicious. Jancsi set down the basket on the shady grass under the apple tree. He winked at Kate because Lily was coming, reluctantly at first, then with a sudden rush. “Puppies… Why, they are my puppies!” she cried, falling to her knees beside the basket.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Lily is upset because she doesn't like what Jancsi and Kate have brought for her.
B. Lily is curious about the contents of the basket because she has never seen puppies before.
C. Lily is initially uninterested in the basket but then decides she wants to know its contents.
D. Lily is cautious about what Jancsi and Kate have brought until she realizes what it is.
D. Lily is cautious about what Jancsi and Kate have brought until she realizes what it is.
Miss Sharp’s father was an artist. As it was with the utmost difficulty that he could keep himself, and as he owed money for a mile round Soho, where he lived, he thought to better his circumstances by marrying a young woman of the French nation, who was by profession an opera-girl. The humble calling of her female parent Miss Sharp never alluded to, but used to state subsequently that the Entrechats were a noble family of Gascony, and took great pride in her descent from them. And curious it is that as she advanced in life this young lady’s ancestors increased in rank and splendor.
Based on the text, how does Miss Sharp describe her ancestors as she gets older?
A. As increasingly artistic
B. As increasingly foreign
C. As increasingly fancy
D. As increasingly in debt
C. As increasingly fancy
In 2017, Seattle, Washington became the first city in the world to implement a successful dockless bike sharing program. In this program, users do not have to return bikes to their original pick up location after use. Interestingly, a 2019 study found that the popularity of this environmentally friendly system is not primarily attributable to the bikes being dockless. Rather, the program thrives because of the high number of bikes, their low rental cost, and their consumer-friendly distribution throughout the city.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To show that bike riding in urban areas has grown in popularity since 2017
B. To argue that dockless bike sharing systems are more environmentally friendly than other bike sharing systems
C. To compare a bike sharing system in Seattle with bike sharing systems in other cities
D. To explain an innovative effort made by the city of Seattle and some reasons for its success
D. To explain an innovative effort made by the city of Seattle and some reasons for its success
Notes the student gathered:
The Statue of Unity (India) depicts Vallabhbhai Patel.
It is 597 feet tall — the tallest statue in the world.
The Spring Temple Buddha (China) depicts Vairocana Buddha.
It is 420 feet tall — the second tallest statue in the world.
The student wants to compare the heights of the two statues. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Some of the world's statues, including one in China that is the second tallest statue in the world, are taller than 400 feet.
B. The tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity, is 597 feet tall; the second tallest, the Spring Temple Buddha, is somewhat shorter at 420 feet tall.
C. The Statue of Unity, which stands 597 feet tall, depicts Vallabhbhai Patel, a famous Indian politician and activist for independence.
D. Both the Statue of Unity, which is located in India, and the Spring Temple Buddha, which is located in China, are examples of statues.
B. The tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity, is 597 feet tall; the second tallest, the Spring Temple Buddha, is somewhat shorter at 420 feet tall.
What is the definition of Impede?
To delay or prevent 🙅
The term “NewSpace” describes the global trend to develop faster and cheaper access to space by private companies. By 2019, two dozen companies had proposed placing well over 20,000 satellites in orbit, creating a potentially huge amount of space debris. For perspective, fewer than 8,100 payloads have been placed in Earth orbit in the entire history of the space age. Yet new standards, space policy, and licensing approaches are powerful levers that can shape the future of operations and the debris environment.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. NewSpace may significantly add to issues of space debris.
B. NewSpace’s programs offer exciting advances in satellite technology.
C. NewSpace’s space debris will be minimized by government actions.
D. NewSpace operators' efforts to address space debris are comforting.
A. NewSpace may significantly add to issues of space debris.
Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo found inspiration in his indigenous heritage. Tamayo was well versed in the modern art movements of his day and widely respected, but nonetheless had a strained relationship with the field of art due to his experiences of ethnic prejudice. Calling himself the “International Mexican” because he chose to fuse native cultural and traditional themes with modern artistic ideas, Tamayo rejected the overtly political subject matter of many of his fellow Mexican artists.
According to the text, why would Rufino Tamayo embrace the title of the “International Mexican”?
A. Because he subordinated his national identity to global trends
B. Because he derived subject matter from a wide range of global cultures
C. Because he used his art to combat discrimination against indigenous peoples
D. Because he embraced broader art trends while retaining his cultural identity
D. Because he embraced broader art trends while retaining his cultural identity
Mr. Squeers, the head of a boarding school, has hired Nicholas as an assistant, and Nicholas is viewing the school for the first time.
Nicholas stared about him. By degrees the place resolved itself into a bare and dirty room, with a couple of windows, whereof a tenth part might be of glass, the remainder being stopped up with old copybooks and paper. There were a couple of long old rickety desks, cut and notched, and inked, and damaged in every possible way; two or three benches; a detached desk for Squeers; and another for his assistant. The ceiling was supported, like that of a barn, by cross beams and rafters.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To explain how the school fails to meet Nicholas's expectations
B. To reveal the neglected state of the schoolroom
C. To emphasize the carelessness of the students
D. To note how the furniture of the room is unsuitable for a school
B. To reveal the neglected state of the schoolroom
George Gordon Byron left England in 1823 to fight in the Greek War of Independence.
He felt passion for the Greek cause because of his love of ancient Greek literature.
He used his celebrity status to unite Greek factions.
He commanded soldiers and trained/traveled with them.
He is still honored in Greece as a national hero.
The student wants to emphasize the reason that Byron fought in a foreign war. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Byron traveled to Greece, which was engaged in a war for its independence, leaving his homeland to do so.
B. After arriving in Greece, Byron used his celebrity status to help unite squabbling Greek factions against their common foe.
C. Byron's passion for ancient Greek literature compelled him to fight for Greece.
D. Byron is still honored as a national hero in Greece for his service to the country during its war against the Ottomans.
C. Byron's passion for ancient Greek literature compelled him to fight for Greece.
What is the definition of Consensus?
general agreement
Marya emerged from the Métro onto the Place Denfert-Rochereau, thinking: “In three minutes I’ll hear somebody talking English. In two minutes, in a minute.” She ran along the Avenue d’Orléans. But Miss de Solla’s studio was in darkness. She knocked, and a woman put her head out of a door on the other side of the courtyard and said that Mademoiselle had gone to London. Marya stood staring at the dark windows for a moment, then walked very slowly away.
Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?
A. Marya is attempting to visit an English-speaking friend who is not at home.
B. Marya is annoyed by her acquaintance's failure to keep their scheduled appointment.
C. Marya is confused that Miss de Solla is in London instead of in Paris.
D. Marya avoids speaking French as much as possible despite living in France.
A. Marya is attempting to visit an English-speaking friend who is not at home.
Profiting from technological advances in spectrometry, researchers are studying ancient societies through their use of colors, positing that their preferences in what pigments they choose in their paintings create meaning by codifying the color as a language. In other words, ancient humans did not use color by accident but instead to share complex ideas. The identification of ancient pigments and dyes helps scientists and historians to understand exactly where and how pigments were produced, what trade existed to secure the pigments, and even what ideological value was placed on colors by these earlier populations.
According to the text, what is one reason some historians are interested in identifying original colors and their sources in ancient artifacts?
A. They believe that the colors may offer clues about ancient trade routes.
B. They are studying the changing significance of certain colors over time.
C. They suspect that the studies will show that similar pigments could be produced today.
D. They think that the colors could provide information about ancient life and ideas.
D. They think that the colors could provide information about ancient life and ideas.
Tobias Baer and his colleagues have found that bank credit officers are more likely to approve restructuring requests, which are requests for repayment adjustments by loan customers who are struggling financially, earlier and later in the day. However, decision fatigue around midday is associated with officers defaulting to the less cognitively demanding option of refusing the requests.
The researchers looked at the decisions made on 26,501 credit loan applications by 30 credit officers of a major bank over a month.
They found that, because struggling customers are more likely to repay more of their loans when the payments are restructured, the bank could have collected around an extra $500,000 in loan repayments if all decisions had been made in the early morning.
Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A. To provide information about the methodology used in the team's study
B. To present an overview of the results of a team's analysis
C. To give an example relevant to the study's findings
D. To highlight a challenge the team encountered in conducting the study
A. To provide information about the methodology used in the team's study
Notes the student took:
The Rhône is a river that runs through southeastern France.
It is 505 miles long.
It flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
The Seine is a river that runs through northern France.
It is 483 miles long.
It flows into the English Channel.
The student wants to name the endpoint of a French river. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. The Rhône and the Seine are 505 and 483 miles long, respectively.
B. The Seine flows into the English Channel.
C. The Rhône is a river that runs through southeastern France.
D. At 505 miles long, the Rhône is longer than the Seine.
B. The Seine flows into the English Channel.
What is the definition of Insurmountable?
too great to overcome 💪
When sea otters were reintroduced to the Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in Monterey Bay, California, scientists were excited to see that the estuary’s seagrass became healthier as a result. Otters are a top predator in their environment. They eat crabs, which feed on sea slugs, and sea slugs eat algae that grows on the seagrass. As the number of crabs declined, the number of large sea slugs increased, resulting in healthier seagrass. Rich beds of seagrass, in turn, serve as nurseries for many species of fish. They also protect shorelines from erosion caused by storms and waves and soak up carbon dioxide from seawater and the atmosphere. Such interactions, known as “trophic cascades,” have vast effects on ecosystems.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Otters can have a destructive impact on the size of crab populations.
B. A healthy seagrass population has many benefits for marine ecosystems.
C. Introducing top predators into an ecosystem can produce large effects throughout the food chain.
D. The reintroduction of otters to Elkhorn Slough caused a trophic cascade that surprised scientists.
C. Introducing top predators into an ecosystem can produce large effects throughout the food chain.
The following text is adapted from Mary Lamb’s 1909 poem “Envy.”
Like such a blind and senseless tree
As I’ve imagined this to be,
All envious persons are:
With care and culture all may find
Some pretty flower in their own mind,
Based on the text, in what way are envious people like trees?
A. They have hidden beauty that appears when looked for.
B. They care for themselves to the exclusion of others.
C. They have the ability to change with effort over time.
D. They ignore their surroundings and focus on their interior lives.
C. They have the ability to change with effort over time.
There is a longstanding debate as to whether computer programming is more cognitively similar to performing mathematics or processing language, since programming involves tasks analogous to both. Neuroscientist Evelina Fedorenko led a study in 2020 analyzing the brain activity of young adults while reading code from programming languages they already knew. She found that studying the code did not stimulate the language processing centers of the brain. However, although it used the same general brain network employed for math and logic tasks, it did not activate the same regions within this network, indicating that computer programming is cognitively unique.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To refute a common assumption about how computer coding languages are learned
B. To summarize Fedorenko‘s findings about how the brain performs computer programming
C. To call attention to the differences between programming languages and other language forms
D. To explain the value of Fedorenko‘s work to educators in the field of computer science
B. To summarize Fedorenko‘s findings about how the brain performs computer programming
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Workers’ unions have helped establish fairer working conditions in the U.S.
The American Federation of Labor (AFL), one of the largest labor organizations during the Great Depression, was a federation of craft unions interested in only representing skilled labor.
The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) began as a committee within the AFL but split from them in 1938 to represent unskilled labor.
The AFL believed the most effective way to represent workers was to draw divisions along craft lines, using specialized skills as the basis for strength in collective bargaining.
The CIO believed that craft unionism was unworkable in industries like steel and auto production because divisions in the same plant would weaken bargaining power.
The student wants to compare the two labor organizations’ perspectives on unionization. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. The AFL and CIO saw the duty to unionize from different perspectives; the CIO, for example, believed that craft unionism weakened bargaining power.
B. The AFL, one of the largest labor organizations during the Great Depression, believed in craft unionism, while the CIO began as a committee within the AFL.
C. Although the AFL believed in representing skilled labor, the CIO was formed to represent unskilled labor.
D. Many labor organizations, including the AFL and the CIO, wanted to unionize workers, but only one wanted to represent unskilled labor.
C. Although the AFL believed in representing skilled labor, the CIO was formed to represent unskilled labor.
What is the definition of Indelible?
impossible to remove 🧐
Feminism is an endeavor to change something very old, widespread, and deeply rooted in many, perhaps most, cultures around the world, innumerable institutions, and most households on Earth—and in our minds, where it all begins and ends. That so much change has been made in four or five decades is amazing; that everything is not permanently, definitively, irrevocably changed is not a sign of failure. A woman goes walking down a thousand-mile road. Twenty minutes after she steps forth, they proclaim that she still has nine hundred ninety-nine miles to go and will never get anywhere.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Feminism's apparent failure is only a sign of the scope of the movement's work.
B. Feminism is a worthwhile cause even when it does not lead to lasting change.
C. Feminism's critics do not understand how long women have fought for equality.
D. Feminism may seem to have failed but only appears to have failed to some.
A. Feminism's apparent failure is only a sign of the scope of the movement's work.
A research team developed a new soft robot gripper sensitive enough to handle water droplets and turn book pages, but strong enough to achieve a 16,000 payload-to-weight ratio. Because the grippers’ abilities derive from their design and not the materials themselves, the team showcased the potential to build versions from plant leaves. The potential for biodegradable grippers could prove extremely useful in situations where they are only temporarily necessary, such as handling dangerous medical waste like needles.
According to the text, what is most useful about the gripper?
A. It benefits the environment.
B. It balances strength and sensitivity.
C. It can assist in unusual scenarios.
D. It needs only easily accessible materials.
C. It can assist in unusual scenarios.
I dreamed I lay where flowers were springing
Gaily in the sunny beam;
List’ning to the wild birds singing,
By a falling crystal stream:
Straight the sky grew black and daring;
Through the woods the whirlwinds rave;
Trees with aged arms were warring,
O’er the swelling [gloomy] wave.
Such was my life’s deceitful morning,
Such the pleasures I enjoyed:
But long ere noon, loud tempests storming
[All] my flowery bliss destroyed.
Though fickle fortune has deceived me—
She promised fair, and performed but ill,
Of many a joy and hope bereaved me—
I bear a heart shall support me still.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To express hope that readers admire the speaker
B. To mourn a loved one who has died tragically
C. To complain about the difficulties of heartbreak
D. To describe the temporary nature of early pleasures
D. To describe the temporary nature of early pleasures
China’s population: 1.425 billion (17.72% of world)
China’s GDP: 17.73 trillion
India’s population: 1.429 billion (17.76% of world)
India’s GDP: 3.75 trillion
The student wants to compare the sizes of the two countries’ populations relative to their present GDP.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A. Though the populations of China (1.425 billion) and India (1.429 billion) are similar, China’s GDP is substantially higher.
B. India is expected to become the third largest economy by 2027, though India’s population is comparable to China’s.
C. The populations of China and India are 1.425 billion and 1.429 billion, respectively.
D. Comparing China and India, China’s population is 1.425 billion and India’s is 1.429 billion.
A. Though the populations of China (1.425 billion) and India (1.429 billion) are similar, China’s GDP is substantially higher.
What is the definition of Buttress?
to provide or support an argument ✅