Text Structure and Purpose
The following text is adapted from Pam Muñoz Ryan's 2020 novel Mananaland. In the village where Max lives, there is an old fortress called La Reina. Children in the village say that the fortress is haunted.
For as long as he could remember, Max had begged Papá [his father] to take him to see La Reina and the ruins up close. He'd be a hero among his friends if he was the first boy to cross the haunted gates! Just because Papá didn't believe in ghosts didn't mean they weren't there. Maybe this summer Papá would finally take him. He was almost twelve.
Which choice best describes the overall purpose of the text?
A. To portray how proud Max's father is of Max
B. To explain why Max doesn't want to grow up yet
C. To criticize Max for disliking summer
D. To show how much May wants to visit La Reina
D. To show how much May wants to visit La Reina
The musical Hadestown was produced off-Broadway in New York in 2016. A revised version of the musical premiered on Broadway in 2019, in a larger production. In a review of the Broadway production, theater critic Jesse Green enthusiastically praised the musical's storytelling. However, Green also explained that he had seen the earlier version of Hadestown in 2016 and had found the storytelling to be very confusing. This suggests that in Green's view ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. the 2016 version of Hadestown had fewer storytelling problems than the 2019 version did.
B. Hadestown should have had a larger production in 2019 than it actually did.
C. the 2019 version of Hadestown was less enjoyable than the 2016 version.
D. Hadestown improved greatly between 2016 and its premiere on Broadway.
D. Hadestown improved greatly between 2016 and its premiere on Broadway.
The following text is from Edith Nesbit's 1902 novel Five Children and It. Five young siblings have just moved with their parents from London to a house in the countryside that they call the White House.
It was not really a pretty house at all; it was quite ordinary, and mother thought it was rather inconvenient, and was quite annoyed at there being no shelves, to speak of, and hardly a cupboard in the place. Father used to say that the ironwork on the roof and coping was like an architect's nightmare. But the house was deep in the country, with no other house in sight, and the children had been in London for two years, without so much as once going to the seaside even for a day by an excursion train, and so the White House seemed to them a sort of Fairy Palace set down in an Earthly Paradise.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A. Although their parents believe the house has several drawbacks, the children are enchanted by it.
B. The children don't like the house nearly as much as their parents do.
C. Each member of the family admires a different characteristic of the house.
D. The house is beautiful and well built, but the children miss their old home in London.
A. Although their parents believe the house has several drawbacks, the children are enchanted by it.
"The Bet" is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov. In the story, a banker is described as being very upset about something: _______
Which quotation from "The Bet" most effectively illustrates the claim?
A. "Then the banker cautiously broke the seals off the door and put the key in the keyhole."
"It struck three o'clock, the banker listened; everyone was asleep in the house and nothing could be heard outside but the
B. rustling of the chilled trees."
C. "The banker, spoilt and frivolous, with millions beyond his reckoning, was delighted at the bet."
D. "When the banker got home he lay on his bed, but his tears and emotion kept him for hours from sleeping."
D. "When the banker got home he lay on his bed, but his tears and emotion kept him for hours from sleeping."
Text 1
A team led by Bernardo Strassburg has found that rewilding farmland (returning the land to its natural state) could help preserve biodiversity and offset carbon emissions. The amount of farmland that would need to be restored, they found, is remarkably low. Rewilding a mere 15% of the world's current farmland would prevent 60% of expected species extinctions and help absorb nearly 299 gigatons of carbon dioxide-a clear win in the fight against the biodiversity and climate crises.
Text 2
While Strassburg's team's findings certainly offer encouraging insight into the potential benefits of rewilding, it's important to consider potential effects on global food supplies. The researchers suggest that to compensate for the loss of food–producing land, remaining farmland would need to produce even more food. Thus, policies focused on rewilding farmland must also address strategies for higher-yield farming.
Which choice best describes a difference in how the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2 view Strassburg's team's study?
A. The author of Text 2 approaches the study's findings with some caution, whereas the author of Text 1 is optimistic about the reported potential environmental benefits.
B. The author of Text 2 claims that the percentage of farmland identified by Strassburg's team is too low for rewilding to achieve meaningful results, whereas the author of Text 1 thinks the percentage is sufficient.
C. The author of Text 2 believes that the results described by Strassburg's team are achievable in the near future, whereas the author of Text 1 argues that they likely aren't.
D. The author of Text 2 focuses on rewilding's effect on carbon emissions, whereas the author of Text 1 focuses on its effect on biodiversity.
A. The author of Text 2 approaches the study's findings with some caution, whereas the author of Text 1 is optimistic about the reported potential environmental benefits.
The following text is adapted from Jean Webster's 1912 novel Daddy-Long-Legs. The narrator is a young college student writing letters detailing her weekly experiences.
The college is organizing the Freshman basketball team and there's just a chance that I shall make it. I'm little of course, but terribly quick and wiry and tough. While the others are hopping about in the air, I can dodge under their feet and grab the ball.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To compare basketball with other sports
B. To provide details of how to play basketball
C. To state how players will be chosen for the basketball team
D. To explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team
D. To explain why the narrator thinks she might make the basketball team
Researchers wanted to study how consumers' reactions to an ad may be affected by other ads. The researchers began by showing study participants an ad for a product, with some seeing a less detailed ad and others seeing a more detailed one. Then, all participants viewed the same second ad for a store and shared their opinion of the store based on this second ad. Participants who had first seen an ad less detailed than the second ad had a higher opinion of the store than the participants who had first seen a more detailed ad. The researchers concluded that reactions to an ad may be affected by _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. the number of people who viewed the ad.
B. the length of time viewing previous ads.
C. the amount of detail viewed in previous ads.
D. the time of day that the ad is viewed.
C. the amount of detail viewed in previous ads.
To make her art more widely available, graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett turned to linocuts. In linocut printing, an artist carves an image into a sheet of linoleum to create a stamp that is used to mass-produce prints. In the linocut series The Black Woman (1946-1947), Catlett depicts the everyday experiences of Black women alongside the achievements of well-known Black women. This pairing invites the viewer to draw connections among the women. The linocut process enabled Catlett's work to reach a wide audience and supported her aim to unite Black women through her art.
According to the text, what is significant about Catlett's use of linocut printing?
A. Linocut printing involved using materials that were readily available to Catlett.
B. Linocut printing helped Catlett use art to connect people, especially Black women.
C. Catlett became commercially successful once she started using linocut printing.
D. Catlett was one of the first Black artists to use linocut printing.
B. Linocut printing helped Catlett use art to connect people, especially Black women.
Happy House is a 1920 novel by Jane Abbott. The narrator presents a young woman as being unimpressed with the house she is visiting: ________
Which quotation from Happy House most effectively illustrates the claim?
A. "Her first feeling was of disappointment; in the square lines of the house there was little claim to beauty."
B. "Someone had opened one of the blinds so here there was more light."
C. "The door, built squarely in the middle of the house, opened almost directly upon a stone-flagged path that led in a straight line to the road."
D. "She tip-toed through the hall and opened the door on the right."
A. "Her first feeling was of disappointment; in the square lines of the house there was little claim to beauty."
Text 1
Some animal species, like the leopard, can be found in many kinds of areas. On the other hand, tropical mountain bird species tend to be limited in the types of spaces they can call home. This is because many mountain bird species are only able to survive at very specific elevations. Over time, these species have likely become used to living at a specific temperature. Therefore, these species struggle to survive at elevations that are warmer or colder than they are used to.
Text 2
A new study reviewed observations of nearly 3,000 bird species to understand why tropical mountain bird species live at specific elevations. They noted that when a mountain bird species was found in an area with many other bird species, it tended to inhabit much smaller geographic areas. It is thus likely that competition for resources with other species, not temperature, limits where these birds can live.
Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
A. Tropical mountain bird species are restricted in where they can live.
B. Scientists have better tools to observe tropical mountain birds than they did in the past.
C. Little is known about how tropical mountain birds build their nests.
D. Tropical mountain bird species that live at high elevations tend to be genetically similar.
A. Tropical mountain bird species are restricted in where they can live.
Wakako Yamauchi is best known for And the Soul Shall Dance, her 1977 play about a Japanese American family in Southern California. The play is based on a short story Yamauchi had published three years earlier. Adapting the story wasn't easy. Theater relies on dialogue between characters, but the original story features little dialogue and instead describes its characters' silent thoughts. To transform the story into a play, Yamauchi created situations where characters reveal their thoughts by speaking them aloud during conversations with each other.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
A. It offers information about how Yamauchi adapted her short story into a play.
B. It argues that Yamauchi's play influenced later playwrights.
C. It explains why Yamauchi's short story is better known than the play adaptation is.
D. It describes how Yamauchi chose the actors who performed in the play.
A. It offers information about how Yamauchi adapted her short story into a play.
A main goal of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), an arts organization founded in 1965, is to advance new works by Black musicians. The AACM achieves this goal in part by focusing on young artists. By having established musicians and composers serve as mentors, the AACM gives young artists the benefits of expert technical training and creative guidance. Numerous organizations offer similar kinds of support to new generations of painters, writers, and other artists, suggesting that ____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. artists of all ages benefit more from technical training than from creative guidance.
B. many arts organizations recognize the importance of providing opportunities for young artists to learn from experienced mentors.
C. most established artists could become even better artists by serving as mentors.
D. finding a mentor is more important for musicians than it is for painters, writers, and other types of artists.
B. many arts organizations recognize the importance of providing opportunities for young artists to learn from experienced mentors.
In the 1700s and 1800s, European composers experimented with volume in their musical works. They did so by increasing the number of musicians playing in the orchestra. For example, in some of his operas, German composer Richard Wagner added more horns, trombones, and tubas to the orchestra. With more instruments playing at the same time, the orchestra could play extremely loudly at key moments in his operas.
According to the text, how did Richard Wagner achieve moments of extremely high volume in his operas?
A. By moving the performances of his operas from outdoor stages to indoor ones
B. By increasing the number of musicians playing horns, trombones, and tubas in the orchestra
C. By building a concert hall whose shape would cause sounds to echo
D. By insisting that the singers undergo special training to sing for extended periods of time
B. By increasing the number of musicians playing horns, trombones, and tubas in the orchestra
Scientists have long believed that giraffes are mostly silent and communicate only visually with one another. But biologist Angela Stöger and her team analyzed hundreds of hours of recordings of giraffes in three European zoos and found that giraffes make a very low-pitched humming sound. The researchers claim that the giraffes use these sounds to communicate when it's not possible for them to signal one another visually.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Stöger and her team's claim?
A. Giraffes have an excellent sense of vision and can see in color.
B. The giraffes only produced the humming sounds at night when they couldn't see one another.
C. Wild giraffes have never been recorded making humming sounds
D. Researchers observed other animals in European zoos humming.
B. The giraffes only produced the humming sounds at night when they couldn't see one another.
Text 1
American sculptor Edmonia Lewis is best known for her sculptures that represent figures from history and mythology, such as The Death of Cleopatra and Hagar. Although Lewis sculpted other subjects, her career as a sculptor is best represented by the works in which she depicted these historical and mythical themes.
Text 2
Art historians have typically ignored the many portrait busts Edmonia Lewis created. Lewis likely carved these busts (sculptures of a person's head) frequently throughout her long career. She is known for her sculptures that represent historical figures, but Lewis likely supported herself financially by carving portrait busts for acquaintances who paid her to represent their features. Thus, Lewis's portrait busts are a central aspect of her career as a sculptor.
Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
A. Lewis's portrait busts have overshadowed her other work.
B. The Death of Cleopatra is Lewis's most famous piece.
C. Sculpting representations of historical figures was a short-lived trend.
D. Lewis's works are varied in the subjects they depict.
D. Lewis's works are varied in the subjects they depict.
The following text is from Annie Dillard's 1987 autobiographical novel An American Childhood. The narrator is a young girl living in Pittsburgh. I walked. My mother had given me the freedom of the streets as soon as I could say our telephone number. I walked and memorized the neighborhood. I made a mental map and located myself upon it. At night in bed I rehearsed the small world's scheme and set challenges: Find the store using backyards only. Imagine a route from the school to my friend's house.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A. It describes the narrator trying to memorize her telephone number.
B. It provides examples of what the narrator thinks about at night.
C. It gives directions to the narrator's favorite local store.
D. It portrays the narrator's relationship with her mother.
B. It provides examples of what the narrator thinks about at night.
Violins made by Antonio Stradivari and other craftspeople in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries in Cremona, Italy, produce a sound that is considered superior to that of modern stringed instruments. Some experts have claimed that the type of wood used to create Cremonese violins is responsible for their prized sound, but modern and Cremonese violins are made of the same kinds of wood: maple and spruce. New analysis, however, has revealed unique indications that the wood in the older violins was chemically treated by the makers, leading researchers to suggest that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. Cremonese violins probably were not considered superior to other instruments at the time they were made.
B. the sound quality of Cremonese violins results in part from a method the craftspeople used to alter the wood.
C. if modern violins were made of a wood other than maple or spruce, they likely would sound as good as Cremonese violins.
D. the current process of making violins is the same process that was used centuries ago by Cremonese craftspeople.
B. the sound quality of Cremonese violins results in part from a method the craftspeople used to alter the wood.
Cats can judge unseen people's positions in space by the sound of their voices and thus react with surprise when the same person calls to them from two different locations in a short span of time. Saho Takagi and colleagues reached this conclusion by measuring cats' levels of surprise based on their ear and head movements while the cats heard recordings of their owners' voices from two speakers spaced far apart. Cats exhibited a low level of surprise when owners' voices were played twice from the same speaker, but they showed a high level of surprise when the voice was played once each from the two different speakers.
According to the text, how did the researchers determine the level of surprise displayed by the cats in the study?
A. They watched how each cat moved its ears and head.
B. They examined how each cat reacted to the voice of a stranger.
C. They studied how each cat physically interacted with its owner.
D. They tracked how each cat moved around the room.
A. They watched how each cat moved its ears and head.
"Ghosts of the Old Year" is an early 1900s poem by James Weldon Johnson. In the poem, the speaker describes experiencing an ongoing cycle of anticipation followed by regretful reflection: _______
Which quotation from "Ghosts of the Old Year" most effectively illustrates the claim?
A. "What does this brazen tongue declare, / That falling on the midnight air / Brings to my heart a sense of care / Akin to fright?"
B. "The snow has ceased its fluttering flight, / The wind sunk to a whisper light, / An ominous stillness fills the night, / A pause-a hush."
C. "It tells of many a squandered day, / Of slighted gems and treasured clay, / Of precious stores not laid away, / Of fields unreaped."
D. "And so the years go swiftly by, / Each, coming, brings ambitions high, / And each, departing, leaves a sigh / Linked to the past."
D. "And so the years go swiftly by, / Each, coming, brings ambitions high, / And each, departing, leaves a sigh / Linked to the past."
Text 1
Polar bears sustain themselves primarily by hunting seals on the Arctic sea ice, but rising ocean temperatures are causing the ice to diminish, raising concerns about polar bear population declines as these large predators' seal-hunting habitats continue to shrink. A 2020 study examining polar bear populations across the Arctic concluded that populations affected by sea-ice loss are at great risk of extinction by the end of the twenty-first century.
Text 2
Monitoring carried out by researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute shows that the polar bear population on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard remains stable and well nourished despite rapidly declining sea ice in recent years. The researchers bears have begun relying on a diet of reindeer meat and birds' eggs.
Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the conclusion presented in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. By noting that it neglects the possibility of some polar bear populations adapting to changes in their environment
B. By suggesting that it is likely incorrect about the rates at which warming ocean temperatures have caused sea ice to melt in the Arctic
C. By asserting that it overlooks polar bear populations that have not yet been affected by loss of seal-hunting habitats
D. By arguing that it fails to account for polar bears' reliance on a single seal-hunting strategy
A. By noting that it neglects the possibility of some polar bear populations adapting to changes in their environment.
Today composer Scott Joplin is mainly celebrated for his catchy ragtime pieces "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer! However, by overlooking his less famous works, listeners will miss the full range of Joplin's creativity. For instance, his waltz "Pleasant Moments" and his opera Treemonisha skillfully blend ragtime and classical music. These masterpieces deserve as much fame as Joplin's biggest hits.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A. To describe the similarities and differences between ragtime music and opera
B. To argue that more attention should be given to Joplin's lesser-known works
C. To encourage music lovers to listen to music by many different composers
D. To explain how Joplin learned to compose and perform ragtime music
B. To argue that more attention should be given to Joplin's lesser-known works
Biologist Natacha Bodenhausen and colleagues analyzed the naturally occurring bacterial communities associated with leaves and roots of wild Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant. The researchers found many of the same bacterial genera in both the plants' leaves and roots. To explain this, the researchers pointed to the general proximity of A. thaliana leaves to the ground and noted that rain splashing off soil could bring soil-based bacteria into contact with the leaves. Alternatively, the researchers noted that wind, which may be a source of bacteria in the aboveground portion of plants, could also bring bacteria to the soil and roots. Either explanation suggests that
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. bacteria carried by wind are typically less beneficial to A. thaliana than soil-based bacteria are.
B. some bacteria in A. thaliana leaves and roots may share a common source.
C. many bacteria in A. thaliana leaves may have been deposited by means other than rain.
D. A. thaliana leaves and roots are especially vulnerable to harmful bacteria.
B. some bacteria in A. thaliana leaves and roots may share a common source.
The following text is adapted from Charles W. Chesnutt's 1901 novel The Marrow of Tradition. Mrs. Ochiltree was a woman of strong individuality, whose comments upon her acquaintance[s], present or absent, were marked by a frankness at times no less than startling. This characteristic caused her to be more or less avoided. Mrs. Ochiltree was aware of this sentiment on the part of her acquaintance[s], and rather exulted in it.
Based on the text, what is true about Mrs. Ochiltree's acquaintances?
A. They try to refrain from discussing topics that would upset Mrs. Ochiltree.
B. They are unable to spend as much time with Mrs. Ochiltree as she would like.
C. They are too preoccupied with their own concerns to speak with Mrs. Ochiltree.
D. They are likely offended by what Mrs. Ochiltree has said about them.
D. They are likely offended by what Mrs. Ochiltree has said about them.
In the 1970s, a roughly 60,000-year-old piece of hyena bone marked with nine notches was discovered at a site in western France once inhabited by Neanderthals. Although many believe that only modern humans developed systems for rotating numbers, one archaeologist asserts that this artifact may be a sign that Neanderthals also recorded numerical information. The notches on the bone are unevenly spaced but approximately parallel, and microscopic analysis reveals that they were made with a single stone tool; according to the archaeologist, this suggests that the notches were all made at one time by one individual as a means of counting something.
Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the underlined claim?
A. Parallel lines are a common feature in modern humans' early systems for recording numerical information.
B. More than nine approximately parallel notches made with a different stone tool are present on another artifact found at a site in western France.
C. It would have taken careful effort to make evenly spaced lines on bone with the stone tools typically used by Neanderthals.
D. Decorative art discovered at another Neanderthal site in western France primarily features patterns of unevenly spaced parallel lines.
D. Decorative art discovered at another Neanderthal site in western France primarily features patterns of unevenly spaced parallel lines.
Text 1
In 1954 George Balanchine choreographed a production of The Nutcracker, a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It has since become a tradition for hundreds of dance companies in North America to stage The Nutcracker each year. But the show is stuck in the past, with an old-fashioned story and references, so it should no longer be produced. Ballet needs to create new traditions if it wants to stay relevant to contemporary audiences.
Text 2
The Nutcracker is outdated, but it should be kept because it's a holiday favorite and provides substantial income for some dance companies. Although it can be behind the times, there are creative ways to update the show. For example, Debbie Allen successfully modernized the story. Her show Hot Chocolate Nutcracker combines ballet, tap, hip-hop, and other styles, and it has been gaining in popularity since it opened in 2009.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?
A. By questioning the idea that the story of The Nutcracker is stuck in the past and by rejecting the suggestion that Contemporary audiences would enjoy an updated version
B. By agreeing that contemporary audiences have largely stopped going to see performances of The Nutcracker because it's so old-fashioned
C. By pointing out that most dance companies could increase their incomes by offering modernized versions of The Nutcracker
D. By suggesting that dance companies should consider offering revised versions of The Nutcracker instead of completely rejecting the show
D. By suggesting that dance companies should consider offering revised versions of The Nutcracker instead of completely rejecting the show.