Vocab
3: Handedness, a preferential use of either the right or left hand, typically is easy to observe in humans. Because this trait is present but less _______ in many other animals, animal-behavior researchers often employ tasks specially designed to reveal individual animals’ preferences for a certain hand or paw. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) recognizable
B) intriguing
C) significant
D) useful
A: recognizable
6. The following text is from the 1923 poem “Black Finger” by Angelina Weld Grimké, a Black American writer.
A cypress is a type of evergreen tree. I have just seen a most beautiful thing, Slim and still, Against a gold, gold sky, A straight black cypress, Sensitive, Exquisite, A black finger Pointing upwards. Why, beautiful still finger, are you black? And why are you pointing upwards?
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) The speaker assesses a natural phenomenon, then questions the accuracy of her assessment.
B) The speaker describes a distinctive sight in nature, then ponders what meaning to attribute to that sight.
C) The speaker presents an outdoor scene, then considers a human behavior occurring within that scene.
D) The speaker examines her surroundings, then speculates about their influence on her
B) The speaker describes a distinctive sight in nature, then ponders what meaning to attribute to that sight.
Which transition word is not like the others?
A) Conversely
B) Nonetheless
C) On the other hand
D) Similarly,
D) Similarly
21. After a spate of illnesses as a child, Wilma Rudolph was told she might never walk again. Defying all odds, Rudolph didn’t just walk, she _______ the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and clinched first place for her team in the 4 ×100-meter relay, becoming the first US woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) ran—fast—during
B) ran—fast during
C) ran—fast, during
D) ran—fast.
D) ran—fast.
20) Like other amphibians, the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) is unable to generate its own heat, so during periods of subfreezing temperatures, it _______ by producing large amounts of glucose, a sugar that helps prevent damaging ice from forming inside its cells.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) had survived
B) survived
C) would survive
D) survives
D) survives
2:Research conducted by planetary scientist Katarina Miljkovic suggests that the Moon’s surface may not accurately _______ early impact events. When the Moon was still forming, its surface was softer, and asteroid or meteoroid impacts would have left less of an impression; thus, evidence of early impacts may no longer be present.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) reflect
B) receive
C) evaluate
D) mimic
A: reflect
10. The following text is adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden. Mary, a young girl, recently found an overgrown hidden garden. Mary was an odd, determined little person, and now she had something interesting to be determined about, she was very much absorbed, indeed. She worked and dug and pulled up weeds steadily, only becoming more pleased with her work every hour instead of tiring of it. It seemed to her like a fascinating sort of play.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A) Mary hides in the garden to avoid doing her chores.
B) Mary is getting bored with pulling up so many weeds in the garden.
C) Mary is clearing out the garden to create a space to play.
D) Mary feels very satisfied when she’s taking care of the garden.
D) Mary feels very satisfied when she’s taking care of the garden.
21. After a spate of illnesses as a child, Wilma Rudolph was told she might never walk again. Defying all odds, Rudolph didn’t just walk, she _______ the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and clinched first place for her team in the 4 ×100-meter relay, becoming the first US woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) ran—fast—during
B) ran—fast during
C) ran—fast, during
D) ran—fast. During
D) ran--fast. During
Several artworks found among the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii depict a female figure fishing with a cupid nearby. Some scholars have asserted that the figure is the goddess Venus, since she is known to have been linked with cupids in Roman culture, but University of Leicester archaeologist Carla Brain suggests that cupids may have also been associated with fishing generally. The fact that a cupid is shown near the female figure, therefore, _______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A) is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.
B) suggests that Venus was often depicted fishing.
C) eliminates the possibility that the figure is Venus
D) should be difficult to account for if the figure is not Venus.
A) is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.
7. The following text is from Walt Whitman’s 1860 poem “Calamus 24.” I HEAR it is charged against me that I seek to destroy institutions; But really I am neither for nor against institutions (What indeed have I in common with them?— Or what with the destruction of them?), Only I will establish in the Mannahatta [Manhattan] and in every city of These States, inland and seaboard, And in the fields and woods, and above every keel [ship] little or large, that dents the water, Without edifices, or rules, or trustees, or any
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) The speaker questions an increasingly prevalent attitude, then summarizes his worldview.
B) The speaker regrets his isolation from others, then predicts a profound change in society.
C) The speaker concedes his personal shortcomings, then boasts of his many achievements.
D) The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.
D) The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.
4 It is by no means _______ to recognize the influence of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch on Ali Banisadr’s paintings; indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration. However, some scholars have suggested that the ancient Mesopotamian poem Epic of Gilgamesh may have had a far greater impact on Banisadr’s work. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) substantial
B) satisfying
C) unimportant
D) appropriate
C: unimportant
12: The following text is adapted from Jack London’s 1903 novel The Call of the Wild. Buck is a sled dog living with John Thornton in Yukon, Canada.
Thornton alone held [Buck]. The rest of mankind was as nothing. Chance travellers might praise or pet him; but he was cold under it all, and from a too demonstrative man he would get up and walk away. When Thornton’s partners, Hans and Pete, arrived on the long-expected raft, Buck refused to notice them till he learned they were close to Thornton; after that he tolerated them in a passive sort of way, accepting favors from them as though he favored them by accepting.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A) Buck has become less social since he began living with Thornton.
B) Buck mistrusts humans and does his best to avoid them.
C) Buck has been especially well liked by most of Thornton’s friends.
D) Buck holds Thornton in higher regard than any other person.
D) Buck holds Thornton in higher regard than any other person.
30. In 2019, researcher Patricia Jurado Gonzalez and food historian Nawal Nasrallah prepared a stew from a 4,000-year-old recipe found on a Mesopotamian clay tablet. When they tasted the dish, known as pašrūtum (“unwinding”), they found that it had a mild taste and inspired a sense of calm. _______ the researchers, knowing that dishes were sometimes named after their intended effects, theorized that the dish’s name, “unwinding,” referred to its function: to help ancient diners relax.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) Therefore,
B) Alternately,
C) Nevertheless,
D) Likewise,
A) Therefore,
28) Geoscientists have long considered Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano to be Earth’s largest shield volcano by volume, measuring approximately 74,000 cubic kilometers. _______ according to a 2020 study by local geoscientist Michael Garcia, Hawaii’s Pūhāhonu shield volcano is significantly larger, boasting a volume of about 148,000 cubic kilometers.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) Secondly,
B) Consequently,
C) Moreover,
D) However,
D) However,
8: The mimosa tree evolved in East Asia, where the beetle Bruchidius terrenus preys on its seeds. In 1785, mimosa trees were introduced to North America, far from any B. terrenus. But evolutionary links between predators and their prey can persist across centuries and continents. Around 2001, B. terrenus was introduced in southeastern North America near where botanist Shu-Mei Chang and colleagues had been monitoring mimosa trees. Within a year, 93 percent of the trees had been attacked by the beetles. Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A) It states the hypothesis that Chang and colleagues had set out to investigate using mimosa trees and B. terrenus.
B) It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.
C) It offers an alternative explanation for the findings of Chang and colleagues.
D) It provides context that clarifies why the species mentioned spread to new locations.
B: It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.
1: The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx briefly made contact with the asteroid 101955 Bennu in 2020. NASA scientist Daniella DellaGiustina reports that despite facing the unexpected obstacle of a surface mostly covered in boulders, OSIRIS-REx successfully _______ a sample of the surface, gathering pieces of it to bring back to Earth.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) attached
B) collected
C) followed
D) replaced
B: collected
5. The following text is adapted from Susan Glaspell’s 1912 short story “‘Out There.’”
An elderly shop owner is looking at a picture that he recently acquired and hopes to sell. It did seem that the picture failed to fit in with the rest of the shop. A persuasive young fellow who claimed he was closing out his stock let the old man have it for what he called a song. It was only a little out-of-the-way store which subsisted chiefly on the framing of pictures. The old man looked around at his views of the city, his pictures of cats and dogs, his flaming bits of landscape. “Don’t belong in here,” he fumed. And yet the old man was secretly proud of his acquisition. There was a hidden dignity in his scowling as he shuffled about pondering the least ridiculous place for the picture.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture
B) To convey the shop owner’s resentment of the person he got the new picture from
C) To describe the items that the shop owner most highly prizes
D) To explain differences between the new picture and other pictures in the shop
A) To reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture
16. Art collectives, like the United States- and Vietnam based collective The Propeller Group or Cuba’s Los Carpinteros, are groups of artists who agree to work together: perhaps for stylistic reasons, or to advance certain shared political ideals, or to help mitigate the costs of supplies and studio space. Regardless of the reasons, art collectives usually involve some collaboration among the artists. Based on a recent series of interviews with various art collectives, an arts journalist claims that this can be difficult for artists who are often used to having sole control over their work.
Which quotation from the interviews best illustrates the journalist’s claim?
A) “The first collective I joined included many amazingly talented artists, and we enjoyed each other’s company, but because we had a hard time sharing credit and responsibility for our work, the collective didn’t last.”
B) “We work together, but that doesn’t mean that individual projects are equally the work of all of us. Many of our projects are primarily the responsibility of whoever originally proposed the work to the group.”
C) “Having worked as a member of a collective for several years, it’s sometimes hard to recall what it was like to work alone without the collective’s support. But that support encourages my individual expression rather than limits it.”
D) “Sometimes an artist from outside the collective will choose to collaborate with us on a project, but all of those projects fit within the larger themes of the work the collective does on its own.”
A) “The first collective I joined included many amazingly talented artists, and we enjoyed each other’s company, but because we had a hard time sharing credit and responsibility for our work, the collective didn’t last.”
31. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Chemical leavening agents cause carbon dioxide to be released within a liquid batter, making the batter rise as it bakes.
• Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents.
• Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking soda needs to be mixed with liquid and an acidic ingredient such as honey.
• Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and an acid.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking powder needs to be mixed with liquid but not with an acidic ingredient.
The student wants to emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) To make batters rise, bakers use chemical leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder.
B) Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents that, when mixed with other ingredients, cause carbon dioxide to be released within a batter.
C) Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, and honey is a type of acidic ingredient.
D) To produce carbon dioxide within a liquid batter, baking soda needs to be mixed with an acidic ingredient, whereas baking powder does not.
D
#9: Get paper from Perrotta :)
B
11: The following text is from Ezra Pound’s 1909 poem “Hymn III,” based on the work of Marcantonio Flaminio.
As a fragile and lovely flower unfolds its gleaming foliage on the breast of the fostering earth, if the dew and the rain draw it forth; So doth my tender mind flourish, if it be fed with the sweet dew of the fostering spirit, Lacking this, it beginneth straightway to languish, even as a floweret born upon dry earth, if the dew and the rain tend it not.
Based on the text, in what way is the human mind like a flower?
A) It becomes increasingly vigorous with the passage of time.
B) It draws strength from changes in the weather.
C) It requires proper nourishment in order to thrive.
D) It perseveres despite challenging circumstances.
C: It requires proper nourishment in order to survive
14. Biologist Valentina Gómez-Bahamón and her team have investigated two subspecies of the fork-tailed flycatcher bird that live in the same region in Colombia, but one subspecies migrates south for part of the year, and the other doesn’t. The researchers found that, due to slight differences in feather shape, the feathers of migratory forked-tailed flycatcher males make a sound during flight that is higher pitched than that made by the feathers of nonmigratory males. The researchers hypothesize that fork-tailed flycatcher females are attracted to the specific sound made by the males of their own subspecies, and that over time the females’ preference will drive further genetic and anatomical divergence between the subspecies.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Gómez-Bahamón and her team’s hypothesis?
A) The feathers located on the wings of the migratory fork-tailed flycatchers have a narrower shape than those of the nonmigratory birds, which allows them to fly long distances.
B) Over several generations, the sound made by the feathers of migratory male fork-tailed flycatchers grows progressively higher pitched relative to that made by the feathers of nonmigratory males.
C) Fork-tailed flycatchers communicate different messages to each other depending on whether their feathers create high-pitched or low-pitched sounds.
D) The breeding habits of the migratory and nonmigratory fork-tailed flycatchers remained generally the same over several generations
B) Over several generations, the sound made by the feathers of migratory male fork-tailed flycatchers grows progressively higher pitched relative to that made by the feathers of nonmigratory males.
BONUS
What is the name of the nymph Odysseus cheated on Penelope with AND for how many years was he on her island?
33. While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Cambodia’s Angkor Wat was built in the 1100s to honor the Hindu god Vishnu.
• It has been a Buddhist temple since the sixteenth century.
• Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that enhances the contrast between colors in a photograph.
• Archaeologist Noel Hidalgo Tan applied decorrelation stretch analysis to photographs he had taken of Angkor Wat’s plaster walls.
• Tan’s analysis revealed hundreds of images unknown to researchers.
The student wants to present Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Tan photographed Angkor Wat’s plaster walls and then applied decorrelation stretch analysis to the photographs.
B) Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that Tan used to enhance the contrast between colors in a photograph.
C) Using a novel digital imaging technique, Tan revealed hundreds of images hidden on the walls of Angkor Wat, a Cambodian temple.
D) Built to honor a Hindu god before becoming a Buddhist temple, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat concealed hundreds of images on its plaster walls.
C
#17: Get paper from Perrotta :)
A