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VOCABULARY
DIRECTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
DIRECTLY & INDIRECTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
INFERENCES & ORGANIZATION
IBT MIX
100
The word “objective” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) achievement (B) requirement (C) purpose (D) feature
(C) purpose
100
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a change that occurred in the fauna of the Mediterranean? (A) Most invertebrate species disappeared during a wave of extinctions. (B) A few hardy species wiped out many of the Mediterranean’s invertebrates. (C) Some invertebrates migrated to the Atlantic Ocean. (D) New species of fauna populated the Mediterranean when the old migrants returned.
(B) A few hardy species wiped out many of the Mediterranean’s invertebrates.
100
What does the author imply by saying “Not a single pebble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came from the nearby continent”? (A) The most obvious explanation for the origin of the pebbles was not supported by the evidence. (B) The geologists did not find as many pebbles as they expected. (C) The geologists were looking for a particular kind of pebble. (D) The different pebbles could not have come from only one source.
(A) The most obvious explanation for the origin of the pebbles was not supported by the evidence.
100
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the solid gypsum layer? (A) It did not contain any marine fossils. (B) It had formed in open-ocean conditions. (C) It had once been soft, deep-sea mud. (D) It contained sediment from nearby deserts.
(A) It did not contain any marine fossils.
100
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. (A) The Strait of Gibraltar reopened when the Mediterranean and the Atlantic became connected and the cascades of water from one sea to the other caused crustal adjustments and faulting. (B) The Mediterranean was dramatically refilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faulting opened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined. (C) The cascades of water from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean were not as spectacular as the crustal adjustments and faulting that occurred when the Strait of Gibraltar was connected to those seas. (D) As a result of crustal adjustments and faulting and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Atlantic and Mediterranean were connected and became a single sea with spectacular cascades of water between them.
(B) The Mediterranean was dramatically refilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faulting opened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined.
200
The word “scores” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) members (B) large numbers (C) populations (D) different types
(B) large numbers
200
Select the TWO answer choices from paragraph 3 that identify materials discovered in the deepest part of the Mediterranean basin. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers. (A) Volcanic rock fragments (B) Thin silt layers (C) Soft, deep-sea mud (D) Crystalline salt
(B) Thin silt layers (D) Crystalline salt
200
What is the main purpose of paragraph 3? (A) To describe the physical evidence collected by Hsu and Ryan (B) To explain why some of the questions posed earlier in the passage could not be answered by the findings of the Glomar Challenger (C) To evaluate techniques used by Hsu and Ryan to explore the sea floor (D) To describe the most difficult problems faced by the Glomar Challenger expedition
(A) To describe the physical evidence collected by Hsu and Ryan
200
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the salt domes in the Mediterranean? (A) They began as layers of oceanic ooze. (B) They contain large quantities of calcium sulfate. (C) They were destroyed when the basin refilled with water. (D) They formed after the Mediterranean basin refilled with water.
(D) They formed after the Mediterranean basin refilled with water.
200
The word “ritual” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) military (B) physical (C) ceremonial (D) permanent
(C) ceremonial
300
The word “Turbulent” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) fresh (B) deep (C) violent (D) temperate
(C) violent
300
According to paragraph 4, which of the following was responsible for the evaporation of the Mediterranean’s waters? (A) The movements of Earth’s crust (B) The accumulation of sediment layers (C) Changes in the water level of the Atlantic Ocean (D) Changes in Earth’s temperature
(A) The movements of Earth’s crust
300
In paragraph 1, what does the author imply about changes in the African environment during this time period? (A) The climate was becoming milder, allowing for a greater variety of crops to be grown. (B) Although periods of drying forced people south, they returned once their food supply was secure. (C) Population growth along rivers and lakes was dramatically decreasing the availability of fish. (D) A region that had once supported many people was becoming a desert where few could survive.
(D) A region that had once supported many people was becoming a desert where few could survive.
300
In paragraph 2 of the passage, there is a missing sentence. The paragraph is repeated below and shows four letters (A, B, C, and D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added. Thus, scientists had information about the shape of the domes but not about their chemical composition and origin. Where would the sentence best fit? (A) Another task for the Glomar Challenger’s scientists was to try to determine the origin of the domelike masses buried deep beneath the Mediterranean seafloor. (B) These structures had been detected years earlier by echo-sounding instruments, but they had never been penetrated in the course of drilling. (C) Were they salt domes such as are common along the United States Gulf Coast, and if so, why should there have been so much solid crystalline salt beneath the floor of the Mediterranean? (D) (A) Option A (B) Option B (C) Option C (D) Option D
(C) Option C
300
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. (A) While American iron makers developed the latest furnaces, African iron makers continued using earlier techniques. (B) Africans produced iron much earlier than Americans, inventing technologically sophisticated heating systems. (C) Iron making developed earlier in Africa than in the Americas because of the ready availability of carbon and iron ore. (D) Both Africa and the Americas developed the capacity for making iron early, but African metallurgy developed at a slower rate.
(B) Africans produced iron much earlier than Americans, inventing technologically sophisticated heating systems.
400
The word “diffused” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) emerged (B) was understood (C) spread (D) developed
(C) spread
400
According to paragraph 4, what caused most invertebrate species in the Mediterranean to become extinct? (A) The evaporation of chemicals necessary for their survival (B) Crustal movements that connected the Mediterranean to the saltier Atlantic (C) The migration of new species through the narrow straits (D) Their inability to tolerate the increasing salt content of the Mediterranean
(D) Their inability to tolerate the increasing salt content of the Mediterranean
400
According to paragraph 2, camels were important because they (A) were the first domesticated animal to be introduced to Africa (B) allowed the people of the West African savannahs to carve out large empires (C) helped African peoples defend themselves against Egyptian invaders (D) made it cheaper and easier to cross the Sahara
(D) made it cheaper and easier to cross the Sahara
400
What function does paragraph 3 serve in the organization of the passage as a whole? (A) It contrasts the development of iron technology in West Asia and West Africa. (B) It discusses a non-agricultural contribution to Africa from Asia. (C) It introduces evidence that a knowledge of copper working reached Africa and Europe at the same time. (D) It compares the rates at which iron technology developed in different parts of Africa.
(B) It discusses a non-agricultural contribution to Africa from Asia.
400
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. First Sentence: An expedition to the Mediterranean answered some long-standing questions about the ocean’s history. Answer Choices: (A) The Glomar Challenger expedition investigated changes in invertebrate fauna and some unusual geologic features. (B) Researchers collected fossils to determine which new species migrated from the Atlantic with older species. (C) Scientists aboard the Glomar Challenger were the first to discover the existence of domelike masses underneath the seafloor. (D) Samples recovered from the expedition revealed important differences in chemical composition and fossil distribution among the sediment layers. (E) Evidence collected by the Glomar Challenger supports geologists’ beliefs that the Mediterranean had evaporated and become a desert, before it refilled with water. (F) Mediterranean salt domes formed after crustal movements opened the straits between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean refilled with water.
(A) (D) (E)
500
The word “profound” in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) fascinating (B) far-reaching (C) necessary (D) temporary
(B) far-reaching
500
According to paragraph 1, why do researchers doubt that agriculture developed independently in Africa? (A) African lakes and rivers already provided enough food for people to survive without agriculture. (B) The earliest examples of cultivated plants discovered in Africa are native to Asia. (C) Africa’s native plants are very difficult to domesticate. (D) African communities were not large enough to support agriculture.
(B) The earliest examples of cultivated plants discovered in Africa are native to Asia.
500
According to paragraph 4, all of the following were social effects of the new metal technology in Africa EXCEPT: (A) Access to metal tools and weapons created greater social equality. (B) Metal weapons increased the power of warriors. (C) Iron tools helped increase the food supply. (D) Technical knowledge gave religious power to its holders.
(A) Access to metal tools and weapons created greater social equality.
500
In paragraph 6 of the passage, there is a missing sentence. The paragraph is repeated below and shows four letters (A, B, C, and D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added. These people had a significant linguistic impact on the continent as well. Where would the sentence best fit? The diffusion of agriculture and later of iron was accompanied by a great movement of people who may have carried these innovations. These people probably originated in eastern Nigeria. (A) Their migration may have been set in motion by an increase in population caused by a movement of peoples fleeing the desiccation, or drying up, of the Sahara. (B) They spoke a language, proto-Bantu (“bantu” means “the people”), which is the parent tongue of a large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Why and how these people spread out into central and southern Africa remains a mystery, but archaeologists believe that their iron weapons allowed them to conquer their huntinggathering opponents, who still used stone implements. (C) Still, the process is uncertain, and peaceful migration—or simply rapid demographic growth—may have also caused the Bantu explosion. (D) (A) Option A (B) Option B (C) Option C (D) Option D
(B) Option B
500
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. First Sentence: Agriculture and iron working probably spread to Africa from neighboring regions. Answer Choices: (A) Once Africans developed their own native crops, they no longer borrowed from other regions. (B) The harshness of the African climate meant that agriculture could not develop until after the introduction of iron tools. (C) The use of livestock improved transportation and trade and allowed for new forms of political control. (D) As the Sahara expanded, the camel gained in importance, eventually coming to have religious significance. (E) The spread of iron working had far-reaching effects on social, economic, and political organization in Africa. (F) Today’s Bantu-speaking peoples are descended from a technologically advanced people who spread throughout Africa.
(C) (E) (F)