Which choice completes the text with the most logical

and precise word or phrase?

A) jarring

B) scholarly

C) melodic

D) personal

Correct answer: C

Choice C is the best answer. “Melodic,” referring to a pleasant arrangement of sounds, effectively signals the later use in the passage of “pleasant musical quality” to refer to Phi’s spoken-word poetry when read rather than heard.

Choice A is incorrect because “jarring,” meaning disagreeable or upsetting, suggests the opposite of what the passage says about the “pleasant musical quality” of Phi’s spoken-word poetry, whether read or heard.

Choice B is incorrect because “scholarly” does not effectively signal the later use in the passage of “pleasant musical quality” to refer to Phi’s spoken-word poetry.

Choice D is incorrect because “personal” does not effectively signal the later use in the passage of “pleasant musical quality” to refer to Phi’s spoken-word poetry.

novel The Great Gatsby.

[Jay Gatsby] was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness.

As used in the text, what does the word “quality” most nearly mean?

A) Characteristic

B) Standard

C) Prestige

D) Accomplishment

Correct answer: D

Choice D is the best answer. “Transcending,” which means rising above or going beyond limits, effectively signals that De La Cruz broke down traditional academic disciplinary boundaries by working with experts, ideas, and methods from numerous fields.

Choice A is incorrect because “reinforcing” suggests the opposite of what the passage says, which is that De La Cruz broke down, rather than made stronger, traditional barriers between academic disciplines.

Choice B is incorrect because “anticipating,” in the sense of expecting or acting in advance of something, does not make sense in this context.

Choice C is incorrect because “epitomizing,” meaning to use something as an ideal example, suggests the opposite of what the text says, which is that De La Cruz broke down, rather than idealized, traditional barriers between academic disciplines.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) It presents the study by O'Brien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in previous studies of the effects of posture on cognition.

B) It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often misunderstood, as in the case of O'Brien and Ahmed's study.

C) It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of posture's effects on cognition and how O'Brien and Ahmed tried to solve that problem.

D) It discusses the study by O'Brien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about the effects of posture on cognition.

Correct answer: D

Choice D is the best answer. The passage asserts that “we should not overstate” the effect of posture on cognition and uses the O’Brien and Ahmed study as a “case in point” in support of that claim.

Choice A is incorrect because although the passage indicates that O’Brien and Ahmed reached different conclusions from those of other researchers, it does not use the O’Brien and Ahmed study to criticize how those earlier studies were conducted or to directly challenge the accuracy of those studies’ results.

Choice B is incorrect because although the passage indicates that the results from studies finding a link between posture and cognition have been overstated, it offers no evidence that the O’Brien and Ahmed study has often been misunderstood.

Choice C is incorrect because the passage suggests that although O’Brien and Ahmed were interested in studying the matter of posture and cognition, it does not indicate what these researchers thought before conducting their study or that the researchers set out specifically to solve a problem.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor's rugs.

B) In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative weaving techniques.

C) Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.

D) Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert.

Correct answer: C

Explanation
Choice Cis the best answer. The passage focuses on the idea that the artist Lillie Taylor uses resources such as plants and vegetables from where she lives in Arizona to make dyes for wool.

Choice A is incorrect because the passage offers no evidence that reds and browns are unusual colors in Taylor's rugs; in fact, it offers an example of a rug that does feature those colors.

Choice B is incorrect because the passage offers no indication of whether In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed; it also does not mention whether the weaving techniques are innovative.

Choice D is incorrect because the passage offers no evidence that Taylor has a hard time finding Arizona dock root.

Which finding from the model tests, if true, would most strongly support Gimsa and colleagues' hypothesis?

A) The model with a sail took significantly longer to travel a specified distance while submerged than the model without a sail did.

B) The model with a sail displaced significantly more water while submerged than the model without a sail did.

C) The model with a sail had significantly less battery power remaining after completing the tests than the model without a sail did.

D) The model with a sail took significantly less time to complete a sharp turn while submerged than the model without a sail did.

Correct answer: D

Choice D is the best answer. The passage states that Gimsa and colleagues' hypothesis was that the sail-like structure on the back of S. aegyptiacus enhanced the dinosaur's ability to travel underwater to hunt down "prey species capable of making quick, evasive movements." This choice's finding would effectively support the hypothesis because it would indicate that the sail-like structure would enable a dinosaur moving underwater to maneuver more quickly than a dinosaur moving underwater without the structure.

Choice A is incorrect because it would essentially contradict the hypothesis by suggesting that a dinosaur moving underwater with the sail-like structure would move more slowly than a dinosaur moving underwater without the structure.

Choice B is incorrect because there is no clear passagebased relationship between the amount of water displaced and the hypothesis.

Choice C is incorrect because there is no clear passage-based relationship between the amount of battery power used and the hypothesis.

Which quotation from "Ghosts of the Old Year" most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) "The snow has ceased its fluttering flight, / The wind sunk to a whisper light, / An ominous stillness fills the night, / A pause-a hush."

B) "And so the years go swiftly by, / Each, coming, brings ambitions high, / And each, departing, leaves a sigh / Linked to the past."

C) "What does this brazen tongue declare, / That falling on the midnight air / Brings to my heart a sense of care / Akin to fright?"

D) "It tells of many a squandered day, / Of slighted gems and treasured clay, / Of precious stores not laid away, / Of fields unreaped."

Correct answer: B

Explanation
Choice B is the best answer. The quotation addresses both aspects of the claim: cycles of anticipation ("Each, coming, brings ambitions high") and regretful reflection ("And each, departing, leaves a sigh / Linked to the past").

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation focuses on anticipation ("An ominous stillness fills the night, / A pause-a hush") but not regretful reflection.

Choice C is incorrect because the quotation focuses on worry and anxiety ("... a sense of care / Akin to fright?") rather than anticipation and regretful reflection.

Choice D is incorrect because the quotation focuses on regretful reflection ("It tells of many a squandered day") but not anticipation.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?

A) 82% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a tour guide, but only 16% believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work as a surgeon.

B) 47% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a teacher, but 37% of respondents believe that it is somewhat or very unlikely that a robot could do so.

C) 9% of participants were neutral about whether a robot could work effectively as a television news anchor, which is the same percent of participants who were neutral when asked about a robot working as a surgeon.

D) 62% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very unlikely that a robot could work effectively as a firefighter.

Correct answer: A

Explanation
Choice A is the best answer. This choice supports the claim by contrasting two occupations that survey participants gave widely divergent probabilities of robots working effectively in: tour guide ( 82 percent) and surgeon (16 percent).

Choice B is incorrect because it focuses on only one occupation-that of teacher-and therefore does not illustrate how survey participants' views of the likelihood of robots working effectively vary widely by occupation.

Choice C is incorrect because although it does compare survey participants' views of robots working effectively in two occupations, the percentages cited for television news anchor and surgeon are the same, not widely varied.

Choice D is incorrect because it focuses on only one occupationthat of firefighter-and therefore does not illustrate how survey participants' views of the likelihood of robots working effectively vary widely by occupation.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) it is more important to understand how widespread prolonged deep sleep is than to understand its function.

B) prolonged deep sleep is likely advantageous in ways that have yet to be discovered.

C) many traits that provide significant benefits for an animal also likely pose risks to that animal.

D) most traits perform functions that are hard to understand from an evolutionary standpoint.

Correct answer: B

Explanation
Choice B is the best answer. The passage indicates that although scientists recognize that sleep, which is widespread among animal species, has benefits, some scientists believe that deep, prolonged sleep is so risky from the perspective of animal species' survival and well-being that there must be some so-farundiscovered advantage(s) to sleep to make it worthwhile from an evolutionary standpoint.

Choice A is incorrect because the passage suggests that the extent of deep, prolonged sleep among animal species is well understood by scientists and that the real question for scientists is why so many animal species engage in deep, prolonged sleep.

Choice C is incorrect because the passage offers no evidence that any trait other than deep, prolonged sleep poses both benefits and risks for animal species.

Choice D is incorrect because the passage offers no evidence that any trait other than deep, prolonged sleep has one or more functions that are hard for scientists to understand.