import { type PracticeQuestion } from "../../types/lesson";

export const INFERENCES_EASY: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "01989d77",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Microbes that live in shallow lakes and ponds produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Ecologist Ralf Aben and his team wanted to see how different types of shallow-water plants might affect the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere. Aben’s team set up some water tanks with soil and microbes from local ponds. Some tanks had a type of underwater plant that grows in the soil called watermilfoil. Other tanks had either duckweed, a type of plant that floats on the water’s surface, or algae. Aben and his team found that tanks with duckweed and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil did. This finding suggests that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil helps prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "shallow lakes and ponds release more methane than deeper bodies of water because shallow bodies of water usually have more plants than deep bodies of water do.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "shallow lakes and ponds are more likely to contain algae than to contain either watermilfoil or duckweed.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "having a mix of algae, underwater plants, and floating plants is the best way to reduce the amount of methane in shallow lakes and ponds.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. The passage tells us that “tanks with duckweed (a floating plant) and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil (an underwater plant) did.” This suggests that the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil may help prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds. <br>Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention deeper bodies of water at all, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t compare the likelihood of shallow lakes and ponds containing algae, watermilfoil, or duckweed. Choice D is incorrect. The study didn’t include any tanks with a mix of plants, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "1d0b5bf4",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>To create the poems in her 2017 collection One Last Word, poet Nikki Grimes used a writing method called the golden shovel. This method often involves choosing a line from an existing poem and then using each word from that line as the last word of each line in a new poem. Grimes wanted the poems in One Last Word to honor important Black poets of the past, so she chose lines by poets such as Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson. Writing in this way can be challenging and might seem as though it would produce awkward poems. However, reviewers praised One Last Word as a beautiful and powerful tribute to the poets who inspired it. This reaction suggests that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "most reviewers didn’t understand Grimes’s goal for One Last Word.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "Grimes successfully used the golden shovel method to achieve her goal for One Last Word.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson are two of Grimes’s favorite poets.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Grimes inspired many other writers to create poems using the golden shovel method.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Nikki Grimes’s poetry collection One Last Word. The text explains that Grimes used a writing method called the golden shovel to create the poems in her book. According to the text, the method involves basing a new poem on a line from an existing poem. The text then mentions Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson as examples of important Black poets whose lines of poetry form the basis of Grimes’s poems. The text goes on to say that this writing method is difficult and that the resulting poems can be awkward, but reviewers have positively reviewed Grimes’s book. If the reviewers of One Last Word specifically note that the work is a “beautiful and powerful tribute to the poets who inspired it,” then they must have appreciated how Grimes used the golden shovel method to pay tribute to other poets. This suggests that Grimes was successful in using the golden shovel method to achieve her goal of honoring Black poets in her book. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the reaction suggests that most reviewers did understand Grimes’s goal for her book. According to the text, the reviewers noted that the poems in her book were a “beautiful and powerful tribute to the poets who inspired it.” Earlier, the text claims that Grimes intended the poems “to honor important Black poets of the past,” so in their praise of her book, the reviewers clearly indicated that they understood Grimes’s goal. Choice C is incorrect. Although it’s likely that Grimes sought to honor Hughes and Johnson in her book of poetry because they’re among her favorite poets, this fact isn’t suggested by the reviewers’ positive reaction to her book. Instead, the reaction suggests that Grimes was successful in her use of the golden shovel method. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss whether other writers were inspired by Grimes to use the golden shovel method in their poetry. The text mentions the poets Hughes and Johnson as examples of poets honored in Grimes’s book and describes reviewers’ positive reception of her book, but it doesn’t detail Grimes’s impact on other writers.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "20000f5f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about detective Sherlock Holmes were published between 1887 and 1927. They have inspired countless successful adaptations, including comic strips, movies, and a television series Sherlock Hound, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who is celebrated for his animated movies. Until 2014, these stories were copyrighted. The right to adapt was only available to those who could afford the copyright fee and gain approval from the strict copyright holders of Doyle’s estate. Some journalists predict that the number of Sherlock Holmes adaptations is likely to increase since the end of copyright means that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "Doyle’s original stories will become hard to find.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "people will become more interested in detective stories than they were in the 1800s.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "producing adaptations will become easier and less expensive.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the former copyright holders of Doyle’s estate will return fees they collected.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that because of the copyright, adapting Sherlock Holmes stories used to be expensive and difficult. This suggests that after the copyright ends, it will be less expensive and less difficult to adapt these stories. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that the copyright ending will make Sherlock Holmes stories harder to find. Instead, it suggests that adaptations of these stories will be easier and less expensive to make. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses people’s interest in detective stories, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that copyright fees from the past are returned after a copyright ends, so there is no basis to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "25893fc7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In many cultures, a handshake can create trust between people. Engineer João Avelino and his team are designing a robot to shake hands with a human in order to improve human-robot interactions. The robot hand adjusts its movements and pressure to better imitate the feel of a human hand. The researchers want the robot’s handshake to feel realistic because ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "lifelike handshakes may make people more comfortable interacting with robots.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "it’s easier to program a robot to perform handshakes than it is to program a robot to perform some other types of greetings.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "people are less likely to interact with robots that don’t look like humans.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the robot in the researchers’ study may have uses other than interacting with humans.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. The text says that handshakes create trust, and that the engineers’ goal is to “improve human-robot interactions.” This suggests that they want the robot’s handshake to feel real because they want humans to trust the robot. <br>Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses any other types of greetings, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the appearance of this robot or any other robots, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses any uses for the robot other than interacting with humans, so there is no basis to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4603d1f7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In their book Smart Pricing, Jagmohan Raju and Z. John Zhang consider musicians’ use of the nontraditional “pay as you wish” pricing model. This model generally offers listeners the choice to pay more or less than a suggested price for a song or album—or even to pay nothing at all. As the authors note, that’s the option most listeners chose for an album by the band Harvey Danger. Only about 1% opted to pay for the album, resulting in earnings below the band’s expectations. But the authors also discuss musician Jane Siberry, who saw significant earnings from her “pay as you wish” online music store as a result of many listeners choosing to pay more than the store’s suggested prices. Hence, the “pay as you wish” model may ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "prove financially successful for some musicians but disappointing for others.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "hold greater financial appeal for bands than for individual musicians.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "cause most musicians who use the model to lower the suggested prices of their songs and albums over time.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "more strongly reflect differences in certain musicians’ popularity than traditional pricing models do.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. In one example, musicians made less money than expected by using the “pay as you wish” model. In the other example, a musician made more money than expected. This suggests that some musicians may have more success than others using the “pay as you wish” model. <br>Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. In the examples provided, the individual musician was more successful with the “pay as you wish” model than the band was. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The passage provides no instances in which musicians changed the suggested prices of their songs or albums, nor does it mention this as a possibility. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the differences in popularity of different musicians, so there is no basis to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "493c46bc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the South Pacific, New Caledonian crows use two different kinds of stick tools. One tool is complex. The crows shape a stick from a rare plant into a hook. The other tool is basic. The crows find a stick without a hook on the ground. The hooked tool is harder to get but is much better than the basic tool at removing prey from holes. When studying New Caledonian crows, ecologist Barbara Klump found that they hold the hooked tools in their claws when not using them, or they carefully put them in a safe place. The crows don’t do the same with the basic tools. This suggests to Klump that the ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "hooked stick tools are more valuable to the crows than the stick tools without hooks.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "hooked stick tools are easier for most of the crows to hold than the stick tools without hooks.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "crows prefer to share their hooked stick tools but don’t share the stick tools without hooks.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "crows realize that both kinds of stick tools are less effective than their claws are at removing prey from holes.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the two types of stick tools used by New Caledonian crows. The text indicates that the more effective type of tool has a hook that the crows make themselves, while the other type of tool is simply a stick without a hook that the crows find and don’t shape in any way. According to the text, Klump found that the crows keep hooked tools—but not the tools without hooks—in their grasp or in safe places when they aren’t using the tools. If the hooked tools are more effective than the tools without hooks are and the crows are more protective of the hooked tools than they are of the tools without hooks, it’s reasonable to conclude that the hooked tools are more valuable to the crows than the tools without hooks are. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text gives no indication of how easy it is for the crows to hold either the hooked tools or the tools without hooks. The text does state that crows hold the hooked tools and not the tools without hooks when the tools aren’t in use. However, the text also indicates that the hooked tools require work from the crows to make and are more useful for helping the crows catch prey than the tools without hooks are. This context suggests that the crows hold the hooked tools because they’re more valuable to the crows than the tools without hooks are, not because the hooked tools are easier to hold. Choice C is incorrect because the text makes no mention of the crows sharing tools. Additionally, the text indicates that when the crows aren’t using the hooked tools, they either grasp the tools or store them safely, which suggests that the crows try to maintain possession of the hooked tools, not that crows prefer to share those tools. Choice D is incorrect because the text says nothing about the crows using their claws to remove prey from holes, so there’s no evidence that the crows perceive the stick tools to be less effective than their claws are.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5b4829d2",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>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 ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "the number of people who viewed the ad." },
      { label: "B", text: "the length of time viewing previous ads." },
      { label: "C", text: "the amount of detail viewed in previous ads." },
      { label: "D", text: "the time of day that the ad is viewed." },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. The passage tells us that participants who had seen a less detailed ad for a product beforehand had a higher opinion of the store than those who had seen a more detailed ad. This suggests that reactions to an ad may be affected by the amount of detail viewed in previous ads. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the number of people who viewed the ad, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the length of time viewing previous ads, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the time of day that the ad is viewed, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "6bc0e595",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>One aspect of in-person shopping that online shopping can’t replicate is the opportunity to touch a product before buying it. Does this difference matter? In an experiment, researchers asked one group of participants to touch a mug and a toy, while another group was prohibited from touching the two items. The participants were then asked how much money they’d pay for the items. People who got to touch the items were willing to pay much more money for them than were people who weren’t allowed to touch the items. This finding suggests that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "people who mainly shop online probably spend more money every month than people who mainly shop in person do.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "in-person shopping may make products seem more valuable than they seem if only viewed online.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "retailers with in-person and online stores should charge the same price for a given product in both places.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "online retailers may be able to raise the prices they charge for products that are only available online.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. The text tells us that “people who got to touch the items were willing to pay much more money for them than people who weren’t allowed to touch” them. This suggests that being able to interact with a product in person may make it seem more valuable to a shopper. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss how much people spend each month, so there’s not much basis for this claim. Furthermore, since being able to touch a product tends to make people “willing to pay much more money” for it, we might predict that an online shopper would be willing to spend less on the same purchases as an in-person shopper. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss what retailers “should charge,” so there’s not much basis for this claim. Furthermore, the study in the text suggests that in-person stores may actually be able to charge more for a given product, since shoppers can touch it. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t discuss products that are only available online, so there’s not much basis for this claim. Furthermore, products only available online would still have the problem of shoppers not being able to touch them, and the study suggests that this lowers the prices shoppers are willing to pay.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "787729be",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Martin Dančák, Wewin Tjiasmanto, and colleagues have identified a new carnivorous plant species (Nepenthes pudica) in Indonesia. Like other carnivorous plants, N. pudica has pitfall traps, or pitchers, that capture prey, but unlike others, the pitchers of N. pudica are located underground. The researchers unearthed the new species on fairly dry ridges with surfaces that host few other plants and animals. Therefore, the researchers hypothesize that the N. pudica species likely ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "represents one of many undiscovered carnivorous plant species in the region.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "formed pitchers early in development to absorb more moisture.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "is buried by nearby animals as they forage along the ridges for food.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "evolved to have underground traps to access more prey than would surface traps.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. The text says that N.pudica’s prey-catching pitchers are underground. It also says that the ridges where N. pudica lives don’t have many plants and animals on the surface. This suggests that N. pudica evolved underground pitchers in order to catch more prey. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never mentions the possibility of other undiscovered carnivorous plant species in Indonesia, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text does say that the ridges where N. pudica lives are dry, but it also says that the purpose of carnivorous plant pitchers is to capture prey. It never suggests that these pitchers also absorb moisture, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that N. pudica’s underground pitcher can catch animals on the surface, so there’s no basis to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "7a895def",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Georgia Douglas Johnson wrote many plays in the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, professional theater companies rarely put on plays by Black women, so few of Johnson’s plays made it to the stage. Only a small number of her plays were published in her lifetime. But that doesn’t mean that Johnson never learned what other people thought of her plays. Johnson hosted weekly get-togethers for fellow Black writers and artists in her Washington, D.C., home. Attendees would read and discuss one another’s work, including Johnson’s own. These gatherings could therefore serve as ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "an occasion for professional theater companies to put on plays.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "an opportunity for Johnson to get feedback on her plays.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "a way for Johnson to learn about plays that were produced in other cities.",
      },
      { label: "D", text: "subject matter for future plays by Johnson." },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. The passage tells us that attendees at Johnson’s get-togethers "would read and discuss one another’s work." This suggests that the gatherings could provide an opportunity for Johnson to get feedback on her plays. Notice how the text foreshadows this conclusion by the mention of Johnson learning "what other people thought of her plays."<br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention theater companies attending the get-togethers, so there is no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention learning about plays from other cities, so there is no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention Johnson using the get-togethers as inspiration for future plays, so there is no basis for this inference.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "8a3ecac6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>North American gray wolves usually have mixed gray and white fur, but some members of the species have a version of a gene, or gene variant, that gives them a mostly black coat instead. Sarah Cubaynes and her team studied twelve populations of North American gray wolves. They found that the black-furred wolves are more common in areas where outbreaks of distemper virus happen regularly. The team also discovered that the black-furred wolves are more likely to be immune to distemper than the gray-furred wolves are. Taken together, these findings suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "North American gray wolves experience more outbreaks of distemper virus than other wolf species do.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the gene variant that results in black fur may be linked to immunity to the distemper virus.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "the average life span of gray wolves is likely to increase over time because of a particular gene variant.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "gray-furred wolves will soon replace black-furred wolves across North America.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. The text tells us that the black-furred wolves are more common in areas with regular outbreaks of distemper virus and are more likely to be immune to distemper than the gray-furred wolves. This suggests that the gene variant that results in black fur may be linked to immunity to the distemper virus.<br>Choice A is incorrect. The text never compares North American gray wolves to other wolf species—in fact, it never discusses other wolf species at all, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The life span of gray wolves is never mentioned in this text, so we have no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. This is too extreme. The text says that "black-furred wolves are more likely to be immune to distemper than the gray-furred wolves," but that alone doesn’t mean that black-furred wolves will replace gray-furred wolves across North America.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9077be25",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Alice Guy-Blaché directed hundreds of films between 1896 and 1920. She wanted audiences to feel like they were watching real people on screen. She would encourage actors in her films to behave naturally. Guy-Blaché even hung a large sign reading “Be Natural” in the studio where she made her films. At the time, films lacked sound, so actors needed to rely solely on their bodies and facial expressions to convey emotions. As a result, actors tended to highly exaggerate their actions and expressions. The style of acting in Guy-Blaché’s films was therefore ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "copied by many of Guy-Blaché’s peers." },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "familiar to actors who had worked on other directors’ films.",
      },
      { label: "C", text: "very unusual for the period." },
      { label: "D", text: "better than film acting today." },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that “actors tended to highly exaggerate their actions and expressions” in films produced from 1896 to 1920. This suggests that the natural style of acting in Guy-Blaché’s films was very unusual for the time. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The text never discusses any other directors copying the style of acting found in Guy-Blaché’s films, and in fact suggests the opposite—that it was unusual for directors to suggest this style of acting at the time. Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses actors’ familiarity with the style of acting found in Guy-Blaché’s films, so there isn’t much basis for this inference. But since the text tells us that other films of the period used a highly exaggerated form of acting, we might predict that the natural style in Guy-Blachés films would have been unfamiliar to these actors. Choice D is incorrect. The text never discusses film acting today, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c4d43991",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Archaeologists have been debating the origin of a rare form of lead found in Shang dynasty (1766–1046 BCE) bronze artifacts since its presence was discovered in China in the 1990s. Different researchers have proposed theories on which regions of the world would have had the raw materials containing the specific lead in these artifacts, but no conclusive evidence has been presented. What is intriguing is that bronze artifacts from China dated after the Shang dynasty do not contain this form of lead, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "Shang dynasty bronze pieces are rare and therefore more valuable than those from other time periods.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the source of some of the raw materials used to make bronze was exploited only until the end of the Shang dynasty.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "bronze was used for a short time during the Shang dynasty before different metals were used to make artifacts.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "methods used to analyze bronze artifacts are not useful on pieces that are dated after the Shang dynasty.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. The passage tells us that Shang dynasty bronze artifacts contained "a rare form of lead," but that bronze artifacts after this time did not contain that lead. Although we don’t know where that specific type of bronze came from, we can conclude that that source was not used after the end of the Shang dynasty—otherwise, post-Shang dynasty pieces would also contain that rare form of lead.<br>Choice A is incorrect. Despite these pieces containing "a rare form of lead," there is no direct claim in the passage that Shang dynasty bronze is itself more rare or valuable than bronze pieces from other periods. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. Although the passage mentions that the nature of the bronze in Chinese artifacts changed after the Shang dynasty, bronze was still used to create artifacts after this time. The passage in fact explicitly states "bronze artifacts from China dated after the Shang dynasty…," indicating that bronze was still used in China after the Shang dynasty. Choice D is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of methods used to analyze bronze artifacts, so there’s no basis for this inference.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "dbbbc5dd",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Off-off-Broadway theaters emerged in the late 1950s as a rebellion against mainstream Broadway theaters in New York, freeing artists to create productions that were more experimental than typical Broadway shows. One such artist was playwright María Irene Fornés. Working with off-off Broadway theaters enabled Fornés not only to direct her own plays but also to direct them exactly as she intended them to be staged, regardless of how strange the results might have seemed to audiences accustomed to Broadway shows. In this way, Fornés ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "wrote plays that would have been too expensive to produce if someone else had directed the production.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "recognized that staging an off-off-Broadway play was more complicated than staging a Broadway play.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "would have been more famous if she had created plays that were mainstream instead of experimental.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "illustrates the artistic opportunity offered by off-off Broadway theaters.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. The text says that off-off-Broadway theaters allowed artists to create more experimental shows, and then discusses how Fornés was free to direct her own “strange” plays however she wanted. This suggests that Fornés exemplifies the artistic freedom of off-off Broadway theaters. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the costs of production, so we can’t logically make this claim. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the complexity of staging plays either on Broadway or off-off Broadway, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses fame at all, so there’s no basis to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];

export const INFERENCES_MEDIUM: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "123bd312",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs could grow more than 100 feet long and weigh up to 80 tons, and some researchers have attributed the evolution of sauropods to such massive sizes to increased plant production resulting from high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide during the Mesozoic era. However, there is no evidence of significant spikes in carbon dioxide levels coinciding with relevant periods in sauropod evolution, such as when the first large sauropods appeared, when several sauropod lineages underwent further evolution toward gigantism, or when sauropods reached their maximum known sizes, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide affected different sauropod lineages differently.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the evolution of larger body sizes in sauropods did not depend on increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "atmospheric carbon dioxide was higher when the largest known sauropods lived than it was when the first sauropods appeared.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "sauropods probably would not have evolved to such immense sizes if atmospheric carbon dioxide had been even slightly higher.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide and sauropod body size. The text establishes that sauropods evolved to reach enormous sizes, and it notes that some scientists have asserted that the cause of this phenomenon was increased plant production that resulted from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. The text goes on to state, however, that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels didn’t increase around the time of important periods in sauropods’ evolution of larger body sizes. If significant periods of sauropod evolution toward larger sizes occurred without increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, that suggests that the evolution of larger sizes didn’t depend on increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe any fluctuations in atmospheric carbon dioxide, so there’s no evidence in the text to support the conclusion that such fluctuations had different effects on different sauropod lineages. All that the text says about atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is that there weren’t increases at particular points that correspond with key moments in sauropod evolution. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that there weren’t significant increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide around the time of important periods in sauropods’ evolution toward larger body sizes, not that atmospheric carbon dioxide was higher when the largest sauropods lived than when sauropods first appeared. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels didn’t increase at important periods in sauropod evolution, not that higher levels would have affected that evolution. The text provides no information about how higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide might have affected sauropods.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "299c5303",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>As the name suggests, dramaturges originated in theater, where they continue to serve a variety of functions: conducting historical research for directors, compiling character biographies for actors, and perhaps most importantly, helping writers of plays and musicals to hone the works’ stories and characters. Performance scholar Susan Manning observes that many choreographers, like playwrights and musical theater writers, are concerned with storytelling and characterization. In fact, some choreographers describe the dances they create as expressions of narrative through movement; it is therefore unsurprising that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "dramaturges can have a profound impact on the artistic direction of plays and musicals.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "choreographers developing dances with narrative elements frequently engage dramaturges to assist in refining those elements.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "dances by choreographers who incorporate narrative elements are more accessible to audiences than dances by choreographers who do not.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "some directors and actors rely too heavily on dramaturges to complete certain research tasks.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. Dramaturges help playwrights with storytelling and characterization. Choreographers often tell stories through dance, so they are also concerned with storytelling and characterization. This suggests that the fact that choreographers seek the help of dramaturges with the storytelling aspects of their dances should be “unsurprising.” <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The beginning of the text does imply that this is true, but the end is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never mentions dances by choreographers who don’t incorporate narrative elements. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text mentions in passing that directors use dramaturges to conduct research, but it never suggests that directors and actors are too reliant on them. Also, the text is leading to a conclusion about how choreographers use dramaturges.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3190835d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some businesses believe that when employees are interrupted while doing their work, they experience a decrease in energy and productivity. However, a team led by Harshad Puranik, who studies management, has found that interruptions by colleagues can have a social component that increases employees’ sense of belonging, resulting in greater job satisfaction that benefits employees and employers. Therefore, businesses should recognize that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the interpersonal benefits of some interruptions in the workplace may offset the perceived negative effects.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "in order to maximize productivity, employers should be willing to interrupt employees frequently throughout the day.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "most employees avoid interrupting colleagues because they don’t appreciate being interrupted themselves.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "in order to cultivate an ideal workplace environment, interruptions of work should be discouraged.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of potential benefits of interruptions in the workplace. The text indicates that a common belief in business is that interruptions to working employees decrease energy and productivity levels. However, the text goes on to explain that a research team led by Harshad Puranik has found that there could be a social benefit to these interruptions.  Since the team found that workplace interruptions can increase employees’ sense of belonging and job satisfaction, it follows that the interpersonal benefits of some interruptions can offset the perceived negative effects. <br>Choice B is incorrect. Although the text presents research findings that suggest some workplace interruptions can have a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, no further information is presented to suggest at what frequency these interruptions are ideal. Furthermore, the text doesn’t tie workplace interruptions to increased productivity, but rather links it to social benefits such as sense of belonging. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t address employees’ motives for choosing not to interrupt their colleagues. The text presents research findings that suggest that there are some positive interpersonal effects of workplace interruptions that can increase employee job satisfaction. Choice D is incorrect because asking businesses to discourage workplace interruptions doesn’t follow from the team’s research about the benefits of workplace interruptions, nor does the text describe an ideal work environment. Instead, the text presents research suggesting that there may be positive aspects to workplace interruptions that haven’t previously been considered.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "350e2336",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Haitian Declaration of Independence was issued in 1804, bringing to an end the revolution against colonial France that began in 1791. Written in French, which was not the first language of most Haitians but which was used throughout Europe as the language of international diplomacy, the declaration notes that Haiti will not bring rebellion to other Caribbean nations, promises to respect the sovereignty of its neighbors—widely understood as a reassurance to the United States—and sets up Haiti as an example for future struggles against colonizers (an implicit reference to the many colonies then found in the Americas). So even though the declaration is explicitly addressed to the Haitian people, it’s reasonable to conclude that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "aspects of the declaration were modeled on similar documents from other countries.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the French government may have been surprised by the declaration.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "many Haitian people opposed the revolution and the declaration.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the declaration actually had several intended audiences.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      'Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that the declaration was written in a language important to European diplomacy but not most Haitians, states that the declaration included "a reassurance to the United States," and made implicit references to colonies in the Americas. Because of the messages within the declaration that were largely irrelevant to the Haitian people, we can assume that the Haitian people were not the only audience for this document.<br>Choice A is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of similar documents in other countries, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although there’s an implicit reference to European governments when the passage discusses how the declaration was written in French, "which was used throughout Europe as the language of international diplomacy," there is no discussion of the French government’s response to the declaration. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the popularity of the revolution and declaration among the Haitian people, so there’s no basis for this inference.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3882ddf6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>To investigate the history of plate subduction—when one of Earth’s tectonic plates slides beneath another—Sarah M. Aarons and colleagues compared ancient rocks from the Acasta Gneiss Complex in Canada to modern rocks. Using isotope analysis, the researchers found that Acasta rocks dating to about 4.02 billion years ago (bya) most strongly resemble modern rocks formed in a plume setting (an area in which hot rocks from Earth’s mantle flow upward into the crust). By contrast, they found that Acasta rocks dating to about 3.75 bya and 3.6 bya have an isotope composition that is similar to that of modern rocks formed in a subduction setting. Aarons’s team therefore concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "subduction-like processes began occurring in some locations no later than 3.75 bya.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "subduction replaced mantle plume formation as the most common geological process by about 4.02 bya.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "the majority of the rocks in the Acasta Gneiss Complex formed through subduction.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the rocks in the Acasta Gneiss Complex are of a more recent origin than scientists previously thought.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. Because researchers found “Acasta rocks dating to about 3.75 bya” were similar to “modern rocks formed in a subduction setting,” we can infer that subduction-like processes must have begun occurring in the Acasta Gneiss Complex by this time. <br>Choice B is incorrect. We only know about geological processes at the Acasta Gneiss Complex, so we do not have information to make inferences about geological processes in general. Also, notice that the rocks dated to 4.02 bya were found to still be formed in a plume setting, so the transition must have happened after this time. Choice C is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of what proportion of the rocks within Acasta Gneiss Complex were formed through subduction, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage discusses various rocks in the Acasta Gneiss Complex that are dated to different periods of time, but nothing in the passage suggests that these dates are or were wrong.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3ae2638c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In documents called judicial opinions, judges explain the reasoning behind their legal rulings, and in those explanations they sometimes cite and discuss historical and contemporary philosophers. Legal scholar and philosopher Anita L. Allen argues that while judges are naturally inclined to mention philosophers whose views align with their own positions, the strongest judicial opinions consider and rebut potential objections; discussing philosophers whose views conflict with judges’ views could therefore ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "allow judges to craft judicial opinions without needing to consult philosophical works.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "help judges improve the arguments they put forward in their judicial opinions.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "make judicial opinions more comprehensible to readers without legal or philosophical training.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "bring judicial opinions in line with views that are broadly held among philosophers.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Anita Allen’s argument about judges citing philosophers in their judicial opinions. The text indicates that judges sometimes cite philosophers when writing their judicial opinions and that, according to Allen, judges tend to cite philosophers whose views are in agreement with those of the judges themselves. Allen claims, however, that the best judicial opinions consider potential objections and rebut them, which suggests that judges may be able to strengthen their opinions by including discussions of philosophers with views contrary to their own.  <br>Choice A is incorrect because Allen’s claim is that judges could improve their judicial opinions by citing philosophers who disagree with the views expressed in the opinions, which would necessarily require judges to consult philosophical works. Choice C is incorrect because there’s no discussion in the text about making judicial opinions more easily understood by any particular group of readers. The focus of the text is on Allen’s claim that judicial opinions could be strengthened by the inclusion of discussions of philosophers whose views disagree with those of the judges authoring the opinions. Choice D is incorrect because the text presents Allen’s argument that discussing philosophers whose views judges disagree with could strengthen judicial opinions, not that doing so could bring those opinions into line with views that are popular among philosophers.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3cc2eacc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In a study of the mechanisms underlying associative memory—or the ability to learn and remember connections between inherently unrelated things—neuroscientists Kei Igarashi, Jasmine Chavez, and others presented mice with memory tests. The team discovered that fan cells, a type of cell found in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, are necessary for the acquisition of new associative memories. They also found that fan cell activity requires dopamine, a chemical the brain produces in response to pleasure and rewards. Consequently, receiving a reward should likely help to ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "decrease an individual’s capacity to utilize dopamine.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "increase an individual’s capacity to recognize differences between unrelated things.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "increase an individual’s capacity to form associative memories.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "decrease an individual’s capacity to create fan cells.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the mechanisms underlying associative memory. The text explains that fan cells—a type of brain cell—are necessary for the acquisition of new associative memories, and that activity among these cells requires a chemical known as dopamine, which the brain produces in response to rewards. Since the brain cells that enable the formation of associative memories require dopamine in order to function, and since the brain produces dopamine in response to rewards, it can be inferred that receiving a reward should likely help to increase an individual’s capacity to form associative memories. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the relationship between rewards and dopamine sketched by the text is that rewards result in the production of dopamine, not that they cause an individual’s capacity to utilize dopamine to decrease. Choice B is incorrect. The text suggests that receiving a reward would produce dopamine and thereby assist with associative memory formation. However, the text never suggests that associative memory involves the capacity to recognize differences between unrelated things, indicating only that associative memory involves remembering what connects those things. Choice D is incorrect because the text never discusses how fan cells are initially created and therefore provides no evidence for a conclusion about how receiving a reward would affect their creation.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "485962a6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Astronomers investigated the Arabia Terra region of Mars because it appears to contain irregularly shaped craters that may have been caused by massive volcanic explosions. In their investigations of Arabia Terra, the researchers found remnants of ash deposits in an amount and thickness that would result from a massive volcanic eruption. However, erosion and past resurfacing events could have modified the surface of the planet. Therefore, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the current makeup of the Arabia Terra region might not accurately reflect the volcanic activity of Mars’s past.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "eruptions from Mars’s volcanoes were likely not as massive as astronomers previously believed.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "ash was most likely expelled from multiple different volcanoes on Mars’s surface.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the craters found in the Arabia Terra region were necessarily created by events other than volcanic eruptions.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the Arabia Terra region of Mars. According to the text, there are craters in Arabia Terra that could be the result of volcanic activity, and researchers have found evidence of ash deposits consistent with a large eruption. The text goes on to note, however, that erosion and other events could have altered the surface of Mars. This observation suggests that current conditions on Mars’s surface are not necessarily a reliable guide to past events—some signs of past events could have been transformed or erased entirely—and thus the current makeup of Arabia Terra may not accurately reflect past volcanic activity. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests only that past events could have changed Mars’s surface such that its current appearance isn’t a reliable guide to past activity, not that it’s likely that past eruptions were not as massive as astronomers previously believed. Nothing in the text supports a conclusion about the likely size of past eruptions. Choice C is incorrect because the observation that resurfacing events could have changed the appearance of Mars doesn’t imply that the ash discussed in the text likely came from multiple volcanoes. Although it’s possible that the ash came from different volcanoes, there’s no information in the text supporting a conclusion about how likely that possibility is. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the Arabia Terra craters had to have been created by something other than volcanic eruptions. Although the text does suggest that the evidence consistent with volcanic eruptions shouldn’t be taken as definitive proof of past eruptions, that doesn’t mean that the craters couldn’t have been created by eruptions, only that we can’t be certain they were.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4a85fea6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Euphorbia esula (leafy spurge) is a Eurasian plant that has become invasive in North America, where it displaces native vegetation and sickens cattle. E. esula can be controlled with chemical herbicides, but that approach can also kill harmless plants nearby. Recent research on introducing engineered DNA into plant species to inhibit their reproduction may offer a path toward exclusively targeting E. esula, consequently ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "making individual E. esula plants more susceptible to existing chemical herbicides.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "enhancing the ecological benefits of E. esula in North America.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "enabling cattle to consume E. esula without becoming sick.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "reducing invasive E. esula numbers without harming other organisms.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of leafy spurge and engineered DNA. The text establishes that using chemical herbicides to control leafy spurge in North America can also harm other plants nearby. The text then indicates that it might be possible to use engineered DNA to prevent plants from reproducing, which would be useful for “exclusively targeting” leafy spurge. If it’s possible to exclusively target leafy spurge with engineered DNA—meaning that only leafy spurge is affected by the engineered DNA—and prevent the plant from reproducing, then leafy spurge numbers could be reduced “without harming other organisms.” <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text raises the possibility of using engineered DNA to prevent leafy spurge from reproducing, not to make individual leafy spurge plants more vulnerable to chemical herbicides that already exist. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe any ecological benefits of leafy spurge in North America; instead, the text is focused on using engineered DNA to prevent leafy spurge from reproducing and thereby reduce its numbers. The only ecological effects of leafy spurge in North America that are described in the text are harmful. Choice C is incorrect because the text describes the possibility of using engineered DNA to prevent leafy spurge from reproducing; it doesn’t offer a way to enable cattle to eat leafy spurge without becoming sick.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4e9afd7a",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Indus River valley civilization flourished in South Asia from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE. Many examples of the civilization’s writing system exist, but researchers haven’t yet deciphered it or identified which ancient language it represents. Nevertheless, archaeologists have found historical artifacts, such as clay figures and jewelry, that provide information about the civilization’s customs and how its communities were organized. The archaeologists’ findings therefore suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "investigating an ancient civilization is easier without knowledge of the civilization’s language.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "knowing an ancient civilization’s language isn’t necessary in order to learn details about the civilization.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "archaeological research should focus on finding additional artifacts rather than deciphering ancient languages.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "examining the civilization’s historical artifacts has resolved the debate about this civilization’s language.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indus River valley civilization. The text establishes that archaeologists haven’t been able to interpret the Indus River valley civilization’s writing system but have nevertheless acquired information about the civilization through historical artifacts. The fact that archaeologists have been able to learn about the Indus River valley civilization’s customs and community organization from historical artifacts suggests that it isn’t necessary to understand an ancient civilization’s language to learn about the civilization. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss how easy it is to investigate ancient civilizations with or without knowledge of the civilization’s language; rather, it states that even though researchers have not yet deciphered the language of the Indus River valley civilization, they are still able to learn about it through historical artifacts. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t make any claims as to what the focus of archaeological research should be. Rather, the text discusses how archaeologists have been able to learn about an ancient civilization through historical artifacts despite not understanding the civilization’s language. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that the civilization’s language has not yet been interpreted; it makes no mention of a debate about the language. Instead, the text suggests that examination of the historical artifacts has allowed archaeologists to learn about the civilization but has not aided thus far in deciphering its language.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5105ca38",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>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, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.",
      },
      { label: "B", text: "suggests that Venus was often depicted fishing." },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "eliminates the possibility that the figure is Venus.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "would be difficult to account for if the figure is not Venus.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text’s discussion about the significance of the cupid found at Pompeii. The text indicates that the cupid is near a statue of a female figure who is fishing, and it goes on to indicate that because Venus is associated with cupids, some scholars believe the female figure to be the goddess Venus. But the text then says that, according to archaeologist Carla Brain, cupids may have also been associated with the activity of fishing, which, if true, would suggest that the mere appearance of a cupid near a female figure engaged in fishing does not indicate with certainty that the figure is Venus (that is, the cupid might be associated with fishing, and the figure might be anyone at all). <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text says nothing about how often Venus was depicted fishing in Roman art: it only implies that in certain instances a female figure may or may not be Venus. Choice C is incorrect because Carla Brain’s proposed explanation for the presence of the cupids makes no reference to the female figure, and so the possibility that the figure in the artworks is in fact Venus cannot be definitively eliminated. Choice D is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the only reasonable way to interpret the figure is as Venus.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "54057e3f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Although military veterans make up a small proportion of the total population of the United States, they occupy a significantly higher proportion of the jobs in the civilian government. One possible explanation for this disproportionate representation is that military service familiarizes people with certain organizational structures that are also reflected in the civilian government bureaucracy, and this familiarity thus ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "makes civilian government jobs especially appealing to military veterans.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "alters the typical relationship between military service and subsequent career preferences.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "encourages nonveterans applying for civilian government jobs to consider military service instead.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "increases the number of civilian government jobs that require some amount of military experience to perform.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of military veterans working in civilian government jobs in the United States. The text indicates that the proportion of military veterans working in civilian government jobs is considerably higher than the proportion of military veterans in the population as a whole. The text also notes that the unusually high representation of military veterans in these jobs may be a result of the organizational structures  shared by civilian government entities and the military. Hence, it’s reasonable to infer that it’s the familiarity of the structures of civilian government that makes jobs there particularly attractive to military veterans. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t address what a typical relationship between military service and later career preferences would be, and there’s no indication that it’s atypical for veterans to work in civilian government jobs after they’ve left the military. On the contrary, the text suggests that many military veterans are drawn to such jobs. Choice C is incorrect because the text is focused on the high representation of military veterans in civilian government jobs and doesn’t address nonveterans or their possible interest in military service. Choice D is incorrect because the text conveys that military veterans may be particularly interested in civilian government jobs due to the familiarity of organizational structures that are already in place, but there’s no reason to think that this interest would mean that more civilian government jobs will start to require military experience.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5432d1de",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>It’s common for jazz musicians and fans to refer to certain songs as having “swing,” indicating that the songs provoke a strong feeling, like the impulse to tap one’s foot or dance. The exact acoustic properties that give a song swing, however, have long been thought to be undefinable. To investigate swing, a team led by physicist Corentin Nelias delayed the downbeats and synchronized the offbeats in jazz piano solos and asked jazz musicians to compare the intensity of swing in each modified piece with the intensity of swing in the original piece. They found that participants were more than seven times likelier to characterize the modified songs as having swing than to characterize the original versions as having swing, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "synchronized offbeats tend to give a song swing regardless of whether downbeats are delayed.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the acoustic properties that give a song swing are not easy for jazz musicians to manipulate.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "jazz songs that feature the piano are more likely to have swing than are jazz songs that do not feature the piano.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the timing of downbeats and offbeats may play a crucial role in giving a song swing.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. The passage tells us that participants were “more than seven times likelier to characterize the modified songs as having swing than to characterize the original versions as having swing.” Because the modified songs had been changed by altering the timing of the downbeats and offbeats, this suggests that the timing of downbeats and offbeats may play a crucial role in giving a song swing. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the passage mentions that the researchers “synchronized the offbeats” in the modified songs, they also “delayed the downbeats” in those songs. Because we can’t disentangle whether it was the synchronized offbeats, the delayed downbeats, or the combination of both that increased the song’s swing, we don’t have enough information to make this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention whether or not it’s difficult for a jazz musician to give a song swing, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t compare jazz songs that feature piano to those that don’t, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "55688b3c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Dutch painters in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries often showed tables filled with large wheels of cheese or carved shards of butter. Some art historians, noting that dairy products were a major component of the Dutch diet, interpret these depictions as reflections of everyday Dutch eating habits. However, a group of researchers recently reviewed hundreds of food-related paintings and found that lemons—which could only be acquired in the Netherlands at great cost, since they had to be imported from warmer climates—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more than three times as frequently as dairy products do, thereby casting doubt on the idea that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "dairy products were a more significant component of the Dutch diet of the period than lemons were.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "food was a more popular subject among Dutch painters than it was among painters from other countries at the time.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "depictions of food in Dutch paintings of the period should be taken as realistic representations of Dutch eating habits.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Dutch painters of the period may have depicted foods for symbolic reasons rather than to show what Dutch people typically ate.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      'Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that lemons—an expensive imported product—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more frequently than dairy products do. Since it’s unlikely lemons were eaten more often than dairy, this fact casts doubt on the theory that these paintings realistically depicted Dutch diets.<br>Choice A is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests the opposite: it says that dairy products were a "major component of the Dutch diet," while lemons were an expensive import item, so we can infer that lemons were eaten much more rarely than dairy products. Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention painters from other countries, so there’s no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. In fact, the text suggests that Dutch painters do have reasons for depicting foods other than to show what Dutch people typically ate. For example, lemons in a painting could indicate wealth or prosperity.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "575e67df",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>By running computer simulations of the development of our solar system, André Izidoro, Rajdeep Dasgupta, and colleagues concluded that the Sun may have been surrounded by three giant dust rings before the planets started to form. The researchers suggest that the materials in the innermost ring became the four planets closest to the Sun, the materials in the middle ring produced the rest of the planets, and the materials in the outermost ring created the asteroids and other small bodies in the region beyond Neptune. In one simulation, the researchers delayed the initial formation of the middle ring, causing oversized super-Earths to begin developing from the innermost ring. The researchers therefore hypothesize that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the middle ring formed earlier in the solar system’s development than the initial simulations suggested.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the timing of the initial formation of the middle ring played an important role in determining the eventual size of Earth.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "if the formation of the outermost ring had occurred earlier in a simulation, all the planets would have become super-Earths.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the innermost ring actually formed into all the planets in our solar system, not just the four closest to the Sun.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically follows from the text’s discussion of André Izidoro, Rajdeep Dasgupta, and colleagues’ computer simulations of our solar system’s development. The text begins by stating that the simulations led the researchers to conclude that the solar system likely formed from three giant dust rings that encircled the Sun. The text explains that the four inner planets, including Earth, formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring. It then explains that in one simulation, the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring—that is, they tested to see what would happen if the middle ring had formed later than it actually did. They found that doing so affected the size of the innermost planets, resulting in oversized super-Earths, planets that are much larger than Earth. Since the delayed timing had the effect of changing the size of Earth in the simulation relative to Earth’s real size, it’s reasonable to conclude that the timing of the middle ring’s formation was important in determining Earth’s eventual size. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the text explains that when the researchers delayed the formation of the middle ring in one simulation, the size of the innermost planets was affected (which suggests that the middle ring likely formed earlier than it did in this simulation), the text doesn’t indicate that this was an initial simulation—that is, a simulation that was conducted before other simulations. Moreover, the text makes no reference to the specific results of any other simulations; therefore, there is no basis for comparing any conclusions based on the simulation in which the middle ring’s formation was delayed with conclusions based on other simulations. Choice C is incorrect because the text discusses how altering the timing of the formation of the middle ring, not the outermost ring, affected the four innermost planets’ eventual size in the researchers’ simulation; therefore, the simulation offers no basis for a conclusion about how the outermost ring’s formation affected the size of the planets. Choice D is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the innermost ring produced all the solar system’s planets. Rather, the text states that the simulations showed that the innermost planets formed from the innermost ring and that the remaining planets formed from the middle ring.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "7c1e5880",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Scholars have noted that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writings were likely influenced in part by his marriage to Zelda Fitzgerald, but many don’t recognize Zelda as a writer in her own right. Indeed, Zelda authored several works herself, such as the novel Save Me the Waltz and numerous short stories. Thus, those who primarily view Zelda as an inspiration for F. Scott’s writings ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "overlook the many other factors that motivated F. Scott to write.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "risk misrepresenting the full range of Zelda’s contributions to literature.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "may draw inaccurate conclusions about how F. Scott and Zelda viewed each other’s works.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "tend to read the works of F. Scott and Zelda in an overly autobiographical light.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Zelda Fitzgerald’s contributions to literature. The text begins by saying that many scholars view Zelda mainly in terms of her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald and “don’t recognize Zelda as a writer in her own right.” The text then mentions a novel and “numerous short stories” that she wrote and that such scholars tend to ignore. Therefore, those scholars who focus on Zelda only as an inspiration for F. Scott’s writings risk misrepresenting the full range of Zelda’s contributions to literature. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the text does mention that Zelda Fitzgerald “likely influenced” her husband’s literary work, its focus is on Zelda’s own writing, not on her husband’s writing or factors that might have influenced it. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not discuss F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s opinions of each other’s works. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does suggest that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works were “likely influenced in part” by his marriage to Zelda, it does not discuss autobiographical interpretations of the works of either F. Scott or Zelda.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "8fbed1cb",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>When the Vinland Map, a map of the world purported to date to the mid-1400s, surfaced in 1957, some scholars believed it demonstrated that European knowledge of the eastern coast of present-day North America predated Christopher Columbus’s 1492 arrival. In 2021, a team including conservators Marie-France Lemay and Paula Zyats and materials scientist Anikó Bezur performed an extensive analysis of the map and the ink used. They found that the ink contains titanium dioxide, a compound that was first introduced in ink manufacturing in the early 1900s. Therefore, the team concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "mid-1400s Europeans could not have known about the eastern coast of present-day North America.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the Vinland Map could not have been drawn by mid-1400s mapmakers.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "mapmakers must have used titanium compounds in their ink in the 1400s.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "there isn’t enough information to determine when the ink was created.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur’s 2021 analysis of the Vinland Map. The text indicates that while some scholars have believed that the map was drawn in the mid-1400s, the 2021 analysis showed the presence of the compound titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the map. The text goes on to say that titanium dioxide wasn’t used to manufacture ink until the early 1900s, which means that ink containing this compound couldn’t have been available to mapmakers in the 1400s. Since mapmakers in the mid-1400s couldn’t have used ink with titanium dioxide, it follows that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn by mid-1400s mapmakers. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the 2021 finding that the ink used to draw the Vinland Map wasn’t available until the early 1900s doesn’t imply that Europeans in the mid-1400s couldn’t have known about the eastern coast of North America. While this finding suggests that the map couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s, it doesn’t preclude the possibility that Europeans nevertheless had knowledge—and perhaps even drew other maps that are no longer in existence or are yet to be discovered by researchers—of the eastern coast of present-day North America as early as the mid-1400s. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the 2021 discovery of the presence of titanium dioxide in the ink used to draw the Vinland Map caused Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur to question or reach a new conclusion about when mapmakers began using ink containing titanium compounds. Instead, the text indicates that titanium dioxide wasn’t used in ink before the early 1900s. This knowledge led the team to conclude that the map, which was drawn with ink containing titanium dioxide, couldn’t have been created in the mid-1400s. Choice D is incorrect because although the text doesn’t indicate that Lemay, Zyats, and Bezur established an exact date for the creation of the ink that was used to draw the Vinland Map, the text does say that titanium dioxide was introduced in ink manufacturing in the early 1900s. This fact provides enough information to determine that the ink that was used to draw the map was created no earlier than the early 1900s. This finding, in turn, led the team to conclude that the Vinland Map couldn’t have been drawn in the mid-1400s.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b1fab3e1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>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 ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "Cremonese violins probably were not considered superior to other instruments at the time they were made.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the sound quality of Cremonese violins results in part from a method the craftspeople used to alter the wood.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "if modern violins were made of a wood other than maple or spruce, they likely would sound as good as Cremonese violins.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the current process of making violins is the same process that was used centuries ago by Cremonese craftspeople.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sound quality of Cremonese and modern violins. The text states that violins made in Cremona in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries sound superior to modern violins. It then indicates that some experts attribute the difference to different woods being used to make these violins, but both Cremonese and modern violins are made of the same woods (maple and spruce); thus this cannot account for the difference. The text then says that recent analysis suggests the wood in Cremonese violins was chemically treated by the craftspeople who made them, thereby providing an alternate explanation for the sound differences: the chemical alteration that is present in the Cremonese violins but absent from the modern ones. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text does not discuss how the sound quality of Cremonese violins compares with the sound quality of other instruments made during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Instead it focuses on how the sound of the Cremonese violins compares with that of modern violins. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that there are differences in sound quality between the Cremonese and modern violins, and that both types of violin are made with maple or spruce. Thus the type of wood alone does not determine a violin’s sound quality. Furthermore, even if the type of wood alone could account for differences in sound quality, the text makes no mention of other woods, so there is no basis to judge how modern violins would sound if they were made using woods besides maple and spruce. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that there is evidence that Cremonese craftspeople chemically treated the wood used in Cremonese violins. This evidence is attributed to “new analysis,” which strongly suggests that this process was unknown to modern violin makers before that analysis. If the chemical treatment was unknown until recently, the manufacturing process for modern violins must differ with respect to the previously unknown practice of chemically treating the wood.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "bcbcc43f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The ancient Sumerian civilization formed around 4000 BCE between two large rivers in an area that is now Iraq and Syria. The extremely hot and sunny weather in that area helped crops grow very quickly, but it also made it hard to keep the crops from drying up and dying. So, the Sumerians used water from the rivers in their farming. That method worked so well that they often could harvest even more crops than they needed in a season. As a result, the Sumerians ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "harvested crops only on the hottest days of each season.",
      },
      { label: "B", text: "found ways to shield their crops from the sun." },
      { label: "C", text: "did not begin farming until long after 4000 BCE." },
      { label: "D", text: "were able to store extra crops for later use." },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sumerian civilization and crop growth. The text mentions the hot, sunny weather in the area where the Sumerians lived, which made crops grow quickly but also made it difficult to keep them alive. The Sumerians solved this problem by using river water for their farming—as a result, they often harvested more crops than were needed in a season. It follows that the Sumerians must have needed to find something to do with the surplus crops—that is, they stored the extra crops for later use. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it doesn’t logically follow that a surplus in crops would lead the Sumerians to choose only certain days of the season to harvest. Nor is there any indication in the text that the Sumerians improved their farming methods with the goal of reducing the time spent farming. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the Sumerians tried to shield their crops from the sun: in fact, the text indicates that the sunny weather helped crops grow very quickly and that the Sumerians used river water to allow crops to be exposed to the sun without dying. Choice C is incorrect. Having a surplus of crops wouldn’t have caused the Sumerians to begin farming until long after 4000 BCE: in fact, since the text indicates that the Sumerian civilization formed around 4000 BCE and farming was a part of that civilization, the statement that Sumerians only began farming long after 4000 BCE isn’t supported by the text.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "bcf2f169",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters is a story told entirely through expressive letters from the narrator to her friend—letters that Castillo suggests could be read in several different orders. As they began reading it in class, some students remarked that they found the novel’s letter format daunting and its treatment of gender relations old-fashioned. The professor, however, pointed out that the novel is written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter today, suggesting that The Mixquiahuala Letters ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "has more to say about gender relations than other novels from the same period.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may seem at first.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "is easier to read than many contemporary novels that focus on friendship.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "is best understood after multiple readings in different orders.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ana Castillo’s 1986 novel The Mixquiahuala Letters. The text states that the novel consists entirely of letters from the narrator to her friend—a format that some students reading the novel in a class found intimidating. According to the text, those students also found the novel’s treatment of gender to be old-fashioned. In response to the students’ concerns, their professor emphasized the novel’s relevance: it’s written in modern-sounding language and addresses issues that still matter. This, in turn, suggests that The Mixquiahuala Letters is more relevant to contemporary audiences than it may initially seem. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students only mentions The Mixquiahuala Letters: it doesn’t compare the novel to others from the same period. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the professor’s response to the students compares The Mixquiahuala Letters to contemporary novels about friendship. Choice D is incorrect because the professor’s response to the students doesn’t address the idea of reading the novel’s letters multiple times and in different orders.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c95995bc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Colonized by Spain in the 1600s, New Mexico is home to a dialect of Spanish that differs significantly from dialects spoken in Spain’s other former colonies in the Americas. Most notably, the New Mexican dialect retains older features of the language that other dialects lost in later centuries. But why would it have done so? New Mexico was so distant from population centers in Spain’s other colonies that it attracted few colonists after its initial colonization. Geographical isolation in turn would have limited the exposure of New Mexican colonists to changes occurring to Spanish grammar and vocabulary elsewhere in the empire. Thus, the present-day uniqueness of the New Mexican dialect suggests the extent to which ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "a language can protect itself from being influenced by other languages.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the grammar and vocabulary of any given language change from one generation to the next.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "geographical isolation can influence how a language develops.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "speakers of one dialect of a language can understand speakers of another dialect of that language.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it is the choice that most logically completes the text. The text mentions a dialect of Spanish spoken in New Mexico, which was colonized by Spain in the 1600s. The text then states that the New Mexican dialect differs greatly from other Spanish dialects in that it still has characteristics of an older Spanish that other dialects eventually lost. After asking why this might be, the text points out that the New Mexico colony was distant from Spain’s other colonies, making it less attractive to colonists after the initial colonization. This geographic isolation limited the colony’s exposure to other Spanish colonists who would have otherwise introduced the changes to the Spanish language that occurred in their respective colonies. It can therefore be inferred that this isolation is a reason why the New Mexican dialect still has characteristics of an older Spanish, while the Spanish dialects spoken in less isolated areas that have more interaction with speakers of other dialects would lose those characteristics over time. Thus, the most logical completion of the text is that geographical isolation can influence how a language develops. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses different dialects of Spanish, not different languages altogether. Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on how the New Mexican dialect has stayed the same over time in some ways, not on how it has changed from one generation to the next. Choice D is incorrect because though the text discusses how the New Mexican dialect of Spanish is different from others, it does not discuss how speakers of different dialects are able to understand each other.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cac82f9b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>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 ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "bacteria carried by wind are typically less beneficial to A. thaliana than soil-based bacteria are.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "some bacteria in A. thaliana leaves and roots may share a common source.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "many bacteria in A. thaliana leaves may have been deposited by means other than rain.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "A. thaliana leaves and roots are especially vulnerable to harmful bacteria.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. Both explanations suggest that the bacteria come from the same place: either they come from the ground and make their way to the leaves, or they come from above the ground and make their way to the roots. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses any benefits of any kind of bacteria. Choice C is incorrect. This conflicts with the text. One of the theories is that the bacteria in the leaves were deposited by rain splashing off soil. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text only discusses “naturally occurring” bacteria. It never mentions either the harms or benefits of these bacteria.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d748c3fd",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In her 2021 article “Throwaway History: Towards a Historiography of Ephemera,” scholar Anne Garner discusses John Johnson (1882–1956), a devoted collector of items intended to be discarded, including bus tickets and campaign pamphlets. Johnson recognized that scholarly institutions considered his expansive collection of ephemera to be worthless—indeed, it wasn’t until 1968, after Johnson’s death, that Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection, having grasped the items’ potential value to historians and other researchers. Hence, the example of Johnson serves to ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "demonstrate the difficulties faced by contemporary historians in conducting research at the Bodleian Library without access to ephemera.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "represent the challenge of incorporating examples of ephemera into the collections of libraries and other scholarly institutions.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "lend support to arguments by historians and other researchers who continue to assert that ephemera holds no value for scholars.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "illustrate both the relatively low scholarly regard in which ephemera was once held and the later recognition of ephemera’s possible utility.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. Johnson collected “ephemera,” or things that are meant to be thrown away. Scholars thought his collection was worthless to them, then later realized that it was potentially valuable. This suggests that scholars went from disregarding ephemera to recognizing their usefulness. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that the Bodleian Library acquired Johnson’s large collection of ephemera back in 1968, so we can assume that contemporary historians conducting research there do have access to that collection. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that “Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection,” but it never suggests that it was a challenge to do so. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text actually suggests the opposite: the example of Johnson’s collection lends support to arguments that ephemera does hold value for scholars.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "db876fd5",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Songbirds learn to respond to and imitate their species’ songs from an early age. With each generation, small differences are introduced that result in distinct variations—called dialects—among geographically isolated populations of the same species. A research study examined whether twelve-day-old Ficedula hypoleuca (pied flycatcher) nestlings prefer local dialects over the unfamiliar dialects of nonlocal F. hypoleuca populations: the more begging calls the nestlings made in response to a song, the stronger their preference. The researchers found that nestlings produced more begging calls in response to their own dialect than to nonlocal dialects. Since song preference plays a role in songbird mate selection, the finding suggests that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "F. hypoleuca nestlings’ preference for their own dialect likely disappears as they mature to promote socialization between different F. hypoleuca populations.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "F. hypoleuca nestlings who show an early preference for their own dialect are likely to receive more food from their caretakers than nestlings who show no preferences among any F. hypoleuca dialects.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "F. hypoleuca nestlings’ preference for their own dialect likely drives them when they mature to reproduce with other F. hypoleuca from local rather than nonlocal populations.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "F. hypoleuca nestlings show a preference for both local F. hypoleuca dialects and the songs of other local songbirds over the songs of nonlocal birds of any species.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. Because “song preference plays a role in songbird mate selection,” and because F. hypoleuca nestlings display a preference for local dialects, we can infer that they will be more likely to choose mates from local populations. <br>Choice A is incorrect. We don’t have any information suggesting that this preference disappears, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although the passage discusses the number of begging calls made in response to various F. hypoleuca dialects, no mention is made about the amount of food received based on dialect preference. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of methods of other types of local songbirds, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f3f444bc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Many mosquito repellents contain natural components that work by activating multiple odor receptors on mosquitoes’ antennae. As the insects develop resistance, new repellents are needed. Ke Dong and her team found that EBF, a molecular component of a chrysanthemum-flower extract, can repel mosquitoes by activating just one odor receptor—and this receptor, Or31, is present in all mosquito species known to carry diseases. Therefore, the researchers suggest that in developing new repellents, it would be most useful to ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "identify molecular components similar to EBF that target the activation of Or31 receptors.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "investigate alternative methods for extracting EBF molecules from chrysanthemums.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "verify the precise locations of Or31 and other odor receptors on mosquitoes’ antennae.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "determine the maximum number of different odor receptors that can be activated by a single molecule.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of mosquito repellents. The text begins by explaining that many repellents work by using natural components to active multiple odor receptors on mosquitoes’ antennae, and that new repellents must be created whenever mosquitoes become resistant to older ones. The text then highlights a research team’s discovery that EBF, a molecular component of a chrysanthemum-flower extract, can repel mosquitoes by activating a single odor receptor, Or31, that is shared by all species of mosquitoes known to carry diseases. The text suggests that compared to the repellents mentioned earlier, a repellent that acts on the Or31 receptor would be more effective: by noting that all mosquito species known to carry diseases share the Or31 receptor, the text suggests that the Or31 receptor may be unique in this respect, meaning that a repellent such as EBF that acts on it would be more effective since it works on a single receptor shared by all mosquito species that carry diseases, rather than a combination of receptors that is not shared by all species. Once mosquitoes become resistant to EBF, it would therefore make sense for researchers to look for other molecular components similar to EBF that target the activation of Or31 receptors, since a single such component could also repel all disease-carrying mosquitoes. <br>Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that EBF molecules are difficult to extract from chrysanthemums and that investigating alternative extraction methods would therefore be useful for developing efficient and effective mosquito repellents. Rather, the text suggests that researchers developing new mosquito repellents should aim to identify molecular components similar to EBF, since that component targets the Or31 odor receptor shared by all species of mosquitoes known to carry diseases. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that researchers are unaware of the precise location of Or31 and other odor receptors in mosquitoes’ antennae or that knowing this information would be useful for developing efficient and effective mosquito repellents. Rather, the text suggests that researchers developing new mosquito repellents should aim to identify molecular components similar to EBF, which targets the Or31 odor receptor. Choice D is incorrect because it doesn’t logically follow that the discovery of one odor receptor shared by all disease-bearing mosquitoes should lead to further research into which repellents might activate the greatest number of odor receptors. Rather, the text suggests that researchers developing new mosquito repellents should instead search for additional molecular components that, like EBF, activate the one odor receptor that is known to be shared by all disease-bearing mosquitoes.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];

export const INFERENCES_HARD: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "03701ef3",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>To better understand the burrowing habits of Alpheus bellulus (the tiger pistol shrimp), some studies have used resin casting to obtain precise measurements of the shrimps’ burrows. Resin casting involves completely filling an empty burrow with a liquid plastic that hardens to create a three-dimensional model; however, recovering the model inevitably requires destroying the burrow. In their 2022 study, Miyu Umehara and colleagues discovered that an x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner can accurately record a burrow’s measurements both at a moment in time and throughout the entire burrow-building process, something that’s impossible with resin casting because ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "it can only be used on burrows below a certain size.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "it does not allow for multiple castings of the same burrow over time.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "the casting process takes more time than A. bellulus takes to construct a burrow.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the process of recovering the model distorts the resin’s shape.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. Since resin casting “inevitably requires destroying the burrow,” it would be impossible to make multiple castings of the same burrow over time. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t discuss size requirements for completing resin casting, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never mentions how long the casting process takes nor how long A. bellulus takes to construct a borrow, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage never states that recovering the model distorts the resin’s shape, only that it destroys the burrow. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "08395130",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is projected to maintain operation until at least 2030, but it has already revolutionized high-resolution imaging of solar-system bodies in visible and ultraviolet (UV) light wavelengths, notwithstanding that only about 6% of the bodies imaged by the HST are within the solar system. NASA researcher Cindy L. Young and colleagues assert that a new space telescope dedicated exclusively to solar-system observations would permit an extensive survey of minor solar-system bodies and long-term UV observation to discern how solar-system bodies change over time. Young and colleagues’ recommendation therefore implies that the HST ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "will no longer be used to observe solar system objects if the telescope recommended by Young and colleagues is deployed.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "can be modified to observe the features of solar system objects that are of interest to Young and colleagues.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "lacks the sensors to observe the wavelengths of light needed to discern how solar system bodies change over time.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. The HST will operate until at least 2030, but it’s only observing stuff inside our solar system 6% of the time. If we could get a different telescope to observe stuff inside our solar system 100% of the time and take more extensive images of certain things, then the HST could continue to be used mainly for observing stuff outside the solar system. <br>Choice B is incorrect. This inference is too strong to be supported by the text. Even if the new telescope is deployed, the HST might still be used as it’s being used now. Based on the text, the new telescope would just be used for more extensive and long-term imaging of solar system bodies, which doesn’t necessarily overlap with the HST. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never mentions the possibility of modifying the HST, so there is no basis to make this inference. Rather, the researchers suggest using a different telescope to more closely observe certain objects. Choice D is incorrect. This inference is too strong to be supported. The text doesn’t give us enough info to assume that the HST lacks any particular sensors.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "0dba14e6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The increased integration of digital technologies throughout the process of book creation in the late 20th and early 21st centuries lowered the costs of book production, but those decreased costs have been most significant in the manufacturing and distribution process, which occurs after the authoring, editing, and design of the book are complete. This suggests that in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "digital technologies made it easier than it had been previously for authors to write very long works and get them published.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "customers generally expected the cost of books to decline relative to the cost of other consumer goods.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "publishers increased the variety of their offerings by printing more unique titles but also printed fewer copies of each title.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the costs of writing, editing, and designing a book were less affected by the technologies used than were the costs of manufacturing and distributing a book.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of how digital technologies affected the process of book creation. The text explains that in the late 20th and early 21st centuries digital technologies lowered book production costs most significantly in manufacturing and distribution. The text goes on to point out that authoring, editing, and book design are distinct steps in the process that occur before manufacturing and distribution. Because the savings connected to digital technologies have been most significant in manufacturing and distribution, it’s reasonable to infer that those technologies had less of an effect on writing, editing, and designing books. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on lowered book production costs that occur after authoring has taken place; there’s no indication in the text whether digital technologies made writing and publishing lengthy books easier. Choice B is incorrect. Although it’s logical to conclude that customers would expect the cost of books to decline if production costs have declined, the text doesn’t address customer expectations for the cost of books or any other consumer goods. Choice C is incorrect because the text focuses broadly on how digital technologies have affected the cost of the publishing process; it doesn’t address the kinds of books being published or how many copies are printed.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "0dccbf17",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Henry Ossawa Tanner’s 1893 painting The Banjo Lesson, which depicts an elderly man teaching a boy to play the banjo, is regarded as a landmark in the history of works by Black artists in the United States. Scholars should be cautious when ascribing political or ideological values to the painting, however: beliefs and assumptions that are commonly held now may have been unfamiliar to Tanner and his contemporaries, and vice versa. Scholars who forget this fact when discussing The Banjo Lesson therefore ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "risk judging Tanner’s painting by standards that may not be historically appropriate.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "tend to conflate Tanner’s political views with those of his contemporaries.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "forgo analyzing Tanner’s painting in favor of analyzing his political activity.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "wrongly assume that Tanner’s painting was intended as a critique of his fellow artists.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. It most logically completes the text. The text argues that Tanner and his contemporaries may have been unfamiliar with modern beliefs and values. This suggests that scholars who attribute those modern values to Tanner’s painting are risking judging the painting by standards that are not historically accurate.  <br>Choice B is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text argues that Tanner AND his contemporaries may have been unfamiliar with modern views. It never suggests that Tanner’s views were different from his contemporaries’ views.  Choice C is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never suggests that scholars should analyze Tanner’s political activity instead of his painting. Rather, the text argues that Tanner and his contemporaries may have been unfamiliar with modern beliefs and values. Choice D is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never suggests that Tanner wanted to critique his contemporaries with his painting. Rather, the text argues that Tanner AND his contemporaries may have been unfamiliar with modern beliefs and values.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "1b9b29f1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>A team of biologists led by Jae-Hoon Jung, Antonio D. Barbosa, and Stephanie Hutin investigated the mechanism that allows Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress) plants to accelerate flowering at high temperatures. They replaced the protein ELF3 in the plants with a similar protein found in another species (stiff brome) that, unlike A. thaliana, displays no acceleration in flowering with increased temperature. A comparison of unmodified A. thaliana plants with the altered plants showed no difference in flowering at 22° Celsius, but at 27° Celsius, the unmodified plants exhibited accelerated flowering while the altered ones did not, which suggests that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "temperature-sensitive accelerated flowering is unique to A. thaliana.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "A. thaliana increases ELF3 production as temperatures rise.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "ELF3 enables A. thaliana to respond to increased temperatures.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "temperatures of at least 22° Celsius are required for A. thaliana to flower.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of accelerated flowering in A. thaliana plants. The text indicates that A. thaliana plants show accelerated flowering at high temperatures. To investigate the mechanism for this accelerated flowering, biologists replaced the ELF3 protein in one group of A. thaliana plants with a similar protein found in another plant species that doesn’t show accelerated flowering. The team then compared these modified plants to A. thaliana plants that retained their original ELF3 protein. The text states that the two samples of plants showed no difference in flowering at 22° Celsius, but at 27° Celsius the unaltered plants with ELF3 showed accelerated flowering while the plants without ELF3 didn’t. If accelerated flowering at the higher temperature occurred in the A. thaliana plants with ELF3 but not in the plants without the protein, then ELF3 likely enables A. thaliana to respond to increased temperatures. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention whether any plants other than A. thaliana and stiff brome show temperature-sensitive flowering, so there is no support for the idea that this type of flowering is unique to A. thaliana. Choice B is incorrect because the text discusses the effects of ELF3 and not the production of it. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the amount of ELF3 in A. thaliana varies with temperature. Choice D is incorrect. While the text states that there was no difference in the flowering of modified and unmodified A. thaliana plants at 22° Celsius, there’s no suggestion that A. thaliana only begins to flower at 22° Celsius; the text doesn’t mention a specific temperature threshold required for A. thaliana flowering.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "22b3da87",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>During the Bourbon Restoration in France (1814–1830), the right to vote required in part that a person paid at least 300 francs in direct taxes to the government. The four most common taxes (the quatre vieilles) were levied on real estate (both land and buildings); the doors and windows in taxpayer homes; the rental values of homes; and the businesses of artisans and merchants. (Foreign investments were either exempt from taxation or taxed lightly.) Although relatively few people paid the tax on real estate, it was the main means of voter qualification and accounted for over two-thirds of government receipts during this period, suggesting that during the Bourbon Restoration ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "those people who had the right to vote most likely had substantial holdings of French real estate.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the voting habits of French artisans and merchants were effective in reducing tax burdens on businesses.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "the number of doors and windows in French residences was kept to a minimum but increased after 1830.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "French people with significant foreign investments were unlikely to have the right to vote.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. We’re told that people needed to pay “at least 300 francs in direct taxes” to be able to vote. We’re also told that, while “relatively few people paid the tax on real estate,” real estate taxes were both the main way people qualified to vote and the main source of revenue for the government. Based on this, we can infer that those who did qualify to vote likely had significant French real estate holdings. <br>Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the voting habits of artisans and merchants nor any reduction in tax burdens on businesses, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. Although we know that doors and windows were taxed during the Bourbon Restoration, we don’t have enough information to infer if doors and windows increased after this time. Choice D is incorrect. Although we know that foreign investments were only minimally taxed, we don’t have enough information to determine if those with significant foreign investments were unlikely to have voting rights. For example, it’s possible that those with significant foreign investments were likely to also be people with significant domestic investments which they did pay taxes on, so we don’t have the information necessary to make this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "2a075bd1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Indigenous cultures possess unique knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants. According to a 2021 study, 73 percent of the medicinal uses of plants native to North America are reflected in the vocabulary of a single Indigenous language. However, as more and more Indigenous people exclusively speak a globally dominant language, such as English, their ancestral languages fade from daily use. These facts lend added importance to tribal nations’ efforts to preserve their languages. By ensuring the continued use of Cherokee, Ojibwe, and the hundreds of other Indigenous languages in what is now the United States, tribal nations are also ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "increasing the number of medicinal plants represented in the vocabularies of Indigenous languages.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "transmitting terms for medicinal plants from Indigenous languages to globally dominant languages.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "preserving knowledge about the medicinal value of plants native to the tribal nations’ lands.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "ensuring that citizens of tribal nations have physical access to medicinal plants.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the relationship between Indigenous languages and knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants. The text states that Indigenous cultures possess special knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants, which is reflected in their vocabulary. The text then discusses how tribal nations are working to preserve their languages, whose daily use is declining as globally dominant languages become increasingly dominant in Indigenous communities. Given that the languages of tribal nations in what is now the United States function as repositories of knowledge about plants’ medicinal uses, it logically follows that continued use of those languages will assist with passing on knowledge about the medicinal value of plants native to the tribal nations’ lands. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text states that preserving Indigenous languages will increase the knowledge, not the number, of medicinal plants. Choice B is incorrect because the text is concerned with how vocabulary about the medicinal value of plants can be preserved through the continued daily use of Indigenous languages, not with how such vocabulary can be incorporated into globally dominant, non-Indigenous languages. Moreover, the text explains that the exclusive use of globally dominant languages in Indigenous communities comes at an expense to the continued daily use of those communities’ languages. Given this relationship, it is unlikely globally dominant languages would borrow Indigenous vocabulary pertaining to  plants’ medicinal uses. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss physical access to medicinal plants, instead focusing on Indigenous knowledge and language surrounding the medicinal uses of plants.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3f236877",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Ratified by more than 90 countries, the Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement ensuring that Indigenous communities are compensated when their agricultural resources and knowledge of wild plants and animals are utilized by agricultural corporations. However, the protocol has shortcomings. For example, it allows corporations to insist that their agreements with communities to conduct research on the commercial uses of the communities’ resources and knowledge remain confidential. Therefore, some Indigenous advocates express concern that the protocol may have the unintended effect of ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "diminishing the monetary reward that corporations might derive from their agreements with Indigenous communities.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "limiting the research that corporations conduct on the resources of the Indigenous communities with which they have signed agreements.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "preventing independent observers from determining whether the agreements guarantee equitable compensation for Indigenous communities.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "discouraging Indigenous communities from learning new methods for harvesting plants and animals from their corporate partners.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the argument about an unintended effect of the Nagoya Protocol. The text explains that the Nagoya Protocol is an agreement ensuring that Indigenous communities are compensated when their agricultural resources and knowledge are used by corporations. The text then states that the protocol allows corporations to keep their agreements with Indigenous communities confidential, about which some Indigenous advocates express concern. Choice C, when inserted into the blank, gives a good justification for the advocates’ concern: such secrecy could mean that the public is unable to determine whether participating Indigenous communities were properly compensated under these agreements. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The text suggests that because corporations can keep their agreements with Indigenous communities confidential, Indigenous communities, not corporations, might not be compensated fairly. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the ability of corporations to keep their agreements with Indigenous communities confidential would place limits on how much research corporations can undertake. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that Indigenous communities aim to learn new harvesting methods from their corporate partners. Rather, the text suggests that corporations use the knowledge of Indigenous communities for their research.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4889580c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Archaeologists and historians used to believe that the Maya civilization during its Classic period (roughly 250–900) lacked agricultural marketplaces. One reason for this belief was that these scholars misunderstood the ecology of the regions the Maya inhabited. Marketplaces typically emerge because different individuals or groups want to trade resources they control for resources they don’t control. Scholars seriously underestimated the ecological diversity of the Maya landscape and thus assumed that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "marketplaces likely would not have attracted many traders from outside the regions controlled by the Maya.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "farming practices would have been largely the same throughout Maya lands even if the crops people produced varied significantly.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "marketplaces would not have enabled Maya people to acquire many products different from those they already produced.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "farmers would trade agricultural products only if they had already produced enough to meet their own needs.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of scholars’ understanding of Maya ecology and agricultural marketplaces. The text indicates that scholars used to believe that during the Classic period, the Maya civilization didn’t have agricultural marketplaces. According to the text, scholars held this view because they misunderstood the ecology of areas where the Maya lived. The text points out that people tend to create marketplaces in order to acquire resources they don’t otherwise control. Agricultural marketplaces would have allowed farmers who produced one type of crop to trade that crop for other types of crops that they didn’t produce. The text goes on to say, however, that scholars underestimated the ecological diversity of the Maya areas, meaning that scholars thought that the Maya landscape produced a smaller range of resources than it actually produced. Taken together, then, this information suggests that scholars assumed that marketplaces wouldn’t have allowed Maya people to acquire products different from the products they already produced: that is, if everyone produced the same array of crops, as scholars mistakenly believed, then there wouldn’t have been any need for marketplaces where people could trade those crops. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t say anything about trade between the Maya and people from outside the regions controlled by the Maya. Although scholars’ mistaken belief that the Maya lands weren’t very ecologically diverse would give those scholars a reason to think that the Maya didn’t have marketplaces, it wouldn’t lead scholars to assume that traders from outside Maya lands were uninterested in acquiring resources produced by the Maya. Even if the Maya actually did produce only a small array of resources throughout their lands, there is no reason to believe from the text that people outside Maya lands also produced these same resources and thus would have no need to trade with the Maya people. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that scholars underestimated the ecological diversity of the Maya lands, which suggests that they mistakenly believed that the Maya produced a relatively small array of resources throughout their territory, not that the crops the Maya produced varied significantly throughout the Maya lands. Although the scholars might have assumed that a lack of ecological diversity suggests that Maya farming practices were largely the same everywhere, the text does not support that they also assumed there was a lot of variation in the crops that Maya people produced. In fact, the text states that marketplaces emerge when people want to obtain resources they don’t already control. If it were the case that scholars assumed that the crops Maya people produced varied significantly, this would have led them to conclude that Maya people likely established marketplaces so they could trade for resources they didn’t already possess, not that the Maya civilization lacked marketplaces. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that scholars assumed that farmers wouldn’t trade their agricultural products unless they had already met their own needs with those products. Instead, the text says that scholars thought that the Maya lands produced a smaller array of resources than they actually did, which the text suggests led scholars to assume that the Maya didn’t have any need for marketplaces. The scholars’ mistaken belief has no bearing on the issue of whether farmers met their own needs before trading their products.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4f9f8ea6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Birds of many species ingest foods containing carotenoids, pigmented molecules that are converted into feather coloration. Coloration tends to be especially saturated in male birds’ feathers, and because carotenoids also confer health benefits, the deeply saturated colors generally serve to communicate what is known as an honest signal of a bird’s overall fitness to potential mates. However, ornithologist Allison J. Shultz and others have found that males in several species of the tanager genus Ramphocelus use microstructures in their feathers to manipulate light, creating the appearance of deeper saturation without the birds necessarily having to maintain a carotenoid-rich diet. These findings suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "individual male tanagers can engage in honest signaling without relying on carotenoid consumption.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "feather microstructures may be less effective than deeply saturated feathers for signaling overall fitness.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "scientists have yet to determine why tanagers have a preference for mates with colorful appearances.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "a male tanager’s appearance may function as a dishonest signal of the individual’s overall fitness.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Shultz’s finding about male tanagers. The text explains that because carotenoids both contribute to deeply saturated feathers and offer health benefits, having deeply saturated feathers is usually “an honest signal” (a true indication) that a bird is generally fit. However, Shultz and others have found that certain male tanagers can appear to have deeply saturated feathers even if they haven’t consumed a diet rich in carotenoids, thanks to microstructures in their feathers that manipulate light. If those birds aren’t necessarily eating carotenoid-rich diets, they may actually be less fit than other birds that appear to have similarly saturated feathers; this suggests that a male tanager’s appearance may function as a dishonest signal, or a false indication, of the bird’s overall fitness. <br>Choice A is incorrect because Shultz’s finding suggests that some tanagers can signal fitness without consuming the carotenoids that contribute to fitness, thereby making those signals dishonest, not that tanagers can give honest signals of their fitness without consuming carotenoids. Choice B is incorrect because Shultz’s finding suggests that the microstructures in certain tanagers’ feathers can give a dishonest signal of fitness, not that the microstructures are less effective than actual pigmentation for signaling fitness. Whether the signal of fitness is honest or dishonest has no bearing on how effective the signal is: a signal is effective if potential mates behave as though it’s true, regardless of whether it’s actually true. Since there’s no information in the text about how potential mates respond to the dishonest signals of some tanagers, there’s no support for the idea that the dishonest signals are less effective than the honest signals. Choice C is incorrect because Shultz’s finding suggests that certain male tanagers may appear to be fitter than they actually are, not that scientists haven’t determined why tanagers prefer mates with colorful appearances.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5632ffb4",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In a study of the cognitive abilities of white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator), researchers neglected to control for the physical difficulty of the tasks they used to evaluate the monkeys. The cognitive abilities of monkeys given problems requiring little dexterity, such as sliding a panel to retrieve food, were judged by the same criteria as were those of monkeys given physically demanding problems, such as unscrewing a bottle and inserting a straw. The results of the study, therefore, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "could suggest that there are differences in cognitive ability among the monkeys even though such differences may not actually exist.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "are useful for identifying tasks that the monkeys lack the cognitive capacity to perform but not for identifying tasks that the monkeys can perform.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "should not be taken as indicative of the cognitive abilities of any monkey species other than C. imitator.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "reveal more about the monkeys’ cognitive abilities when solving artificial problems than when solving problems encountered in the wild.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the study of capuchin monkeys’ cognitive abilities. The text explains that the study failed to distinguish between outcomes for the tasks performed by the capuchin monkeys, such that simpler tasks requiring less dexterity, or skill, were judged by the same criteria as tasks that demanded more dexterity. Because the study didn’t account for this discrepancy, the researchers might have assumed that observed differences in performance were due to the abilities of the monkeys rather than the complexity of the tasks. In other words, the results may suggest cognitive differences among the monkeys even though such differences may not really exist. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on the fact that the tasks assigned to the capuchin monkeys in the study varied in difficulty and that the variety wasn’t taken into consideration. The text doesn’t suggest that the capuchin monkeys couldn’t perform certain tasks, just that some tasks were more difficult to do. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the study’s results are indicative of the abilities of capuchin monkeys but not of other monkey species; in fact, the text suggests that the results may not even be an accurate reflection of capuchin monkeys’ abilities. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that the researchers compared results for artificial tasks with those for tasks encountered in the wild, although the tasks described in the text—sliding a panel and putting a straw in a bottle—are presumably artificial.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "58e9e497",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the early nineteenth century, some Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States used agricultural techniques developed by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people centuries earlier, but it seems that few of those farmers had actually seen Haudenosaunee farms firsthand. Barring the possibility of several farmers of the same era independently developing techniques that the Haudenosaunee people had already invented, these facts most strongly suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "those farmers learned the techniques from other people who were more directly influenced by Haudenosaunee practices.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the crops typically cultivated by Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States were not well suited to Haudenosaunee farming techniques.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Haudenosaunee farming techniques were widely used in regions outside the northeastern United States.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Euro-American farmers only began to recognize the benefits of Haudenosaunee farming techniques late in the nineteenth century.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Euro-American farmers’ use of Haudenosaunee agricultural techniques. According to the text, some Euro-American farmers were using these techniques in the early nineteenth century despite few of the farmers having seen Haudenosaunee farms. One explanation for these facts might be that the farmers developed techniques on their own that already had been invented centuries earlier by the Haudenosaunee people, but the text explicitly bars, or rules out, this explanation. If Euro-American farmers didn’t learn these techniques from direct observation of Haudenosaunee practices and didn’t invent the techniques independently, then the most logical explanation is that they learned the techniques from other people who were more directly influenced by Haudenosaunee practices than the farmers themselves were. Once they learned about Haudenosaunee agricultural practices, Euro-American farmers could then apply those practices to their own farming. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the fact that some Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States were using Haudenosaunee techniques suggests that the techniques were likely useful for the crops the farmers raised, not that the crops typically cultivated by the farmers were not well suited to Haudenosaunee farming techniques. If the farmers’ crops were ill suited to the techniques, it’s unlikely that the farmers would have used those techniques. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates only that Haudenosaunee agricultural techniques were used by Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States, not that these techniques were widely used outside this region. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that some Euro-American farmers were using Haudenosaunee farming techniques early in the nineteenth century. This suggests that some Euro-American farmers were beginning to recognize the benefits of these techniques near the start of the century, not that such farmers only began to recognize the benefits of the techniques much later.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "61228830",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>A heliograph is a semaphore device used for sending optical communications—usually in the form of Morse code—by reflecting flashes of sunlight off a mirror. Heliographs were used for rapid communication across expansive distances for military, surveying, and forestry purposes during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but they were largely effective only during the daytime, and the range of the device depended on factors such as the opacity of the air and line of sight. Therefore, heliographs were eventually replaced by technology that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "worked on similar principles but was easier to produce and maintain.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "was not so constrained by environmental circumstances.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "could be used for more than military, surveying, or forestry purposes.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "enabled communication that didn’t require knowledge of Morse code.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. The passage explains that heliographs “were largely effective only during the daytime” and that “the range of the device depended on factors such as the opacity of the air and line of sight.” These constraints would have greatly limited the use of the heliograph, so we can infer that this would have been a reason to replace it with new technology. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t discuss the production and maintenance of heliographs, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention any “other purposes” that a heliograph wouldn’t work for, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention knowledge of Morse code as a particular problem with the use of heliographs, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "6e0e0de1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Aerogels are highly porous foams consisting mainly of tiny air pockets within a solidified gel. These lightweight materials are often applied to spacecraft and other equipment required to withstand extreme conditions, as they provide excellent insulation despite typically being brittle and eventually fracturing due to degradation from repeated exposure to high heat. Now, Xiangfeng Duan of the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues have developed an aerogel with uniquely flexible properties. Unlike earlier aerogels, Duan’s team’s material contracts rather than expands when heated and fully recovers after compressing to just 5% of its original volume, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the aerogel’s remarkable flexibility results from its higher proportion of air pockets to solidified gel as compared to other aerogels.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the aerogel’s overall strength is greater than that of other insulators but its ability to withstand exposure to intense heat is lower.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "the aerogel will be more effective as an insulator for uses that involve gradual temperature shifts than for those that involve rapid heat increases.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the aerogel will be less prone to the structural weakness that ultimately causes most other aerogels to break down with use.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      'Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of aerogels. The text states that aerogels—highly porous foams—offer "excellent insulation" but typically break down after prolonged exposure to high heat. However, according to the text, Duan and colleagues developed an aerogel that "contracts rather than expands when heated" and recovers its original volume after this contraction. Thus, it is logical to conclude that Duan’s team’s aerogel material will be less prone to the structural weakness that caused earlier aerogels to break down.<br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the text indicates that aerogels consist "mainly of tiny air pockets within a solidified gel," it doesn’t mention the number or proportion of air pockets to solidified gel in typical aerogels or in the aerogel developed by Duan’s team. Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests that the aerogel developed by Duan’s team has a higher, not a lower, ability to withstand exposure to intense heat due to its contraction and subsequent recovery. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text discusses temperature tolerances of aerogels and says that they offer "excellent insulation despite typically being brittle and eventually fracturing," it doesn’t discuss how different rates of temperature change can affect aerogels.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9391b7cc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>If some artifacts recovered from excavations of the settlement of Kuulo Kataa, in modern Ghana, date from the thirteenth century CE, that may lend credence to claims that the settlement was founded before or around that time. There is other evidence, however, strongly supporting a fourteenth century CE founding date for Kuulo Kataa. If both the artifact dates and the fourteenth century CE founding date are correct, that would imply that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "artifacts from the fourteenth century CE are more commonly recovered than are artifacts from the thirteenth century CE.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "the artifacts originated elsewhere and eventually reached Kuulo Kataa through trade or migration.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Kuulo Kataa was founded by people from a different region than had previously been assumed.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "excavations at Kuulo Kataa may have inadvertently damaged some artifacts dating to the fourteenth century CE.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of artifacts and Kuulo Kataa’s founding date. If it were true both that Kuulo Kataa was founded in the fourteenth century CE and that artifacts found in excavations of the settlement are from the thirteenth century CE, it would be reasonable to conclude that the artifacts weren’t created in the Kuulo Kataa settlement. That would suggest, then, that the artifacts originated somewhere else and eventually reached the settlement through trading or as people migrated. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the existence of thirteenth-century CE artifacts recovered during excavations of a settlement founded in the fourteenth century CE isn’t logically connected to artifacts from one century being more commonly recovered than artifacts from another century. Rather than suggesting anything about how frequently artifacts from different times are found, the existence of artifacts confirmed as predating the settlement’s founding suggests that those items arrived in Kuulo Kataa during or after its establishment. Choice C is incorrect because the text focuses on time periods and says nothing about which region the founders of Kuulo Kataa have been thought to come from; similarly, the text doesn’t suggest anything about where the thirteenth-century CE artifacts originated other than not from Kuulo Kataa. Therefore, it isn’t logical to conclude that the mere existence of artifacts confirmed as predating the Kuulo Kataa settlement suggests that the founders of the settlement came from a particular region other than one previously assumed. Choice D is incorrect because the existence of artifacts from the thirteenth century CE at a site dated to the fourteenth century CE doesn’t imply that fourteenth-century objects were damaged during excavations. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that any objects were damaged; rather, the existence of artifacts confirmed as predating the settlement’s founding suggests that those items were brought to Kuulo Kataa during or after its establishment.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "95dbdf51",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Laura Mulvey has theorized that in narrative film, shots issuing from a protagonist’s point of view compel viewers to identify with the character. Such identification is heightened by “invisible editing,” or editing so inconspicuous that it renders cuts between shots almost unnoticeable. Conversely, Mulvey proposes that conspicuous editing or an absence of point-of-view shots would induce a more critical stance toward a protagonist. Consider, for example, the attic scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, a conspicuously edited sequence of tens of shots, few of which correspond to the protagonist’s point of view. According to Mulvey’s logic, this scene should affect viewers by ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "obscuring their awareness of the high degree of artifice involved in constructing the montage.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "lessening their identification with the protagonist, if not alienating them from the character altogether.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "compelling them to identify with the film’s director, whose proxy is the camera, and not with the protagonist.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "diverting their attention away from the film’s content and toward its stylistic attributes.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. We’re told that point-of-view shots and “invisible editing” make audiences identify with a character. We’re also told that obvious editing and a lack of point-of-view shots have the opposite effect. Since the sequence in The Birds falls into this second category, it should have the effect of reducing the audience’s connection with the protagonist. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention viewers’ awareness of artifice (i.e., camera trickery) in films, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention the director at all, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage doesn’t discuss whether a film’s “stylistic attributes” may distract viewers from the film’s story, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9abc3ba5",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>“Gestures” in painting are typically thought of as bold, expressive brushstrokes. In the 1970s, American painter Jack Whitten built a 12-foot (3.7-meter) tool he named the “developer” to apply paint to an entire canvas in one motion, resulting in his series of “slab” paintings from that decade.  Whitten described this process as making an entire painting in “one gesture,” signaling a clear departure from the prevalence of gestures in his work from the 1960s. Some art historians claim this shift represents “removing gesture” from the process. Therefore, regardless of whether using the developer constitutes a gesture, both Whitten and these art historians likely agree that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "any tool that a painter uses to create an artwork is capable of creating gestures.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "Whitten’s work from the 1960s exhibits many more gestures than his work from the 1970s does.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Whitten became less interested in exploring the role of gesture in his work as his career progressed.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Whitten’s work from the 1960s is much more realistic than his work from the 1970s is.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. ​​Whitten thinks the tool made “one gesture” paintings, while historians think the tool “removed gesture” from the process completely. But putting that debate aside, both Whitten and the historians would agree that the paintings he made with the tool in the ’70s have way fewer gestures than his paintings from the ’60s, in which gestures are “prevalent,” meaning widely and extensively present. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text only discusses the “developer”—it never mentions other tools. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. If anything, the text suggests the opposite: that Whitten became more interested in exploring the role of gesture in his work as his career progressed, as his earlier paintings had many gestures, and his ’70s paintings only had “one gesture.” Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the “realism” of Whitten’s art.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9c591ff7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some Astyanax mexicanus, a river-dwelling fish found in northeast Mexico, have colonized caves in the region. Although there is little genetic difference between river and cave A. mexicanus and all members of the species can emit the same sounds, biologist Carole Hyacinthe and colleagues found that the context and significance of those sounds vary by location—e.g., the click that river-dwelling A. mexicanus use to signal aggression is used by cave dwellers when foraging—and the acoustic properties of cave fish sounds show some cave-specific variations as well. Hyacinthe and colleagues note that differences in sonic communication could accumulate to the point of inhibiting interbreeding among fish from different locations, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "although A. mexicanus living in rivers are genetically similar to those living in caves, river fish rely on sonic communication less than cave fish do.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "although A. mexicanus is a single species at present, it could be in the process of splitting into distinct populations with different characteristics.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "although all A. mexicanus emit sounds, the fish living in rivers produce some sounds that the fish living in caves do not, and vice versa.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "although A. mexicanus from different locations can interbreed currently, river fish and cave fish are sufficiently genetically distinct that they can be considered separate species.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of A. mexicanus. According to the text, A. mexicanus, a river-dwelling fish species, has colonized caves. The fish that live in rivers and those that live in caves show no significant genetic differences and are all capable of making the same sounds. The text indicates, however, that Hyacinthe and colleagues found that sounds that the river fish use in a particular context and for a particular purpose are used in a different context and for a different purpose by the cave fish. Additionally, the sounds made by cave fish show some differences depending on the specific cave the fish inhabit. The text goes on to state that Hyacinthe and colleagues have noted that differences in how the fish use sound to communicate could eventually become so great that they prevent fish from different locations from interbreeding. In other words, the river fish might eventually only breed with other river fish (with whom they share characteristics regarding sonic communication that they do not share with cave fish), while the cave fish might only breed with other cave fish for a similar reason. In context, this observation suggests that even though the fish are a single species right now, they could be in the process of splitting into distinct populations with different characteristics. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there is no information in the text suggesting that the river fish are less reliant on sonic communication than the cave fish are. Although the text does indicate that the river fish and cave fish are genetically similar, the text describes both groups as using sonic communication and says nothing to indicate that one group depends on that communication more than the other group does. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that all members of the species can emit the same sounds but that the function and context of sounds differ depending on whether the fish live in rivers or caves, but it does not indicate that river fish produce sounds that cave fish do not or vice versa. Choice D is incorrect because it contradicts the text. The text says that there is little genetic difference between the river fish and the cave fish, not that the river fish and cave fish are so genetically distinct that they can be considered separate species.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a13c1c66",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Many animals, including humans, must sleep, and sleep is known to have a role in everything from healing injuries to encoding information in long-term memory. But some scientists claim that, from an evolutionary standpoint, deep sleep for hours at a time leaves an animal so vulnerable that the known benefits of sleeping seem insufficient to explain why it became so widespread in the animal kingdom. These scientists therefore imply that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "prolonged deep sleep is likely advantageous in ways that have yet to be discovered.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "most traits perform functions that are hard to understand from an evolutionary standpoint.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "it is more important to understand how widespread prolonged deep sleep is than to understand its function.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "many traits that provide significant benefits for an animal also likely pose risks to that animal.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. It most logically completes the text. The text says that some scientists can’t explain why prolonged deep sleep is so widespread, given that the known benefits of sleep don’t seem to make up for how vulnerable it leaves an animal. This suggests that prolonged deep sleep probably has unknown evolutionary benefits that make up for the vulnerability.    <br>Choice B is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text only discusses the benefits and risks of one trait: sleep. So there’s no basis for an inference about “most traits.” Choice C is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text says that it is already known that prolonged deep sleep is widespread in the animal kingdom. Rather, what some scientists can’t explain is WHY prolonged deep sleep is so widespread, given that the known benefits of sleep don’t seem to make up for how vulnerable it leaves an animal. Choice D is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text only discusses the benefits and risks of one trait: sleep. So there’s no basis for an inference about “many traits.”",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a68fd3e7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies address broad themes that still appeal to today’s audiences. For instance, Romeo and Juliet, which is set in the Italy of Shakespeare’s time, tackles the themes of parents versus children and love versus hate, and the play continues to be read and produced widely around the world. But understanding Shakespeare’s so-called history plays can require a knowledge of several centuries of English history. Consequently, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "many theatergoers and readers today are likely to find Shakespeare’s history plays less engaging than the tragedies.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "some of Shakespeare’s tragedies are more relevant to today’s audiences than twentieth-century plays.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Romeo and Juliet is the most thematically accessible of all Shakespeare’s tragedies.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "experts in English history tend to prefer Shakespeare’s history plays to his other works.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the relative appeal of different kinds of plays by Shakespeare to today’s audiences. According to the text, Shakespeare’s tragedies address broad themes that continue to appeal to today’s audiences. Indeed, the text suggests that these themes are timeless, as illustrated by the example of Romeo and Juliet, which the text states is still read and widely performed despite being set in the Italy of Shakespeare’s time. In contrast, the text indicates that audiences and readers may need to be familiar with several centuries of English history in order to understand Shakespeare’s history plays. Because many theatergoers and readers are unlikely to possess such extensive historical knowledge, it follows that they are likely to find Shakespeare’s history plays less engaging than his more accessible tragedies. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text never introduces a comparison between Shakespeare’s tragedies and twentieth-century plays, only between Shakespeare’s tragedies and his history plays. Since twentieth-century plays aren’t mentioned, there’s no basis in the text for the idea that some of Shakespeare’s tragedies are more relevant than twentieth-century plays to today’s audiences. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text indicates that Romeo and Juliet is thematically accessible to today’s audiences, it doesn’t suggest that Romeo and Juliet is more accessible than Shakespeare’s other tragedies. Rather, the text presents Romeo and Juliet as an example to support the idea that Shakespeare’s tragedies hold continued appeal for today’s readers and theatergoers. Choice D is incorrect. Although experts in English history would likely possess the knowledge needed to understand Shakespeare’s history plays, the text never mentions such experts or suggests that they would enjoy the history plays more than Shakespeare’s other works.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "aaddd60f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Scientists studying Mars long thought the history of its crust was relatively simple. One reason for this is that geologic and climate data collected by a spacecraft showed that the crust was largely composed of basalt, likely as a result of intense volcanic activity that brought about a magma ocean, which then cooled to form the planet’s surface. A study led by Valerie Payré focused on additional information—further analysis of data collected by the spacecraft and infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface—that revealed the presence of surprisingly high concentrations of silica in certain regions on Mars. Since a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica, Payré concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the information about silica concentrations collected by the spacecraft is likely more reliable than the silica information gleaned from infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "high silica concentrations on Mars likely formed from a different process than that which formed the crusts of other planets.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "having a clearer understanding of the composition of Mars’s crust and the processes by which it formed will provide more insight into how Earth’s crust formed.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Mars’s crust likely formed as a result of other major geological events in addition to the cooling of a magma ocean.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. Cooling magma would create basalt, but “a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica.” Since Mars’s crust does contain large amounts of silica, it is unlikely that Mars’s crust was formed exclusively by cooling magma. Therefore, there were likely other major geological events that created the high silica concentrations. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the passage discusses these two methods of collecting data about Mars’s crust, it never compares their reliability, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. The passage never mentions anything about the crusts of other planets, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never mentions Earth’s crust, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "ac285054",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The domestic sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) descends from a wild plant native to South America. It also populates the Polynesian Islands, where evidence confirms that Native Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples were cultivating the plant centuries before seafaring first occurred over the thousands of miles of ocean separating them from South America. To explain how the sweet potato was first introduced in Polynesia, botanist Pablo Muñoz-Rodríguez and colleagues analyzed the DNA of numerous varieties of the plant, concluding that Polynesian varieties diverged from South American ones over 100,000 years ago. Given that Polynesia was peopled only in the last three thousand years, the team concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "the cultivation of the sweet potato in Polynesia likely predates its cultivation in South America.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "Polynesian peoples likely acquired the sweet potato from South American peoples only within the last three thousand years.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "human activity likely played no role in the introduction of the sweet potato in Polynesia.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "Polynesian sweet potato varieties likely descend from a single South American variety that was domesticated, not wild.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sweet potato in Polynesia. The text indicates that the sweet potato is found in Polynesia but originated in South America, and that the sweet potato was being cultivated by Native Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples in Polynesia long before sea voyages between South America and Polynesia began. The text goes on to note that research by Muñoz-Rodríguez and colleagues has established that the Polynesian varieties of sweet potato split from South American varieties more than 100,000 years ago, which is thousands of years before humans settled in Polynesia. If Polynesian peoples were cultivating the sweet potato before sea voyages between Polynesia and South America began, and if Polynesian varieties of sweet potato diverged from South American varieties well before people were in Polynesia, it can reasonably be concluded that humans didn’t play a role in bringing the sweet potato to Polynesia. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide any information about when the sweet potato began to be cultivated in South America, so there’s no support for the conclusion that cultivation began in Polynesia before it began in South America. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the sweet potato was being cultivated in Polynesia long before sea journeys between Polynesia and South America began. Therefore, it wouldn’t be reasonable to conclude that Polynesian peoples acquired the sweet potato from South American peoples. Additionally, the text indicates that the Polynesian varieties of sweet potato diverged from the South American varieties thousands of years before people settled in Polynesia, which suggests that the sweet potato was already present in Polynesia when people arrived. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that the domestic sweet potato, which is found in Polynesia, descends from a wild South American plant, not from a domesticated South American plant. The only people that the text describes as cultivating the sweet potato are Native Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples of Polynesia.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b5e9f3c2",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Ancestral Puebloans, the civilization from which present-day Pueblo tribes descended, emerged as early as 1500 B.C.E. in an area of what is now the southwestern United States and dispersed suddenly in the late 1200s C.E., abandoning established villages with systems for farming crops and turkeys. Recent analysis comparing turkey remains at Mesa Verde, one such village in southern Colorado, to samples from modern turkey populations in the Rio Grande Valley of north central New Mexico determined that the latter birds descended in part from turkeys cultivated at Mesa Verde, with shared genetic markers appearing only after 1280. Thus, researchers concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "conditions of the terrains in the Rio Grande Valley and Mesa Verde had greater similarities in the past than they do today.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried farming practices with them.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Indigenous peoples living in the Rio Grande Valley primarily planted crops and did not cultivate turkeys before 1280.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde likely adopted the farming practices of Indigenous peoples living in other regions.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of Ancestral Puebloans’ migration to the Rio Grande Valley. The text states that in the late 1200s C.E., the Ancestral Puebloan civilization abandoned villages in its original homeland, which included the Mesa Verde site. The text goes on to say that recent genetic analysis has demonstrated that the modern turkey population in the Rio Grande Valley descends partly from the ancient turkeys raised at Mesa Verde, and that the genetic markers shared by the two turkey populations first appeared at Mesa Verde only after 1280 C.E. Therefore, it can reasonably be concluded that some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried their agricultural practices—including the farming of turkeys—to their new home. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text never compares the condition of the Rio Grande Valley’s terrain to that of Mesa Verde’s terrain, either in the present or in the past. Choice C is incorrect. Although genetic analysis has demonstrated that the modern turkey population in the Rio Grande valley descended in part from the turkey population raised by the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde before their migration to the valley in 1280, this finding doesn’t eliminate the possibility that Indigenous peoples living in the valley before 1280 might also have farmed turkeys. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t consider the possibility that before their migration to the Rio Grande Valley after 1280, the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde might have adopted turkey farming from an outside Indigenous civilization in another region; instead, the text provides evidence suggesting that the Ancestral Puebloans brought turkey farming to another region—the Rio Grande Valley—after 1280.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cae97f58",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Mosses can struggle in harsh desert conditions because these plants require enough sunlight for photosynthesis but not so much that they risk drying out. Researchers Jenna Ekwealor and Kirsten M. Fisher found several species of Syntrichia caninervis, a type of desert moss, growing under quartz crystals in California’s Mojave Desert. To evaluate whether these semitransparent rocks benefited the moss, the researchers compared the shoot tissue, a measure of plant growth, of S. caninervis when growing on the soil surface versus when the moss was growing under the quartz rocks. They found that the shoot tissue was 62% longer for moss growing under the quartz as compared to moss on the soil surface, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "S. caninervis is one of the few types of moss that can survive under semitransparent rocks.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "quartz crystals do not transmit the necessary sunlight for photosynthesis in S. caninervis.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "S. caninervis growing under quartz crystals experience lower light intensity and are thus able to retain more moisture.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "quartz crystals are capable of supporting S. caninervis growth if the crystals are not too thin.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because  it most logically completes the text. The text explains that while desert moss species need sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis, exposure to sunlight can also affect the plants negatively by drying them out. Ekwealor and Fisher’s team found specimens of S. caninervis moss growing under quartz crystals that were semitransparent, allowing some but not all sunlight to pass through them, and the shoot tissue of these specimens was longer than that of S. caninervis specimens found growing on the surface that were unprotected by such crystals. Since, as the text explains, the length of shoot tissue is an indicator of plant growth, and since greater exposure to sunlight results in greater loss of moisture, it can be inferred that S. caninervis growing under quartz crystals experience lower light intensity and are thus able to retain more moisture. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention another moss species besides S. caninervis or discuss whether other such species are able to grow under transparent crystals, as S. caninervis is. Choice B is incorrect because, as the text explains, specimens of S. caninervis were found growing under quartz crystals and exhibited more plant growth than specimens growing on the soil surface. This wouldn’t have been the case if the crystals transmitted insufficient light for the moss’s photosynthesis. Choice D is incorrect. The text contrasts the growth of S. caninervis specimens found beneath semitransparent quartz crystals with that of specimens found on the soil surface absent such crystals, but it doesn’t make a comparison among specimens growing beneath crystals of different degrees of thickness or consider how the relative thickness of the crystals affects the growth of the moss.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "ce4448b7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Researchers recently found that disruptions to an enjoyable experience, like a short series of advertisements during a television show, often increase viewers’ reported enjoyment. Suspecting that disruptions to an unpleasant experience would have the opposite effect, the researchers had participants listen to construction noise for 30 minutes and anticipated that those whose listening experience was frequently interrupted with short breaks of silence would thus ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "find the disruptions more irritating as time went on.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "rate the listening experience as more negative than those whose listening experience was uninterrupted.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "rate the experience of listening to construction noise as lasting for less time than it actually lasted.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "perceive the volume of the construction noise as growing softer over time.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. It most logically completes the text. The text tells us that disruptions to an enjoyable experience increase viewers’ enjoyment. It also says that researchers suspect the opposite is true for disruptions to an unpleasant experience. Thus, we can infer that the researchers expect to find that the interrupted unpleasant experience was worse for listeners than the uninterrupted unpleasant experience.  <br>Choice A is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how irritating the disruptions themselves are perceived to be. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences. Choice C is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how long any experience is perceived to be. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences. Choice D is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how interruptions affect the perceived volume of the unpleasant or pleasant experience. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cef77aa7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Geoglyphs are large-scale designs of lines or shapes created in a natural landscape. The Nazca Lines were created in the Nazca Desert in Peru by several Indigenous civilizations over a period of many centuries. Peruvian archaeologist Johny Isla specializes in these geoglyphs. At a German exhibit about the Nazca Lines, he saw an old photograph of a large geoglyph of a whalelike figure and was surprised that he didn’t recognize it. Isla returned to Peru and used a drone to search a wide area, looking for the figure from the air. This approach suggests that Isla thought that if he hadn’t already seen it, the whalelike geoglyph ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "must represent a species of whale that went extinct before there were any people in Peru.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "is actually located in Germany, not Peru, and isn’t part of the Nazca Lines at all.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "is probably in a location Isla hadn’t ever come across while on the ground.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "was almost certainly created a long time after the other Nazca Lines geoglyphs were created.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Johny Isla and the whalelike geoglyph. The text indicates that the German exhibit about the Nazca Lines included a photograph showing a whalelike geoglyph that Isla hadn’t known about before attending the exhibit, even though Isla “specializes in” Nazca Lines geoglyphs. Given his expertise, and his surprise at being unfamiliar with the whale glyph, the text strongly suggests that Isla believed he would have noticed the glyph if he had been to its location. Thus, the text implies that the whalelike geoglyph is likely in a location Isla had not previously been to.   <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address either the species of whale that the geoglyph is meant to represent or its relationship to the earliest humans in the area that is now Peru. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text indicates that the photograph of the whalelike geoglyph was on display at a “German exhibit,” that exhibit was specifically “about the Nazca Lines,” which the text indicates are located in Peru. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does indicate that the glyphs were created “over a period of many centuries,” the text doesn’t address when in that period of time any particular glyphs were created.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cf3acc50",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Compiled in the late 1500s largely through the efforts of Indigenous scribes, Cantares Mexicanos is the most important collection of poetry in Classical Nahuatl, the principal language of the Aztec Empire. The poems portray Aztec society before the occupation of the empire by the army of Spain, and marginal notes in Cantares Mexicanos indicate that much of the collection’s content predates the initial invasion. Nonetheless, some of the poems contain inarguable references to beliefs and customs common in Spain during this era. Thus, some scholars have concluded that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "while its content largely predates the invasion, Cantares Mexicanos also contains additions made after the invasion.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "although those who compiled Cantares Mexicanos were fluent in Nahuatl, they had limited knowledge of the Spanish language.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "before the invasion by Spain, the poets of the Aztec Empire borrowed from the literary traditions of other societies.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the references to beliefs and customs in Spain should be attributed to a coincidental resemblance between the societies of Spain and the Aztec Empire.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text. The text explains that the Cantares Mexicanos contains poems about the Aztec Empire from before the Spanish invasion. Furthermore, it indicates that notes in the collection attest that some of these poems predate the Spanish invasion, while some customs depicted are likely Spanish in origin. The implication is that some poems were composed before the invasion but the references to Spanish customs could have come about only after the invasion, and thus that the collection includes content that predates the invasion and also content from after the invasion. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text clearly indicates that the collection is in Nahuatl, not Spanish, so the compilers’ unfamiliarity with Spanish is irrelevant to whether the collection contains material composed after the Spanish invasion. Choice C is incorrect because the text mentions only the Aztec Empire and Spain: there is no information about the relationship of Aztec literature to any traditions other than its own or Spain’s. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that some of the poems make “inarguable references” to common Spanish customs, which conflicts with the idea that these references can reasonably be attributed to mere coincidence.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d1539546",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Tides can deposit large quantities of dead vegetation within a salt marsh, smothering healthy plants and leaving a salt panne—a depression devoid of plants that tends to trap standing water—in the marsh’s interior. Ecologist Kathryn Beheshti and colleagues found that burrowing crabs living within these pannes improve drainage by loosening the soil, leading the pannes to shrink as marsh plants move back in. At salt marsh edges, however, crab-induced soil loosening can promote marsh loss by accelerating erosion, suggesting that the burrowing action of crabs ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "can be beneficial to marshes with small pannes but can be harmful to marshes with large pannes.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "may promote increases in marsh plants or decreases in marsh plants, depending on the crabs’ location.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "tends to be more heavily concentrated in areas of marsh interiors with standing water than at marsh edges.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "varies in intensity depending on the size of the panne relative to the size of the surrounding marsh.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. The text says that crab burrowing in the pannes enables plants to grow there again. It also says that crab burrowing at the edges of the marsh speeds up marsh loss. This suggests that burrowing crabs can either help or hurt marshes, depending on where they’re located. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses pannes of different sizes. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that crabs do more burrowing in the pannes (the areas with standing water) than they do at the edges. Rather, the text says that the burrowing that happens in the pannes is beneficial, while the burrowing that happens at the edges is harmful. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the intensity of crab burrowing, nor does it discuss the size of the panne relative to the size of the marsh.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e185a21f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>One theory behind human bipedalism speculates that it originated in a mostly ground-based ancestor that practiced four-legged “knuckle-walking,” like chimpanzees and gorillas do today, and eventually evolved into moving upright on two legs. But recently, researchers observed orangutans, another relative of humans, standing on two legs on tree branches and using their arms for balance while they reached for fruits. These observations may suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "bipedalism evolved because it was advantageous to a tree-dwelling ancestor of humans.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "bipedalism must have evolved simultaneously with knuckle-walking and tree-climbing.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "moving between the ground and the trees would have been difficult without bipedalism.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "a knuckle-walking human ancestor could have easily moved bipedally in trees.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the evolution of bipedalism in humans. According to the text, one potential explanation for humans walking upright on two legs is that the behavior evolved from an ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, as modern chimpanzees and gorillas do. However, the finding that orangutans, also a relative of humans, sometimes stand on two legs in trees while using their arms to balance and reach for fruits suggests another possible explanation: perhaps a tree-dwelling ancestor of humans began moving on two legs because it offered an advantage, such as access to certain foods. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the finding that modern orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into when either bipedalism or tree-climbing behavior emerged in human ancestors. Additionally, the text indicates that one theory is that bipedalism evolved from a mostly ground-based ancestor that was already practicing knuckle-walking, not that bipedalism and knuckle-walking developed at the same time. Choice C is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into how difficult it would’ve been to move between the ground and the trees without bipedalism; there’s no suggestion that climbing or moving in trees depends on the ability to walk on two legs rather than four, even if that ability might be helpful in certain circumstances. Choice D is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t suggest that a knuckle-walking human ancestor could’ve easily moved on two legs in trees. Although the text indicates that bipedalism may have evolved from a human ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, it gives no indication of how easy it would’ve been for such an ancestor to move bipedally in trees.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f1bfbed3",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Marta Coll and colleagues’ 2010 Mediterranean Sea biodiversity census reported approximately 17,000 species, nearly double the number reported in Carlo Bianchi and Carla Morri’s 2000 census—a difference only partly attributable to the description of new invertebrate species in the interim. Another factor is that the morphological variability of microorganisms is poorly understood compared to that of vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and algae, creating uncertainty about how to evaluate microorganisms as species. Researchers’ decisions on such matters therefore can be highly consequential. Indeed, the two censuses reported similar counts of vertebrate, plant, and algal species, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "Coll and colleagues reported a much higher number of species than Bianchi and Morri did largely due to the inclusion of invertebrate species that had not been described at the time of Bianchi and Morri’s census.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "some differences observed in microorganisms may have been treated as variations within species by Bianchi and Morri but treated as indicative of distinct species by Coll and colleagues.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "Bianchi and Morri may have been less sensitive to the degree of morphological variation displayed within a typical species of microorganism than Coll and colleagues were.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "the absence of clarity regarding how to differentiate among species of microorganisms may have resulted in Coll and colleagues underestimating the number of microorganism species.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text’s discussion of the different counts of species in the Mediterranean Sea. The text states that Coll and colleagues reported almost double the number of species that Bianchi and Morri reported in their study ten years earlier. According to the text, this difference can only be partly attributed to new invertebrate species being described in the years between the two studies, which means there must be an additional factor that made Coll and colleagues’ count so much higher than Bianchi and Morri’s count. The text goes on to explain that factor: researchers have a relatively poor understanding of microorganisms’ morphological variability, or the differences in microorganisms’ structure and form. This poor understanding makes it hard to classify microorganisms by species and means that researchers’ decisions about classifying microorganisms can have a large effect on the overall species counts that researchers report. Additionally, the text says that the two censuses reported similar numbers of vertebrate, plant, and algal species, which means that the difference in overall species did not come from differences in those categories. Given all this information, it most logically follows that Coll and colleagues may have treated some of the differences among microorganisms as indicative of the microorganisms being different species, whereas Bianchi and Morri treated those differences as variations within species, resulting in Coll and colleagues reporting many more species than Bianchi and Morri did. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text explicitly addresses this issue by stating that the description of new invertebrate species in the years between the two studies can explain only part of the difference in the number of species reported by the studies. The focus of the text is on explaining the difference between Coll and colleagues’ count and Bianchi and Morri’s count that cannot be accounted for by the inclusion of invertebrate species that had not been described at the time of Bianchi and Morri’s study. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Bianchi and Morri may have been less sensitive to how much the form and structure of microorganisms vary within the same species than Coll and colleagues were. If Bianchi and Morri had been less sensitive to within-species variation than Coll and colleagues were, Bianchi and Morri would likely have reported more species than Coll and colleagues did, since less sensitivity to within-species variation would lead researchers to classify as different species microorganisms that more sensitive researchers would classify as variations within the same species. The text indicates, however, that Bianchi and Morri reported far fewer species than Coll and colleagues did; since the text also excludes other explanations for this difference, it suggests that in fact Bianchi and Morri were more sensitive to within-species variation than Coll and colleagues were, leading Bianchi and Morri to report fewer overall species. Choice D is incorrect because the text is focused on explaining why Coll and colleagues reported many more species than Bianchi and Morri did, and an underestimate of the number of microorganism species by Coll and colleagues would not explain that difference—it would suggest, in fact, that the difference in the number of species should have been even larger.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f2250478",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Among social animals that care for their young, such as chickens, macaque monkeys, and humans, newborns appear to show an innate attraction to faces and face-like stimuli. Elisabetta Versace and her colleagues used an image of three black dots arranged in the shape of eyes and a nose or mouth to test whether this trait also occurs in Testudo tortoises, which live alone and do not engage in parental care. They found that tortoise hatchlings showed a significant preference for the image, suggesting that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "face-like stimuli are likely perceived as harmless by newborns of social species that practice parental care but as threatening by newborns of solitary species without parental care.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "researchers should not assume that an innate attraction to face-like stimuli is necessarily an adaptation related to social interaction or parental care.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "researchers can assume that the attraction to face-like stimuli that is seen in social species that practice parental care is learned rather than innate.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "newly hatched Testudo tortoises show a stronger preference for face-like stimuli than adult Testudo tortoises do.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the study by Versace and colleagues. The text indicates that newborn animals of some species are attracted to faces and to stimuli that resemble faces. These species, the text says, share two characteristics: they’re social and they practice parental care, meaning that parents care for their young. The text goes on to describe Versace and colleagues’ experiment, which showed that Testudo tortoises, which aren’t social and don’t practice parental care, were attracted to a stimulus that resembles a face. Since Versace and colleagues have shown that a species that isn’t social and doesn’t practice parental care nevertheless has the innate characteristic of being attracted to face-like stimuli, it follows that this characteristic shouldn’t be assumed to be an adaptation related to social interaction or parental care. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the tortoise hatchlings, which are solitary and don’t practice parental care, were attracted to the face-like stimuli, not that they perceived the stimuli as threatening. Choice C is incorrect because the phenomenon discussed in the text is an attraction to faces and face-like stimuli on the part of newborn animals, which can’t show any learned characteristics since they were just born. Additionally, the text tells us that the tortoises Versace and colleagues studied aren’t social and don’t practice parental care, so any findings about those tortoises wouldn’t be relevant to the question of whether an attraction to faces in social species that practice parental care is innate or learned. Choice D is incorrect because the text gives no indication that adult tortoises were tested on face-like stimuli and, if adults were in fact tested, no information about how they responded is provided. Since no information about adult tortoises’ responses is provided, no conclusion comparing those responses to the responses of newly hatched tortoises can be supported.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f27559d4",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Volunteering, or giving time for a community service for free, is a valuable form of civic engagement because helping in a community is also good for society as a whole. In a survey of youths in the United States, most young people said that they believe volunteering is a way to help people on an individual level. Meanwhile, only 6% of the youths said that they think volunteering is a way to help fix problems in society overall. These replies suggest that ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "many young people think they can volunteer only within their own communities.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "volunteering may be even more helpful than many young people think it is.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "volunteering can help society overall more than it can help individual people.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "many young people may not know how to find ways to volunteer their time.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of volunteering. The text asserts that volunteering benefits both the community in which one volunteers and society as a whole. It then states that in a survey of young people, a majority of respondents said that volunteering helps individuals, but only 6% of respondents said that volunteering helps society as a whole. If volunteering does in fact help society as a whole, as the text says, but only 6% of young people believe it does, then it’s reasonable to conclude that volunteering is more helpful than many young people think it is. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text discusses young people’s beliefs about the benefits of volunteering, not where young people believe they are able to volunteer. Nothing in the text suggests that many young people believe they are only able to volunteer in their own communities. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text indicates that volunteering is beneficial for society as a whole, nothing in the text suggests that volunteering can benefit society more than it can benefit individual people. The text doesn’t compare the benefits to society with the benefits to individuals. Choice D is incorrect because the text discusses young people’s beliefs about the benefits of volunteering, not how to find volunteering opportunities. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that many young people don’t know how to volunteer.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f39507a3",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>One challenge when researching whether holding elected office changes a person’s behavior is the problem of ensuring that the experiment has an appropriate control group. To reveal the effect of holding office, researchers must compare people who hold elected office with people who do not hold office but who are otherwise similar to the office-holders. Since researchers are unable to control which politicians win elections, they therefore ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "struggle to find valid data about the behavior of politicians who do not currently hold office.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "can only conduct valid studies with people who have previously held office rather than people who presently hold office.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "should select a control group of people who differ from office holders in several significant ways.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "will find it difficult to identify a group of people who can function as an appropriate control group for their studies.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the challenge researchers face when studying the effects of holding elected office on a person’s behavior. The text explains that it’s hard for researchers to test for the effects that elected office has on people because finding people to serve as a control group is difficult. The text indicates that a control group needs to be made up of people who share characteristics of the group being tested but don’t have the variable being tested (in this case, holding elected office). Because researchers aren’t able to influence who wins elections, they’re also unable to determine who would serve as an appropriately similar member of a control group. Thus, it logically follows that researchers will find it difficult to identify a group of people who can function as an appropriate control group for their studies. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on the struggle to put together a control group for experiments; it doesn’t suggest that finding information about politicians’ behavior is difficult. Choice B is incorrect because the experiments mentioned in the text are testing the effects of holding elected office on a person’s behavior. Studying people who have already held elected office wouldn’t provide an opportunity to note any behavioral changes that the position might cause. Choice C is incorrect because the text defines people in a control group as those “who are otherwise similar to the office-holders”; selecting people who differ from the office-holders wouldn’t fit the criteria for an appropriate control group.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f942646f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Researchers Suchithra Rajendran and Maximilian Popfinger modeled varying levels of passenger redistribution from short-haul flights (flights of 50 to 210 minutes, from takeoff to landing) to high-speed rail trips. Planes travel faster than trains, but air travel typically requires 3 hours of lead time for security, baggage handling, and boarding that rail travel doesn’t, so short-haul routes take similar amounts of time by air and by rail. However, the model suggests that as rail passenger volumes approach current capacity limits, long lead times emerge. Therefore, for rail to remain a viable alternative to short-haul flights, ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "rail systems should offer fewer long-haul routes and airlines should offer more long-haul routes.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "rail systems may need to schedule additional trains for these routes.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "security, baggage handling, and boarding procedures used by airlines may need to be implemented for rail systems.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "passengers who travel by rail for these routes will need to accept that lead times will be similar to those for air travel.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. Air travel usually requires much more “lead time” than train travel, so short flights end up taking the same amount of time as a train trip to the same destination. But train travel starts to need more “lead time” when the trains approach their capacity limits. This suggests that train companies should add more trains for these routes if they want to encourage travelers to take a train instead of a plane. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses “long-haul routes” for either air travel or rail travel, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text only mentions these procedures to explain why the “lead time” is so long for air travel. It never suggests that trains need to start implementing these procedures too. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The goal is to make sure that trains “remain a viable alternative” to short flights, which suggests that anything that makes train travel take longer should be avoided.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f9bd4e61",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>German theater practitioner Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) believed that theater should elicit an intellectual rather than an emotional response from audiences, provoking them to consider social and political realities that extend beyond the characters and events depicted onstage. Brecht’s influence can be seen in English playwright Caryl Churchill’s 1979 play Cloud 9: although the play sometimes invites empathetic reactions, it primarily works to engage audiences in an interrogation of patriarchy and colonialism, which it does by placing audiences at a distance, thereby encouraging them to ______blank</p>",
    questionHtml: "Which choice most logically completes the text?",
    choices: [
      {
        label: "A",
        text: "focus on the characters’ beliefs about social and political issues as revealed by the characters’ actions.",
      },
      {
        label: "B",
        text: "reflect on social and political phenomena not directly related to patriarchy and colonialism.",
      },
      {
        label: "C",
        text: "recognize pertinent social and political parallels between Germany during Brecht’s time and England at the time when Churchill was writing Cloud 9.",
      },
      {
        label: "D",
        text: "be dispassionate as they think critically about the social and political questions raised by the play.",
      },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. Churchill’s play was influenced by Brecht’s belief that theater should elicit an intellectual rather than an emotional response from audiences, making them think about social and political issues that also exist outside of the play. Therefore, it makes sense that Churchill would strive to have audiences think dispassionately (i.e., without emotion) and critically about the social and political questions raised by the play. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage mentions that Churchill was influenced by Brecht’s belief that plays should provoke audience members “to consider social and political realities that extend beyond the characters and events depicted onstage,” so there’s no basis for an inference about audience members deeply engaging with characters’ beliefs and actions. Choice B is incorrect. Reflecting on things that aren’t related to patriarchy and colonialism wouldn’t “engage audiences in an interrogation of patriarchy and colonialism.” That creates a confusing contradiction. Choice C is incorrect. No mention is made of social and political issues in Germany during Brecht’s time, so there’s no basis for this inference.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];
