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

export const WORDS_CONTEXT_EASY: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "06b96bfc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>A musician and member of the Quechua of Peru, Renata Flores Rivera was eager to promote the Quechua language in her music, but she was ______blank speaking it. She met this challenge by asking her grandmother, a native speaker of Quechua, to help her pronounce words in her song lyrics and also by taking classes in the language.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "prepared for" },
      { label: "B", text: "inexperienced with" },
      { label: "C", text: "skilled in" },
      { label: "D", text: "excited about" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Renata Flores Rivera’s use of Quechua in her music. In this context, “inexperienced with” means not accustomed to. The text indicates that Flores Rivera wanted to promote the Quechua language in her music and overcame a challenge by seeking help with pronunciation from her grandmother and by taking language classes. This context conveys the idea that Flores Rivera was not sufficiently familiar with Quechua to use it in her music without help. Thus, she was inexperienced with speaking the language, which she addressed by seeking help. <br>Choice A is incorrect because describing Flores Rivera as “prepared for”—or ready for—speaking Quechua wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that speaking Quechua presented a challenge, but if she were ready to speak the language, then there would be no challenge. Choice C is incorrect because describing Flores Rivera as “skilled in”—meaning good at or capable of—speaking Quechua wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that speaking Quechua presented a challenge, but if she were capable of speaking the language, then there would be no challenge. Choice D is incorrect. Flores Rivera was likely “excited about”—or thrilled or delighted with—speaking Quechua, but this wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that speaking Quechua presented a challenge, but if she were delighted with speaking the language, then there would be no challenge.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "0d402146",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>US traffic signals didn’t always contain the familiar three lights (red, yellow, and green). Traffic lights only ______blank red and green lights until the three-light traffic signal was developed in the 1920s.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "avoided" },
      { label: "B", text: "featured" },
      { label: "C", text: "appreciated" },
      { label: "D", text: "disregarded" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of traffic signals. As used in this context, “featured” means had as a characteristic or part. The text indicates that although US traffic signals have lights of three different colors (red, yellow, and green), this wasn’t the case until the 1920s, when the three-light signal was first developed. Before then, the text suggests, traffic signals had fewer lights (as indicated by the word “only” in the second sentence). This context supports the idea that before the 1920s, traffic signals featured only red and green lights. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “avoided” means kept away from someone or something or prevented something from occurring, neither of which would make sense in context. The text doesn’t discuss keeping away from someone or something but instead focuses on what US traffic signals look like. The text states that they didn’t have lights of three different colors until the three-light signal was developed in the 1920s. Choice C is incorrect because “appreciated” means admired or increased in value, neither of which would make sense in context. The text focuses solely on the fact that US traffic signals have contained lights of three colors only since the three-light signal was developed in the 1920s. The text doesn’t mention how this characteristic or traffic signals in general are perceived or what their value is. Moreover, the blank portion of the text describes “traffic signals,” which are lifeless objects and therefore unable to admire or increase the value of something. Choice D is incorrect because “disregarded” means ignored or treated something as unworthy of notice, neither of which would make sense in context. The text doesn’t discuss how people react to traffic signals; rather, it addresses the idea that US traffic signals have contained lights of three colors only since the three-light signal was developed in the 1920s. Moreover, the blank portion of the text describes “traffic signals,” which are lifeless objects and therefore unable to ignore or treat something in a particular manner.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "0ee67e09",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Anthropologist Kristian J. Carlson and colleagues examined the fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones of a 3.6-million-year-old early hominin known as “Little Foot.” They found that these bones were ______blank the clavicle and shoulder bones of modern apes that are frequent climbers, such as gorillas and chimpanzees, suggesting that Little Foot had adapted to life in the trees.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "surpassed by" },
      { label: "B", text: "comparable to" },
      { label: "C", text: "independent of" },
      { label: "D", text: "obtained from" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the fossilized bones of the hominin known as Little Foot. As used in this context, “comparable to” would mean similar to. The text indicates that the relationship between the fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones of Little Foot and the clavicle and shoulder bones of “frequent climbers,” such as chimpanzees and gorillas, suggests that Little Foot had adapted to moving around in trees. This context suggests that the relationship between the fossilized bones of Little Foot and the bones of chimpanzees and gorillas is one of similarity—the Little Foot fossils are likely comparable to the modern ape bones. <br>Choice A is incorrect because if the fossilized bones of Little Foot were “surpassed by,” or exceeded by or made inferior to, the bones of modern apes that are frequent climbers, it wouldn’t suggest, as the text says, that Little Foot was adapted to moving around in trees. If anything, learning that Little Foot’s clavicle and shoulder bones were surpassed by those of chimpanzees and gorillas would suggest that Little Foot was poorly adapted to climbing. Choice C is incorrect because if Little Foot’s fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones were “independent of,” or not influenced by or affiliated with, the bones of modern apes that climb often, it wouldn’t suggest, as the text says, that Little Foot was adapted to moving around in trees. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that Little Foot’s fossilized bones date to 3.6 million years ago, so they couldn’t have been “obtained from,” or acquired from, the bones of modern apes.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "0f040c50",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Yann Martel’s 2001 novel Life of Pi. The narrator’s family owned a zoo when he was a child. <br><br>It was a huge zoo, spread over numberless acres, big enough to require a train to explore it, though it seemed to get smaller as I grew older, train included. <br><br>©2001 by Yann Martel</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “spread” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Hidden" },
      { label: "B", text: "Discussed" },
      { label: "C", text: "Extended" },
      { label: "D", text: "Coated" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “spread” most nearly means extended. The text states that the zoo is “huge,” that it covers “numberless acres,” and that it is large enough that a train is needed to explore it. Thus, the text’s emphasis on the zoo’s size suggests that the zoo extended, or stretched, over a large area of land. <br>Choice A is incorrect because if the zoo covers “numberless acres,” then it could not reasonably be described as hidden, or concealed from view. Choice B is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the zoo was discussed, or talked about. Rather, the text focuses on the zoo’s large size. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts “spread” can mean coated, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because to coat something means to apply a thin layer of a liquid substance, such as oil or paint, to a surface. Therefore, it would not be accurate to say that the zoo coated the acres on which it sits.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "1ad04ea0",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In habitats with limited nutrients, certain fungus species grow on the roots of trees, engaging in mutually beneficial relationships known as ectomycorrhizae: in this symbiotic exchange, the tree provides the fungus with carbon, a nutrient necessary for both species, and the fungus ______blank by enhancing the tree’s ability to absorb nitrogen, another key nutrient, from the soil.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "overreacts" },
      { label: "B", text: "reciprocates" },
      { label: "C", text: "retaliates" },
      { label: "D", text: "deviates" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of ectomycorrhizae relationships. In this context, “reciprocates” means responds in kind or degree. The text indicates that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some habitats is “mutually beneficial” and involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other access an important nutrient. In other words, each organism provides the same kind of benefit it receives: the tree provides a nutrient (carbon) for the fungus and the fungus reciprocates by helping the tree to absorb more of another nutrient (nitrogen). <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text emphasizes that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some habitats involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other access an important nutrient. Nothing in the text suggests that the fungus “overreacts,” or responds too strongly, by allowing the tree to be better able to absorb a beneficial nutrient. Choice C is incorrect because “retaliates” means responds to a harmful action with a similarly harmful action. The text indicates that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some habitats is “mutually beneficial” and involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other, not that the relationship is one in which the organisms harm one another. Choice D is incorrect. In this context, “deviates” would mean departs from an established course or norm. The text explains that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some habitats involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other access an important nutrient. Because the relationship involves benefits for both the fungus and the tree, it wouldn’t make sense to say that the fungus deviates by helping the tree be better able to absorb a beneficial nutrient.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "213248f7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.<br><br>“The second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will be the best plan.” It sounded like an excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged; the only difficulty was, that Alice had not the smallest idea how to set about it.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “simply” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Faintly" },
      { label: "B", text: "Hastily" },
      { label: "C", text: "Easily" },
      { label: "D", text: "Foolishly" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “simply” most nearly means easily, or involving minimal difficulty or effort. The text first provides Alice’s reflections on her plan to gain access to a garden and then offers commentary on her plan by the novel’s narrator. The text indicates that a reason Alice likes her plan despite not being fully thought through is that she nonetheless believes it can be efficiently arranged. In other words, the text indicates that one of the supposed benefits of Alice’s plan is that it can be easily arranged. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text describes how Alice’s plan can be arranged, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that it can be arranged “faintly,” or with little strength or not strongly. Instead, the text indicates that the plan can be arranged with little difficulty. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “simply” can mean quickly, hastily, or hurriedly, the word “hastily” indicates that something is done too quickly. Although it may be true that Alice’s plan was made in haste, the text doesn’t focus on this aspect of her plan. Instead, the text focuses on the plan’s seemingly good qualities, saying that Alice thinks of it as “the best,” and the narrator refers to it as “excellent” and “neatly,” or efficiently, arranged. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts “simply” can mean foolishly, or lacking good sense, it doesn’t have this meaning in this context. Although the text says that Alice doesn’t know how to go about her plan, it begins by presenting her plan in a positive light: Alice describes her plan as “the best,” and the narrator refers to the plan as “excellent” and “neatly,” or efficiently, arranged.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "21d95d1d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Ofelia Zepeda’s contributions to the field of linguistics are ______blank: her many accomplishments include working as a linguistics professor and bilingual poet, authoring the first Tohono O’odham grammar book, and co-founding the American Indian Language Development Institute.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "pragmatic" },
      { label: "B", text: "controversial" },
      { label: "C", text: "extensive" },
      { label: "D", text: "universal" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how Ofelia Zepeda has contributed to the field of linguistics. As used in this context, “extensive” means having a wide or considerable extent. The text indicates that Zepeda’s many accomplishments in linguistics are varied, including teaching linguistics, writing poetry in more than one language, creating a grammar book, and co-founding a language institute. This context supports the idea that Zepeda’s contributions to the field are extensive. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the claim made in the first part of the sentence. It wouldn’t make sense to say that achievements as a professor, poet and author, and co-founder of a language institute demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions in her field are “pragmatic,” or related to practical matters and not involving intellectual or artistic matters. Choice B is incorrect because the sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as a professor, poet and author, and co-founder of a language institute as examples to support the claim made in the first part of the sentence. There’s no reason to believe that the positive achievements listed demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions in her field are “controversial,” or have caused disputes and opposing viewpoints. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “universal” would mean including or covering everything in a group. The sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the claim made in the first part of the sentence, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that these specific achievements—particularly as the author of a grammar book specific to the Tohono O’odham language—demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions relate to everything in the field of linguistics.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3118ca93",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The fashion resale market, in which consumers purchase secondhand clothing from stores and online sellers, generated nearly $30 billion globally in 2019. Expecting to see continued growth, some analysts ______blank that revenues will more than double by 2028.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "produced" },
      { label: "B", text: "denied" },
      { label: "C", text: "worried" },
      { label: "D", text: "predicted" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the fashion resale market’s continued growth. As used in this context, “predicted” means forecast, or indicated that something would happen in the future. The text indicates that the fashion resale market made a lot of money in 2019 and that some analysts expected the market to continue to grow. This context suggests that the analysts believed that the fashion resale market was going to make more money than it had already made, with the analysts indicating that revenues would more than double by 2028. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that some analysts “produced,” or manufactured or brought about, the increase in future revenues of the fashion resale market. The analysts themselves couldn’t have brought about the future revenue growth, since, as the text suggests, they were merely in the position of drawing conclusions about future fashion resale market revenue based on 2019 revenue. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected the fashion resale market to continue to grow in the future, not that they “denied,” or rejected, this notion. Nothing in the text supports the idea that these analysts thought the revenues wouldn’t grow. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected the fashion resale market to continue to grow in the future, not that they “worried,” or felt concerned, that revenue would significantly increase by 2028. Nothing in the text suggests that the analysts felt concerned about the increase; rather, the text suggests that the increase would represent a favorable outcome, since it would mean that the fashion resale market grew to generate even more revenue.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "31d0bd9a",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The parasitic dodder plant increases its reproductive success by flowering at the same time as the host plant it has latched onto. In 2020, Jianqiang Wu and his colleagues determined that the tiny dodder achieves this ______blank with its host by absorbing and utilizing a protein the host produces when it is about to flower.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "synchronization" },
      { label: "B", text: "hibernation" },
      { label: "C", text: "prediction" },
      { label: "D", text: "moderation" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of a relationship between the dodder plant and its host plant. As used in this context, “synchronization” means the act of things happening at the same time. The text indicates that the dodder and its host plant flower in unison and that this synchronization occurs because the dodder makes use of a protein produced by the host shortly before flowering. <br>Choice B is incorrect because referring to “hibernation,” or the state of being dormant or inactive, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on something the dodder plant actively engages in—making use of a protein and producing flowers. Choice C is incorrect because stating that the dodder plant and its host engage together in “prediction,” or the act of declaring or indicating something in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Rather than indicating that the dodder plant and its host plant make a prediction about flowering activity, the text suggests that the host produces a protein as part of its regular flowering process and that the dodder then absorbs and uses that protein to flower at the same time. Choice D is incorrect because referring to “moderation,” or the act of causing something to become less intense or extreme, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the text states that the dodder plant absorbs and uses a protein made by its host plant, it doesn’t suggest that the dodder lessens the host plant’s flowering activity; the two plants simply flower in unison.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "428cd2c1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some people have speculated that two helmets with attached horns discovered in Denmark in 1942 belonged to Vikings, but scholars have long been skeptical. Archaeologist Helle Vandkilde and colleagues recently provided radiocarbon dates for the helmets, and their findings ______blank scholars’ skepticism: the helmets date to the Nordic Bronze Age, centuries before the Vikings existed.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "anticipate" },
      { label: "B", text: "inspect" },
      { label: "C", text: "reveal" },
      { label: "D", text: "justify" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the helmets found in Denmark. In this context, “justify” means confirm or give reasons for. The text indicates that scholars have long been skeptical about the supposed Viking origin of two helmets found in Denmark. The radiocarbon dating of the helmets conducted by Vandkilde and colleagues demonstrates that the helmets date from the Nordic Bronze Age, making the helmets too old to have belonged to Vikings. This context supports the idea that the scholars’ skepticism is justified. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “anticipate” means expect or come before, neither of which would make sense in context. The text indicates that scholars have long been skeptical of the idea that the helmets belonged to Vikings. Because the skepticism has existed for a long time, Vandkilde and colleagues’ research couldn’t be said to anticipate it. Instead, the radiocarbon dating results justify or confirm the scholar’s skepticism. Choice B is incorrect because “inspect” means examine or review, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. Research findings are inanimate and therefore unable to inspect scholars’ skepticism. The text focuses on the origin of two helmets, which some people believe belonged to Vikings. Vandkilde and colleagues found that the helmets are from the Nordic Bronze Age and therefore much older than the Vikings. This context suggests that the researchers’ findings justify, not inspect, the scholars’ skepticism. Choice C is incorrect because “reveal” means uncover or report, which wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the origin of two helmets, which some people believe belonged to Vikings. Vandkilde and colleagues tested the helmets and found that they date to the Nordic Bronze Age and therefore are much older than the Vikings. This context suggests that the researchers’ findings confirm or justify the scholars’ skepticism, which was already known so didn’t need to be revealed.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "441e2b9e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Researchers and conservationists stress that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is ______blank. For example, people can take simple steps such as washing their footwear after travel to avoid introducing potentially invasive organisms into new environments.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "preventable" },
      { label: "B", text: "undeniable" },
      { label: "C", text: "common" },
      { label: "D", text: "concerning" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how biodiversity loss due to invasive species can be avoided. As used in this context, “preventable” means able to be stopped or kept from happening. The text indicates that “people can take simple steps” to avoid bringing possible invasive species into new environments. It presents these steps as an example of how biodiversity loss due to invasive species is preventable. <br>Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple step like washing your shoes after traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being “undeniable,” or something that can’t be proved to be wrong. Although the text may suggest that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is something that really happens, the word that completes the text must make the first sentence into an assertion that is illustrated by the second sentence, and the second sentence illustrates the idea that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is preventable, not undeniable. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple step like washing your shoes after traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being “common,” or something that happens regularly. Additionally, the text doesn’t provide any information about how frequently invasive species cause biodiversity loss. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple step like washing your shoes after traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being “concerning,” or something that is troubling or causes worry. Although the text implies that the phenomenon of biodiversity loss due to invasive species is itself a concerning phenomenon, the word that completes the text must make the first sentence into an assertion that is illustrated by the second sentence, and the second sentence illustrates the idea that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is preventable, not concerning.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4480fae9",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Sui Sin Far’s 1912 short story “Mrs. Spring Fragrance.” Mr. and Mrs. Spring Fragrance immigrated to the United States from China.<br><br>Mrs. Spring Fragrance was unaware that Mr. Spring Fragrance, tired with the day’s business, had thrown himself down on the bamboo settee on the veranda, and that although his eyes were engaged in scanning the pages of the Chinese World, his ears could not help receiving the words which were borne to him through the open window.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “receiving” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Denying" },
      { label: "B", text: "Entering" },
      { label: "C", text: "Carrying" },
      { label: "D", text: "Hearing" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “receiving” most nearly means hearing, or perceiving sound. The text describes Mr. Spring Fragrance as he reads a newspaper, focusing on his eyes and ears. While his eyes look at the newspaper, he is unwillingly distracted by words coming through a nearby open window (that is, “his ears could not help receiving the words”). The words are being perceived specifically by his ears and not his eyes, and ears are the organs of sense with which one hears, so therefore Mr. Spring Fragrance is hearing the words through the open window. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication in the text that Mr. Spring Fragrance is denying, or refusing the truth of, the words coming to him through the window. He is merely distracted by them. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that Mr. Spring Fragrance’s ears couldn’t help entering, or coming into, the words coming to him through the window. Instead, the text indicates that the opposite occurs: that is, when Mr. Spring Fragrance hears the words, they enter his ears, but his ears don’t enter the words. Choice C is incorrect because it doesn’t make sense in this context to think of Mr. Spring Fragrance as carrying the words coming to him through the window, even though the word “carry” can have a number of different meanings depending on context: for example, he is not lifting them, he is not supporting them, and he is not accepting blame for them (as one “carries the blame” for a mistake).",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "44cc5f75",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Artificially delivering biomolecules to plant cells is an important component of protecting plants from pathogens, but it is difficult to transmit biomolecules through the layers of the plant cell wall. Markita del Carpio Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to ______blank this problem by transmitting molecules through carbon nanotubes, which can cross cell walls.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "conceptualize" },
      { label: "B", text: "neglect" },
      { label: "C", text: "illustrate" },
      { label: "D", text: "overcome" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of delivering biomolecules to plant cells. In this context, “overcome” means to succeed in dealing with an obstacle. The text suggests that although it’s difficult to move biomolecules through plant cell walls, Landry and her colleagues have shown that carbon nanotubes may be useful, since they can cross cell walls. This context conveys that Landry and her colleagues think it’s possible, using carbon nanotubes, to succeed in dealing with the obstacle of transmitting biomolecules to plant cells. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to “conceptualize,” or form an idea of, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells. The text presents this difficulty as a known problem that Landry and her colleagues think they may have solved, not as a mysterious occurrence that they have yet to form ideas about. Choice B is incorrect because the text suggests that Landry and her colleagues think it may be possible to successfully deal with the problem of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells, not that Landry and her colleagues think it may be possible to “neglect,” or simply to disregard and ignore the problem. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to “illustrate,” or demonstrate, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells by using carbon nanotubes. According to the text, carbon nanotubes allow molecules to be transmitted to plant cells—something that is otherwise difficult to do. The text therefore presents carbon nanotubes as a way of possibly solving a problem, not as a means of demonstrating the problem.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "45a109a3",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. The narrator is being driven in a carriage through a remote region at night.<br><br>The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed; he kept turning his head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “disturbed” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Disorganized" },
      { label: "B", text: "Alarmed" },
      { label: "C", text: "Offended" },
      { label: "D", text: "Interrupted" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, “disturbed” most nearly means alarmed. The text portrays the narrator traveling in a carriage as wolves howl in the surrounding darkness. The text contrasts the reaction of both the narrator and the horses pulling the carriage with that of the driver of the carriage: the narrator and horses are “dreadfully afraid,” but the driver is “not in the least disturbed.” In other words, the driver is not alarmed by the wolves nearby. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed” can mean disorganized, the text doesn’t portray a character acting in a disorganized manner; instead, the driver continues to drive the carriage, even though the horses pulling it are alarmed. Choice C is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed” can mean offended, the text doesn’t portray one character feeling offended, or upset, by another’s actions; instead, it contrasts the fear felt by the narrator with another character’s lack of fear. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed” can mean interrupted, the text doesn’t portray an action being interrupted; indeed, the travel depicted in the scene continues despite the threat of the wolves outside the carriage.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "47955354",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Sumerian civilization (which lasted from around 3300 to 2000 BCE) ______blank many concepts that persist into present-day civilizations: for example, the first description of the seven-day week appears in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "transformed" },
      { label: "B", text: "introduced" },
      { label: "C", text: "inherited" },
      { label: "D", text: "overlooked" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the contributions of the Sumerian civilization. In this context, “introduced” means brought into practice or use. The text states that the first reference to a seven-day week appears in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. The text presents this information about the seven-day week as an example of a concept introduced by the Sumerian civilization that persists into present-day civilizations. <br>Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the Sumerian civilization “transformed,” or changed the nature of, concepts that persist into present-day civilizations. Instead, the text’s presentation of a Sumerian literary work that contains the first description of the seven-day week is an example of the phenomenon described in the first half of the sentence, suggesting that the Sumerians invented many concepts that still persist. Choice C is incorrect because the information that a Sumerian literary work includes the first description of the seven-day week suggests that Sumerian civilization may have originated the seven-day week and other concepts that persist into present-day civilizations, not that it “inherited” the concepts, or received them from an ancestral figure or culture. Choice D is incorrect because the information that Sumerian civilization produced the first description of the seven-day week is presented as an example of the phenomenon described in the first half of the sentence, suggesting that Sumerian civilization originated this and other concepts that still persist, not that the Sumerians “overlooked,” or failed to notice or consider, such concepts.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "479c7e82",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Although critics believed that customers would never agree to pay to pick their own produce on farms, such concerns didn’t ______blank Booker T. Whatley’s efforts to promote the practice. Thanks in part to Whatley’s determined advocacy, farms that allow visitors to pick their own apples, pumpkins, and other produce can be found throughout the United States.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "enhance" },
      { label: "B", text: "hinder" },
      { label: "C", text: "misrepresent" },
      { label: "D", text: "aggravate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Booker T. Whatley. In this context, “hinder” means hold back or obstruct. The text explains that Whatley encouraged farms to allow customers on site to pick their own produce for a fee. He did so despite critics’ concerns that the customers would never pay to do so. This context establishes that the critics’ concerns didn’t hinder Whatley’s efforts to promote the practice. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The text indicates that critics’ skepticism of the idea that customers would pay to pick their own produce didn’t have some effect on Whatley’s promotion of the practice. The text illustrates this assertion by describing Whatley’s “determined advocacy” for the practice. This context suggests that critics’ concerns didn’t obstruct Whatley’s efforts, not that critics’ concerns didn’t “enhance,” or increase or improve, Whatley’s efforts. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “misrepresent” would mean portray inaccurately, and the text includes no information relevant to the issue of how Whatley’s efforts were portrayed by critics of the practice of charging customers to pick their own produce. Choice D is incorrect. The text indicates that critics’ skepticism of the idea that customers would pay to pick their own produce didn’t have some effect on Whatley’s promotion of the practice. The text illustrates this assertion by describing Whatley’s “determined advocacy” for the practice. This context suggests that critics’ concerns didn’t obstruct Whatley’s efforts, not that critics’ concerns didn’t “aggravate,” or irritate or make more severe, Whatley’s efforts.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "49bbe4d7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>For painter Jacob Lawrence, being ______blank was an important part of the artistic process. Because he paid close attention to all the details of his Harlem neighborhood, Lawrence’s artwork captured nuances in the beauty and vitality of the Black experience during the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "skeptical" },
      { label: "B", text: "observant" },
      { label: "C", text: "critical" },
      { label: "D", text: "confident" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jacob Lawrence’s artistic process. In this context, “observant” means watchful and perceptive. The text emphasizes that the “close attention” Lawrence paid to “all the details” of his neighborhood allowed him to reflect subtle elements of “the beauty and vitality of the Black experience” in his artwork. This context indicates that being observant of his surroundings was an important part of Lawrence’s work as an artist. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Lawrence was “skeptical,” or had an attitude of doubt in general or about particular things, let alone that skepticism was important to him as an artist. Rather than indicating that he was skeptical, the text focuses on how Lawrence paid careful attention to everything around him and reflected his observations in his artwork. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Lawrence was “critical,” which in this context would mean inclined to criticize harshly or unfairly. Rather than indicating that Lawrence found fault in things, the text suggests that he paid careful attention to everything around him and that his artwork reflects this careful attention. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Lawrence was “confident,” or self-assured. Rather than addressing how Lawrence felt about himself and how that feeling affected his artistic process, the text emphasizes the careful attention Lawrence paid to everything around him—attention that allowed him to capture subtle elements of a particular place and time in his artwork.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4a2b2535",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______blank of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The Books of Jacob, with its enormous cast of characters, its complicated, wandering plot, and its page numbers that count backward (beginning at 965 and ending at 1).</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "accuracy" },
      { label: "B", text: "inactivity" },
      { label: "C", text: "complexity" },
      { label: "D", text: "restraint" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The Books of Jacob. As used in this context, “complexity” means having many complicated parts that when taken as a whole are difficult to follow or explain. The text indicates that The Books of Jacob has a large cast of characters, a complicated and wandering plot (that is, a plot that is difficult to follow), and reverse page numbering. Together, these features make up a novel that’s challenging to read and summarize. This context supports the idea that a brief book review can’t do justice to the novel’s complexity. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “accuracy,” or being free from error or falsehood, can sometimes be used to describe a novel, the text doesn’t discuss whether Tokarczuk’s novel has this quality. Instead, the text describes the novel as having a large cast of characters, a difficult-to-follow plot, and reverse page numbering. These features suggest complexity, not accuracy. Choice B is incorrect because “inactivity” means being in a state of idleness or doing nothing, neither of which would make sense in this context. The text describes Tokarczuk’s novel, and although it’s possible the novel could portray its characters as inactive, it wouldn’t make sense to describe the novel itself as such. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “restraint” would mean holding back or showing self-control, and the text doesn’t indicate that Tokarczuk’s novel has either of these qualities. In fact, the features of the novel that the text describes, such as a large cast of characters, a complicated and wandering plot, and reverse page numbering, suggest excess and complexity, not restraint.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4d1a9c0d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Following the principles of community-based participatory research, tribal nations and research institutions are equal partners in health studies conducted on reservations. A collaboration between the Crow Tribe and Montana State University ­­­­______blank this model: tribal citizens worked alongside scientists to design the methodology and continue to assist in data collection.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "circumvents" },
      { label: "B", text: "eclipses" },
      { label: "C", text: "fabricates" },
      { label: "D", text: "exemplifies" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the collaboration between the Crow Tribe and Montana State University. As used in this context, “exemplifies” means demonstrates. The text conveys how the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves to illustrate the model of community-based participatory research introduced earlier in the text and expanded on later in the text. <br>Choice A is incorrect because referring to “circumvents,” or avoids, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text suggests that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the principles of community-based participatory research, not that the collaboration evades this model. Choice B is incorrect because referring to “eclipses,” or overshadows, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text describes the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration as an equal partnership, which indicates that it’s an example of the community-based participatory research model, not that it overshadows the model. Choice C is incorrect because saying that the collaboration “fabricates,” or creates, the model wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the model, not that it created the model.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5d2fd27d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>While we can infer information about climate activity in Earth’s distant past from physical evidence, we of course cannot observe past climates directly. To study early Earth’s climate in action, we must ______blank that climate using computer models that represent various climate conditions consistent with the physical evidence.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "invent" },
      { label: "B", text: "simulate" },
      { label: "C", text: "exaggerate" },
      { label: "D", text: "preserve" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of climate activity in Earth’s distant past. In this context, to “simulate” most nearly means to represent a natural process using computer models. According to the text, understanding Earth’s early climate is difficult because we cannot make direct observations of the distant past. Instead, scientists must create computer models that approximate early climate conditions, based on the physical evidence that those conditions left behind on Earth’s surface. This context supports the idea that computer models simulate Earth’s climate in the distant past. <br>Choice A is incorrect because scientists use existing physical evidence as a basis for developing computer models that describe what Earth’s actual past climate might have been like. The models are not being used to “invent,” or imagine, a completely fictional climate. Choice C is incorrect because the computer models are being used in an attempt to describe as accurately as possible what Earth’s past climate might have been like. They are not attempting to “exaggerate,” or distort, those features. Choice D is incorrect because the computer models do not “preserve,” or protect from deterioration, Earth’s early climate; instead, they attempt to reproduce the characteristics of that climate, based on the remaining physical evidence of that climate.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5effa190",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The process of mechanically recycling plastics is often considered ______blank because of the environmental impact and the loss of material quality that often occurs. But chemist Takunda Chazovachii has helped develop a cleaner process of chemical recycling that converts superabsorbent polymers from diapers into a desirable reusable adhesive.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "resilient" },
      { label: "B", text: "inadequate" },
      { label: "C", text: "dynamic" },
      { label: "D", text: "satisfactory" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about recycling plastics. In this context, “inadequate” means not satisfactory. The text indicates that the mechanical plastic-recycling process affects the environment and causes “the loss of material quality.” The text contrasts that with Chazovachii’s chemical plastic-recycling process, which is cleaner and produces a desirable product. The text’s emphasis on the negative aspects of mechanical recycling suggests that it is inadequate in terms of environmental impact and the quality of the material the process yields. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context “resilient” would mean able to withstand difficulty and the text does not characterize the plastic-recycling process as having this quality or describe any difficulties that these processes might need to overcome. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “dynamic” would mean constantly changing. Although the text suggests that there have been changes in the field of recycling, as is the case with the advent of Chazovachii’s chemical recycling process, there is nothing to suggest that the mechanical process itself has changed or is prone to change. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “satisfactory” would mean acceptable but not perfect. The text mentions only shortcomings of the mechanical process (environmental effects and lower material quality), so the text more strongly supports a negative view of this process and provides no evidence that it would be considered satisfactory.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5fa165f7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the 1960s, Sam Gilliam, a Black painter from the southern United States, became the first artist to drape painted canvases into flowing shapes. He later explored a different style, ______blank quilt-like paintings inspired by the patchwork quilting tradition of Black communities in the South.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "predicting" },
      { label: "B", text: "refusing" },
      { label: "C", text: "hiding" },
      { label: "D", text: "creating" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sam Gilliam’s artworks. As used in this context, “creating” means producing or bringing something into existence. The text indicates that Gilliam is an artist who made draped canvases and, later, quilt-like paintings. This context supports the idea that Gilliam explored different styles in his art by creating special types of paintings. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Gilliam actually explored and pursued the creation of quilt-like paintings; he wasn’t just “predicting,” or declaring in advance, the existence of these paintings. Choice B is incorrect because in this context “refusing” would mean rejecting, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that Gilliam rejected his quilt-like paintings. Instead, the text indicates that he was exploring and pursuing a new art style in these paintings. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “hiding” would mean concealing from view, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that Gilliam attempted to conceal his quilt-like paintings. Instead, the text indicates that he was exploring and pursuing a new art style in these paintings.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "637d0878",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Appalachian Trail is a hiking path in the eastern United States. Much of the 2,000 mile trail passes through wilderness areas. In order to ______blank those areas, the United States Congress passed the National Trails System Act in 1968, ensuring that the trail would not be sold or commercially developed.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "borrow" },
      { label: "B", text: "postpone" },
      { label: "C", text: "protect" },
      { label: "D", text: "decorate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      'Choice C is the best answer. "Protect" means "preserve" or "keep safe from." By ensuring that the wilderness areas along the Appalachian Trail can’t be sold or developed, the National Trails System Act protects them.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Borrow" means "to take something with intent to return it." The text doesn’t say anything about taking and returning the wilderness that surrounds the Appalachian Trail. Choice B is incorrect. "Postpone" means "to put off until later." Nothing in the passage suggests that Congress wants to "postpone" the wilderness areas (and that doesn’t make sense anyway—they can postpone doing something to the wilderness areas, but they can’t postpone the areas themselves). Choice D is incorrect. "Decorate" means "to adorn" or "add extra items or pictures to make more attractive." No details in the text suggest that Congress wishes to make the trail fancier or more attractive.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "69a6d050",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the early 1800s, the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah created the first script, or writing system, for an Indigenous language in the United States. Because it represented the sounds of spoken Cherokee so accurately, his script was easy to learn and thus quickly achieved ______blank use: by 1830, over 90 percent of the Cherokee people could read and write it.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "widespread" },
      { label: "B", text: "careful" },
      { label: "C", text: "unintended" },
      { label: "D", text: "infrequent" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the writing system created by Sequoyah. In this context, “widespread” means widely accepted or practiced. The text indicates that because Sequoyah’s script accurately represented the spoken sounds of the Cherokee language and was easy to learn, nearly all Cherokee people were able to read and write it soon after it was created. This context demonstrates that the script was widely used by the Cherokee people. <br>Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “careful” would mean exercised with care and attentive concern. Although the work of creating a writing system likely involved great care, the text indicates that the system was “easy to learn,” which conflicts with the idea that using this system requires a noteworthy amount of care. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “unintended” means not deliberate. The idea that using Sequoyah’s script was unintentional conflicts directly with the claim that it was easy to learn and used by “over 90% of the Cherokee people” by 1830. In fact, because one had to learn this system, it’s not clear how one could use it unintentionally. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “infrequent” means rare or not occurring often, which conflicts directly with the claim that “over 90% of the Cherokee people” were using Sequoyah’s script by 1830.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "6d5ddea4",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>According to Potawatomi ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata, or sweetgrass, by snapping the plant off at the root actually ______blank wild populations: it may seem counterintuitive, she says, but this method of removal allows new sweetgrass plants to repopulate the space, with an overall increase in number and vigor.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "selects" },
      { label: "B", text: "originates" },
      { label: "C", text: "conditions" },
      { label: "D", text: "replenishes" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata. As used in this context, “replenishes” means helps increase the population or helps it recover. The text explains that although snapping off a wild plant at the root might seem detrimental to the wild population, it actually helps Hierochloe odorata, increasing both their “number and vigor.” This context conveys the idea that even though it seems counterintuitive, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata actually replenishes the wild population. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although a harvesting method could be used to select for certain traits in plants, it’s not clear what it would mean for a harvesting method to select “wild populations” of plants. Choice B is incorrect because as used in this context, “originates” means creates. The text doesn’t address the origin of Hierochloe odorata, but rather how the Indigenous harvesting method affects it. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “conditions” means to influence someone or something to behave in a certain way, and the text doesn’t suggest the new plants that replace the harvested ones differ in any meaningful way, or in any way that could be the result of conditioning.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "760ee1db",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Although the playwrights hoped that their play would be ______blank when performed live, critics generally agreed that the production and performances had the opposite effect, wearying audiences instead of energizing them.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "multifaceted" },
      { label: "B", text: "realistic" },
      { label: "C", text: "rousing" },
      { label: "D", text: "subtle" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the play’s effect on audiences. As used in this context, “rousing” means exciting or energizing. The text indicates that critics found the play to have “the opposite effect” on audiences of what the playwrights hoped for. The critics, the text says, thought the play was wearying rather than energizing to viewers. This context supports the idea that the playwrights hoped live performances of the play would be energizing, or rousing, to audiences. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights hoped live performances of the play would be “multifaceted,” or be varied or have many aspects. The text indicates that critics found the play to be wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for. Multifaceted is not the opposite of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play would be rousing. Choice B is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights hoped live performances of the play would be “realistic,” or lifelike or sensible. The text says that critics found the play to be wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for. Realistic is not the opposite of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play would be rousing. Choice D is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights hoped live performances of the play would be subtle, or complex or understated. The text says that critics found the play to be wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for. Subtle is not the opposite of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play would be rousing.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "7d84fe2b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Particle physicists like Ayana Holloway Arce and Aida El-Khadra spend much of their time ______blank what is invisible to the naked eye: using sophisticated technology, they closely examine the behavior of subatomic particles, the smallest detectable parts of matter.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "selecting" },
      { label: "B", text: "inspecting" },
      { label: "C", text: "creating" },
      { label: "D", text: "deciding" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the work of particle physicists. In this context, “inspecting” means viewing closely in order to examine. The text indicates that as particle physicists, Arce and El-Khadra’s work involves using advanced technology to “closely examine” subatomic particles. In other words, they use technology to inspect small parts of matter that can’t be seen by the naked eye. <br>Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Arce and El-Khadra spend time “selecting,” or choosing, subatomic particles for some purpose; the text simply states that the particle physicists use advanced technology to see and study the behavior of those tiny parts of matter. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Arce and El-Khadra spend time “creating” subatomic particles, or bringing them into existence; the text simply states that the particle physicists use advanced technology to see and study the behavior of those tiny parts of matter. Choice D is incorrect. In this context, “deciding” would mean making a final choice or judgment about something. It wouldn’t make sense to say that particle physicists get to choose what is and isn’t visible to the naked eye, especially when the text presents it as fact that subatomic particles are “the smallest detectable parts of matter” and would therefore be invisible. The text focuses on Arce and El-Khadra’s close observation of those particles, not on any decisions they might make.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "80ebb189",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>As an architect in Los Angeles in the 1950s, Helen Liu Fong became known for avoiding ______blank designs in her buildings. Instead of using standard shapes and colors, she typically explored innovative forms and daring hues.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "creative" },
      { label: "B", text: "bold" },
      { label: "C", text: "traditional" },
      { label: "D", text: "understandable" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Helen Liu Fong’s architectural designs. In this context, “traditional” means conventional. The text states that rather than use “standard shapes and colors,” Fong pursued “innovative” and “daring” design choices in her work. Fong’s style is depicted as inventive, so it therefore makes sense in this context that she avoided mainstream, traditional designs in her buildings. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Fong’s work is innovative and experimental. Thus, Fong’s design choices could reasonably be considered creative, or original. She likely would have pursued creative designs, not avoided them. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that Fong used “daring” hues in her designs. Thus, Fong likely would have pursued bold, or brave and vivid design choices; she wouldn’t have avoided them. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t address whether Fong’s designs are understandable, or reasonable or expected. The text focuses on certain characteristics of Fong’s designs, not on how people received or understood them.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "82b7c3b2",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Booth Tarkington’s 1921 novel Alice Adams.<br><br>Mrs. Adams had always been fond of vases, she said, and every year her husband’s Christmas present to her was a vase of one sort or another—whatever the clerk showed him, marked at about twelve or fourteen dollars.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “marked” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Staged" },
      { label: "B", text: "Priced" },
      { label: "C", text: "Stained" },
      { label: "D", text: "Watched" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. The text suggests that Mrs. Adam’s typical Christmas present from her husband was a vase that cost, or was "priced at," about twelve or fourteen dollars.<br>Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the meaning of "marked" as used here. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was "staged at twelve or fourteen dollars." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the meaning of "marked" as used here. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was "stained at twelve or fourteen dollars." Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t the meaning of "marked" as used here. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was "watched at twelve or fourteen dollars."',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "83687083",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Due to their often strange images, highly experimental syntax, and opaque subject matter, many of John Ashbery’s poems can be quite difficult to ______blank and thus are the object of heated debate among scholars.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "delegate" },
      { label: "B", text: "compose" },
      { label: "C", text: "interpret" },
      { label: "D", text: "renounce" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of John Ashbery’s poems. As used in this context, “interpret” would mean decipher the meaning of. The text indicates that Ashbery’s poems have many unusual features, that it’s difficult to tell what exactly the poems’ subject matter is, and that scholars strongly disagree about the poems. This context conveys the idea that it’s difficult to interpret Ashbery’s poems. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “delegate” means to assign someone as a representative of another person or to entrust something to someone else, neither of which would make sense in context. The text is focused only on the difficulty that readers have interpreting Ashbery’s poems due to their many unusual features; it doesn’t suggest anything about the poems being difficult to delegate. Choice B is incorrect because describing Ashbery’s poems as difficult to “compose,” or put together or produce, would make sense only if the text were about Ashbery’s experience of writing the poems. It could be true that it was difficult for Ashbery to compose his poems, but the text doesn’t address this; it instead discusses how readers interpret and engage with the poems. Choice D is incorrect because describing Ashbery’s poems as being difficult to “renounce,” or give up or refuse, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the idea that features of Ashbery’s poems are odd or unclear and have caused heated scholarly debate. This context suggests that the poems are difficult to interpret, not that the poems are difficult to renounce.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "849bf8d7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the mid-nineteenth century, some abolitionist newspapers ______blank westward migration in the United States; by printing a letter that described the easy fortunes and high salaries miners could make in California during the Gold Rush, Frederick Douglass’s newspaper North Star was one such publication that inspired readers to relocate.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "stimulated" },
      { label: "B", text: "assigned" },
      { label: "C", text: "opposed" },
      { label: "D", text: "disregarded" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer. "Stimulated" means "encouraged interest or increased activity in." Because the newspapers discussed the benefits of westward migration and "inspired readers to relocate," we can infer that they encouraged people to move west.<br>Choice B is incorrect. "Assigned" means "gave a job or duty." Newspapers do not have the power to assign people to move west, although they can encourage it. Choice C is incorrect. "Opposed" means "disapproved of." We can tell that this isn’t the case, because the newspapers discussed "the easy fortunes and high salaries miners could make in California" and "inspired readers to relocate." Choice D is incorrect. "Disregarded" means "ignored." If the newspapers are writing about the west and "inspir<strong>ing</strong> readers to relocate," they can’t be ignoring it at the same time.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "84a7fbca",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>When Mexican-American archaeologist Zelia Maria Magdalena Nuttall published her 1886 research paper on sculptures found at the ancient Indigenous city of Teotihuacan in present-day Mexico, other researchers readily ______blank her work as groundbreaking; this recognition stemmed from her convincing demonstration that the sculptures were much older than had previously been thought.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "acknowledged" },
      { label: "B", text: "ensured" },
      { label: "C", text: "denied" },
      { label: "D", text: "underestimated" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Nuttall’s 1886 research paper. In this context, “acknowledged” means recognized as having a certain status. The text indicates that other researchers recognized Nuttall’s work as groundbreaking because of its “convincing demonstration” related to the age of the ancient sculptures. In other words, the researchers recognized the groundbreaking status of Nuttall’s work. <br>Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “ensured” would mean to have guaranteed or made sure something was the case. The text states that other researchers gave Nuttall’s work recognition after it was published, but there’s no indication that they contributed to the work or had any involvement that would have allowed them to make sure the work would be groundbreaking. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that other researchers “denied,” or refused to admit or accept, that Nuttall’s work was groundbreaking; on the contrary, it indicates that researchers praised the work, recognizing it as groundbreaking due to its “convincing demonstration” related to the age of the ancient sculptures. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that other researchers “underestimated,” or undervalued, Nuttall’s work; on the contrary, it indicates that researchers praised the work, recognizing it as groundbreaking due to its “convincing demonstration” related to the age of the ancient sculptures.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "84b5125b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Artist Marilyn Dingle’s intricate, coiled baskets are ______blank sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Following a Gullah technique that originated in West Africa, Dingle skillfully winds a thin palm frond around a bunch of sweetgrass with the help of a “sewing bone” to create the basket’s signature look that no factory can reproduce.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "indicated by" },
      { label: "B", text: "handmade from" },
      { label: "C", text: "represented by" },
      { label: "D", text: "collected with" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Marilyn Dingle’s baskets. In this context, to say that Dingle’s baskets are “handmade from” particular plants means that Dingle creates baskets herself using those plants but without using machines. The text says that Dingle “skillfully winds” parts of palmetto palm plants around sweetgrass plants to make baskets with an appearance that “no factory can reproduce.” This context suggests that Dingle’s baskets are handmade from sweetgrass and palmetto palm. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text describes how Dingle uses sweetgrass and palmetto palm to create her baskets, not how her baskets are “indicated by,” or signified by, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Choice C is incorrect. Although Dingle’s baskets are described as being made using sweetgrass and palm, there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the baskets are “represented by,” or exemplified or portrayed by, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Instead, the focus of the text is on Dingle’s use of sweetgrass and palmetto palm and the impossibility of replicating the appearance of her baskets using machines. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Dingle’s baskets are “collected with,” or brought together in a group with, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Instead, the text describes how Dingle uses those plants to make her baskets.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "8d579825",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The printing of Virginia Woolf’s novels featured a creative ______blank between Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell: a talented painter, Bell worked closely with Woolf to create original cover art for most of the novels.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "rebellion" },
      { label: "B", text: "partnership" },
      { label: "C", text: "discovery" },
      { label: "D", text: "disagreement" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the cover art of Virginia Woolf’s novels. In this context, “partnership” means collaboration or joint effort. The text states that Woolf’s sister Vanessa Bell was a talented painter and that Bell worked with Woolf to provide the cover art for most of Woolf’s novels. Thus, this context suggests that Woolf and Bell pursued a creative partnership in order to produce several of Woolf’s novels. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication that Woolf or Bell were undergoing a “rebellion,” or revolt, against anything in particular. Instead, the text focuses on how they worked together in some aspects of the production of Woolf’s novels. Choice C is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that Woolf or Bell made a “discovery,” or encountered anything new for the first time as they worked together. The text suggests that Woolf had already written her novels and that Bell then assisted Woolf with the cover art for many of them. Choice D is incorrect because the text implies that Woolf and Bell had a positive relationship. According to the text, the sisters “worked closely” together to produce the cover art for many of Woolf’s novels; the text doesn’t mention whether while working together, Woolf and Bell had a “disagreement,” or conflict.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9671d61d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Claude McKay’s 1922 poem “Morning Joy.” The speaker is looking out a window and observing a wold, or large area of land.<br> <br><br>At night the wide and level stretch of wold,<br>Which at high noon had basked in quiet gold,<br>Far as the eye could see was ghostly white;<br>Dark was the night save for the snow’s weird light.<br> <br>I drew the shades far down, crept into bed;<br>Hearing the cold wind moaning overhead<br>Through the sad pines, my soul, catching its pain,<br>Went sorrowing with it across the plain.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “drew” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Pulled" },
      { label: "B", text: "Drained" },
      { label: "C", text: "Inspired" },
      { label: "D", text: "Sketched" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “drew” most nearly means pulled. In the text, the speaker stands at a window, looking out on a landscape at night. The speaker then “drew the shades far down, crept into bed.” That is, the speaker pulled down, or lowered, the shades until they were completely shut before going to sleep. <br>Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “drew” can refer to draining or removing liquid, especially water, as when someone draws water from a well, in this context it refers to the speaker pulling down window shades for the night. Choice C is incorrect. In some contexts, “drew” can be used to describe how a person or thing inspires, or elicits, a response from someone, as when a performer draws applause from an audience. But in this context it refers to the speaker pulling down window shades for the night. Choice D is incorrect. Although “drew” has several meanings, including sketched, or illustrated with a pen or pencil, in this context it refers to the speaker pulling down window shades for the night.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "97ab5669",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Former astronaut Ellen Ochoa says that although she doesn’t have a definite idea of when it might happen, she ______blank that humans will someday need to be able to live in other environments than those found on Earth. This conjecture informs her interest in future research missions to the moon.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "demands" },
      { label: "B", text: "speculates" },
      { label: "C", text: "doubts" },
      { label: "D", text: "establishes" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ochoa’s prediction that humans will one day need to live in places other than Earth. As used in this context, “speculates” would mean puts forward an idea without firm evidence. The text states that Ochoa “doesn’t have a definite idea” about when humans might need to live in other environments and characterizes Ochoa’s prediction as a “conjecture,” or a conclusion presented without convincing evidence. This context indicates that Ochoa speculates when she makes this prediction. <br>Choice A is incorrect because saying that Ochoa “demands,” or insists or requires, that humans will one day need to live in other environments than Earth’s would not make sense in context. The text indicates that she’s unsure about the timing but hypothesizes that it will someday happen. Choice C is incorrect because  saying that Ochoa “doubts,” or questions or disbelieves, that humans will one day need to live in other environments than Earth’s would not make sense in context. The text indicates that although Ochoa is unsure about the timing, she hypothesizes that humans will need to live in places other than Earth and encourages research into future travel to the moon. Choice D is incorrect because  saying that Ochoa “establishes,” or proves, that humans will one day need to live in other environments than Earth’s would not make sense in context. Rather than stating that Ochoa discusses her idea with certainty and supports it with evidence, the text indicates that Ochoa is unsure about when humans might need to live in other environments.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9b2fbb2e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Logically, a damaged fossil should provide less information than an intact one, but for paleontologist Brigitte Schoenemann, a broken area on a fossilized trilobite (a crustacean-like creature) ______blank fresh insight, allowing her to view the inner structure of the organism’s eye.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "resolved" },
      { label: "B", text: "adjusted" },
      { label: "C", text: "offered" },
      { label: "D", text: "directed" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about how, for Schoenemann, a damaged trilobite fossil was informative. In context, “offered” means provided or gave. The text suggests that although it may seem counterintuitive, a broken fossilized trilobite allowed Schoenemann to observe more details of the trilobite’s eye than an intact fossilized trilobite would. This context conveys the idea that a damaged fossil offered, or provided, fresh insight into the structure of a trilobite’s eye. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “resolved” means determined or figured out, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an intact one. Although the damaged fossil may have allowed her to determine certain information, as an inanimate object the fossil isn’t capable of resolving anything. Choice B is incorrect because saying that the broken part of a trilobite fossil “adjusted,” or changed or modified, fresh insight wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an intact one. This context suggests that the fossil offered fresh insight, or understanding, not that it adjusted fresh insight. Choice D is incorrect because “directed” means managed or instructed, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an intact one. This context suggests that the fossil offered fresh insight, or understanding, not that it directed fresh insight.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9ccf463e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Nella Larsen’s 1928 novel Quicksand.<br><br>The trees in their spring beauty sent through her restive mind a sharp thrill of pleasure. Seductive, charming, and beckoning as cities were, they had not this easy unhuman loveliness.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “beckoning” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Demanding" },
      { label: "B", text: "Signaling" },
      { label: "C", text: "Inviting" },
      { label: "D", text: "Shifting" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “beckoning” most nearly means “inviting,” or attractive. The text portrays a woman who is looking at “trees in their spring beauty.” She compares them to cities, which have their own pleasures even if they do not have the “easy unhuman loveliness” of trees: she thinks of cities as “seductive” and “charming,” both adjectives that signify something that is enticing, or attractive. Therefore, cities that are seductive and charming would also be described as inviting people closer to them. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication in this context that cities are “demanding,” or requiring effort. Choice B is incorrect. Though “signaling,” or communicating something, might be considered a key feature of the act of “beckoning,” in the context here, “beckoning” suggests that cities have attractive qualities that naturally draw people to them. Such attractive qualities are not described by the word “signaling” alone. Therefore, “signaling” is an incorrect answer because it is insufficiently precise. Choice D is incorrect because there is no reason to think in this context that the cities are “shifting,” or changing shape.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9cdcd902",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Charles “Teenie” Harris was a photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1975. During his career he took over 70,000 photographs documenting everyday life in Pittsburgh’s Black communities. The Carnegie Museum of Art maintains thousands of his photographs, carefully ______blank them so that audiences can continue to view them well into the future.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "replacing" },
      { label: "B", text: "inventing" },
      { label: "C", text: "preserving" },
      { label: "D", text: "counting" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      'Choice C is the best answer. "Preserving" means "maintaining" or "keeping in good condition," so preserving the photographs means that audiences should be able to view them for a long time.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Replacing" means "putting something new in place of" the photographs. Replacing the photos will make it so that audiences can’t view them at all. Choice B is incorrect. "Inventing" means "creating a new idea, process, or thing." The museum can’t invent photographs that already exist. Choice D is incorrect. Counting the photographs will not help audiences view them well into the future.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9d73c9eb",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe, which vividly chronicles Osage history and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is ______blank choice because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage: sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "a suitable" },
      { label: "B", text: "a determined" },
      { label: "C", text: "an arbitrary" },
      { label: "D", text: "an unpredictable" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. “Suitable” means “appropriate for a particular purpose.” Since the text indicates that two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage, we can infer that the author believes that ballet is a very suitable artform for telling Osage stories. <br>Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was determined. That would imply that Tinker-Smith initially faced some kind of obstacle or opposition, and nothing like that is mentioned in the passage. Choice C is incorrect. The text implies the opposite of this. “Arbitrary” means “based on random choice or whim rather than reason.” But the text does give us a good reason behind the choice to tell Osage stories through ballet: two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage. Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was “unpredictable.” Rather, the fact that two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage makes ballet especially appropriate for telling Osage stories.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9e501aaf",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Research conducted by planetary scientist Katarina Miljkovic suggests that the Moon’s surface may not accurately ______blank early impact events. When the Moon was still forming, its surface was softer, and asteroid or meteoroid impacts would have left less of an impression; thus, evidence of early impacts may no longer be present.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "reflect" },
      { label: "B", text: "receive" },
      { label: "C", text: "evaluate" },
      { label: "D", text: "mimic" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Moon’s surface. In this context, “reflect” means show or make apparent. The text states that because the surface of the Moon was softer when the Moon was still forming than it is now, early asteroid and meteoroid impacts “would have left less of an impression” and, as a result, evidence of them may no longer exist. This context supports the idea that the surface of the Moon may not accurately show signs of early impact events. <br>Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the surface of the Moon may not accurately “receive,” or acquire or experience, early impacts from asteroids or meteoroids. The text indicates that the impacts have already occurred, and it isn’t clear how the Moon’s surface could be accurate or inaccurate in experiencing them. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the surface of the Moon may not accurately “evaluate,” or determine the significance or condition of, early impacts from asteroids or meteoroids, since that would suggest that it’s possible for the Moon’s surface to make a decision of any kind. Choice D is incorrect. In this context, “mimic” would mean to deliberately simulate or closely imitate something. It wouldn’t make sense to say that the surface of the Moon may not accurately mimic early asteroid and meteoroid impacts, since that would suggest that it’s possible for the Moon to deliberately imitate something.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a2835734",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Visual artist Gabriela Alemán states that the bold colors of comics, pop art, and Latinx culture have always fascinated her. This passion for the rich history and colors of her Latinx community translates into the ______blank artworks she produces.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "vivid" },
      { label: "B", text: "unknown" },
      { label: "C", text: "definite" },
      { label: "D", text: "reserved" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer. "Vivid" can mean "colorful" or "bright-colored." This definition fits the context clues about Alemán’s fascination with and passion for bold colors.<br>Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. Nothing in the text indicates that Alemán’s artworks are "unknown." Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. "Definite" means "certain" or "decided." It wouldn’t make sense to describe artwork as "definite." Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. "Reserved" can either mean "slow to reveal emotions" or "booked." But the clues suggest that Alemán’s artworks are boldly colorful—almost the opposite of "reserved."',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a318c1ef",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Cambrian explosion gets its name from the sudden appearance and rapid diversification of animal remains in the fossil record about 541 million years ago, during the Cambrian period. Some scientists argue that this ______blank change in the fossil record might be because of a shift in many organisms to body types that were more likely to be preserved.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "catastrophic" },
      { label: "B", text: "elusive" },
      { label: "C", text: "abrupt" },
      { label: "D", text: "imminent" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the fossil record from the Cambrian period. In this context, “abrupt” means sudden. The text explains that the fossil record reflects the unexpected appearance and rapid diversification, or increase in variety, of animal remains during the Cambrian period. This context establishes that these remains’ entry into the fossil record was sudden. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “explosion” appears in the name of the event marked by the fossil record change, the text never suggests that the change was “catastrophic,” or disastrous. In context, “explosion” refers to the rapid diversification, or the swift increase in variety, of animal remains in the fossil record—a phenomenon that the text presents in a relatively neutral manner, without commenting on whether it was negative or positive. Choice B is incorrect because the text never suggests that the change toward greater diversification is “elusive,” or difficult to locate, in the fossil record. Rather, the text notes that the change occurred about 541 million years ago, suggesting that scientists have indeed been able to locate it. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to describe the change in the fossil record as “imminent,” or about to occur, since the text indicates that the change already occurred millions of years ago.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a3761c7e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Physicist Joseph Weber performed ______blank work in gravitational wave research in the 1960s and 1970s, conducting key experiments that scientists later used as the basis for their own investigations that led to the first verified detection of a gravitational wave in 2015.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "foundational" },
      { label: "B", text: "supplementary" },
      { label: "C", text: "repetitive" },
      { label: "D", text: "ineffective" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of physicist Joseph Webster’s research on gravitational waves. In this context “foundational” means the basis on which something else develops. The text indicates that Webster’s experiments in the 1960s and 1970s were earlier than, and “key” to, the work of later scientists in the field; thus, Webster’s work was foundational to the later scientists’ experiments and the eventual detection of a gravitational wave in 2015.  <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text does not suggest that Webster’s work was supplementary, or an additional element of an existing, larger project, but rather it was “the basis for” later experiments. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not assert that Webster’s work was repetitive, or involved doing something the same way many times. Rather, the text indicates that Webster’s work formed the basis for later investigations in the field of gravitational wave research.  Choice D is incorrect because the text does not state that Webster’s work was ineffective, or failed to produce the desired outcome. Rather, the text strongly implies that Webster’s work was productive and extremely important to later work in the field of gravitational wave research.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a4ca92fd",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Beginning in the 1950s, Navajo Nation legislator Annie Dodge Wauneka continuously worked to promote public health; this ______blank effort involved traveling throughout the vast Navajo homeland and writing a medical dictionary for speakers of Diné bizaad, the Navajo language.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "impartial" },
      { label: "B", text: "offhand" },
      { label: "C", text: "persistent" },
      { label: "D", text: "mandatory" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Annie Dodge Wauneka’s work as a Navajo Nation legislator. As used in this context, “persistent” means existing continuously. The text states that Wauneka “continuously worked to promote public health,” traveling extensively and authoring a medical dictionary; this indicates that Wauneka’s effort was persistent. <br>Choice A is incorrect because describing Wauneka’s effort related to public health as “impartial,” or not partial or biased and treating all things equally, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text suggests that Wauneka’s continuous work was partial in one way, as she focused specifically on promoting public health throughout the Navajo homeland and to speakers of the Navajo language. Choice B is incorrect because the text emphasizes that Wauneka’s effort to promote public health as a Navajo Nation legislator was continuous and extensive, involving wide travels and the authoring of a medical dictionary. Because this work clearly involved care and dedication, it wouldn’t make sense to describe it as “offhand,” or casual and informal. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Wauneka’s effort to promote public health was “mandatory,” or required by law or rule, even though Wauneka was a Navajo Nation legislator. Rather than suggesting that Wauneka’s effort was required for any reason, the text emphasizes the continuous and extensive nature of her work.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a4f50d30",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Scientists previously thought that all electric eels belong to a single species, but a team of researchers led by zoologist C. David de Santana proved this idea wrong by ______blank that there are in fact three distinct species of electric eels.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "pretending" },
      { label: "B", text: "complaining" },
      { label: "C", text: "requiring" },
      { label: "D", text: "demonstrating" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. “Demonstrating” means “showing,” and the text describes how de Santana disproved a previous belief in only one species of electric eel by showing that three electric eel species actually exist. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Pretending that there are three species of electric eel might be a fun game for marine biologists, but it wouldn’t prove the existence of more than one species. Choice B is incorrect. Complaining won’t prove anything about eels, so de Santana could not have proved wrong the idea of only one species of electric eel by complaining about it. Choice C is incorrect. “Requiring” means “needing.” It wouldn’t make sense to say that de Santana “needed” there to be three distinct species of electric eel.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "aa7ae735",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Mohsin Hamid’s 2017 novel Exit West. Saeed lives with his mother and father.<br>On cloudless nights after a daytime rain, Saeed’s father would sometimes bring out the telescope, and the family would sip green tea on their balcony, enjoying a breeze, and take turns to look up at objects whose light, often, had been emitted before any of these three viewers had been born—light from other centuries, only now reaching Earth.<br>©2017 by Mohsin Hamid</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “reaching” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Arriving at" },
      { label: "B", text: "Consulting with" },
      { label: "C", text: "Running to" },
      { label: "D", text: "Clinging to" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer. The word "reaching" in this text means "to arrive" at Earth. Before, the light had been traveling across space; now, it had arrived at Earth.<br>Choice B is incorrect. "Consulting with" means "seeking advice or information from someone." Light is not alive, so it can’t consult with Earth. Choice C is incorrect. It’s confusing to say that starlight is "only now running to Earth," both because light doesn’t literally "run" and because the text is describing the moment the light touches Earth, not the period of time when it’s traveling to Earth. Choice D is incorrect. This might be tempting, as "clinging to" has a connotation of "sticking to." It wouldn’t make sense to say that the light was "only now" clinging to Earth.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "aad56f2b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>As a young photographer in the 1950s, William Klein ______blank the conventions of photography by creating images that were high contrast and included blurred and distorted elements—features generally seen as flaws. So unorthodox was Klein’s work that he had difficulty finding a publisher for his now-iconic 1956 photo book Life is Good & Good for You in New York.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "reviewed" },
      { label: "B", text: "defied" },
      { label: "C", text: "respected" },
      { label: "D", text: "prevented" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. "Defied" means "resisted" or "deliberately disobeyed," which matches the way Klein broke from the conventions of photography in his time by including features that were generally seen as flaws.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Reviewed" means "analyzed" or "evaluated," but that doesn’t really fit the context here. Klein isn’t directly providing any thoughtful examination of the conventions of photography: he’s just breaking all the rules. Choice C is incorrect. "Respected" can mean "admired" or "followed" (as in the case of conventions). It’s clear that Klein didn’t respect conventions, given his use of photographic features that were generally considered "flaws." Choice D is incorrect. "Prevented" means "stopped," and Klein did not stop the conventions—they still existed. Instead, he made images that were seen as "flawed" under those conventions.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "afd48140",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In 1877, 85% of California’s railways were already controlled by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The company further solidified its ______blank in rail access to the state’s Pacific coast when it completed the Sunset Route in 1883: running from Louisiana to Southern California, the route established the first transcontinental rail line across the southern United States.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "dominance" },
      { label: "B", text: "creativity" },
      { label: "C", text: "insignificance" },
      { label: "D", text: "neutrality" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the Southern Pacific Railroad. As used in this context, "dominance" means the state of being more successful than others. The text states that the Southern Pacific Railroad already controlled 85% of California’s railways in 1877, and that the Sunset Route it constructed in 1883 was the first transcontinental rail line across the southern United States. Therefore, the Southern Pacific Railroad would be more successful than other railroads in the area, and the construction of the Sunset Route would further solidify its dominance in rail access to California’s coast.<br>Choice B is incorrect. Although the construction of the Sunset Route must have required some creativity, or use of imagination, the word "creativity" would not also encompass the fact that the Southern Pacific Railroad already controlled 85% of California’s railways. The text is more focused on the railroad’s control of the field and overall success rather than its imaginative thought processes. Choice C is incorrect because if the Southern Pacific Railroad controlled the majority of California’s railways, it would not make sense to refer to its "insignificance," or the state of being unimportant. Rather, the opposite would be true. Choice D is incorrect because in context it would not make sense to refer to the Southern Pacific Railroad’s "neutrality," or absence of strong opinion on a matter, since no opinions are mentioned. Nor would "neutrality" in the sense of impartiality in a conflict be a logical or precise choice since no conflict is explicitly described. There might be an implied conflict between the Southern Pacific Railroad and other railroads doing business in California, but that is not a conflict in which the Southern Pacific Railroad would take an impartial position.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b0ea8c28",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Sueño de Familia is an exhibition of drawings, paintings, and ceramics that explores the artistic heritage of US-based artist Yolanda González. The exhibition ______blank five generations, featuring works by González’s great-grandfather, grandmother, mother, and niece as well as González herself.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "borrows" },
      { label: "B", text: "spans" },
      { label: "C", text: "judges" },
      { label: "D", text: "neglects" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Sueño de Familia art exhibition. In this context, “spans” means extends across or covers. The text states that the exhibition explores González’s artistic heritage and features artwork by her great-grandfather, grandmother, mother, and niece. This context conveys the idea that the exhibition spans, or extends across, five generations of González’s family. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the exhibition “borrows,” or acquires, five generations of González’s family. The text indicates that the exhibition features artwork by family members from five generations, not that the five generations themselves have been acquired for inclusion in the exhibition. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that the purpose of the exhibition is to highlight artwork, not to “judge,” or give an opinion on, five generations of the artist’s family. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the exhibition “neglects,” or gives little attention to, five generations of González’s family. On the contrary, the text indicates that the exhibition is dedicated to exploring González’s artistic heritage and therefore designed to bring attention to her family members and their artwork.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b11bb2a3",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Amy Lowell’s 1912 poem “Summer.”<br><br>It is summer, glorious, deep-toned summer,<br>The very crown of nature’s changing year<br>When all her surging life is at its full.<br>To me alone it is a time of pause,<br>A void and silent space between two worlds,<br>When inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps,<br>Gathering strength for efforts yet to come.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the phrase “a void” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "A useless" },
      { label: "B", text: "An empty" },
      { label: "C", text: "A forgotten" },
      { label: "D", text: "An incomplete" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, a span of time is described as "a void" space, which most nearly means an empty or vacant one. In the text, the speaker describes summertime in counterintuitive terms: although nature’s "surging life is at its full" during the season, the speaker feels summer to be "a time of pause, / A void and silent space between two worlds." The speaker says further that during summer, "feeling sleeps / Gathering strength" for future efforts. Thus, the speaker regards summer as an empty stretch of time, to be followed by a period of greater activity.<br>Choice A is incorrect. Although the text does present summer as a time of inactivity, it doesn’t characterize that inactivity as useless, or as having no purpose; in fact, the speaker regards summer as a time when "feeling" gathers "strength for efforts yet to come." Choice C is incorrect. Although the text characterizes summer as a time "when inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps," it doesn’t discuss the season’s relationship to the speaker’s memory or suggest that summer can easily be forgotten. Choice D is incorrect. In some contexts, "void" can mean devoid of, or lacking, a particular element, and such a lack could be conceived of as incompleteness. However, the text doesn’t portray summer as not being complete or whole; instead, it characterizes vacancy or inactivity as being an essential quality of the season, as experienced by the speaker.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b92c13fa",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>According to statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the best way to predict the amount of time a nonperishable entity (such as a building or a technology) will continue to exist is to examine how long it has survived so far. In this view, an item’s age is the strongest ______blank how much longer it will last.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "uncertainty about" },
      { label: "B", text: "indicator of" },
      { label: "C", text: "motivation for" },
      { label: "D", text: "criticism of" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. “Indicator” means “something that shows or suggests,” which matches Taleb’s argument that an item’s age can suggest how much longer it will last. <br>Choice A is incorrect. The passage tells us that examining an item’s age is the best way to predict how much longer it will last. Therefore, according to Taleb’s theory, an item’s age should add more certainty about how much longer it will last. Choice C is incorrect. A “motivation” is “a reason for doing.” Items don’t have feelings and motivations, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that their age is a motivation for how much longer they will last. Choice D is incorrect. “Criticism” can mean “describing faults or problems” or “an analysis of an artistic work.” Neither of these definitions makes sense here. An item’s age can’t criticize how much longer it will last.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "bcc91b1e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx briefly made contact with the asteroid 101955 Bennu in 2020. NASA scientist Daniella DellaGiustina reports that despite facing the unexpected obstacle of a surface mostly covered in boulders, OSIRIS-REx successfully ______blank a sample of the surface, gathering pieces of it to bring back to Earth.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "attached" },
      { label: "B", text: "collected" },
      { label: "C", text: "followed" },
      { label: "D", text: "replaced" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s contact with the asteroid 101955 Bennu. In this context, “collected” means acquired and took away. The text indicates that although the boulders on the asteroid’s surface caused some unforeseen problems, OSIRIS-REx was able to gather a sample to return to Earth. This context suggests that OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample of 101955 Bennu. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context “attached” means connected or affixed. The text indicates that OSIRIS-REx gathered pieces of 101955 Bennu to bring to Earth; it doesn’t suggest that the spacecraft attached anything to the asteroid. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “followed” means tracked or traveled behind and the text discusses OSIRIS-REx’s brief encounter with 101955 Bennu during which the spacecraft gathered a sample to bring to Earth. The text doesn’t suggest that the spacecraft tracked the sample, and it’s not clear what it would mean for the spacecraft to travel behind the sample it collected. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “replaced” means put back or returned. The text indicates that OSIRIS-REx gathered pieces of 101955 Bennu to bring to Earth but doesn’t suggest that anything was returned to the asteroid.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "bdab32fc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Cucurbits, a group of plants that includes squash and melons, relied on mastodons to spread their seeds in the Ice Age. When these animals died out, cucurbits faced extinction in turn, having lost their means of seed dispersal. Around this time, however, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America began raising cucurbits as crops, thus ______blank the plants’ survival.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "verifying" },
      { label: "B", text: "multiplying" },
      { label: "C", text: "comforting" },
      { label: "D", text: "ensuring" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of cucurbits. In this context, “ensuring” means guaranteeing, or making sure of, the cucurbits’ survival. The text states that cucurbits faced extinction in the past because their means of seed dispersal disappeared, but the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America began farming cucurbits around that same time, so the crops were no longer threatened. Therefore, the context supports the idea that the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America helped with ensuring the cucurbits’ survival. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context verifying means making sure that something is accurate. In the text, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America were ensuring the survival, not the accuracy of, the cucurbits. Choice B is incorrect. Although the cucurbit crops themselves were multiplying, or growing in number, as a result of the work of the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America, it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that the survival of the plants was multiplying. Choice C is incorrect because according to the text, in raising cucurbits as crops, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America were attempting to help the plants grow and survive; they weren’t attempting to comfort, or free the plants from pain.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c2c26e20",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Sadakichi Hartmann’s 1894 short story “Magnolia Blossoms.” The narrator is standing on the deck of a boat.<br><br>What a night it was! My soul had left its body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me—from where it came—and only left a trembling suggestion of its existence within me. The other passengers moved around me like shadows, and again and again my eyes drank in all the glory and wealth of that night.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “suggestion” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Trace" },
      { label: "B", text: "Opinion" },
      { label: "C", text: "Dispute" },
      { label: "D", text: "Command" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “suggestion” most nearly means trace. The text portrays the narrator standing on the deck of a boat, admiring the view of nature afforded by this position: “My soul had left its body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me,” says the narrator, “and only left a trembling suggestion of its existence within me.” This intense response to beauty is such that the narrator’s soul seems to disengage from its body, leaving behind only a barely detectible indication of its presence there. In other words, the narrator senses only a trace of soul left in the body. <br>Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “suggestion” can refer to an implied or indirectly expressed opinion, the text doesn’t portray the narrator expressing an opinion; instead, the narrator is explaining an experience of intense emotion. Choice C is incorrect. While “suggestion” might be used in some contexts to refer to the tactful expression of a differing viewpoint, it doesn’t refer to the dispute or difference of opinion itself. Moreover, the text doesn’t portray a dispute between characters with differing viewpoints. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “suggestion” might be used to refer to a politely worded command, the text doesn’t portray a scenario in which someone receives such a command.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "ca47273b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Biologist Jane Edgeloe and colleagues have located what is believed to be the largest individual plant in the world in the Shark Bay area of Australia. The plant is a type of seagrass called Posidonia australis, and it ______blank approximately 200 square kilometers.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "acknowledges" },
      { label: "B", text: "produces" },
      { label: "C", text: "spans" },
      { label: "D", text: "advances" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. “Spans” means “extends over a distance of” or “encompasses.” Since we’re talking about the world’s largest plant, it makes sense to say that it “spans” about 200 square kilometers. <br>Choice A is incorrect. “Acknowledges” means “recognizes” or “admits the truth of.” Either way, it doesn’t make sense here: a plant can’t “acknowledge” a distance. Choice B is incorrect. “Produces” can mean “makes,” “causes,” or “presents.” But none of those definitions make sense here: a plant can’t make, cause, or present a distance. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. “Advances” means “moves forward” or “progresses.” But the plant isn’t necessarily moving forward. Rather, the text suggests that it already covers a distance of 200 square kilometers.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cb526866",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising. Wooden objects ______blank survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of sediment in the ditch preserved the figure by creating an oxygen-free environment.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "sturdily" },
      { label: "B", text: "carelessly" },
      { label: "C", text: "rarely" },
      { label: "D", text: "simply" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago. In this context, “rarely” means infrequently. The text states that the discovery of the figure was “truly surprising” and notes that wooden objects are highly prone to rot. This context conveys the idea that wooden objects infrequently survive for as long as the carved figure has survived. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “sturdily” means strongly, which wouldn’t make sense in context. If wooden objects in general could strongly survive for long periods of time, then the discovery of a wooden figure that’s around 2,000 years old wouldn’t be surprising. Choice B is incorrect because “carelessly” means accidentally. The text conveys the idea that wooden objects in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in general accidentally survive despite this. Choice D is incorrect because the text conveys the idea that wooden objects in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in general “simply,” or merely, survive for long periods of time. If wooden objects in general could merely survive for as long as the figure has survived, then the discovery of the figure wouldn’t have been surprising.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d2eb1df1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In recommending Bao Phi’s collection Sông I Sing, a librarian noted that pieces by the spoken-word poet don’t lose their ______blank nature when printed: the language has the same pleasant musical quality on the page as it does when performed by Phi.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "scholarly" },
      { label: "B", text: "melodic" },
      { label: "C", text: "jarring" },
      { label: "D", text: "personal" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.” That’s exactly what “melodic” means. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.” “Scholarly” would suggest something that is academic or well-researched, which doesn’t match the meaning we’re looking for. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.” “Jarring” would suggest the opposite: something unpleasant or discordant. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.” “Personal” would suggest something that is expressive or intimate, which doesn’t match the meaning we’re looking for.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d4a8f7cb",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Dance choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar aims to give people the opportunity to be ______blank her creative process. For example, live performances of her dance HairStories, which debuted in 2001, featured videos of people across the United States talking about their hair and audience members sharing pictures of their interesting hairstyles.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "nervous about" },
      { label: "B", text: "completed by" },
      { label: "C", text: "delayed by" },
      { label: "D", text: "involved in" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. “Involved in” means “playing an active role in.” This fits the context clues describing how Zollar includes the audience in her shows by incorporating their stories and pictures. <br>Choice A is incorrect. “Nervous” means “worried or anxious about.” Nothing in the text suggests that people would be nervous about Zollar’s creative process. Choice B is incorrect. “Completed by” means “made whole by.” It doesn’t make sense to say that Zollar’s shows would make her audience complete. Choice C is incorrect. “Delayed by” means “made late by.” Nothing in the text suggests that people would be delayed by Zollar’s creative process.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d5235d39",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The Mule Bone, a 1930 play written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, is perhaps the best-known of the few examples of ______blank in literature. Most writers prefer working alone, and given that working together cost Hurston and Hughes their friendship, it is not hard to see why.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "characterization" },
      { label: "B", text: "interpretation" },
      { label: "C", text: "collaboration" },
      { label: "D", text: "commercialization" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of The Mule Bone, a play that Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes wrote together. In this context, “collaboration” means working together with someone to write a literary work. The text indicates that most writers prefer to work alone and that working together destroyed the friendship between Hurston and Hughes. This establishes that The Mule Bone is a relatively rare example of collaboration in literature. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “characterization” would mean a literary work’s portrayal of characters’ psychological experiences and motivations, but the text doesn’t discuss characterization in The Mule Bone specifically or in collaborative works more generally. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “interpretation” would mean the explanation of a literary work’s meaning or significance, but the text doesn’t discuss how readers or critics have interpreted The Mule Bone; instead, the text discusses how the play was written collaboratively and how the writing process affected the two authors. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “commercialization” would mean writing a literary work in such a way as to ensure its commercial appeal, but the text never discusses commercial appeal as a factor in the writing of The Mule Bone specifically or the writing of collaborative works more generally.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "daaed806",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Mônica Lopes-Ferreira and others at Brazil’s Butantan Institute are studying the freshwater stingray species Potamotrygon rex to determine whether biological characteristics such as the rays’ age and sex have ______blank effect on the toxicity of their venom—that is, to see if differences in these traits are associated with considerable variations in venom potency.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "a disconcerting" },
      { label: "B", text: "an acceptable" },
      { label: "C", text: "an imperceptible" },
      { label: "D", text: "a substantial" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the research that Lopes-Ferreira and her colleagues are conducting on the stingray species Potamotrygon rex. As used in this context, “a substantial” effect means an effect that is sizable or noteworthy. The text indicates that the researchers are seeking to determine whether there are “considerable variations” in the potency of stingray venom that are associated with variation in the stingrays’ age and sex. This context suggests that the researchers want to find out whether stingray age and sex have a substantial effect on venom toxicity. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the researchers have been studying whether the stingrays’ age and sex have “a disconcerting,” or an unsettling and disturbing, effect on the stingrays’ venom. The text indicates that the researchers wish to determine if stingray age and sex cause large variations in the toxicity of stingray venom, not if the effect of age and sex is disconcerting. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that researchers want to find out whether differences in stingray age and sex produce differences in stingray venom, not that the researchers want to find out whether age and sex have “an acceptable,” or a satisfactory, effect on venom. The text makes no mention of what would make an effect on venom toxicity acceptable and gives no indication that the researchers are interested in that question. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for the researchers to be looking for “an imperceptible,” or an unnoticeable, effect of age and sex on stingray venom. The text says that the researchers are trying to determine if there are “considerable variations” in venom toxicity linked to age and sex, not that the researchers are trying to find effects that they can’t perceive.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e1d5d5df",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>According to botanists, a viburnum plant experiencing insect damage may develop erineum—a discolored, felty growth—on its leaf blades. A ______blank viburnum plant, on the other hand, will have leaves with smooth surfaces and uniformly green coloration.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "struggling" },
      { label: "B", text: "beneficial" },
      { label: "C", text: "simple" },
      { label: "D", text: "healthy" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of damage to viburnum plants. In this context, “healthy” would mean not distressed or diseased. The text states that insect damage may cause viburnum plants to be discolored and have abnormal growths. In the next sentence, the phrase “on the other hand” indicates a contrast with the description of plants suffering from damage. Thus, the context contrasts the appearance of healthy, undamaged plants with the appearance of damaged plants. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “struggling” would mean working against difficulties. The text first describes viburnum plants experiencing damage by insects, and the phrase “on the other hand” then establishes a contrast with that description. It wouldn’t make sense to contrast struggling viburnum plants with those being damaged by insects, because in both cases the plants would be experiencing difficulties. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “beneficial” would mean producing good or helpful effects. The text doesn’t discuss how viburnum plants affect other things or suggest that the plants are helpful in some way; rather, it focuses on how viburnum plants are affected by certain conditions. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “simple” would mean plain or uncomplicated. The text doesn’t discuss whether certain viburnum plants are complicated or uncomplicated; rather, it focuses on how viburnum plants are affected by certain conditions.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e1e89221",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden. Mary, a young girl, is outside trying her new jump rope.<br><br>The sun was shining and a little wind was blowing—not a rough wind, but one which came in delightful little gusts and brought a fresh scent of newly turned earth with it. She skipped round the fountain garden, and up one walk and down another.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “rough” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Harsh" },
      { label: "B", text: "Scratchy" },
      { label: "C", text: "Basic" },
      { label: "D", text: "Vague" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, "rough" most nearly means harsh, or forceful and unpleasant. The text describes Mary’s surroundings as she plays: the sun is out and there’s "a little wind." To further illustrate the wind, the narrator contrasts the word "rough" with a description of the wind blowing in "delightful little gusts," suggesting that the wind is not unpleasant or harsh at all.<br>Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts "rough" objects, or objects with irregular surfaces, can sometimes be scratchy, rough doesn’t mean scratchy in this context. The text explains that the wind is not rough but rather gentle, "delightful little gusts," which suggests that the use of "rough" here is referring to the degree of force of the wind. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the wind wasn’t "basic," or simple and uncomplicated. Instead, the text describes the wind as blowing not roughly or harshly but in "delightful little gusts." Choice D is incorrect because the word "vague" means not clearly expressed or seen. Nothing in the text indicates that the wind was barely noticeable to Mary as she played outside, but rather the text states that it was delightful.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e3f05561",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the 1970s, video cameras became increasingly affordable for ordinary consumers and gave Ulysses Jenkins and other artists capabilities that were previously unavailable except to television broadcasters. Jenkins recognized and took full advantage of this ______blank access to powerful technology to create groundbreaking works of video art, such as Mass of Images (1978).</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "newfound" },
      { label: "B", text: "delicate" },
      { label: "C", text: "inevitable" },
      { label: "D", text: "habitual" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ulysses Jenkins’s video art. As used in this context, “newfound” means recently discovered or established. The text indicates that in the 1970s, video cameras became cheaper and therefore more widely available than they had been in the past. The text goes on to say that this development provided Jenkins and other artists with capabilities that they previously didn’t have. As a result, Jenkins began producing groundbreaking works of video art. This context supports the idea that Jenkins took advantage of newfound access to video cameras. <br>Choice B is incorrect because “delicate” means fine in texture or structure or easily broken, neither of which would make sense in this context. The text doesn’t focus on describing what video art looks like or whether it’s breakable. Choice C is incorrect because “inevitable” means impossible to avoid, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text doesn’t discuss the likelihood of artists, or anyone else, gaining access to video cameras. Choice D is incorrect because “habitual” means doing something regularly or repeatedly. Although the text does suggest that Jenkins created multiple pieces of video art, its focus is on the fact that video cameras had only just become widely available to artists in the 1970s. Jenkins’s ability to take advantage of video cameras to make art was therefore newfound, not habitual, at the time.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e41dfaab",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between President Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge. Historians were unable to ______blank the authenticity of the letters, however, and quickly dismissed them as a hoax.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "validate" },
      { label: "B", text: "interpret" },
      { label: "C", text: "relate" },
      { label: "D", text: "accommodate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of letters allegedly exchanged between President Lincoln and Rutledge. In this context, “validate” means to confirm that something is real or correct. According to the text, it was alleged, or claimed, that the newly discovered letters had been written by Lincoln and Rutledge. The text also indicates that historians ultimately decided the letters were a hoax, or fraudulent. This context suggests that the historians couldn’t confirm that the letters were authentic. <br>Choice B is incorrect. The text focuses on the authenticity of the letters, which were claimed to have been written by Lincoln and Rutledge and were then quickly dismissed as fraudulent by historians. Rather than conveying that the historians simply weren’t able to “interpret,” or explain in an understandable way, the letters’ authenticity, the text suggests that the historians decided the letters lacked authenticity altogether. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that the historians quickly dismissed the letters claimed to have been written by Lincoln and Rutledge as fraudulent; this suggests that rather than being unable to “relate,” or tell others about, the letters’ authenticity, the historians were able to share what they’d decided about the letters. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to suggest that the historians couldn’t “accommodate,” or give consideration to, the authenticity of the letters claimed to have been written by Lincoln and Rutledge; the text states that the historians decided that the letters were fraudulent, which indicates that they did consider whether the letters were authentic.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e7b709fc",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials ______blank evidence for this theory.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "dismiss" },
      { label: "B", text: "provide" },
      { label: "C", text: "regulate" },
      { label: "D", text: "refuse" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the archaeologists’ study of the ancient amphitheater in Switzerland. In this context, “provide” means make available or supply. The text states that the archaeologists believe that the amphitheater dates to the fourth century CE. The text goes on to say that the archaeologists discovered a coin made between 337 and 341 CE (that is, made during the fourth century CE) and building materials appropriate to the era in question. This context suggests that these discoveries provide evidence for the archaeologists’ theory about the dating of the amphitheater. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the archaeologists’ discoveries are presented as supplying evidence in favor of their theory about the dating of the amphitheater, not something that would “dismiss,” or reject serious consideration of, evidence for that theory. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the archaeologists’ discoveries would “regulate,” or govern or bring order to, evidence for the archaeologists’ theory about the dating of the amphitheater. The discoveries are presented as supplying evidence for the archaeologists’ theory, not as changing how evidence for the theory is controlled or ordered. Choice D is incorrect because the archaeologists’ discoveries are presented as supplying evidence in favor of their theory about the dating of the amphitheater, not something that would “refuse,” or be unwilling to accept, evidence for the archaeologists’ theory.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f3fac04f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Bioluminescent beetles called fireflies may seem to create flashes of light randomly, but each species of firefly actually has its own special series of repeated flashes and pauses. These unique ______blank allow fireflies of the same species to find each other.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "quantities" },
      { label: "B", text: "decorations" },
      { label: "C", text: "patterns" },
      { label: "D", text: "agreements" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the flashes created by fireflies. In this context, “patterns” means distinct and predictable sequences. The text indicates that although the flashes that fireflies produce appear to occur randomly—that is, without any particular sequence or rhythm—each species actually produces its own special series of flashes and pauses. Indeed, these series of flashes are so unique that fireflies can use them to find other members of their species. Therefore, this context supports the idea that fireflies produce flashes in distinct and recognizable patterns. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “quantities” means certain amounts or numbers of something. Although the text discusses how different firefly species produce flashes and pauses in unique sequences that help other members of their species to find them, it doesn’t mention the number of flashes that are used in these sequences. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “decorations” would mean things that make an object more beautiful. Although it may be reasonable to say that firefly flashes are beautiful, the text focuses on the fact that fireflies use these unique sequences of flashes to find other members of their own species, not that the flashes make fireflies more beautiful. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “agreements” would refer to deals that individuals have discussed and come to a consensus about. Since fireflies aren’t capable of making such agreements, it wouldn’t make sense to use this word to refer to the signals they send each other with their flashes.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f6d1f735",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person’s diaphragm contracts ______blank. However, neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that these uncontrollable contractions may play an important role in helping infants regulate their breathing.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "involuntarily" },
      { label: "B", text: "beneficially" },
      { label: "C", text: "strenuously" },
      { label: "D", text: "smoothly" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of diaphragm contractions and hiccups. In this context, “involuntarily” means done without any control, or by reflex. The text explains that when a person’s diaphragm repeatedly contracts and results in hiccups (which may be beneficial for infants), those muscle contractions are “uncontrollable.” This context indicates that the diaphragm contractions occur without the person’s control. <br>Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t support the logical relationship established in the text’s discussion of diaphragm contractions and hiccups. The text indicates that although specific causes for hiccups haven’t been identified, it may be the case that the muscle contractions that occur have an important purpose in infants. It wouldn’t make sense to say that even though the contractions occur “beneficially,” or with a good or helpful effect, they might play a positive role in infants’ breathing regulation. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that the diaphragm contractions that result in hiccups are “uncontrollable.” Because those muscle contractions are described as happening automatically and without the person’s control, it wouldn’t make sense to describe them as occurring “strenuously,” or in a way that requires great effort or energy. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe the quality of the diaphragm contractions that result in hiccups beyond stating that they are “uncontrollable.” Nothing in the text indicates that those muscle contractions occur “smoothly,” or evenly and continuously.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f773a56b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>As Mexico’s first president from an Indigenous community, Benito Juarez became one of the most ______blank figures in his country’s history: among the many significant accomplishments of his long tenure in office (1858–1872), Juarez consolidated the authority of the national government and advanced the rights of Indigenous peoples.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "unpredictable" },
      { label: "B", text: "important" },
      { label: "C", text: "secretive" },
      { label: "D", text: "ordinary" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Juarez. In this context, “important” means marked by significant work or consequence. The text indicates that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, became a certain kind of figure in Mexico’s history. It then supports that claim by describing some of the “many significant accomplishments” from Juarez’s long tenure in office. This context conveys that Juarez is a significant and consequential figure in Mexico’s history. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on Juarez’s role as the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community and on his many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office; nothing in the text suggests that Juarez was “unpredictable,” or tended to behave in ways that couldn’t be predicted. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Juarez was a particularly “secretive” figure, or that he tended to keep things private or hidden from others. Instead, the text focuses on things that are known about Juarez: that he was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, that he had a lengthy tenure, and that his many major accomplishments included consolidating the national government’s authority and advancing Indigenous rights. Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on the idea that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, had many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office. Rather than suggesting that Juarez was an “ordinary,” or common and typical, figure in Mexico’s history, this context conveys that Juarez was instead a notable figure.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f7d58b53",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Like other tribal nations, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is self-governing; its National Council generates laws regulating aspects of community life such as land use and healthcare, while the principal chief and cabinet officials ______blank those laws by devising policies and administering services in accordance with them.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "implement" },
      { label: "B", text: "presume" },
      { label: "C", text: "improvise" },
      { label: "D", text: "mimic" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of self-government among the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In this context, “implement” means to carry out or put into effect. The text states that the National Council generates laws, while the principal chief and cabinet officials are responsible for “devising policies and administering services in accordance with” those laws. This context suggests that the principal chief and cabinet officials implement the laws: they put the laws into effect by creating policies and administering services that accord with those laws. <br>Choice B is incorrect because “presume” in this context would mean to assume based on incomplete information, and the text does not suggest that the principal chief and cabinet officials either made assumptions about the content of the laws or had incomplete information about them. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “improvise” would mean to create something without preparation, and the text does not suggest that the principal chief and cabinet officials create policies and administer services without advance preparation. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the principal chief and cabinet officials “mimic,” or imitate, the laws generated by the National Council. To mimic laws would mean to generate new laws that are imitations of existing laws, but the text indicates that the National Council, not the principal chief and cabinet officials, is responsible for generating laws. Instead of generating laws, the principal chief and cabinet officials put laws into effect by “devising policies and administering services in accordance with” the laws.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f8ca5766",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Nigerian American author Teju Cole’s ______blank his two passions—photography and the written word—culminates in his 2017 book, Blind Spot, which evocatively combines his original photographs from his travels with his poetic prose.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "indifference to" },
      { label: "B", text: "enthusiasm for" },
      { label: "C", text: "concern about" },
      { label: "D", text: "surprise at" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Cole’s book Blind Spot. In this context, “enthusiasm for” means excitement about. The text explains that Blind Spot consists of original photographs as well as poetic prose—two elements that correspond to Cole’s passions, identified in the text, for photography and the written word. This context suggests that Cole’s excitement about photography and writing led him to create a book that successfully combines the two mediums. <br>Choice A is incorrect because describing Cole as feeling “indifference to” his two passions wouldn’t make sense in context. If Cole is indifferent to his passions, that would mean he doesn’t care about photography or writing—in which case they wouldn’t be his passions at all. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Cole feels “concern about,” or uneasiness about, his passions. The text’s use of the word “culminates” indicates that Blind Spot represents a triumphant climax of Cole’s passions, not a work that results from his sense of discomfort with photography and writing. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Cole feels “surprise at,” or astonished by, his passions. The text indicates that Cole’s feeling about his passions “culminates” in a book that “evocatively” combines photographs and writing, suggesting that Cole has a long-standing and skillful relationship to his passions, not that he is startled by them.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "fa7a89f1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively easy tasks first were less ______blank compared to those who did hard tasks first. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense of accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks first actually became more skilled and productive workers over time.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "secretive" },
      { label: "B", text: "efficient" },
      { label: "C", text: "outgoing" },
      { label: "D", text: "unsympathetic" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about Kouchaki and colleagues’ research into how workload affects productivity. In context, “efficient” means effective or well organized. The text indicates that, according to Kouchaki and colleagues’ research, people who worked on hard tasks first were “more skilled and productive” than those who did easy tasks first. This context conveys the idea that despite their sense of accomplishment, the people who chose to do the easy tasks first were less efficient or productive than those who tackled hard tasks first. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that workers who do easy tasks first are less “secretive,” or uncommunicative or silent, than those who do hard tasks first. Rather, the text suggests that people are less skillful or efficient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard ones. Choice C is incorrect because “outgoing” means openly friendly, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on Kouchaki and colleagues’ research in which people who worked on hard tasks first were “more skilled and productive” than those who did easy tasks first and were therefore less efficient. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that workers who do easy tasks first are less “unsympathetic,” or insensitive or unkind, than those who do hard tasks first. Rather, the text suggests that people are less skillful or efficient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard ones.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "faa5696c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Arturo A. Schomburg was dedicated to preserving books, art, and other materials from peoples of African descent around the world. To get these items, Schomburg ______blank friends and colleagues, whom he asked to bring back rare and valuable objects from their international travels. Now, Schomburg’s collection is a valuable resource for scholars of Black history and culture.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "admired" },
      { label: "B", text: "disagreed with" },
      { label: "C", text: "warned" },
      { label: "D", text: "depended on" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Arturo A. Schomburg’s collection. In this context, the phrase “depended on” means relied on. The text explains that Schomburg, wanting to preserve “books, art, and other materials” created by peoples of African descent from around the world, built a large collection of these objects. The text also states that in order to obtain these items, Schomburg asked friends and colleagues who were traveling internationally to bring them back for him. This implies that he wouldn’t have been able to create his collection without help. Thus, the context supports the idea that Schomburg relied on, or depended on, friends and colleagues to build his collection. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “admired” means respected and approved of. Although it’s reasonable to expect that Schomburg respected his friends and colleagues, the text doesn’t discuss any such aspect of their relationships. The text focuses instead on what Schomburg asked his friends and colleagues to do to help build his collection. Choice B is incorrect because “disagreed with” means held an opposing belief, and nothing in the text suggests that Schomburg and his friends or colleagues held opposing views on any subject. In fact, the text strongly implies that Schomburg’s friends and colleagues supported him in his goal of preserving objects of importance for Black history and culture by bringing him such objects from around the world. Choice C is incorrect because “warned” means informed someone in advance about something dangerous, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. Nothing in the text suggests that Schomburg thought his friends and colleagues were in any danger, let alone that he warned them of danger.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];

export const WORDS_CONTEXT_MEDIUM: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "1fa751f1",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Handedness, a preferential use of either the right or left hand, typically is easy to observe in humans. Because this trait is present but less ______blank in many other animals, animal-behavior researchers often employ tasks specially designed to reveal individual animals’ preferences for a certain hand or paw.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "recognizable" },
      { label: "B", text: "intriguing" },
      { label: "C", text: "significant" },
      { label: "D", text: "useful" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about handedness in animals. As used in this context, “recognizable” means apparent or identifiable. The text indicates that handedness is “easy to observe in humans,” but that animal-behavior researchers use special tasks to determine handedness in other animals. This context and the use of “less” before the blank indicate that compared with handedness in humans, handedness in other animals is less recognizable. <br>Choice B is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that handedness is less “intriguing,” or fascinating, in nonhuman animals than it is in humans. The text focuses on how easy it is to observe handedness in humans as compared with other animals; the text doesn’t suggest that handedness is more fascinating in humans.  Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that handedness is less “significant,” or important or meaningful, in nonhuman animals than it is in humans. The text focuses on how easy it is to observe handedness in humans as compared with other animals; the text doesn’t suggest that handedness is more significant in humans. Choice D is incorrect because “useful,” or functional or helpful, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the ease with which researchers can determine whether an animal or person is right- or left-handed, not on how useful handedness in nonhuman animals is compared with handedness in humans.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "1fbf276a",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Interruptions in the supply chain for microchips used in personal electronics have challenged an economist’s assertion that retailers can expect robust growth in sales of those devices in the coming months. The delays are unlikely to ______blank her projection entirely but will almost certainly extend its time frame.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "dispute" },
      { label: "B", text: "withdraw" },
      { label: "C", text: "underscore" },
      { label: "D", text: "invalidate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the economist’s claim about sales of personal electronic devices. In this context, “invalidate” most nearly means nullify or make invalid. The text indicates that interruptions in the supply of microchips for personal electronics “have challenged” the economist’s claim that sales of personal electronics will show strong growth in the coming months. The text goes on to clarify the effect of the delays on the economist’s projection, stating that the delays are very likely to extend the time frame over which the projected growth in sales will occur. This context suggests that the delays are unlikely to invalidate the economist’s projection entirely—the delays will probably alter the time frame of the projection, not nullify it or make it invalid. <br>Choice A is incorrect because saying that the delays are unlikely to “dispute,” or argue against, the economist’s projection wouldn’t make sense. Since the delays are an inanimate circumstance, they couldn’t argue against a prediction about the sales of personal electronics. Choice B is incorrect because saying that the delays are unlikely to “withdraw,” or remove from consideration, the economist’s projection wouldn’t make sense. Although the economist could withdraw her projection because of the delays, the delays themselves couldn’t withdraw her projection since they’re an inanimate circumstance and thus can’t choose to remove something from consideration. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the delays will “underscore,” or emphasize, the economist’s projection. Instead, the text suggests that the delays are likely to extend the time frame of the economist’s projection but not to undermine the projection entirely.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "359902ae",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The main character, a physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.<br><br>At first <strong>the rose</strong> lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "A lonely" },
      { label: "B", text: "A disagreeable" },
      { label: "C", text: "An acceptable" },
      { label: "D", text: "An extraordinary" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “singular” most nearly means extraordinary. The text portrays an experiment in which a character rehydrates a dried rose by infusing it with moisture. After prolonged contact with the liquid, the rose begins to absorb it, undergoing an exceptional transformation: its color deepens, its previously “crushed and dried” petals shift, and the entire flower revives “from a deathlike slumber.” In other words, an extraordinary change is visible in the flower. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “singular” can mean of or relating to an individual or to a single instance of something, this usage doesn’t imply loneliness or an otherwise unsatisfactory condition of isolation. Moreover, the text doesn’t attribute such a condition to the rose. Choice B is incorrect. Although “singular” has several related meanings, none of them relate to being disagreeable or unpleasant. Moreover, the text doesn’t portray the change undergone by the rose as necessarily disagreeable. Choice C is incorrect because “singular” means extraordinary, not acceptable. The change is portrayed as striking, not barely satisfactory.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4974b053",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Although science fiction was dominated mostly by white male authors when Octavia Butler, a Black woman, began writing, she did not view the genre as ______blank: Butler broke into the field with the publication of several short stories and her 1976 novel Patternmaster, and she later became the first science fiction writer to win a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "legitimate" },
      { label: "B", text: "impenetrable" },
      { label: "C", text: "compelling" },
      { label: "D", text: "indecipherable" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of Octavia Butler’s career. In this context, “impenetrable” means impossible to enter. The text indicates that the field of science fiction was dominated by white males when Butler, a Black woman, started writing, but she published several science fiction short stories and a novel and later won a prestigious award; that is, Butler pursued science fiction writing and had success. This context suggests that Butler didn’t view the genre as impossible to enter. <br>Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “legitimate” would mean genuinely good or valid. Nothing in the text suggests that Butler didn’t think the science fiction genre was good or valid; in fact, it indicates that she pursued and made a successful career of publishing work in that field. Choice C is incorrect. In this context, “compelling” would mean attracting or demanding attention. The text indicates that Butler chose to write science fiction, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that she didn’t see the field as drawing her attention. Choice D is incorrect. To say that Butler didn’t consider science fiction “indecipherable,” or impossible to understand, would suggest that Butler did understand it. However, the text doesn’t address Butler’s ability to interpret works in the genre; rather, it focuses on Butler’s successful pursuit of writing science fiction.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5a278f24",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The work of molecular biophysicist Enrique M. De La Cruz is known for ______blank traditional boundaries between academic disciplines. The university laboratory that De La Cruz runs includes engineers, biologists, chemists, and physicists, and the research the lab produces makes use of insights and techniques from all those fields.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "epitomizing" },
      { label: "B", text: "transcending" },
      { label: "C", text: "anticipating" },
      { label: "D", text: "reinforcing" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak<strong>ing</strong> use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Transcending" means "going beyond," so "transcending traditional boundaries" would mean crossing into all those various fields of research, which is exactly the meaning we want.<br>Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak<strong>ing</strong> use of insights and techniques from all those fields." To "epitomize" means to "be a perfect example of," so "epitomizing traditional boundaries" would mean the opposite of what we want: keeping the fields of research separate. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak<strong>ing</strong> use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Anticipating" means "expecting" or "waiting for," and would result in a confusing sentence with an unclear meaning. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak<strong>ing</strong> use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Reinforcing traditional boundaries" would mean the opposite: keeping the fields of research separate.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "62a18353",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to Sea.” John wants to travel far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.<br><br><strong>John</strong> had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found it a difficult task. Matty always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son’s desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the phrase “reconcile his mother to” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Get his mother to accept" },
      { label: "B", text: "Get his mother to apologize for" },
      { label: "C", text: "Get his mother to match" },
      { label: "D", text: "Get his mother to reunite with" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer. The expression “reconcile to” means “to cause (a person) to accept something difficult or disagreeable.” The text suggests that John wants his mother to accept his desire to travel, even though she doesn’t like that idea. <br>Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t make sense. John doesn’t want his mother to apologize for his own desire to travel—he wants her to accept his desire to travel. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t suggest that John wants his mother to match his desire to travel. Rather, he wants her to accept his desire to travel even though she doesn’t like it. Choice D is incorrect. This is tempting, because it seems to pick up on the idea of people “reconciling” after a fight, but it actually doesn’t make sense. The text never suggests that John’s mother was “united with” the idea of him traveling in the past—if anything, it seems like she’s always been against it. Besides, it would be strange to say that a person “reunites with” a notion.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "6a1194e8",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Rydra Wong, the protagonist of Samuel R. Delany’s 1966 novel Babel-17, is a poet, an occupation which, in Delany’s work, is not ______blank: nearly a dozen of the characters that populate his novels are poets or writers.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "infallible" },
      { label: "B", text: "atypical" },
      { label: "C", text: "lucrative" },
      { label: "D", text: "tedious" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Samuel R. Delany’s character Rydra Wong. As used in this context, “atypical” would mean unrepresentative or not common. The text indicates that Wong is one of “nearly a dozen” characters in Delany’s novels who are poets or writers. This context conveys that being a poet isn’t an atypical occupation for a character in one of Delany’s works.  <br>Choice A is incorrect because “infallible” means to be accurate or without fault, which wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the fact that Delany has written many characters who are poets and writers. This context suggests that the occupation isn’t atypical for Delany, not that the occupation isn’t infallible, or problematic. Choice C is incorrect because “lucrative” means to be profitable, which wouldn’t make sense in context. If writing poet characters weren’t profitable, it wouldn’t be logical to explain this by citing that Delany gave many of his characters the same occupation. Choice D is incorrect because “tedious” means to be boring, which wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the fact that Delany has written many characters who are poets and writers. This context suggests that the occupation isn’t atypical for Delany, not that the occupation isn’t tedious.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "757077f9",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>During a 2014 archaeological dig in Spain, Vicente Lull and his team uncovered the skeleton of a woman from El Algar, an Early Bronze Age society, buried with valuable objects signaling a high position of power. This finding may persuade researchers who have argued that Bronze Age societies were ruled by men to ______blank that women may have also held leadership roles.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "waive" },
      { label: "B", text: "concede" },
      { label: "C", text: "refute" },
      { label: "D", text: "require" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the significance of the 2014 archaeological finding at El Algar. In this context, “concede” means to admit something is true after first resisting that admission. The text indicates that some researchers believe “Bronze Age societies were ruled by men.” But the Bronze Age burial of a woman at El Algar included “valuable objects signaling a high position of power,” which would raise the possibility that “women may have also held leadership roles.” Thus, the text is calling into question the notion that only men were leaders in these societies and speculating that people holding this view may reconsider their opinion. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “waive” means to refrain from insisting that something, such as a right or a requirement, be observed; the word isn’t used, however, in contexts where someone acknowledges that an opinion they hold may be invalid, as is the case in the text. Choice C is incorrect. According to the text, the finding from the El Algar burial site undermines the view that Bronze Age societies were exclusively ruled by men. However, “refute” means to demonstrate that something is false and would not make sense in context. Lull and team’s finding supports the view that women may have also held leadership roles, not that they did not participate in such roles. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “require” means to demand or specify as mandatory. However, it would not make sense for contemporary researchers to demand that Bronze Age “women may have also held leadership roles.”",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "81a3a607",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In the Indigenous intercropping system known as the Three Sisters, maize, squash, and beans form an ______blank web of relations: maize provides the structure on which the bean vines grow; the squash vines cover the soil, discouraging competition from weeds; and the beans aid their two “sisters” by enriching the soil with essential nitrogen.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "indecipherable" },
      { label: "B", text: "ornamental" },
      { label: "C", text: "obscure" },
      { label: "D", text: "intricate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Three Sisters intercropping system. As used in this context, “intricate” would mean made up of complexly related elements. The text indicates that in the Three Sisters system, maize, squash, and beans form a “web of relations” in which the crops interact in various ways. The text’s description of these interactions—the bean vines growing on the maize stalks, the squash vines keeping weeds away, and the beans adding nutrients that the maize and squash use—provides context suggesting that this “web of relations” is intricate. <br>Choice A is incorrect because describing the relationship among the crops in the Three Sisters system as “indecipherable,” or impossible to comprehend, would not make sense in context. Although the text presents the relationship as complex, the text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear that the relationship is well understood, not indecipherable. Choice B is incorrect because the text discusses the practical benefits that each plant in the Three Sisters system provides to other members of the system, showing that the relationship among the crops that make up the system is not “ornamental,” or mainly serving a decorative purpose. Choice C is incorrect because describing the relationship among the crops in the Three Sisters system as “obscure,” or unknown or poorly understood, would not make sense in context. Although the text presents the relationship as complex, the text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear that the relationship is well understood, not obscure.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "84ece3f6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1844 short story “Drowne’s Wooden Image.” Drowne, a young man, is carving a wooden figure to decorate the front of a ship.<br>Day by day, the work assumed greater precision, and settled its irregular and misty outline into distincter grace and beauty. The general design was now obvious to the common eye.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “assumed” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Acquired" },
      { label: "B", text: "Acknowledged" },
      { label: "C", text: "Imitated" },
      { label: "D", text: "Speculated" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “assumed” most nearly means acquired, or came to possess. The text portrays a character named Drowne carving a figure out of wood. At first “irregular and misty,” or haphazard and indistinct, the figure’s outline gradually showed “distincter grace and beauty” until the general design of the carved object “was now obvious to the common eye,” or plainly recognizable to anyone. In other words, as Drowne continued to carve, the wooden object came to possess, or acquired, greater precision, changing from an indistinct outline or shape into a graceful, beautiful, and clearly recognizable form. <br>Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean acknowledged, or recognized, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because an inanimate object like the wooden figure can’t acknowledge its own precision. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the wooden figure merely imitated, or mimicked, precision. Rather, the text suggests that as Drowne carved his wooden figure, it gradually became more precise. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean speculated, or supposed based on incomplete information, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because an inanimate object like the wooden figure can’t speculate about its own precision.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "8634bf4a",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Diego Velázquez was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain during the seventeenth century, but his influence was hardly ______blank Spain: realist and impressionist painters around the world employed his techniques and echoed elements of his style.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "derived from" },
      { label: "B", text: "recognized in" },
      { label: "C", text: "confined to" },
      { label: "D", text: "repressed by" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of the artist Diego Velázquez’s influence outside Spain. As used in this context, “confined to” means restricted to. The text says that Velázquez was the leading artist in the Spanish court during the seventeenth century, but it also notes that other painters around the world were influenced by his techniques and style. Thus, Velázquez’s influence was hardly (or almost not) confined to, or restricted to, Spain. <br>Choice A is incorrect because if Velázquez was a leading artist in Spain, it doesn’t make logical sense to claim that his influence was hardly (or almost not) derived from, or obtained from, Spain. Moreover, the other painters around the world who employed Velázquez’s techniques would by definition be influenced by Spanish style. Choice B is incorrect because if Velázquez was a leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain, then his influence must have been widely recognized, or acknowledged, rather than being hardly (or almost not) recognized. Choice D is incorrect because the text gives no indication that deliberately limiting Velázquez’s influence outside Spain was ever considered by anyone. Thus, even if it is true that his influence was not repressed, or restrained, it doesn’t make logical sense to say so in this context.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "8b46bb51",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to publish reviews that went against popular opinion. One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of photography as an emerging medium for fine art: in the essay, Eastlake ______blank that the value of photographs was informational rather than creative.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "exposed" },
      { label: "B", text: "asserted" },
      { label: "C", text: "discovered" },
      { label: "D", text: "doubted" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. "Asserted" means "stated confidently." Eastlake "did not hesitate to publish reviews going against popular opinion," so we can assume that she was confident in sharing her opinions.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Exposed" means "made visible by uncovering" and, when talking about ideas, tends to be used in relation to uncovering the truth. Eastlake was sharing an opinion, not uncovering a truth. Choice C is incorrect. "Discovered" means "found," but Eastlake was writing an opinion essay. She was writing her own opinion, not "discovering" a new universal truth. Choice D is incorrect. "Doubted" means "didn’t believe in." We’re told that Eastlake "questioned" the idea that photography could be fine art. Placing "doubted" in the blank would actually suggest that Eastlake argued that photos were valuable for creativity and not for information, which is the opposite of what we were told she believes.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "94eb800d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>For a 2020 exhibition, photographer and neurobiologist Okunola Jeyifous ______blank a series of new images based on a series of alphabet posters from the 1970s known as the “Black ABCs,” which featured Black children from Chicago. Jeyifous photographed the now-adult models and layered the photos over magnified images of the models’ cells, resulting in what he called “micro and macro portraiture.”</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "validated" },
      { label: "B", text: "created" },
      { label: "C", text: "challenged" },
      { label: "D", text: "restored" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of Jeyifous’s series of images for the 2020 exhibition. In this context, “created” means produced. The text explains that Jeyifous, a photographer and neurobiologist, photographed adults who had appeared as children in posters from the 1970s, then combined those photographs with magnified images of the adults’ cells—a process that resulted in what he called “micro and macro portraiture.” This context suggests that Jeyifous drew on his dual interests in photography and neurobiology to produce the images for display in the exhibition. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “validated,” or corroborated, the series of images. The text describes Jeyifous’s process for composing the images but doesn’t describe Jeyifous making an effort to evaluate the images for their artistic or scientific legitimacy. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “challenged,” or disputed, an aspect of the images; rather, the focus of the text is on the inspiration behind the images and the method Jeyifous used to achieve them. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that Jeyifous made the images himself using a combination of photography and magnified pictures of cells, not that he “restored,” or reconditioned, the images from a deteriorated state.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9aa44886",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby.<br><br><strong>Jay Gatsby</strong> was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “quality” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Standard" },
      { label: "B", text: "Prestige" },
      { label: "C", text: "Characteristic" },
      { label: "D", text: "Accomplishment" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. “This quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Standard” is a synonym for a different definition of “quality”: the degree of excellence of something. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Prestige” would suggest a high status or an admirable reputation, which doesn’t match that description. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Accomplishment” would suggest an achievement, which doesn’t match that description.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "9c35759f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Novelist N. K. Jemisin declines to ______blank the conventions of the science fiction genre in which she writes, and she has suggested that her readers appreciate her work precisely because of this willingness to thwart expectations and avoid formulaic plots and themes.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "question" },
      { label: "B", text: "react to" },
      { label: "C", text: "perceive" },
      { label: "D", text: "conform to" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jemisin’s writing. In this context, “conform to” means to act in accordance with something. The text suggests that in her science fiction writing, Jemisin’s willingness to go against expectations and not use plots and themes that seem to follow a formula reflects how she treats the standard practices of the genre. This context conveys that Jemisin chooses not to act in accordance with those conventions. <br>Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “question” would mean doubt or object to. The text indicates that Jemisin is willing to go against expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes in her science fiction writing, suggesting that she may actually object to those conventions of the genre, not that she chooses not to question them. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that in her science fiction writing, Jemisin is willing to go against expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes. Rather than suggesting that Jemisin chooses not to “react to,” or act in response to, the standard practices of the genre, this context suggests that she is acting in response to such conventions by deliberately avoiding them. Choice C is incorrect. In this context, “perceive” would mean become aware of or understand. The text indicates that in her science fiction writing, Jemisin is willing to go against expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes. This context conveys that Jemisin is aware of and deliberately avoids those conventions of the genre, not that she chooses not to be aware of them.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b4c6cff6",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), translated by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair in 1923. Fabry and Busman are telling Miss Glory why their company manufactures robots.<br>FABRY: One Robot can replace two and a half workmen. The human machine, Miss Glory, was terribly imperfect. It had to be removed sooner or later.<br>BUSMAN: It was too expensive.<br>FABRY: It was not effective. It no longer answers the requirements of modern engineering. Nature has no idea of keeping pace with modern labor.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “answers” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Explains" },
      { label: "B", text: "Rebuts" },
      { label: "C", text: "Defends" },
      { label: "D", text: "Fulfills" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “answers” most nearly means fulfills. In the text, Fabry and Busman claim that the robots manufactured by their company are more efficient than human workers, which they refer to as “the human machine.” Fabry observes that the human machine “no longer answers the requirements of modern engineering.” That is, human workers are incapable of meeting the rigorous needs of modern, industrialized workplaces. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “answers” can mean explains, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because the topic under discussion is human beings’ inability to perform labor efficiently, not their inability to engage in discussion or explanation. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “answers” can mean rebuts, or proves a claim or argument to be false, it wouldn’t make sense to speak of proving requirements to be false; requirements might or might not be reasonable, but they can’t be verified as truthful or untruthful, as claims or accusations can. Choice C is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “answers” can mean defends against criticism, or justifies, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because the opinion that Fabry expresses is that human workers can no longer fulfill the requirements of modern workplaces, not that they have ceased to justify those requirements or to defend them against criticism; indeed, there is no suggestion in the text that workers ever defended those requirements.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "bce627d9",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Mineralogical differences are detectable in samples collected from two locations on the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu, but such differences may not indicate substantial compositional variations in the asteroid. Cosmochemist Kazuhide Nagashima and colleagues note that at the small scale of the samples, the distribution of minerals is unlikely to be ______blank.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "neglected" },
      { label: "B", text: "redundant" },
      { label: "C", text: "ongoing" },
      { label: "D", text: "uniform" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      'Choice D is the best answer. The text tells us that the samples are too "small scale" to reflect the composition of the asteroid, which probably doesn’t show the same variation on a large scale. This suggests that the mineral composition of the samples are unlikely to be exactly the same from sample to sample.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Neglected" means "suffering a lack of proper care" or "abandoned," which doesn’t work here. The text never suggests that the distribution of minerals in the samples would be neglected, so this statement doesn’t logically follow. Choice B is incorrect. "Redundant" means "not or no longer useful or needed," which is too strong. The text doesn’t suggest that the variation between the samples isn’t a useful finding at all—just that we can’t assume that the large-scale composition of the asteroid will show the same variation. But the composition of the samples might be useful for something else. Choice C is incorrect. "Ongoing" means "still in progress," which doesn’t make sense: the distribution of minerals in a sample can’t be "ongoing."',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c5b1afe5",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Bicycle sharing systems allow users to rent a bicycle at one location within a city and return it to any other designated location in that city, which can cause serious problems of bicycle supply and user demand within the city’s system. Tohru Ikeguchi uses open-source data and statistical modeling to identify when a high number of users making one-way trips is likely to leave some locations within the system ______blank bicycles and other areas with insufficient supply.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "susceptible to" },
      { label: "B", text: "contingent on" },
      { label: "C", text: "saturated with" },
      { label: "D", text: "depleted of" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ikeguchi’s model of bicycle supply. In this context, “saturated with” means thoroughly or completely supplied with. The text explains a problem encountered by some bicycle-sharing programs: users can return bicycles to different locations than where the users picked up the bicycles to start, which can result in a mismatch between bicycle supply (that is, where the bicycles are currently located) and user demand (that is, the locations where users are hoping to pick up bicycles). The text goes on to explain that Ikeguchi developed a way to identify when this mismatch is likely to occur. This context suggests that Ikeguchi’s method will show when it is likely that some locations have an insufficient supply and other locations, by implicit contrast, are saturated with bicycles. <br>Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that some locations are “susceptible to,” or sensitive to or easily influenced by, bicycles. The text describes the phenomenon of bicycles being redistributed away from locations where users want them, not anything about those locations being influenced by the bicycles. Choice B is incorrect because the text describes situations in which some locations have an insufficient supply of bicycles because the bicycles have been relocated elsewhere, which suggests that the other locations have many bicycles, not that the other locations are “contingent on,” or dependent on, the bicycles. Nothing in the text suggests that the locations themselves depend on the bicycles for anything. Choice D is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that some locations are “depleted of,” or empty of, bicycles while others have an insufficient supply. The text describes situations in which bicycles have been relocated such that there is a mismatch between bicycle supply and user demand—the bicycles are no longer at the locations where users want to pick them up. This means that some locations do not have enough bicycles, while other locations must have many bicycles, not be depleted of bicycles.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c843d63c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The artisans of the Igun Eronmwon guild in Benin City, Nigeria, typically ______blank the bronze- and brass-casting techniques that have been passed down through their families since the thirteenth century, but they don’t strictly observe every tradition; for example, guild members now use air-conditioning motors instead of handheld bellows to help heat their forges.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "experiment with" },
      { label: "B", text: "adhere to" },
      { label: "C", text: "improve on" },
      { label: "D", text: "grapple with" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of bronze- and brass-casting techniques used by the Igun Eronmwon guild. In this context “adhere to” would mean to act in accordance with. The text states that although members of the Igun Eronmwon guild typically do something with techniques that have been passed down since the thirteenth century, they “don’t strictly observe every tradition.” By establishing a contrast with not always following traditions, the context suggests that guild members do typically adhere to traditional techniques. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context “experiment with” would mean to do something new with. Although using motors rather than manual bellows is presented as a new approach, the text establishes a contrast between what the guild members typically do with techniques that have been passed down over centuries and the idea that the members “don’t strictly observe every tradition.” The phrase “experiment with” wouldn’t support the contrast because regularly trying new things with the techniques would be an example of not strictly following all traditions. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “improve on” would mean to make better. Although using motors rather than manual bellows might be an improved approach, the text establishes a contrast between what the guild members typically do with techniques that have been passed down over centuries and the idea that the members “don’t strictly observe every tradition.” The phrase “improve on” wouldn’t support the contrast because regularly making changes to the techniques would be an example of not strictly following all traditions. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “grapple with” would mean to try hard to solve a difficult problem. Although bronze- and brass-casting are likely challenging tasks, nothing in the text suggests that the guild members have any particular difficulties with the techniques passed down since the thirteenth century.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "cd2ce51f",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Like the 1945 play it reimagines—Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba—Marcus Gardley’s 2014 play The House That Will Not Stand prominently features women. In both plays, the all-female cast ______blank an array of female characters, including a strong mother and several daughters dealing with individual struggles.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "engulfs" },
      { label: "B", text: "encourages" },
      { label: "C", text: "comprises" },
      { label: "D", text: "provokes" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Gardley’s play. In this context, “comprises” means constitutes or makes up the totality of, and the text indicates that The House That Will Not Stand had an “all-female cast” that stands in some relationship to “an array of female characters” in the play. Because all cast members are female, the characters must be played by these female cast members; therefore the cast constitutes, or comprises, the collection of characters. <br>Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “engulfs” would mean encloses or overwhelms, and although it is fairly common to describe an actor as embodying (or personifying realistically) a character, there is nothing in the text to suggest that the cast members enclosed or overwhelmed the characters they played. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “encourages” would mean inspires with courage or hope. Although the text does mention “a strong mother and several daughters dealing with individual struggles,” which might suggest that there are moments of encouragement among the characters during the play, there is nothing to suggest that the cast members encouraged the characters they portrayed. Choice D is incorrect because, in this context, “provokes” would mean instigates or incites to anger. Nothing in the text addresses provocation or what it might mean for actors to provoke the characters they are playing.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d3ca5d59",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Stephen Hannock’s luminous landscape paintings are appealing to viewers but have elicited little commentary from contemporary critics, a phenomenon that may be due to the very fact that the paintings seem so ______blank. Many critics focus their attention on art that is cryptic or overtly challenging.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "innovative" },
      { label: "B", text: "subversive" },
      { label: "C", text: "profound" },
      { label: "D", text: "accessible" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer. When talking about a thing, “accessible” means “easy to understand.” This sets up the contrast in the next sentence, which tells us that critics mostly focus on art that is “cryptic or challenging” (meaning not easy to understand). <br>Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “innovative” (meaning advanced and original), then critics probably would comment on them. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “subversive” (meaning disruptive and revolutionary), then critics probably would comment on them. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “profound” (meaning very deep and insightful), then critics probably would comment on them.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d7dccee7",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In a 2019 study, Jeremy Gunawardena and colleagues found that the single-celled protozoan Stentor roeseli not only uses strategies to escape irritating stimuli but also switches strategies when one fails. This evidence of protozoans sophisticatedly “changing their minds” demonstrates that single-celled organisms may not be limited to ______blank behaviors.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "aggressive" },
      { label: "B", text: "rudimentary" },
      { label: "C", text: "evolving" },
      { label: "D", text: "advantageous" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of single-celled organism behavior. As used in this context, “rudimentary” means basic or unsophisticated. According to the text, a study of the single-celled protozoan Stentor roeseli showed that the organisms can switch strategies for escaping certain stimuli, “sophisticatedly ‘changing their minds’” and using new strategies should other strategies fail. This context suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic or rudimentary, since the study showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behavior that is “aggressive,” or threatening. Rather, the text suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor roeseli showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behavior that is “evolving,” or advancing. Rather, the text suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor roeseli showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behavior that is “advantageous,” or helpful. Rather, the text suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor roeseli showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "d8d1ecaa",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Business researcher Melanie Brucks and colleagues found that remote video conference meetings may be less conducive to brainstorming than in-person meetings are. The researchers suspect that video meeting participants are focused on staring at the speaker on the screen and don’t allow their eyes or mind to wander as much, which may ultimately ______blank creativity.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "recommend" },
      { label: "B", text: "criticize" },
      { label: "C", text: "impede" },
      { label: "D", text: "construct" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity. “Impede” means “delay” or “prevent,” which works perfectly in this context. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This choice is too positive to fit the context. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t make sense. The participants’ intense focus on the screen is the subject of the missing verb. It wouldn’t make sense to say that their over-focusing “criticizes” their creativity. Choice D is incorrect. “Construct” means “build” or “make,” which is too positive to fit the context. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e0656211",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In Nature Poem (2017), Kumeyaay poet Tommy Pico portrays his ______blank the natural world by honoring the centrality of nature within his tribe’s traditional beliefs while simultaneously expressing his distaste for being in wilderness settings himself.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "responsiveness to" },
      { label: "B", text: "ambivalence toward" },
      { label: "C", text: "renunciation of" },
      { label: "D", text: "mastery over" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of how Pico feels about the natural world. In this context, to say that Pico portrays his “ambivalence toward” nature would mean that he portrays his mixed feelings about nature. The text explains that Pico “honors the centrality of nature” and also makes it clear that he doesn’t enjoy being in nature. This context suggests that Pico feels ambivalence toward nature. <br>Choice A is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “responsiveness to” nature would mean that he portrays himself as quick to react to nature, which isn’t supported by the text. Instead, the text focuses on Pico’s mixed feelings toward nature, describing him as both honoring nature’s role in his tribe’s beliefs and expressing his personal dislike for being in nature. Choice C is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “renunciation of” nature would mean that he portrays himself as rejecting nature, which isn’t supported by the text. The text conveys that Pico demonstrates both positive and negative responses toward nature, not that he’s giving it up completely. Choice D is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “mastery over” nature would mean that he portrays himself as having control over nature, which isn’t supported by the text. The text focuses on Pico’s mixed feelings about nature; nothing in the text suggests that Pico feels mastery over nature.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e37b9e34",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some researchers believe that the genes that enable groundhogs and certain other mammals to hibernate through the winter by slowing their breathing and heart rates and lowering their body temperature may be ______blank in humans: present yet having essentially no effect on our bodily processes.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "decisive" },
      { label: "B", text: "lacking" },
      { label: "C", text: "variable" },
      { label: "D", text: "dormant" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it logically completes the text’s discussion about genes related to hibernation. In this context, “dormant” means inactive. The text explains that the same genes that enable certain nonhuman mammal species to hibernate during the winter by altering their bodily processes are also found in our species but have “essentially no effect” on humans’ bodily processes. In other words, these genes don’t function in humans. <br>Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “decisive” means has the power to affect the outcome of something, but the text states that genes related to hibernation are instead inactive in humans—that is, the genes don’t affect humans’ bodily processes, although they are present in their bodies. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “lacking” means missing, but the text states that the genes are present in humans, though inactive. Choice C is incorrect because “variable” means characterized by the potential to change, but the text indicates that these genes don’t change in their effect on humans’ bodily processes; instead, the genes are consistently inactive in humans.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e56b66e5",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Set in a world where science fiction tropes exist as everyday realities, Charles Yu’s 2010 novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe traces a time traveler’s quest to find his father. Because the journey at the novel’s center is so ______blank, with the protagonist ricocheting chaotically across time, the reader often wonders whether the pair will ever be reunited.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "haphazard" },
      { label: "B", text: "premeditated" },
      { label: "C", text: "inspirational" },
      { label: "D", text: "fruitless" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Yu’s novel. In this context, “haphazard” means marked by a lack of plan or order. The text indicates that the quest featured in the novel, which involves the protagonist bouncing across time, is chaotic and causes the reader to often wonder what will happen. This context suggests that the protagonist’s journey seems to be marked by a lack of order. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the journey featured in Yu’s novel involves a character “ricocheting chaotically,” or bouncing in a disordered way, across time and causes the reader to often wonder what will happen. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a chaotic journey seems “premeditated,” or characterized by forethought and planning. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t give any indication that readers regard the journey in Yu’s novel as “inspirational,” or as causing extraordinarily creative or brilliant thoughts or actions; instead, the text focuses on the idea that the protagonist’s journey is chaotic, or disordered, and doesn’t give readers a clear sense of what will happen. Choice D is incorrect. Rather than suggesting that the journey featured in Yu’s novel is “fruitless,” or has an unsuccessful outcome, the text focuses on the idea that while reading about the protagonist’s chaotic movements across time, readers are often unsure of what will happen—that is, they don’t know whether the protagonist will be successful in finding his father.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e8c26398",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>To develop a method for measuring snow depth with laser beams, NASA physicist Yongxiang Hu relied on ______blank; identifying broad similarities between two seemingly different phenomena, Hu used information about how ants move inside colonies to calculate how the particles of light that make up laser beams travel through snow.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "a collaboration" },
      { label: "B", text: "an accessory" },
      { label: "C", text: "a contradiction" },
      { label: "D", text: "an analogy" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      'Choice D is the best answer. The text after the semicolon tells us that Hu "identif<strong>ied</strong> broad similarities between two seemingly different phenomena," comparing ants with light particles. Since an analogy seeks similarities between seemingly unrelated phenomena, this fits the context perfectly.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "A collaboration" refers to "an act of working with others," but what comes after the semicolon doesn’t describe collaboration with other researchers. Instead, it shows a comparison between two different (but ultimately similar) scientific phenomena. Choice B is incorrect. "An accessory" can refer to "something added to increase attractiveness or usefulness." No accessories are described in this text. Choice C is incorrect. "A contradiction" means "a set of ideas or things that are opposed to or inconsistent with each other." The text describes how Hu used the similarity between ant and light particle movement to develop his method, so a word that refers to difference would not make sense here.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f4166aae",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In addition to being an accomplished psychologist himself, Francis Cecil Sumner was a ______blank increasing the opportunity for Black students to study psychology, helping to found the psychology department at Howard University, a historically Black university, in 1930.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "proponent of" },
      { label: "B", text: "supplement to" },
      { label: "C", text: "beneficiary of" },
      { label: "D", text: "distraction for" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Francis Cecil Sumner. As used in this context, “proponent of” means supporter of. The text says that Sumner helped to found the psychology department at historically Black Howard University in 1930. This is evidence that Sumner supported increasing the opportunity for Black students to study psychology. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the phrase “supplement to,” or addition to, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text discusses Sumner’s efforts to increase the number of Black psychology students, but it doesn’t make sense to describe him as an addition to his efforts. Choice C is incorrect because Sumner was already an accomplished psychologist himself when he helped to found the Howard University psychology department. While Black students were the beneficiaries of his efforts—that is, they received help because of his efforts—it wouldn’t make sense in this context to describe Sumner as a “beneficiary of” opportunities, because he was the one doing the helping. Choice D is incorrect because founding a psychology department at Howard University wouldn’t be a “distraction for” Sumner’s aim to increase the opportunity for Black students to study psychology—that is, it wouldn’t be something that draws Sumner’s attention away from that goal, but rather the opposite.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "fce80a36",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In 2008 a complete set of ancient pessoi (glass game pieces) was uncovered from beneath a paving stone in modern-day Israel. Due to their small size, pessoi were easily misplaced, making a whole set a rare find. This has led some experts to suggest that the set may have been buried intentionally; however, without clear evidence, archaeologists are left to ______blank what happened.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "speculate about" },
      { label: "B", text: "dismiss" },
      { label: "C", text: "expand on" },
      { label: "D", text: "catalog" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer. "Speculate" means "to form a theory or guess without any clear evidence." This makes sense because, due to the lack of "clear evidence," the archaeologists can only guess how the pessoi set might have come to be there.<br>Choice B is incorrect. "Dismiss" can mean "send away" or "treat as unworthy of consideration." The text implies that the archaeologists are trying to figure out the truth—they wouldn’t "dismiss" what really happened. Choice C is incorrect. "Expand on" means "give more details about," but there aren’t any details to give. Without any "clear evidence," the archaeologists can’t give any more details. Choice D is incorrect. "Catalog" means "carefully record" or "make a list of." However, there’s no "clear evidence," so there’s no real information to "catalog."',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];

export const WORDS_CONTEXT_HARD: PracticeQuestion[] = [
  {
    id: "22a41819",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a unified vision of Black American identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their authorial autonomy. Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, whose decisions for their publications were more ______blank.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "proficient" },
      { label: "B", text: "dogmatic" },
      { label: "C", text: "ambiguous" },
      { label: "D", text: "unpretentious" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions are true. Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "unified vision" of Black American identity that they prioritize over the "diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Proficient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three editors just have different styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect. "Ambiguous" means "unclear" or "open to multiple interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who encouraged multiple interpretations ("diverse perspectives"). Since Du Bois and Locke are said to "diverge" from Johnson, we can assume that the views they published were not ambiguous, but instead clear and firm (a "unified vision"). Choice D is incorrect. "Unpretentious" means "not trying to impress others with greater skill or importance than is actually possessed." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text suggests that Johnson is pretentious (trying to impress others).',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3566120b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play The Importance of Being Earnest.<br>CECILY: Have we got to part?<br>ALGERNON: I am afraid so. It’s a very painful parting.<br>CECILY: It is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a very brief space of time. The absence of old friends one can endure with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to whom one has just been introduced is almost unbearable.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “endure” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Regret" },
      { label: "B", text: "Persist" },
      { label: "C", text: "Tolerate" },
      { label: "D", text: "Encourage" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “endure” most nearly means tolerate. In the text, Cecily and Algernon discuss parting, or saying goodbye. Cecily remarks on the deep pain of saying goodbye to people whom one has only known briefly and then comments on the equanimity, or calm steadiness, one experiences when separated from old friends. The text sets up an ironic contrast: one can easily tolerate, or put up with, the absence of close friends, but even a very short separation from a new acquaintance is unbearable. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Nothing in the text suggests that Cecily associates regret, or a feeling of sorrow, with the absence of old friends. Rather, the text sets up an ironic contrast between the feeling of calm steadiness one feels when separated from old friends and the unbearable pain of being separated from new acquaintances. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “endure” can mean persist, or proceed stubbornly, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because what is being endured is the absence of old friends. Whereas one can persist despite the absence of someone else, one can’t persist the absence itself. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t convey that Cecily encourages, or urges, old friends to be absent. Although it may be that Cecily prefers new acquaintances to friends she has known for a long time, the text focuses on her feelings as a result of others’ absences, not on her treatment of others.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3d658a5a",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in dense patches are ______blank: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "depleted" },
      { label: "B", text: "homogeneous" },
      { label: "C", text: "immature" },
      { label: "D", text: "dispersed" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding about bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates that some models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines as the density of flowers increases. The text goes on to say, however, that Jha and Kremen identified a circumstance in which bees don’t behave this way. Specifically, if bees encounter “patches of low species richness”—that is, patches in which the flowers are largely from the same species—they’ll travel beyond those patches to get varied food resources. This context thus suggests that bees don’t behave as some models predict if the dense patches of flowers the bees encounter are homogeneous. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave differently than some models predict if the bees encounter flower patches that are not rich in species, not if the flowers are “depleted,” or emptied or reduced in quality or quantity. Although it could be true that bees are likely to leave depleted patches in search of more resources, the text doesn’t indicate that Jha and Kremen investigated that possibility. Choice C is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that bees will not behave as some models predict if flowers in patches are “immature,” or not fully developed. Instead, the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave contrary to some models’ predictions if the flower patches are not rich in species. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that bees’ behavior will be inconsistent with the predictions of some models if the flower patches that the bees encounter are of low species richness, not if the flowers are in patches that are “dispersed,” or widely scattered. Although the text does describe bees as leaving patches that are not rich in species to forage elsewhere, there’s no suggestion that Jha and Kremen found that the distance between dense flower patches affects whether the bees behave as some models predict.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "3f753a8e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Investigating whether shared false visual memories—specific but inaccurate and widely held recollections of images such as product logos—are caused by people’s previous ______blank incorrect renditions of the images, researchers Deepasri Prasad and Wilma Bainbridge found that, in fact, such memories are often not explained by familiarity with erroneous versions of the images.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "compliance with" },
      { label: "B", text: "exposure to" },
      { label: "C", text: "criteria for" },
      { label: "D", text: "forfeiture of" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      'Choice B is the best answer. "Exposure to" means "having contact with." It makes sense that Prasad and Bainbridge were investigating whether seeing false versions of images was a cause of false visual memories. Notice how "exposure to incorrect renditions" matches the idea of "familiarity with erroneous versions," which appears later in the sentence.<br>Choice A is incorrect. "Compliance with" means "going along with a command or directive." False versions of images can’t give commands or directives, so this doesn’t apply. Choice C is incorrect. "Criteria" means "standards by which to judge something." It’s not clear how people would come to have standards for the wrong version of an image in the first place, let alone how those standards would cause them to falsely remember the correct version. In other words, this choice would result in a confusing, unclear sentence. Choice D is incorrect. "Forfeiture of" means "a giving up of something." It wouldn’t make sense to say that false memories of an image might be caused by giving up the wrong version of the image.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "4fa7e50e",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>According to a US tax policy expert, state taxes are ______blank other factors when considering an interstate move. Even significant differences in state taxation have almost no effect on most people’s decisions, while differences in employment opportunities, housing availability, and climate are strong influences.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "consistent with" },
      { label: "B", text: "representative of" },
      { label: "C", text: "overshadowed by" },
      { label: "D", text: "irrelevant to" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the factors that influence peoples’ decisions to move to a different state. As used in this context, “overshadowed by” means to be surpassed by or caused to seem less important than other factors affecting a move. The text indicates that, according to a US tax policy expert, when people think about an interstate move, state taxes have little effect on their decisions, while employment opportunities, housing availability, and climate have a very strong effect. This context suggests that people consider these other factors to be more important than state taxes. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that state taxes aren’t as important a consideration as other factors when people are thinking of moving to another state. The context doesn’t suggest that state taxes are “consistent with,” or in agreement with these other factors. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that state taxes are “representative of,” or typical of, other factors. Taxes aren’t an example of employment opportunities, housing availability, and climate, which are the other factors listed in the text. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that state taxes are “irrelevant to,” or unconnected or unimportant to other factors. State taxes are irrelevant to peoples’ decisions, not to other factors. In other words, although the text suggests that state taxes may be irrelevant to people considering a move to another state, the other factors mentioned in the text, such as employment opportunities, are unable to have an opinion about state taxes. Furthermore, the text indicates that significant differences in state taxes have almost no effect on peoples’ choices to move, but they aren’t completely unimportant.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "54804e10",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows ______blank Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible evidence of outside influence in portions of Tikal.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "refinements of" },
      { label: "B", text: "precursors of" },
      { label: "C", text: "commonalities with" },
      { label: "D", text: "animosities toward" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of architectural influences among Mesoamerican cities. In this context, “commonalities with” means similarities to or shared attributes with. The text indicates that a recently discovered citadel in Tikal includes a close imitation of a famous temple in Teotihuacán (another Mesoamerican city) and other evidence of Teotihuacán influence, which suggests that the citadel possesses features that resemble architectural features found in Teotihuacán. This context thus indicates that the Tikal citadel shows commonalities with Teotihuacán architecture. <br>Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the Tikal citadel shows “refinements of,” or improvements on, Teotihuacán architecture. Although the text suggests that the architecture of Teotihuacán influenced the architecture of the Tikal citadel, and although it’s possible that later architectural designs could make improvements on earlier designs, the text doesn’t discuss whether, in imitating Teotihuacán architecture, the Tikal citadel’s builders improved on it. Choice B is incorrect because describing the citadel in Tikal as showing “precursors of” Teotihuacán architecture—or features that preceded and foreshadowed those of Teotihuacán architecture—would imply the opposite of what the text suggests about the relationship between the architecture found in Tikal and Teotihuacán. The text claims that the discovery of similarities between the Tikal citadel and the architecture of Teotihuacán, including a replica of a temple in Teotihuacán, provides evidence of outside influences on Tikal architecture. If the Tikal citadel was influenced by Teotihuacán architecture, then the Teotihuacán architecture must predate the citadel, not the other way around. In this context, therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to say that the Tikal citadel shows precursors of Teotihuacán architecture. Choice D is incorrect because the text discusses how the citadel in Tikal indicates the influence of Teotihuacán architecture, which implies that the makers of the Tikal citadel likely admired aspects of Teotihuacán architecture enough to imitate it. Thus, there’s no reason to think that the Tikal citadel provides evidence of the Tikal people’s “animosities toward,” or feelings of strong dislike or hostility toward, Teotihuacán architecture.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "571cf537",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The author’s claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is ______blank, as it fails to account for several recent archaeological discoveries. To be convincing, his argument would need to address recent finds of additional hominid fossils, such as the latest Denisovan specimens and Homo longi.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "disorienting" },
      { label: "B", text: "tenuous" },
      { label: "C", text: "nuanced" },
      { label: "D", text: "unoriginal" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the author’s claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. As used in this context, “tenuous” means lacking substance. The end of the first sentence states that the author’s claim didn’t consider certain key pieces of evidence—“recent archaeological discoveries”—and is therefore weak.  <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to the author’s claim as “disorienting,” or confusing. The text suggests that the author’s claim is insubstantial, not that it’s difficult to grasp. Choice C is incorrect because referring to the claim as “nuanced,” or subtle, wouldn’t make sense in context. According to the text, the claim is incomplete because it didn’t consider certain key information about recent archaeological finds; it doesn’t suggest that what’s in the claim lacks precision. Choice D is incorrect because saying that the claim is “unoriginal,” or imitative, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text faults the claim because it doesn’t consider certain key information about recent archaeological finds; it doesn’t suggest that the author’s claim lacks originality.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5dce6cab",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Given that the conditions in binary star systems should make planetary formation nearly impossible, it’s not surprising that the existence of planets in such systems has lacked ______blank explanation. Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee shed light on the subject when they used modeling to determine a complex set of factors that could support planets’ development.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "a discernible" },
      { label: "B", text: "a straightforward" },
      { label: "C", text: "an inconclusive" },
      { label: "D", text: "an unbiased" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of efforts to explain the existence of planets in binary star systems. As used in this context, describing an explanation as “a straightforward” one would mean that the explanation is direct and uncomplicated. The text asserts that since it should be “nearly impossible” for planets to form in binary star systems, it’s “not surprising” that there isn’t a straightforward explanation for the existence of planets in such systems; the fact that one potential approach involves “complex” factors offers further contextual support for this idea. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that there isn’t “a discernible” explanation—meaning an explanation capable of being perceived—for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text discusses just such an explanation offered by Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee, which indicates that their explanation can be discerned. Choice C is incorrect because the text emphasizes how difficult it is to explain the existence of planets in binary star systems, suggesting that the situation isn’t marked by the lack of “an inconclusive” explanation—an explanation that does not resolve the issue—but rather that if any explanations have been offered, they’ve likely been inconclusive ones. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that there is a lack of “an unbiased,” or impartial and unprejudiced, explanation for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text indicates that it’s difficult to explain the existence of planets in such systems and it describes one attempt to do so, but there is no evidence that explanations from Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee or others are biased.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "5e57efec",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Economist Marco Castillo and colleagues showed that nuisance costs—the time and effort people must spend to make donations—reduce charitable giving. Charities can mitigate this effect by compensating donors for nuisance costs, but those costs, though variable, are largely ______blank donation size, so charities that compensate donors will likely favor attracting a few large donors over many small donors.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "supplemental to" },
      { label: "B", text: "predictive of" },
      { label: "C", text: "independent of" },
      { label: "D", text: "subsumed in" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer. We’re told that charities that pay donors back for nuisance costs will attract a few large donors instead of many small donors. This suggests that nuisance costs are not linked to donation size. <br>Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are supplemental to (meaning in addition to) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs can predict donation size, that wouldn’t necessarily result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are subsumed in (meaning included in) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "76e4c51d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd, creating sounds that are highly ______blank: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the ridges, the types of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "overlooked" },
      { label: "B", text: "powerful" },
      { label: "C", text: "routine" },
      { label: "D", text: "variable" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sounds made by güiros. In this context, “variable” means able to change. The text begins by explaining that güiros are instruments made out of hollowed gourds with ridges cut into their sides and that players scrape the ridges with wooden sticks to produce sounds. The text goes on to say that güiros’ sounds can change depending on gourd thickness, the distance between ridges, and the types of strokes the player uses, thus supporting the idea that the sounds created by these instruments are variable. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “overlooked” means not being seen or noticed, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are overlooked or not noticed. Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “powerful” would mean having a great ability to produce an effect. While it’s possible that the sounds produced by güiros have a strong effect on listeners, the text doesn’t discuss this aspect of their sounds. Choice C is incorrect because “routine” means usual and unvarying, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are unvarying. In fact, the text describes how the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on several factors.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "79fe7550",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Researcher Haesung Jung led a 2020 study showing that individual acts of kindness can ______blank prosocial behavior across a larger group. Jung and her team found that bystanders who witness a helpful act become more likely to offer help to someone else, and in doing so, can inspire still others to act.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "require" },
      { label: "B", text: "remember" },
      { label: "C", text: "foster" },
      { label: "D", text: "discourage" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jung and her team’s study of acts of kindness. In this context, “foster” means encourage or promote the development of. The text indicates that Jung and her team found that seeing a helpful (or prosocial) act makes a bystander more likely to help someone else, which can in turn inspire additional people to help others. That is, the team showed that single acts of kindness can foster additional prosocial acts across a group. <br>Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness “require,” or depend on or make obligatory, broader prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. There’s no suggestion in the text that individual acts of kindness can only occur if other prosocial acts have already occurred, and the text indicates only that an act of kindness can inspire additional helpful acts, not that it necessarily will do so. Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on a possible direct effect of individual acts of kindness, or single helpful actions, and it wouldn’t make sense to suggest that actions can “remember,” or hold a memory of, something. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that Jung and her team found that single acts of kindness can “discourage,” or hinder, prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. On the contrary, the text states that Jung and her team found that seeing a helpful act makes a bystander more likely to help someone else, which can in turn inspire even more people to help others.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "7bc05fa2",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Whether the reign of a French monarch such as Hugh Capet or Henry I was historically consequential or relatively uneventful, its trajectory was shaped by questions of legitimacy and therefore cannot be understood without a corollary understanding of the factors that allowed the monarch to ______blank his right to hold the throne.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "disengage" },
      { label: "B", text: "annotate" },
      { label: "C", text: "buttress" },
      { label: "D", text: "reciprocate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the legitimacy of the reigns of French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I. As used in this context, “buttress” means to strengthen or defend. The text indicates that regardless of whether a French monarch’s reign was significant or uneventful, each monarch faced questions about his right to the throne. The text goes on to say that in order to understand the path of a French monarch’s reign, it’s important to understand what contributed to the monarch’s ability to “hold the throne.” This context suggests that French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I had to buttress, or defend, their right to be monarch. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to “disengage,” or withdraw his right to the French throne. The text focuses on an examination of people who reigned as French monarchs, not on people who didn’t choose to rule. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to “annotate,” or add notes to or explain, his right to the French throne. Nothing in the text suggests that the monarchs were writing notes about their right to the throne; instead, faced with questions about the legitimacy of their reign, the monarchs defended their right. Choice D is incorrect. Saying that a monarch who is faced with questions about the legitimacy of his reign was able to “reciprocate” his right to the French throne would mean that he either returned his right to the throne or that he responded in kind to the challenge. Neither of these meanings would make sense in context because the text focuses on people who did reign as French monarchs and defended their right to do so.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "93665100",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Seminole/Muscogee director Sterlin Harjo ______blank television’s tendency to situate Native characters in the distant past: this rejection is evident in his series Reservation Dogs, which revolves around teenagers who dress in contemporary styles and whose dialogue is laced with current slang.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "repudiates" },
      { label: "B", text: "proclaims" },
      { label: "C", text: "foretells" },
      { label: "D", text: "recants" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sterlin Harjo’s approach to representing Native characters on television. As used in this context, “repudiates” means rejects or refuses to have anything to do with. The text indicates that television shows tend to depict Native characters as living long ago, but that Harjo’s series Reservation Dogs focuses on Native teenagers in the present day, representing a “rejection” of the typical approach to depicting Native characters. This context thus indicates that Harjo repudiates television’s general tendency regarding Native characters. <br>Choice B is incorrect because the text describes Harjo’s “rejection” of the typical approach to representing Native characters on television, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that Harjo “proclaims,” or declares or affirms, television’s general tendency regarding Native characters. Harjo is described as refusing to follow the pattern of depicting Native characters in the distant past, not as proclaiming that pattern. Choice C is incorrect because the text describes television’s tendency to represent Native characters in the distant past as something that is already occurring, not as something that Harjo “foretells,” or predicts will happen in the future. The text is focused on Harjo’s “rejection” of this pattern, not on any predictions he may have about it. Choice D is incorrect because saying that Harjo “recants” something would mean that he withdraws a previously held belief, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that Harjo recants television’s tendency to represent Native characters as living in the past. No beliefs previously held by Harjo are mentioned. Additionally, a tendency isn’t a belief and thus isn’t something that can be recanted.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "98364791",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>In studying the use of external stimuli to reduce the itching sensation caused by an allergic histamine response, Louise Ward and colleagues found that while harmless applications of vibration or warming can provide a temporary distraction, such ______blank stimuli actually offer less relief than a stimulus that seems less benign, like a mild electric shock.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "deceptive" },
      { label: "B", text: "innocuous" },
      { label: "C", text: "novel" },
      { label: "D", text: "impractical" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ward and colleagues’ findings. As used in this context, “innocuous” means mild or unharmful. The text describes the vibration and warming that Ward and colleagues used to alleviate itching as “harmless applications” and goes on to contrast these applications with another stimulus that actually offers more relief even though it seems to be stronger and “less benign.” This context conveys the idea that vibration and warming were innocuous stimuli. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on a distinction between harmless stimuli and those that seem to be less benign. Nothing in the text suggests that any of the treatments are “deceptive,” or misleading; indeed, even the less effective ones are described as offering some relief. Choice C is incorrect because the text focuses on the amount of relief from itching offered by harmless stimuli and those that seem to be less benign. The text doesn’t suggest that any of these stimuli are “novel,” or original and new; heat, vibration, and electricity aren’t new inventions. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to describe an application of vibration or warming as “impractical,” or not suitable for use. The text indicates that these harmless applications are useful in that they offer at least some temporary relief.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a06c434d",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The work of Kiowa painter T.C. Cannon derives its power in part from the tension among his ______blank influences: classic European portraiture, with its realistic treatment of faces; the American pop art movement, with its vivid colors; and flatstyle, the intertribal painting style that rejects the effect of depth typically achieved through shading and perspective.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "complementary" },
      { label: "B", text: "unknown" },
      { label: "C", text: "disparate" },
      { label: "D", text: "interchangeable" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the artistic styles that have influenced Cannon’s work. As used in this context, “disparate” means distinct or dissimilar. The text indicates that a tension exists among the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work and goes on to describe how those styles differ: classic European portraiture favors realism, American pop art uses vivid colors, and intertribal flatstyle rejects the use of shading and perspective to achieve depth. This context suggests that the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work are disparate. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s artwork, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that the influences are “complementary,” or that they complete one another or make up for one another’s deficiencies. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to characterize Cannon’s influences as “unknown,” or not familiar; it’s clear that the influences are known because the text goes on to list them. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s work, not that they are  “interchangeable,” or capable of being used in one another’s place.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a60b0004",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Scholarly discussions of gender in Shakespeare’s comedies often celebrate the rebellion of the playwright’s characters against the rigid expectations ______blank by Elizabethan society. Most of the comedies end in marriage, with characters returning to their socially dictated gender roles after previously defying them, but there are some notable exceptions.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "interjected" },
      { label: "B", text: "committed" },
      { label: "C", text: "illustrated" },
      { label: "D", text: "prescribed" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of gender roles in Shakespeare’s comedies. As used in this context, “prescribed” would mean laid down as rules. The text indicates that the characters in the comedies often defy gender roles that are “socially dictated” (even if most characters do return to those roles eventually) and that scholars have been very interested in these acts of defiance. This context indicates that what the characters are rebelling against are standards of behavior prescribed by the society of the time.  <br>Choice A is incorrect because saying that expectations about gender were “interjected,” or suddenly inserted between other things, wouldn’t make sense in context. There’s no suggestion in the text that the issue of gender roles was inserted between other things or was an interruption in a larger discussion. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about gender that have been “socially dictated,” not expectations that society has “committed,” or carried out, entrusted, or promised. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about gender that have been “socially dictated,” not expectations that have been “illustrated,” or clarified with examples. Although it’s possible for expectations about gender roles to be illustrated, there’s nothing in the text to indicate that characters in Shakespeare’s comedies rebel against illustrations of gender expectations.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "a756aa95",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco’s location within the empire was so ______blank, cacao and other trade goods produced there could reach the capital only after a long overland journey.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "unobtrusive" },
      { label: "B", text: "concealed" },
      { label: "C", text: "approximate" },
      { label: "D", text: "peripheral" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the location of the province of Xoconochco within the Aztec Empire. As used in this context, “peripheral” means situated toward the outer bounds rather than the center. The text indicates that Xoconochco was located on a coast, hundreds of kilometers away from the capital of the Aztec Empire. The text also states that trade between the province and the capital required “a long overland journey.” This context suggests that Xoconochco was situated toward an edge of the empire’s territory rather than near its center. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec Empire as “unobtrusive,” or not blatant or undesirably prominent; it’s not clear how a province’s physical location would or wouldn’t be blatant. Instead of focusing on how noticeable Xoconochco’s location was, the text emphasizes the province’s distance from the capital of the empire, pointing out that because of this distance trade between the two required “a long overland journey.” Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the province of Xoconochco was located on a coast far from the capital of the Aztec Empire, not that it was “concealed,” or kept out of sight or hidden from view. Nothing in the text suggests that Xoconochco was actually hidden such that people couldn’t see it, and being hidden wouldn’t necessarily result in trade between the province and the capital requiring “a long overland journey.” Choice C is incorrect because to say that Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec Empire was “approximate” would mean that the location either wasn’t precisely correct or was close to some other location. Neither of these meanings would make sense in context because the text indicates that Xoconochco’s location is known and that it was far from the empire’s capital, so there’s no reason to characterize the location as either not precisely correct or close to another location.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "aaa3ee7c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely ______blank in a world where artists create timeless works for exhibition and designers periodically produce new styles for the public to buy. Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and designer Jamie Okuma challenges this view: her work can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and purchased through her online boutique.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "prevail" },
      { label: "B", text: "succumb" },
      { label: "C", text: "diverge" },
      { label: "D", text: "intersect" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about the relationship between fine art and fashion. As used in this context, “intersect” means to connect or overlap. The text indicates that Jamie Okuma challenges the position held by critics because her work can be seen at an art museum and can be bought by the public from her online boutique. The text also presents the critics’ view as being influenced by a perception that fine artists create works that are “timeless” and meant for exhibition, whereas fashion designers periodically produce new styles that are meant for purchase. This context suggests that the critics believe that fine art and fashion tend not to overlap—in other words, that they rarely intersect. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that critics contend that fine art and fashion rarely “prevail,” or prove to be triumphant or widespread. The text indicates that Okuma is an example of an artist who demonstrates that it’s possible to make fine art that is also available to the public as fashion. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that fine art and fashion rarely “succumb,” or surrender. The text establishes that unlike what critics believe, Okuma creates works that are in art museums and available for the public to purchase, suggesting that critics believe fine art and fashion rarely overlap, not that they rarely succumb. Choice C is incorrect because saying that critics believe that fine art and fashion rarely “diverge,” or disagree or move in different directions, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text presents Okuma’s work as both fine art and fashion, thereby undermining what the critics assert. This suggests that the critics believe that fine art and fashion rarely intersect rather than that the two rarely diverge.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "b411eb09",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>New and interesting research conducted by Suleiman A. Al-Sweedan and Moath Alhaj is inspired by their observation that though there have been many studies of the effect of high altitude on blood chemistry, there is a ______blank studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level, such as the California towns of Salton City and Seeley.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "quarrel about" },
      { label: "B", text: "paucity of" },
      { label: "C", text: "profusion of" },
      { label: "D", text: "verisimilitude in" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of studies of altitude’s effect on blood chemistry. In this context, “paucity of” means lack of. In describing the inspiration behind Al-Sweedan and Alhaj’s research, the text uses the word “though” to suggest a contrasting relationship between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. This contrasting relationship and the text’s use of the word “many” provide context suggesting that there are few, if any, examples of the second type of study, whereas there are numerous examples of the first type. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “quarrel about,” or open disagreement about, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the contrast between the two types of studies involves the extent to which researchers broadly agree or disagree about the contents of either type. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “profusion of,” or great abundance of, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. Rather than logically completing this contrast, “profusion of” would indicate that the two types of studies are similar in terms of amount, with many examples existing of both types. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “verisimilitude in,” or appearance of truth in, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the contrast between the two types of studies involves the extent to which either type of study presents an appearance of truth.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "c14daa3c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work may be that of a student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______blank our understanding of Vermeer as a solitary artist.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "negating" },
      { label: "B", text: "prefiguring" },
      { label: "C", text: "entrenching" },
      { label: "D", text: "substantiating" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      'Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with students would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.<br>Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a solitary painter, so a new painting would not be an early indicator of those views. Rather, a painting proving that Vermeer had a student would contradict those earlier views. Choice C is incorrect. "Entrenching" means "solidifying." A painting proving that Vermeer had a student would not solidify views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those views. Choice D is incorrect. "Substantiating" means "supporting with proof." A painting proving that Vermeer had a student would not support views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those views.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "dba9eaf8",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Within baleen whale species, some individuals develop an accessory spleen—a seemingly functionless formation of splenetic tissue outside the normal spleen. Given the formation’s greater prevalence among whales known to make deeper dives, some researchers hypothesize that its role isn’t ______blank; rather, the accessory spleen may actively support diving mechanisms.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "replicable" },
      { label: "B", text: "predetermined" },
      { label: "C", text: "operative" },
      { label: "D", text: "latent" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "D",
    explanation:
      "Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of baleen whale accessory spleens. In this context, “latent” means dormant or functionless. The text sets up a contrast between the idea that baleen whale accessory spleens appear not to have a function and the research indicating that the accessory spleen may actually have a role in supporting the whales’ diving mechanisms. This context therefore conveys the idea that the assumption that baleen whale accessory spleens are latent may be incorrect. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the role of the accessory spleen is “replicable,” or capable of being reproduced. The text indicates that the role of the accessory spleen seems to have no function, but some researchers think it does have a role; the text doesn’t address whether the role of the accessory spleen could or couldn’t be reproduced. Choice B is incorrect because suggesting that the role of the accessory spleen is “predetermined,” or decided in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the researchers may agree that the role of the accessory spleen or any other organ hasn’t been determined in advance, the text focuses on the idea that the accessory spleen was thought to have been functionless but may in fact serve an active role for baleen whales. Choice C is incorrect because it’s the opposite of what the context of the text is conveying. The second sentence of the text indicates that baleen whale accessory spleens may not be useless, not that they aren’t “operative,” or functional.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e35d481c",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some economic historians ______blank that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States experienced an economy of scale when it came to food purchases—they assumed that large households spent less on food per person than did small households. Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the available data disproves this supposition.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "surmised" },
      { label: "B", text: "contrived" },
      { label: "C", text: "questioned" },
      { label: "D", text: "regretted" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "A",
    explanation:
      "Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century household food purchases. In this context, “surmised” means formed an idea or assumption with little evidence. The text explains that certain economic historians “assumed” that large and small households spent different amounts on food per person, but that another economist found this supposition to be false based on evidence from available data. This context suggests that the economic historians made an incorrect assumption without enough consideration of evidence. <br>Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “contrived” would mean brought about or created through trickery. Nothing in the text suggests that the economic historians were deliberately trying to trick people with a claim about food purchasing behaviors in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households; the text simply suggests that they made an assumption about those behaviors that another historian believes isn’t supported by the available data. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that it’s Logan and not the economic historians who “questioned,” or doubted, the assumption that large and small households in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries spent different amounts on food per person; the economic historians are the ones who made that assumption to begin with. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that some economic historians “regretted,” or felt sad or remorseful about, the food purchasing behaviors of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households. The text focuses on the idea that the economic historians made an assumption about those behaviors that may not be supported by available data, not on the historians’ emotional response to what households did in the past.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e459076b",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>The following text is adapted from George Eliot’s 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.<br><br><strong>Mr. Brooke</strong> had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke’s conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "As used in the text, what does the word “contracted” most nearly mean?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "Restricted" },
      { label: "B", text: "Described" },
      { label: "C", text: "Developed" },
      { label: "D", text: "Settled" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “contracted” most nearly means developed. The text explains that Mr. Brooke has a “too rambling habit of mind,” which the text likens to a disease, saying he is thought to have contracted it. To contract a disease means to acquire or develop a disease. In other words, the text indicates that Mr. Brooke is believed to have acquired, or developed, the habit of mind described in the text. <br>Choice A is incorrect. Although “contracted” can mean limited or restricted in some contexts, here Mr. Brooke is said to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been somehow limited or restricted. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text describes Mr. Brooke’s habit of mind, nothing suggests that those are his descriptions or, indeed, that he described his habit of mind at all. Choice D is incorrect because settled means calmed or mitigated, but here Mr. Brooke is said to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been somehow calmed or mitigated.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e4f312c5",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______blank: in a 2022 study, researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutations from a parent.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "hypothesis" },
      { label: "B", text: "affinity" },
      { label: "C", text: "anomaly" },
      { label: "D", text: "corroboration" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      'Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the elkhorn coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.<br>Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided about elkhorn coral in this text, just facts. Choice B is incorrect. "Affinity" represents "an inclination or liking toward something." As genetic mutations tend to occur without any conscious effort, you can’t really have an inclination toward passing on somatic mutations. Choice D is incorrect. "Corroboration" means "evidence to support or prove something." Because elkhorn coral do the opposite of what most animals do, they do not provide corroboration of the theory that somatic mutations can’t be passed onto offspring. Rather, they show the opposite.',
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e7d37666",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>It is by no means ______blank to recognize the influence of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch on Ali Banisadr’s paintings; indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration. However, some scholars have suggested that the ancient Mesopotamian poem Epic of Gilgamesh may have had a far greater impact on Banisadr’s work.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "substantial" },
      { label: "B", text: "satisfying" },
      { label: "C", text: "unimportant" },
      { label: "D", text: "appropriate" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the sentence about the influences on Banisadr’s work. In context, “It is by no means” followed by “unimportant” conveys how it is relevant to recognize Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The text points out that the artist himself cites Bosch as an inspiration, and then goes on to claim that The Epic of Gilgamesh has had a more significant influence than Bosch. <br>Choice A is incorrect because “substantial,” which means weighty or meaningful, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be meaningful to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice B is incorrect because “satisfying,” which means pleasing, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be pleasing to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice D is incorrect because “appropriate,” which means suitable, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be proper to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "e8fb0744",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>As an undergraduate researcher in anthropology, Jennifer C. Chen contributed to a groundbreaking study challenging the accepted view that among prehistoric peoples, female participation in hunting was ______blank. The research team’s review of data from late Pleistocene and early Holocene burials in the Americas revealed that, in fact, as many as half of the hunters in those populations were female.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "inevitable" },
      { label: "B", text: "satisfactory" },
      { label: "C", text: "negligible" },
      { label: "D", text: "commonplace" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the study of female participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples. In this context, “negligible” means not significant enough to be worth considering. The text says that the study challenged the accepted view of female participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples. The text goes on to say that the researchers found that “in fact, as many as half” the hunters in the groups studied were female. The phrase “in fact” establishes a contrast indicating that the finding that as many as half the hunters were female differs from the accepted view. This context suggests, then, that the accepted view is that female participation in hunting was negligible. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half of hunters among prehistoric peoples were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that female participation was low, not that female participation was “inevitable,” or unavoidable. Nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view is that prehistoric peoples could not avoid female participation in hunting. Choice B is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view of female participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples is that such participation was “satisfactory,” or sufficient to meet a requirement or demand. There is no information in the text about any demands or requirements regarding female participation in hunting, let alone any information about how much female participation in hunting would be enough to satisfy those demands or requirements. Instead, the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half the hunters in the groups studied were female, suggesting that the accepted view is that female participation in hunting was low. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as many as half of hunters among the prehistoric peoples studied were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that female participation was low, not that female participation was “commonplace,” or ordinary or unremarkable. Although the study under discussion suggests that female participation may have been commonplace, that study is presented as challenging the accepted view, not as reinforcing the accepted view.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f83f0aab",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the Mesozoic era were not a very ______blank group, but paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo’s research suggests that early mammals living in the shadow of dinosaurs weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores. Fossils of various plant-eating mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon diplomylos, which Luo says could glide like a flying squirrel.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "predatory" },
      { label: "B", text: "obscure" },
      { label: "C", text: "diverse" },
      { label: "D", text: "localized" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "C",
    explanation:
      "Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the kinds of mammals alive during the Mesozoic era. As used in this context, “diverse” means to have a significant amount of variety. The text indicates that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals can’t be characterized in a certain way, then contrasts the view put forward by those scientists with Luo’s research, which shows that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores” and instead were “various.” This context suggests that some scientists have viewed Mesozoic mammals as being all alike, or not a very diverse group. <br>Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “predatory,” or that they didn’t prey on other animals, since the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores.” This context suggests that some scientists have regarded Mesozoic mammals as all being insectivores, or animals that prey on insects, not that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals didn’t prey on other animals. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “obscure,” or concealed or not well known, since the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t concealed or well known and the mammals being varied. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “localized,” or confined to a particular area, since the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t localized and the mammals being varied. Although the text mentions mammal fossils found in China, nothing in the discussion of Luo’s research addresses the limits of Mesozoic mammal habitats.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
  {
    id: "f99847ed",
    type: "mcq",
    passage:
      "<p>For her 2021 art installation Anthem, Wu Tsang joined forces with singer and composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland to produce a piece that critics found truly ______blank: they praised Tsang for creatively transforming a museum rotunda into a dynamic exhibit by projecting filmed images of Glenn-Copeland onto a massive 84-foot curtain and filling the space with the sounds of his and other voices singing.</p>",
    questionHtml:
      "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?",
    choices: [
      { label: "A", text: "restrained" },
      { label: "B", text: "inventive" },
      { label: "C", text: "inexplicable" },
      { label: "D", text: "mystifying" },
    ],
    correctAnswer: "B",
    explanation:
      "Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the art installation Anthem. In this context, “inventive” means characterized by invention and creativity. The text explains that critics’ responses to the installation involved praise for Tsang’s creative transformation of a space into a dynamic exhibit with huge images and lots of sound. This context conveys that the critics found the piece particularly creative. <br>Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that critics praised the installation for being dynamic and including huge images and lots of sound, and it wouldn’t make sense to describe such an exhibit as “restrained,” or limited and not extravagant or showy. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that critics found the installation “inexplicable,” or incapable of being explained or interpreted, since the critics were able to explain their praise for the installation’s transformation of a space with huge images and lots of sound. Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on the idea that critics praised Tsang for creatively transforming a space into a dynamic exhibit, not that they found the installation “mystifying,” or bewildering and hard to understand. Nothing in the text suggests that the critics couldn’t understand the piece.",
    hasFigure: false,
  },
];
