Xin Wang and colleagues have discovered the earliest known example of a flower bud in a 164-million-year-old plant fossil in China. The researchers have named the new species Florigerminis jurassica. They believe that the discovery pushes the emergence of flowering plants, or angiosperms, back to the Jurassic period, which occurred between 145 million and 201 million years ago.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, how old was the fossil that Wang and colleagues discovered?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "150 million years old" }, { label: "B", text: "145 million years old" }, { label: "C", text: "164 million years old" }, { label: "D", text: "201 million years old" }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer because it gives the age for the fossil discovered by Wang and colleagues that is directly supported by the text. According to the text, Xin Wang and colleagues discovered a 164-million-year-old plant fossil. This plant fossil included a flower bud, which the researchers believe provides evidence that flowering plants emerged in the Jurassic period, which falls between 145 million and 201 million years ago.NASA’s Cassini probe has detected an unusual wobble in the rotation of Mimas, Saturn’s smallest moon. Using a computer model to study Mimas’s gravitational interactions with Saturn and tidal forces, geophysicist Alyssa Rhoden and colleagues have proposed that this wobble could be due to a liquid ocean moving beneath the moon’s icy surface. The researchers believe other moons should be examined to see if they too might have oceans hidden beneath their surfaces.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Rhoden and colleagues were the first to confirm that several of Saturn’s moons contain hidden oceans.", }, { label: "B", text: "Research has failed to identify signs that there is an ocean hidden beneath the surface of Mimas.", }, { label: "C", text: "Rhoden and colleagues created a new computer model that identifies moons with hidden oceans without needing to analyze the moons’ rotation.", }, { label: "D", text: "Research has revealed that an oddity in the rotation of Mimas could be explained by an ocean hidden beneath its surface.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer. The study isn’t definitive, but it says that Mimas’s wobbly rotation could be explained by the hidden ocean.Scrapbooks of saved fabric pieces were commonly kept by women in the nineteenth-century United States, but few are as meticulously detailed as Hannah Ditzler Alspaugh’s work. Alongside each piece of fabric, Alspaugh recorded intimate memories, such as dressmaking with her sister. Additionally, she listed the prices and how she used the fabric. Historians note that by representing fifty years of changing textures, patterns, and dress styles, the scrapbook is a record of nineteenth-century textiles and dressmaking as well as Alspaugh’s life.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Alspaugh inspired other women to save pieces of fabric in scrapbooks and provide historical records of nineteenth-century fashions in the United States.", }, { label: "B", text: "Historians rely on fabric scrapbooks to understand how fashions changed throughout the nineteenth-century United States.", }, { label: "C", text: "Fabric scrapbooks were a popular hobby for many women in the nineteenth-century United States.", }, { label: "D", text: "Alspaugh’s scrapbook provides a detailed account of her life and historical record of fashion trends in the nineteenth-century United States.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is correct. The text describes how Alspaugh’s scrapbook is both a record of her life and a historical record of nineteenth-century textiles and dressmaking.The following text is from Edith Nesbit’s 1902 novel Five Children and It. Five young siblings have just moved with their parents from London to a house in the countryside that they call the White House.
It was not really a pretty house at all; it was quite ordinary, and mother thought it was rather inconvenient, and was quite annoyed at there being no shelves, to speak of, and hardly a cupboard in the place. Father used to say that the ironwork on the roof and coping was like an architect’s nightmare. But the house was deep in the country, with no other house in sight, and the children had been in London for two years, without so much as once going to the seaside even for a day by an excursion train, and so the White House seemed to them a sort of Fairy Palace set down in an Earthly Paradise.
Shimmering is a collective defense behavior that researchers have observed in giant honeybee colonies. When shimmering, different groups of bees flip their bodies up and down in what looks like waves. This defense is initiated when hornets hover near a colony, serving to deter the hornets from approaching the bees. Researchers hypothesize that this behavior is a specialized defense response to hornets, as it is not observed when other, larger predators approach the colony.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Researchers are unsure how giant honeybees defend against predators larger than hornets.", }, { label: "B", text: "Researchers think that shimmering in giant honeybees is a specific defense against hornets.", }, { label: "C", text: "Hornets are known to be the main predator of giant honeybees.", }, { label: "D", text: "Several different species of insects use shimmering to defend against hornets.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer. The text describes a study about how giant honeybees use shimmering to defend against hornets, but not other predators. The researchers conclude that shimmering could be a specialized defense response to hornets.Bicycles were first mass-produced in the late nineteenth century throughout Europe and North America, allowing individuals remarkable freedom to travel longer distances quickly and comfortably. This freedom, coupled with the affordability of the vehicle, made the bicycle immensely popular. Individuals were able to live farther from their workplaces, easily visit neighboring towns, and participate in new leisure and sport activities. Bicycling quickly became a popular social endeavor, with enthusiasts forming local cycling clubs to enjoy these newfound activities with others.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The widespread adoption of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century provided new opportunities for people.", }, { label: "B", text: "The affordability of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century made it the preferred way to travel.", }, { label: "C", text: "The popularity of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century gave rise to the first cycling clubs.", }, { label: "D", text: "The mass production of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century made it safer for people to use.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer. The text discusses how the mass production of bicycles in the late nineteenth century allowed people to travel longer distances, live farther from their workplaces, visit neighboring towns, and participate in new activities and social clubs. All of these are new opportunities that were provided by the widespread adoption of the bicycle.The following text is from Jane Austen’s 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Elinor lives with her younger sisters and her mother, Mrs. Dashwood.
Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart;—her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.
The following text is adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden. Mary, a young girl, recently found an overgrown hidden garden.
Mary was an odd, determined little person, and now she had something interesting to be determined about, she was very much absorbed, indeed. She worked and dug and pulled up weeds steadily, only becoming more pleased with her work every hour instead of tiring of it. It seemed to her like a fascinating sort of play.
The following text is adapted from Johanna Spyri’s 1881 novel Heidi (translated by Elisabeth Stork in 1915). Eight-year-old Heidi and her friend’s grandmother are looking at some illustrated books.
Heidi had come and was looking with wondering eyes at the splendid pictures in the large books, that Grandmama was showing her. Suddenly she screamed aloud, for there on the picture she saw a peaceful flock grazing on a green pasture. In the middle a shepherd was standing, leaning on his crook. The setting sun was shedding a golden light over everything. With glowing eyes Heidi devoured the scene.
The following text is from Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 novel Funny Boy. The seven-year-old narrator lives with his family in Sri Lanka. Radha Aunty is the narrator’s aunt.
Radha Aunty, who was the youngest in my father’s family, had left for America four years ago when I was three, and I could not remember what she looked like. I went into the corridor to look at the family photographs that were hung there. But all the pictures were old ones, taken when Radha Aunty was a baby or young girl. Try as I might, I couldn’t get an idea of what she looked like now. My imagination, however, was quick to fill in this void.
©1994 by Shyam Selvadurai.
In 2014, Amelia Quon and her team at NASA set out to build a helicopter capable of flying on Mars. Because Mars’s atmosphere is only one percent as dense as Earth’s, the air of Mars would not provide enough resistance to the rotating blades of a standard helicopter for the aircraft to stay aloft. For five years, Quon’s team tested designs in a lab that mimicked Mars’s atmospheric conditions. The craft the team ultimately designed can fly on Mars because its blades are longer and rotate faster than those of a helicopter of the same size built for Earth.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, why would a helicopter built for Earth be unable to fly on Mars?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Because Mars and Earth have different atmospheric conditions", }, { label: "B", text: "Because the blades of helicopters built for Earth are too large to work on Mars", }, { label: "C", text: "Because the gravity of Mars is much weaker than the gravity of Earth", }, { label: "D", text: "Because helicopters built for Earth are too small to handle the conditions on Mars", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it presents an explanation about a helicopter that is directly supported by the text. The text states that Mars’s atmosphere is much less dense than Earth’s, and as a result, the air on Mars doesn’t provide the resistance required to support the blades of a helicopter built for Earth and to keep the helicopter aloft. In other words, a helicopter built for Earth can’t fly on Mars because of the differences in the two planets’ atmospheres.Oluwaseyi Moejoh cofounded U-recycle Initiative Africa when she was only a teenager. Moejoh and her team founded the organization to teach young people how their actions affect the environment and why recycling is important. For example, the organization put on an exhibit of art made using recycled materials.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, what is one reason Moejoh and others founded U-recycle Initiative Africa?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "To bring attention to overlooked African artists" }, { label: "B", text: "To teach young people why recycling is important" }, { label: "C", text: "To help adults gain important outdoor skills" }, { label: "D", text: "To give teenagers advice about starting businesses", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer because it describes a reason that Moejoh and team founded U-recycle Initiative Africa. The text mentions two reasons the initiative was founded: to teach young people about how they affect the environment and to teach them “why recycling is important.” Thus, teaching the importance of recycling to young people accurately describes a motivation that the text cites as a reason for the initiative’s founding.Artist Justin Favela explained that he wanted to reclaim the importance of the piñata as a symbol in Latinx culture. To do so, he created numerous sculptures from strips of tissue paper, which is similar to the material used to create piñatas. In 2017, Favela created an impressive life-size piñata-like sculpture of the Gypsy Rose lowrider car, which was displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. The Gypsy Rose lowrider was famously driven by Jesse Valadez, an early president of the Los Angeles Imperials Car Club.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, which piece of Favela’s art was on display in the Petersen Automotive Museum in 2017?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "A painting of Los Angeles" }, { label: "B", text: "A sculpture of a lowrider car" }, { label: "C", text: "A painting of a piñata" }, { label: "D", text: "A sculpture of Jesse Valadez" }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer. The text describes Favela’s approach to sculpture, and then describes the lowrider car that he depicted in 2017.Scent is tightly interwoven with our daily lives, often evoking significant memories and important social events. This connection is of growing interest to archaeologists who hope to use it to better understand ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine. Although the speed at which odor molecules dissipate makes identifying ancient scents challenging, advancements in biomolecular technologies show promise in unlocking ancient aromas from preserved artifacts. Archaeological studies making use of these advancements may provide new insights into past societies.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, what is one reason some archaeologists are interested in recovering scents from ancient artifacts?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "They are investigating whether people’s sense of smell has declined in recent centuries.", }, { label: "B", text: "They believe the scents could illuminate important aspects of ancient life.", }, { label: "C", text: "They think that ancient scents would be enjoyable to people today.", }, { label: "D", text: "They hope to develop new medicines using ancient scent molecules.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: 'Choice B is the best answer. The text states that archaeologists are interested in using scents to better understand "ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine," all of which are important aspects of ancient life.To make her art more widely available, graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett turned to linocuts. In linocut printing, an artist carves an image into a sheet of linoleum to create a stamp that is used to mass-produce prints. In the linocut series The Black Woman (1946–1947), Catlett depicts the everyday experiences of Black women alongside the achievements of well-known Black women. This pairing invites the viewer to draw connections among the women. The linocut process enabled Catlett’s work to reach a wide audience and supported her aim to unite Black women through her art.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, what is significant about Catlett’s use of linocut printing?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Linocut printing involved using materials that were readily available to Catlett.", }, { label: "B", text: "Linocut printing helped Catlett use art to connect people, especially Black women.", }, { label: "C", text: "Catlett became commercially successful once she started using linocut printing.", }, { label: "D", text: "Catlett was one of the first Black artists to use linocut printing.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer. The last sentence states that the linocut process “supported her Catlett’s aim to unite Black women through her art.”The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray is taking his first look at a portrait that Hallward has painted of him.
Dorian passed listlessly in front of his picture and turned towards it. When he saw it he drew back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he had recognized himself for the first time. He stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly conscious that Hallward was speaking to him, but not catching the meaning of his words. The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation. He had never felt it before.
The following text is adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children.
Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull visits to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay visits to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions.
Psychologists wanted to test how young children think about rewards and fairness. In an experiment, two teachers handed out rewards while children (ages four to six) watched. The teachers gave out the same number of rewards, but one of them counted the rewards out loud. The children were then asked who was fairer. 73% chose the teacher who counted. The psychologists think that counting showed the children that the teacher wanted to be fair. The children may have believed that the teacher who did not count did not care about fairness.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Psychologists think children cannot understand the concept of fairness until they are six years old.", }, { label: "B", text: "An experiment found that counting out loud is the best way to teach mathematical concepts to children.", }, { label: "C", text: "Psychologists think young children expect to be rewarded when the children show that they care about fairness.", }, { label: "D", text: "An experiment showed that the way rewards are given out may affect whether young children think the situation is fair.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer. The text describes a study assessing how children think of rewards and fairness and its results. It concludes that the children in the study may have thought that a teacher who counted out loud when giving rewards cared more about fairness than a teacher who did not count out loud.Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are smaller than a grain of rice. These small plastics can be found in large quantities in ocean waters. Ecologist Jessica Reichert and her team are studying the role reef-building corals have in capturing microplastics from ocean waters. Through research, her team has found that these corals may be storing up to 20 million kilograms of microplastics each year in their skeletons and tissues.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Ecologists are interested in learning more about how certain corals build large reefs.", }, { label: "B", text: "Questions remain around the impact certain corals have on ocean ecosystems.", }, { label: "C", text: "Microplastics are small pieces of plastic that can be found in ocean waters.", }, { label: "D", text: "Ecologists predict that corals store large amounts of microplastics from ocean waters.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer. The text describes a study about how reef-building corals capture microplastics from ocean waters, which found that these corals are storing 20 million kilograms of microplastics in their skeletons and tissues.In 2022, researchers rediscovered ancient indigenous glyphs, or drawings, on the walls of a cave in Alabama. The cave’s ceiling was only a few feet high, affording no position from which the glyphs, being as wide as ten feet, could be viewed or photographed in their entirety. However, the researchers used a technique called photogrammetry to assemble numerous photos of the walls into a 3D model. They then worked with representatives of tribes originally from the region, including the Chickasaw Nation, to understand the significance of the animal and humanoid figures adorning the cave.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, what challenge did the researchers have to overcome to examine the glyphs?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The cave was so remote that the researchers couldn’t easily reach it.", }, { label: "B", text: "Some of the glyphs were so faint that they couldn’t be photographed.", }, { label: "C", text: "The researchers were unable to create a 3D model of the cave.", }, { label: "D", text: "The cave’s dimensions prevented the researchers from fully viewing the glyphs.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer. The text describes the very low ceiling of the cave, making it impossible to photograph the very wide glyphs all at once.Paleontologists searching for signs of ancient life have found many fossilized specimens of prehistoric human ancestors, including several from the Pleistocene era discovered in a geological formation in the Minatogawa quarry in Japan. However, to study the emergence of the earliest multicellular organisms to appear on Earth, researchers must turn elsewhere, such as to the Ediacaran geological formation at Mistaken Point in Canada. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 146-hectare reserve contains more than 10,000 fossils that together document a critical moment in evolutionary history.
", questionHtml: "What does the text indicate about the geological formation at Mistaken Point?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It holds a greater number of fossils but from a smaller variety of species than the formation in the Minatogawa quarry does.", }, { label: "B", text: "It has provided evidence that the earliest human species may have emerged before the Pleistocene era.", }, { label: "C", text: "It is widely considered by paleontologists to be the most valuable source of information about prehistoric life forms.", }, { label: "D", text: "It contains specimens from an older time period than those found in the formation in the Minatogawa quarry.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer. The text says that the formation at Mistaken Point contains fossils of “the earliest multicellular organisms,” which implies that these fossils are from an older time period than the fossils of “prehistoric human ancestors” found in the Minatogawa quarry.NASA’s Aspera mission, led by Carlos Vargas, will investigate the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the huge swaths of low-density gas that fill and surround galaxies. Specifically, the team will focus on portions of the gas that exist in a “warm-hot” phase: these portions haven’t previously been observable but are thought to fuel new star formation and hold most of the mass that makes up a galaxy. Using a telescope capable of revealing these parts of the CGM, the Aspera mission should help answer long-standing questions about how galaxies emerge, change, and even interact.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "As the leader of NASA’s Aspera mission, Vargas will be the first person to investigate the makeup of the CGM.", }, { label: "B", text: "Although galaxies that are surrounded by the CGM have been studied, researchers have been unable to directly observe low-density gas in the CGM in the “warm-hot” phase.", }, { label: "C", text: "Researchers don’t yet have a complete understanding of the process of galaxy evolution but have raised the possibility that galaxies interact with each other at times.", }, { label: "D", text: "The Aspera mission is expected to produce the first direct observations of CGM gas in the “warm-hot” phase, which likely has an important role in the evolution of galaxies.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by mentioning NASA’s Aspera mission, which will investigate the low-density gas that makes up the circumgalactic medium (CGM). According to the text, this mission will focus on a portion of the CGM’s gas that exists in a “warm-hot” phase; this “warm-hot” gas has not been previously observed, but it is thought to make up most of the mass of galaxies and play a part in star formation. Finally, the text mentions a telescope capable of examining this previously unobservable “warm-hot” gas: the Aspera mission will use this telescope in the hope of answering questions about galaxy formation and change. Therefore, the main idea of the text is that the Aspera mission is likely to produce the first direct observations of CGM gas in the “warm-hot” phase, which likely has an important role in the evolution of galaxies.In many of his sculptures, artist Richard Hunt uses broad forms rather than extreme accuracy to hint at specific people or ideas. In his first major work, Arachne (1956), Hunt constructed the mythical character Arachne, a weaver who was changed into a spider, by welding bits of steel together into something that, although vaguely human, is strange and machine-like. And his large bronze sculpture The Light of Truth (2021) commemorates activist and journalist Ida B. Wells using mainly flowing, curved pieces of metal that create stylized flame.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the text’s main idea about Hunt?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "He often depicts the subjects of his sculptures using an unrealistic style.", }, { label: "B", text: "He uses different kinds of materials depending on what kind of sculpture he plans to create.", }, { label: "C", text: "He tends to base his art on important historical figures rather than on fictional characters.", }, { label: "D", text: "He has altered his approach to sculpture over time, and his works have become increasingly abstract.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, many of Richard Hunt’s sculptures “use broad forms rather than extreme accuracy”—in other words, they are more abstract than realistic. To illustrate Hunt’s abstract approach, the text characterizes his sculpture of Arachne as “vaguely human” and his work in honor of Ida B. Wells as “using mainly flowing, curved pieces of metal that create stylized flame.” Thus, the main idea is that Hunt often depicts the subjects of his sculptures using an unrealistic style.To protect themselves when being attacked, hagfish—jawless marine animals that resemble eels—will release large quantities of slimy, mucus-like threads. Because these threads are unusually strong and elastic, scientist Atsuko Negishi and her colleagues have been trying to recreate them in a lab as an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based fibers that are often used in fabrics. The researchers want to reproduce the threads in the lab because farming hagfish for their slime would be expensive and potentially harmful to the hagfish.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the text’s main idea?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The slimy threads that hagfish release might help researchers create a new kind of fabric.", }, { label: "B", text: "Hagfish have inspired researchers to develop a new petroleum-based fabric.", }, { label: "C", text: "Hagfish are not well suited to being raised in captivity.", }, { label: "D", text: "The ability of hagfish to slime their attackers compensates for their being jawless.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer. The text first describes hagfish slime and its properties, then it transitions to talking about the possibilities of using lab-made equivalents to use in eco-friendly fabrics.Philadelphia’s Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, founded by Jeri Lynne Johnson, performs classical music, from well-known compositions by Beethoven to contemporary works by Jessie Montgomery. For the orchestra’s iConduct! program, Johnson invites community members to learn some basic elements of conducting and then experience conducting the Black Pearl orchestra themselves.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The Black Pearl orchestra performs music from all over the world but mostly performs music composed by Philadelphians.", }, { label: "B", text: "Johnson founded the Black Pearl orchestra to perform classical music by contemporary artist Jessie Montgomery.", }, { label: "C", text: "The Black Pearl orchestra gives community members the chance to both listen to and participate in classical music performance.", }, { label: "D", text: "Johnson has community members conduct an orchestra to demonstrate how difficult the task is.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by stating that the Black Pearl orchestra performs classical music, and then goes on to explain that the orchestra offers an iConduct! program. According to the text, this program offers community members the opportunity to learn some basics about conducting and then apply what they learn by conducting the orchestra themselves. Thus, the main idea of the text is that community members can both listen to and participate in a classical music performance.Biologists have predicted that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature, but this hadn’t been tested in mountain environments. Ornithologist Sahas Barve studied feathers from 249 songbird species inhabiting different elevations—and thus experiencing different temperatures—in the Himalaya Mountains. He found that feathers of high-elevation species not only have a greater proportion of warming downy sections to flat and smooth sections than do feathers of low-elevation species, but high-elevation species’ feathers also tend to be longer, providing a thicker layer of insulation.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Barve’s investigation shows that some species of Himalayan songbirds have evolved feathers that better regulate body temperature than do the feathers of other species, contradicting previous predictions.", }, { label: "B", text: "Barve found an association between habitat temperature and feather structure among Himalayan songbirds, lending new support to a general prediction.", }, { label: "C", text: "Barve discovered that songbirds have adapted to their environment by growing feathers without flat and smooth sections, complicating an earlier hypothesis.", }, { label: "D", text: "The results of Barve’s study suggest that the ability of birds to withstand cold temperatures is determined more strongly by feather length than feather structure, challenging an established belief.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer. The text describes how Barve found an association between habitat temperature and feather structure among Himalayan songbirds, which supports the general prediction that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.The following text is adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island. Bill is a sailor staying at the Admiral Benbow, an inn run by the narrator’s parents.
Every day when Bill came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road. At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them. When a seaman did stay at the Admiral Benbow (as now and then some did) he would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour; and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when any such was present.
Choctaw/Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson turns punching bags used by boxers into art by decorating them with beadwork and elements of Native dressmaking. These elements include leather fringe and jingles, the metal cones that cover the dresses worn in the jingle dance, a women’s dance of the Ojibwe people. Thus, Gibson combines an object commonly associated with masculinity (a punching bag) with art forms traditionally practiced by women in most Native communities (beadwork and dressmaking). In this way, he rejects the division of male and female gender roles.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best describes Gibson’s approach to art, as presented in the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "He draws from traditional Native art forms to create his original works.", }, { label: "B", text: "He has been influenced by Native and non-Native artists equally.", }, { label: "C", text: "He finds inspiration from boxing in designing the dresses he makes.", }, { label: "D", text: "He rejects expectations about color and pattern when incorporating beadwork.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes Gibson’s approach to art. As the text explains, Gibson, who is Cherokee and Choctaw, transforms punching bags into art pieces by applying (or attaching) to them beadwork and elements of Native dressmaking, including leather fringe and the jingles of the jingle dress. The text goes on to say that in most Native communities, the art forms of beadwork and dressmaking are traditionally practiced by women. Therefore, Gibson’s approach to art consists of creating original works by drawing from traditional Native art forms.In 1934 physicist Eugene Wigner posited the existence of a crystal consisting entirely of electrons in a honeycomb-like structure. The so-called Wigner crystal remained largely conjecture, however, until Feng Wang and colleagues announced in 2021 that they had captured an image of one. The researchers trapped electrons between two semiconductors and then cooled the apparatus, causing the electrons to settle into a crystalline structure. By inserting an ultrathin sheet of graphene above the crystal, the researchers obtained an impression—the first visual confirmation of the Wigner crystal.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Researchers have obtained the most definitive evidence to date of the existence of the Wigner crystal.", }, { label: "B", text: "Researchers have identified an innovative new method for working with unusual crystalline structures.", }, { label: "C", text: "Graphene is the most important of the components required to capture an image of a Wigner crystal.", }, { label: "D", text: "It’s difficult to acquire an image of a Wigner crystal because of the crystal’s honeycomb structure.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, Eugene Wigner hypothesized that a crystal could exist that would be composed of electrons and have a honeycomb-like shape. The text goes on to say that the existence of the Wigner crystal remained unconfirmed until Feng Wang and colleagues were able to make an impression of one using two semiconductors and an ultrathin sheet of graphene. Thus, the main idea is that researchers have obtained the most definitive evidence to date of the existence of the Wigner crystal.The following text is adapted from Jack London’s 1903 novel The Call of the Wild. Buck is a sled dog living with John Thornton in Yukon, Canada.
Thornton alone held Buck. The rest of mankind was as nothing. Chance travellers might praise or pet him; but he was cold under it all, and from a too demonstrative man he would get up and walk away. When Thornton’s partners, Hans and Pete, arrived on the long-expected raft, Buck refused to notice them till he learned they were close to Thornton; after that he tolerated them in a passive sort of way, accepting favors from them as though he favored them by accepting.
The following text is adapted from Charles W. Chesnutt’s 1901 novel The Marrow of Tradition.
Mrs. Ochiltree was a woman of strong individuality, whose comments upon her acquaintances, present or absent, were marked by a frankness at times no less than startling. This characteristic caused her to be more or less avoided. Mrs. Ochiltree was aware of this sentiment on the part of her acquaintances, and rather exulted in it.
A common assumption among art historians is that the invention of photography in the mid-nineteenth century displaced the painted portrait in the public consciousness. The diminishing popularity of the portrait miniature, which coincided with the rise of photography, seems to support this claim. However, photography’s impact on the portrait miniature may be overstated. Although records from art exhibitions in the Netherlands from 1820 to 1892 show a decrease in the number of both full-sized and miniature portraits submitted, this trend was established before the invention of photography.
", questionHtml: "Based on the text, what can be concluded about the diminishing popularity of the portrait miniature in the nineteenth century?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Factors other than the rise of photography may be more directly responsible for the portrait miniature’s decline.", }, { label: "B", text: "Although portrait miniatures became less common than photographs, they were widely regarded as having more artistic merit.", }, { label: "C", text: "The popularity of the portrait miniature likely persisted for longer than art historians have assumed.", }, { label: "D", text: "As demand for portrait miniatures decreased, portrait artists likely shifted their creative focus to photography.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: 'Choice A is the best answer. The text says that the impact of photography on the portrait miniature might be "overstated," as some records show a decrease in the number of portrait miniatures before the invention of photography. From this, we can conclude that factors other than the rise of photography may be more directly responsible for the portrait miniature’s decline.Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system. Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals. The ecologists say that strong fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It isn’t growing at the same rate it used to." }, { label: "B", text: "It isn’t producing young trees anymore." }, { label: "C", text: "It can’t grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.", }, { label: "D", text: "Its root system can’t support many more new trees.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it presents an explanation that is directly stated in the text for why ecologists are worried about Pando. The text states that Pando is a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that represents one of the largest organisms on Earth. According to the text, ecologists are worried that Pando’s growth is declining, partly because animals are feeding on the trees. In other words, the ecologists are worried that Pando isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.The ice melted on a Norwegian mountain during a particularly warm summer in 2019, revealing a 1,700-year-old sandal to a mountaineer looking for artifacts. The sandal would normally have degraded quickly, but it was instead well preserved for centuries by the surrounding ice. According to archaeologist Espen Finstad and his team, the sandal, like those worn by imperial Romans, wouldn’t have offered any protection from the cold in the mountains, so some kind of insulation, like fabric or animal skin, would have needed to be worn on the feet with the sandal.
", questionHtml: "What does the text indicate about the discovery of the sandal?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Temperatures contributed to both protecting and revealing the sandal.", }, { label: "B", text: "The discovery revealed that the Roman Empire had more influence on Norway than archaeologists previously assumed.", }, { label: "C", text: "Archaeologists would have found the sandal eventually without help from the general public.", }, { label: "D", text: "The sandal would have degraded if it hadn’t been removed from the ice.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: 'Choice A is the best answer. A "particularly warm summer" revealed the sandal, and centuries of ice kept it "well preserved."The painter María Izquierdo played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Mexican art, but her work has never been well-known in the United States except among art historians. One reason for Izquierdo’s relative obscurity is the enormous popularity of some of her peers. In particular, the painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have so captivated the interest of US audiences that Izquierdo and other Mexican artists from the period often get overlooked, despite the high quality of their work.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Izquierdo’s work is not as well-known in the United States as it should be because Kahlo and Rivera draw so much of the public’s attention.", }, { label: "B", text: "During Izquierdo’s lifetime, her paintings were displayed in galleries in the United States much more frequently than paintings by Kahlo and Rivera were.", }, { label: "C", text: "Izquierdo painted some of the same subjects that Kahlo and Rivera painted but used different techniques than they used.", }, { label: "D", text: "Few of Izquierdo’s works are in galleries today because she produced only a small number of paintings.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by stating that María Izquierdo was an important figure in the history of twentieth-century Mexican art, but despite her importance, her work hasn’t received widespread recognition in the United States. According to the text, one reason for this is that Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are so famous in the US that they overshadow other important Mexican artists, including Izquierdo. Thus, the main idea of the text is that Izquierdo’s work is less well known in the US than it should be because Kahlo and Rivera draw most of the public’s attention.Cats can judge unseen people’s positions in space by the sound of their voices and thus react with surprise when the same person calls to them from two different locations in a short span of time. Saho Takagi and colleagues reached this conclusion by measuring cats’ levels of surprise based on their ear and head movements while the cats heard recordings of their owners’ voices from two speakers spaced far apart. Cats exhibited a low level of surprise when owners’ voices were played twice from the same speaker, but they showed a high level of surprise when the voice was played once each from the two different speakers.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, how did the researchers determine the level of surprise displayed by the cats in the study?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "They watched how each cat moved its ears and head.", }, { label: "B", text: "They examined how each cat reacted to the voice of a stranger.", }, { label: "C", text: "They studied how each cat physically interacted with its owner.", }, { label: "D", text: "They tracked how each cat moved around the room." }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it explains how the researchers determined the level of surprise displayed by the cats in the study. The text states that Saho Takagi and colleagues played recordings of the voice of each cat’s owner and measured how surprised the cat was by the recording based on how it moved its ears and head.The recovery of a 1,000-year-old Chinese shipwreck in the Java Sea near present-day Indonesia has yielded a treasure trove of artifacts, including thousands of small ceramic bowls. Using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer tool, Lisa Niziolek and her team were able to detect the chemical composition of these bowls without damaging them. By comparing the chemical signatures of the bowls with those of the materials still at old Chinese kiln sites, Niziolek and her team can pinpoint which Chinese kilns likely produced the ceramic bowls.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Because of a new technology, researchers can locate and recover more shipwrecks than they could in the past.", }, { label: "B", text: "Researchers have been able to identify the location of a number of Chinese kilns in operation 1,000 years ago.", }, { label: "C", text: "With the help of a special tool, researchers have determined the likely origin of bowls recovered from a shipwreck.", }, { label: "D", text: "Before the invention of portable X-ray fluorescence, researchers needed to take a small piece out of an artifact to analyze its components.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, thousands of ceramic bowls were found in a recovered Chinese shipwreck. The text goes on to say that Niziolek and her team used a special tool, a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, to determine the bowls’ chemical signatures. Comparing these chemical signatures with the chemical signatures of materials they had collected from old Chinese kiln sites, the text says, allowed the researchers to identify which kilns had produced the bowls. In other words, the researchers determined the bowls’ origin.The following text is adapted from Christina Rossetti’s 1881 poem “Monna Innominata 2.”
I wish I could remember that first day,
First hour, first moment of your meeting me,
If bright or dim the season, it might be
Summer or Winter for all I can say;
So unrecorded did it slip away,
So blind was I to see and to foresee,
So dull to mark the budding of my tree
That would not blossom yet for many a May.
Culinary anthropologist Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor may be known for her decades of work in national public television and radio, but her book Vibration Cooking: or, the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl is likely her most influential project. The 1970 book, whose title refers to Smart-Grosvenor’s roots in the Low Country of South Carolina, was unusual for its time. It combined memoir, recipes, travel writing, and social commentary and challenged notions about conventions of food and cooking. Long admired by many, the book and its author have shaped contemporary approaches to writing about cuisine.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Smart-Grosvenor’s unconventional book Vibration Cooking: or, the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl is an important contribution to food writing.", }, { label: "B", text: "Smart-Grosvenor held many different positions over her life, including reporter and food writer.", }, { label: "C", text: "Smart-Grosvenor’s groundbreaking book Vibration Cooking: or, the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl didn’t receive the praise it deserved when it was first published in 1970.", }, { label: "D", text: "Smart-Grosvenor was a talented chef whose work inspired many people to start cooking for themselves.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text describes the book Vibration Cooking: or, the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl as Smart-Grosvenor’s “most influential project” and as “unusual for its time.” The text also notes that the book and author have influenced contemporary approaches to writing about food and cooking. Therefore, the text mainly conveys that Vibration Cooking: or, the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl is an unconventional and important contribution to food writing.In West Africa, jalis have traditionally been keepers of information about family histories and records of important events. They have often served as teachers and advisers, too. New technologies may have changed some aspects of the role today, but jalis continue to be valued for knowing and protecting their peoples’ stories.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Even though there have been some changes in their role, jalis continue to preserve their communities’ histories.", }, { label: "B", text: "Although jalis have many roles, many of them like teaching best.", }, { label: "C", text: "Jalis have been entertaining the people within their communities for centuries.", }, { label: "D", text: "Technology can now do some of the things jalis used to be responsible for.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer because it best states the main idea of the text. According to the text, jalis’ traditional role has been to maintain information about families’ histories and significant events. The text goes on to say that although technological changes have altered jalis’ role somewhat, jalis are still valued for preserving the histories of their communities.The following text is from Ezra Pound’s 1909 poem “Hymn III,” based on the work of Marcantonio Flaminio.
As a fragile and lovely flower unfolds its gleaming
foliage on the breast of the fostering earth, if
the dew and the rain draw it forth;
So doth my tender mind flourish, if it be fed with the
sweet dew of the fostering spirit,
Lacking this, it beginneth straightway to languish,
even as a floweret born upon dry earth, if the
dew and the rain tend it not.
The following text is adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s nineteenth-century short story “The Trip of Le Horla” (translated by Albert M. C. McMaster, A. E. Henderson, Mme. Quesada, et al.). The narrator is part of a group traveling in a hot-air balloon at night.
The earth no longer seems to exist, it is buried in milky vapors that resemble a sea. We are now alone in space with the moon, which looks like another balloon travelling opposite us; and our balloon, which shines in the air, appears like another, larger moon, a world wandering in the sky amid the stars, through infinity. We no longer speak, think nor live; we float along through space in delicious inertia. The air which is bearing us up has made of us all beings which resemble itself, silent, joyous, irresponsible beings, peculiarly alert, although motionless.
Believing that living in an impractical space can heighten awareness and even improve health, conceptual artists Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa designed an apartment building in Japan to be more fanciful than functional. A kitchen counter is chest-high on one side and knee-high on the other; a ceiling has a door to nowhere. The effect is disorienting but invigorating: after four years there, filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka reported significant health benefits.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Although inhabiting a home surrounded by fanciful features such as those designed by Gins and Arakawa can be rejuvenating, it is unsustainable.", }, { label: "B", text: "Designing disorienting spaces like those in the Gins and Arakawa building is the most effective way to create a physically stimulating environment.", }, { label: "C", text: "As a filmmaker, Yamaoka has long supported the designs of conceptual artists such as Gins and Arakawa.", }, { label: "D", text: "Although impractical, the design of the apartment building by Gins and Arakawa may improve the well-being of the building’s residents.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, conceptual artists Gins and Arakawa have designed an apartment building that is disorienting because of several unconventional elements, such as uneven kitchen counters and “a door to nowhere.” The text goes on to suggest that there may be benefits to this kind of design because filmmaker Yamaoka lived in the apartment building for four years and reported health benefits. Thus, although the design is impractical, it may improve the well-being of the apartment building’s residents.To dye wool, Navajo (Diné) weaver Lillie Taylor uses plants and vegetables from Arizona, where she lives. For example, she achieved the deep reds and browns featured in her 2003 rug In the Path of the Four Seasons by using Arizona dock roots, drying and grinding them before mixing the powder with water to create a dye bath. To intensify the appearance of certain colors, Taylor also sometimes mixes in clay obtained from nearby soil.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor’s rugs.", }, { label: "B", text: "Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.", }, { label: "C", text: "Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert.", }, { label: "D", text: "In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative weaving techniques.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer. It best states the main idea of the text. The text opens with the statement that Taylor uses local plants and vegetables to dye wool. The rest of the text describes how she does this.The following text is adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s 1849 story “Landor’s Cottage.”
During a pedestrian trip last summer, through one or two of the river counties of New York, I found myself, as the day declined, somewhat embarrassed about the road I was pursuing. The land undulated very remarkably; and my path, for the last hour, had wound about and about so confusedly, in its effort to keep in the valleys, that I no longer knew in what direction lay the sweet village of B——, where I had determined to stop for the night.
Many intellectual histories of the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s rely heavily on essays and other explicitly ideological works as primary sources, a tendency that can overrepresent the perspectives of a small number of thinkers, most of whom were male. Historian Ashley D. Farmer has shown that expanding the array of primary sources to encompass more types of print material—including political cartoons, advertisements, and artwork—leads to a much better understanding of the movement and the crucial and diverse roles that Black women played in shaping it.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best describes the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Farmer’s methods and research have enriched the historical understanding of the Black Power movement and Black women’s contributions to it.", }, { label: "B", text: "Before Farmer’s research, historians had largely ignored the intellectual dimensions of the Black Power movement.", }, { label: "C", text: "Other historians of the Black Power movement have criticized Farmer’s use of unconventional primary sources.", }, { label: "D", text: "The figures in the Black Power movement whom historians tend to cite would have agreed with Farmer’s conclusions about women’s roles in the movement.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: 'Choice A is the best answer. It best describes the main idea of the text. The text starts by saying that historians of the Black Power movement are too reliant on openly ideological works, which were written mostly by men, as sources. The text then describes Farmer’s research: she has shown that including other kinds of sources leads to a better understanding of the Black Power movement and the role Black women played in it.Having written the impassioned call to arms “Letter to the Spanish Americans” in 1791, Peruvian intellectual Juan Pablo Viscardo y Guzmán is often considered a forerunner for the independence movements in Latin America. But Viscardo’s role in history would have remained insignificant were it not for Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda, who was handed the unpublished letter after Viscardo’s death. Miranda not only helped circulate the letter, but his edits and footnotes to the text position Miranda as a central figure in the text’s creation.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The original authorship of “Letter to the Spanish Americans” is disputed by contemporary historians.", }, { label: "B", text: "The majority of the most eloquently stated arguments in “Letter to the Spanish Americans” were written by Miranda.", }, { label: "C", text: "Miranda played a crucial role in influencing the content and distribution of “Letter to the Spanish Americans.”", }, { label: "D", text: "“Letter to the Spanish Americans” persuaded many people in Latin America to pursue national independence.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer. The text describes how Miranda circulated, edited, and added footnotes to “Letter to the Spanish Americans,” and it claims that the letter and its author would have “remained insignificant” if it weren’t for Miranda’s efforts.The following text is adapted from William Shakespeare’s 1609 poem “Sonnet 27.” The poem is addressed to a close friend as if he were physically present.
Weary with toil, I hurry to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts—from far where I abide—
Begin a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
The following text is adapted from María Cristina Mena’s 1914 short story “The Vine-Leaf.”
It is a saying in the capital of Mexico that Dr. Malsufrido carries more family secrets under his hat than any archbishop.
The doctor’s hat is, appropriately enough, uncommonly capacious, rising very high, and sinking so low that it seems to be supported by his ears and eyebrows, and it has a furry look, as if it had been brushed the wrong way, which is perhaps what happens to it if it is ever brushed at all. When the doctor takes it off, the family secrets do not fly out like a flock of parrots, but remain nicely bottled up beneath a dome of old and highly polished ivory.
For many years, the only existing fossil evidence of mixopterid eurypterids—an extinct family of large aquatic arthropods known as sea scorpions and related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs—came from four species living on the paleocontinent of Laurussia. In a discovery that expands our understanding of the geographical distribution of mixopterids, paleontologist Bo Wang and others have identified fossilized remains of a new mixopterid species, Terropterus xiushanensis, that lived over 400 million years ago on the paleocontinent of Gondwana.
", questionHtml: "According to the text, why was Wang and his team’s discovery of the Terropterus xiushanensis fossil significant?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The fossil constitutes the first evidence found by scientists that mixopterids lived more than 400 million years ago.", }, { label: "B", text: "The fossil helps establish that mixopterids are more closely related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs than previously thought.", }, { label: "C", text: "The fossil helps establish a more accurate timeline of the evolution of mixopterids on the paleocontinents of Laurussia and Gondwana.", }, { label: "D", text: "The fossil constitutes the first evidence found by scientists that mixopterids existed outside the paleocontinent of Laurussia.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it states why Wang and his team’s discovery of the Terropterus xiushanensis fossil was significant. The text explains that up until Wang and his team’s discovery, the only fossil evidence of mixopterids came from the paleocontinent of Laurussia. Wang and his team, however, identified fossil remains of a mixopterid species from the paleocontinent Gondwana. Therefore, the team’s discovery was significant because the fossil remains of a mixopterid species were outside of the paleocontinent Laurussia.The following text is adapted from Countee Cullen’s 1926 poem “Thoughts in a Zoo.”
They in their cruel traps, and we in ours,
Survey each other’s rage, and pass the hours
Commiserating each the other’s woe,
To mitigate his own pain’s fiery glow.
Man could but little proffer in exchange
Save that his cages have a larger range.
That lion with his lordly, untamed heart
Has in some man his human counterpart,
Some lofty soul in dreams and visions wrapped,
But in the stifling flesh securely trapped.
The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1889 satirical novel Sylvie and Bruno. A crowd has gathered outside a room belonging to the Warden, an official who reports to the Lord Chancellor.
One man, who was more excited than the rest, flung his hat high into the air, and shouted (as well as I could make out) “Who roar for the Sub-Warden?” Everybody roared, but whether it was for the Sub-Warden, or not, did not clearly appear: some were shouting “Bread!” and some “Taxes!”, but no one seemed to know what it was they really wanted.
All this I saw from the open window of the Warden’s breakfast-saloon, looking across the shoulder of the Lord Chancellor.
“What can it all mean?” he kept repeating to himself. “I never heard such shouting before—and at this time of the morning, too! And with such unanimity!”
In a paper about p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells (one of several perovskite cell architectures designed to collect and store solar power), Lyndsey McMillon-Brown et al. describe a method for fabricating the cell’s electronic transport layer (ETL) using a spray coating. Conventional ETL fabrication is accomplished using a solution of nanoparticles. The process can result in a loss of up to 80% of the solution, increasing the cost of manufacturing at scale—an issue that may be obviated by spray coating fabrication, which the researchers describe as “highly reproducible, concise, and practical.”
", questionHtml: "What does the text most strongly suggest about conventional ETL fabrication?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It is less suitable for manufacturing large volumes of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells than an alternative fabrication method may be.", }, { label: "B", text: "It is more expensive when manufacturing at scale than are processes for fabricating ETLs used in other perovskite solar cell architectures.", }, { label: "C", text: "It typically entails a greater loss of nanoparticle solution than do other established approaches for ETL fabrication.", }, { label: "D", text: "It is somewhat imprecise and therefore limits the potential effectiveness of p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells at capturing and storing solar power.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer. Conventional solar cell fabrication increases “the cost of manufacturing at scale,” but spray coating might get rid of that problem.The following text is from Maggie Pogue Johnson’s 1910 poem “Poet of Our Race.” In this poem, the speaker is addressing Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Black author.
Thou, with stroke of mighty pen,
Hast told of joy and mirth,
And read the hearts and souls of men
As cradled from their birth.
The language of the flowers,
Thou hast read them all,
And e’en the little brook
Responded to thy call.
In superfluorescence, electrical charges known as dipoles emit light in synchronized bursts so intense that they are visible to the eye. Until recently, this phenomenon has only been observed at extremely cold temperatures because dipoles cannot synchronize at higher temperatures. But in a study, Melike Biliroglu and colleagues observed superfluorescence at room temperature in thin films made of perovskite and other similarly crystalline materials; the researchers propose that the formation of shock-absorbing quasiparticles called polarons in the material protects dipoles from thermal interference.
", questionHtml: "Based on the text, how are polarons believed to be involved in the superfluorescence observed in Biliroglu and colleagues’ study?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Polarons enable superfluorescent bursts to cross from one crystalline material to another.", }, { label: "B", text: "Polarons allow for the dipoles to synchronize despite higher temperatures.", }, { label: "C", text: "Polarons accelerate the dipoles’ release of superfluorescent bursts.", }, { label: "D", text: "Polarons decrease the intensity of the superfluorescent burst.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes Biliroglu and colleagues’ claim about how the polarons function in relation to superfluorescence. The text indicates that “until recently,” superfluorescence (intense, synchronized bursts of light emitted by dipoles) has solely been observed at very cold temperatures. However, it also states that, recently, Biliroglu and colleagues report observing the phenomenon at room temperature. They achieved this using “thin films made of perovskite and other similarly crystalline materials,” which the researchers claim allows for the formation of polarons. They also suggest that these polarons might absorb the thermal shocks that typically disrupt dipole synchronization at warmer temperatures. Thus, based on the text, Biliroglu and colleagues believe that polarons help dipoles synchronize at temperatures well above those at which superfluorescence had previously been observed.Optical tweezers are specialized scientific tools—particularly useful in biology and medicine—that use high-powered beams of light to trap and manipulate minuscule particles for study. Use of the tool has led to several scientific and medical breakthroughs over the last few decades, but the particles are often under prolonged exposure to the intense heat of the light beams. To overcome the risk of overheating, and thereby damage, researchers sometimes attach nano-sized glass beads to particles, allowing the light to focus on the beads instead of the particles.
", questionHtml: "Based on the text, what is one advantage of attaching glass beads to particles when using optical tweezers?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It decreases the time it takes for the optical tweezers to locate and capture the particles.", }, { label: "B", text: "It facilitates the maneuvering of particles without directly heating the particles themselves.", }, { label: "C", text: "It allows researchers to use weaker light beams to manipulate particles.", }, { label: "D", text: "It adds a material to which particles can transfer any heat absorbed from the optical tweezers’ light beam.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: 'Choice B is the best answer. The text says that the glass beads get the "focus" of the light beams so that the particles don’t overheat. From this, we can infer that the beads allow the particles to be manipulated without being directly heated by the light beams.For centuries, the widespread acknowledgment of the involvement of the cerebellum—a dense brain structure in vertebrates—in coordinating motor control in humans has hindered recognition of other possible functions of the structure. Neuroscience research from the last two decades now suggests that the cerebellum regulates emotion and social behavior, and recent research by Ilaria Carta and colleagues has identified a pathway connecting the cerebellum to a center for motivation and reward processing known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA).
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The recent verification of a pathway between the VTA and the cerebellum confirms the cerebellum’s long-suspected role in motor coordination.", }, { label: "B", text: "Recent advances in the field of neuroscience have challenged widely accepted claims about the function of a pathway connecting the VTA and the cerebellum.", }, { label: "C", text: "The cerebellum has primarily been thought to regulate motor functioning, but in recent years neuroscience researchers have been uncovering additional functions.", }, { label: "D", text: "Technological limitations have historically hindered the study of the cerebellum, but the recent development of new technologies has led to greater insights into its functions.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer. The text says that the cerebellum has long been thought to regulate motor functioning, but new research shows that it may also have other functions—including regulating emotion and social behavior and some connection to motivation and rewards processing.Paleontologist Lucas E. Fiorelli and colleagues have reported the discovery at a mine in Brazil of several egg clutches, partially preserved single eggs, and egg shells from the Late Cretaceous period. The researchers have concluded that the area was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs, a group of sauropod dinosaurs. The finding is significant given the previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America, which led many paleontologists to assume that titanosaurs migrated south to lay eggs.
", questionHtml: "What does the text most strongly suggest about the site discovered by the researchers?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It is the earliest known example of a titanosaur nesting and breeding site.", }, { label: "B", text: "It was very difficult to excavate given that it was discovered in a mine.", }, { label: "C", text: "It may have been occupied by other sauropods in addition to titanosaurs.", }, { label: "D", text: "It is farther north than any other nesting site discovered in South America.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it presents a statement about the site discovered by the researchers that is supported by the text. The text discusses Fiorelli and colleagues’ discovery of egg clutches, single eggs, and eggshells in a Brazilian mine. According to the text, the presence of these eggs, which are from the Late Cretaceous period, led the researchers to conclude that the location was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs. The text then explains that the finding is important because of the “previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America.” If there haven’t been any other discoveries of a nesting site in South America’s northern regions and the site in the Brazilian mine is the first, then the text strongly suggests that the site is farther north than other nesting sites that have been discovered in South America.Some animal-behavior studies involve observing wild animals in their natural habitat, and some involve capturing wild animals and observing them in a laboratory. Each approach has advantages over the other. In wild studies, researchers can more easily presume that the animals are behaving normally, and in lab studies, researchers can more easily control factors that might affect the results. But if, for example, the results from a wild study and a lab study of Western scrub-jays (Aphelocoma californica) contradict each other, one or both of the studies must have failed to account for some factor that was relevant to the birds’ behavior.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "When the results of a natural-habitat study and those from a lab study of a wild animal such as the Western scrub-jay conflict, the study in the natural habitat is more likely than the lab study to have accurate results.", }, { label: "B", text: "Studying wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay in both their natural habitat and lab settings is likely to yield conflicting results that researchers cannot fully resolve.", }, { label: "C", text: "Wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay can be effectively studied in their natural habitat and in the lab, but each approach has drawbacks that could affect the accuracy of the findings.", }, { label: "D", text: "Differing results between natural-habitat and lab studies of wild animals such as the Western scrub-jay are a strong indication that both of the studies had design flaws that affected the accuracy of their results.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by explaining that wild animals can be studied in their natural habitat or in a laboratory setting, with each setting offering unique advantages to researchers. The text then highlights an instance in which Western scrub-jays were studied in both settings but with conflicting results, indicating that one or both studies may have failed to account for the disadvantages of its research setting. Thus, the main idea of the text is that while wild animals can be effectively studied in natural or lab settings, there are drawbacks to each that need to be considered to ensure accurate results.Modern dog breeds are largely the result of 160 years of owners crossbreeding certain dogs in order to select for particular physical appearances. Owners often say that some breeds are also more likely than others to have particular personality traits—basset hounds are affectionate; boxers are easy to train—but Kathleen Morrill and colleagues found through a combination of owner surveys and DNA sequencing of 2,000 dogs that while physical traits are predictably heritable among purebred dogs, behavior varies widely among dogs of the same breed.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Dog breeds would not exist without many years of human intervention in dogs’ reproduction.", }, { label: "B", text: "Research fails to confirm a commonly held belief about dog breeds and behavior.", }, { label: "C", text: "The dog breeds most popular among owners have often changed over the past 160 years.", }, { label: "D", text: "A study of dog breeds is notable for its usage of both opinion surveys and DNA sequencing.", }, ], correctAnswer: "B", explanation: "Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text indicates that dog owners typically claim that some dog breeds are “more likely than others to have particular personality traits.” In other words, the text points out that a commonly held belief about dog breeds is that their personality traits are heritable. The text then states that Kathleen Morrill and colleagues undertook research about dog trait heritability and found that “behavior varies widely among dogs of the same breed.” Because Morrill and colleagues found evidence for variability rather than consistency in the behavior of dogs of the same breed, the statement that research fails to uphold a commonly held belief about dog breeds and behavior accurately reflects the main idea of the text.Algae living within the tissues of corals play a critical role in keeping corals, and the marine ecosystems they are part of, thriving. Some coral species appear brown in color when healthy due to the algae colonies living in their tissues. In the event of an environmental stressor, the algae can die or be expelled, causing the corals to appear white. To recover the algae, the bleached corals then begin to produce bright colors, which block intense sunlight, encouraging the light-sensitive algae to recolonize the corals.
", questionHtml: "What does the text most strongly suggest about corals that produce bright colors?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "These corals have likely been subjected to stressful environmental conditions.", }, { label: "B", text: "These corals are likely more vulnerable to exposure from intense sunlight than white corals are.", }, { label: "C", text: "These corals have likely recovered from an environmental event without the assistance of algae colonies.", }, { label: "D", text: "These corals are more likely to survive without algae colonies than brown corals are.", }, ], correctAnswer: "A", explanation: "Choice A is the best answer. The text says that corals produce bright colors to block sunlight and encourage algae to recolonize after “an environmental stressor.” From this, we can infer that corals that produce bright colors have probably been subjected to an environmental stressor.Disco remains one of the most ridiculed popular music genres of the late twentieth century. But as scholars have argued, the genre is far less superficial than many people believe. Take the case of disco icon Donna Summer: she may have been associated with popular songs about love and heartbreak (subjects hardly unique to disco, by the way), but like many Black women singers before her, much of her music also reflects concerns about community and identity. These concerns are present in many of the genre’s greatest songs, and they generally don’t require much digging to reveal.
", questionHtml: "What does the text most strongly suggest about the disco genre?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It has been unjustly ignored by most scholars despite the importance of the themes addressed by many of the genre’s songs.", }, { label: "B", text: "It evolved over time from a superficial genre focused on romance to a genre focused on more serious concerns.", }, { label: "C", text: "It has been unfairly dismissed for the inclusion of subject matter that is also found in other musical genres.", }, { label: "D", text: "It gave rise to a Black women’s musical tradition that has endured even though the genre itself faded in the late twentieth century.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: 'Choice C is the best answer. The text argues that disco is "far less superficial" than its popular perception might indicate, and that love and heartbreak are "subjects hardly unique to disco."In a study of new technology adoption, Davit Marikyan et al. examined negative disconfirmation (which occurs when experiences fall short of one’s expectations) to determine whether it could lead to positive outcomes for users. The team focused on established users of “smart home” technology, which presents inherent utilization challenges but tends to attract users with high expectations, often leading to feelings of dissonance. The researchers found that many users employed cognitive mechanisms to mitigate those feelings, ultimately reversing their initial sense of disappointment.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Research suggests that most users of smart home technology will not achieve a feeling of satisfaction given the utilization challenges of such technology.", }, { label: "B", text: "Although most smart home technology is aimed at meeting or exceeding users’ high expectations, those expectations in general remain poorly understood.", }, { label: "C", text: "Research suggests that users with high expectations for a new technology can feel content with that technology even after experiencing negative disconfirmation.", }, { label: "D", text: "Although negative disconfirmation has often been studied, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms shaping users’ reactions to it in the context of new technology adoption.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: 'Choice C is the best answer. The passage begins by describing the study, and concludes with its results: "many users employed cognitive mechanisms to mitigate those feelings of − disconfirmation."In 2019, 20 previously unknown moons were confirmed to be orbiting Saturn. Three of the moons have prograde orbits (orbiting in the direction the planet spins), and the other 17 have retrograde orbits (orbiting in the opposite direction of the planet’s spin). All but one of the 20 moons are thought to be remnants of bodies that orbited Saturn until they broke apart in collisions. Although the one exceptional moon orbits in the same direction as the planet’s spin, its orbit is highly eccentric compared to the rest, which may suggest that it has a different origin than the other 19 moons.
", questionHtml: "Based on the text, which choice best describes the moon with the eccentric orbit?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "It doesn’t have a retrograde orbit, but it likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits.", }, { label: "B", text: "Its orbit is so tilted with respect to the other moons’ orbits that it’s neither prograde nor retrograde.", }, { label: "C", text: "It has a prograde orbit that is likely the result of having collided with another body orbiting Saturn.", }, { label: "D", text: "It has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the moon with the eccentric orbit. The text indicates that three of the 20 newly discovered moons have prograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, while the other 17 moons have retrograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the opposite direction of the planet’s spin. The text then states that 19 of the 20 moons appear to be the remains of earlier bodies that orbited Saturn but were broken apart in collisions. The one exception is a moon that orbits Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, meaning that the exceptional moon’s orbit is prograde. The text goes on to state that the exceptional moon’s orbit is so eccentric that the moon may have formed through a different process than the other 19 moons. The moon with the eccentric orbit, therefore, has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.The most recent iteration of the immersive theater experience Sleep No More, which premiered in New York City in 2011, transforms its performance space—a five-story warehouse—into a 1930s-era hotel. Audience members, who wander through the labyrinthine venue at their own pace and follow the actors as they play out simultaneous, interweaving narrative loops, confront the impossibility of experiencing the production in its entirety. The play’s refusal of narrative coherence thus hinges on the sense of spatial fragmentation that the venue’s immense and intricate layout generates.
", questionHtml: "What does the text most strongly suggest about Sleep No More’s use of its performance space?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "The choice of a New York City venue likely enabled the play’s creators to experiment with the use of theatrical space in a way that venues from earlier productions could not.", }, { label: "B", text: "Audience members likely find the experience of the play disappointing because they generally cannot make their way through the entire venue.", }, { label: "C", text: "The production’s dependence on a particular performance environment would likely make it difficult to reproduce exactly in a different theatrical space.", }, { label: "D", text: "Audience members who navigate the space according to a recommended itinerary will likely have a better grasp of the play’s narrative than audience members who depart from that itinerary.", }, ], correctAnswer: "C", explanation: "Choice C is the best answer. The text says that the production’s use of its large, winding space has a very specific effect on the audience. Given that the space itself is so important to creating this effect, it would be difficult to reproduce the production in a different space.Several scholars have argued that conditions in England in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries—namely, burgeoning literacy amid running conflicts between England’s Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Danish invaders—were especially conducive to the production of the Old English epic poem Beowulf, and they have dated the poem’s composition accordingly. It is not inconceivable that Beowulf emerged from such a context, but privileging contextual fit over the linguistic evidence of an eighth- or even seventh-century composition requires a level of justification that thus far has not been presented.
", questionHtml: "Which choice best states the main idea of the text?", choices: [ { label: "A", text: "Although there are some grounds for believing that Beowulf was composed between the late ninth and early eleventh centuries, advocates for that view tend to rely on evidence that has been called into question by advocates for an earlier date.", }, { label: "B", text: "Although several scholars have dated Beowulf to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, others have argued that doing so privileges a controversial interpretation of the social conditions of the period.", }, { label: "C", text: "Although Beowulf fits well with the historical context of England in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, it fits equally well with the historical context of England in the seventh and eighth centuries.", }, { label: "D", text: "Although the claim of a late ninth- through early eleventh-century composition date for Beowulf has some plausibility, advocates for the claim have not compellingly addressed evidence suggesting an earlier date.", }, ], correctAnswer: "D", explanation: "Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text states that some scholars have dated the composition of Beowulf to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries due to the poem’s fit with that period’s historical context. The text goes on to say that while it is “not inconceivable that Beowulf emerged from such a context”—that is, it is possible that Beowulf was composed during the late ninth through eleventh centuries—there is linguistic evidence that the poem was composed earlier, in the seventh or eighth century. According to the text, favoring the historical context over the linguistic evidence requires justification that scholars have not yet supplied. In other words, the text suggests that scholars who favor the later composition date need to explain why the poem’s fit with historical context should take precedence over the linguistic evidence, but they have not yet done so. Thus, the main idea of the text is that while there is some plausibility to the later composition date, advocates for the later date have not compellingly addressed evidence suggestive of an earlier date.