Command of Evidence (Textual)

O Pioneers! is a 1913 novel by Willa Cather. In the novel, Cather portrays Alexandra Bergson as having a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings: _______

Which quotation from O Pioneers! most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “She had never known before how much the country meant to her. The chirping of the insects down in the long grass had been like the sweetest music. She had felt as if her heart were hiding down there, somewhere, with the quail and the plover and all the little wild things that crooned or buzzed in the sun. Under the long shaggy ridges, she felt the future stirring.”

B) “Alexandra talked to the men about their crops and to the women about their poultry. She spent a whole day with one young farmer who had been away at school, and who was experimenting with a new kind of clover hay. She learned a great deal.”

C) “Alexandra drove off alone. The rattle of her wagon was lost in the howling of the wind, but her lantern, held firmly between her feet, made a moving point of light along the highway, going deeper and deeper into the dark country.”

D) “It was Alexandra who read the papers and followed the markets, and who learned by the mistakes of their neighbors. It was Alexandra who could always tell about what it had cost to fatten each steer, and who could guess the weight of a hog before it went on the scales closer than John Bergson [her father] himself.”

(A) Correct – Alexandra's connection to nature is described vividly, showing her emotional attachment to the land.

(B) Incorrect – This passage focuses on Alexandra's practical knowledge and interactions with farmers rather than her emotional connection to nature.

(C) Incorrect – While this passage describes Alexandra traveling through the land, it does not indicate an emotional bond with nature.

(D) Incorrect – This passage highlights Alexandra’s business skills and knowledge of agriculture rather than her deep emotional connection to the natural world.

The novelist Toni Morrison was the first Black woman to work as an editor at the publishing company Random House, from 1967 to 1983. A scholar asserts that one of Morrison’s likely aims during her time as an editor was to strengthen the presence of Black writers on the list of Random House’s published authors.

 Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the scholar’s claim?

A) The percentage of authors published by Random House who were Black rose in the early 1970s and stabilized throughout the decade.

B) Black authors who were interviewed in the 1980s and 1990s were highly likely to cite Toni Morrison’s novels as a principal influence on their work.

C) The novels written by Toni Morrison that were published after 1983 sold significantly more copies and received wider critical acclaim than the novels she wrote that were published before 1983.

D) Works that were edited by Toni Morrison during her time at Random House displayed stylistic characteristics that distinguished them from works that were not edited by Morrison.

A) Correct – If the number of Black authors increased during Morrison’s time at Random House, it would strongly support the idea that she helped strengthen their presence.

B) Incorrect – Black authors citing Morrison’s own novels does not necessarily mean she supported Black authors as an editor.

C) Incorrect – The sales and critical reception of Morrison’s own books do not relate to her work as an editor.

D) Incorrect – If Morrison’s editing style was unique, it does not prove she helped Black authors get published.

Archaeologist Petra Vaiglova, anthropologist Xinyi Liu, and their colleagues investigated the domestication of farm animals in China during the Bronze Age (approximately 2000 to 1000 BCE). By analyzing the chemical composition of the bones of sheep, goats, and cattle from this era, the team determined that wild plants made up the bulk of sheep’s and goats’ diets, while the cattle’s diet consisted largely of millet, a crop cultivated by humans. The team concluded that cattle were likely raised closer to human settlements, whereas sheep and goats were allowed to roam farther away.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the team’s conclusion?

A) Analysis of the animal bones showed that the cattle’s diet also consisted of wheat, which humans widely cultivated in China during the Bronze Age.

B) Further investigation of sheep and goat bones revealed that their diets consisted of small portions of millet as well.

C) Cattle’s diets generally require larger amounts of food and a greater variety of nutrients than do sheep’s and goats’ diets.

D) The diets of sheep, goats, and cattle were found to vary based on what the farmers in each Bronze Age settlement could grow.

(A) Correct – The team concluded that cattle were raised closer to human settlements because they ate millet, a cultivated crop. If further analysis showed that cattle also ate wheat—another crop cultivated by humans—this would strengthen the conclusion that cattle were kept near human settlements, reinforcing the idea that they depended on human-grown crops for food.

(B) Incorrect – If sheep and goats also consumed millet, it would suggest that they, too, were raised near human settlements, contradicting the conclusion that they roamed farther away. This weakens the argument instead of strengthening it.

(C) Incorrect – The fact that cattle require more food and nutrients than sheep and goats does not necessarily mean they were raised closer to human settlements. They could have obtained their food from natural sources in the wild rather than from human-grown crops. This choice does not directly support the conclusion.

(D) Incorrect – If all three types of animals’ diets varied based on what farmers could grow, it would suggest that sheep, goats, and cattle were all raised close to human settlements. This contradicts the conclusion that only cattle were raised closer to humans while sheep and goats roamed farther.

In a study of the evolution of DptA and DptB—Diptericin genes encoding antimicrobial peptides that combat pathogens and foster beneficial microbes in fruit flies (Drosophila)—researchers assessed Drosophila melanogaster resistance to pathogenic infections by Providencia rettgeri and Acetobacter sicerae, bacteria common in the flies’ environments. Subjects included flies identified by mutations silencing DptA, DptB, or both DptA and DptB (termed types A, B, and AB, respectively). In conjunction with the observation that resistance to P. rettgeri correlates with DptA activity but is not significantly affected by DptB activity, data in the graph of survival rates post–A. sicerae infection suggest that _______

Which completion of the text is best supported by data in the graph?

A) DptA confers defense against A. sicerae regardless of the presence of DptB.

B) DptB protects against only one bacteria species, whereas DptA protects against multiple species.

C) DptB may have developed as a specific defense against A. sicerae.

D) Defense against A. sicerae is strongest when both DptA and DptB are present.

A) Incorrect – The graph does not show that DptA provides defense against A. sicerae independently.

B) Incorrect – There is no clear evidence from the graph that DptA protects against multiple species, while DptB protects against only one.

C) Correct – The graph likely shows that DptB activity correlates with resistance to A. sicerae, suggesting it evolved as a defense against this bacterium.

D) Incorrect – The graph does not necessarily show the strongest defense when both genes are active.

The linguistic niche hypothesis (LNH) posits that the exotericity of languages (how prevalent non-native speakers are) and grammatical complexity are inversely related, which the LNH ascribes to attrition of complex grammatical rules as more non-native speakers adopt the language but fail to acquire those rules. Focusing on two characteristics that are positive indices of grammatical complexity, fusion (when new phonemes arise from the merger of previously distinct ones) and informativity (languages’ capacity for meaningful variation), Olena Shcherbakova and colleagues conducted a quantitative analysis for more than 1,300 languages and claim the outcome is inconsistent with the LNH.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Shcherbakova and colleagues’ claim?

A) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis showed a slightly negative correlation between grammatical complexity and fusion and between grammatical complexity and informativity.

B) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis showed a slightly negative correlation between grammatical complexity and exotericity.

C) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis showed a slightly positive correlation between grammatical complexity and fusion.

D) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis showed a slightly positive correlation between fusion and exotericity and between informativity and exotericity.

(A) Incorrect – A negative correlation between grammatical complexity and both fusion and informativity only describes the internal structure of languages without addressing their relationship with exotericity (the prevalence of non-native speakers). Since the LNH specifically posits an inverse relationship between grammatical complexity and exotericity, this finding does not directly challenge the hypothesis.

(B) Incorrect – A negative correlation between grammatical complexity and exotericity supports the LNH rather than contradicting it. The hypothesis states that as the number of non-native speakers increases, grammatical complexity should decrease. If this relationship is observed, it confirms rather than refutes the hypothesis.

(C) Incorrect – A slightly positive correlation between grammatical complexity and fusion only addresses grammatical complexity itself without linking it to exotericity. The LNH focuses on the relationship between grammatical complexity and the number of non-native speakers, so this finding does not directly test the hypothesis.

(D) Correct – A positive correlation between fusion and exotericity and between informativity and exotericity contradicts the LNH’s claim that grammatical complexity decreases as non-native speakers increase. If grammatical complexity (as indicated by fusion and informativity) actually increases alongside exotericity, the study’s findings would be inconsistent with the LNH.

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.

 According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?

A) It isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.

B) It isn’t producing young trees anymore.

C) It can’t grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.

D) Its root system can’t support many more new trees.

A) Correct – The passage states that Pando’s growth is declining, which directly answers the question.

B) Incorrect – The passage does not say Pando has stopped producing young trees, only that deer are eating them before they mature.

C) Incorrect – Fences are a proposed solution to help Pando grow, not a reason for its decline.

D) Incorrect – The passage does not state that Pando’s root system is at capacity.

ALSOL is a microcredit program in Mexico that makes small loans to female entrepreneurs who lack the collateral and credit history to secure financing from conventional banks. Borrowers use their business proceeds to repay loans in equal weekly installments and incur no penalty for missed payments other than lack of access to larger loans. Economists Gustavo Barboza and Sandra Trejos analyzed ALSOL data and found that rural borrowers, who mostly make and sell handicrafts, miss payments more often than urban borrowers do, partly because they sell their goods less frequently than they could. Barboza and Trejos claim that this behavior reflects strategic decisions that enable rural women to increase their profits per unit sold.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly support Barboza and Trejos’s claim?

(A) Many marketplaces require entrepreneurs to pay marketplace operators a fixed percentage of each day’s proceeds in exchange for permission to sell goods there.

(B) Rural entrepreneurs can typically sell their goods for higher prices in cities than in their home areas, but the number of people selling competing goods tends to be higher in cities.

(C) Due to the lower costs they incur, rural entrepreneurs tend to require smaller initial loans than urban entrepreneurs do.

(D) The cost to rural entrepreneurs to bring their goods to towns with marketplaces is high but largely independent of the number of goods they bring.

(A) Incorrect – This choice discusses a cost of selling in markets but does not explain why rural entrepreneurs sell less frequently.

(B) Incorrect – The potential for higher prices and greater competition does not justify selling less often. If anything, it might encourage more frequent selling.

(C) Incorrect – The size of initial loans does not relate to the selling frequency of rural entrepreneurs.

(D) Correct – If transportation costs are high but do not increase with the number of goods transported, it would be strategic for rural entrepreneurs to sell less frequently but in larger quantities to maximize profits per unit sold.

“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” is a 1912 short story by Sui Sin Far. In the story, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, a Chinese immigrant living in Seattle, is traveling in California. In letters to her husband and friend, she demonstrates her concern for what’s happening at her home in Seattle while she is away: _______

 Which quotation from Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s letters most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “My honorable cousin is preparing for the Fifth Moon Festival, and wishes me to compound for the occasion some American ‘fudge,’ for which delectable sweet, made by my clumsy hands, you have sometimes shown a slight prejudice.”

B) “Next week I accompany Ah Oi to the beauteous town of San José. There will we be met by the son of the Illustrious Teacher.”

C) “Forget not to care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers. Do not eat too quickly nor fan too vigorously now that the weather is warming.”

D) “I am enjoying a most agreeable visit, and American friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for the accomplishment of my pleasure.”

A) Incorrect – This quote focuses on festivities and food, not her concern for home.

B) Incorrect – This quote describes her travel plans but does not express concern for home.

C) Correct – This quote shows her worry about home by giving instructions about caring for pets and personal habits.

D) Incorrect – This quote discusses her enjoyment in California, which does not show concern for home.

When digging for clams, their primary food, sea otters damage the roots of eelgrass plants growing on the seafloor. Near Vancouver Island in Canada, the otter population is large and well established, yet the eelgrass meadows are healthier than those found elsewhere off Canada’s coast. To explain this, conservation scientist Erin Foster and colleagues compared the Vancouver Island meadows to meadows where otters are absent or were reintroduced only recently. Finding that the Vancouver Island meadows have a more diverse gene pool than the others do, Foster hypothesized that damage to eelgrass roots increases the plant’s rate of sexual reproduction; this, in turn, boosts genetic diversity, which benefits the meadows’ health overall.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly undermine Foster’s hypothesis?

A) At some sites in the study, eelgrass meadows are found near otter populations that are small and have only recently been reintroduced.

B) At several sites not included in the study, there are large, well-established sea otter populations but no eelgrass meadows.

C) At several sites not included in the study, eelgrass meadows’ health correlates negatively with the length of residence and size of otter populations.

D) At some sites in the study, the health of plants unrelated to eelgrass correlates negatively with the length of residence and size of otter populations.

A) Incorrect – This does not disprove the hypothesis since recent reintroduction does not show long-term effects on genetic diversity.

B) Incorrect – This might challenge the idea that eelgrass always benefits from otters, but it does not directly counter the idea that otter-related damage promotes genetic diversity.

C) Correct – If larger, longer-established otter populations correlate with worse eelgrass health, it contradicts the hypothesis that otters promote eelgrass diversity and health.

D) Incorrect – This concerns plants unrelated to eelgrass, meaning it does not address Foster’s hypothesis directly.

In the twentieth century, ethnographers made a concerted effort to collect Mexican American folklore, but they did not always agree about that folklore’s origins. Scholars such as Aurelio Espinosa claimed that Mexican American folklore derived largely from the folklore of Spain, which ruled Mexico and what is now the southwestern United States from the sixteenth to early nineteenth centuries. Scholars such as Américo Paredes, by contrast, argued that while some Spanish influence is undeniable, Mexican American folklore is mainly the product of the ongoing interactions of various cultures in Mexico and the United States.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly support Paredes’s argument?

A) The folklore that the ethnographers collected included several songs written in the form of a décima, a type of poem originating in late sixteenth-century Spain.

B) Much of the folklore that the ethnographers collected had similar elements from region to region.

C) Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected was previously unknown to scholars.

D) Most of the folklore that the ethnographers collected consisted of corridos—ballads about history and social life—of a clearly recent origin.

A) Incorrect – If the folklore were primarily Spanish in origin, this would support Espinosa’s argument, not Paredes’s.

B) Incorrect – Similarity across regions does not address whether folklore was influenced by multiple cultures.

C) Incorrect – The fact that folklore was unknown does not necessarily support Paredes’s view about cultural mixing.

D) Correct – The recent origin of the folklore suggests ongoing cultural interactions, which supports Paredes’s claim.

Born in 1891 to a Quechua-speaking family in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Martín Chambi is today considered to be one of the most renowned figures of Latin American photography. In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Chambi’s photographs have considerable ethnographic value—in his work, Chambi was able to capture diverse elements of Peruvian society, representing his subjects with both dignity and authenticity.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly support the student’s claim?

A) Chambi took many commissioned portraits of wealthy Peruvians, but he also produced hundreds of images carefully documenting the peoples, sites, and customs of Indigenous communities of the Andes.

B) Chambi’s photographs demonstrate a high level of technical skill, as seen in his strategic use of illumination to create dramatic light and shadow contrasts.

C) During his lifetime, Chambi was known and celebrated both within and outside his native Peru, as his work was published in places like Argentina, Spain, and Mexico.

D) Some of the people and places Chambi photographed had long been popular subjects for Peruvian photographers.

A) Correct – The student's claim is about Chambi’s ethnographic value. The fact that he documented Indigenous communities directly supports this.

B) Incorrect – Technical skill is unrelated to ethnographic value.

C) Incorrect – Recognition and influence do not prove ethnographic significance.

D) Incorrect – The popularity of subjects does not indicate authenticity or ethnographic depth.

Researchers hypothesized that a decline in the population of dusky sharks near the mid-Atlantic coast of North America led to a decline in the population of eastern oysters in the region. Dusky sharks do not typically consume eastern oysters but do consume cownose rays, which are the main predators of the oysters.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?

A) Declines in the regional abundance of dusky sharks’ prey other than cownose rays are associated with regional declines in dusky shark abundance.

B) Eastern oyster abundance tends to be greater in areas with both dusky sharks and cownose rays than in areas with only dusky sharks.

C) Consumption of eastern oysters by cownose rays in the region substantially increased before the regional decline in dusky shark abundance began.

D) Cownose rays have increased in regional abundance as dusky sharks have decreased in regional abundance.

A) Incorrect – This relates to dusky sharks but does not connect them to oyster decline.

B) Incorrect – This does not address changes over time.

C) Incorrect – This suggests oyster decline started before dusky shark decline, contradicting the hypothesis.

D) Correct – If cownose rays increased as dusky sharks decreased, it supports the idea that fewer sharks led to more oyster predation.

In the mountains of Brazil, Barbacenia tomentosa and Barbacenia macrantha—two plants in the Velloziaceae family—establish themselves on soilless, nutrient-poor patches of quartzite rock. Plant ecologists Anna Abrahão and Patricia de Britto Costa used microscopic analysis to determine that the roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha, which grow directly into the quartzite, have clusters of fine hairs near the root tip; further analysis indicated that these hairs secrete both malic and citric acids. The researchers hypothesize that the plants depend on dissolving underlying rock with these acids, as the process not only creates channels for continued growth but also releases phosphates that provide the vital nutrient phosphorus.

 Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?

A) Other species in the Velloziaceae family are found in terrains with more soil but have root structures similar to those of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha.

B) Though B. tomentosa and B. macrantha both secrete citric and malic acids, each species produces the acids in different proportions.

C) The roots of B. tomentosa and B. macrantha carve new entry points into rocks even when cracks in the surface are readily available.

D) B. tomentosa and B. macrantha thrive even when transferred to the surfaces of rocks that do not contain phosphates.

A) Incorrect – Root structure similarity does not confirm the acid’s function.

B) Incorrect – Acid proportion variation does not prove function.

C) Correct – If plants dissolve rock even when cracks exist, it suggests acid secretion is necessary for survival.

D) Incorrect – Thriving on non-phosphate rocks contradicts the idea that phosphate release is essential.

Psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt have argued that experiencing awe—a sensation of reverence and wonder typically brought on by perceiving something grand or powerful—can enable us to feel more connected to others and thereby inspire us to act more altruistically. Keltner, along with Paul K. Piff, Pia Dietze, and colleagues, claims to have found evidence for this effect in a recent study where participants were asked to either gaze up at exceptionally tall trees in a nearby grove (reported to be a universally awe-inspiring experience) or stare at the exterior of a nearby, nondescript building. After one minute, an experimenter deliberately spilled a box of pens nearby.

Which finding from the researchers’ study, if true, would most strongly support their claim?

A) Participants who had been looking at the trees helped the experimenter pick up significantly more pens than did participants who had been looking at the building.

B) Participants who helped the experimenter pick up the pens used a greater number of positive words to describe the trees and the building in a postexperiment survey than did participants who did not help the experimenter.

C) Participants who did not help the experimenter pick up the pens were significantly more likely to report having experienced a feeling of awe, regardless of whether they looked at the building or the trees.

D) Participants who had been looking at the building were significantly more likely to notice that the experimenter had dropped the pens than were participants who had been looking at the trees.

A) Correct – The text indicates that the researchers sought evidence that experiencing awe increases altruistic behavior. Finding that participants exposed to awe (via tall trees) helped pick up more pens directly supports the claim that awe makes people more inclined to help others.

B) Incorrect – Using more positive words does not directly measure altruistic behavior.

C) Incorrect – If participants who did not help still reported awe, that would weaken the claim by suggesting awe isn’t linked with increased helping behavior.

D) Incorrect – Noticing dropped pens doesn’t equate to acting altruistically.

A student in a political science course is writing a paper on Aristotle’s The Politics, in which Aristotle offers his opinion on political instability and gives advice on how constitutions can be preserved. Aristotle observes that different forms of government can fall in different ways—for example, oligarchies might grant power to military leaders during wartime who refuse to relinquish that power during peacetime—but some methods of preserving order apply across all forms of government. The student claims that in particular Aristotle asserts that in a healthy state obedience to law must be as close to absolute as possible and that even minor infractions should not be ignored.

Which quotation from a philosopher’s analysis of The Politics would best support the student’s claim?

A) “When constructing his argument regarding the characteristics of a well-functioning government, Aristotle asserts that ‘Transgression creeps in unperceived and at last ruins the state,’ illustrating this idea with a comparison to frequent small expenditures slowly and almost imperceptibly chipping away at a fortune until it is ultimately depleted.”

B) “When Aristotle writes on the necessity of avoiding corruption in government, he proposes that ‘every state should be so administered and so regulated by law that its magistrates cannot possibly make money.’ In particular, he thinks oligarchies are particularly susceptible to corruption through bribery.”

C) “When Aristotle considers the health of constitutions, he states that ‘Constitutions are preserved when their destroyers are at a distance, and sometimes also because they are near, for the fear of them makes the government keep in hand the constitution.’ He holds that rulers who wish to see constitutions preserved must continually remind the populace of the dangers that would result from a constitutional collapse.”

D) “When contrasting different forms of government, Aristotle holds that ‘oligarchies may last, not from any inherent stability in such forms of government, but because the rulers are on good terms both with the unenfranchised and with the governing classes.’ That is, oligarchic leaders who wish to hold on to power will introduce members of disenfranchised classes into government in a participatory role.”

A) Correct – This quotation directly supports the student’s claim by illustrating Aristotle’s view that even small transgressions (minor infractions) can gradually undermine the state, similar to how minor expenditures can eventually deplete a fortune.

B) Incorrect – This quotation focuses on corruption through bribery in government, which is not directly related to the necessity of strict obedience to law.

C) Incorrect – Although this quotation discusses preserving constitutions, it centers on keeping potential destroyers at bay rather than emphasizing that all infractions—even minor ones—should not be ignored.

D) Incorrect – This quotation deals with the strategies oligarchies use to retain power rather than with the importance of maintaining absolute obedience to law.

Almost all works of fiction contain references to the progression of time, including the time of day when events in a story take place. In a 2020 study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven Skiena claim that an observable pattern in such references reflects a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. The researchers drew this conclusion from an analysis of more than 50,000 novels spanning many centuries and cultures, using software to recognize and tally both specific time references—that is, clock phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.—and implied ones, such as mentions of meals typically associated with a particular time of day.

Which finding from the study, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion?

A) Novels published after the year 1800 include the clock phrase “10 a.m.” less often than novels published before the year 1800 do.

B) Novels published after 1880 contain significantly more references to activities occurring after 10 p.m. than do novels from earlier periods.

C) Among novels published in the nineteenth century, implied time references become steadily more common than clock phrases as publication dates approach 1900.

D) The time references of noon (12 p.m.) and midnight (12 a.m.) are used with roughly the same frequency in the novels.

A) Incorrect – A decrease in references to “10 a.m.” does not directly address the impact of electric lighting on human behavior during the night.

B) Correct – An increase in references to activities occurring after 10 p.m. in novels published after 1880 directly supports the conclusion that electric lighting led to a shift in human behavior, enabling more late-night activity.

C) Incorrect – A shift from clock phrases to implied time references may indicate changes in writing style, but it does not directly support the conclusion regarding altered human behavior due to electric lighting.

D) Incorrect – Similar frequency of noon and midnight references does not provide evidence about a behavioral shift related to electric lighting.

Janet Echelman is a sculptor and fiber artist. She has installed giant sculptures all over the world. Echelman uses bright and flowing materials, which mimic the wind. However, while her sculptures appear as delicate as a breeze, they are actually very durable.

Which quotation from an article about Echelman’s sculptures, if true, would most effectively illustrate the underlined claim?

(A) “Echelman uses a special program that makes a 3D model of the sculpture.”

(B) “The first part of planning a new sculpture is done using paper and pencil, and then a digital program is used to finalize the design.”

(C) “The materials that Echelman uses to build her sculptures are both flexible and strong.”

(D) “Each sculpture is designed to reflect local landmarks from the area in which it is eventually installed.”

(A) Incorrect – This choice discusses how Echelman models her work, but it does not address the claim about her sculptures appearing delicate yet being durable.

(B) Incorrect – While this choice discusses the planning and design process, it does not illustrate the claim that her sculptures are delicate in appearance but durable in reality.

(C) Correct – The claim states that the sculptures "appear as delicate as a breeze" but are "actually very durable." If Echelman uses materials that are both flexible and strong, this explains why they can appear delicate yet be durable.

(D) Incorrect – This choice focuses on how the sculptures relate to their location, which does not support the claim about their durability.

Early Earth is thought to have been characterized by a stagnant lid tectonic regime, in which the upper lithosphere (the outer rocky layer) was essentially immobile and there was no interaction between the lithosphere and the underlying mantle. Researchers investigated the timing of the transition from a stagnant lid regime to a tectonic plate regime, in which the lithosphere is fractured into dynamic plates that in turn allow lithospheric and mantle material to mix. Examining chemical data from lithospheric and mantle-derived rocks ranging from 285 million to 3.8 billion years old, the researchers dated the transition to 3.2 billion years ago.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion?

(A) Among rocks known to be older than 3.2 billion years, significantly more are mantle-derived than lithospheric, but the opposite is true for the rocks younger than 3.2 billion years.

(B) Mantle-derived rocks older than 3.2 billion years show significantly more compositional diversity than lithospheric rocks older than 3.2 billion years do.

(C) There is a positive correlation between the age of lithospheric rocks and their chemical similarity to mantle-derived rocks, and that correlation increases significantly in strength at around 3.2 billion years old.

(D) Mantle-derived rocks younger than 3.2 billion years contain some material that is not found in older mantle-derived rocks but is found in older and contemporaneous lithospheric rocks.

(A) Incorrect – The text does not compare the relative quantities of lithospheric and mantle-derived rocks.

(B) Incorrect – The text does not discuss compositional diversity as a factor in the transition to plate tectonics.

(C) Incorrect – If older lithospheric rocks were already similar to mantle-derived rocks, that would contradict the researchers’ conclusion that lithospheric and mantle materials mixed only after 3.2 billion years ago.

(D) Correct – If mantle-derived rocks younger than 3.2 billion years contain material from lithospheric rocks, this supports the claim that lithospheric and mantle materials began mixing at that time, confirming the transition to tectonic plate movement.

"The Young Girl" is a 1920 short story by Katherine Mansfield. In the story, the narrator takes an unnamed seventeen-year-old girl and her younger brother out for a meal. In describing the teenager, Mansfield frequently contrasts the character’s pleasant appearance with her unpleasant attitude, as when Mansfield writes of the teenager,

Which quotation from The Young Girl most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “I heard her murmur, ‘I can’t bear flowers on a table.’ They had evidently been giving her intense pain, for she positively closed her eyes as I moved them away.”

B) “While we waited she took out a little, gold powder-box with a mirror in the lid, shook the poor little puff as though she loathed it, and dabbed her lovely nose.”

C) “I saw, after that, she couldn’t stand this place a moment longer, and, indeed, she jumped up and turned away while I went through the vulgar act of paying for the tea.”

D) “She didn’t even take her gloves off. She lowered her eyes and drummed on the table. When a faint winced she stood and she winced and bit her lip again. Silence.”

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim in the text that in describing the teenager’s appearance with her unpleasant attitude, Mansfield contrasts the character’s pleasant appearance with her unpleasant attitude. In the quotation, Mansfield describes the teenager as having a “lovely nose” (a compliment about her appearance) but also says that she was remarking on her makeup puff “as though she loathed it” (a judgment suggesting her unpleasant attitude).

Choice A is incorrect because the teenager’s reaction to the flowers doesn’t make it clear that she has an unpleasant attitude, and nothing in the quotation indicates that any part of her appearance is pleasant.

Choice C is incorrect because the quotation suggests the teenager has an unpleasant attitude (being upset with the location and leaving the table before the narrator has paid for the meal), but doesn’t give any indication that she has a pleasant appearance.

Choice D is incorrect because the quotation suggests that the teenager may have an unpleasant attitude (lowering her eyes, wincing, and sitting in silence) but doesn’t give any indication that any part of her appearance is pleasant.

When digging for clams, their primary food, sea otters damage the roots of eelgrass plants growing on the seafloor. Near Vancouver Island in Canada, the otter population is large and well established, yet the eelgrass meadows are healthier than those found elsewhere off Canada’s coast. To explain this, conservation scientist Erin Foster and colleagues compared the Vancouver Island meadows to meadows where otters are absent or were reintroduced only recently. Finding that the Vancouver Island meadows have a more diverse gene pool than the others do, Foster hypothesized that damage to eelgrass roots increases the plant’s rate of sexual reproduction; this, in turn, boosts genetic diversity, which benefits the meadow’s health overall.

Which finding, if true, would most directly undermine Foster’s hypothesis?

A) At some sites in the study, eelgrass meadows are found near otter populations that are small and have only recently been reintroduced.

B) At several sites not included in the study, there are large, well-established sea otter populations but no eelgrass meadows.

C) At several sites not included in the study, eelgrass meadows’ health correlates negatively with the length of residence and size of otter populations.

D) At some sites in the study, the health of plants unrelated to eelgrass correlates negatively with the length of residence and size of otter populations.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would weaken Foster’s hypothesis that damage to eelgrass roots improves the health of eelgrass meadows by boosting genetic diversity. The text indicates that sea otters damage eelgrass roots but that eelgrass meadows near Vancouver Island, where there’s a large otter population, are comparatively healthy. When Foster and her colleagues compared the Vancouver Island eelgrass meadows to those that don’t have established otter populations, the researchers found that the Vancouver Island meadows are more genetically diverse than the other meadows. This finding led Foster to hypothesize that damage to the eelgrass roots encourages eelgrass reproduction, thereby improving genetic diversity and the health of the meadows. If, however, other meadows not included in the study are less healthy the larger the local otter population is and the longer the otters have been in residence, that would suggest that damage to the eelgrass roots, which would be expected to increase with the size and residential duration of the otter population, isn’t leading meadows to be healthier. Such a finding would therefore weaken Foster’s hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect because finding small, recently introduced otter populations near other eelgrass meadows in the study wouldn’t weaken Foster’s hypothesis. If otter populations were small and only recently established, they wouldn’t be expected to have caused much damage to eelgrass roots, so even if those eelgrass meadows were less healthy than the Vancouver Island meadows, that wouldn’t undermine Foster’s hypothesis. In fact, it would be consistent with Foster’s hypothesis since it would suggest that the greater damage caused by larger, more established otter populations is associated with healthier meadows.

Choice B is incorrect because the existence of areas with otters but without eelgrass meadows wouldn’t reveal anything about whether the damage that otters cause to eelgrass roots ultimately benefits eelgrass meadows.

Choice D is incorrect because the health of plants other than eelgrass would have no bearing on Foster’s hypothesis that damage to eelgrass roots leads to greater genetic diversity and meadow health. It would be possible for otters to have a negative effect on other plants while nevertheless improving the health of eelgrass meadows by damaging eelgrass roots.

In the mountains of Brazil, Barbarea tomenstosa and Barbarea macrantha—two plants in the Velloziaceae family—establish themselves on soilless, nutrient-poor patches of quartzite rock. Plant ecologists Anna Abrahão and Patricia de Britto Costa used microscopic analysis to determine that the roots of B. tomenstosa and B. macrantha, which grow directly into the quartzite, have fine clusters of fine hairs near the root tip; further analysis indicated that these hairs secrete both malic and citric acids. The researchers hypothesize that the plants depend on dissolving underlying rock with these acids, as the process not only creates channels for continued growth but also releases phosphates that provide the vital nutrient phosphorus.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?

A) Other species in the Velloziaceae family are found in terrains with more soil but have root structures similar to those of B. tomenstosa and B. macrantha.

B) Though B. tomenstosa and B. macrantha both secrete citric and malic acids, each species produces the acids in different proportions.

C) The roots of B. tomenstosa and B. macrantha carve new entry points into rocks even when cracks in the surface are readily available.

D) B. tomenstosa and B. macrantha thrive even when transferred to the surfaces of rocks that do not contain phosphates.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the researchers' hypothesis about the plants’ dependence on dissolving rock. The text indicates that the roots of the two plant species grow directly into quartzite rock, where hairs on the roots secrete acids that dissolve the rock. The researchers hypothesize that the plants depend on this process because dissolving rock opens spaces for the roots to grow and releases phosphates that provide the plants with phosphorous, a vital nutrient. If the plants carry out this process of dissolving rock even when the rock already has spaces into which the roots could grow, that would support the researchers’ hypothesis because it suggests that the plants are getting some advantage—such as access to phosphorous—from the action of dissolving rock. If the plants don’t benefit from dissolving rock, they would be expected to grow in the cracks that already exist, as doing so would mean that the plants don’t have to spend energy creating and secreting acids; if, however, the plants create new entry points by dissolving rock even when cracks already exist, that would support the hypothesis that they depend on dissolving rock for some benefit.

Choice A is incorrect because the existence of soil-inhabiting members of the Velloziaceae family with similar root structures to those of the two species discussed in the text wouldn’t support the researchers’ hypothesis that the species discussed in the text depend on dissolving rock. If other such members exist, that might suggest that the root structures can serve more functions than secreting acids to dissolve rock (since dissolving rock may not be necessary for plants living in soil), but that wouldn’t suggest anything about whether the species discussed in the text benefit from dissolving rock.

Choice B is incorrect because differences in the proportions of citric and malic acids secreted by the two species would be irrelevant to the hypothesis that the plants depend on dissolving rock. There’s no information in the text to suggest that the proportion of each acid has any bearing on the process of dissolving rock or the benefits the plants may receive from that process.

Choice D is incorrect because plants thrive on rocks without phosphates, that is, plants that do not get nutrients through dissolving rock. If these plants thrive without the phosphates that dissolving rock provides, they would not be expected to rely on dissolving rock, which would contradict the researchers’ hypothesis that the plants get nutrients from the process.

O Pioneers! is a 1913 novel by Willa Cather. In the novel, Cather depicts Alexandra Bergson as a person who takes comfort in understanding the world around her.

Which quotation from O Pioneers! most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) "She looked fixedly up the bleak street as if she were gathering her strength to face something, as if she were trying with all her might to grasp a situation which, no matter how painful, must be met and dealt with somehow."

B) "She had never known before how much the country meant to her. The chirping of the insects down in the long grass had been like the sweetest music. She had felt as if her heart were hiding down there, somewhere, with the quail and the plover and all the little wild things that crooned or buzzed in the sun. Under the long, shaggy ridges, she felt the future stirring."

C) "Alexandra drove off alone. The rattle of her wagon was lost in the howling of the wind, but her lantern, held firmly between her feet, made a moving point of light along the highway, going deeper and deeper into the dark country."

D) "Alexandra drew her shawl closer about her and stood leaning against the frame of the mill, looking at the stars which glittered so keenly through the frosty autumn air. She always loved to watch them, to think of their vastness and distance, and of their ordered march. It fortified her to reflect upon the great operations of nature, and when she thought of the law that lay behind them, she felt a sense of personal security."

Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses a quotation from O Pioneers! to illustrate the claim that Alexandra Bergson takes comfort in understanding the world around her. In the quotation, Alexandra is described as enjoying looking at the stars and feeling a "sense of personal security" when she contemplates nature’s order and its governing laws. This suggests that Alexandra takes comfort in understanding the world around her.

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation expresses how Alexandra Bergson attempts to meet difficult situations with determination, not how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her.

Choice B is incorrect because the quotation expresses "how much the country meant to" Alexandra Bergson, not how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her. In detailing some of the wildlife surrounding Alexandra, the quotation conveys that nature is important to her but not necessarily that it gives her comfort.

Choice C is incorrect because the quotation describes Alexandra driving her wagon down the highway at night; it doesn’t describe how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her or address how she’s feeling as she drives off.

A student is examining a long, challenging poem that was initially published in a quarterly journal without explanatory notes, then later republished in a stand-alone volume containing only that poem and accompanying explanatory notes written by the poet. The student asserts that the explanatory notes were included in the
republication primarily as a marketing device to help sell the stand-alone volume.

Which statement, if true, would most directly support the student's claim?

A) The text of the poem as published in the quarterly journal is not identical to the text of the poem published in the stand-alone volume.

B) Many critics believe that the poet's explanatory notes remove certain ambiguities of the poem and make it less interesting as a result.

C) The publishers of the stand-alone volume requested the explanatory notes from the poet in order to make the book attractive to readers who already had a copy of the poem in a journal issue.

D) Correspondence between the poet and the publisher reveals that the poet’s explanatory notes went through several drafts.

Choice C is the best answer because it would most directly support the student’s claim about the motivation for including explanatory notes with the stand-alone volume of the poem. The text explains that the poem had previously been published without the notes in a quarterly journal. It stands to reason that readers who had purchased the journal issue containing the poem would be unlikely to purchase an unchanged version of the poem in a stand-alone volume. However, the inclusion of notes in that volume would encourage the purchase of a stand-alone volume, since the later text would differ from the original by including the author’s own explanation of the poem. Therefore, if it were true that the publishers of the stand-alone volume had requested the notes to make the book attractive to readers who already had a copy of the journal issue, this fact would support the student’s claim that the notes were included primarily as a marketing device.

Choice A is incorrect because the student’s claim is about the motivation for including the explanatory notes in the stand-alone volume, not about changes that might have been made to the poem itself for publication in that volume; moreover, the text never suggests that such changes were made.

Choice B is incorrect because the student’s claim is about why the explanatory notes were included in the stand-alone volume, not about how the notes affected readers' and critics' subsequent experience of the poem.

Choice D is incorrect because the fact that the poet drafted multiple versions of the explanatory notes doesn’t directly address the issue of whether the notes were intended as a marketing device, as the student claims; the correspondence would support this claim only if it showed that the poet had revised the notes specifically to make them useful to the marketing of the stand-alone volume.

The Post Office is a 1912 play by Rabindranath Tagore, originally written in Bengali. The character Amal is a young boy who imagines that the people he sees passing the window of his home are carefree even when engaged in work or chores, as is evident when he says to the daughter of a flower seller,

Which quotation from The Post Office most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “I see, you don’t wish to stop; I don’t care to stay on here either.”

B) “Oh, flower gathering? That is why your feet seem so glad and your anklets jingle so merrily as you walk.”

C) “I’ll pay when I grow up—before I leave to look for work out on the other side of that stream there.”

D) “Wish I could be out too. Then I would pick some flowers for you from the very topmost branches right out of sight.”

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that Amal imagines the people he sees are carefree even when engaged in work. In the quotation, Amal observes that the flower seller's daughter is “flower gathering or working” as the text indicates. Moreover, Amal notes that the daughter’s feet “seem so glad” and her “anklets jingle so merrily,” suggesting that Amal believes that the flower seller's daughter is cheerful.

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation makes no observation about the cheerful mood of the flower seller's daughter.

Choice C is incorrect because the quotation discusses how Amal envisions his future, not the feelings of the flower seller's daughter.

Choice D is incorrect because the quotation discusses Amal's wishes, not the feelings of the flower seller's daughter.

Biologist Valentina Gómez-Bahamón and her team have investigated two subspecies of the fork-tailed flycatcher bird that live in the same region in Colombia, but one subspecies migrates south for part of the year, and the other doesn’t. The researchers found that, due to slight differences in feather shape, the feathers of migratory fork-tailed flycatcher males make a sound during flight that is higher pitched than that made by the feathers of nonmigratory males. The researchers hypothesize that fork-tailed flycatcher females are attracted to the specific sound made by the males of their own subspecies, and that over time the females’ preference will drive further genetic and anatomical divergence between the subspecies.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Gómez-Bahamón and her team’s hypothesis?

A) The feathers located on the wings of the migratory fork-tailed flycatchers have a narrower shape than those of the nonmigratory birds, which allows them to fly long distances.

B) Over several generations, the sound made by the feathers of migratory male fork-tailed flycatchers grows progressively higher-pitched relative to that made by the feathers of nonmigratory males.

C) Fork-tailed flycatchers communicate different messages to each other depending on whether their feathers create high-pitched or low-pitched sounds.

D) The breeding habits of the migratory and nonmigratory fork-tailed flycatchers remained generally the same over several generations.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support Gómez-Bahamón and her team’s hypothesis about fork-tailed flycatchers. The text indicates that although two subspecies of the birds live in the same region, the tail feathers of the migrating males make a higher-pitched sound than the tail feathers of the nonmigrating males do. Gómez-Bahamón and her team hypothesize that female fork-tailed flycatchers are attracted to the particular sound made by the tail feathers of males of their own subspecies, which will bring about additional “genetic and anatomical divergence” between the two subspecies. If it were found that the pitch generated by the tail feathers of migrating males is getting higher over successive generations, it would indicate that the shape of the migrating subspecies’ tail feathers is diverging further from that of the nonmigrating subspecies. And if females continue to prefer the sounds of the males of their own subspecies, the females of the migrating subspecies will become acclimated to increasingly higher pitches over subsequent generations, causing further divergence between the subspecies. Thus, if it were found that migrating males’ tail feathers were producing higher pitches over time, that would support the researchers’ hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect because the researchers’ hypothesis is that female flycatchers prefer the sounds produced by the tail feathers of males of their own subspecies, which will lead to further divergence between the two subspecies. This finding is about the shape of wing feathers and how that affects long-distance flight, whereas the hypothesis is about the shape of tail feathers and how that relates to female mate preference. 

Choice C is incorrect because the researchers’ hypothesis is that female flycatchers prefer the sounds produced by the tail feathers of males of their own subspecies, which will lead to further divergence between the two subspecies. This finding focuses on how the tail feather sounds communicate different messages, which doesn’t address differences between the subspecies or female preferences. 

Choice D is incorrect because the researchers’ hypothesis is that female flycatchers prefer the sounds produced by the tail feathers of males of their own subspecies, which will lead to further divergence between the two subspecies. The finding that breeding habits haven’t changed for either subspecies does not, by itself, suggest anything about female preferences or divergence between the two subspecies.

Art collectives, like the United States- and Vietnam-based collective The Propeller Group or Cuba’s Los Carpinteros, are groups of artists who agree to work together: perhaps for stylistic reasons, or to advance certain shared political ideals, or to help mitigate the costs of supplies and studio space. Regardless of the reasons, art collectives usually involve some collaboration among the artists. Based on a recent series of interviews with various art collectives, an arts journalist claims that this can be difficult for artists who are often used to having sole control over their work.

Which quotation from the interviews best illustrates the journalist’s claim?

A) “The first collective I joined included many amazingly talented artists, and we enjoyed each other’s company, but because we had a hard time sharing credit and responsibility for our work, the collective didn’t last.”

B) “We work together, but that doesn’t mean that individual projects are equally the work of all of us. Many of our projects are primarily the responsibility of whoever originally proposed the work to the group.”

C) “Having worked as a member of a collective for several years, it’s sometimes hard to recall what it was like to work alone without the collective’s support. But that support encourages my individual expression rather than limits it.”

D) “Sometimes an artist from outside the collective will choose to collaborate with us on a project, but all of those projects fit within the larger themes of the work the collective does on its own.”

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the quotation that best illustrates the journalist’s claim. By indicating that a collective didn’t continue because it was hard to share credit and responsibilities within the group even though the company was enjoyable, the quotation shows that working collaboratively can be difficult for artists who are used to having complete control over their work.

Choice B is incorrect because the quotation indicates that members of a collective are able to collaborate together and have agreed on a fair way to manage their responsibilities; this doesn’t demonstrate the challenge of sharing control among members of a collective.

Choice C is incorrect because the quotation highlights the support and encouragement of individual expression an artist experiences due to working in a collective; these positive aspects don’t demonstrate the challenge of sharing control among members of a collective.

Choice D is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t address any challenges of sharing control among members of a collective; it simply indicates that artists sometimes choose to work with collectives without having to be a member. Therefore, the quotation doesn’t illustrate the journalist’s claim.

Several artworks found among the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii depict a female figure fishing with a cupid nearby. Some scholars have asserted that the figure is the goddess Venus, since she is known to have been linked with cupids in Roman culture, but University of Leicester archaeologist Carla Brain suggests that cupids may have also been associated with fishing generally. The fact that a cupid is shown near the female figure, therefore, _______.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.

B) suggests that Venus was often depicted fishing.

C) eliminates the possibility that the figure is Venus.

D) would be difficult to account for if the figure is not Venus.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text's discussion about the significance of the cupid found at Pompeii. The text indicates that the cupid is near a statue of a female figure who is fishing, and it goes on to indicate that because Venus is associated with cupids, the figure in question could be Venus. However, the text says that archaeologist Carla Brain suggests that cupids may also have been associated with fishing generally, and this would suggest that the mere appearance of a cupid near a female figure fishing does not indicate with certainty that the figure is Venus. This makes the text conclude that the only reasonable way to interpret the figure is as Venus.

Choice B is incorrect because the text says nothing about how often Venus was depicted fishing in Roman art; it only implies that in certain instances a female figure may or may not be Venus. 

Choice C is incorrect because Carla Brain’s proposed explanation for the presence of the cupids makes no reference to the female figure, and so the possibility that the figure in the artworks is in fact Venus cannot be definitively eliminated. 

Choice D is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the only reasonable way to interpret the figure is as Venus.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• leavening agents cause carbon dioxide to be released within a liquid batter, making the batter rise as it bakes.
• Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking soda needs to be mixed with liquid and an acidic ingredient such as honey.
• Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and an acid.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking powder needs to be mixed with liquid but not with an acidic ingredient

The student wants to emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) To make batters rise, bakers use chemical leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder.

B) Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents that, when mixed with other ingredients, cause carbon dioxide to be released within a batter.

C) Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, and honey is a type of acidic ingredient.

D) To produce carbon dioxide within a liquid batter, baking soda needs to be mixed with an acidic ingredient, whereas baking powder does not.

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a difference between baking soda and baking powder, noting that baking soda needs to be mixed with an acidic ingredient to produce carbon dioxide but baking powder doesn’t.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence focuses on what bakers use to make batters rise; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder. 

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence provides a general description of baking soda and baking powder; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between them. 

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains what baking soda and honey are; it doesn’t emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Soo Sunny Park is a Korean American artist who uses light as her primary medium of expression.
• She created her work Unwoven Light in 2013.
• Unwoven Light featured a chain-link fence fitted with iridescent plexiglass tiles.
• When light passed through the fence, colorful prisms formed.

The student wants to describe Unwoven Light to an audience unfamiliar with Soo Sunny Park. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) Park’s 2013 installation Unwoven Light, which included a chain-link fence and iridescent tiles made from plexiglass, featured light as its primary medium of expression.

B) Korean American artist Soo Sunny Park created Unwoven Light in 2013.

C) The chain-link fence in Soo Sunny Park’s Unwoven Light was fitted with tiles made from iridescent plexiglass.

D) In Unwoven Light, a 2013 work by Korean American artist Soo Sunny Park, light formed colorful prisms as it passed through a fence Park had fitted with iridescent tiles.

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively describes Unwoven Light to an audience unfamiliar with Park, noting that Soo Sunny Park is a Korean American artist and that the 2013 work consists of colorful prisms formed by light passing through iridescent tiles.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes aspects of Unwoven Light but doesn’t mention who Park is; it thus doesn’t effectively describe the work to an audience unfamiliar with Park. 

Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence indicates when the work was created and who Park is, it lacks descriptive details and thus doesn’t effectively describe Unwoven Light. 

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence mentions Park and describes an aspect of Unwoven Light—the chain-link fence—but doesn’t effectively describe the overall work to an audience unfamiliar with the artist.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• Cambodia’s Angkor Wat was built in the 1100s to honor the Hindu god Vishnu.
• It has been a Buddhist temple since the sixteenth century.
• Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that enhances the contrast between colors in a photograph.
• Archaeologist Noel Hidalgo Tan applied decorrelation stretch analysis to photographs he had taken of Angkor Wat’s plaster walls.
• Tan’s analysis revealed hundreds of images unknown to researchers.

The student wants to present Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) Tan photographed Angkor Wat’s plaster walls and then applied decorrelation stretch analysis to the photographs.

B) Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that Tan used to enhance the contrast between colors in a photograph.

C) Using a novel digital imaging technique, Tan revealed hundreds of images hidden on the walls of Angkor Wat, a Cambodian temple.

D) Built to honor a Hindu god before becoming a Buddhist temple, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat concealed hundreds of images on its plaster walls.

Choice C is the best answer. The sentence effectively presents Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat, explaining the results of the research and identifying Angkor Wat as a temple in Cambodia.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence presents Tan’s research, it fails to explain what Angkor Wat is for an audience unfamiliar with the temple. 

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the role that decorrelation stretch analysis played in Tan’s research; it doesn’t present the research, which would require specifying where it was conducted. 

Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence explains what Angkor Wat is, it fails to present Tan’s research.

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.

According to the text, how did the researchers determine the level of surprise displayed by the cats in the study?

A) They watched how each cat moved its ears and head.

B) They examined how each cat reacted to the voice of a stranger.

C) They studied how each cat physically interacted with its owner.

D) They tracked how each cat moved around the room.

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.

Choice B is incorrect because, as the text explains, the recordings played for each cat in the study were of the voice of the cat’s owner, not a stranger’s voice.

Choice C is incorrect because the text explains that during the study, the cats didn’t interact directly with their owners; instead, the cats listened to recordings of their owners’ voices.

Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that the researchers monitored the cats’ movement around the room in which the study was conducted.

Linguist Deborah Tannen has cautioned against framing contentious issues in terms of two highly competitive perspectives, such as pro versus con. According to Tannen, this debate-driven approach can strip issues of their complexity and, when used in front of an audience, can be less informative than the presentation of multiple perspectives in a noncompetitive format. To test Tannen’s hypothesis, students conducted a study in which they showed participants one of three different versions of local news commentary about the same issue. Each version featured a debate between two commentators with opposing views, a panel of three commentators with various views, or a single commentator.

Which finding from the students’ study, if true, would most strongly support Tannen’s hypothesis?

A) On average, participants perceived commentators in the debate as more knowledgeable about the issue than the single commentator.

B) On average, participants perceived commentators in the panel as more knowledgeable about the issue than the single commentator.

C) On average, participants who watched the panel correctly answered more questions about the issue than those who watched the debate or the single commentator did.

D) On average, participants who watched the single commentator correctly answered more questions about the issue than those who watched the debate did.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents the finding that, if true, would most strongly support Tannen’s hypothesis. According to the text, Tannen’s hypothesis is that multiple perspectives presented in a non-competitive format are more informative than a debate between opposing viewpoints. If participants saw a panel of three commentators with various views about an issue compared to those who watched a debate, the study would support Tannen’s hypothesis since participants who watched multiple varied perspectives were better informed than those participants who heard a debate between opposing viewpoints.

Choice A is incorrect because finding that participants perceived commentators in the debate as more knowledgeable than commentators in the panel is irrelevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that presenting multiple perspectives on an issue is more informative to the audience than presenting opposing views of the issue. Participants' perception of how knowledgeable panelists are has no bearing on how much participants learn from the panelists.

Choice B is incorrect because finding that participants perceived commentators in the panel as more knowledgeable than a single commentator is irrelevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that presenting multiple perspectives on an issue is more informative to the audience than presenting opposing views of the issue. Participants' perception of how knowledgeable panelists are has no bearing on how much participants learn from the panelists, and Tannen’s hypothesis says nothing about how informative single commentators are.

Choice D is incorrect because finding that participants who watched the single commentator correctly answered more questions about the issue than participants who watched a debate would not be relevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that hearing multiple varying perspectives is more informative than hearing a debate. Tannen’s hypothesis says nothing about how informative single commentators are.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• In 1999, astronomer Todd Henry studied the differences in surface temperature between the Sun and nearby stars.
• His team mapped all stars within 10 parsecs (approximately 210 million miles) of the Sun.
• The surface temperature of the Sun is around 9,800°F, which classifies it as a G star.
• 327 of the 357 stars in the study were classified as K or M stars, with surface temperatures under 8,900°F (cooler than the Sun).
• 11 of the 357 stars in the study were classified as A or F stars, with surface temperatures greater than 10,300°F (hotter than the Sun).

The student wants to emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A) At around 9,800°F, which classifies it as a G star, the Sun is hotter than most but not all of the stars within 10 parsecs of it.

B) Astronomer Todd Henry determined that the Sun, at around 9,800°F, is a G star, and several other stars within a 10-parsec range are A or F stars.

C) Of the 357 stars within 10 parsecs of the Sun, 327 are classified as K or M stars, with surface temperatures under 8,900°F.

D) While most of the stars within 10 parsecs of the Sun are classified as K, M, A, or F stars, the Sun is classified as a G star due to its surface temperature of 9,800°F.

Choice A is the best answer. Noting that the Sun (9,800°F) is hotter than most stars within 10 parsecs of it, the sentence emphasizes how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence explains that astronomer Todd Henry determined the classifications for the Sun and several other stars nearby; it doesn’t emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars. 

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains that the majority of stars near the Sun are classified as K or M stars; it doesn’t indicate the Sun’s temperature or emphasize how hot it is relative to nearby stars. 

Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence indicates that the Sun is classified differently than most nearby stars due to its surface temperature, it doesn’t emphasize how hot the Sun is relative to nearby stars.

"The Bet" is an 1889 short story by Anton Chekhov. In the story, a banker is described as being very upset about something: ________

Which quotation from The Bet most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “Then the banker cautiously broke the seals off the door and put the key in the keyhole.”

B) “It struck three o’clock, the banker listened; everyone was asleep in the house and nothing could be heard outside but the rustling of the chilled trees.”

C) “The banker, spoiled and frivolous, with millions beyond his reckoning, was delighted at the bet.”

D) “When [the banker] got home, he lay on his bed, but his tears and emotion kept him for hours from sleeping.”

Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses a quotation from The Bet to illustrate the claim that the banker was very upset about something. The quotation indicates that the banker shed tears, which suggests that he was likely unhappy about something, and that his emotions were so strong that they kept him from sleeping for hours. These details suggest that the banker was very upset.

Choice A is incorrect because this quotation mainly describes the banker cautiously unlocking a door; it doesn’t suggest that he was particularly upset about anything.

Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t mention the banker expressing any particularly strong negative feelings; it merely describes sounds on the quietness of the evening.

Choice C is incorrect because this quotation states that the banker was feeling "delighted," not that he was upset.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" is a 1892 short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the story, the narrator expresses mixed feelings about her surroundings:

Which quotation from The Yellow Wallpaper most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “This wallpaper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly then.”

B) “By moonlight—the moon shines in all night when there is a moon—I wouldn’t know it was the same paper.”

C) “I’m really getting quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid [wall]paper.”

D) “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering, unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.”

Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” has mixed feelings about her surroundings. She says she is "really getting quite fond of the big room," a positive sentiment, but also describes the room’s wallpaper as “horrid,” a negative sentiment. Since some of her feelings about her surroundings are positive and others are negative, they are best described as mixed.

Choice A is incorrect because though the narrator describes the room’s wallpaper as "irritating," a negative sentiment, she does not mention a positive sentiment. Thus, the quotation does not effectively illustrate the claim that the narrator has mixed feelings about her surroundings.

Choice B is incorrect because it describes how the appearance of the room’s wallpaper changes at night, but does not mention the narrator’s feelings about her surroundings.

Choice D is incorrect because though the narrator describes the room’s wallpaper as "repellent," a negative sentiment, she does not mention a positive sentiment. Thus, the quotation does not effectively illustrate the claim that the narrator has mixed feelings about her surroundings.

Fish whose DNA has been modified to include genetic material from other species are known as transgenic. Some transgenic fish have genes from jellyfish that result in fluorescence (that is, they glow in the dark). Although these fish were initially engineered for research purposes in the 1990s, they were sold as pets in the 2000s and can now be found in the wild in creeks in Brazil. A student in a biology seminar who is writing a paper on these fish asserts that their escape from Brazilian fish farms into the wild may have significant negative long-term ecological effects.

Which quotation from a researcher would best support the student’s assertion?

A) “In one site in the wild where transgenic fish were observed, females outnumbered males, while in another, the numbers of females and males were equivalent.”

B) “Though some presence of transgenic fish in the wild has been recorded, there are insufficient studies of the impact of those fish on the ecosystems into which they are introduced.”

C) “The ecosystems into which transgenic fish are known to have been introduced may represent a subset of the ecosystems into which the fish have actually been introduced.”

D) “Through interbreeding, transgenic fish might introduce the trait of fluorescence into wild fish populations, making those populations more vulnerable to predators.”

Choice D is the best answer because this quotation would best support the student’s assertion that the escape of transgenic fish from Brazilian fish farms into the wild may have significant negative long-term ecological effects. The text explains that transgenic fish have DNA that includes genetic material from other species, that some transgenic fish have genes from jellyfish that make them glow in the dark, and that glow-in-the-dark transgenic fish can now be found in the wild in Brazilian creeks. The quotation indicates why the escape of these fish may have negative long-term ecological effects: glow-in-the-dark transgenic fish might introduce fluorescence into wild fish populations by breeding with wild fish, causing wild fish to glow in the dark and thereby allowing predators to prey on them much more easily.

Choice A is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t mention any negative effects of the introduction of fluorescent transgenic fish into the wild. The quotation merely compares the ratio of females to males at two sites in the wild where transgenic fish have been observed.

Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t support the idea that the escape of fluorescent transgenic fish from Brazilian fish farms may have significant negative long-term ecological effects. Rather, the quotation suggests that more research is needed to understand the effects.

Choice C is incorrect because this quotation supports the idea that transgenic fish may be present in more ecosystems than has been observed; it doesn’t address whether the presence of fluorescent transgenic fish affects these ecosystems.

“Mrs. Spring Fragrance” is a 1912 short story by Sui Sin Far. In the story, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, a Chinese immigrant living in Seattle, is traveling in California. In letters to her husband in Seattle, she demonstrates her concern for what’s happening at her home in Seattle while she is away:

Which quotation from Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s letters most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “My honorable cousin is preparing for the Fifth Moon Festival, and wishes me to compound for the occasion some American ‘fudge,’ for which delectable sweet, made by my clumsy hands, you have sometimes shown a slight prejudice.”

B) “Next week I accompany Ah Oi to the beauteous town of San José. There will be met by the son of the Illustrious Teacher.”

C) “Forget not to care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers. Do not eat too quickly for an hour too vigorously now that the weather is warming.”

D) “I am enjoying a most agreeable visit, and American friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for the accomplishment of my pleasure.”

Choice C is the best answer because it presents a quotation that illustrates the claim that Mrs. Spring Fragrance demonstrates concern for what’s happening at home while she’s in California. By giving reminders to "care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers," "not eat too quickly," and avoiding engaging in strenuous activity in the heat, Mrs. Spring Fragrance shows that she’s thinking about what’s happening at home and wants to ensure everything is taken care of.

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation, while it does suggest that Mrs. Spring Fragrance has made fudge at home before, is focused on preparations for an upcoming festival, not on concerns for anything happening at home while Mrs. Spring Fragrance is away.

Choice B is incorrect because the quotation has to do with an upcoming event during Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s trip—visiting San José and meeting someone new—rather than her concern for what’s happening at home.

Choice D is incorrect because the quotation is focused on how Mrs. Spring Fragrance feels about her trip and the friends she’s seeing, not on her concern for what’s happening at home.

Hedda Gabler is an 1890 play by Henrik Ibsen. As a woman in the Victorian era, Hedda, the play’s central character, is unable to freely determine her own future. Instead, she seeks to influence another person’s fate, as is evident when she says to another character:

Which quotation from a translation of Hedda Gabler most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “What man in heaven’s name would you have to mould a human destiny?”

B) “Then I, poor creature, have no sort of power over you?”

C) “Faithful to your principles, now and for ever! Ah, that is how a man should be!”

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim in the text that Hedda seeks to influence another character’s fate. In the quotation, Hedda says that she wants "to have power to mould a human destiny," or shape a person’s fate, just as the text indicates. Additionally, the phrase "for once in my life" suggests that Hedda feels that she has never been able to shape anyone’s life, including her own, supporting the text’s assertion that she "is unable to freely determine her own future."

Choice A is incorrect because this quotation shows Hedda being uncertain about what to do with her own life, not wanting to influence another person’s fate.

Choice C is incorrect because while this quotation shows Hedda’s interest in finding out whether she has any power over another character, it doesn’t clearly show that she wants to influence that person’s fate.

External shopping cues are a type of marketing that uses obvious messaging—a display featuring a new product, for example, or a “buy one, get one free” offer—to entice consumers to make spontaneous purchases. In a study, data scientist Sam K. Hui and colleagues found that this effect can also be achieved with a less obvious cue: rearranging a store’s layout. The researchers explain that trying to find items in new locations causes shoppers to move through more of the store, exposing them to more products and increasing the likelihood that they’ll buy an item they hadn’t planned on purchasing.

Which response from a survey given to shoppers who made a purchase at a retail store best supports the researchers’ explanation?

A) “I needed to buy some cleaning supplies, but they weren’t in their regular place. While I was looking for them, I saw this interesting notebook and decided to buy it, too.”

B) “I didn’t buy everything on my shopping list today. I couldn’t find a couple of the items in the store, even though I looked all over for them.”

C) “The store sent me a coupon for a new brand of soup, so I came here to find out what kinds of soup that brand offers. I decided to buy a few cans because I had the coupon.”

D) “This store is larger than one that’s closer to where I live, and it carries more products. I came here to buy some things that the other store doesn’t always have.”

A) Correct – This shopper describes being unable to find an item in its normal location, and while searching, spontaneously buying something unplanned. This matches the study’s findings about store layout increasing impulse buying.

B) Incorrect – The shopper describes buying less, not more. This does not support the idea of increased spontaneous purchases.

C) Incorrect – The decision was driven by a coupon (an external cue), not a layout change.

D) Incorrect – This reflects the store’s size and stock variety, not the effect of rearranging product placement.

The 2021 exhibition This Is the Day at Arkansas’s Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art featured works dealing with expressions of faith and spirituality in the Black community. The museum’s 2022 exhibition The Dirty South, meanwhile, focused on Black culture in the American South from 1920 to 2020, with a particular focus on the intersections between visual arts and music. Together, these exhibitions don’t merely highlight the diversity of the Black experience in the US; they also showcase the diverse media through which artists have depicted and engaged with that experience.

Which statement about the exhibitions, if true, would most directly support the underlined claim?

A) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, textiles, videos, costumes, and music.

B) This Is the Day included works by fewer than two dozen artists, whereas The Dirty South included works by more than 80 artists.

C) This Is the Day exclusively included works in the permanent collection of the museum, whereas The Dirty South included works from multiple sources outside the museum.

D) Between them, This Is the Day and The Dirty South included works depicting more than 300 years of Black experience in the United States.

A) Correct – This option directly supports the claim about diverse media by listing various forms used (drawings, music, textiles, etc.).

B) Incorrect – The number of artists does not support the idea of media diversity.

C) Incorrect – The source of the artworks is unrelated to the media used.

D) Incorrect – This addresses the historical range of themes, not the media diversity being discussed.

The Cretaceous pterosaur Tupandactylus navigans is known for having an anomalously oversized head crest. Until an almost complete fossil skeleton was found in Brazil, paleontologists had been able to study only skull specimens from T. navigans, though it was presumed that, like other pterosaurs, the species’s primary form of locomotion was powered flight. Examining the fuller skeleton in 2016, Victor Beccari and his team determined that T. navigans had long hind legs, short wings, and an unusually long neck—characteristics that, combined with the creature’s large-crested head, would have made sustained flight difficult and walking upright relatively comfortable.

Based on these findings the team suggests that T. navigans likely _______

A) flew for longer distances than did other pterosaur species that had oversized head crests.

B) had longer wings than other pterosaur species considered to have been comfortable walking.

C) had a smaller head than researchers expected based on the earlier T. navigans skull specimens.

D) flew for shorter distances and spent more time walking than researchers previously thought.

A) Incorrect – The text specifies that Beccari and his team concluded T. navigans "would have made sustained flight difficult" due to its physical characteristics, making the idea of longer flight distances inaccurate.

B) Incorrect – The text mentions that T. navigans had "short wings," not longer wings compared to other species.

C) Incorrect – The text supports that T. navigans had a large-crested head, aligning with previous expectations based on skull specimens, not a smaller head.

D) Correct – Based on the analysis of the full skeleton, Beccari and his team suggested that T. navigans would likely have spent more time walking than flying due to its physical structure, particularly its long hind legs and short wings.

Consumer psychologists have theorized that the likelihood that people who identify as ethical consumers—meaning that they strive to purchase goods and services with positive or neutral social and ecological effects—will purchase a given product positively correlates with their perception of that product’s effects. In a recent study of the attitudes of self-identified ethical consumers toward purchasing a specific mobile phone coming to market, researchers found that, on average, study participants in their twenties rated the phone’s social and ecological effects much less positively than did participants in other age groups.

All other things being equal, if consumer psychologists’ theory is correct, this finding suggests that _______

A) the phone is less appealing to ethical consumers in their twenties than other similar phones on the market are.

B) ethical consumers in their twenties are less likely to purchase the phone than ethical consumers in other age groups are.

C) there is not a meaningful difference in the likelihood of purchasing the phone among ethical consumers in different age groups.

D) ethical consumers in their twenties are more likely than ethical consumers in other age groups to consider a phone’s social and ecological effects when deciding whether to purchase that phone.

A) Incorrect – The study focuses specifically on participants' attitudes toward this particular phone, not a comparison of this phone to others in the market. The question is not asking about the phone's general appeal but the ethical consumer's likelihood of purchase based on perception.

B) Correct – The study found that participants in their twenties rated the phone's social and ecological effects less positively than those in other age groups. According to the consumer psychologists' theory, this suggests that if these consumers find the phone less socially/ecologically beneficial, they would be less likely to purchase it.

C) Incorrect – The study suggests a difference in attitudes toward the phone based on age, with younger participants rating the phone's effects more negatively, which implies a meaningful difference in purchasing likelihood.

D) Incorrect – The text doesn’t indicate that consumers in their twenties are more likely to consider the phone’s social and ecological effects than others. Rather, it suggests that their evaluation of those effects is less favorable.

“Lines Written in Early Spring” is a 1798 poem by William Wordsworth. In the poem, the speaker describes having contradictory feelings while experiencing the sights and sounds of a spring day: _______

Which quotation from “Lines Written in Early Spring” most effectively illustrates the claim?

A) “Through primrose-tufts, in that sweet bower, / The periwinkle trail’d its wreathes; / And ’tis my faith that every flower / Enjoys the air it breathes.”

B) “The budding twigs spread out their fan, / To catch the breezy air; / And I must think, do all I can, / That there was pleasure there.”

C) “The birds around me hopp’d and play’d: / Their thoughts I cannot measure, / But the least motion which they made, / It seem’d a thrill of pleasure.”

D) “I heard a thousand blended notes, / While in a grove I [sat] reclined, / In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts / Bring sad thoughts to the mind.”

A) Incorrect – Describes joyful nature scenes, not emotional conflict.

B) Incorrect – Shows positive reflection, not contradiction.

C) Incorrect – Suggests bird happiness, not speaker's mixed feelings.

D) Correct – Contrasts “pleasant thoughts” with “sad thoughts,” clearly showing emotional conflict.

As media consumption has become increasingly multiplatform and socially mediated, active news acquisition has diminished in favor of an attitude known as “news finds me” (NFM), in which people passively rely on their social networks and ambient media environments for information about current events. Homero Gil de Zúñiga and Trevor Diehl examined data on a representative group of adults in the United States to determine participants’ strength of NFM attitude, political knowledge, and political interest. Although no major election took place sufficiently near the study for Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl to identify causality between NFM and voting behavior, they did posit that NFM may reduce voting probability through an indirect effect.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the idea advanced by Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl?

A) NFM attitude tends to increase in strength as major elections approach, and people are significantly more likely to vote in major elections than in minor elections.

B) NFM attitude has a strong negative effect on political knowledge and interest, and there is known to be a strong positive correlation between political knowledge and interest and the likelihood of voting.

C) Political interest is known to have a strong positive effect on likelihood of voting but shows only a weak positive effect on political knowledge, and NFM attitude shows little correlation with either political knowledge or political interest.

D) The likelihood of voting increases as political knowledge increases, and the relationship between NFM attitude and political knowledge tends to strengthen as the size of people’s social networks increases.

(A) Incorrect – This choice discusses when NFM increases and compares major and minor elections, but it doesn’t directly address NFM’s effect on political knowledge, interest, or voting likelihood.

(B) Correct – This finding shows NFM lowers political knowledge and interest, and since those are known to raise voting likelihood, the result would be lower voting probability—supporting the researchers' claim.

(C) Incorrect – If NFM has little correlation with political knowledge or interest, it undermines the idea that NFM indirectly reduces voting probability.

(D) Incorrect – While increasing knowledge raises voting likelihood, this doesn’t directly show that NFM decreases either knowledge or voting.