All practice questions

Read the passage below:

In 2021, dendrochronologist Dr. Soren Kjaer conducted an analysis of timber samples salvaged from the 1628 wreck of the warship Vasa. Prior to Kjaer's study, standard protocol dictated that waterlogged timber undergo chemical stabilization with polyethylene glycol—a method established in 1962 following the vessel's initial recovery from Stockholm Harbor. However, Kjaer discovered that acidic degradation had begun as early as 1988, long before conservationists noticed surface warping in 2005. To reconstruct the wood's structural degradation, Kjaer first digitized infrared scans taken during a 1995 survey. Only after cross-referencing those scans with wood-density measurements recorded in 2012 did his team establish that bacterial action had preceded chemical oxidation. Finally, in 2023, Kjaer published a revised preservation framework that abandoned the 1962 protocol.

Based on the passage, arrange the following events in chronological order from earliest (first) to latest (last).

Read the passage below and fill in the blank with the correct past-tense form of the verb in parentheses to maintain consistent verb tense throughout the paragraph.

An acoustic engineer conducts an investigation to measure how changing the thickness of fiberglass insulation panels affects the sound intensity level (in decibels) transmitted through a drywall frame assembly. During all test runs, the sound source frequency is held constant at $1,000\text{ Hz}$, the room temperature is maintained at $22^\circ\text{C}$, and the dimensions of the drywall test frame remain identical. Match each experimental element from the study to its correct variable classification.

Passage A
For decades, a prominent school of evolutionary linguistics has maintained that human language capacity emerged rapidly through a single genetic mutation that enabled "Merge"—the cognitive operation allowing humans to combine concepts into recursive hierarchical structures. Proponents of this saltational model argue that recursive syntax is an all-or-nothing neurological property rather than a trait built incrementally by natural selection. According to this view, anatomical readiness, such as the lowering of the larynx, was a secondary adaptation. The primary evidence cited for this sudden appearance is the abrupt emergence of symbolic artifacts—such as engraved ochre blocks and personal ornaments—in the archaeological record of anatomically modern humans approximately 70,000 years ago. Proponents assert that because symbolic representation requires recursive mental capacity, the absence of widespread symbolic artifacts prior to this period demonstrates that true syntactic language did not exist in earlier hominin species.

Passage B
While symbolic artifacts offer compelling proof of abstract thought, relying exclusively on them to date the origin of language overlooks a crucial domain of material evidence: lithic technology. The production of Middle Paleolithic stone tools, particularly using the Levallois knapping technique starting around 300,000 years ago, required sequential planning, working memory, and hierarchical rule execution identical to the cognitive architecture underpinning syntax. Experimental neuroimaging of modern flintknappers reveals that crafting these complex tools activates the exact same frontoparietal brain networks employed during syntactic sentence processing. This neural overlap indicates that the capacity for hierarchical sequence processing co-evolved gradually with complex motor control and social transmission over hundreds of thousands of years. Consequently, treating language as a sudden, recent mutation ignores the deep evolutionary continuity of the cognitive prerequisites for syntax demonstrated by the prehistoric toolmaking record.

Based on both passages, how would the author of Passage B most likely characterize the claim in Passage A that the absence of symbolic artifacts before 70,000 years ago proves syntactic language had not yet emerged?

Read the passage below:

In January 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen established Framheim, a primary base camp located on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. During February and March, the expedition members focused their efforts on laying supply depots at key latitudes along their designated route to store essential provisions. After wintering at Framheim, five men equipped with four sledges pulled by fifty-two dogs officially began their final journey toward the pole on October 19, 1911. Traversing treacherous glaciers and ice fields, the team successfully arrived at the South Pole on December 14, 1911, where they planted the Norwegian flag.

Based on the explicit details provided in the passage, place the following events from Amundsen's expedition in chronological order from earliest to latest.

In parallelogram $ABCD$, diagonals $AC$ and $BD$ intersect at point $E$. In the standard $(x,y)$ coordinate plane, vertex $A$ is located at $(-3, 2)$ and point $E$ is located at $(2, 1)$. What are the coordinates of vertex $C$?

Read the passage below about art conservation:

During the 1930s, restoration experts working on medieval stained-glass windows in European cathedrals developed specialized chemical treatments to reverse environmental corrosion. As conservators carefully stripped away centuries of grime from the glass panels, they realize that atmospheric pollutants had reacted with trace minerals, creating a brittle crust that obscured the original colors.

Which option best replaces the underlined word to maintain consistent verb tense in the passage?

A decorative circular stained-glass window has a radius of $10$ inches. A specific colored section of the window forms a sector with a central angle measuring $108^\circ$. What is the total perimeter, in inches, of this stained-glass sector?

Read the passage below:

In May 1939, self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown began excavating a large earthen mound, known as Mound 1, on the private estate of Edith Pretty in Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. Pretty had commissioned the dig after observing mysterious ridges across her property. Working under the auspices of the Ipswich Museum, Brown initially uncovered iron rivets spaced symmetrically along the soil, leading him to conclude that a wooden vessel had been buried there centuries earlier. By July, as the full outline of a ninety-foot Anglo-Saxon ship emerged from the sand, professional archaeologists from the Ministry of Works, led by Charles Phillips, assumed direction of the site due to the national significance of the find. Inside what had been the central burial chamber, excavators discovered an extraordinary array of gold ornaments, silver feasting vessels, and a famed ceremonial iron helmet. Crucially, the absence of human skeletal remains prompted intense scholarly debate. Soil testing later revealed that the highly acidic soil of East Anglia had completely dissolved the organic matter of the deceased king, likely Raedwald of East Anglia, who died around 624 CE. To preserve the delicate impression of the ship's timbers, which had turned into dark staining in the sandy soil, Brown used soft plaster casts and photographed every layer prior to removal. The artifacts were donated to the British Museum by Edith Pretty in August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, ensuring their safety in underground railway vaults throughout the conflict.

According to the passage, what was the reason no human skeletal remains were found in the burial chamber of Mound 1?

In the figure below, quadrilateral $ABCD$ is composed of two adjacent right triangles, $\triangle ABD$ and $\triangle BCD$, sharing side $BD$. In $\triangle ABD$, the right angle is at vertex $A$, and the measure of $\angle ABD$ is $60^\circ$. In $\triangle BCD$, the right angle is at vertex $C$, and the measure of $\angle BDC$ is $45^\circ$. If the length of segment $AB$ is $6$ inches, what is the length, in inches, of segment $BC$?

Researchers conducted an experiment to evaluate the inhibitory effect of copper sulfate (CuSO4) on the enzymatic activity of catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water and oxygen. Four test tubes were prepared under identical temperature and pH conditions:

- Tube 1: 5.0 mL H2O2 solution + 1.0 mL distilled water (No catalase enzyme, no CuSO4)
- Tube 2: 5.0 mL H2O2 solution + 1.0 mL catalase solution (Catalase present, no CuSO4)
- Tube 3: 5.0 mL H2O2 solution + 1.0 mL catalase solution + 0.1 mM CuSO4
- Tube 4: 5.0 mL H2O2 solution + 1.0 mL catalase solution + 1.0 mM CuSO4

Match each experimental setup on the left with its intended baseline or experimental role on the right.

In any trapezoid, the length of the midsegment connecting the midpoints of the non-parallel legs is equal to half the difference of the lengths of the two parallel bases.

In the standard $(x,y)$ coordinate plane, the graph of a trigonometric function is given by $f(x) = 4 \sin\left(3x - \frac{\pi}{2}\right) + 2$. What is the horizontal distance between any two consecutive points where the graph intersects its midline $y = 2$?

Consider the following passage from an essay on marine archaeology:

Marine archaeologists exploring the ancient Mediterranean shipwreck uncovered hundreds of intact ceramic amphorae. These clay vessels once held wine and <u>olive oil, however, preserving</u> them underwater required delicate chemical stabilization. Without immediate desalination treatment, salt crystals would expand and fracture the fragile ceramic structure upon drying.

Which of the following choices best corrects the underlined portion to form a grammatically complete and punctuated sentence?

Oceanographers conducted an investigation to determine how variations in seawater salinity affect the vertical settling rates of marine micro-calcite ($CaCO_3$) particles. Synthetic seawater samples were prepared at four salinity levels ($30\ \text{PSU}$, $33\ \text{PSU}$, $35\ \text{PSU}$, and $38\ \text{PSU}$). In each trial, micro-calcite particles of uniform diameter ($50\ \mu\text{m}$) were dropped into a $1\text{-meter}$ vertical settling column maintained at a constant water temperature of $20^\circ\text{C}$. The elapsed transit time required for each particle to sink through the $1\text{-meter}$ distance was recorded to calculate its terminal sinking velocity.

Match each experimental component from the investigation to its correct variable classification.

Geophysicists investigated the seismic wave attenuation properties of synthetic mantle rock (peridotite) under simulated upper mantle conditions.

In Study 1, five cylindrical peridotite samples with average mineral grain sizes ranging from $15\text{ }\mu\text{m}$ to $250\text{ }\mu\text{m}$ were tested at a constant confining pressure of $3.0\text{ GPa}$ and a fixed temperature of $1,200^\circ\text{C}$. A torsional oscillation at a frequency of $1.0\text{ Hz}$ was applied to each sample, and the resulting shear wave attenuation factor ($Q^{-1}$) was recorded.

In Study 2, peridotite samples with a fixed average grain size of $50\text{ }\mu\text{m}$ were held at $1,200^\circ\text{C}$ while the confining pressure was varied from $1.0\text{ GPa}$ to $5.0\text{ GPa}$ to measure $Q^{-1}$.

In Study 3, peridotite samples with a fixed grain size of $50\text{ }\mu\text{m}$ under a constant confining pressure of $3.0\text{ GPa}$ were tested across temperatures from $1,000^\circ\text{C}$ to $1,400^\circ\text{C}$ to measure $Q^{-1}$.

Based on the experimental procedures described, which of the following correctly identifies the independent variable, dependent variable, and one controlled variable for Study 1, respectively?

Astronomers analyzing radio signals from distant pulsars must account for interstellar dispersion, which delays lower-frequency signals more than higher-frequency ones. To measure this delay accurately, scientists compare arrival times across multiple frequencies, consequently, they can calculate the electron density of the intervening space. This measurement helps researchers map the distribution of matter throughout our galaxy.

Which choice produces a grammatically correct sentence that accurately connects the independent clauses in the underlined portion?

A robotic arm mounted on a flat work surface pivots through a central angle of $\theta$ degrees, sweeping out a sector of a circle with a radius of $15$ centimeters. If the total perimeter of the swept sector is $(30 + 5\pi)$ centimeters, what is the value of $\theta$?

A botanist conducted a 6-week experiment to evaluate the efficacy of three newly developed organic fertilizers ($F_1$, $F_2$, and $F_3$) on the growth rate of *Solanum lycopersicum* (tomato plants). All groups were maintained under controlled environmental conditions ($22^\circ\text{C}$, 16-hour light cycle). Match each experimental group setup to its corresponding functional role in the experiment.

Read the passage below:

When astrophysicist Dr. Jonathan Rhys began cataloging solar eclipse photographic plates in 2014, he aimed to resolve a long-standing discrepancy regarding the solar corona observed during the 1878 Rocky Mountain expedition. Before Rhys published his definitive recalibration in 2019, he had to reconstruct the precise sequence of the 1878 field operations. In June 1878, two months prior to the total eclipse, expedition leader Silas Vance assembled the telescope mount in Denver to test for structural vibration. Vance had actually secured financial backing from the National Academy of Sciences late the previous winter, immediately after submitting his preliminary instrument specifications. However, optical calibration of the custom glass plates did not occur in Denver; Vance had completed that procedure at his home observatory in Boston three weeks before setting out west. Immediately following the July 29, 1878 eclipse, Vance sealed the exposed plates in lead-lined canisters, though he delayed developing the images until returning to Boston that September.

According to the passage, which of the following events occurred FIRST chronologically?