All practice questions

Fill in the blanks in the passage below to maintain logical coherence and inter-blank structural dependency. Which words best complete the text?

In convex quadrilateral $ABCD$, diagonal $AC$ is drawn. It is given that $AB = 9$, $BC = 12$, $CD = 8$, and $DA = 15$, with $\angle ABC = 90^\circ$. Which of the following statements must be true? Select all that apply.

Read the passage below. Based on the passage context, what single word best describes the functional meaning of the highlighted concept in the blank?

Fill in each blank in the passage below with the word that best completes the sentence logically and coherently.

In 1905, geologist Richard Dixon Oldham analyzed seismic waves generated by the 1897 Assam earthquake to investigate Earth's internal structure. By comparing the arrival times of primary (P) and secondary (S) waves at recording stations globally, Oldham identified a distinct shadow zone beyond 104 degrees from the epicenter where direct S-waves failed to emerge. From this specific absence, Oldham deduced the existence of a central fluid core that impeded shear wave transmission. However, because his instruments lacked the sensitivity to detect faint, refracted P-waves passing through the deepest interior, Oldham incorrectly estimated the core's radius to be substantially larger than modern measurements indicate, attributing the wave attenuation entirely to homogenous core density rather than a distinct solid inner core boundary.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements regarding Richard Dixon Oldham's 1905 seismic investigation are explicitly supported? Consider each of the three choices separately and select all that apply.

Which word correctly completes the passage based on the contrast pivot signal?

How many positive integers less than $100$ are divisible by both $4$ and $6$, but are NOT divisible by $8$?

Which word best completes the blank in the sentence below based on its contextual secondary meaning?

Passage:
In 1908, Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland published his extensive investigation into the origins of the aurora borealis, basing his conclusions on experiments with a "terrella"—a magnetized metallic sphere suspended in a vacuum chamber. By directing beams of cathode rays (electrons) toward the magnetized sphere, Birkeland successfully replicated visual rings of light surrounding the sphere's magnetic poles, mirroring the auroral ovals observed in Earth's polar atmospheres. Birkeland hypothesized that the solar atmosphere continually ejected energetic electrons into space, which were then channeled by Earth's magnetic field toward the polar regions to produce auroral displays. Although mainstream geophysicists of his era, notably Lord Kelvin and Sydney Chapman, rejected Birkeland's theory on the grounds that continuous particle streams would be dissipated by electrostatic repulsion prior to reaching Earth, satellite observations in 1967 ultimately confirmed the presence of electric currents—now designated Birkeland currents—flowing along geomagnetic field lines into the ionosphere.

According to the passage, which of the following statements about Birkeland's experiment or hypothesis are explicitly supported? Select all that apply.

What is the least positive integer $n$ that leaves a remainder of $3$ when divided by $7$, a remainder of $4$ when divided by $5$, and is divisible by $9$?

In 2021, the government of a maritime nation introduced strict environmental regulations requiring all commercial freight vessels operating within its territorial waters to reduce their sulfur dioxide emissions per nautical mile traveled by at least 40 percent. Official compliance audits confirmed that every commercial freight company operating in the region fully implemented the required engine retrofits and fuel specifications within the designated timeline. Surprisingly, however, coastal atmospheric monitoring stations recorded a 15 percent net increase in total annual sulfur dioxide emissions generated by commercial freight vessels in these waters over the four years following the regulation's implementation.

Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?

To curb economic losses from bark beetle infestations, timber managers introduced a predatory beetle species that preys exclusively on adult bark beetles during their early spring mating period. Researchers concluded that this biological control measure will significantly increase timber yields over the coming decade. They reason that suppressing adult bark beetle numbers during early spring will prevent the beetles from boring into mature trees and depositing larvae, which cause extensive structural damage to wood tissue. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the researchers' argument?

Agricultural researchers recently introduced a specialized bio-inoculant containing the fungal strain *Glomus intraradices-X*, designed to bolster root absorption in wheat crops during dry spells. In controlled trials conducted across several arid testing plots, wheat fields treated with the bio-inoculant produced a 25 percent higher grain yield than untreated control plots during a severe seasonal drought. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that widespread adoption of *Glomus intraradices-X* in commercial wheat farming will effectively mitigate crop yield losses caused by future severe droughts.

Which of the following statements represent unstated assumptions upon which the researchers' argument depends? Select all that apply.

In analyzing the epistemological foundation of nineteenth-century natural theology, historians often cite William Paley’s watchmaker analogy as a monument to static design. Yet a closer reading of contemporary counter-arguments reveals a far more dynamic intellectual landscape. Skeptics like David Hume did not merely dispute the mechanical parallel; they argued that assigning a single, conscious architect to the universe ignored the promiscuous generation of organic forms observed in nature. In Hume’s formulation, nature demonstrates an unconstrained, varied fecundity that resists reduction to a singular, utilitarian blueprint. To interpret Hume’s critique as an endorsement of chaotic randomness, however, misconstrues his rhetorical strategy. He sought not to deny natural order altogether, but to demonstrate that order can emerge through diverse, unguided natural processes rather than a single craftsperson’s design.

In the context of the passage, which of the following best captures the meaning of the word "promiscuous"?

In their 1896 excavation of the waste mounds at Oxyrhynchus, papyrologists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt documented extensive Ptolemaic and Roman administrative records. Contrary to prevailing nineteenth-century assumptions that classical administrative texts were preserved exclusively in damp monastic archives or formal tombs, Grenfell and Hunt observed that the hyper-arid climatic conditions of Upper Egypt permitted the survival of discarded everyday ephemera in unsealed rubbish heaps. Among these documents, land-survey registers from the reign of Ptolemy VIII revealed that local tenant farmers were not subjected to uniform annual grain assessments as previously posited by historian Karl Beloch. Instead, the registers explicitly note that tax rates fluctuated annually based on flood-height measurements recorded at localized nilometers along the Nile tributaries. Furthermore, while imperial decrees mandated grain delivery to state-controlled granaries in Alexandria, private transportation receipts contained within the same stratographical layer indicate that regional river-barge guilds were contracted by individual landholders to fulfill these quotas, rather than relying on state-owned transport vessels.

Based on the passage, which of the following statements regarding Ptolemaic administration and grain transport is explicitly supported by Grenfell and Hunt's findings? Select all that apply.

A team of urban planning researchers observed that city neighborhoods that instituted mandatory minimum green space quotas ten years ago currently report significantly lower average ambient noise pollution levels than adjacent neighborhoods without such mandates. The researchers concluded that establishing mandatory green space minimums is an effective urban planning policy for directly dampening urban noise pollution in residential districts.

Which of the following is an assumption upon which the researchers' argument relies?

Urban planners frequently advocate for the installation of green roofs—vegetated layer structures built over rooftops—citing their capacity to lower urban ambient temperatures and manage stormwater runoff. However, recent longitudinal studies comparing municipal infrastructure budgets across thirty mid-sized cities demonstrate that the cumulative maintenance costs of public green roofs over a fifteen-year period substantially exceed the financial savings realized from reduced energy consumption and water management. Consequently, municipalities seeking cost-effective environmental remediation should prioritize expanding ground-level urban canopy cover rather than retrofitting existing municipal structures with green roofs.

Which of the following best expresses the main conclusion of the argument above?

To control the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish population damaging a coastal barrier reef, marine biologists introduced a species of predatory snail that feeds exclusively on juvenile starfish. Five years after the introduction, surveys recorded a marked increase in healthy coral coverage across the reef. The biologists concluded that the predatory snails successfully suppressed the starfish population, thereby enabling the coral reef to recover.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the marine biologists' argument depends?

In the plane, line $L_1$ is parallel to line $L_2$. A transversal line $T$ intersects $L_1$ and $L_2$. One of the acute angles formed at the intersection of $L_1$ and $T$ measures $(4x - 10)^\circ$, and an alternate interior angle on $L_2$ measures $(2x + 30)^\circ$. What is the degree measure of one of the obtuse angles formed at the intersection of $L_1$ and $T$?

Based on the contrast and reversal structural clues in the passage below, what words best complete blank 1 and blank 2?