All practice questions

In sociology, the "strength of weak ties" theory posits that acquaintances, rather than close friends, are more likely to introduce individuals to novel information and job opportunities because they bridge different social networks. ______ in network theory, the concept of "local bridges" refers to edges in a graph that connect otherwise disparate clusters, facilitating the flow of unique information across the system.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Text 1
Biologist Masanori Kohda's 2019 study demonstrated that cleaner wrasse fish passed the mirror self-recognition (MSR) test. When marked with a colored gel on their throats, the fish scraped their bodies against substrate after viewing their reflections. Kohda argues that this mark-directed behavior indicates that self-awareness is not restricted to large-brained mammals but is shared by teleost fish.

Text 2
Cognitive scientist Sarah Beck cautions against overinterpreting mark-scraping behaviors in MSR tests. She points out that cleaner wrasse are highly sensitive to ectoparasites and frequently scrape themselves against rocks to dislodge them. The visual stimulus of a throat mark might simply trigger a hardwired motor response rather than reflecting a cognitive concept of self-identity. Thus, passing the test does not confirm self-consciousness in fish.

Based on the passages, how would Beck (Text 2) most likely respond to Kohda's interpretation of the fish's behavior (Text 1)?

Unlike many underground predators that rely on visual cues, the star-nosed mole hunts in pitch-black tunnels by using its touch-sensitive nasal tentacles to detect prey. ______ it can identify and consume small insects in under a quarter of a second, making it one of the fastest foraging mammals known to science.

Which choice completes the passage with the most logical transition?

In her essays on translation, author Edith Grossman argues that a translator’s primary task is not to produce a literal, word-for-word copy of the original text, but to capture its cultural and emotional resonance. Thus, a successful translation is not a passive reproduction; rather, it is an active, ______ interpretation that re-creates the author’s voice in a new linguistic landscape.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

In the early twentieth century, meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, arguing that Earth's continents were once joined in a single supercontinent before breaking apart. Wegener's theory was met with fierce skepticism from the geological establishment, primarily because he could not identify a plausible mechanism that could propel massive landmasses across the ocean floor. ______ Wegener continued to gather astronomical, paleontological, and climatological data to support his hypothesis until his death in 1930, decades before the discovery of plate tectonics vindicated his ideas.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

While preparing a presentation on marine organisms in extreme environments, a student takes the following notes:

* The Antarctic icefish *Chaenocephalus aceratus* lacks hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein found in the blood of most vertebrates.
* Because it lacks hemoglobin, the fish's blood is translucent and carries only about $10\%$ of the oxygen of typical red-blooded fish.
* To transport enough oxygen, *C. aceratus* has a heart that is three times larger relative to its body size than that of related red-blooded species.
* *C. aceratus* also has blood vessels with wide diameters, which reduces resistance to blood flow.
* These anatomical features allow *C. aceratus* to pump blood at a rate four times faster than related species with red blood.

The student wants to support the claim that *C. aceratus* has developed structural cardiovascular adaptations to offset the oxygen-carrying limitations of its blood. Which choice uses information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

While planning a presentation, a student takes the following notes:

* *Panellus stipticus* is a species of bioluminescent fungus commonly known as the bitter oyster.
* A research team led by Dr. Cassie Vance investigated the mechanism behind the fungus's glow.
* The team discovered that the glow is caused by a chemical reaction between a compound named panal and a luciferase enzyme.
* The team concluded that this bioluminescent reaction likely serves to attract nocturnal insects that help disperse the fungus's spores.

The student wants to summarize the findings of Dr. Cassie Vance's study. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

Sociologist Dr. Evelyn Arispe investigated the impact of interactive public art installations on urban pedestrian habits. She hypothesized that interactive art—installations requiring physical touch or motion to activate—does not merely cause temporary delays but actively alters pedestrian route selection, prompting individuals to permanently integrate these locations into their daily walking routes, even when the interactive components are inactive. Which choice, if true, would most directly support Arispe's hypothesis?

For years, ornithologists believed that food caching among corvids was a purely instinctual behavior driven by seasonal scarcity. However, a study by Nicola Clayton challenged this view by observing Western Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma californica) that had previously stolen food from others. Clayton observed that these experienced thieves, when being watched by another jay, would later return to re-cache their food in secret, whereas jays without a history of thievery did not alter their caching habits. This finding suggests that jays project their own past behaviors onto others, attributing potential thievish intent to onlookers. Consequently, the research offers compelling evidence for a primitive form of 'theory of mind' in non-human animals, suggesting that cognitive empathy may not be unique to primates.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

In urban climatology, the canopy layer heat island effect describes the localized warming observed in the air beneath the tops of buildings and trees. Researchers studying this phenomenon have found that wind speeds in dense urban centers are often significantly ______ this reduction in ventilation prevents heat from dispersing and intensifies the thermal discomfort of residents.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

While preparing a presentation on Renaissance painting pigments, a student took the following notes:
* Ultramarine was a blue pigment made from lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone imported to Europe from Afghanistan.
* Because of its scarcity, ultramarine was extremely expensive, but its brilliant blue color was highly durable and did not fade.
* Smalt was a blue pigment produced in Europe by grinding glass colored with cobalt oxide.
* Smalt was inexpensive and widely accessible, but its color was prone to fading and turning gray over time.

The student wants to contrast ultramarine and smalt in terms of their cost and durability. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

Dr. Aris Thorne and colleagues investigated the foraging behavior of the desert harvester ant (*Pogonomyrmex salinus*). Because foraging in arid conditions risks desiccation, it has been hypothesized that *P. salinus* workers rely on external environmental cues—specifically, the humidity level near the colony entrance—to decide when to begin foraging, rather than depending solely on internal physiological signals of hydration. To test this hypothesis, the researchers monitored colony foraging rates while experimentally manipulating both the humidity at the nest entrance and the hydration levels of the ants inside the nest. Which finding from the experiment, if true, would most directly support the researchers' hypothesis?

While preparing a presentation on paleoclimatology, a student took the following notes:
* Ice cores are paleoclimate archives retrieved primarily from high-latitude polar regions.
* Speleothems are cave mineral deposits found in ice-free low- and mid-latitude regions.
* Ice cores preserve ancient atmospheric gases in trapped bubbles, offering a direct record of global greenhouse gas concentrations.
* Speleothems record variations in regional precipitation and temperature through their mineral layers.
* Both archives allow scientists to reconstruct environmental conditions spanning hundreds of thousands of years.

The student wants to contrast the geographic locations of ice cores and speleothems and the types of climate information they record. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

Text 1
For decades, some archaeologists have argued that the geoglyphs of the Nazca Desert were constructed primarily as a giant astronomical calendar. According to this view, the straight lines and trapezoidal figures align with the rising and setting points of key celestial bodies, such as the Sun during solstices and specific stars associated with agricultural cycles. Proponents of this celestial alignment hypothesis suggest that the Nazca people mapped their cosmology onto the landscape to track seasonal changes, thereby coordinating planting and harvesting schedules vital to their survival in an arid environment.

Text 2
Conversely, recent archaeological research suggests that the Nazca geoglyphs served a ritual and ceremonial purpose related to water and fertility rather than astronomy. Excavations have revealed ceremonial offerings, such as shells and pottery, at the intersections of the lines. Furthermore, spatial analyses demonstrate that the vast majority of the geoglyphs do not exhibit significant celestial alignments. Instead, the pathways lead toward sacred hills or rivers, suggesting they were processed along by ritual participants praying for rain. Thus, the lines were likely holy paths constructed to appeal to deities controlling water resources.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize the "celestial alignment hypothesis" presented in Text 1?

Read the passage and determine the correct form of the verb 'use' to fill the blank. Which form of the verb 'use' correctly completes the sentence to conform to the conventions of Standard English?

While conducting research on historical climate patterns, a writer took the following notes:

* In 1991, palaeoclimatologist Dr. Marcus Thorne extracted the ice core Core GISP2-B from a central Greenland site.
* In 1997, Thorne extracted Core GRIP-D from a second site located 28 kilometers east of the central site.
* Core GISP2-B contained volcanic ash layers dated to approximately 1642 BCE.
* Core GRIP-D contained a prominent sulfur anomaly measuring 82 parts per billion, dated to 1628 BCE.
* Thorne analyzed the distinct chemical signatures of both cores to differentiate between separate Bronze Age volcanic events.

The writer wants to emphasize the year Core GRIP-D was extracted, its location relative to Core GISP2-B's retrieval site, and its specific chemical anomaly. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

The single-celled slime mold *Physarum polycephalum* lacks a central nervous system, yet it exhibits complex decision-making behavior. In a study led by biophysicist Toshiyuki Nakagaki, researchers placed the organism in a maze with two food sources—oat flakes—positioned at the entrance and exit. The slime mold initially expanded its body to occupy the entire maze. Over several hours, however, the organism retracted its tubular networks from dead ends and consolidated its cytoplasm into a single, thick tube connecting the two food sources. This pathway represented the shortest possible route through the maze, demonstrating that the cell could compute mathematical optimizations through physical feedback loops.

Based on the text, what did *Physarum polycephalum* do when first introduced to the maze?

While preparing a presentation on the history of science, a student took the following notes:
* Heliobiology is the scientific study of how solar activity affects living organisms on Earth.
* Solar activity includes phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares, and geomagnetic storms.
* The field was pioneered by Soviet biophysicist Alexander Chizhevsky in 1915.
* Chizhevsky specifically investigated correlations between solar cycles and historical epidemics.

The student wants to introduce heliobiology to an audience unfamiliar with the term. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

Which word completes the text with the most logical and precise word?

While preparing a presentation on microbiology, a student took the following notes:

* Siderophores are small, high-affinity iron-chelating compounds.
* They are secreted by microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi.
* These compounds bind to iron in the environment, helping microorganisms absorb this crucial nutrient.
* The word "siderophore" comes from Greek roots meaning "iron carrier."
* Scientists are studying these compounds to develop targeted antibiotic therapies.

The student wants to provide a definition of siderophores. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?