All practice questions

Although the venom of certain predatory species of cone snails is highly toxic and potentially lethal to humans, ______ also contains a complex mixture of proteins and peptides that can be synthesized to develop potent non-addictive painkillers. Marine biologists are actively studying these compounds to create new pharmaceutical treatments that target specific pain receptors.

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

While researching two methods of fossilization, a student took the following notes:
* Permineralization occurs when mineral-rich water deposits minerals inside the pores of organic tissues, turning them into stone.
* Permineralization typically preserves hard structures like bone and wood but rarely preserves soft tissues.
* Amber preservation occurs when an organism is encased in sticky tree resin that hardens over time.
* Amber preservation is highly effective at preserving delicate soft tissues and small, intact organisms like insects.

The student wants to contrast permineralization and amber preservation. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

While researching the development of the polio vaccine, a student took the following notes:
* Jonas Salk began researching a polio vaccine in 1948 at the University of Pittsburgh.
* Salk's vaccine utilizes killed poliovirus to trigger an immune response in patients.
* In 1952, Salk initiated the first clinical trials of the vaccine on human subjects.
* The vaccine was officially declared safe and effective in 1955.
* Funding for the research was provided by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

The student wants to emphasize the year Salk first tested the vaccine on humans. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

While preparing a presentation on urban ecology, a student takes the following notes:
* Urban coyotes (*Canis latrans*) frequently adjust their diets to survive in metropolitan environments.
* Ecologist Dr. Laura Adams conducted a five-year study analyzing the diets of urban coyotes in Chicago.
* The study revealed that human-provided food, such as garbage and pet food, made up 35% of the coyotes' diet overall.
* Adams observed that coyotes living closer to large city parks consumed significantly more rodents and fruits (60% of their diet) than did coyotes in dense commercial zones.
* The remaining portion of the coyotes' diet in both areas consisted of ornamental plants and insects.
* Adams concluded that coyote diets are heavily influenced by the specific micro-habitats available within a city.

The student wants to support the claim that the diet of Chicago's urban coyotes is shaped by the specific city zones they inhabit. Which choice most effectively uses information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

The hammer orchid (*Drakaea glyptodon*), native to Western Australia, employs a highly specialized pollination strategy known as sexual deception. The orchid's labellum (a modified petal) closely mimics the shape, color, and pheromones of a female thynnid wasp. Attracted by these cues, a male thynnid wasp attempts to fly away with the labellum to mate. This movement triggers a hinged structure that swings the wasp upward against the orchid's column, where the pollen is deposited on the wasp's back. Unlike other deceptive orchids that offer minor food rewards, *Drakaea glyptodon* provides no nutritional incentive whatsoever to its pollinators, relying entirely on the physical mimicry of the female wasp to ensure pollen transfer.

Based on the text, what is true about the pollination process of the hammer orchid (*Drakaea glyptodon*)?

The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets and has since traveled past the boundary of the heliosphere, continues to transmit data to scientists on Earth. However, because ______ is currently billions of miles away, these signals take over twenty-two hours to arrive.

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

In the given equation, $k$ is a constant. If the equation has exactly one real solution, what is the value of $k$?

While conducting research on the architectural history of Ethiopia, a student took the following notes:
- Biete Medhane Alem is a rock-hewn church located in Lalibela, Ethiopia.
- It is carved entirely out of a single block of red volcanic tuff.
- It stands $11.5$ meters high and covers an area of $800$ square meters.
- The structure features $34$ rectangular columns that support its outer roof.
- Construction of the church is traditionally attributed to King Gebre Meskel Lalibela in the late $12\text{th}$ or early $13\text{th}$ century.

The student wants to emphasize the physical dimensions of Biete Medhane Alem. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

While researching the fossil *Tullimonstrum gregarium*, a student takes the following notes:

* *Tullimonstrum gregarium* (commonly known as the Tully monster) is an extinct, soft-bodied marine animal that lived approximately 300 million years ago.
* Since the discovery of Tully monster fossils in Illinois in 1958, its classification has been a subject of intense scientific debate.
* In 2016, Victoria McCoy and colleagues analyzed the fossils and concluded the Tully monster was a vertebrate, citing a structure they identified as a primitive backbone (notochord).
* In 2023, Shigeru Kuratani and colleagues conducted a study using advanced 3D chemical imaging to examine the fossilized tissues in detail.
* Kuratani's team determined that the disputed structure lacked the characteristics of a vertebrate notochord, concluding that the Tully monster was actually an invertebrate.

The student wants to summarize the findings of the 2023 study. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

Ecologist Dr. Nia Brooks and her team investigated the nesting habits of eastern gray squirrels (*Sciurus carolinensis*) in urban parks. The researchers hypothesized that urban squirrels select nesting sites primarily to minimize exposure to loud, low-frequency city noise, rather than choosing sites based on proximity to food sources. To test this, the team mapped the locations of squirrel nests and food resources in several urban parks, measuring ambient noise levels at various heights and locations. Which choice, if true, would most directly support the researchers' hypothesis?

Text 1
Many evolutionary biologists and behavioral economists have argued that the endowment effect—the tendency to value an item more highly simply because one owns it—is an ancient evolutionary adaptation. In a series of experiments, researcher Sarah Brosnan and colleagues demonstrated that chimpanzees ($Pan\ troglodytes$) exhibit a strong preference for keeping food items they already possess (such as peanut butter) over trading them for alternative foods of equal value (like fruit juice). Brosnan concludes that this bias is deeply ingrained, serving to minimize the risk of losing resources in unstable social environments where possession is the primary guarantor of ownership.

Text 2
Behavioral scientist Michael Tomasello challenges the view that the endowment effect in non-human primates is an innate evolutionary bias. Tomasello points out that chimpanzees in Brosnan’s experiments were tested in highly artificial, isolated laboratory settings. In natural group settings, chimpanzees frequently engage in food sharing and competitive theft, where holding onto an item does not guarantee its security. Tomasello argues that Brosnan's findings reflect a temporary strategy learned within the structured confines of human-controlled testing rather than a hardwired evolutionary adaptation that dictates wild chimpanzee behavior.

Based on Text 2, how would Tomasello most likely characterize the chimpanzees' reluctance to trade food items in Brosnan's experiments?

A shipping service charges a flat rate of $15.50 to ship a box, plus$ 0.50 per ounce of the total weight of the box. A customer wants to ship a package and wants the total shipping cost to be at most $40.00. If the empty box weighs 14 ounces, what is the maximum weight, in ounces, of the contents that can be placed inside the box?

The graph of the quadratic function $f$ in the $xy$-plane has its vertex at $(4, 12)$. The function is defined by $f(x) = -(x - c)(x - d)$, where $c$ and $d$ are constants. What is the value of the product $cd$?

In cognitive linguistics, researchers have shown that people structure abstract concepts like time using spatial metaphors; for instance, individuals often conceptualize the future as being physically 'ahead' of them. Studies on gesture analysis, __________, reveal that speakers routinely point forward when discussing upcoming events, indicating a deep-seated alignment between mental representation and physical expression.

Which choice completes the passage with the most logical transition?

Some tree species, such as the paper birch (*Betula papyrifera*), rely on periodic forest fires to clear understory vegetation and expose mineral soil, which is necessary for their seeds to germinate. Foresters observing regions where fire suppression policies have been strictly enforced for over a century have noted a significant decline in young paper birch cohorts. However, shade-tolerant species like the sugar maple (*Acer saccharum*) have thrived in these suppressed conditions, producing dense canopies that prevent sunlight from reaching the forest floor. Given that paper birch seedlings require high levels of direct sunlight to grow into mature trees, which choice most logically completes the text?

In linguistics, researchers studying phonological development in infants have observed a remarkably consistent global pattern of sound acquisition. Across diverse geographic regions, infants initially babble using a shared set of basic vocalizations ______ distinct phonetic characteristics of their community's native language only begin to shape their speech patterns around the age of six months.

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

An agricultural irrigation system draws water from a storage tank at a constant rate. The volume of water, $V$, in gallons, remaining in the tank $m$ minutes after the irrigation begins is given by the equation $V = 12,000 - 45m$. According to the model, after how many minutes of irrigation will there be exactly $8,400$ gallons of water remaining in the tank?

While researching the career of astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt, a student took the following notes:

* Leavitt was an American astronomer who worked at the Harvard College Observatory.
* In 1912, she published her discovery of the relation between the period and luminosity of Cepheid variable stars.
* This discovery allowed astronomers to measure the distances to faraway galaxies.

The student wants to write a sentence that emphasizes the year Leavitt published her discovery of the period-luminosity relation. Complete the sentence by filling in the blank with the appropriate year from the notes.

For many individuals, finding like-minded peers offline can be challenging due to geographical barriers. In social psychology, the popularity of online communities dedicated to niche hobbies ______ a growing desire for connection in an increasingly digital world. Although some critics argue that virtual interactions are inherently superficial, research suggests that these virtual spaces can foster deep, supportive relationships that rival face-to-face friendships.

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

The Saharan silver ant (*Cataglyphis bombycina*) foraging in the desert heat relies on unique triangular-shaped hairs to stay cool. Researchers found that these hairs have a triangular cross-section that reflects both visible and near-infrared light while facilitating heat dissipation in the mid-infrared spectrum. This dual optical effect allows the ants to maintain a body temperature below their critical thermal maximum of $53.6^\circ\text{C}$, even when the desert sand reaches temperatures as high as $70^\circ\text{C}$. Unlike other insects that seek shade during peak midday hours, *Cataglyphis bombycina* actively searches for food during this period to avoid predators.

According to the text, which statement is true about the triangular-shaped hairs of the Saharan silver ant?