All practice questions

A solar energy farm has two arrays of solar panels, Array A and Array B. At the beginning of 2024 ($t = 0$), the generating capacity of Array A is $50$ megawatts and increases by $11$ megawatts each year. At the beginning of 2024, the generating capacity of Array B is $32$ megawatts and increases exponentially by a constant percent each year. If the generating capacities of the two arrays are equal at the beginning of 2026 ($t = 2$), what is the generating capacity, in megawatts, of Array B at the beginning of 2027 ($t = 3$)?

In 1982, the Tudor warship *Mary Rose* was salvaged from the Solent seabed after four centuries underwater. To prevent the waterlogged wooden hull from collapsing as it dried, conservators sprayed it with polyethylene glycol (PEG), a synthetic polymer. Because PEG molecules can replace the water within the wood’s cellular structure, the polymer effectively supports the cell walls and prevents shrinkage. Once the wood cells were sufficiently infused and stabilized with PEG over several decades, the spraying process was replaced with controlled air-drying to complete the preservation process.

Based on the text, what is true of the polyethylene glycol used on the *Mary Rose*?

A toy train moves along a track at a constant rate of $15$ feet per second. What is the train's speed, in yards per second? (Given that $1\text{ yard} = 3\text{ feet}$)

At the beginning of a school year, a bookstore had $250$ copies of a textbook in stock. During the first week of classes, the bookstore sold $30\%$ of the textbooks in stock. During the second week, a new shipment increased the number of textbooks in stock by $40\%$ of the number of textbooks in stock at the end of the first week. How many copies of the textbook were in stock at the end of the second week?

Read the passage below. Which transition word or phrase logically completes the blank to establish a relationship of similarity between the two environmental monitoring methods?

In a study of Neolithic settlements in Southern Europe, archaeologist Dr. Angela Vyas investigated the transition from foraging to farming. Vyas hypothesized that this transition was not driven solely by local environmental changes, but was instead facilitated by an active regional network of cultural exchange that spread shared culinary traditions. To support this hypothesis, Vyas's team analyzed organic residues on pottery fragments from several geographically separated settlements dating back to the early agricultural era.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Vyas's hypothesis?

Historian Dr. Evelyn Vance and her team investigated trade patterns in ancient Roman Britain by examining the distribution of imported pottery (terra sigillata). Some scholars argue that rural settlements acquired these goods exclusively from larger urban markets. Vance, however, hypothesized that rural communities participated in direct trade with regional merchants, bypassing urban intermediaries entirely.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support Vance's hypothesis?

In a study of the alpine wildflower *Silene acaulis*, ecologist Dr. Elena Rostova investigated the relationship between the plant's root exudates and mycorrhizal fungi. Rostova hypothesized that *S. acaulis* alters the chemical composition of its root exudates to recruit specific nitrogen-fixing fungi only when soil nitrogen levels are depleted. Which choice, if true, would most directly support Rostova's hypothesis?

If $4^{x+2} \cdot 8^{x-1} = 16^{x+1}$, what is the value of $x$?

In marine ecosystems, the California sea hare (*Aplysia californica*) defends itself against predators such as spiny lobsters by secreting a sticky, purple ink containing the compound opaline. Marine biologist Dr. Elena Rossi hypothesized that opaline does not function as a physical barrier or a systemic toxin, but rather acts as a chemical disruptor that temporarily disables the predator's chemosensory organs, rendering them unable to locate food. Which finding from Rossi's study, if true, would most directly support her hypothesis?

Complete the text with the most logical and precise word.

Ecologist Dr. Keith Sterling and colleagues investigated the relationship between mature Douglas fir trees (*Pseudotsuga menziesii*) and surrounding understory seedlings in a forest ecosystem. Some researchers have proposed that mature trees actively facilitate the growth of conspecific seedlings (seedlings of the same species) over heterospecific seedlings (seedlings of other species) by transferring carbon through shared underground mycorrhizal networks. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' proposal?

In the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, fallen trees—often referred to as nurse logs—serve a critical ecological function long after their death. As these massive logs decay, they become elevated platforms that collect organic debris, creating a nutrient-rich, moist substratum. This environment is particularly beneficial for the germination of tree seedlings, such as the western hemlock, which struggle to establish roots on the forest floor due to dense moss cover and leaf litter. By providing an elevated, relatively competitor-free nursery, nurse logs facilitate the regeneration of dominant canopy species, thereby influencing the spatial distribution and structural complexity of the forest over centuries.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

In the mid-twentieth century, historians studying international diplomacy frequently debated the efficacy of the 1902 border treaty between the two neighboring empires. Although the treaty was initially celebrated as a definitive resolution to their decades-long boundary dispute, subsequent diplomatic cables and localized border skirmishes revealed that the agreement had not resolved the underlying territorial tensions. Instead, it had merely ________ them, temporarily masking the unresolved rivalry under a veneer of cooperation until a more robust framework could be negotiated.

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

In the extreme environments of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, the giant tube worm *Riftia pachyptila* relies entirely on a symbiotic relationship with chemolithoautotrophic bacteria housed in an organ called the trophosome. These bacteria oxidize hydrogen sulfide ($\text{H}_2\text{S}$) from the vent fluid to produce organic molecules for the worm. Biologist Dr. Sunita Alvarez hypothesized that the metabolic rate of these endosymbiotic bacteria is primarily regulated by the availability of dissolved $\text{H}_2\text{S}$ in the surrounding water rather than by fluctuations in the ambient water temperature. Alvarez and her team monitored several *Riftia pachyptila* colonies near a vent field in the East Pacific Rise, recording bacterial metabolic activity under varying environmental conditions.

Which choice, if true, would most directly support Alvarez's hypothesis?

In the mid-twentieth century, archeologists traditionally attributed the collapse of the Late Bronze Age civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean to sudden, catastrophic invasions by the mysterious 'Sea Peoples.' However, environmental historian Kenji Sato has recently synthesized pollen records and speleothem data to construct a more complex narrative. Sato demonstrates that a prolonged, multi-decadal megadrought preceded the collapse, severely disrupting agricultural yields and trade networks. While acknowledging that external conflicts occurred, Sato argues that these migrations were a symptom, rather than the primary driver, of systemic collapse, thereby reframing the societal dissolution as an ecologically triggered failure of complex supply chains.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

Text 1
For decades, art historians maintained that the famous Roman sculptor Marcus Aurelius exclusively used local Italian marble for his creations. Scholars pointed to the chemical composition of his most celebrated imperial busts, which consistently matched stone from quarries in Carrara, Italy. They concluded that ancient workshops rarely relied on imported materials due to the immense difficulties and high costs of transporting heavy stone over long distances.

Text 2
Geologist Elena Vance recently analyzed several lesser-known sculptures attributed to Marcus Aurelius that are currently housed in private European collections. Vance discovered that these specific sculptures were actually carved from marble quarried in Greece. This discovery suggests that Aurelius's workshop was actively connected to a vast Mediterranean trade network, meaning that the workshop did not restrict its material selection solely to local Italian quarries.

Based on the texts, how would Vance (Text 2) most likely respond to the conclusion of the art historians in Text 1?

Although many planetary scientists once believed that Pluto’s surface was geologically inactive, recent data from the New Horizons spacecraft suggest a much more dynamic world. The images captured by the probe show vast plains of nitrogen ice that are constantly being refreshed by geological activity. Consequently, scientists now realize that Pluto’s landscape is far from ______; instead, it is constantly undergoing change.

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

Linguists Dr. Keith Sterling and colleagues studied the phenomenon of phonetic attrition—the gradual loss of distinct consonant sounds over generations—in isolated island communities. Traditional models suggest that phonetic attrition is primarily accelerated by bilingualism and contact with larger, dominant language groups. Sterling's team, however, hypothesized that phonetic attrition can occur rapidly even in monolingual populations if the physical environment imposes high acoustic scattering. They argue that dense, humid forest canopies naturally muffle high-frequency sounds, leading speakers to subconsciously favor lower-frequency, more resilient consonant contrasts over time. Which finding from Sterling's study, if true, would most directly support the team's hypothesis?

Which word completes the passage in the most logical and precise manner?