READING COMPREHENSION 1

It was once believed that the brain was independent of metabolic processes occurring
elsewhere in the body. In recent studies, however, we have discovered that the production and
release in brain neurons of the neurotransmitter serotonin (neurotransmitters are compounds
that neurons use to transmit signals to other cells) depends directly on the food that the body
processes.
Our first studies sought to determine whether the increase in serotonin observed in rats
given a large injection of the amino acid tryptophan might also occur after rats ate meals that
change tryptophan levels in the blood. We found that, immediately after the rats began to eat,
parallel elevations occurred in blood tryptophan, brain tryptophan, brain serotonin levels. These
findings suggested that the production and release of serotonin in brain neurons were normally
coupled with blood-tryptophan increases. In later studies we found that injecting insulin into a
rat’s bloodstream also caused parallel elevations in blood and brain tryptophan levels and in
serotonin levels. We then decided to see whether the secretion of the animal’s own insulin
similarly affected serotonin production.
We gave the rats a carbohydrate-containing meal that we knew would elicit insulin
secretion. As we had hypothesized, the blood tryptophan level and the concentrations of
tryptophan and of serotonin in the brain increased after the meal.
Surprisingly, however, when we added a large amount of protein to the meal, brain
tryptophan and serotonin levels fell. Since protein contains tryptophan, why should it depress
brain tryptophan levels? The answer lies in the mechanism that provides blood tryptophan to the
brain cells. This same mechanism also provides the brain cells with other amino acids found in
protein, such as tyrosine and leucine. The consumption of protein increases blood concentration
of other amino acids much more, proportionately, than it does that of tryptophan.
The more protein is in a meal, the lower is the ration of the resulting blood-tryptophan
concentration to the concentration of competing amino acids, and the more slowly is tryptophan
provided to the brain. Thus, the more protein in a meal, the less serotonin subsequently
produced and released.
1. Which of the following titles best summarizes the contents of the passage?
 (A) Diet and Survival: An Old Relationship Reexamined
(B) The Blood Supply and The Brain: A Reciprocal Dependence
(C) Amino Acids and Neurotransmitters: The Connection between Serotonin Levels and
Tyrosine
(D) The Effects of Food Intake on the Production and Release of Serotonin: Some Recent
Findings

2. The phrase “sought to” in line 5 is closest in meaning to …

(A) Failed to
(B) Strove to
(C) Began to
(D) Claimed to

3. According to the passage, the speed with which tryptophan is provided to the brain cells of a
rat varies with the …
(A) amount of protein present in a meal
(B) concentration of serotonin in the brain before a meal
(C) concentration of leucine in the blood rather than with the concentration of tyrosine in the
blood after a meal
(D) concentration of tryptophan in the brain before a meal

4. According to the passage, when the authors began their first studies, they were aware that
…
(A) tryptophan levels in the blood were difficult to monitor with accuracy
(B) serotonin levels increased after rats were fed meals rich in tryptophan
(C) there were many neurotransmitters whose production was dependent on metabolic
processes elsewhere in the body
(D) Serotonin levels increased after rats were injected with a large amount of tryptophan

5. According to the passage, one reason that the authors gave rate carbohydrates was to …
 (A) depress the rats’ tryptophan levels
(B) prevent the rats from contracting diseases
(C) cause the rats to produce insulin
(D) demonstrate that insulin is the most important substance secreted by the body

6. According to the passage, the more protein a rat consumes, the lower will be the …
(A) ratio of the rat’s blood tryptophan concentration to the amount of serotonin produced
and released in the rat’s brain
(B) ratio of the rat’s blood-tryptophan concentration to the concentration in its blood of the
other amino acids contained in the protein
(C) ration of the rat’s blood-tyrosine concentration to its blood leucine concentration
(D) number of neurotransmitters of any kind that the rat will produce and release

7. The authors’ discussion of the “mechanism that provides blood tryptophan to the brain
cells” is meant to …
(A) stimulate further research studies
(B) summarize an area of scientific investigation
(C) help explain why a particular research finding was obtained
(D) provide supporting evidence for a controversial scientific theory

8. According to the passage, an injection of insulin was most similar in its effect on rats to an
injection of …
(A) tyrosine (C) blood
(B) leucine (D) Tryptophan
(C) blood

9. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following would be least likely to be a
potential source of aid to a patient who was not adequately producing and releasing
serotonin?
(A) meals consisting almost exclusively of protein
 (B) meals consisting almost exclusively of carbohydrate
(C) meals that would elicit insulin secretion
(D) meals that had very low concentrations of tyrosine

10. It can be inferred from the passage that the authors initially held which of the following
hypotheses about what would happen when they fed large amounts of protein to rats?
(A) The rats’ brain serotonin levels would not decrease
(B) The rats’ brain tryptophan levels would decrease
(C) The rats’ tyrosine levels would increase less quickly that would their leucine levels
(D) The rats would produce more insulin

READING COMPREHENSION 2

Most research on learning disabilities focuses on remediating specific academic

skills, such as reading and math. Nonetheless, struggles at school and with homework can
create an enormous amount of stress and anxiety for children and families, finds a study
published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities. A neuropsychologist and study leader,
 Deborah Waber, who directs the Learning Disabilities at Boston’s Children’s Hospital
asserted that the affection families are not trivial and has been under-appreciated.
Waber and her colleagues developed a survey-based screening instrument to gauge
the effects of learning problems on the child’s and family’s quality of life. They first sent
a 35-question survey to 151 families whose child had been referred to them for evaluation
of learning disabilities. They then shortened the survey to 15 questions and sent it to
families in a single lower-to-middle-income school district in the greater Boston area.
Survey questions focused on a number of issues. These include parents’ anxiety
about their children, children’s anxiety and frustration over school work, the longtime
children take to complete homework, the urge to limit family activities because of
homework, and family stress caused by the child’s learning problems.
In total, 325 parents or guardians completed the revised survey. 93 of them had
children who had been identified as having learning problems and were receiving special
education support on formal Individualized Education Plans. Meanwhile, the remaining
232 had children in general education. The two groups showed a dramatic difference.
Compared with the general education group, parents of children with learning problems
reported significantly more quality-of-life problems related to academics, for both the
child and the family. Quality-of-life problems fell in the “at risk” or “clinically
significant’ range in half of the learning problems group. This finding is opposite to the
figure of the general education group, at only 15 percent.
The quality-of-life impacts of learning problems were greater for middle-school-
age children than younger elementary-age children. The impacts were also greater in
boys than girls, with the gender difference widening in the older grades. However,
families of children with and without learning problems gave relatively similar ratings to
teachers and school support systems. This suggests that they did not blame shortcomings
of the school for the child/family distress.
Waber and her colleagues routinely give the survey to parents whose children are being
evaluated in the Learning Disabilities Program. They plan to follow up a year later to see
whether quality of life has improved, and if so, to what extent the improvement is related to
how the schools responded to the evaluation. Since the survey is easy to administer through an
online link, Waber wishes to see others adopt it. She also hopes its use will make schools, other
educators, and pediatricians more aware of the distress children with learning problems and
their families may be experiencing so that they can take steps to address it

1. The author of the passage implies that....

(A) Students learning difficulties, age, and gender play a role in determining life quality

(B) Teacher and schools fail to provide necessary supports for students and parents

(C) The risk of school-related stress is higher in lower-to-middle income

(D) Eliminating homework will reduce school anxiety faced by children and parents

2. Which of the following groups of children are the most likely to suffer from quality-of-life
problems due to learning difficulties?

(A) Male students aged 11-13 years who receive special supports

(B) Male students aged 5-10 years who go to general school

(C) Female students aged 5-10 years in special education

(D) Female students aged 11-13 years in general education

3. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about previous studies?

(A) They believe that particular subjects are more pressing for children

(B) They uncovered how homework can agitate children and families

(C) They aim at alleviating specific learning difficulties

(D) They focus on the impacts of school-related distress on families

4. The survey questions may presume the following situations to arise EXCEPT....

(A) School work is generally challenging to children

(B) The huge amount of homework has prevented families from vacationing

(C) Students feel exuberant when completing assignments

(D) Parents are apprehensive about how their children perform at school

5. Which paragraphs lay out the research design of the current study?

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 2 and 3

(C) 3 and 4

(D) 4 and 5

6. The study was divided into two stages, from the 35-quetion survey to the 15-question survey,
in order to...

(A) collect data from families having children with or without learning problems

(B) compare results from both survey stages

(C) exclude parents whose child has been treated at Boston Children’s Hospital

(D) gather perspectives from families with much lower income

7. What can be concluded about the future direction of the study?

(A) A re-examination of quality of life will be carried out with a one-year interval

(B) Families involved in the Learning Disabilities Program are to be surveyed

(C) Schools, other educators, and pediatricians are expected to design a similar study

(D) Other researchers are hoped to sit in classes for children with learning disabilities

8. They word “they” in line 29 refers to....

(A) participating families

(B) teachers

(C) school support systems

(D) children with and without learning problems

9. The main finding of the study reveals that....

(A) Children from the two groups show a dramatic difference in academic achievements

(B) Families of children without learning difficulties handle school-related stress better

(C) The presence of learning problems in children affects families’ quality of life

(D) Children who need special education support are fewer than those in general education

10. The word trivial in line 6 can be replaced by the following words EXCEPT....

(A) Negligible

(B) Consequential

(C) Slight

(D) Trifling
READING COMPREHENSION 3
In terrestrial environments, gravity places special demands on the cardiovascular
systems of animals. Gravitational pressure can cause blood to pool in the lower regions of the
body, making it difficult to circulate blood to critical organs such as the brain. Terrestrial
snakes, in particular, exhibit adaptations that air in circulating blood against the force of gravity.
The problem confronting terrestrial snakes is best illustrated by what happens to sea
snakes when removed from their supportive medium. Because the vertical pressure gradients
within the blood vessels are counteracted by similar pressure gradients in the surrounding water,
the distribution of blood throughout the body of sea snakes remains about the same regardless
of their orientation in space, provided they remain in the ocean. When removed from the water
and tilted at various angles with the head up, however, blood pressure at their midpoint drops
significantly, and at brain level falls to zero. That many terrestrial snakes in similar spatial
orientations do not experience this kind of circulatory failure suggests that certain adaptations
enable them to regulate blood pressure more effectively in those orientations.
One such adaptation is the closer proximity of the terrestrial snake’s heart to its head,
which helps to ensure circulation to the brain, regardless of the snake’s orientation in space. The
heart of sea snakes can be located near the middle of the body, a position that minimizes the
work entailed in circulating blood to both extremities. In arboreal snakes, however, which dwell
in trees and often assume a vertical posture, the average distance from the heart to the head can
be as little as 15 percent of overall body length. Such as location requires that blood circulated
to the tail of the snake travel a greater distance back to the heart, a problem solved by another
adaptation. When climbing, arboreal snakes often pause momentarily to wiggle their bodies,
causing waves of muscle contraction that advance from the lower torso to the head. By
compressing the veins and forcing blood forward, these contractions apparently improve the
flow of venous blood returning to the heart.

1. The word “terrestrial” in line 3 is closest in meaning to …

(A) Cosmic
(B) Mundane
(C) Heavenly
(D) Alien

2. The passage provides information in support of which of the following assertions?

(A) The disadvantages of an adaptation to a particular feature of an environment often
outweigh the advantages of such an adaptation
(B) An organism’s reaction to being placed in an environment to which it is not well
adapted can sometimes illustrate the problems that have been solved by the adaptations
of organisms indigenous to that environment
 (C) The effectiveness of an organism’s adaptation to a particular feature of its environment
can only be evaluated by examining the effectiveness with which organisms of other
species have adapted to a similar feature of a different environment
(D) Organisms of the same species that inhabit strikingly different environments will often
adapt in remarkably similar ways to the few features of those environments that are
common

3. According to the passage, one reason that the distribution of blood in the sea snake changes
little while the creature remains in the ocean is that …
(A) The heart of the sea snake tends to be located near the center oof its body
(B) Pressure gradients in the water surrounding the sea snake counter the effects of vertical
pressure gradients within its blood vessels
(C) The sea snake assumes a vertical posture less frequently than do the terrestrial and the
arboreal snake
(D) The sea snake often relies on waves of muscle contractions to help move blood from the
torso to the head

4. The word “proximity” in line 14 is closest in meaning to …

(A) Juxtaposition
(B) Remoteness
(C) Distance
(D) Support

5. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is true of species of
terrestrial snakes that often need to assume a vertical posture?
(A) They are more likely to be susceptible to circulatory failure in vertical postures than are
sea snakes
(B) Their hearts are less likely to be located at the midpoint of their bodies than is the case
with sea snakes
 (C) They cannot counteract the pooling of blood in lower regions of their bodies as
effectively as sea snakes can
(D) The blood pressure at their midpoint decreases significantly when they are tilted with
their heads up

6. The author describes the behavior of the circulatory system of sea snakes when they are
removed from the ocean primarily in order to …
(A) Illustrate what would occur in the circulatory system of terrestrial snakes without
adaptations that enable them to regulate their blood pressure in vertical orientations
(B) Explain why arboreal snakes in vertical orientations must rely on muscle contractions to
restore blood pressure to the brain
(C) Illustrate the effects of circulatory failure on the behavior of arboreal snakes
(D) Illustrate the superiority of the circulatory system of the terrestrial snake to that of the
sea snake

7. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is true statement about sea
snakes?
(A) They frequently on waves of muscle contractions from the lower torso to the head to
supplement the work of the heart
(B) They cannot effectively regulate their blood pressure when placed in seawater and tilted
at an angle with the head pointed downward
(C) They are more likely to have a heart located in close proximity to their heads than are
arboreal snakes
(D) They become acutely vulnerable to the effects of gravitational pressure on their
circulatory system when they are placed in a terrestrial environment

8. The author suggests that which of the following is a disadvantage that results from the
location of a snake’s heart in close proximity to its head?
(A) A decrease in the number of orientations in space that a snake can assume without loss
of blood flow to the brain
 (B) A decrease in blood pressure at the snake’s midpoint when it is tilted at various angles
with its head up
(C) An increase in tendency of blood to pool at the snake’s head when the snake it tilted at
various angles with its head down
(D) An increase in the amount of effort required to distribute blood to and from the snake’s
tail

9. The primary purpose of the third paragraph is to …

(A) introduce a topic that is not discussed earlier in the passage
(B) describe a more efficient method of achieving an effect discussed in the previous
paragraph
(C) draw a conclusion based on information elaborated in the previous paragraph
(D) discuss two specific examples of phenomena mentioned at the end of the previous
paragraph

10. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with doing which of the following?
(A) Explaining adaptations that enable the terrestrial snake to cope with the effects of
gravitational pressure on its circulatory system
(B) Comparing the circulatory system of the sea snake with that of the terrestrial snake
(C) Explaining why the circulatory system of the terrestrial snake is different from that of
the sea snake
(D) Pointing out features of the terrestrial snake’s cardiovascular system that make it
superior to that of the sea snake