Passage 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

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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 16 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

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 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

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 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
Passage 4
Most research on learning disabilities focuses on remediating specific academic skills,
such as reading and math. Nonetheless, struggles at school and with homework can crate an
enormous amount of stress and anxiety for children and families, finds a tudy 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 effecton
families is 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’ anxiey about
their children, children’s anxiety and frustration over school work, the long time 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-

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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.

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

(A) Students learning diffculties, 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 howework will reduce school anxiety faced by children and parents

12. 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

13. 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 learnign difficulties

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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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 reserachers are hoped to sit in classes for children with learning disabilities

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

(A) Participating families

(B) Teachers
(C) School support systems
(D) Children with and without learning problems

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19. 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

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

(A) Negligible
(B) Consequential
(C) Slight
(D) Trifling

KUNCI JAWABAN

1. B
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. D
8. D
9. D
10. A
11. A
12. A
13. A
14. B
15. B
16. A
17. A
18. A
19. C
20. A

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