QUESTION #1

Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Narrative M

When I pick up my father and his girlfriend at Los Angeles International Airport he stops short before
embracing me, blinks repeatedly in disbelief, smiles or smirks crookedly and tentatively, judging me, sizing me
up through his trademark horn-rimmed glasses and ultraconservative mud-brown eyes, which cut
immediately to the wiry dreadlocks bouncing around my fore- head, and his glare that screams What kinda
weird thing you gone and done to yourself this time? disturbingly familiar yet intimidating and benevolent at
the same time, reduces me, as it most often does despite my thirty something years, to the little tyke in
dungarees and high-top sneakers I once was, in dire need of my father's love and approval. For weeks I was
preoccupied with and vexed myself over what my father and I would possibly talk about for seven days and
seven nights, constantly being together and sharing each meal, sleeping in the same house day in, day out,
after our years of estrangement sealed by an impromptu reconciliation. But now that he's here and we move
toward one another, I suddenly acknowledge that seven days might not be sufficient time to encompass all
that we have to say to each other.

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. description of the long-standing personal dynamic between the narrator and his father.
B. background information about the father's life previous to this meeting.
C. an explanation of the recent events that prompted the father's trip.
D. clarification about which character planned and initiated this family visit.

QUESTION #2
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main idea Politics M

The aspiration to neutrality finds prominent expression in our politics and law. Although it derives from the
liberal tradition of political thought, its province is not limited to those known as liberals, . rather than
conservatives, in American politics; it can be found across the political spectrum. Liberals invoke the ideal of
neutrality when opposing school prayer or restrictions on abortion or attempts by certain groups to bring
their morality into the public square. Con- servatives appeal to neutrality when opposing attempts by
government to impose certain moral restraints-for the sake of workers' safety or environmental protection or
distributive justice-on the operation of the market economy.

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. liberals and conservatives have essentially the same value systems.
B. liberals and conservatives find governmental neutrality appealing for different reasons.
C. conservatives are more interested in the nation's economy than are liberals.
D. liberals are responsible for the idea that the U.S. government should be neutral.
QUESTION #3
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text History M

Text 1
In writing of Thoreau, I am not conscious of having any criticism to make of him, l would fain accept him just
as be was, and make the most of him, defining and discriminating him as I would a flower or a bird or any
other product of nature-perhaps exaggerating some features the better to bring them out. I suppose there
were greater men among his contemporaries, but I doubt if there were any more genuine and sincere, or
more devoted to ideal ends. If he was not this, that, or the other great man, be was Thoreau, and he fills his
own niche well, and bas left a positive and distinct impression upon the literature of his country. He was,
perhaps, a little too near his friend and master, Emerson, and brought too directly under his influence. But the
contour of his moral nature was just as firm and resisting. He was no more a soft-shelled egg, to be dented by
every straw in the nest, than was his distinguished neighbor.
Text 2
Walden Woods is the 2,680-acre area outside or Boston, Massachusetts, that inspired Thoreau's book
Walden.
Before I get around to saying why I think that Walden Woods absolutely must be preserved from subdivision
and development, let me confess that, much as I admire Thoreau's bard-mouthed intellectual integrity and
his knotty grappler's mind, I have some reservations about him. There are writings of bis that I admire more
than Walden-the essay "Walking," for example, which is superb from first line to last, and "Civil
Disobedience," though this latter is as explosive as dynamite caps, and should not be left around where
children might find ii and play with it Reading Walden., I am alternately exhilarated and exasperated, as some
of the author's contemporaries were with the man himself. In one paragraph be may say something that has
been waiting a thousand years to be said so well; in the next he is capable of something so outrageous that it
sets my teeth on edge.

Compared to the author of Text 1, the author of Text 2 provides more specific information about the:
A. opinion Thoreau's contemporaries had of his writing.
B. professional relationship Thoreau bad with Emerson.
C. themes that Thoreau explored in his work.

QUESTION #4
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main idea Cultural M

The following text is from Emily Dickinson’s 1890 poem ''There is no Frigate like a Book.”
There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul –

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. boats are unlike books
B. it is better to have a vehicle for the body than for the mind
C. there are more books than boats
D. books are excellent ways to experience the world

QUESTION #5
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Environmental M

Unprecedented industrial growth in the country of Remo has created serious environmental problems
because factories there lack adequate pollution-control systems. Remo is developing a clean growth plan that
includes environmental regulations that will require the installation of such systems. Since no companies in
Remo currently produce pollution- control systems, the plan, if implemented, will create significant
opportunities for foreign
exporters to market pollution-control systems.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

A. The clean growth plan will provide tax incentives for local businesses to develop and manufacture
pollution-control devices.
B. Foreign exporters would provide factory-trained technicians to maintain the pollution- control systems sold
to Remo.
C. Industrial lobbyists sponsored by local businesses in Remo are trying to prevent the implementation of the
government regulations.
D. The regulations that should have been made prior to change

QUESTION #6
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Cultural M

Either food scarcity or excessive hunting can threaten a population of animals. If the group faces food scarcity,
individuals in the group will reach reproductive maturity later than otherwise. If the group faces excessive
hunting, individuals that reach reproductive maturity earlier will come to predominate. Therefore, it should
be possible to determine whether prehistoric mastodons became extinct because of food scarcity or human
hunting, since there are fossilized mastodon remains from both before and after mastodon populations
declined, and ______.

Which of the following most logically completes the reasoning?

A. there are more fossilized mastodon remains from the period before mastodon populations began to
decline than from after that period
B. the average age at which mastodons from a given period reached reproductive maturity can be established
from their fossilized remains
C. it can be accurately estimated from fossilized remains when mastodons became extinct
D. it is not known when humans first began hunting mastodons

QUESTION #7
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

Researchers recently asked dozens of shoppers, chosen at random coming out of a FoodBasket supermarket,
what they had purchased. The prices of the very same items at the nearest ShopperKing supermarket were
totaled and compared with the FoodBasket total. The ShopperKing totals averaged five percent higher than
the FoodBasket totals.
Nevertheless, this result does not necessarily show that shoppers at ShopperKing would save money overall
by shopping at FoodBasket instead, since ______.

Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

A. shoppers who shop regularly at a given supermarket generally choose that store for the low prices offered
on the items that they purchase most often
B. for shoppers with more than 20 items, the ShopperKing totals averaged more than five percent higher than
the FoodBasket totals
C. many shoppers consider factors other than price in choosing the supermarket at which they shop most
regularly
D. there is little variation from month to

QUESTION #8
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea History M

Linkage with the Pacific Coast in the wake of the 1849 gold rush, passed a flat rate for all letters, not graded
for distance as some early rates were. In 1856 all mail in the United States had to be. prepaid (as opposed to
COD, or cash on delivery), and 60 a registered mail service was founded to help prevent the loss of valuables,
though it was rarely used. In 1858 street drop boxes, introduced in London in 1855, were first used in the
United States. By the late 1850s, then, it was possible to mail a letter sealed in an envelope, 65 paid for with a
prepurchased stamp, and dropped into a public box. "No longer did the sender have to come under the
scrutiny of the receiving postal employees" (Mathew J. Bowyer). No sentinels guarded the gates to the
system. Confidentiality was now possible.

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. mid-nineteenth-century innovations giving senders more power over the contents and handling of letter's
made the private letter of today possible.
B. the introduction of prepaid mail service in the mid-nineteenth century greatly increased the popularity and
convenience of the U.S. postal system.
C. the increased confidentiality of the personal letter in the mid-nineteenth century made censorship of
letters by postmasters unlikely.
D. because letters sent after the mid-nineteenth century no longer

QUESTION #8
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Politics M

Central to republican theory is the idea that liberty depends on sharing in self-government. This idea is not by
itself inconsistent with liberal freedom. Participating in politics can be one among the ways in which people
choose to pursue their individual ends. According to republican political theory, however, sharing in self- rule
involves something more. It involves deliberating with fellow citizens about the common good and helping to
shape the destiny of the political community. But to deliberate well about the common good requires more
than the capacity to choose one's ends and to respect others' rights to do the same. It requires a knowledge
of public affairs and also a sense of belonging, a concern for the whole, a moral bond with the community
whose fate is at stake. To share in self rule therefore requires that citizens possess, or come to acquire, certain
civic virtues. But this means that republican politics cannot be neutral toward the values and ends its citizens
espouse. The republican concep- tion of freedom, unlike the liberal conception, requires a formative
politics, a politics that cultivates in citizens. the qualities of character that self-government requires.

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. liberal and republican theories each demand that citizens take part in politics.
B. liberal and republican theories each have their good points and their bad points.
C. republican politicians tend to be more virtuous and compassionate than liberal politicians.
D. republican theory requires that citizens demonstrate a concern for the common good.

QUESTION #9
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Economics M

Economists usually define fiscal policy as the deliberate use of government's spending and taxing powers to
influence economic activity. When the government raises or lowers taxes, or changes its spending levels, in
order to bring about a desired change in the level of total spending, and thus the performance of the
economy, it is practicing fiscal policy. Fiscal policy can also be defined more generally as simply the govern-
ment's taxing and spending policies regardless of whether or not it is trying to bring about changes in the
level of total spending in the economy.

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. define fiscal policy in both specific and general terms.
B. portray fiscal policy as a vague concept.
C. argue for the adoption of an unconventional definition of fiscal policy.
D. present two contradictory definitions of fiscal policy.

QUESTION #10
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Economics M

The objectives of deliberate fiscal policy are to minimize unemployment and inflation by using the
government's taxing and spending powers to assure the correct level of total spending, and thus the proper
level 40 of Gross Domestic Product. The principal determinant of the level of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) is the level of total spending in the economy. If the GDP is too high, the economy will experience
inflation, and if it is too low, the economy will suffer from unemploy- 45 ment. Therefore, in order to have a
healthy economy, it is important to have the proper amount of total spend- ing so the GDP will be neither too
high nor too low..

What is the main idea of the previous paragraph?

A. the total amount of spending in an economy is determined entirely by its GDP.
B. deliberate fiscal policy ought to focus more on unemployment than on inflation.
C. inflation and unemployment are both caused by a GDP that is too high.
D.the GDP of a healthy economy results from a proper amount of total spending.

QUESTION #11
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Cultural M

Text 1
Miniatures offer changes of scale by which we measure ourselves anew. On one hand, miniatures posit an
omniscient onlooker, able to take in the whole at once. Consider your self in relation to dollhouses,
snowglobes, frog spawn, aquariums, souvenir key- chains you look through to see a picture of the very spot
you're visiting, stilled. You are large enough to hold such things fully in hand. On the other hand, miniatures
issue invitations to their realm, and suggest we forget or disregard our size. In dollhouse land, you can walk
through the kitchen, livingroom, bedroom with your three inch high friend and, face pressed to the window,
feel the cushions of the thumbnail loveseat hold you. Fit inside the miniature, we experience cer- tain states
of being or belief: worlds in a grain of sand; eternities in wildflowers. Regions beyond our normal- sized
perception. Whether we are, in relation to them, omniscient or companionably small beings, miniatures invite
us to leave our known selves and perspectives behind.

Text 2
It was with such convictions that I rushed over to the Morgan to see the tiny commodity in question. What a
waste of time! Not because the object is lacking in worthiness, but because the Morgan's own Web site offers
a means of examining the book that, in this case, far surpasses any direct encounter. Every page of the
manuscript is there in living color, and the zoom mech- anism is so powerful and so precise that you can get in
closer than if you were hunched over the real thing with a strong magnifying glass. Zoom in to one of the fig-
ures, scarcely the size of a fingernail, and you see the tiny head in perfect focus. Zooming in deeper, you see
the beard on the head, then the hairs on the beard, then the point at which the whole thing dissolves into
abstract art, as the strokes of the artist's single-hair brush merge with the warped and mottled surface of the
vellum

Which of the following statements best captures a main difference in the focus of the two texts?
A. Text 1 focuses on the appeal of miniatures in general, while Text 2 focuses on the experience of viewing a
single miniature object.
B. Text 1 focuses on the author's memories of miniatures from her childhood, while Text 2 focuses on a
famous collection of miniatures.
C. Text 1 focuses on the historical significance of miniatures, while Text 2 focuses on how miniatures influence
contemporary art.
D. Text 1 focuses on miniatures as an art form, while Text 2 focuses on the practical uses of miniatures.

QUESTION #12
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Reading Comp Literature M

The following text is from William Rose Benét’s 1921 poem ''Madman's Song.”
Better to see your cheek grown hollow,
Better to see your temple worn,
Than to forget to follow, follow,
After the sound of a silver horn.
Better to bind your brow with willow
And follow, follow until you die,
Than to sleep with your head on a golden pillow,
Nor lift it up when the hunt goes by.
Better to see your cheek grow sallow
And your hair grown gray, so soon, so soon,
Than to forget to hallo, hallo,
After the milk-white hounds of the moon.
The poet is most likely addressing the poem to someone
A. who has lost touch with what is important
B. who is ashamed of her background
C. who has become very wealthy
D. who has lost touch with reality

QUESTION #13
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If - True Science M

Scientists are discussing ways to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by increasing the
amount that is absorbed by plant life. One plan to accomplish this is to establish giant floating seaweed farms
in the oceans. When the seaweed plants die, they will be disposed of by being burned for fuel.

Which of the following, if true, would indicate the most serious weakness in the plan above?
A. Some areas of ocean in the Southern Hemisphere do not contain sufficient nutrients to support large
seaweed farms.
B. When a seaweed plant is burned, it releases an amount of carbon dioxide comparable to the amount it has
absorbed in its lifetime.
C. Even if seaweed farms prove effective, some people will be reluctant to switch to this new fuel.
D. Each year about seven billion tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere but only about five
billion tons are absorbed by plant life.

QUESTION #14
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Economic M

In general, jobs are harder to get in times of economic recession because many businesses cut back
operations. However, any future recessions in Vargonia will probably not reduce the availability of teaching
jobs at government-funded schools. This is because Vargonia has just introduced a legal requirement that
education in government-funded schools be available, free of charge, to all Vargonian children regardless of
the state of the economy, and that current student-teacher ratios not be exceeded.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

A. The current student-teacher ratio at Vargonia’s government-funded schools is higher than it was during the
most recent period of economic recession.
B. During recent periods when the Vargonian economy has been strong, almost 25 percent of Vargonian
children have attended privately funded schools, many of which charge substantial fees.
C. Nearly 20 percent more teachers are currently employed in Vargonia’s government-funded schools than
had been employed in those schools in the period before the last economic recession.
D. Teachers in Vargonia’s government-funded schools are well paid relative to teachers in most privately
funded schools in Vargonia, many of which rely heavily on part-time teachers.
QUESTION #15
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Economic M

A significant number of Qualitex Corporation’s department heads are due to retire this year. The number of
employees other than current department heads who could take on the position of department head is equal
to only about half of the expected vacancies. Oualitex
is not going to hire department heads from outside the company or have current department heads take over
more than one department, so some departments will be without department heads next year unless
Qualitex ______.

Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

A. promotes some current department heads to higher-level managerial positions
B. raises the salary for department heads
C. reduces the number of new employees it hires next year
D. reduces the number of its departments

QUESTION #16
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Economic M

Aroca County’s public schools are supported primarily by taxes on property. The county plans to eliminate the
property tax and support schools with a new three percent sales tax on all retail items sold in the county.
Three percent of current retail sales is less than the amount collected through property taxes, but
implementation of the plan would not necessarily reduce the amount of money going to Aroca County public
schools, because ______.

Which if the following, if true, most logically completes the argument?

A. many Aroca County residents have already left the county because of its high property taxes
B. a shopping mall likely to draw shoppers from neighboring counties is about to open in Aroca County
C. at least some Aroca County parents are likely to use the money they will save on property taxes to send
their children to private schools not funded by the county
D. a significant proportion of parents of Aroca County public school students do not own their homes and
consequently do not pay property taxes

QUESTION #17
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code
 Main Purpose Narrative M

My sisters and I drive through parts of the city that I’ve never seen before, where the lights glow like melted
butter and the girls on the sidewalks are wearing brimmed hats and high heels.
Men smile and turn to watch our car passing: I watch back, hands pressed to the window. Then we race
beyond the glowing streets—they dwindle to a star—and the road ahead of us is long and dusty blue and
smells like a warm, blue must, like the heat of a sheep’s back.

Which choice best states the primary purpose of the text?

A. present the narrator’s thoughts about the dusty streets she has traveled on several times before.
B. describe the narrator’s fascination with the street lights that glow hazily and brightly.
C. illustrate the narrator’s visual impression of the family’s journey through the city and out of it.
D. make clear the narrator’s admiration for the clothing the girls on the sidewalks wear.

QUESTION #18
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea History M

In the 1990s, new varieties that American growers had originally developed for overseas markets began to
edge into the domestic market. Shoppers had been “eating with their eyes and not their mouths,” Burford
said. And now their taste buds had been awakened. A sudden shift in consumer preferences, paired with
growing competition from orchards in China, took the industry by surprise. Between 1997 and 2000, U.S.
apple growers lost nearly $800 million in
surplus crop. They had “made the apples redder and redder, and prettier and prettier, and they just about
bred themselves out of existence,” a marketing director for one North.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. In the 1990s, consumer preference for Red Delicious continued to increase, leading to an $800 million
surplus for US apple growers.
B. In the 1990s, consumer preference for fruit other than apples caused US and Chinese apple growers to lose
money.
C. In the 1990s, consumer preference for new apple varieties and increased competition from overseas led to
financial losses for US apple growers.
D. In the 1990s, consumer preference for redder apples and the planting of too many Red Delicious trees led
to financial losses for US apple growers.

QUESTION #19
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Literary M

The following text is from Walt Whitman's 1868 poem ''A Noiseless Patient Spider." A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It
launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly
musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till
the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. The poem explores the ceaseless search of the soul for connection with the world around it, using the
metaphor of a patient spider launching filaments to explore its surroundings.
B. The poem suggests that the ultimate goal of man is to find a connection with the world around him, as
represented by the spider's tireless effort to explore and connect.
C. The poem emphasizes the importance of solitude and detachment in the pursuit of connection, as the
spider stands isolated on a little promontory before launching its filaments.
D. The poem uses the metaphor of the spider's launch of filaments to highlight the futility of man's efforts to
connect with the vast and measureless oceans of space.

QUESTION #20
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Science M

Text 1
On May 21, 2019, midsize black holes were detected for the first time when the U.S.-based Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and its European counterpart Virgo captured a tremor
from a pair of black holes merging deep in space. Priyamvada Natarajan, an astrophysicist who has long
worked on black-hole growth models, believes that black holes this size are born in nuclear star clusters,
dense collections of stars found near galactic centers. These holes sweep through the cluster, adding gas and
dust, until they settle at a single location and cease to , expand.
Text 2
Imre Bartos and other researchers working on ' "hierarchical merger" models, in which black holes grow by
eating one another, focus on one major data point in the LIGONirgo findings. The angular momentum, or
"spin," of a black hole ranges from O to 1. When two black holes of similar size combine, the resulting black
hole usually has a spin of around 0. 7. Significantly, the two black holes involved in the merger recorded by
LIGO and Virgo had 0.69 and 0. 73 respectively, suggesting that they both might have formed in previous
mergers.

Based on the texts, what would Imre Bartos most likely say about Priyamvada Natarajan's belief in Text 1?
A. It underestimates midsize black holes' spin.
B. It misstates the time when the merger occurred.
C. It relies too heavily on data from LIGONIGO.
D. It overlooks the significance of a crucial statistic.

QUESTION #21
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code
 If-True Social M

A certain mayor has proposed a fee of five dollars per day on private vehicles entering the city, claiming that
the fee will alleviate the city's traffic congestion. The mayor reasons that, since the fee will exceed the cost of
round-trip bus fare from many nearby points, many people will switch from using their cars to using the bus.

Which of the following statements, if true, provides the best evidence that the mayor's reasoning is flawed?
A. Projected increases in the price of gasoline will increase the cost of taking a private vehicle into the city.
B. The cost of parking fees already makes it considerably more expensive for most people to take a private
vehicle into the city than to take a bus.
C. Most of the people currently riding the bus do not own private vehicles.
D. Many commuters opposing the mayor's plan have indicated that they would rather endure traffic
congestion than pay a five-dollar-per day fee.

QUESTION #22
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Economic M

Manufacturers sometimes discount the price of a product to retailers for a promotion period when the
product is advertised to consumers. Such promotions often result in a dramatic increase in amount of product
sold by the manufacturers to retailers. Nevertheless, the manufacturers could often make more profit by not
holding the promotions.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the claim above about the manufacturers' profit?
A. The amount of discount generally offered by manufacturers to retailers is carefully calculated to represent
the minimum needed to draw consumers' attention to the product.
B. For many consumer products the period of advertising discounted prices to consumers is about a week,
not sufficiently long for consumers to become used to the sale price.
C. For products that are not newly introduced, the purpose of such promotions is to keep the products in the
minds of consumers and to attract consumers who are currently using competing products.
D. During such a promotion retailers tend to accumulate in their warehouses inventory bought at discount;
they then sell much of it later at their regular price.

QUESTION #23
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Socio M
For the past several years, a certain technology has been widely used to transmit data among networked
computers. Recently two data transmission companies, Aptron and Gammatech, have each developed
separate systems that allow network data transmission at rates ten times faster than the current technology
allows. Although the systems are similarly priced and are equally easy to use, Aptron's product is likely to
dominate the market, because __________.

Which of the following most logically completes the text?

A. Gammatech has been in the business of designing data transmission systems for several years more than
Aptron has
B. the number of small businesses that need computer networking systems is likely to double over the next
few years
C. it is much more likely that Gammatech's system will be expandable to meet future needs
D. it is easier for users of the current data transmission technology to switch to Aptron's product than to
Gammatech's

QUESTION #24
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Cultural M

According to promotional material published by the city of Springfield, more tourists stay in hotels in
Springfield than stay in the neighboring city of Harristown. A brochure from the largest hotel in Harristown
claims that more tourists stay in that hotel than stay in the Royal Arms Hotel in Springfield. If both of these
sources are accurate, however, the county’s “Report on Tourism” must be in error in indicating that _______.

Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?

A. more tourists stay in hotel accommodations in Harristown than stay in the Royal Arms Hotel
B. the Royal Arms Hotel is the only hotel in Springfield
C. there are several hotels in Harristown that are larger than the Royal Arms Hotel
D. some of the tourists who have stayed in hotels in Harristown have also stayed in the Royal Arms Hotel

QUESTION #25
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Cultural M

The selection of photographic stills, plucked from films and enlarged to architectural proportions (one
hundred feet in length for banners and forty feet in height for cutouts) was
calculated to excite the public and nourish a “spectatorial consciousness,” what Roland Barthes, a French
cultural critic who often wrote about photography, described as the experiential quality of still photographic
images. Barthes recalled being transfixed by still images from movies, but then losing all memory of them
while viewing the film they came from. Our perception of a moving cinematic image, he explained, is always
determined by the frames that both precede and follow it. In contrast, a single and isolated film still that
stands alone can be viewed indefinitely and more carefully.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Barthes theorized that a film still expanded to architectural proportions is more effective than a small still.
B. Barthes theorized that careful viewing of film stills is essential to understanding full-length films.
C. Barthes theorized that the experience of viewing a moving image is different from the experience of
viewing a film still.
D. Barthes theorized that a film still is easier to remember when viewed in the context of the entire movie.

QUESTION #26
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Function Cultural M

For nearly five decades, huge photo-realistic billboards of film stars towered over the streets of Chennai, a
major hub of the vibrant and prolific Indian film industry. Expertly hand-painted on canvas banners and
plywood cutouts, these eye-catching advertisements extracted dreamlike images of wealth, beauty, and
revenge from films screened in darkened and airconditioned theaters and displayed them in the sunlit glare of
urban thoroughfares.

What is the function of the underlined portion?

A. show that advertisers take different approaches to daytime and nighttime advertising.
B. establish the appearance, function, and appeal of Chennai’s cinematic billboards.
C. argue that the glare of sunlight is detrimental to the appreciation of advertising images.
D. explain why Chennai’s cinematic billboards tended to emphasize certain images.

QUESTION #27
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Reading Comp Cultural M

From the 1850s to the present, local entrepreneurs operating photo studios have employed painters to
enhance portrait photographs of their clients with drama and desirable accoutrements that were absent in
the original photographs. The theatricality of Indian studio photo - graphs, and the fantasies they fulfill, has in
turn influenced the idealized ways celebrities are represented in the hand-painted cinema advertisements.
Like their counterparts in the world of studio photography, banner artists also painted directly onto a
photograph in the process of creating studies for their spectacular enlargements.

Based on the text, in India, the act of enhancing photographic images with paint was first practiced by:
A. portrait painters working in the 1880s.
B. poster artists working in the 1950s.
C. assistants working for photojournalists in the 1960s.
D. painters working for studio photographers in the 1850s.

QUESTION #28
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Reading Comp Cultural M

The following text is from Natasha Trethwey's 2006 poem ''Incident."

We tell the story every year— how we peered from the windows, shades drawn— though nothing really
happened, the charred grass now green again. We peered from the windows, shades drawn, at the cross
trussed like a Christmas tree, the charred grass still green. Then we darkened our rooms, lit the hurricane
lamps. At the cross trussed like a Christmas tree, a few men gathered, white as angels in their gowns. We
darkened our rooms and lit hurricane lamps, the wicks trembling in their fonts of oil.
It seemed the angels had gathered, white men in their gowns. When they were done, they left quietly. No one
came. The wicks trembled all night in their fonts of oil; by morning the flames had all dimmed. When they
were done, the men left quietly. No one came. Nothing really happened. By morning all the flames had
dimmed. We tell the story every year.

According to the text, what is the speaker remembering?

A. The speaker is remembering a joyful Christmas celebration with their neighbors.
B. The speaker is recalling a nightmare they once had.
C. The speaker is remembering an incident of the KKK burning a cross on a lawn.
D. The speaker is remembering a hurricane that struck their neighborhood.

QUESTION #29
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If True Economic M

Companies O and P each have the same number of employees who work the same number of hours per
week. According to records maintained by each company, the employees of Company O had fewer job-related
accidents last year than did the employees of Company P. Therefore, employees of Company O are less likely
to have job-related accidents than are employees of Company P.

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the conclusion?

A. The employees of Company P lost more time at work due to job-related accidents than did the employees
of Company O.
B. Company P considered more types of accidents to be job-related than did Company O.
C. The employees of Company P were sick more often than were the employees of Company O.
D. Several employees of Company O each had more than one job-related accident.
QUESTION #30
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If True Economic M

Sales of telephones have increased dramatically over the last year. In order to take advantage of this increase,
Mammoth Industries plans to expand production of its own model of telephone, while continuing its already
very extensive advertising of this product.

Which of the following, if true, provides most support for the view that Mammoth Industries cannot increase
its sales of telephones by adopting the plan outlined above?
A. Although it sells all of the telephones that it produces, Mammoth Industries' share of all telephone sales
has declined over the last year.
B. Mammoth Industries' average inventory of telephones awaiting shipment to retailers has declined slightly
over the last year.
C. Advertising has made the brand name of Mammoth Industries' telephones widely known, but few
consumers know that Mammoth Industries owns this brand.
D. Despite a slight decline in the retail price, sales of Mammoth Industries' telephones have fallen in the last
year.

QUESTION #31
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

Although the number of large artificial satellites orbiting the Earth is small compared to the number of small
pieces of debris in orbit, the large satellites interfere more seriously with telescope observations because of
the strong reflections they produce. Because many of those large satellites have ceased to function, the
proposal has recently been made to eliminate interference from nonfunctioning satellites by exploding them
in space. This proposal, however, is ill conceived, since _______.

Which of the following most logically completes the argument below?

A. many nonfunctioning satellites remain in orbit for years
B. for satellites that have ceased to function, repairing them while they are in orbit would be prohibitively
expensive
C. there are no known previous instances of satellites’ having been exploded on purpose
D. a greatly increased number of small particles in Earth’s orbit would result in a blanket of reflections that
would make certain valuable telescope observations impossible
QUESTION #32
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

A certain tropical island received food donations in the form of powdered milk for distribution to its poorest
residents, who were thought to be malnourished. Subsequently, the rate of liver cancers among those
islanders increased sharply. The donated milk was probably to blame: recent laboratory research on rats has
shown that rats briefly exposed to the substances aflatoxin tend to develop liver cancer when fed casein, a
milk protein. This result is relevant because _______.

Which of the following most logically completes the text?

A. in the tropics, peanuts, a staple of these island residents, support a mold growth that produces aflatoxin
B. the liver is more sensitive to carcinogens, of which aflatoxin may be one, than most other bodily organs
C. casein is not the only protein contained in milk
D. powdered milk is the most appropriate form in which to send milk to a tropical destination
QUESTION #33
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Science M

Text 1
As California faces another drought, urban residents have been called upon to do their part. About 62 gallons
of water per week is needed for every one hundred square feet of grassy lawn. The average backyard is about
1,500 square feet. Add the front yard, and multiply by all the houses in a city. When residents cut down on
their lawn watering, the effect is cumulative. It adds up to millions of gallons of water saved per week.
Text 2
The California Department of Water Resources reports that agriculture (farmland) accounts for 29% of all
water use during a wet year. During a dry year, that figure more than doubles, claiming a staggering 61%. In
contrast, urban water use ranges from just 8% during a wet year to 11% during a dry one. These figures make
sense when considering that most water usage for urban dwellers happens indoors. Lawn watering—which
fluctuates from wet years to dry years—is a small piece of the pie.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely describe the view presented in Text 1?
A. It is compelling and supports the data from the California Department of Water Resources report.
B. It is accurate, but it lacks context provided by the data from the California Department of Water Resources
report.
C. It is plausible. but it contradicts the data from the California Department of water resources report.
D. It is probably only applicable to water usage patterns during wet years and does not address the data from
the California Department of water resources report.

QUESTION #34
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Cultural M

To better understand people's receptiveness to opposing viewpoints, public policy scholars Julia Minson of
Harvard University and Frances Chen of the University of British Columbia reviewed dozens of studies
spanning from 1984 to 2021. Among their findings, the researchers point out that two thoughtful people
might examine each other's ideas seriously and, recognizing that it is possible for reasonable people to hold
either perspective, respectfully agree to disagree.

Which choice describes the main idea of the text?

A. It highlights a potential outcome of a strong disagreement.
B. It describes a process by which people's opinions can evolve.
C. It emphasizes the importance of considering multiple perspectives.
D. It discusses a strategy that permits opposing parties to reconcile their differences.
QUESTION #35
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Function Science M

Far below the mid-ocean ridge volcanoes and their countless layers of crust-forming lava is the mantle, a
3,200-kilometer-thick layer of scorching hot rock that forms the earth's midsection and surrounds its metallic
core. At the planet's cool surface, up thrusted mantle rocks are dark green, but if you could see them in their
rightful home, they would be glowing red- or even white-hot. The top of the mantle is about 1,300 degrees
Celsius, and it gets about one degree hotter with each kilometer of depth. The weight of overlying rock means
the pressure also increases with depth about 1,000 atmospheres for every three kilometers.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence within the text as a whole?
A. To convey the intense pressure that pervades the mantle
B. To suggest that scientific understanding of mantle rocks is limited
C. To describe a difference between mantle rocks and other types of rock
D. To emphasize a difference between mantle rocks in different locations

QUESTION #36
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Reading Comp Literary M

The following text is adapted from Edith Wharton's novel The Custom of the Country.
Mrs. Spragg has recently arrived in New York City with her daughter. The room showed no traces of human
use, and Mrs. Spragg herself wore as complete an air of detachment as if she had been a wax figure in a
show-window. Her attire was fashionable enough to justify such a post, and her pale soft-cheeked face, with
puffy eye-lids and drooping mouth, suggested a partially-melted wax figure which had run to double-chin.

According to the text, what is true about Mrs. Spragg?

A. She feels anxious in her environment.
B. Her clothing is not suited to her position.
C. Her features are sharp and distinctive.
D. She appears aloof and disconnected from her surroundings.
QUESTION #37
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Reading Comp Literary M

The following text is from Georgia Douglas Johnson's 1922 poem ''Youth."
The dew is on the grasses, dear,
The blush is on the rose,
And swift across our dial- youth,
A shifting shadow goes.
The primrose moments, lush with bliss,
Exhale and fade away,
Life may renew the Autumn time, But nevermore the May!

According to the text, in what way is youth unlike the autumn of life?
A. Youth is not affected by the shadows of life, while autumn is.
B. The period of youth cannot be prolonged, while the autumn of life can.
C. Youth retains its freshness indefinitely, while autumn does not.
D. The stage of youth is characterized by abundant bliss, while the autumn of life may not be.

QUESTION #38
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Cultural M

Text 1
Our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our plates. This globalization of the food
supply has serious consequences for the environment, our health, our communities and our taste buds. Much
of the food grown in the breadbaskets surrounding us must be shipped across the country to distribution
centers before it makes its way back to our supermarket shelves. Because uncounted costs of this long-
distance journey (air pollution and global warming, the ecological costs of large-scale monoculture, the loss of
family farms and local community dollars) are not paid for at the checkout counter, many of us do not think
about them at all.
Text 2
Just how much carbon dioxide is emitted by transporting food from farm to fork? Pierre Desrochers and
Hiroko Shimizu cite a comprehensive study done by the United Kingdom's Department of Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which reported that 82 percent of food miles were generated within the U.K.
Consumer shopping trips accounted for 48 percent and trucking for 31 percent of British food miles. Air
freight amounted to less than 1 percent of food miles. In total, food transportation accounted for only 1.8
percent of Britain's carbon dioxide emissions.
Based on the texts, how would Desrochers and Shimizu (Text 2) most likely describe the view presented in
Text 1?
A. It is strongly supported by data compiled by DEFRA.
B. It overstates the effects of transporting food on the environment.
C. It appears justified by preliminary findings but has not yet been definitively proven.
D. It is highly implausible because most consumers do not consider the source of their food.

QUESTION #39
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

Fully one-third of the human brain is devoted to processing visual information; in contrast, only five percent
involves smell. As a result, modern neuroscience has focused most intensely on deciphering sight, with
olfaction often treated as a bonus sense. That is reflected in the paucity of language to describe it, a situation
that poses a problem for scientific investigation. There are countless adjectives to describe what things look
and sound- like, but humans' vocabulary for olfactory perception is fragmentary and highly inconsistent.
Therefore, _________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. olfactory researchers are seeking higher levels of funding to study how people process odors.
B. people often cannot explain how things smell to them in a way that is comprehensible to researchers.
C. people must be able to process visual and olfactory information simultaneously in their daily lives.
D. people should focus on sensations rather than words when they encounter new scents.

QUESTION #40
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Purpose Science M

Psychologists are beginning to understand that we see our future selves as strangers. Though we will
inevitably share their fates, the people we will become in a decade, quarter century, or more, are unknown to
us. This impedes our ability to make good choices on their own, which of course is our own behalf. If you feel
perfectly justified in breaking your New Year’s resolution, it may be because it feels like it was a promise
someone else made.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A. point out the futility of making promises about future behavior.
B. cast a potentially complex psychological idea in everyday terms.
C. introduce a personal anecdote to illustrate a scientific concept.
D. suggest that specific occasions can trigger forward-looking thoughts.
QUESTION #41
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Purpose Narrative M

The Awakening is an 1890 novel by Kate Chopin. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist, is on vacation with her
husband and children at Grand Isle resort in Louisiana.
Edna Pontellier could not have told why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert, she should in the first place
have declined, and in the second place have followed in obedience to one of the two contradictory impulses
which impelled her. A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her. In short, Mrs. Pontellier was
beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an
individual to the world within and about her.

Which choice best states the primary purpose of the text?

A. To highlight Edna's tendency to behave in contradictory ways
B. To present a situation in which Edna must make a momentous decision
C. To describe Edna's newfound insight into her interior and exterior existence
D. To convey Edna's sense of duty toward her family
QUESTION #42
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Science M

Text 1
By investigating interactions between tree species, scientists have found that trees leverage similarities and
differences in their microbial "makeup" to recognize other trees of their own species, and that they
preferentially share nutrients with them through their mycorrhizal network- the systems of roots and fungi
that connect them. For example, Douglas Fir trees growing in the same plot have been shown to share more
carbon among them than with trees of other species.
Text 2
The notion that trees send out resources to strengthen a community composed of members of their species is
unlikely because groups that cooperate would need to win out over groups made up of competing individuals.
According to plant ecologist Kathryn Flinn, while trees can sometimes facilitate each other's growth, a forest
does not function like a single organism: it includes a vast array of species with a constantly shifting variety of
interactions, both cooperative and competitive

Based on the texts, what would Kathryn Flinn most likely say about the "Douglas Fir trees" in Text 1?
A. Their mycorrhizal network is not fully understood. 163
B. They function as if they were a single organism.
C. They are also likely to compete among themselves for some resources.
D. The amount of carbon they share will vary according to environmental conditions.
QUESTION #43
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Science M

In countries in which new life-sustaining drugs cannot be patented, such drugs are sold at widely affordable
prices; those same drugs, where patented, command premium prices because the patents shield patent-
holding manufacturers from competitors. These facts show that future access to new life-sustaining drugs can
be improved if the practice of granting patents on newly developed life-sustaining drugs were to be abolished
everywhere.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

A. In countries in which life-sustaining drugs cannot be patented, their manufacture is nevertheless a
profitable enterprise.
B. Countries that do not currently grant patents on life-sustaining drugs are, for the most part, countries with
large populations.
C. In some countries specific processes for the manufacture of pharmaceutical drugs can be patented even in
cases in which the drugs themselves cannot be patented.
D. Pharmaceutical companies can afford the research that goes into the development of new drugs only if
patents allow them to earn high profits.

QUESTION #44
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

Physicists have yet to figure out what exactly happens at the singularity of a black hole: matter is crushed, but
what becomes of it then? The event horizon, by hiding the singularity, isolates this gap in our knowledge. All
kinds of processes unknown to science may occur at the singularity, yet they have no effect on the outside
world. Astronomers plotting the orbits of planets and stars can safely ignore the uncertainties introduced by
singularities and ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. apply the standard laws of physics with confidence.
B. focus on gaining a deeper understanding of black holes.
C. attempt to peer behind the event horizon.
D. uncover phenomena not currently known to science.
QUESTION #45
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Socio M

Most grocery stores spray produce with water on a regular basis in order to ensure that they maintain a
wholesome, fresh-picked appearance. However, according to Martin Lindstrom, author of Brandwashed:
Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, not only does this liquid lack any
practical purpose, but it has a deleterious effect: ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. shoppers are unlikely to purchase fruits and vegetables that appear dry and withered.
B. moisture causes picked vegetables to spoil more quickly than they otherwise would.
C. certain vegetables lose some of their nutrients when they are boiled.
D. produce must be watered at predictable intervals in order to appeal to consumers.
QUESTION #46
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Science M

Text 1
Until recently, the concrete psychological effects of fiction on individuals and society were largely a matter of
speculation. However, research in psychology is beginning to provide answers about how fiction can expand
our moral imaginations. For example, a series of studies conducted by Keith Oatley, Maja Djikic, and Raymond
Mar found that fiction measurably improves people's ability to guess others' mental states by looking at only
their eyes. They interpreted this finding as evidence for the idea that fiction allows people to connect with
something larger than themselves.
Text 2
An empirical approach to the question of whether fiction improves empathy was taken by David Kidd and
Emanuele Castano, who conducted five experiments in which participants read fictional excerpts and then
responded to images of facial expressions. The results showed that the participants had improved their
theory of mind (ToM), or their ability to infer the thoughts and emotions of others. As Kidd points out,
however, highly developed ToM does not always translate into more ethical behavior: the ability to
manipulate someone, for instance, also requires a heightened understanding of other people's emotions.

Based on the texts, how would Kidd and Castano most likely respond to Oatley, Djikic, and Mar in Text 1?
A. By acknowledging the importance of connecting with others 165
B. By conceding that fiction can allow people to transcend their everyday lives
C. By pointing out that empathy can have negative as well as positive effects
D. By emphasizing that individuals with high ToM may sometimes prefer non-fiction
QUESTION #47
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Science M

A recent study found that children who regularly eat breakfast have better academic performance than those
who skip breakfast. The local government of a city with a high poverty rate plans to implement a free
breakfast program for all elementary school students to improve academic achievement. However, some
critics argue that the program may not be effective.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously undermines the likelihood that the planned free breakfast
program, if implemented, will improve academic achievement for elementary school students in the city?

A. Many students in the city who come from low-income households already receive free breakfast at school.
B. The city's schools have a high student-to-teacher ratio, making it difficult for teachers to provide individual
attention to students who are struggling academically.
C. Some parents in the city have reported that their children are picky eaters who are unlikely to eat the
breakfast offered at school.
D. Research shows that academic achievement is primarily determined by factors outside of school, such as
family income and parental involvement.
QUESTION #48
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

If-True Science M

A recent study found that employees who take regular breaks during the workday are more productive and
less likely to experience burnout. In response, a company is considering implementing a new policy that
encourages employees to take two 15-minute breaks each day, in addition to their regular lunch break.

Which of the following, if true, best supports the likelihood that the proposed policy will have a positive
impact on employee productivity and well-being?

A. Employees who currently take short breaks during the workday report feeling more refreshed and focused
upon returning to their work.
B. The company's competitors have already implemented similar policies and have reported increased
employee satisfaction and productivity as a result.
C. Research has shown that prolonged periods of uninterrupted work can lead to decreased cognitive
performance and increased stress levels.
D. The company's managers have received training in effective time management techniques and are
equipped to help employees make the most of their breaks.

QUESTION #49
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Socio M

Although it is widely assumed that cognitive bias clouds our assessment of the people around us, their
research and that of others, a group of researchers at the Santa Fe Institute has found that people's
estimations of what their friends and family believe are often largely correct. That's because as highly social
creatures, we have become very good at sizing up those around us what researchers call "social sensing." It is
therefore possible ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. to gather highly accurate information about trends by asking about individuals about their social circles
rather than their own beliefs.
B. to determine people's views on a variety of topics by analyzing the ways in which they interact with others.
C. to discover what people truly believe about an issue by asking them to reflect on their personal biases.
D. to develop an algorithm that reliably predicts people's preferences about a wide range of items.
QUESTION #50
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Historical M

One of the most startling discoveries of the early 21st century was that Inda-European languages seem not to
have been spread by Anatolian farmers living in what is now Turkey, as was commonly thought, but rather by
a people called , the Yamnaya, horse-herding nomads who lived on the Eurasian steppes more than 5,000
years ago. A host of linguistic evidence suggesting this possibility was first compiled persuasively by
archaeologist David Anthony in 2007; DNA evidence later proved he was on target, showing that_________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. members of tribes from the steppes arrived in Germany sometime between 2500 and 2000 BCE.
B. the Yamnaya were a genetic blend of three separate Eurasian populations.
C. around 5,000 years ago, the Yamnaya's genes began to appear throughout Europe and Asia. D. the
Yamnayans were linguistically unique in comparison to other groups from the same period.

]QUESTION #51
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Main Idea Cultural M

To dye wool, Navajo (Diné) weaver Lillie Taylor uses plants and vegetables from Arizona, where she lives. For
example, she achieved the deep reds and browns featured in her 2003 rug In the Path of the Four Seasons by
using Arizona dock roots, drying and grinding them before mixing the powder with water to create a dye bath.
To intensify the appearance of certain colors, Taylor also sometimes mixes in clay obtained from nearby soil.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A. Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor’s rugs.
B. In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative weaving techniques.
C. Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.
D. Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert.
QUESTION #52
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Cross-Text Science M

Text 1
In recent years, there has been an explosion of scientific research revealing precisely how positive feelings are
beneficial. We know that they motivate people to pursue important goals and overcome obstacles, offer
protective benefits against the effects of stress, improve our social connectedness, and even ward off illness.
The science of happiness has spawned a small industry of motivational speakers and research enterprises.
Clearly, happiness is popular.
Text 2
Happiness, it turns out, has a cost when experienced too intensely. For instance, we often are told that
happiness can open up our minds to foster more creative thinking and help us tackle problems or puzzles.
This is the case when we experience moderate levels of happiness. But according to Mark Alan Davis's 2008
analysis of the relationship between mood and creativity, when people experience intense and perhaps
overwhelming amounts of happiness, they no longer experience the same creativity boost. What's more,
psychologist Barbara Fredrickson has found that too much positive emotion- and too little negative emotion
makes people inflexible in the face of new challenges.

Based on the texts, what would Mark Alan Davis most likely respond to what "we know" in Text 1?
A. By emphasizing the connection between creativity and negative emotions
B. By acknowledging the benefits of positivity in moderation but cautioning against it in excess
C. By questioning the motives of the participants in the happiness industry
D. By challenging the connection between positive feelings and personal fulfillment
QUESTION #53
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

When Isaac Newton published the Principia in 1687, his laws of motion solved numerous problems in physics;
however, they also introduced a new conundrum, which was not fully grasped until centuries after Newton
and which still poses a problem for cosmologists today. Essentially, Newton's laws work about twice as well as
they are intended: they describe the everyday world that people move through, but they also account
perfectly well for a world in which people walk backwards, clocks tick from evening to morning, and _______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. objects interact unpredictably with one another.
B. planets that are in motion remain in motion.
C. particles of different weights move at varying speeds.
D. apples rise from the ground to the branches of a tree.

QUESTION #54
Category Subject Difficulty Generator Code

Inference Science M

Exactly how Mars was formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago is a mystery, although there are several
theories. One idea is that the planet was created via a titanic collision of rocks in space, spawning an all-
encompassing magma ocean. When it cooled, a crust with high levels of basalt was formed. Another
possibility is that parts of the first crust on Mars had a different origin, one that would primarily show large
concentrations of silica. Planetary geochemist Valerie Payre and her partners analysed data for the planet's
southern hemisphere, the planet's oldest region. They discovered nine locations rich in feldspar, a mineral
associated with lava flows that are higher in silica than basalt. This finding led them to conclude that________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A. portions of Mars' surface were never covered by a crust.
B. the magma ocean formed from rocks colliding in space was not all-encompassing.
C. the southern hemisphere of Mars contained more silica than was previously believed.
D. the first crust on Mars did not develop until long after the planet was formed.