Course challenge Flashcards
Text 1
Some animal species, like the leopard, can be found in many kinds of areas. On the other hand, tropical mountain bird species tend to be limited in the types of spaces they can call home. This is because many mountain bird species are only able to survive at very specific elevations. Over time, these species have likely become used to living at a specific temperature. Therefore, these species struggle to survive at elevations that are warmer or colder than they are used to.
Text 2
A new study reviewed observations of nearly 3,000 bird species to understand why tropical mountain bird species live at specific elevations. They noted that when a mountain bird species was found in an area with many other bird species, it tended to inhabit much smaller geographic areas. It is thus likely that competition for resources with other species, not temperature, limits where these birds can live.
Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
A - Little is known about how tropical mountain birds build their nests.
B - Tropical mountain bird species are restricted in where they can live.
C - Tropical mountain bird species that live at high elevations tend to be genetically similar.
D - Scientists have better tools to observe tropical mountain birds than they did in the past.
B - Tropical mountain bird species are restricted in where they can live.
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three pioneers in the field of click chemistry: two- time Nobel Laureate Barry Sharpless, who coined the term “click chemistry” in 1998; Carolyn Bertozzi, founder of The Bertozzi Group at ______ and Morten Meldal, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A - Stanford;
B - Stanford,
C - Stanford
D - Stanford:
A - Stanford; – CORRECT
This is the best choice. This choice correctly uses a semicolon to punctuate a complex list (which is made up of items that have commas in them).
Text 1
In 2021, a team led by Amir Siraj hypothesized that the Chicxulub impactor—the object that struck the Yucatán Peninsula sixty-six million years ago, precipitating the mass extinction of the dinosaurs—was likely a member of the class of long-period comets. As evidence, Siraj cited the carbonaceous chondritic composition of samples from the Chicxulub impact crater as well as of samples obtained from long-period comet Wild 2 in 2006.
Text 2
Although long-period comets contain carbonaceous chondrites, asteroids are similarly rich in these materials. Furthermore, some asteroids are rich in iridium, as Natalia Artemieva points out, whereas long-period comets are not. Given the prevalence of iridium at the crater and, more broadly, in geological layers deposited worldwide following the impact, Artemieva argues that an asteroid is a more plausible candidate for the Chicxulub impactor.
Based on the texts, how would Artemieva likely respond to Siraj’s hypothesis, as presented in Text 1?
A - By insisting that it overestimates how representative Wild 2 is of long-period comets as a class
B - By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact
C - By praising it for connecting the composition of Chicxulub crater samples to the composition of certain asteroids
D - By concurring that carbonaceous chondrites are prevalent in soil samples from sites distant from the Chicxulub crater
B - By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact
CORRECT
By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact
This is the best choice. Siraj’s hypothesis is that the Chicxulub impactor was a long-period comet. But Artemieva points to the iridium found in the crater and in “geological layers that were deposited worldwide after the impact” as evidence that it was actually an asteroid, not a long-period comet.
To investigate the influence of certain estrogen-responsive neurons on energy expenditure, biologist Stephanie Correa et al. treated female and male mice with either saline solution or clozapine-N4-oxide (CNO), which activates the neurons. Monitoring the activity levels of the mice by measuring how frequently the animals broke infrared beams crossing their enclosures, Correa et al. found that the mice in their study showed sex-specific differences in response to neuron activation: ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the assertion?
A - the four groups of mice differed greatly in their activity levels before treatment but showed identical activity levels at the end of the monitoring period.
B - CNO-treated females showed a substantial increase and then decline in activity over the monitoring period, whereas CNO-treated males showed a substantial decline in activity followed by a steep increase.
C - saline-treated females showed substantially more activity at certain points in the monitoring period than saline-treated males did.
D - CNO-treated females showed more activity relative to saline-treated females than CNO-treated males showed relative to saline-treated males.
D - CNO-treated females showed more activity relative to saline-treated females than CNO-treated males showed relative to saline-treated males.
CORRECT
CNO-treated females showed more activity relative to saline-treated females than CNO-treated males showed relative to saline-treated males.
This is the best choice. The graph shows that the CNO-treated females were way more active than the CNO-treated males, while the saline-treated males and females (the control groups) had very similar activity levels. This supports the claim that there were sex-specific differences in the mice’s response to neuron activation.
Text 1
Soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans, is noted for its umami flavor. Umami—one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, bitter, salty, and sour—was formally classified when its taste receptors were discovered in the 2000s. In 2007, to define the pure umami flavor scientists Rie Ishii and Michael O’Mahony used broths made from shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed, and two panels of Japanese and US judges closely agreed on a description of the taste.
Text 2
A 2022 experiment by Manon Jünger et al. led to a greater understanding of soy sauce’s flavor profile. The team initially presented a mixture of compounds with low molecular weights to taste testers who found it was not as salty or bitter as real soy sauce. Further analysis of soy sauce identified proteins, including dipeptides, that enhanced umami flavor and also contributed to saltiness. The team then made a mix of 50 chemical compounds that re-created soy sauce’s flavor.
Based on the texts, if Ishii and O’Mahony (Text 1) and Jünger et al. (Text 2) were aware of the findings of both experiments, they would most likely agree with which statement?
A - The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key part in the 2022 experiment.
B - On average, the diets of people in the United States tend to have fewer foods that contain certain dipeptides than the diets of people in Japan have.
C - Chemical compounds that activate both the umami and salty taste receptors tend to have a higher molecular weight than those that only activate umami taste receptors.
D - Fermentation introduces proteins responsible for the increase of umami flavor in soy sauce, and those proteins also increase the perception of saltiness.
A - The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key part in the 2022 experiment.
CORRECT
The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key part in the 2022 experiment.
This is the best choice. Ishii and O’Mahony were trying to isolate the pure umami flavor, while Jünger was trying to recreate soy sauce, which has a mix of flavors that includes umami. Accordingly, the broths from Text 1 are not described as having any soy sauce in them—just “shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed”. So they probably don’t have as much of the dipeptides described in Text 2, which were found to be a key part of soy sauce’s umami-ness and its saltiness.
The most recent iteration of the immersive theater experience Sleep No More, which premiered in New York City in 2011, transforms its performance space—a five-story warehouse—into a 1930s-era hotel. Audience members, who wander through the labyrinthine venue at their own pace and follow the actors as they play out simultaneous, interweaving narrative loops, confront the impossibility of experiencing the production in its entirety. The play’s refusal of narrative coherence thus hinges on the sense of spatial fragmentation that the venue’s immense and intricate layout generates.
What does the text most strongly suggest about Sleep No More’s use of its performance space?
A - The production’s dependence on a particular performance environment would likely make it difficult to reproduce exactly in a different theatrical space.
B - Audience members who navigate the space according to a recommended itinerary will likely have a better grasp of the play’s narrative than audience members who depart from that itinerary.
C - The choice of a New York City venue likely enabled the play’s creators to experiment with the use of theatrical space in a way that venues from earlier productions could not.
D - Audience members likely find the experience of the play disappointing because they generally cannot make their way through the entire venue.
A - The production’s dependence on a particular performance environment would likely make it difficult to reproduce exactly in a different theatrical space.
CORRECT
The production’s dependence on a particular performance environment would likely make it difficult to reproduce exactly in a different theatrical space.
This is the best choice. The text says that the production’s use of its large, winding space has a very specific effect on the audience. Given that the space itself is so important to creating this effect, it would be difficult to reproduce the production in a different space.
Scientists studying Mars long thought the history of its crust was relatively simple. One reason for this is that geologic and climate data collected by a spacecraft showed that the crust was largely composed of basalt, likely as a result of intense volcanic activity that brought about a magma ocean, which then cooled to form the planet’s surface. A study led by Valerie Payré focused on additional information—further analysis of data collected by the spacecraft and infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface—that revealed the presence of surprisingly high concentrations of silica in certain regions on Mars. Since a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica, Payré concluded that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A - high silica concentrations on Mars likely formed from a different process than that which formed the crusts of other planets.
B - Mars’s crust likely formed as a result of other major geological events in addition to the cooling of a magma ocean.
C - having a clearer understanding of the composition of Mars’s crust and the processes by which it formed will provide more insight into how Earth’s crust formed.
D - the information about silica concentrations collected by the spacecraft is likely more reliable than the silica information gleaned from infrared wavelengths detected from Mars’s surface.
B - Mars’s crust likely formed as a result of other major geological events in addition to the cooling of a magma ocean.
CORRECT
Mars’s crust likely formed as a result of other major geological events in addition to the cooling of a magma ocean.
This is the best choice. Cooling magma would create basalt, but “a planetary surface that formed in a mostly basaltic environment would be unlikely to contain large amounts of silica”. Since Mars’s crust does contain large amounts of silica, it is unlikely that Mars’s crust was formed exclusively by cooling magma. Therefore, there were likely other major geological events that created the high silica concentrations.
Microbes that live in shallow lakes and ponds produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Ecologist Ralf Aben and his team wanted to see how different types of shallow-water plants might affect the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere. Aben’s team set up some water tanks with soil and microbes from local ponds. Some tanks had a type of underwater plant that grows in the soil called watermilfoil. Other tanks had either duckweed, a type of plant that floats on the water’s surface, or algae. Aben and his team found that tanks with duckweed and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil did. This finding suggests that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A - shallow lakes and ponds are more likely to contain algae than to contain either watermilfoil or duckweed.
B - shallow lakes and ponds release more methane than deeper bodies of water because shallow bodies of water usually have more plants than deep bodies of water do.
C - the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil helps prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.
D - having a mix of algae, underwater plants, and floating plants is the best way to reduce the amount of methane in shallow lakes and ponds.
C - the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil helps prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.
CORRECT
the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil helps prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.
This is the best choice. The passage tells us that “tanks with duckweed (a floating plant) and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil (an underwater plant) did”. This suggests that the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil may help prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.
Several studies of sediment (e.g., dirt, pieces of rock, etc.) in streams have shown an inverse correlation between sediment grain size and downstream distance from the primary sediment source, suggesting that stream length has a sorting effect on sediment. In a study of sediment sampled at more than a dozen sites in Alpine streams, however, geologists Camille Litty and Fritz Schlunegger found that cross-site variations in grain size were not associated with differences in downstream distance, though they did not conclude that downstream distance is irrelevant to grain size. Rather, they concluded that sediment influx in these streams may have been sufficiently spatially diffuse to prevent the typical sorting effect from being observed.
Which finding about the streams in the study, if true, would most directly support Litty and Schlunegger’s conclusion?
Choose 1 answer:
A - The streams contain several types of sediment that are not typically found in streams where the sorting effect has been demonstrated.
B - The streams are fed by multiple tributaries that carry significant volumes of sediment and that enter the streams downstream of the sampling sites.
C - The streams mostly originate from the same source, but their lengths vary considerably due to the different courses they take.
D - The streams regularly experience portions of their banks collapsing into the water at multiple points upstream of the sampling sites.
D - The streams regularly experience portions of their banks collapsing into the water at multiple points upstream of the sampling sites.
CORRECT
The streams regularly experience portions of their banks collapsing into the water at multiple points upstream of the sampling sites.
This finding would support the conclusion! If stream banks are collapsing into the water at multiple points, then sediment is getting into the water at those various points. This supports the conclusion that the inflow of sediment is very spread out.
Barchester Towers is an 1857 novel by Anthony Trollope. In the novel, Trollope’s portrayal of Dr. Proudie underscores the character’s exaggerated sense of his own abilities: ______
Which quotation from Barchester Towers most effectively illustrates the claim?
Choose 1 answer:
A - “It must not…be taken as proved that Dr. Proudie was a man of great mental powers, or even of much capacity for business, for such qualities had not been required in him.”
B - “[Dr. Proudie’s] residence in the metropolis, rendered necessary by duties thus entrusted to him, his high connexions, and the peculiar talents and nature of the man, recommended him to persons in power.”
C - “[Dr. Proudie] was certainly possessed of sufficient tact to answer the purpose for which he was required without making himself troublesome.”
D - “[Dr. Proudie] was comparatively young, and had, as he fondly flattered himself, been selected as possessing such gifts, natural and acquired, as must be sure to recommend him to a yet higher notice.”
D - “[Dr. Proudie] was comparatively young, and had, as he fondly flattered himself, been selected as possessing such gifts, natural and acquired, as must be sure to recommend him to a yet higher notice.”
CORRECT
“[Dr. Proudie] was comparatively young, and had, as he fondly flattered himself, been selected as possessing such gifts, natural and acquired, as must be sure to recommend him to a yet higher notice.”
This is the best choice. In this quotation, Dr. Proudie is described as “fondly flatter[ing] himself” that he has gifts which “must be sure to recommend him to a yet higher notice”. In other words, he expects his skills to push him to greater fame and success. This implies an exaggerated sense of his own abilities, which matches the claim we’re trying to support.
Soursop is a popular fruit in Brazil, where it is eaten fresh or used in drinks and desserts. The fruit is high in antioxidants and vitamin C, which are known to have a variety of health benefits. ______ soursop is often recommended by doctors in Brazil to patients concerned about their health.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Choose 1 answer:
A - Thus,
B - Instead,
C - Furthermore,
D - For instance,
(Choice A, Checked, Correct) Thus,
CORRECT (SELECTED)
Thus,
This is the best choice. “Thus” is a cause-and-effect transition. The cause in this case is that soursop has known health benefits, so the effect is that doctors recommend it to health-conscious patients. Therefore, “thus” fits perfectly in this context.
Text 1
The fossil record suggests that mammoths went extinct around 11 thousand years (kyr) ago. In a 2021 study of environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material shed into the environment by organisms—in the Arctic, Yucheng Wang and colleagues found mammoth eDNA in sedimentary layers formed millennia later, around 4 kyr ago. To account for this discrepancy, Joshua H. Miller and Carl Simpson proposed that arctic temperatures could preserve a mammoth carcass on the surface, allowing it to leach DNA into the environment, for several thousand years.
Text 2
Wang and colleagues concede that eDNA contains DNA from both living organisms and carcasses, but for DNA to leach from remains over several millennia requires that the remains be perpetually on the surface. Scavengers and weathering in the Arctic, however, are likely to break down surface remains well before a thousand years have passed.
Which choice best describes how Text 1 and Text 2 relate to each other?
Choose 1 answer:
A - Text 1 presents findings by Wang and colleagues and gives another research team’s attempt to explain those findings, whereas Text 2 provides additional detail that calls that explanation into question.
B - Text 1 describes Wang and colleagues’ study and a critique of their methodology, whereas Text 2 offers additional details showing that methodology to be sound.
C - Text 1 argues that new research has undermined the standard view of when mammoths went extinct, whereas Text 2 suggests a way to reconcile the standard view with that new research.
D - Text 1 discusses two approaches to studying mammoth extinction without advocating for either, whereas Text 2 advocates for one approach over the other.
(Choice A, Checked, Correct) Text 1 presents findings by Wang and colleagues and gives another research team’s attempt to explain those findings, whereas Text 2 provides additional detail that calls that explanation into question.
CORRECT (SELECTED)
Text 1 presents findings by Wang and colleagues and gives another research team’s attempt to explain those findings, whereas Text 2 provides additional detail that calls that explanation into question.
This is the best choice. Text 1 introduces Wang and colleagues’ study and its surprising results, and then mentions Miller and Simpson’s hypothesis as a possible way to explain them. Text 2, however, challenges Miller and Simpson’s hypothesis by pointing out the difficulties of preserving mammoth carcasses on the surface for thousands of years: “scavengers and weathering” are the additional details that complicate the Miller/Simpson hypothesis.
New Criticism, a literary movement that dominated American literary criticism in the mid-20th century, advocated for the analysis of literature through an intrinsic approach, a close reading focused exclusively on the form and content of the text itself. It emerged as a reaction to the traditional critical practice of emphasizing etymological, biographical, and historical contexts in the interpretation of a work—a practice New Critics saw as distracting from the text’s internal character and substance. _____ New Criticism held that a piece of literature should be analyzed as a self-contained, self-referential object whose meaning emerges purely from within its textual boundaries.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Choose 1 answer:
A - That said,
B - Before then,
C - For example,
D - In short,
D - In short,
CORRECT (SELECTED)
In short,
This is the best choice. This sentence summarizes the central tenets of New Criticism, which have already been described over the prior two sentences. So the summary transition “in short” fits perfectly.
Disappointed but understanding, ~~C.B. Wells’ book tour was cancelled so he could spend time with his newborn daughter, and his fans praised him.~~
Choose 1 answer:
A - NO CHANGE
B - fans praised C.B. Wells when he cancelled his book tour to spend time with his newborn daughter.
C - the birth of C.B. Wells’ daughter led fans to praise him when he cancelled his book tour to spend time with her.
D - C.B. Wells’ decision to cancel his book tour to spend time with his newborn daughter was praised by his fans.
(Choice B, Checked, Correct) fans praised C.B. Wells when he cancelled his book tour to spend time with his newborn daughter.
CORRECT (SELECTED)
fans praised C.B. Wells when he cancelled his book tour to spend time with his newborn daughter.
This is the best choice. The word “fans” is effectively placed so that the introductory phrase “Disappointed but understanding” logically describes the fans.
In a paper about p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells (one of several perovskite cell architectures designed to collect and store solar power), Lyndsey McMillon-Brown et al. describe a method for fabricating the cell’s electronic transport layer (ETL) using a spray coating. Conventional ETL fabrication is accomplished using a solution of nanoparticles. The process can result in a loss of up to 80% of the solution, increasing the cost of manufacturing at scale—an issue that may be obviated by spray coating fabrication, which the researchers describe as “highly reproducible, concise, and practical.”
What does the text most strongly suggest about conventional ETL fabrication?
Choose 1 answer:
A - It typically entails a greater loss of nanoparticle solution than do other established approaches for ETL fabrication.
B - It is less suitable for manufacturing large volumes of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells than an alternative fabrication method may be.
C - It is somewhat imprecise and therefore limits the potential effectiveness of p-i-n planar perovskite solar cells at capturing and storing solar power.
D - It is more expensive when manufacturing at scale than are processes for fabricating ETLs used in other perovskite solar cell architectures.
B - It is less suitable for manufacturing large volumes of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells than an alternative fabrication method may be.
CORRECT (SELECTED)
It is less suitable for manufacturing large volumes of planar p-i-n perovskite solar cells than an alternative fabrication method may be.
This choice is most strongly supported by the text. Conventional solar cell fabrication increases “the cost of manufacturing at scale”, but spray coating might get rid of that problem.
Text 1
Philosopher G.E. Moore’s most influential work entails the concept of common sense. He asserts that there are certain beliefs that all people, including philosophers, know instinctively to be true, whether or not they profess otherwise: among them, that they have bodies, or that they exist in a world with other objects that have three dimensions. Moore’s careful work on common sense may seem obvious but was in fact groundbreaking.
Text 2
External world skepticism is a philosophical stance supposing that we cannot be sure of the existence of anything outside our own minds. During a lecture, G.E. Moore once offered a proof refuting this stance by holding out his hands and saying, “Here is one hand, and here is another.” Many philosophers reflexively reject this proof (Annalisa Coliva called it “an obviously annoying failure”) but have found it a challenge to articulate exactly why the proof fails.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to proponents of the philosophical stance outlined in Text 2?
Choose 1 answer:
A - By pointing out that Moore would assert that external world skepticism is at odds with other beliefs those proponents must unavoidably hold
B - By arguing that if it is valid to assert that some facts are true based on instinct, it is also valid to assert that some proofs are inadequate based on instinct
C - By agreeing with those proponents that Moore’s treatment of positions that contradict his own is fundamentally unserious
D - By suggesting that an instinctive distaste for Moore’s position is preventing external world skeptics from constructing a sufficiently rigorous refutation of Moore
A - By pointing out that Moore would assert that external world skepticism is at odds with other beliefs those proponents must unavoidably hold
CORRECT
This is the best choice. According to Author 1, Moore’s definition of common sense—things we instinctively know are true—includes the belief that we all “exist in a world with other objects.” Author 1 describes this notion as both “obvious” and “groundbreaking.” So it’s safe to infer that Author 1 would observe that Moore would respond to external world skeptics by arguing that since everyone instinctively knows that things exist outside of their own minds, then external world skepticism must be wrong.
Professional tennis players must focus despite any number of distractions, for example, a sharp ray of light reflected off of a ~~spectator’s watch’s face.~~
Choose 1 answer:
A - NO CHANGE
B - spectator’s watches
C - spectators watch’s
D - spectators’ watch’s
A - NO CHANGE
This choice correctly puts an apostrophe between “spectator” and “s” and “watch” and “s” in order to establish that the “face” belongs to a spectator’s watch.
Neural networks are computer models intended to reflect the organization of human brains and are often used in studies of brain function. According to an analysis of 11,000 such networks, Rylan Schaeffer and colleagues advise caution when drawing conclusions about brains from observations of neural networks. They found that when attempting to mimic grid cells (brain cells used in navigation), while 90% of the networks could accomplish navigation-related tasks, only about 10% of those exhibited any behaviors similar to those of grid cells. But even this approximation of grid-cell activity has less to do with similarity between the neural networks and biological brains than it does with the rules programmed into the networks.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the claim in the underlined sentence?
Choose 1 answer:
A - The rules that allow for networks to exhibit behaviors like those of grid cells have no equivalent in the function of biological brains.
B - The networks that do not exhibit behaviors like those of grid cells were nonetheless programmed with rules that had proven useful in earlier neural-network studies.
C - Once a neural network is programmed, it is trained on certain tasks to see if it can independently arrive at processes that are similar to those performed by biological brains.
D - Neural networks can often accomplish tasks that biological brains do, but they are typically programmed with rules to model multiple types of brain cells simultaneously.
A - The rules that allow for networks to exhibit behaviors like those of grid cells have no equivalent in the function of biological brains.
CORRECT
This choice best supports the claim in the underlined sentence. While many networks can perform navigation tasks, or even mimic grid cells, it doesn’t mean they’re actually behaving like biological brains—this finding suggests that the rules that govern neural network behavior are completely unlike the way real brains work.
Text 1
Social psychologist Leon Festinger proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance, which states that people experience psychological discomfort when they hold contradictory beliefs, or when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their beliefs. To reduce this discomfort, people either change their beliefs or rationalize their behavior. For example, if a person values environmental protection but drives a gas-guzzling car, they may either switch to a more eco-friendly vehicle, or justify their car choice by emphasizing its safety or reliability.
Text 2
Psychologist Daryl Bem’s self-perception theory challenges the assumption that people always have a clear and stable belief system that guides their actions. Instead, Bem argues that people sometimes infer their beliefs from their own behavior and the circumstances in which it occurs. For example, if a person volunteers for a charitable cause, they may not have a prior strong commitment to that cause, but rather develop a positive attitude toward it to reflect their own involvement.
Based on the texts, how would Bem (Text 2) most likely respond to Festinger’s theory (Text 1)?
Choose 1 answer:
A - He would argue that cognitive dissonance is a rare and extreme phenomenon that does not affect most people.
B - He would recommend that Festinger test his theory by experimenting with the degree of inconsistency between people’s beliefs and their behavior.
C - He would encourage Festinger to consider whether people’s beliefs are actually the cause or the effect of their behavior.
D - He would claim that cognitive dissonance only arises when a person’s actions relate to their moral or ethical beliefs.
C - He would encourage Festinger to consider whether people’s beliefs are actually the cause or the effect of their behavior.
Correct (selected)
This is the best choice. Text 2 challenges the assumption that people have a “clear and stable belief system” that guides their behavior, arguing the opposite: that instead, people “sometimes infer their beliefs from their own behavior”. It seems likely that Bem would encourage Festinger to think about this alternative theory.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is projected to maintain operation until at least 2030, but it has already revolutionized high-resolution imaging of solar-system bodies in visible and ultraviolet (UV) light wavelengths, notwithstanding that only about 6% of the bodies imaged by the HST are within the solar system. NASA researcher Cindy L. Young and colleagues assert that a new space telescope dedicated exclusively to solar-system observations would permit an extensive survey of minor solar-system bodies and long-term UV observation to discern how solar-system bodies change over time. Young and colleagues’ recommendation therefore implies that the HST ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
Choose 1 answer:
A - will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.
B - will no longer be used to observe solar system objects if the telescope recommended by Young and colleagues is deployed.
C - can be modified to observe the features of solar system objects that are of interest to Young and colleagues.
D - lacks the sensors to observe the wavelengths of light needed to discern how solar system bodies change over time.
A - will likely continue to be used primarily to observe objects outside the solar system.
Correct (selected)
This is the best choice. The HST will operate until at least 2030, but it’s only observing stuff inside our solar system 6% of the time. If we could get a different telescope to observe stuff inside our solar system 100% of the time and take more extensive images of certain things, then the HST could continue to be used mainly for observing stuff outside the solar system.
Paleontologists have found a remarkable fossil of a dinosaur that had feathers on its arms and legs, but not on its tail or body. By comparing the fossil with other known specimens, paleontologist David Hu and colleagues have hypothesized that this dinosaur, named Liaoxiraptor, could be an intermediate form between feathered and non-feathered theropods. The discovery suggests that the evolution of feathers was not necessarily linked to the evolution of flight, but may have had other functions first, such as insulation or camouflage.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Choose 1 answer:
A - A new dinosaur species with an unusual feather distribution was found by Hu and colleagues.
B - The discovery of Liaoxiraptor sheds new light on the evolution of feathers.
C - An analysis of a Liaoxiraptor fossil confirms the theory that feathers evolved for insulation before flight.
D - Hu and colleagues compared Liaoxiraptor with other theropods to better understand the diversity of feather patterns in dinosaurs.
B - The discovery of Liaoxiraptor sheds new light on the evolution of feathers.
Correct (selected)
This is the best choice. The text explains that paleontologists think Liaoxiraptor could be a step between feathered and non-feathered theropods. The discovery suggests that the evolution of feathers may have been tied to functions other than flight.
Text 1
The idea that time moves in only one direction is instinctively understood, yet it puzzles physicists. According to the second law of thermodynamics, at a macroscopic level some processes of heat transfer are irreversible due to the production of entropy—after a transfer we cannot rewind time and place molecules back exactly where they were before, just as we cannot unbreak dropped eggs. But laws of physics at a microscopic or quantum level hold that those processes should be reversible.
Text 2
In 2015, physicists Tiago Batalhão et al. performed an experiment in which they confirmed the irreversibility of thermodynamic processes at a quantum level, producing entropy by applying a rapidly oscillating magnetic field to a system of carbon-13 atoms in liquid chloroform. But the experiment “does not pinpoint … what causes [irreversibility] at the microscopic level,” coauthor Mauro Paternostro said.
Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 1 most likely say about the experiment described in Text 2?
Choose 1 answer:
A - It is consistent with the current understanding of physics at a microscopic level but not at a macroscopic level.
B - It provides empirical evidence that the current understanding of an aspect of physics at a microscopic level must be incomplete.
C - It supports a claim about an isolated system of atoms in a laboratory, but that claim should not be extrapolated to a general claim about the universe.
D - It would suggest an interesting direction for future research were it not the case that two of the physicists who conducted the experiment disagree on the significance of its findings.
B - It provides empirical evidence that the current understanding of an aspect of physics at a microscopic level must be incomplete.
Correct
This is the best choice. Author 1 describes the puzzle that physicists still can’t solve: at a microscopic level, the “laws of physics” suggest that we should be able to reverse processes that are not reversible at a macroscopic level (and, maybe, turn back time!). The experiment confirmed that those processes are not reversible even on the microscopic level, but it didn’t explain why. This supports Author 1’s point that physicists still don’t fully understand how things work at a microscopic level—maybe the laws need to be revised!
Text 1
Growth in the use of novel nanohybrids—materials created from the conjugation of multiple distinct nanomaterials, such as iron oxide and gold nanomaterials conjugated for use in magnetic imaging—has outpaced studies of nanohybrids’ environmental risks. Unfortunately, risk evaluations based on nanohybrids’ constituents are not reliable: conjugation may alter constituents’ physiochemical properties such that innocuous nanomaterials form a nanohybrid that is anything but.
Text 2
The potential for enhanced toxicity of nanohybrids relative to the toxicity of constituent nanomaterials has drawn deserved attention, but the effects of nanomaterial conjugation vary by case. For instance, it was recently shown that a nanohybrid of silicon dioxide and zinc oxide preserved the desired optical transparency of zinc oxide nanoparticles while mitigating the nanoparticles’ potential to damage DNA.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assertion in the underlined portion of Text 1?
Choose 1 answer:
A - By denying that the circumstance described in Text 1 is likely to occur but acknowledging that many aspects of nanomaterial conjugation are still poorly understood
B - By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial conjugation does not inevitably produce that result
C - By concurring that the risk described in Text 1 should be evaluated but emphasizing that the risk is more than offset by the potential benefits of nanomaterial conjugation
D - By arguing that the situation described in Text 1 may not be representative but conceding that the effects of nanomaterial conjugation are harder to predict than researchers had expected
B - By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial conjugation does not inevitably produce that result
Correct
This is the best choice. The author of Text 2 acknowledges that nanohybrids may be more toxic than their constituent parts, but also provides an example of a nanohybrid that has reduced toxicity compared to its components: silicon dioxide and zinc oxide together have all the benefits of zinc oxide nanoparticles without any of the DNA harm zinc oxide has on its own.
Text 1
Philosopher G.E. Moore’s most influential work entails the concept of common sense. He asserts that there are certain beliefs that all people, including philosophers, know instinctively to be true, whether or not they profess otherwise: among them, that they have bodies, or that they exist in a world with other objects that have three dimensions. Moore’s careful work on common sense may seem obvious but was in fact groundbreaking.
Text 2
External world skepticism is a philosophical stance supposing that we cannot be sure of the existence of anything outside our own minds. During a lecture, G.E. Moore once offered a proof refuting this stance by holding out his hands and saying, “Here is one hand, and here is another.” Many philosophers reflexively reject this proof (Annalisa Coliva called it “an obviously annoying failure”) but have found it a challenge to articulate exactly why the proof fails.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to proponents of the philosophical stance outlined in Text 2?
Choose 1 answer:
A - By pointing out that Moore would assert that external world skepticism is at odds with other beliefs those proponents must unavoidably hold
B - By arguing that if it is valid to assert that some facts are true based on instinct, it is also valid to assert that some proofs are inadequate based on instinct
C - By agreeing with those proponents that Moore’s treatment of positions that contradict his own is fundamentally unserious
D - By suggesting that an instinctive distaste for Moore’s position is preventing external world skeptics from constructing a sufficiently rigorous refutation of Moore
A - By pointing out that Moore would assert that external world skepticism is at odds with other beliefs those proponents must unavoidably hold
Correct
This is the best choice. According to Author 1, Moore’s definition of common sense—things we instinctively know are true—includes the belief that we all “exist in a world with other objects.” Author 1 describes this notion as both “obvious” and “groundbreaking.” So it’s safe to infer that Author 1 would observe that Moore would respond to external world skeptics by arguing that since everyone instinctively knows that things exist outside of their own minds, then external world skepticism must be wrong.
