Table of Contents

Reading and Writing ...................................................................................................... 2

Routing mode ..........................................................................................................3
Easier mode ...........................................................................................................17
Harder mode ......................................................................................................... 30
Math ............................................................................................................................. 45
Routing mode ........................................................................................................46
Easier mode ...........................................................................................................57
Harder mode ......................................................................................................... 66

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 Section 1

Reading and Writing

2
 Routing mode

Question 1

This text is adapted from Lydia Minatoya's 1999 novel, The Strangeness of Beauty. The setting is
Japan in 1920. Chie and her daughter Naomi are members of a noble family.
Akira came directly, breaking all tradition. Was that it? Had he followed _____—had he asked his
mother to speak to his father to approach a go-between—would Chie have been more receptive?
He came on a winter's eve. He pounded on the door while a cold rain beat on the shuttered
veranda, so at first Chie thought him only the wind.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) appearance
B) form
C) structure
D) nature

Question 2

The professor was forced to _______ her exhaustive project of documenting regional dialects
after losing most of the funding that paid research assistants to collect extensive data.

A. eradicate
B. bemoan
C. curtail
D. sever

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Question 3

Our growing use of the Net and other screen-based technologies has led to the widespread and
sophisticated development of visual-spatial skills. We know that the human brain is highly plastic;
neurons and synapses change as circumstances change. When we adapt to a new cultural
phenomenon, including the use of a new medium, we end up with a different brain, says Michael
Merzenich, a pioneer of the field of neuroplasticity.

As used in the text, what does the word ""plastic"" most nearly mean?
A) creative
B) artificial
C) malleable
D) sculptural

Question 4

Edward Lewis, Clarence O. Smith and Jonathan Blount founded Essence Communications Inc. in
1968. It began publishing Essence magazine in May 1970. With its large circulation, the magazine
has enjoyed_______ only recently challenged by new publications aggressively seeking female
African American readers.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) an aggregation
B) an inclination
C) a prediction
D) a preeminence

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Question 5

In the long term for solar panels, researcher Martin Green is _________ silicon, aiming to take
advantage of the huge reductions in cost already seen with the technology. He hopes to greatly
increase the efficiency of silicon solar panels by combining silicon with one or two other
semiconductors, each selected to efficiently convert a part of the solar spectrum that silicon
doesn't convert efficiently.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) dabbling in
B) gambling with
C) switching from
D) optimistic about

Question 6

This passage is adapted from David Rotman, " How Technology Is Destroying Jobs. " ©2013 by
MIT Technology Review.

MIT business scholars Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee have argued that impressive
advances in computer technology—from improved industrial robotics to automated translation
services—are largely behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years. On the
chart Brynjolfsson likes to show, separate lines represent productivity and total employment in
the United States. For years after World War II, the lines closely tracked each other. The pattern is
clear: as businesses generated more value from their workers, the country as a whole became
richer, which fueled more economic activity and created even more jobs. Then, beginning in 2000,
the lines diverge; productivity continues to rise robustly, but employment suddenly wilts. By 2011,
a significant gap appears between the two lines, showing economic growth with no parallel
increase in job creation.

Based on the text, what do Brynjolfsson and McAfee claim is true about advancements in
technology since approximately the year 2000?
A) It has led to low job growth in the United States.
B) It has led to global workplace changes.
C) It has led to more skilled laborers in the United States.
D) It has led to no global creation of new jobs.

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Question 7

This following text is adapted from MacDonald Harris's 2011 story The Balloonist. The narrator of
this story, a fictional Swedish scientist, has set out for the North Pole in a hydrogen-powered
balloon.
Rising slowly from the earth that bore me and gave me sustenance, I am carried helplessly
toward an uninhabited and hostile, or at best indifferent, part of the earth, littered with the
bones of explorers and the wrecks of ships, frozen supply caches, messages scrawled with chilled
fingers and hidden in cairns that no eye will ever see. Yet I embrace this enterprise and choosing
this moment and no other when the south wind will carry me exactly northward at a velocity of
eight knots. What I don't understand is why I am so intent on going to this particular place. Who
wants the North Pole! What good is it! Can you eat it? Will it carry you from Gothenburg to
Malmö like a railway?

Based on the text, what is true about many previous explorers seeking the North Pole?
A) They perished in the attempt.
B) They made surprising discoveries.
C) They failed to determine its exact location.
D) They had different motivations than the narrator's.

Question 8

Volcanologist Franck Lavigne and colleagues now think they've identified the volcano that kicked
off a centuries-long cold snap known as the Little Ice Age: Indonesia's Samalas. One line of
evidence, they note, is historical records written on palm leaves in Old Javanese. The researchers
also performed radiocarbon analyses on carbonized tree trunks and branches buried within the
pyroclastic deposits to confirm the date of the eruption. An equatorial eruption is consistent with
the apparent climate impacts. Plus, with sulfate appearing in both polar ice caps — Arctic and
Antarctic—there is "a strong consensus" about an equatorial source. Another possible candidate
—both in terms of timing and geographical location—is Ecuador's Quilotoa, estimated to have
last erupted between 1147 and 1320 C.E.

What is the implication made by the phrase "another possible candidate" ?

A) Powerful volcanic eruptions occur frequently
B) The effects of volcanic eruptions can last for centuries
C) Scientists know of other volcanoes that erupted during the Middle Ages
D) Other volcanoes have calderas that are very large

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Question 9

A female guppy can be sexually mature at two months of age and have her first babies just a
month later. This unstinting rate of reproduction makes guppies ideally suited for studying the
rate of evolution, and David Reznik, a biologist at UC Riverside, has been doing exactly that for
the last few decades. People usually think of guppies as colorful aquarium fish, but they also have
a life in the real world, inhabiting streams and rivers in tropical places like Trinidad, where Reznick
has done his fieldwork. Guppies can experience different kinds of conditions depending on the
luck of the draw.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of
the text?
A)It establishes the reason why a certain species was selected for scientific observation.
B) It illustrates the value of studying the offspring of a particular animal shortly after birth.
C) It introduces a theory at the center of an ongoing scientific debate.
D) It offers a rationale for the prevalance of a new field of scientific inquiry.

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Question 10

In a Nature analysis, scientists from McGill University in Montreal and the University of
Minnesota performed an analysis of 66 studies comparing conventional and organic methods
across 34 different crop species, from fruits to grains to legumes. They found that organic farming
delivered a lower yield for every crop type, though the disparity varied widely. For instance ，
_____

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
A) the organic yield as a percentage of conventional yield is greater for vegetables than for fruits.
B) the organic yield as a percentage of conventional yield for cereals is less than 80%.
C) the reported number of observations for each crop type exceeded 82.
D) the organic yield as a percentage of conventional yield is greater for vegetable crops than it is
for oilseed crops.

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Question 11

Due to the trend towards more public transportation, dwellings in older neighborhoods in
Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Denver, especially those near light-rail or subway stations, are
commanding enormous price premiums over suburban homes. The experience of European and
Asian cities shows that if you make buses, subways, and trains convenient, comfortable, fast, and
safe, a surprisingly large percentage of citizens will opt to ride rather than drive. And the riders
are not just unemployed or unable to drive: _____

Which choice most effectively uses data from the to complete the statement?
A) most are employed outside the home and take public transportation to work.
B) most are employed outside the home but take public transportation primarily to run errands.
C) most use public transportation during the week but use their private cars on weekends.
D) most use public transportation only until they are able to afford to buy a car.

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Question 12

With her husband, Simon Bradstreet, Anne made the long voyage to America in 1630. While her
husband became the governor of Massachusetts, Anne raised eight children and wrote a
manuscript that her brother-in-law published without her knowledge in London. Her writing is
often personal, such as in her 1678 poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband," in which the depth
of the mutual fondness between Anne and Simon is made clear: _____

Which quotation from "To My Dear and Loving Husband" most effectively illustrates the claim.?
A) if ever two were one, then surely we/ if ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee
B) I prize thy love more than the whole Mines of gold/ Or all the riches that the East doth hold
C) Thy love is such I can no way repay/ The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray
D) Then while we live, in love lets so persevere/ That when we live no more，we may live ever

Question 13
The science fiction masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey will probably be remembered best for the
finely honed portrait of HAL, the Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer that could not
only reason but also experience human feelings and anxiety. Surprisingly, perhaps, computers
have in some ways surpassed writer Arthur C. Clarke's and film director Stanley Kubrick's vision of
computing technology.For exemple，_____________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) Current computers have some deficiencies in attempting to simulate human intelligence and
emotions
B) Today's computers are vastly smaller and more portable than HAL and use more advanced
software interfaces.
C) Computers like HAL could be accessed by human beings in many ways.
D) Clarke and Kubrick correctly envisioned certain aspects of the future.

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Question 14

A 2013 RAND Corporation report estimates that while the number of primary care physicians will
increase slowly from 2010 to 2025, the number of physician assistants and nurse-practitioners in
primary care will grow at much faster rates. Both by merit and from necessity, PAs are likely to
greet more _____ ever before.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) patience than
B) patience, than
C) patients then
D) patients than

Question 15

Although demanding and deadline driven, ________can be a lucrative and rewarding field for
people who love gaming and have prepared themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) video game design
B) the choice of video game design
C) you should choose video game design because it
D) choosing to design video games

Question 16

A social and civil rights movement for Mexican Americans was working to raise awareness of
Mexican American cultural identity. Artists associated with ______began to rediscover and
promote the work of the Mexican muralists, particularly Siqueiros.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) this
B) it
C) them
D) this movement

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Question 17

Approaching a doorway in which dangles a red envelope filled with green paper money,
the_______________It then chews up the bills and spits out the envelope instead of chewing it
up. The crowd cheers for the lion dancers and for the prosperity and good fortune their dance
foretells.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) lion's teeth snare the envelope.
B) lion snares the envelope with its teeth.
C) envelope is snared by the lion with its teeth.
D) teeth of the lion snare the envelope.

Question 18

Some people buy organic food because they believe organically grown crops are more nutritious
and safer for consumption than their conventionally grown counterparts, which are usually
produced with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In the name of health,________ $1.60 for
every dollar they would have spent on food that is conventionally grown.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) spending
B) these consumers spend
C)having spent
D)to spend

Question 19

Boss Tweed's Tammany Hall group, which controlled New York in the 1860s, stole more than
$30 million, the equivalent of more than $365 million today. Tammany Hall was so powerful and
______ "There is absolutely nothing . . . in the city which is beyond the reach of the insatiable
gang."

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) corrupt that, the New York Times, commented
B) corrupt, that the New York Times commented,
C) corrupt that the New York Times commented,
D) corrupt that the New York Times, commented

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Question 20

To isolate the cause of the algae, Schindler and Brunskill performed another experiment, this
time using Lake 226.The scientists divided the lake in half by placing a nylon barrier through the
narrowest part of its figure-eight shape. In one half of Lake 226, they added phosphates, nitrates,
and a source of carbon; in the other, they added just nitrates ________ Schindler and Brunskill
hypothesized that phosphates were responsible for the growth of cyanobacteria. The experiment
confirmed their suspicions when the half of the lake containing the phosphates 7 was teeming
with blue-green algae.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) and a source of carbon was added.
B) and a source of carbon.
C) plus also a source of carbon.
D) but also adding a source of carbon.

Question 21

Sara E. Helms, an assistant professor of economics at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama,

found that students who were required to volunteer rushed to complete their service hours in
early high ___________ did significantly less regular volunteer work in the twelfth grade than did
students who were not required to volunteer.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) school,they then
B) school; they then,
C) school. They, then
D) school; they then

Question 22

John Burland was a geotechnical engineer from England __________ saved London's clock tower
Big Ben from collapse. Burland began a year-long process of drilling out small amounts of soil
from under the tower that took several years to complete and then monitoring the tower's
resulting movement.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) he is
B) Burland is
C) his being
D) who

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Question 23

Digital audio recording is becoming increasingly popular in courtrooms across the United States,
with six states using solely audio recordings for general jurisdiction sessions. With the rise of
high-quality recording technology, reliance on court reporters________ is decreasing.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) as a record keeper
B) each as record keepers
C) as record keepers
D) to be a record keeper

Question 24

Because CT scanners can map objects that are impossible to excavate, CT scanning and 3-D
printing can also be used to reproduce fossils that scientists cannot observe firsthand. ______
researchers from the National Museum of Brazil relied on this technique to study a fossilized
skeleton that was discovered protruding from a rock at an old São Paulo railroad site.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical

transition?
A) By contrast
B) Nonetheless,
C) Besides,
D) For example,

Question 25

Recently, scholars have suggested that the degree of public hysteria has been grossly exaggerated.
The authors of an article published in October 2013 go 37 so far as to assign blame for the
distortion to the newspaper industry. ______ Jefferson Pooley and Michael Socolow, both
professors of communication studies, argue that the newspaper industry sought to discredit the
newly emerging technology of radio, which was cutting into newspapers' profits, by portraying
the new medium as irresponsible.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) At this time,
B) On one hand,
C) In the article,
D) Next,

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Question 26

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 Researchers at Saint Petersburg State University and the University of Tasmania observed
marsupials walking on either two legs (bipeds) or four (quadrupeds) and performing tasks
such as bringing food to their mouths.
 The scientists employed a mean handedness index:positive scores indicated a left-forelimb
preference and negative scores indicated a right-forelimb preference.
 While eating, the eastern gray kangaroo, red-necked wallaby, red kangaroo, and brush-tailed
bettong, all bipedal marsupials, preferred using their left forelimb.
 Quadrupedal marsupials in the study did not show a strong preference for the use of one
forelimb.
 The bipeds are far less arboreal, leaving their forelimbs relatively free for tasks.

The student wants to emphasize the finding of the study. Which choice most effectively uses
relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Kangaroos, though, still do not exhibit handedness to the extent that humans do.
B) For the marsupials in the study, then, handedness seems to be associated with bipedalism.
C) There are many things scientists do not understand about the marsupial brain.
D) Additional studies on this phenomenon will need to be performed with other mammals.

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Question 27

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 A growing number of public schools in the United States require students to complete
community service hours to graduate.
 Critics say that making volunteerism compulsory misses the point of the act.
 Students may become resentful of the demands that compulsory volunteering places on
their schedules.
 Instead of requiring students to volunteer, schools, should focus on offering arrangements
that make volunteering an easy and attractive choice.
 When schools simply tell students about opportunities for community service, more
students volunteer of their own free will.

The students wants contrast the effects of different ways schools use to make students volunteer.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) It is imperative that schools do their part to find volunteers for the many worthwhile
organizations in the United States.
B) Schools that simply connect students with organizations will produce more engaged,
enthusiastic volunteers than schools that require volunteer work.
C) Studies in the fields of psychology and economics have revolutionized researchers
understanding of volunteerism.
D) Instead of requiring students to volunteer ， which makes students resentful, schools should
inform studens about opportunities for community service to let students voluntter of their own
free will.

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 Easier mode

Question 1

This text is adapted from Amy Tan's 2001 novel The Bonesetter's Daughter.
"Look here," Father said to his customer, and I looked. He held up an inkstick and rotated it in the
light. "See? It's the right hue, purple-black, not brown or gray like the cheap brands you might
find down the street. And listen to this." And I heard a sound as _____ and pure as a small silver
bell. "This high-pitched tone tells you that the soot is very fine, as smooth as the sliding banks of
old rivers. "

Which chioce completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) complete
B) skillful
C) clean
D) upright

Question 2

The new antifungal agent has such varied uses, from treating Dutch elm disease to rescuing
water-damaged works of art from molds, that it is considered one of the more ________
antibiotics.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) explicit
B) recognized
C) versatile
D) discriminating

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Question 3

Wegner, the senior author of the study, believes the new findings show that the Internet has
become part of a transactive memory source, a method by which our brains compartmentalize
information. First hypothesized by Wegner in 1985, transactive memory exists in many forms, as
when a husband relies on his wife to remember a relative's birthday. "[It is] this whole network of
memory where you don't have to remember everything in the world yourself," he says. "You just
have to remember who knows it." Now computers and technology as well are becoming virtual
___________ of our memory.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) delays in
B) additions to
C) lengths of
D) developments of

Question 4

It sits atop a wooded hillside overlooking the Pacific in Malibu. California. Critics have
contemptuously compared it to Disneyland. "A plastic paradise in kitsch city," grumped one. "It
outstrips any existing monument to expensive, aggressive bad taste, cultural pretension, and
self-aggrandizement."

As used in the text, what does the word ""plastic"" most nearly mean?
A) marvelous
B) innovative
C) inexpensive
D) artificial

Question 5

Will companies be able to ______ their products by manipulating online ratings on a massive
scale? "That is easier said than done,"Watts says. If people detect—or learn—that comments on
a website are being manipulated, the herd may spook and leave entirely.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) increase
B) accelerate
C) promote
D) protect

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Question 6

The first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize was a woman in 1950. Gwendolyn Brooks wrote
poignantly about Black experiences such as poverty and prejudice. However, her poems do not
stereotype Blacks, but instead show a range of interests and social standing. For example, her
1945 classic, "a song in the front yard" shows the longing that a girl raised with high standards
feels for those who are considered beneath her class: _____

Which quotation from "a song in the front yard" most effectively illustrates the claim?
A) "A girl gets sick of a rose. / I want to go in the back yard now / And maybe down the alley,"
B) "They do some wonderful things. / They have some wonderful fun."
C) "My mother, she tells me that Johnnie Mae / Will grow up to be a bad woman."
D) "That George'll be taken to Jail soon or late / (On account of last winter he sold our back
gate)."

Question 7

The first feature of the structure of DNA which is of biological interest is that it consists not of
one chain, but of two. These two chains are both coiled around a common fiber axis. It has often
been assumed that since there was only one chain in the chemical formula there would only be
one in the structural unit. However, the density, taken with the X-ray evidence, suggests very
strongly that there are two. The other biologically important feature is the manner in which the
two chains are held together.

According to the text, what is a feature of biological interest?

A) The chemical formula of DNA
B) The common fiber axis
C) The X-ray evidence
D) DNA consisting of two chains

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Question 8

Follow the money and you will end up in space. Within a few decades, the asterpid-mining firms
may be meeting earthly demands for precious metals, such as platinum and gold, and the rare
earth elements vital for personal electronics, such as yttrium and lanthanum. But like the gold
rush pioneers who transformed the western United States, the first space miners won't just
enrich themselves. They also hope to build an off-planet economy free of any bonds with Earth,
in which the materials extracted and processed from the moon and asteroids are delivered for
space-based projects.

Based on the text, which choice is a possible positive effect of space mining?
A) It could yield materials important to Earth's economy.
B) It could raise the value of some precious metals on Earth.
C) It could create unanticipated technological innovations.
D) It could change scientists' understanding of space resources.

Question 9

The Texas gourd vine's main pollinators are honey bees and specialized squash bees, which
respond to its floral scent. The aroma includes 10 compounds, but the most abundant—and the
only one that lures squash bees into traps — is 1,4-dimethoxybenzene. Intuition suggests that
more of that aroma should be even more appealing to bees."We have this assumption that a
really fragrant flower is going to attract a lot of pollinators,"says Theis, a chemical ecologist at
Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Based on the text, it seems initially plausible that Texas gourd plants could attract more
pollinators using which method?
A) If they did not have aromatic flowers
B) If they targeted insects other than bees
C) If they increased their floral scent
D) If they emitted more varied fragrant compounds

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Question 10

Some of the largest ocean waves in the world are nearly impossible to see. Unlike other large
waves, these rollers, called internal waves, do not ride the ocean surface. Instead, they move
underwater, undetectable without the use of satellite imagery or sophisticated monitoring
equipment. Despite their hidden nature, internal waves are fundamental parts of ocean water
dynamics, transferring heat to the ocean depths and bringing up cold water from below. And they
can reach staggering heights—some as tall as skyscrapers.

What is the main purpose of the text?

A) It explains how a scientific device is used.
B) It notes a common misconception about an event.
C) It describes a natural phenomenon and addresses its importance.
D) It presents a recent study and summarizes its findings.

Question 11

Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force—both online and on foot—searching
frantically for the perfect gift. Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail stores in the
month of December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy
presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries,
graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can engender ambivalent
feelings in gift-givers. Many relish the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a
powerful means to build stronger bonds with one's closest peers. At the same time, many dread
the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight
the intended recipients.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the overall structure of the
text?
A) It shows the regularity with which people shop for gifts.
B) It highlights a recent increase in the amount of money spent on gifts.
C) It emphasizes the anxiety gift shopping causes consumers.
D) It points out the number of special occasions involving gift-giving.

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Question 12

There is a growing feeling that the news media should be "informative rather than authoritative";
the job of journalists should be to "give the news as raw as it is, without putting their slant on it";
and people should be given"sufficient information"from which"we would be able to form
opinions of our own."That concept has slowly increased over time, though not at a steady pace:
_____

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
A) Between 1985 and 2011, the proportion of inaccurate news stories rose dramatically.
B) Between 1992 and 2003, the proportion of people who believed that news organizations were
biased almost doubled.
C) Between 2003 and 2007, people's views of the accuracy, independence, and fairness of news
organizations changed very little.
D) Between 2007 and 2011, people's perception that news organizations are accurate increased,
but people's perception that news organizations are fair diminished.

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Question 13

It hung in Napoleon's bedroom until moving to the Louvre in 1804. It caused traffic jams in New
York for seven weeks as 1.6 million people jostled to see it. In Tokyo viewers were allowed ten
seconds each. The 5 object of all this attention was the world's most famous portrait, the Mona
Lisa. Historically, its subject was nobody special, probably the wife of a Florentine merchant
named Giocondo. But her portrait set the standard for High Renaissance paintings in many
important ways.

In the text, a contrast is established between a woman's

A) unremarkable appearance and her portrait's astonishing beauty
B) humble origins and her portrait's monetary value
C) untimely demise and her portrait's immortality
D) ordinary status and her portrait's aesthetic significance

Question 14
This text is adapted from William Maxwell's 1959 novel, "The Folded Leaf."
While Lymie sat in the restaurant and read about the Peace of Paris, signed on the thirtieth of
May, 1814, between France and the Allied powers, his right hand managed again and again to
bring food up to his mouth. Sometimes he chewed, sometimes he swallowed whole the food that
he had no idea he was eating. The Congress of Vienna met, with some allowance for delays, early
in November of the same year. It was by far the most splendid and important assembly ever
convoked to discuss and determine the affairs of Europe. When Lymie put down his fork and
began to count them off, one by one, on the fingers of his left hand, the waitress, whose name
was Irma, thought he was through eating and tried to take his plate away. He stopped her.

Based on the text, why does Irma most likely think that Lymie is ""through eating""?
A) Because he has begun reading his book
B) Because his plate is empty
C) Because he is no longer holding his fork
D) Because he has asked her to clear the table

23
Question 15

Text 1
The intelligence of dolphins is well documented by science. Studies show that dolphins are able
to understand sign language, solve puzzles, and use objects in their environment as tools. A
recent experiment proved that dolphins can even recognize themselves in a mirror. This behavior
demonstrates that dolphins are aware of their own individuality, indicating a level of intelligence
that may be very near our own.

Text 2
Are dolphins unusually intelligent? Some researchers have argued that regardless of brain size,
dolphins have an intelligence level somewhere between that of a dog and a chimpanzee. The fact
is, we don't know, and comparisons may not be especially helpful. Just as human intelligence is
appropriate for human needs, dolphin intelligence is right for the dolphin's way of life. Until we
know more, all we can say is that dolphin intelligence is different.

Based on the texts, the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the last sentence of test 1
by
A) suggesting that intelligence in animals is virtually impossible to measure
B) observing that intelligence does not mean the same thing for every species
C) questioning the objectivity of the studies already conducted
D) noting that dolphin activities do not require a high level of intelligence

Question 16

Observations of the Arctic reveal that the Arctic Ocean is covered by less ice each summer than
the previous summer. If this warming trend continues, within 50 years the Arctic Ocean will be ice
free during the summer months. This occurrence would in itself have little or no effect on global
sea levels, since the melting of ice floating in water does not affect the water level. However,
serious consequences to sea levels would eventually result, because ______.

Which of the following most logically completes the text?

A) large masses of floating sea ice would continue to form in the wintertime
B) significant changes in Arctic sea temperatures would be accompanied by changes in sea
temperatures in more temperate parts of the world
C) such a warm Arctic Ocean would trigger the melting of massive landbased glaciers in the Arctic
D) an ice-free Arctic Ocean would support a very different ecosystem than it does presently

24
Question 17

Glass walls and dividers can also be used to replace solid walls as a means ______ distributing
natural light more freely.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) through
B) of
C) from
D) DELETE the underlined portion.

Question 18

Boss Tweed's Tammany Hall group, which controlled New York ___________ stole more than $30
million,the equivalent of more than $365 million today.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) City in the 1860s—
B) City in the 1860s,
C) City, in the 1860s,
D) City in the 1860s

Question 19

The designer envisions the game's fundamental elements — the settings, characters, and plots
that make each game unique — and is thus a primary creative force behind a video game.
Conceptualizing a game is only the beginning of a video game designer's_____ matter how good
a concept is, it will never be translated into a video game unless it is communicated effectively to
all the other members of the video game development team.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) job, however, no
B) job, however. No
C) job—however, no
D) job however no

25
Question 20

Studies have shown that employees are happier, _________ productive when they work in an
environment that affords them adequate amounts of natural light.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) healthier, and more
B) healthy, and more
C) healthier, and they are
D) healthier, being more

Question 21

In addition to super villains, the new, soon-to-be-iconic characters of the _____ Spider-Man, the
Fantastic Four, and the Hulk among them — had to cope with mundane, real-life problems,
including paying the rent, dealing with family squabbles, and facing anger, loneliness, and
ostracism.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) age:
B) age;
C) age,
D) age—

Question 22
Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes
during ______and other legal proceedings. Despite the increasing use of digital recording
technologies, court reporters still play a vital role in courtrooms.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) hearings; depositions,
B) hearings; depositions;
C) hearings, depositions,
D) hearings, depositions;

26
Question 23

Better than soil at holding moisture, compost minimizes water waste and storm runoff, increases
savings on watering costs, and helps reduce erosion on embankments near bodies of water. In
large________one would expect to see when it is collected for an entire municipality), compost
can be converted into a natural gas that can be used as fuel for transportation or heating and
cooling systems.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) quantities, which
B) quantities (which
C) quantities which
D)quantities; (which

Question 24

In 1932 the well-known Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros was commissioned to paint a
mural on the second-story exterior wall of a historic building in downtown Los Angeles. He
painted the mural's first two sections, featuring images of a tropical rainforest and a Maya
pyramid, during the day. _______to avoid scrutiny, Siqueiros painted the final section of the
mural, the centerpiece at night.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) Also,
B) However,
C)Although,
D)Moreover,

27
Question 25

Some 90,000 PAs were employed nationwide in 2012. Over and above their value inpartially
compensating for the general physician shortage has been their extraordinary contribution to
rural health care. A recent review of the scholarly literature by Texas researchers found that PAs
lend cost-efficient, widely appreciated services in underserved areas. _____ rural-based PAs
often provide a broader spectrum of such services than do their urban and suburban
counterparts, possibly as a consequence of the limited pool of rural-based physicians.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) In addition,
B) Thus,
C) Despite this,
D) On the other hand,

Question 26

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 According to a 2014 report from the Society for Human Resource Management, 54 percent
of surveyed companies provide tuition assistance to employees pursuing an undergraduate
degree.
 50 percent do so for employees working toward a graduate degree.
 Tuition-reimbursement programs signal that employers offer their workers opportunities for
personal and professional development.
 Employees whose tuition is reimbursed often stay with their employer even after they
complete their degrees.
 Tuition reimbursement can be expensive, and many companies would find it impractical to
pay for multiple degrees for all employees.

The student wants to conclude the study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant
information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Helping employees pay for education will increase customer satisfaction and improve the
quality of the companies' business.
B) It is possible to solve the problem of rising tuition costs if more companies pay for education.
C) Tuition reinbursement may strengthen the US economy.
D) More companies should consider helping employees pay for education because doing so
helps attract and retain employees.

28
Question 27

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 Marsupials (mammals that carry their young in a pouch) are a curiosity among biologists
because they lack a corpus callosum, the collection of nerve fibers connecting the two
hemispheres of the brain.
 Corpus callosum enables complex tasks by sequestering skilled movement to a single
hemisphere without sacrificing coordination between both sides of the body.
 However, a recent finding of handedness in marsupials suggests that a trait other than the
presence of a corpus callosum correlates with handedness: bipedalism.
 The study provided no evidence of handedness among quadrupedal marsupials.
 Researchers still don't know why the majority of marsupials studied preferred their left
forelimbs while the majority of humans prefer their right.

The student wants to conclude the study by recalling a topic that requires additional research.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) The mechanism by which, in the absence of a corpus callosum, the hemispheres of the
marsupial brain communicate remains a mystery.
B) Researchers should not neglect the sizable minority of humans who are left handed.
C) Scientists believe that studies like this one may someday yield insights into the causes of
certain neurological disorders.
D) An additional study is planned to study handedness in other animals that stand upright only
some of the time.

29
 Harder mode

Question 1

The first new antibiotic that they've found by this approach, teixobactin, is less exciting to my
mind, though it doesn't look bad. Teixobactin killed Gram-positive bacteria, and cured
experimental infection in mice. It also killed the tuberculosis bacterium, which is important
because there is a real problem with resistant tuberculosis in the developing world. So, what are
my _____? Well, I see three. First, teixobactin isn't a potential panacea. It doesn't kill the
Gram-negative opportunists as it is too big to cross their complex cell wall.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) exceptions
B) restrictions
C) misgivings
D) explanations

Question 2

In the mid-1930s, photographer Margaret Bourke-White wrote an essay in which she explained
(perhaps to herself as much as to the reading public) the significance of a photographer's "point
of view." She claimed that this aspect was_______ , transcending all the necessary, technical
elements in the image-making process.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) mundane
B) paramount
C) intricate
D) insightful

30
Question 3

One of the arguments that cities inevitably make in proposing transit plans is that the new system,
by relieving automobile congestion, will improve the lives of those who continue to drive. No one
ever _____ a transit scheme by arguing that it would make traveling less convenient — even
though, from an environmental perspective, inconvenient travel is a worthy goal.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) upgrades
B) serves
C) promotes
D) decides

Question 4

American writer Henry Adams (1838-1918) gradually approached, during their careers, a mood of
total despair. Personal tragedies have been set forth to explain this development: the deaths of
loved ones, the humiliation of family bankruptcies. These certainly are _______ causes, but the
writings of Adams reveal that the despair is in a slow process of incubation from their earliest
work, and that it is finally hatched by the growing political discords, moral conflicts, and
economic problems of their age. It is not a despair of personal bereavement but of country—and
ultimately of humanity—that manifests itself in their works.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) peripheral
B) implausible
C) foremost
D) contributory

Question 5

It has been pointed out many times that every American war since the War of 1812 has had its
revisionists— historians who concluded after the fighting ended that the official explanation for
the war was_________ and that the national interest did not require that war be waged.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) desiring
B) needing
C) wanting
D) urging

31
Question 6

While the new legislative initiative is hailed by its supporters as a bold solution to a pressing
problem, its _______ argue that it will produce no meaningful results.

A. critics
B. proponents
C. antagonists
D. adversaries

Question 7

This text is adapted from Saki's 1911 short story The Schartz-Metterklume Method.
During the drive to the Quabarl mansion Lady Carlotta was impressively introduced to the nature
of the charge that had been thrust upon her as governess; she learned that Claude and Wilfrid
were delicate, sensitive young people, that Irene had the artistic temperament highly developed,
and that Viola was something or other else of a mould equally commonplace among children of
that class and type in the twentieth century. "I wish them not only to be TAUGHT," said Mrs.
Quabarl, "but INTERESTED in what they learn. In their history lessons, for instance, you must try
to make them feel that they are being introduced to the life-stories of men and women who
really lived, not merely committing a mass of names and dates to memory. French, of course, I
shall expect you to talk at meal-times several days in the week."

Based on the text, which choice best describes the form of education that Mrs. Quabarl favors?
A) One that emphasizes traditional values.
B) One that highlights active engagement.
C) One that includes mostly artistic experimentation.
D) One that stresses factual retention.

32
Question 8

Scientists have long debated how the ancestors of birds evolved the ability to fly. The ground-up
theory assumes they were fleet-footed ground dwellers that captured prey by leaping and
flapping their upper limbs. The tree-down theory assumes they were tree climbers that leapt and
glided among branches. When a group of graduate students challenged Ken Dial to come up
with new data on the age-old ground-up-tree-down debate, he designed a project to see what
clues might lie in how baby game birds learned to fly. Ken realized that all the species he'd
watched in the wild preferred to rest on ledges, low branches, or other elevated perches where
they were safe from predators. They only used the ground for feeding and traveling. So he
brought in some hay bales for the birds to perch on.

which evidence could strengthen Ken Dial's project design?

A) The acquisition of flight in young birds sheds light on the acquisition of flight in their
evolutionary ancestors.
B) The tendency of certain young birds to roost on ledges is a somewhat recently evolved
behavior.
C) Young birds in a controlled research setting are less likely than birds in the wild to require
perches when at rest.
D) Ground-dwelling and tree-climbing predecessors to birds evolved in parallel.

33
Question 9

We postulate that the problem is a diet deficient in anti-mite toxins, including pyrethrums, and
possibly other nutrients which are inherent in such plants. Without, at least, intermittent feeding
on pyrethrum-producing plants, bee colonies are susceptible to mite infestations which can
become fatal either directly or due to a secondary infection of immunocompromised or
nutritionally deficient bees. This secondary infection can be viral, bacterial or fungal and caused
by one or more pathogens. In addition, immunocompromised or nutritionally deficient bees may
be further weakened when commercially produced insecticides are introduced into their hives by
bee keepers in an effort to fight mite infestation. This hypothesis can best be tested by a trial
wherein a small number of commercial honey bee colonies are offered a number of
pyrethrum-producing plants, as well as a typical bee food source such as clover, while controls
are offered only the clover.

Based on the text, which of the following is a hypothesis that the author suggests "can best be
tested by a trial"?
A) Honeybees that are exposed to both pyrethrums and mites are likely to develop a secondary
infection by a virus, a bacterium, or a fungus.
B) Beekeepers who feed their honeybee colonies a diet of a single crop need to increase the use
of insecticides to prevent mite infestations.
C) A honeybee diet that includes pyrethrums results in honeybee colonies that are more resistant
to mite infections.
D) Humans are more susceptible to mite infestations as a result of consuming nutritionally
deficient food crops.

34
Question 10

We are not witnessing the abandonment of the suburbs, or a movement of millions of people
back to the city all at once. The 2010 census certainly did not turn up evidence of a middle-class
stampede to the nation's cities. But when it comes to measuring demographic inversion, raw
census numbers are an ineffective blunt instrument. A closer look at the results shows that the
most powerful demographic events of the past decade were the movement of African Americans
out of central cities and the settlement of immigrant groups in suburbs, often ones many miles
distant from downtown. It is important to remember that demographic inversion is not a proxy
for population growth; it can occur in cities that are growing, those whose numbers are flat, and
even in those 35 undergoing a modest decline in size.

What is the main idea of the text?

A) The 2010 census demonstrated a sizeable growth in the number of middle-class families
moving into inner cities.
B) The 2010 census is not a reliable instrument for measuring population trends in American
cities.
C) Population growth and demographic inversion are distinct phenomena, and demographic
inversion is evident in many American cities.
D) Population growth in American cities has been increasing, while suburban populations have
decreased.

Question 11

The creation of the first transgenic animals—first mice, then other species—in the 1980s gave
scientists an idea: What if they put the gene for a human antibody or enzyme into a cow, goat, or
sheep? If they put the gene in just the right place, under the control of the right molecular switch,
maybe they could engineer animals that produced healing human proteins in their milk. Then
doctors could collect medicine by the bucketful. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, studies provided
proof of principle, as scientists created transgenic mice, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, and rabbits
that did in fact make therapeutic compounds in their milk. At first, this work was merely gee-whiz,
scientific geekery, lab-bound thought experiments come true. That all changed with ATryn, a drug
produced by the Massachusetts firm GTC Biotherapeutics.

What is suggested by the text about the transgenic studies done in the 1980s and 1990s?
A) They were limited by the expensive nature of animal research.
B) They were not expected to yield products ready for human use.
C) They were completed when an anticoagulant was identified.
D) They focused only on the molecular properties of cows, goats, and sheep.

35
Question 12

This text is adapted from Charlotte Bronte's 1857 novel The Professor.
No man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice of his profession, and
every man, worthy of the name, will row long against wind and tide before he allows himself to
cry out, "I am baffled!" and submits to be floated passively back to land. From the first week of
my residence in X— I felt my occupation irksome. The thing itself— the work of copying and
translating business-letters— was a dry and tedious task enough, but had that been all, I should
long have borne with the nuisance; I am not of an impatient nature, and influenced by the
double desire of getting my living and justifying to myself and others the resolution I had taken to
become a tradesman, I should have endured in silence. But this was not all; antipathy had sprung
up between myself and my employer Edward Crimsworth, striking deeper root and spreading
denser shade daily.

Which choice best describes the function of the first sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A) It establishes the narrator's perspective on a controversy.
B) It provides context useful for understanding the narrator's emotional state.
C) It offers a symbolic representation of Edward Crimsworth's plight.
D) It contrasts the narrator's good intentions with his malicious conduct.

Question 13

Scientists do not know how the long-winged birds find that aerodynamic sweet spot when they
fly in a V formation, but they suspect that the animals align themselves either by sight or by
sensing air currents through their feathers. Alternatively, they may move around until they find
the location with the least resistance. In future studies, researchers will use common birds, such
as pigeons or geese. They plan to investigate how the animals decide who sets the course and the
pace, and whether a mistake made by the leader can ripple through the rest of the flock to cause
traffic jams.

What is the main idea of the text?

A) Different types of hierarchies exist in each flock of birds.
B) Mistakes can happen when long-winged birds create a V formation.
C) Future research will help scientists to better understand V formations.
D) Long-winged birds watch the lead bird closely to keep a V formation intact.

36
Question 14

In 2000, a neuroscientist at University College London named Eleanor Maguire wanted to find out
what effect all that driving around the labyrinthine streets of London might have on cabbies'
brains. She examined the brains of sixteen taxi drivers in an MRI scanner. The right posterior
hippocampus, a part of the brain known to be involved in spatial navigation, was 7 percent larger
than normal. The brain is a mutable organ, capable — within limits — of reorganizing itself and
readapting to new kinds of sensory input, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. It had long
been thought that the adult brain was incapable of spawning new neurons—that while learning
caused synapses to rearrange themselves and new links between brain cells to form, the brain's
basic anatomical structure was more or less static. Maguire's study suggested the old inherited
wisdom was simply not true.

Which choice best describes the function of the last sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A) It demonstrates the validity of a new method.
B) It provides evidence for a popular viewpoint.
C) It calls into question an earlier consensus.
D) It challenges the authenticity of previous data.

Question 15

During World War II, Karl Shapiro was soldier who worked in a medical unit in the South Pacific.
His work is not as popular as it was in the past, but it contains a truth that is hard to deny. The
stark reality of war is ever present. However, he also includes bitter irony of the way it is often
portrayed in a glorious light, as in his 1944 "Troop Train": _____

Which quotation from "Troop Train" most effectively illustrates the claim?
A) "It stops the town we come through. Workers raise / Their oily arms in good salute and grin. /
Kids scream as at a circus. Business men / Glance hopefully and go their measured way."
B) "And women standing at their dumbstruck door/ More slowly wave and seem to warn us bac,
/ As if a tear blinding the the course of war / Might once dissolve our iron in their sweet wish."
C) "And on through crummy continents and days, / Deliberate, grimy, slightly drunk we crawl, /
The good-bad boys of circumstance and chance, / Whose bucket-helmets bang the empty wall"
D) "Trains lead to ships and shipts to death or trains, / And trains to death or trucks, and trucks to
death, / Or trucks lead to the march, the march to death, / Or that survival which is all our hope;"

37
Question 16

Bottke and the Hal Levison of SwRI led a pair of studies which support the idea of refugees from
the outer solar system orbiting in the asteroid belt. They focused on the so-called D- and P-type
asteroids that comprise 20 per cent of the population in the outer part of the belt. These objects
are a dark reddish colour that suggests they are covered in carbon-rich gunk— just the sort of
residue that might have been left behind on an icy object that had its outermost layers vaporized
in the bright sunlight of the inner solar system. Bottke and Levison's computer simulations show
that the observed number of objects is about right if they are immigrants, though they have
assumed many of the objects broke up after transport.

Which of the following study, if true, would most likely weaken Bottke and Levison's conclusions?
A) A study that confirmed that the heat from the Sun burned away the outer layers of all
immigrant objects.
B) A study that established that the orbits of certain objects of the inner solar system were once
less stable.
C) A study that demonstrated that very few objects broke up after migrating to the asteroid belt.
D) A study that proved that not all immigrants from the outer solar system survive in the asteroid
belt today.

Question 17

A turning leaf stays green at first, then reveals splotches of yellow and red as chlorophyll
gradually breaks down. Dark green seems to stay longest in the veins, outlining and defining
them. During the summer, chlorophyll breaks down in the heat and light, but it is also being
steadily replaced. In the fall, on the other hand, ____________

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A) Chlorophyll in the leaves begins to break down, revealing these colors for the first time all year.
B) Heat and light cause new pigments to be produced, so the leaves show more varied colors.
C) existing pigments become more uniform, although subtle hues can still be detected.
D) no new pigment is produced, and so we notice the other colors that were always there.

38
Question 18

Digital audio recording is becoming increasingly popular in courtrooms across the United States,
with six states using solely audio recordings for general jurisdiction sessions.Champions of court
reporting, though, argue the______ that with the increased reliance on technology, errors
actually increase.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) opposite, they argue
B) opposite—
C) opposite, which being
D) opposite, their opinion is

Question 19

Now, researchers fly their experiments aboard aircraft that simulate the microgravity
environment of space. These flights allowed the UCSD students to experience microgravity and
perform their experiment without traveling into space. Specifically, they_______ the combustion
of biofuel droplets in microgravity for twice as long as could be accomplished in drop towers and
to perform tests with larger droplets.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) investigated
B)could investigate
C)were investigating
D)were able to investigate

Question 20

Artists such as these Brooklyn performers find that crowdfunding exacerbates problems that
already exist. Work, that is easily understood and appreciated, is supported, while more
complex work goes unnoticed. Time that could be used creating art is spent devising clever perks
to draw the attention of potential contributors. In addition, audiences may contain many "free
________ contributions.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English ？
A) riders," they did not make
B) riders," not making
C) riders," who did not make
D) riders" to not make

39
Question 21

Slow Food supporters back methods of growing and preparing food based on regional culinary
traditions. When produced using traditional methods, goat cheese made in France tastes
different from goat cheese made in Vermont. A goat ingests the vegetation particular to the
meadow in which it grazes, which, along with other environmental_______shapes the cheese's
taste and texture.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English？
A) factors such as altitude and weather
B) factors, such as altitude and weather,
C) factors such as, altitude and weather,
D) factors, such as altitude and weather

Question 22

A growing number of public schools in the United States require students to complete
community service hours to graduate. But critics say that making volunteerism compulsory
misses the point of the act. ___________volunteer work is done willingly. By requiring students
to do community service in order to graduate, school officials are taking away students' choice to
give up their time for nonprofit activities, making volunteerism less meaningful and pleasurable.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) By its very definition,
B) Whatever the work may be,
C) For many students,
D) Fortunately for communities in need,

40
Question 23

Champions of court reporting, though, argue the opposite—that with the increased reliance on
technology, errors actually increase. Because digital systems record indiscriminately, they
cannot discern important parts of the proceedings from other noises in the
courtroom._________a digital device does indeed record everything, but that includes loud
noises, such as a book dropping, that can make the actual words spoken impossible to hear.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) Despite this,
B) In other words,
C) Therefore,
D) Consequently,

Question 24

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 CT scanners use X-rays to map the surface of a fossil in minute detail, recording as many as
one million data points to create a digital blueprint.
 A 3-D printer then builds a polymer model based on this blueprint, much as a regular
computer printer reproduces digital documents on paper.
 The head of an ordinary computer printer moves back and forth while printing ink onto
paper.
 The corresponding part of a 3-D printer moves in multiple dimensions while squirting out
thin layers of melted polymer plastic.
 The plastic hardens quickly, it allows the printer to build the layers of the final model.
 Scanning and printing with 3-D printer is extremely versatile.

The student wants to contrast the machanism of traditional printer and 3-D printer. Which choice
most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Whereas the head of an ordinary computer printer moves back and forth while printing ink
onto paper, the corresponding part of a 3-D printer moves in multiple dimensions while squirting
out thin layers of melted polymer plastic.
B) CT scanners use X-rays to map the surface of a fossil in minute detail, and then 3-D printer
then builds a polymer model based on the blueprint.
C) Because the plastic hardens quickly, scanning and printing in this way is extremely versatile.
D) Just like the way regular computer printers reproduces digital documents on paper, 3-D printer
uses the blueprint from CT scanners to spray thin layers of melted polymer plastic.

41
Question 25

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 Fruits, such as, apples often must travel long distances before being eaten by consumers.
 Marketed as SmartFresh, the chemical 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) has been used by
fruit growers since 2002 in the United States and elsewhere to preserve the crispness and
lengthen the storage life of apples and other fruit.
 1-MCP lengthens storage life by three to four times when applied to apples.
 At a cost of about one cent per pound of apples, 1-MCP is a highly cost-effective treatment.
 This extended life allows producers to sell their apples in the off-season, months after the
apples have been harvested.
 However, 1-MCP is no a panacea for fruit producers or sellers: there are problems and
limitations associated with its use.

The student wants to present the specific benefit of I-MCP on storage time and how it benefits
producers. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish
this goal?
A) When applied to apples, 1-MCP lengthens storage life by three to four times, allowing
producers to sell their apples in the off-season, months after the apples have been harvested.
B) Marketed as SmartFresh, the chemical 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) has been used by fruit
growers since 2002 in the United States and elsewhere to preserve the crispness and lengthen
the storage life of apples and other fruit, which often must travel long distances before being
eaten by consumers.
C) At a cost of about one cent per pound of apples, 1-MCP lengthens storage life by three to four
times, and thus is a highly cost-effective.
D) Although 1-MCP is highly cost-effective, it is not a panacea for fruit producers.

42
Question 26

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 For most zookeepers, the highlight of the workday is the time they spend interacting with
animals.
 Zookeepers spend much of their time performing activities that do not involve contact with
animals.
 For example, they need to clean cages, prepare food, and also conduct educational
programs.
 Most zookeepers report very high levels of job satisfaction.
 They regard zookeeping not just as a job but also as an expression of their identity and
values.

The student wants to demonstrate the contrast in zookeepers' work. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish these goals?

A) Although most of zookeepers' work do not involve contacts with animals, they report very high
levels of job satisfaction.
B) Most zookeepers report high levels of job satisfaction because they regard their job as an
expression of their identity and values.
C) Although zookeepers spend much of their time cleaning cages, preparing food, or conducting
educational programs, they regard their job as an expression of their identity and values.
D) Although the highlight of the workday for zookeepers is the time they spend interacting with
animals, they spend much time cleaning cages, preparing food, or conducting educational
programs which do not involve contact with animals.

43
Question 27

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

 Pierre de Coubertin, the French founder of the modern Olympic Games, was a proponent of
Olympism.
 Determined to bring the ideal of Olympism to the modern games, Coubertin incorporated
into the 1912 Olympics an arts competition called the Pentathlon of the Muses.
 Coubertin's pentathlon awarded Olympic medals for achievements in architecture, literature,
music, painting, and sculpture.
 Professional artists were prohibited from competing in the pentathlon.
 Lacking eligible participants, the Pentathlon of the Muses was discontinued in 1948.

The student wants to provide a reason for the ending of Pentathlon. Which choice most
effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish these goals?

A) Because Pierre de Coubertin, the French founder of the modern Olympic Games, was a
proponent of Olympism, he determined to bring the ideal of Olympism to the modern game.
B) Much as Coubertin's pentathlon awarded Olympic medals for achievements in architecture,
literature, music, painting, and sculpture, professional artists were not allowed to compete in it.
C) Since professional artists were prohibited from competing in the pentathlon, the Pentathlon of
the Muses was discontinued because of lacking eligible participants.
D) Coubertin incorporated into the 1912 Olympics an arts competition called the Pentathlon of
the Muses, but the Pentathlon of the Muses was discontinued in 1948.

44
Section 2

Math

45
 Routing mode

Question 1

2
��
If 2 = �16 , � > 1, and � + � = 2, what is the value of � − � ?
��

Question 2

On Saturday afternoon, Armand sent m text messages each hour for 5 hours, and Tyrone sent
p text messages each hour for 4 hours. Which of the following represents the total number of
messages sent by Armand and Tyrone on Saturday afternoon?

A) 9��
B) 20��
C) 5� + 4�
D) 4� + 5�

46
Question 3

Kathy is a repair technician for a phone company. Each week, she received a batch of phone
that need repairs. The number of phones that she has left to fix at the end of each day can be
estimated with the equation � = 108 − 23�, where P is the number of phones left and d is
the number of days she has worked that week. What is the meaning of the value 108 in this
equation?

A) Kathy will complete the repair within 108 days.

B) Kathy starts each week with 108 phones to fix.
C) Kathy repairs phones at a rate of 108 per hour.
D) Kathy repairs phones at a rate of 108 per day.

Question 4

� � �
1+
1,200 1,200
�= �
� �
1+ −1
1,200
The formula above gives the monthly payment � needed to pay off a loan of P dollars at r
percent annual interest over N months. Which of the following gives P in terms of m, r, and
N?

� � �
1+
1,200 1,200
A) � = � � �
1+ −1
1,200

� �
1+ −1
1,200
B) � = � � � �
1+
1,200 1,200

�
C) � = 1,200
�

1,200
D) � = �
�

47
Question 5

3� + 4� =− 23
2� − � =− 19
What is the solution �, � to the system of equations above?

A) −5,2
B) 3, − 8
C) 4, − 6
D) 9, − 6

Question 6

� = 2.35 + 0.25�
� = 1.75 + 0.40�
In the equations above, b and c represent the price per pound, in dollars, of beef and chicken,
respectively, x weeks after July 1 during last summer. What was the price per pound of beef
when it was equal to the price per pound of chicken?

A) $2.60
B) $2.85
C) $2.95
D) $3.35

Question 7

1
A line in the xy-plane passes through the origin and has a slope of 7 . Which pf the following

points lies on the line?

A) 0,7
B) 1,7
C) 7,7
D) 14,2

48
Question 8

4
In a right triangle, one angle measures �°, where sin �° = 5. What is cos 90° − �° ?

Question 9

Based on the histogram above, of the following,

which is closest to the average (arithmetic mean)
number of seeds per apple?

A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7

49
Question 10

The graph above displays the total cost �, in dollars, of renting a boat for ℎ hours.

What does the �-intercept represent in the graph?

A)The initial cost of renting the boat

B)The total number of boats rented
C)The total number of hours the boat is rented
D)The increase in cost to rent the boat for each additional hour

50
Question 11

� <− � + �
�> �+�
In the ��-plane, if (0, 0) is a solution to the system of inequalities above, which of the
following relationships between � and � must be true?

A) �>�
B) �>�
C) � > �
D) � =− �

Question 12

Alma bought a laptop computer at a store that gave a 20 percent discount off its original price.
The total amount she paid to the cashier was � dollars, including an 8 percent sales tax on
the discounted price. Which of the following represents the original price of the computer in
terms of � ?

A) 0.88�
�
B) 0.88

C) 0.8 1.08 �
�
D) 0.8 1.08

51
Question 13

Which of the following is an equation of a circle in the �� -plane with center (0, 4) and a
4
radius with endpoint 3
,5 ?

25
A) �2 + � − 4 2
= 9

25
B) �2 + � + 4 2
= 9

5
C) �2 + � − 4 2
=3

5
D) �2 + � + 4 2
=3

Question 14

Katarina is a botanist studying the production of pears by two types of pear trees. She noticed
that Type A trees produced 20 percent more pears than Type B trees did. Based on Katarina's
observation, if the Type A trees produced 144 pears, how many pears did the Type B trees
produce?

52
Question 15

1
If the system of inequalities � ≥ 2� + 1 and � > 2 � − 1 is graphed in the �� −plane above,

which quadrant contains no solutions to the system?

A) Quadrant II
B) Quadrant III
C) Quadrant IV
D) There are solutions in all four quadrants.

Question 16

Number of Portable Media Players

Sold Worldwide Each Year from 2006 to 2011

According to the line graph above, the number of portable media players sold in 2008 is what
fraction of the number sold in 2011 ?

53
Question 17

Jessica opened a bank account that earns 2 percent interest compounded annually. Her initial
deposit was $100, and she uses the expression $100(�)� to find the value of the account
after � years.
What is the value of � in the expression?

Question 18

A landscaping company estimates the price of a job, in dollars, using the expression 60 + 12�ℎ,
where n is the number of landscapers who will be working and h is the total number of hours the job
will take using n landscapers. Which of the following is the best interpretation of the number 12 in the
expression?

A) The company charges $12 per hour for each landscaper.

B) A minimum of 12 landscapers will work on each job.
C) The price of every job increases by $12 every hour.
D) Each landscaper works 12 hours a day.

Question 19

In the xy-plane below, line � is parallel to line k. What is the value of p ?

54
Question 20

For what value of � is � − 1 + 1 equal to 0 ?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) There is no such value of n.

Question 21

Which of the following is an equivalent form of the equation of the graph shown in the
��-plane above, from which the coordinates of vertex A can be identified as constants in the
equation?

A) � = (� + 3)(� − 5)
B) � = (� − 3)(� + 5)
C) � = �(� − 2) – 15
D) � = (� − 1)2 − 16

55
Question 22

1 decagram = 10 grams
1,000 milligrams = 1 gram

A hospital stores one type of medicine in 2-decagram containers. Based on the information
given in the box above, how many 1-milligram doses are there in one 2-decagram container?

A) 0.002
B) 200
C) 2,000
D) 20,000

56
 Easier mode

Question 1

If � > 0 and �2 − 4 = 0, what is the value of � ?

Question 2

For � = −1, what is the sum 7 + 3� + −8 + 9� ?

A) −1 + 12�
B) −1 − 6�
C) 15 + 12�
D) 15 − 6�

Question 3

�2 � − 3�2 + 5��2 − −�2 � + 3��2 − 3�2

Which of the following is equivalent to the expression above?

A) 4�2 �2
B) 8��2 − 6�2
C) 2�2 � + 2��2
D) 2�2 � + 8��2 − 6�2

57
Question 4

If 5� + 6 = 10, what is the value of 10� + 3 ?

Question 5

ℎ = 3� + 28.6
A pediatrician uses the model above to estimate the height h of a boy, in inches, in terms of
the boy's age a, in years, between the ages of 2 and 5. Based on the model, what is the
estimated increase, in inches, of a boy's height each year?

A) 3

B) 5.7

C) 9.5

D) 14.3

Question 6

� 4�
If �
= 2, what is the value of �
?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 4

58
Question 7

g � = ��2 + 24
For the function g defined above, a is a constant and g 4 = 8. What is the value of g −4 ?

Question 8

1
If � > 3, which of the following is equivalent to 1 1 ?
+
�+2 �+3

2�+5
A) �2 +5�+6

�2 +5�+6
B) 2�+5

C) 2� + 5
D) �2 + 5� + 6

Question 9

8�
If 3� − � = 12, what is the value of 2�
?

A) 212
B) 44
C) 82
D) The value cannot be determined from the information given.

59
Question 10

�−1
If 3
= � and � = 3, what is the value of �?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 9
D) 10

Question 11

�+�=9
� + 2� =− 25
According to the system of equations above, what is the value of x ?

Question 12

If � = 5 2 and 2� = 2�, what is the value of x ?

60
Question 13

If � = ��, where � is a constant, and � = 24 when � = 6, what is the value of � when

� = 5?

A) 6
B) 15
C) 20
D) 23

Question 14

If 16 + 4� is 10 more than 14, what is the value of 8� ?

A) 2
B) 6
C) 16
D) 80

Question 15

Which of the following numbers is NOT a solution

of the inequality 3� − 5 ≥ 4� − 3 ?

A) −1
B) −2
C) −3
D) −5

61
 Question 16

The complete graph of the function � is shown in the ��-plane above. For what value of �
is the value of � (� ) at its minimum?

A) −5
B) −3
C) −2
D) 3

Question 17

ℎ =− 4.9�2 + 25�
The equation above expresses the approximate height ℎ, in meters, of a ball � seconds after it is
launched vertically upward from the ground with an initial velocity of 25 meters per second.
After approximately how many seconds will the ball hit the ground?

A) 3.5
B) 4.0
C) 4.5
D) 5.0

62
Question 18

1
ℎ � = 2
�−5 +4 �−5 +4
For what value of � is the function h above undefined?

Question 19

�+�=0
3� − 2� = 10
Which of the following ordered pairs (�, �) satisfies the system of equations above?

A) (3, −2)
B) (2, −2)
C) (−2, 2)
D) (−2, −2)

Question 20

9�4 + 12�2 � 2 + 4�4

Which of the following is equivalent to the expression shown above?

A) (3�2 + 2�2 )2
B) (3�2 + 2�)4
C) (9�2 + 4�2 )2
D) (9� + 4�)4

63
Question 21

The number of rooftops with solar panel installations in 5 cities is shown in the graph above.
If the total number of installations is 27,500, what is an appropriate label for the vertical axis
of the graph?

A) Number of installations (in tens)

B) Number of installations (in hundreds)
C) Number of installations (in thousands)
D) Number of installations (in tens of thousands)

64
Question 22

In the figure above, lines � and � are parallel and lines � and � are parallel. If the
measure of ∠1 is 35°, what is the measure of ∠2 ?

A) 35°
B) 55°
C) 70°
D) 145°

65
 Harder mode

Question 1

A food truck sells salads for $6.50 each and drinks for $2.00 each. The food truck's revenue
from selling a total of 209 salads and drinks in one day was $836.50. How many salads were
sold that day?

Question 2

If �� + 2 �� + 7 = 15�2 + �� + 14 for all values of �, and � + � = 8, what are the two

possible values for c?

A) 3 and 5
B) 6 and 35
C) 10 and 21
D) 31 and 41

Question 3

A group of tenth-grade students responded to a survey that asked which math course they
were currently enrolled in. The survey data were broken down as shown in the table above.
Which of the following categories accounts for approximately 19 percent of all the survey
respondents?

A) Females taking Geometry

B) Females taking Algebra II
C) Males taking Geometry
D) Males taking Algebra I

66
Question 4

Lengths of Fish (in inches)

8 9 9 9 10 10 11
11 12 12 12 12 13 13
13 14 14 15 15 16 24
The table above lists the lengths, to the nearest inch, of a random sample of 21 brown
bullhead fish. The outlier measurement of 24 inches is an error. Of the mean, median, and
range of the values listed, which will change the most if the 24-inch measurement is removed
from the data?

A) Mean
B) Median
C) Range
D) They will all change by the same amount.

Question 5

A square field measures 10 meters by 10 meters.

Ten students each mark off a randomly selected region of the field; each region is square and
has side lengths of 1 meter, and no two regions overlap. The students count the earthworms
contained in the soil to a depth of 5 centimeters beneath the ground's surface in each region.
The results are shown in the table below.
Region Number of Region Number of
earthworms earthworms
A 107 F 141
B 147 G 150
C 146 H 154
D 135 I 176
E 149 J 166
Which of the following is a reasonable approximation of the number of earthworms to a depth of
5 centimeters beneath the ground's surface in the entire field?

A) 150
B) 1,500
C) 15,000
D) 150,000

67
Question 6

The posted weight limit for a covered wooden bridge in Pennsylvania is 6000 pounds. A
delivery truck that is carrying � identical boxes each weighing 14 pounds will pass over the
bridge. If the combined weight of the empty delivery truck and its driver is 4500 pounds,
what is the maximum possible value for � that will keep the combined weight of the truck,
driver, and boxes below the bridge's posted weight limit?

Question 7

A local television station sells time slots for programs in 30-minute intervals. If the station
operates 24 hours per day, every day of the week, what is the total number of 30-minute time
slots the station can sell for Tuesday and Wednesday?

Question 8

A radioactive substance decays at an annual rate of 13 percent. If the initial amount of the substance is
325 grams, which of the following functions f models the remaining amount of the substance, in
grams, t years later?

A) �(�) = 325(0.87)�
B) �(�) = 325(0.13)�
C) �(�) = 0.87(325)�
D) �(�) = 0.13(325)�

68
Question 9

The graph of a line in the xy-plane has slope 2 and contains the point (1,8). The graph of a second line
passes through the points (1, 2) and (2, 1). If the two lines intersect at the point (�, �), what is the
value of � + � ?

A) 4
B) 3
C) −1
D) −4

Question 10

3−5�
Which of the following complex numbers is equivalent to 8+2�
? (Note: � = −1)

3 5�
A) 8
−
2

3 5�
B) 8
+
2

7 23�
C) 34
−
34

7 23�
D) 34
+
34

69
Question 11

�� = 360
The measure A, in degrees, of an exterior angle of a regular polygon is related to the number of sides, n,
of the polygon by the formula above. If the measure of an exterior angle of a regular polygon is greater
than 50°, what is the greatest number of sides it can have?

Question 12

The sales manager of a company awarded a total of $3000 in bonuses to the most productive
salespeople. The bonuses were awarded in amounts of $250 or $750. If at least one $250 bonus and at
least one $750 bonus were awarded, what is one possible number of $250 bonuses awarded?

Question 13

When 4 times the number x is added to 12, the result is 8. What number results when 2 times x is
added to 7 ?

A) −1
B) 5
C) 8
D) 9

70
Question 14

A worker uses a forklift to move boxes that weigh either 40 pounds or 65 pounds each. Let x be the
number of 40-pound boxes and y be the number of 65-pound boxes. The forklift can carry up to either
45 boxes or a weight of 2,400 pounds. Which of the following systems of inequalities represents this
relationship?

40� + 65� ≤ 2,400

A)
� + � ≤ 45
� �
+ ≤ 2,400
B) 40 65
� + � ≤ 45
40� + 65� ≤ 45
C)
� + � ≤ 2,400
� + � ≤ 2,400
D)
40� + 65� ≤ 2,400

Question 15

Number of hours Tony plans to read the

novel per day 3
Number of parts in the novel 8
Number of chapters in the novel 239
Number of words Tony reads per minute 250
Number of pages in the novel 1,078
Number of words in the novel 349,168

Tony is planning to read a novel. The table above shows information about the novel, Tony's reading
speed, and the amount of time he plans to spend reading the novel each day. If Tony reads at the rates
given in the table, which of the following is closest to the number of days it would take Tony to read
the entire novel?

A) 6
B) 8
C) 23
D) 324

71
Question 16

�
In the ��-plane above, O is the center of the circle, and the measure of ∠��� is �
radians. What is

the value of a ?

Question 17

On January 1, 2000, there were 175,000 tons of trash in a landfill that had a capacity of 325,000 tons.
Each year since then, the amount of trash in the landfill increased by 7,500 tons. If y represents the time,
in years, after January 1, 2000, which of the following inequalities describes the set of years where the
landfill is at or above capacity?

A) 325,000 − 7,500 ≤ �
B) 325,000 ≤ 7,500�
C) 150,000 ≥ 7,500�
D) 175,000 + 7,500� ≥ 325,000

72
Question 18

A researcher conducted a survey to determine whether people in a certain large town prefer
watching sports on television to attending the sporting event. The researcher asked 117 people who
visited a local restaurant on a Saturday, and 7 people refused to respond. Which of the following
factors makes it least likely that a reliable conclusion can be drawn about the sports-watching
preferences of all people in the town?

A) Sample size
B) Population size
C) The number of people who refused to respond
D) Where the survey was given

Question 19

Results on the Bar Exam of Law School Graduates

The table above summarizes the results of 200 law school graduates who took the bar exam. If one of
the surveyed graduates who passed the bar exam is chosen at random for an interview, what is the
probability that the person chosen did not take the review course?

18
A) 25

7
B) 25

25
C) 200

7
D) 200

73
Question 20

Dreams Recalled during One Week

None 1 to 4 5 or more Total

Group X 15 28 57 100
Group Y 21 11 68 100
Total 36 39 125 200

The data in the table above were produced by a sleep researcher studying the number of
dreams people recall when asked to record their dreams for one week. Group X consisted of
100 people who observed early bedtimes, and Group Y consisted of 100 people who observed
later bedtimes. If a person is chosen at random from those who recalled at least 1 dream, what
is the probability that the person belonged to Group Y ?

68
A) 100

79
B) 100

79
C) 164

164
D) 200

74
Question 21

A summer camp counselor wants to find a length, x, in feet, across a lake represented by AB,
EB, BD, and CD on the sketch, which were determined to be 1800 feet, 1400 feet, 700 feet,
and 800 feet, respectively. Segments AC and DE intersects at B, and ∠��� and ∠��� have
the same measure. What is the value of x ?

Question 22

A survey was taken of the value of homes in a county, and it was found that the mean home value was
$165,000 and the median home value was $125,000. Which of the following situations could explain
the difference between the mean and median home values in the county?

A) The homes have values that are close to each other.

B) There are a few homes that are valued much less than the rest.
C) There are a few homes that are valued much more than the rest.
D) Many of the homes have values between $125,000 and $165,000.

75