Unit 2 Progress Check: MCQ

Which of the following sentences first expresses the main claim of the passage?

Sentence 6

In the third sentence of the fourth paragraph, the author mentions the number of swimmers treated by the Spanish Red Cross primarily to

amplify her point about the dangers posed by jellyfish to humans

In the fourth paragraph, the author includes a quotation by Einstein primarily to

appeal to the authority of a figure whom her audience is likely to respect

The first paragraph is organized to heighten interest in the subject by

first suggesting political causes of an infrastructure failure, then revealing jellyfish as a surprising agent of this event

The writer wants to begin the passage by emphasizing the exciting and strange nature of the events discussed in the first paragraph. In September 2018, an amazing spectacle took place in the skies above Olympic National Park: blindfolded, sedated mountain goats hovered in the air, suspended in harnesses from a helicopter. Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?

(as it is now)

The writer wants to add a sentence at the end of the first paragraph to express the thesis of the passage in more detail. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

It will ultimately benefit the well-being of the goats, the safety of human visitors, and the park's ecosystem.

Throughout the passage, the author advances her main point by employing which of the following methods?

Recounting multiple incidents that demonstrate the threat represented by jellyfish

The writer is considering deleting the underlined text in sentence 14 (reproduced below). Salt in human sweat is a goat magnet; worse still, some thoughtless and irresponsible people feed the goats directly. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text?

Delete it, because it distracts from the writer's purpose of emphasizing human safety concerns by using language that focuses blame on human visitors to the park.

Which of the following best summarizes the author's thesis in the passage?

Expanding populations of jellyfish are causing increasing problems in many parts of the world.

In sentence 19 (reproduced below), the writer is considering deleting the underlined phrase. Resettled in the remote parts of the park, where salt licks are plentiful and hikers are scarce, the goats will likely regain their natural wariness of people. Should the writer keep or delete the underlined phrase?

Keep it, because it draws on evidence from the third paragraph to make a more persuasive case for why the North Cascades are a good place to resettle the goats.

The writer wants to add a sentence after sentence 12 to provide needed background information for readers who may not be familiar with mountain goats. Which of the following choices best accomplishes this goal?

Mountain goats find salt irresistible.

The writer wants to conclude the passage by reiterating the main claim. Which of the following sentences best accomplishes this goal?

The Olympics, the North Cascades, the mountain goats, and human park visitors all stand to benefit from the goat relocation program.

Which of the following best summarizes the author's thesis?

Video gaming helps develop collaborative problem-solving skills that can be useful in the real world.

Taken as a whole, the reasoning and evidence in the passage primarily defend a claim regarding

a beneficial aspect of video gaming

In the first sentence of the passage, the author refers to "antisocial gamers" primarily to

acknowledge a belief that is likely to be held by some of her audience

The writer wants to clarify the point made in the first part of sentence 8 (reproduced below). First, goats are not indigenous to the region; the area began to be advertised as a vacation destination in the early twentieth century. Which of the following versions of the underlined text best accomplishes this goal?

hunters introduced goats to the Olympics in the 1920s

In the last sentence of the fifth paragraph, the author refers to "wikis and forums" in order to

illustrate a point about the ease of collaboration enabled by the Internet

The writer wants sentence 11 (reproduced below) to serve as evidence that reinforces the argument of the passage. In the 1980s, a brief attempt to relocate the goats was met with public outcry. Which of the following versions of the underlined portion of sentence 11 best accomplishes this goal?

resulted in noticeable improvements in the park's environment