CARS
Which of the following findings would most weaken the claim that the use of symbolic imagery is unique to humans? A. Chimpanzees are capable of learning at least some sign language. B. Certain species of birds are able to migrate great distances by instinct alone. C. Human beings have larger frontal lobes than do other animals. D. Some animals have brains that are larger than human brains.
A. Chimpanzees are capable of learning at least some sign language. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to consider the effects on the passage of a piece of information not in the passage. The author argues, "Of all the distinctions between man and animal, the characteristic gift which makes us human is the power to work with symbolic images: the gift of imagination." The passage treats language as symbolic imagery (as in any language, written, spoken, or sign, one thing stands for another). Thus, if chimpanzees are indeed capable of learning at least some sign language, then they are capable of using symbolic imagery, and the author's claim is weakened
A new U.S. citizen who was trained as an engineer is unable to find employment in this field. What advice would the author be most likely to give this person? A. Consider a new occupation that offers other advantages. B. Look for work that offers the respect due to an engineer. C. Try to find work in a field that is related to engineering. D. Conceal your background when applying for entry-level jobs.
A. Consider a new occupation that offers other advantages. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question presents a hypothetical scenario not discussed in the passage and asks you to use passage information to determine the author's most likely approach to the scenario. The passage discusses those people who must find new lines of work when they immigrate because they are unable to gain accreditation in their previous fields. The author suggests that in some cases, these new lines of work present unexpected advantages (paragraph 5). Thus, the author would be most likely to suggest a strategy like the one described in this option.
The author's arguments about government imply that he or she would be likely to oppose which of the following? A. Legislation limiting the number of hours one can work per week B. A decrease in governmental subsidies to colleges and universities C. Legislation loosening regulations on lobbyists D. A decrease in governmental oversight of school lunches
A. Legislation limiting the number of hours one can work per week This reasoning beyond the text question asks you to apply passage claims to a situation that is not discussed in the passage. In this case, to get the question correct, you must identify the author's arguments about the government, then test these against each scenario presented, in order to determine which the author is most likely to oppose. Paragraphs 6 and 7 indicate that the author is against what he or she sees as governmental "paternalism" and this legislation would be an example of that - "protecting" people from "overwork" rather than letting them choose how much to work.
Which of the following conclusions would be most in accord with a theme of the passage? A. Politics often detracts from a war effort. B. Settlement by treaty is the only option in a colonial war. C. A country's leader should decide if war is justified and then delegate strategy to the military. D. Powerful countries throughout the ages have promoted peace through compromise.
A. Politics often detracts from a war effort. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to extrapolate from the passage to determine what kind of conclusion would be consistent with one theme of the passage. The final paragraph locates the British preoccupation with politics as a problem for their war effort: "Politics as much as anything defeated the British in the American war. The British have always been obsessed with politics, not so much in terms of opposing systems of belief as in terms of who's in and who's out . . . 'So violent was the spirit of party and faction' in the fleet 'as almost to extinguish every patriotic sentiment.'" This last point suggests that an excessive, self-interested concern with politics can undermine more collective goals. You can readily move from this point to the conclusion stated here.
How would the author be most likely to interpret the finding that the assertiveness of immigrants and their eventual incomes are positively correlated? A. Stress level is not the only factor in immigrant adjustment. B. Lower-income immigrants may be less likely to join labor unions. C. The ability of immigrants to communicate determines the prestige of their jobs. D. Employers assume that immigrants with this trait are high in status.
A. Stress level is not the only factor in immigrant adjustment. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to place the finding described in the question in the context of the author's argument and logic. The argument emphasizes the kinds of stress that can be experienced as a result of immigration and reports that this stress is highest for immigrants with the least status. A finding that introduces another factor into the analysis of immigrant adjustment and, in this case, economic success would likely be considered by the author as just that—another factor in addition to the ones that the argument addresses.
Which of the following views is most contrary to the author's opinion regarding the largely unedited sections of music retained in Callas performances? A. They are considered beautiful by most listeners. B. They were left unedited to highlight Callas's voice. C. They contain some necessary editing. D. They do not help "keep the action moving."
A. They are considered beautiful by most listeners. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to determine the author's opinion about an element of the passage, even when it is not stated explicitly. The author comments that "inexplicably, long and dreary sections of music were retained in Callas performances largely untouched." If these "largely unedited sections" are dull and their retention is "inexplicable," then the author clearly does not presume that "most listeners" find them "beautiful."
An experiment found that dogs can remember a new signal for only five minutes, whereas six-year-old children can remember the same signal much longer. Based on the information in the passage, this finding is probably explained by the fact that: A. a human being possesses a larger store of symbolic images than a dog possesses. B. the human brain evolved more quickly than the brain of a dog. C. the children were probably much older than the dogs. D. most dogs are color-blind.
A. a human being possesses a larger store of symbolic images than a dog possesses. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question poses a hypothetical scenario not contained in the passage and then asks you to analyze it based on passage information. Paragraphs 4 and 5 contend that the symbolic images that the human brain creates "play out for us events which are not present to our senses, and thereby guard the past and create the future. By contrast, the lack of symbolic ideas, or their rudimentary poverty, cuts off an animal from the past and the future alike, and imprisons him in the present." Passage information would likely explain the child's longer memory of the signal in these terms and suggest that the longer memory is a result of symbolic thinking
The expression "This is driving me around the bend" would best support a metaphor that compares madness to: A. a location. B. a vehicle. C. a road. D. a force.
A. a location. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to consider a metaphor that was not presented in the passage in terms of the arguments made in the passage. (Here, the authors claim metaphors shape our very thought processes are relevant.) This metaphor suggests that madness takes the speaker from one place to another—madness is conceived of as a place "around the bend," somewhere incompatible with sanity, and hence, as a location.
The ideas discussed in this passage would likely be of most use to: A. an ambassador to a different culture. B. a senator engaged in a serious debate. C. a financial analyst for a large corporation. D. a general preparing for battle.
A. an ambassador to a different culture. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to think about how you would apply the arguments in the passage to a circumstance outside of the passage. The author contends that metaphors profoundly shape human thought. He/she then argues that the way argument is conceived of in U.S. culture (as "war") means that people in the U.S. think very differently about argument than would those in a culture where argument was conceived of as a "dance." This argument, then, would be useful to those who work with other cultures besides their own, and needed insight into the cultural dimensions of cognitive processes.
The author mentions "easily digestible carbohydrates" (paragraph 5) most likely in order to: A. imply that the 1977 guidelines may actually have harmed public health. B. suggest that nutritional thinking changes over time. C. explain one cause of the current obesity crisis in the U.S. D. criticize the make-up of the dominant diet in the U.S.
A. imply that the 1977 guidelines may actually have harmed public health. This reasoning within the text question asks you to determine how the author uses a piece of evidence he presents in the passage. Since the guidelines "advised raising carbohydrate intake", the author mentions that "easily digestible carbohydrates...increase inflammations that can cause heart attacks" most likely in an effort to suggest that those guidelines may actually be dangerous.
According to the passage, Britain's complacency toward the colonies resulted in a: A. lack of knowledge about colonial life. B. buildup of American forces. C. rivalry between British political factions. D. base of power for the British Empire.
A. lack of knowledge about colonial life. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of information that is presented in the passage with more complex language than is contained in the passage. Paragraph 5 maintains that the "danger in complacency is that it causes the possessor to ignore as unimportant the local factors and conditions that govern other people with whom it deals. Britons faced with the American Revolution were not interested in Americans or in their magnificent continent." The paragraph goes on to detail the British ministers' lack of interest in—and thus lack of knowledge of—life in the colonies. This option clearly specifies what the passage describes as the effects of complacency.
Given the information in the passage, one would most reasonably assume that Surrealism tries to: A. put hallucinations and dreamlike visions on canvas. B. encourage artists to act in childlike ways in public. C. reflect the world as clearly as possible. D. give an outlet for artists to relieve stress caused by their creativity.
A. put hallucinations and dreamlike visions on canvas. This comprehension question asks you to draw conclusions from explicit statements in the passage. The author writes, "Dali seized on the guiding principles of surrealism and gave them their most extreme interpretation; he transformed its interest in the revelations of the unconscious and psychopathological states into a way of living and thinking". The implication here is that the surrealists interest in the unconscious and in mental states were generally confined to their art rather that extended to public performance as it was in Dali's case.
The passage implies that "some observers" (first paragraph) believed that: A. there was no real increase in heart disease after World War II. B. new diagnostic techniques were mistakenly identifying heart disease. C. the increase in death rates after World War II had little to do with the increase in heart disease. D. the increase in heart disease after World War II was somehow related to the decline in communicable disease.
A. there was no real increase in heart disease after World War II This comprehension question tests your understanding of content that is implied, but not explicit, in the passage. According to paragraph 1, "some observers cautioned that the apparent increase might be the result of diagnostic advances". The author's use of "apparent" suggests that the increase may not be a "real" one, and the reference to "diagnostic advances" posits and alternative explanation.
Given the passage discussion of Dali and the Surrealists, which of the following works of art would be most reasonably considered to be Surrealist? A. An indistinct painting of water lilies that only becomes clear from across the room B. A model of a telephone that substitutes a lobster for the receiver C. A large, moving sculpture with circles spinning within circles D. A lithograph consisting of photos of a celebrity, each of which is a different shade
B. A model of a telephone that substitutes a lobster for the receiver This reasoning beyond the text question asks you to apply the discussion of surrealist work in the passage to novel scenarios not in the passage. The passage refers to Dali's "fantastic" imagination and to the surrealists "interest in the revelations of the unconscious and psychopathological states." all of this best applies to the hallucinatory image described in this option.
Which of the following, if assumed to be true, would provide the best evidence to support the author's conclusion about how government should promote health? A. Making the presentation of nutritional information on food packaging mandatory was a step in the right direction. B. America's obesity rate was far lower back when nutrition was largely a parental responsibility. C. Most public health officials support some government involvement in nutrition policy. D. Government efforts to reduce smoking rates in the U.S. have been quite effective.
B. America's obesity rate was far lower back when nutrition was largely a parental responsibility. This reasoning beyond the text question asks you to determine the effects on the author's argument of a piece of evidence that is not discussed in the passage. The author says "the best thing government can encourage americans to do on the health front may well be to develop their own diet and exercise programs" advocating an individualistic approach over one in which the government provides guidance, recommendations, or regulations. So if america's obesity rate was indeed lower when nutrition was seen as a parental responsibility (not a government responsibility) that would support the authors conclusion.
The passage suggests that biologists were influential in persuading the United States government to: destroy stockpiles of biological weapons. abandon programs of biological weapons development. better utilize existing biological weapons rather than rely on new ones. A. I only B. I and II only C. I and III only D. II and III only
B. I and II only This Comprehension question tests understanding of information that is explicitly stated in the passage. In the last paragraph, the author describes the "unilateral abandonment of all development of biological weapons, the destruction of our weapon stockpiles, and the conversion of our biological warfare laboratories to open programs of medical research." Options I and II are clearly supported here. The passage describes "converting" weapons laboratories to support different kinds of research, not "better utiliz[ing]" the weapons themselves, so option III is not supported.
According to the passage, it is true of King George III that he: had trouble making up his mind. wanted conquest but had no plan. had a detailed plan of how to win the war. A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I and II only
B. II only This Comprehension question tests understanding of material that is clearly explained in the passage. It requires you to review the description of George III to see that his mind "contained only one idea: to conquer, but not how" (paragraph 3). This is essentially a restatement of option II. If option II is true, and the King had "no plan," then option III cannot be correct.
In the context of the passage, the statement in paragraph 7, "if thereby we die a thousand deaths, that is the price we pay for living a thousand lives," is most likely meant to suggest that: A. we must guard against using our imaginations toward destructive ends. B. although imagination sometimes causes pain, its positive aspects outweigh its negative ones. C. it is possible to be too imaginative for one's own good. D. without imagination, the uniquely human awareness of death would not exist.
B. although imagination sometimes causes pain, its positive aspects outweigh its negative ones. This Comprehension question asks you to draw on passage context in order to determine what a particular statement means in that context. Here, the passage is a celebration of imagination and claims that imagination is what makes us human. Thus, in this context, the statement suggests that the price we pay for imagination is worth the toll that it may exact.
According to the passage, if a speaker says, "I've never won an argument with him," he or she is most likely thinking that: A. arguments are violent. B. arguments are like contests. C. conceptual systems are metaphorical. D. competition is unpleasant.
B. arguments are like contests. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to apply the passage discussion of the significance of the "argument is war" metaphor to a situation that is not specifically described in the passage. The passage argues that the "argument is war" metaphor does not only shape how people talk about arguments, but how they understand (and conduct) arguments. To describe an argument as something that one "wins" or cannot seem to "win," suggests that one is thinking of an argument as a kind of contest.
Based on the passage, it is reasonable to conclude that a nation's war effort is significantly affected by the: A. development of war-related technology. B. attitudes and perceptions of its leaders. C. ability to quickly mobilize troops and supplies. D. establishment of a morally correct national position.
B. attitudes and perceptions of its leaders. This is a Reasoning Within the Text question. From the beginning of the passage, the author suggests that the leaders (and decision-makers) of the British military played a decisive role in the British defeat. Their failures included a lack of a strategic plan, complacency, and a preoccupation with internal politics rather than an effort to achieve unity in the military and in the nation. All of these faults can be subsumed under the heading "attitudes and perceptions," and the passage focuses on failures of leadership specifically, making this the correct option.
According to the passage, Meselson asked some generals about the details of the possible use of biological weapons in order to show that: A. biological weapons do little damage. B. biological weapons serve no reasonable purpose. C. biological weapons should only be used in retaliation. D. the U.S. needed to develop more effective biological weapons.
B. biological weapons serve no reasonable purpose. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to assess the way a particular piece of evidence is being used in the passage. The passage says that Meselson "had to show that their belief was based on an illusion"; it then describes the questions he asked a group of generals about the circumstances under which they would use biological weapons. The generals were never able to give him a clear answer; according to the passage, there was "no answer" to these questions. Members of Congress then concluded that the biological weapons program "made no sense." Considering Meselson's intention here and the result of his questioning, it is clear that this was the purpose of the questioning.
According to information in the passage, the best way to conduct an argument with someone from a culture that views an argument as a dance would be to: A. methodically attack the person's weaker claims. B. calmly respond to the person's points. C. explain that arguments are not like dances. D. irrationally defend your position.
B. calmly respond to the person's points. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to take a passage claim and apply that to a situation or scenario that is not discussed in the passage. The passage uses the example of a culture that conceives of an argument as a "dance" to demonstrate how differently people might behave in an argument if they saw arguments this way (rather than in a culture that saw arguments as a "war," as people in the U.S. tend to). A calm, non-oppositional response to the points made by the other person would be most consistent with the passage discussion of the way argument might operate in this culture.
According to the passage, an image is a versatile tool that: A. is always visual, never abstract. B. can be either abstract or visual. C. is always abstract, never visual. D. is neither visual nor abstract.
B. can be either abstract or visual. This Comprehension question assesses your ability to understand the definition of a word in the specific context of the passage. Although the word "image" usually has a visual connotation, in this case, the passage author makes clear that he or she is using the word in a broader sense. Writing in paragraph 3, the author says that the passage uses the word "in a wide meaning, which does not restrict it to the mind's eye as a visual organ. An image in my usage is what Charles Peirce called a sign, without regard for its sensory quality." The passage goes on to talk about words as images as well; it is clear, then, that an image can be either visual or abstract in the context of the passage.
The author claims that on the question of developing biological weapons, biologists were: A. generally supportive. B. generally opposed. C. split nearly evenly. D. unanimously opposed.
B. generally opposed. This question tests comprehension of explicit passage material. The first paragraph says that "biologists, with rare exceptions, never pushed the development of biological weapons." Thus, biologists are "generally opposed" to developing these weapons.
In order to defend poets from the charge that they were liars, Sidney noted in paragraph 6 that "a maker must imagine things that are not." Sidney's point is that: A. a true poet must possess a powerful imagination. B. in order to create something, one must first imagine it. C. poets are the most creative people in our society. D. imagination is not a gift unique to poets, but is possessed by all creative people.
B. in order to create something, one must first imagine it. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of passage information in context. The passage explains that Sidney is defending poets from the charges that they are liars. He calls them "makers," meaning creators of something new, and suggesting that makers "must imagine things that are not" implies that they must imagine things that do not yet exist in order to "make" or "create" something.
Suppose that a long-dormant ballet is being revived. Based on the passage discussion of how operas were edited for Callas, one can most reasonably infer that the passage author would prefer changes to the ballet that: A. make it easier to perform. B. retain its original style. C. modify its form. D. help to "keep the action moving."
B. retain its original style. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to apply the passage author's ideas to a hypothetical situation that is not discussed in the passage. In this case, the passage author critiques the "cuts" and other changes made to operas revived for Maria Callas, charging that these works "were eviscerated, rearranged, and even recomposed to a point that the hand of the composer was sometimes scarcely perceptible." He or she also remarks that the changes to the music "ruined the phrase structure and obscured the original character of the music." It is clear (when the author calls Callas's approach to such cuts "ill-informed, for instance") that the author values that "original character." Thus, you can conclude that the author would prefer that a ballet revival similarly "retain its original style."
The author's explanation of adaptation difficulties among immigrants would be most challenged by the finding that: A. many report no increase in their level of stress. B. those with the lowest status report the least stress. C. the only stress reported occurs during social encounters. D. most skilled workers report finding work in their field.
B. those with the lowest status report the least stress. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to consider a piece of evidence that is not discussed in the passage and consider how it would affect passage arguments. The author describes a consistent finding that stress is inversely related to socioeconomic status; those with lower status report higher stress. The scenario described in the question, then, makes the opposite point and would directly challenge passage arguments.
The passage suggests that the outcome of the Revolutionary War could have been altered if: A. Britain's navy had been allowed to fight in force. B. Britain had committed itself to a war of longer duration. C. Britain had developed a comprehensive strategic plan. D. King George III had been in charge of British plans.
C. Britain had developed a comprehensive strategic plan. This is a Comprehension question. The author refers repeatedly to the lack of a coherent strategy on the part of the British (in paragraphs 2, 3, and 4, as well as in paragraph 6, when she writes that the "British assumed that no clear plan was needed"). The implication is that a "clear plan"—a guiding strategy—was clearly necessary.
Assume that a film adaptation of a novel has authenticity, as the author claims the term is used in historical performance circles. Of the following statements about the film, which one is most likely to be true? A. The film's plot diverges markedly from the plot in the novel. B. The film uses images to reproduce the feelings expressed by the novel's prose. C. The film's re-creations of scenes from the novel lack emotion. D. The film manages to evoke a sense of humanity in the viewer.
C. The film's re-creations of scenes from the novel lack emotion. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to apply information from the passage to a scenario that is not related to or discussed in the passage. The passage author explains that "authenticity" is defined in historical performance circles as a performance that preserves the text (or score) of an original, but that lacks "vitality," so this description would be the most appropriate.
Which of the following criticisms of a proposed space shuttle flight is most like that of the "major scientific dissenters" (paragraph 6), as the author presents their views? A. The composition of the shuttle crew violates equal rights legislation. B. The shuttle flight is motivated mostly by political objectives. C. The shuttle assembly has serious design flaws. D. The shuttle flight costs too many taxpayer dollars.
C. The shuttle assembly has serious design flaws. This reasoning beyond the text question asks you to find similarities between passage information and a scenario that does not appear in the passage. According to the passage, the "major scientific dissenters from government dietary policy are not especially concerned with governmental paternalism, though that is a legitimate issue. They dissent because they find the government's evidence inadequate and its recommendations potentially harmful". A concern about "serious design flaws" is similarly a concern about potential harm.
Given the claims made in the passage, the expressions "She's brimming with vim and vigor," "She's overflowing with vitality," "He's devoid of energy," and "I don't have any energy left at the end of the day" would suggest that: A. some people have more energy than other people. B. most people wish that they had more energy. C. many people think of vitality as a substance. D. some people think that vitality affects our ability to argue.
C. many people think of vitality as a substance. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to apply ideas from the passage to examples that are not discussed in the passage. All of these expressions describe vitality as if it were a substance (something one can lack or run out of, something that can "overflow" or reach to the brim of a container). As the author claims that we do not simply speak in terms of metaphor, but actually think in metaphorical terms, you can conclude that based on the passage, these expressions suggest that many people conceive of vitality as a substance, as it is figured in the expressions.
The central thesis of the passage is that: A. we are basically unaware of our conceptual system. B. a culture can view argument as an aesthetically pleasing dance or as war. C. metaphors control our perceptions, thoughts, and actions. D. metaphor is a poetic as well as a rhetorical device.
C. metaphors control our perceptions, thoughts, and actions. This Comprehension question asks you to identify the primary argument of the passage, the purpose towards which the passage's claims and examples are building. The last sentence of the first paragraph (where one often, but certainly not always, finds a "thesis statement") articulates this main argument. The rest of the passage demonstrates this point, through argument and especially example, particularly in the extended example about what it means to view an argument as a "war."
The author's apparent attitude toward Dali's strange behavior in public is that it was: A. the result of his lifelong struggles against madness. B. the sort of action in which most Surrealists indulged. C. necessary for artistic and publicity reasons. D. needed to divert attention from his unskilled paintings.
C. necessary for artistic and publicity reasons This reasoning within the text question asks you to asses the authors attitude towards Dali's bizzare public behavior, based on evidence in the passage. The passage provides evidence that the author does see Dali's behavior as "necessary for artistic publicity reasons, "particularly in paragraphs 2 and 3 as the author discusses ways in which Dali's performances served as "useful" purposes.
Based on the passage, the attitude of the United States military as reflected in Field Manual 3-10 was that the military: A. disapproved of the development and/or use of biological weapons by any nation. B. approved of the development of biological weapons, but did not see the use of biological weapons as logical. C. saw the development and use of biological weapons as logical. D. thought biological warfare was ineffective.
C. saw the development and use of biological weapons as logical. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to draw conclusions from the way that a piece of evidence is presented in the text. The passage discussion of the field manual suggests that it contains a dispassionate, graphic assessment of biological weapons capacities: "A series of graphs is presented that tell how many biological-agent bomblets an aircraft should drop to cover a given area under given conditions, daytime or nighttime, for various types of terrain and various types of human target." The passage also indicates that the manual treats biological weapons as a military advantage: "It said that the United States was equipped and prepared for biological warfare, that this was the way a modern army should be trained." From the description of the manual, you can infer the position of the U.S. military, which authored the manual. Thus, C is the best option.
Of the following passage assertions, which one is LEAST supported by evidence or an example in the passage? A. Callas's performances are characterized by their authenticity. B. Callas's editions of some operas scarcely resembled the composers' originals. C. Callas's understanding of performance practice was quite unstudied. D. Callas was the putative champion of dormant traditions in opera.
D. Callas was the putative champion of dormant traditions in opera. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to assess or evaluate the evidence provided in the passage to see whether it supports particular claims in the passage. The passage refers to Callas as the "putative champion of dormant traditions," but does not elaborate or provide any examples of what traditions she purportedly championed.
Dali once helped create a dream sequence for the film Spellbound, a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Which of the following is information from the passage that best explains why Hitchcock would seek Dali's assistance? A. Dali became part of Surrealism to gain wider recognition. B. Dali's madness was greatly appreciated by the public. C. Dali was a dedicated artist. D. Dali created art based on images from the subconscious.
D. Dali created art based on images from the subconscious. This reasoning beyond the text question gives you a scenario that goes beyond the material presented in the passage, and asks you to use passage information to interpret it. Since Hitchcock's film is a "psychological thriller" it makes sense that Dali's interest in "hallucinations," and the fact that "all his ohibias and his obsessions were flaunted in his behavior and his work," would appeal to Hitchcock.
Which of the following is an assertion that is supported by strong evidence in the passage? A. Surrealists were all as eclectic and scandalous as Dali. B. Dali will be remembered for his paintings long after other artists are forgotten. C. Dali was capable of total focus when painting. D. Dali's bizarre public actions had rational causes.
D. Dali's bizarre public actions had rational causes. This reasoning within the text question asks you to assess the quality of evidence for the statements given in each option. The passage gives several pieces of evidence that support the claim that Dali's outrageous behavior served rational purposes. Evidence includes the passage statements: "his provocative attitudes were not adopted for publicity purposes only, but satisfied a need to keep his mind in a state of excitement that would be congenial to his artistic activity. They were useful too in winning immediate acceptance for his most fantastic works, because their extravagances appeared to illustrate intellectual drama".
Edward Ahrens's criticism, as it is presented in the passage, essentially points to: complexity. flexibility. diversity. A. I only B. I and II only C. II and III only D. I and III only
D. I and III only This comprehension question asks you to describe the essence of a point made in the passage itself. In saying that the guidelines are "simplistic", Ahrens points to a lack of complexity in the guidelines, so I is correct. In saying that the guidelines "treated the population as a 'homogenous group...while ignoring the wide variation' in individual diet and blood chemistry", Ahrens points to a diversity in the population that the guidelines do not account for, so III is also correct.
It has been said that language does not merely describe reality but actually helps to bring reality into existence. Which of the points made in the passage would best support this claim? A. To imagine means to make images and move them about in one's head. B. The tool that puts the human mind ahead of the animal's is imagery. C. There is no specific center for language in the brain of any animal except the human being. D. Images play out events that are not present, thereby guarding the past and creating the future.
D. Images play out events that are not present, thereby guarding the past and creating the future. This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to assess which points from the passage support a particular claim; in other words, you are asked to assess the value of evidence. This option describes images (or symbolic thinking) as essential to "creating the future." This point supports the claim that language actually has an effect on reality: if the images that are the foundation of language work to "play out events that are not present," then images, or language, serve to change the present reality into something else.
According to the passage, which of the following activities was common to each band of Folsom Indians? A. Cultivating a number of different crops B. Eating a wide variety of wild game C. Interacting with other bands D. Making tools out of nearby rocks
D. Making tools out of nearby rocks This question tests comprehension of passage information. The author explains: "An important conclusion from investigations at this site, as well as from comparisons to other Folsom hunter sites, is that each small population of hunters made tools out of material that they gathered themselves" (paragraph 3). The author then describes the kinds of rock used by the hunters at the San Luis site, and indicates that these rocks "were plentiful in the central and northern Rockies." As earlier passage information places the San Luis site in the Rockies, you can infer that these were "nearby rocks" (an implication strengthened by the information that there did not appear to be trading between bands of Paleoindians).
The author suggests that adjustment is difficult for the poorest immigrants to the U.S. because of: A. an expectation that the status of their children would exceed their own. B. an unexpected discrepancy between the new culture and the familiar one. C. prejudices by employers that prevent their finding employment. D. a tendency for particular problems to affect many aspects of their lives.
D. a tendency for particular problems to affect many aspects of their lives. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of a point that is made explicitly in the passage, but in different language than is used in the question. The author writes, "At the bottom of the stratification heap, any source of stress tends to be pervasively disruptive in its effects" (paragraph 2). This is another way of saying that for the poorest immigrants, any problem may affect many different aspects of their lives.
According to the passage, the British assumed they would be victorious over the Colonists because of: A. the element of surprise. B. a strategic employment of forces. C. the Colonists' unwillingness to fight. D. a vastly superior military force.
D. a vastly superior military force. This Comprehension question tests understanding of overt passage content. The author writes, "Carelessness followed from the assumption that the superiority of British force was so great that it made taking pains in performance unnecessary" (paragraph 6).
The passage suggests that Meselson's opposition to development of biological weapons was based, in part, on the claim that: A. biological weapons do not work. B. biological weapons research is very expensive. C. U.S. laboratories should be converted to medical research laboratories. D. biological weapons in the hands of small and poor countries constitute a particular danger.
D. biological weapons in the hands of small and poor countries constitute a particular danger. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of passage information. The author introduces Meselson's opposition to biological warfare, then writes, "his arguments rested on three main points. First, biological weapons are uniquely dangerous in providing opportunities for a small and poor country, or even for a group of terrorists, to do grave and widespread damage." Thus, the passage presents this particular risk of biological weapons as one of the assumptions behind Meselson's opposition to the weapons.
According to the passage, the United States government eventually made the decision to abandon development of biological weapons because: A. they were too expensive to continue to develop, especially during a time of tightened defense budgets. B. other nations would suspend development or use if the U.S. would. C. they would never be used except in retaliation for another country's using them against the U.S. first. D. they could not be shown to serve a logical military purpose.
D. they could not be shown to serve a logical military purpose. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of passage content. According to the author, after Meselson's questioning, "the congressmen became convinced that his third point was valid. Even from the narrowest military point of view, our biological weapons policy made no sense." Meselson's "third point," the previous paragraph tells you, is that, "biological weapons are uniquely unreliable and therefore inappropriate to any rational military mission for which the United States might intend to use them." The passage shows this to be the decisive turn in Meselson's convincing the Congressmen, and thus in the decision to abandon the weapons.
Assume that a new Folsom hunter site has just been discovered in northern Texas. On the basis of the information contained in the passage, this site would most likely contain all of the following EXCEPT: A. clusters of bones and tools. B. human bones. C. remains of hearths. D. tools made of Colorado flint.
D. tools made of Colorado flint. This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to take information contained in the passage and apply it to a new scenario not discussed in the passage. As the passage states that the Folsom Indians did not travel long distances (paragraph 3), and that there was apparently no trading between geographically distant bands of Folsom Indians, you can infer that Folsom Indians from Northern Texas would not have had access to flint from Colorado.
The author suggests that concluding that diet is responsible for heart disease would be: A. mistaking cause for effect. B. mistaking correlation for causation. C. failing to consider a common cause. D. failing to consider additional causes.
D. failing to consider additional causes. This reasoning within the text question asks you to identify the logical principle underlying the author's argument here. The author writes that "multiple factors were potential contributors, including genetics and personal habits such as smoking"- so concluding that diet alone is responsible for heart disease would indeed be failing to consider additional causes.
Which of the following discoveries would most strengthen the hypothesis that Folsom hunters killed the bison they ate? A. Bone breaks consistent with the shapes of the Folsom hunters' pointed tools B. No evidence of an alternative animal food source C. Bison bones at a Folsom site D. Similar accumulation of bison bones at many Folsom sites
This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to consider the effect on the passage of a piece of evidence that was not presented in the passage. The passage makes clear that the presence of tools at the sites, in conjunction with animal bones, is what led archaeologists to the conclusion that the Folsom Indians were hunters. If the bone breaks found in the bison were consistent with the shape of the Folsom hunters' tools, then this would provide further evidence that the tools were used to kill the bison.
Why is the San Luis site being investigated urgently? A. Artifacts are few in number. B. Artifacts are being eroded by the wind. C. Bison bones are few in number. D. Excessive rainfall is damaging the site.
This Comprehension question assesses understanding of information that is presented explicitly in the passage—in the first sentence of the final paragraph. This question shows that the end of the passage may contain important information, which is helpful to remember when you are looking back at or skimming a passage after a first reading.
According to the passage, recent immigrants are particularly likely to experience a loss of socioeconomic status if: A. qualification policies prevent them from practicing their profession. B. their limited education forces them to work in low-paying fields. C. they are too demoralized to pursue opportunities for advancement. D. language barriers reduce their usefulness to potential employers.
This Comprehension question tests your understanding of a point made explicitly in the passage. Paragraph 4 describes the process by which recent immigrants may not be able to practice in their new countries the professions for which they were originally trained, and the text attributes this to the standards or policies that are used to measure qualification.
Given the information presented in the third paragraph, which of the following statements could most reasonably be inferred? A. Only obvious cadential trills were left unwritten. B. Cadential trills were often written in unexpected places. C. Written cadential trills were often omitted by singers. D. Unwritten cadential trills were often expected to be sung.
This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to assess or evaluate the evidence provided in the passage to see whether it supports particular claims in the passage. The passage refers to Callas as the "putative champion of dormant traditions," but does not elaborate or provide any examples of what traditions she purportedly championed.
The passage suggests that the presence of human remains, tools, and animal bones at a single location means that: A. bison and other animals migrated from one place to another. B. communal tasks were performed at the site. C. erosion has not yet occurred at the site. D. extensive interactions occurred among bands of Paleoindians.
This Reasoning Within the Text question asks you to consider the author's logic or reasoning. In describing the San Luis site, the author says that the large number of artifacts at this site "has enabled archeologists to study a wide variety of pointed and other tools, as well as skeletons of the hunters and their prey." There are, then, human remains, tools, and animal bones at this site. In paragraph 5 the author writes of the site that "there are clusters of tools and bones, indicating the remains of a hearth around which domestic activities took place" (paragraph 5). The author clearly takes these "clusters of tools and bones" as evidence of a site where communal tasks were performed.
According to the passage, bands of Paleoindians did not trade with one another. What is the evidence for this statement? A. Tools of a band came only from local resources. B. Tool shapes were unique to each band. C. Food sources were unique to each band. D. Each band had its unique language and customs.
This Reasoning Within the Text question tests your understanding of the way in which the passage author uses evidence and reaches conclusions. The author explains that the Folsom sites contain tools that were made from stone and other resources that could be gathered from within 50 miles of the sites (paragraph 3). The author thus concludes that bands of Paleoindians were not trading with distant bands; otherwise, presumably, we would find stone from farther away involved in the production of tools.
