MCAT AAMC FL 1 CR Incorrect

Which of the following findings would most weaken the author's explanation of the observed effects of class-size reductions? A.Class-size reductions in the early grades are effective regardless of whether the teachers use methods well suited to small classes. B.Raising teacher salaries produces much greater improvements in student performance than does reducing class sizes at all grade levels. C.When teachers emphasize personal interactions with students, academic achievement typically improves regardless of class size. D.Academic achievement levels are often low even when teachers use methods well suited to small classes.

Solution: The correct answer is A. A. This is another Reasoning Beyond the Text question, because it asks which situation, listed in the options and not presented in the passage, would have a particular effect (in this case, a weakening effect) on a passage claim. The answer is A, because the author's explanation for improved performance in small classes rests on the fact that "some teachers, who already use methods well suited to smaller classes, do very well when they are actually given small classes." If, however, early grades showed improvements in student performance in smaller classes regardless of teaching techniques, then this would clearly weaken the author's explanation for the effects of class-size reductions. B. This is irrelevant to the author's explanation for the effects of class-size reductions. C. This does not weaken the author's explanation for the observed effects of class-size reductions; this describes an effect that seems to be independent of class size. D. Again, the author explains an "observed effect." This claim does not weaken that explanation. Further, the author discusses improvements in academic achievement based on class size; if achievement starts at a very low level, it may still be relatively low, even after improvement.

Which of the following statements from the passage most strongly indicates that the passage was written prior to the twenty-first century? A."The regular holding of deliberative assemblies of a thousand members encounters the gravest difficulties in respect of room and distance. . . ." B."The crowd . . . is . . . readily influenced by the eloquence of popular orators." C."[T]hese same assemblies, if divided into small sections, . . . would be much more guarded in their assent." D."The sovereign masses are incapable of undertaking the most necessary resolutions."

Solution: The correct answer is A. This is a​ Social Science passage that falls under the content category "Government." A. This Comprehension question tests your understanding of passage statements as they appear in the content of the passage. The correct answer is A, because that option clearly reflects an earlier set of technological possibilities. In the twenty-first century, the Internet and other forms of electronic communication would certainly ameliorate "the gravest difficulties" in "holding . . . deliberative assemblies of a thousand members." The sentence in paragraph five that follows the sentence in option A ("Even if we imagined the means of communication . . .") clearly signals as well that the passage was written before the twenty-first century. B. There is no reason to think that eloquent orators do not retain the power to influence a crowd in the twenty-first century. C. There is no reason to think that the influence of large groups of people, as opposed to smaller groups, is less powerful in the twenty-first century than it was in previous eras. D. Nothing about this claim signals that it was made before the twenty-first century, or that it could not be made today.

The author uses the term "culture as commodity" to characterize which aspect of Haitian voodoo? The charging of admission at voodoo sessions The molding of voodoo to fit audience expectations The sale of voodoo trinkets and other artifacts A.I only B.III only C.I and II only D.II and III only

Solution: The correct answer is C. A. Option A is incorrect, as I is not the only correct option. B. There is no support for option III, as the passage makes no reference to the sale of voodoo-related artifacts, so B is incorrect. C. This is a Comprehension question, as it tests your understanding of (the meaning of) a passage phrase, as that phrase is used in the context of the passage. The answer is C, because both options I and II are correct, while option III is not. The author explains that the "outsider" to Haiti expects voodoo to be "almost synonymous" with the country itself. According to the author, this powerful "identification" of Haiti with voodoo leads to "culture as commodity"—or the outsiders essentially being able to get what they want from voodoo. In paragraph 3, the author describes a form of voodoo that is staged for outsiders and which the audience pays admission to watch; this supports option I. Also, in paragraph 3, the author contends that the form of voodoo witnessed at Mariani "confirms the popular expectation of 'scary voodoo'"; this supports option II. D. There is no support for option III, as the passage makes no reference to the sale of voodoo-related artifacts, so D is incorrect.

The statement that "if you preserve the trivial, then you must truly value the serious" (paragraph 2) functions in the passage to: A.demonstrate that the motives of souvenir hunters are superior to those of biographers. B.convey the author's belief about the motives of souvenir hunters. C.explain the way souvenir hunters justify their enterprise to themselves. D.suggest that souvenir hunting is more respectable than it might seem.

Solution: The correct answer is C. A. The author actually considers all preoccupation with the artist herself—with her biography, and with souvenirs of the author's body or life—to be equivalent. She does not suggest that souvenir hunters are superior to biographers (or vice versa). B. This statement does not provide evidence of the author's views of the souvenir hunters' motives; the author gives perhaps the clearest hint of her theories about their motives when she says, 'You may feel 'close' to a writer when you . . . examine locks of his or her hair" (paragraph 6). C. This is a Humanities passage that falls under the "Literature" content category. It is a Reasoning Within the Text question because it asks you to evaluate the function of a statement within the passage. The answer is C. The statement quoted in the question is introduced this way: "It seems like proof of proper intent: If you preserve the trivial, then you must truly value the serious." The author argues throughout that readers should value an author's words over tangible objects or "souvenirs," and clearly does not endorse the statement quoted in the question. Instead, she says that valuing souvenirs "seems like proof of proper intent." This implies that those "who love art" believe or want to believe that their preoccupation with tangible remnants of artists is evidence of their own seriousness of purpose. D. The author does not use this statement to suggest anything about the "respectability" of the souvenir hunters' motives.

Which of the following underlying assumptions about professors is implied by the passage argument? A.Most of them are generalists, not specialists. B.Most of them lack a preference for particular geographic areas. C.Most of them care more about ideas than they do about actual places. D.Most of them in the U.S. attended college or graduate school outside their home states.

Solution: The correct answer is C. A. The author talks about the abstract and ideal in contrast to the specific and particular, but this is not the same as identifying the professors as generalists rather than specialists on the basis of the overall scope and content of their professional endeavors. B. The author claims just the opposite: ". . . although they [most professors] may have geographical preferences" (paragraph1). C. This is a Humanities passage, which belongs to the content category "Philosophy." This is a Comprehension question, because it asks you to recognize a fundamental assumption of the passage argument. The author says that rootless professors (deemed to be most professors) "are ignorant of the values of connectedness to place" (paragraph 2), that they should include local content rather than "abstract theories about distant peoples" in their courses (paragraph 4), and that "what is needed is . . . educators willing to take root and cultivate a sense of place" (paragraph 6). All of these suggest that professors care more about ideas than they do about actual places. C is correct. D.. The author says that "the majority of U.S. college students attend institutions in their home states" (paragraph 2) and that professors often obtain their jobs (not their educations) outside their home states.

Suppose an artist created an exhibition consisting entirely of tastefully arranged collages of mug shots and fingerprints. This exemplifies the passage assertion that: A.pictures of exploding bombs can be used to advertise a safe. B.capitalist societies use photographs to help officials enforce laws. C.any photograph, regardless of intention, may be viewed as art. D.capitalist societies must provide abundant entertainment.

Solution: The correct answer is C. A. The scenario in the question does not exemplify this example of a use of photographs. B. This option does not account for the fact that the photographs described in the question are being displayed as art. C. This is a Reasoning Beyond the Text question, because it presents a scenario not discussed in the passage and asks you how it would relate to passage arguments. The answer is C because the scenario in the question talks about items that are intended to identify people as part of the criminal justice system, and these photographs are now being used as part of an art exhibit. Thus, this exemplifies the passage claim that "any photograph, regardless of intention, may be viewed as art." D. This example does not specifically relate to the ways in which the passage discusses capitalist societies.

Consider that some groups are defined as "cults"; members of these extremist sects generally live communally and obey an authoritarian, charismatic leader. Assume that all cults have fewer than 100 members. This information would tend to weaken the passage's assertions about the: A.ability of great orators to sway large groups. B.loss of personality and sense of responsibility. C.difficulties involved in convening large assemblies. D.reasonableness of small groups compared to large groups.

Solution: The correct answer is D. A. The information in the question only applies to the ability of orators to sway smaller groups; it has no impact on claims about the effect of orators on larger groups. B. The reference to "loss of personality and sense of responsibility" refers to the behavior of the individual in a large group, so the information about people's behavior in a small group is irrelevant. C. The information in the question is irrelevant to passage claims about the difficulty involved in convening large assemblies. D. This is a Reasoning Beyond the Text question because it presents information that is beyond the scope of the passage and then asks you to consider how this information would affect passage claims. The answer is D, because the question describes a small group in which people "obey an authoritarian, charismatic leader." In the passage, however, the author claims that a "great multitude" is more likely to succumb to "unreflective enthusiasm . . . than is a small meeting" (paragraph 2). So if the cults that the question describes are small groups of fewer than 100 members, this would weaken passage claims about the more considered behavior of small groups when compared to larger ones.

Which of the following assertions in the passage does the author support with a practical example? A."[D]irect government by the people . . . greatly facilitates sudden insurrection of all kinds by individuals who are exceptionally bold, energetic, and adroit." B."[A]nd therewith disappears also personality and sense of responsibility." C."The adhesion of the crowd is tumultuous, summary, and unconditional." D."[I]t is impossible for the collectivity to undertake the direct settlement of all the controversies that may arise."

Solution: The correct answer is D. A. The quotation in this option is not supported by any kind of practical, real-life example. B. The quotation in this option is not supported by any kind of practical, real-life example. C. The quotation in this option is not supported by any kind of practical, real-life example. D. This is a Reasoning Within the Text question because it asks you to assess the nature of the support that the author provides for various claims. In this case, the question asks which passage assertion is supported with a "practical example." The answer is D because the claim about the impossibility of a "collectivity" settling all of the "controversies that may arise" in a society, is supported by the example (in the final paragraph) of what happens when "Peter wrongs Paul." That example demonstrates why it is absurd to imagine that the entire "collectivity" would be able to examine the circumstances of the controversy and adjudicate it.

Assume that in a particular state, teachers at all grade levels emphasize hands-on projects and personal interactions with individual students. The passage suggests that in this state, class-size reductions would probably: A.be more beneficial than alternative educational reforms. B.improve student performance only in the early elementary grades. C.not substantially improve student performance on average. D.improve student performance at all grade levels.

Solution: The correct answer is D. A. This is not supported by the passage; class-size reductions would still be costly, and there is not enough evidence in the passage to make this comparative claim, based on the scenario in the question. B. The improvements in the early elementary grades, according to the passage author, are due to the kinds of teaching techniques that teachers in those grades generally employ. So if teachers in all grades employed similar techniques, similar improvements would be expected in all grades, not only in the early grades. C. The passage links class-size-related improvements in student performance to the presence of teachers who use teaching techniques suited to small classes; the passage also says that the performance of these teachers and classes pulls up the average level of performance. So this option is incorrect, because performance improvements would be expected in this situation. D. This is a Reasoning Beyond the Text question because it presents a hypothetical scenario that is not discussed in the passage, then asks you to apply passage information to this scenario. The answer is D, because the passage author contends that improvements in student performance as a result of reductions in class size are found primarily in the early elementary grades, because teachers in those grades emphasize teaching techniques (such as hands-on projects) most suited to small classes. So, if teachers in all grades emphasized these techniques, then you would expect to see improvements in student performance due to class-size reductions at all grade levels, and not just in the early grades.

Which of the following facts cited in the passage gives the strongest support for the claim that Portuguese liberals were in the minority politically? A.The queen and her son were opposed to them. B.Several important liberals were jailed by John. C.The Inquisition was still active in Portugal. D.The commoners were politically conservative.

Solution: The correct answer is D. A. This would be correct only if the passage indicated that the queen and her son were opposed to all political minorities, but the passage doesn't do so. B. This does not address whether or not these liberals were in the minority. C. The Inquisition is a conservative counter-force in opposition to liberalism, but it by no means logically follows that its existence necessarily indicates that liberals were in the minority. D. This is a Reasoning Within the Text question, because it asks you to assess the strength of evidence presented in the text. The correct answer is D, because paragraph 2 defines the components of the commoners as a highly inclusive segment of the populace: "peasants, craftspeople, tradespeople, soldiers." The aggregate number of their ranks would, therefore, vastly outnumber the relatively few groups of individuals (including scientists and poets) that comprise the liberal faction alluded to in the passage (paragraph 3).