MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

The author's current attitude towards writing is best described by which of the following quotes from the passage?

"never realizing the irony was on me, that my theme was mostly an unconscious parable of the experience of writing..."

Which of the following, if true, would most undermine the author's central argument about coffee?

Because of the addictive properties of caffeine, habitual coffee drinking is often mistaken as pleasurable or desirable when in fact it is merely the result of satisfying physiological cravings caused by periodic caffeine withdrawal.

Concerning Beethoven and his music, the author appears to be perplexed as to why:

Beethoven wrote music that could be enjoyed only in the concert hall.

Which of following is most analogous to the relationship between punched cards and the hypothetical Analytic Engine, as described in the passage?

Buttons such as Permanent press or Delicates and a washing machine

Elsewhere the author writes: "The year 1919 awarded coffee one of its brightest honors. An American general said that coffee shared with bread and bacon the distinction of being one of the three nutritive essentials that helped win the World War for the Allies. So [coffee] has played a not inconspicuous part in 'making the world safe for democracy.'" This statement most strongly supports which of the following claims from the passage?

Coffee is one of the world's greatest adjuvant foods.

Which of the following comes closest to what the passage suggests?

Despite no longer being a reputable sport, dog fighting is still popular among certain populations. Its role in maintaining male status derives from the fact that it once had reputability among men at high levels of society.

Suppose the author of this passage had gained success by writing a series of autobiographical essays featuring events and details from his own life. This would be most inconsistent with the example set by which one of these authors mentioned in the passage?

Eliot

The authors of the passage most likely believe that:

English literature as a field of study was built upon assumptions which are now being questioned.

The passage suggests that coffee is consumed because: it produces feelings of pleasure and well-being. it is an alternative to alcohol. there are no acceptable coffee-substitutes.

I and III only

Which of the following is/are mentioned in the passage as an aspect of a modern writing aesthetic? The individuality of the author should not overly color the writing. The preparation for writing is more important than the act of writing. Writing requires great reserves of information and intuition within a writer.

I and III only

Which of the following statements is/are consistent with views expressed in the passage? Literature was central to the political formation of the British Empire. The study of English has always been densely political. Values such as civilization can be naturalized in a population.

II and III only

Based on passage information, which of the following authors hold opposing views?

Knight and Wollheim

Suppose a science fiction novel is published in which humans are completely wiped out by nuclear war in the beginning of the story, and only insentient machines exist for the remainder of the novel. Could the author of the passage use this story to support his argument about the purpose of future histories?

No, the author of the passage implies that future histories must include humans or human-like beings.

Which of the following, according to the passage, might the author expect to be correlated with an increase in the frequency or visibility of public executions?

Political revolution or unrest

Interpreting Dr. Harvey W. Wiley's quote in the fourth paragraph in the context of the passage as a whole, if the word "war" is representative of "coffee", then the phrase "be able to fight" in this quote is most representative of which of the following?

Produce the same mental and physical effects as coffee.

Which of the following best fits the author's use of the term "unconsciousness" (paragraph 4)?

Rigid and lacking in desire.

Which of the following would most undermine the author's assertion in paragraph 5 concerning the fundamental nature of AI research?

Successful A.I. research, inspired by biological evolution, enabling computers to learn to make independent decisions based on the outcome of previous decisions.

All of the following are inferences that can be derived from the passage EXCEPT:

The Southern propensity for violence led to the creation of a culture of honor.

Suppose that statistics showed that attendance at the symphony and the number of listeners to classical radio stations is higher when Beethoven's piano concertos are played than when the works of Schumann are played. How would this information affect the author's argument about the two musics?

The argument would be strengthened because Beethoven's music is passive rather than muscular.

Which of the following descriptions best summarizes the organization of the passage?

The author presents some philosophical foundations underlying the Recovery Narrative, then provides examples from Greek and Roman texts to support her claim that these observations of a fall from an idealized natural world resemble biblical narratives about a fall from a life of leisure in the Garden of Eden.

Which if the following, if true, would most strengthen the author's point regarding Thomas Mann in the second paragraph?

The classical, Biblical, and mythological allusions throughout Mann's books are much admired by modern literary critics.

Which of the following does not appear in the passage as an example of either the "decline of spectacle" or a "slackening hold on the body"?

The introduction in France of the guillotine as the principal mode of execution

Which of the following can most reasonably be assumed about Asimov's Foundation trilogy?

The major civilization the books follow ends in ruin.

With which of the following statements would the author would be most likely to agree?

The reduction in the practice of torture constitutes part of a broader shift in emphasis away from the body as the appropriate object of punishment.

The authors of the passage cite Gauri Viswanathan principally in order to:

emphasize a correlation between academic and political trends.

The parenthetical statement in the final paragraph of the passage serves to:

help explain an assertion discussed in the previous paragraph.

The authors of the passage would most likely agree that:

it is difficult to change behaviors that have become entrenched as habits.

The author suggests each of the following to be true of Beethoven's music EXCEPT that:

it should be classified as part of the Romantic movement in music.

The Analytical Engine was unique because:

its design included a previously unseen combination of features.

The most reasonable inference from the passage discussion of amateur pianists is that they:

played music with a physicality that is not evident when one listens to music in the concert hall.

According to the passage, Heinlein's chart was necessary to:

provide an organizing structure into which shorter narratives could be fitted.

The passage suggests each of the following EXCEPT:

science fiction writers frequently attempt to predict the future.

Based on information provided in the passage, it is reasonable to assume that Veblen is:

someone who studies the effects of class behavior on societies.

A contrast is drawn in the passage between:

the Golden Age and subsequent historical ages.

The author describes in paragraph 4 a criticism raised against the nineteenth century penal system in order to:

underscore an ongoing association between imprisonment and pain.

The central argument of the passage is that in science fiction, future histories:

while being based on the past, essentially manifest current expectations.