.CB'SBANK - wORDS IN CONTEXT - ALLQUESTIONS.

Question ID 84b5125b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty
SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context
ID: 84b5125b
Artist Marilyn Dingle’s intricate, coiled baskets are ______ sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Following a Gullah technique that
originated in West Africa, Dingle skillfully winds a thin palm frond around a bunch of sweetgrass with the help of a “sewing
bone” to create the basket’s signature look that no factory can reproduce.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. indicated by
B. handmade from
C. represented by
D. collected with
ID: 84b5125b Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Marilyn Dingle’s baskets. In
this context, to say that Dingle’s baskets are “handmade from” particular plants means that Dingle creates baskets
herself using those plants but without using machines. The text says that Dingle “skillfully winds” parts of palmetto
palm plants around sweetgrass plants to make baskets with an appearance that “no factory can reproduce.” This
context suggests that Dingle’s baskets are handmade from sweetgrass and palmetto palm.
Choice A is incorrect because the text describes how Dingle uses sweetgrass and palmetto palm to create her
baskets, not how her baskets are “indicated by,” or signified by, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Choice C is incorrect.
Although Dingle’s baskets are described as being made using sweetgrass and palm, there’s nothing in the text to
suggest that the baskets are “represented by,” or exemplified or portrayed by, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Instead,
the focus of the text is on Dingle’s use of sweetgrass and palmetto palm and the impossibility of replicating the
appearance of her baskets using machines. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that
Dingle’s baskets are “collected with,” or brought together in a group with, sweetgrass and palmetto palm. Instead, the
text describes how Dingle uses those plants to make her baskets.
Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 359902ae
ID: 359902ae
The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The main character, a
physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower.
At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a
singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as
if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber.
As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?
A. A lonely
B. A disagreeable
C. An acceptable
D. An extraordinary
ID: 359902ae Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “singular” most nearly means extraordinary. The text
portrays an experiment in which a character rehydrates a dried rose by infusing it with moisture. After prolonged
contact with the liquid, the rose begins to absorb it, undergoing an exceptional transformation: its color deepens, its
previously “crushed and dried” petals shift, and the entire flower revives “from a deathlike slumber.” In other words,
an extraordinary change is visible in the flower.
Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “singular” can mean of or relating to an individual or to a single
instance of something, this usage doesn’t imply loneliness or an otherwise unsatisfactory condition of isolation.
Moreover, the text doesn’t attribute such a condition to the rose. Choice B is incorrect. Although “singular” has
several related meanings, none of them relate to being disagreeable or unpleasant. Moreover, the text doesn’t
portray the change undergone by the rose as necessarily disagreeable. Choice C is incorrect because “singular”
means extraordinary, not acceptable. The change is portrayed as striking, not barely satisfactory.
Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 22a41819
ID: 22a41819
Rejecting the premise that the literary magazine Ebony and Topaz (1927) should present a unified vision of Black American
identity, editor Charles S. Johnson fostered his contributors’ diverse perspectives by promoting their authorial autonomy.
Johnson’s self-effacement diverged from the editorial stances of W.E.B. Du Bois and Alain Locke, whose decisions for their
publications were more ______.
A. proficient
B. dogmatic
C. ambiguous
D. unpretentious
ID: 22a41819 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. A person who is "dogmatic" believes strongly that their principles and opinions are
true. Because Du Bois and Locke are implied to have one "unified vision" of Black American identity that they
prioritize over the "diverse perspectives" of different writers, they can be described as dogmatic.
Choice A is incorrect. "Proficient" means "skilled." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in
the text suggests that Johnson was not skilled at making editorial decisions. Based on the text, the three editors just
have different styles; they’re not necessarily more or less skilled. Choice C is incorrect. "Ambiguous" means
"unclear" or "open to multiple interpretations." However, it’s actually Johnson who encouraged multiple
interpretations ("diverse perspectives"). Since Du Bois and Locke are said to "diverge" from Johnson, we can assume
that the views they published were not ambiguous, but instead clear and firm (a "unified vision"). Choice D is
incorrect. "Unpretentious" means "not trying to impress others with greater skill or importance than is actually
possessed." Du Bois and Locke are contrasted with Johnson, but nothing in the text suggests that Johnson is
pretentious (trying to impress others).
Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e35d481c
ID: e35d481c
Some economic historians ______ that late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households in the United States
experienced an economy of scale when it came to food purchases—they assumed that large households spent less on food
per person than did small households. Economist Trevon Logan showed, however, that a close look at the available data
disproves this supposition.
A. surmised
B. contrived
C. questioned
D. regretted
ID: e35d481c Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of late nineteenth- and early
twentieth-century household food purchases. In this context, “surmised” means formed an idea or assumption with
little evidence. The text explains that certain economic historians “assumed” that large and small households spent
different amounts on food per person, but that another economist found this supposition to be false based on
evidence from available data. This context suggests that the economic historians made an incorrect assumption
without enough consideration of evidence.
Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “contrived” would mean brought about or created through trickery. Nothing in
the text suggests that the economic historians were deliberately trying to trick people with a claim about food
purchasing behaviors in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century households; the text simply suggests that
they made an assumption about those behaviors that another historian believes isn’t supported by the available
data. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that it’s Logan and not the economic historians who
“questioned,” or doubted, the assumption that large and small households in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries spent different amounts on food per person; the economic historians are the ones who made that
assumption to begin with. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that some economic historians
“regretted,” or felt sad or remorseful about, the food purchasing behaviors of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-
century households. The text focuses on the idea that the economic historians made an assumption about those
behaviors that may not be supported by available data, not on the historians’ emotional response to what
households did in the past.

Question ID 45a109a3
ID: 45a109a3
The following text is from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. The narrator is being driven in a carriage through a remote
region at night.
The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew
dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed; he kept turning his
head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness.
As used in the text, what does the word “disturbed” most nearly mean?
A. Disorganized
B. Alarmed
C. Offended
D. Interrupted
ID: 45a109a3 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, “disturbed” most nearly means alarmed. The text portrays
the narrator traveling in a carriage as wolves howl in the surrounding darkness. The text contrasts the reaction of
both the narrator and the horses pulling the carriage with that of the driver of the carriage: the narrator and horses
are “dreadfully afraid,” but the driver is “not in the least disturbed.” In other words, the driver is not alarmed by the
wolves nearby.
Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed” can mean disorganized, the text doesn’t portray a
character acting in a disorganized manner; instead, the driver continues to drive the carriage, even though the
horses pulling it are alarmed. Choice C is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed” can mean offended, the
text doesn’t portray one character feeling offended, or upset, by another’s actions; instead, it contrasts the fear felt
by the narrator with another character’s lack of fear. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “disturbed”
can mean interrupted, the text doesn’t portray an action being interrupted; indeed, the travel depicted in the scene
continues despite the threat of the wolves outside the carriage.

Question ID 5e57efec
ID: 5e57efec
Economist Marco Castillo and colleagues showed that nuisance costs—the time and effort people must spend to make
donations—reduce charitable giving. Charities can mitigate this effect by compensating donors for nuisance costs, but those
costs, though variable, are largely ______ donation size, so charities that compensate donors will likely favor attracting a few
large donors over many small donors.
A. supplemental to
B. predictive of
C. independent of
D. subsumed in
ID: 5e57efec Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. We’re told that charities that pay donors back for nuisance costs will attract a few large
donors instead of many small donors. This suggests that nuisance costs are not linked to donation size.
Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs are supplemental to (meaning in
addition to) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that compensate donors for those costs attracting a few
large donors over many small donors. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If nuisance costs
can predict donation size, that wouldn’t necessarily result in charities that compensate donors for those costs
attracting a few large donors over many small donors. Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. If
nuisance costs are subsumed in (meaning included in) donation size, that wouldn’t result in charities that
compensate donors for those costs attracting a few large donors over many small donors.

Question ID 757077f9
ID: 757077f9
During a 2014 archaeological dig in Spain, Vicente Lull and his team uncovered the skeleton of a woman from El Algar, an
Early Bronze Age society, buried with valuable objects signaling a high position of power. This finding may persuade
researchers who have argued that Bronze Age societies were ruled by men to ______ that women may have also held
leadership roles.
A. waive
B. concede
C. refute
D. require
ID: 757077f9 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the significance of the 2014
archaeological finding at El Algar. In this context, “concede” means to admit something is true after first resisting
that admission. The text indicates that some researchers believe “Bronze Age societies were ruled by men.” But the
Bronze Age burial of a woman at El Algar included “valuable objects signaling a high position of power,” which
would raise the possibility that “women may have also held leadership roles.” Thus, the text is calling into question
the notion that only men were leaders in these societies and speculating that people holding this view may
reconsider their opinion.
Choice A is incorrect because “waive” means to refrain from insisting that something, such as a right or a
requirement, be observed; the word isn’t used, however, in contexts where someone acknowledges that an opinion
they hold may be invalid, as is the case in the text. Choice C is incorrect. According to the text, the finding from the
El Algar burial site undermines the view that Bronze Age societies were exclusively ruled by men. However, “refute”
means to demonstrate that something is false and would not make sense in context. Lull and team’s finding
supports the view that women may have also held leadership roles, not that they did not participate in such roles.
Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “require” means to demand or specify as mandatory. However, it would
not make sense for contemporary researchers to demand that Bronze Age “women may have also held leadership
roles.”

Question ID d4a8f7cb
ID: d4a8f7cb
Dance choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar aims to give people the opportunity to be ______ her creative process. For
example, live performances of her dance HairStories, which debuted in 2001, featured videos of people across the United
States talking about their hair and audience members sharing pictures of their interesting hairstyles.
A. nervous about
B. completed by
C. delayed by
D. involved in
ID: d4a8f7cb Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. “Involved in” means “playing an active role in.” This fits the context clues describing
how Zollar includes the audience in her shows by incorporating their stories and pictures.
Choice A is incorrect. “Nervous” means “worried or anxious about.” Nothing in the text suggests that people would
be nervous about Zollar’s creative process. Choice B is incorrect. “Completed by” means “made whole by.” It doesn’t
make sense to say that Zollar’s shows would make her audience complete. Choice C is incorrect. “Delayed by” means
“made late by.” Nothing in the text suggests that people would be delayed by Zollar’s creative process.

Question ID 84ece3f6
ID: 84ece3f6
The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1844 short story “Drowne’s Wooden Image.” Drowne, a young
man, is carving a wooden figure to decorate the front of a ship.
Day by day, the work assumed greater precision, and settled its irregular and misty outline into distincter grace and
beauty. The general design was now obvious to the common eye.
As used in the text, what does the word “assumed” most nearly mean?
A. Acquired
B. Acknowledged
C. Imitated
D. Speculated
ID: 84ece3f6 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “assumed” most nearly means acquired, or came to possess.
The text portrays a character named Drowne carving a figure out of wood. At first “irregular and misty,” or haphazard
and indistinct, the figure’s outline gradually showed “distincter grace and beauty” until the general design of the
carved object “was now obvious to the common eye,” or plainly recognizable to anyone. In other words, as Drowne
continued to carve, the wooden object came to possess, or acquired, greater precision, changing from an indistinct
outline or shape into a graceful, beautiful, and clearly recognizable form.
Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean acknowledged, or recognized, it doesn’t have
that meaning in this context because an inanimate object like the wooden figure can’t acknowledge its own
precision. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the wooden figure merely
imitated, or mimicked, precision. Rather, the text suggests that as Drowne carved his wooden figure, it gradually
became more precise. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts “assumed” can mean speculated, or
supposed based on incomplete information, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because an inanimate
object like the wooden figure can’t speculate about its own precision.

Question ID 97ab5669
ID: 97ab5669
Former astronaut Ellen Ochoa says that although she doesn’t have a definite idea of when it might happen, she ______ that
humans will someday need to be able to live in other environments than those found on Earth. This conjecture informs her
interest in future research missions to the moon.
A. demands
B. speculates
C. doubts
D. establishes
ID: 97ab5669 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ochoa’s prediction that
humans will one day need to live in places other than Earth. As used in this context, “speculates” would mean puts
forward an idea without firm evidence. The text states that Ochoa “doesn’t have a definite idea” about when humans
might need to live in other environments and characterizes Ochoa’s prediction as a “conjecture,” or a conclusion
presented without convincing evidence. This context indicates that Ochoa speculates when she makes this
prediction.
Choice A is incorrect because saying that Ochoa “demands,” or insists or requires, that humans will one day need to
live in other environments than Earth’s would not make sense in context. The text indicates that she’s unsure about
the timing but hypothesizes that it will someday happen. Choice C is incorrect because saying that Ochoa “doubts,”
or questions or disbelieves, that humans will one day need to live in other environments than Earth’s would not
make sense in context. The text indicates that although Ochoa is unsure about the timing, she hypothesizes that
humans will need to live in places other than Earth and encourages research into future travel to the moon. Choice
D is incorrect because saying that Ochoa “establishes,” or proves, that humans will one day need to live in other
environments than Earth’s would not make sense in context. Rather than stating that Ochoa discusses her idea with
certainty and supports it with evidence, the text indicates that Ochoa is unsure about when humans might need to
live in other environments.

Question ID 06b96bfc
ID: 06b96bfc
A musician and member of the Quechua of Peru, Renata Flores Rivera was eager to promote the Quechua language in her
music, but she was ______ speaking it. She met this challenge by asking her grandmother, a native speaker of Quechua, to
help her pronounce words in her song lyrics and also by taking classes in the language.
A. prepared for
B. inexperienced with
C. skilled in
D. excited about
ID: 06b96bfc Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Renata Flores Rivera’s use of
Quechua in her music. In this context, “inexperienced with” means not accustomed to. The text indicates that Flores
Rivera wanted to promote the Quechua language in her music and overcame a challenge by seeking help with
pronunciation from her grandmother and by taking language classes. This context conveys the idea that Flores
Rivera was not sufficiently familiar with Quechua to use it in her music without help. Thus, she was inexperienced
with speaking the language, which she addressed by seeking help.
Choice A is incorrect because describing Flores Rivera as “prepared for”—or ready for—speaking Quechua wouldn’t
make sense in context. The text indicates that speaking Quechua presented a challenge, but if she were ready to
speak the language, then there would be no challenge. Choice C is incorrect because describing Flores Rivera as
“skilled in”—meaning good at or capable of—speaking Quechua wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates
that speaking Quechua presented a challenge, but if she were capable of speaking the language, then there would be
no challenge. Choice D is incorrect. Flores Rivera was likely “excited about”—or thrilled or delighted with—speaking
Quechua, but this wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates that speaking Quechua presented a challenge,
but if she were delighted with speaking the language, then there would be no challenge.

Question ID 93665100
ID: 93665100
Seminole/Muscogee director Sterlin Harjo ______ television’s tendency to situate Native characters in the distant past: this
rejection is evident in his series Reservation Dogs, which revolves around teenagers who dress in contemporary styles and
whose dialogue is laced with current slang.
A. repudiates
B. proclaims
C. foretells
D. recants
ID: 93665100 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sterlin Harjo’s approach to
representing Native characters on television. As used in this context, “repudiates” means rejects or refuses to have
anything to do with. The text indicates that television shows tend to depict Native characters as living long ago, but
that Harjo’s series Reservation Dogs focuses on Native teenagers in the present day, representing a “rejection” of the
typical approach to depicting Native characters. This context thus indicates that Harjo repudiates television’s
general tendency regarding Native characters.
Choice B is incorrect because the text describes Harjo’s “rejection” of the typical approach to representing Native
characters on television, so it wouldn’t make sense to say that Harjo “proclaims,” or declares or affirms, television’s
general tendency regarding Native characters. Harjo is described as refusing to follow the pattern of depicting
Native characters in the distant past, not as proclaiming that pattern. Choice C is incorrect because the text
describes television’s tendency to represent Native characters in the distant past as something that is already
occurring, not as something that Harjo “foretells,” or predicts will happen in the future. The text is focused on Harjo’s
“rejection” of this pattern, not on any predictions he may have about it. Choice D is incorrect because saying that
Harjo “recants” something would mean that he withdraws a previously held belief, and it wouldn’t make sense to
say that Harjo recants television’s tendency to represent Native characters as living in the past. No beliefs
previously held by Harjo are mentioned. Additionally, a tendency isn’t a belief and thus isn’t something that can be
recanted.

Question ID 0f040c50
ID: 0f040c50
The following text is from Yann Martel’s 2001 novel Life of Pi. The narrator’s family owned a zoo when he was a child.
It was a huge zoo, spread over numberless acres, big enough to require a train to explore it, though it seemed to get
smaller as I grew older, train included.
©2001 by Yann Martel
As used in the text, what does the word “spread” most nearly mean?
A. Hidden
B. Discussed
C. Extended
D. Coated
ID: 0f040c50 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “spread” most nearly means extended. The text states that
the zoo is “huge,” that it covers “numberless acres,” and that it is large enough that a train is needed to explore it.
Thus, the text’s emphasis on the zoo’s size suggests that the zoo extended, or stretched, over a large area of land.
Choice A is incorrect because if the zoo covers “numberless acres,” then it could not reasonably be described as
hidden, or concealed from view. Choice B is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to suggest that the zoo
was discussed, or talked about. Rather, the text focuses on the zoo’s large size. Choice D is incorrect. Although in
some contexts “spread” can mean coated, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because to coat something
means to apply a thin layer of a liquid substance, such as oil or paint, to a surface. Therefore, it would not be
accurate to say that the zoo coated the acres on which it sits.

Question ID e1d5d5df
ID: e1d5d5df
According to botanists, a viburnum plant experiencing insect damage may develop erineum—a discolored, felty growth—on
its leaf blades. A ______ viburnum plant, on the other hand, will have leaves with smooth surfaces and uniformly green
coloration.
A. struggling
B. beneficial
C. simple
D. healthy
ID: e1d5d5df Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of damage to viburnum plants.
In this context, “healthy” would mean not distressed or diseased. The text states that insect damage may cause
viburnum plants to be discolored and have abnormal growths. In the next sentence, the phrase “on the other hand”
indicates a contrast with the description of plants suffering from damage. Thus, the context contrasts the
appearance of healthy, undamaged plants with the appearance of damaged plants.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “struggling” would mean working against difficulties. The text first
describes viburnum plants experiencing damage by insects, and the phrase “on the other hand” then establishes a
contrast with that description. It wouldn’t make sense to contrast struggling viburnum plants with those being
damaged by insects, because in both cases the plants would be experiencing difficulties. Choice B is incorrect
because in this context, “beneficial” would mean producing good or helpful effects. The text doesn’t discuss how
viburnum plants affect other things or suggest that the plants are helpful in some way; rather, it focuses on how
viburnum plants are affected by certain conditions. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “simple” would
mean plain or uncomplicated. The text doesn’t discuss whether certain viburnum plants are complicated or
uncomplicated; rather, it focuses on how viburnum plants are affected by certain conditions.

Question ID 9e501aaf
ID: 9e501aaf
Research conducted by planetary scientist Katarina Miljkovic suggests that the Moon’s surface may not accurately ______ early
impact events. When the Moon was still forming, its surface was softer, and asteroid or meteoroid impacts would have left
less of an impression; thus, evidence of early impacts may no longer be present.
A. reflect
B. receive
C. evaluate
D. mimic
ID: 9e501aaf Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Moon’s surface. In this
context, “reflect” means show or make apparent. The text states that because the surface of the Moon was softer
when the Moon was still forming than it is now, early asteroid and meteoroid impacts “would have left less of an
impression” and, as a result, evidence of them may no longer exist. This context supports the idea that the surface of
the Moon may not accurately show signs of early impact events.
Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the surface of the Moon may not accurately
“receive,” or acquire or experience, early impacts from asteroids or meteoroids. The text indicates that the impacts
have already occurred, and it isn’t clear how the Moon’s surface could be accurate or inaccurate in experiencing
them. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the surface of the Moon may not accurately
“evaluate,” or determine the significance or condition of, early impacts from asteroids or meteoroids, since that
would suggest that it’s possible for the Moon’s surface to make a decision of any kind. Choice D is incorrect. In this
context, “mimic” would mean to deliberately simulate or closely imitate something. It wouldn’t make sense to say
that the surface of the Moon may not accurately mimic early asteroid and meteoroid impacts, since that would
suggest that it’s possible for the Moon to deliberately imitate something.

Question ID 9cdcd902
ID: 9cdcd902
Charles “Teenie” Harris was a photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1975. During his career he took over
70,000 photographs documenting everyday life in Pittsburgh’s Black communities. The Carnegie Museum of Art maintains
thousands of his photographs, carefully ______ them so that audiences can continue to view them well into the future.
A. replacing
B. inventing
C. preserving
D. counting
ID: 9cdcd902 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. "Preserving" means "maintaining" or "keeping in good condition," so preserving the
photographs means that audiences should be able to view them for a long time.
Choice A is incorrect. "Replacing" means "putting something new in place of" the photographs. Replacing the photos
will make it so that audiences can’t view them at all. Choice B is incorrect. "Inventing" means "creating a new idea,
process, or thing." The museum can’t invent photographs that already exist. Choice D is incorrect. Counting the
photographs will not help audiences view them well into the future.

Question ID e459076b
ID: e459076b
The following text is adapted from George Eliot’s 1871–72 novel Middlemarch.
[Mr. Brooke] had travelled in his younger years, and was held in this part of the country to have contracted a too
rambling habit of mind. Mr. Brooke’s conclusions were as difficult to predict as the weather.
As used in the text, what does the word “contracted” most nearly mean?
A. Restricted
B. Described
C. Developed
D. Settled
ID: e459076b Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “contracted” most nearly means developed. The text
explains that Mr. Brooke has a “too rambling habit of mind,” which the text likens to a disease, saying he is thought
to have contracted it. To contract a disease means to acquire or develop a disease. In other words, the text indicates
that Mr. Brooke is believed to have acquired, or developed, the habit of mind described in the text.
Choice A is incorrect. Although “contracted” can mean limited or restricted in some contexts, here Mr. Brooke is said
to draw unpredictable conclusions, suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been
somehow limited or restricted. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text describes Mr. Brooke’s habit of mind, nothing
suggests that those are his descriptions or, indeed, that he described his habit of mind at all. Choice D is incorrect
because settled means calmed or mitigated, but here Mr. Brooke is said to draw unpredictable conclusions,
suggesting that he exhibits this “too rambling habit of mind,” not that it has been somehow calmed or mitigated.

Question ID 4974b053
ID: 4974b053
Although science fiction was dominated mostly by white male authors when Octavia Butler, a Black woman, began writing,
she did not view the genre as ______: Butler broke into the field with the publication of several short stories and her 1976
novel Patternmaster, and she later became the first science fiction writer to win a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.
A. legitimate
B. impenetrable
C. compelling
D. indecipherable
ID: 4974b053 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of Octavia Butler’s career. In this
context, “impenetrable” means impossible to enter. The text indicates that the field of science fiction was dominated
by white males when Butler, a Black woman, started writing, but she published several science fiction short stories
and a novel and later won a prestigious award; that is, Butler pursued science fiction writing and had success. This
context suggests that Butler didn’t view the genre as impossible to enter.
Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “legitimate” would mean genuinely good or valid. Nothing in the text suggests
that Butler didn’t think the science fiction genre was good or valid; in fact, it indicates that she pursued and made a
successful career of publishing work in that field. Choice C is incorrect. In this context, “compelling” would mean
attracting or demanding attention. The text indicates that Butler chose to write science fiction, so it wouldn’t make
sense to say that she didn’t see the field as drawing her attention. Choice D is incorrect. To say that Butler didn’t
consider science fiction “indecipherable,” or impossible to understand, would suggest that Butler did understand it.
However, the text doesn’t address Butler’s ability to interpret works in the genre; rather, it focuses on Butler’s
successful pursuit of writing science fiction.

Question ID e3f05561
ID: e3f05561
In the 1970s, video cameras became increasingly affordable for ordinary consumers and gave Ulysses Jenkins and other
artists capabilities that were previously unavailable except to television broadcasters. Jenkins recognized and took full
advantage of this ______ access to powerful technology to create groundbreaking works of video art, such as Mass of Images
(1978).
A. newfound
B. delicate
C. inevitable
D. habitual
ID: e3f05561 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ulysses Jenkins’s video art.
As used in this context, “newfound” means recently discovered or established. The text indicates that in the 1970s,
video cameras became cheaper and therefore more widely available than they had been in the past. The text goes on
to say that this development provided Jenkins and other artists with capabilities that they previously didn’t have.
As a result, Jenkins began producing groundbreaking works of video art. This context supports the idea that
Jenkins took advantage of newfound access to video cameras.
Choice B is incorrect because “delicate” means fine in texture or structure or easily broken, neither of which would
make sense in this context. The text doesn’t focus on describing what video art looks like or whether it’s breakable.
Choice C is incorrect because “inevitable” means impossible to avoid, which wouldn’t make sense in this context.
The text doesn’t discuss the likelihood of artists, or anyone else, gaining access to video cameras. Choice D is
incorrect because “habitual” means doing something regularly or repeatedly. Although the text does suggest that
Jenkins created multiple pieces of video art, its focus is on the fact that video cameras had only just become widely
available to artists in the 1970s. Jenkins’s ability to take advantage of video cameras to make art was therefore
newfound, not habitual, at the time.

Question ID 4a2b2535
ID: 4a2b2535
A brief book review cannot fully convey the ______ of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The Books of Jacob, with its enormous cast of
characters, its complicated, wandering plot, and its page numbers that count backward (beginning at 965 and ending at 1).
A. accuracy
B. inactivity
C. complexity
D. restraint
ID: 4a2b2535 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Olga Tokarczuk’s novel The
Books of Jacob. As used in this context, “complexity” means having many complicated parts that when taken as a
whole are difficult to follow or explain. The text indicates that The Books of Jacob has a large cast of characters, a
complicated and wandering plot (that is, a plot that is difficult to follow), and reverse page numbering. Together,
these features make up a novel that’s challenging to read and summarize. This context supports the idea that a brief
book review can’t do justice to the novel’s complexity.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “accuracy,” or being free from error or falsehood, can sometimes be used to
describe a novel, the text doesn’t discuss whether Tokarczuk’s novel has this quality. Instead, the text describes the
novel as having a large cast of characters, a difficult-to-follow plot, and reverse page numbering. These features
suggest complexity, not accuracy. Choice B is incorrect because “inactivity” means being in a state of idleness or
doing nothing, neither of which would make sense in this context. The text describes Tokarczuk’s novel, and
although it’s possible the novel could portray its characters as inactive, it wouldn’t make sense to describe the novel
itself as such. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “restraint” would mean holding back or showing self-
control, and the text doesn’t indicate that Tokarczuk’s novel has either of these qualities. In fact, the features of the
novel that the text describes, such as a large cast of characters, a complicated and wandering plot, and reverse page
numbering, suggest excess and complexity, not restraint.

Question ID 9ccf463e
ID: 9ccf463e
The following text is from Nella Larsen’s 1928 novel Quicksand.
The trees in their spring beauty sent through her restive mind a sharp thrill of pleasure. Seductive, charming, and
beckoning as cities were, they had not this easy unhuman loveliness.
As used in the text, what does the word “beckoning” most nearly mean?
A. Demanding
B. Signaling
C. Inviting
D. Shifting
ID: 9ccf463e Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “beckoning” most nearly means “inviting,” or attractive. The
text portrays a woman who is looking at “trees in their spring beauty.” She compares them to cities, which have
their own pleasures even if they do not have the “easy unhuman loveliness” of trees: she thinks of cities as
“seductive” and “charming,” both adjectives that signify something that is enticing, or attractive. Therefore, cities
that are seductive and charming would also be described as inviting people closer to them.
Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication in this context that cities are “demanding,” or requiring effort.
Choice B is incorrect. Though “signaling,” or communicating something, might be considered a key feature of the act
of “beckoning,” in the context here, “beckoning” suggests that cities have attractive qualities that naturally draw
people to them. Such attractive qualities are not described by the word “signaling” alone. Therefore, “signaling” is an
incorrect answer because it is insufficiently precise. Choice D is incorrect because there is no reason to think in this
context that the cities are “shifting,” or changing shape.

Question ID ca47273b
ID: ca47273b
Biologist Jane Edgeloe and colleagues have located what is believed to be the largest individual plant in the world in the
Shark Bay area of Australia. The plant is a type of seagrass called Posidonia australis, and it ______ approximately 200 square
kilometers.
A. acknowledges
B. produces
C. spans
D. advances
ID: ca47273b Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. “Spans” means “extends over a distance of” or “encompasses.” Since we’re talking about
the world’s largest plant, it makes sense to say that it “spans” about 200 square kilometers.
Choice A is incorrect. “Acknowledges” means “recognizes” or “admits the truth of.” Either way, it doesn’t make sense
here: a plant can’t “acknowledge” a distance. Choice B is incorrect. “Produces” can mean “makes,” “causes,” or
“presents.” But none of those definitions make sense here: a plant can’t make, cause, or present a distance. Choice D
is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. “Advances” means “moves forward” or “progresses.” But the plant
isn’t necessarily moving forward. Rather, the text suggests that it already covers a distance of 200 square
kilometers.

Question ID 69a6d050
ID: 69a6d050
In the early 1800s, the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah created the first script, or writing system, for an Indigenous language in
the United States. Because it represented the sounds of spoken Cherokee so accurately, his script was easy to learn and thus
quickly achieved ______ use: by 1830, over 90 percent of the Cherokee people could read and write it.
A. widespread
B. careful
C. unintended
D. infrequent
ID: 69a6d050 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the writing system created
by Sequoyah. In this context, “widespread” means widely accepted or practiced. The text indicates that because
Sequoyah’s script accurately represented the spoken sounds of the Cherokee language and was easy to learn, nearly
all Cherokee people were able to read and write it soon after it was created. This context demonstrates that the
script was widely used by the Cherokee people.
Choice B is incorrect. In this context, “careful” would mean exercised with care and attentive concern. Although the
work of creating a writing system likely involved great care, the text indicates that the system was “easy to learn,”
which conflicts with the idea that using this system requires a noteworthy amount of care. Choice C is incorrect
because in this context “unintended” means not deliberate. The idea that using Sequoyah’s script was unintentional
conflicts directly with the claim that it was easy to learn and used by “over 90% of the Cherokee people” by 1830. In
fact, because one had to learn this system, it’s not clear how one could use it unintentionally. Choice D is incorrect
because in this context “infrequent” means rare or not occurring often, which conflicts directly with the claim that
“over 90% of the Cherokee people” were using Sequoyah’s script by 1830.

Question ID e41dfaab
ID: e41dfaab
In 1929 the Atlantic Monthly published several articles based on newly discovered letters allegedly exchanged between
President Abraham Lincoln and a woman named Ann Rutledge. Historians were unable to ______ the authenticity of the
letters, however, and quickly dismissed them as a hoax.
A. validate
B. interpret
C. relate
D. accommodate
ID: e41dfaab Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of letters allegedly exchanged
between President Lincoln and Rutledge. In this context, “validate” means to confirm that something is real or
correct. According to the text, it was alleged, or claimed, that the newly discovered letters had been written by
Lincoln and Rutledge. The text also indicates that historians ultimately decided the letters were a hoax, or
fraudulent. This context suggests that the historians couldn’t confirm that the letters were authentic.
Choice B is incorrect. The text focuses on the authenticity of the letters, which were claimed to have been written by
Lincoln and Rutledge and were then quickly dismissed as fraudulent by historians. Rather than conveying that the
historians simply weren’t able to “interpret,” or explain in an understandable way, the letters’ authenticity, the text
suggests that the historians decided the letters lacked authenticity altogether. Choice C is incorrect. The text states
that the historians quickly dismissed the letters claimed to have been written by Lincoln and Rutledge as
fraudulent; this suggests that rather than being unable to “relate,” or tell others about, the letters’ authenticity, the
historians were able to share what they’d decided about the letters. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make
sense to suggest that the historians couldn’t “accommodate,” or give consideration to, the authenticity of the letters
claimed to have been written by Lincoln and Rutledge; the text states that the historians decided that the letters
were fraudulent, which indicates that they did consider whether the letters were authentic.

Question ID 4d1a9c0d
ID: 4d1a9c0d
Following the principles of community-based participatory research, tribal nations and research institutions are equal
partners in health studies conducted on reservations. A collaboration between the Crow Tribe and Montana State University ‐
______ this model: tribal citizens worked alongside scientists to design the methodology and continue to assist in data
collection.
A. circumvents
B. eclipses
C. fabricates
D. exemplifies
ID: 4d1a9c0d Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the collaboration between
the Crow Tribe and Montana State University. As used in this context, “exemplifies” means demonstrates. The text
conveys how the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves to illustrate the model of community-
based participatory research introduced earlier in the text and expanded on later in the text.
Choice A is incorrect because referring to “circumvents,” or avoids, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text
suggests that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the principles of
community-based participatory research, not that the collaboration evades this model. Choice B is incorrect
because referring to “eclipses,” or overshadows, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text describes the Crow Tribe–
Montana State University collaboration as an equal partnership, which indicates that it’s an example of the
community-based participatory research model, not that it overshadows the model. Choice C is incorrect because
saying that the collaboration “fabricates,” or creates, the model wouldn’t make sense in context. The text indicates
that the Crow Tribe–Montana State University collaboration serves as an example of the model, not that it created
the model.

Question ID 5effa190
ID: 5effa190
The process of mechanically recycling plastics is often considered ______ because of the environmental impact and the loss of
material quality that often occurs. But chemist Takunda Chazovachii has helped develop a cleaner process of chemical
recycling that converts superabsorbent polymers from diapers into a desirable reusable adhesive.
A. resilient
B. inadequate
C. dynamic
D. satisfactory
ID: 5effa190 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about recycling plastics. In
this context, “inadequate” means not satisfactory. The text indicates that the mechanical plastic-recycling process
affects the environment and causes “the loss of material quality.” The text contrasts that with Chazovachii’s
chemical plastic-recycling process, which is cleaner and produces a desirable product. The text’s emphasis on the
negative aspects of mechanical recycling suggests that it is inadequate in terms of environmental impact and the
quality of the material the process yields.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context “resilient” would mean able to withstand difficulty and the text does
not characterize the plastic-recycling process as having this quality or describe any difficulties that these processes
might need to overcome. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “dynamic” would mean constantly changing.
Although the text suggests that there have been changes in the field of recycling, as is the case with the advent of
Chazovachii’s chemical recycling process, there is nothing to suggest that the mechanical process itself has
changed or is prone to change. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “satisfactory” would mean acceptable
but not perfect. The text mentions only shortcomings of the mechanical process (environmental effects and lower
material quality), so the text more strongly supports a negative view of this process and provides no evidence that it
would be considered satisfactory.

Question ID f3fac04f
ID: f3fac04f
Bioluminescent beetles called fireflies may seem to create flashes of light randomly, but each species of firefly actually has its
own special series of repeated flashes and pauses. These unique ______ allow fireflies of the same species to find each other.
A. quantities
B. decorations
C. patterns
D. agreements
ID: f3fac04f Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the flashes created by
fireflies. In this context, “patterns” means distinct and predictable sequences. The text indicates that although the
flashes that fireflies produce appear to occur randomly—that is, without any particular sequence or rhythm—each
species actually produces its own special series of flashes and pauses. Indeed, these series of flashes are so unique
that fireflies can use them to find other members of their species. Therefore, this context supports the idea that
fireflies produce flashes in distinct and recognizable patterns.
Choice A is incorrect because “quantities” means certain amounts or numbers of something. Although the text
discusses how different firefly species produce flashes and pauses in unique sequences that help other members of
their species to find them, it doesn’t mention the number of flashes that are used in these sequences. Choice B is
incorrect because in this context, “decorations” would mean things that make an object more beautiful. Although it
may be reasonable to say that firefly flashes are beautiful, the text focuses on the fact that fireflies use these unique
sequences of flashes to find other members of their own species, not that the flashes make fireflies more beautiful.
Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “agreements” would refer to deals that individuals have discussed and
come to a consensus about. Since fireflies aren’t capable of making such agreements, it wouldn’t make sense to use
this word to refer to the signals they send each other with their flashes.

Question ID 6d5ddea4
ID: 6d5ddea4
According to Potawatomi ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata, or
sweetgrass, by snapping the plant off at the root actually ______ wild populations: it may seem counterintuitive, she says, but
this method of removal allows new sweetgrass plants to repopulate the space, with an overall increase in number and vigor.
A. selects
B. originates
C. conditions
D. replenishes
ID: 6d5ddea4 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Indigenous method of
harvesting Hierochloe odorata. As used in this context, “replenishes” means helps increase the population or helps
it recover. The text explains that although snapping off a wild plant at the root might seem detrimental to the wild
population, it actually helps Hierochloe odorata, increasing both their “number and vigor.” This context conveys the
idea that even though it seems counterintuitive, the Indigenous method of harvesting Hierochloe odorata actually
replenishes the wild population.
Choice A is incorrect. Although a harvesting method could be used to select for certain traits in plants, it’s not clear
what it would mean for a harvesting method to select “wild populations” of plants. Choice B is incorrect because as
used in this context, “originates” means creates. The text doesn’t address the origin of Hierochloe odorata, but rather
how the Indigenous harvesting method affects it. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “conditions” means
to influence someone or something to behave in a certain way, and the text doesn’t suggest the new plants that
replace the harvested ones differ in any meaningful way, or in any way that could be the result of conditioning.

Question ID 5a278f24
ID: 5a278f24
The work of molecular biophysicist Enrique M. De La Cruz is known for ______ traditional boundaries between academic
disciplines. The university laboratory that De La Cruz runs includes engineers, biologists, chemists, and physicists, and the
research the lab produces makes use of insights and techniques from all those fields.
A. epitomizing
B. transcending
C. anticipating
D. reinforcing
ID: 5a278f24 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to "mak[ing]
use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Transcending" means "going beyond," so "transcending
traditional boundaries" would mean crossing into all those various fields of research, which is exactly the meaning
we want.
Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means
something similar to "mak[ing] use of insights and techniques from all those fields." To "epitomize" means to "be a
perfect example of," so "epitomizing traditional boundaries" would mean the opposite of what we want: keeping the
fields of research separate. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for
a word that means something similar to "mak[ing] use of insights and techniques from all those fields."
"Anticipating" means "expecting" or "waiting for," and would result in a confusing sentence with an unclear
meaning. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that
means something similar to "mak[ing] use of insights and techniques from all those fields." "Reinforcing traditional
boundaries" would mean the opposite: keeping the fields of research separate.

Question ID 76e4c51d
ID: 76e4c51d
The güiro, a musical instrument traditionally made from a dried and hollowed gourd, is thought to have originated with the
Taíno people of Puerto Rico. Players use a wooden stick to scrape along ridges cut into the side of the gourd, creating
sounds that are highly ______: the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on the distance between the ridges, the types
of strokes the player uses, and the thickness of the gourd.
A. overlooked
B. powerful
C. routine
D. variable
ID: 76e4c51d Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sounds made by güiros.
In this context, “variable” means able to change. The text begins by explaining that güiros are instruments made out
of hollowed gourds with ridges cut into their sides and that players scrape the ridges with wooden sticks to produce
sounds. The text goes on to say that güiros’ sounds can change depending on gourd thickness, the distance between
ridges, and the types of strokes the player uses, thus supporting the idea that the sounds created by these
instruments are variable.
Choice A is incorrect because “overlooked” means not being seen or noticed, and there is nothing in the text to
suggest that the sounds produced by güiros are overlooked or not noticed. Choice B is incorrect because in this
context, “powerful” would mean having a great ability to produce an effect. While it’s possible that the sounds
produced by güiros have a strong effect on listeners, the text doesn’t discuss this aspect of their sounds. Choice C is
incorrect because “routine” means usual and unvarying, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that the sounds
produced by güiros are unvarying. In fact, the text describes how the sounds produced by güiros can differ based on
several factors.

Question ID a2835734
ID: a2835734
Visual artist Gabriela Alemán states that the bold colors of comics, pop art, and Latinx culture have always fascinated her. This
passion for the rich history and colors of her Latinx community translates into the ______ artworks she produces.
A. vivid
B. unknown
C. definite
D. reserved
ID: a2835734 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Vivid" can mean "colorful" or "bright-colored." This definition fits the context clues
about Alemán’s fascination with and passion for bold colors.
Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. Nothing in the text indicates that Alemán’s artworks are
"unknown." Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. "Definite" means "certain" or "decided." It
wouldn’t make sense to describe artwork as "definite." Choice D is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text.
"Reserved" can either mean "slow to reveal emotions" or "booked." But the clues suggest that Alemán’s artworks are
boldly colorful—almost the opposite of "reserved."

ID: 98364791
In studying the use of external stimuli to reduce the itching sensation caused by an allergic histamine response, Louise Ward
and colleagues found that while harmless applications of vibration or warming can provide a temporary distraction, such
______ stimuli actually offer less relief than a stimulus that seems less benign, like a mild electric shock.
A. deceptive
B. innocuous
C. novel
D. impractical
ID: 98364791 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ward and colleagues’
findings. As used in this context, “innocuous” means mild or unharmful. The text describes the vibration and
warming that Ward and colleagues used to alleviate itching as “harmless applications” and goes on to contrast these
applications with another stimulus that actually offers more relief even though it seems to be stronger and “less
benign.” This context conveys the idea that vibration and warming were innocuous stimuli.
Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on a distinction between harmless stimuli and those that seem to be
less benign. Nothing in the text suggests that any of the treatments are “deceptive,” or misleading; indeed, even the
less effective ones are described as offering some relief. Choice C is incorrect because the text focuses on the
amount of relief from itching offered by harmless stimuli and those that seem to be less benign. The text doesn’t
suggest that any of these stimuli are “novel,” or original and new; heat, vibration, and electricity aren’t new
inventions. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to describe an application of vibration or warming
as “impractical,” or not suitable for use. The text indicates that these harmless applications are useful in that they
offer at least some temporary relief.

Question ID a4ca92fd
ID: a4ca92fd
Beginning in the 1950s, Navajo Nation legislator Annie Dodge Wauneka continuously worked to promote public health; this
______ effort involved traveling throughout the vast Navajo homeland and writing a medical dictionary for speakers of Diné
bizaad, the Navajo language.
A. impartial
B. offhand
C. persistent
D. mandatory
ID: a4ca92fd Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Annie Dodge Wauneka’s
work as a Navajo Nation legislator. As used in this context, “persistent” means existing continuously. The text states
that Wauneka “continuously worked to promote public health,” traveling extensively and authoring a medical
dictionary; this indicates that Wauneka’s effort was persistent.
Choice A is incorrect because describing Wauneka’s effort related to public health as “impartial,” or not partial or
biased and treating all things equally, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text suggests that Wauneka’s continuous
work was partial in one way, as she focused specifically on promoting public health throughout the Navajo
homeland and to speakers of the Navajo language. Choice B is incorrect because the text emphasizes that
Wauneka’s effort to promote public health as a Navajo Nation legislator was continuous and extensive, involving
wide travels and the authoring of a medical dictionary. Because this work clearly involved care and dedication, it
wouldn’t make sense to describe it as “offhand,” or casual and informal. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the
text suggests that Wauneka’s effort to promote public health was “mandatory,” or required by law or rule, even
though Wauneka was a Navajo Nation legislator. Rather than suggesting that Wauneka’s effort was required for any
reason, the text emphasizes the continuous and extensive nature of her work.

Question ID e0656211
ID: e0656211
In Nature Poem (2017), Kumeyaay poet Tommy Pico portrays his ______ the natural world by honoring the centrality of nature
within his tribe’s traditional beliefs while simultaneously expressing his distaste for being in wilderness settings himself.
A. responsiveness to
B. ambivalence toward
C. renunciation of
D. mastery over
ID: e0656211 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of how Pico feels about the
natural world. In this context, to say that Pico portrays his “ambivalence toward” nature would mean that he
portrays his mixed feelings about nature. The text explains that Pico “honors the centrality of nature” and also
makes it clear that he doesn’t enjoy being in nature. This context suggests that Pico feels ambivalence toward
nature.
Choice A is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “responsiveness to” nature would mean that he portrays
himself as quick to react to nature, which isn’t supported by the text. Instead, the text focuses on Pico’s mixed
feelings toward nature, describing him as both honoring nature’s role in his tribe’s beliefs and expressing his
personal dislike for being in nature. Choice C is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “renunciation of”
nature would mean that he portrays himself as rejecting nature, which isn’t supported by the text. The text conveys
that Pico demonstrates both positive and negative responses toward nature, not that he’s giving it up
completely. Choice D is incorrect because saying that Pico portrays his “mastery over” nature would mean that he
portrays himself as having control over nature, which isn’t supported by the text. The text focuses on Pico’s mixed
feelings about nature; nothing in the text suggests that Pico feels mastery over nature.

Question ID 7d84fe2b
ID: 7d84fe2b
Particle physicists like Ayana Holloway Arce and Aida El-Khadra spend much of their time ______ what is invisible to the naked
eye: using sophisticated technology, they closely examine the behavior of subatomic particles, the smallest detectable parts
of matter.
A. selecting
B. inspecting
C. creating
D. deciding
ID: 7d84fe2b Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the work of particle
physicists. In this context, “inspecting” means viewing closely in order to examine. The text indicates that as
particle physicists, Arce and El-Khadra’s work involves using advanced technology to “closely examine” subatomic
particles. In other words, they use technology to inspect small parts of matter that can’t be seen by the naked eye.
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Arce and El-Khadra spend time “selecting,” or
choosing, subatomic particles for some purpose; the text simply states that the particle physicists use advanced
technology to see and study the behavior of those tiny parts of matter. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the
text suggests that Arce and El-Khadra spend time “creating” subatomic particles, or bringing them into existence;
the text simply states that the particle physicists use advanced technology to see and study the behavior of those
tiny parts of matter. Choice D is incorrect. In this context, “deciding” would mean making a final choice or judgment
about something. It wouldn’t make sense to say that particle physicists get to choose what is and isn’t visible to the
naked eye, especially when the text presents it as fact that subatomic particles are “the smallest detectable parts of
matter” and would therefore be invisible. The text focuses on Arce and El-Khadra’s close observation of those
particles, not on any decisions they might make.

Question ID d2eb1df1
ID: d2eb1df1
In recommending Bao Phi’s collection Sông I Sing, a librarian noted that pieces by the spoken-word poet don’t lose their
______ nature when printed: the language has the same pleasant musical quality on the page as it does when performed by
Phi.
A. scholarly
B. melodic
C. jarring
D. personal
ID: d2eb1df1 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant
musical quality.” That’s exactly what “melodic” means.
Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means
something similar to “pleasant musical quality.” “Scholarly” would suggest something that is academic or well-
researched, which doesn’t match the meaning we’re looking for. Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t a logical word
choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.”
“Jarring” would suggest the opposite: something unpleasant or discordant. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t a logical
word choice. Based on the text, we’re looking for a word that means something similar to “pleasant musical quality.”
“Personal” would suggest something that is expressive or intimate, which doesn’t match the meaning we’re looking
for.

Question ID cb526866
ID: cb526866
The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising.
Wooden objects ______ survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of
sediment in the ditch preserved the figure by creating an oxygen-free environment.
A. sturdily
B. carelessly
C. rarely
D. simply
ID: cb526866 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the discovery of a carved
wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago. In this context, “rarely” means infrequently. The text states that the
discovery of the figure was “truly surprising” and notes that wooden objects are highly prone to rot. This context
conveys the idea that wooden objects infrequently survive for as long as the carved figure has survived.
Choice A is incorrect because “sturdily” means strongly, which wouldn’t make sense in context. If wooden objects in
general could strongly survive for long periods of time, then the discovery of a wooden figure that’s around 2,000
years old wouldn’t be surprising. Choice B is incorrect because “carelessly” means accidentally. The text conveys
the idea that wooden objects in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in
general accidentally survive despite this. Choice D is incorrect because the text conveys the idea that wooden
objects in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in general “simply,” or merely,
survive for long periods of time. If wooden objects in general could merely survive for as long as the figure has
survived, then the discovery of the figure wouldn’t have been surprising.

ID: 83687083
Due to their often strange images, highly experimental syntax, and opaque subject matter, many of John Ashbery’s poems
can be quite difficult to ______ and thus are the object of heated debate among scholars.
A. delegate
B. compose
C. interpret
D. renounce
ID: 83687083 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of John Ashbery’s poems. As
used in this context, “interpret” would mean decipher the meaning of. The text indicates that Ashbery’s poems have
many unusual features, that it’s difficult to tell what exactly the poems’ subject matter is, and that scholars strongly
disagree about the poems. This context conveys the idea that it’s difficult to interpret Ashbery’s poems.
Choice A is incorrect because “delegate” means to assign someone as a representative of another person or to
entrust something to someone else, neither of which would make sense in context. The text is focused only on the
difficulty that readers have interpreting Ashbery’s poems due to their many unusual features; it doesn’t suggest
anything about the poems being difficult to delegate. Choice B is incorrect because describing Ashbery’s poems as
difficult to “compose,” or put together or produce, would make sense only if the text were about Ashbery’s experience
of writing the poems. It could be true that it was difficult for Ashbery to compose his poems, but the text doesn’t
address this; it instead discusses how readers interpret and engage with the poems. Choice D is incorrect because
describing Ashbery’s poems as being difficult to “renounce,” or give up or refuse, wouldn’t make sense in context.
The text focuses on the idea that features of Ashbery’s poems are odd or unclear and have caused heated scholarly
debate. This context suggests that the poems are difficult to interpret, not that the poems are difficult to renounce.

Question ID 637d0878
ID: 637d0878
The Appalachian Trail is a hiking path in the eastern United States. Much of the 2,000 mile trail passes through wilderness
areas. In order to ______ those areas, the United States Congress passed the National Trails System Act in 1968, ensuring that
the trail would not be sold or commercially developed.
A. borrow
B. postpone
C. protect
D. decorate
ID: 637d0878 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. "Protect" means "preserve" or "keep safe from." By ensuring that the wilderness areas
along the Appalachian Trail can’t be sold or developed, the National Trails System Act protects them.
Choice A is incorrect. "Borrow" means "to take something with intent to return it." The text doesn’t say anything
about taking and returning the wilderness that surrounds the Appalachian Trail. Choice B is incorrect. "Postpone"
means "to put off until later." Nothing in the passage suggests that Congress wants to "postpone" the wilderness
areas (and that doesn’t make sense anyway—they can postpone doing something to the wilderness areas, but they
can’t postpone the areas themselves). Choice D is incorrect. "Decorate" means "to adorn" or "add extra items or
pictures to make more attractive." No details in the text suggest that Congress wishes to make the trail fancier or
more attractive.

Question ID 54804e10
ID: 54804e10
While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to
ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows ______ Teotihuacán
(Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible evidence of outside
influence in portions of Tikal.
A. refinements of
B. precursors of
C. commonalities with
D. animosities toward
ID: 54804e10 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of architectural influences
among Mesoamerican cities. In this context, “commonalities with” means similarities to or shared attributes with.
The text indicates that a recently discovered citadel in Tikal includes a close imitation of a famous temple in
Teotihuacán (another Mesoamerican city) and other evidence of Teotihuacán influence, which suggests that the
citadel possesses features that resemble architectural features found in Teotihuacán. This context thus indicates
that the Tikal citadel shows commonalities with Teotihuacán architecture.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the Tikal citadel shows “refinements of,”
or improvements on, Teotihuacán architecture. Although the text suggests that the architecture of Teotihuacán
influenced the architecture of the Tikal citadel, and although it’s possible that later architectural designs could
make improvements on earlier designs, the text doesn’t discuss whether, in imitating Teotihuacán architecture, the
Tikal citadel’s builders improved on it. Choice B is incorrect because describing the citadel in Tikal as showing
“precursors of” Teotihuacán architecture—or features that preceded and foreshadowed those of Teotihuacán
architecture—would imply the opposite of what the text suggests about the relationship between the architecture
found in Tikal and Teotihuacán. The text claims that the discovery of similarities between the Tikal citadel and the
architecture of Teotihuacán, including a replica of a temple in Teotihuacán, provides evidence of outside influences
on Tikal architecture. If the Tikal citadel was influenced by Teotihuacán architecture, then the Teotihuacán
architecture must predate the citadel, not the other way around. In this context, therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to
say that the Tikal citadel shows precursors of Teotihuacán architecture. Choice D is incorrect because the text
discusses how the citadel in Tikal indicates the influence of Teotihuacán architecture, which implies that the
makers of the Tikal citadel likely admired aspects of Teotihuacán architecture enough to imitate it. Thus, there’s no
reason to think that the Tikal citadel provides evidence of the Tikal people’s “animosities toward,” or feelings of
strong dislike or hostility toward, Teotihuacán architecture.

Question ID 4480fae9
ID: 4480fae9
The following text is adapted from Sui Sin Far’s 1912 short story “Mrs. Spring Fragrance.” Mr. and Mrs. Spring Fragrance
immigrated to the United States from China.
Mrs. Spring Fragrance was unaware that Mr. Spring Fragrance, tired with the day’s business, had thrown himself down
on the bamboo settee on the veranda, and that although his eyes were engaged in scanning the pages of the Chinese
World, his ears could not help receiving the words which were borne to him through the open window.
As used in the text, what does the word “receiving” most nearly mean?
A. Denying
B. Entering
C. Carrying
D. Hearing
ID: 4480fae9 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “receiving” most nearly means hearing, or perceiving sound.
The text describes Mr. Spring Fragrance as he reads a newspaper, focusing on his eyes and ears. While his eyes look
at the newspaper, he is unwillingly distracted by words coming through a nearby open window (that is, “his ears
could not help receiving the words”). The words are being perceived specifically by his ears and not his eyes, and
ears are the organs of sense with which one hears, so therefore Mr. Spring Fragrance is hearing the words through
the open window.
Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication in the text that Mr. Spring Fragrance is denying, or refusing the
truth of, the words coming to him through the window. He is merely distracted by them. Choice B is incorrect
because it wouldn’t make sense to say that Mr. Spring Fragrance’s ears couldn’t help entering, or coming into, the
words coming to him through the window. Instead, the text indicates that the opposite occurs: that is, when Mr.
Spring Fragrance hears the words, they enter his ears, but his ears don’t enter the words. Choice C is incorrect
because it doesn’t make sense in this context to think of Mr. Spring Fragrance as carrying the words coming to him
through the window, even though the word “carry” can have a number of different meanings depending on context:
for example, he is not lifting them, he is not supporting them, and he is not accepting blame for them (as one
“carries the blame” for a mistake).

Question ID 5d2fd27d
ID: 5d2fd27d
While we can infer information about climate activity in Earth’s distant past from physical evidence, we of course cannot
observe past climates directly. To study early Earth’s climate in action, we must ______ that climate using computer models
that represent various climate conditions consistent with the physical evidence.
A. invent
B. simulate
C. exaggerate
D. preserve
ID: 5d2fd27d Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of climate activity in Earth’s
distant past. In this context, to “simulate” most nearly means to represent a natural process using computer models.
According to the text, understanding Earth’s early climate is difficult because we cannot make direct observations
of the distant past. Instead, scientists must create computer models that approximate early climate conditions,
based on the physical evidence that those conditions left behind on Earth’s surface. This context supports the idea
that computer models simulate Earth’s climate in the distant past.
Choice A is incorrect because scientists use existing physical evidence as a basis for developing computer models
that describe what Earth’s actual past climate might have been like. The models are not being used to “invent,” or
imagine, a completely fictional climate. Choice C is incorrect because the computer models are being used in an
attempt to describe as accurately as possible what Earth’s past climate might have been like. They are not
attempting to “exaggerate,” or distort, those features. Choice D is incorrect because the computer models do not
“preserve,” or protect from deterioration, Earth’s early climate; instead, they attempt to reproduce the characteristics
of that climate, based on the remaining physical evidence of that climate.

Question ID 9aa44886
ID: 9aa44886
The following text is from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby.
[Jay Gatsby] was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so
peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work in youth and, even more, with the formless
grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the
shape of restlessness.
As used in the text, what does the word “quality” most nearly mean?
A. Standard
B. Prestige
C. Characteristic
D. Accomplishment
ID: 9aa44886 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. “This quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a
characteristic or trait of his.
Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s
“resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Standard” is a synonym for a
different definition of “quality”: the degree of excellence of something. Choice B is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality”
means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a
characteristic or trait of his. “Prestige” would suggest a high status or an admirable reputation, which doesn’t match
that description. Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t what “quality” means in this context. Here, “this quality” refers to
Gatsby’s “resourcefulness of movement,” which is described as a characteristic or trait of his. “Accomplishment”
would suggest an achievement, which doesn’t match that description.

Question ID afd48140
ID: afd48140
In 1877, 85% of California’s railways were already controlled by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The company further solidified
its ______ in rail access to the state’s Pacific coast when it completed the Sunset Route in 1883: running from Louisiana to
Southern California, the route established the first transcontinental rail line across the southern United States.
A. dominance
B. creativity
C. insignificance
D. neutrality
ID: afd48140 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the Southern
Pacific Railroad. As used in this context, "dominance" means the state of being more successful than others. The
text states that the Southern Pacific Railroad already controlled 85% of California’s railways in 1877, and that the
Sunset Route it constructed in 1883 was the first transcontinental rail line across the southern United States.
Therefore, the Southern Pacific Railroad would be more successful than other railroads in the area, and the
construction of the Sunset Route would further solidify its dominance in rail access to California’s coast.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the construction of the Sunset Route must have required some creativity, or use of
imagination, the word "creativity" would not also encompass the fact that the Southern Pacific Railroad already
controlled 85% of California’s railways. The text is more focused on the railroad’s control of the field and overall
success rather than its imaginative thought processes. Choice C is incorrect because if the Southern Pacific
Railroad controlled the majority of California’s railways, it would not make sense to refer to its "insignificance," or
the state of being unimportant. Rather, the opposite would be true. Choice D is incorrect because in context it would
not make sense to refer to the Southern Pacific Railroad’s "neutrality," or absence of strong opinion on a matter, since
no opinions are mentioned. Nor would "neutrality" in the sense of impartiality in a conflict be a logical or precise
choice since no conflict is explicitly described. There might be an implied conflict between the Southern Pacific
Railroad and other railroads doing business in California, but that is not a conflict in which the Southern Pacific
Railroad would take an impartial position.

Question ID daaed806
ID: daaed806
Mônica Lopes-Ferreira and others at Brazil’s Butantan Institute are studying the freshwater stingray species Potamotrygon rex
to determine whether biological characteristics such as the rays’ age and sex have ______ effect on the toxicity of their venom
—that is, to see if differences in these traits are associated with considerable variations in venom potency.
A. a disconcerting
B. an acceptable
C. an imperceptible
D. a substantial
ID: daaed806 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the research that Lopes-
Ferreira and her colleagues are conducting on the stingray species Potamotrygon rex. As used in this context, “a
substantial” effect means an effect that is sizable or noteworthy. The text indicates that the researchers are seeking
to determine whether there are “considerable variations” in the potency of stingray venom that are associated with
variation in the stingrays’ age and sex. This context suggests that the researchers want to find out whether stingray
age and sex have a substantial effect on venom toxicity.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text that suggests that the researchers have been studying
whether the stingrays’ age and sex have “a disconcerting,” or an unsettling and disturbing, effect on the stingrays’
venom. The text indicates that the researchers wish to determine if stingray age and sex cause large variations in
the toxicity of stingray venom, not if the effect of age and sex is disconcerting. Choice B is incorrect because the text
indicates that researchers want to find out whether differences in stingray age and sex produce differences in
stingray venom, not that the researchers want to find out whether age and sex have “an acceptable,” or a satisfactory,
effect on venom. The text makes no mention of what would make an effect on venom toxicity acceptable and gives
no indication that the researchers are interested in that question. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make
sense in context for the researchers to be looking for “an imperceptible,” or an unnoticeable, effect of age and sex on
stingray venom. The text says that the researchers are trying to determine if there are “considerable variations” in
venom toxicity linked to age and sex, not that the researchers are trying to find effects that they can’t perceive.

Question ID bdab32fc
ID: bdab32fc
Cucurbits, a group of plants that includes squash and melons, relied on mastodons to spread their seeds in the Ice Age.
When these animals died out, cucurbits faced extinction in turn, having lost their means of seed dispersal. Around this time,
however, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America began raising cucurbits as crops, thus ______ the plants’
survival.
A. verifying
B. multiplying
C. comforting
D. ensuring
ID: bdab32fc Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of cucurbits. In this context,
“ensuring” means guaranteeing, or making sure of, the cucurbits’ survival. The text states that cucurbits faced
extinction in the past because their means of seed dispersal disappeared, but the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in
North America began farming cucurbits around that same time, so the crops were no longer threatened. Therefore,
the context supports the idea that the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America helped with ensuring the
cucurbits’ survival.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context verifying means making sure that something is accurate. In the text,
the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America were ensuring the survival, not the accuracy of, the cucurbits.
Choice B is incorrect. Although the cucurbit crops themselves were multiplying, or growing in number, as a result of
the work of the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America, it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that the
survival of the plants was multiplying. Choice C is incorrect because according to the text, in raising cucurbits as
crops, the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America were attempting to help the plants grow and survive;
they weren’t attempting to comfort, or free the plants from pain.

Question ID e8c26398
ID: e8c26398
To develop a method for measuring snow depth with laser beams, NASA physicist Yongxiang Hu relied on ______; identifying
broad similarities between two seemingly different phenomena, Hu used information about how ants move inside colonies
to calculate how the particles of light that make up laser beams travel through snow.
A. a collaboration
B. an accessory
C. a contradiction
D. an analogy
ID: e8c26398 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. The text after the semicolon tells us that Hu "identif[ied] broad similarities between two
seemingly different phenomena," comparing ants with light particles. Since an analogy seeks similarities between
seemingly unrelated phenomena, this fits the context perfectly.
Choice A is incorrect. "A collaboration" refers to "an act of working with others," but what comes after the semicolon
doesn’t describe collaboration with other researchers. Instead, it shows a comparison between two different (but
ultimately similar) scientific phenomena. Choice B is incorrect. "An accessory" can refer to "something added to
increase attractiveness or usefulness." No accessories are described in this text. Choice C is incorrect. "A
contradiction" means "a set of ideas or things that are opposed to or inconsistent with each other." The text
describes how Hu used the similarity between ant and light particle movement to develop his method, so a word
that refers to difference would not make sense here.

Question ID 7bc05fa2
ID: 7bc05fa2
Whether the reign of a French monarch such as Hugh Capet or Henry I was historically consequential or relatively uneventful,
its trajectory was shaped by questions of legitimacy and therefore cannot be understood without a corollary understanding
of the factors that allowed the monarch to ______ his right to hold the throne.
A. disengage
B. annotate
C. buttress
D. reciprocate
ID: 7bc05fa2 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the legitimacy of the reigns
of French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I. As used in this context, “buttress” means to strengthen or
defend. The text indicates that regardless of whether a French monarch’s reign was significant or uneventful, each
monarch faced questions about his right to the throne. The text goes on to say that in order to understand the path
of a French monarch’s reign, it’s important to understand what contributed to the monarch’s ability to “hold the
throne.” This context suggests that French monarchs such as Hugh Capet and Henry I had to buttress, or defend,
their right to be monarch.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to
“disengage,” or withdraw his right to the French throne. The text focuses on an examination of people who reigned
as French monarchs, not on people who didn’t choose to rule. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense
in context to discuss factors that enabled a monarch to “annotate,” or add notes to or explain, his right to the French
throne. Nothing in the text suggests that the monarchs were writing notes about their right to the throne; instead,
faced with questions about the legitimacy of their reign, the monarchs defended their right. Choice D is incorrect.
Saying that a monarch who is faced with questions about the legitimacy of his reign was able to “reciprocate” his
right to the French throne would mean that he either returned his right to the throne or that he responded in kind to
the challenge. Neither of these meanings would make sense in context because the text focuses on people who did
reign as French monarchs and defended their right to do so.

Question ID b92c13fa
ID: b92c13fa
According to statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the best way to predict the amount of time a nonperishable entity (such as a
building or a technology) will continue to exist is to examine how long it has survived so far. In this view, an item’s age is the
strongest ______ how much longer it will last.
A. uncertainty about
B. indicator of
C. motivation for
D. criticism of
ID: b92c13fa Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. “Indicator” means “something that shows or suggests,” which matches Taleb’s argument
that an item’s age can suggest how much longer it will last.
Choice A is incorrect. The passage tells us that examining an item’s age is the best way to predict how much longer
it will last. Therefore, according to Taleb’s theory, an item’s age should add more certainty about how much longer it
will last. Choice C is incorrect. A “motivation” is “a reason for doing.” Items don’t have feelings and motivations, so it
wouldn’t make sense to say that their age is a motivation for how much longer they will last. Choice D is incorrect.
“Criticism” can mean “describing faults or problems” or “an analysis of an artistic work.” Neither of these definitions
makes sense here. An item’s age can’t criticize how much longer it will last.

Question ID 849bf8d7
ID: 849bf8d7
In the mid-nineteenth century, some abolitionist newspapers ______ westward migration in the United States; by printing a
letter that described the easy fortunes and high salaries miners could make in California during the Gold Rush, Frederick
Douglass’s newspaper North Star was one such publication that inspired readers to relocate.
A. stimulated
B. assigned
C. opposed
D. disregarded
ID: 849bf8d7 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Stimulated" means "encouraged interest or increased activity in." Because the
newspapers discussed the benefits of westward migration and "inspired readers to relocate," we can infer that they
encouraged people to move west.
Choice B is incorrect. "Assigned" means "gave a job or duty." Newspapers do not have the power to assign people to
move west, although they can encourage it. Choice C is incorrect. "Opposed" means "disapproved of." We can tell that
this isn’t the case, because the newspapers discussed "the easy fortunes and high salaries miners could make in
California" and "inspired readers to relocate." Choice D is incorrect. "Disregarded" means "ignored." If the
newspapers are writing about the west and "inspir[ing] readers to relocate," they can’t be ignoring it at the same
time.

Question ID f7d58b53
ID: f7d58b53
Like other tribal nations, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is self-governing; its National Council generates laws regulating
aspects of community life such as land use and healthcare, while the principal chief and cabinet officials ______ those laws by
devising policies and administering services in accordance with them.
A. implement
B. presume
C. improvise
D. mimic
ID: f7d58b53 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of self-government among the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In this context, “implement” means to carry out or put into effect. The text states that the
National Council generates laws, while the principal chief and cabinet officials are responsible for “devising policies
and administering services in accordance with” those laws. This context suggests that the principal chief and
cabinet officials implement the laws: they put the laws into effect by creating policies and administering services
that accord with those laws.
Choice B is incorrect because “presume” in this context would mean to assume based on incomplete information,
and the text does not suggest that the principal chief and cabinet officials either made assumptions about the
content of the laws or had incomplete information about them. Choice C is incorrect because in this context
“improvise” would mean to create something without preparation, and the text does not suggest that the principal
chief and cabinet officials create policies and administer services without advance preparation. Choice D is
incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the principal chief and cabinet officials “mimic,” or imitate, the
laws generated by the National Council. To mimic laws would mean to generate new laws that are imitations of
existing laws, but the text indicates that the National Council, not the principal chief and cabinet officials, is
responsible for generating laws. Instead of generating laws, the principal chief and cabinet officials put laws into
effect by “devising policies and administering services in accordance with” the laws.

Question ID 8b46bb51
ID: 8b46bb51
A journalist and well-respected art critic of nineteenth-century Britain, Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake did not hesitate to
publish reviews that went against popular opinion. One of her most divisive works was an essay questioning the idea of
photography as an emerging medium for fine art: in the essay, Eastlake ______ that the value of photographs was
informational rather than creative.
A. exposed
B. asserted
C. discovered
D. doubted
ID: 8b46bb51 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. "Asserted" means "stated confidently." Eastlake "did not hesitate to publish reviews
going against popular opinion," so we can assume that she was confident in sharing her opinions.
Choice A is incorrect. "Exposed" means "made visible by uncovering" and, when talking about ideas, tends to be
used in relation to uncovering the truth. Eastlake was sharing an opinion, not uncovering a truth. Choice C is
incorrect. "Discovered" means "found," but Eastlake was writing an opinion essay. She was writing her own opinion,
not "discovering" a new universal truth. Choice D is incorrect. "Doubted" means "didn’t believe in." We’re told that
Eastlake "questioned" the idea that photography could be fine art. Placing "doubted" in the blank would actually
suggest that Eastlake argued that photos were valuable for creativity and not for information, which is the opposite
of what we were told she believes.

Question ID 44cc5f75
ID: 44cc5f75
Artificially delivering biomolecules to plant cells is an important component of protecting plants from pathogens, but it is
difficult to transmit biomolecules through the layers of the plant cell wall. Markita del Carpio Landry and her colleagues have
shown that it may be possible to ______ this problem by transmitting molecules through carbon nanotubes, which can cross
cell walls.
A. conceptualize
B. neglect
C. illustrate
D. overcome
ID: 44cc5f75 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of delivering biomolecules to
plant cells. In this context, “overcome” means to succeed in dealing with an obstacle. The text suggests that
although it’s difficult to move biomolecules through plant cell walls, Landry and her colleagues have shown that
carbon nanotubes may be useful, since they can cross cell walls. This context conveys that Landry and her
colleagues think it’s possible, using carbon nanotubes, to succeed in dealing with the obstacle of transmitting
biomolecules to plant cells.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown
that it may be possible to “conceptualize,” or form an idea of, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the
walls of plant cells. The text presents this difficulty as a known problem that Landry and her colleagues think they
may have solved, not as a mysterious occurrence that they have yet to form ideas about. Choice B is incorrect
because the text suggests that Landry and her colleagues think it may be possible to successfully deal with the
problem of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells, not that Landry and her colleagues think it
may be possible to “neglect,” or simply to disregard and ignore the problem. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t
make sense in context to say that Landry and her colleagues have shown that it may be possible to “illustrate,” or
demonstrate, the difficulty of transmitting biomolecules through the walls of plant cells by using carbon nanotubes.
According to the text, carbon nanotubes allow molecules to be transmitted to plant cells—something that is
otherwise difficult to do. The text therefore presents carbon nanotubes as a way of possibly solving a problem, not as
a means of demonstrating the problem.

Question ID aaa3ee7c
ID: aaa3ee7c
Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely ______ in a world where artists create timeless works for exhibition and
designers periodically produce new styles for the public to buy. Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and designer
Jamie Okuma challenges this view: her work can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and purchased through her
online boutique.
A. prevail
B. succumb
C. diverge
D. intersect
ID: aaa3ee7c Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about the relationship
between fine art and fashion. As used in this context, “intersect” means to connect or overlap. The text indicates
that Jamie Okuma challenges the position held by critics because her work can be seen at an art museum and can
be bought by the public from her online boutique. The text also presents the critics’ view as being influenced by a
perception that fine artists create works that are “timeless” and meant for exhibition, whereas fashion designers
periodically produce new styles that are meant for purchase. This context suggests that the critics believe that fine
art and fashion tend not to overlap—in other words, that they rarely intersect.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that critics contend that fine art and fashion
rarely “prevail,” or prove to be triumphant or widespread. The text indicates that Okuma is an example of an artist
who demonstrates that it’s possible to make fine art that is also available to the public as fashion. Choice B is
incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that fine art and fashion rarely “succumb,” or surrender.
The text establishes that unlike what critics believe, Okuma creates works that are in art museums and available for
the public to purchase, suggesting that critics believe fine art and fashion rarely overlap, not that they rarely
succumb. Choice C is incorrect because saying that critics believe that fine art and fashion rarely “diverge,” or
disagree or move in different directions, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text presents Okuma’s work as both
fine art and fashion, thereby undermining what the critics assert. This suggests that the critics believe that fine art
and fashion rarely intersect rather than that the two rarely diverge.

Question ID f8ca5766
ID: f8ca5766
Nigerian American author Teju Cole’s ______ his two passions—photography and the written word—culminates in his 2017
book, Blind Spot, which evocatively combines his original photographs from his travels with his poetic prose.
A. indifference to
B. enthusiasm for
C. concern about
D. surprise at
ID: f8ca5766 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Cole’s book Blind Spot. In
this context, “enthusiasm for” means excitement about. The text explains that Blind Spot consists of original
photographs as well as poetic prose—two elements that correspond to Cole’s passions, identified in the text, for
photography and the written word. This context suggests that Cole’s excitement about photography and writing led
him to create a book that successfully combines the two mediums.
Choice A is incorrect because describing Cole as feeling “indifference to” his two passions wouldn’t make sense in
context. If Cole is indifferent to his passions, that would mean he doesn’t care about photography or writing—in
which case they wouldn’t be his passions at all. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest
that Cole feels “concern about,” or uneasiness about, his passions. The text’s use of the word “culminates” indicates
that Blind Spot represents a triumphant climax of Cole’s passions, not a work that results from his sense of
discomfort with photography and writing. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that
Cole feels “surprise at,” or astonished by, his passions. The text indicates that Cole’s feeling about his passions
“culminates” in a book that “evocatively” combines photographs and writing, suggesting that Cole has a long-
standing and skillful relationship to his passions, not that he is startled by them.

Question ID 9671d61d
ID: 9671d61d
The following text is from Claude McKay’s 1922 poem “Morning Joy.” The speaker is looking out a window and observing a
wold, or large area of land.
At night the wide and level stretch of wold,

Which at high noon had basked in quiet gold,
Far as the eye could see was ghostly white;
Dark was the night save for the snow’s weird light.
I drew the shades far down, crept into bed;

Hearing the cold wind moaning overhead
Through the sad pines, my soul, catching its pain,
Went sorrowing with it across the plain.
As used in the text, what does the word “drew” most nearly mean?
A. Pulled
B. Drained
C. Inspired
D. Sketched
ID: 9671d61d Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “drew” most nearly means pulled. In the text, the speaker
stands at a window, looking out on a landscape at night. The speaker then “drew the shades far down, crept into
bed.” That is, the speaker pulled down, or lowered, the shades until they were completely shut before going to sleep.
Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “drew” can refer to draining or removing liquid, especially water,
as when someone draws water from a well, in this context it refers to the speaker pulling down window shades for
the night. Choice C is incorrect. In some contexts, “drew” can be used to describe how a person or thing inspires, or
elicits, a response from someone, as when a performer draws applause from an audience. But in this context it
refers to the speaker pulling down window shades for the night. Choice D is incorrect. Although “drew” has several
meanings, including sketched, or illustrated with a pen or pencil, in this context it refers to the speaker pulling
down window shades for the night.

Question ID a06c434d
ID: a06c434d
The work of Kiowa painter T.C. Cannon derives its power in part from the tension among his ______ influences: classic
European portraiture, with its realistic treatment of faces; the American pop art movement, with its vivid colors; and flatstyle,
the intertribal painting style that rejects the effect of depth typically achieved through shading and perspective.
A. complementary
B. unknown
C. disparate
D. interchangeable
ID: a06c434d Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the artistic styles that have
influenced Cannon’s work. As used in this context, “disparate” means distinct or dissimilar. The text indicates that a
tension exists among the styles that have influenced Cannon’s work and goes on to describe how those styles differ:
classic European portraiture favors realism, American pop art uses vivid colors, and intertribal flatstyle rejects the
use of shading and perspective to achieve depth. This context suggests that the styles that have influenced
Cannon’s work are disparate.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on Cannon’s artwork,
so it wouldn’t make sense to say that the influences are “complementary,” or that they complete one another or
make up for one another’s deficiencies. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to characterize
Cannon’s influences as “unknown,” or not familiar; it’s clear that the influences are known because the text goes on
to list them. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that there is a tension among the influences on
Cannon’s work, not that they are “interchangeable,” or capable of being used in one another’s place.

Question ID b411eb09
ID: b411eb09
New and interesting research conducted by Suleiman A. Al-Sweedan and Moath Alhaj is inspired by their observation that
though there have been many studies of the effect of high altitude on blood chemistry, there is a ______ studies of the effect
on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level, such as the California towns of Salton City and Seeley.
A. quarrel about
B. paucity of
C. profusion of
D. verisimilitude in
ID: b411eb09 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of studies of
altitude’s effect on blood chemistry. In this context, “paucity of” means lack of. In describing the inspiration behind
Al-Sweedan and Alhaj’s research, the text uses the word “though” to suggest a contrasting relationship between two
types of studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the
effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. This contrasting relationship and the text’s use of
the word “many” provide context suggesting that there are few, if any, examples of the second type of study, whereas
there are numerous examples of the first type.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “quarrel about,” or open
disagreement about, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use of
the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of
studies: those examining the effect on blood chemistry of living at a high altitude and those examining the effect on
blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the contrast
between the two types of studies involves the extent to which researchers broadly agree or disagree about the
contents of either type. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “profusion
of,” or great abundance of, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s
use of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of
blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. Rather than logically completing this contrast, “profusion of”
would indicate that the two types of studies are similar in terms of amount, with many examples existing of both
types. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context for there to be a “verisimilitude in,” or
appearance of truth in, studies of the effect on blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. The text’s use
of the words “though” and “many” suggests a contrasting relationship in terms of amount between two types of
blood chemistry of living in locations below sea level. There’s nothing in the text to suggest that the contrast
between the two types of studies involves the extent to which either type of study presents an appearance of truth.

Question ID 1ad04ea0
ID: 1ad04ea0
In habitats with limited nutrients, certain fungus species grow on the roots of trees, engaging in mutually beneficial
relationships known as ectomycorrhizae: in this symbiotic exchange, the tree provides the fungus with carbon, a nutrient
necessary for both species, and the fungus ______ by enhancing the tree’s ability to absorb nitrogen, another key nutrient,
from the soil.
A. overreacts
B. reciprocates
C. retaliates
D. deviates
ID: 1ad04ea0 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of ectomycorrhizae
relationships. In this context, “reciprocates” means responds in kind or degree. The text indicates that the
relationship between certain fungi and trees in some habitats is “mutually beneficial” and involves a “symbiotic
exchange” in which each organism helps the other access an important nutrient. In other words, each organism
provides the same kind of benefit it receives: the tree provides a nutrient (carbon) for the fungus and the fungus
reciprocates by helping the tree to absorb more of another nutrient (nitrogen).
Choice A is incorrect because the text emphasizes that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some
habitats involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other access an important nutrient.
Nothing in the text suggests that the fungus “overreacts,” or responds too strongly, by allowing the tree to be better
able to absorb a beneficial nutrient. Choice C is incorrect because “retaliates” means responds to a harmful action
with a similarly harmful action. The text indicates that the relationship between certain fungi and trees in some
habitats is “mutually beneficial” and involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other, not
that the relationship is one in which the organisms harm one another. Choice D is incorrect. In this context,
“deviates” would mean departs from an established course or norm. The text explains that the relationship between
certain fungi and trees in some habitats involves a “symbiotic exchange” in which each organism helps the other
access an important nutrient. Because the relationship involves benefits for both the fungus and the tree, it wouldn’t
make sense to say that the fungus deviates by helping the tree be better able to absorb a beneficial nutrient.

Question ID 479c7e82
ID: 479c7e82
Although critics believed that customers would never agree to pay to pick their own produce on farms, such concerns didn’t
______ Booker T. Whatley’s efforts to promote the practice. Thanks in part to Whatley’s determined advocacy, farms that allow
visitors to pick their own apples, pumpkins, and other produce can be found throughout the United States.
A. enhance
B. hinder
C. misrepresent
D. aggravate
ID: 479c7e82 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Booker T. Whatley. In this
context, “hinder” means hold back or obstruct. The text explains that Whatley encouraged farms to allow customers
on site to pick their own produce for a fee. He did so despite critics’ concerns that the customers would never pay to
do so. This context establishes that the critics’ concerns didn’t hinder Whatley’s efforts to promote the practice.
Choice A is incorrect. The text indicates that critics’ skepticism of the idea that customers would pay to pick their
own produce didn’t have some effect on Whatley’s promotion of the practice. The text illustrates this assertion by
describing Whatley’s “determined advocacy” for the practice. This context suggests that critics’ concerns didn’t
obstruct Whatley’s efforts, not that critics’ concerns didn’t “enhance,” or increase or improve, Whatley’s
efforts. Choice C is incorrect because in this context, “misrepresent” would mean portray inaccurately, and the text
includes no information relevant to the issue of how Whatley’s efforts were portrayed by critics of the practice of
charging customers to pick their own produce. Choice D is incorrect. The text indicates that critics’ skepticism of
the idea that customers would pay to pick their own produce didn’t have some effect on Whatley’s promotion of the
practice. The text illustrates this assertion by describing Whatley’s “determined advocacy” for the practice. This
context suggests that critics’ concerns didn’t obstruct Whatley’s efforts, not that critics’ concerns didn’t “aggravate,”
or irritate or make more severe, Whatley’s efforts.

Question ID c14daa3c
ID: c14daa3c
Close analysis of the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer,
has revealed subtle deviations from the artist’s signature techniques. These variations suggest that the work may be that of a
student under Vermeer’s tutelage—potentially ______ our understanding of Vermeer as a solitary artist.
A. negating
B. prefiguring
C. entrenching
D. substantiating
ID: c14daa3c Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Negating" means "reversing" or "making invalid." Proving that Vermeer worked with
students would reverse the view of him as a solitary artist.
Choice B is incorrect. "Prefiguring" means "being an early indicator of." There already existed views of Vermeer as a
solitary painter, so a new painting would not be an early indicator of those views. Rather, a painting proving that
Vermeer had a student would contradict those earlier views. Choice C is incorrect. "Entrenching" means
"solidifying." A painting proving that Vermeer had a student would not solidify views of him as solitary, but would
rather contradict those views. Choice D is incorrect. "Substantiating" means "supporting with proof." A painting
proving that Vermeer had a student would not support views of him as solitary, but would rather contradict those
views.

Question ID d3ca5d59
ID: d3ca5d59
Stephen Hannock’s luminous landscape paintings are appealing to viewers but have elicited little commentary from
contemporary critics, a phenomenon that may be due to the very fact that the paintings seem so ______. Many critics focus
their attention on art that is cryptic or overtly challenging.
A. innovative
B. subversive
C. profound
D. accessible
ID: d3ca5d59 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. When talking about a thing, “accessible” means “easy to understand.” This sets up the
contrast in the next sentence, which tells us that critics mostly focus on art that is “cryptic or challenging”
(meaning not easy to understand).
Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is
mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “innovative” (meaning advanced and original), then critics
probably would comment on them. Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t fit the logic of the text. The next sentence tells
us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If Hannock’s paintings are “subversive” (meaning
disruptive and revolutionary), then critics probably would comment on them. Choice C is incorrect. This doesn’t fit
the logic of the text. The next sentence tells us that critics focus on art that is mysterious and challenging. If
Hannock’s paintings are “profound” (meaning very deep and insightful), then critics probably would comment on
them.

Question ID 0ee67e09
ID: 0ee67e09
Anthropologist Kristian J. Carlson and colleagues examined the fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones of a 3.6-million-year-
old early hominin known as “Little Foot.” They found that these bones were ______ the clavicle and shoulder bones of modern
apes that are frequent climbers, such as gorillas and chimpanzees, suggesting that Little Foot had adapted to life in the trees.
A. surpassed by
B. comparable to
C. independent of
D. obtained from
ID: 0ee67e09 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the fossilized bones of the
hominin known as Little Foot. As used in this context, “comparable to” would mean similar to. The text indicates
that the relationship between the fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones of Little Foot and the clavicle and shoulder
bones of “frequent climbers,” such as chimpanzees and gorillas, suggests that Little Foot had adapted to moving
around in trees. This context suggests that the relationship between the fossilized bones of Little Foot and the
bones of chimpanzees and gorillas is one of similarity—the Little Foot fossils are likely comparable to the modern
ape bones.
Choice A is incorrect because if the fossilized bones of Little Foot were “surpassed by,” or exceeded by or made
inferior to, the bones of modern apes that are frequent climbers, it wouldn’t suggest, as the text says, that Little Foot
was adapted to moving around in trees. If anything, learning that Little Foot’s clavicle and shoulder bones were
surpassed by those of chimpanzees and gorillas would suggest that Little Foot was poorly adapted to
climbing. Choice C is incorrect because if Little Foot’s fossilized clavicle and shoulder bones were “independent of,”
or not influenced by or affiliated with, the bones of modern apes that climb often, it wouldn’t suggest, as the text
says, that Little Foot was adapted to moving around in trees. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that
Little Foot’s fossilized bones date to 3.6 million years ago, so they couldn’t have been “obtained from,” or acquired
from, the bones of modern apes.

Question ID 760ee1db
ID: 760ee1db
Although the playwrights hoped that their play would be ______ when performed live, critics generally agreed that the
production and performances had the opposite effect, wearying audiences instead of energizing them.
A. multifaceted
B. realistic
C. rousing
D. subtle
ID: 760ee1db Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the play’s effect on
audiences. As used in this context, “rousing” means exciting or energizing. The text indicates that critics found the
play to have “the opposite effect” on audiences of what the playwrights hoped for. The critics, the text says, thought
the play was wearying rather than energizing to viewers. This context supports the idea that the playwrights hoped
live performances of the play would be energizing, or rousing, to audiences.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights hoped live
performances of the play would be “multifaceted,” or be varied or have many aspects. The text indicates that critics
found the play to be wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for.
Multifaceted is not the opposite of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play
would be rousing. Choice B is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights
hoped live performances of the play would be “realistic,” or lifelike or sensible. The text says that critics found the
play to be wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for. Realistic is not
the opposite of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play would be
rousing. Choice D is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that the playwrights hoped live
performances of the play would be subtle, or complex or understated. The text says that critics found the play to be
wearying to audiences and that this was the opposite of what the playwrights hoped for. Subtle is not the opposite
of wearying, but rousing is, which suggests that the playwrights hoped the play would be rousing.

Question ID c5b1afe5
ID: c5b1afe5
Bicycle sharing systems allow users to rent a bicycle at one location within a city and return it to any other designated
location in that city, which can cause serious problems of bicycle supply and user demand within the city’s system. Tohru
Ikeguchi uses open-source data and statistical modeling to identify when a high number of users making one-way trips is
likely to leave some locations within the system ______ bicycles and other areas with insufficient supply.
A. susceptible to
B. contingent on
C. saturated with
D. depleted of
ID: c5b1afe5 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Ikeguchi’s model of bicycle
supply. In this context, “saturated with” means thoroughly or completely supplied with. The text explains a problem
encountered by some bicycle-sharing programs: users can return bicycles to different locations than where the
users picked up the bicycles to start, which can result in a mismatch between bicycle supply (that is, where the
bicycles are currently located) and user demand (that is, the locations where users are hoping to pick up bicycles).
The text goes on to explain that Ikeguchi developed a way to identify when this mismatch is likely to occur. This
context suggests that Ikeguchi’s method will show when it is likely that some locations have an insufficient supply
and other locations, by implicit contrast, are saturated with bicycles.
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that some locations are “susceptible to,” or sensitive to or
easily influenced by, bicycles. The text describes the phenomenon of bicycles being redistributed away from
locations where users want them, not anything about those locations being influenced by the bicycles. Choice B is
incorrect because the text describes situations in which some locations have an insufficient supply of bicycles
because the bicycles have been relocated elsewhere, which suggests that the other locations have many bicycles,
not that the other locations are “contingent on,” or dependent on, the bicycles. Nothing in the text suggests that the
locations themselves depend on the bicycles for anything. Choice D is incorrect because it would not make sense in
context to say that some locations are “depleted of,” or empty of, bicycles while others have an insufficient supply.
The text describes situations in which bicycles have been relocated such that there is a mismatch between bicycle
supply and user demand—the bicycles are no longer at the locations where users want to pick them up. This means
that some locations do not have enough bicycles, while other locations must have many bicycles, not be depleted of
bicycles.
Question ID 9d73c9eb
ID: 9d73c9eb
Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe, which vividly chronicles Osage
history and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is ______ choice because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the
twentieth century were Osage: sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.
A. a suitable
B. a determined
C. an arbitrary
D. an unpredictable
ID: 9d73c9eb Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. “Suitable” means “appropriate for a particular purpose.” Since the text indicates that
two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage, we can infer that the author believes that ballet
is a very suitable artform for telling Osage stories.
Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that Tinker-Smith’s choice was determined. That would imply that
Tinker-Smith initially faced some kind of obstacle or opposition, and nothing like that is mentioned in the passage.
Choice C is incorrect. The text implies the opposite of this. “Arbitrary” means “based on random choice or whim
rather than reason.” But the text does give us a good reason behind the choice to tell Osage stories through ballet:
two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth century were Osage. Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests
that Tinker-Smith’s choice was “unpredictable.” Rather, the fact that two of the best ballet dancers of the twentieth
century were Osage makes ballet especially appropriate for telling Osage stories.

Question ID 81a3a607
ID: 81a3a607
In the Indigenous intercropping system known as the Three Sisters, maize, squash, and beans form an ______ web of relations:
maize provides the structure on which the bean vines grow; the squash vines cover the soil, discouraging competition from
weeds; and the beans aid their two “sisters” by enriching the soil with essential nitrogen.
A. indecipherable
B. ornamental
C. obscure
D. intricate
ID: 81a3a607 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Three Sisters
intercropping system. As used in this context, “intricate” would mean made up of complexly related elements. The
text indicates that in the Three Sisters system, maize, squash, and beans form a “web of relations” in which the
crops interact in various ways. The text’s description of these interactions—the bean vines growing on the maize
stalks, the squash vines keeping weeds away, and the beans adding nutrients that the maize and squash use—
provides context suggesting that this “web of relations” is intricate.
Choice A is incorrect because describing the relationship among the crops in the Three Sisters system as
“indecipherable,” or impossible to comprehend, would not make sense in context. Although the text presents the
relationship as complex, the text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear that the relationship is
well understood, not indecipherable. Choice B is incorrect because the text discusses the practical benefits that
each plant in the Three Sisters system provides to other members of the system, showing that the relationship
among the crops that make up the system is not “ornamental,” or mainly serving a decorative purpose. Choice C is
incorrect because describing the relationship among the crops in the Three Sisters system as “obscure,” or unknown
or poorly understood, would not make sense in context. Although the text presents the relationship as complex, the
text’s description of the role that each crop plays makes it clear that the relationship is well understood, not
obscure.

ID: 8d579825
The printing of Virginia Woolf’s novels featured a creative ______ between Woolf and her sister Vanessa Bell: a talented
painter, Bell worked closely with Woolf to create original cover art for most of the novels.
A. rebellion
B. partnership
C. discovery
D. disagreement
ID: 8d579825 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the cover art of Virginia
Woolf’s novels. In this context, “partnership” means collaboration or joint effort. The text states that Woolf’s sister
Vanessa Bell was a talented painter and that Bell worked with Woolf to provide the cover art for most of Woolf’s
novels. Thus, this context suggests that Woolf and Bell pursued a creative partnership in order to produce several of
Woolf’s novels.
Choice A is incorrect because there is no indication that Woolf or Bell were undergoing a “rebellion,” or revolt,
against anything in particular. Instead, the text focuses on how they worked together in some aspects of the
production of Woolf’s novels. Choice C is incorrect because there is nothing in the text to indicate that Woolf or Bell
made a “discovery,” or encountered anything new for the first time as they worked together. The text suggests that
Woolf had already written her novels and that Bell then assisted Woolf with the cover art for many of them. Choice D
is incorrect because the text implies that Woolf and Bell had a positive relationship. According to the text, the
sisters “worked closely” together to produce the cover art for many of Woolf’s novels; the text doesn’t mention
whether while working together, Woolf and Bell had a “disagreement,” or conflict.

Question ID 3566120b
ID: 3566120b
The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play The Importance of Being Earnest.
CECILY: Have we got to part?
ALGERNON: I am afraid so. It’s a very painful parting.
CECILY: It is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a very brief space of time. The absence of old
friends one can endure with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to whom one has just been
introduced is almost unbearable.
As used in the text, what does the word “endure” most nearly mean?
A. Regret
B. Persist
C. Tolerate
D. Encourage
ID: 3566120b Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “endure” most nearly means tolerate. In the text, Cecily and
Algernon discuss parting, or saying goodbye. Cecily remarks on the deep pain of saying goodbye to people whom
one has only known briefly and then comments on the equanimity, or calm steadiness, one experiences when
separated from old friends. The text sets up an ironic contrast: one can easily tolerate, or put up with, the absence of
close friends, but even a very short separation from a new acquaintance is unbearable.
Choice A is incorrect. Nothing in the text suggests that Cecily associates regret, or a feeling of sorrow, with the
absence of old friends. Rather, the text sets up an ironic contrast between the feeling of calm steadiness one feels
when separated from old friends and the unbearable pain of being separated from new acquaintances. Choice B is
incorrect. Although in some contexts “endure” can mean persist, or proceed stubbornly, it doesn’t have that meaning
in this context because what is being endured is the absence of old friends. Whereas one can persist despite the
absence of someone else, one can’t persist the absence itself. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t convey
that Cecily encourages, or urges, old friends to be absent. Although it may be that Cecily prefers new acquaintances
to friends she has known for a long time, the text focuses on her feelings as a result of others’ absences, not on her
treatment of others.

Question ID bcc91b1e
ID: bcc91b1e
The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx briefly made contact with the asteroid 101955 Bennu in 2020. NASA scientist Daniella
DellaGiustina reports that despite facing the unexpected obstacle of a surface mostly covered in boulders, OSIRIS-REx
successfully ______ a sample of the surface, gathering pieces of it to bring back to Earth.
A. attached
B. collected
C. followed
D. replaced
ID: bcc91b1e Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s
contact with the asteroid 101955 Bennu. In this context, “collected” means acquired and took away. The text
indicates that although the boulders on the asteroid’s surface caused some unforeseen problems, OSIRIS-REx was
able to gather a sample to return to Earth. This context suggests that OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample of
101955 Bennu.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context “attached” means connected or affixed. The text indicates that OSIRIS-
REx gathered pieces of 101955 Bennu to bring to Earth; it doesn’t suggest that the spacecraft attached anything to
the asteroid. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “followed” means tracked or traveled behind and the text
discusses OSIRIS-REx’s brief encounter with 101955 Bennu during which the spacecraft gathered a sample to bring
to Earth. The text doesn’t suggest that the spacecraft tracked the sample, and it’s not clear what it would mean for
the spacecraft to travel behind the sample it collected. Choice D is incorrect because in this context “replaced”
means put back or returned. The text indicates that OSIRIS-REx gathered pieces of 101955 Bennu to bring to Earth
but doesn’t suggest that anything was returned to the asteroid.

Question ID 31d0bd9a
ID: 31d0bd9a
The parasitic dodder plant increases its reproductive success by flowering at the same time as the host plant it has latched
onto. In 2020, Jianqiang Wu and his colleagues determined that the tiny dodder achieves this ______ with its host by
absorbing and utilizing a protein the host produces when it is about to flower.
A. synchronization
B. hibernation
C. prediction
D. moderation
ID: 31d0bd9a Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of a relationship between the
dodder plant and its host plant. As used in this context, “synchronization” means the act of things happening at the
same time. The text indicates that the dodder and its host plant flower in unison and that this synchronization
occurs because the dodder makes use of a protein produced by the host shortly before flowering.
Choice B is incorrect because referring to “hibernation,” or the state of being dormant or inactive, wouldn’t make
sense in context. The text focuses on something the dodder plant actively engages in—making use of a protein and
producing flowers. Choice C is incorrect because stating that the dodder plant and its host engage together in
“prediction,” or the act of declaring or indicating something in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Rather than
indicating that the dodder plant and its host plant make a prediction about flowering activity, the text suggests that
the host produces a protein as part of its regular flowering process and that the dodder then absorbs and uses that
protein to flower at the same time. Choice D is incorrect because referring to “moderation,” or the act of causing
something to become less intense or extreme, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the text states that the
dodder plant absorbs and uses a protein made by its host plant, it doesn’t suggest that the dodder lessens the host
plant’s flowering activity; the two plants simply flower in unison.

ID: 47955354
Sumerian civilization (which lasted from around 3300 to 2000 BCE) ______ many concepts that persist into present-day
civilizations: for example, the first description of the seven-day week appears in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.
A. transformed
B. introduced
C. inherited
D. overlooked
ID: 47955354 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the contributions of the
Sumerian civilization. In this context, “introduced” means brought into practice or use. The text states that the first
reference to a seven-day week appears in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. The text presents this information about
the seven-day week as an example of a concept introduced by the Sumerian civilization that persists into present-
day civilizations.
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the Sumerian civilization “transformed,” or changed
the nature of, concepts that persist into present-day civilizations. Instead, the text’s presentation of a Sumerian
literary work that contains the first description of the seven-day week is an example of the phenomenon described
in the first half of the sentence, suggesting that the Sumerians invented many concepts that still persist. Choice C is
incorrect because the information that a Sumerian literary work includes the first description of the seven-day
week suggests that Sumerian civilization may have originated the seven-day week and other concepts that persist
into present-day civilizations, not that it “inherited” the concepts, or received them from an ancestral figure or
culture. Choice D is incorrect because the information that Sumerian civilization produced the first description of
the seven-day week is presented as an example of the phenomenon described in the first half of the sentence,
suggesting that Sumerian civilization originated this and other concepts that still persist, not that the Sumerians
“overlooked,” or failed to notice or consider, such concepts.

Question ID a3761c7e
ID: a3761c7e
Physicist Joseph Weber performed ______ work in gravitational wave research in the 1960s and 1970s, conducting key
experiments that scientists later used as the basis for their own investigations that led to the first verified detection of a
gravitational wave in 2015.
A. foundational
B. supplementary
C. repetitive
D. ineffective
ID: a3761c7e Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of physicist Joseph Webster’s
research on gravitational waves. In this context “foundational” means the basis on which something else develops.
The text indicates that Webster’s experiments in the 1960s and 1970s were earlier than, and “key” to, the work of
later scientists in the field; thus, Webster’s work was foundational to the later scientists’ experiments and the
eventual detection of a gravitational wave in 2015.
Choice B is incorrect because the text does not suggest that Webster’s work was supplementary, or an additional
element of an existing, larger project, but rather it was “the basis for” later experiments. Choice C is incorrect
because the text does not assert that Webster’s work was repetitive, or involved doing something the same way
many times. Rather, the text indicates that Webster’s work formed the basis for later investigations in the field of
gravitational wave research. Choice D is incorrect because the text does not state that Webster’s work was
ineffective, or failed to produce the desired outcome. Rather, the text strongly implies that Webster’s work was
productive and extremely important to later work in the field of gravitational wave research.

Question ID 80ebb189
ID: 80ebb189
As an architect in Los Angeles in the 1950s, Helen Liu Fong became known for avoiding ______ designs in her buildings.
Instead of using standard shapes and colors, she typically explored innovative forms and daring hues.
A. creative
B. bold
C. traditional
D. understandable
ID: 80ebb189 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Helen Liu Fong’s
architectural designs. In this context, “traditional” means conventional. The text states that rather than use
“standard shapes and colors,” Fong pursued “innovative” and “daring” design choices in her work. Fong’s style is
depicted as inventive, so it therefore makes sense in this context that she avoided mainstream, traditional designs
in her buildings.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Fong’s work is innovative and experimental. Thus, Fong’s
design choices could reasonably be considered creative, or original. She likely would have pursued creative designs,
not avoided them. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that Fong used “daring” hues in her designs.
Thus, Fong likely would have pursued bold, or brave and vivid design choices; she wouldn’t have avoided them.
Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t address whether Fong’s designs are understandable, or reasonable or
expected. The text focuses on certain characteristics of Fong’s designs, not on how people received or understood
them.

Question ID e7d37666
ID: e7d37666
It is by no means ______ to recognize the influence of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch on Ali Banisadr’s paintings; indeed,
Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration. However, some scholars have suggested that the ancient Mesopotamian poem
Epic of Gilgamesh may have had a far greater impact on Banisadr’s work.
A. substantial
B. satisfying
C. unimportant
D. appropriate
ID: e7d37666 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the sentence about the influences on Banisadr’s
work. In context, “It is by no means” followed by “unimportant” conveys how it is relevant to recognize Bosch’s
influence on Banisadr. The text points out that the artist himself cites Bosch as an inspiration, and then goes on to
claim that The Epic of Gilgamesh has had a more significant influence than Bosch.
Choice A is incorrect because “substantial,” which means weighty or meaningful, incorrectly suggests that it
wouldn’t be meaningful to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites
Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice B is incorrect because “satisfying,” which means
pleasing, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be pleasing to acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The
phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration” doesn’t support this suggestion. Choice D is
incorrect because “appropriate,” which means suitable, incorrectly suggests that it wouldn’t be proper to
acknowledge Bosch’s influence on Banisadr. The phrase “indeed, Banisadr himself cites Bosch as an inspiration”
doesn’t support this suggestion.

Question ID a60b0004
ID: a60b0004
Scholarly discussions of gender in Shakespeare’s comedies often celebrate the rebellion of the playwright’s characters
against the rigid expectations ______ by Elizabethan society. Most of the comedies end in marriage, with characters returning
to their socially dictated gender roles after previously defying them, but there are some notable exceptions.
A. interjected
B. committed
C. illustrated
D. prescribed
ID: a60b0004 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of gender roles in
Shakespeare’s comedies. As used in this context, “prescribed” would mean laid down as rules. The text indicates
that the characters in the comedies often defy gender roles that are “socially dictated” (even if most characters do
return to those roles eventually) and that scholars have been very interested in these acts of defiance. This context
indicates that what the characters are rebelling against are standards of behavior prescribed by the society of the
time.
Choice A is incorrect because saying that expectations about gender were “interjected,” or suddenly inserted
between other things, wouldn’t make sense in context. There’s no suggestion in the text that the issue of gender
roles was inserted between other things or was an interruption in a larger discussion. Choice B is incorrect because
the text indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about gender that have been
“socially dictated,” not expectations that society has “committed,” or carried out, entrusted, or promised. Choice C is
incorrect because the text indicates that Shakespeare depicts characters rebelling against expectations about
gender that have been “socially dictated,” not expectations that have been “illustrated,” or clarified with examples.
Although it’s possible for expectations about gender roles to be illustrated, there’s nothing in the text to indicate that
characters in Shakespeare’s comedies rebel against illustrations of gender expectations.

Question ID b0ea8c28
ID: b0ea8c28
Sueño de Familia is an exhibition of drawings, paintings, and ceramics that explores the artistic heritage of US-based artist
Yolanda González. The exhibition ______ five generations, featuring works by González’s great-grandfather, grandmother,
mother, and niece as well as González herself.
A. borrows
B. spans
C. judges
D. neglects
ID: b0ea8c28 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the Sueño de Familia art
exhibition. In this context, “spans” means extends across or covers. The text states that the exhibition explores
González’s artistic heritage and features artwork by her great-grandfather, grandmother, mother, and niece. This
context conveys the idea that the exhibition spans, or extends across, five generations of González’s family.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the exhibition “borrows,” or acquires, five
generations of González’s family. The text indicates that the exhibition features artwork by family members from
five generations, not that the five generations themselves have been acquired for inclusion in the exhibition. Choice
C is incorrect because the text indicates that the purpose of the exhibition is to highlight artwork, not to “judge,” or
give an opinion on, five generations of the artist’s family. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that
the exhibition “neglects,” or gives little attention to, five generations of González’s family. On the contrary, the text
indicates that the exhibition is dedicated to exploring González’s artistic heritage and therefore designed to bring
attention to her family members and their artwork.

Question ID fce80a36
ID: fce80a36
In 2008 a complete set of ancient pessoi (glass game pieces) was uncovered from beneath a paving stone in modern-day
Israel. Due to their small size, pessoi were easily misplaced, making a whole set a rare find. This has led some experts to
suggest that the set may have been buried intentionally; however, without clear evidence, archaeologists are left to ______
what happened.
A. speculate about
B. dismiss
C. expand on
D. catalog
ID: fce80a36 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. "Speculate" means "to form a theory or guess without any clear evidence." This makes
sense because, due to the lack of "clear evidence," the archaeologists can only guess how the pessoi set might have
come to be there.
Choice B is incorrect. "Dismiss" can mean "send away" or "treat as unworthy of consideration." The text implies that
the archaeologists are trying to figure out the truth—they wouldn’t "dismiss" what really happened. Choice C is
incorrect. "Expand on" means "give more details about," but there aren’t any details to give. Without any "clear
evidence," the archaeologists can’t give any more details. Choice D is incorrect. "Catalog" means "carefully record" or
"make a list of." However, there’s no "clear evidence," so there’s no real information to "catalog."

ID: 0d402146
US traffic signals didn’t always contain the familiar three lights (red, yellow, and green). Traffic lights only ______ red and green
lights until the three-light traffic signal was developed in the 1920s.
A. avoided
B. featured
C. appreciated
D. disregarded
ID: 0d402146 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of traffic signals. As used in
this context, “featured” means had as a characteristic or part. The text indicates that although US traffic signals
have lights of three different colors (red, yellow, and green), this wasn’t the case until the 1920s, when the three-light
signal was first developed. Before then, the text suggests, traffic signals had fewer lights (as indicated by the word
“only” in the second sentence). This context supports the idea that before the 1920s, traffic signals featured only red
and green lights.
Choice A is incorrect because “avoided” means kept away from someone or something or prevented something from
occurring, neither of which would make sense in context. The text doesn’t discuss keeping away from someone or
something but instead focuses on what US traffic signals look like. The text states that they didn’t have lights of
three different colors until the three-light signal was developed in the 1920s. Choice C is incorrect because
“appreciated” means admired or increased in value, neither of which would make sense in context. The text focuses
solely on the fact that US traffic signals have contained lights of three colors only since the three-light signal was
developed in the 1920s. The text doesn’t mention how this characteristic or traffic signals in general are perceived or
what their value is. Moreover, the blank portion of the text describes “traffic signals,” which are lifeless objects and
therefore unable to admire or increase the value of something. Choice D is incorrect because “disregarded” means
ignored or treated something as unworthy of notice, neither of which would make sense in context. The text doesn’t
discuss how people react to traffic signals; rather, it addresses the idea that US traffic signals have contained lights
of three colors only since the three-light signal was developed in the 1920s. Moreover, the blank portion of the text
describes “traffic signals,” which are lifeless objects and therefore unable to ignore or treat something in a particular
manner.

Question ID 5dce6cab
ID: 5dce6cab
Given that the conditions in binary star systems should make planetary formation nearly impossible, it’s not surprising that
the existence of planets in such systems has lacked ______ explanation. Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee shed light on the
subject when they used modeling to determine a complex set of factors that could support planets’ development.
A. a discernible
B. a straightforward
C. an inconclusive
D. an unbiased
ID: 5dce6cab Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s description of efforts to explain the
existence of planets in binary star systems. As used in this context, describing an explanation as “a straightforward”
one would mean that the explanation is direct and uncomplicated. The text asserts that since it should be “nearly
impossible” for planets to form in binary star systems, it’s “not surprising” that there isn’t a straightforward
explanation for the existence of planets in such systems; the fact that one potential approach involves “complex”
factors offers further contextual support for this idea.
Choice A is incorrect because it would not make sense in context to say that there isn’t “a discernible” explanation—
meaning an explanation capable of being perceived—for the existence of planets in binary star systems. The text
discusses just such an explanation offered by Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee, which indicates that their
explanation can be discerned. Choice C is incorrect because the text emphasizes how difficult it is to explain the
existence of planets in binary star systems, suggesting that the situation isn’t marked by the lack of “an
inconclusive” explanation—an explanation that does not resolve the issue—but rather that if any explanations have
been offered, they’ve likely been inconclusive ones. Choice D is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that
there is a lack of “an unbiased,” or impartial and unprejudiced, explanation for the existence of planets in binary star
systems. The text indicates that it’s difficult to explain the existence of planets in such systems and it describes one
attempt to do so, but there is no evidence that explanations from Roman Rafikov and Kedron Silsbee or others are
biased.

Question ID f99847ed
ID: f99847ed
For her 2021 art installation Anthem, Wu Tsang joined forces with singer and composer Beverly Glenn-Copeland to produce a
piece that critics found truly ______: they praised Tsang for creatively transforming a museum rotunda into a dynamic exhibit
by projecting filmed images of Glenn-Copeland onto a massive 84-foot curtain and filling the space with the sounds of his
and other voices singing.
A. restrained
B. inventive
C. inexplicable
D. mystifying
ID: f99847ed Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the art installation Anthem.
In this context, “inventive” means characterized by invention and creativity. The text explains that critics’
responses to the installation involved praise for Tsang’s creative transformation of a space into a dynamic exhibit
with huge images and lots of sound. This context conveys that the critics found the piece particularly creative.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that critics praised the installation for being dynamic and including
huge images and lots of sound, and it wouldn’t make sense to describe such an exhibit as “restrained,” or limited and
not extravagant or showy. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that critics found the
installation “inexplicable,” or incapable of being explained or interpreted, since the critics were able to explain their
praise for the installation’s transformation of a space with huge images and lots of sound. Choice D is incorrect
because the text focuses on the idea that critics praised Tsang for creatively transforming a space into a dynamic
exhibit, not that they found the installation “mystifying,” or bewildering and hard to understand. Nothing in the text
suggests that the critics couldn’t understand the piece.

Question ID e4f312c5
ID: e4f312c5
While most animals are incapable of passing somatic mutations—genetic alterations that arise in an organism’s
nonreproductive cells—on to their offspring, elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) presents an intriguing ______: in a 2022 study,
researchers found that elkhorn coral produced offspring that inherited somatic mutations from a parent.
A. hypothesis
B. affinity
C. anomaly
D. corroboration
ID: e4f312c5 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. An "anomaly" is something that deviates from norms or expectations. In this case, the
elkhorn coral is an anomaly because it can pass on somatic mutations, whereas most other animals can’t.
Choice A is incorrect. A "hypothesis" is "a theory about something," but no theories are provided about elkhorn coral
in this text, just facts. Choice B is incorrect. "Affinity" represents "an inclination or liking toward something." As
genetic mutations tend to occur without any conscious effort, you can’t really have an inclination toward passing on
somatic mutations. Choice D is incorrect. "Corroboration" means "evidence to support or prove something." Because
elkhorn coral do the opposite of what most animals do, they do not provide corroboration of the theory that somatic
mutations can’t be passed onto offspring. Rather, they show the opposite.

Question ID a4f50d30
ID: a4f50d30
Scientists previously thought that all electric eels belong to a single species, but a team of researchers led by zoologist C.
David de Santana proved this idea wrong by ______ that there are in fact three distinct species of electric eels.
A. pretending
B. complaining
C. requiring
D. demonstrating
ID: a4f50d30 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer. “Demonstrating” means “showing,” and the text describes how de Santana disproved a
previous belief in only one species of electric eel by showing that three electric eel species actually exist.
Choice A is incorrect. Pretending that there are three species of electric eel might be a fun game for marine
biologists, but it wouldn’t prove the existence of more than one species. Choice B is incorrect. Complaining won’t
prove anything about eels, so de Santana could not have proved wrong the idea of only one species of electric eel by
complaining about it. Choice C is incorrect. “Requiring” means “needing.” It wouldn’t make sense to say that de
Santana “needed” there to be three distinct species of electric eel.

Question ID fa7a89f1
ID: fa7a89f1
Studying how workload affects productivity, Maryam Kouchaki and colleagues found that people who chose to do relatively
easy tasks first were less ______ compared to those who did hard tasks first. Finishing easy tasks gave participants a sense of
accomplishment, but those who tackled hard tasks first actually became more skilled and productive workers over time.
A. secretive
B. efficient
C. outgoing
D. unsympathetic
ID: fa7a89f1 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about Kouchaki and
colleagues’ research into how workload affects productivity. In context, “efficient” means effective or well organized.
The text indicates that, according to Kouchaki and colleagues’ research, people who worked on hard tasks first were
“more skilled and productive” than those who did easy tasks first. This context conveys the idea that despite their
sense of accomplishment, the people who chose to do the easy tasks first were less efficient or productive than
those who tackled hard tasks first.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that workers who do easy tasks first are less
“secretive,” or uncommunicative or silent, than those who do hard tasks first. Rather, the text suggests that people
are less skillful or efficient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard ones. Choice C is incorrect because “outgoing”
means openly friendly, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses on Kouchaki and colleagues’
research in which people who worked on hard tasks first were “more skilled and productive” than those who did
easy tasks first and were therefore less efficient. Choice D is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest
that workers who do easy tasks first are less “unsympathetic,” or insensitive or unkind, than those who do hard
tasks first. Rather, the text suggests that people are less skillful or efficient if they tackle easy tasks before the hard
ones.

Question ID e37b9e34
ID: e37b9e34
Some researchers believe that the genes that enable groundhogs and certain other mammals to hibernate through the
winter by slowing their breathing and heart rates and lowering their body temperature may be ______ in humans: present yet
having essentially no effect on our bodily processes.
A. decisive
B. lacking
C. variable
D. dormant
ID: e37b9e34 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it logically completes the text’s discussion about genes related to hibernation.
In this context, “dormant” means inactive. The text explains that the same genes that enable certain nonhuman
mammal species to hibernate during the winter by altering their bodily processes are also found in our species but
have “essentially no effect” on humans’ bodily processes. In other words, these genes don’t function in humans.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “decisive” means has the power to affect the outcome of something,
but the text states that genes related to hibernation are instead inactive in humans—that is, the genes don’t affect
humans’ bodily processes, although they are present in their bodies. Choice B is incorrect because in this context,
“lacking” means missing, but the text states that the genes are present in humans, though inactive. Choice C is
incorrect because “variable” means characterized by the potential to change, but the text indicates that these genes
don’t change in their effect on humans’ bodily processes; instead, the genes are consistently inactive in humans.

Question ID faa5696c
ID: faa5696c
Arturo A. Schomburg was dedicated to preserving books, art, and other materials from peoples of African descent around
the world. To get these items, Schomburg ______ friends and colleagues, whom he asked to bring back rare and valuable
objects from their international travels. Now, Schomburg’s collection is a valuable resource for scholars of Black history and
culture.
A. admired
B. disagreed with
C. warned
D. depended on
ID: faa5696c Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Arturo A. Schomburg’s
collection. In this context, the phrase “depended on” means relied on. The text explains that Schomburg, wanting to
preserve “books, art, and other materials” created by peoples of African descent from around the world, built a large
collection of these objects. The text also states that in order to obtain these items, Schomburg asked friends and
colleagues who were traveling internationally to bring them back for him. This implies that he wouldn’t have been
able to create his collection without help. Thus, the context supports the idea that Schomburg relied on, or depended
on, friends and colleagues to build his collection.
Choice A is incorrect because “admired” means respected and approved of. Although it’s reasonable to expect that
Schomburg respected his friends and colleagues, the text doesn’t discuss any such aspect of their relationships. The
text focuses instead on what Schomburg asked his friends and colleagues to do to help build his collection. Choice B
is incorrect because “disagreed with” means held an opposing belief, and nothing in the text suggests that
Schomburg and his friends or colleagues held opposing views on any subject. In fact, the text strongly implies that
Schomburg’s friends and colleagues supported him in his goal of preserving objects of importance for Black history
and culture by bringing him such objects from around the world. Choice C is incorrect because “warned” means
informed someone in advance about something dangerous, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. Nothing in
the text suggests that Schomburg thought his friends and colleagues were in any danger, let alone that he warned
them of danger.

Question ID 79fe7550
ID: 79fe7550
Researcher Haesung Jung led a 2020 study showing that individual acts of kindness can ______ prosocial behavior across a
larger group. Jung and her team found that bystanders who witness a helpful act become more likely to offer help to
someone else, and in doing so, can inspire still others to act.
A. require
B. remember
C. foster
D. discourage
ID: 79fe7550 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jung and her team’s study
of acts of kindness. In this context, “foster” means encourage or promote the development of. The text indicates that
Jung and her team found that seeing a helpful (or prosocial) act makes a bystander more likely to help someone
else, which can in turn inspire additional people to help others. That is, the team showed that single acts of
kindness can foster additional prosocial acts across a group.
Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Jung and her team found that single acts of
kindness “require,” or depend on or make obligatory, broader prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. There’s
no suggestion in the text that individual acts of kindness can only occur if other prosocial acts have already
occurred, and the text indicates only that an act of kindness can inspire additional helpful acts, not that it
necessarily will do so. Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on a possible direct effect of individual acts of
kindness, or single helpful actions, and it wouldn’t make sense to suggest that actions can “remember,” or hold a
memory of, something. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t indicate that Jung and her team found that
single acts of kindness can “discourage,” or hinder, prosocial (or helpful) behavior across a group. On the contrary,
the text states that Jung and her team found that seeing a helpful act makes a bystander more likely to help
someone else, which can in turn inspire even more people to help others.

Question ID 1fa751f1
ID: 1fa751f1
Handedness, a preferential use of either the right or left hand, typically is easy to observe in humans. Because this trait is
present but less ______ in many other animals, animal-behavior researchers often employ tasks specially designed to reveal
individual animals’ preferences for a certain hand or paw.
A. recognizable
B. intriguing
C. significant
D. useful
ID: 1fa751f1 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about handedness in animals.
As used in this context, “recognizable” means apparent or identifiable. The text indicates that handedness is “easy
to observe in humans,” but that animal-behavior researchers use special tasks to determine handedness in other
animals. This context and the use of “less” before the blank indicate that compared with handedness in humans,
handedness in other animals is less recognizable.
Choice B is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that handedness is less “intriguing,” or
fascinating, in nonhuman animals than it is in humans. The text focuses on how easy it is to observe handedness in
humans as compared with other animals; the text doesn’t suggest that handedness is more fascinating in humans.
Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that handedness is less “significant,” or
important or meaningful, in nonhuman animals than it is in humans. The text focuses on how easy it is to observe
handedness in humans as compared with other animals; the text doesn’t suggest that handedness is more
significant in humans. Choice D is incorrect because “useful,” or functional or helpful, wouldn’t make sense in
context. The text focuses on the ease with which researchers can determine whether an animal or person is right-
or left-handed, not on how useful handedness in nonhuman animals is compared with handedness in humans.

Question ID 49bbe4d7
ID: 49bbe4d7
For painter Jacob Lawrence, being ______ was an important part of the artistic process. Because he paid close attention to all
the details of his Harlem neighborhood, Lawrence’s artwork captured nuances in the beauty and vitality of the Black
experience during the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Migration.
A. skeptical
B. observant
C. critical
D. confident
ID: 49bbe4d7 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jacob Lawrence’s artistic
process. In this context, “observant” means watchful and perceptive. The text emphasizes that the “close attention”
Lawrence paid to “all the details” of his neighborhood allowed him to reflect subtle elements of “the beauty and
vitality of the Black experience” in his artwork. This context indicates that being observant of his surroundings was
an important part of Lawrence’s work as an artist.
Choice A is incorrect because the text gives no indication that Lawrence was “skeptical,” or had an attitude of doubt
in general or about particular things, let alone that skepticism was important to him as an artist. Rather than
indicating that he was skeptical, the text focuses on how Lawrence paid careful attention to everything around him
and reflected his observations in his artwork. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that
Lawrence was “critical,” which in this context would mean inclined to criticize harshly or unfairly. Rather than
indicating that Lawrence found fault in things, the text suggests that he paid careful attention to everything around
him and that his artwork reflects this careful attention. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that
Lawrence was “confident,” or self-assured. Rather than addressing how Lawrence felt about himself and how that
feeling affected his artistic process, the text emphasizes the careful attention Lawrence paid to everything around
him—attention that allowed him to capture subtle elements of a particular place and time in his artwork.

Question ID f6d1f735
ID: f6d1f735
Researchers have struggled to pinpoint specific causes for hiccups, which happen when a person’s diaphragm contracts
______. However, neuroscientist Kimberley Whitehead has found that these uncontrollable contractions may play an
important role in helping infants regulate their breathing.
A. involuntarily
B. beneficially
C. strenuously
D. smoothly
ID: f6d1f735 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of diaphragm contractions and
hiccups. In this context, “involuntarily” means done without any control, or by reflex. The text explains that when a
person’s diaphragm repeatedly contracts and results in hiccups (which may be beneficial for infants), those muscle
contractions are “uncontrollable.” This context indicates that the diaphragm contractions occur without the
person’s control.
Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t support the logical relationship established in the text’s discussion of
diaphragm contractions and hiccups. The text indicates that although specific causes for hiccups haven’t been
identified, it may be the case that the muscle contractions that occur have an important purpose in infants. It
wouldn’t make sense to say that even though the contractions occur “beneficially,” or with a good or helpful effect,
they might play a positive role in infants’ breathing regulation. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that
the diaphragm contractions that result in hiccups are “uncontrollable.” Because those muscle contractions are
described as happening automatically and without the person’s control, it wouldn’t make sense to describe them as
occurring “strenuously,” or in a way that requires great effort or energy. Choice D is incorrect because the text
doesn’t describe the quality of the diaphragm contractions that result in hiccups beyond stating that they are
“uncontrollable.” Nothing in the text indicates that those muscle contractions occur “smoothly,” or evenly and
continuously.

Question ID aa7ae735
ID: aa7ae735
The following text is adapted from Mohsin Hamid’s 2017 novel Exit West. Saeed lives with his mother and father.
On cloudless nights after a daytime rain, Saeed’s father would sometimes bring out the telescope, and the family would sip
green tea on their balcony, enjoying a breeze, and take turns to look up at objects whose light, often, had been emitted
before any of these three viewers had been born—light from other centuries, only now reaching Earth.
©2017 by Mohsin Hamid
As used in the text, what does the word “reaching” most nearly mean?
A. Arriving at
B. Consulting with
C. Running to
D. Clinging to
ID: aa7ae735 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The word "reaching" in this text means "to arrive" at Earth. Before, the light had been
traveling across space; now, it had arrived at Earth.
Choice B is incorrect. "Consulting with" means "seeking advice or information from someone." Light is not alive, so it
can’t consult with Earth. Choice C is incorrect. It’s confusing to say that starlight is "only now running to Earth," both
because light doesn’t literally "run" and because the text is describing the moment the light touches Earth, not the
period of time when it’s traveling to Earth. Choice D is incorrect. This might be tempting, as "clinging to" has a
connotation of "sticking to." It wouldn’t make sense to say that the light was "only now" clinging to Earth.

Question ID 84a7fbca
ID: 84a7fbca
When Mexican-American archaeologist Zelia Maria Magdalena Nuttall published her 1886 research paper on sculptures
found at the ancient Indigenous city of Teotihuacan in present-day Mexico, other researchers readily ______ her work as
groundbreaking; this recognition stemmed from her convincing demonstration that the sculptures were much older than had
previously been thought.
A. acknowledged
B. ensured
C. denied
D. underestimated
ID: 84a7fbca Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Nuttall’s 1886 research
paper. In this context, “acknowledged” means recognized as having a certain status. The text indicates that other
researchers recognized Nuttall’s work as groundbreaking because of its “convincing demonstration” related to the
age of the ancient sculptures. In other words, the researchers recognized the groundbreaking status of Nuttall’s
work.
Choice B is incorrect because in this context, “ensured” would mean to have guaranteed or made sure something
was the case. The text states that other researchers gave Nuttall’s work recognition after it was published, but
there’s no indication that they contributed to the work or had any involvement that would have allowed them to
make sure the work would be groundbreaking. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that other
researchers “denied,” or refused to admit or accept, that Nuttall’s work was groundbreaking; on the contrary, it
indicates that researchers praised the work, recognizing it as groundbreaking due to its “convincing demonstration”
related to the age of the ancient sculptures. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that other
researchers “underestimated,” or undervalued, Nuttall’s work; on the contrary, it indicates that researchers praised
the work, recognizing it as groundbreaking due to its “convincing demonstration” related to the age of the ancient
sculptures.

Question ID 428cd2c1
ID: 428cd2c1
Some people have speculated that two helmets with attached horns discovered in Denmark in 1942 belonged to Vikings, but
scholars have long been skeptical. Archaeologist Helle Vandkilde and colleagues recently provided radiocarbon dates for the
helmets, and their findings ______ scholars’ skepticism: the helmets date to the Nordic Bronze Age, centuries before the
Vikings existed.
A. anticipate
B. inspect
C. reveal
D. justify
ID: 428cd2c1 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the helmets found in
Denmark. In this context, “justify” means confirm or give reasons for. The text indicates that scholars have long
been skeptical about the supposed Viking origin of two helmets found in Denmark. The radiocarbon dating of the
helmets conducted by Vandkilde and colleagues demonstrates that the helmets date from the Nordic Bronze Age,
making the helmets too old to have belonged to Vikings. This context supports the idea that the scholars’
skepticism is justified.
Choice A is incorrect because “anticipate” means expect or come before, neither of which would make sense in
context. The text indicates that scholars have long been skeptical of the idea that the helmets belonged to Vikings.
Because the skepticism has existed for a long time, Vandkilde and colleagues’ research couldn’t be said to
anticipate it. Instead, the radiocarbon dating results justify or confirm the scholar’s skepticism. Choice B is incorrect
because “inspect” means examine or review, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. Research findings are
inanimate and therefore unable to inspect scholars’ skepticism. The text focuses on the origin of two helmets,
which some people believe belonged to Vikings. Vandkilde and colleagues found that the helmets are from the
Nordic Bronze Age and therefore much older than the Vikings. This context suggests that the researchers’ findings
justify, not inspect, the scholars’ skepticism. Choice C is incorrect because “reveal” means uncover or report, which
wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the origin of two helmets, which some people believe belonged
to Vikings. Vandkilde and colleagues tested the helmets and found that they date to the Nordic Bronze Age and
therefore are much older than the Vikings. This context suggests that the researchers’ findings confirm or justify
the scholars’ skepticism, which was already known so didn’t need to be revealed.

Question ID 62a18353
ID: 62a18353
The following text is adapted from Zora Neale Hurston’s 1921 short story “John Redding Goes to Sea.” John wants to travel
far beyond the village where he lives near his mother, Matty.
[John] had on several occasions attempted to reconcile his mother to the notion, but found it a difficult task. Matty
always took refuge in self-pity and tears. Her son’s desires were incomprehensible to her, that was all.
As used in the text, what does the phrase “reconcile his mother to” most nearly mean?
A. Get his mother to accept
B. Get his mother to apologize for
C. Get his mother to match
D. Get his mother to reunite with
ID: 62a18353 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer. The expression “reconcile to” means “to cause (a person) to accept something difficult
or disagreeable.” The text suggests that John wants his mother to accept his desire to travel, even though she
doesn’t like that idea.
Choice B is incorrect. This doesn’t make sense. John doesn’t want his mother to apologize for his own desire to
travel—he wants her to accept his desire to travel. Choice C is incorrect. The text doesn’t suggest that John wants
his mother to match his desire to travel. Rather, he wants her to accept his desire to travel even though she doesn’t
like it. Choice D is incorrect. This is tempting, because it seems to pick up on the idea of people “reconciling” after a
fight, but it actually doesn’t make sense. The text never suggests that John’s mother was “united with” the idea of
him traveling in the past—if anything, it seems like she’s always been against it. Besides, it would be strange to say
that a person “reunites with” a notion.

Question ID c2c26e20
ID: c2c26e20
The following text is adapted from Sadakichi Hartmann’s 1894 short story “Magnolia Blossoms.” The narrator is standing on
the deck of a boat.
What a night it was! My soul had left its body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me—from where it
came—and only left a trembling suggestion of its existence within me. The other passengers moved around me like
shadows, and again and again my eyes drank in all the glory and wealth of that night.
As used in the text, what does the word “suggestion” most nearly mean?
A. Trace
B. Opinion
C. Dispute
D. Command
ID: c2c26e20 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, “suggestion” most nearly means trace. The text portrays the
narrator standing on the deck of a boat, admiring the view of nature afforded by this position: “My soul had left its
body to lose itself in the wild unrestrained beauty around me,” says the narrator, “and only left a trembling
suggestion of its existence within me.” This intense response to beauty is such that the narrator’s soul seems to
disengage from its body, leaving behind only a barely detectible indication of its presence there. In other words, the
narrator senses only a trace of soul left in the body.
Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “suggestion” can refer to an implied or indirectly expressed
opinion, the text doesn’t portray the narrator expressing an opinion; instead, the narrator is explaining an
experience of intense emotion. Choice C is incorrect. While “suggestion” might be used in some contexts to refer to
the tactful expression of a differing viewpoint, it doesn’t refer to the dispute or difference of opinion itself. Moreover,
the text doesn’t portray a dispute between characters with differing viewpoints. Choice D is incorrect. Although in
some contexts, “suggestion” might be used to refer to a politely worded command, the text doesn’t portray a scenario
in which someone receives such a command.

Question ID 3d658a5a
ID: 3d658a5a
Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as floral density increases, but
biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’ behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in dense
patches are ______: bees will forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.
A. depleted
B. homogeneous
C. immature
D. dispersed
ID: 3d658a5a Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jha and Kremen’s finding
about bees’ foraging behavior. In this context, “homogeneous” means uniform or of the same kind. The text indicates
that some models predict that the distance that bees travel when they’re foraging declines as the density of flowers
increases. The text goes on to say, however, that Jha and Kremen identified a circumstance in which bees don’t
behave this way. Specifically, if bees encounter “patches of low species richness”—that is, patches in which the
flowers are largely from the same species—they’ll travel beyond those patches to get varied food resources. This
context thus suggests that bees don’t behave as some models predict if the dense patches of flowers the bees
encounter are homogeneous.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Jha and Kremen found that bees will behave differently than
some models predict if the bees encounter flower patches that are not rich in species, not if the flowers are
“depleted,” or emptied or reduced in quality or quantity. Although it could be true that bees are likely to leave
depleted patches in search of more resources, the text doesn’t indicate that Jha and Kremen investigated that
possibility. Choice C is incorrect because there’s no information in the text suggesting that bees will not behave as
some models predict if flowers in patches are “immature,” or not fully developed. Instead, the text indicates that Jha
and Kremen found that bees will behave contrary to some models’ predictions if the flower patches are not rich in
species. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that bees’ behavior will be inconsistent with the
predictions of some models if the flower patches that the bees encounter are of low species richness, not if the
flowers are in patches that are “dispersed,” or widely scattered. Although the text does describe bees as leaving
patches that are not rich in species to forage elsewhere, there’s no suggestion that Jha and Kremen found that the
distance between dense flower patches affects whether the bees behave as some models predict.

Question ID cd2ce51f
ID: cd2ce51f
Like the 1945 play it reimagines—Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba—Marcus Gardley’s 2014 play The
House That Will Not Stand prominently features women. In both plays, the all-female cast ______ an array of female
characters, including a strong mother and several daughters dealing with individual struggles.
A. engulfs
B. encourages
C. comprises
D. provokes
ID: cd2ce51f Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Gardley’s play. In this
context, “comprises” means constitutes or makes up the totality of, and the text indicates that The House That Will
Not Stand had an “all-female cast” that stands in some relationship to “an array of female characters” in the play.
Because all cast members are female, the characters must be played by these female cast members; therefore the
cast constitutes, or comprises, the collection of characters.
Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “engulfs” would mean encloses or overwhelms, and although it is fairly
common to describe an actor as embodying (or personifying realistically) a character, there is nothing in the text to
suggest that the cast members enclosed or overwhelmed the characters they played. Choice B is incorrect because
in this context, “encourages” would mean inspires with courage or hope. Although the text does mention “a strong
mother and several daughters dealing with individual struggles,” which might suggest that there are moments of
encouragement among the characters during the play, there is nothing to suggest that the cast members
encouraged the characters they portrayed. Choice D is incorrect because, in this context, “provokes” would mean
instigates or incites to anger. Nothing in the text addresses provocation or what it might mean for actors to provoke
the characters they are playing.

Question ID b4c6cff6
ID: b4c6cff6
The following text is adapted from Karel Čapek’s 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), translated by Paul Selver and
Nigel Playfair in 1923. Fabry and Busman are telling Miss Glory why their company manufactures robots.
FABRY: One Robot can replace two and a half workmen. The human machine, Miss Glory, was terribly imperfect. It had to
be removed sooner or later.
BUSMAN: It was too expensive.
FABRY: It was not effective. It no longer answers the requirements of modern engineering. Nature has no idea of keeping
pace with modern labor.
As used in the text, what does the word “answers” most nearly mean?
A. Explains
B. Rebuts
C. Defends
D. Fulfills
ID: b4c6cff6 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because as used in the text, “answers” most nearly means fulfills. In the text, Fabry and
Busman claim that the robots manufactured by their company are more efficient than human workers, which they
refer to as “the human machine.” Fabry observes that the human machine “no longer answers the requirements of
modern engineering.” That is, human workers are incapable of meeting the rigorous needs of modern, industrialized
workplaces.
Choice A is incorrect. Although in some contexts “answers” can mean explains, it doesn’t have that meaning in this
context because the topic under discussion is human beings’ inability to perform labor efficiently, not their inability
to engage in discussion or explanation. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “answers” can mean
rebuts, or proves a claim or argument to be false, it wouldn’t make sense to speak of proving requirements to be
false; requirements might or might not be reasonable, but they can’t be verified as truthful or untruthful, as claims or
accusations can. Choice C is incorrect. Although in some contexts, “answers” can mean defends against criticism, or
justifies, it doesn’t have that meaning in this context because the opinion that Fabry expresses is that human
workers can no longer fulfill the requirements of modern workplaces, not that they have ceased to justify those
requirements or to defend them against criticism; indeed, there is no suggestion in the text that workers ever
defended those requirements.

Question ID d8d1ecaa
ID: d8d1ecaa
Business researcher Melanie Brucks and colleagues found that remote video conference meetings may be less conducive to
brainstorming than in-person meetings are. The researchers suspect that video meeting participants are focused on staring
at the speaker on the screen and don’t allow their eyes or mind to wander as much, which may ultimately ______ creativity.
A. recommend
B. criticize
C. impede
D. construct
ID: d8d1ecaa Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less
good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity. “Impede”
means “delay” or “prevent,” which works perfectly in this context.
Choice A is incorrect. This choice is too positive to fit the context. The first sentence tells us that video meetings are
“less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests that the video meeting participants’ focus
is bad for their creativity. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t make sense. The participants’ intense focus on
the screen is the subject of the missing verb. It wouldn’t make sense to say that their over-focusing “criticizes” their
creativity. Choice D is incorrect. “Construct” means “build” or “make,” which is too positive to fit the context. The first
sentence tells us that video meetings are “less conducive to” (meaning less good for) brainstorming. This suggests
that the video meeting participants’ focus is bad for their creativity.

Question ID f773a56b
ID: f773a56b
As Mexico’s first president from an Indigenous community, Benito Juarez became one of the most ______ figures in his
country’s history: among the many significant accomplishments of his long tenure in office (1858–1872), Juarez consolidated
the authority of the national government and advanced the rights of Indigenous peoples.
A. unpredictable
B. important
C. secretive
D. ordinary
ID: f773a56b Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Juarez. In this context,
“important” means marked by significant work or consequence. The text indicates that Juarez, who was the first
president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, became a certain kind of figure in Mexico’s history. It then
supports that claim by describing some of the “many significant accomplishments” from Juarez’s long tenure in
office. This context conveys that Juarez is a significant and consequential figure in Mexico’s history.
Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on Juarez’s role as the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous
community and on his many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office; nothing in the text suggests
that Juarez was “unpredictable,” or tended to behave in ways that couldn’t be predicted. Choice C is incorrect
because nothing in the text suggests that Juarez was a particularly “secretive” figure, or that he tended to keep
things private or hidden from others. Instead, the text focuses on things that are known about Juarez: that he was
the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, that he had a lengthy tenure, and that his many major
accomplishments included consolidating the national government’s authority and advancing Indigenous rights.
Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on the idea that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico from an
Indigenous community, had many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office. Rather than suggesting
that Juarez was an “ordinary,” or common and typical, figure in Mexico’s history, this context conveys that Juarez
was instead a notable figure.

Question ID 3118ca93
ID: 3118ca93
The fashion resale market, in which consumers purchase secondhand clothing from stores and online sellers, generated
nearly $30 billion globally in 2019. Expecting to see continued growth, some analysts ______ that revenues will more than
double by 2028.
A. produced
B. denied
C. worried
D. predicted
ID: 3118ca93 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the fashion resale market’s
continued growth. As used in this context, “predicted” means forecast, or indicated that something would happen in
the future. The text indicates that the fashion resale market made a lot of money in 2019 and that some analysts
expected the market to continue to grow. This context suggests that the analysts believed that the fashion resale
market was going to make more money than it had already made, with the analysts indicating that revenues would
more than double by 2028.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that some analysts “produced,” or
manufactured or brought about, the increase in future revenues of the fashion resale market. The analysts
themselves couldn’t have brought about the future revenue growth, since, as the text suggests, they were merely in
the position of drawing conclusions about future fashion resale market revenue based on 2019 revenue. Choice B is
incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected the fashion resale market to continue to grow in
the future, not that they “denied,” or rejected, this notion. Nothing in the text supports the idea that these analysts
thought the revenues wouldn’t grow. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates that some analysts expected
the fashion resale market to continue to grow in the future, not that they “worried,” or felt concerned, that revenue
would significantly increase by 2028. Nothing in the text suggests that the analysts felt concerned about the
increase; rather, the text suggests that the increase would represent a favorable outcome, since it would mean that
the fashion resale market grew to generate even more revenue.

Question ID 21d95d1d
ID: 21d95d1d
Ofelia Zepeda’s contributions to the field of linguistics are ______: her many accomplishments include working as a linguistics
professor and bilingual poet, authoring the first Tohono O’odham grammar book, and co-founding the American Indian
Language Development Institute.
A. pragmatic
B. controversial
C. extensive
D. universal
ID: 21d95d1d Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how Ofelia Zepeda has
contributed to the field of linguistics. As used in this context, “extensive” means having a wide or considerable
extent. The text indicates that Zepeda’s many accomplishments in linguistics are varied, including teaching
linguistics, writing poetry in more than one language, creating a grammar book, and co-founding a language
institute. This context supports the idea that Zepeda’s contributions to the field are extensive.
Choice A is incorrect because the sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the claim
made in the first part of the sentence. It wouldn’t make sense to say that achievements as a professor, poet and
author, and co-founder of a language institute demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions in her field are “pragmatic,”
or related to practical matters and not involving intellectual or artistic matters. Choice B is incorrect because the
sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as a professor, poet and author, and co-founder of a language institute
as examples to support the claim made in the first part of the sentence. There’s no reason to believe that the positive
achievements listed demonstrate that Zepeda’s contributions in her field are “controversial,” or have caused
disputes and opposing viewpoints. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “universal” would mean including
or covering everything in a group. The sentence presents Zepeda’s accomplishments as examples to support the
claim made in the first part of the sentence, and it wouldn’t make sense to say that these specific achievements—
particularly as the author of a grammar book specific to the Tohono O’odham language—demonstrate that Zepeda’s
contributions relate to everything in the field of linguistics.

Question ID a318c1ef
ID: a318c1ef
The Cambrian explosion gets its name from the sudden appearance and rapid diversification of animal remains in the fossil
record about 541 million years ago, during the Cambrian period. Some scientists argue that this ______ change in the fossil
record might be because of a shift in many organisms to body types that were more likely to be preserved.
A. catastrophic
B. elusive
C. abrupt
D. imminent
ID: a318c1ef Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the fossil
record from the Cambrian period. In this context, “abrupt” means sudden. The text explains that the fossil record
reflects the unexpected appearance and rapid diversification, or increase in variety, of animal remains during the
Cambrian period. This context establishes that these remains’ entry into the fossil record was sudden.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “explosion” appears in the name of the event marked by the fossil record
change, the text never suggests that the change was “catastrophic,” or disastrous. In context, “explosion” refers to
the rapid diversification, or the swift increase in variety, of animal remains in the fossil record—a phenomenon that
the text presents in a relatively neutral manner, without commenting on whether it was negative or positive. Choice
B is incorrect because the text never suggests that the change toward greater diversification is “elusive,” or difficult
to locate, in the fossil record. Rather, the text notes that the change occurred about 541 million years ago, suggesting
that scientists have indeed been able to locate it. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to
describe the change in the fossil record as “imminent,” or about to occur, since the text indicates that the change
already occurred millions of years ago.

Question ID e56b66e5
ID: e56b66e5
Set in a world where science fiction tropes exist as everyday realities, Charles Yu’s 2010 novel How to Live Safely in a Science
Fictional Universe traces a time traveler’s quest to find his father. Because the journey at the novel’s center is so ______, with
the protagonist ricocheting chaotically across time, the reader often wonders whether the pair will ever be reunited.
A. haphazard
B. premeditated
C. inspirational
D. fruitless
ID: e56b66e5 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Yu’s novel. In this context,
“haphazard” means marked by a lack of plan or order. The text indicates that the quest featured in the novel, which
involves the protagonist bouncing across time, is chaotic and causes the reader to often wonder what will happen.
This context suggests that the protagonist’s journey seems to be marked by a lack of order.
Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the journey featured in Yu’s novel involves a character
“ricocheting chaotically,” or bouncing in a disordered way, across time and causes the reader to often wonder what
will happen. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a chaotic journey seems “premeditated,” or characterized by
forethought and planning. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t give any indication that readers regard the
journey in Yu’s novel as “inspirational,” or as causing extraordinarily creative or brilliant thoughts or actions;
instead, the text focuses on the idea that the protagonist’s journey is chaotic, or disordered, and doesn’t give readers
a clear sense of what will happen. Choice D is incorrect. Rather than suggesting that the journey featured in Yu’s
novel is “fruitless,” or has an unsuccessful outcome, the text focuses on the idea that while reading about the
protagonist’s chaotic movements across time, readers are often unsure of what will happen—that is, they don’t know
whether the protagonist will be successful in finding his father.

Question ID f83f0aab
ID: f83f0aab
Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the Mesozoic era were not a very ______ group, but paleontologist Zhe-Xi
Luo’s research suggests that early mammals living in the shadow of dinosaurs weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores.
Fossils of various plant-eating mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon diplomylos, which Luo
says could glide like a flying squirrel.
A. predatory
B. obscure
C. diverse
D. localized
ID: f83f0aab Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the kinds of mammals alive
during the Mesozoic era. As used in this context, “diverse” means to have a significant amount of variety. The text
indicates that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals can’t be characterized in a certain way, then
contrasts the view put forward by those scientists with Luo’s research, which shows that Mesozoic mammals
“weren’t all ground-dwelling insectivores” and instead were “various.” This context suggests that some scientists
have viewed Mesozoic mammals as being all alike, or not a very diverse group.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic
mammals weren’t very “predatory,” or that they didn’t prey on other animals, since the text establishes a contrast
between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic mammals “weren’t all
ground-dwelling insectivores.” This context suggests that some scientists have regarded Mesozoic mammals as all
being insectivores, or animals that prey on insects, not that some scientists have suggested that Mesozoic
mammals didn’t prey on other animals. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some
scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “obscure,” or concealed or not well known, since the
text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that Mesozoic
mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t concealed or well
known and the mammals being varied. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that some
scientists have suggested that Mesozoic mammals weren’t very “localized,” or confined to a particular area, since
the text establishes a contrast between what some scientists have suggested and Luo’s research showing that
Mesozoic mammals were a varied group. There’s no contrast between saying that the mammals weren’t localized
and the mammals being varied. Although the text mentions mammal fossils found in China, nothing in the
discussion of Luo’s research addresses the limits of Mesozoic mammal habitats.
Question ID d5235d39
ID: d5235d39
The Mule Bone, a 1930 play written by Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, is perhaps the best-known of the few
examples of ______ in literature. Most writers prefer working alone, and given that working together cost Hurston and Hughes
their friendship, it is not hard to see why.
A. characterization
B. interpretation
C. collaboration
D. commercialization
ID: d5235d39 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of The Mule Bone, a
play that Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes wrote together. In this context, “collaboration” means working
together with someone to write a literary work. The text indicates that most writers prefer to work alone and that
working together destroyed the friendship between Hurston and Hughes. This establishes that The Mule Bone is a
relatively rare example of collaboration in literature.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context, “characterization” would mean a literary work’s portrayal of
characters’ psychological experiences and motivations, but the text doesn’t discuss characterization in The Mule
Bone specifically or in collaborative works more generally. Choice B is incorrect because in this context,
“interpretation” would mean the explanation of a literary work’s meaning or significance, but the text doesn’t
discuss how readers or critics have interpreted The Mule Bone; instead, the text discusses how the play was written
collaboratively and how the writing process affected the two authors. Choice D is incorrect because in this context,
“commercialization” would mean writing a literary work in such a way as to ensure its commercial appeal, but the
text never discusses commercial appeal as a factor in the writing of The Mule Bone specifically or the writing of
collaborative works more generally.

Question ID 1fbf276a
ID: 1fbf276a
Interruptions in the supply chain for microchips used in personal electronics have challenged an economist’s assertion that
retailers can expect robust growth in sales of those devices in the coming months. The delays are unlikely to ______ her
projection entirely but will almost certainly extend its time frame.
A. dispute
B. withdraw
C. underscore
D. invalidate
ID: 1fbf276a Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the economist’s claim about
sales of personal electronic devices. In this context, “invalidate” most nearly means nullify or make invalid. The text
indicates that interruptions in the supply of microchips for personal electronics “have challenged” the economist’s
claim that sales of personal electronics will show strong growth in the coming months. The text goes on to clarify
the effect of the delays on the economist’s projection, stating that the delays are very likely to extend the time frame
over which the projected growth in sales will occur. This context suggests that the delays are unlikely to invalidate
the economist’s projection entirely—the delays will probably alter the time frame of the projection, not nullify it or
make it invalid.
Choice A is incorrect because saying that the delays are unlikely to “dispute,” or argue against, the economist’s
projection wouldn’t make sense. Since the delays are an inanimate circumstance, they couldn’t argue against a
prediction about the sales of personal electronics. Choice B is incorrect because saying that the delays are unlikely
to “withdraw,” or remove from consideration, the economist’s projection wouldn’t make sense. Although the
economist could withdraw her projection because of the delays, the delays themselves couldn’t withdraw her
projection since they’re an inanimate circumstance and thus can’t choose to remove something from consideration.
Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the delays will “underscore,” or emphasize,
the economist’s projection. Instead, the text suggests that the delays are likely to extend the time frame of the
economist’s projection but not to undermine the projection entirely.

Question ID f4166aae
ID: f4166aae
In addition to being an accomplished psychologist himself, Francis Cecil Sumner was a ______ increasing the opportunity for
Black students to study psychology, helping to found the psychology department at Howard University, a historically Black
university, in 1930.
A. proponent of
B. supplement to
C. beneficiary of
D. distraction for
ID: f4166aae Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Francis Cecil Sumner. As
used in this context, “proponent of” means supporter of. The text says that Sumner helped to found the psychology
department at historically Black Howard University in 1930. This is evidence that Sumner supported increasing the
opportunity for Black students to study psychology.
Choice B is incorrect because the phrase “supplement to,” or addition to, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text
discusses Sumner’s efforts to increase the number of Black psychology students, but it doesn’t make sense to
describe him as an addition to his efforts. Choice C is incorrect because Sumner was already an accomplished
psychologist himself when he helped to found the Howard University psychology department. While Black students
were the beneficiaries of his efforts—that is, they received help because of his efforts—it wouldn’t make sense in this
context to describe Sumner as a “beneficiary of” opportunities, because he was the one doing the helping. Choice D
is incorrect because founding a psychology department at Howard University wouldn’t be a “distraction for”
Sumner’s aim to increase the opportunity for Black students to study psychology—that is, it wouldn’t be something
that draws Sumner’s attention away from that goal, but rather the opposite.

Question ID 9b2fbb2e
ID: 9b2fbb2e
Logically, a damaged fossil should provide less information than an intact one, but for paleontologist Brigitte Schoenemann,
a broken area on a fossilized trilobite (a crustacean-like creature) ______ fresh insight, allowing her to view the inner structure
of the organism’s eye.
A. resolved
B. adjusted
C. offered
D. directed
ID: 9b2fbb2e Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion about how, for Schoenemann, a
damaged trilobite fossil was informative. In context, “offered” means provided or gave. The text suggests that
although it may seem counterintuitive, a broken fossilized trilobite allowed Schoenemann to observe more details of
the trilobite’s eye than an intact fossilized trilobite would. This context conveys the idea that a damaged fossil
offered, or provided, fresh insight into the structure of a trilobite’s eye.
Choice A is incorrect because “resolved” means determined or figured out, which wouldn’t make sense in this
context. The text focuses on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an
intact one. Although the damaged fossil may have allowed her to determine certain information, as an inanimate
object the fossil isn’t capable of resolving anything. Choice B is incorrect because saying that the broken part of a
trilobite fossil “adjusted,” or changed or modified, fresh insight wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text focuses
on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an intact one. This context
suggests that the fossil offered fresh insight, or understanding, not that it adjusted fresh insight. Choice D is
incorrect because “directed” means managed or instructed, which wouldn’t make sense in this context. The text
focuses on how Schoenemann was able to get more information from a broken fossil than an intact one. This
context suggests that the fossil offered fresh insight, or understanding, not that it directed fresh insight.

Question ID d7dccee7
ID: d7dccee7
In a 2019 study, Jeremy Gunawardena and colleagues found that the single-celled protozoan Stentor roeseli not only uses
strategies to escape irritating stimuli but also switches strategies when one fails. This evidence of protozoans sophisticatedly
“changing their minds” demonstrates that single-celled organisms may not be limited to ______ behaviors.
A. aggressive
B. rudimentary
C. evolving
D. advantageous
ID: d7dccee7 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of single-celled organism
behavior. As used in this context, “rudimentary” means basic or unsophisticated. According to the text, a study of
the single-celled protozoan Stentor roeseli showed that the organisms can switch strategies for escaping certain
stimuli, “sophisticatedly ‘changing their minds’” and using new strategies should other strategies fail. This context
suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic or rudimentary, since the study
showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli.
Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behavior
that is “aggressive,” or threatening. Rather, the text suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to
behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor roeseli showed that single-celled protozoans can respond
complexly to irritating stimuli. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that single-celled organisms
may not be limited to behavior that is “evolving,” or advancing. Rather, the text suggests that single-celled
organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor roeseli showed that single-
celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest
that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behavior that is “advantageous,” or helpful. Rather, the text
suggests that single-celled organisms may not be limited to behaviors that are basic, since the study of Stentor
roeseli showed that single-celled protozoans can respond complexly to irritating stimuli.

Question ID 3f753a8e
ID: 3f753a8e
Investigating whether shared false visual memories—specific but inaccurate and widely held recollections of images such as
product logos—are caused by people’s previous ______ incorrect renditions of the images, researchers Deepasri Prasad and
Wilma Bainbridge found that, in fact, such memories are often not explained by familiarity with erroneous versions of the
images.
A. compliance with
B. exposure to
C. criteria for
D. forfeiture of
ID: 3f753a8e Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. "Exposure to" means "having contact with." It makes sense that Prasad and Bainbridge
were investigating whether seeing false versions of images was a cause of false visual memories. Notice how
"exposure to incorrect renditions" matches the idea of "familiarity with erroneous versions," which appears later in
the sentence.
Choice A is incorrect. "Compliance with" means "going along with a command or directive." False versions of images
can’t give commands or directives, so this doesn’t apply. Choice C is incorrect. "Criteria" means "standards by which
to judge something." It’s not clear how people would come to have standards for the wrong version of an image in
the first place, let alone how those standards would cause them to falsely remember the correct version. In other
words, this choice would result in a confusing, unclear sentence. Choice D is incorrect. "Forfeiture of" means "a
giving up of something." It wouldn’t make sense to say that false memories of an image might be caused by giving
up the wrong version of the image.

Question ID 82b7c3b2
ID: 82b7c3b2
The following text is from Booth Tarkington’s 1921 novel Alice Adams.
Mrs. Adams had always been fond of vases, she said, and every year her husband’s Christmas present to her was a vase
of one sort or another—whatever the clerk showed him, marked at about twelve or fourteen dollars.
As used in the text, what does the word “marked” most nearly mean?
A. Staged
B. Priced
C. Stained
D. Watched
ID: 82b7c3b2 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. The text suggests that Mrs. Adam’s typical Christmas present from her husband was a
vase that cost, or was "priced at," about twelve or fourteen dollars.
Choice A is incorrect. This isn’t the meaning of "marked" as used here. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was
"staged at twelve or fourteen dollars." Choice C is incorrect. This isn’t the meaning of "marked" as used here. It
wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was "stained at twelve or fourteen dollars." Choice D is incorrect. This isn’t
the meaning of "marked" as used here. It wouldn’t make sense to say that a vase was "watched at twelve or fourteen
dollars."

Question ID e1e89221
ID: e1e89221
The following text is from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden. Mary, a young girl, is outside trying her
new jump rope.
The sun was shining and a little wind was blowing—not a rough wind, but one which came in delightful little gusts and
brought a fresh scent of newly turned earth with it. She skipped round the fountain garden, and up one walk and down
another.
As used in the text, what does the word “rough” most nearly mean?
A. Harsh
B. Scratchy
C. Basic
D. Vague
ID: e1e89221 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because as used in the text, "rough" most nearly means harsh, or forceful and
unpleasant. The text describes Mary’s surroundings as she plays: the sun is out and there’s "a little wind." To further
illustrate the wind, the narrator contrasts the word "rough" with a description of the wind blowing in "delightful
little gusts," suggesting that the wind is not unpleasant or harsh at all.
Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts "rough" objects, or objects with irregular surfaces, can sometimes
be scratchy, rough doesn’t mean scratchy in this context. The text explains that the wind is not rough but rather
gentle, "delightful little gusts," which suggests that the use of "rough" here is referring to the degree of force of the
wind. Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that the wind wasn’t "basic," or simple and
uncomplicated. Instead, the text describes the wind as blowing not roughly or harshly but in "delightful little gusts."
Choice D is incorrect because the word "vague" means not clearly expressed or seen. Nothing in the text indicates
that the wind was barely noticeable to Mary as she played outside, but rather the text states that it was delightful.

Question ID b11bb2a3
ID: b11bb2a3
The following text is adapted from Amy Lowell’s 1912 poem “Summer.”
It is summer, glorious, deep-toned summer,

The very crown of nature’s changing year
When all her surging life is at its full.
To me alone it is a time of pause,
A void and silent space between two worlds,
When inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps,
Gathering strength for efforts yet to come.
As used in the text, what does the phrase “a void” most nearly mean?
A. A useless
B. An empty
C. A forgotten
D. An incomplete
ID: b11bb2a3 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because as used in the text, a span of time is described as "a void" space, which most
nearly means an empty or vacant one. In the text, the speaker describes summertime in counterintuitive terms:
although nature’s "surging life is at its full" during the season, the speaker feels summer to be "a time of pause, / A
void and silent space between two worlds." The speaker says further that during summer, "feeling sleeps / Gathering
strength" for future efforts. Thus, the speaker regards summer as an empty stretch of time, to be followed by a period
of greater activity.
Choice A is incorrect. Although the text does present summer as a time of inactivity, it doesn’t characterize that
inactivity as useless, or as having no purpose; in fact, the speaker regards summer as a time when "feeling" gathers
"strength for efforts yet to come." Choice C is incorrect. Although the text characterizes summer as a time "when
inspiration lags, and feeling sleeps," it doesn’t discuss the season’s relationship to the speaker’s memory or suggest
that summer can easily be forgotten. Choice D is incorrect. In some contexts, "void" can mean devoid of, or lacking, a
particular element, and such a lack could be conceived of as incompleteness. However, the text doesn’t portray
summer as not being complete or whole; instead, it characterizes vacancy or inactivity as being an essential quality
of the season, as experienced by the speaker.

Question ID 9c35759f
ID: 9c35759f
Novelist N. K. Jemisin declines to ______ the conventions of the science fiction genre in which she writes, and she has
suggested that her readers appreciate her work precisely because of this willingness to thwart expectations and avoid
formulaic plots and themes.
A. question
B. react to
C. perceive
D. conform to
ID: 9c35759f Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Jemisin’s writing. In this
context, “conform to” means to act in accordance with something. The text suggests that in her science fiction
writing, Jemisin’s willingness to go against expectations and not use plots and themes that seem to follow a formula
reflects how she treats the standard practices of the genre. This context conveys that Jemisin chooses not to act in
accordance with those conventions.
Choice A is incorrect. In this context, “question” would mean doubt or object to. The text indicates that Jemisin is
willing to go against expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes in her science fiction writing, suggesting
that she may actually object to those conventions of the genre, not that she chooses not to question them. Choice B
is incorrect because the text indicates that in her science fiction writing, Jemisin is willing to go against
expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes. Rather than suggesting that Jemisin chooses not to “react to,”
or act in response to, the standard practices of the genre, this context suggests that she is acting in response to such
conventions by deliberately avoiding them. Choice C is incorrect. In this context, “perceive” would mean become
aware of or understand. The text indicates that in her science fiction writing, Jemisin is willing to go against
expectations and not use formulaic plots and themes. This context conveys that Jemisin is aware of and
deliberately avoids those conventions of the genre, not that she chooses not to be aware of them.

Question ID 6a1194e8
ID: 6a1194e8
Rydra Wong, the protagonist of Samuel R. Delany’s 1966 novel Babel-17, is a poet, an occupation which, in Delany’s work, is
not ______: nearly a dozen of the characters that populate his novels are poets or writers.
A. infallible
B. atypical
C. lucrative
D. tedious
ID: 6a1194e8 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Samuel R. Delany’s
character Rydra Wong. As used in this context, “atypical” would mean unrepresentative or not common. The text
indicates that Wong is one of “nearly a dozen” characters in Delany’s novels who are poets or writers. This context
conveys that being a poet isn’t an atypical occupation for a character in one of Delany’s works.
Choice A is incorrect because “infallible” means to be accurate or without fault, which wouldn’t make sense in
context. The text focuses on the fact that Delany has written many characters who are poets and writers. This
context suggests that the occupation isn’t atypical for Delany, not that the occupation isn’t infallible, or
problematic. Choice C is incorrect because “lucrative” means to be profitable, which wouldn’t make sense in context.
If writing poet characters weren’t profitable, it wouldn’t be logical to explain this by citing that Delany gave many of
his characters the same occupation. Choice D is incorrect because “tedious” means to be boring, which wouldn’t
make sense in context. The text focuses on the fact that Delany has written many characters who are poets and
writers. This context suggests that the occupation isn’t atypical for Delany, not that the occupation isn’t tedious.

Question ID 4fa7e50e
ID: 4fa7e50e
According to a US tax policy expert, state taxes are ______ other factors when considering an interstate move. Even significant
differences in state taxation have almost no effect on most people’s decisions, while differences in employment
opportunities, housing availability, and climate are strong influences.
A. consistent with
B. representative of
C. overshadowed by
D. irrelevant to
ID: 4fa7e50e Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the factors that influence
peoples’ decisions to move to a different state. As used in this context, “overshadowed by” means to be surpassed by
or caused to seem less important than other factors affecting a move. The text indicates that, according to a US tax
policy expert, when people think about an interstate move, state taxes have little effect on their decisions, while
employment opportunities, housing availability, and climate have a very strong effect. This context suggests that
people consider these other factors to be more important than state taxes.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that state taxes aren’t as important a consideration as other factors
when people are thinking of moving to another state. The context doesn’t suggest that state taxes are “consistent
with,” or in agreement with these other factors. Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to
say that state taxes are “representative of,” or typical of, other factors. Taxes aren’t an example of employment
opportunities, housing availability, and climate, which are the other factors listed in the text. Choice D is incorrect
because it wouldn’t make sense in context to say that state taxes are “irrelevant to,” or unconnected or unimportant
to other factors. State taxes are irrelevant to peoples’ decisions, not to other factors. In other words, although the text
suggests that state taxes may be irrelevant to people considering a move to another state, the other factors
mentioned in the text, such as employment opportunities, are unable to have an opinion about state taxes.
Furthermore, the text indicates that significant differences in state taxes have almost no effect on peoples’ choices
to move, but they aren’t completely unimportant.

Question ID aad56f2b
ID: aad56f2b
As a young photographer in the 1950s, William Klein ______ the conventions of photography by creating images that were
high contrast and included blurred and distorted elements—features generally seen as flaws. So unorthodox was Klein’s work
that he had difficulty finding a publisher for his now-iconic 1956 photo book Life is Good & Good for You in New York.
A. reviewed
B. defied
C. respected
D. prevented
ID: aad56f2b Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer. "Defied" means "resisted" or "deliberately disobeyed," which matches the way Klein
broke from the conventions of photography in his time by including features that were generally seen as flaws.
Choice A is incorrect. "Reviewed" means "analyzed" or "evaluated," but that doesn’t really fit the context here. Klein
isn’t directly providing any thoughtful examination of the conventions of photography: he’s just breaking all the
rules. Choice C is incorrect. "Respected" can mean "admired" or "followed" (as in the case of conventions). It’s clear
that Klein didn’t respect conventions, given his use of photographic features that were generally considered "flaws."
Choice D is incorrect. "Prevented" means "stopped," and Klein did not stop the conventions—they still existed.
Instead, he made images that were seen as "flawed" under those conventions.

Question ID e7b709fc
ID: e7b709fc
Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their
discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials ______ evidence for this theory.
A. dismiss
B. provide
C. regulate
D. refuse
ID: e7b709fc Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the archaeologists’ study of
the ancient amphitheater in Switzerland. In this context, “provide” means make available or supply. The text states
that the archaeologists believe that the amphitheater dates to the fourth century CE. The text goes on to say that the
archaeologists discovered a coin made between 337 and 341 CE (that is, made during the fourth century CE) and
building materials appropriate to the era in question. This context suggests that these discoveries provide evidence
for the archaeologists’ theory about the dating of the amphitheater.
Choice A is incorrect because the archaeologists’ discoveries are presented as supplying evidence in favor of their
theory about the dating of the amphitheater, not something that would “dismiss,” or reject serious consideration of,
evidence for that theory. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the archaeologists’
discoveries would “regulate,” or govern or bring order to, evidence for the archaeologists’ theory about the dating of
the amphitheater. The discoveries are presented as supplying evidence for the archaeologists’ theory, not as
changing how evidence for the theory is controlled or ordered. Choice D is incorrect because the archaeologists’
discoveries are presented as supplying evidence in favor of their theory about the dating of the amphitheater, not
something that would “refuse,” or be unwilling to accept, evidence for the archaeologists’ theory.

Question ID 94eb800d
ID: 94eb800d
For a 2020 exhibition, photographer and neurobiologist Okunola Jeyifous ______ a series of new images based on a series of
alphabet posters from the 1970s known as the “Black ABCs,” which featured Black children from Chicago. Jeyifous
photographed the now-adult models and layered the photos over magnified images of the models’ cells, resulting in what
he called “micro and macro portraiture.”
A. validated
B. created
C. challenged
D. restored
ID: 94eb800d Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of Jeyifous’s
series of images for the 2020 exhibition. In this context, “created” means produced. The text explains that Jeyifous, a
photographer and neurobiologist, photographed adults who had appeared as children in posters from the 1970s,
then combined those photographs with magnified images of the adults’ cells—a process that resulted in what he
called “micro and macro portraiture.” This context suggests that Jeyifous drew on his dual interests in photography
and neurobiology to produce the images for display in the exhibition.
Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “validated,” or corroborated, the
series of images. The text describes Jeyifous’s process for composing the images but doesn’t describe Jeyifous
making an effort to evaluate the images for their artistic or scientific legitimacy. Choice C is incorrect because
there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “challenged,” or disputed, an aspect of the images; rather, the
focus of the text is on the inspiration behind the images and the method Jeyifous used to achieve them. Choice D is
incorrect because the text indicates that Jeyifous made the images himself using a combination of photography
and magnified pictures of cells, not that he “restored,” or reconditioned, the images from a deteriorated state.

Question ID 213248f7
ID: 213248f7
The following text is adapted from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
“The second thing is to find my way into that lovely garden. I think that will be the best plan.” It sounded like an
excellent plan, no doubt, and very neatly and simply arranged; the only difficulty was, that Alice had not the smallest
idea how to set about it.
As used in the text, what does the word “simply” most nearly mean?
A. Faintly
B. Hastily
C. Easily
D. Foolishly
ID: 213248f7 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because as used in the text, “simply” most nearly means easily, or involving minimal
difficulty or effort. The text first provides Alice’s reflections on her plan to gain access to a garden and then offers
commentary on her plan by the novel’s narrator. The text indicates that a reason Alice likes her plan despite not
being fully thought through is that she nonetheless believes it can be efficiently arranged. In other words, the text
indicates that one of the supposed benefits of Alice’s plan is that it can be easily arranged.
Choice A is incorrect because the text describes how Alice’s plan can be arranged, and it wouldn’t make sense to say
that it can be arranged “faintly,” or with little strength or not strongly. Instead, the text indicates that the plan can be
arranged with little difficulty. Choice B is incorrect. Although in some contexts “simply” can mean quickly, hastily,
or hurriedly, the word “hastily” indicates that something is done too quickly. Although it may be true that Alice’s
plan was made in haste, the text doesn’t focus on this aspect of her plan. Instead, the text focuses on the plan’s
seemingly good qualities, saying that Alice thinks of it as “the best,” and the narrator refers to it as “excellent” and
“neatly,” or efficiently, arranged. Choice D is incorrect. Although in some contexts “simply” can mean foolishly, or
lacking good sense, it doesn’t have this meaning in this context. Although the text says that Alice doesn’t know how
to go about her plan, it begins by presenting her plan in a positive light: Alice describes her plan as “the best,” and
the narrator refers to the plan as “excellent” and “neatly,” or efficiently, arranged.

Question ID 5fa165f7
ID: 5fa165f7
In the 1960s, Sam Gilliam, a Black painter from the southern United States, became the first artist to drape painted canvases
into flowing shapes. He later explored a different style, ______ quilt-like paintings inspired by the patchwork quilting tradition
of Black communities in the South.
A. predicting
B. refusing
C. hiding
D. creating
ID: 5fa165f7 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sam Gilliam’s artworks. As
used in this context, “creating” means producing or bringing something into existence. The text indicates that
Gilliam is an artist who made draped canvases and, later, quilt-like paintings. This context supports the idea that
Gilliam explored different styles in his art by creating special types of paintings.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that Gilliam actually explored and pursued the creation of quilt-like
paintings; he wasn’t just “predicting,” or declaring in advance, the existence of these paintings. Choice B is incorrect
because in this context “refusing” would mean rejecting, and there is nothing in the text to suggest that Gilliam
rejected his quilt-like paintings. Instead, the text indicates that he was exploring and pursuing a new art style in
these paintings. Choice C is incorrect because in this context “hiding” would mean concealing from view, and there
is nothing in the text to suggest that Gilliam attempted to conceal his quilt-like paintings. Instead, the text indicates
that he was exploring and pursuing a new art style in these paintings.

Question ID 571cf537
ID: 571cf537
The author’s claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is ______, as it fails to account for several
recent archaeological discoveries. To be convincing, his argument would need to address recent finds of additional hominid
fossils, such as the latest Denisovan specimens and Homo longi.
A. disorienting
B. tenuous
C. nuanced
D. unoriginal
ID: 571cf537 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the author’s claim about the
relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. As used in this context, “tenuous” means lacking substance.
The end of the first sentence states that the author’s claim didn’t consider certain key pieces of evidence—“recent
archaeological discoveries”—and is therefore weak.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to the author’s claim as “disorienting,” or
confusing. The text suggests that the author’s claim is insubstantial, not that it’s difficult to grasp. Choice C is
incorrect because referring to the claim as “nuanced,” or subtle, wouldn’t make sense in context. According to the
text, the claim is incomplete because it didn’t consider certain key information about recent archaeological finds; it
doesn’t suggest that what’s in the claim lacks precision. Choice D is incorrect because saying that the claim is
“unoriginal,” or imitative, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text faults the claim because it doesn’t consider
certain key information about recent archaeological finds; it doesn’t suggest that the author’s claim lacks originality.

Question ID dba9eaf8
ID: dba9eaf8
Within baleen whale species, some individuals develop an accessory spleen—a seemingly functionless formation of splenetic
tissue outside the normal spleen. Given the formation’s greater prevalence among whales known to make deeper dives,
some researchers hypothesize that its role isn’t ______; rather, the accessory spleen may actively support diving mechanisms.
A. replicable
B. predetermined
C. operative
D. latent
ID: dba9eaf8 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of baleen whale accessory
spleens. In this context, “latent” means dormant or functionless. The text sets up a contrast between the idea that
baleen whale accessory spleens appear not to have a function and the research indicating that the accessory spleen
may actually have a role in supporting the whales’ diving mechanisms. This context therefore conveys the idea that
the assumption that baleen whale accessory spleens are latent may be incorrect.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the role of the accessory spleen is “replicable,” or
capable of being reproduced. The text indicates that the role of the accessory spleen seems to have no function, but
some researchers think it does have a role; the text doesn’t address whether the role of the accessory spleen could
or couldn’t be reproduced. Choice B is incorrect because suggesting that the role of the accessory spleen is
“predetermined,” or decided in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the researchers may agree that
the role of the accessory spleen or any other organ hasn’t been determined in advance, the text focuses on the idea
that the accessory spleen was thought to have been functionless but may in fact serve an active role for baleen
whales. Choice C is incorrect because it’s the opposite of what the context of the text is conveying. The second
sentence of the text indicates that baleen whale accessory spleens may not be useless, not that they aren’t
“operative,” or functional.

Question ID a756aa95
ID: a756aa95
The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers southeast of Tenochtitlan, the capital
of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco’s location within the empire was so ______, cacao and other trade goods produced
there could reach the capital only after a long overland journey.
A. unobtrusive
B. concealed
C. approximate
D. peripheral
ID: a756aa95 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the location of the province
of Xoconochco within the Aztec Empire. As used in this context, “peripheral” means situated toward the outer
bounds rather than the center. The text indicates that Xoconochco was located on a coast, hundreds of kilometers
away from the capital of the Aztec Empire. The text also states that trade between the province and the capital
required “a long overland journey.” This context suggests that Xoconochco was situated toward an edge of the
empire’s territory rather than near its center.
Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to refer to Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec
Empire as “unobtrusive,” or not blatant or undesirably prominent; it’s not clear how a province’s physical location
would or wouldn’t be blatant. Instead of focusing on how noticeable Xoconochco’s location was, the text emphasizes
the province’s distance from the capital of the empire, pointing out that because of this distance trade between the
two required “a long overland journey.” Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the province of
Xoconochco was located on a coast far from the capital of the Aztec Empire, not that it was “concealed,” or kept out
of sight or hidden from view. Nothing in the text suggests that Xoconochco was actually hidden such that people
couldn’t see it, and being hidden wouldn’t necessarily result in trade between the province and the capital requiring
“a long overland journey.” Choice C is incorrect because to say that Xoconochco’s location within the Aztec Empire
was “approximate” would mean that the location either wasn’t precisely correct or was close to some other location.
Neither of these meanings would make sense in context because the text indicates that Xoconochco’s location is
known and that it was far from the empire’s capital, so there’s no reason to characterize the location as either not
precisely correct or close to another location.

Question ID 441e2b9e
ID: 441e2b9e
Researchers and conservationists stress that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is ______. For example, people can take
simple steps such as washing their footwear after travel to avoid introducing potentially invasive organisms into new
environments.
A. preventable
B. undeniable
C. common
D. concerning
ID: 441e2b9e Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of how biodiversity loss due to
invasive species can be avoided. As used in this context, “preventable” means able to be stopped or kept from
happening. The text indicates that “people can take simple steps” to avoid bringing possible invasive species into
new environments. It presents these steps as an example of how biodiversity loss due to invasive species is
preventable.
Choice B is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple step like washing your shoes after
traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being “undeniable,” or something that can’t be
proved to be wrong. Although the text may suggest that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is something that
really happens, the word that completes the text must make the first sentence into an assertion that is illustrated by
the second sentence, and the second sentence illustrates the idea that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is
preventable, not undeniable. Choice C is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple step like
washing your shoes after traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being “common,” or
something that happens regularly. Additionally, the text doesn’t provide any information about how frequently
invasive species cause biodiversity loss. Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that a simple
step like washing your shoes after traveling is an example of biodiversity loss due to invasive species being
“concerning,” or something that is troubling or causes worry. Although the text implies that the phenomenon of
biodiversity loss due to invasive species is itself a concerning phenomenon, the word that completes the text must
make the first sentence into an assertion that is illustrated by the second sentence, and the second sentence
illustrates the idea that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is preventable, not concerning.

Question ID 8634bf4a
ID: 8634bf4a
Diego Velázquez was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain during the seventeenth century, but his
influence was hardly ______ Spain: realist and impressionist painters around the world employed his techniques and echoed
elements of his style.
A. derived from
B. recognized in
C. confined to
D. repressed by
ID: 8634bf4a Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the discussion of the artist Diego Velázquez’s
influence outside Spain. As used in this context, “confined to” means restricted to. The text says that Velázquez was
the leading artist in the Spanish court during the seventeenth century, but it also notes that other painters around
the world were influenced by his techniques and style. Thus, Velázquez’s influence was hardly (or almost not)
confined to, or restricted to, Spain.
Choice A is incorrect because if Velázquez was a leading artist in Spain, it doesn’t make logical sense to claim that
his influence was hardly (or almost not) derived from, or obtained from, Spain. Moreover, the other painters around
the world who employed Velázquez’s techniques would by definition be influenced by Spanish style. Choice B is
incorrect because if Velázquez was a leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain, then his influence must
have been widely recognized, or acknowledged, rather than being hardly (or almost not) recognized. Choice D is
incorrect because the text gives no indication that deliberately limiting Velázquez’s influence outside Spain was
ever considered by anyone. Thus, even if it is true that his influence was not repressed, or restrained, it doesn’t make
logical sense to say so in this context.

Question ID e8fb0744
ID: e8fb0744
As an undergraduate researcher in anthropology, Jennifer C. Chen contributed to a groundbreaking study challenging the
accepted view that among prehistoric peoples, female participation in hunting was ______. The research team’s review of data
from late Pleistocene and early Holocene burials in the Americas revealed that, in fact, as many as half of the hunters in those
populations were female.
A. inevitable
B. satisfactory
C. negligible
D. commonplace
ID: e8fb0744 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the study of female
participation in hunting among prehistoric peoples. In this context, “negligible” means not significant enough to be
worth considering. The text says that the study challenged the accepted view of female participation in hunting
among prehistoric peoples. The text goes on to say that the researchers found that “in fact, as many as half” the
hunters in the groups studied were female. The phrase “in fact” establishes a contrast indicating that the finding
that as many as half the hunters were female differs from the accepted view. This context suggests, then, that the
accepted view is that female participation in hunting was negligible.
Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that as
many as half of hunters among prehistoric peoples were female, which suggests that the accepted view is that
female participation was low, not that female participation was “inevitable,” or unavoidable. Nothing in the text
suggests that the accepted view is that prehistoric peoples could not avoid female participation in hunting. Choice
B is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that the accepted view of female participation in hunting among
prehistoric peoples is that such participation was “satisfactory,” or sufficient to meet a requirement or demand.
There is no information in the text about any demands or requirements regarding female participation in hunting,
let alone any information about how much female participation in hunting would be enough to satisfy those
demands or requirements. Instead, the text indicates that the study challenged the accepted view by showing that
as many as half the hunters in the groups studied were female, suggesting that the accepted view is that female
participation in hunting was low. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that the study challenged the
accepted view by showing that as many as half of hunters among the prehistoric peoples studied were female,
which suggests that the accepted view is that female participation was low, not that female participation was
“commonplace,” or ordinary or unremarkable. Although the study under discussion suggests that female
participation may have been commonplace, that study is presented as challenging the accepted view, not as
reinforcing the accepted view.

Question ID c843d63c
ID: c843d63c
The artisans of the Igun Eronmwon guild in Benin City, Nigeria, typically ______ the bronze- and brass-casting techniques that
have been passed down through their families since the thirteenth century, but they don’t strictly observe every tradition; for
example, guild members now use air-conditioning motors instead of handheld bellows to help heat their forges.
A. experiment with
B. adhere to
C. improve on
D. grapple with
ID: c843d63c Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of bronze- and brass-casting
techniques used by the Igun Eronmwon guild. In this context “adhere to” would mean to act in accordance with. The
text states that although members of the Igun Eronmwon guild typically do something with techniques that have
been passed down since the thirteenth century, they “don’t strictly observe every tradition.” By establishing a
contrast with not always following traditions, the context suggests that guild members do typically adhere to
traditional techniques.
Choice A is incorrect because in this context “experiment with” would mean to do something new with. Although
using motors rather than manual bellows is presented as a new approach, the text establishes a contrast between
what the guild members typically do with techniques that have been passed down over centuries and the idea that
the members “don’t strictly observe every tradition.” The phrase “experiment with” wouldn’t support the contrast
because regularly trying new things with the techniques would be an example of not strictly following all traditions.
Choice C is incorrect because in this context “improve on” would mean to make better. Although using motors rather
than manual bellows might be an improved approach, the text establishes a contrast between what the guild
members typically do with techniques that have been passed down over centuries and the idea that the members
“don’t strictly observe every tradition.” The phrase “improve on” wouldn’t support the contrast because regularly
making changes to the techniques would be an example of not strictly following all traditions. Choice D is incorrect
because in this context “grapple with” would mean to try hard to solve a difficult problem. Although bronze- and
brass-casting are likely challenging tasks, nothing in the text suggests that the guild members have any particular
difficulties with the techniques passed down since the thirteenth century.

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Question ID 84b5125b

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 84b5125b Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

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Question Difficulty: Medium

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

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Question Difficulty: Hard

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

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SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 45a109a3 Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

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Question Difficulty: Hard

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 757077f9 Answer

Question Difficulty: Medium

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

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Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 84ece3f6 Answer

Question Difficulty: Medium

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 97ab5669 Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 06b96bfc Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 93665100 Answer

Question Difficulty: Hard

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 0f040c50 Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e1d5d5df Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 9e501aaf Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 9cdcd902 Answer

Question Difficulty: Easy

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e459076b Answer

Question Difficulty: Hard

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: 4974b053 Answer

Question Difficulty: Medium

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Words in Context

ID: e3f05561 Answer