In the past ten years, there have been several improvements in mountain-climbing equipment. These improvements have made the sport both safer and more enjoyable for experienced climbers. Despite these improvements, however, the rate of mountainclimbing injuries has doubled in the past ten years.
13. Which of the following, if true, best reconciles the apparent discrepancy presented in the passage?
A. Many climbers, lulled into a false sense of security, use the new equipment to attempt climbing feats of which they are not capable.
B. Some mountain-climbing injuries are caused by unforeseeable weather conditions.
C. Mountain climbing, although a dangerous sport, does not normally result in injury to the experienced climber.
D. In the past ten years there have been improvements in mountain-climbing techniques as well as in mountain-climbing equipment.
E. Although the rate of mountain-climbing injuries has increased, the rate of mountain-climbing deaths has not changed.
The condition of scholarship devoted to the history of women in photography is confounding. Recent years have witnessed the posthumous inflation of the role of the hobbyist Alice Austen into that of a pioneering documentarian while dozens of notable senior figures — Marion Palfi, whose photographs of civil-rights activities in the South served as early evidence of the need for protective legislation, to name one — received scant attention from scholars. And, while Naomi Rosenblum’s synoptic History of Women Photographers covers the subject through 1920 in a generally useful fashion, once she reaches the 1920s, when the venues, forms, applications, and movements of the medium expanded exponentially, she resorts to an increasingly terse listing of un-familiar names, with approaches and careers summarized in a sentence or two.
18. The author of the passage cites Rosenblum’s book most likely in order to A. suggest that the works documented most thoroughly by historians of women in photography often do not warrant that attention
B. offer an explanation for the observation that not all aspects of the history of women in photography have received the same level of attention
C. provide an example of a way in which scholarship on the history of women in photography has been unsatisfactory
D. suggest that employing a strictly chronological approach when studying the history of women in photography may be unproductive
E. provide support for the notion that certain personalities in women’s photography have attained undue prominence
For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
19. Which of the following statements about Marion Palfi is supported by the passage?
A. Marion Palfi’s photographs would have received greater recognition from historians had her work been done in an era when most aspects of photography were static rather than in a state of transition.
B. Alice Austen has achieved greater notoriety than has Marion Palfi primarily because the subjects that Austen photographed were more familiar to her contemporaries.
C. In addition to providing a record of certain historical events, Marion Palfi’s photographs played a role in subsequent events.
20. In the context in which it appears, “inflation” (line 2) most nearly means
A. exaggeration
B. acquisition
C. evaluation
D. distortion
E. attenuation
When marine organisms called phytoplankton photosynthesize, they absorb carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater, potentially causing a reduction in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to global warming. However, phytoplankton flourish only in surface waters where iron levels are sufficiently high. Martin therefore hypothesized that adding iron to ironpoor regions of the ocean could help alleviate global warming. While experiments subsequently confirmed that such a procedure increases phytoplankton growth, field tests have shown that such growth does not significantly lower atmospheric carbon dioxide. When phytoplankton utilize carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, the carbon becomes a building block for organic matter, but the carbon leaks back into the atmosphere when predators consume the phytoplankton and respire carbon dioxide.
For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
5. It can be inferred from the passage that Martin’s hypothesis includes which of the following elements?
A. A correct understanding of how phytoplankton photosynthesis utilizes carbon dioxide
B. A correct prediction about how the addition of iron to iron-poor waters would affect phytoplankton growth
C. An incorrect prediction about how phytoplankton growth would affect the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide
6. It can be inferred that the author of the passage mentions predators (line 10) primarily in order to
A. help explain why Martin’s hypothesis is incorrect
B. identify one effect of adding iron to iron-poor waters
C. indicate how some carbon dioxide is converted to solid organic matter
D. help account for differences in the density of phytoplankton between different regions of the ocean
E. point out a factor that was not anticipated by the scientists who conducted the field tests mentioned in the passage
Sparva, unlike Treland’s other provinces, requires automobile insurers to pay for any medical treatment sought by someone who has been involved in an accident; in the other provinces, insurers pay for nonemergency treatment only if they preapprove the treatment. Clearly, Sparva’s less restrictive policy must be the explanation for the fact that altogether insurers there pay for far more treatments after accidents than insurers in other provinces, even though Sparva does not have the largest population.
7. Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument? A. Car insurance costs more in Sparva than in any other province.
B. The cost of medical care in Sparva is higher than the national average.
C. Different insurance companies have different standards for determining what constitutes emergency treatment.
D. Fewer insurance companies operate in Sparva than in any other province.
E. There are fewer traffic accidents annually in Sparva than in any of the provinces of comparable or greater population.
Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire in 1738, was an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton. In the book’s frontispiece, Voltaire is seen writing at his desk, and over him a shaft of light from heaven, the light of truth, passes through Newton to Voltaire’s collaborator Madame du Châtelet; she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire. Voltaire’s book commanded a wide audience, according to Feingold, because “he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, but a literary giant aloof from the academic disputes over Newtonian ideas.” In other words, Voltaire’s amateurism in science “was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton’s ideas to nonspecialists.”
For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
8. Which of the following statements about Voltaire’s Elements of the Philosophy of Newton can be inferred from the passage?
A. Voltaire’s literary stature helped secure a large audience for this attempt to popularize Newton’s ideas.
B. Voltaire’s status as a nonscientist was an advantage in this effort to bring Newtonian science to the attention of the general public.
C. The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire’s understanding of Newton’s ideas was not achieved without assistance.
9. Select the sentence that describes an allegory for Voltaire’s acquisition of knowledge concerning Newton’s ideas.
It would be expected that a novel by a figure as prominent as W. E. B. DuBois would attract the attention of literary critics. Additionally, when the novel subtly engages the issue of race, as DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911) does, it would be a surprise not to encounter an abundance of scholarly work about that text. But though valuable scholarship has examined DuBois’ political and historical thought, his novels have received scant attention. Perhaps DuBois the novelist must wait his turn behind DuBois the philosopher, historian, and editor. But what if the truth lies elsewhere: what if his novels do not speak to current concerns?
14. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding DuBois’ The Quest of the Silver Fleece?
A. The lack of attention devoted to The Quest of the Silver Fleece can be attributed to the fact that it was DuBois’ first novel.
B. Among DuBois’ novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece is unusual in that it has received scant attention from scholars.
C. The Quest of the Silver Fleece has at least one feature that typically would attract the attention of literary scholars.
D. The Quest of the Silver Fleece, given its subtle exploration of race, is probably the best novel written by DuBois.
E. Much of the scholarly work that has focused on The Quest of the Silver Fleece has been surprisingly critical of it.
15. In the fourth sentence (“Perhaps DuBois . . . editor.”), the author of the passage is most likely suggesting that
A. scholars will find that DuBois’ novels are more relevant to current concerns than is his work as philosopher, historian, and editor
B. more scholarly attention will be paid to The Quest of the Silver Fleece than to DuBois’ other novels
C. DuBois’ novels will come to overshadow his work as philosopher, historian, and editor
D. DuBois’ novels may eventually attract greater scholarly interest than they have to date
E. it will be shown that DuBois’ work as philosopher, historian, and editor had an important influence on his work as novelist
16. Which of the following best describes the central issue with which the passage is concerned?
A. The perfunctoriness of much of the critical work devoted to DuBois’ novels
B. The nature of DuBois’ engagement with the issue of race in The Quest of the
Silver Fleece
C. Whether DuBois’ novels are of high quality and relevant to current concerns D. The relationship between DuBois the novelist and DuBois the philosopher, historian, and editor
E. The degree of consideration that has been given to DuBois’ novels, including The
Quest of the Silver Fleece
Saturn’s giant moon Titan is the only planetary satellite with a significant atmosphere and the only body in the solar system other than Earth that has a thick atmosphere dominated by molecular nitrogen. For a long time, the big question about Titan’s atmosphere was how it could be so thick, given that Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Callisto, which are the same size as Titan, have none. The conditions for acquiring and retaining a thick nitrogen atmosphere are now readily understood. The low temperature of the protosaturnian nebula enabled Titan to acquire the moderately volatile compounds methane and ammonia (later converted to nitrogen) in addition to water. The higher temperatures of Jupiter’s moons, which were closer to the Sun, prevented them from acquiring such an atmosphere.
21. According to the passage, Titan differs atmospherically from Ganymede and
Callisto because of a difference in
A. rate of heat loss
B. proximity to the Sun
C. availability of methane and ammonia
D. distance from its planet
E. size
Observations of the Arctic reveal that the Arctic Ocean is covered by less ice each summer than the previous summer. If this warming trend continues, within 50 years the Arctic Ocean will be ice free during the summer months. This occurrence would in itself have little or no effect on global sea levels, since the melting of ice floating in water does not affect the water level. However, serious consequences to sea levels would eventually result, because __________.
22. Which of the following most logically completes the passage?
A. large masses of floating sea ice would continue to form in the wintertime B. significant changes in Arctic sea temperatures would be accompanied by changes in sea temperatures in more temperate parts of the world
C. such a warm Arctic Ocean would trigger the melting of massive landbased glaciers in the Arctic
D. an ice-free Arctic Ocean would support a very different ecosystem than it does presently
E. in the spring, melting sea ice would cause more icebergs to be created and to drift south into shipping routes
In a recent study, David Cressy examines two central questions concerning English immigration to New England in the 1630s: what kinds of people immigrated and why? Using contemporary literary evidence, shipping lists, and customs records, Cressy finds that most adult immigrants were skilled in farming or crafts, were literate, and were organized in families. Each of these characteristics sharply distinguishes the 21,000 people who left for New England in the 1630s from most of the approximately 377,000 English people who had immigrated to America by 1700.
With respect to their reasons for immigrating, Cressy does not deny the frequently noted fact that some of the immigrants of the 1630s, most notably the organizers and clergy, advanced religious explanations for departure, but he finds that such explanations usually assumed primacy only in retrospect. When he moves beyond the principal actors, he finds that religious explanations were less frequently offered, and he concludes that most people immigrated because they were recruited by promises of material improvement.
For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
23. The passage indicates that Cressy would agree with which of the following statements about the organizers among the English immigrants to New England in the 1630s?
A. Some of them offered a religious explanation for their immigration.
B. They did not offer any reasons for their immigration until some time after they had immigrated.
C. They were more likely than the average immigrant to be motivated by material considerations.
24. Select the sentence that provides Cressy’s opinion about what motivated English immigrants to go to New England in the 1630s.
25. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with
A. summarizing the findings of an investigation
B. analyzing a method of argument
C. evaluating a point of view
D. hypothesizing about a set of circumstances
E. establishing categories
