Choice B is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text’s discussion of the different counts of species in the Mediterranean Sea. The text states that Coll and colleagues reported almost double the number of species that Bianchi and Morri reported in their study ten years earlier. According to the text, this difference can only be partly attributed to new invertebrate species being described in the years between the two studies, which means there must be an additional factor that made Coll and colleagues’ count so much higher than Bianchi and Morri’s count. The text goes on to explain that factor: researchers have a relatively poor understanding of microorganisms’ morphological variability, or the differences in microorganisms’ structure and form. This poor understanding makes it hard to classify microorganisms by species and means that researchers’ decisions about classifying microorganisms can have a large effect on the overall species counts that researchers report. Additionally, the text says that the two censuses reported similar numbers of vertebrate, plant, and algal species, which means that the difference in overall species did not come from differences in those categories. Given all this information, it most logically follows that Coll and colleagues may have treated some of the differences among microorganisms as indicative of the microorganisms being different species, whereas Bianchi and Morri treated those differences as variations within species, resulting in Coll and colleagues reporting many more species than Bianchi and Morri did.

Choice A is incorrect because the text explicitly addresses this issue by stating that the description of new invertebrate species in the years between the two studies can explain only part of the difference in the number of species reported by the studies. The focus of the text is on explaining the difference between Coll and colleagues’ count and Bianchi and Morri’s count that cannot be accounted for by the inclusion of invertebrate species that had not been described at the time of Bianchi and Morri’s study. Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Bianchi and Morri may have been less sensitive to how much the form and structure of microorganisms vary within the same species than Coll and colleagues were. If Bianchi and Morri had been less sensitive to within-species variation than Coll and colleagues were, Bianchi and Morri would likely have reported more species than Coll and colleagues did, since less sensitivity to within-species variation would lead researchers to classify as different species microorganisms that more sensitive researchers would classify as variations within the same species. The text indicates, however, that Bianchi and Morri reported far fewer species than Coll and colleagues did; since the text also excludes other explanations for this difference, it suggests that in fact Bianchi and Morri were more sensitive to within-species variation than Coll and colleagues were, leading Bianchi and Morri to report fewer overall species. Choice D is incorrect because the text is focused on explaining why Coll and colleagues reported many more species than Bianchi and Morri did, and an underestimate of the number of microorganism species by Coll and colleagues would not explain that difference—it would suggest, in fact, that the difference in the number of species should have been even larger. 

Choice A is the best answer. The text says that the impact of photography on the portrait miniature might be "overstated," as some records show a decrease in the number of portrait miniatures before the invention of photography. From this, we can conclude that factors other than the rise of photography may be more directly responsible for the portrait miniature’s decline.

Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the "artistic merit" of either art form. Choice C is incorrect. The text never suggests that the portrait miniature was popular for longer than historians thought—if anything, it suggests that the portrait miniature started losing its popularity earlier than historians thought. Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests that portrait painters shifted to become photographers.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, conceptual artists Gins and Arakawa have designed an apartment building that is disorienting because of several unconventional elements, such as uneven kitchen counters and “a door to nowhere.” The text goes on to suggest that there may be benefits to this kind of design because filmmaker Yamaoka lived in the apartment building for four years and reported health benefits. Thus, although the design is impractical, it may improve the well-being of the apartment building’s residents. 

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text mentions that Yamaoka lived in the apartment for four years, it doesn’t address how long someone can beneficially live in a home surrounded by fanciful features or whether doing so can be sustained. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text mentions the potential benefits of living in a home with disorienting design features, it doesn’t suggest that this is the most effective method to create a physically stimulating environment. Choice C is incorrect because the text refers to Yamaoka to support the claim that Gins and Arakawa’s apartment building design may be beneficial, but the text doesn’t indicate that Yamaoka supports the designs of other conceptual artists. 

Choice D is the best answer. Johnson collected “ephemera,” or things that are meant to be thrown away. Scholars thought his collection was worthless to them, then later realized that it was potentially valuable. This suggests that scholars went from disregarding ephemera to recognizing their usefulness.

Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that the Bodleian Library acquired Johnson’s large collection of ephemera back in 1968, so we can assume that contemporary historians conducting research there do have access to that collection. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text tells us that “Oxford University’s Bodleian Library acquired the collection,” but it never suggests that it was a challenge to do so. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text actually suggests the opposite: the example of Johnson’s collection lends support to arguments that ephemera does hold value for scholars.

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of perceptions of digital versus physical gift cards. The text begins by explaining that the perception of "the time spent obtaining a gift…as a reflection of the gift’s thoughtfulness" is a social norm of gift giving. The text then explains that although those who receive digital gift cards view them as easier to use than physical gift cards, a marketing study nonetheless showed that 94.8% of participants found physical gift cards more "socially acceptable" to give. The text specifically contrasts the ease with which digital gift cards "can be purchased online from anywhere" with the fact that physical gift cards "sometimes must be purchased in person"—suggesting the greater difficulty of obtaining physical cards. Given the text’s initial premise that gift-giving norms equate the thoughtfulness of a gift with the effort involved in acquiring that gift, it is reasonable to infer that people perceive digital gift cards as requiring less effort to obtain and thus assume recipients will appreciate them less, even though recipients actually prefer gift cards in the more usable digital format.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text does discuss recipients’ preference of digital versus physical gift cards and the relative ease with which the two formats can be used, it doesn’t consider the misconceptions that gift givers may have of these factors. Moreover, the text establishes that recipients regard digital gift cards as easier to use and therefore preferable to physical gift cards. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t consider whether recipients of gift cards feel a sense of ownership toward them, nor does the text touch on the greater tangibility of physical versus digital gift cards. Instead, the text contrasts the two formats of gift cards in terms of their respective usability and the difficulty involved in acquiring them and discusses how those factors influence people’s perceptions of the two formats. Choice C is incorrect because it contradicts the text, which explains that recipients regard digital gift cards as superior to physical ones because they are easier to use than physical cards, not because physical gift cards require greater effort to obtain than digital gift cards do. Moreover, the text doesn’t characterize the effort required to obtain physical gift cards as "unnecessary."

Choice B is the best answer. The lighter bars show what happened when the announcement was to come before the election, and the darker bars show what happened when the announcement was to come after the election. For all three of the outcomes, the light and dark bars are virtually the same, demonstrating that the announcement timing didn’t actually make a difference.

Choice A is incorrect. This accurately describes some data from the graph, but it doesn’t weaken the hypothesis. It doesn’t include the “announcement after election” data for comparison. Choice C is incorrect. This accurately describes some data from the graph, but it doesn’t weaken the hypothesis. It doesn’t include the “announcement after election” data for comparison. Choice D is incorrect. This accurately describes some data from the graph, but it doesn’t weaken the hypothesis. It doesn’t include the “announcement before election” data for comparison.

Choice C is the best answer. The text says that the production’s use of its large, winding space has a very specific effect on the audience. Given that the space itself is so important to creating this effect, it would be difficult to reproduce the production in a different space.

Choice A is incorrect. The fact that the venue is in New York City isn’t connected to the experimental nature of the performance. It’s the size of the venue, not its location in New York, that affects the theatrical experience. Choice B is incorrect. The text never suggests that audience members are disappointed because they can’t see the entire production. In fact, it suggests that that’s an important part of the experience. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t mention a recommended itinerary for audience members.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a statement about how historians view pachuca style that is supported by the text. The text first describes the distinctive pachuca style of dress adopted by some Mexican American women during World War II, saying that some criticized it and asserted that women should dress traditionally. The text then goes on to contrast this position with that of historians, who "see things differently": according to these historians, the pachuca style showed a wish for freedom and self-expression, and it acted as a kind of rebellion against what society expected of women at the time. Therefore, according to the text, historians think that the pachuca style was a way for Mexican women to express themselves and resist strict social expectations.

Choice A is incorrect because the text explicitly describes the pachuca style as a distinctive look adopted during the World War II era. It does not indicate that the pachuca style influences fashion in the United States in the present day. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not indicate that Mexican American women wore the pachuca style to show support for the United States during World War II; rather, the style was a means of self-expression and rebellion against social expectations. Choice D is incorrect because the text does not compare the pachuca style to other fashion trends: the pachuca style is the only style mentioned.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents an explanation that is directly stated in the text for why ecologists are worried about Pando. The text states that Pando is a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that represents one of the largest organisms on Earth. According to the text, ecologists are worried that Pando’s growth is declining, partly because animals are feeding on the trees. In other words, the ecologists are worried that Pando isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.

Choice B is incorrect. Rather than indicating that Pando isn’t producing young trees anymore, the text reveals that Pando is indeed producing young trees, stating that those trees can be protected from grazing deer by strong fences. Choice C is incorrect because the text states that fences can be used to prevent deer from eating Pando’s young trees, not that Pando itself can’t grow in new areas because it’s blocked by fences. Choice D is incorrect because the text offers no evidence that Pando’s root system is incapable of supporting new trees or is otherwise a cause of worry for ecologists.

Choice A is the best answer. The text says that LINE transposons are important in the human hippocampus, which supports complex cognition. If the LINE transposon found in octopuses is active in a similar part of their brain, that would suggest that LINE transposons support complex cognition in octopuses too, which in turn supports the hypothesis that LINE transposons are linked to advanced cognition in general.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how LINE transposons function in species other than humans. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how the LINE transposon in octopuses might support advanced cognition. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the hypothesis. It doesn’t include anything about how the LINE transposon in octopuses might support advanced cognition.

Choice C is the best answer because it accurately describes why the finding about the microorganism community composition was important. The text describes an experiment by Eva Kaštovská and her team in which they collected plant-soil cores at one elevation and transplanted them to sites at a lower elevation, where the mean air temperature was warmer. Kaštovská and her team observed that microorganism-mediated nutrient cycling was accelerated in the transplanted cores and that "crucially, microorganism community composition was unchanged," which allowed the team to attribute the acceleration to changes in microorganism activity brought about by the difference in temperature. This strongly implies that the team wouldn’t have been able to make that attribution otherwise, meaning that a change in microorganism composition represented another possible explanation for the acceleration that had to be ruled out.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text says microorganism-mediated cycling of soil nutrients increased in the transplanted cores, this is unrelated to what’s important about the finding that the microorganism composition didn’t change—that it allowed the team to attribute the change in activity solely to the change in temperature. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text compares activity in one core at two different elevations, the text doesn’t address changes in activity at various elevations over time. Choice D is incorrect. Although different microorganisms likely exhibit different levels of activity, the text indicates that there was no change in microorganism composition, and there is nothing in the text about different microorganisms having different activity levels.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a statement that, if true, would most directly weaken Caron and colleagues’ claim that the apparent tentacles in the Chinese and American fossils are actually ctenophore comb rows. If the fossils are so poorly preserved that they cannot be conclusively identified as either organism, neither the claim that they are jellyfish nor, as Caron claims, that they are ctenophores would be supported.

Choice A is incorrect. Caron’s claim is that fossils from the US and China are ctenophores, not jellyfish. These fossils are said to be "of a similar age" to the Cambrian fossils found in the Canadian Rockies. And nothing in the text or this choice suggests that the presence or absence of ctenophores after the Cambrian would have any bearing on whether the Cambrian fossils from the US and China are ctenophores. Choice C is incorrect. Caron’s claim is that fossils from the US and China are ctenophores, not jellyfish. Nothing in the text suggests that the presence or absence of ctenophores in the Burgess Shale (in Canada) would affect whether the fossils found in the US and China are ctenophores. Choice D is incorrect. Caron’s claim is that fossils from the US and China are ctenophores, not jellyfish. Although fossil quality is a plausible issue for the research described in the text, nothing in the text or this choice suggests that the fossils from US and China would have been too poorly preserved for proper identification.

Choice D is the best answer because it provides a detail about Elinor that is established in the text. The text indicates that although Elinor is “only nineteen,” she gives good advice and exhibits such a high level of understanding and judgment that she serves as “the counsellor of her mother.” Thus, Elinor is mature beyond her years.   

Choice A is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text says that Elinor advises her mother and often counteracts her mother’s impulses, there’s no mention of Elinor arguing with her mother or failing to change her mother’s mind. Choice B is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: although the text mentions that Elinor has strong feelings, it doesn’t indicate that she’s excessively sensitive when it comes to family issues. Choice C is incorrect because it isn’t supported by the text: there’s no mention of what Elinor thinks about her mother and no suggestion that she thinks her mother is a bad role model. Because she’s described as having “an excellent heart,” Elinor likely doesn’t think ill of her mother.

Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement. The table shows that on day 1, the menu for NASA’s Gemini missions included sugar cookie cubes for meal B.

Choice A is incorrect because according to the table, shrimp cocktail was served on day 4, not day 1; moreover, the item was served for meal C, not meal B, as this choice claims. Choice B is incorrect because according to the table, hot cocoa was served on day 3, not on day 1; moreover, the item was served for meal A, not for meal C, as this choice claims. Choice D is incorrect because according to the table, chicken and vegetables were served on day 2, not on day 1; moreover, the item was served for meal B, not for meal A, as this choice claims.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by explaining that many literary theorists rely on the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events) and illustrates these concepts by explaining how they can be applied to the film The Godfather Part II. The text then discusses how Mikhail Bakhtin, a literary theorist, argued that fabula and syuzhet can’t fully describe a narrative, since systematic categorizations such as these fail to account for all the ways in which interactions between the artist, the work, and the audience produce meaning. Thus, the main idea is that Bakhtin argued that there are important characteristics of narratives that are not fully encompassed by two concepts that other theorists have used to analyze narratives.

Choice B is incorrect because according to the text, Mikhail Bakhtin believed that meaning was created through the interactions of the artist, narrative, and audience, not simply through the interaction between the audience and narrative; moreover, the text doesn’t address whether Bakhtin focused on the ways in which different people interpret narratives differently. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text implies that the storytelling methods used in The Godfather Part II are complicated, it discusses the film only to illustrate how the concepts of fabula and syuzhet may be applied to a narrative. The film’s storytelling methods aren’t the primary focus of the text. Choice D is incorrect. The text discusses The Godfather Part II, whose narrative doesn’t adhere to a single chronological order, only to illustrate the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events). The primary focus of this text isn’t the structure of this film or of other narratives that are told out of chronological order; moreover, the text doesn’t consider whether such structures make it harder for audiences to understand narratives.

Choice B is the best answer. The text describes how Barve found an association between habitat temperature and feather structure among Himalayan songbirds, which supports the general prediction that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.

Choice A is incorrect. Barve’s study isn’t said to contradict previous predictions. In fact, the study supports the prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature. Choice C is incorrect. Barve’s study isn’t said to “complicate an earlier hypothesis.” In fact, the study supports the earlier prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t compare the importance of feather length and feather structure, and it doesn’t say that Barve’s study challenges any established beliefs. In fact, the study supports the prediction described in the first sentence, which is that birds’ feather structures vary with habitat temperature.

Choice D is the best answer because it presents a statement that would support Halliwell’s claim that "imitation" is an overly simplified translation of the word "mimesis" in the context of ancient Greek philosophical discussions of representational art and that, because it suggests a view of art as merely copying things that exist in reality, the translation obscures the fact that Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient Greeks understood the relationship between art and reality in varied ways. If Plato’s works tend to treat representational art as an inferior or inadequate reflection of the physical world (consistent with the idea of mere imitation), while Aristotle’s works suggest that the term "mimesis" can refer to art’s ability to show conditions that don’t currently exist but could exist (going beyond imitation into novel creation), that evidence would support the claim that the term "mimesis" means more than just "imitation" and that ancient Greek philosophers held different views of the relationship between art and reality.

Choice A is incorrect because information about the root word mimos first being used in drama and the root mim- coming to be associated with music and poetry wouldn’t indicate anything about the meaning of the specific term "mimesis" as it was used by ancient Greek philosophers in discussions of representational art; thus, the information would have no bearing on Halliwell’s claim that a common translation of the specific term is an oversimplification. Choice B is incorrect because the issue of art’s psychological effects on audiences gets at how people respond to works of art instead of how art itself is related to reality, so the idea that Plato and Aristotle both addressed such effects in their considerations of mimesis wouldn’t have any bearing on Halliwell’s claim that a common translation of that term oversimplifies the relationship between art and reality. Further, this idea would touch on one general similarity in approaches to mimesis instead of illustrating the multifaceted, or varied, ways Halliwell claims ancient Greek philosophers understood art’s relation to reality. Choice C is incorrect because the idea that Plato discussed aesthetics in his early works but didn’t use the term "mimesis" until later doesn’t give any indication of how Plato or any other ancient Greek philosophers understood the relation between art and reality, so it would have no bearing on Halliwell’s claim that a common translation of the term "mimesis" is oversimplified and fails to reflect the varied ways the philosophers understood that relationship.

Choice D is the best answer because it uses data from the graph to effectively illustrate the text’s claim about general economic policy uncertainty in the United Kingdom. The graph presents values for economic policy uncertainty in tax and public spending policy, trade policy, and general economic policy in the UK from 2005 to 2010. The graph shows that in 2005, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 90) was substantially lower than the value for uncertainty about trade policy specifically (approximately 160). It also shows that in 2010, the value for general economic policy uncertainty (approximately 120) was substantially higher than the value for uncertainty about trade policy (approximately 70). The substantial differences between these values in 2005 and 2010 support the claim that a general measure may not fully reflect uncertainty about specific areas of policy.

Choice A is incorrect because the graph shows that the level of general economic policy uncertainty was similar to the level of uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in both 2005 (with values of approximately 90 and 100, respectively) and 2009 (with values of approximately 80 and 75, respectively). Choice B is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty was higher than uncertainty about tax and public spending policy in 2006, 2007, and 2009, not that it was lower each year from 2005 to 2010. Choice C is incorrect because the graph shows that general economic policy uncertainty reached its highest level in 2010, which was when uncertainty about tax and public spending policy also reached its highest level, not its lowest level.

Choice D is the best answer because this quotation would best support the student’s assertion that the escape of transgenic fish from Brazilian fish farms into the wild may have significant negative long-term ecological effects. The text explains that transgenic fish have DNA that includes genetic material from other species, that some transgenic fish have genes from jellyfish that make them glow in the dark, and that glow-in-the-dark transgenic fish can now be found in the wild in Brazilian creeks. The quotation indicates why the escape of these fish may have negative long-term ecological effects: glow-in-the-dark transgenic fish might introduce fluorescence into wild fish populations by breeding with wild fish, causing wild fish to glow in the dark and thereby allowing predators to prey on them much more easily.

Choice A is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t mention any negative effects of the introduction of fluorescent transgenic fish into the wild. The quotation merely compares the ratio of females to males at two sites in the wild where transgenic fish have been observed. Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t support the idea that the escape of fluorescent transgenic fish from Brazilian fish farms may have significant negative long-term ecological effects. Rather, the quotation suggests that more research is needed to understand the effects. Choice C is incorrect because this quotation supports the idea that transgenic fish may be present in more ecosystems than has been observed; it doesn’t address whether the presence of fluorescent transgenic fish affects these ecosystems.

Choice B is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that complete the text’s discussion of lizard species’ use of maximal speed when escaping predators. According to the text, moving at maximal speed (the highest speed possible) requires so much energy that it is not always an effective strategy for animals, even when they are escaping predators. The graph displays data on the average percent of maximal speed used by lizard species while either escaping predators or pursuing prey. The graph categorizes the data for both pursuing and escaping by the number of species using 30%–39% of maximal speed, 40%–49% of maximal speed, 50%–59% of maximal speed, 60%–69% of maximal speed, 70%–79% of maximal speed, 80%–89% of maximal speed, and 90%–100% of maximal speed, respectively. In the graph, there is at least one species in each of the following percent categories for maximal speed while escaping predators: 50%–59%, 60%–69%, 70%–79%, and 80%–89%. Thus, the data in the graph show that multiple lizard species move at an average of less than 90% of their maximal speed while escaping predation.

Choice A is incorrect because the data in the graph isn’t organized in such a way that a comparison of the percentage of maximal speed used when escaping predation with the percentage used when pursuing prey is possible at the level of individual species. Choice C is incorrect. It is true that in the graph, the percent category with the largest number of species using maximal speed while escaping predators is 90%–100% (8 species total). However, these data don’t complete the text, which is concerned instead with how animals are discouraged from using maximal speed even when escaping predators because of the amount of energy required to use it. Choice D is incorrect because these data from the graph pertain to maximal speed while pursuing prey and therefore don’t complete the text’s discussion of lizard species’ use of maximal speed when escaping predators.

Choice D is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the Jordanelle Dam led to changes that benefited grass plants but not trees. The graph shows characteristics of the banks of the Provo River downstream of the Jordanelle Dam in three different years—1987, 1993, and 2006. Specifically, the graph shows the amount of grass cover, bare soil, and forest cover in those years. The text indicates that the Jordanelle Dam was built in 1992, meaning that the data from the graph for 1987 reflect conditions before the dam was built, whereas the data for 1993 and 2006 reflect conditions after the dam was built. The data show that grass cover increased substantially from 1987 to 1993 and again from 1993 to 2006. The data also show that forest cover declined over those periods. Together, these data support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the dam was beneficial for grass plants but not for trees—grass cover increased significantly after the dam was built, while forest cover declined. 

Choice A is incorrect. Although it is true that, in the graph, the lowest value for grass cover is approximately 58,000 square meters and the highest value for forest cover is approximately 75,000 square meters, both values are from 1987, before the Jordanelle Dam was built in 1992. Therefore, this information alone cannot support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion about changes in grass and tree cover following the construction of the dam. Choice B is incorrect because it presents an inaccurate description of data from the graph. The graph shows that there was more forest cover than grass cover in 1987, not that there was more grass cover than forest cover that year. Choice C is incorrect because, while it accurately reflects data from the graph when it compares grass cover and forest cover to bare soil, these data alone cannot support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion that the dam led to changes that benefited grass plants but not trees. An increase in grass cover relative to bare soil following the construction of the dam might indicate that the dam benefited grass plants, but the fact that there was more forest cover than bare soil in all three years doesn’t indicate that the dam failed to benefit trees. 

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the potential effects of logging on forest conservation. The text begins by stating that logging practices are often thought of as being contrary to forest conservation efforts. Then, the text presents the results of a research study examining the effect of limited logging practices on specific forest plots, finding that the plots with limited logging may be "more robust" (healthier) than the plots that hadn’t been logged at all. Given these results, it follows that logging may be a useful practice for maintaining healthy forests if it is practiced in a limited way.

Choice B is incorrect because the study referenced in the text only provides information on limited logging as a potential forest management strategy. There is no information in the text about how other forest management strategies support forest conservation efforts. Therefore, the text does not support the assertion that other forest management strategies are more successful than limited logging. Choice C is incorrect because the text presents a research study with findings that specific plots of forest with limited logging may be more robust than the forest plots that were not logged. Rather than suggesting that it is hard to know whether limited logging might be beneficial, the text suggests that the practice could be useful in forest conservation efforts. Choice D is incorrect. The text discusses the results of a research study that compares the health of forest plots with limited logging to forest plots that were not logged. It does not take a position on the best way to support forest health but rather presents a research study with findings that question conventionally held thoughts regarding the practice of logging.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion that an observable pattern in time references in novels reflects a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. If novels published after 1880 contain significantly more references to activities occurring after 10 p.m. than novels from earlier periods do, this would suggest a change in human behavior and daily routines enabled by the availability of electric lighting. Before electric lighting—which provided illumination more easily than other available forms of light—many activities ceased after nightfall, so references to late-night activities would be less common in earlier novels. An increase in such references after 1880 would align with the researchers’ conclusion, reflecting an increase in late-night activities made possible by electric lighting.

Choice A is incorrect because a decrease in references to 10 a.m. after the year 1800 would not support the researchers’ conclusion involving a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting toward the end of the 1800s. The time of 10 a.m. is in the morning and, in most places, characterized by daylight, so a change in references to that time would not be clearly linked to the impact of electric lighting. Choice C is incorrect because while an increase in implied time references relative to clock phrases in nineteenth-century novels could suggest a change in writing style or conventions, it does not directly support the conclusion involving a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting. The text indicates that the researchers’ conclusion is based on the content of the time references themselves, not the phrasing used. Choice D is incorrect. If references to noon and midnight are used with roughly the same frequency in all the novels analyzed by the researchers, this would reflect a lack of change in human behavior with regard to time and therefore would not support the researchers’ conclusion involving a shift in human behavior that occurred in response to the spread of electric lighting.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents the most likely consequence if New had not begun using sewing machines. The text states that New gained new customers and that sewing machines allowed him to make bags more efficiently, or in less time than he could when sewing by hand. It’s reasonable to conclude that if New hadn’t reduced the time it took to make each bag by starting to use sewing machines, it would have been hard for him to keep up with the increased demand.

Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that New added unique, handcrafted details to his bags before he started using sewing machines and continued to do so after he started using them. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that individually designing each bag would have been a consequence of not using sewing machines, since New was already designing unique details for each bag before he started using sewing machines and continued to do so after he started using them. Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that people were already interested in New’s bags before he started using sewing machines. Rather than allowing New to generate more interest in his bags, sewing machines helped New keep up with the interest that had already grown.

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the comparison of how Colobanthus quitensis benefited from warming temperatures with how Deschampsia antarctica benefited from them. The table shows the land area covered by these two plant species at a site in Antarctica. According to the table, Colobanthus quitensis increased the area it covered by 55% from 2009 to 2018, whereas Deschampsia antarctica increased the area it covered by 28% during the same period. It therefore follows that Colobanthus quitensis saw a greater expansion than Deschampsia antarctica did and that Colobanthus quitensis increased the area of land it covered by more than half.

Choice A is incorrect because according to the table, Deschampsia antarctica covered 1,230 square meters of land in 2009 and 1,576 square meters of land in 2018. Deschampsia antarctica therefore covered a larger, not a smaller, area of land in 2018 than in 2009. Moreover, there’s no information in the text or the table that suggests that one species of the plant suppressed the other. Choice C is incorrect because it inaccurately describes the data in the table. The table shows the land area covered by Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica and the percent increase in area covered by the two species from 2009 to 2018, not the average size of individual plants belonging to the two species. The data in the table therefore can’t be used to make a comparison of the increase in individual plants’ average size. Choice D is incorrect because the table shows the land area covered by Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica and the percent increase in area covered by the two species from 2009 to 2018, not the rate at which the species increased the area they covered. Moreover, there’s nothing in the table or the text that suggests that the areas covered by the two species were newly freed from ice.

Choice C is the best answer because it uses data from the graph to effectively complete the example of Eludoyin and his colleagues’ findings concerning female farmers in some regions of Ondo State, Nigeria. The graph presents values for the percentage of Ondo State small-scale farmers who are female, by type of crop and region. The graph shows that of the farmers mainly cultivating non-root vegetables, approximately 57% in north Ondo and approximately 54% in south Ondo are female; in other words, most of those farmers are female, which exemplifies the idea that female farmers make up the majority (more than half) of the farmers cultivating specific types of crops in some regions.

Choice A is incorrect because it inaccurately cites data from the graph: the graph shows that in south Ondo, most of the farmers mainly cultivating non-root vegetables are women (approximately 54%), but that only about 35% (less than half) of the farmers mainly cultivating cereals are women. Choice B is incorrect because it inaccurately cites data from the graph: the graph shows that more women in central Ondo mainly cultivate cereals than mainly cultivate root crops (approximately 36% and 20%, respectively). Additionally, it doesn’t effectively complete the example because the graph shows that female farmers don’t make up the majority (more than half) of the farmers for any type of crop in central Ondo. Choice D is incorrect because it doesn’t effectively complete the example; it simply states that a relatively equal proportion of women across the three regions mainly cultivate cereals, which doesn’t address the value for that proportion and thus doesn’t show that a majority (more than half) of the farmers cultivating certain crops are female.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support Garza and Robles’s hypothesis that a layer of fresh water forms a barrier to ochre sea stars. The text explains that the sea stars tend to move to higher shore levels at night in search of prey, but after a heavy rain, the sea stars stay at lower shore levels. Garza and Robles hypothesize that rainfall results in a layer of fresh water that the sea stars don’t cross. To determine whether fresh water forms a barrier to sea stars, Garza and Robles observed how sea stars behaved in a tank of only seawater and in a tank of seawater with a layer of fresh water on top. If the sea stars climbed to the top of the tank with only seawater but stopped climbing just below the layer of fresh water in the other tank, that would suggest that fresh water does indeed serve as a barrier to the sea stars, thereby supporting Garza and Robles’s hypothesis.

Choice A is incorrect because finding that sea stars in the tank with only seawater moved around the bottom of the tank more than sea stars in the other tank did but that none of the stars in either tank climbed to the top would be irrelevant to Garza and Robles’s hypothesis. Such a finding would reveal nothing about whether fresh water serves as a barrier to sea stars. Choice C is incorrect because finding that sea stars climbed to the top of both tanks would weaken, not support, Garza and Robles’s hypothesis, since it would indicate that the layer of fresh water wasn’t a barrier to the sea stars. Choice D is incorrect because finding that sea stars in the tank with only seawater mostly stayed near the bottom of the tank but sea stars in the other tank climbed into the layer of fresh water wouldn’t support Garza and Robles’s hypothesis. Instead, such a finding would suggest that the layer of fresh water wasn’t a barrier to the sea stars, thereby weakening Garza and Robles’s hypothesis.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support the arts journalist’s claim about Enwezor’s work as a curator and art historian. In the text, the arts journalist asserts that Enwezor wished not just to focus on modern African artists but also to show “how their work fits into the larger context of global modern art and art history,” or how their work relates to artistic developments and work by other artists elsewhere in the world. The description of Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945–1965 indicates that Enwezor and Siegel’s exhibition brought works by African artists together with works by artists from other countries, thus supporting the arts journalist’s claim that Enwezor sought to show works by African artists in a context of global modern art and art history.

Choice A is incorrect because it describes a retrospective that wouldn’t support the arts journalist’s claim that Enwezor wanted to show how works by modern African artists fit into the larger context of global modern art and art history. The description of El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale indicates that the retrospective focused only on the work of a single African artist, El Anatsui. The description doesn’t suggest that the exhibition showed how El Anatsui’s works fit into a global artistic context. Choice C is incorrect because it describes an exhibition that wouldn’t support the arts journalist’s claim that Enwezor wanted to show how works by modern African artists relate to the larger context of global modern art and art history. The description of The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945–1994 indicates that the exhibition showed how African artists were influenced by movements for independence from European colonial powers following the Second World War. Although this suggests that Enwezor intended the exhibition to place works by African artists in a political context, it doesn’t indicate that the works were placed in a global artistic context. Choice D is incorrect because it describes an exhibition that wouldn’t support the arts journalist’s claim that Enwezor wanted to show how works by modern African artists relate to the larger context of global modern art and art history. The description of In/sight: African Photographers, 1940 to the Present indicates that the exhibition was intended to reveal the broad range of approaches taken by African photographers, not that the exhibition showed how photography by African artists fits into a global artistic context.

Choice B is the best answer. It most logically completes the text. The text tells us that disruptions to an enjoyable experience increase viewers’ enjoyment. It also says that researchers suspect the opposite is true for disruptions to an unpleasant experience. Thus, we can infer that the researchers expect to find that the interrupted unpleasant experience was worse for listeners than the uninterrupted unpleasant experience.  

Choice A is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how irritating the disruptions themselves are perceived to be. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences. Choice C is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how long any experience is perceived to be. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences. Choice D is incorrect. It doesn’t logically complete the text. The text never makes any claims about how interruptions affect the perceived volume of the unpleasant or pleasant experience. Rather, the text says that pleasant experiences are perceived as more enjoyable with interruptions, and that the opposite is suspected to be true of unpleasant experiences. 

Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the text about the el Castillo pyramid. The table presents information for the location, height, and age of four pyramids, and the task is to use the data from the table to complete the text by choosing the correct height for el Castillo, which the table shows is 40 meters.

Choice A is incorrect because, according to the table, el Castillo is 40 meters tall, not 33 meters, which is the height of the Great Pyramid in Mexico. Choice B is incorrect because, according to the table, el Castillo is 40 meters tall, not 47 meters, which is the height of the Pyramid of Sahure in Egypt. Choice D is incorrect because, according to the table, el Castillo is 40 meters tall, not 60 meters, which is the height of the Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ conclusion that carbon dioxide does not serve as an additional cue to frog-biting midges regarding the location of male túngara frogs. The text begins by stating that the mating call of the male túngara frogs also attracts frog-biting midges, which prey on the frogs’ blood. Researchers Bernal and de Silva were curious if the mating calls were sufficient signals for the midges to locate the frogs or if midges also used carbon dioxide emitted by the frogs to locate their prey. The text then details the procedure the researchers used to investigate their question and summarizes their conclusion—that carbon dioxide does not serve as an additional cue to the midges. Thus, if more midges were found in the researchers’ trap that only played calls than in the trap that played calls and released carbon dioxide, it follows that the frog calls seem sufficient without the carbon dioxide cue. This finding supports the researchers’ conclusion that carbon dioxide does not serve as an additional cue to frog-biting midges.

Choice A is incorrect because finding that the majority of frog-biting midges were found in the traps that both played the mating call and released carbon dioxide would present evidence that directly refutes the researchers’ conclusion—that carbon dioxide does not serve as an additional cue to the frog-biting midges regarding the location of túngara frogs. Choice B is incorrect because if the midges entered the trap that played calls and released carbon dioxide only during or immediately after carbon dioxide was released, that would suggest that the midges used the carbon dioxide as a way to locate their prey, a finding that would contradict the researchers’ conclusion that carbon dioxide was not an additional cue to the midges. Choice D is incorrect because a trap attracting larger numbers of midges with high carbon dioxide concentrations than a trap with low carbon dioxide concentrations suggests that carbon dioxide might serve as an additional cue to the midges as to the location on the frogs, a finding contrary to the researchers’ conclusion.

Choice A is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that Lowell describes an element of nature as an active participant in the experience of a nighttime scene on a body of water. The quotation presents the image of the moon shining on a body of water. However, instead of describing the moon in passive terms or simply stating that it reflects through the water and onto the sandy shore, the quotation portrays the moon as being engaged in the humanlike action of writing a legend. In other words, the moon is participating actively in the nighttime scene.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the quotation describes a nighttime scene on a body of water, the element of nature in these lines—the waves—isn’t portrayed as an active participant in an experience; instead, the waves merely ripple softly against a canoe, as waves would normally do. Choice C is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t present a nighttime scene on a body of water; instead, it describes petals falling from a rose. Choice D is incorrect. Although the quotation presents an image of an element of nature—the moon—it doesn’t mention a body of water; moreover, it portrays the moon not as an active participant in a scene but instead as static or unchanging (“ever and always the same”).

Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the student’s conclusion about banana ripening time with and without ethylene at different temperatures. The graph shows that at 20°C, the gap between the two bars showing ripening times for ethylene-treated bananas and untreated bananas crosses fewer than 2 gridlines (from about 4 days for ethylene-treated bananas to about 5.5 days for untreated bananas). Meanwhile, the graph shows that at 14°C, 16°C, and 18°C, the gap between the bars crosses more than 2 gridlines (from about 8 days for treated bananas to about 11 days for untreated bananas at 14°C; from about 6 days for treated bananas to about 9.5 days for untreated bananas at 16°C; and from about 5.5 days for treated bananas to about 8.5 days for untreated bananas at 18°C). Since the gap between the bars at each of these temperatures crosses more than 2 gridlines, and since each of these gaps is larger than the gap between the bars at 20°C, it can be concluded that ethylene was associated with a greater absolute change in ripening time at 14°C, 16°C, and 18°C than at 20°C.

Choice A is incorrect because the graph shows that ethylene-treated bananas stored at 20°C ripen more quickly than ethylene-treated bananas stored at the other temperatures do (about 4 days at 20°C vs. about 5.5, 6, and 8 days at 18°C, 16°C, and 14°C, respectively) and that untreated bananas stored at 20°C ripen more quickly than untreated bananas stored at the other temperatures do (about 5.5 days at 20°C vs. about 8.5, 9.5, and 11 days at 18°C, 16°C, and 14°C, respectively). The information in the graph therefore indicates that storing bananas at 20°C speeds up ripening time relative to storing bananas at the other temperatures shown, not that this storage temperature slows ripening time. Choice B is incorrect because the graph shows that as temperature increases, the ripening time of untreated bananas decreases, from about 11 days at 14°C to about 5.5 days at 20°C, with no exceptions to this trend. The graph therefore shows that differences in temperature were associated with absolute differences in ripening time, not that there was no association between differences in temperature and differences in ripening time. Choice C is incorrect because the graph shows that ripening times of ethylene-treated bananas at 14°C and 16°C were about 8 and 6 days, respectively, which is greater than, not less than, ripening times of ethylene-treated bananas at 18°C and 20°C, which were about 5.5 and 4 days, respectively. In other words, bananas treated with ethylene ripen more slowly, not faster, at 14°C and 16°C than at 18°C and 20°C.

Choice A is the best answer. The researchers concluded that the meteorite’s nucleobases weren’t the result of soil contamination. Presence of nucleobases in the meteorite and not in soil provides evidence that those nucleobases likely didn’t come from the soil.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t justify the conclusion. The researchers concluded that the meteorite’s nucleobases weren’t the result of soil contamination. If the nucleobases are present in both the soil and meteorite, then it’s possible that these nucleobases came from the soil. Choice C is incorrect. This choice misreads the table. Purine was not detected in the soil sample. Choice D is incorrect. This choice misreads the table. Both isoguanine and hypoxanthine were detected in both Murchison meteorite samples.

Choice D is the best answer. The text says that the formation at Mistaken Point contains fossils of “the earliest multicellular organisms,” which implies that these fossils are from an older time period than the fossils of “prehistoric human ancestors” found in the Minatogawa quarry.

Choice A is incorrect. The text says that the formation at Mistake Point contains “more than 10,000 fossils,” but it doesn’t compare this number to the number of fossils in the Minatogawa quarry. It also doesn’t say anything about the variety of species in either formation. Choice B is incorrect. The text says that the formation at Mistaken Point contains fossils of “the earliest multicellular organisms,” but it never says that the site contains early human fossils too. Rather, the early human fossils mentioned in the text were found in the formation at Minatogawa quarry. Choice C is incorrect. The text says that the fossils at Mistaken Point “document a critical moment in evolutionary history,” but it never says that Mistaken Point is the most valuable source of information about prehistoric life forms.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a statement about the difference between the proportions of Quito residents and Lima residents using parks that is supported by the text. The text states that 82.9% of surveyed Quito residents and 72.7% of surveyed Lima residents reported using their city’s parks. The text then notes that compared to Lima respondents, a much smaller percentage of Quito respondents said they live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The text concludes that because a greater proportion of Quito respondents used parks despite generally living farther from them than Lima respondents did, "greater proximity"—being closer to a park—"can’t explain the difference in park use." That is, the text makes the point that the difference between the proportions of Quito residents and Lima residents using parks is caused by something other than the distance of the parks from city residents.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address whether the researchers had expected a particular result and doesn’t indicate that they were surprised by the difference in park usage between the two cities’ residents. The text simply presents the survey findings without stating the researchers’ expectations. Choice C is incorrect because the text gives no indication that there might be inaccuracies in the survey results; the text presents the findings as factual information and uses them as the basis for a conclusion that a certain factor doesn’t explain differences in park usage between Quito and Lima residents. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention any sources that predate the survey or suggest that the difference in proportions was calculated using such sources. According to the text, the information about park usage came directly from the survey of residents in Quito and Lima.

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively states the main idea of the text, which is that Heidi is delighted and fascinated by an image she sees in one of Grandmama’s books. In the text, Heidi screams upon first seeing the picture of the green pasture. In another context, such a reaction might suggest fear, but here the reaction is followed by descriptions of an image that’s peaceful rather than scary. The text goes on to describe Heidi’s eyes as “glowing” and states that she “devoured the scene,” suggesting that the image delights and fascinates her so much that she wants to examine every detail. Together, these descriptions suggest that Heidi is thrilled and intrigued by the image in the book.

Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Heidi is upset before seeing the peaceful image of the green pasture. Before Heidi sees that image, the text describes her as “looking with wondering eyes at the splendid pictures” in the book, suggesting that Heidi is intrigued, not that she’s unhappy. Choice C is incorrect. Although Heidi screams upon first seeing the image, the text’s description of the image and Heidi’s other reactions to it suggest that she is screaming with delight, not fear. The text describes the images in the book as “splendid” and the particular image that causes her to scream as peaceful rather than frightening. It also describes Heidi’s eyes as “glowing” and states that she “devoured the scene,” suggesting that the image of the green pasture delights and fascinates her so much that she wants to examine every detail. Choice D is incorrect because it’s unclear from the text whether Heidi has ever seen a shepherd with his sheep before. The text merely suggests that she is delighted and fascinated by the image of the shepherd and his sheep.

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the relative appeal of different kinds of plays by Shakespeare to today’s audiences. According to the text, Shakespeare’s tragedies address broad themes that continue to appeal to today’s audiences. Indeed, the text suggests that these themes are timeless, as illustrated by the example of Romeo and Juliet, which the text states is still read and widely performed despite being set in the Italy of Shakespeare’s time. In contrast, the text indicates that audiences and readers may need to be familiar with several centuries of English history in order to understand Shakespeare’s history plays. Because many theatergoers and readers are unlikely to possess such extensive historical knowledge, it follows that they are likely to find Shakespeare’s history plays less engaging than his more accessible tragedies.

Choice B is incorrect because the text never introduces a comparison between Shakespeare’s tragedies and twentieth-century plays, only between Shakespeare’s tragedies and his history plays. Since twentieth-century plays aren’t mentioned, there’s no basis in the text for the idea that some of Shakespeare’s tragedies are more relevant than twentieth-century plays to today’s audiences. Choice C is incorrect. Although the text indicates that Romeo and Juliet is thematically accessible to today’s audiences, it doesn’t suggest that Romeo and Juliet is more accessible than Shakespeare’s other tragedies. Rather, the text presents Romeo and Juliet as an example to support the idea that Shakespeare’s tragedies hold continued appeal for today’s readers and theatergoers. Choice D is incorrect. Although experts in English history would likely possess the knowledge needed to understand Shakespeare’s history plays, the text never mentions such experts or suggests that they would enjoy the history plays more than Shakespeare’s other works.

Choice A is the best answer. The narrator is “embarrassed” about the route he took, which ends up leaving him lost and confused about how to get to his destination for the evening.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. The narrator is embarrassed, rather than fond, and he doesn’t describe the beauty of the place. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. We don’t know from this excerpt whether or not the narrator has visited this part of New York multiple times. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t match the passage. The narrator doesn’t explain how he overcame being lost in this excerpt.

Choice A is the best answer because it uses data from the table to give the range of velocities for the LMC from the 1980 value (344 km/s) to the 2006 value (378 km/s), thereby effectively completing the text. The text indicates that before 2006, all the estimated velocities of the LMC were within the range necessary to maintain orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. It then indicates that, according to Besla and colleagues, the 2006 estimate of 378 km/s is too high to maintain that orbit. This strongly implies that if the 1980 value (344 km/s) is below the orbital threshold, and if Besla and colleagues are correct that the 2006 value (378 km/s) is above that threshold, the maximum orbital velocity for the LMC must be somewhere in the range from above 344 km/s to below 378 km/s.

Choice B is incorrect. The text indicates that the 2006 velocity estimate for the LMC (378 km/s) was the first estimate that exceeded the velocity needed to maintain orbit around the Milky Way. Thus, the 1980 estimate of 344 km/s and the 1994 estimate of 297 km/s must both be below the maximum possible orbital velocity for the LMC. Choice C is incorrect. The text states that Besla and colleagues’ analysis found that the velocity from the 2006 study (378 km/s) was too high for the LMC to maintain orbit around the Milky Way. Therefore, if a velocity of 378 km/s is too high, an even higher velocity will also be too high. Choice D is incorrect. The text indicates that the 2006 velocity estimate for the LMC (378 km/s) was the first to exceed the velocity range required to maintain orbit around the Milky Way. Thus, the 1994 estimate of 297 km/s must be below the maximum possible orbital velocity for the LMC.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents the finding that, if true, would best support Suarez, Pérez-Huerta, and Harrell’s claim about mosasaurs. The text states that Suarez, Pérez-Huerta, and Harrell’s research on mosasaur tooth enamel led them to conclude that mosasaurs were endothermic, which means that they could live in waters at many different temperatures and still maintain a stable body temperature. The researchers claim that endothermy enabled mosasaurs to live in relatively cold waters near the poles. If several mosasaur fossils have been found in areas that were near the poles during the period when mosasaurs were alive and fossils of nonendothermic marine reptiles are rare in such locations, that would support the researchers’ claim: it would show that mosasaurs inhabited polar waters but nonendothermic marine mammals tended not to, suggesting that endothermy may have been the characteristic that enabled mosasaurs to include polar waters in their range.

Choice A is incorrect because finding that it’s easier to determine mosasaur body temperatures from tooth enamel data than it is to determine nonendothermic reptile body temperatures wouldn’t support the researchers’ claim. Whether one research process is more difficult than another indicates nothing about the results of those processes and therefore is irrelevant to the issue of where mosasaurs lived and what enabled them to live in those locations.   Choice B is incorrect because finding roughly equal numbers of mosasaur and nonendothermic marine reptile fossils in areas that were near the poles in the Late Cretaceous would suggest that endothermy didn’t give mosasaurs any particular advantage when it came to expanding their range to include relatively cold polar waters, thereby weakening the researchers’ claim rather than supporting it. Choice D is incorrect because finding that the temperature of seawater in the Late Cretaceous was warmer than seawater today wouldn’t weaken the researchers’ claim. Seawater in the Late Cretaceous could have been warmer than seawater today but still cold enough for endothermy to be advantageous to mosasaurs, so this finding wouldn’t provide enough information to either support or weaken the researchers’ claim.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a question that the text is attempting to answer: why has the pronoun "y’all" become more widely used in the US? The text begins by explaining where and how the plural pronoun "y’all" originated and then goes on to state that its use has been rising in popularity, even in areas outside of its place of origin. The text then attributes this rise in popularity to the fact that many varieties of English do not have a pronoun to address more than one person, and thus "you" must function as both a singular and plural pronoun.

Choice A is incorrect because while the text states that "y’all" is used as a plural of "you" in English, it does not discuss other plural forms of the word. Choice C is incorrect because while the text discusses the general origins of the pronoun "y’all," it does not state when the use of the pronoun was first recorded in the English language. Choice D is incorrect because though the text addresses the use of the pronoun "y’all" within English-speaking communities in the US, it does not address its use outside of that geographic area.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents a quotation about Elizabeth Catlett that supports the student’s claim that this artist had a talent for unifying various traditions and styles in her work. The quotation explains that to create the work, Catlett combined Indigenous sculpture with the visual aesthetic of modern muralists from Mexico as well as that of German artist Kathe Kollwitz. In other words, Catlett was able to unify several artistic traditions and styles within a single sculpture.

Choice B is incorrect because in discussing the technique and subject matter of Catlett’s collage, the quotation makes no reference to particular traditions or styles. Choice C is incorrect because in describing the sculpture, the quotation doesn’t mention any artistic traditions or styles that Catlett may have synthesized to create the work. Choice D is incorrect because in discussing Catlett’s prints of notable African American women, the quotation doesn’t characterize those prints as having fused different traditions or styles.

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of conservation approaches for the Mammillaria cactus M. boolii. The text establishes that M. boolii only grows naturally in the state of Sonora in Mexico, which makes it particularly vulnerable to extinction. The text then contrasts two approaches to conservation: the traditional single-species approach that individually focuses on at-risk species and a newer ecosystem-based approach that considers the interactions between climate, terrain, and various species in a geographical area. According to the text, conservationists have recently argued that this ecosystem-based approach may lead to better outcomes for all species in a location. If this ecosystem view is correct, then the single-species approach to conserving M. boolii would likely fail to consider how the cactus’s survival depends on its interactions with other species in Sonora’s ecosystem.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the distribution of Mammillaria species besides M. boolii throughout Mexico or discuss how that distribution affects survival. The text focuses specifically on M. boolii in Sonora and different approaches to its conservation. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that climatic changes in Sonora would reduce competition for M. boolii or that conservation efforts are focused on understanding this specific dynamic. In fact, the text implies that an ecosystem-based approach would consider climate among many other factors but doesn’t specify how climatic changes might affect competition between species. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the single-species approach would shift the focus of conservation efforts away from M. boolii itself—rather, it suggests that this approach might be too narrowly focused on M. boolii alone without considering the broader ecosystem-related factors that affect its survival.

Choice C is the best answer because it would most directly support the student’s claim about the motivation for including explanatory notes with the stand-alone volume of the poem. The text explains that the poem had previously been published without the notes in a quarterly journal. It stands to reason that readers who had purchased the journal issue containing the poem would be unlikely to purchase an unchanged version of the poem in a stand-alone volume. However, the inclusion of notes in that volume would encourage the purchase of a stand-alone volume, since the later text would differ from the original by including the author’s own explanation of the poem. Therefore, if it were true that the publishers of the stand-alone volume had requested the notes to make the book attractive to readers who already had a copy of the journal issue, this fact would support the student’s claim that the notes were included primarily as a marketing device.

Choice A is incorrect because the student’s claim is about the motivation for including the explanatory notes in the stand-alone volume, not about changes that might have been made to the poem itself for publication in that volume; moreover, the text never suggests that such changes were made. Choice B is incorrect because the student’s claim is about why the explanatory notes were included in the stand-alone volume, not about how the notes affected readers’ and critics’ subsequent experience of the poem. Choice D is incorrect because the fact that the poet drafted multiple versions of the explanatory notes doesn’t directly address the issue of whether the notes were intended as a marketing device, as the student claims; the correspondence would support this claim only if it showed that the poet had revised the notes specifically to make them useful to the marketing of the stand-alone volume.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, Eugene Wigner hypothesized that a crystal could exist that would be composed of electrons and have a honeycomb-like shape. The text goes on to say that the existence of the Wigner crystal remained unconfirmed until Feng Wang and colleagues were able to make an impression of one using two semiconductors and an ultrathin sheet of graphene. Thus, the main idea is that researchers have obtained the most definitive evidence to date of the existence of the Wigner crystal.

Choice B is incorrect because the text focuses on one kind of crystal—the Wigner crystal— and doesn’t discuss crystalline structures in general. And although the text conveys that Wang and colleagues figured out a way to capture an image of a Wigner crystal, it doesn’t address the idea of applying this approach to other types of crystals. Choice C is incorrect because the text describes in general the process Wang and colleagues followed to obtain an impression of the Wigner crystal; it doesn’t address the relative importance of each component in that process. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t state that researchers had a hard time getting an impression of the Wigner crystal because of its honeycomb structure. Nothing in the text indicates why it took so long to prove the existence of this crystal or take an impression of it.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the quotation that most directly illustrates the claim that Cather portrays Alexandra as having a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings. This quotation states that the country meant a great deal to Alexandra and then goes on to detail several ways in which her natural surroundings affect her emotionally: the insects sound like “the sweetest music,” she feels as though “her heart were hiding” in the grass “with the quail and the plover,” and near the ridges she feels “the future stirring.”

Choice B is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t suggest that Alexandra had a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings but instead describes how she interacts with the people around her to learn more about crops, poultry, and experiments with clover hay. Choice C is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t suggest that Alexandra has a deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings but instead describes her nighttime departure in a wagon. The quotation says nothing about Alexandra’s emotional state. Choice D is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t convey Alexandra’s deep emotional connection to her natural surroundings; instead, this quotation describes how well she understands the markets and livestock. 

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Euro-American farmers’ use of Haudenosaunee agricultural techniques. According to the text, some Euro-American farmers were using these techniques in the early nineteenth century despite few of the farmers having seen Haudenosaunee farms. One explanation for these facts might be that the farmers developed techniques on their own that already had been invented centuries earlier by the Haudenosaunee people, but the text explicitly bars, or rules out, this explanation. If Euro-American farmers didn’t learn these techniques from direct observation of Haudenosaunee practices and didn’t invent the techniques independently, then the most logical explanation is that they learned the techniques from other people who were more directly influenced by Haudenosaunee practices than the farmers themselves were. Once they learned about Haudenosaunee agricultural practices, Euro-American farmers could then apply those practices to their own farming.

Choice B is incorrect because the fact that some Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States were using Haudenosaunee techniques suggests that the techniques were likely useful for the crops the farmers raised, not that the crops typically cultivated by the farmers were not well suited to Haudenosaunee farming techniques. If the farmers’ crops were ill suited to the techniques, it’s unlikely that the farmers would have used those techniques. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates only that Haudenosaunee agricultural techniques were used by Euro-American farmers in the northeastern United States, not that these techniques were widely used outside this region. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that some Euro-American farmers were using Haudenosaunee farming techniques early in the nineteenth century. This suggests that some Euro-American farmers were beginning to recognize the benefits of these techniques near the start of the century, not that such farmers only began to recognize the benefits of the techniques much later.

Choice B is the best answer. The text describes a saying in the capital that Malsufrido keeps more secrets than an archbishop. It also says that when he takes off his hat, “the family secrets do not fly out… but remain nicely bottled up,” suggesting that he will not betray his confidences.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t reflect the text. While his hat is large and appears to have been brushed in the wrong direction, Dr. Malsufrido does not seem to be regarded as ill-dressed or disheveled. Choice C is incorrect. This choice is the opposite of what the text says. The secrets of families (his and others’) remain “bottled up” in his head. Choice D is incorrect. This choice isn’t supported by the text. His professional expertise is not discussed in the passage.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents the finding that, if true, would most strongly support Tannen’s hypothesis. According to the text, Tannen’s hypothesis is that multiple perspectives presented in a noncompetitive format is more informative than a debate between opposing viewpoints is. If participants who saw a panel of three commentators with various views about an issue answered more questions about the issue correctly than did participants who saw a debate, that would support Tannen’s hypothesis since it would show that participants who heard multiple varied perspectives were better informed than were participants who heard a debate between opposing viewpoints.

Choice A is incorrect because finding that participants perceived commentators in the debate as more knowledgeable than commentators in the panel is irrelevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that presenting multiple perspectives on an issue is more informative to the audience than presenting opposing views of the issue is. Participants’ perception of how knowledgeable panelists are has no bearing on how much participants learn from the panelists. Choice B is incorrect because finding that participants perceived commentators in the panel as more knowledgeable than a single commentator is irrelevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that presenting multiple perspectives on an issue is more informative to the audience than presenting opposing views of the issue is. Participants’ perception of how knowledgeable panelists are has no bearing on how much participants learn from the panelists, and Tannen’s hypothesis says nothing about how informative single commentators are. Choice D is incorrect because finding that participants who watched a single commentator answered more questions correctly than participants who watched the debate did wouldn’t be relevant to Tannen’s hypothesis, which is that hearing multiple varying perspectives is more informative than hearing a debate. Tannen’s hypothesis says nothing about how informative single commentators are.

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of potential benefits of interruptions in the workplace. The text indicates that a common belief in business is that interruptions to working employees decrease energy and productivity levels. However, the text goes on to explain that a research team led by Harshad Puranik has found that there could be a social benefit to these interruptions.  Since the team found that workplace interruptions can increase employees’ sense of belonging and job satisfaction, it follows that the interpersonal benefits of some interruptions can offset the perceived negative effects. 

Choice B is incorrect. Although the text presents research findings that suggest some workplace interruptions can have a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, no further information is presented to suggest at what frequency these interruptions are ideal. Furthermore, the text doesn’t tie workplace interruptions to increased productivity, but rather links it to social benefits such as sense of belonging. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t address employees’ motives for choosing not to interrupt their colleagues. The text presents research findings that suggest that there are some positive interpersonal effects of workplace interruptions that can increase employee job satisfaction. Choice D is incorrect because asking businesses to discourage workplace interruptions doesn’t follow from the team’s research about the benefits of workplace interruptions, nor does the text describe an ideal work environment. Instead, the text presents research suggesting that there may be positive aspects to workplace interruptions that haven’t previously been considered.

Choice C is the best answer. The fact that Henry VIII commissioned a survey of church holdings just before enacting the Dissolution of the Monasteries suggests that he was interested in the potential profits from claiming their assets. This supports the historians’ assertion.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice describes a potential effect of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The decrease in the proportion of monks in England isn’t relevant to the question of Henry VIII’s motivations. Choice B is incorrect. Details about how the monks were treated during the dissolution don’t address Henry VIII’s motivations for enacting the policy in the first place. That the monks could keep the content of their cells (their rooms) and sell off the timber they’d harvested has no impact on the value of the monasteries’ estates—their land holdings. Choice D is incorrect. This choice mentions one impact that the Dissolution of the Monasteries contributed to, two years after it happened. But it doesn’t help explain why Henry VIII might have wanted to enact the policy in the first place.

Choice B is the best answer. The claim is that low anger does not negatively affect readers’ perceptions of the review, while high anger does negatively affect readers’ perceptions of the review. This choice accurately expresses the supporting data from the “helpfulness of review” part of the graph: that low-anger reviews were rated as slightly more helpful than no-anger reviews, while high-anger reviews were rated as less helpful than no-anger reviews.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice does not support the conclusion. The conclusion is only about how participants feel about the review itself—the participants’ ratings of the reviewed product are not relevant. Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not support the conclusion. The conclusion is only about how participants feel about the review itself—the participants’ attitude towards the reviewed product is not relevant. Choice D is incorrect. This choice does not support the conclusion. The conclusion is only about how participants feel about the review itself—the participants’ attitude towards the reviewed product is not relevant.

Choice D is the best answer. The text metaphorically likens humans to animals in a zoo, suggesting that humans have dreams that they cannot fulfill because they are trapped.

Choice A is incorrect. The speaker says that the lion has an “untamed heart,” but the speaker doesn’t actually mention anything about humans taming wild animals or a lack of compassion. Choice B is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t suggest that humans lack motivation. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams. Choice C is incorrect. The speaker doesn’t mention anything about humans becoming frustrated or lacking self-control. Rather, the speaker thinks that humans are “trapped” and prevented from achieving their dreams.

Choice A is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to support the researchers’ conclusion about the harvesting of clamshells by Neanderthals for use as tools. The text explains that Neanderthals used clamshells to make tools and that the sturdiest, and therefore the most desirable, shells for this purpose are found on the seafloor, not on the beach. However, the researchers also concluded that the clamshell tools made from shells from the seafloor are rarer than those made from shells from the beach. Meanwhile the table shows that at each depth, the number of tools made from shells from the beach exceeds the number made from the more desirable shells from the seafloor. The fact that the more desirable shells are less common suggests that it was significantly more difficult to harvest shells from the seafloor than from the beach.

Choice B is incorrect because knowing which depth represents the period of time with the highest Neanderthal population does not help answer the question of why the Neanderthals consistently made more tools from the less desirable shells from the beach than they made from the more desirable shells from the seafloor. Choice C is incorrect because it claims that the beach shells are more durable than the seafloor shells, which contradicts the text’s description of shells from the seafloor as smoother and sturdier than shells from the beach. Choice D is incorrect because knowing which depth has the most artifacts or whether the clam population fluctuated does not help explain why tools made from the less desirable shells from the beach outnumber tools made from the more desirable shells from the seafloor.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the quotation that most directly illustrates the claim that Whitman’s poem suggests that its readers haven’t fully understood themselves. This quotation makes that point directly by saying to readers, “You have not known what you are.” The quotation goes on to reinforce this point using a metaphor of sleep, saying that readers have “slumber’d” and that their “eyelids have been the same as closed most of the time.” 

Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves but instead characterizes readers as “immense” and “interminable.” Although immense and interminable things can be difficult to understand, this quotation doesn’t make that point. Choice C is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves but instead conveys the speaker’s regret over not having celebrated readers sooner. In fact, this quotation says nothing at all about readers themselves—it’s focused solely on the speaker’s feelings about readers. Choice D is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves; instead, this quotation makes the point that the speaker has understood readers and is determined to create “hymns” about them.

Choice C is the best answer. If REM sleep were homeostatically regulated in fur seals, then all the seals would compensate with REM levels significantly over baseline after going weeks without REM. We’d also expect the seals to maintain those elevated REM levels for some time. Since seals B and C return very quickly to baseline REM levels, this suggests that REM sleep in fur seals may not be regulated homeostatically.

Choice A is incorrect. This doesn’t support the conclusion. If REM sleep were homeostatically regulated in fur seals, then we’d suspect the seals to sustain REM levels well above baseline for a prolonged period in order to compensate for weeks of REM deprivation while in the water. Whether or not there’s a reduction in REM sleep from day 1 to day 2 doesn’t tell us how REM sleep on those days relates to baseline, which is where our focus should be. Choice B is incorrect. The y-axis of this graph doesn’t depict baseline levels of REM sleep, but rather shows REM sleep as a percent of baseline. Choice D is incorrect. The graph doesn’t depict REM sleep while in the water for the seals in the study. Additionally, we’re told fur seals get no REM sleep while in the water, which is significantly different to the values shown in the graph for after they return to land.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a statement about the two previously unknown penguin species that is supported by the text. According to the text, Alan Tennyson and colleagues studied fossil bones belonging to two previously unknown penguin species that are described as prehistoric, or ancient. The text goes on to say that one of the two species was considerably larger than the emperor penguin, which is currently the largest penguin in existence. Thus, the text indicates that the other species aren’t in existence today, or that the two previously unknown penguin species are no longer living species.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text states that Alan Tennyson is a paleontologist who studied the fossils of two previously unknown penguin species, it doesn’t say whether these penguins are frequently studied by paleontologists. Choice C is incorrect because the text says that one of the two previously unknown penguin species was three times larger than the emperor penguin (a penguin alive today), not that they were both smaller than penguin species that exist today. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss whether the two previously unknown penguin species spent any time in water.

Choice D is the best answer. The researchers concluded that as we approach maximum plausible surface temperatures, there will be a larger percentage of sites where thermal pollution could contribute to meeting home heating needs. By showing that only a small percentage of homes can currently use thermal pollution for home heating, and that this percentage would grow much larger at maximum plausible surface temperatures, this choice supports the researchers’ conclusion.

Choice A is incorrect. We do not know how many sites could have all (i.e., 100%) of their local heating needs met by thermal pollution, as the graph only classifies sites by whether "0%," "Up to 25%," and "More than 25%" of heating needs could be met. Choice B is incorrect. The graph is not depicting need for supplemental heating from thermal pollution, but rather potential to use thermal pollution for supplemental heating. Choice C is incorrect. The graph indicates that, at current surface temperatures, less than 10% of sites can meet 25% of local home heating needs and that more than 80% of sites cannot meet any local home heating needs.

Choice D is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion that there is a growing interest among CEOs in connecting with more departments in their companies. The graph shows the average number of individuals reporting directly to CEOs during three different time periods: the individuals are divided into managers and department leaders. The average number of department leaders directly reporting to their CEO during the 1991–1995 period was slightly more than three, during the 1996–2001 period it was four, and during the 2001–2008 period it was almost seven. Thus, the average number of department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose over the three periods studied, which suggests that CEOs were connecting with more departments.

Choice A is incorrect because the average number of managers and department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose for both categories between the 1991–1995 and 2001–2008 periods; thus, it isn’t true that the average numbers didn’t fluctuate. Choice B is incorrect because the average number of managers reporting directly to their CEO was highest in the 2001–2008 period, not in the 1996–2001 period. Choice C is incorrect. Although it correctly describes a feature of the graph, the observation that more department leaders than managers are reporting to CEOs does not by itself address the question of whether CEOs are connecting with more departments over time—to address that question, one needs to know whether the number of department leaders reporting to CEOs is increasing over time.

Choice B is the best answer. Armijo believes that using more heliostats will speed up the roasting process, and this finding shows that with 50 heliostats—more than the number of heliostats already used—the roasting time is indeed reduced.

Choice A is incorrect. The evenness of temperature in the roasting drum doesn’t tell us about the speed of the roasting process, which is what Armijo’s hypothesis is concerned with. Choice C is incorrect. Armijo’s hypothesis is focused on the speed of the roasting process, not the flavor of the resulting roasted chiles. Choice D is incorrect. Though Armijo’s hypothesis mentions a benefit of solar-roasting green chiles (easier peeling), it doesn’t address the speed of the roasting process.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly illustrate the researchers’ finding about waterbird responses to shoreline hardening structures. The text explains that using the IWCI, an index on which higher scores indicate higher community integrity, researchers found that bulkheads are more strongly negatively correlated with waterbird community integrity than riprap is—that is, that bulkheads reduce the integrity of waterbird communities more than riprap does. The finding that waterbird communities at a site with a relatively high percentage of bulkheads along the shoreline (Old Road) had lower average IWCI scores than waterbird communities at a site with a relatively high percentage of riprap along the shoreline (Miles) did would illustrate the researchers’ finding, since it would be an example of lower waterbird community integrity in a location with substantial bulkhead presence than in a location with substantial riprap presence.

Choice A is incorrect because a finding of similar waterbird community integrity in two sites predominated by bulkheads wouldn’t reveal anything about waterbird community integrity at sites predominated by riprap or how waterbird community integrity compares between the two types of sites. Thus, the finding wouldn’t illustrate the discovery of a difference in how bulkheads and riprap correlate with waterbird community integrity. Choice C is incorrect because it presents a finding that compares waterbird community integrity at sites with different overall amounts of shoreline hardening but without distinguishing between bulkheads and riprap. Such a distinction would be necessary to illustrate the researchers’ finding of a difference in how bulkheads and riprap each correlate with waterbird community integrity. Choice D is incorrect because it presents a finding that addresses a difference in waterbird community integrity between one site with equal percentages of bulkheads and riprap along its shoreline (Curtis) and one site with unequal percentages of bulkheads and riprap (Miles) but without indicating whether bulkheads or riprap were more prevalent at Miles. This finding wouldn’t provide any clear information about how bulkheads and riprap each correlate with waterbird community integrity, so it wouldn’t illustrate the researchers’ finding of a difference between those correlations.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes Biliroglu and colleagues’ claim about how the polarons function in relation to superfluorescence. The text indicates that “until recently,” superfluorescence (intense, synchronized bursts of light emitted by dipoles) has solely been observed at very cold temperatures. However, it also states that, recently, Biliroglu and colleagues report observing the phenomenon at room temperature. They achieved this using “thin films made of perovskite and other similarly crystalline materials,” which the researchers claim allows for the formation of polarons. They also suggest that these polarons might absorb the thermal shocks that typically disrupt dipole synchronization at warmer temperatures. Thus, based on the text, Biliroglu and colleagues believe that polarons help dipoles synchronize at temperatures well above those at which superfluorescence had previously been observed.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the prospect of a superfluorescent burst moving between crystalline materials or any other mediums. Choice C is incorrect because the text’s discussion of polarons is about how they might enable superfluorescence at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed. Rather than suggesting that polarons speed up superfluorescent bursts, the text suggests that no superfluorescence can occur at room temperature in the absence of polarons. Thus, the text indicates that polarons make superfluorescent bursts more likely to occur at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed, not that polarons accelerate the bursts. Choice D is incorrect because the text’s discussion of polarons is about how they might enable superfluorescence at higher temperatures than those at which it had previously been observed. In the absence of polarons, the text suggests there would be no superfluorescence at room temperature. Thus, rather than decrease the intensity of superfluorescent bursts, polarons make them more likely to occur under certain circumstances.  

Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively uses a quotation from O Pioneers! to illustrate the claim that Alexandra Bergson takes comfort in understanding the world around her. In the quotation, Alexandra is described as enjoying looking at the stars and feeling a “sense of personal security” when she contemplates nature’s order and its governing laws. This suggests that Alexandra takes comfort in understanding the world around her. 

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation expresses how Alexandra Bergson attempts to meet difficult situations with determination, not how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her. Choice B is incorrect because the quotation expresses “how much the country meant to” Alexandra Bergson, not how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her. In detailing some of the wildlife surrounding Alexandra, the quotation conveys that nature is important to her but not necessarily that it gives her comfort. Choice C is incorrect because the quotation describes Alexandra driving her wagon down a highway at night; it doesn’t describe how she takes comfort in understanding the world around her or address how she’s feeling as she drives off. 

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement about video game availability. The text states that just a few games released in the past are available today and then indicates that there is a period of years from which only 14.22 percent of the games released are available. The table shows that 14.22 percent of games are still available from the years 1995–1999.

Choice A is incorrect because the years 2000–2004 are not represented in the table. Choice C is incorrect because the years 1970–1974 are not represented in the table. Choice D is incorrect because the years 1985–1989 correspond to a percentage of games still available of 15.38 percent, not 14.22 percent.

Choice A is the best answer. The claim is that when winds are stronger than forecasted, wind turbines can generate more energy than predicted. The supporting graph shows the additional amount (above the predicted amount) that the turbines generated under those conditions, with the West generating about 150 thousand additional MWh.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t complete the example. The graph shows the additional amount of electricity that the wind turbines generated. The West bar is greater than 0, so the West generated more than the predicted amount. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t complete the example. The graph shows the additional amount of electricity that the wind turbines generated. The West bar is greater than 0, so the West generated more than the predicted amount. Choice D is incorrect. This choice misreads the graph. The graph shows us that the West (the bar on the left) generated about 150 thousand additional MWh.

Choice D is the best answer because it effectively uses data from the table to complete the student’s claim about the highest percentage of bus stops with shaded shelter in the areas represented. The table shows the highest average surface temperature of five areas and the percentage of bus stops with shaded shelter in each area, and 29% is the highest percentage listed.

Choice A is incorrect because the list of percentages of bus stops with shaded shelter does not include 50%; the highest percentage in the table is 29%. Choice B is incorrect because 15% is the lowest value in the listed percentages of bus stops with shaded shelter, not the highest value. Choice C is incorrect because the list of percentages of bus stops with shaded shelter does not include 90%; the highest percentage in the table is 29%.

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sweet potato in Polynesia. The text indicates that the sweet potato is found in Polynesia but originated in South America, and that the sweet potato was being cultivated by Native Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples in Polynesia long before sea voyages between South America and Polynesia began. The text goes on to note that research by Muñoz-Rodríguez and colleagues has established that the Polynesian varieties of sweet potato split from South American varieties more than 100,000 years ago, which is thousands of years before humans settled in Polynesia. If Polynesian peoples were cultivating the sweet potato before sea voyages between Polynesia and South America began, and if Polynesian varieties of sweet potato diverged from South American varieties well before people were in Polynesia, it can reasonably be concluded that humans didn’t play a role in bringing the sweet potato to Polynesia. 

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t provide any information about when the sweet potato began to be cultivated in South America, so there’s no support for the conclusion that cultivation began in Polynesia before it began in South America. Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that the sweet potato was being cultivated in Polynesia long before sea journeys between Polynesia and South America began. Therefore, it wouldn’t be reasonable to conclude that Polynesian peoples acquired the sweet potato from South American peoples. Additionally, the text indicates that the Polynesian varieties of sweet potato diverged from the South American varieties thousands of years before people settled in Polynesia, which suggests that the sweet potato was already present in Polynesia when people arrived. Choice D is incorrect because the text states that the domestic sweet potato, which is found in Polynesia, descends from a wild South American plant, not from a domesticated South American plant. The only people that the text describes as cultivating the sweet potato are Native Hawaiians and other Indigenous peoples of Polynesia. 

Choice A is the best answer. The passage tells us that “tanks with duckweed (a floating plant) and algae released higher levels of methane than tanks with watermilfoil (an underwater plant) did.” This suggests that the presence of some kinds of underwater plants like watermilfoil may help prevent methane from escaping shallow lakes and ponds.

Choice B is incorrect. The passage doesn’t mention deeper bodies of water at all, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage doesn’t compare the likelihood of shallow lakes and ponds containing algae, watermilfoil, or duckweed. Choice D is incorrect. The study didn’t include any tanks with a mix of plants, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most strongly support the claim in the underlined sentence. The text begins by explaining that the portrayal of Mexican American culture in Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street inspired later authors to explore their own heritage. Noting that Cisneros’s novella was also influential for its depiction of a formative year in a female character’s youth, the text then claims that this depiction inspired other Latina authors to use fiction to explore their own experiences of youth. Since this claim addresses how Cisneros encouraged Latina authors specifically to portray their youthful experiences, it would be directly supported by such authors stating that her novella influenced them to write about their own adolescence, or the transitional period between childhood and adulthood.

Choice B is incorrect. The text states that with its portrayal of Mexican American culture, The House on Mango Street inspired later authors to explore their own heritage, and since this statement isn’t limited to only Latina authors, it can be inferred that authors who aren’t Latina were also likely influenced by the novella. But because the claim in the underlined sentence concerns the novella’s influence on Latina authors specifically, the finding that the book also influenced authors who weren’t Latina would fail to provide support for the claim. Choice C is incorrect because the finding that The House on Mango Street has sold millions of copies and is widely read among students in the US doesn’t relate directly to the text’s claim that the novella has influenced Latina authors specifically. Choice D is incorrect. While comparisons of new novels about young Latina characters by Latina authors to Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street would likely be founded on similarities between those novels and Cisneros’s novella, such similarities wouldn’t necessarily be evidence of the novella’s influence; such similarities might arise if Cisneros and younger Latina authors alike depicted certain basic cultural and historical features of their communities. Testimony from younger Latina authors about how The House on Mango Street had inspired them would be far more persuasive evidence of the novella’s influence. 

Choice B is the best answer. The text states that archaeologists are interested in using scents to better understand "ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine," all of which are important aspects of ancient life.

Choice A is incorrect. The text doesn’t say anything about investigating if people’s sense of smell has declined in recent centuries. It says that scents fade over time—not that people have gotten worse at smelling scents. Choice C is incorrect. The text says that archaeologists are interested in using scents to better understand "ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine," but it doesn’t say anything about ancient scents being enjoyable to people today. Choice D is incorrect. The text doesn’t say anything about developing new medicines. Rather, it says that archaeologists are interested in using scents to better understand "ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine."

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Zelda Fitzgerald’s contributions to literature. The text begins by saying that many scholars view Zelda mainly in terms of her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald and “don’t recognize Zelda as a writer in her own right.” The text then mentions a novel and “numerous short stories” that she wrote and that such scholars tend to ignore. Therefore, those scholars who focus on Zelda only as an inspiration for F. Scott’s writings risk misrepresenting the full range of Zelda’s contributions to literature.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text does mention that Zelda Fitzgerald “likely influenced” her husband’s literary work, its focus is on Zelda’s own writing, not on her husband’s writing or factors that might have influenced it. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not discuss F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s opinions of each other’s works. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text does suggest that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works were “likely influenced in part” by his marriage to Zelda, it does not discuss autobiographical interpretations of the works of either F. Scott or Zelda.

Choice A is the best answer. While many networks can perform navigation tasks, or even mimic grid cells, it doesn’t mean they’re actually behaving like biological brains—this finding suggests that the rules that govern neural network behavior are completely unlike the way real brains work.

Choice B is incorrect. Although it mentions the rules that are programmed into the networks, this finding wouldn’t clarify whether or not these rules have anything to do with the function of biological brains. Choice C is incorrect. This choice suggests that neural networks are modeled after multiple types of brain cells, which sidesteps the question of whether these rule-based networks are genuinely similar to biological brains. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t address the key point of the claim, which is that the apparent similarity between neural networks and biological brains is only due to the rules programmed into the networks. It focuses on training tasks, not the originally programmed rules.

Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the text’s discussion of the percentages of maize exported in the marketing year 2012/2013. The graph presents percentages of maize exported by Argentina, Brazil, and the United States in marketing years 2009/2010 to 2013/2014 and indicates that for the marketing year 2012/2013, the percentage of maize exported by Argentina decreased to about 70 percent from about 80 percent in the previous marketing year. The graph also shows that the percentage of maize exported by Argentina remained highest among the three countries in the marketing year 2012/2013, surpassing the percentage exported by Brazil (about 31 percent) and by the United States (about 8 percent).

Choice A is incorrect because for the marketing year 2012/2013, the graph indicates that the percentage of maize exported by Brazil didn’t increase from the previous year; rather, it decreased from about 34 percent to about 31 percent. Moreover, the graph shows that the percentage of maize exported by Brazil remained higher, not lower, than the percentage exported by the United States in the marketing year 2012/2013. Choice B is incorrect because the graph indicates that the percentage of maize exported by Brazil never exceeded the percentage exported by Argentina for any of the marketing years represented. Choice D is incorrect because the graph indicates that the percentage of maize exported by the United States reached its lowest point, not its highest, during the five marketing years in 2012/2013, with the United States exporting only about 8 percent of its maize in that marketing year.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents a statement about how historians view Siemomysł and Mieszko II Lambert that is supported by the text. The text states that the Piast dynasty had a number of different members. The text refers to two of the rulers in the Piast dynasty by name: Mieszko II Lambert, whose rule was known to have occurred from 1025 to 1031 CE, and Siemomysł ("whose historical actuality is disputed"), for whom less is known and who therefore is the subject of debate among historians. The text further casts doubt about Siemomysł by stating that he is "said to have ruled" during the 10th century, or the 900s, which suggests the possibility that he didn’t rule. The text also mentions that the chronicle’s documentation of Siemomysł relies on oral tradition, unlike its records of later rulers, including Mieszko II Lambert. This indicates that historians agree that Mieszko II Lambert was an actual historical figure, but they disagree about whether Siemomysł existed.

Choice B is incorrect because the text states that the Gesta principum Polonorum’s documentation of Siemomysł comes from oral tradition—spoken rather than written documentation—unlike its records of rulers who came after Siemomysł. This suggests that the chronicle provides less reliable evidence rather than more evidence for Siemomysł’s existence in the 900s (or the 10th century) than it does for later rulers like Mieszko II Lambert, who ruled from 1025 to 1031 CE. Choice C is incorrect because the text indicates the opposite: Siemomysł supposedly ruled earlier in the 10th century, while Mieszko II Lambert ruled from 1025 to 1031 CE. The 10th century spans the years from 901 to 1000 CE, so Siemomysł is believed to have ruled earlier than Mieszko II Lambert did, not later as this choice states. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text mentions that information in the written chronicle Gesta principum Polonorum draws its information about Siemomysł from the oral tradition, it doesn’t mention orally transmitted stories about Mieszko II Lambert. Instead, it states that the chronicle’s documentation of Siemomysł relies on oral tradition unlike the records of later rulers do, which suggests that the documentation of later rulers such as Mieszko II Lambert did not rely on oral tradition. Thus, no comparison can be made about how convincing the orally transmitted stories of each ruler are to historians.

Choice B is the best answer. The claim is that some concentrations of H₂S led to increased germination rates, and this choice accurately shows that seeds treated with 10 micromoles per liter of H₂S tended to germinate faster than untreated seeds.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t justify the claim. The claim compares the germination rates of seeds exposed to certain concentrations of H₂S to untreated seeds, but this choice only discusses one concentration of H₂S, so it can’t support any comparison between treated and untreated groups. Choice C is incorrect. This choice misreads the graph. At 168 hours, only about 85% of seeds treated with H₂S at 500 micromoles per liter and well over 70% of untreated seeds had germinated (about 80%). Choice D is incorrect. This choice misreads the graph. At 48 hours, about 70% of seeds treated with H₂S at 10 micromoles per liter and about 50% of untreated seeds had germinated.

Choice D is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support Gardner and colleagues’ conclusion that segments of the Missouri River flowing into lakes tend to carry more sediment than do segments of the river flowing out of lakes. The text says that rivers appear yellow when they contain a lot of sediment and appear red when they contain a lot of algae. It goes on to explain that Gardner and colleagues measured the wavelengths of light for different segments of rivers in the United States and classified those wavelength measurements into colors: red for wavelengths of 495 nanometers and below, blue for wavelengths between 495 and 560 nanometers, and yellow for wavelengths of 560 nanometers and above. Combined with the earlier information about river colors, this suggests that rivers rich in sediment will have wavelengths of 560 nanometers and above (since such rivers appear yellow). If researchers found that Missouri River segments flowing into lakes tend to have wavelengths above 560 nanometers and segments flowing out of lakes tend to have wavelengths below 560 nanometers, this finding would support Gardner and colleagues’ conclusion, since it would suggest that the river tends to carry more sediment when it flows into lakes than when it flows out of lakes. 

Choice A is incorrect because finding that sections of the Missouri River with high chlorophyll-a levels have wavelengths between 490 and 560 nanometers would be irrelevant to the researchers’ conclusion that segments of the river flowing into lakes are richer in sediment than are segments of the river flowing out of lakes. This finding would not indicate anything about segments flowing into or out of lakes. Choice B is incorrect because finding that lakes through which the Missouri River passes have higher wavelengths near their shores than in the center would not support the researchers’ conclusion that segments of the river flowing into lakes have more sediment than segments flowing out of lakes. This finding would suggest only that there is more sediment around the edges of lakes than in their centers, which does not have any direct bearing on the researchers’ conclusion about river segments flowing into and out of lakes. Choice C is incorrect because finding that most segments of the Missouri River have wavelengths significantly higher than 560 nanometers would suggest that most segments of the river are high in sediment, not that segments flowing into lakes are higher in sediment than segments flowing out of lakes. Only a comparison of river segments flowing into lakes with segments flowing out of lakes can support the researchers’ conclusion. 

Choice A is the best answer. In one example, musicians made less money than expected by using the “pay as you wish” model. In the other example, a musician made more money than expected. This suggests that some musicians may have more success than others using the “pay as you wish” model.

Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. In the examples provided, the individual musician was more successful with the “pay as you wish” model than the band was. Choice C is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The passage provides no instances in which musicians changed the suggested prices of their songs or albums, nor does it mention this as a possibility. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses the differences in popularity of different musicians, so there is no basis to make this inference.

Choice D is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that the speaker in the poem "We Are Marching" predicts future success. To say that someone will "never know" an experience—like defeat, or being unsuccessful—is to indicate that they will never personally have that experience. Thus, when the speaker says that the marching group "shall never know defeat," the speaker is predicting that the group will experience only success in the future.

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation presents a question about an activity already taking place (marching), not a statement about future success. The speaker is asking if the sound of marching feet is being heard. Choice B is incorrect because the quotation directs an immediate action instead of making a prediction about the future. The speaker is telling people to "get in line," or to join the march that’s already happening. Choice C is incorrect because the quotation describes a past action instead of making a prediction about the future. The speaker is stating that those in the march have "answered duty’s call"—that is, that they have acted out of a sense of duty.

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the morphology (form and structure) of sea stars, a type of echinoderm. The text indicates that echinoderms have radially symmetrical body plans (symmetrical around a central point, usually in the form of a star), whereas most animals have bilaterally symmetrical body plans (symmetrical along an axis running from head to tail through a trunk). According to the text, sea stars are unusual echinoderms because, despite their radial body plan, they descended from known bilateral ancestors. This shift in body plan was thought to be a process of losing the genetic markers associated with the head region. The text explains that by comparing the genes of one sea star species (P. miniata) to those of a close relative, the acorn worm, researchers determined that instead, anterior (head) genes are active across the sea star’s entire body, posterior (tail) genes are active in limited, peripheral locations of the body, and no trunk-related genes are active. This finding strongly suggests that, rather than becoming "headless" as they evolved from a bilateral ancestor, sea stars developed a body plan consisting almost entirely of a head region with a minimal tail region and no trunk region present.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t identify how any particular region of sea stars’ bodies influences the layout of sea stars’ radial symmetry. Moreover, the text indicates that the radial symmetry of echinoderms is "usually starlike," not that a starlike layout distinguishes sea stars from other echinoderms. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the idea that sea stars evolved from an ancestor with bilateral symmetry is incorrect (describing the bilateral origin as "known") and doesn’t address any body plans other than those with radial or bilateral symmetry. The text strongly suggests that rather than revealing something about sea stars’ origin, Formery et al.’s findings contradict the assumption that the current body plan of sea stars is "headless." Choice C is incorrect because the text suggests that Formery et al. were able to make determinations about P. miniata sea stars’ body plan based on the comparability of genetic markers between P. miniata and S. kowalevskii acorn worms. The text indicates only that little or no activity was observed in certain types of genes associated with body development in P. miniata, not that those genes turned out to largely differ from body-development genes in S. kowalevskii.

Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the evolution of bipedalism in humans. According to the text, one potential explanation for humans walking upright on two legs is that the behavior evolved from an ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, as modern chimpanzees and gorillas do. However, the finding that orangutans, also a relative of humans, sometimes stand on two legs in trees while using their arms to balance and reach for fruits suggests another possible explanation: perhaps a tree-dwelling ancestor of humans began moving on two legs because it offered an advantage, such as access to certain foods.

Choice B is incorrect because the finding that modern orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into when either bipedalism or tree-climbing behavior emerged in human ancestors. Additionally, the text indicates that one theory is that bipedalism evolved from a mostly ground-based ancestor that was already practicing knuckle-walking, not that bipedalism and knuckle-walking developed at the same time. Choice C is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t offer any insight into how difficult it would’ve been to move between the ground and the trees without bipedalism; there’s no suggestion that climbing or moving in trees depends on the ability to walk on two legs rather than four, even if that ability might be helpful in certain circumstances. Choice D is incorrect because the finding that orangutans (a relative of humans) sometimes stand on two legs in trees doesn’t suggest that a knuckle-walking human ancestor could’ve easily moved on two legs in trees. Although the text indicates that bipedalism may have evolved from a human ancestor that mostly stayed on the ground and walked on four limbs, it gives no indication of how easy it would’ve been for such an ancestor to move bipedally in trees. 

Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that because of the copyright, adapting Sherlock Holmes stories used to be expensive and difficult. This suggests that after the copyright ends, it will be less expensive and less difficult to adapt these stories.

Choice A is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that the copyright ending will make Sherlock Holmes stories harder to find. Instead, it suggests that adaptations of these stories will be easier and less expensive to make. Choice B is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never discusses people’s interest in detective stories, so there is no basis to make this inference. Choice D is incorrect. This inference isn’t supported. The text never suggests that copyright fees from the past are returned after a copyright ends, so there is no basis to make this inference.

Choice B is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would most directly support the idea advanced by Homero Gil de Zúñiga and Trevor Diehl that NFM ("news finds me") attitude may reduce voting probability through an indirect effect. The text describes NFM as an attitude that has lowered people’s interest in actively acquiring news and introduces Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s study on the effects of NFM on people in the United States’ political knowledge and interest. The text goes on to say that despite the fact that the study didn’t occur near a major election, Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl still conclude that NFM may reduce voting probability. If the likelihood, or probability, that a person will vote is linked to that person’s level of political knowledge and interest, that would suggest that negatively affecting a person’s level of political knowledge and interest would also negatively affect how likely that person is to vote. Thus, if NFM attitude has a negative effect on political knowledge and interest, then it would also likely reduce voting probability.

Choice A is incorrect because the finding that NFM attitude increases as major elections approach wouldn’t address the effect of NFM on the likelihood of voting, which is the idea advanced by Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl. Moreover, although the text mentions that there were no major elections that occurred near the time of the study, it doesn’t discern between major and minor elections when discussing voting probability. Choice C is incorrect because finding that NFM attitude shows little correlation with either political knowledge or political interest would undermine, not support, Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s idea that NFM may reduce voting probability because it suggests that NFM has no effect on political knowledge or political interest. Choice D is incorrect. Although Gil de Zúñiga and Diehl’s idea would be supported by the finding that the likelihood of voting increases as political knowledge increases, nothing in the text suggests that the researchers’ idea hinges on the size of people’s social networks.

Choice C is the best answer because it presents a quotation that illustrates the claim that Mrs. Spring Fragrance demonstrates concern for what’s happening at home while she’s in California. By giving reminders to “care for the cat, the birds, and the flowers,” “not eat too quickly,” and avoid engaging in strenuous activity in the heat, Mrs. Spring Fragrance shows that she’s thinking about what’s happening at home and wants to ensure everything is taken care of.

Choice A is incorrect because the quotation, while it does suggest that Mrs. Spring Fragrance has made fudge at home before, is focused on preparations for an upcoming festival, not on concerns for anything happening at home while Mrs. Spring Fragrance is away. Choice B is incorrect because the quotation has to do with an upcoming event during Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s trip—visiting San José and meeting someone new—rather than her concern for what’s happening at home. Choice D is incorrect because the quotation is focused on how Mrs. Spring Fragrance feels about her trip and the friends she’s seeing, not on her concern for what’s happening at home.

Choice A is the best answer. This choice provides evidence that directly links the presence of R. solanacearum-inhibiting microbes in the soil to the health of tomato plants.

Choice B is incorrect. This choice would weaken the team’s conclusion. It suggests that the presence of the disease-causing bacteria had no effect on the health of the tomato plants. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the team’s conclusion. The conclusion is about microbes, not soil moisture. Choice D is incorrect. This choice would weaken the team’s conclusion. It suggests that the presence of the bacteria-inhibiting microbe in soil had no effect on the health of the tomato plants.

Choice C is the best answer because it describes something that is true of Mother, as presented in the text. The text indicates that in addition to other activities, Mother writes stories for her children while they are at school and makes up “funny pieces of poetry” for certain occasions. 

Choice A is incorrect because the text suggests that Mother prefers to spend her time with her children and doesn’t sit at home hoping that ladies will visit her. Choice B is incorrect because the text says only that Mother makes up poetry for the children’s birthdays, not that she likes birthdays more than other special occasions. Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Mother prefers reading to her children over the other activities she does with them, such as playing with them and writing stories and poems for them. 

Choice B is the best answer. Campfires typically reach over 400°C, so human artifacts that were exposed to temperatures higher than this may indicate some human control over fire.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice misreads the graph. Neither artifact K3_9 nor K5_106 was exposed to temperatures above even 200°C. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the claim. Campfires typically reach over 400°C, so exposure to temperatures of 100°C wouldn’t demonstrate exposure to fire. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the claim. Both artifacts K3_9 and K5_106 were exposed to temperatures of less than 200°C. Since campfires typically reach over 400°C, this wouldn’t demonstrate exposure to fire.

Choice B is the best answer. This choice provides direct support for the researchers’ conclusion. If the basin once held an ocean of liquid water for "an extended time," that supports the "wet and warm scenario" on Mars, which involved a "prolonged" period of temperate conditions (and not just a "brief period of melting").

Choice A is incorrect. This choice doesn’t provide support for the researchers’ conclusions. The dimensions of the basin have little bearing on whether or not it was filled with liquid water, and for how long, and that’s the evidence that would support the "wet and warm" theory. Similarly, whether or not the basin was formed by an asteroid or a comet is irrelevant to the question of whether or not there was water in the basin for a long period. Choice C is incorrect. This choice does not provide support for the researchers’ conclusions, but rather the opposite. A "massive but short lived influx" of liquid water is not the same as a "prolonged phase of warm, wet conditions." It more reflects the opposing theory, a "brief period of melting." Choice D is incorrect. This choice does not support Cardenas and Lamb’s conclusion. Both theories about liquid water on Mars ("wet and warm" and "brief period of melting") involve flowing water, but lava isn’t mentioned at all in the text. Therefore, this choice doesn’t provide exclusive support for either theory.

Choice D is the best answer because. This quotation specifically describes a "sense of detachment from ordinary day," which matches the claim’s focus on "escape from everyday life."

Choice A is incorrect. While this quotation describes new opportunities associated with Whiting’s experience, it doesn’t frame these opportunities as "an escape," and it doesn’t directly compare Whiting’s journey with "everyday life." Choice B is incorrect. While this quotation includes a positive characterization of Whiting’s journey, it doesn’t specifically address the idea of an "escape from everyday life," which is the focus of the claim. Choice C is incorrect. This quotation focuses on where the journey begins, not on how it feels like an "escape from everyday life."

Choice C is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the claim about the tracks left by two therapods. The table indicates that the set of tracks labeled La Torre 6A has an estimated footprint length of 32.8 centimeters, an average stride length of 5.23 meters, and an estimated mean speed of 6.5–10.3 meters per second. For the set of tracks labeled La Torre 6B, on the other hand, the estimated footprint length is 28.9 centimeters, the average stride length is 5.57 meters, and the estimated mean speed is 8.8–12.4 meters per second. Therefore, the therapod that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a shorter footprint and a longer average stride than the one that left the La Torre 6A tracks.

Choice A is incorrect. While it is true that of the two therapods, the one that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a longer average stride, it didn’t have a longer footprint: the table shows that its estimated footprint length is 28.9 centimeters, while La Torre 6A’s estimated footprint length is 32.8 centimeters. Choice B is incorrect because the table shows that of the two therapods, the one that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a footprint length estimated at 28.9 centimeters, which is shorter than the 32.8 centimeters estimated for the other set of tracks. Moreover, the therapod that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a longer average stride, not shorter: 5.57 meters, compared with 5.23 meters for the other set of tracks. Choice D is incorrect. While it is true that of the two therapods, the one that left the La Torre 6B tracks had a shorter footprint, it didn’t have a shorter average stride: the table shows that its average stride length is 5.57 meters, while La Torre 6A’s average stride length is 5.23 meters.

Choice A is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the statement about Mahtta et al.’s proposal regarding factors that affect urban land expansion (ULE). According to the text, ULE is influenced by urban population growth and by gross domestic product (GDP) growth per capita. Reasoning that efficient national governments provide urban services and infrastructure needed to attract economic investment, Mahtta et al. suggest that, as governments become more efficient at providing urban services and infrastructure, GDP growth per capita will account for more ULE and urban population growth will account for less. But according to the graph, Region 1 saw an increase in the percentage attributed to urban population growth from 1970–2000 (between 60 and 65%) to 2000–2014 (between 70 and 75%) and a decrease in the percentage attributed to GDP growth per capita from 1970–2000 (between 35 and 40%) to 2000–2014 (about 25%). Because the percentage attributed to GDP growth per capita decreased (the opposite of what Mahtta et al. claimed would happen if the governments had become more efficient), the data suggest that the governments of Region 1 became less efficient at providing urban services and infrastructure over that period.

Choice B is incorrect. Neither the graph nor the text gives the regions’ relative levels of economic growth or what effect Mahtta et al. would expect such growth to have. Furthermore, Mahtta et al.’s proposal suggests that Region 1’s decline in the percentage of ULE attributed to GDP growth per capita from 1970–2000 (between 35 and 40%) to 2000–2014 (about 25%) would suggest decreasing, not increasing, government efficiency over this time. Choice C is incorrect. Neither the text nor the graph provides information about the relative efficiencies of different governments in Region 2. Choice D is incorrect. Mahtta et al.’s proposal suggests that more efficient governments will have a higher percentage of their ULE driven by GDP growth per capita and a lower percentage driven by urban population growth. For Region 2, the percentage of ULE attributed to GDP growth per capita increased from 1970–2000 (between 10 and 15%) to 2000–2014 (between 45 and 50%), but the opposite is true for Region 1, which saw the percentage of ULE attributed to GDP growth per capita decline over the same period. Thus, whereas the data suggest governments in Region 2 became more efficient, the data for Region 1 suggest that those governments became less efficient, not more.

Choice D is the best answer because it presents a statement about the site discovered by the researchers that is supported by the text. The text discusses Fiorelli and colleagues’ discovery of egg clutches, single eggs, and eggshells in a Brazilian mine. According to the text, the presence of these eggs, which are from the Late Cretaceous period, led the researchers to conclude that the location was once a nesting and breeding site for titanosaurs. The text then explains that the finding is important because of the “previous lack of known nesting sites in northern regions of South America.” If there haven’t been any other discoveries of a nesting site in South America’s northern regions and the site in the Brazilian mine is the first, then the text strongly suggests that the site is farther north than other nesting sites that have been discovered in South America. 

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the site discovered by Fiorelli and colleagues is the earliest titanosaur nesting and breeding site known to paleontologists but rather that it’s the first nesting site found in northern regions of South America. Moreover, the text doesn’t suggest how the timeline of the newly discovered site compares with that of other titanosaur nesting and breeding sites. Choice B is incorrect because there is no mention in the text about any difficulties that Fiorelli and colleagues faced when they were excavating the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t support the idea that the nesting and breeding site in the Brazilian mine was occupied by sauropods other than titanosaurs. The text simply mentions that titanosaurs are sauropod dinosaurs and presents the researchers’ conclusion that the site they discovered was for titanosaurs. 

Choice D is the best answer because it accurately reflects the data in the table. According to the table, the dolphin with ID FB43 has a recording year of 1992.

Choice A is incorrect. None of the dolphins in the table have a recording year of 1999. Choice B is incorrect. The table shows 2012 as the recording year for the dolphin with ID FB07, not ID FB43. Choice C is incorrect. None of the dolphins in the table have a recording year of 2020.

Choice C is the best answer. Because “song preference plays a role in songbird mate selection,” and because F. hypoleuca nestlings display a preference for local dialects, we can infer that they will be more likely to choose mates from local populations.

Choice A is incorrect. We don’t have any information suggesting that this preference disappears, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice B is incorrect. Although the passage discusses the number of begging calls made in response to various F. hypoleuca dialects, no mention is made about the amount of food received based on dialect preference. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. There’s no mention in the passage of methods of other types of local songbirds, so there’s no basis for this inference.

Choice A is the best answer. Zheng’s claim is that the idea of world music “homogenizes” (meaning makes similar) distinct kinds of music by reducing them to one category. In other words, Zheng thinks the concept of world music is a harmful oversimplification of diverse musical forms. To support this claim, we need evidence that these musical traditions are so different from one another that they should not fall into the same category. If it’s true that mbaqanga and quan họ developed separately and have little in common musically, then it wouldn’t make sense to lump them into the same category.

Choice B is incorrect. If true, this wouldn’t affect the claim. To support the claim, we need evidence that these musical traditions are so different from one another that they should not fall into the same category. A difference in popularity doesn’t necessarily mean that the two musical traditions shouldn’t be categorized together: instead, we need to know if the music itself is similar or different. Choice C is incorrect. If true, this wouldn’t affect the claim. To support the claim, we need evidence that these musical traditions are so different from each other that they should not fall into the same category. This choice doesn’t do that. Choice D is incorrect. If true, this would actually weaken the claim. Zheng thinks it’s reductive or oversimplifying to put distinct musical traditions into a single category. But if mbaqanga and quan họ are similar to each other, then it would make sense to put them in the same category.

Choice B is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that best support the student’s assertion that initial efforts at trade liberalization in China were shaped by firms having limited capital (assets available for use) and that this situation resolved during the 2000s. The text explains that an approach to trade liberalization involves engaging in processing imports, one type of which doesn’t require payment to a trade partner (processing with assembly) and one type of which requires upfront payment to a trade partner for raw materials (processing with inputs). The graph, which presents China’s imports for ordinary imports and both types of processing imports in the years 2000, 2003, and 2006, shows that while processing imports with assembly rose from about 250 hundred million dollars in 2000 to about 750 hundred million dollars in 2006, processing imports with inputs rose much more sharply, increasing from approximately 650 hundred million dollars in 2000 to about 2,300 hundred million dollars in 2006. Because processing with inputs requires firms to pay for materials (expending capital) and processing with assembly doesn’t, the sharper rise in processing imports with inputs suggests that Chinese firms’ assets—and thus their ability to engage in that type of processing imports—were relatively limited in (and before) 2000 and then substantially increased from 2000 to 2006. In other words, the data suggest that the situation of having limited capital resolved during the 2000s.

Choice A is incorrect because the graph indicates that ordinary imports were greater than both types of processing imports in 2006, not that processing imports with inputs were greater than ordinary imports and processing imports with assembly that year. Choice C is incorrect because the observation that ordinary imports were greater than both types of processing imports in 2000, 2003, and 2006 doesn’t address a change within any type of imports from 2000 to 2006, and an indication of a change in that period that might be related to the availability of assets is needed to support the assertion that the situation of having limited capital resolved during the 2000s. Choice D is incorrect because the fact that processing imports with assembly were greater at the end of the period from 2000 to 2006 than processing imports with inputs were at the start of the same period doesn’t address a change within either type of imports during the period, and an indication of such a change that might be related to the availability of assets is needed to support the assertion that the situation of having limited capital resolved during the 2000s.

Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically follows from the text’s discussion of the challenge researchers face when studying the effects of holding elected office on a person’s behavior. The text explains that it’s hard for researchers to test for the effects that elected office has on people because finding people to serve as a control group is difficult. The text indicates that a control group needs to be made up of people who share characteristics of the group being tested but don’t have the variable being tested (in this case, holding elected office). Because researchers aren’t able to influence who wins elections, they’re also unable to determine who would serve as an appropriately similar member of a control group. Thus, it logically follows that researchers will find it difficult to identify a group of people who can function as an appropriate control group for their studies.

Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on the struggle to put together a control group for experiments; it doesn’t suggest that finding information about politicians’ behavior is difficult. Choice B is incorrect because the experiments mentioned in the text are testing the effects of holding elected office on a person’s behavior. Studying people who have already held elected office wouldn’t provide an opportunity to note any behavioral changes that the position might cause. Choice C is incorrect because the text defines people in a control group as those "who are otherwise similar to the office-holders"; selecting people who differ from the office-holders wouldn’t fit the criteria for an appropriate control group.

Choice C is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by stating that the Black Pearl orchestra performs classical music, and then goes on to explain that the orchestra offers an iConduct! program. According to the text, this program offers community members the opportunity to learn some basics about conducting and then apply what they learn by conducting the orchestra themselves. Thus, the main idea of the text is that community members can both listen to and participate in a classical music performance.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the text states that the Black Pearl orchestra is based in Philadelphia, it doesn’t indicate that most of the music it plays was composed by Philadelphians. Choice B is incorrect. Although the text does state that Johnson founded the Black Pearl orchestra, this is just a detail and not the main focus of the text. Moreover, while the text does say that the orchestra sometimes plays music by Montgomery, it doesn’t assert that the orchestra was founded solely for the purpose of performing Montgomery’s work. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text explains that community members are invited to conduct the Black Pearl orchestra after participating in the iConduct! program, the text doesn’t indicate that Johnson allows community members to do this for the specific purpose of showing how difficult the task is.