Module I: Reading and Writing

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The following text is from Mark Twain's 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Tom, a child, has been told by his aunt to paint their house's fence. Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high.
As used in the text, what does the word "surveyed" most nearly mean?
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Mark for Review
Transformed
Organized
Examined
Guaranteed
The influence of William Shakespeare's writings is clear in a vast range of subsequent literary works and is similarly ____ in many works in other media, from fine art (such as Edward Alcock's painting Portia and Shylock) to popular music (such as the musician Elvis Costello's song "Miss Macbeth").
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
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Mark for Review
subtle
apparent
unusual
excessive
The Apollo Moon landings (1969-1972) brought atmospheric sensors and soil sensors to the Moon and produced large amounts of data, much of which was stored on technologies that are now obsolete. A data-transfer project is working to ____ these data so that the information is available to researcher Noah Petro, who is investigating the geology of the Moon.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
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Mark for Review
salvage
improve
amend
simplify
The following text is adapted from the 1895 poem "Ojistoh" by Emily Pauline Johnson, a Kanienkahagen (Mohawk) writer also known as Tekahionwake.
I am Ojistoh, I am she, the wife
Of him whose name breathes bravery and life
And courage to the tribe who calls him chief.
I am Ojistoh, his white star, and he
Is land, and lake, and sky—and soul to me.
As used in the text, what does the word "breathes" most nearly mean?
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Mark for Review
Rejects
Imparts
Absorbs
Acquiesces
Mastering 'ajami, a Syrian art of creating intricately painted wood panels, demands a skill set that ____ innate talent: crafting the panels requires not just the ability to draw but also an understanding of traditional techniques, materials, and design elements, necessitating expertise gained through dedicated guidance from experienced artisans.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
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Mark for Review
restrains
replicates
characterizes
transcends
In factories, humans and robots often work together. A research team ran an experiment to find out how working with robots affects relationships between human coworkers. The experiment included teams working together to make electric motor parts. One type of team included only humans and the other type included both humans and robots. Participants were paid for their work and were asked about their willingness to share their earnings with their human teammates. Participants from teams with robots were more likely to share with each other than participants from teams with only humans were.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
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Mark for Review
It states the results of the experiment discussed in the text.
It indicates the question that the study discussed in the text was meant to answer.
It explains an important part of the design of the experiment discussed in the text.
It illustrates a problem that inspired the study discussed in the text.
Steve Carter's award-winning play Eden was produced in 1976 by the groundbreaking Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). NEC cofounder Douglas Turner Ward, who worked as an actor, director, and playwright, had met actor and producer Robert Hooks while they were performing in a 1960 touring production of Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun. Together, they envisioned a theater company that would nurture and showcase the work of Black theater professionals. Since NEC's founding in 1967, its workshops and performances have given Black playwrights, including Carter, a forum for their compelling stories.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
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Mark for Review
It illustrates the widespread influence of a play discussed earlier in the text.
It provides additional information about a person mentioned in the text.
It emphasizes the ongoing significance of the theater company discussed in the text.
It explains the circumstances that led to the formation of the theater company discussed in the text.
Despite potential independent confirmation, the apparent detection in 2020 of phosphine (PH3​)—a gas that on Earth almost exclusively derives from biological sources—in Venus's cloud deck remains controversial, in part because Venus is thought to be uninhabitable. To evaluate such a finding's plausibility, William Bains et al. modeled multiple abiotic PH3​ pathways, including geochemical, atmospheric, and photochemical reactions, but none adequately explain the observed levels of PH3​. If Venusian PH3​ does exist, it would indicate insufficiencies in the current consensus on Venus's chemistry.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
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Mark for Review
It introduces an unexpected observation of a particular gas in Venus's atmosphere, presents an effort to investigate possible mechanisms that could explain that observation, and then notes an implication of that investigation's findings.
It explains why the consensus view of a particular gas in Venus's atmosphere has recently become controversial, expands on a scientific team's reasons for questioning that consensus, and then suggests that future observations of Venus's atmosphere will likely be needed to settle the controversy.
It compares the levels of a particular gas on Venus and Earth, sketches the chemical processes that account for differences in these levels, and then addresses some of the practical challenges of studying the presence of this gas on Venus more closely.
It describes a controversial claim about a particular gas in Venus's atmosphere, outlines the methods used to test that claim, and then concludes that the claim undermines existing scientific understanding if true.
Given the immense scope of space, the search for extraterrestrial life is almost necessarily concentrated on the exoplanets deemed to have the most plausible chance of success—typically, atmosphere-bearing terrestrial planets orbiting within a certain range of their stars (termed the habitable zone). Claiming that Earth experienced a long transition from single-lid to plate tectonics that accelerated the emergence and evolution of complex organisms, researchers Robert J. Stern and Taras V. Gerya hold that consideration of tectonics, an often overlooked factor, could help further narrow the search for advanced extraterrestrial species.
Based on the text, what do Stern and Gerya most likely believe about the development of complex life on exoplanets?
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Mark for Review
It is more likely to occur on habitable zone planets with atmospheres and plate tectonics than on otherwise similar planets that lack plate tectonics.
It is more likely to occur if habitable zone planets with atmospheres transition from single-lid to plate tectonics late in their history than if they transition early in their history.
It is probably more dependent on the presence of plate tectonics than on orbital distance from a host star or the presence of an atmosphere.
It is unlikely unless the transition from single-lid to plate tectonics occurs before the acquisition of a lasting atmosphere.
In what is now Washington state, the Tulalip Tribes operate the Hibulb Cultural Center. Relying on traditional knowledge to guide the design of exhibits, this institution presents Tulalip history and culture to the tribes' citizens. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, a tribe in North Dakota, employs a similar strategy in its own cultural center. Both centers contrast with museums that aren't Indigenous-led; when displaying Indigenous artifacts, such museums tend to anticipate mainly non-Indigenous audiences and rely on Euro-centric strategies for designing exhibits.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
10
Mark for Review
When staging Indigenous exhibits, non-Indigenous institutions should follow the example of the cultural centers operated by the Tulalip Tribes and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
The cultural centers operated by the Tulalip Tribes and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa differ in strategy from non-Indigenous museums that stage Indigenous exhibits.
Whereas non-Indigenous institutions stage exhibits on a wide array of subjects, the cultural centers operated by the Tulalip Tribes and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa serve primarily to present Indigenous history and cultures.
The strategy used by the Tulalip Tribes to present history and culture to tribal citizens differs only slightly from the strategy used by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
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