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?

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 Richard Kindersley’s sculpture The Seven Ages of Man) to popular music (such as the band the Lumineers’ song “Ophelia”).
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

The Apollo Moon landings (1969–1972) brought atmospheric sensors and mirrors to measure the distance from Earth 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 Tom Murphy, who is investigating drift in the orbit of the Moon.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

The following text is from Charles Dickens’s 1861 novel Great Expectations. The narrator is taking a walk near his home on a damp morning.
“On every rail and gate, wet lay clammy, and the marsh mist was so thick, that the wooden finger on the post directing people to our village—a direction which they never accepted, for they never came there—was invisible to me until I was quite close under it.”
As used in the text, what does the word “accepted” most nearly mean?

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?

The synthesis of novel superheavy elements, such as meitnerium (Mt), has led theorists to consider the feasibility of synthesizing all possible chemical compounds. In 2022, Guillermo Restrepo calculated the historical rates at which newly discovered compounds have entered the scientific literature, expanding the “chemical space.” Using a conservative estimate of the number of viable compounds and assuming a doubling of the historical pace of discovery, Restrepo found that under these hypothetical conditions, all potential compounds could be synthesized and documented by 2050.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

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?

What is a city? The answer depends on where you live! Many countries define an area as a city based on how many people live there. However, not every country uses the same numbers. Albania defines a city as an area with a population of at least 400, while Greece defines a city as having a minimum population of 10,000. Some countries even define cities using other factors, like the number of buildings in the area.
Which choice best states the main topic of the text?

Stores often play background music to create a pleasant shopping experience. Based on a survey, Amir Manzoor found that such music was linked to reduced enjoyment among customers. Manzoor thinks that one explanation for this result is that the surveyed customers may have wanted to finish their shopping as quickly as possible. They therefore weren't focused on enjoying the experience. It's possible that background music could improve the experience of other customers whose main goal is to have a good time while they shop.
Based on the text, which research question was Manzoor's study most likely intended to answer?

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?