Table of Contents

Part 1: Social Studies

Strategy for Social Studies ___________Page 2

Social Studies Practice Passages ___________Page 6

Answers and Explanations ___________Page 52

Part 2: Science, Single Passages

Strategy for Single Science Passages ___________Page 88

Single Science Practice Passages ___________Page 92

Answers and Explanations ___________Page 138

Part 3: Science, Paired Passages

Strategy for Paired Science Passages ___________Page 174

Paired Science Practice Passages ___________Page 176

Answers and Explanations ___________Page 206

Part 1

Social Studies
 Reading Strategy
Part 1: Social Studies
Essential Tactics
In terms of time period, the Social Studies passages that appear on the SAT represent modern trends and
tendencies: so far, most of the Social Studies content has been taken from the relatively recent past. You
can expect to see articles that deal with contemporary urban life, public health, popular communications
platforms, and present-day trends in journalism. While consistently designed to address 21st-century problems
in a rigorously evidence-based manner, Social Studies passages regularly return to a few core topics: the
psychology of decision-making, population and cultural studies, economics, marketing, ethics, and the media.

What you will NEVER see in the Social Studies passages are topics that are blatantly or divisively political.
As with all sections of the SAT Reading, discussions of material—religious debates, partisan arguments,
sexuality, substance abuse—that could offend a large group of test-takers are strictly off-limits. Keep in mind,
though, that issues such as impassioned political agendas and stances may be addressed in passing.

In general, Social Studies passages will call upon your ability to sort through different perspectives and
evidence-based studies—some of which may build upon one another, some of which may be in complete
disagreement. There are a few natural starting points for your analysis. Keep these in mind, but keep in mind
as well that the questions may depend on fine points of passage details and passage transitions.

Topic, Sources, and Positions

There is one feature of Social Studies passages that, in the right circumstances, can make the entire reading
experience move along in a wonderfully predictable manner. For SAT Fiction passages, reading the blurb that
introduces a given reading can be helpful (since the Fiction blurbs can clarify character and plot points), but
is not always essential (since the titles, for this passage type, can be puzzling and may not be accompanied by
further information). However, for Social Studies AND for Science passages, try to make a habit of reading
the short introductory content. The reason will soon become obvious.
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 Part 1: Social Studies

ALWAYS read Social Studies and Science blurbs

since passage titles often indicate TOPIC and MAIN IDEA.

This approach is helpful, but is not a complete giveaway—since you will STILL need to read the passage
thoroughly in order to understand how the topic, dilemma, or debate at hand is being investigated. What you
should do is keep the title in mind and use it to orient your reading.

Consider the titles of some of the recent Social Studies passages that have appeared on the SAT official tests.

• “Money Can’t Buy Love: Asymmetric Beliefs about Gift Price and Feelings of Appreciation” (Test 1)
• “Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile” (Test 3)
• “Why You Shouldn’t Trust Internet Comments” (Test 5)
• “Public Trust in the News” (Test 6)
• “How Technology Is Destroying Jobs” (Test 7)
• “Why Null Results Rarely See the Light of Day” (Test 8)
• “How the Web Affects Memory” (Test 9, New for 2020)
• “The Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our
Energy and Climate Problems Worse” (Test 10, New for 2020)
On their own, these titles are most helpful for helping you to understand what kinds of topics (gift giving,
transportation, journalism) are being addressed. To make the best possible sense of such topics, you will need
to ask the right questions as your reading moves along: how a process referenced in the title works, why a
specific idea indicated in the title is important, whether a theory contained in the title is valid. The topic from
Official Test 5 provides an obvious instance. Quite simply, WHY exactly are Internet comments unreliable?
Your reading of the article should return an answer of some sort to this question.

Of course, passage titles do not have a perfect track record of pointing readers towards key passage information,
and some of them may be too short or too cryptic to be particularly useful. You may need to work through a
Social Studies passage entirely on its own terms. Knowing what to look for, in this case, is key—and, often
enough, you will need to work through a few different types of information related to a key topic area.

For both Social Studies and Science passages, you must keep the following rule in mind.

Outside reading can help with vocabulary and comprehension

but should NOT be relied on for answers to questions.

Nonetheless, outside knowledge can be useful for exactly the two purposes indicated above as a form of
training that supplements your work with the readings in this book. Simply visit some of the web sites for
the publications favored by the official SAT—including the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (www.aaas.org, used repeatedly by the College Board)—and test your comprehension on any articles
at under roughly 750 words.
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Part 1: Social Studies

As you read any Social Studies passage, from any source, stay alert for the following types of information.

1. Key Sources (named experts, institutions, or the author himself or herself)

2. Key Pieces of Evidence (statistics, quotations, studies, experimental outcomes)
3. Key Perspectives (common beliefs, new explanations, proposals, criticisms)
Some of these pieces of information may be quite closely related; in fact, you may naturally integrate a few
of them, since you should work as much as possible to trace evidence and perspectives BACK to key sources.
You should also keep in mind that how these elements are combined can vary considerably from passage to
passage. Some Social Studies readings will present you with several viewpoints or studies that conflict with one
another, while other readings in this category will focus on meticulously-described individual experiments—
sometimes devoting almost all of the discussion to a single research project.

Notice, though, that so far you have not been called upon to weigh in on a potentially important element for
any SAT Social Studies reading: the passage’s thesis. The reason, here, is that the thesis will NOT occur in a
single predictable place. Drawing hasty conclusions about a passage’s viewpoint—even when the title seems
like a giveaway—can do more harm than good. However, once you have worked through a passage’s key
pieces of information, you will be ready to discern what kind of thesis the passage possesses.

Working with the Thesis and Evidence

The central question with the thesis of any Social Studies passage is how strong, exactly, the author’s position
is. Some authors will be highly opinionated; others may simply be recording results or viewpoints. Think in
terms of the following questions.

• Does the author present a single side of an issue or multiple sides?

• Does the author take a strong tone towards any side or instead avoid bias?
• Does the author endorse or set forward a theory or instead remain ambivalent or uncertain?
Note that an author may shift topic, tone, or degree of certainty considerably. These are the issues that you
should keep in mind for the sake of firm reading comprehension. When in doubt, though, you can attempt to
grasp the passage with the following questions.

What is the central topic (title, skimming, keywords) of the passage?

What is the stance (positive, negative, undecided) of the author?

Relying on these issues to determine the overall nature of the reading can be helpful. You should also notice
that all of these questions are based EXCLUSIVELY on direct and indisputable evidence, not on creative
interpretation or outside knowledge of any sort. Remember, while you work through the passages, to keep in
mind the following guidelines.

1. DO NOT evaluate or interpret what you are reading

2. DO NOT bring in any outside knowledge

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 Part 1: Social Studies

Indeed, each Reading question that you will confront is PURELY evidence-based. You should be finding
important ELEMENTS of the passage as you read—elements that will give you strong comprehension for
these questions—not creating independent ideas or value judgments of your own.

If you feel that you can work with the passages without ANY risk of distracting yourself from the fundamentals
of evidence, details, and comprehension, you might also look for some of the following elements as you read.

1. Structure of the Passage or Patterns in the Evidence (built into or clearly articulated in the passage)

2. Significant or Recurring Phrases, Details, or Images

The danger with these issues is that, in your current coursework, you may be used to analyzing data and
images for the sake of forming opinions. You CANNOT do so on the SAT (since subjective questions would
be impossible to score systematically) and must instead consider literal comprehension of the passage.

Approaching the Questions

Each SAT Social Studies passage will feature roughly five different question types.

1. Major Issue (Main Idea, Overall Purpose, Overall Shift, Developmental Structure)

2. Passage Details (Inference from Evidence, Paragraph Structure, Paragraph Function, Word Function)

3. Word in Context (Identification of the meanings of individual words)

4. Command of Evidence (Either paired or individual, based on line references as answer choices)

5. Working with Visuals (Analysis of the visual either on its own or in the context of the passage)

You will find these question types dispersed in the following numbers.

• Word in Context: 2 Normal, 1 or 3 Possible

• Command of Evidence: 4 (Two Pairings) or 3 (One Pairing, One Individual)

• Major Issue, Passage Details, and Visuals: Remainder, typically some in each category

There is, normally, no need to solve these questions in any special order, at least if you have your timing down
to 12 or 13 minutes to complete each Social Studies passage and its question set. If you are having trouble
with pacing, though, you might place special focus on questions that are less complex—typically, everything
but Command of Evidence—and try for effective work in these areas.

The arrangement of questions will not change much for each 10-question passage, either in Social Studies or
in Science. Aside from the fact that some individual Science passages will NOT have visuals questions (since
only ONE of the two Science passages on any given full test is accompanied by a visual), the numbers above
will mostly stay constant as you move through this book.
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 Part 1: Social Studies
156 workers from ages 50 to 71. Workers were
Reading 1 asked a series of questions concerning their
concepts of age. For example, they were asked
40 about subjective (the age people feel or believe
Questions 1-10 are based on the following they look), functional (the age that people see
passage and supplementary material. themselves), and organizational (age based on
job tenure) age. They were also asked questions
This passage is adapted from Charlotte M. Irby, “Older
workers—are they aging successfully?” an article
concerning their attitude toward aging, such as
published* in 2017 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 45 how they view their health and the amount of
time they have left in the future or “future time
A large percentage of the U.S. labor force is perspective.”
55 and over or about to turn 55. Better known as From the responses to these questions, the
“baby boomers,” these workers must now answer authors divided the participants into two groups—
Line the question: What is my optimal retirement age? 50 healthy and unhealthy. Then the authors went
5 From the inception of Social Security in 1935 a step further to determine who in these groups
until the Social Security Amendments of 1983, was aging most successfully. They looked at
the normal retirement age was 65. However, the different work motivators, such as development,
age at which retirees could draw full benefits promotion, security, and social life. These groups
was increased gradually from 65 for individuals 55 were then labeled as one of the following:
10 born in 1937 or later to 67 for those born in 1960
or later. Thus, with the retirement age extended, 1. Healthy agers—those who have high levels
many older workers are considering staying in the of development and promotion motives
labor force longer. (see themselves as very healthy) and feel
The extended retirement age is not the only more youthful
15 motivator to persuade older people to work longer. 60 2. Classic agers—those who have low levels
Several other motivators exist, such as a financial of promotion and development motives
need or simply that workers like their job. Another (see themselves as having poorer health)
factor that they must weigh is whether they can and feel less youthful
be successful in their work as they age. In their
20 article “Who is aging successfully at work? A The authors went on to identify a smaller
latent profile analysis of successful agers and 65 subgroup of workers called organizational agers,
their work motives,” Gregory R. Thrasher, Keith who had longer job tenures and were older than
L. Zabel, Reed J. Bramble, and Boris B. Baltes the healthy and classic agers yet had the same
address this uncertainty. To help older workers developmental and promotion motives as the
25 and their employers better understand successful healthy agers.
aging at work, Thrasher and his colleagues look 70 Thrasher and colleagues found that the
at several factors on the basis of the individual majority of older workers are aging successfully;
and his or her concept of aging. In addition, however, much of the success is based on the
from their findings, they also suggest ways in older workers themselves and their concepts
30 which employers can help their employees age of aging. The authors suggest that researchers
successfully at work. 75 performing future studies on the success of the
To determine if aging workers are working aging worker should consider looking more into
successfully, the authors began their research these individual subgroup differences. As for
using a “person-centered” or individual approach, employers, the authors recommend that they look
35 which examines the characteristics of individuals into ways to meet promotion and development
together and separately. The survey involved 80 needs that would address the motivations of

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
older workers. This would, in turn, help them be 2
not only more successful but also more healthy,
particularly since the number of older workers On the basis of the passage, which of the following
and the age of retirement will continue to increase older workers would be most likely to consider
85 over the next several years. “staying in the labor force longer” (lines 13-14)?
A) A worker whose job duties have gradually come
to include less bureaucratic work and more travel
1 B) A worker who cannot leave the workforce at a
The main purpose of the passage is to common retirement age due to a lack of savings
A) offer a historical account of an overlooked social C) A worker who fears that retirement will lead to a
and economic trend. sense of isolation from friends and family
B) provide practical advice to those who face a D) A worker who believes that there will be further
specific health risk. changes to Social Security benefit policies
C) outline the results of an inquiry that may offer
guidance in the modern workplace.
3
D) paraphrase a variety of testimonies from two
groups that contrast with one another in a clear Which choice provides the best evidence for the
manner. answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 7-11 (“However . . . later”)
B) Lines 11-13 (“Thus . . . longer”)
C) Lines 16-17 (“Several . . . job”)
D) Lines 17-19 (“Another . . . age”)

Responses to Various Questionnaire Items, 175 Individuals Ages 65 and Over

Do you feel that you are in
Control Group

good health at present? Answer to a

Do you enjoy activities that Given Question
are intellectually demanding?
Yes:
Do you believe that you will
be alive ten years from now?
No:
Do you feel that you are in
Uncertain:
Healthy Agers

good health at present?

Do you enjoy activities that
are intellectually demanding?
Do you believe that you will
be alive ten years from now?

0 25 50 75 100
Percentage of Each Group

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
4 8
The recommendations from Gregory Thrasher and his Which of the following, if true, would undermine the
fellow researchers are based on the assumption that findings described in the passage?
A) workers of advanced age often face problems A) Elderly test subjects have been shown to provide
with productivity compared to younger workers. inconsistent responses to questions about aging
B) previous surveys had considered an insufficient when observed over the course of a few days.
number of variables for self-reporting. B) Researchers have identified at least one aging
C) few aging workers make long-term career plans. subgroup that can be distinguished from both
classic ager and healthy ager groups.
D) employers have an active interest in retaining
relatively elderly workers. C) A “person-centered” approach to sociological
research yields unreliable results for groups of
more than 200 people.
5 D) An aging worker may provide quantitatively
different responses when asked about subjective,
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
functional, and organizational age.
answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 19-24 (“In their . . . uncertainty”)
B) Lines 28-31 (“In addition . . . work”) 9
C) Lines 36-37 (“The survey . . . 50 to 71”) According to the graph, the highest uncertainty level,
D) Lines 43-47 (“They . . . perspective”) in terms of percentage of individuals for the relevant
group, can be traced to the question of
A) intellectually demanding activity for the control
6 group.
The primary effect of the words “labeled” (line 55) B) intellectually demanding activity for the healthy
and “identify” (line 64) is to create a tone that is agers.
A) assertive, through dismissal of earlier systems. C) lifespan for the control group.
B) concerned, through response to aging stereotypes. D) lifespan for the healthy agers.
C) uncommitted, through allusion to opposed ideals.
D) unbiased, through description of a method.
10
In relation to the research described in the passage
(Thrasher et al.), the graph provides data that
7
A) resembles the information gathered at the outset
As used in line 79, “meet” most nearly means
of the research team’s inquiry.
A) hail.
B) clarifies a point that the author leaves unresolved.
B) confront.
C) undermines one of the author’s recommendations.
C) satisfy.
D) highlights a methodological shortcoming of the
D) join. research team’s approach.

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
Reading 2 initially wrote. And voice interfaces—like Siri or
Alexa—are likely to sound more nuanced too.
But while the tone of the presentation was
playful, the dark side of Project VoCo is hard
Questions 1-10 are based on the following 40 to ignore, and Adobe presenter Zeyu Jin didn’t
passage and supplementary material. hesitate to share the negative implications.
To combat misuse, he said Adobe is working
This passage is an excerpt from Andrew J. O’Keefe
II, “Welcome to the New Era of Easy Media on forgery prevention, using watermarks to
Manipulation,” an article originally published* in 2016 distinguish between real or fake. It’s also worth
by SingularityHub. 45 noting that the tool isn’t publicly available, as the
project is still under development. Still, it won’t
Have you noticed how bizarre social media and
be too long until such tools are available.
the news cycle has been lately?
Video and sound manipulation isn’t new, as
In the age of digital media, journalism
anyone who’s ever seen a Hollywood film can
Line is changing significantly. Widely available
50 attest. What’s new is the affordability of such tools
5 storytelling and distribution tools, misinformation
and the scale they can achieve nowadays versus
spreading like wildfire, social media filter
expensive and complicated software workflows
bubbles—headlines and stories are increasingly
of the past. Anyone with a relatively affordable
vying for attention, plastered across a
computer, hardware, and access to the internet
smörgåsbord of platforms. Can media get any
55 theoretically could do what once only major post-
10 stranger? Without a doubt.
production studios could achieve.
The videos we watch and podcasts we listen to
Software alone won’t devalue big budget
may themselves soon be seamlessly manipulated,
Hollywood filmmaking—we can never seemingly
distorting the truth in new ways. Photoshop was
have enough grandiose destruction in films these
just the beginning. Advanced media creation tools
60 days—but it will make user-generated content
15 today are cheaper than ever, and innovative tech is
easier to produce at a much higher quality than
accelerating the bleeding edge, further blurring the
previously imaginable. The future of media has
line between fantasy and reality.
already arrived, but distribution may be much
One of the latest developments was introduced
more bottom-up than the top-down many have
last week at the Adobe Max conference in San
65 come to expect, as more new tools roll out and
20 Diego. Engineered to make audio editing easier,
greater numbers of people learn to use them.
Adobe’s Project VoCo allows users to edit voices
Fake audio is only one facet of the larger
by rearranging words or saying phrases never
emerging trend of audiovisual distortion. Video
actually recorded—all via typing. The software
facial manipulation via Stanford’s Face2Face
requires a minimum of 20 minutes of recorded
70 has shown promising results, and the software
25 talking to do its magic. Then you can make an
is similarly aimed at mass distribution. Beyond
edited or brand new snippet of speech. . . In
faces, Interactive Dynamic Video provides the
short, this is the audio version of Photoshop—
ability to manipulate physical objects onscreen
the ability to create something from nothing.
using software with shocking results. And there’s
A new generation of “sound-shopping,” à la
75 more: a newly developed machine learning
30 photoshopping, has been born.
algorithm can convert still images into mini
On the surface, many immediate practical
videos, and it doesn’t require video or audio at all,
applications like dialogue editing for video will
just a still image. Last but not least, we continue
become much easier. Gamers can also benefit
to see major advances in gaming graphics.
from characters whose dialogue is more flexible
35 instead of defaulting to whatever the designers

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
80 Each of these tools on its own isn’t necessarily 1
so harmful, but their convergence has huge
implications. When computers are translating Which choice best describes the structure of the
languages as well as humans and chatbots are passage as a whole?
becoming tools for communicating with dead A) A mode of analysis is endorsed, its applicability
85 friends and relatives, piecing all these tools to a recent breakthrough is explained, and
together is the magic glue that could one day adjustments to current concepts are proposed.
create believable avatars of real, non-living
or entirely fake personalities who can speak B) A research project is outlined, its deficiencies
every language, personalize every one-on-one are explained with reference to a recent trial, and
90 interaction, and perform something different to a corrective measures are suggested.
new audience every time. C) A group of resources is described, a little-known
Chatbot Identification liability is explained, and a tone of optimism in
Success Rates from a 2019 Study spite of reservations is established.
D) A broad tendency is delineated, its scope is
Response to Chatbot 1 (Monotone) explained with reference to an initiative from a
Percentage of Participants

single company, and consequences are assessed.

100
75
50
25
2
0 The author poses questions in lines 1-2 and lines 9-10
2-minute mark 20-minute mark in order to

Response to Chatbot 2 (Human Inflection) A) anticipate specific responses that help to move
along a discussion.
Percentage of Participants

100
B) pinpoint the problems that directly inspired the
75
Adobe Max conference.
50 C) raise issues that are meant to provoke reflection
25 yet do not suggest set conclusions.
0 D) cast doubt on the usefulness of the various
2-minute mark 20-minute mark technologies linked to Project VoCo.
Response to Human Reading in a Monotone
3
Percentage of Participants

100
75
As used in line 14, “Advanced” most nearly means
50 A) well-informed.
25 B) challenging.
0
C) sophisticated.
2-minute mark 20-minute mark
D) enlightened.
Suspicious of the source as non-human:

Confident of a non-human source:

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
4 8
As used in line 41, “share” most nearly means Which choice provides the best evidence for the
A) propagate. answer to the previous question?

B) explain. A) Lines 22-23 (“The software . . . magic”)

C) accommodate. B) Lines 33-36 (“Gamers . . . wrote”)

D) portion out. C) Lines 62-65 (“The future . . . expect”)

D) Lines 68-71 (“Video . . . distribution”)

5
Within the passage, the author calls attention to 9
software-based tools that are notable for their Which of the following statements accurately reflects
A) unpredictability. the information in the three graphs?

B) insignificance. A) A majority of listeners misidentified a human

source as non-human at the 20-minute mark.
C) permanence.
B) A majority of listeners misidentified a non-human
D) accessibility. source as human at the 20-minute mark.
C) Listeners unfailingly identified a monotone
chatbot as a non-human source at the 20-minute
6 mark.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
D) Listeners remained mostly undecided for the
answer to the previous question?
identities of all three sources at the 20-minute
A) Lines 11-13 (“The videos . . . ways”) mark.
B) Lines 50-53 (“What’s . . . past”)
C) Lines 67-68 (“Fake . . . distortion”)
10
D) Lines 80-82 (“Each . . . implications”)
The author of the passage would regard the
information presented in the graphs as

7 A) representing a troubling and largely unforeseen

consequence of technological progress.
On the basis of the author’s analysis of trends in
imaging and audio software, current computer and B) indicating that technologies that can cause
video games are increasingly likely to feature confusion among human listeners nonetheless
have distinct practical purposes.
A) streamlined commands for how players command
their in-game avatars. C) calling into question the idea that cutting-edge
voice mimicry software is being widely used.
B) more lifelike conversations among
in-game characters D) validating the idea that technological tools have
been engineered to subtly and effectively mimic
C) situations that resemble real-life predicaments.
human speech.
D) extensive audio from human voice actors.

CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
it has plateaued. The income subject to the tax,
Reading 3 called a wage base, has risen over time but is
capped, so there is a limit on what high earners
40 pay. Qualifying for support does not depend on
Questions 1-10 are based on the following how much money a person made or how much
passage and supplementary material. has been saved. Once someone has worked
enough to qualify for Social Security benefits
This passage is adapted from Reid Cramer, “Resilience
and the contract of social insurance,” an article
(generally 10 years of earnings), enrollment is
originally published* in the digital magazine Resilience 45 automatic and access is universal. Benefit levels
by NewAmerica.org. do vary so that higher earners receive marginally
higher benefits, but Social Security payouts are
When the Social Security Act of 1935 was generally progressive because they represent a
signed into law, it established a far-reaching higher proportion of earnings for workers at lower
system of federal benefits that reset the terms of 50 income levels.
Line the country’s social contract. It created a federal While some argue that this financing approach,
5 program to support retirees, the most widely- benefit structure, and universality are important
known benefit, but at the same time it created for maintaining political support for the program,
a series of grant programs so that states could my experience was revealing of the limits of the
provide additional assistance to the aged, the 55 public’s understanding of the program’s basic
unemployed, families with dependent children, structure and the potential benefits at stake. In
10 and the disabled. The fundamental rationale of fact, contemporary discussions of the Social
the entire legislative package was to erect, in Security program’s future usually focus on its
President Franklin Roosevelt’s words, “safeguards retirement provisions, rather than its impact
against misfortune.” The creation of Social 60 on children. It’s true that over two-thirds of
Security was nothing less than the advent of an beneficiaries are retired workers, so it makes
15 American system of social insurance. It rewrote sense that there’s more public attention given to
the social contract. eligibility ages and cost-of-living adjustments for
Even before the first retirement benefits seniors than there is to the role of the program
were distributed, the Act was amended in 1939 65 in assisting families with dependent children.
to extend benefits to the children and wives of Yet 4.3 million children will receive Social
20 deceased or retired workers. From its earliest Security benefits in 2019 because one or both of
years, Social Security was intended as a means of their parents are disabled, retired, or deceased.
providing economic security for whole families They represent about seven percent of all Social
when they were most vulnerable, regardless of 70 Security beneficiaries. Children also benefit
their stage of life. On behalf of us all, government when others members of their household, such as
25 would ensure that families have access to cash to grandparents, receive support as retirees. In 2017,
offset income involuntarily lost through a broad disbursements directly to children topped $31
and diverse set of circumstances. billion (about 3.3 percent of all Social Security
Fast-forward 75 years and our Social Security 75 payments). That means the Social Security
system has evolved in many ways. More workers Administration pays more benefits to children
30 are covered and more benefits are provided. But than any other federal program does. . . .
the funding mechanism has stayed the same: a “Promote the general welfare,” is right there
tax on income, collected as a deduction from in the preamble to the Constitution: it is one of
every paycheck. The rate of that tax, known as 80 the basic reasons that we have a government.
“FICA” for the Federal Insurance Contributions Indeed, the preamble of the Social Security Act
35 Act, had increased steadily, from two percent in of 1935 uses the same language and states its
the 1940s to 12.4 percent in the 1990s, where
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
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 Part 1: Social Studies
purpose directly as to “provide for the general 3
welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-
85 age benefits” and by enabling “more adequate Which choice provides an example that most clearly
provisions” for dependent children, the disabled, fits “President Franklin Roosevelt’s” (line 12) ideas
maternal and child welfare, public health, and the about the goals of Social Security?
unemployed. The government programs launched A) Lines 17-20 (“Even . . . workers”)
in the 1930s, often considered separately, in
B) Lines 37-40 (“The income . . . pay”)
90 fact have a common origin. They reflect a social
contract in which the government explicitly took C) Lines 66-68 (“Yet . . . deceased”)
on responsibility for the economic wellbeing of D) Lines 75-77 (“That . . . program”)
families to counterbalance arbitrary fluctuations of
the economy and the uncertainties of life.

4
What does the chronology presented in the first two
1 paragraphs indicate about the funds linked to Social
Based on the passage, which choice best describes Security?
how Social Security benefits relate to children?
A) Social Security was simultaneously seen as an
A) Children are only eligible for benefits if they economic necessity and a political liability.
belong to families that do not have any reliable
B) No actual payments were issued in the year that
income sources.
the Social Security Act was signed into law.
B) Children represent a relatively small yet steadily
C) The complete Social Security administrative
growing proportion of all benefit recipients.
system took four years to put in place.
C) Children may receive benefits either due to
D) Social Security was designed to be regularly and
specific adverse circumstances or through family
radically altered over time.
connection to a beneficiary.
D) Children are more likely to be upwardly mobile
later in life if they receive benefits in times of 5
greatest financial need.
Which of the following situations would NOT fit the
current structure of Social Security?

2 A) Social Security benefits represent a higher

proportion of income for a lower-earning
As used in the first paragraph, the words “reset” and
individual than for a higher-earning individual.
“rewrote” help to portray Social Security as
B) Social Security benefits are marginally higher for
A) preferable to comparable programs.
a lower-earning individual than for a higher-
B) susceptible to further evolution. earning individual.
C) contested at the time of its emergence. C) A lower-earning individual and a higher-earning
D) transformative in its ultimate impact. individual pay the same Social Security tax rate.
D) A lower-earning individual and a higher-earning
individual both receive annually increasing
benefit payments.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 13
 Part 1: Social Studies
Historical Data for the United States 8
Social Security System The final paragraph of the passage primarily serves to
depict Social Security as
15 60
A) mistakenly affiliated primarily with elderly

Number of Individuals Covered

by Social Security (millions)
12.5 50 Americans.
Percentage of Income

10
Tax Rate as a

40 B) applicable to all Americans regardless of age and

7.5 30 employment.
5 20 C) in accordance with longstanding American ideals.
2.5 10 D) immune to economic and political instability.
0 0
1935 1955 1975 1995 2015
9
Tax Rate: Individuals Covered: Which of the following is the most likely outcome
if the trends depicted in the graph remain consistent
from 1995 into the foreseeable future?
A) The Social Security tax rate increases; the
number of individuals covered increases.
6
Which choice provides the best evidence for the B) The Social Security tax rate increases; the
answer to the previous question? number of individuals covered remains
unchanged.
A) Lines 29-33 (“More . . . paycheck”)
C) The Social Security tax rate remains unchanged;
B) Lines 40-42 (“Qualifying . . . saved”) the number of individuals covered increases.
C) Lines 45-50 (“Benefit . . . levels”) D) The Social Security tax rate remains unchanged;
D) Lines 60-65 (“It’s true . . . children”) the number of individuals covered remains
unchanged.

7
As used in line 69, “represent” most nearly means 10
Unlike the graph, the passage considers
A) advocate for.
B) portray. A) how Social Security benefit payments vary
depending on income level.
C) are entitled to.
B) the increase in the total number of Americans
D) constitute. covered by Social Security.
C) the current dollar amount of the average annual
Social Security benefit payment.
D) the consistency of the Social Security tax rate in
the recent past.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 14
 Part 1: Social Studies
when moving between their relevant places, even
Reading 4 when those trips are repeated again and again
over extended periods. Most people have a single
40 favorite route for trips they perform routinely and
Questions 1-10 are based on the following a few alternative routes they take less frequently
passage and supplementary material. to the same destinations.
So did people in fact usually choose the
This passage is an excerpt from Marta Gonzalez and
Antonio Lima, “Recalculating! By not driving the
optimal route?
optimal route, you’re causing traffic jams,” an article 45 In short, no. It turned out roughly half of
that originally appeared* in The Conversation in 2016. the favorite routes are not the optimal routes
suggested by navigation devices, such as
If you use a car to get around, every time you those offered by some popular mapping apps
get behind the wheel you’re confronted with a for smartphones. If we also consider drivers’
choice: how will you navigate to your destination? 50 alternative choices, even fewer routes are
Line Whether it’s a trip you take every day, such as optimal—only a third overall minimize travel
5 from home to work, or to someplace you haven’t time. Our data provide empirical proof that
been before, you need to decide on a route. drivers are not taking the optimal route, directly
Transportation research has traditionally contradicting the shortest travel time assumption.
assumed that drivers are very rational and 55 What’s behind this result? A unique answer
choose the optimal route that minimizes travel that is valid for every driver won’t be easy to find.
10 time. Traffic prediction models are based on Prior small-scale studies found that many factors,
this seemingly reasonable assumption. Planners some seemingly minor, might influence route
use these models in their efforts to keep traffic preference. For example, people tend to choose
flowing freely—when they evaluate a change to 60 routes going south rather than routes of equal
a road network, for instance, or the impact of a lengths that go north. People favor routes that are
15 new carpool lane. In order for traffic models to straight at the beginning, instead of shorter ones
be reliable, they must do a good job reproducing that aren’t straight. Landmarks also influence
user behavior. But there’s little empirical support route choice, by attracting more trips than travel-
for the assumption at their core—that drivers will 65 time minimization would suggest. A novel app
pick the optimal route. for iPhones builds on that very concept and
20 For that reason, we decided to investigate how allows people to find the most “interesting” route
people make these choices in their real lives. between two points.
Understanding how drivers build a route to reach People might not be able to determine which
their destination will help us gain insights into 70 route is optimal, among all possible choices,
human movement behavior. Better knowledge because of limited information and limited ability
25 of individual routing can help improve urban to process big amounts of information. Or, even if
infrastructure and GPS directions systems—not they can, people might deliberately make different
just for one driver, but for everyone. Beating choices, according to personal preference. Many
congestion is a big goal: one estimate put the cost 75 factors can influence preference, including fuel
of traffic in 2014 at US$160 billion in the U.S., consumption, route reliability, simplicity, and
30 with 42 extra hours of travel time and $960 worth pleasure.
of extra fuel for every commuter. Drivers’ apparent flexibility on route choices
Using GPS data collected for several months may provide an opportunity to alleviate overall
for hundreds of drivers in four European cities, 80 congestion. For instance, smartphone apps could
we studied individuals’ routing behavior, looking offer points and vouchers to drivers who are
35 for interesting patterns in their choices. We willing to take longer routes that avoid congested
discovered that people use only a few routes
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 15
 Part 1: Social Studies
areas. Navigation app Waze has already changed 4
drivers’ habits in some cities, so it’s not so far-
85 fetched to imagine a gamification system that As used in line 55, “behind” calls attention to a factor
reduces congestion. that is notable for
A) rebutting a consensus.
B) following a prediction.
1
C) underlying a result.
As used in line 16, “reproducing” most nearly means
D) emphasizing a dispute.
A) changing.
B) emulating.
C) analyzing. 5
D) engaging. Which of the following, if true, would most serve to
undermine the authors’ claim that apps could help
drivers to choose the fastest routes?
2 A) Apps do not have real-time traffic monitoring
The authors’ definition of “optimal” revolves around capabilities.
the concept of B) Some drivers do not like to spend money on apps.
A) minimizing turns. C) Apps tend to give visual rather than auditory
B) maximizing interesting scenery. directions.
C) minimizing driving time. D) Using apps to improve navigation is a relatively
new phenomenon.
D) minimizing fuel consumption.

6
3
Which of the following best supports the claim that
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
people are generally creatures of habit when it comes
answer to the previous question?
to driving?
A) Lines 17-19 (“But . . . route”)
A) Lines 22-24 (“Understanding . . . behavior”)
B) Line 51 (“only a . . . time”)
B) Lines 39-42 (“Most people . . . destinations”)
C) Lines 61-63 (“People . . . straight”)
C) Lines 69-72 (“People . . . information”)
D) Lines 65-68 (“A novel . . . points”)
D) Lines 80-83 (“For instance . . . areas”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 16
 Part 1: Social Studies
Study of U.S. Driver Preferences, 840 Individuals (2014)

100 Drivers who chose the

route that was . . .
80
Shortest:
Percentage of Drivers

60
Fastest:
40
Most Scenic:
20 Most Cost-
Efficient:
0
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 TOTAL

7 9
All of the following are mentioned by the author as Which of the sub-groups represented in the graph
being factors that affect route choice EXCEPT yielded results that are most different from those
A) fuel consumption. across the entire 2014 study?

B) simplicity. A) Group 1

C) avoiding tolls. B) Group 2

D) enjoyableness. C) Group 3
D) No group, since the sub-groups all yielded similar
results.
8
The example of Waze primarily serves to
10
A) offer justification for the primary point of the
passage. A driver who exhibits the behavior described in
lines 63-68 (“Landmarks . . . two points”) would
B) support the statement that follows the mostly likely be placed in which category present in
introduction of this example. the graph?
C) explain how technology leads to distracted A) Shortest
driving.
B) Fastest
D) posit a contrast with an earlier example of
technology. C) Most Scenic
D) Most Cost-Efficient

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 17
 Part 1: Social Studies
by the Sumerians on clay more than 4,000
Reading 5 years ago. Or the leather-bound volume of town
records, in Spanish, from 16th-century Peru in
40 the Library’s Harkness Collection. Or the 17th-
Questions 1-10 are based on the following century manuscript law books, in Shakespeare’s
passage and supplementary material. English, collected by Thomas Jefferson.
But documents from the 18th century, when the
This passage is adapted from Wendi Maloney and Julie
Miller, “Crowdsourcing Helps to Unlock the Mystery of
United States was founded, are written in English
Cursive,” an article published* in 2019 by the Library of 45 that, with a couple of differences, is essentially
Congress. modern. We sell ourselves short when we think we
can’t read them. There are a few things to learn,
“That’s so beautiful, but what does it say?” such as the long “s” which looks like an “f,” the
This is what we often hear from visitors to relatively nonstandard spelling and punctuation,
the Library of Congress when they see letters 50 and some unfamiliar abbreviations. Another key
Line and other documents written by hand. This to learning how to read 18th- and 19th-century
5 phenomenon—the inability of so many people writing is just to spend time looking at it, learning
to read handwriting—is the byproduct of a the writing conventions of the relatively recent
moment of technological change that is every past, as well as the idiosyncrasies of individual
bit as significant as the one that began with the 55 writers. In time, the letters of George Washington
introduction of the printing press by Johannes will become as familiar to you as, say, a postcard
10 Gutenberg in the middle of the 15th century. The from your Uncle Melvin.
digital age has transformed us from people who We saw living proof of this at a Nov. 19 event
read and write by hand to people who type and at the Library marking the 155th anniversary of
read on a screen, from letter-writers to emailers, 60 President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
texters, and tweeters. Members of the public and students from local
15 This change is so recent that our population Washington, D.C., schools were invited to the
now includes a mixture of people born before Library to view a copy of the Gettysburg Address
the digital age, who learned the techniques and and to try their hands at transcribing letters and
conventions of handwriting and letter writing, and 65 other documents in the Abraham Lincoln Papers
younger people, who grew up online. While older on the Library’s newly launched crowdsourcing
20 people have had to learn the ways of the digital website. Titled “By the People,” the site makes
age, younger people know less and less about the images of thousands of original documents
ways of the analog world, even when its language available to volunteers online, inviting them to
and symbols persist into the digital—“cc,” for 70 type documents, tag them with keywords to make
example, which appears inklessly atop every them searchable, and review typed documents
25 email message, recalls the inky blue sheets of for accuracy. The transcripts are then added
paper typists rolled into their typewriters to make to the Library’s website alongside the original
literal “carbon copies.” documents.
Why does it matter? This isn’t just a question 75 At first, many of the visitors on Nov. 19,
of nostalgia, of regret for the old ways, such as the viewing 19th-century handwriting, said, “I can’t
30 lost art of cursive, which few children now learn read this.” But when asked to pick out a letter or
in school. It matters because when people are word anywhere on the page and then build on
unable to read old documents, they lose the ability that kernel of understanding, they soon started to
to make personal contact with the past. 80 identify familiar words, then phrases. By the end
Some very old documents necessarily require of a half hour, they were able to read 70 percent or
35 interpretation by experts—for example, the more of documents. Dozens teamed up to arrange
Library’s collection of cuneiform tablets, written
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 18
 Part 1: Social Studies
the full text of the Gettysburg Address using a 2
large-format printed “puzzle” made of the words
composing Lincoln’s speech. They eagerly hunted Over the course of the passage, the authors’ primary
85
through piles, looking for letters and words that focus shifts from
were becoming increasingly familiar. A) observation of a representative case to extension
of the principles inherent in that case to a group
of dilemmas.
Word Usage Over Time:
B) criticism of a heavily biased outlook to advice on
Vocabulary from the Gettysburg Address
how to promote a more satisfying perspective.

90 C) narration of personal experience to depiction of

Mentions (10-5 percent of all words)

varied points of view.

75
D) reflection on broadly-applicable conditions to
60
description of a single endeavor.
45

30
3
15
The main purpose of the second paragraph
0
1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 (lines 15-27) is to
A) demonstrate that a technology-oriented way of
writing is not automatically superior.
“conceived”: “consecrate”:
B) explain why specific audiences gravitate to
“hallow”: “detract”: markedly different writing practices.
C) outline the reasoning behind efforts to accustom
1 modern readers to older documents.

One of the central ideas of the passage is that D) show that terminology used by readers who are
comfortable with technology often has roots in
A) interactive work with seemingly outmoded older habits.
documents can make sources of this sort less
daunting.
B) writing methods that are not based on technology 4
are best suited to fostering critical thinking and
As used in line 30, “lost” most nearly means
attention to detail.
C) handwritten documents are valued primarily for A) compromised.
the information that they provide about vanished B) misplaced.
cultures. C) undecided.
D) historical speeches should be analyzed in terms of D) disregarded.
both word choice and argumentative technique.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 19
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 8
Which initial response would the authors expect from Which choice provides the best evidence for the
a reader who has just encountered documents from an answer to the previous question?
earlier century? A) Lines 55-60 (“In time . . . Address”)
A) A desire to link the document to modern ideas B) Lines 67-69 (“Titled . . . online”)
B) An instinctive statement of disapproval C) Lines 72-74 (“The transcripts . . . documents”)
C) A willingness to explore historical precedents D) Lines 77-80 (“But . . . phrases”)
D) An expression of aesthetic appreciation

9
6 As used in line 85, “eagerly” most nearly means
Which choice provides the best evidence for the A) diligently.
answer to the previous question?
B) naively.
A) Lines 1-4 (“That’s . . . hand”)
C) impulsively.
B) Lines 4-7 (“This . . . change”)
D) creatively.
C) Lines 19-22 (“While . . . world”)
D) Lines 31-33 (“It matters . . . past”)
10
How does the graph that accompanies the passage
7 build on the authors’ discussion?
The authors of the passage suggest that today’s A) By suggesting that the Gettysburg address, while
readers can succeed in understanding documents from initially intimidating to some readers, had a
hundreds of years ago by formative influence on contemporary English
A) comparing them to modern documents that B) By indicating that technology, while often seen as
address similar topics. diminishing historical appreciation, can enable
B) identifying small yet accessible features of those useful analysis of the Gettysburg Address
documents as starting points. C) By demonstrating that the Gettysburg Address,
C) re-writing the documents with modernized beyond presenting challenging handwriting,
spelling and lettering. features increasingly uncommon words
D) quickly skimming through any given document D) By showing that subtle vocabulary choices, while
before performing a more precise analysis of its often underestimated, can have an important
details. effect on the reception of a document such as the
Gettysburg Address

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 20
 Part 1: Social Studies
say, is needed to stop families from falling into the
Reading 6 hunger trap.
40 Scientists have shown that hunger isn’t just
something transient. Hunger during childhood
Questions 1-10 are based on the following can have a ripple effect that we are only just
passage and supplementary material. beginning to understand. The long-term physical
and psychological consequences of hunger are
This passage is adapted from Chris Baraniuk, “How
going hungry affects children for their whole lives,” an 45 serious and have implications for the health of
article published* by Mosaic in 2019. society itself. Food insecurity may be a ticking
time-bomb for today’s hungry generations—just
Kerry Wright didn’t feel hungry. Not in the how dangerous is it? . . .
way you might expect. Her tummy grumbled, yes; In a phone call to Valerie Tarasuk at the
she could hear it. She just couldn’t feel it. She 50 University of Toronto, I mention Kerry Wright’s
Line called it “starvation mode.” Wright, a mother of experience and her worries about her children’s
5 three living in Aberdeen, had hit a low point. But mental wellbeing.
she needed to provide for her children, who then “The woman’s obviously very astute,” says
were just entering their teens. Tarasuk. “That’s exactly what we need to be
By the time she was faced with the prospect 55 concerned about amongst those children.”
of watching her own children go without, she had Tarasuk is a professor of nutritional sciences
10 fallen out of contact with her parents and the rest and an expert on the relationship between food
of her family. She’d wanted a fresh start, except insecurity and health. She and colleagues have
that at that moment, in 2013, a fresh start was analysed national data on tens of thousands of
looking pretty far off. Her partner had left and her 60 Canadians to show that the more severe a person’s
benefits were falling short. Now and again, she experience of food insecurity, the more likely that
15 took paid housework jobs but never made enough person is to seek help from healthcare services.
money. She would scan her cupboards in despair, But she also tracks research that explores the
hoping there would be enough soup or tins of long-term effects on children who live in food-
beans to at least get the next lunch together. . . . 65 insecure homes.
What happened to Wright and her family Studies by a team at the University of Calgary,
20 is common to far more households in wealthy including Sharon Kirkpatrick and Lynn McIntyre,
countries than some may think. Food insecurity, have shown that going hungry just a handful
also known as food poverty, is on the rise in of times is associated with poorer physical and
the UK, the ninth-richest country in the world. 70 mental health. It also means that children are less
The exact extent is unknown, but many other likely to finish school.
25 countries are struggling with this problem. There In one six-year study, McIntyre and colleagues
are millions of families in Europe, the U.S., found that young people who had experienced
and Canada, for example, that are facing food hunger had a significantly higher risk of
insecurity right now. 75 developing depressive symptoms. And another
Food banks, which hand out free supplies of large analysis showed that children who went
30 food to those in need, have become more and hungry were similarly at risk of developing
more common in places where food insecurity some kind of health problem within the next
has become a persistent problem. But even the ten years. Hunger, the researchers wrote, had a
groups that run them, including the Trussell Trust 80 “toxic” effect: “Higher odds of chronic conditions
in the UK, say that food banks cannot be a long- and of asthma were observed among youth
35 term solution. The food they provide can vary who experienced multiple episodes of hunger
in quantity and quality—often it is nutritionally compared with those who were never hungry.”
limited. Systemic reform, charitable organisations
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 21
 Part 1: Social Studies
These findings held up even when other 3
85 things that could influence health were factored
in—hunger really does appear to play a defining Which choice provides the best evidence for the
role. “The exposure that children have leaves an answer to the previous question?
indelible mark on them,” says Tarasuk. “It’s really A) Lines 1-4 (“Kerry Wright . . . mode”)
a bad idea to be leaving so many languishing in
B) Lines 8-11 (“By the time . . . family”)
90 this situation.”
C) Lines 11-14 (“She’d . . . short”)
D) Lines 19-21 (“What . . . think”)
1
In the first two paragraphs of the passage, the author
characterizes Kerry Wright as
4
A) hopeful that her children will build their lives in
Which choice supports the idea that practical
prosperous communities.
measures are being taken to remedy food insecurity?
B) unaware of the extent of her financial struggles.
A) Lines 29-32 (“Food . . . problem”)
C) dedicated to some members of her family but
B) Lines 46-48 (“Food . . . is it?”)
alienated from others.
C) Lines 49-52 (“In a . . . wellbeing”)
D) dependent on charity for most of her resources.
D) Lines 80-83 (“Higher . . . hungry”)

2
It can be inferred that Kerry Wright’s situation is
A) the outcome of a socioeconomic transformation.
B) one of the causes of reinvigorated public attention
to food insecurity.
C) a cautionary example for other low-income
adults.
D) representative of a widespread form of hardship.

Food Insecurity in the United Kingdom by Year

Experiencing Food Insecurity

Experiencing Food Insecurity

Percentage of Population

20
Percentage of Population

80
15 60
10 40
5 20
0 0
2005 2010 2015 2020 1905 1910 1915 1920

Severe Insecurity: Low to Moderate Insecurity: Total:

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 22
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 8
Which choice best captures the difference between As used in line 84, “held up” most nearly means
how the word “experience” functions in line 51 and A) became prominent.
line 61, respectively?
B) began to stabilize.
A) To present an assumption; to raise a reservation
C) resisted criticism.
B) To emphasize a source of suffering; to propose a
solution D) remained valid.

C) To reference a single case; to explain a pattern of

behavior
9
D) To address a possible bias; to establish a tone of
Taken together, the graphs support the idea that the
objectivity
percentage of the U.K. population experiencing some
form of food insecurity in the recent past

6 A) will most likely return to its historical maximum.

Which of the following facts, if true, would most B) has increased but is not currently at a historic
indicate that Valerie Tarasuk’s ideas are applicable high.
beyond Canada? C) can decrease if public policy adjustments come
A) Food insecurity and household income correlate into play.
strongly for residents of Japan. D) depends on the relative health of the national
B) Food insecurity and high school dropout rates economy.
correlate strongly for residents of Japan.
C) Residents of Japan who experience high food
insecurity make a correspondingly high number
10
of annual health clinic visits. What is the relationship between the information
contained in the passage and the information
D) Residents of Japan who have never experienced
presented in the graphs?
food insecurity make fewer health clinic visits per
year than residents of Canada who experience A) For a population that the passage also addresses,
some food insecurity. the first graph (2005-2020) indicates the scope
and proportion of food insecurity.
B) For a population that the passage also addresses,
7 the first graph (2005-2020) explains the total
The author mentions Sharon Kirkpatrick and Lynn number of individuals affected by food insecurity.
MacIntyre as two individuals who have C) The second graph (1905-1920) indicates that a
A) developed new terminology to describe hunger. problem addressed in the passage is more severe
than was once believed.
B) contributed to an initiative to combat food
insecurity. D) The second graph (1905-1920) indicates that a
problem addressed in the passage is less severe
C) disputed some of Valerie Tarasuk’s main theories. that is widely assumed.
D) linked food insecurity to educational attainment.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 23
 Part 1: Social Studies
The authors classified 702 occupations using a
Reading 7 machine learning algorithm.
To train the algorithm, they chose 70 jobs
40 whose computerization label they felt confident
Questions 1-10 are based on the following about—such as delivery drivers, maids, civil
passage and supplementary material. engineering technicians, sheet metal workers,
and utility meter readers—and labeled them as
This passage is an excerpt from Vanessa Bates Ramirez,
“Are Robots Coming for Our Jobs? Careful, It’s a
automatable or non-automatable. For each job,
Trick Question,” an article originally published* by 45 they considered the question, “Can the tasks of
SingularityHub in 2019. this job be sufficiently specified, conditional on
the availability of big data, to be performed by
The robots are coming, and they’ll probably state-of-the-art computer-controlled equipment?”
take your job when they get here. The authors noted that automation will depend
Oh wait—have you heard that recently? As 50 partly on engineers overcoming computerization
Line recently as, say, yesterday? In the news, or from “bottlenecks” in increasingly complex areas,
5 a coworker, or in a sinister dystopian movie, starting with perception and manipulation, then
maybe? moving to creative intelligence, and finally
Sounding the alarm about job losses to tackling social intelligence.
automation has become commonplace—in 55 Unsurprisingly, jobs requiring creative and
fact, it’s more of a nonstop siren these days. social intelligence were deemed least likely to be
10 Multiple Democratic presidential candidates are automated: recreational therapists, mechanic and
featuring their plans to combat Big Tech and solve repair supervisors, and emergency management
technological unemployment as talking points directors topped the list—no robot will be stealing
of their campaigns. Dread of a robot-dominated 60 their jobs anytime soon. Dentists, dietitians, and
future is mounting. elementary school teachers can settle in for the
15 One of the most widely-referenced and long haul, too.
panic-inducing figures on the topic came from a On the other end of the spectrum—or in
2013 paper by two Oxford economists, Michael this case, the long, long list—some of the jobs
Osborne and Carl Benedikt Frey. Their research 65 most susceptible to automation were insurance
found that up to 47 percent of American jobs were underwriters, telemarketers, tax preparers, and
20 at risk of being automated by the mid-2030s. sports officials like referees. Taken as a whole, the
According to The Economist, the paper has been authors found 47 percent of US employment at
cited in over 4,000 articles, unnerving workers risk of being disrupted by automation.
in all sectors of the economy and justifying 70 But let’s consider that wording. It doesn’t say
catastrophic outlooks. 47 percent of jobs will be automated. It says 47
25 But last month Frey, a Swedish economic out of every 100 jobs could conceivably be done
historian, published a book called The Technology by computers one day in the future if a bunch of
Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age massive engineering challenges get solved, not to
of Automation that aims to dispel some of the 75 mention if regulations and public opposition don’t
hysteria the paper raised. Not only must the 47 get in the way.
30 percent figure be deconstructed in a more nuanced Throughout history, technology has always
manner, he says, but the public’s acceptance of created more jobs than it has destroyed. To use
or resistance to technological advancement could a generic but straightforward metaphor: if the
also play a major role in job creation. 80 economy is a pie, tech allocates more slices to
The research underlying the 2013 paper, aptly some people and fewer slices to others in the
35 titled “The Future of Employment,” aimed to short term. But in the long term, new technologies
quantify how progress in tech could impact jobs.
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 24
 Part 1: Social Studies
always make the whole pie bigger; thus, there’s 1
more to go around.
Need a concrete, recent example? Look at Which choice provides the most direct support for the
85
mobile phone usage in developing countries. author’s assertion in lines 7-9 (“Sounding . . . days”)?
A 10 percent increase in cell phone ownership A) Lines 18-20 (“Their . . . mid-2030s”)
among citizens of developing countries can boost
B) Lines 21-24 (“According . . . outlooks”)
per capita GDP growth by about 1 percent per
90 year. Adding mobile Internet to the equation C) Lines 25-29 (“But . . . raised”)
nudges growth up even more. Farmers in Kenya D) Lines 29-33 (“Not . . . creation”)
and shopkeepers in India aren’t as well-off as
the Silicon Valley engineers who designed their
phones—but they’re certainly more well-off than
95 they were before. Absolute poverty rates around 2
the world have fallen faster in the past 30 years As used in line 11, “solve” most nearly means
than at any other time on record.
A) analyze.
B) remedy.
C) promote.
Composition of the United States Workforce
D) finalize.

1950 2020
Manufacturing Manufacturing
White Collar White Collar 3
(above B.A.) 7% (above B.A.)
12% As used in line 22, “unnerving” most nearly means
41% 24%
A) bewildering.
52%
B) enfeebling.
64%
C) demoralizing.
White Collar White Collar
(B.A. or lower)
D) astounding.
(B.A. or lower)

2040 estimate 2040 estimate 4

(high job loss) (low job loss)
Manufacturing The passage indicates that Karl Benedikt Frey regards
White Collar 3% White Collar
Manufacturing the “47 percent” job automation estimate as
(above B.A.) (above B.A.) 8%
A) a loose extrapolation that has received more
36% 24% publicity than it deserves.
61% B) a misinterpreted prediction that requires subtle
68%
attention.
White Collar White Collar C) a broad yet useful starting point for further
(B.A. or lower) (B.A. or lower) research.
D) a questionable figure that is nonetheless useful in
prompting reflection.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 25
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 8
The purpose of the discussion in the sixth and seventh According to the author, social progress related to
paragraphs (lines 34-48) is to increased technology use involves
A) show that automation can lead to improved A) continuing inequality despite noted improvements
efficiency and facilitate problem-solving. in quality of life.
B) pinpoint the procedures behind Osborne and B) prioritization of interpersonal skills as superior to
Frey’s investigation. aptitudes in research and data analysis.
C) specify which jobs are most severely threatened C) trade-offs that leave some workers suspicious of
by a shift to automation. elected leaders and public institutions.
D) emphasize that Osborne and Frey hoped to dispel D) sequences of dislocation and adjustment that vary
misconceptions about job loss. considerably in intensity from culture to culture.

6 9
The passage indicates that the number of jobs lost to Assuming that the number of workers in the United
automation may NOT reach 47 percent as a result of States steadily increases, which of the following
A) government intervention. categories from the graphs represents the highest
quantity?
B) political radicalism.
A) 1950, all white-collar workers
C) economic hardship
B) 2020, all white-collar workers
D) international collaboration.
C) 2040, all white-collar workers (high job loss)
D) 2040, all white-collar workers (low job loss)
7
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question? 10
A) Lines 55-60 (“Unsurprisingly . . . soon”) According to both the passage and the figures, the
composition of the United States workforce
B) Lines 63-67 (“On the other . . . referees”)
A) will in the future feature fewer manufacturing
C) Lines 71-76 (“It says . . . way”) workers despite considerable increases in
D) Lines 95-97 (“Absolute . . . record”) manufacturing productivity.
B) is susceptible to job loss even though the future
extent of such a trend is unclear.
C) is unlikely to see the proportion of white-collar
workers with graduate degrees rise above 40%.
D) should not exhibit a portion of manufacturing
workers below 3% at any point.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 26
 Part 1: Social Studies
• Pedestrians will walk at their own
Reading 8 35
individual preferred speeds, so long as the
path is unobstructed.
• Individuals need personal space, which
Questions 1-10 are based on the following acts like a repelling force to other
passage and supplementary material. 40 pedestrians and objects.
• Walking speeds decrease as crowds get
This passage is adapted from Alex Theng, “Watch
Where I’m Going: Predicting Pedestrian Flow,” an
denser.
article that was originally published* in 2014 by • Factors like age and fitness are all captured
EveryONE, the official blog of the research journal by setting a range of individual walking
PLOS ONE. 45 speeds.
At last check, the population of the world was
This model also borrowed from electrostatics
around 7.1 billion and counting. As we all know,
by treating people like electrons. As the authors
the sheer number of people on the planet presents
write, “pedestrians are attracted by positive
Line a host of new challenges and exacerbates existing
charges, such as exits, and repelled by negative
5 ones. The overarching population problem may 50 charges, such as other pedestrians or obstacles.”
seem daunting, but there’s still plenty we can do to
Add to this model rules about when and
make a crowded, urbanized world livable. A new
where pedestrians appear, the starting points and
study in PLOS ONE focuses on the specific issue
destinations, and the relative volume of traffic
of pedestrian traffic and how to accurately model
from each starting point to different destinations,
10 the flow of people through their environment. 55 and you’ve got a basic model of pedestrian traffic.
Researchers with Siemens and the Munich
Next, the authors calibrated this model by
University of Applied Sciences examined video
setting parameters using real-world, observational
recordings of commuters walking through a
data from the train station videos: where people
major German train station on a weekday, during
at each starting point were going, distance kept
15 both the morning and evening peak commute 60 from walls, the distribution of walking speeds,
times. Scientists analyzed the videos to determine
and so on. To test their model and its parameters,
individual pedestrians’ paths and walking speeds,
the authors validated it by running predictive
and used the resulting data to set the parameters
simulations and comparing simulated conditions
for a simulation of pedestrian traffic flow.
to real-world scenarios. Based on the results,
20 According to the authors, this kind of calibration 65 the authors suggest that this kind of model,
of theoretical models using real-world data is
which includes parameters based on real-world
largely missing from the most pedestrian flow
observation, more accurately represents pedestrian
models, which are under-validated and imprecise.
flow than do other models of walkers that do not
The authors utilized a cellular automaton
incorporate observational data.
25 model to form the basis of this simulation. 70 The authors also changed multiple parameters
Cellular automatons are models in which cells in a
to determine which ones had the largest impact
grid evolve and change values through steps based
on the simulation. The parameter that had the
on specific rules. In this instance, the authors used
largest effect when altered was the source-target
a hexagonal grid and a few simple rules about
distribution (the destinations of people coming
30 pedestrian movement: 75 from specific starting points), so the authors note
that this is critical to measure accurately and
• Pedestrians know and will follow the
precisely.
shortest path to their destination unless
The ability to precisely predict the flow of
pedestrians or other obstacles are in the
traffic has many clear applications, from the
way.

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 27
 Part 1: Social Studies
80 design of buildings and public spaces to the 4
prediction and prevention of unsafe crowd
densities during large events or emergencies. Which of the following situations would represent a
Next research question: when it’s crowded, departure from the “few simple rules” (line 29) for
does pushing really not make it go faster? the simulation mentioned in the passage?
A) Two pedestrians walking together achieve faster
and more efficient movement than either
1 pedestrian does individually.
The main purpose of the passage is to B) Two pedestrians moving in the same direction
A) overturn faulty yet common assumptions about vary their walking paces and their distance from
how pedestrians navigate their surroundings. one another considerably.

B) call attention to the value of using scientific C) One pedestrian naturally slows down if he is
methods to clarify ethical practices by focusing approaching a large and stationary crowd.
on a single project at length. D) One pedestrian walks through an area with no
C) provide a series of user-friendly guidelines for obstacles at twice the speed of another pedestrian.
effectively navigating public spaces.
D) describe an interdisciplinary endeavor that
illuminates everyday behaviors and decisions. 5
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?
2 A) Lines 31-34 (“Pedestrians . . . way”)
As described in the passage, what deficiency in earlier B) Lines 35-37 (“Pedestrians . . . unobstructed”)
studies did researchers from Siemens and the Munich
C) Lines 38-42 (“Individuals . . . denser”)
University of Applied Sciences want to correct?
D) Lines 43-45 (“Factors . . . speeds”)
A) Modeling of unrealistic simulated obstacles
B) Overly simplistic positive and negative inputs
C) Use of generally low-quality video footage 6
D) Insufficient attention to the experiences of actual The statement in lines 46-47 (“This model . . .
pedestrians electrons”) suggests that the authors of the study
A) would have achieved unreliable results had they
relied solely on a cellular automaton model.
3 B) were unaware of the usefulness of an electrostatic
Which choice provides the best evidence for the model when they were first designing the study.
answer to the previous question?
C) used a further set of conventions to complement
A) Lines 11-16 (“Researchers . . . times”) elements of a cellular automaton model.
B) Lines 16-19 (“Scientists . . . flow”) D) believe that their work with pedestrian movement
C) Lines 20-23 (“According . . . imprecise”) will be of use to particle physicists.
D) Lines 46-50 (“This model . . . obstacles”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 28
 Part 1: Social Studies
Movement Efficiency of a “Model” Pedestrian, Multiple Sequences

Sequence of Inputs (P = positive; N = negative) for pedestrian model Efficiency

(1-10 scale)
1 N P N P N P N P 2.00

2 P N P N P N P N 2.50

3 N N P P N N P P 2.00

4 P P N N P P N N 3.50

5 P P N P N N P N 3.50

6 N N P N P P N P 2.50

7 P P P N N N P N 2.50

7 9
As used in line 60, “distribution” most nearly means According to the table, the movement efficiency of a
A) circulation. “model” pedestrian is most clearly dependent on

B) administration. A) the configuration of positive and negative inputs.

C) occurrence. B) the duration of each positive or negative input.

D) handling. C) the initial speed enabled by the early positive

inputs.
D) the initial delay occasioned by the early negative
8 inputs.
As used in line 76, the word “critical” could mean all
of the following EXCEPT
10
A) imperative.
The authors of the study mentioned in the passage and
B) pivotal. the researchers who produced the table understand
C) essential. positive and negative inputs in the same way. Which
D) unforgiving. could thus be the input sequence for Pedestrian 7?
A) Pedestrian (3); Exit sign (3); Pedestrian (2)
B) Pedestrian (2); Obstacle (1); Exit Sign (3);
Pedestrian (2)
C) Exit Sign (3); Pedestrian (3); Exit Sign (2)
D) Exit Sign (3); Obstacle (1); Pedestrian (2); Exit
Sign (1); Pedestrian (1)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 29
 Part 1: Social Studies
adjusting for sex, age and deprivation, there
Reading 9 was almost a 70 per cent higher mortality rate
for suicide in Glasgow than in the two English
40 cities. Walsh’s report revealed that radical urban
Questions 1-10 are based on the following planning decisions from midcentury onwards had
passage and supplementary material. made the physical and mental health of Glasgow’s
population more vulnerable to the consequences
This passage is adapted from Fleur Macdonald, “Urban
living makes us miserable. This city is trying to change
of deindustrialisation and poverty.
that,” an article that originally appeared* in 2019 in 45 Shifting theories of city planning have
Mosaic Science. profoundly altered people’s lives everywhere,
and particularly over the past half-century in
If you live in Glasgow, you are more likely
Glasgow. The city’s population stands at about
to die young. Men there die a full seven years
600,000 now. In 1951, it was nearly double this.
earlier than their counterparts in other UK cities. 50 Glasgow’s excess mortality, the report suggests,
Line Until recently, the causes of this excess mortality
is the unintended legacy of urban planning that
5 remained a mystery. “Deep-fried Mars bars,”
exacerbated the already considerable challenges of
some have speculated. “The weather,” others
living in a city.
suggested. For years, those reasons were as good
Studies have consistently linked city living
as any. In 2012, The Economist described the 55 with poorer mental health. For example, growing
situation thus: “It is as if a malign vapour rises
up in an urban environment is correlated with
10 from the Clyde at night and settles in the lungs
twice the risk of developing schizophrenia for
of sleeping Glaswegians.” The phenomenon has
growing up in the countryside. By 2050, 68 per
become known as the Glasgow Effect. But David
cent of the world’s population will live in cities,
Walsh, a public health programme manager at 60 according to UN figures. The consequences for
the Glasgow Centre for Population Health who
global health are likely to be significant.
15 led a study on the excess deaths in 2010, wasn’t
Can we learn from what happened in Glasgow?
satisfied with how the term was being used. “It
As an increasing number of people move to
turned into a Scooby-Doo mystery but it’s not an
or are born in cities, questions of fragmented
exciting thing. It’s about people dying young; it’s 65 communities, transient populations, overcrowding,
about grief.”
inequality, and segregation—and how these affect
20 Walsh wanted to work out why Glaswegians
the wellbeing of residents—will become more
have a 30 per cent higher risk of dying
acute.
prematurely—that is, before the age of 65—than
Are urban dwellers doomed to poor mental
those living in similar post-industrial British 70 health or can planners learn from the mistakes of
cities. In 2016 his team published a report looking
the past and design cities that will keep us healthy
25 at 40 hypotheses—from vitamin D deficiency to
and happy? In postwar Glasgow, local authorities
obesity and sectarianism. “The most important
decided to tackle the city’s severe overcrowding.
reason is high levels of poverty, full stop,” says
The 1945 Bruce report proposed housing people
Walsh. “There’s one in three children who is 75 in high-rises on the periphery of the city centre.
classed as living in poverty at the moment.”
The Clyde Valley report published a year later
30 But even with deprivation accounted for,
suggested encouraging workers and their families
mortality rates in Glasgow remained inexplicable.
to move to new towns. In the end, the council
Deaths in each income group are about 15 per
adopted a combination of both. . . .
cent higher than in Manchester or Liverpool. In 80 The rapid change in the city’s make-up was
particular, deaths from “diseases of despair”—
soon recognised as disastrous. Relocating workers
35 drug overdoses, suicides, and alcohol-related
and their families to new towns was described
deaths—are high. In the mid-2000s, after
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 30
 Part 1: Social Studies
in mid-1960s parliamentary discussions as 2
“skimming the cream.” In an internal review in
1971, the Scottish Office noted that the manner The first paragraph of the passage serves to
85
of population reduction was “destined within a characterize the “Glasgow Effect” as
decade or so to produce a seriously unbalanced A) a bizarre fact of life that has become a source of
population with a very high proportion [in central dismissive commentary.
Glasgow] of the old, the very poor, and the almost
B) a concerning reality that has eluded explanation.
90 unemployable . . . ”
Although the government was soon aware C) a problem traceable to a single city landmark.
of the consequences, these were not necessarily D) an illusory condition that has been widely
intentional, says Walsh. “You have to understand
publicized.
what sort of shape Glasgow was in, in terms of
95 the really lousy living conditions, the levels of
overcrowded housing and all the rest of it,” he
says. “They thought the best approach was to just 3
start afresh.” As used in line 20, “work out” most nearly means
A) pursue new measures for.
1
B) optimize results as to.
A central idea of the passage is that
C) resolve the question of.
A) attempts to decrease urban population density
have an unfortunate tendency to result in D) display discipline on.
overcrowding.
B) urban planning that combines economic and
mental health considerations is a regarded as both 4
unprecedented and useful. Which choice offers the best support for the thesis set
C) well-intentioned urban planning projects can forward in “Walsh’s report” (line 40)?
backfire in a manner that harms economic A) Lines 24-26 (“In 2016 . . . sectarianism”)
conditions and quality of life. B) Lines 58-61 (“By 2050 . . . significant”)
D) urban planners are unlikely to understand the C) Lines 63-68 (“As an increasing . . . acute”)
forms of suffering faced by the poorest city
residents. D) Lines 80-81 (“The rapid . . . disastrous”)

Mortality Rate, Weather, and Food Consumption Data for Glasgow

10.00 200 30.0

7.50 150 22.5
5.00 100 15.0
2.50 50 7.5
0
Mortality Rate as Days with at least Pounds of candy
in terms of deaths 5.0 millimeters consumed per 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
per 1000 people of rainfall resident (average)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 31
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 8
The author suggests that the correlation between city According to the passage, David Walsh regards the
life and poor mental health, as seen in Glasgow, is recommendations of the Bruce report and the Clyde
A) aggravated principally by climate and weather Valley report as
conditions in Glasgow. A) informed by a planning approach that has
B) linked to the life expectancy of elderly residents succeeded in locations other than Glasgow.
in a fairly predictable fashion. B) only loosely related to the “mystery” of excess
C) distinct and observable in other urban contexts. mortality in Glasgow.

D) evident in the same proportions in nearby cities. C) efficient in method but uncharitable in intent.
D) understandable in aim yet ultimately misguided.

6
Which choice provides the best evidence for the 9
answer to the previous question? The graph for conditions in Glasgow indicates a
A) Lines 30-33 (“But even . . . Liverpool”) strong positive correlation for

B) Lines 54-55 (“Studies . . . health”) A) mortality rate and annual number of rainy days.

C) Lines 69-72 (“Are urban . . . happy?”) B) mortality rate and candy consumption per person
per year.
D) Lines 84-90 (“In an internal . . . unemployable”)
C) all three of the factors measured.
D) none of the three factors measured.
7
As used in line 68, “acute” most nearly means
10
A) incisive.
Which topic from the passage is the graph most
B) direct. useful in helping to analyze?
C) pronounced. A) Specific proposed causes of “excess mortality”
D) sensitive. (line 4) in Glasgow
B) The role of “high levels of poverty” (line 27) as a
cause of Glasgow’s problems
C) The link between city living and “poorer mental
health” (line 55)
D) Outcomes of a past “approach” (line 97) to
revitalizing Glasgow

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 32
 Part 1: Social Studies
become more common, as big-box retailers
Reading 10 continue to pop up across the country. According
to the article, 41 percent of full-time workers in
40 retail work in firms of 1,000 or more workers.
Questions 1-10 are based on the following According to the authors’ calculations, large
passage and supplementary material. firms pay higher wages than smaller, mom-and-
pop retailers. For example, large firms (with 100
This passage is adapted from Maureen Soyars, “Big-
box stores pay workers good wages,” an article
to 499 workers) pay workers with a high school
published* in 2014 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 45 education 20.9 percent more than small firms
(with fewer than 10 workers) do. Workers with
As the labor market has struggled to recover some college or a college degree or earn 30.1
from the recent recession, there’s been a lot of percent more at a large firm than at a small firm.
talk about the creation of “good jobs”—jobs that Larger establishments pay higher wages, too.
Line pay high wages and offer good benefits. There is 50 According to the study, a store with at least 500
5 concern that many middle-class “good jobs,” such employees pays 26 percent more to high-school
as those in manufacturing, have been replaced educated workers and 36 percent more to workers
with minimum wage jobs, such as those in retail. with some college education (including college
A new study looks at the recent expansion of the degree or more) than stores with fewer than 10
retail industry, especially the growth of big-box 55 workers. The authors attribute the wage gains to
10 chain stores, and examines the wages that go the ability of large firms and establishments to
along with jobs at these stores. Jobs in retail are “hire and promote the more able.”
plentiful, but are these jobs good for workers? Larger retailers offer employees more
In their article “Do large modern retailers opportunities for promotion within the company,
pay premium wages?” Brianna Cardiff-Hicks, 60 and managers at big-box stores earn more than
15 Francine Lafontaine, and Kathryn Shaw show managers at mom-and-pop stores. There is a wide
that workers can make more money working for pay gap between managers and non-managers:
large chain stores than for mom-and-pop shops, a high-school educated manager in a small store
that wages grow as the firm and establishment size earns 12.6 percent more than a nonmanager; a
grow, and that promotion potential increases at 65 high-school educated manager at a large store
20 larger stores, which can potentially lead to higher earns 28.2 percent more than a nonmanager.
wages. An establishment usually has one location The authors suggest that these statistics
where business is conducted. Most firms have a on retail wages can help to inform policy
single establishment, but the majority of workers decisions intended to increase middle-class jobs.
are employed by firms that comprise several 70 Employment opportunities in modern retail chains
25 establishments under the same ownership. are growing, while employment in manufacturing
The retail industry has flourished in recent has shrunk. And although the retail sector pays
years. The segment with the most growth is the considerably less than the manufacturing sector,
modern retail industry, which is made up of there are ample opportunities in retail for well-
firms, such as Starbucks or Wal-Mart, that have 75 paid management positions. Instead of focusing
30 developed regional or national chains in the past resources on bringing outsourced manufacturing
few decades. Retail has grown more concentrated, jobs back to the United States, the authors note
with fewer firms making up a larger percentage that a more successful strategy may be to improve
of the pie. The authors indicate that the four-firm training for workers in modern retail firms, with
concentration ratio—that is, the market share of 80 an eye toward preparing workers to be managers.
35 the four largest firms—grew from 5.2 percent
in 1987 to 12.3 by 2007. And larger firms have

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 33
 Part 1: Social Studies
Data for Big Box Store Employees 2
Which of the following would NOT fit the concept of
Figure 1: Survey results for 1073 employees a “good job” as explained in the first paragraph?

Are you at present . . . Yes No Unsure A) A manufacturing job that demands long hours
but offers an industry-leading wage and extensive
satisfied with your wages? 732 145 196 benefits
B) A sales job that is structured to offer commission,
enjoying your job duties? 669 102 302 benefits, and a reasonable base wage
trying to get promoted? 565 377 131 C) An administrative job that provides a traditional
wage and benefits structure even though the job
hoping to find a new job? 266 576 231 itself is premised on telecommuting
D) A managerial position that features substantial
take-home pay in place of a formal employee
Figure 2: Entry-level hourly wages (nationwide
benefits program
average for each company, February 2020)

Walmart
3
Costco The author indicates that big box stores are capable
of providing some preferable employment conditions
Retailer

Target because

Big Lots A) they use technology to facilitate better hiring and

workflow decisions.
Aldi
B) they attract top talent to an extent that smaller
stores do not.
8 9 10 11 12 13
Wage in USD per hour C) they have experienced rapid growth in the past
few decades.
1 D) they can draw on larger worker bases to identify
Based on the passage, what relationship between the best candidates for promotion.
company size and employee wages does the study
by Brianna Cardiff-Hicks, Francine Lafontaine, and
Kathryn Shaw suggest? 4
A) Larger companies pay higher wages almost Which choice provides the best evidence for the
entirely to college-educated employees. answer to the previous question?
B) Larger companies pay higher wages to employees A) Lines 8-11 (“A new . . . stores”)
at all education levels. B) Lines 27-31 (“The segment . . . decades”)
C) Smaller companies pay higher wages only in C) Lines 38-40 (“According . . . workers”)
order to retain college-educated employees.
D) Lines 55-57 (“The authors . . . able”)
D) Smaller companies pay lower wages in order to
fuel their expansion into large companies.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 34
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 8
As used in line 38, “pop up” most nearly means Which choice provides the best evidence for the
A) surprise observers. answer to the previous question?

B) promote innovation. A) Lines 67-69 (“The authors . . . jobs”)

C) expand operations. B) Lines 70-72 (“Employment . . . shrunk”)

D) react instantaneously. C) Lines 72-75 (“And . . . positions”)

D) Lines 75-80 (“Instead . . . managers”)

6
By referring to some retailers as “mom-and-pop” 9
(lines 17, 42-43, and 61) businesses, the author According to the information contained in figure 1,
characterizes these retailers as which response would NOT apply to a majority of
A) limited in extent. participants in the survey?

B) unusual in nature. A) “I would prefer to remain at my current job even

if given a chance to work at a smaller company.”
C) inefficient in structure.
B) “I genuinely look forward to coming to work as
D) subtle in approach. expected by my employer.”
C) “I have not performed an extensive job search
since being hired for my current position.”
7
D) “I hope to stay in my current position without any
The author suggests that manufacturing jobs
change of wage or responsibilities.”
A) have not been fully eliminated but have been
shifted out of the United States.
B) require many of the same skills that are valued by 10
managers of big box stores. Does the information in figure 2 help to clarify the
C) will be prioritized once again as the result of a claims in lines 49-57 (“Larger . . . able”)?
new policy initiative. A) Yes, because figure 2 calls attention to the fact
D) are becoming less popular because employers that there are meaningful differences in terms of
have gradually lowered manufacturing wages. entry-level wages at larger companies.
B) Yes, because figure 2 demonstrates that a worker
without a college degree can earn industry-
leading wages at a big box store.
C) No, because figure 2 does not consider different
levels of experience or contrasting levels of
company size in any capacity.
D) No, because figure 2 does not assess the
overall job satisfaction expressed by big box store
employees.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 35
 Part 1: Social Studies
The brain scans revealed a sequence of three
Reading 11 distinct patterns of response to stress, compared
40 to non-stress exposure. The first pattern was
characterized by sustained activation of brain
Questions 1-10 are based on the following regions known to signal, monitor, and process
passage and supplementary material. potential threats. The second response pattern
involved increased activation, and then decreased
This passage is adapted from “Researchers identify
brain circuits that help people cope with stress,” a 2016
45 activation, of a circuit connecting brain areas
news release* from the National institutes of Health. involved in stress reaction and adaptation, perhaps
as a means of reducing the initial distress related
Research supported by the National Institutes to a perceived threat.
of Health has identified brain patterns in humans “The third pattern helped predict those who
that appear to underlie “resilient coping,” the 50 would regain emotional and behavioral control to
Line healthy emotional and behavioral responses to stress,” said Dr. Sinha, professor of psychiatry and
5 stress that help some people handle stressful director of the Yale Stress Center.
situations better than others. People encounter This pattern involved what Dr. Sinha and
stressful situations and stimuli everywhere, every colleagues described as “neuroflexibility,” in
day, and studies have shown that long-term stress 55 a circuit between the brain’s medial prefrontal
can contribute to a broad array of health problems. cortex and forebrain regions including the ventral
10 However, some people cope with stress better striatum, extended amygdala, and hippocampus
than others, and scientists have long wondered during sustained stress exposure. Dr. Sinha and
why. The new study, by a team of researchers her colleagues explain that this neuroflexibility
at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, is 60 was characterized by initially decreased activation
now online in the Proceedings of the National of this circuit in response to stress, followed
15 Academy of Sciences. by its increased activation with sustained stress
“This important finding points to specific exposure. “This seems to be the area of the
brain adaptations that predict resilient responses brain which mobilizes to regain control over our
to stress,” said George F. Koob, Ph.D., director 65 response to stress,” said Dr. Sinha.
of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse The authors note that previous research has
20 and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of NIH and a consistently shown that repeated and chronic
supporter of the study. “The findings also indicate stress damages the structure, connections, and
that we might be able to predict maladaptive stress functions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The
responses that contribute to excessive drinking, 70 prefrontal cortex is the seat of higher order
anger, and other unhealthy reactions to stress.” functions such as language, social behavior, mood,
25 In a study of human volunteers, scientists led and attention, and also helps to regulate emotions
by Rajita Sinha, Ph.D., and Dongju Seo, Ph.D., and more primitive areas of the brain.
used a brain scanning technique called functional In the current study, the researchers
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure 75 reported that participants who did not show the
localized changes in brain activation during neuroflexibility response in the prefrontal cortex
30 stress. Study participants were given fMRI scans during stress had higher levels of self-reported
while exposed to highly threatening, violent and binge drinking, anger outbursts, and other
stressful images followed by neutral, non-stressful maladaptive coping behaviors. They hypothesize
images for six minutes each. While conducting 80 that such individuals might be at increased risk
the scans, researchers also measured non-brain for alcohol use disorder or emotional dysfunction
35 indicators of stress among study participants, problems, which are hallmarks of chronic
such as heart rate and levels of cortisol, a stress exposure to high levels of stress.
hormone, in blood.
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 36
 Part 1: Social Studies
1 4
According to the author, the research findings As used in line 47, “a means” most nearly means
regarding brain adaptations are useful because such A) a connivance.
discoveries
B) a method.
A) shed light on the evolutionary origins of the
human race. C) a definition.

B) will help to mitigate and possibly prevent brain D) an instinct.

damage.
C) explain a variety of non-brain stress indicators.
5
D) enable researchers to predict unhealthy stress
The author of the passage implies that people who
responses.
have low neuroflexibility have a relatively hard time
A) learning new tasks.
2 B) recovering from brain injuries.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the C) assessing potential threats.
answer to the previous question? D) regaining control over their responses to stress.
A) Lines 10-12 (“However . . . why”)
B) Lines 21-24 (“The findings . . . to stress”)
C) Lines 25-31 (“In a study . . . stress”)
6
Which of the following best supports the notion that
D) Lines 38-40 (“The brain . . . exposure”)
stress can physically alter the sufferer’s body?
A) Lines 33-37 (“While conducting . . . blood”)
3 B) Lines 66-69 (“The authors . . . cortex”)
Which of the following is NOT a pattern of response C) Lines 74-79 (“In the current . . . behaviors”)
to stress seen in the fMRI experiment? D) Lines 80-83 (“such individuals . . . stress”)
A) Neuroflexibility
B) Activation of brain regions that process threats
C) Frontal cortex repair
7
As used in line 64, “mobilizes” most nearly means
D) Varying levels of activation of brain regions that
respond to stress A) activates.
B) overrides.
C) aims.
D) inspires.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 37
 Part 1: Social Studies
Brain Activity in Response to Stressful Situations

Trial 1: Lower-Stress Stimulus

20
Percentage Relative

Brain Region
to a Resting State

10
0 Prefrontal Cortex
-10
(less primitive):
-20
Stimulus Stimulus 10 Minutes 20 Minutes Limbic System
Introduced Removed After Removal After Removal (more primitive):

Trial 2: Higher-Stress Stimulus

20
Percentage Relative
to a Resting State

10
0
-10
-20
Stimulus Stimulus 10 Minutes 20 Minutes
Introduced Removed After Removal After Removal

8 10
The list that appears in lines 71-72 (“language . . . Which choice best describes the relationship between
attention”) primarily serves to the figure and the passage?
A) present the components encompassed by a term. A) The figure draws a distinction between more and
B) enumerate a few promising areas of study. less primitive brain regions, while the passage
does not consider such categories.
C) illustrate what occurs during a stress response.
B) The figure indicates that stress responses are
D) show how humans are more advanced than relatively similar regardless of stress intensity,
ancestor species were. while the passage outlines three different
approaches to stress management.
C) The figure indicates the neurological effects
9 of repeated exposure to stress, while the passage
It can be reasonably inferred from the graph that considers the same possibility from the
A) a long-term high-stress situation will eventually perspective of social behavior.
lead to a loss of emotional control. D) The figure categorizes stressful experiences in
B) a low-stress situation can have negligible short- terms of relative intensity, while the passage
term effects on the prefrontal cortex. mostly contrasts stressful and non-stressful
experiences.
C) high-stress situations can damage the prefrontal
cortex.
D) the limbic system is the crucial component in
regulating basic emotional responses to stress.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 38
 Part 1: Social Studies
main competitor isn’t just a journalist from the
Reading 12 35 crosstown rival newspaper; it’s anyone owning a
smartphone.
The audiences, who for several generations
Questions 1-10 are based on the following have largely been sleeping partners in the news
passage and supplementary material. production business, have suddenly become more
40 active. In the past, they only purchased news
This passage is an excerpt from Bruce Mutsvairo,
“What is news in the 21st century?” an article
content. And if they were angry after reading
published* in 2016 by The Conversation in partnership biased or inaccurate stories, drafting a “letter
with Northumbria University. to the editor” was their only possible way of
showing concern.
When celebrated media and communication 45 Today they have direct access to the editor
theorist Dennis McQuail proposed in 1992 that via Twitter, they directly comment on stories
news was a selective, socially manufactured anonymously and instantly, and as alternative
Line product with the power to determine and define players they produce content and share it online.
5 events, he hadn’t heard of social media. Not They have also become a legitimate source of
every occurrence is necessarily news, he wrote. 50 information for conventional journalists. But
His argument was based on the notion that the can the blogosphere be considered a reliable
“gatekeepers” (who are mostly journalists and and vital part of ethical news production? Most
editors) decide what is news and how it should be professional journalists I talk to would say no.
10 reported and disseminated. But while not everything bloggers are producing
McQuail would be the first to admit that 55 is reliable, you just cannot exclude social media
that’s no longer the case. From Malawi to content from a 21st-century journalism degree
Myanmar, Chad to China, social media’s growing course. It’s impossible to remove the unrelenting
influence has become a potent symbol of citizen digital enthusiasts from the news matrix.
15 empowerment across the globe. That’s because in Some scholars have defined news as the
several parts of the world, social networks such 60 information that people need to make rational
as Twitter and Facebook have become the norm decisions about their lives. Meanwhile, Pamela J
for day-to-day communication, inadvertently Shoemaker and Akiba Cohen, preferring a market-
replacing mainstream media as a source of news. based definition, have called news “a commodity.
20 In so doing, such networks are not only redefining It can be bought, sold, and traded.” Then of course
the ways news and content can be shared but also 65 there are the “big” world stories: wars, outbreaks
forcing us to rethink the meaning and significance of disease or famine, elections. Some of these will
of “news” itself. When citizen journalists, digital make a difference in our lives—for example, the
activists or any other non-professionals produce Syrian crisis and the flow of migrants into Europe,
25 and share news on Twitter, who is going to or the U.S. election which has repercussions far
stop them, and who is going to deny them the 70 beyond North America.
opportunity to produce news? But to most people who now spend time on
With the news industry changing at such social media, if you’ve got something “new”
a dizzying speed, it would seem as if the time has to share, rational or irrational, then you’ve
30 come for us to accept citizen journalists as active got news—or at least you believe so. When
players in the news business. Indeed, teaching a 75 newlyweds share stories and pictures of their
student how to gather, write, and edit stories isn’t marriage, they are distributing news. And the fact
enough anymore. Students need to know that their that this news doesn’t fit some market-oriented
criteria doesn’t mean that they’re wrong.

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 39
 Part 1: Social Studies
News isn’t only what a major outlet like the 2
80 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) tells
you is news. The BBC will come up with a news In the first paragraph, the author cites the ideas of
bulletin reporting on major international, national Dennis McQuail for the purpose of
and local events. It’s a package of news put A) pointing out that McQuail’s beliefs were deeply
together by the BBC. Citizens, however, can and flawed even when these arguments were first
85 should decide what’s news to them. developed.
B) depicting McQuail’s lack of foresight as the result
1
of journalistic integrity.
A central idea of the passage is that
C) setting the context for analysis that reveals a
A) free expression on social media has radically historical departure from McQuail’s conceptions.
changed social and political norms.
D) anticipating the thesis that contemporary media
B) the rise of social media was the direct result of commentators should return to values promoted
distrust of traditional sources of authority in the by McQuail.
news.
C) trained journalists and editors are not the only
sources of important modern media content. 3
D) older standards of writing quality have vanished As used in lines 29, “a dizzying” most nearly means
due to technological advances.
A) an entertaining.
B) a destructive.
C) an unclear.
D) an intense.

Activities of Five Social Media Users, with Use by Percentage of Total Time Investment

User Occupation Why is social media News and Friends and Networking Other
most useful for you? Entertainment family contact
1 foreign affairs posting articles and 60% 15% 15% 10%
journalist performing research
2 fashion blogger networking and blog 50% 10% 25% 15%
publicity
3 school principal staying in touch with 15% 75% 5% 5%
family
4 media consultant networking and 20% 5% 65% 10%
obtaining clients
5 financial planner contacting friends 10% 75% 10% 5%
and family

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 40
 Part 1: Social Studies
4 8
The author of the passage would agree that specialists As used in the final paragraph, the phrases “come
in contemporary journalism are obliged to up with” (line 81) and “put together” (lines 83-84)
A) disregard past editorial standards in order to characterize the actions of the BBC as
remain employed. A) reliant on clever manipulation.
B) account for reporting that is factually incorrect. B) questionable in ultimate impact.
C) consent to the idea that “news” is an undefinable C) improvised for broad appeal.
concept. D) premised on a specific end goal.
D) interact with readers on a daily basis.

9
5 Based on the table, which person spends the greatest
Which choice provides the best evidence for the amount of time on social media?
answer to the previous question? A) The foreign affairs journalist
A) Lines 20-23 (“In so . . . itself”) B) The fashion blogger
B) Lines 31-33 (“Indeed . . . anymore”) C) The media consultant
C) Lines 37-40 (“The audiences . . . active”) D) There is not enough information to provide a
D) Lines 54-56 (“But . . . course”) definitive answer.

6 10
The passage indicates that it is possible to define What objection to the organization of the table would
“news” based on the concept of be expected from the author of the passage?
A) sensationalism. A) Contact that primarily deals with family events
B) utility. can also be classified as “news.”

C) complexity. B) Activity classified as “other” could involve

consumption of unreliable news.
D) truth.
C) News generation and professional networking are
not comparable activities.

7 D) Equating “news” and “entertainment” causes

distrust of modern news organizations.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 59-61 (“Some . . . lives”)
B) Lines 64-66 (“Then . . . elections”)
C) Lines 71-74 (“But . . . so”)
D) Lines 76-78 (“And . . . wrong”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 41
 Part 1: Social Studies
or good-quality fresh food due to a lack of grocery
Reading 13 35
stores or markets where healthy food is offered.
“According to the USDA, the areas in Richmond
and Oakland are more than a mile from any shop
Questions 1-10 are based on the following that sells fresh produce, and the area in Berkeley
passage and supplementary material. 40 is more than half a mile from such a shop,” say
Stark and his team. “All have below-average
This passage is adapted from Glenn Jackson, “Ripe
for the Picking: Wild weeds may provide a new food
income, according to the U.S. Census.”
source,” an article that originally appeared* in 2019 on Yet all around them, Stark and his colleagues
EveryONE, the community blog of the research journal saw an overlooked food source: wild, edible
PLOS ONE. 45 weeds. Using iNaturalist (an open-source citizen
science database of observations of plants and
The overgrown lots and sidewalks of
animals), Stark utilized teams of observers to
California cities might not seem like a great place
help record estimates of the number of servings
to seek out nutritious greens, but in a recent study
of edible weeds that were either “accessible”
Line published in PLOS ONE, Professor Philip Stark
50 (defined as within an arm’s reach of a public
5 and his team have found evidence of a potentially
space, such as a sidewalk or road) or “visible”
untapped bounty of drought-resistant, edible
(defined as visible and available to those with
weeds growing in the dense urban environments
access to the property where the weeds have
of three cities in the San Francisco East Bay
grown) within the chosen sites. What they found
region of California. Furthermore, the University
55 was that wild edible plants such as mallow,
10 of California, Berkeley research team’s findings
bristly ox tongue, cat’s ear, English plantain,
suggest that even while soil in these environments
wild lettuce, nasturtium, dandelion, sweet fennel,
may have higher levels of lead, cadmium, and
sourgrass, and chickweed were available and
other heavy metals, certain varieties of wild-
visible in abundance, growing without human
growing greens are still safe to eat (after a
60 aid and persisting even during record droughts in
15 thorough rinsing, that is!).
California.
Over several months between 2014 and 2015,
But how is one to know whether or not it is
Stark (who is the Principal Investigator of the
safe to eat the edible plants growing in these
Berkeley Open Source Food project) and his
environments? To answer this question, Stark
team set out to conduct field observations, soil
65 and his team collected soil samples from various
20 tests, and nutritional and toxicology tests on
sites in the cities of Richmond and Oakland
plant tissues pulled from three separate sites in
(specifically, the West Oakland neighborhood),
the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Richmond, and
and sent the samples to a lab in order to test for
Oakland. During this time, Stark and his team set
the concentration of metals such as zinc, copper,
out to visit various sites throughout the East Bay;
70 arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other toxic metals
25 each site was approximately nine square blocks
present in the soil. Then, plant tissue samples
and focused on areas where residential buildings
were collected from locations where the soil
bordered busy roadways and active industrial
testing had shown the highest concentration of
zones. At each location, the team conducted field
metals, including a few samples from plants
observations and collected plant specimens and
75 growing between patches of asphalt. The plant
30 soil samples for additional tests back in the lab.
tissue samples were rinsed in tap water and then
In essence, the researchers were interested in
dried before being sent to a lab to be tested for
testing the soil and plants from what could be
metal contaminants. In addition, the team also had
considered “food deserts,” usually impoverished
fresh samples tested for nutritional value as well
urban areas where it is difficult to buy affordable

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 42
 Part 1: Social Studies
80 as for potential chemical contaminants (such as 3
man-made chemicals, glyphosate, multi-residue
pesticides, and oxalic acid). The main purpose of the quotation in lines 37-40
When the results were in, the study found (“According . . . Census”) is to
that while a few soil samples showed levels of A) explain a plan to revitalize specific areas.
85 lead and cadmium near or exceeding EPA limits,
B) rebut a claim that appeared earlier in the passage.
toxic metals detected in most soil samples were
far below the US EPA maximum acceptable C) show that the sites being discussed are food
daily dose for children and adults. In addition, deserts.
approximately 330 pesticides, herbicides, and D) argue for a different approach to land usage.
90 other toxins did not turn up in soil sample tests.
The takeaway? While these plants weren’t
cultivated on an organic farm tucked away
in the bucolic pastures of California’s central 4
valley, they appear not only safe to eat but also As used in line 75, “patches” most nearly means
95 surprisingly nutritious compared to some of their
store-bought counterparts. While this research is A) connections.
promising, you shouldn’t just start eating every B) recuperations.
leafy green you see growing between your front
C) potholes.
door and your office.
D) areas.
1
The main point of the passage is that various wild
plants 5
Which of the following best supports the notion that
A) are generally both safe and nutritious.
the researchers described in the passage wanted a
B) may have dangerous levels of toxins. worst-case scenario estimate of metal contamination?
C) do not grow in abundance in food deserts. A) Lines 9-14 (“Furthermore . . . to eat”)
D) are healthier than grocery store produce. B) Lines 64-71 (“To answer . . . the soil”)
C) Lines 71-75 (“Then, plant . . . of asphalt”)

2 D) Lines 75-78 (“The plant . . . contaminants”)

As used in line 6, “untapped” most nearly means

A) underutilized. 6
B) elegant. According to the passage, most of the weeds in urban
C) misunderstood. areas are
D) uncompromised. A) concentrated in industrial settings.
B) not laden with chemical contaminants.
C) located in food deserts.
D) both visible and accessible.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 43
 Part 1: Social Studies
Opinions of 1073 East Bay City Residents Response
Yes (when source is
Question: Would you willingly eat the following?
an urban area):
Response to Query (%)

100
75 Yes (when source is
50 a supermarket):
25
0
lettuce dandelion yam chickweed sweet fennel

7 9
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Which information would be necessary in order to
answer to the previous question? determine whether the chart is relevant to the issue
A) Lines 25-28 (“each site . . . zones”) of “food deserts” that interested Stark and the other
researchers?
B) Lines 31-36 (“In essence . . . offered”)
A) The the total income of the 10 lowest-earning
C) Lines 47-54 (“Stark . . . sites”) respondents over a five-year period
D) Lines 86-90 (“toxic . . . tests”) B) The amount of money that a respondent spends,
on average, on meals that are not home-cooked
on an annual basis
8 C) The individual amounts of money that the 10
The tone of the last sentence of the passage can best highest-earning respondents typically spend on
be described as food on an annual basis
A) moderately fearful. D) The median annual income of the respondents as
B) cautiously optimistic. compared to the median annual income in the
United States
C) unabashedly sarcastic.
D) thoroughly ambivalent.
10
On the basis of the passage, one of the ironies present
in the chart is that some East Bay residents
A) do not recognize that various locally-occurring
plants are in fact edible.
B) consciously shun food sources that have well-
demonstrated nutritional value.
C) believe that more expensive types of produce are
intrinsically healthier.
D) have aversely over-reacted to research concerning
pesticides and other contaminants.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 44
 Part 1: Social Studies
these rampant data collection and monetization
Reading 14 35
practices have raised a number of concerns.
As Harvard Business School scholar Shoshana
Zuboff outlined, the digital advertising industry
Questions 1-10 are based on the following can be situated within the framework of
passage and supplementary material. 40 “surveillance capitalism.” In her book The Age of
Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human
This passage is adapted from Spandana Singh,
“Special Delivery: How Internet Platforms Use Artificial
Future at the New Frontier of Power, Zuboff
Intelligence to Target and Deliver Ads,” a study describes how, in the twentieth century, companies
originally published* by NewAmerica.org. such as General Motors and Ford sparked the rise
45 of mass production and managerial capitalism.
In the early 2000s, a Minnesota father found In the twenty-first century, companies such as
Target ads for maternity clothing and nursery Google and Facebook have initiated the rise
furniture addressed to his teenage daughter in of surveillance capitalism. These platforms
Line the mail. According to Target statistician Andrew commodify “reality” by tracking the behaviors of
5 Pole, the company was able to use historical 50 individuals online and offline, making predictions
buying data on all of the women who had signed about how they may act in the future, and
up for Target baby registries to identify purchasing constructing mechanisms to influence these future
patterns. This information was used to create behaviors, whether such behaviors are voting or
an algorithm that could identify women who making purchases.
10 were likely pregnant. Target then delivered ads 55 In this new digital advertising model, internet
to women who had been identified as pregnant. platforms might not sell access to user data. But
For example, the company’s statisticians found they do sell the attention of these consumers to
that women on the baby registry were buying brands and companies that are willing to pay for
more quantities of unscented lotion around the it. Additionally, these platforms monetize data by
15 beginning of the second trimester. Additionally, 60 using it to facilitate ad targeting. These practices
many pregnant women purchased supplements are extensive and invasive. Such pervasive online
such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc during the and offline surveillance, along with the subsequent
first 20 weeks. By bundling pattern-based data monetization of users’ behaviors and ideas, treats
points such as these together, Target was able to the “private human experience as raw material for
20 calculate and assign each shopper a “pregnancy 65 product development and market exchange.” This
prediction score” and estimate each pregnant model incentivizes internet platforms to collect
woman’s due date within a narrow window. In as much data on users as possible, as this process
the case of the Minnesota teen, this meant that the will make precise targeting and delivery tools
company knew that she was pregnant and acted on available to advertisers. In addition, the digital
25 this knowledge before she decided to tell her own 70 advertising ecosystem incentivizes rampant data
family. collection, as these systems require vast datasets
This was over 10 years ago. Since then, the in order to operate and improve. . .
digital advertising ecosystem has significantly In addition, political advertisements on internet
changed, and such practices have become even platforms have come under increased scrutiny.
30 more refined, more pervasive, more automated, 75 This concern was in part triggered by revelations
and less visible. Today, the industry relies on and that Russian operatives had used political
monetizes user data at an unprecedented scale. advertising services on a number of internet
In this way, data have become the lifeblood of platforms to influence and suppress voting in the
the digital advertising industry. Simultaneously, 2016 U.S. presidential election. Since then, these

*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 45
 Part 1: Social Studies
80 platforms have come under increased scrutiny 2
and pressure to provide greater transparency
and accountability around their advertising The discussion of the Minnesota teen calls attention
operations, and to develop clearer policies and to advertising practices that can result in
processes governing who can purchase and run A) suspicion of companies that claim to be assisting
85 political advertising campaigns. Some companies, families and communities.
such as Pinterest and most recently Twitter,
have opted to ban political advertising on their B) the creation of harmful stereotypes about large
platforms altogether. However, because political social groups.
advertisements cannot be easily categorized or C) the disclosure of information without an
90 defined, and given that some of these decisions individual’s consent.
were made fairly recently, the impact of these new
bans is yet to be seen. D) the marketing of products that do not function as
hoped.
1
The main purpose of the passage is to
3
A) call attention to the unfortunate implications of a
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
fairly common advertising practice.
answer to the previous question?
B) promote procedural adjustments that would
A) Lines 4-8 (“According . . . patterns”)
address ethical problems in digital advertising.
B) Lines 8-10 (“This . . . pregnant”)
C) explain why a few economic and political
systems appear to contradict their own core C) Lines 18-22 (“By . . . window”)
principles. D) Lines 22-26 (“In the . . . family”)
D) show how both professionals and the public
reacted to a troubling episode.

Advertising During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

250
all official campaigns and outside groups
Number of Ads Aired (thousands),

200

150

100

50

0
Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov.

Television: Social Media (Reliable): Social Media (Unreliable):

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 46
 Part 1: Social Studies
4 8
As used in line 22, “narrow” most nearly means Which irony of political advertising does the author
A) precise. highlight in the passage?

B) simplistic. A) Political ads can be used to depress rather than

stimulate voter participation.
C) challenging.
B) The creators of political ads seldom have strong
D) unyielding. political biases of their own.
C) Non-political users of social media are likely to
encounter an abundance of political ads.
5
D) The United States does not run political ads
As used in line 44, “sparked” most nearly means
in countries known to target American citizens
A) inflamed. with political messaging.
B) initiated.
C) incentivized.
9
D) illuminated.
During which month in 2016 did the largest number
of unreliable political ads appear on social media?
6 A) August
According to the passage, “surveillance capitalism” B) September
can best be characterized as C) October
A) dependent on interactions that do not take place D) November
exclusively online.
B) reliant on uninterrupted improvement in
computing speed and efficiency. 10
C) antagonistic to government oversight and The author of the passage would most likely argue
regulation. that the presence of unreliable political ads on social
D) impervious to the problems that befell managerial media, as represented in the graph, is the result of
capitalism A) the disproportionate profitability of running
political ads on a social media platform.
B) the prioritization of free and uncensored
7 expression by some social media companies.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the C) the difficulty of distinguishing political from
answer to the previous question? non-political content.
A) Lines 37-40 (“As Harvard . . . capitalism”) D) the use of political ads in surveillance of
B) Lines 43-45 (“in the twentieth . . . capitalism”) unlawful activity.
C) Lines 48-54 (“These . . . purchases”)
D) Lines 69-72 (“In addition . . . improve”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 47
 Part 1: Social Studies
to local villagers who no longer have ready
Reading 15 sources of wood for cooking and housing. But
now there are indications that the trend could be
40 reversing, at least in some places. Now it appears
Questions 1-10 are based on the following that many West African policy and decision
passage and supplementary material. makers are looking at new, innovative ways to
better nurture and preserve their forests and other
This passage is adapted from “Unique Mapping Tool
Brings Unprecedented Look at Land Cover Change in
natural resources.
West Africa,” a 2018 news release* from the United 45 A prime example of that innovation is a
States Geological Survey. unique mapping tool created by West Africans
and the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earth
They say that there are forests in West Africa Resources Observation and Science (EROS)
where spirits abide—where people walk among Center, with financial support from the U.S.
woodland burial grounds and speak to the dead, 50 Agency for International Development (USAID).
Line where life plays out from beginning to end. Places Led by USGS Geographer Gray Tappan at EROS,
5 of myths and taboos, of proverbs and songs, the West Africa Land Use and Land Cover Trends
forests have played key roles within the cultural Project produced maps and datasets that represent
rhythms of West Africans for centuries. According an unprecedented look at how land cover has
to the native traditions in Ghana, a family would 55 changed in that part of the world over 40 years,
plant a tree in the woods for each child born. Each both at regional and national scales. This new
10 year then, the development of that son or daughter tool captures where forests have faded away
was measured by the growth of the tree. As the beneath the advance of creeping desertification.
seasons passed and the branches began to bear Where booming population growth has spurred
fruit, it became time for the child to marry. And 60 urban sprawl. Where croplands have replaced
when the circle of life was complete, it’s said that woodlands. And, in what many view as a positive
15 one’s spirit became eternally linked to one’s own trend, where the greening of the landscape by new
personal birthright tree. tree growth is now occurring.
“That’s why when the forests began to Remotely sensed time-series data from
disappear, there were significant impacts, 65 Landsat’s rich archive have been crucial in
socioeconomically, environmentally, even capturing these changes, Tappan said. But the
20 culturally,” says Francis Dwomoh, a native maps and datasets also are products of decades
Ghanaian who recently completed his doctoral of boots-on-the-ground visual mapping and
degree in Geospatial Science and Engineering at analysis—much of it done by native West Africans
South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. 70 themselves—as well as thousands of aerial
“For us, if you are losing your forests, you’re also photographs.
25 losing part of your culture.” Tappan and his team understood that they
Ghana is in fact losing its forests. By some could have simply relied on automation to take
estimates, the country’s primary rainforest multispectral information from satellite sensors
declined by 90 percent in the past half century. 75 and use the reflectances they captured to map
Logging, wildfires, agricultural expansion, land cover classes. But the accuracy of such an
30 climate variability, population growth—all have approach wouldn’t have met their needs, he said.
exacted heavy tolls on forest resources, not simply So, they decided early on to take Landsat images
in Ghana but throughout the 17 countries that and manually do the mapping “with just good old-
comprise a West African sub-region roughly the 80 fashioned visual analysis,” noted Tappan. It not
size of the United States. only dramatically improved the maps’ accuracy,
35 It’s a loss felt at all levels of West African life, but also brought other important dimensions to
from governments facing declining timber exports
*See Page 85 for the citation for this text.
CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 48
 Part 1: Social Studies
them, such as texture, pattern, shape, size, even 3
shadows. For example, roads can be seen coming
together at villages in the middle of agricultural The function of the description in lines 7-16
85
areas. “All these other dimensions allowed us to (“According . . . tree”) is to
really bring the accuracy way up,” Tappan said. A) explain a term.
B) defend a culture.
C) rebut a claim.
1
D) provide an example.
Over the course of the passage, the focus shifts from
A) a theoretical proposition to a hypothesis to a
tentative conclusion.
4
B) background information to an evident problem to
As used in line 57, “captures” most nearly means
a new program.
A) overtakes.
C) a synopsis of a cultural practice to an
endorsement of the modernization of that B) catches.
practice. C) remembers.
D) an analysis of a widely-acknowledged problem to D) records.
the revelation of an unanticipated solution.

2
The tone of the first two sentences of the passage can
best be described as
A) skeptical.
B) flattering.
C) captivated.
D) disconcerted.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 49
 Part 1: Social Studies
5 7
As used in line 58, “creeping” most nearly means Which choice provides the best evidence for the
A) expanding. answer to the previous question?

B) prying. A) Lines 45-56 (“A prime . . . scales”)

C) spying. B) Lines 61-63 (“And in . . . occurring”)

D) dragging. C) Lines 80-86 (“It not . . . areas”)

D) Lines 86-87 (“All these . . . said”)

6
According to the passage, the benefits of manual 8
mapping include Which of the following choices best supports the
A) facilitated collaboration between nations. notion that, compared to manual mapping, land cover
mapping by machines relies on indirect methods?
B) a large array of information types.
A) Lines 56-58 (“This new . . . desertification”)
C) the ability to promote ecological restoration.
B) Lines 64-66 (“Remotely . . . Tappan”)
D) increased income for local residents.
C) Lines 66-71 (“But the . . . photographs”)
D) Lines 72-76 (“Tappan . . . classes”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 50
 Part 1: Social Studies
Rainforest Area Loss in Three West African Countries
400
Area in Thousands of

Ghana:
Square Kilometers

300

200 Côte d’Ivoire:

100
Liberia:
0
1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 Total:

Total Rainforest Area Rehabilitated in Three West African Countries

20
Area in Thousands of
Square Kilometers

15

10

0
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
(estimate)

9 10
The graphs indicate that rainforest rehabilitation in In the context of the accompanying graphs, the
the three African countries represented passage primarily
A) has not facilitated a return to pre-1900 levels of A) connects trends documented in the two graphs to
rainforest area coverage. specific causes.
B) is the outcome of a policy shift unique to Ghana. B) suggests that a problem documented in the first
C) has fluctuated wildly over a short timespan. graph is not as severe as some of the existing data
may suggest.
D) was a response to crisis conditions that arose a
few years into the 21st century. C) explains why pre-1900 measurements of
rainforest area loss are unreliable.
D) posits that visual resources such as the second
graph will be rendered unnecessary by
improvements in mapping technology.

STOP
If you have finished this section, consult the relevant answers and explanations.
Do not turn to any other section.

Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 51

Part 2

Science, Single
 Reading Strategy
Part 2: Science, Single

Essential Tactics
The two Science passages that appear on each SAT Reading section can be drawn from a variety of topics:
biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, and astronomy among them. In fact, passages that address
issues in psychology and technology—fields that may seem oriented towards Social Studies—are eligible to
appear under Natural Science. Keep in mind, also, that one graph WILL always appear and that one paired
passage MAY appear in this passage category.

Fortunately, the designated Science passages can be quite approachable at times. Although you may be
challenged to adapt to a new scientific concept, you will ALWAYS be given enough background information
to approach such content; as ever on the SAT, outside knowledge may help but is not in any way a necessity.
Moreover, there will be relatively few stylistic difficulties. Because Science passages are almost always taken
from the past 75 years—and often from the extremely recent past—the possibility of encountering older-
fashioned expressions and syntax decreases considerably.

Perhaps the most fortunate feature of Science passages, though, is their relative predictability in structure and
intent. Though there are certainly some exceptions, a typical Science passage will be devoted to a single well-
defined area of inquiry that is addressed in the following format.

1. Inquiry or Issue Established

2. Experiment or Research Explained
3. Broader Outcomes Addressed (Applications, Problems, Debates, Future Inquiries)
In some cases, Science passages will break down into EXACTLY these stages, with one following the next
in an orderly fashion. In other cases, the different stages may be harder to discern—that is, until you learn to
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 88
 Part 2: Science Passages, Single

identify and comprehend each stage with speed and efficiency. For the sake of at least a preliminary sense of
how the characteristic topics and format of Science passages have played out recently, here are the Science
passages that have appeared on the most recent official SAT tests.

• “Why Birds Fly in a V Formation” by Patricia Waldron (how and whether birds utilize wind currents when
flying together, Test 7)
• “How the Higgs Boson Was Found” by Brian Greene (how an important concept in physics was regarded
and understood over time, Test 7)
• “Salt Stretches in the Nanoworld” by Rachel Ehrenberg (how salt exhibits varying properties, Test 8)
• Excerpt from What a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to the Senses by Daniel Chamovitz (how a Venus flytrap
responds to prey stimuli, Test 8)
• Excerpt from Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live by Marlene
Zuk (how guppies can be used to model evolutionary change, Test 9)
• “Pleasant to the Touch” by Sabrina Richards (how human nerves detect specific sensations, Test 10)
• Excerpt from Life Under the Sun by Peter A. Ensminger (how plowing times affect weed control, Test 10)

Inquiry or Issue
Your first priority should be to determine what theory, fact, or problem in scientific inquiry the author has
chosen to address. This is in some ways a fairly straightforward task since 1) the TITLE can be extremely
informative in some cases and 2) the FIRST FEW PARAGRAPHS can lay out a considerable amount of
information. Of course, there may be SAT passages that deal with main issues that are extremely complex,
that are elaborated over the course of rather long paragraphs, or that are accompanied by several counter-
examples and counter-arguments. If you find yourself faced with such a passage, maintain high precision with
the following questions—which are relevant to ANY Science passage.

• What information does the title provide? What ADDITIONAL questions does it raise?
• What is the theory, idea, or assumed fact that is being evaluated in the passage? Is there an EXPLICIT
statement that defines the topic under investigation?
• What factors COMPLICATE the main inquiry or issue? Are competing theories, explanations, or examples
mentioned anywhere?
Once you have clarified these issues by finding the needed information—whether provided by the author
or by researchers quoted in the article—you can easily move on to consider how, exactly, the investigations
described in the passage proceeded.

Experiment or Research
In some passages, “experiments” and “research” may seem loosely defined at best. Official SAT passages
have included informative and theoretical discussions of topics such as DNA and the Higgs boson particle; in
these cases, the authors provided overviews of major scientific issues. Still, passages that are walk-throughs of
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 89
Part 2: Science Passages, Single

specific experiments and research projects continue to dominate the test, and passages that deviate from this
classic format can still be approached using a similar method.

As you read any given Science passage, divide up information in terms of methods of inquiry. These are
often experiments, but can sometimes be ideas or proposals (such as the nature of a molecule or a particle)
that are given some logical explanation. Be aware, also, that experiment-oriented passages may proceed in
stages, with two or even three related inquiries outlined one after another. Overall, try to think in terms of the
following questions for every method or mode of investigation present.

• What idea or premise is this experiment, project, or line of reasoning meant to evaluate?
• What are the fine points of design and execution for the research? Did the researchers meet any obstacles?
• What are the immediate outcomes? Do they confirm or contradict any ideas—or lead to a new inquiry?
If you can think about immediate outcomes, you will also have a firm basis for considering the broad research
outcomes that, frequently, are addressed in the final stages of Science passages.

Broader Outcomes
The last few paragraphs of a Science passage will, with some regularity, broaden the topic outward. A variety
of new issues raised by the topic or research at hand may be considered, and some of the most common are
listed below.

• Validation of an earlier theory • Proposal for a new or modified experiment

• Contradiction of an assumed explanation • Intensification of a debate or dispute

• Formulation of a new or improved theory • Approval or agreement from the scientific community

• Sources of continuing uncertainty • Dissent from a specific expert or a group of specialists

These issues may be raised by the author, by researchers quoted or described throughout the passage, or by
researchers who are quoted for the first time near the passage’s closing. Note also that some passages may
terminate WITHOUT raising broad issues such as these, or may raise them towards a midpoint. Your task
is to use your comprehension skills to approach each passage on its unique terms, as helpful as knowing the
standard Inquiry/Research/Outcome format can be.

Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 90

Passages Begin on the Next Page
 Part 2: Science, Single
or even billions, and then infuse them into a
Reading 16 patient. Until that patient’s own bone marrow
bounces back, “the idea is that these cells can
40 come in and take over that job,” says Colleen
Questions 1-10 are based on the following Delaney, the company’s chief medical officer and
passage. director of the Cord Blood Program at Seattle’s
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Unlike
This passage is adapted from Bryn Nelson, “Umbilical
cord blood: a new lifeline after a nuclear disaster?” an
bone marrow from adult donors, cord blood
article published* by Mosaic in 2017. 45 transplants don’t require a close match of genetic
identification tags between donor and recipient
Two days after the inauguration of US cells, potentially allowing Nohla to produce vials
President Donald Trump, the Bulletin of the of universal donor cells that could be frozen,
Atomic Scientists warned of the “terrifying thawed, and used on demand.
Line geography of nuclear and radiological insecurity 50 Delaney says that the work is part of a larger
5 in South Asia.” The journal’s analysis of plan to use cord-blood-derived cells to fight a
vulnerabilities within India and Pakistan raised wide range of diseases, disorders, and injuries
the spectre of an attack on a nuclear power that can disrupt bone marrow’s function. The
plant, construction of a “dirty bomb” containing anti-terrorism potential has attracted considerable
radioactive material, theft of a nuclear weapon, 55 support; in 2009, Delaney won a multimillion-
10 or other terrorist act. Less than two weeks later, dollar grant from the Biomedical Advanced
Japanese utility officials reported sky-high Research and Development Authority, part of the
radiation levels within the country’s crippled US Department of Health and Human Services.
Fukushima nuclear plant. The authority’s Project BioShield backs medical
Away from the heated debates around national 60 measures that counter biological, chemical,
15 and global security, a handful of research groups radiological, and nuclear agents.
are exploring whether treatments based on John Wagner, Director of the Blood and
umbilical cord blood could provide a temporary Marrow Transplantation Program at the University
lifeline in the immediate aftermath of an of Minnesota, says Delaney’s strategy could help
accidental or deliberate release of radiation. 65 a large number of victims by providing a safety
20 Following a nuclear disaster, survivors exposed net until their damaged bone marrow recovers or
to high-dose ionising radiation can fall victim to they receive full transplants. “It’s something that
acute radiation syndrome. Around 30 people died you could do immediately,” he says, “and so I
from this illness in the first few months after the think it is a very important strategy.”
Chernobyl meltdown in 1986. 70 Other researchers are more sceptical.
25 Radiation can brutalize the body’s bone Robert Peter Gale, now a visiting professor of
marrow, which makes platelets and white and red haematology at Imperial College London, was
blood cells. While radiation strong enough to wipe among the experts who treated the scores of
out someone’s marrow would likely prove fatal individuals exposed to radiation after Chernobyl.
due to damage elsewhere, a potentially survivable 75 Those who died in hospital, he says, did so not
30 dose could still wreak havoc on the spongy tissue. from severe bone marrow damage but from other
Seattle start-up Nohla Therapeutics is one bodily harm caused by the radiation.
research group exploring the use of umbilical Other reports suggest that bone marrow failure
cord blood cells as a countermeasure. Their contributed to the deaths, though Gale says that
strategy is to isolate blood-forming stem cells 80 his experience suggests that “very, very, very
35 from donated cord blood, multiply them in the few people” would benefit from a post-disaster
lab until they number in the hundreds of millions transplant of blood-forming cells. “It’s a Pyrrhic

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 92
 Part 2: Science, Single
victory if we rescue them from dying from bone 2
marrow failure, if they are going to die three
weeks later or three months later from pulmonary Over the course of the passage, the author’s focus
85
failure,” he says. shifts from
Delaney and Wagner, however, note that cord A) describing a health liability to recording
blood research is both progressing rapidly and contrasting opinions that concern a possible
revealing an increasing number of benefits for treatment.
90 individuals with damaged bone marrow, whether
from radiation or other causes. In a recent study, B) evoking the human cost of a health crisis to
for instance, Delaney and her colleague Filippo urging a more logical and clinical approach to the
Milano showed that cord-blood-derived stem same problem.
cells reduced the risk of infection among people C) summarizing the measures taken by governments
95 with leukaemia who had received high-dose to advocating for intensified cooperation between
chemotherapy. politicians and scientists.
Regardless of what the research ultimately
shows, Gale suggests that officials should D) presenting differing schools of thought to
prioritize efforts to educate the public about the highlighting the importance of consensus in
100 true risks of radiation and to prevent nuclear addressing a dilemma.
attacks or accidents from ever occurring.
“Prevention,” he says, “will always trump
intervention.” 3
Which choice indicates that exposure to radiation
1 derived from nuclear power has had adverse effects
The main purpose of the passage is to on public health in the past?
A) cast doubt on the ability of cord blood cells to A) Lines 5-10 (“The journal’s . . . act”)
erase harmful radiation effects. B) Lines 10-13 (“Less . . . plant”)
B) provide an overview of attempts to raise public C) Lines 22-24 (“Around 30 . . . 1986”)
awareness of the dangers of radiation.
D) Lines 25-27 (“Radiation . . . cells”)
C) analyze why cord blood cells offer some promise
in treating exposure to radiation.
D) promote prevention as opposed to therapies such 4
as the use of cord blood cells as the best means of As used in line 39, “bounces back” most nearly
handling the dangers of radiation. means
A) resurfaces.
B) recovers.
C) retaliates.
D) recoils.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 93
 Part 2: Science, Single
5 8
Within the passage, Colleen Delaney characterizes As used in lines 64 and 69, “strategy” most nearly
her research endeavor involving cord blood as means
A) a response to a single catastrophe. A) approach.
B) an imperfect measure meant to galvanize other B) persuasion.
researchers. C) supervision.
C) an attempt to render bone marrow transplants D) cleverness.
obsolete.
D) a meaningful early stage in an initiative.
9
Which of the following findings would contradict the
6 ideas set forward by Robert Peter Gale in lines 70-86
Which choice provides the best evidence for the (“Other . . . says”)?
answer to the previous question? A) Pulmonary failure is a common cause of death
A) Lines 31-33 (“Seattle . . . countermeasure”) even among patients who have not been exposed
B) Lines 38-43 (“Until . . . center”) to radiation.

C) Lines 50-53 (“Delaney . . . function”) B) Transplants involving cord blood are limited
in utility due to stringent genetic requirements for
D) Lines 62-67 (“John Wagner . . . transplants”) patients and donors.
C) Survival rates for patients exposed to radiation
improve significantly if measures are taken to
7
prevent pulmonary failure.
In contrast to bone marrow transplants, cord blood
D) Most fatalities that are due to radiation exposure
transplants have the advantage of
can be connected entirely to bone marrow
A) reversing the effects of pulmonary diseases. damage.
B) less restrictive genetic requirements for effective
donor and recipient matches.
C) creating an above-average volume of blood- 10
forming cells. The final sentence of the passage serves to
D) significant cost savings for both hospitals and A) promote an unexpected initiative.
patients. B) encapsulate a broad rule of action.
C) suggest one drawback of a research method.
D) criticize the shortsightedness of a single group.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 94
 Part 2: Science, Single
Reading 17 as supernovas, black holes, and stars. Neutrinos
show the complex processes that occur inside
the environment, and cosmic rays show the force
40 and speed of violent activity. Still, scientists rely
Questions 1-10 are based on the following on gamma rays, the most energetic form of light,
passage. to brightly flag what cosmic source is producing
these neutrinos and cosmic rays.
This passage is adapted from Felicia Chou and
Dewayne Washington, “NASA’s Fermi Traces Source of “The most extreme cosmic explosions produce
Cosmic Neutrino to Monster Black Hole,” a 2018 news 45 gravitational waves, and the most extreme cosmic
release* from NASA. accelerators produce high-energy neutrinos and
cosmic rays,” says Regina Caputo of NASA’s
For the first time ever, scientists using NASA’s
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have found
Maryland, the analysis coordinator for the Fermi
the source of a high-energy neutrino from outside
50 Large Area Telescope Collaboration. “Through
Line our galaxy. This neutrino traveled 3.7 billion years
Fermi, gamma rays are providing a bridge to each
5 at almost the speed of light before being detected
of these new cosmic signals.”
on Earth. This is farther than any other neutrino
. . . On Sept. 22, 2017, scientists using IceCube
whose origin scientists can identify.
detected signs of a neutrino striking the Antarctic
High-energy neutrinos are hard-to-catch
55 ice with energy of about 300 trillion electron
particles that scientists think are created by
volts—more than 45 times the energy achievable
10 the most powerful events in the cosmos, such
in the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth.
as galaxy mergers and material falling onto
This high energy strongly suggested that the
supermassive black holes. They travel at
neutrino had to be from beyond our solar system.
speeds just shy of the speed of light and rarely
60 Backtracking the path through IceCube indicated
interact with other matter, allowing them to
where in the sky the neutrino came from, and
15 travel unimpeded across distances of billions
automated alerts notified astronomers around the
of light-years. The neutrino was discovered
globe to search this region for flares or outbursts
by an international team of scientists using the
that could be associated with the event.
National Science Foundation’s IceCube Neutrino
65 Data from Fermi’s Large Area Telescope
Observatory at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole
revealed enhanced gamma-ray emission from
20 Station. Fermi found the source of the neutrino
a well-known active galaxy at the time the
by tracing its path back to a blast of gamma-ray
neutrino arrived. This is a type of active galaxy
light from a distant supermassive black hole in the
called a blazar, with a supermassive black hole
constellation Orion.
70 with millions to billions of times the Sun’s mass
“Again, Fermi has helped make another giant
that blasts jets of particles outward in opposite
25 leap in a growing field we call multimessenger
directions at nearly the speed of light. Blazars are
astronomy,” said Paul Hertz, director of the
especially bright and active because one of these
Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in
jets happens to point almost directly toward Earth.
Washington. “Neutrinos and gravitational waves
75 Fermi scientist Yasuyuki Tanaka at Hiroshima
deliver new kinds of information about the most
University in Japan was the first to associate the
30 extreme environments in the universe. But to best
neutrino event with the blazar designated TXS
understand what they’re telling us, we need to
0506+056 (TXS 0506 for short).
connect them to what the ‘messenger’ astronomers
“Fermi’s LAT monitors the entire sky in
know best—light.”
80 gamma rays and keeps tabs on the activity of
Scientists study neutrinos, as well as cosmic
some 2,000 blazars, yet TXS 0506 really stood
35 rays and gamma rays, to understand what is
out,” said Sara Buson, a NASA Postdoctoral
going on in turbulent cosmic environments such

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 95
 Part 2: Science, Single
Fellow at Goddard who performed the data 3
analysis with Anna Franckowiak, a scientist at the
85 Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron research center The first paragraph serves mainly to
in Zeuthen, Germany. “This blazar is located A) elaborate on the scientific importance of
near the center of the sky position determined by neutrinos.
IceCube and, at the time of the neutrino detection,
B) describe how neutrinos are formed.
was the most active Fermi had seen it in a
90 decade.” C) present an important scientific breakthrough.
D) analyze the various methods used to study
neutrinos.
1
Which choice best summarizes the passage?
A) Scientists at the Neutrino Observatory at the 4
Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station have It can reasonably be inferred that NASA’s Fermi
gathered new data that contradicts previous Gamma-ray Space Telescope was used to “catch”
findings. neutrinos because
B) Astronomers from all over the world are using A) gamma rays can best detect the source of the
powerful telescopes to study neutrinos and black neutrinos.
holes.
B) the device itself the most advanced telescope ever
C) High-energy neutrinos are used at the Amundsen– to be deployed by NASA.
Scott South Pole Station to enhance the
technology used to produce particle accelerators. C) a method developed by NASA scientists can
provoke gravitational waves.
D) A newly-detected neutrino confirms previous
scientific knowledge about blazars and is believed D) the technology triggered enhanced gamma-ray
to provide information about another galaxy. emission.

2 5
The authors’ main purpose in including the As used in line 13, “shy of” most nearly means
information about blazars is to A) wary of.
A) establish a link between the appearance of B) reticent towards.
neutrinos and the activity of a blazar. C) below.
B) provide an in-depth overview of the data gathered D) against.
concerning the constellation Orion.
C) elaborate on the scientific importance of
multimessenger astronomy.
D) confirm the fact that the explosions of supernovas
create black holes.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 96
 Part 2: Science, Single
6 9
Based on the information in the passage, it can The text most strongly suggests that one specific
reasonably be inferred that neutrinos are of great branch of astronomy is
scientific importance because they A) becoming less appealing to scientists as the result
A) can move at the speed of light. of an ideological realignment.
B) provide data about violent processes in the B) being disregarded due to budget cuts.
universe. C) rapidly developing due to important discoveries.
C) at present initiate massive explosions in our own D) no longer stirring international interest among
galaxy. specialists.
D) inevitably are drawn into massive black holes
outside our galaxy.
10
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
7 answer to the previous question?
Which choice provides the best evidence for the A) Lines 1-4 (“For . . . galaxy”)
answer to the previous question?
B) Lines 24-26 (“Again . . . astronomy”)
A) Lines 4-6 (“This . . . Earth”)
C) Lines 34-37 (“Scientists . . . stars”)
B) Lines 28-30 (“Neutrinos . . . universe”)
D) Lines 65-68 (“Data . . . arrived”)
C) Lines 60-61 (“Backtracking . . . from”)
D) Lines 86-88 (“This . . . detection”)

8
As used in line 14, “interact with” most nearly means
A) consort with.
B) communicate with.
C) link to.
D) affect.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 97
 Part 2: Science, Single
The study detected over 500 million individual
Reading 18 35
organisms and 3,000 species. According to Neil
Gemmill of University of Otago in New Zealand,
who led the study, there are no DNA sequence
Questions 1-10 are based on the following matches for shark, catfish, or sturgeon. That rules
passage. 40 out a large exotic fish in the loch.
There are DNA matches for various land-living
This passage is an excerpt from Jason Gilchrist, “Have
scientists finally killed off the Loch Ness Monster?” an
species that you would expect to see around Loch
article published* by The Conversation in partnership Ness, including badgers, deer, rabbits, voles, and
with Edinburgh Napier University in 2019. different birds. Sheep, cattle and dogs appear on
45 the record alongside humans too. This suggests
Scientists claim to have finally found a that the sampling is pretty good at picking up
“plausible theory” for sightings of the Loch Ness species that would only rarely visit the water—
Monster. She’s not an aquatic reptile left over so it should be able to detect a monster living
Line from the Jurassic era or a circus elephant that got permanently in the loch.
5 in the water to bathe with her trunk aloft. If Nessie 50 The most popular representation of Nessie is
ever existed at all, she was most likely a giant eel, as a plesiosaur—an ancient long-necked marine
according to a new scientific survey of the loch. reptile that died out alongside the dinosaurs in the
Starting with an Irish missionary’s report of last great mass extinction 65m years ago. Scottish
a monster in the River Ness in 565AD, repeated geologist Hugh Miller discovered the first British
10 sightings in the modern era have kept Scotland’s 55 plesiosaur bones on the Scottish Isle of Eigg in
greatest myth alive. The most famous of these 1844. But according to Gemmill, there’s “not a
involves a grainy photo from 1934 which appears single reptile in our vertebrate data, and nothing
to show the shadowy outline of a long-necked that sat in the expected place that a plesiosaur
creature, bobbing on the water’s surface. [DNA] sequence might be predicted to lie—
15 Until now, such glimpses were all people had 60 somewhere between birds and crocodilians.”
to go on. But a new technique allows scientists The most likely candidate for Nessie that has
to sample all the life contained within Loch Ness surfaced in media reporting of the research is a
by gathering environmental DNA, or e-DNA as giant eel. This appears to be based simply on the
it’s known. This is genetic material that’s present fact that eel DNA was detected at “pretty much
20 in the cells of organisms and shed into their 65 every location sampled” in Loch Ness. Plenty of
surrounding environment. Finding and identifying eel DNA doesn’t confirm that Nessie is a giant
e-DNA can tell scientists what organisms are eel—only that there are lots of eels. Scientists
living in a habitat without scientists having to don’t have monster DNA to compare with
observe or capture these lifeforms. anything they found in the loch and so no one can
25 Speaking from Drumnadrochit, a village on 70 say for sure if there is or isn’t a monster there.
the loch’s western shore, scientists announced But the absence of anything unusual in the DNA
the results of their e-DNA survey of Loch Ness. record of Loch Ness suggests that there’s nothing
The team took well over 200 one-litre samples of to get excited about—and that includes a giant eel.
water from throughout the loch—including the If Nessie doesn’t exist, why do eyewitness
30 surface and deep water—and compared them with 75 accounts of the Loch Ness Monster persist?
36 samples from five “monster-free” lochs nearby. The answer is likely to be a psychological
Their census provides a list of all the species that phenomenon called “expectant attention.” This
call Loch Ness home—from bacteria to plants and happens when people who expect or want to see
animals. something are more likely to misinterpret visual

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 98
 Part 2: Science, Single
80 cues as the thing that they expect or want to see. 3
This likely also happens with recently extinct
animals. The last known tasmanian tiger died in The purpose of the first paragraph is to
1936 and exhaustive scientific surveys have failed A) confirm the reptilian nature of Nessie.
to turn up any evidence that they’re still out there.
B) provide an alternative explanation of Nessie’s
85 Even so, people often still report seeing them.
existence.
C) convince people that the Loch Ness monster is
real but harmless.
1
What is the main idea of the passage? D) establish a connection between dinosaurs and
Nessie.
A) Scientific advancements have led to an instance
of demystification.
B) People with vivid imaginations will pursue 4
science even if some mysteries are resolved.
The passage indicates that, in terms of inquiries
C) E-DNA testing has confirmed that people lived by surrounding Loch Ness, e-DNA testing
Loch Ness in a distant era.
A) is experimental and used exclusively for
D) Giant eels live in only a few parts of Loch Ness establishing endangered species.
despite the prevalence of a local legend.
B) yields inconclusive results about the origins of
animal species.
C) can detect the presence of species that rarely
2
approach the lake.
The author mentions the circus elephant (line 4)
D) is widely subjected to dispute by the scientific
primarily to
world and should regarded with skepticism.
A) satirize people’s claims about seeing a mysterious
animal in Loch Ness.
B) indicate that it is plausible that people have been 5
seeing elephants in the lake.
As used in line 59, “lie” most nearly means
C) give a general description of Nessie throughout
A) accept.
the centuries.
B) rest.
D) depict the actual physical appearance of the
monster living in Loch Ness. C) surface.
D) stand.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
6 9
In describing recent examinations of the wildlife in The author uses the phrase “expectant attention”
Loch Ness, the author indicates that scientists primarily to
A) have reached a unanimous conclusion about A) describe a way in which the brain may be tricked
psychological responses to monstrous creatures. into believing something unreal.
B) rely on a certain psychological phenomenon to B) refer to the attentiveness of people who managed
explain the existence of large animals. to actually spot Nessie in the past.
C) suspect that abnormal DNA exists in the lake, C) depict the scientists’ eagerness to locate the
despite the scarcity of hard evidence. monster living in Loch Ness.
D) cannot provide a definitive answer about the size D) support the claims made by eyewitness who have
of the eels in Loch Ness. spotted Nessie in the lake.

7 10
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question? answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 41-44 (“There . . . birds”) A) Lines 8-11 (“Starting . . . alive”)
B) Lines 50-53 (“The most . . . ago”) B) Lines 54-56 (“Hugh . . . 1844”)
C) Lines 65-67 (“Plenty . . . eels”) C) Lines 70-73 (“But . . . about”)
D) Lines 74-77 (“If Nessie . . . attention”) D) Lines 82-85 (“The last . . . them”)

8
As used in line 80, “cues” most nearly means
A) signals.
B) reminders.
C) inspirations.
D) prompts.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
they led research showing that transferring wild
Reading 19 mice gut microbiota into lab mice helped the mice
survive an otherwise lethal flu virus infection and
fight colorectal cancer.
Questions 1-10 are based on the following 40 In the current study, they transplanted embryos
passage. of the most commonly used strain of laboratory
mice for immune system research into female wild
This passage is adapted from “‘Wildling’ mice could
help translate results in animal models to results in
mice, who then gave birth to and raised wildlings.
humans,” an article published* in 2019 by the National The researchers and their collaborators compared
Institutes of Health. 45 the microbiota of the wildlings, wild mice, and lab
mice. They found that the wildlings acquired the
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health
microbes and pathogens of wild mice and closely
developed a new mouse model that could improve
resembled wild mice in their bacterial microbes
the translation of research in mice into advances
present at the gut, skin, and vagina, as well as in
Line in human health. The mouse model, which the
50 the number and kinds of fungi and viruses present.
5 scientists called “wildling,” acquired the microbes
“A healthy microbiome is important not only
and pathogens of wild mice while maintaining the
for the immune system, but also for digestion,
laboratory mice’s genetics that make them more
metabolism, even the brain,” said Rosshart, who
useful for research. In two preclinical studies,
recently completed his fellowship in NIDDK and
wildlings mirrored human immune responses,
55 will open a new lab in Germany. “The wildling
10 whereas lab mice failed to do so. Led by scientists
model could help us better understand what causes
at the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and
diseases, and what can protect us from them, thus
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the
benefitting many areas of biomedical research.”
study was published online in Science.
The researchers also tested the stability
“We wanted to create a mouse model that
60 and resilience of the wildlings’ microbiota and
15 better resembles a mouse you’d find in the wild,”
found that the microbiota were stable across
said Barbara Rehermann, M.D., chief of the
five generations and resilient when faced with
Immunology Section in NIDDK’s Liver Diseases
environmental challenges. For example, when
Branch and senior author on the study. “Our
the mice were given antibiotics for seven days,
rationale was that the immune responses and
65 the lab mice’s gut microbiota changed and did
20 microbiota of wild mice and humans are likely
not recover, while the wildlings’ microbiota fully
shaped in a similar way—through contact with
recovered. Further, when the mice were fed a
diverse microbes out in the real world.”
10-week high-fat diet, the microbiota of the lab
“Microbiota” refers to the trillions of tiny
mice changed significantly and never returned
microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that
70 to baseline. The wildlings’ microbiota changed
25 live in and on the bodies of people and animals
only mildly and recovered shortly after the diet
and play a critical role in keeping immune systems
ended. The authors suggest that the stability
healthy. Unlike squeaky clean lab mice raised
and resilience of wildlings, if the model were to
in artificial settings, wild mice have developed
be used widely, could improve the validity and
symbiotic relationships with microbes they have
75 reproducibility of biomedical studies.
30 encountered in the outside world—just as people
Finally, the researchers tested how well the
have done.
wildlings could predict human immune responses.
Rehermann and Stephan Rosshart, M.D., the
To do so, they drew from two studies in which
study’s lead author and NIDDK postdoctoral
drugs used to target immune responses were
fellow, have long sought to improve animal
80 successful in treating lab mice in preclinical trials
35 models of complex diseases in humans. In 2017,

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
but consequently failed to have therapeutic effects 3
in humans. In the current study, the researchers
treated wildlings and lab mice with the same One of the central aims of Rehermann and Rosshart’s
drugs. The wildlings, but not the lab mice, research was to
85 mimicked the human responses seen in clinical A) reduce the frequency of procedural errors in
trials. medical research involving mice.
“We always strive for effective ways to shorten
B) unearth new similarities between the immune
the gap between early lab findings and health
advances in people, and the wildling model has systems of humans and mice.
90 the potential to do just that,” said NIDDK Director C) better understand human health through more
Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D. “By helping to predict refined animal-based trials.
immune responses of humans, the wildling model
D) promote the replacement of standard laboratory
could lead to important discoveries to help treat
mice with wildling mice.
and prevent disease, and ultimately improve
95 human health.”

1 4
Which choice best describes the structure of the Which choice provides the best evidence for the
passage as a whole? answer to the previous question?
A) A group of researchers is profiled, their goals are A) Lines 32-33 (“Rehrmann . . . humans”)
considered, and a constant challenge is analyzed.
B) Lines 44-46 (“The researchers . . . mice”)
B) A pursuit is explained, its shortcomings are
C) Lines 51-53 (“A healthy . . . Rosshart”)
acknowledged, and corrective measures are
endorsed. D) Lines 70-72 (“The wildlings’ . . . ended”)
C) An endeavor is praised, its theoretical importance
is briefly discussed, and a resulting practical
application is emphasized. 5
D) An objective is set forward, various inquiries are The main effect of the phrase “squeaky clean” in
described, and potential benefits are noted. line 27 is to emphasize
A) the unnatural situation of lab mice in terms of
microbe exposure.
2 B) the rigor and precision required in order to
The author explains that a “wildling” mouse is successfully produce wildling mice.
identifiable as an animal that C) the primary source of inaccuracy in current
A) has unusually high levels of microbiota also clinical trails involving mice.
found in humans. D) the desirable absence of microbes in laboratory
B) is sturdier and healthier than a laboratory mouse. settings.
C) is raised in a laboratory but exhibits a natural
relationship to microbiota.
D) does not display significant changes in microbiota
over its lifetime.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
6 9
On the basis of the passage, all of the following Which choice provides the best evidence for the
would be classified as microbiota EXCEPT answer to the previous question?
A) the bacteria on the surface of a person’s tongue. A) Lines 46-50 (“They . . . present”)
B) non-lethal viruses that can be found in a reptile’s B) Lines 63-66 (“For example . . . recovered”)
stomach. C) Lines 76-77 (“Finally . . . responses”)
C) a thin coating of fungus on a mammal’s foot. D) Lines 91-95 (“By helping . . . health”)
D) tiny mold spores that proliferate on the bark of a
tree.
10
As used in line 87, “shorten” most nearly means
7
A) simplify.
In order to produce the wildling mice described in the
passage, the NIKKD researchers used which process? B) diminish.

A) Multi-generational cross-breeding of wild mice C) summarize.

and laboratory mice D) dismiss.
B) Modification of the microbiota of mature
laboratory mice
C) Artificial hybridization of wild mice and
laboratory mice
D) Domestication of wild mice over several
generations

8
In terms of medical treatment, which choice best
explains the relationship between wildling mouse
responses and human responses as described in the
passage?
A) Wildling mice are most threatened by the same
diseases that are most prevalent among humans.
B) Wildling mice exhibit immune system responses
that closely approximate those of humans.
C) Wildling mice possess more resilient microbiota
cultures than humans do.
D) Wildling mice more closely resemble humans in
terms of virus and fungus microbiota than in
terms of bacterial microbiota.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
sagebrush by the Bureau of Land Management.
Reading 20 Using data collected on the re-established big
40 sagebrush individuals, combined with statistical
and mathematical modeling, USGS scientists were
Questions 1-10 are based on the following able to reconstruct the rates of survival, growth
passage and supplementary material. and reproduction of big sagebrush at each of the
531 sites since these areas were seeded.
This passage is adapted from “Big Sagebrush Recovery
After Fire Inhibited by Its Own Biology,” a 2019 news
45 “One of the biggest challenges we face in
release* from the United States Geological Survey. trying to understand what controls big sagebrush
recovery after fire is that there isn’t a lot of long-
Recovery of big sagebrush populations after term monitoring data available. This was a great
fire is inhibited by the loss of adult plants and opportunity to partner with the Bureau of Land
the limited ability of new seedlings to survive or 50 Management to return to areas seeded decades ago
Line reproduce—a limitation with negative population and assess what drove post-fire dynamics of big
5 consequences that last for years to decades after sagebrush,” said Shriver.
post-fire seeding restoration efforts, according to The USGS scientists found that even though
a recently published study by the U.S. Geological many sites originally supported healthy, mature
Survey. 55 big sagebrush populations before they burned,
“The recovery of big sagebrush habitat is and those sites are still capable of doing so,
10 one of the largest, if not the largest, ecosystem big sagebrush populations may not necessarily
restoration challenges in the U.S. right now. recover after seeding. This is because newly
Hundreds of thousands of acres burn each year, established big sagebrush populations are mostly
and millions of dollars are invested in trying to 60 composed of small, young plants that have low
restore big sagebrush in these areas,” said USGS survival and reproduction rates, resulting in rapid
15 scientist and lead author of the study Robert population decline and the potential for local
Shriver. “This study could lead to new and more extinction.
cost-effective strategies for land managers trying “What we find is that rather than recovering,
to restore big sagebrush populations after fire.” 65 most populations decline for years or decades
Big sagebrush is one of the most iconic plants after seeding, leading some to completely die
20 of the American West, and more than 300 species out at individual sites. A big driver of this is the
of conservation concern, like the sage-grouse and biology of big sagebrush itself; without some
pygmy rabbit, rely on big sagebrush ecosystems. larger plants to anchor the population by surviving
Wildlife like mule deer, elk, pronghorn, sage 70 and reproducing, recovery becomes really
sparrows, and sagebrush voles also use sagebrush difficult,” said Shriver.
25 for food and habitat. For example, smaller plants (6 inches or
Although big sagebrush is found throughout shorter) had only an 8% chance of surviving
the Intermountain West—from Montana south to from year to year whereas plants greater than 30
Arizona—human activity, non-native plant species 75 inches tall had nearly a 100% chance of surviving
invasions, and wildfire have resulted in widespread from year to year. Likewise, older, larger plants
30 loss of big sagebrush. To complicate matters, are much more reproductively successful than
active attempts to restore big sagebrush after fires younger, smaller plants.
have had mixed results, even at locations that However, there may be strategies that could
previously supported healthy populations. 80 work to re-establish big sagebrush.
To better understand why it is so difficult “This work suggests some good options
35 for big sagebrush to recover, USGS scientists for improving restoration going forward,” said
studied 531 burned sites in the Great Basin. Shriver. “First, at high elevations, restoring
Following fire, these sites were reseeded with big
*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.
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 Part 2: Science, Single
populations through seeding is often successful 3
85 because plants grow faster and reproduce more
than at lower elevations. But at low-elevation It can reasonably be inferred that the recovery of big
sites where conditions are warmer and drier, sagebrush populations
planting nursery-raised seedlings of sagebrush A) has been undertaken exclusively by USGS
may be a more effective strategy than seeding scientists after devastating fires.
90 to increase survival and reproduction and speed
B) has not been an easy task due to natural factors.
up recovery.” This approach would be similar to
wildlife conservation programs that rear animals C) has only an 8% success rate despite new
to a certain age before releasing them into nature: initiatives.
applying this general strategy to big sagebrush
D) has not been taken seriously by the American
95 may help it survive those early years when it is
government.
most vulnerable.

1 4
One of the author’s main purposes in the passage is to
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
A) depict a presumably bleak future for sagebrush in answer to the previous question?
Montana.
A) Lines 12-14 (“Hundreds . . . areas”)
B) portray Robert Shriver as a well-meaning but
B) Lines 20-22 (“more than . . . ecosystems”)
ultimately indifferent scientist.
C) Lines 58-62 (“This . . . decline”)
C) offer a tested solution to a problem affiliated with
sagebrush. D) Lines 79-80 (“However . . . sagebrush”)

D) emphasize the fact that humans are disrupting the

North American ecosystem.
5
As used in line 19, “iconic” most nearly means
2 A) popular.
Which choice best summarizes the passage? B) religious.
A) There is strong scientific evidence that the C) successful.
population of sagebrush is slowly disappearing. D) classic.
B) Collaboration between scientists and
organizations led to a solution to an ecological
problem.
C) A large area populated with sagebrush has been
destroyed by non-native plant invasions.
D) The recovery of big sagebrush populations is
impossible without young plants.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
6 9
The scientist Robert Shriver most strongly suggests As used in line 92, “rear” most nearly means
that research into the recovery of sagebrush A) capture.
populations is likely to
B) mentor.
A) make the recovery process less expensive.
C) nourish.
B) create strains of hybrid plants.
D) challenge.
C) prevent fires from destroying sagebrush.
D) hinder the spread of non-native plants.
10
The purpose of the final paragraph is to
7
A) gesture towards a relatively optimistic future for
Which choice provides the best evidence for the the sagebrush ecosystem.
answer to the previous question?
B) elaborate on the dangers of burning sagebrush.
A) Lines 16-18 (“This . . . fire”)
C) provide an unsupported yet intriguing claim about
B) Lines 19-20 (“Big . . . American West”) the loss of sagebrush.
C) Lines 28-30 (“non-native . . . sagebrush”) D) emphasize the importance of facilitating
D) Lines 45-48 (“One . . . available”) sagebrush recovery in the United States.

8
According to the author, the role of the Bureau of
Land Management is to
A) provide significant data about the rates of survival
of sagebrush.
B) sponsor the re-population of sagebrush through
long-established seeding practices.
C) maintain control over the fires and the human
activity that often destroy sagebrush.
D) create a genetically modified sagebrush variant
that could survive more easily.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
walking alongside each other in the same direction
Reading 21 35
at a normal pace, around 8.50 kilometers per hour.
These trackways add to previous research
about tyrannasaurid social behavior and
Questions 1-10 are based on the following locomotion, but the authors acknowledge that
passage and supplementary material. 40 there is the possibility, although unlikely, that
three dinosaurs could have passed through the
This passage is adapted from Kayla Graham,
“Fossilized Footprints Lead Scientists Down a
same spot separately within a short period of time.
Prehistoric Path,” an article originally published by Either way, the tracks make up the first record of
EveryONE, the community blog of the research journal the walking gait of tyrannosaurids and provide
PLOS ONE. 45 insight about how they moved across Western
Canada.
Whether tromping alone or running in a pack,
A 200 million-year-old mysterious trackway,
all prehistoric creatures got around somehow.
called Episcopopus ventrosus, in southern
Paleontologists can use fossilized bones to learn
Africa may have been made by a dinosaur, or
Line more about what dinosaurs ate, what they looked
50 maybe by an early ancestor of the crocodile.
5 like, and even how they might have moved, but
Researchers who mapped, cast, and laser-scanned
bones are only part of the “rocky” story. We can
the best-preserved part of the Episcopopus
study fossils of all shapes, sizes, and sources to
ventrosus trackway found that the track belongs
piece together missing information about how
to a primitive amphibian-like animal from one
these creatures moved, interacted, and lived. Trace
55 of the earliest groups of limbed vertebrates,
10 fossils, which include fossilized impressions
temnospondyls. The authors estimate that the
like footprints and belly drag marks left in the
track-maker was 3.5 meters long and dragged the
ground, can tell us a surprising amount about how
hind portion of its body along a wet sand bar on
animals of the past lived and moved. They are
the bank of a river bend, using only the claw-less
more common than you might think, but typically
60 tips of its digits.
15 aren’t studied as often as fossilized bones. PLOS
The movements were likely made by a large-
ONE recently published two separate studies in
headed, slithering, and slow-moving amphibian-
which authors used trace fossils to provide insight
like animal. Researchers usually use hind-limb-
on tyrannosaur social life and to illuminate the
driven salamanders as a model for temnospondyl
slow and slithering movements of an ancient
65 locomotion, but this discovery is causing
20 temnospondyl, bringing two prehistoric creatures
researchers to re-examine their use of salamander
to “life.”
models for this front-limb-driven temnospondyl.
Many tyrannosaur bones have been collected
From signs of dinosaurs moving in packs to
and documented, but few scientists have studied
amphibian-like animals slithering across river
tyrannosaur footprints. In a new PLOS ONE
70 banks, trace fossils can support what we already
25 study, researchers found three 75 million-year-
know about prehistoric creatures, but they can
old three-toed tyrannosaurid footprint with claw
moreover shake up the assumptions we’ve made
mark tracks heading southeast within an 8.5
and, in the case of the tetrapod, potentially change
meter-wide corridor in British Columbia, Canada.
the way we study them. Fossilized bones may still
Scientists took molds and measurements of the
75 be the better known field of study, but footprints
30 prints to understand the track-makers’ behavior.
and other trace fossils may help shape our
These scientists aren’t sure exactly which species
understanding of patterns, reconstructing of past
of tyrannosaur made the prints, but similarities in
lives, and bringing of prehistoric animals back to
depth and preservation of the tracks indicate that
“life.”
these three trackways were made by dinosaurs

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
1 4
Which choice indicates a clear difference between the As used in lines 32 and 34, “made” most nearly
tyrannosaur and temnospondyl tracks described in means
the passage? A) left behind.
A) The tyrannosaur tracks were most likely produced B) thought up.
by multiple animals; the temnospondyl tracks
were attributed to a single specimen. C) organized.

B) The tyrannosaur tracks were readily discernible; D) pioneered.

the temnospondyl tracks had been obscured and
required careful reconstruction.
C) The tyrannosaur tracks were the result of 5
purposeful hunting activity; the temnospondyl Which additional piece of information, if true, would
tracks have not been linked to a single clear goal. best support the “possibility” mentioned in line 40?
D) The tyrannosaur tracks were generated by A) Tyrannosaurs tended to be most successful at
multiple known species; the themnospondyl hunting prey when operating alone.
tracks remain unclassified in terms of exact B) Tracks of tyrannosaurs walking single-file, rather
species. than side-by-side, have recently been discovered.
C) Adult tyrannosaurs rarely gathered in groups
larger than individual male-female mating pairs.
2
D) Multiple species of tyrannosaurs were known to
What purpose is served by the word “life” as placed hunt prey in a cooperative manner.
between quotation marks in line 21 and line 79?
A) To call into question the significance of a few
research outcomes 6
B) To signal that the author’s phrasing should be The author’s description of the temnospondyl
understood figuratively suggests that this prehistoric animal
C) To explain why a current consensus is appealing A) could not have used claws for either aggression
D) To indulge in an easygoing and humorous tone of self-defense.
B) is larger than most modern salamanders but
otherwise anatomically similar.
3 C) had trouble escaping fast-moving predators.
Which of the following statements does NOT directly D) displayed some unexpected resemblances to a
support the idea that researchers prioritize the study modern crocodile.
of bone fossils?
A) Lines 6-9 (“We . . . lived”)
B) Lines 13-15 (“They . . . bones”)
C) Lines 22-24 (“Many . . . footprints”)
D) Lines 74-77 (“Fossilized . . . patterns”)

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 Part 2: Science, Single
Three Sets of Dinosaur Tracks
3.75

3.0
Length in meters

2.25

1.5

0.75 DIRECTION: all three

0
1.5 3 4.5 6 7.5 9
Length in meters

Specimen 1: Specimen 2: Specimen 3:

7 9
One significant outcome of recent investigation of Without further information, the tracks represented
dinosaur tracks is in the figure could be traced to all of the following
A) a decline in the popularity of bone fossils in terms EXCEPT
of the priorities of paleontological study. A) one dinosaur covering the same ground at
B) reassessment of ideas about animals that are not different stages of its growth.
themselves prehistoric. B) three dinosaurs walking together side-by-side.
C) more coherent sets of anatomical terms for both C) three dinosaurs walking together single-file.
tyrannosaurid and temnospondyl samples. D) three dinosaurs covering the same ground in
D) creation of new software programs that consider different years.
large numbers of data points.

10
8 Could one of the sets of tracks portrayed in the visual
Which choice provides the best evidence for the be the tracks of a temnospondyl?
answer to the previous question? A) Yes, because the sets of tracks indicate that at
A) Lines 38-20 (“Scientists . . . behavior”) least some of the movement was labored.
B) Lines 43-46 (“Either . . . Canada”) B) Yes, because the tracks were not produced by
C) Lines 63-67 (“Researchers . . . temnospondyl”) dinosaurs that possessed claws

D) Lines 68-74 (“From . . . them”) C) No, because all of the dinosaur tracks were
apparently produced by four-footed animals.
D) No, because no set of tracks centers on a trailing
length of body that leaves its own impression.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
scientists—many NSF-funded—are looking
Reading 22 for new ways to make clocks more accurate,
diminishing any variables that might distort
40 precise timekeeping. Some, for example, are
Questions 1-10 are based on the following looking for ways to better synchronize atomic
passage and supplementary material. clocks on earth with GPS satellites in orbit, where
atmospheric distortion can limit signal accuracy
This passage is adapted from Ivy F. Kupec, “Precious
Time,” an article published in 2015 by the National
to degrees that seem minute but are profound for
Science Foundation. 45 the precise computer systems that govern modern
navigation.
Prior to the mid 18th century, it was tough The National Institute of Standards and
to be a sailor. If your voyage required east- Technology (Department of Commerce) joins
west travel, you couldn’t set out to a specific NSF in the search for even better atomic clocks.
Line destination and have any real hope of finding it 50 But today’s research isn’t just about building a
5 efficiently. more accurate timepiece. It’s about foundational
At the time, sailors had no reliable method science that has other ramifications.
for measuring longitude, the coordinates that Atomic clocks precisely measure the ticks of
measure a point’s east-west position on the globe. atoms, essentially tossing cesium atoms upward,
To find longitude, you need to know the time 55 much like a fountain. Laser-beam photons “cool
10 in two places—the ship you’re on, and the port down” the atoms to very low temperatures, so that
you departed from. By calculating the difference the atoms can transfer back and forth between a
between those times, sailors got a rough estimate ground state and an excited state.
of their position. The problem: the clocks back The trick to this process is finding just the right
then just couldn’t keep time that well. They lost 60 frequency to move directly between the two states
15 their home port’s time almost immediately after and overcome Doppler shifts that distort rhythm.
departing. (Doppler shifts are increases or decreases in wave
Today, time is just as important to navigation, frequency as the waves move closer or further
only instead of calculating positioning with away—much like the way a siren’s sound changes
margins of errors measured in miles and leagues, 65 depending on its distance.) Laser improvements
20 we have GPS systems that are accurate within have helped scientists to control atoms better
meters. And instead of springs and gears, our best and to address the Doppler issue. In fact, lasers
timepieces rely on cesium atoms and lasers. But helped to facilitate something known as an optical
given the history, it’s fitting that scientists like lattice, which can layer atoms into “egg cartons”
Clayton Simien, a National Science Foundation 70 to immobilize them, helping to eliminate Doppler
25 (NSF)-funded physicist at the University of shifts altogether.
Alabama at Birmingham who works on atomic That shift between ground state and excited
clocks, was inspired by the story of John Harrison, state (better known as the atomic transition
an English watchmaker who toiled in the 1700s frequency) yields something equivalent to the
to come up with the first compact marine 75 official definition of a second: 9,192,631,770
30 chronometer. This device marked the beginning cycles of the radiation that gets a cesium atom to
of the end for the “longitude problem” that had vibrate between those two energy states. Today’s
plagued sailors for centuries. atomic clocks mostly still use cesium.
“If you want to measure distances well, you NSF-funded physicist Kurt Gibble,
really need an accurate clock,” Simien said. 80 of Pennsylvania State University, has an
35 Despite the massive leaps navigation international reputation for assessing accuracy
technology has made since Harrison’s time, and improving atomic clocks, including some of

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
the most accurate ones in the world: the cesium 2
clocks at the United Kingdom’s National Physical
85 Laboratory and the Observatory of Paris in The first two paragraphs of the passage serve
France. But accurate as those are, Gibble says primarily to
that the biggest advance in atomic clocks will A) relate the technical content of the passage to the
be a move from current-generation microwave reader’s own personal experiences.
frequency clocks—the only kind commonly in
B) underscore the pivotal role of cesium clocks in
90 operation—to optical frequency clocks.
the development of modern navigation systems.
Accuracy* (Best Fit Line) of C) create a tone of urgency while anticipating the
Atomic and Optical Clocks technical discussion that follows.
10-8 D) present a scenario that is no longer applicable
Fractional Uncertainty

under modern conditions.

10-10

10-12

10-14 3
10-16 Which choice best indicates that the “problem”
10-18
mentioned in line 13 has been resolved?
1950 1970 1990 2010 A) Lines 30-32 (“This device . . . centuries”)

Atomic (Cesium): Optical: B) Lines 33-34 (“If you . . . said”)

C) Lines 40-46 (“Some . . . navigation”)
NOTE: lower marginal uncertainty for both clock types
correlates with higher accuracy D) Lines 50-52 (“But . . . ramifications”)

1
4
The main purpose of the passage is to
As used in line 35, “massive” most nearly means
A) provide an overview of the history of nautical
timekeeping. A) fortified.

B) map out a debate among timepiece researchers. B) cumbersome.

C) chart various advances in timekeeping C) impressive.

technology. D) severe.
D) point out similarities between cesium clocks and
earlier timepieces.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
5 8
As used in line 59, “trick” most nearly means Which of the following could, on the basis of the
A) key. passage, be one of Kurt Gibble’s past research
projects?
B) deception.
A) Construction of the world’s first optical frequency
C) pleasure. clock
D) habit. B) Comparative analysis of five different atomic
clocks to determine which one is most reliable
C) Redefinition of the concept of a single second
6
based on observation of cesium clocks
The author indicates that cesium is particularly useful
D) Reduction of the Doppler shifts that are common
in atomic clocks because
in optical frequency clocks
A) it is compatible with simple and elegant clock
engineering designs.
B) its material properties can be used to clarify a 9
core concept in timekeeping. If the trend lines in the graph hold true for most
C) it can be used to eliminate Doppler shift atomic and optical clocks, which of the following
disruptions more effectively than lasers can. would most likely be most the accurate clock?
D) its widespread availability has made it especially A) Atomic clock, 2000
cost-efficient. B) Atomic clock, 2020
C) Optical clock, 2000
7 D) Optical clock, 2020
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?
10
A) Lines 21-22 (“And . . . lasers”)
In relation to the passage, the graph features
B) Lines 65-67 (“Laser . . . issue”) information relevant to
C) Lines 72-77 (“That . . . states”) A) the role of Doppler shifts in the operations of two
D) Lines 77-78 (“Today’s . . . cesium”) kinds of clock.
B) a recent timekeeping technology that is briefly
mentioned in the passage.
C) the origins of Kurt Gibble’s work with traditional
clock technology.
D) a long-lived timekeeping convention that has
been updated in recent years.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
In a report published in the journal Science,
Reading 23 researchers at Princeton University and the
University of Maryland discovered that a group
of well-studied toxic defense chemicals, the
Questions 1-10 are based on the following 40 kahalalides, are actually produced by a bacterium
passage and supplementary material. that lives inside the cells of a particular species
of seaweed. The scientific community had long
This passage is an excerpt from Samantha Mascuch
and Julia Kubanek, “Seaweed and sea slugs rely on
speculated that a bacterium might be responsible
toxic bacteria to defend against predators,” an article for producing the kahalalides. So the discovery
originally published by The Conversation in 2019. 45 of the kahalalide-producing bacteria—belonging
to the class Flavobacteria—has solved a long-
Plants, animals, and even microbes that live on
standing scientific mystery.
coral reefs have evolved a rich variety of defense
Bryopsis provides the bacteria with a safe
strategies to protect themselves from predators.
environment and the chemical building blocks
Line Some have physical defenses like spines and
50 necessary for life and for manufacturing the
5 camouflage. Others have specialized behaviors—
kahalalides. In return, the bacterium produces
like a squid expelling ink—that allow them to
the toxins for the algae, which protect them from
escape. Soft-bodied or immobile organisms—like
hungry fish scouring the reefs. But the seaweed
sponges, algae, and sea squirts—often defend
isn’t the only organism that benefits from this
themselves with noxious chemicals that taste bad
55 arrangement.
10 or are toxic.
The kahalalides, originally discovered in
Some animals that can’t manufacture their
the early 1990s, also protect a sea slug, Elysia
own chemical weapons feed on toxic organisms
rufescens, that consumes them. The sea slugs
and steal their chemical defenses, having evolved
accumulate the toxins from the algae, which then
resistance to toxins. One animal that does this
60 protects them from predators. The discovery of a
15 is a sea slug that lives on the reefs surrounding
symbiosis between a bacterium and a seaweed to
Hawaii and dines on toxic Bryopsis algae. Marine
produce a chemical defense is noteworthy. There
scientists suspected that the toxin is made by a
are many examples of bacteria living inside the
bacterium that lives within the alga but have only
cells of invertebrate animals (like sponges) and
just discovered the species responsible and teased
65 manufacturing toxic chemicals, but a partnership
20 apart the complex relationship between slug,
involving a bacterium living in the cells of a
seaweed, and microbe.
marine seaweed to produce a toxin is unusual.
Ultimately, noxious chemicals allow predators
This finding adds a new dimension to
and prey to coexist on coral reefs, increasing
our understanding of the types of ecological
their diversity. This is important because diverse
70 relationships that produce the chemicals shaping
25 ecosystems are more stable and resilient. A greater
coral reef ecosystems. Our lab is home to an
understanding of the drivers of diversity will aid
enthusiastic multidisciplinary team of marine
in reef management and conservation.
chemists, microbiologists, and ecologists who
As marine scientists, we too study chemical
strive to understand how chemicals facilitate
defenses in the ocean. Our laboratory group at
75 interactions between species in the marine
30 the Georgia Institute of Technology explores
environment. We also use ecological insights to
how marine organisms use chemical signaling to
guide discovery of novel pharmaceuticals from
solve critical problems of competition, disease,
marine organisms. Chemicals used by marine
predation, and reproduction. That’s why we were
organisms to interact with their environment,
particularly excited by the discovery of this new
80 including toxins which protect them from
35 bacterial species.
predators, often show promising medical

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
applications. In fact, the most toxic kahalalide, 4
kahalalide F, has been the focus of clinical trials
for the treatment of cancer and psoriasis. Which of the following, according to the authors of
85 Currently, we conduct our fieldwork in Fiji the passage, was a relatively recent finding?
and the Solomon Islands in collaboration with a A) The fact that the toxins that occur in reef
research group led by Katy Soapi at the University ecosystems are directly produced by sea slugs
of the South Pacific. There you can find us scuba such as Elysia rufescens.
diving to conduct ecological experiments or to
collect algae and coral microbes to bring back for B) The discovery that healthy reef ecosystems
90
study in the laboratory. During the course of our require a balance of prey and predator species.
field work we have had the opportunity to observe C) The unearthing of the first bacterial species
Bryopsis and have been struck by how lovely it is, that produce toxins that harm predators but not
standing out with its bright green color against the bacteria host organisms.
95 pinks, grays, browns and blues of a coral reef.
D) The realization that Flavobacteria are responsible
for producing the kahalalide toxins found in
1 algae.
As used in line 2, “a rich” most nearly means
A) an expressive.
5
B) a cloying.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
C) a considerable. answer to the previous question?
D) an extravagant. A) Lines 16-21 (“Marine . . . microbe”)
B) Lines 22-25 (“Ultimately . . . resilient”)
C) Lines 42-44 (“The scientific . . . kahalalides”)
2
D) Lines 51-53 (“In return . . . reefs”)
Which of the following most nearly resembles the
“sea slug” mentioned in line 15?
A) The “microbes” (line 1)
6
B) “Some” animals (line 4)
The authors of the passage argue that kahalalides
C) The “Others” (line 5)
A) commonly serve defensive purposes for various
D) The “organisms” (line 7) seaweed species.
B) were deemed inexplicable by researchers when
these toxins were first discovered.
3
C) have been traced to bacteria found in more than
As used in line 26, “drivers of” most nearly means one kind of host organism.
A) reasons developed by. D) are central components of a few of the life-saving
B) influences behind. pharmaceuticals currently in use.
C) inspirations of.
D) advocates for.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
Predators and Biodiversity in Five Coral Reef Ecosystems

Percentage of Predator
Percentage of Predators

100 1.00 Organisms:

Biodiversity Rating
75 0.75
Biodiversity Scale
50 0.50
0 = lowest possible
25 0.25 1 = highest possible:
0 0
Ecosystem 1 Ecosystem 2 Ecosystem 3 Ecosystem 4 Ecosystem 5

7 9
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Based on the graph, high biodiversity would be
answer to the previous question? expected in a reef ecosystem with a predator
A) Lines 44-47 (“So . . . mystery”) population that is

B) Lines 56-58 (“The kahalalides . . . it”) A) slightly larger than the prey population.

C) Lines 62-67 (“There . . . unusual”) B) considerably larger than the prey population.

D) Lines 76-78 (“We . . . organisms”) C) equivalent to the prey population.

D) noticeably smaller than the prey population.

8
In the final paragraph, the authors mention various 10
colors in order to convey a sense of The authors of the passage would most likely argue
A) skepticism about the role of personal experience that Ecosystem 3, as presented in the graph, is
in scientific discovery. A) home to a greater variety of prey species than any
B) supportiveness for those who are engaged in other ecosystem pictured.
preserving marine ecosystems. B) bound to increasingly resemble Ecosystem 1 over
C) enthusiasm about specific firsthand observations time.
of the natural world. C) less inherently vulnerable than some of the other
D) fascination with aspects of marine life that remain ecosystems depicted.
mysterious. D) likely to be the single largest ecosystem of the
five depicted.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
and a subsequent white paper made just the splash
Reading 24 35
they were looking for.
“Two hundred news organizations picked up
the story, and we got ninety-two million page
Questions 1-10 are based on the following impressions in the first week,” Hessel said.
passage and supplementary material. 40 “Everybody suddenly knew about the secret
meeting to synthesize the human genome.”
This passage is an excerpt from Jason Dorrier, “Writing
the First Human Genome by 2026 Is Synthetic Biology’s
Though interest in the project is high, it’s just
Grand Challenge,” an article that was originally the beginning. “This is really hard work . . . trying
published by SingularityHub in 2016. to go from DNA to packaged chromosome put
A “top secret” meeting of scientists was held at 45 into a cell and functional is hard. I don’t want to
the Langone Medical Center on Halloween 2015. gloss over the technical challenges,” Hessel said.
Their aim? To kickstart a new Human Genome Hessel’s work at Autodesk is focused on
Line Project and build a functional human genome making more effective design tools. He started
5 from the base pairs up by 2026. writing viruses two years back, and it took
“There’s only one grand challenge in synthetic 50 weeks to get the DNA. Now, he’s writing more
biology. Only one. And it’s to write a human complicated viruses to fight cancer. The larger the
genome. And we have to do that,” said Autodesk amount of DNA, the longer it takes to assemble.
Fellow Andrew Hessel at Singularity University’s But there are a number of fields, from health
10 Exponential Medicine 2016 conference. and medicine to electronics (DNA is an excellent
Like the first Human Genome Project before 55 medium for long-term information storage),
it—which resulted in the first fully-sequenced creating big incentives to speed development.
human genome—writing a human genome from Hessel is excited at the prospects. Though it’s still
scratch is an audacious goal. Hessel said a number early, he thinks 2026 for a fully engineered human
15 of organizations are already writing DNA, and we genome is realistic if synthetic biology follows an
can fabricate million-pair DNA constructs. But the 60 exponential pace like genome sequencing did.
human genome contains three billion base pairs. “So, a new genome race is starting, ladies and
We’re a long way from writing DNA on that gentlemen,” Hessel said. “It’s starting now. It’s
scale. “It took a year to design the yeast genome, still in the organizational phase, but it is going to
20 even though there were barely any changes made accelerate and, guaranteed, by 2026, we’re going
to [it]. So, we need better design tools,” Hessel 65 to succeed.”
said. As for the more controversial aspects of the
Work on the yeast genome is the most project, like the worry that the work may result
advanced thing going on in synthetic biology. in synthetic humans? The intentions behind this
25 It’s been pushing the field forward, but not as project are not to produce synthetic babies.
fast as Hessel would like. His career was hugely 70 “We couldn’t advocate that,” Hessel said. It’s
influenced by the race to map the first human more about pushing the science and technology
genome in the 90s and early 2000s, and he necessary to build a whole human genome—but
thought to himself—now we need something like no more. And he has a personal motivation too.
30 that for synthetic biology. “I’m doing this because I want my daughter
That’s why Hessel and fellow scientists are 75 to literally have the best nanomedicine in the
pushing for a new Human Genome Project future, the best diagnostics, the best treatments,”
focused on synthetic biology—something to spark Hessel said. “I hope you realize that by 2026, it’s
people’s imaginations. That “top secret” meeting a completely different game.”

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
1 4
The “grand challenge in synthetic biology” mentioned Within the passage, Andrew Hessel is presented as a
in lines 6-7 can best be characterized as researcher who
A) linked to a well-regarded moral imperative A) has an stake in genomics that extends beyond
embraced by researchers. purely academic interest.
B) dependent on scientific breakthroughs that have B) hopes that the public will actively participate in
not yet arrived. creating a synthetic human genome.
C) reliant on methodologies that are interchangeable C) sees current predictions about technological
with those that facilitated an earlier project. advances as overly optimistic.
D) premised on a theoretical construct once D) is working to correct the misconceptions that
perceived as illogical. surround the Human Genome Project.

2 5
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question? answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 8-10 (“And . . . conference”) A) Lines 31-34 (“That’s . . . imagination”)
B) Lines 11-14 (“Like . . . goal”) B) Lines 37-41 (“Two hundred . . . genome”)
C) Lines 16-17 (“But . . . pairs”) C) Lines 57-60 (“Hessel . . . did”)
D) Lines 19-22 (“It took . . . said”) D) Lines 74-77 (“I’m . . . said”)

3 6
Which of the following would NOT be a desired As used in line 46, “gloss over” most nearly means
outcome of the research described in the passage?
A) downplay.
A) The appearance of several new breakthroughs in B) excuse.
nanomedicine
C) embellish.
B) The emergence of viable synthetic genomes for
non-human organisms D) discredit.

C) The creation of humans who have unnatural

genetic traits
D) The intensification of joint ventures in DNA
mapping and electronics engineering

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
7 9
How do the words “early” (line 58) and “starting” Which choice best summarizes the information
(lines 61 and 62) influence the tone of the passage? presented in the graph?
A) They establish a concerned tone by suggesting A) Researchers cannot achieve perfect accuracy in
that various conclusions were ultimately modeling the human genome.
premature. B) The accuracy of models of the human genome
B) They establish an easygoing tone by addressing improved considerably due to advances in
and alleviating possible doubts about the validity biomedical technology.
of recent evidence. C) Models of the human genome have experienced
C) They establish an accessible tone through exponential improvements in accuracy in the
impartial description of a particular stage of a recent past.
research endeavor. D) A mostly-accurate model of the human genome
D) They establish an urgent tone by alluding to the was present for all five years depicted.
humanitarian importance of an inquiry that would
otherwise seem to be purely technical.
10
For Andrew Hessel, the data presented in the graph
8 would be most directly related to
In the final paragraphs of the passage (lines 61-78), A) the creation of new diagnostic tools based on
Hessel delivers a series of remarks in a manner that is genetic analysis.
best understood as
B) the development of a project that will reach its
A) skeptical and mystified. culmination in 2026.
B) cautious and meditative. C) a formative stage of his own scientific career.
C) confident and assertive. D) an instance of surprisingly intense publicity.
D) idealistic and combative.

Percent Accuracy, Mapping of the Human Genome by Year

100
99
98
Percent Accuracy

97
96
95
94
0
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
“Carbon dioxide is such a stable molecule and
Reading 25 it results from the burning of basically everything,
so the question is how do we fight nature and go
from a really stable end product to something
Questions 1-10 are based on the following 40 useful and energy rich,” Rajh said.
passage and supplementary material. The idea for transforming carbon dioxide into
useful energy comes from the one place in nature
This passage is adapted from Jared Sagoff, “Scientists
devise catalyst that uses light to turn carbon dioxide to
where this happens regularly. “We had this idea
fuel,” a press release originally issued in 2019 by the of copying photosynthesis, which uses carbon
Argonne National Laboratory. 45 dioxide to make food, so why couldn’t we use
it to make fuel?” Rajh said. “It turns out to be a
The concentration of carbon dioxide in our complex problem, because to make methanol, you
atmosphere is steadily increasing, and many need not just one electron but six.” By switching
scientists believe that it is causing impacts in our from titanium dioxide to cuprous oxide, scientists
Line environment. Recently, scientists have sought 50 developed a catalyst that not only had a more
5 ways to recapture some of the carbon in the negative conduction band but that would also
atmosphere and potentially turn it into usable be dramatically more selective in terms of its
fuel—which would be a holy grail for sustainable products. This selectivity results not only from
energy production. the chemistry of cuprous oxide but also from the
In a recent study from the U.S. Department of 55 geometry of the catalyst itself. “With nanoscience,
10 Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, we start having the ability to meddle with the
scientists have used sunlight and a catalyst largely surfaces to induce certain hotspots or change the
made of copper to transform carbon dioxide surface structure, cause strain or certain surface
to methanol. A liquid fuel, methanol offers the sites to expose differently than they are in the
potential for industry to find an additional source 60 bulk,” Rajh said.
15 to meet America’s energy needs. The study Because of this “meddling,” Rajh and Argonne
describes a photocatalyst made of cuprous oxide postdoctoral researcher Yimin Wu, now an
(Cu2O), a semiconductor that when exposed to assistant professor at the University of Waterloo,
light can produce electrons that become available managed to create a catalyst with a bit of a split
to react with, or reduce, many compounds. After 65 personality. The cuprous oxide microparticles
20 being excited, electrons leave a positive hole in they developed have different facets, much like a
the catalyst’s lower-energy valence band that, in diamond has different facets. Many of the facets
turn, can oxidize water. of the microparticle are inert, but one is very
“This photocatalyst is particularly exciting active in driving the reduction of carbon dioxide
because it has one of the most negative conduction 70 to methanol.
25 bands that we’ve used, which means that the According to Rajh, the reason that this facet
electrons have more potential energy available to is so active lies in two unique aspects. First, the
do reactions,” said Argonne Distinguished Fellow carbon dioxide molecule bonds to it in such a way
Tijana Rajh, an author of the study. that the structure of the molecule actually bends
Previous attempts to use photocatalysts, such 75 slightly, diminishing the amount of energy it
30 as titanium dioxide, to reduce carbon dioxide takes to reduce. Second, water molecules are also
tended to produce a whole mish-mash of various absorbed very near to where the carbon dioxide
products, ranging from aldehydes to methane. molecules are absorbed.
The lack of selectivity of these reactions made it “In order to make fuel, you don’t simply need
difficult to segregate a usable fuel stream, Rajh 80 to have carbon dioxide to be reduced; you need
35 explained. to have water to be oxidized,” Rajh said. “Also,

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
absorption conformation in photocatalysis is 4
extremely important—if you have one molecule
of carbon dioxide absorbed in one way, it might be The passage states that cuprous oxide is a better
85 completely useless. But if it is in a bent structure, catalyst than titanium dioxide for reducing carbon
it lowers the energy to be reduced.” dioxide for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that
A) it decreases the amount of energy needed.
1 B) it is less expensive.
The main point of the passage is that C) it has a more negative conduction band.
A) carbon dioxide is so useful as a fuel that D) it absorbs water near carbon dioxide.
the presence of this substance is not a global
ecological dilemma.
B) selectivity in catalysts is a problem that must be 5
addressed through new research. According to the passage, stable molecules are NOT
C) the concentration of carbon dioxide in the A) abundant.
atmosphere is contributing to climate change.
B) sustainable.
D) a novel photocatalyst shows promise in
C) energy-rich.
addressing a global environmental concern.
D) liquid-based.

2
Which of the following best supports the notion
6
that the negativity of the conduction band is directly Which choice provides the best evidence for the
related to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? answer to the previous question?
A) Lines 19-22 (“After . . . water”) A) Lines 4-8 (“Recently . . . production”)
B) Lines 23-28 (“This photocatalyst . . . the study”) B) Lines 13-15 (“A liquid . . . energy needs”)
C) Lines 29-32 (“Previous . . . methane”) C) Lines 36-37 (“Carbon dioxide . . . everything”)
D) Lines 33-35 (“The lack . . . explained”) D) Lines 38-40 (“so the question . . . Rajh said”)

3 7
As used in line 34, “segregate” most nearly means As used in line 69, “driving” most nearly means
A) isolate. A) transporting.
B) stigmatize. B) blocking.
C) discern. C) inspiring.
D) differentiate. D) catalyzing.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
Figure 1: Concentration of Carbon Dioxide Figure 2: Sources of Carbon Dioxide
in Earth’s Atmosphere in Earth’s Atmosphere (2020)
Concentration in parts per million

500
Human-Produced
400
Industry
Land Usage Changes
4%
300 9%

200

100 87%
Fossil Fuel
Consumption
0
1950 1970 1990 2010

8 Natural
The purpose of lines 79-81 (“In order . . . Rajh said”) Soil Decomposition
is to Ocean Atmosphere
Exchange
A) explain the content of a previous sentence. 28.5%
43%
B) define a term.
C) refute a contention. 28.5%

Organism
D) question claims present in the sentence that
Respiration
follows.

9 10
On the basis of figure 2, it can be reasonably Which choice properly pairs a claim from the passage
concluded that most of the carbon dioxide in the with the figure that supports this claim?
atmosphere
A) Lines 1-2 (“The concentration . . . increasing”);
A) comes directly from the burning of fossil fuels. figure 1
B) was already present in some form before 1950. B) Lines 1-2 (“The concentration . . . increasing”);
C) is not the direct result of natural causes. figure 2

D) cannot be traced to human land usage change. C) Lines 2-4 (“many . . . environment”); figure 1
D) Lines 2-4 (“many . . . environment”); figure 2

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
we would like to use superconductors in places
Reading 26 where they are not used now.” He is performing
theoretical calculations regarding clouds of
40 extremely cold atoms—imagine very dilute
Questions 1-10 are based on the following particles of gases trapped in a laser field—to
passage and supplementary material. see how they behave and whether they show
superconducting properties. “All I want to know
This passage is adapted from Marlene Cimons,
“Researcher studies unsolved problem of interacting
is if I put a million atoms in a small region and
objects,” an article published* in 2014 by the National 45 watch them interact, what can they do?” he says.
Science Foundation. Sheehy is examining the activities of different
alkali gases—those in the first column of the
One of science’s biggest puzzles is figuring Periodic Table—because “they have only
out how interacting objects behave collectively. one outermost electron, making them easier
Take water, for example. “It’s a molecule, but 50 to control,” he says. “First, let’s understand
Line it’s also a liquid with specific properties,” says the simplest system we can think of so we
5 Daniel Sheehy, an assistant professor of physics at can develop the theory. Let’s fundamentally
Louisiana State University. “How does the liquid understand nature and this unsolved problem of
come from the microscopic action of these water interacting objects.” He does not conduct actual
molecules?” 55 physical experiments, but is a theorist “who
Sheehy doesn’t study water, but he likes to use uses a computer, as well as paper and pencil
10 it to describe what he does study, which is many- calculations,” to determine the properties of these
particle quantum mechanics, that is, how atoms clouds of atoms. “I am interested in the superfluid
organize themselves at very low temperatures states of these atoms, which is where the particles
when they become trapped in beams of laser 60 don’t have any viscosity; they flow without
light, and whether they reach a superfluid state, a resistance,” he says.
15 phenomenon that occurs only when it is extremely Sheehy is conducting his research under a
cold. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty
In a superconductor, the electrons form a Early Career Development (CAREER) award,
superfluid which “is like a liquid, but better,” 65 which he received in 2012. The award supports
Sheehy says. “It never slows down and the junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-
20 electrical resistance is zero, meaning none of the scholars through outstanding research, excellent
energy is lost.” The down side, however, is that education, and the integration of education and
this requires very cold temperatures to achieve, research within the context of the mission of
on the order of 10 kelvins (minus 263 C, minus 70 their organization. NSF is funding his work with
442 F), for conventional superconductors, which $428,200 over five years. The grant’s educational
25 is why they generally only are used in special component includes developing more interactive
applications, such as in MRI machines, where materials in large-size physics classes so that
they are kept cold with liquid helium. students go beyond the “lecture” format, “with
“This is why they are not used in power lines,” 75 more hands-on activities that get them thinking,”
he says. “You would need refrigerators, which he says. “We will be trying to use Internet
30 isn’t very practical.” applications with certain computer programs that
Sheehy’s goal is to gain further insights demonstrate the principles of quantum mechanics.
that could enable more widespread uses for This, hopefully, will get them to better learn
superconducting materials. “Might it be possible 80 physics, and get them excited about a future in
to make material that is a superconductor at science.” He also plans an outreach project to
35 ambient temperatures?” he asks. “No one knows. the public, and to high school and middle school
It is a very difficult goal, a very big goal. But
*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.
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 Part 2: Science, Single
students, including an in-school demonstration 4
program aimed at inspiring the interest of minority
students in science, and in pursuing science Which choice provides the best evidence for the
85
careers. answer to the previous question?
“The field of cold atoms is growing rapidly, A) Lines 14-16 (“and whether . . . cold”)
fueled by numerous recent experimental
B) Lines 17-18 (“In a . . . but better”)
breakthroughs, making it an ideal area for
90 students to work in,” he says. “We’re working C) Lines 19-21 (“the electrical . . . is lost”)
on fundamental problems that are conceptually D) Lines 46-49 (“Sheehy . . . electron”)
simple but yet still intellectually stimulating and
experimentally relevant.”

5
1 According to the passage, Sheehy’s goal is to

The purpose of the discussion in lines 3-8 (Take . . . A) develop a viable way to employ water as a
molecules?”) is to superconductor.

A) provide a contrast to the prior sentence. B) transition from mathematical models to physical
experiments.
B) set forth an analogy for Sheehy’s area of study.
C) learn more about superconductors that are
C) offer an example of one of Sheehy’s experiments. currently in use.
D) establish Sheehy’s research credentials. D) create superconductors that could be deployed
more broadly than those in use today.

2
As used in line 7, “action” most nearly means 6
A) properties. As used in line 35, “ambient” most nearly means
B) steps. A) incidental.
C) responses. B) pervasive.
D) energy. C) controlled.
D) moderate.

3
According to the passage, the energy loss of non-
superconductors can be attributed to
A) valence electrons.
B) very low temperatures.
C) electrical resistance.
D) liquid flow.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
7 9
Which of the following choices best supports the Which of the superconductors represented in
notion that Sheehy is working on more interactive the graph could fit the passage’s definition of a
methods to teach physics? superfluid?
A) Lines 71-76 (“The grant’s . . . he says”) A) Superconductor 1 only
B) Lines 76-78 (“We will . . . mechanics”) B) Superconductor 2 only
C) Lines 79-81 (“This, hopefully . . . science”) C) Both superconductor 1 and superconductor 2
D) Lines 90-93 (“We’re working . . . relevant”) D) Neither superconductor 1 nor superconductor 2

8 10
The tone of the last paragraph (lines 87-93) can best One similarity between the graph and the commentary
be described as from Daniel Sheehy is that both address
A) hesitant. A) water as a standard for evaluating other
B) optimistic. substances.

C) ambivalent. B) helium as a means of creating artificially low

temperatures.
D) curious.
C) the practical applications of different types of
superconductors.
D) the composition of superconductors at an atomic
level.

Fluid Properties of Three Substances, Varying Temperatures

1012 • Higher centipoise
Viscosity (measured in centipoise)

quantities indicate
109 lower fluidity for a given
substance

106 • Water freezes at 0 °C and

evaporates at 100 °C (so
that viscosities for water
103 cannot be measured
under 0 °C or above
1.0 100 °C)

0
-250 °C -100 °C 0 °C 20 °C 100 °C 250 °C

Superconductor 1: Superconductor 2: Water:

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
takes half an hour and she does it every four days.
Reading 27 “They’re very spoiled,” she says.
40 Andolina fed around 600 mosquitoes yesterday
and you wouldn’t be able to tell—her arm is free
Questions 1-10 are based on the following of any marks because she has built up resistance
passage and supplementary material. to the allergens in the mosquito saliva. Her boss,
François Nosten, had to fill in for her two weeks
This passage is adapted from Ed Yong, “The Mosquito
Breeder,” an article originally published by Mosaic in 45 ago and his arm is still covered in welts. This is
2014. why there is no feeding rota. It’s just Andolina.
She has tried to convince her research assistants
The worst thing about feeding hundreds to help but, for some strange reason, they aren’t
of mosquitoes on your own blood is not the keen.
itching—if you do it enough times, your body gets 50 The boxes contain two closely related species
Line used to the bites. It’s not even the pain, although of mosquito: Anopheles dirus B and C. The two
5 it is always painful since the mosquitoes will use colonies have to be kept apart. If someone mixes
their snouts to root about your flesh in search of a them by mistake, it would be nigh impossible to
blood vessel. fix the error. B and C look identical, even under
It is more that, sometimes, the little suckers 55 the microscope, and only their genes reveal them
take their time. to be distinct species. They also transmit very
10 “They just walk around on your arm. You’re different malarial parasites: B carries Plasmodium
sitting there and thinking, ‘Seriously? I have falciparum, the main cause of malaria in these
things to do’,” says Chiara Andolina. parts, while C transmits P. vivax. Andolina once
Andolina is an infectious disease researcher 60 spent a few years on an experiment that just
who works at the Shoklo Malaria Research wouldn’t work, because she was trying to infect
15 Unit, a world-renowned laboratory nestled in an one of the species with the wrong parasite.
unassuming town near the Thai-Myanmar border. Only female mosquitoes drink blood, and they
She runs the Unit’s insectory, where mosquitoes use proteins in their meals to make the shells of
are bred, reared, infected with the Plasmodium 65 their eggs. But they also need mating partners, and
parasites that cause malaria, and dissected. A. dirus are as finicky about sex as they are about
20 There are only five or six such facilities in food. Andolina used to have to force-mate them.
Thailand, largely because the malarial mosquitoes . . . It takes another two weeks for them to turn
of South-east Asia are delicate, wilting flowers. into adults. Now, they’re ready for experiments.
In Africa, malaria is transmitted by Anopheles 70 Typically, this involves infecting them with
gambiae—hardy insects with catholic tastes. malaria.
25 They will go without food for days. They will Andolina loads a feeding pump with blood
endure through tough environmental conditions. samples from people with malaria. The pump
They will suck blood from rabbits, cows— delivers the blood into a grey cylinder, with a
basically anything that they can get their 75 membrane stretched across it. She places this on
probosces into. top of a sheet of muslin, draped over an empty
30 Their Asian cousins, Anopheles dirus, are noodle cup containing dozens of mosquitoes. The
very different. “You blow on them a little bit cylinder is like an upside-down feeding trough.
and they’re like: ‘No. I’m not mating today. I’m The mosquitoes dangle upside-down from the
upset.’” They also refuse to eat anything except 80 muslin, pierce the adjacent membrane, and suck
human blood, which is why Andolina has to feed up the blood.
35 them herself. Once they are infected, security is paramount.
She does this simply by sticking her arm The law dictates that there must be four doors
through a muslin sock and into their cages. It
*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.
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 Part 2: Science, Single
between them and the outside world, so they’re 2
85 kept inside an incubator within one of three
adjoining rooms. Andolina counts them every day As explained in the passage, only female mosquitoes
to make sure that none have escaped. If she ever drink blood because
misses one—and that hasn’t happened yet—she A) they use blood proteins to feed their young.
won’t be allowed to leave the lab until she has
B) they use blood proteins to generate their eggs.
90 found and killed it.
“I don’t do it because I love mosquitoes,” says C) the malarial parasite only infects male
Andolina. Her work creates a ready supply of mosquitoes.
parasites. She provides these to collaborators in D) female larvae use the blood to mature into adults.
Paris and Singapore, who are trying to develop
95 new drugs that target malarial parasites holding
out in a patient’s liver.
3
1 According to the passage, the goal of Andolina’s
What bothers Andolina the most about her mosquito work is to
research is A) breed mosquitoes that do not harbor Plasmodium.
A) the pain of getting bitten by mosquitoes. B) find a way to desensitize people to mosquito
B) the itching that results from the mosquito bites. allergens.

C) the time that it takes to feed the mosquitoes. C) find ways to better contain infected mosquitoes.

D) the fear of catching malaria. D) generate Plasmodium for other researchers.

Mosquito Species and Malaria Transmission

Species Geographic Range Human Pig Cow Rabbit

A Throughout Asia, eastern Europe Yes No No No

B North America, western Europe Yes Yes No No

C Southeast Asia, various Pacific islands No Yes Yes No

D Throughout Africa, southern Europe Yes Yes Yes Yes

Blood sources accepted by each mosquito species

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
4 8
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Which of the following choices offers the best
answer to the previous question? support for the statement in lines 54-56 (“B and C . . .
A) Lines 43-45 (“Her boss . . . in welts”) distinct species”)?

B) Lines 52-54 (“If someone . . . error”) A) Lines 20-22 (“There . . . flowers”)

C) Lines 82-86 (“Once they . . . rooms”) B) Lines 50-52 (“The boxes . . . kept apart”)

D) Lines 92-96 (“Her work . . . liver”) C) Lines 56-59 (“They . . . P. vivax”)

D) Lines 59-62 (“Andolina . . . wrong parasite”)

5
As used in line 24, “catholic” most nearly means 9
A) religious. Which of the mosquitoes represented in the table
would one expect to find near a farm in California?
B) wide-ranging.
A) Mosquito A
C) strict.
B) Mosquito B
D) eclectic.
C) Mosquito C
D) Mosquito D
6
The purpose of lines 43-45 (“Her . . . welts”) is to
10
A) contrast Andolina’s experience of getting bitten
On the basis of the table, which mosquitoes are most
with that of someone who is not resistant to the
likely Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles dirus,
mosquitoes’ allergens.
respectively?
B) elicit sympathy from the reader.
A) Mosquito A; Mosquito D
C) illustrate the negative effects that mosquitoes
have on humans and emphasize the need to B) Mosquito D; Mosquito A
overcome these effects with research. C) Mosquito C; Mosquito D
D) defend the research facility’s decision not to use a D) Mosquito D; Mosquito C
feeding rota.

7
As used in line 48, the word “strange” conveys
A) humor.
B) fear.
C) ridicule.
D) distrust.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
Artificial selection, at the heart of breeding
Reading 28 for desirable traits in domesticated animals, has
yielded rapid change in a short span of canine
40 history. While researchers estimate that modern
Questions 1-10 are based on the following dog breeds diverged from wolves some 15,000
passage and supplementary material. years ago, the genetic changes in the dog genome
that create multiple coat types are more likely to
This passage is adapted from “Variants in Three Genes
Account for Most Dog Coat Differences,” a 2009 news
have been pursued by breeders in just the past
release* from the National Institutes of Health. 45 200 years. In fact, short-haired breeds, such as
the beagle, display the original, more wolf-like
Variants in just three genes acting in different versions of the three genes identified in the study.
combinations account for the wide range of coat Modern dog breeds are part of a unique
textures seen in dogs—from the poodle’s tight population structure, having been selectively
Line curls to the beagle’s stick-straight fur. A team led 50 bred for many years. Based on this structure,
5 by researchers from the National Human Genome the researchers were able to break down a
Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National complex phenotype—coat—into possible genetic
Institutes of Health, reports these findings today variations. “When we put these genetic variants
in the advance online issue of the journal Science. back together in different combinations, we found
“This study is an elegant example of using 55 that we could create most of the coat varieties
10 genomic techniques to unravel the genetic basis seen in what is among the most diverse species in
of biological diversity,” said NHGRI Scientific the world—the dog,” Dr. Ostrander said. “If we
Director Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D. “Genomics can decipher the genetic basis for a complex trait
continues to gain new insights from the amazing such as the dog’s coat, we believe that we can do
morphological differences seen across the canine 60 it as well with complex diseases.”
15 species, including many that give clues about Specifically, the researchers found an
human biology and disease.” alteration in the RSPO2 gene that results in
Until now, relatively little was known about wiry hair that grows in a pattern that gives
the genes influencing the length, growth pattern, the dogs a mustachioed look with long details
and texture of the coats of dogs. The researchers 65 called furnishings. Examples of dog breeds with
20 performed a genome-wide scan of specific wiry coats are Scottish terrier, Irish terriers,
signposts of DNA variation, called single- and schnauzers. Long hair that is silky or fluffy
nucleotide polymorphisms, in 1,000 individual was linked to a variant in the FGF5 gene.
dogs representing 80 breeds. These data were Cocker spaniels, Pomeranians, and long-haired
compared with descriptions of various coat types. 70 Chihuahuas are examples of dogs with long
25 Three distinct genetic variants emerged to explain, coats. A variant in the KRT71 gene produces
in combination, virtually all dog hair types. curly coated dogs, such as the Irish water spaniel.
“What’s important for human health is the way Finally, if all three variants are present, a dog has
we found the genes involved in dog coats and a long and curly coat with furnishings. Examples
figured out how they work together, rather than 75 of this type of breed include poodles and
30 the genes themselves,” said Elaine A. Ostrander, Portuguese water dogs.
Ph.D., chief of the Cancer Genetics Branch in “We don’t yet know the precise roles, if any,
NHGRI’s Division of Intramural Research. “We of these three genes in the variety of hair textures
think this approach will help to pinpoint multiple seen among humans,” Dr. Ostrander said. The
genes involved in complex human conditions, 80 FGF5 (long hair) gene and KRT71 (curly hair)
35 such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and gene have been found to affect hair in mice
obesity.” and cats in addition to dogs, so humans may be

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
included as well. The RSPO2 gene has not been 3
previously identified to influence hair texture in
85 mammals, but it does belong to a pathway that has Which of the following, as related to dogs, was NOT
been associated with a coarse hair type found in studied by the researchers described in the passage?
some people of East Asian ancestry. A) Coat color
The study’s lead author, Edouard Cadieu, a
B) Coat texture
graduate student in NHGRI’s Cancer Genetics
90 Branch, added, “The carefully controlled breeding C) Coat length
of dogs offers advantages in pinpointing the genes D) Coat growth pattern
that determine particular traits, which may have
immediate application to the study of diseases,
like cancer, that are common to both dogs and
95 humans.” 4
According to the passage, complex human diseases
A) can be addressed with genetically-derived
1
vaccines.
As used in line 2, “range” most nearly means
B) have been accelerated by artificial breeding of
A) size. animal species.
B) diversity. C) originated in dogs and canine ancestors.
C) selection. D) involve multiple genes.
D) field.

5
2 Which choice provides the best evidence for the
Which of the following choices best supports the answer to the previous question?
notion that genetic variation is correlated with A) Lines 13-16 (“Genomics . . . disease”)
phenotype variation in dogs?
B) Lines 27-30 (“What’s . . . themselves”)
A) Lines 19-22 (“The researchers . . .
polymorphisms”) C) Lines 37-40 (“Artificial . . . history”)

B) Lines 23-24 (“These data . . . coat types”) D) Lines 90-95 (“The carefully . . . humans”)

C) Lines 50-53 (“Based on . . . variations”)

D) Lines 73-75 (“Examples . . . water dogs”) 6
The seventh paragraph (lines 77-87) functions to
A) imply that RSPO2 doesn’t affect human hair.
B) explore geographic differences among humans.
C) show the evolutionary relationships between
humans, dogs, cats, and mice.
D) explain the relationship between animal fur
genetics and human hair genetics.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
DNA Profiles of Different Organisms
100
Percentage of Each DNA Component

DNA Base Pairs

80 Thymine:
60
Adenine:
40
Cytosine:
20
Guanine:
0
Sea urchin Octopus Rat Human

invertebrates vertebrates

7 9
According to the passage, a potential application of Which of the following conclusions CANNOT be
the research regarding coat phenotypes is a better drawn from the information in the graph?
understanding of A) Thymine constitutes a smaller portion of human
A) how to increase the average lifespan of dogs. DNA than it does of octopus DNA.
B) selective breeding of dogs. B) Guanine constitutes a greater portion of rat DNA
C) complex diseases in humans. than it does of human DNA.

D) how to alter dogs’ coats. C) Thymine and adenine are more abundant than
cytosine and guanine in the DNA profiles of some
vertebrates.

8 D) Most vertebrates have DNA profiles that are

comprised mostly of thymine and adenine.
As used in line 92, “determine” most nearly means
A) discover.
B) conclude. 10
C) produce. Which choice best describes the graph as it relates to
D) calculate. the passage as a whole?
A) The graph offers additional information about the
basic composition of DNA.
B) The graph portrays the composition of DNA in a
more simplistic manner than the passage does.
C) The graph challenges a central assumption made
by the researchers described in the passage.
D) The graph indicates the roles of genes that are
briefly mentioned in the passage.

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
surface, MRO can use its heat-sensing Mars
Reading 29 Climate Sounder instrument to peer through the
haze. The instrument is designed specifically
40 for measuring dust levels. Its data, coupled with
Questions 1-10 are based on the following images from a camera aboard the orbiter called the
passage and supplementary material. Mars Context Imager (MARCI), enabled scientists
to detect numerous swelling dust towers.
This passage is adapted from Andrew Good and Alana
Johnson, “Global Storms on Mars Launch Dust Towers
Dust towers appear throughout the Martian
Into the Sky,” an article published* in 2019 by NASA. 45 year, but MRO observed something different
during the 2018 global dust storm. “Normally
Dust storms are common on Mars. But every the dust would fall down in a day or so,” said
decade or so, something unpredictable happens: a the paper’s lead author, Nicholas Heavens of
series of runaway storms breaks out, covering the Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. “But
Line entire planet in a dusty haze. 50 during a global storm, dust towers are renewed
5 Last year, a fleet of NASA spacecraft got a continuously for weeks.” In some cases, multiple
detailed look at the life cycle of the 2018 global towers were seen for as long as 3.5 weeks.
dust storm that ended the Opportunity rover’s The rate of dust activity surprised Heavens
mission. And while scientists are still puzzling and other scientists. But especially intriguing
over the data, two papers recently shed new light 55 is the possibility that dust towers act as “space
10 on a phenomenon observed within the storm: dust elevators” for other material, transporting matter
towers, or concentrated clouds of dust that warm through the atmosphere. When airborne dust heats
in sunlight and rise high into the air. Scientists up, it creates updrafts that carry gases along with
think that dust-trapped water vapor may be it, including the small quantity of water vapor
riding them like an elevator to space, where solar 60 sometimes seen as wispy clouds on Mars.
15 radiation breaks apart their molecules. This might A previous paper led by Heavens showed that
help explain how Mars’ water disappeared over during a 2007 global dust storm on Mars, water
billions of years. molecules were lofted into the upper atmosphere,
Dust towers are massive, churning clouds that where solar radiation could break them down into
are denser and climb much higher than the normal 65 particles that escape into space. That might be a
20 background dust in the thin Martian atmosphere. clue to how the Red Planet lost its lakes and rivers
While they also occur under normal conditions, over billions of years, becoming the freezing
the towers appear to form in greater numbers desert it is today.
during global storms. A tower starts at the planet’s Scientists can’t say with certainty what causes
surface as an area of rapidly lifted dust about 70 global dust storms; they’ve studied fewer than
25 as wide as the state of Rhode Island. By the a dozen to date. “Global dust storms are really
time a tower reaches a height of 50 miles (80 unusual,” said Mars Climate Sounder scientist
kilometers), as seen during the 2018 global dust David Kass of JPL. “We really don’t have
storm, it may be as wide as Nevada. As the tower anything like this on the Earth, where the entire
decays, it can form a layer of dust 35 miles (56 75 planet’s weather changes for several months.”
30 kilometers) above the surface that can be wider With time and more data, the MRO team
than the continental United States. hopes to better understand the dust towers created
The recent findings on dust towers come within global storms and what role they may
courtesy of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance play in removing water from the Red Planet’s
Orbiter (MRO), which is led by the agency’s Jet 80 atmosphere.
35 Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Though global dust storms cloak the planet’s

*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
1 4
The main purpose of the passage is to As used in line 36, “cloak” most nearly means
A) cite deficiencies in an experiment that was at one A) excuse.
point thought to be definitive. B) exaggerate.
B) present competing accounts of how dust towers C) embellish.
form on Mars in order to refute a common
misconception. D) envelop.

C) describe how scientists have examined but not

fully elucidated the properties of dust towers on
Mars. 5
Which of the following assumptions about the history
D) question the utility of technological advancement
of Mars is present in the passage?
in garnering new knowledge about the solar
system. A) Mars was at one point home to substantial bodies
of water that eventually disappeared.
B) The basic properties of the geography of Mars
2 were misunderstood before the MRO was
Under what conditions would researchers typically deployed.
expect to observe dust towers on Mars? C) Mars featured conditions necessary to sustain
A) Year-round, under both normal circumstances and simple lifeforms at some point in the distant past.
during large dust storms D) The duration and intensity of dust towers on Mars
B) Year-round, only during large dust storms have both increased as the composition of the
planet’s surface has changed.
C) Only in select seasons, under both normal
circumstances and during large dust storms
D) Only in select seasons, only during large dust 6
storms
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?

3 A) Lines 36-39 (“Though . . . haze”)

In lines 23-31, the authors’ references to the B) Lines 44-46 (“Dust . . . storm”)
geography of the United States serve to C) Lines 54-57 (“But . . . atmosphere”)
A) suggest how long a typical dust tower will last D) Lines 65-67 (“That . . . today”)
before it decays.
B) underscore the fact that dust towers are prominent
on Mars but not unique to this planet.
C) clarify ideas about a few different stages of dust
tower formation.
D) explain how the dust tower models developed in
2018 departed from earlier simulations.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
Possible Heights and Widths of a Dust Tower on Mars
100 Range of quantities
by stage of tower
80
Height (kilometers)

Early Stage:
60
40 Middle Stage:
20
Late Stage:
0
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Width (kilometers)

7 9
On the basis of the passage, scientists interested in It can be reasonably concluded from the information
studying dust storms on Mars would NOT have an in the graph that dust towers on Mars
evident use for A) are most stable during their middle stages.
A) space probe images that could lead to a definitive B) do not reach heights of over 100 kilometers.
explanation of how global dust storms arise on
Mars. C) expand rapidly and contract slowly.

B) a simulation that accurately indicates whether D) do not change in height for the duration of a
dust towers act as “space elevators.” given dust storm.

C) a computer-based model that would predict the

size of a global dust storm on Earth.
10
D) new data that suggest how Martian waterways
Researchers discover a dust tower on Mars that is 30
disappeared.
kilometers high. Which of the following statements is
best supported by the information in the graph and the
passage?
8
A) The dust tower is part of an early-stage storm.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question? B) The dust tower is part of a middle-stage storm.

A) Lines 61-65 (“A previous . . . space”) C) The dust tower is part of a late-stage storm.

B) Lines 69-71 (“Scientists . . . date”) D) The researchers cannot draw a conclusion without
more data about the duration of the storm.
C) Lines 71-75 (“Global . . . months”)
D) Lines 76-80 (“With . . . atmosphere”)

CONTINUE
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 Part 2: Science, Single
The XO can also operate for more than a few
Reading 30 minutes. It has two hours of battery life, and with
spares on hand, it can go all day. The batteries are
40 hot-swappable, meaning you can replace a drained
Questions 1-10 are based on the following battery with a new one without shutting the
passage and supplementary material. system down. The suit is aimed at manufacturing,
where workers are regularly moving heavy stuff
This passage is an excerpt from Jason Dorrier,
“Robotic Exoskeletons, Like This One, Are Getting
around. Additionally, Wolff told CNET, the suit
More Practical,” an article originally published* by 45 could see military use. But that doesn’t mean
SinguarityHub in 2019. Avatar-style combat. The XO, Wolff said, is
primarily about logistics (lifting and moving
When you imagine an exoskeleton, chances heavy loads) and isn’t designed to be armored, so
are it might look a bit like the Guardian XO from it won’t likely see the front lines.
Sarcos Robotics. The XO is literally a robot you 50 The system will set customers back $100,000
Line wear (or maybe, it wears you). The suit’s powered a year to rent, which sounds like a lot, but for
5 limbs sense your movements and match their industrial or military purposes, the six-figure
position to yours with little latency to give you rental may not deter would-be customers if the
effortless superstrength and endurance—so that suit proves itself a useful bit of equipment. (And
lifting 200 pounds will feel like lifting 10. 55 it’s reasonable to imagine the price coming down
A vision of robots and humankind working as the technology becomes more commonplace
10 together in harmony. Now, isn’t that nice? and competitors arrive.)
Of course, there isn’t anything terribly novel Sarcos got into exoskeletons a couple decades
about an exoskeleton. We’ve seen plenty of ago and was originally funded by the military (like
concepts and demonstrations in the last decade. 60 many robotics endeavors). Videos hit YouTube as
These include light exoskeletons tailored to long ago as 2008, but after announcing that the
15 industrial settings—some of which are being company was taking orders for the XO earlier this
tested out by the likes of Honda—and healthcare year, Sarcos says they’ll deliver the first alpha
exoskeletons that support the elderly or folks units in January, which is a notable milestone.
with disabilities. Full-body powered robotic 65 Broadly, robotics has advanced a lot in
exoskeletons are a bit rarer, which makes the recent years. YouTube sensations like Boston
20 Sarcos suit pretty cool to look at. But like all Dynamics have regularly earned millions of
things in robotics, practicality matters as much as views (and, inevitably, headlines stoking robot
vision. It’s worth asking: Will anyone buy and use fear). They went from tethered treadmill sessions
the thing? Is it more than a concept video? 70 to untethered backflips off boxes. While today’s
Sarcos thinks so, and they’re excited about it. robots really are vastly superior to their ancestors,
25 “If you were to ask the question, what does 30 they’ve struggled to prove themselves useful.
years and $300 million look like,” Sarcos CEO A counterpoint to flashy YouTube videos, the
Ben Wolff told IEEE Spectrum, “you’re going to DARPA Robotics Challenge gave birth to another
see it downstairs.” 75 meme altogether. Robots falling over. Often and
The XO appears to check a few key boxes. awkwardly.
30 For one, it’s user friendly. According to Sarcos, This year marks some of the first commercial
it only takes a few minutes for the uninitiated to fruits of a few decades’ research. Boston
strap in and get up to speed. Feeling comfortable Dynamics recently started offering its robot dog,
doing work with the suit takes a few hours. 80 Spot, to select customers in 2019. Whether this
This is thanks to a high degree of sensor-based proves to be a headline-worthy flash in the pan
35 automation that allows the robot to seamlessly or something sustainable remains to be seen.
match its user’s movements.
*See Page 171 for the citation for this text.
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But between robots with more autonomy and 2
exoskeletons like the XO, the exoskeleton variety
85 will likely be easier to make more practical for The tone of lines 9-10 (“A vision . . . that nice?”) can
various uses. best be described as
Whereas autonomous robots require highly A) hopeful.
advanced automation to navigate uncertain and
B) sarcastic.
ever-changing conditions—automation which,
90 at the moment, remains largely elusive (though C) fearful.
the likes of Google are pairing the latest AI with D) relieved.
robots to tackle the problem)—an exoskeleton
mainly requires physical automation. The really
hard bits, like navigating and recognizing and
95 interacting with objects, are outsourced to its 3
human operator. As used in line 11, “terribly” most nearly means
A) sadly.
B) dangerously.
1
C) oddly.
A central idea of the passage is that
D) particularly.
A) technological advancement is not self-justifying
and that inventions must be useful.
B) robots in their current form are not cost-effective
or susceptible to mass production.
C) the military is an important source of funding for
robotics development.
D) exoskeleton robots are superior to autonomous
robots in addressing utilitarian tasks.

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 Part 2: Science, Single
4 7
The passage suggests that exoskeleton robots have the Which of the following choices best supports the
potential to notion that robots have wide-ranging applications?
A) perform heavy lifting less expensively than an A) Lines 4-8 (“The suit’s . . . like 10”)
unaided workforce could. B) Lines 14-18 (“These . . . disabilities”)
B) injure the workers who are wearing them. C) Lines 30-32 (“For one . . . to speed”)
C) replace human workers because robots are D) Lines 58-59 (“Sarcos got . . . the military”)
cheaper than human labor.
D) incorporate artificial intelligence.
8
As used in line 78, “fruits” most nearly means
5
A) produce.
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question? B) profits.

A) Lines 34-36 (“This is . . . movements”) C) descendants.

B) Lines 37-39 (“The XO . . . all day”) D) results.

C) Lines 50-54 (“The system . . . equipment”)

D) Lines 87-93 (“Whereas . . . automation”)

6
According to the passage, a difference between
autonomous robots and exoskeleton robots is that
A) autonomous robots are more expensive than
exoskeleton robots are.
B) autonomous robots can identify objects, while
exoskeleton robots cannot.
C) autonomous robots can be used in changing
environments, while exoskeleton robots cannot.
D) autonomous robots have been around for longer
than exoskeleton robots have.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 136
 Part 2: Science, Single
Properties of Various Exoskeletons

260 100
Model 5
exoskeleton can lift (pounds)
Maximum weight that the

Weight of the exoskeleton

220 Model 6 80

itself (pounds)
180 Model 4 Model 7 60
Model 2
140 40
Model 3
100 Model 1 20
60 0
20 40 60 80 100
Cost of Individual Exoskeleton, Yearly Rental (thousands of USD)

9 10
A construction company wants to buy an exoskeleton On the basis of the information presented in the
that can lift 150 pounds but that does not cost more graph, the exoskeleton described in the first paragraph
than $70,000. Which model, on the basis of the graph, of the passage could be
would be most appropriate for the company? A) Model 2.
A) Model 3 B) Model 3.
B) Model 4 C) Model 4.
C) Model 5 D) Model 5.
D) Model 6

STOP
If you have finished this section, consult the relevant answers and explanations.
Do not turn to any other section.

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Part 3

Science, Paired
 Reading Strategy
Part 3: Science, Paired

Essential Tactics
The paired Science passages cover the same range of topics as the single Science passages, as described on
Page 88. Stylistically, these readings can also be much more accessible than paired History passages, which
often present test-takers with relatively obscure vocabulary and complex syntax. Still, paired Science can be
more difficult for readers who are accustomed to a straightforward pro-con structure, which appears with great
regularity in paired History but NOT in paired Science. These readings, instead, can give you a sound sense
of the many different ways in which two SAT passages can play off one another.

Possible combinations include

• Sharp disagreement (two contradictory theories or experiments)

• Moderate disagreement (two passages that point out exceptions or convey skepticism)

• One neutral or balanced author, one extremely biased author

• One passage providing essential background, one pointing out a new approach or a new aspect of the
topic

• One passage explaining a finding, one analyzing a specific point or repercussion of that finding

As this list of statements indicates, there will ALMOST ALWAYS be a core relationship between the two
passages that can be summed up in a fairly concise statement. Your task is to determine what this relationship
is—since the SAT features questions on exactly this topic—and then to determine a few of the smaller
similarities and differences that the passages involve.

Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 174

 Part 3: Science Passages, Paired

For any paired passage that you come across, ask yourself the following core questions.

1. What is the main idea and main tone (positive or negative, if relevant) of each passage?

2. How can the relationship between the passages be summed up in a single phrase or sentence?

3. In what smaller ways are the passages the same or different?

You will find that thinking analytically about this information will prepare you for the standard passage
questions. Here is a list of the Paired Passage questions that have appeared prominently on the SAT.

• Relationship between the passages (opposition, agreement, one expanding upon the other, etc.)

• Purposes of the passages (sometimes BOTH passages serving the same purpose, despite other differences)

• Point of similarity (even if the passages are in overall disagreement) or point of difference (even if the
passages are in overall agreement)

• Techniques used by the authors (often similarity, though noting differences may be required)

• How the author of one passage would respond to an element of the other passage (possibly a main idea or
a main point, possibly a detail)

These questions will always be COMPLETELY evidence-based; in fact, the three or four questions that focus
on passage comparison may include a Command of Evidence item. You must keep this rule firmly in mind
even when dealing with question types that seem to require imagination or interpretation, as the final question
type (“How would the author . . . ”) appears to at first glance. In reality, this question type does NOT require
any sort of cleverness. Simply determine one author’s position, using either an effective overall read or a
relevant set of lines, and use THAT information to determine a hypothetical response.

Working with paired Science passages is also made easier by similarities between these readings and the
single Science entries. On the whole, paired passages adapt the standard “inquiry, experiment, outcomes”
structure to account for the new, comparison-based analysis that you will need to perform.

Here are some of the passages and relationships that have appeared on recent SAT official tests; these items
should give you a sense of the kind of overarching passage relationship statements that you should develop
from reading comprehension.

• Passage 1 - the nature and possible economic outcomes of mining in space; Passage 2 - the conceptual
and regulatory difficulties that would surround space mining practices (balanced overview to moderate
negative, Test 1)
• Passage 1 - apparent effect of online activity on cognitive processes and habits; Passage 2 - skepticism
about claims that online engagement changes mental activity (disagreement on some key points, Test 2)
• Passage 1 - description of soil-based cultivation of the antibiotic teixobactin; Passage 2 - some praise and
clear reservations related to soil-based cultivation (process overview to assessment of value, Test 9)
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 175
 Part 3: Science, Paired
times. Then repeat this procedure, each time
Reading 31 getting closer to the actual earthquake location
35 and fitting the observed times a little better.
Quit when your adjustments have become small
Questions 1-10 are based on the following enough and when the fit to the observed wave
passages. arrival times is close enough.
Passage 1 is adapted from “How do seismologists
locate an earthquake?” an article that presents
Passage 2
common research procedures. Passage 2 is adapted Oklahoma has been the site of thousands of
from “Oklahoma Study Reveals Possible, Previously 40 earthquakes associated with wastewater injection
Unknown Sources of Earthquakes,” a 2018 news activity, or induced seismicity, but few of the
release. Both of the relevant articles were published by
earthquake sequences have occurred on mapped
the United States Geological Survey.
faults, making seismic hazards difficult to
Passage 1 estimate.
When an earthquake occurs, one of the first 45 The USGS and the Oklahoma Geological
questions is “where was it?” The location may tell Survey (OGS) used the newly acquired
us what fault it was on and where damage (if any) airborne magnetic data to image rocks where
Line most likely occurred. the earthquakes are occurring miles beneath
5 Unfortunately, Earth is not transparent and the surface. The magnetic field maps reveal
we can’t just see or photograph the earthquake 50 boundaries or contacts between different rock
disturbance like meteorologists can photograph types, some of which are linear, similar to faults.
clouds. When an earthquake occurs, it generates A number of these types of contacts, (referred
an expanding wavefront from the earthquake to as “lineaments” in the magnetic field map),
10 hypocenter at a speed of several kilometers per are aligned with sequences of earthquakes.
second. 55 This suggests that some of them represent
We observe earthquakes with a network of ancient faults that have been reactivated due
seismometers on the earth’s surface. The ground to wastewater injection, which generates, or
motion at each seismometer is amplified and “induces” earthquakes.
15 recorded electronically at a central recording site. “We are hoping that the results will be used
As the wavefront expands from the earthquake, 60 to guide more detailed studies at local scales
it reaches more distant seismic stations. When an to assess potential earthquake hazards,” said
earthquake occurs, we observe the times at which USGS scientist Anji Shah, lead author for the
the wavefront passes each station. We must find study. Additionally, the data show that there is
20 the unknown earthquake source knowing these a dominant “grain” direction to the magnetic
wave arrival times. 65 contacts (like wood grain) in the deep rocks
We want to find the location, depth, and origin where the earthquakes are occurring. This “grain”
time of an earthquake whose waves arrive at the was formed hundreds of millions of years ago
times measured on each seismogram. We want and may be composed in part by faults that
25 a straightforward and general procedure that we are oriented favorably to move in response to
can also program in a computer. The procedure 70 natural background stresses within the earth. This
is simple to state: guess a location, depth, and alignment of deep features may contribute to the
origin time; compare the predicted arrival times high levels of seismicity occurring in response to
of the wave from your guessed location with the wastewater injection.
30 observed times at each station; then move the “There is nothing like a new data set to excite
location a little in the direction that reduces the 75 geoscientists looking for answers to some of the
difference between the observed and calculated mysteries of induced seismicity in Oklahoma,”

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 176
 Part 3: Science, Paired
said Dr. Jeremy Boak, OGS Director. “We 4
look forward to discussing these results among
ourselves and with the interested technical It can be inferred from Passage 2 that which of the
80 community. We also hope to bring these data to following would be true if wastewater had not been
bear on addressing the persistent seismic activity injected into the ground in Oklahoma?
and sharing our interpretations with Oklahomans A) Fewer lineaments in Oklahoma would remain
and other stakeholders regarding this challenging dormant.
issue.”
B) More lineaments in Oklahoma would remain
dormant.
1
C) The magnetic contacts in Oklahoma would have a
Passage 1 suggests that scientists want the procedure
different grain direction.
used by earthquake mapping software to be
D) A lower percentage of earthquakes in Oklahoma
A) site-specific.
would occur on previously-mapped faults.
B) historically informed.
C) interesting to the local community.
D) widely applicable. 5
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?
2 A) Lines 39-44 (“Oklahoma . . . estimate”)
Which choice best supports the notion that earthquake B) Lines 52-54 (“A number . . . earthquakes”)
modeling software finds the approximate, NOT exact,
C) Lines 55-58 (“This suggests . . . earthquakes”)
hypocenter of each earthquake?
D) Lines 66-70 (“This ‘grain’ . . . the earth”)
A) Lines 5-8 (“Unfortunately, . . . clouds”)
B) Lines 22-24 (“We want . . . seismogram”)
C) Lines 24-26 (“We want . . . computer”) 6
D) Lines 36-38 (“Quit when . . . enough”) According to Passage 2, it is difficult to estimate
seismic hazards from wastewater injection in
Oklahoma because
3 A) most earthquakes in Oklahoma caused by
As used in line 36, “Quit” most nearly means wastewater injection occur on previously-known
fault lines.
A) stop.
B) most earthquakes in Oklahoma caused by
B) give up.
wastewater injection occur on fault lines that
C) pause. were previously undetected.
D) exit. C) some ancient faults have been reactivated by
wastewater injection.
D) the magnetic contacts in the ground are aligned
to natural stresses in the rock.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 177
 Part 3: Science, Paired
7 9
As used in line 64, “dominant” most nearly means Passage 1 resembles Passage 2 in that both passages
A) overpowering. discuss

B) prevalent. A) ancient fault lines.

C) aggressive. B) seismometers.

D) victorious. C) mapping of the origins of earthquakes.

D) how to share results with local communities.

8
One key difference between the two passages is that 10
A) Passage 1 discusses an indirect method of data The OGS in Passage 2 would most likely respond to
collection while Passage 2 does not. lines 2-4 (“The location . . . occurred”) of Passage 1
by stating that
B) Passage 2 discusses an indirect method of data
collection while Passage 1 does not. A) it would be difficult to predict the damage caused
by earthquakes that did not originate on
C) Passage 1 discusses fault lines while Passage 2 previously-known fault lines.
does not.
B) it is more important to predict than to
D) Passage 1 discusses a procedure while Passage 2 retrospectively assess damage caused by
discusses potential applications of data. earthquakes.
C) earthquakes are caused by wastewater injection,
so geologists should focus more on wastewater
injection sites.
D) airborne data is necessary to map earthquakes
accurately.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 178
 Part 3: Science, Paired
Reading 32 diversity from the RNA and demonstrated that
the isoforms they identified were identical to
35 isoforms extracted through traditional methods
from venom glands of sacrificed snakes. These
Questions 1-10 are based on the following improved methods allow reliable access to venom
passages. composition data from venom acquired from live
snakes, empowering researchers to expand the
Passage 1 is adapted from Marian Weidner, “Catching
up with the author: Gareth Whiteley on snake venom
40 scope of their research while obviating the need
and antivenom research,” an article published* in to sacrifice snakes for venom research. The hope
2016 by Speaking of Medicine, the official blog of the is that this breakthrough will save lives of both
PLOS medical journals. Passage 2 is adapted from Léa snakes and people!
Surugue, “Why is it so hard to stop people dying from
snakebite?” an article published* in 2019 by Mosaic.
Passage 2
Passage 1 It’s warm where the snakes live. The air in
Venomous snakes are widely dispersed across 45 the herpetarium is humid, and on the walls,
the globe, occupying a range of habitats in both faded posters sum up the history of antivenom
terrestrial and marine environments. A major part production. The morning is coming to an end,
Line of venomous snakes’ predatory success is the and in transparent boxes, neatly piled up, 163
5 venom proteins which cause rapid cardiovascular snakes—spanning 49 different species—are
or neurological immobilisation and death of their 50 waiting to be fed.
prey. For humans, being in the wrong place at the These reptiles, housed here at the Centre
wrong time can have disastrous consequences— for Snakebite Research & Interventions at the
snakebites against humans are often an accidental Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, make
10 reaction to a perceived threat. Exposure to venom up the largest and most diverse collection of
proteins can lead to disability, death, or other 55 venomous snakes in the UK. It’s their job to
serious medical complications. Each year over provide venom for antivenom manufacturers and
94,000 people die from snakebites globally— to help find new ways to treat snakebite.
mostly in remote, disadvantaged areas where Today, it’s the turn of the black mamba to be
15 snakebite incidence remains relatively high. “milked”—that is, to have its venom extracted.
The development of effective snakebite 60 Paul Rowley is the team’s lead herpetologist,
therapies, or antivenom, relies on researchers’ an expert in snake handling and husbandry.
understanding of the unique protein composition Slowly, he opens the box to let the mamba out.
of different snake venoms. Currently, genetic From behind a large glass window, I follow his
20 sequencing of venom proteins and isolation careful, deliberate movements as he handles the
of mRNA requires sacrifice of the snake and 65 snake. It’s impressive, a couple of metres long.
removal of the venom gland. This methodological It’s hard to say if it’s more brown or grey, but it
challenge limits the scope of research in this area is definitely not black. The snake actually gets its
and is undesirable for ethical and environmental name from the colour of the inside of its mouth.
25 reasons, under which a given species of snake Despite its length, the black mamba moves
may be endangered or assigned protected status. 70 surprisingly quickly. Rowley and his assistant
In a PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have to work together to restrain it, pinning the
research article published last June, Gareth animal down on the table. Holding its head tightly,
Whiteley and colleagues present a new protocol they then massage its venom glands to extract
30 to improve the yield of high quality RNA the venom as the snake bites on a small container
isolated from venom collected from live snakes. 75 topped with clingfilm. The whole process takes
They were able to capture significant isoform less than five minutes.

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 179
 Part 3: Science, Paired
“Most snakes will instinctively bite as soon 3
as they are presented with something,” says Nick
Casewell, a research fellow at the centre. “As As used in line 29, “present” most nearly means
80 soon as you move the head of the snake towards a A) describe.
Petri dish, usually the snake will immediately bite,
B) perform.
and you will get venom, too. But it is variable
how much venom you get on a particular day.” C) develop.
Milking a snake is the first step in creating D) invent.
85 antivenom. The process is over 120 years old,
and has changed very little in that time. You
inject small, non-toxic doses of venom into an
animal—usually a horse or a sheep—to stimulate 4
an immune response. The animal then starts The author of Passage 1 states that a benefit of the
90 producing antibodies against the venom’s toxins, newer methods of harvesting venom is that
and you draw some of its blood. Finally, you
isolate and purify these antibodies, and make them A) they enable more substantial protein harvesting.
into a stable solution that can be given to patients B) they yield higher quality RNA.
as an injection.
C) the snakes survive the process.
D) they are cheaper than traditional methods.
1
The author of Passage 1 suggests that venom research
could be expanded if 5
A) venom did not contain specific proteins. The focus of Passage 2 shifts from
B) snakes were more prevalent in the most A) a profile of researchers to a discussion of the
developed countries. attributes of snakes.
C) venomous snakes were not geographically B) an overview of a profession to a synopsis of its
dispersed in an uneven manner. drawbacks.
D) killing snakes were not necessary in harvesting C) a description of a facility to an explanation of the
their venom. procedures employed there.
D) a research question to a potential answer.

2
Which choice provides the best evidence for the 6
answer to the previous question?
Which of the following choices best supports the
A) Lines 1-3 (“Venomous . . . environments”) notion that antivenom production relies on a set of
B) Lines 12-15 (“Each year . . . relatively high”) practices passed down through time?
C) Lines 16-19 (“The development . . . venoms”) A) Lines 45-47 (“on the walls . . . production”)
D) Lines 22-26 (“This methodological . . . status”) B) Lines 55-57 (“It’s . . . snakebite”)
C) Lines 77-78 (“Most . . . something”)
D) Lines 91-95 (“Finally . . . injection”)

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 180
 Part 3: Science, Paired
7 9
As used in line 64, the phrase “careful, deliberate” A difference between the two passages is that
primarily emphasizes A) Passage 1 discusses benefits to people and snakes
A) the high level of training needed to be a while Passage 2 considers benefits to people only.
herpetarium worker. B) Passage 1 discusses benefits to people and snakes
B) the small margin of error for immobilizing a while Passage 2 considers benefits to snakes only.
snake. C) Passage 1 discusses benefits to people only while
C) the detailed nature of antivenom research. Passage 2 considers benefits to people and
D) the predatory motions of snakes. snakes.
D) Passage 1 discusses benefits to snakes only while
Passage 2 considers benefits to people and
8 snakes.
The relationship between the two passages is that
A) Passage 2 presents a counterargument to the 10
central claim of Passage 1.
How would the author of Passage 1 most likely
B) Passage 2 clarifies the science behind the research respond to lines 79-83 (“As soon . . . day”) of
project discussed in Passage 1. Passage 2?
C) Passage 2 shows how a key development from A) The procedure has evident failings because the
Passage 1 being used. snake will have to be sacrificed.
D) Passage 2 criticizes the methods of a researcher B) Genetic sequencing cannot be performed on the
mentioned in Passage 1. type of sample considered in Passage 2.
C) Sufficiently diverse RNA will be isolated
regardless of procedure.
D) The handlers must take precautions while
working with the snake.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 181
 Part 3: Science, Paired
philosophy clearly carries no weight when it
Reading 33 35 comes to the apocalypse—if doomsday looms,
apparently, an island is exactly where you want
to be. The infographic accompanying the article
Questions 1-10 are based on the following did not help to instill confidence in the findings,
passages. however, what with Cape Verde appearing
40 slightly north of where it is actually located and
Passage 1 is adapted from Janine Mendes-Franco,
“Is the Caribbean apocalypse-proof?” Passage 2 is
Madagascar showing up twice—once off the
adapted from Emma Lewis, “A rash of ‘travel bans’ as coast of Brazil. The research, first published in the
the Caribbean gets serious about coronavirus.” Both of international journal Risk Analysis, was conducted
these articles were first published* by Global Voices in by Matt Boyd and Nick Wilson.
2020.
45 Wilson, a public health physician at the
Passage 1 University of Otago in New Zealand, suggested
In one of the most curious stories to be shared that biotechnology discoveries could potentially
on social media platforms in the Caribbean at the result in a genetically-engineered pandemic
start of 2020, the United Kingdom-based tabloid threatening human survival. “Though carriers
Line The Sun claimed that “scientists have worked out 50 of disease can easily circumvent land borders,”
5 the safest places for you to be if a sudden global he told The Sun, “a closed self-sufficient island
pandemic threatens to wipe out humanity.” could harbour an isolated, technologically-
As it turns out, many of those supposed safe adept population that could repopulate the earth
spots happen to be islands, with five out the top following a disaster.”
20 located in the Caribbean. The highest-ranked
10 of the regional nations was The Bahamas— Passage 2
ironically, still reeling from a disaster of its own 55 Caribbean island nations are as concerned
in the form of Hurricane Dorian—followed by about who crosses their borders as any other
Trinidad and Tobago at Number 8, Barbados nation. So, when the World Health Organization
at Number 9, Cuba at Number 11, and Jamaica (WHO) declared the coronavirus—officially
15 bringing up the rear at Number 18. named COVID-19—as a global health emergency,
The article is careful to state, however, 60 regional governments began taking concrete
that apart from the top three (Australia, New action. To date, no case of COVID-19 has been
Zealand, and Iceland), other countries “ranked confirmed in the Latin America/Caribbean
less than 0.5, so were less suitable for securing region, according to the Pan American Health
20 [humanity’s] survival.” Sadly, Number 1-ranked Organization, which is helping the region prepare
Australia has been battling debilitating wildfires 65 for any possible cases.
since June 2019, so even if the continent were Jamaica is one of several Caribbean
inclined to offer itself as an end-of-days refuge— territories—including Antigua and Barbuda, The
questionable given its record on migration—it Bahamas, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago—
25 currently has its hands full (and indeed requires to impose travel restrictions to and from China,
both international sympathy and aid). Some of 70 after COVID-19 was traced back to a market in
the features that contributed to the final scores Wuhan, China, a city of 11 million people.
included things like “a good physical location, As of February 8, 2020, Barbados had not
natural resources, and political harmony.” imposed a ban but insisted that it is conducting
30 Caribbean netizens were, for the most part, rigorous screening at all ports of entry. Such
amused by the study, in which countries were 75 measures will have economic implications for the
ranked based on “the ability to avoid contagion region, which is heavily dependent on tourism—
from other areas.” The “no man is an island” an industry which is reportedly thriving, as

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 182
 Part 3: Science, Paired
thousands of visitors fly to one or more islands 3
on a daily basis. This gradual increase in travel
80 restrictions as the virus has spread to over 20 On the basis of Passage 1, which hypothetical piece
countries will have a dampening effect on the of information would effectively support the ideas set
global travel industry, at the height of tourist forward by Nick Wilson?
season in the Caribbean. A) Most of the technologies used by island nations
were not pioneered by the residents of those
countries.
1
B) Genetically-engineered pathogens have so far
The author of Passage 1 would argue that the article
been successfully confined to laboratories.
on global “safe spots” that appeared in The Sun is
C) Island nations normally establish extensive trade
A) fundamentally authoritative despite its often
networks to provide their citizens with essential
outlandish style.
goods.
B) reliant on simplifications of intricate ideas in
D) Modern virus epidemics have spread largely as
modern medicine.
the result of overland transit between cities.
C) sensationalized for the sake of engaging a diverse
readership.
D) defective in how it presented even basic 4
information about its topic.
The main purpose of Passage 2 is to
A) propose a improvements to public health policies
common to several nations.
2
B) chart how a single area of the world reacted to an
Which choice provides the best evidence for the
international calamity.
answer to the previous question?
C) describe the process of scientifically modeling the
A) Lines 3-6 (“the United . . . humanity”)
spread of an epidemic in the context of a single
B) Lines 9-15 (“The highest-ranked . . . well-documented case.
Number 18”)
D) justify the idea that economic and scientific
C) Lines 37-42 (“The infographic . . . Brazil”) progress are inextricable.
D) Lines 45-49 (“Wilson . . . survival”)

5
As used in lines 55-56, “concerned about” most
nearly means
A) irritated by.
B) preoccupied with.
C) inseparable from.
D) petrified by.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 183
 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 9
The words “confirmed” (line 62) and “traced” One significant difference between how the two
(line 70) help to place emphasis on passages address the topic of public health crises is
A) dangers that are increasing in extent. that Passage 1

B) research that is seen as innovative. A) portrays an outbreak as a hypothetical occurrence,

while Passage 2 addresses a recorded crisis.
C) facts that have been firmly verified.
B) suggests that data collection can help to mitigate
D) disputes that have finally been resolved. outbreaks, while Passage 2 indicates that much
existing data is unreliable.
C) assesses the damage from several past outbreaks,
7 while Passage 2 focuses on an ongoing problem.
The author of Passage 2 would most likely predict
D) sets forth information in a mostly unbiased
that one impact of the COVID-19 crisis will be
manner, while Passage 2 voices criticisms of a
A) economic liabilities for countries that rely on specific approach.
tourism revenue.
B) improved methods of rapidly producing antiviral
vaccines. 10
C) legislation to restrict the flow of immigrants. Which choice best indicates that the societies on
D) new technologies that chart viral transmission. Caribbean islands are currently structured around
the “no man is an island” philosophy mentioned in
Passage 1?

8 A) Lines 57-59 (“The World . . . emergency”)

Which statement best describes the relationship B) Lines 61-63 (“To date . . . region”)
between the two passages? C) Lines 70-71 (“COVID-19 . . . people”)
A) Passage 1 critiques a source that is apparently D) Lines 74-79 (“Such . . . basis”)
flawed; Passage 2 employs new evidence to offer
a defense of the same source.
B) Passage 1 considers the safety criteria for a region
from different perspectives; Passage 2 shows how
the same region responded to a threat to public
health.
C) Passage 1 presents a series of guidelines that
can be applied in managing crises; Passage 2
illustrates how a few nations successfully adhered
to those guidelines.
D) Passage 1 implies that modern public health
crises are mostly negligible in effect; Passage 2
underscores the severity of a recent crisis to
challenge this belief.

CONTINUE
Copyright 2020 PrepVantage, online at prepvantagetutoring.com 184
 Part 3: Science, Paired
first developed to amplify fading wire telegraph
Reading 34 signals in the mid-1800s. Two hundred years
35 later, repeaters are still an integral part of our
long-distance communications infrastructure. The
Questions 1-10 are based on the following new device combines the three most important
passages. elements of a quantum repeater—a long memory,
the ability to efficiently catch information from
Passage 1 is adapted from “Toward an unhackable
quantum internet.” Passage 2 is adapted from 40 photons, and a way to process it locally.
“Tiny optical cavities could make quantum networks “If we compare the quest for a secure quantum
possible.” The original forms of these texts first internet to the 1960s mission to deliver Americans
appeared as news releases* from the National Science to the surface of the moon and return them safely
Foundation in 2020.
to Earth,” says Filbert Bartoli, director of NSF’s
Passage 1 45 Division of Electrical, Communications and
A quantum internet could be used to send Cyber Systems, “the demonstration of quantum
un-hackable messages, improve the accuracy of repeaters may be of comparable significance to
GPS, and enable cloud-based quantum computing. the demonstration of detachable rocket boosters,
Line For more than twenty years, dreams of creating which allowed astronauts to escape Earth’s
5 such a quantum network have remained out of 50 atmosphere, or to the heat resistant shields that
reach in large part because of the difficulty of allowed them to return safely to Earth and not
sending quantum signals across large distances burn up on reentry to Earth’s atmosphere.”
without loss. Now, Harvard and MIT researchers
have found a way to correct for signal loss with Passage 2
10 a prototype quantum node that can catch, store Engineers at Caltech have shown that atoms
and entangle bits of quantum information. The in optical cavities—tiny boxes for light—could
research is the missing link toward a practical 55 lead to the creation of a quantum internet. Their
quantum internet and a major step forward in the National Science Foundation-funded work was
development of long-distance quantum networks. published in the journal Nature Physics.
15 “This demonstration is a conceptual Quantum networks would connect quantum
breakthrough that could extend the longest computers through a system that operates at a
possible range of quantum networks and 60 quantum, rather than classical, level. In theory,
potentially enable many new applications in quantum computers will one day be able to
a manner that is impossible with any existing perform certain functions faster than classical
20 technologies,” said Mikhail Lukin, co-director computers by taking advantage of the special
of the Harvard Quantum Initiative. “This is the properties of quantum mechanics. As they can
realization of a goal that has been pursued by our 65 with classical computers, engineers would like to
quantum science and engineering community for be able to connect multiple quantum computers
more than two decades.” The National Science to share data and work together in a quantum
25 Foundation-funded research is published in computer network.
Nature. “While important in their own right, quantum
Every form of communication technology— 70 computer networks also represent an important
from the first telegraph to today’s fiberoptic step toward realizing the goal of a secure quantum
internet—has had to address the fact that internet,” explained Fil Bartoli, director of NSF’s
30 signals degrade and are lost when transmitted Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber
over distances. Repeaters, which receive and Systems. Networks would open the door to several
amplify signals to correct for this loss, were 75 applications, including solving computations that

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
are too large to be handled by a single quantum 2
computer and establishing unbreakably secure
communications using quantum cryptography. The tone of lines 21-26 (“This is . . . Nature”) can
A quantum network needs to be able to best be described as
80 transmit information between two points without A) proud.
altering the quantum properties of the information
B) arrogant.
being transmitted. One current model works like
this: a single atom or ion acts as a quantum bit C) resigned.
(or “qubit”) storing information via one of its D) apprehensive.
85 quantum properties, such as spin.
To read that information and transmit it
elsewhere, the atom is excited with a pulse of
light, causing it to emit a photon whose spin is 3
entangled with the spin of the atom. The photon According to the passage, all of the following are
90 can then transmit the information entangled with characteristics of quantum repeaters EXCEPT
the atom over a long distance via fiber optic cable.
Researchers led by Caltech’s Andrei Faraon, A) the potential to process information locally.
an applied physicist and electrical engineer, B) the ability to duplicate very large data sets.
constructed a nanophotonic cavity, a beam that is
C) the capacity to catch information.
95 about 10 microns long—a fraction of an inch—
with periodic nano-patterning, sculpted from D) a long-lasting memory structure.
a piece of crystal. In this cavity, scientists can
excite an ytterbium ion and efficiently detect the
resulting photon it emits, whose spin can be used 4
100 to read the information stored in the ion’s spin.
“Advances like this fundamental research Which of the following choices best supports the
in quantum information science are important notion that non-quantum communication must
milestones to enable the long-term development contend with signal degradation?
of quantum technology,” added Alex Cronin, a A) Lines 4-8 (“For more . . . without loss”)
105 program officer in NSF’s Division of Physics.
B) Lines 15-20 (“This demonstration . . .
technologies”)
1 C) Lines 31-34 (“Repeaters . . . mid-1800s”)
As used in line 10, “node” most nearly means D) Lines 36-40 (“The new . . . locally”)
A) growth.
B) location.
C) repeater.
D) database.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
5 8
The purpose of the last paragraph (lines 41-52) of Which choice provides the best evidence for the
Passage 1 is to answer to the previous question?
A) use an analogy to underscore the significance of a A) Lines 74-78 (“Networks . . . cryptography”)
development. B) Lines 79-82 (“A quantum . . . transmitted”)
B) employ a comparison to explain the technical side C) Lines 86-88 (“To read . . . emit a photon”)
of an unprecedented situation.
D) Lines 101-105 (“Advances . . . of Physics”)
C) point out differences between two fields of study.
D) provide instances from scientific history from the
1960s that led to quantum computing. 9
The primary developments addressed in the two
passages are
6
A) quantum repeaters in Passage 1 and nanophotonic
As used in line 89, “entangled with” most nearly cavities in Passage 2.
means
B) quantum repeaters in Passage 1 and computer
A) twisted into. networks in Passage 2.
B) bonded to. C) quantum internet in Passage 1 and quantum
C) dependent on. cryptography in Passage 2.
D) combined with. D) detachable rocket boosters in Passage 1 and nano-
patterning in Passage 2.

7
According to Passage 2, photons are useful in 10
quantum computing because they Both passages mention
A) are easily ejected from atoms. A) the discovery of new subatomic particles.
B) typically prove faster than electricity. B) cloud computing as an increasingly popular
C) preserve information as they travel. technology.

D) are lightweight. C) the realization of a step in creating a quantum

internet.
D) the necessity of improving GPS accuracy.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
drift. When antigenic drift occurs, the body’s
Reading 35 35 immune system may not recognize and prevent
sickness caused by the newer influenza viruses.
As a result, a person becomes susceptible to flu
Questions 1-10 are based on the following infection again, as antigenic drift has changed the
passages. virus enough that a person’s existing antibodies
40 won’t recognize and neutralize the newer
Passage 1 is adapted from “How the Flu Virus Can
Change: ‘Drift’ and ‘Shift’,“ a 2019 article from the
influenza viruses.
Centers for Disease Control. Passage 2 is adapted Antigenic drift is the main reason why people
from “Human antibody reveals hidden vulnerability can get the flu more than one time, and it’s also a
in influenza virus,” a 2019 news release* from the primary reason why the flu vaccine composition
National Institutes of Health.
45 must be reviewed and updated each year (as
needed) to keep up with evolving influenza
Passage 1
viruses.
One way influenza viruses change is called
“antigenic drift.” These are small changes (or
Passage 2
mutations) in the genes of influenza viruses
The ever-changing “head” of an influenza
Line that can lead to changes in the surface proteins
virus protein has an unexpected Achilles heel,
5 of the virus: HA (hemagglutinin) and NA
50 report scientists funded by the National Institute
(neuraminidase). The HA and NA surface proteins
of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
of influenza viruses are “antigens,” which means
one of the National Institutes of Health. The
they are recognized by the immune system and
team discovered and characterized the structure
are capable of triggering an immune response,
of a naturally occurring human antibody
10 including production of antibodies that can block
55 that recognizes and disrupts a portion of the
infection. The changes associated with antigenic
hemagglutinin (HA) protein that the virus uses
drift happen continually over time as the virus
to enter and infect cells. The investigators
replicates. Most flu shots are designed to target an
determined that the antibody, FluA-20, binds
influenza virus’ HA surface proteins/antigens. The
tightly to an area on the globular head of the HA
15 nasal spray flu vaccine (LAIV) targets both the
60 protein that is only very briefly accessible to
HA and NA of an influenza virus.
antibody attack. The site was not expected to be
The small changes that occur from antigenic
vulnerable to such a strike.
drift usually produce viruses that are closely
James E. Crowe, Jr., M.D., of Vanderbilt
related to one another, which can be illustrated
University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee,
20 by their location close together on a phylogenetic
65 and Ian A. Wilson, D. Phil., of The Scripps
tree. Influenza viruses that are closely related
Research Institute, San Diego, California, led
to each other usually have similar antigenic
the team. They isolated FluA-20 antibody from
properties. This means that antibodies which your
a person who had received many influenza
immune system creates against one influenza virus
immunizations. In a series of experiments,
25 will likely recognize and respond to antigenically
70 they showed that FluA-20 can “reach into” an
similar influenza viruses (a condition called
otherwise inaccessible part of the three-part HA
“cross-protection”).
trimer molecule and cause it to fall apart, thus
However, the small changes associated with
preventing the spread of virus from cell to cell.
antigenic drift can accumulate over time and result
This discovery came as a surprise because this
30 in viruses that are antigenically different (farther
75 region of trimeric HA was thought to be stable
away on the phylogenetic tree). It is also possible
and inaccessible to antibodies. Moreover, this
for a single (or small) change in a particularly
region—unlike the rest of HA’s head—varies little
important location on the HA to result in antigenic
*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
from strain to strain. In theory, antibody-based 3
therapeutics directed at that precise region would
be effective against many strains of influenza Which of the following best supports the notion that
80
A virus. Similarly, vaccines designed to elicit not all regions of a virus are equally significant in
antibodies against this target might provide antibody-virus recognition?
long-lasting protection against any influenza A) Lines 11-13 (“The changes . . . replicates”)
strain, potentially eliminating the need for annual
B) Lines 31-34 (“It is . . . drift”)
85 seasonal influenza vaccination.
In mouse studies, FluA-20 prevented infection C) Lines 34-36 (“When . . . viruses”)
or illness when the animals were exposed to D) Lines 42-43 (“Antigenic drift . . . time”)
four different influenza A viral subtypes that
cause disease in humans. Two viruses used in
90 the experiments, H1N1 and H5N1, are Group 1
influenza subtypes, while the two others, H3N2 4
and H7N9, are members of Group 2. Current As used in line 44, “composition” most nearly means
influenza vaccines must contain viral components
from both subtypes to elicit matching antibodies. A) components.
95 A single vaccine able to generate potent antibodies B) layout.
against members of both groups could provide
C) document.
broad multi-year protection against influenza.
D) efficacy.
1
Over the course of Passage 1, the author’s focus shifts
5
from
According to Passage 1, which of the following is
A) stating a theory to offering empirical support for most analogous to the relationship between viral
that theory. surface proteins and phylogenetic relationships
B) describing a problem to offering a potential between viruses?
solution.
A) Closely-related people have identical features.
C) explaining a phenomenon to exploring its
B) Closely-related people have similar features.
significance.
C) Distantly-related people have identical features.
D) defining a term to offering an alternative
definition. D) Distantly-related people have similar features.

2
As used in line 13, the word “target” most nearly
conveys a sense of
A) specificity.
B) shape.
C) vulnerability.
D) harmfulness.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 9
Which choice provides the best evidence for the A specific example of how antibodies disable viruses
answer to the previous question? is presented in
A) Lines 6-9 (“The HA . . . response”) A) Passage 1 only.
B) Lines 21-23 (“Influenza . . . properties”) B) Passage 2 only.
C) Lines 23-27 (“This means . . . protection”) C) both Passage 1 and Passage 2.
D) Lines 28-31 (“However . . . phylogenetic tree”) D) neither Passage 1 nor Passage 2.

7 10
The function of the last paragraph (lines 86-97) of The author of Passage 2 would most likely respond to
Passage 2 is to the last paragraph (lines 42-47) of Passage 1 with
A) suggest an area of further study. A) complete acceptance.
B) reach a conclusion about the utility of a specific B) complete rejection.
process. C) agreement with the premise but disagreement
C) provide a counterexample to cast doubt on a with the conclusion.
claim. D) objection to the premise but approval of the
D) set forth an example to support ideas from the conclusion.
previous paragraph.

8
The relationship between the two passages is that
A) Passage 1 pinpoints a flaw in the line of reasoning
central to Passage 2.
B) Passage 1 discusses a theory while Passage 2
focuses on that same theory’s significance.
C) Passage 2 analyzes data presented in Passage 1.
D) Passage 2 provides a potential solution to a
problem discussed in Passage 1.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
were not demonstrably effective. These programs
Reading 36 35 were expensive, culled 4,668 sharks and yet failed
to produce measurable decreases in shark bite
incidents.
Questions 1-10 are based on the following The challenges of reducing shark bites at
passages. specific locations were clearly illustrated by the
40 events at Barbers Point on the Hawaiian island
Passage 1 is an excerpt from Carl Meyer, “Western
Australia’s shark culls lack bite (and science),” published
of Oahu. The 1967-69 shark control program
in 2013. Passage 2 is an excerpt from Ryan Kempster removed 33 tiger sharks at that one location alone,
and Shaun Collin, “Finally, a proven way to keep great yet soon after the program finished a shark bite
white sharks at arm’s length,” published in 2016. Both occurred at Barbers Point.
of the original articles appeared* in The Conversation.

Passage 1 Passage 2
After a spate of fatal shark attacks over the 45 A wearable electric shark deterrent can
past two years, Western Australia has released a effectively repel great white sharks, according
radical new shark plan that will see large sharks to our independent tests of the device. The
Line removed and destroyed in designated “safe manufacturers of the A$749 Shark Shield
5 zones.” The plan includes drum lines (baited Freedom 7TM say that it works by emitting an
hooks attached to drums) monitored daily, and 50 electric field around the wearer. This causes
solicits commercial fishers to hunt sharks larger uncomfortable muscle spasms in sharks that swim
than 3 metres. Nationally threatened and legally too close and discourages them from coming into
protected Great White Sharks are expected to be contact.
10 one of the targeted species. But do these sort of Our research, published in the journal PLoS
measures actually reduce shark attacks, and how 55 ONE, shows that the device does indeed make
can we assess the results? How do we measure if sharks keep their distance. Upon first encounter
shark programs work? with a Shark Shield, all approaching great white
There are passionate, well-intentioned people sharks were effectively deterred, staying an
15 on both sides of the shark culling debate. We average of 1.3m away from a baited canister with
are unlikely to ever reach consensus on the 60 the device attached. After multiple approaches,
philosophical question of whether it is ethical to individual great white sharks showed signs
kill large predators in order to make the natural of habituation to the Shark Shield, coming an
environment a safer playground for humans. average of 12cm closer on each successive
20 What everyone can and should do is demand a approach. Despite this increase in tolerance, 89%
rigorous, fact-based approach to this controversial 65 of white sharks continued to be deterred from
issue. Unanswered questions remain in Western biting or interacting with the bait.
Australia’s shark plan: how will the state define We carried out our testing in Mossel Bay,
success of these programs and how will success be South Africa, in 2014. We used custom-built
25 measured? What are the impacts of culling likely cameras equipped with bait and either an inactive
to be on various Australian shark populations and 70 (control) or active Shark Shield. Using a video
their natural prey, and how will these be assessed? analysis technique traditionally used to measure
True effectiveness cannot be assessed by the size of fish, we were able to determine exactly
simply counting the number of sharks captured how closely the sharks approached the device.
30 and killed. Demonstrable effectiveness means We analysed a total of 322 encounters
a measurable decrease in shark bite incidents in 75 involving 41 individual white sharks, ranging
response to culling activities. Hawaii shark control from 2m to 4m long. Only one great white shark
programs of the 1960s and 1970s, for example, came into contact with the bait in the presence of

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
an active Shark Shield, and only after multiple 3
approaches. The interaction in question simply
involved a bump of the bait canister rather than a Which choice provides the best evidence for the
80
full bite. In contrast, bites were common during answer to the previous question?
control trials. A) Lines 15-19 (“We are . . . humans”)
Although the effectiveness of the Shark
B) Lines 23-27 (“how will . . . assessed”)
Shield probably varies between shark species, it
85 is encouraging to note its effect on great white C) Lines 28-30 (“True effectiveness . . . are killed”)
sharks, the species implicated in the majority of D) Lines 30-32 (“Demonstrable . . . activities”)
fatal incidents worldwide. This suggests it could
be an important safety consideration for a range of
ocean users such as surfers, divers, spear fishers,
90 and open-water swimmers. 4
Passage 2 is written from the perspective of
A) a competitor of Shark Shield Freedom.
1 B) independent scientists.
As used in line 7, “soliciting” most nearly means C) the manufacturer of Shark Shield Freedom.
A) manipulating. D) an advocate of safety measures.
B) advertising.
C) hiring.
5
D) tempting.
According to the analysis that appears in Passage 2,
Shark Shield Freedom is

2 A) slightly less effective with repeated exposures.

The author of Passage 1 defines success in the shark B) slightly more effective with repeated exposures.
control measures discussed as C) substantially less effective with repeated
A) a decrease in the number of sharks. exposures.
B) an increase in sharks’ natural prey. D) substantially more effective with repeated
exposures.
C) a consensus among experts.
D) a decrease in the number of shark bites.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 9
Which choice provides the best evidence for the A similarity between the two passages is that both
answer to the previous question? authors consider
A) Lines 56-58 (“Upon first . . . deterred”) A) experimental versus control trials.
B) Lines 60-66 (“After . . . the bait”) B) Hawaii’s shark control program.
C) Lines 76-78 (“Only one . . . Shark Shield”) C) technological solutions.
D) Lines 79-82 (“The interaction . . . control trials”) D) specific species of sharks.

7 10
As used in line 88, “range” most nearly means Which statement best summarizes the relationship
A) group. between the two passages?

B) altitude. A) Passage 2 offers a potential solution to a problem

discussed in Passage 1.
C) variety.
B) Passage 2 questions an assumption from
D) distance. Passage 1.
C) Passage 2 refutes the central claim of Passage 1.
8 D) Passage 2 answers an ethical question posed in
Passage 1.
A difference between the discussions of shark bite
reduction measures in the two passages is that
A) Passage 1 offers an example of an effective
measure while Passage 2 focuses on an
ineffective measure.
B) Passage 1 considers an example of an ineffective
measure while Passage 2 mostly depicts an
effective measure.
C) Passage 1 assesses experimental evidence while
Passage 2 does not.
D) Passage 1 discusses a procedure while Passage 2
avoids investigations of this sort.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
important cereal crop plants, including maize and
Reading 37 35 wheat.”
Research on small RNAs “is a leading edge
in plant biotechnology,” said Machi Dilworth,
Questions 1-10 are based on the following Director of the National Science Foundation
passages. (NSF)’s Division of Biological Infrastructure,
40 which, along with the U.S. Department of
Passage 1 is adapted from “Biologists Develop Large
Gene Dataset for Rice Plant” (2007); Passage 2 is
Agriculture, funded the research. “This work will
adapted from “Love basmati rice? Scientists have contribute to an understanding of the role of small
now sequenced its genome” (2020). Both passages RNAs in gene expression not only in rice, but in
originally appeared as news releases* from the National all plants.”
Science Foundation.

Passage 1 Passage 2
Scientists have reported development of a large 45 Using an innovative genome sequencing
dataset of gene sequences in rice. The information technology, National Science Foundation-funded
will lead to an increased understanding of how researchers have assembled the complete genetic
Line genes work in rice, an essential food for much of blueprint of two basmati rice varieties, including
5 the world’s population. one that is drought-tolerant and resistant to
Plant biologist Blake Meyers at the University 50 bacterial disease. The findings, published in
of Delaware and colleagues report their results in Genome Biology, also show that basmati rice is a
the March 11 online issue of the journal Nature hybrid of two other rice groups.
Biotechnology. Basmati—derived from the Hindi word for
10 Using advanced gene sequencing technologies “fragrant”—is a type of aromatic long-grain rice
and high-powered computer-based approaches, 55 grown in southern Asia. Despite the economic
Meyers and colleagues examined both normal and cultural importance of basmati and related
gene expression (via messenger ribonucleic acids, aromatic rice varieties, their evolutionary history
or mRNAs) as well as small ribonucleic acids is not fully understood.
15 (small RNAs) in rice. The analysis of rice was “Rice is one of the most important staple
based on gene sequences representing nearly 47 60 crops worldwide, and the varieties in the basmati
million mRNA molecules and three million small group are some of the most iconic and prized
RNAs, a larger dataset than has been reported for rice varieties,” said Jae Young Choi of New York
any other plant species. University and the study’s lead author. “But until
20 Small RNAs are considered one of most recently, a high-quality reference genome for
important discoveries in biotechnology in the 65 basmati rice did not exist.”
last 10 years. Because they are so much smaller Whole-genome sequencing—which determines
than mRNAs, small RNAs went unnoticed for an organism’s complete DNA sequence—is an
many years, or were considered biologically important tool for studying plants and improving
25 unimportant, said Meyers. Small RNAs are crop varieties. Prior research assembled the
now known to play an important role in gene 70 genome for basmati rice using short-read
regulation, he said, adding that deficiencies in sequencing—in which DNA is broken into tiny
small RNA production can have a profound effect fragments and then reassembled—but there were
on development. missing sequences and gaps in the data.
30 “Small RNAs also have been associated with The researchers at NYU’s Center for Genomics
other important biological processes, such as 75 and Systems Biology sequenced the genome of
responses to stress,” Meyers said. “Many of small two members of the basmati rice group using
RNAs in rice have related sequences in the many nanopore sequencing technology.

*See Page 228 for the citations for these texts.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
The sequencing confirmed that basmati rice is 3
a hybrid of two other rice groups. Most genetic
material in basmati comes from japonica (a rice As used in line 61, the words “iconic” and “prized”
80
group found in East Asia), followed by the rice serve to
group aus (found in Bangladesh). A) underscore how widely prioritized modern
“This discovery offers new insights into agriculture is.
how adaptation to environments and cultural
B) show how highly regarded basmati rice is.
85 preferences might have shaped the domestication
of basmati rice, an aromatic rice variety C) suggest how deeply respected Jae Young Choi is.
that’s often a preferred choice,” says Gerald D) allude to the remarkable economic value of
Schoenknecht, a program director in NSF’s
certain varieties of rice.
Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.

1 4
According to Passage 1, rice is an ideal plant in terms According to Passage 2, whole-genome sequencing is
of the study of gene expression because superior to short-read sequencing because
A) more small RNAs and mRNAs have been A) short-read sequencing does not sequence the
sequenced for rice than for other plants. entire genome, while whole-genome sequencing
does.
B) rice uses small RNAs to regulate its genes
whereas most other plants do not. B) short-read sequencing is much more expensive to
perform than whole-genome sequencing is.
C) other plants are descended from rice and
consequently possess similar RNA. C) short-read sequencing is much more time-
consuming to execute than whole-genome
D) rice uses small RNAs for a larger number of
sequencing is.
biological processes than other plants do.
D) short-read sequencing results in repeated
sequences, while whole-genome sequencing does
2 not.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the

answer to the previous question?
5
A) Lines 18-19 (“a larger . . . species”)
In can be inferred from Passage 2 that the agricultural
B) Lines 25-28 (“Small RNAs . . . regulation”) yield of basmati rice is sometimes diminished by
C) Lines 30-32 (“Small RNAs . . . said”) A) a lack of information about the evolution of rice.
D) Lines 41-44 (“This work . . . plants”) B) genetic defects in the rice crop itself.
C) the nature of basmati rice as a hybrid of two other
types of rice
D) droughts and bacterial infections.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 9
Which choice provides the best evidence for the Both Passage 1 and Passage 2
answer to the previous question? A) address the cultural forces responsible for
A) Lines 47-50 (“researchers have . . . disease”) artificial selection in rice.
B) Lines 55-58 (“Despite . . . understood”) B) reveal both a problem and a potential solution to
C) Lines 74-77 (“The researchers . . . technology”) that problem.

D) Lines 78-79 (“The sequencing . . . groups”) C) end with a discussion of what can be learned
from research that involves rice.
D) explore how different types of rice are
7 phylogenetically related to one another.
As used in line 85, “shaped” most nearly means
A) confined. 10
B) encouraged. Which of the following is mentioned in Passage 1 but
C) built. NOT in Passage 2?
D) influenced. A) The linguistic derivation of a word
B) Research applications to plants other than rice
C) The culinary status of rice around the world
8
D) The economic importance of rice
A difference between Passage 1 and Passage 2 is that
A) Passage 1 references changes in sequence
databases over time while Passage 2 only
alludes to data that is currently available.
B) Passage 1 discusses the importance of facts that
were previously thought to be insignificant while
Passage 2 considers information that has long
been viewed as valuable.
C) Passage 1 only mentions rice varieties while
Passage 2 mentions other crops as well.
D) Passage 1 addresses the topic of gene sequencing
while Passage 2 avoids this realm of inquiry.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
Reading 38 Passage 2
In a generic brick building on the northwestern
edge of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
35 campus in Greenbelt, Maryland, thousands of
Questions 1-10 are based on the following
computers packed in racks the size of vending
passages.
machines hum in a deafening chorus of data
Passage 1 is adapted from Bill Steigerwald, crunching. Day and night, they spit out 7
“‘Goldilocks’ Stars May Be ‘Just Right’ for Finding quadrillion calculations per second. These
Habitable Worlds” (2019). Passage 2 is adapted from 40 machines collectively are known as NASA’s
Lonnie Shekhtman, “How Earth Climate Models Help Discover supercomputer, and they are tasked
Scientists Picture Life on Unimaginable Worlds” (2020).
The original forms of these texts first appeared as news
with running sophisticated climate models to
releases* from NASA. predict Earth’s future climate. But now, they’re
also sussing out something much farther away:
Passage 1 45 whether any of the more than 4,000 curiously
Scientists looking for signs of life beyond our weird planets beyond our solar system discovered
solar system face major challenges, one of which in the past two decades could support life.
is that there are hundreds of billions of stars in our Scientists are finding that the answer not only
Line galaxy alone to consider. To narrow the search, is yes, but that it’s yes under a range of surprising
5 investigators must figure out what kinds of stars 50 conditions compared to those on Earth. This
are most likely to host habitable planets. revelation has prompted many of them to grapple
A new study finds that a particular class of stars with a question vital to NASA’s search for life
called K stars, which are dimmer than the Sun but beyond Earth. Is it possible that our notions of
brighter than the faintest stars, may be particularly what makes a planet suitable for life are too
10 promising targets for searching for signs of life. 55 limiting?
Why? First, K stars live a very long time—17 The next generation of powerful telescopes
billion to 70 billion years, compared to 10 billion and space observatories will surely give us more
years for the Sun—giving plenty of time for life to clues. These instruments will allow scientists for
evolve. Also, K stars have less extreme activity in the first time to analyze the atmospheres of the
15 their youth than do the universe’s dimmest stars, 60 most tantalizing planets out there: rocky ones, like
called M stars or “red dwarfs.” Earth, that could have an essential ingredient for
M stars do offer some advantages in the search life—liquid water—flowing on their surfaces.
for habitable planets. They are the most common For the time being, it’s difficult to probe far-off
star type in our galaxy, comprising about 75 atmospheres. Sending a spacecraft to the closest
20 percent of all the stars in the universe. They are 65 planet outside our solar system, or exoplanet,
also frugal with their fuel, and could shine on would take 75,000 years with today’s technology.
for over a trillion years. One example of an M Even with powerful telescopes, nearby exoplanets
star, TRAPPIST-1, is known to host seven Earth- are virtually impossible to study in detail. The
size rocky planets. But the turbulent youth of M trouble is that they’re too small and too drowned
25 stars presents problems for potential life. Stellar 70 out by the light of their stars for scientists to make
flares—explosive releases of magnetic energy— out the faint light signatures that they reflect—
are much more frequent and energetic from young signatures that could reveal the chemistry of life at
M stars than from young Sun-like stars. M stars the surface.
are also much brighter when they are young, for In other words, detecting the ingredients of the
30 up to a billion years after they form, with energy 75 atmospheres around these phantom planets, as
that could boil off oceans on any planets that many scientists like to point out, is like standing
might someday be in the habitable zone. in Washington, D.C., and trying to glimpse a

*See Page 229 for the citations for these texts.

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 Part 3: Science, Paired
firefly next to a searchlight in Los Angeles. 3
This reality makes climate models critical to
exploration, said chief exoplanetary scientist Karl As used in line 15, “dimmest” most nearly means
80
Stapelfeldt, who’s based at NASA’s Jet Propulsion A) most primitive.
Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
B) least interesting.
“The models make specific, testable predictions
of what we should see,” he said. “These are very C) most mysterious.
85 important for designing our future telescopes and D) least luminous.
observing strategies.”

4
1
In line 37, the reference to a “deafening chorus”
Based on the information in Passage 1, which of the serves to
following would have the longest possible lifespan?
A) acknowledge the spirit of diligence and creativity
A) A K star that motivated a group of scientists.
B) An M star B) suggest the intensity of a set of operations by
C) A star that resembles the Sun creating a parallel with human activity.
D) A rocky planet that harbors life C) indicate that future developments in an area of
inquiry will be both pleasing and predictable.
D) offer a musical analogy that the author revisits in
2 order to clarify additional concepts.
Which of the following, if true, would contradict the
author’s conclusions about K stars and M stars in
Passage 1? 5
A) In most areas of the universe, M stars appeared at It can be inferred from Passage 2 that the direct
least 10 billion years before K stars did. precursors of the “instruments” in line 58 are
B) Scientists have not succeeded in locating A) devices that will comprise “the next generation”
habitable exoplanets outside the galaxy that (line 56) of telescopes and observatories.
contains Earth. B) the types of “spacecraft” (line 64) that could be
C) M stars give off less light than Sun-like stars do sent to exoplanets.
but are nonetheless extremely volatile. C) the “powerful telescopes” (line 67) that are
D) In the galaxy that also contains Earth, M stars limited in usefulness.
are slightly outnumbered by stars known as D) “faint light signatures” (line 71) detected by
“white dwarfs.” scientists.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 9
The descriptions in Passage 2 characterize climate Both authors imply that one key trait of planets
modeling as a procedure that hospitable to life is
A) will produce planetary images that non-experts A) the presence of liquid water.
will find understandable. B) a diameter that is smaller than that of Earth.
B) has prompted investment in new telescopes. C) an orbit centered on a star similar to the Sun in
C) is best applied to the largest exoplanets. brightness.
D) appears feasible even when visual observation of D) an atmosphere that includes breathable oxygen.
planets is problematic.

10
7 Which choice from Passage 1 provides the best
Which choice provides the best evidence for the evidence for the answer to the previous question?
answer to the previous question? A) Lines 7-10 (“A new . . . life”)
A) Lines 53-55 (“Is it . . . limiting?”) B) Lines 14-16 (“K stars . . . dwarfs”)
B) Lines 56-58 (“The next . . . clues”) C) Lines 24-25 (“But . . . life”)
C) Lines 79-82 (“This reality . . . California”) D) Lines 28-32 (“M stars . . . zone”)
D) Lines 84-86 (“These . . . strategies”)

8
Which choice best describes the relationship between
the two passages?
A) Passage 1 assesses star systems that may exhibit
conditions conducive to life; Passage 2 considers
the technological advances that could enable
more authoritative study of such systems.
B) Passage 1 provides systematic descriptions of two
types of stars; Passage 2 contends that these same
star types have not been observed in any reliable
manner.
C) Passage 1 outlines a variety of conditions that
would enable life to flourish on exoplanets;
Passage 2 construes some of these criteria as
questionable while promoting alternatives.
D) Passage 1 encourages a focus on fewer star
systems in the search for extraterrestrial life;
Passage 2 endorses this spirit of selectivity.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
when you look somebody in the eye, shake her
Reading 39 hand, and think, “I can cooperate with this person
35 and she would reciprocate.”
In a study published in the journal
Questions 1-10 are based on the following Psychological Science, pairs of volunteers were
passages and supplementary material. each given an oral dose of 0.8g of TRP or a
placebo. For comparison, a 100g standard serving
Passage 1 is an excerpt from Kevin Bennett, “No,
turkey doesn’t make you sleepy—but it may bring more
40 of turkey about the thickness of a deck of playing
trust to your Thanksgiving table” (2017). Passage 2 cards contains about 0.31g of tryptophan. Each
is an excerpt from Andrew Neff, “Turning to turkey’s duo then sat in separate cubicles and played a
tryptophan to boost mood? Not so fast” (2019). Both game in which one person (the truster) was given
of these articles were originally published* by The
US$7 and had to decide how much to transfer to
Conversation.
45 the other person. The transferred money was then
Passage 1 multiplied by three and the trustee could give back
’Tis the season for giblets, wattles, and part of the tripled money The more money you’re
snoods—oh my. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, willing to give away in the first place, the greater
Americans consume about 68 million turkeys— your return in the end—but you have to trust
Line one for about every five of us. In fact, 29 percent 50 the other person to cooperate. A very simple and
5 of all turkeys gobbled down in the U.S. are profitable game if played right.
consumed during the holidays. The researchers found that the TRP group gave
And where turkey is being eaten, there $4.81 on average and the placebo group offered
is inevitably talk of tryptophan—a naturally only $3.38. This is a sizable 42 percent increase in
occurring chemical found in turkey and other 55 transferred money between the two groups.
10 foods. This building block of protein often takes
the blame for eaters feeling sleepy soon after the Passage 2
Thanksgiving meal. Every Thanksgiving, myths of the quasi-
Science has cleared tryptophan, though—it’s magical powers of tryptophan rise again.
not the culprit when it comes to drowsiness after There’s the turkey/drowsiness myth: Eating
15 the feast. There are far more important factors lots of juicy turkey meat supposedly makes people
leading to those post-turkey comas, not least of 60 feel tired because it contains an amino acid called
which is my Uncle Clarence’s story about parking tryptophan. This molecule travels into the brain,
at the airport. Add that to free-flowing booze where it’s converted into a neurotransmitter
combined with a load of carbohydrates followed called serotonin, which in turn is converted into a
20 by plenty more booze and you have a foolproof hormone called melatonin. Voila! Sleepiness.
recipe for dozing off on the couch. Turkey, 65 But science and the internet agree: It’s not the
chicken, lamb, and beef all contain roughly turkey’s tryptophan to blame for your post-feast
the same amount of tryptophan—ranging from nap. All protein sources, and even vegetables,
0.13-0.39 grams per 100 grams of food—yet the contain some tryptophan; turkey isn’t at all special
25 sleepiness myth has never surrounded those other in this regard.
foods. 70 So the sleepiness myth of turkey may be
So tryptophan is off the snooze-inducing hook. fading, but other legends around tryptophan’s
But researchers in the Netherlands suggest that it effects in the brain are taking hold. Some
does have a different psychological effect: they’ve people are eyeing tryptophan supplements as an
30 discovered that doses of tryptophan (chemically unconventional treatment for depression. Others
known as L-tryptophan and abbreviated TRP) can 75 are curious whether eating foods that are high or
promote interpersonal trust—that feeling you get low in tryptophan could be useful for influencing
mood. Recently, some scientists have even
*See Page 229 for the citations for these texts.
CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
proposed that gut bacteria are driving changes 1
in emotion by producing or breaking down
tryptophan. The author of Passage 1 argues that the drowsiness
80
This tryptophan/mood connection is an area of that accompanies a Thanksgiving meal may be
ongoing research. And while some are captivated attributed to
by tryptophan’s potential, it’s not clear whether A) the demands of an invigorating conversation.
the excitement is warranted.
B) the consumption of large quantities of alcohol.
85 There is some scientific evidence that eating
tryptophan can alter your mood. For example, C) similarities between turkey and other meats.
back in 2000, researchers found that when D) frequent discussion of the sleepiness myth.
people ate an isolated protein that was very high
in tryptophan, they felt less stress while doing
90 math problems. However, placebo-controlled
clinical trials haven’t, in general, shown much 2
of a connection. A few studies have found that Which choice provides the best evidence for the
supplementing with pure tryptophan provided answer to the previous question?
little to no benefit for people with depression.
95 Some studies have even looked at what happens A) Lines 7-10 (“And . . . foods”)
when you remove tryptophan from people’s diets, B) Lines 13-15 (“Science . . . feast”)
but found little to no effect.
C) Lines 15-18 (“There . . . airport”)
D) Lines 18-21 (“Add . . . couch”)

Correlations from a Study of

155 Adults in the United States
3
1.00 As described in Passage 1, the study of the effects of
(0 = none; 1 = complete)
Correlation Strength

0.75 TRP was designed to feature which of the following

elements?
0.50
A) Well-defined protocols for settling disputes
0.25
among the participants.
0 B) Participants with similar academic backgrounds
consumption ingestion of ingestion of
of turkey; concentrated concentrated C) Self-reporting mechanisms that were short-lived
resulting tryptophan; tryptophan;
drowsiness resulting calmer and D) An experimental group that did not ingest TRP
drowsiness more trusting
mood
Perceived: Actual:
(by subjects) (from data) 4
As used in line 48, “give away” most nearly means
A) willingly hand over.
B) represent as a bargain.
C) unintentionally reveal.
D) abruptly disregard.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
5 8
The author of Passage 2 regards the “legends around The primary purpose of each passage is to
tryptophan’s effects in the brain” (lines 71-72) as A) describe experiments designed to debunk the
A) intriguing possibilities that should nonetheless be connection between tryptophan and drowsiness.
regarded with considerable skepticism. B) assess the influence of tryptophan on humans
B) new versions of the connection between turkey while soundly rejecting one common assumption.
and drowsiness that have led unwitting scientists C) conclusively correlate tryptophan ingestion with
to promote questionable conclusions. feelings of generosity.
C) products of a flawed belief that most food sources D) argue against the idea that tryptophan can pose
can bring about psychological changes. long-term risks in terms of individual health.
D) dramatic but fundamentally reliable testimonies
derived from a consensus among researchers.
9
The relationship between the statements in
6 lines 21-26 (“Turkey . . . foods”) and lines 67-69
Which choice provides the best evidence for the (“All . . . regard”) is that
answer to the previous question? A) the statement in Passage 2 contradicts the
A) Lines 58-61 (“There’s . . . tryptophan”) statement in Passage 1.
B) Lines 74-77 (“Others . . . mood”) B) the statement in Passage 1 introduces a divisive
C) Lines 82-84 (“And . . . warranted”) tone continued in the statement in Passage 2.

D) Lines 95-97 (“Some . . . effect”) C) the statement in Passage 2 indicates that the
statement in Passage 1 is not confined to meat
consumption.
7 D) the statement in Passage 1 involves a hypothesis
that was validated by the statement in Passage 2.
The author of Passage 1 and the author of Passage 2
use the word “myth” (line 25 and line 58) in order to
describe
10
A) a widespread notion that is appealing primarily
due to its comical quality. Which of the following groups has NOT presented a
finding or argument that would be supported by the
B) a problem that requires a solution which data from the graph?
continues to elude even practiced researchers.
A) The “researchers in the Netherlands” mentioned
C) a misconception that has been complicated by in line 28
factual investigation.
B) The “internet” commentators mentioned in
D) a set of beliefs that persist despite new public line 65
awareness of scientific breakthroughs.
C) The “researchers” mentioned in line 87
D) Those who conducted the “studies” mentioned in
line 95

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
Reading 40 30
Passage 2
When it comes to matters of scientific integrity,
the issue of accurate definitions isn’t a peripheral
matter. In a 1974 commencement address at
Questions 1-10 are based on the following
the California Institute of Technology, Richard
passages and supplementary material.
Feynman famously said, “The first principle is
Passage 1 is an excerpt from Vanessa Bates Ramirez, 35 that you must not fool yourself—and you are
“This Self-Driving AI Is Learning to Drive Almost the easiest person to fool.” In that same speech,
Entirely in a Virtual World.” Here, the author describes Feynman also said, “You should not fool the
her ride in a self-driving car produced by the company layman when you’re talking as a scientist.” He
AImotive; she was accompanied by a human “safety”
driver and by the CEO of AImotive itself. Passage 2 is
opined that scientists should bend over backwards
an excerpt from David Pring-Mill, “Everyone Is Talking 40 to show how they could be wrong. “If you’re
About AI—But Do They Mean the Same Thing?” Both representing yourself as a scientist, then you
articles were published* in 2020 by SingularityHub. should explain to the layman what you’re doing—
and if they don’t want to support you under those
Passage 1
circumstances, then that’s their decision.”
. . . After another brief—and thankfully
45 In the case of AI, this might mean that
uneventful—hands-off cruise down the highway,
professional scientists have an obligation to
the safety driver took over, exited the highway,
clearly state that they are developing extremely
Line and drove us back to the office.
powerful, controversial, profitable, and even
5 I climbed out of the car feeling amazed not
dangerous tools, which do not constitute
simply that self-driving cars are possible, but that
50 intelligence in any familiar or comprehensive
driving is possible at all. I squint when driving
sense.
into a tunnel, swerve to avoid hitting a stray
The term “AI” may have become overhyped
squirrel, and brake gradually at stop signs—all
and confused, but there are already some efforts
10 without consciously thinking to do so. On top
underway to provide clarity. A recent PwC
of learning to steer, brake, and accelerate, self-
55 report drew a distinction between “assisted
driving software has to incorporate our brains’ and
intelligence,” “augmented intelligence,” and
bodies’ unconscious (but crucial) reactions, like
“autonomous intelligence.” Assisted intelligence
our pupils dilating to let in more light so we can
is demonstrated by the GPS navigation programs
15 see in a tunnel.
prevalent in cars today. Augmented intelligence
Despite all the progress of machine learning,
60 “enables people and organizations to do things
artificial intelligence, and computing power, I
they couldn’t otherwise do.” And autonomous
have a wholly renewed appreciation for the thing
intelligence “establishes machines that act on their
that’s been in charge of driving up till now: the
own,” such as autonomous vehicles.
20 human brain.
Roman Yampolskiy is an AI safety researcher
CEO Laszlo Kishonti seemed to feel similarly.
65 who wrote the book Artificial Superintelligence:
“I don’t think autonomous vehicles in the near
A Futuristic Approach. I asked him whether
future will be better than the best drivers,” he
the broad and differing meanings might present
said. “But they’ll be better than the average driver.
difficulties for legislators attempting to regulate
25 What we want to achieve is safe, good-quality
AI.
driving for everyone, with scalability.”
70 Yampolskiy explained, “Intelligence (artificial
AImotive is currently working with American
or natural) comes on a continuum and so do
tech firms and with car and truck manufacturers in
potential problems with such technology. We
Europe, China, and Japan.
typically refer to AI which one day will have
the full spectrum of human capabilities as

*See Page 229 for the citations for these texts.

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
75 artificial general intelligence (AGI) to avoid 2
some confusion. Beyond that point it becomes
superintelligence. What we have today and what In Passage 1, the author’s opinion of autonomous
is frequently used in business is narrow AI. vehicles is that they
Regulating anything is hard; technology is no A) must have been difficult to develop.
80 exception. The problem is not with terminology
B) lack any meaningful human capabilities.
but with complexity of such systems even at the
current level.” C) have various human abilities but are nonetheless
vastly inferior to human drivers.
Occurrences on Test Drives, 2019 D) are for the most part superior to human drivers.
(40 miles of residential California streets)
10.0
Percent of test drives

7.5 3
5.0 Which choice provides the best evidence for the
answer to the previous question?
2.5
A) Lines 7-9 (“I squint . . . stop signs”)
0
Minor Major
B) Lines 10-13 (“On top . . . reactions”)
Drove Waited 10
through a seconds damage damage C) Lines 16-20 (“Despite all . . . human brain”)
red light at a green to car to car
light (scratch) (collision) D) Lines 22-23 (“I don’t . . . best drivers”)
Human Only:
AI-Assisted:
Autonomous AI: 4
As used in line 39, the phrase “bend over backwards”
most nearly functions to convey
1 A) the importance of a priority.
As used in line 2, “uneventful” most nearly means B) the burden of an obligation.
A) forgettable. C) the flexibility of science.
B) fast. D) the unfairness of a standard.
C) boring.
D) safe.
5
Which of the following choices best supports
the notion that the technology itself, rather than
nomenclature, makes AI hard to regulate?
A) Lines 30-32 (“When it . . . matter”)
B) Lines 52-54 (“The term . . . clarity”)
C) Lines 79-80 (“Regulating . . . exception”)
D) Lines 80-82 (“The problem . . . current level”)

CONTINUE
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 Part 3: Science, Paired
6 8
How does the tone of Passage 1 compare to the tone Roman Yampolskiy would most likely respond to
of Passage 2? lines 22-23 (“I don’t . . . best drivers”) by
A) Passage 1 is dryly technical throughout, while A) disagreeing completely.
Passage 2 employs a tone that repeatedly shifts B) assenting, but with the caveat that future AI may
from formal to easygoing. outperform even the best human drivers.
B) Passage 1 combines lofty phrases and colloquial C) pointing out that confusion in terminology led
word choices, while Passage 2 is entirely somber Kishonti to an invalid conclusion.
and anxious.
D) rejecting elements of Kishonti’s reasoning while
C) Passage 1 employs an extremely personable assenting to Kishonti’s conclusion.
approach, while Passage 2 mixes academic and
anecdotal writing.
D) Passage 1 alternates between academic and 9
informal tones, while Passage 2 is primarily
Based on the graph, which of the following drivers is
conversational and whimsical.
typically least responsive to traffic signals?
A) Human only
7 B) AI-assisted
The topic of Passage 1 contrasts with the topic of C) Human only and AI-assisted (roughly identical)
Passage 2 because Passage 1 focuses on D) Autonomous AI
A) the flaws of fully autonomous vehicles, while
Passage 2 focuses on the successes of artificial
intelligence generally. 10
B) the human brain, while Passage 2 focuses on Does the graph align more closely with the content of
computers and their applications. Passage 1 or Passage 2, and does it primarily indicate
C) current technology, while Passage 2 focuses on that AI outperforms or underperforms human drivers?
future technology. A) Passage 1, outperform
D) a technology and its capabilities, while B) Passage 1, underperform
Passage 2 focuses on terminology and ethics.
C) Passage 2, outperform
D) Passage 2, underperform

STOP
If you have finished this section, consult the relevant answers and explanations.
Do not turn to any other section.

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