The Age of Sailing in Europe

Sailing began long before ships were capable of crossing entire oceans.
Phoenicians are known to have sailed from the area of present-day Lebanon and
Israel to the Atlantic Ocean and down the west coast of Africa over two thousand
years ago. But the Phoenicians' boats (as well as those of other early
Mediterranean sailors) were primitive in design and difficult to sail. These early
galley ships had one mast and a single square sail, which meant they could sail
well only downwind. Early sailors also lacked any reliable means of navigation on
open seas. Once out of sight of land, sailors had nothing but the stars to guide
them home, and without accurate timepieces and navigational tools, navigating
by the night sky was a daunting and uncertain prospect. At that time, almost all
travel by sea was within a single biogeographic province: from one end of the
Mediterranean Sea to the other, or around the Baltic Sea, or from one South
Pacific island to the next.

“Blue water sailors"- -those willing to sail out of sight of land- -had to wait for
several major developments in sailing technology before they could make open
ocean voyages with any reasonable expectation of being able to return home.
European sailors received an important tool when the compass (a Chinese
invention) became available, probably in the tenth century A.D. Together with
maps, the compass allowed sailors to break away from coastal routes and set
out across the open ocean without losing track of where homes lay. But if they
were to make long voyages safely and regularly, sailors also needed boats they
could control in contrary winds. Single-masted boats with square sails hanging
perpendicular to the boat cannot sail upwind efficiently because the sail cannot
be adjusted over a wide range of angles to the wind. Technical improvements
that began to address this problem included arranging the sail fore-and-aft (that
is, with the sail parallel to the length of the ship) and using several sails on
several masts or a triangular sail at the front of the boat. Replacement of the
ancient steering oar at the rear of the ship with a much larger and more easily
controllable rudder board also helped provide better control. Once these crucial
innovations had been made around 1300 A.D., ship design evolved rapidly, and
sailors began to set their sights on more distant shores.

But even with compasses and improved ships, sailors still needed a working
knowledge of the wind patterns that would carry them across the oceans- and
back home. Between the 1330s and the 1520s, Portuguese and Spanish sailors
discovered and mapped broad circles of wind that provided reliable routes
across the Atlantic and back. A Portuguese sailor found the Canary Islands off
the northwest coast of Africa in 1336 by following the northeast trade winds
southwest from the Iberian Peninsula. Luck and insight eventually led the
Portuguese to discover that the easiest way back was not to sail slowly and
painfully against the wind up the African coast, but to sail west out to sea until
they hit the westerlies, another group of winds that carried them northeast back
to Europe. Other Portuguese and Spanish sailors mapped most of the rest of the
great circulatory patterns of winds by the end of the sixteenth century, making
possible the first controlled movement of large numbers of people and cargo
back and forth between Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe
and Asia) and the Americas.

Several elements conspired to make Europe the place where this long series of
inventions and discoveries- -compasses and star charts, ships that could sail into
the wind, and knowledge of wind patterns- came together to create a power that
could sail around the world. Europe's physical position on the globe was as
critical a factor in its transoceanic explorations as were its technologically
advanced ships. Compared to the Pacific, the Atlantic was a manageably-sized
ocean to cross on a regular basis, and the Americas (once discovered) was a
much more profitable destination than the scattering of islands in the Pacific or
the emptiness south of the Indian subcontinent. Perhaps even more important,
the social and religious values that characterized many European cultures both
impelled their transoceanic voyages and fueled the innovation that made these
voyages possible.

1. Paragraph 1 suggests that, for early sailors, watching the positions of

the stars was

Sailing began long before ships were capable of crossing entire oceans.
Phoenicians are known to have sailed from the area of present-day Lebanon and
Israel to the Atlantic Ocean and down the west coast of Africa over two thousand
years ago. But the Phoenicians' boats (as well as those of other early
Mediterranean sailors) were primitive in design and difficult to sail. These early
galley ships had one mast and a single square sail, which meant they could sail
well only downwind. Early sailors also lacked any reliable means of navigation on
open seas. Once out of sight of land, sailors had nothing but the stars to guide
them home, and without accurate timepieces and navigational tools, navigating
by the night sky was a daunting and uncertain prospect. At that time, almost all
travel by sea was within a single biogeographic province: from one end of the
Mediterranean Sea to the other, or around the Baltic Sea, or from one South
Pacific island to the next.

not a reliable method to find their way on the open sea

a means of navigation handed down from the ancient Phoenicians
an acceptable substitute for accurate timepieces and navigational tools
the only way of guiding a ship from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea

2. The word “contrary" in the passage is closest in meaning to

“Blue water sailors"- -those willing to sail out of sight of land- -had to wait for
several major developments in sailing technology before they could make open
ocean voyages with any reasonable expectation of being able to return home.
European sailors received an important tool when the compass (a Chinese
invention) became available, probably in the tenth century A.D. Together with
maps, the compass allowed sailors to break away from coastal routes and set
out across the open ocean without losing track of where homes lay. But if they
were to make long voyages safely and regularly, sailors also needed boats they
could control in contrary winds. Single-masted boats with square sails hanging
perpendicular to the boat cannot sail upwind efficiently because the sail cannot
be adjusted over a wide range of angles to the wind. Technical improvements
that began to address this problem included arranging the sail fore-and-aft (that
is, with the sail parallel to the length of the ship) and using several sails on
several masts or a triangular sail at the front of the boat. Replacement of the
ancient steering oar at the rear of the ship with a much larger and more easily
controllable rudder board also helped provide better control. Once these crucial
innovations had been made around 1300 A.D., ship design evolved rapidly, and
sailors began to set their sights on more distant shores.

constant
strong
 changing
opposing

3. According to paragraph 2, which of the following was an

improvement made to boats that allowed sailors to better manage
strong winds?

“Blue water sailors"- -those willing to sail out of sight of land- -had to wait for
several major developments in sailing technology before they could make open
ocean voyages with any reasonable expectation of being able to return home.
European sailors received an important tool when the compass (a Chinese
invention) became available, probably in the tenth century A.D. Together with
maps, the compass allowed sailors to break away from coastal routes and set
out across the open ocean without losing track of where homes lay. But if they
were to make long voyages safely and regularly, sailors also needed boats they
could control in contrary winds. Single-masted boats with square sails hanging
perpendicular to the boat cannot sail upwind efficiently because the sail cannot
be adjusted over a wide range of angles to the wind. Technical improvements
that began to address this problem included arranging the sail fore-and-aft (that
is, with the sail parallel to the length of the ship) and using several sails on
several masts or a triangular sail at the front of the boat. Replacement of the
ancient steering oar at the rear of the ship with a much larger and more easily
controllable rudder board also helped provide better control. Once these crucial
innovations had been made around 1300 A.D., ship design evolved rapidly, and
sailors began to set their sights on more distant shores.

Sails were made of stronger materials in order to withstand the force of

wind.
The position of the sails in relation to the rest of the ship was changed.
Ship designs changed to increase the overall size of ships.
The ship's steering mechanism was moved from the back of the ship to
the front.

4. The word "insight" in the passage is closest in meaning to

But even with compasses and improved ships, sailors still needed a working
knowledge of the wind patterns that would carry them across the oceans- and
back home. Between the 1330s and the 1520s, Portuguese and Spanish sailors
discovered and mapped broad circles of wind that provided reliable routes
across the Atlantic and back. A Portuguese sailor found the Canary Islands off
the northwest coast of Africa in 1336 by following the northeast trade winds
southwest from the Iberian Peninsula. Luck and insight eventually led the
Portuguese to discover that the easiest way back was not to sail slowly and
painfully against the wind up the African coast, but to sail west out to sea until
they hit the westerlies, another group of winds that carried them northeast back
to Europe. Other Portuguese and Spanish sailors mapped most of the rest of the
great circulatory patterns of winds by the end of the sixteenth century, making
possible the first controlled movement of large numbers of people and cargo
back and forth between Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe
and Asia) and the Americas.

Understanding
Experience
Planning
Creativity

5. Why in paragraph 3 does the author state that sailors discovered an

easy way back to Europe by way of the westerlies?

But even with compasses and improved ships, sailors still needed a working
knowledge of the wind patterns that would carry them across the oceans- and
back home. Between the 1330s and the 1520s, Portuguese and Spanish sailors
discovered and mapped broad circles of wind that provided reliable routes
across the Atlantic and back. A Portuguese sailor found the Canary Islands off
the northwest coast of Africa in 1336 by following the northeast trade winds
southwest from the Iberian Peninsula. Luck and insight eventually led the
Portuguese to discover that the easiest way back was not to sail slowly and
painfully against the wind up the African coast, but to sail west out to sea until
they hit the westerlies, another group of winds that carried them northeast back
to Europe. Other Portuguese and Spanish sailors mapped most of the rest of the
great circulatory patterns of winds by the end of the sixteenth century, making
possible the first controlled movement of large numbers of people and cargo
back and forth between Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe
and Asia) and the Americas.
 To emphasize the importance of luck in the discoveries of Atlantic wind
patterns
To explain how a Portuguese sailor was able to find the Canary Islands by
following trade winds from the Iberian Peninsula
To identify an early route that was abandoned in favor of the more certain
return along the African coast
To show that new knowledge about wind patterns helped sailors find
reliable routes over oceans and back home again

6. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about ocean

travel between Eurasia and the Americas?

But even with compasses and improved ships, sailors still needed a working
knowledge of the wind patterns that would carry them across the oceans- and
back home. Between the 1330s and the 1520s, Portuguese and Spanish sailors
discovered and mapped broad circles of wind that provided reliable routes
across the Atlantic and back. A Portuguese sailor found the Canary Islands off
the northwest coast of Africa in 1336 by following the northeast trade winds
southwest from the Iberian Peninsula. Luck and insight eventually led the
Portuguese to discover that the easiest way back was not to sail slowly and
painfully against the wind up the African coast, but to sail west out to sea until
they hit the westerlies, another group of winds that carried them northeast back
to Europe. Other Portuguese and Spanish sailors mapped most of the rest of the
great circulatory patterns of winds by the end of the sixteenth century, making
possible the first controlled movement of large numbers of people and cargo
back and forth between Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe
and Asia) and the Americas.

Portuguese and Spanish sailors had to stop at the Canary Islands before
continuing to the Americas.
Sailors used the westerlies to travel down the African coast before
crossing the ocean to the Americas.
It occurred without the knowledge of the great circulatory wind patterns
in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first regular, large-scale journeys did not occur before the end of the
sixteenth century.
 7. According to paragraph 4, all of the following contributed to Europe's
successful transoceanic explorations EXCEPT

Several elements conspired to make Europe the place where this long series of
inventions and discoveries- -compasses and star charts, ships that could sail into
the wind, and knowledge of wind patterns- came together to create a power that
could sail around the world. Europe's physical position on the globe was as
critical a factor in its transoceanic explorations as were its technologically
advanced ships. Compared to the Pacific, the Atlantic was a manageably-sized
ocean to cross on a regular basis, and the Americas (once discovered) was a
much more profitable destination than the scattering of islands in the Pacific or
the emptiness south of the Indian subcontinent. Perhaps even more important,
the social and religious values that characterized many European cultures both
impelled their transoceanic voyages and fueled the innovation that made these
voyages possible.

the use of star charts

the relative size of the Atlantic Ocean
profits from Pacific and Indian trade
social and religious values

8. According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of the

Atlantic Ocean?

Several elements conspired to make Europe the place where this long series of
inventions and discoveries- -compasses and star charts, ships that could sail into
the wind, and knowledge of wind patterns- came together to create a power that
could sail around the world. Europe's physical position on the globe was as
critical a factor in its transoceanic explorations as were its technologically
advanced ships. Compared to the Pacific, the Atlantic was a manageably-sized
ocean to cross on a regular basis, and the Americas (once discovered) was a
much more profitable destination than the scattering of islands in the Pacific or
the emptiness south of the Indian subcontinent. Perhaps even more important,
the social and religious values that characterized many European cultures both
impelled their transoceanic voyages and fueled the innovation that made these
voyages possible.
 Crossing it required greater knowledge of wind patterns than crossing the
Pacific Ocean did.
Crossing it was more expensive than crossing the Pacific Ocean.
It offered more productive financial opportunities than the Pacific Ocean.
It contained more islands than the Pacific Ocean.

9. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence
could be added to the passage.

Gathering this information required much experimentation and

observation.
Where would the sentence best fit? Copy and paste instead of a square [■]
to insert the sentence in the passage.

“Blue water sailors"- -those willing to sail out of sight of land- -had to wait for
several major developments in sailing technology before they could make open
ocean voyages with any reasonable expectation of being able to return home.
European sailors received an important tool when the compass (a Chinese
invention) became available, probably in the tenth century A.D. Together with
maps, the compass allowed sailors to break away from coastal routes and set
out across the open ocean without losing track of where homes lay. But if they
were to make long voyages safely and regularly, sailors also needed boats they
could control in contrary winds. Single-masted boats with square sails hanging
perpendicular to the boat cannot sail upwind efficiently because the sail cannot
be adjusted over a wide range of angles to the wind. Technical improvements
that began to address this problem included arranging the sail fore-and-aft (that
is, with the sail parallel to the length of the ship) and using several sails on
several masts or a triangular sail at the front of the boat. ■ Replacement of the
ancient steering oar at the rear of the ship with a much larger and more easily
controllable rudder board also helped provide better control. ■ Once these
crucial innovations had been made around 1300 A.D., ship design evolved
rapidly, and sailors began to set their sights on more distant shores.

■ But even with compasses and improved ships, sailors still needed a working
knowledge of the wind patterns that would carry them across the oceans- and
back home. ■ Between the 1330s and the 1520s, Portuguese and Spanish sailors
discovered and mapped broad circles of wind that provided reliable routes
across the Atlantic and back. A Portuguese sailor found the Canary Islands off
the northwest coast of Africa in 1336 by following the northeast trade winds
southwest from the Iberian Peninsula. Luck and insight eventually led the
Portuguese to discover that the easiest way back was not to sail slowly and
painfully against the wind up the African coast, but to sail west out to sea until
they hit the westerlies, another group of winds that carried them northeast back
to Europe. Other Portuguese and Spanish sailors mapped most of the rest of the
great circulatory patterns of winds by the end of the sixteenth century, making
possible the first controlled movement of large numbers of people and cargo
back and forth between Eurasia (the combined continental landmass of Europe
and Asia) and the Americas.

10.Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is

provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer
choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some
sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that
are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This
question is worth 2 points.
Centuries of innovation gradually increased the capability of
European sailors and sailing ships.
-
-
-
A. Throughout most of history, ship design and other limitations meant that
sailors were largely confined to sailing within a single biogeographic area.
B. Technical advances in the design of ships, such as adjustable sails and
rudders,allowed sailors to control ships more easily and made ocean
sailing possible.
C. Europe's technologically advanced ships could not offset the
disadvantages of its geography, which made exploration beyond the
Atlantic unmanageable.
D. The compass was one of many tenth-century Chinese inventions that
finally reached Europe and transformed European sailing many centuries
later.
E. From the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, European sailors mapped
circulatory wind patterns, finding the best routes to sail from one
continent to another.
F. The social and religious changes that transoceanic exploration brought
about in Europe may be even more significant than its commercial effects.
 Euglena: Ecosystem Engineers
In 1995, an extremophile, or an organism that thrives in extreme environments,
was discovered in the United States in a lake outside of Butte, Montana. The
body of water where it lives, known as the Berkeley Pit, is a former open-pit
copper mine that is slowly filling with groundwater that dissolves heavy metals
like arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and aluminum from the mine's 2,000-foot-deep
surface; the dissolved metals mix with the water to form a toxic (poisonous)
solution. The Berkeley Pit is the largest hazardous waste site targeted for
cleanup in the United States. As 2.6 million gallons of groundwater seep into the
pit every day, the toxic brew edges ever closer to spilling into the Clark Fork
River, which makes its way to the Columbia River and out to the ocean,
representing a massive-scale ecological threat to the fisheries and communities
in these areas.

Though the water in the pit is as acidic as lemon juice and considered
inhospitable to life, a novel species has emerged and is slowly but surely
changing the lake's toxic brew to one more habitable. An analytic chemist
studying the lake noticed a clump of green slime floating in the lake and brought
a sample to Dr. Grant Mitman of Montana Tech. Mitman brought his colleagues
Don and Andrea Sterile into the lab, and they identified the slime as a colony of
Euglena mutabilis, a single-celled organism that forms algae-like mats. How
Euglena came to grow in the Berkeley Pit is unknown, although some attribute
its spread to a flock of 350 snow geese that landed (and subsequently died) in
the lake several months prior to the discovery of the organism. The geese may
have carried reproductive material of the Euglena in their feces (waste matter).

Euglena is among the oldest organisms in the world, having survived since the
time when conditions on Earth were not too dissimilar to those found in the
Berkeley Pit- -ancient acidic oceans were full of heavy metals and other
free-floating elements. These unique creatures exhibit traits of both plants and
animals: they can photosynthesize (produce their own food using sunlight), but
they can also move around in search of food. Their ability to photosynthesize
produces oxygen. As a result of this oxygen combining with the dissolved iron in
the water and by other means, the organisms cause iron to separate from the
watery solution in the form of a solid, thereby creating stable substrates
(surfaces) for other organisms to inhabit. In other words, Euglenas are
ecosystem engineers. They work to improve the environment for themselves
and, in doing so, make their surroundings more habitable for other organisms.
This type of bioengineering (engineering using biological organisms) fostered the
development of all life on Earth, since the production of oxygen led to the
proliferation of organisms that depend on oxygen, and over the course of
billions of years, the stable iron-based substrates eventually contributed to the
formation of landmasses out of what was once a planet covered by water.
Species like Euglena manufactured the current configuration of air, water, and
land that makes this planet so uniquely hospitable to life today.

In the Berkeley Pit, Euglenas are doing similar work. They thrive in the
heavy-metal-laden waters of the lake and remove the iron, zinc, and cadmium
from the solution, storing them in their bodies, and rendering the metals
biologically inactive. When they die, their bodies and the metals they contain are
deposited in the sediments at the bottom of the lake. The chemistry of the
Berkeley Pit is changing slowly but surely, and research is underway to
encourage the population increase of Euglena and similar organisms to
biologically treat the water before it spills into critical waterways. Since the
discovery of Euglena, more than forty species of similar microorganisms have
been discovered in the lake, several of them new to science. Many of these have
found suitable habitats because of the pioneering work of Euglena, and they also
serve to neutralize and repair the pit's toxic water. Species like Euglena are
fascinating from an evolutionary perspective because they exhibit traits that not
only confer advantages to their own species but also create conditions that
enable other types of life to thrive.

11.Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential

information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect
choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential
information.

In 1995, an extremophile, or an organism that thrives in extreme environments,

was discovered in the United States in a lake outside of Butte, Montana. The
body of water where it lives, known as the Berkeley Pit, is a former open-pit
copper mine that is slowly filling with groundwater that dissolves heavy metals
like arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and aluminum from the mine's 2,000-foot-deep
surface; the dissolved metals mix with the water to form a toxic (poisonous)
solution. The Berkeley Pit is the largest hazardous waste site targeted for
cleanup in the United States. As 2.6 million gallons of groundwater seep into the
pit every day, the toxic brew edges ever closer to spilling into the Clark Fork
River, which makes its way to the Columbia River and out to the ocean,
representing a massive-scale ecological threat to the fisheries and communities
in these areas.

Ever-increasing toxic liquid from the Berkeley Pit site is in danger of

spilling into rivers that eventually flow into the ocean, threatening the
ecology of nearby fisheries and communities.
The Clark Fork River, which is the closest river to the Berkeley Pit, empties
into the ocean, causing millions of gallons of toxic liquid to spill into the
ocean every day.
The activities of fisheries and communities near the Berkeley Pit create an
increasing amount of toxic groundwater, which spills into nearby rivers
and then into the ocean.
The Berkeley Pit represents a massive threat to the water quality of
nearby rivers and to the fish that live in them.

12.According to paragraph 1, the Berkeley Pit is a favorable habitat for

extremophiles because

In 1995, an extremophile, or an organism that thrives in extreme environments,

was discovered in the United States in a lake outside of Butte, Montana. The
body of water where it lives, known as the Berkeley Pit, is a former open-pit
copper mine that is slowly filling with groundwater that dissolves heavy metals
like arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and aluminum from the mine's 2,000-foot-deep
surface; the dissolved metals mix with the water to form a toxic (poisonous)
solution. The Berkeley Pit is the largest hazardous waste site targeted for
cleanup in the United States. As 2.6 million gallons of groundwater seep into the
pit every day, the toxic brew edges ever closer to spilling into the Clark Fork
River, which makes its way to the Columbia River and out to the ocean,
representing a massive-scale ecological threat to the fisheries and communities
in these areas.

it is filling up slowly with groundwater

it is extremely deep
 it contains a toxic solution of dissolved metals
it once contained large amounts of copper

13.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the

discovery of Euglena in the Berkeley Pit?

Though the water in the pit is as acidic as lemon juice and considered
inhospitable to life, a novel species has emerged and is slowly but surely
changing the lake's toxic brew to one more habitable. An analytic chemist
studying the lake noticed a clump of green slime floating in the lake and brought
a sample to Dr. Grant Mitman of Montana Tech. Mitman brought his colleagues
Don and Andrea Sterile into the lab, and they identified the slime as a colony of
Euglena mutabilis, a single-celled organism that forms algae-like mats. How
Euglena came to grow in the Berkeley Pit is unknown, although some attribute
its spread to a flock of 350 snow geese that landed (and subsequently died) in
the lake several months prior to the discovery of the organism. The geese may
have carried reproductive material of the Euglena in their feces (waste matter).
It had been predicted for years by researchers at Montana Tech.
It was originally thought to be algae.
It was disputed by scientists who argued that the green slime was a
common organism typically found in the feces of geese.
It was a great surprise to scientists who until then did not believe that life
could exist there.

14.According to paragraph 3, in which TWO of the following ways have

Euglena aided the development of life on Earth? To receive credit,
you must select TWO answer choices.

Euglena is among the oldest organisms in the world, having survived since the
time when conditions on Earth were not too dissimilar to those found in the
Berkeley Pit- -ancient acidic oceans were full of heavy metals and other
free-floating elements. These unique creatures exhibit traits of both plants and
animals: they can photosynthesize (produce their own food using sunlight), but
they can also move around in search of food. Their ability to photosynthesize
produces oxygen. As a result of this oxygen combining with the dissolved iron in
the water and by other means, the organisms cause iron to separate from the
watery solution in the form of a solid, thereby creating stable substrates
(surfaces) for other organisms to inhabit. In other words, Euglenas are
ecosystem engineers. They work to improve the environment for themselves
and, in doing so, make their surroundings more habitable for other organisms.
This type of bioengineering (engineering using biological organisms) fostered the
development of all life on Earth, since the production of oxygen led to the
proliferation of organisms that depend on oxygen, and over the course of
billions of years, the stable iron-based substrates eventually contributed to the
formation of landmasses out of what was once a planet covered by water.
Species like Euglena manufactured the current configuration of air, water, and
land that makes this planet so uniquely hospitable to life today.

By providing food for land-based animals

By producing oxygen
By helping to create large landmasses
By removing harmful elements from the air

15.According to paragraph 3, all of the following are true about Euglena

EXCEPT:

Euglena is among the oldest organisms in the world, having survived since the
time when conditions on Earth were not too dissimilar to those found in the
Berkeley Pit- -ancient acidic oceans were full of heavy metals and other
free-floating elements. These unique creatures exhibit traits of both plants and
animals: they can photosynthesize (produce their own food using sunlight), but
they can also move around in search of food. Their ability to photosynthesize
produces oxygen. As a result of this oxygen combining with the dissolved iron in
the water and by other means, the organisms cause iron to separate from the
watery solution in the form of a solid, thereby creating stable substrates
(surfaces) for other organisms to inhabit. In other words, Euglenas are
ecosystem engineers. They work to improve the environment for themselves
and, in doing so, make their surroundings more habitable for other organisms.
This type of bioengineering (engineering using biological organisms) fostered the
development of all life on Earth, since the production of oxygen led to the
proliferation of organisms that depend on oxygen, and over the course of
billions of years, the stable iron-based substrates eventually contributed to the
formation of landmasses out of what was once a planet covered by water.
Species like Euglena manufactured the current configuration of air, water, and
land that makes this planet so uniquely hospitable to life today.

They build their own habitat from iron-based materials.

They thrived even when the oceans were too acidic for most organisms.
They can produce their own food from the Sun's energy.
They are able to look for food in their environment.

16.Why does the author provide the information that Euglena were
present in Earth's “ancient acidic oceans"?

Euglena is among the oldest organisms in the world, having survived since the
time when conditions on Earth were not too dissimilar to those found in the
Berkeley Pit- -ancient acidic oceans were full of heavy metals and other
free-floating elements. These unique creatures exhibit traits of both plants and
animals: they can photosynthesize (produce their own food using sunlight), but
they can also move around in search of food. Their ability to photosynthesize
produces oxygen. As a result of this oxygen combining with the dissolved iron in
the water and by other means, the organisms cause iron to separate from the
watery solution in the form of a solid, thereby creating stable substrates
(surfaces) for other organisms to inhabit. In other words, Euglenas are
ecosystem engineers. They work to improve the environment for themselves
and, in doing so, make their surroundings more habitable for other organisms.
This type of bioengineering (engineering using biological organisms) fostered the
development of all life on Earth, since the production of oxygen led to the
proliferation of organisms that depend on oxygen, and over the course of
billions of years, the stable iron-based substrates eventually contributed to the
formation of landmasses out of what was once a planet covered by water.
Species like Euglena manufactured the current configuration of air, water, and
land that makes this planet so uniquely hospitable to life today.

To suggest one reason why scientists believed that the organisms they
found in the Berkeley Pit were Euglena
To help explain why Euglena are able to live in the conditions of the
Berkeley Pit
To compare the age of Euglena with that of other similar organisms
 To indicate that organisms having traits of both animals and plants have
existed since Earth's beginning

17.The word “critical" in the passage is closest in meaning to

In the Berkeley Pit, Euglenas are doing similar work. They thrive in the
heavy-metal-laden waters of the lake and remove the iron, zinc, and cadmium
from the solution, storing them in their bodies, and rendering the metals
biologically inactive. When they die, their bodies and the metals they contain are
deposited in the sediments at the bottom of the lake. The chemistry of the
Berkeley Pit is changing slowly but surely, and research is underway to
encourage the population increase of Euglena and similar organisms to
biologically treat the water before it spills into critical waterways. Since the
discovery of Euglena, more than forty species of similar microorganisms have
been discovered in the lake, several of them new to science. Many of these have
found suitable habitats because of the pioneering work of Euglena, and they also
serve to neutralize and repair the pit's toxic water. Species like Euglena are
fascinating from an evolutionary perspective because they exhibit traits that not
only confer advantages to their own species but also create conditions that
enable other types of life to thrive.

Nearby
very important
easy to reach
natural

18.It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that Euglena and similar

organisms can "biologically treat" the water in the Berkeley Pit by

In the Berkeley Pit, Euglenas are doing similar work. They thrive in the
heavy-metal-laden waters of the lake and remove the iron, zinc, and cadmium
from the solution, storing them in their bodies, and rendering the metals
biologically inactive. When they die, their bodies and the metals they contain are
deposited in the sediments at the bottom of the lake. The chemistry of the
Berkeley Pit is changing slowly but surely, and research is underway to
encourage the population increase of Euglena and similar organisms to
biologically treat the water before it spills into critical waterways. Since the
discovery of Euglena, more than forty species of similar microorganisms have
been discovered in the lake, several of them new to science. Many of these have
found suitable habitats because of the pioneering work of Euglena, and they also
serve to neutralize and repair the pit's toxic water. Species like Euglena are
fascinating from an evolutionary perspective because they exhibit traits that not
only confer advantages to their own species but also create conditions that
enable other types of life to thrive.

repairing the toxic sediment at the bottom of the lake

removing excess microorganisms from the lake
adding beneficial chemicals to the water when they die
removing metals from the water

19.Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence
could be added to the passage.

We owe its discovery to the chance observations of a scientist.

Where would the sentence best fit? Copy and paste instead of a square [■]
to insert the sentence in the passage.

Though the water in the pit is as acidic as lemon juice and considered
inhospitable to life, a novel species has emerged and is slowly but surely
changing the lake's toxic brew to one more habitable. ■ An analytic chemist
studying the lake noticed a clump of green slime floating in the lake and brought
a sample to Dr. Grant Mitman of Montana Tech. ■ Mitman brought his
colleagues Don and Andrea Sterile into the lab, and they identified the slime as a
colony of Euglena mutabilis, a single-celled organism that forms algae-like mats.
■ How Euglena came to grow in the Berkeley Pit is unknown, although some
attribute its spread to a flock of 350 snow geese that landed (and subsequently
died) in the lake several months prior to the discovery of the organism. ■ The
geese may have carried reproductive material of the Euglena in their feces
(waste matter).

20.Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is

provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer
choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some
sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that
 are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This
question is worth 2 points.
In 1995, an extremophile- -an organism that lives in extreme
environments- -was discovered in a lake in the United States.
-
-
-
A. Copper mining at the site of the Berkeley Pit disturbed ancient
microorganisms that had been thriving in the groundwater beneath
Earth's surface.
B. By engaging in a kind of bioengineering of their environment, Euglena and
similar microorganisms contributed to the conditions that made it
possible for life to develop on Earth.
C. While Euglena seemed to be removing heavy metals from the lake, it is
now thought that the metals are released back into the water after the
organisms die.
D. How Euglena, a species of extremophile, came to the lake is unknown, but
its existence in the toxic waters is helping to neutralize and repair those
waters.
E. Species like Euglena are especially interesting because, by creating an
environment that gives their own species advantages, they also improve
the environment for other species.
F. Scientists have introduced more than forty other species of similar
microorganisms into the Berkeley Pit, but as yet they have been unable to
find a species that can effectively clean the lake.
Answers
1. a
2. d
3. b
4. a
5. d
6. d
7. c
8. c
9. d
10. abe
11. a
12. c
13. d
14. bc
15. a
16. b
17. b
18. d
19. a
20. bde