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Many of William Shakespeare's tragedies address broad themes that still appeal to today's audiences. For instance, Romeo and Juliet, which is set in the Italy of Shakespeare's time, tackles the themes of parents versus children and love versus hate, and the play continues to be read and produced widely around the world. But understanding Shakespeare's so-called history plays can require a knowledge of several centuries of English history. Consequently,<br/><br/>Which choice most logically completes the text?

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The following text is adapted from Johanna Spyrfi's 1881 novel Heidi (translated by Elisabeth Stork in 1915). Eight-year-old Heidi and her friend's grandmother are looking at some illustrated books.<br/><br/>Heidi had come and was looking with wondering eyes at the splendid pictures in the large books, that Grandmama was showing her. Suddenly she screamed aloud, for there on the picture she saw a peaceful flock grazing on a green pasture. In the middle a shepherd was standing, leaning on his crook. The setting sun was shedding a golden light over everything. With glowing eyes Heidi devoured the scene.<br/><br/>Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

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Paleontologists searching for signs of ancient life have found many fossilized specimens of prehistoric human ancestors, including several from the Pleistocene era discovered in a geological formation in the Minatogawa quarry in Japan. However, to study the emergence of the earliest multicellular organisms to appear on Earth, researchers must turn elsewhere, such as to the Ediacaran geological formation at Mistaken Point in Canada. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 146-hectare reserve contains more than 10,000 fossils that together document a critical moment in evolutionary history.<br/><br/>What does the text indicate about the geological formation at Mistaken Point?

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Employing high-performance liquid chromatography—a process that uses pressurized water to separate material into its component molecules—astrochemist Yashiro Oba and colleagues analyzed two samples of the Murchison meteorite that landed in Australia as well as soil from the landing zone of the meteorite to determine the concentrations of various organic molecules. By comparing the relative concentrations of types of molecules known as nucleobases in the Murchison meteorite with those in the soil, the team concluded that there is evidence that the nucleobases in the Murchison meteorite formed in space and are not the result of contamination on Earth.

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"Loon Point" is a 1912 poem by Amy Lowell. In the poem, which presents a nighttime scene on a body of water, Lowell describes an element of nature as an active participant in the experience, writing, .<br/><br/>Which quotation from "Loon Point" most effectively illustrates the claim?

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Researchers recently found that disruptions to an enjoyable experience, like a short series of advertisements during a television show, often increase viewers' reported enjoyment. Suspecting that disruptions to an unpleasant experience would have the opposite effect, the researchers had participants listen to construction noise for 30 minutes and anticipated that those whose listening experience was frequently interrupted with short breaks of silence would thus be<br/><br/>Which choice most logically completes the text?

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Biologists have predicted that birds' feather structures vary with habitat temperature, but this hadn't been tested in mountain environments. Ornithologist Sahas Barve studied feathers from 249 songbird species inhabiting different elevations--and thus experiencing different temperatures--in the Himalaya Mountains. He found that feathers of high-elevation species not only have a greater proportion of warming downy sections to flat and smooth sections than do feathers of low-elevation species, but high-elevation species' feathers also tend to be longer, providing a thicker layer of insulation.<br/><br/>Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

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\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|} \hline \multicolumn{2}{|c|}{Menus} \\ \hline<br/>**Food item** & **Day** & **Meal** \\ \hline<br/>**Sugar cookie cubes** & 1 & B \\ \hline<br/>**Chicken and vegetables** & 2 & B \\ \hline<br/>**Shrimp cocktail** & 4 & C \\ \hline<br/>**Hot cocoa** & 3 & A \\ \hline \end{tabular}<br/><br/>To make sure they got the nutrition they needed while in space, the astronauts of NASA's Gemini missions were given menus for three meals a day (meals A, B, and C) on a four-day rotating schedule. Looking at the sample of food items from these menus, a student notes that on day 1, the menu included<br/><br/>Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

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The following text is from Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. Elinor lives with her younger sisters and her mother, Mrs. Dashwood.<br/><br/>Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart;--her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.<br/><br/>According to the text, what is true about Elinor?

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Although many transposons, DNA sequences that move within an organism's genome through shuffling or duplication, have become corrupted and inactive over time, those from the long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE) family appear to remain active in the genomes of some species. In humans, they are functionally important within the hippocampus, a brain structure that supports complex cognitive processes. When the results of molecular analysis of two species of octopus--an animal known for its intelligence--were announced in 2022, the confirmation of a LINE transposon in Octopus vulgaris and Octopus bimaculoides genomes prompted researchers to hypothesize that that transposon family is tied to a species' capacity for advanced cognition.<br/><br/>Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' hypothesis?

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Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system. Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals. The ecologists say that strong fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again.<br/><br/>According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?

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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* As engineered structures, many bird nests are uniquely flexible yet cohesive.<br/>* A research team led by Yashraj Bhosale wanted to better understand the mechanics behind these structural properties.<br/>* Bhosale's team used laboratory models that simulated the arrangement of flexible sticks into nest-like structures.<br/>* The researchers analyzed the points where sticks touched one another.<br/>* When pressure was applied to the model nests, the number of contact points between the sticks increased, making the structures stiffer.<br/><br/>The student wants to present the primary aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a prominent classical music composer from England who toured the US three times in the early 1900s. The child of a West African father and an English mother, Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry. For example, he referred to himself as Anglo-African. _______, he incorporated the sounds of traditional African music into his classical music compositions.<br/><br/>Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

In her poetry collection Thomas and Beulah, Rita Dove interweaves the titular characters' personal stories with broader historical narratives. She places Thomas's journey from the American South to the Midwest in the early 1900s within the larger context of the Great Migration.<br/><br/>_________, Dove sets events from Beulah's personal life against the backdrop of the US Civil Rights Movement.<br/><br/>Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* The Atlantic Monthly magazine was first published in 1857.<br/>* The magazine focused on politics, art, and literature.<br/>* In 2019, historian Cathryn Halverson published the book Faraway Women and the "Atlantic Monthly."_<br/>* Its subject is female authors whose autobiographies appeared in the magazine in the early 1900s.<br/>* One of the authors discussed is Juanita Harrison.<br/><br/>The student wants to introduce Cathryn Halverson's book to an audience already familiar with the Atlantic Monthly. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Organisms release cellular material into their environment by shedding substances such as hair or skin.<br/>* The DNA in these substances is known as environmental DNA, or eDN

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Sam Maloof (1916-2009) was an American woodworker and furniture designer.<br/>* He was the son of Lebanese immigrants.<br/>* He received a "genius grant" from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1985.<br/>* The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, owns a rocking chair that Maloof made from walnut wood.<br/>* The armrests and the seat of the chair are sleek and contoured, and the back consists of seven spindle-like slats.<br/><br/>The student wants to describe the rocking chair to an audience unfamiliar with Sam Maloof. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Species belonging to the Orchidaceae (orchid) family can be found in both tropical and temperate environments.<br/>* Orchidaceae species diversity has not been well studied in temperate forests, such as those in Oaxaca, Mexico.<br/>* Arelee Estefania Mu\(\tilde{\text{n}}\)oz-Hernandez led a study to determine how many different Orchidaceae species are present in the forests of Oaxaca.<br/>* Mu\(\tilde{\text{n}}\)oz-Hernandez and her team collected orchids each month for a year at a site in Oaxaca.<br/>* Seventy-four Orchidaceae species were present at the site.<br/><br/>The student wants to present the study and its findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Maika'i Tubbs is a Native Hawaiian sculptor and installation artist.<br/>* His work has been shown in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany, among other places.<br/>* Many of his sculptures feature discarded objects.<br/>* His work Erasure (2008) includes discarded audiocassette tapes and magnets.<br/>* His work Home Grown (2009) includes discarded pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.<br/><br/>The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two works. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* The factors that affect clutch size (the number of eggs laid at one time) have been well studied in birds but not in lizards.<br/>* A team led by Shai Meiri of Tel Aviv University investigated which factors influence lizard clutch size.<br/>* Meiri's team obtained clutch-size and habitat data for over 3,900 lizard species and analyzed the data with statistical models.<br/>* Larger clutch size was associated with environments in higher latitudes that have more seasonal change.<br/>* lizards in higher-latitude environments may lay larger clutches to take advantage of shorter windows of favorable conditions.<br/><br/>The student wants to emphasize the aim of the research study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?<br/><br/>* Researchers wanted to know which factors influence lizard egg clutch size because such factors have been well studied in birds but not in lizards.<br/>* After they obtained data for over 3,900 lizard species, researchers determined that larger clutch size was associated with environments in higher latitudes that have more seasonal change.<br/>* We now know that lizards in higher-latitude environments may lay larger clutches to take advantage of shorter windows of favorable conditions.<br/>* Researchers obtained clutch-size and habitat data for over 3,900 lizard species and analyzed the data with statistical models.

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

Laettia Ky's hair is her art. Inspired by hairstyles from various African tribes, the Ivorian artist uses wire and thread to sculpt her hair into all kinds of shapes. ________, she once made her hair into the shape of the continent of Africa--including the island of Madagascar!<br/><br/>Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Chemical leavening agents cause carbon dioxide to be released within a liquid batter, making the batter rise as it bakes.<br/>* Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents.<br/>* Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate.<br/>* To produce carbon dioxide, baking soda needs to be mixed with liquid and an acidic ingredient such as honey.<br/>* Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and an acid.<br/>* To produce carbon dioxide, baking powder needs to be mixed with liquid but not with an acidic ingredient.<br/><br/>The student wants to emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

To discover which fruit varieties were grown in Italy's Umbria region before the introduction of industrial farming, botanist Isabella Dalla Raglione often turns to centuries-old lists of cooking ingredients. ________, she analyzes Renaissance paintings of Umbria, as they can provide accurate representations of fruits that were grown there long ago.<br/><br/>Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* Minnesota defines a lake as an inland body of water of at least 10 acres.<br/>* Wisconsin's definition of a lake doesn't take size into account.<br/>* By its own definition, Wisconsin has over 15,000 lakes, many smaller than 10 acres.<br/>* By Minnesota's definition, Wisconsin has only about 6,000 lakes.<br/><br/>The student wants to contrast Minnesota's definition of a lake with Wisconsin's. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:<br/><br/>* The calendar used by most of the world (the Gregorian calendar) has 365 days.<br/>* Because 365 days can't be divided evenly by 7 (the number of days in a week), calendar dates fall on a different day of the week each year.<br/>* The Hanke-Henry permanent calendar, developed as an alternative to the Gregorian calendar, has 364 days.<br/>* Because 364 can be divided evenly by 7, calendar dates fall on the same day of the week each year, which supports more predictable scheduling.<br/><br/>The student wants to explain an advantage of the Hanke-Henry calendar. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Reading and WritingExpression of Ideas