Reading and Writing Skills Analysis

1. Question

The following text is adapted from Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows.

It all seemed too good to be true. Hither and thither through the meadows Mole rambled busily, along the hedgerows, across the copses, finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting—everything happy, and progressive, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking him and whispering “whitewash!” he somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only idle dog among all these busy citizens. After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.

Based on the text, what is true about Mole?

He was traveling through the countryside.
He was being encouraged by other animals to work.
He never had any type of employment.
He felt uncomfortable when he was idle.

2. Question

A team of astrophysicists believe that the Milky Way’s Galactic disk has both a late phase and an earlier phase of formation. The discovery was made by reconstructing the ages of the stars in the Milky Way galaxy from data collected during the Gaia mission and the LAMOST survey, covering a total of more than 1.5 billion stars and information about their positions, temperature, and chemical compositions. The astrophysicists found that the two phases correlate significantly with distinct regions of the Milky Way’s Galactic disk.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the astrophysicists’ claim?

The stars observed in the Milky Way have similar temperatures and relative distances.
The age of the stars in the thin disk differs from that of the stars in the thick disk by about 2 billion years.
The age of some stars in the thick disk differs from that of other stars in the thick disk by about 2 billion years.
The composition of the stars observed in the thick disk shares many similarities.

3. Question

Afghanistan has one of the highest child mortality rates and levels of malnutrition in the world because large portions of the population live in poverty. However, although geologists estimate that there are trillions of dollars of untapped mineral reserves within the country, there is a dearth of infrastructure to extract and purify them. Given that children’s wellbeing is often prioritized, ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

if the minerals were to be mined, there would be enough money to raise the standard of living.
the people in Afghanistan are currently mining the minerals with more ineffective or dangerous machinery.
the country is spending its money on addressing the problem of poverty rather than extracting the minerals.
children’s mortality rates in Afghanistan would encourage foreign companies to invest in the country’s infrastructure for mining.

4. Question

Behavioral activation is a type of talk therapy that helps teens overcome negative mood spirals by identifying and modifying the link between their actions and emotions. This approach encourages them to notice how their daily behaviors affect their mood and to gradually ______ small, enjoyable activities that foster a more positive emotional state. Without the ability to recognize this connection, teens may continue engaging in habits that unintentionally reinforce their negative feelings, making it much harder to break free from the cycle of emotional distress.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

enmesh
combine
incorporate
attach

5. Question

The following text is adapted from Mother Jones’s speech to coal miners picketing in Charlestown, West Virginia, on August 15, 1912.

They wouldn’t keep their dog where they keep you fellows. You know that. They have a good place for their dogs and a slave to take care of them. The mine owners’ wives will take the dogs up, and say, “I love you, dea-h.” My friends, the day for petting dogs is gone; the day for raising children to a nobler manhood and better womanhood is here! You have suffered; I know you have suffered. I was with you nearly three years in this State. I went to jail. I went to the Federal courts, but I never took any back water!

What is the main purpose of the text?

To offer one point of consolation for the mine workers
To point out one of the adversaries faced by the miners
To illustrate that some mine owners can be compassionate
To emphasize the sordid conditions of the mine workers

6. Question

Hibiscandelphis wilderianus, a relative of the hibiscus, was a popular flower found in limited tropical regions. Known to grow only on the lava fields on Mount Haleakala on Maui Island in Hawaii, it went extinct between 1910 and 1913, when ranchers slashed the forest to make room to raise cattle. In 2019, the scent of the flower was recreated using DNA from a preserved specimen.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

It details a potential explanation for a claim.
It describes the outcome of a known problem.
It provides background for a following event.
It offers justification for later action.

7. Question

Text 1

In Costa Rica, there are about 300 stone spheres ranging in size from a few inches to over six feet across. The perfect symmetry of these sculptures has long been believed to be carved by an advanced civilization with mathematical skills as early as 200 B.C. It would have taken a significant effort to move the 15-ton rocks from about 30 miles away, pound the shapes with larger stones, and then polish them with sand for the smooth finish they now have.

Text 2

A new study contends that it is hardly possible for a society with no writing, such as the people in Costa Rica from around 200 B.C., to have calculated and followed through with the process of shaping rocks into stone spheres. About 50 miles away, however, is a river, the Terraba, which could easily have produced the shapes in its current form.

With which of the following points would the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 both agree?

The stone spheres found in Costa Ricato have their present shape because of manual refining.
There was no need for the civilization in Costa Rica to carve and rocks into stone spheres if they had not had means of transporting rocks.
The people in Costa Rica must have shaped the stone spheres before transporting them to the current location.
The civilization in Costa Rica might have been advanced enough to invent ways to transport heavy objects.

8. Question

When researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

Cheddar cheese is made from cows’ milk that is cultured, which means that bacteria is added to acidify it.
The taste varies depending on how long it is aged: mild (2–3 months), sharp (6–9 months), or extra–sharp (1–2 years).
The texture changes from creamy to hard as the cheese ages, and the color may be white, its natural color, or orange.
The orange color associated with the cheese is because cows in the past had a diet rich in beta-carotene, which tainted the milk orange.
Modern cheddar cheese uses colorants, often annatto, which is the fruit of the achiote tree that is native to tropical regions in the Americas.

The student wants to answer the question of why cheddar cheese is often orange. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

In the past, cheddar cheese was orange because the cows ate beta–carotene to give it color, but today a different process is used since the cheese is white in its natural form.
Cheddar cheese comes from cows’ milk that is aged at different lengths of time to give it different flavors, textures, and colors, so the younger cheese is white and older cheese is orange.
Cheddar cheese is made from cows’ milk that is cultured, and depending on what the cows consume, the cheese can vary from white to orange.
Although natural cheddar cheese is white, it is sometimes colored with additives such as annatto from the tropical achiote tree to mimic its historic orange color.

9. Question

Ishtaboli is a traditional game played by Choctaw Native Americans who lived in an area that is now Oklahoma. A form of stickball, the game has players that hit or pass a ball with sticks into a goal, but there are virtually no rules. ______ the game, for that reason, was suppressed by the U.S. government, but now Choctaws play ishtaboli as an expression of culture and take pride in their heritage.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Simultaneously,
Previously,
For instance,
Conversely,

10. Question

Born in Okinawa in 1868, ______ though various forms of unarmed combat techniques were used for hundreds of years prior to his birth.