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What is the author’s point of view about Marian Anderson?
Marian Anderson was a world-class singer. By the year 1939, Marian had sung for people around the world, including kings and presidents. Her dream was to sing at Constitution Hall but in her mind, she viewed it as something that would never happen. The owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), would not allow her to sing because she was African-American.
Marian was used to dealing with people who only saw her for her skin color. When she was younger she applied to become a student at a music school. She was denied entrance because of her race. In the early 1900s when Marian was beginning her singing career segregation was still keeping African-American people from achieving their goals and dreams.
Marian performed in 1925 in a voice contest in New York and won. She was able to sing with the New York Philharmonic! She thought doors were going to start opening for her in the United States but instead, people foolishly turned her away. Marian traveled to Europe in 1928 and she became quite popular.
In 1939, she returned to the United States but she was still subject to the cruelty and unfairness of racism and segregation. When Marian attempted to sing at Constitution Hall the DAR had many excuses for why she couldn’t perform. They tried telling her the dates weren’t available or they weren’t booking. Eventually, they told Marian the truth, she couldn’t perform because they only allowed white musicians.
This rejection inspired thousands of people to rally together against the horrible segregation laws that prevented so many from hearing Marian’s beautiful voice. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR and publicly shamed them for their treatment of African-America performers. Mrs. Roosevelt and her staff arranged a concert at the Lincoln Memorial for Marian. Seventy-five thousand people attended and stood against discrimination.
After the DAR incident, Marian took a stand and refused to sing for segregated crowds. She finally achieved her dream of singing at Constitution Hall when the DAR reversed its policy on allowing African-American performers. In 1964 Marian retired from performing and The Civil Rights Act was signed. She along with other brave activists took a stand and created lasting change against racism and segregation in the United States.
The author describes Marian as “a world-class singer” and states that “She along with other brave activists took a stand and created lasting change against racism and segregation in the United States.” This leads readers to the understanding that he views her positively and is complimentary of her.
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Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with on a daily basis were developed completely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of the most well-known accidental inventions of today, the potato chip was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack around the world!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
In the context of paragraph 1, surface most nearly means
Here, the term “surface” is used to mean that the inventions come into light or “appear.” While surface, in another context, could describe an exterior, or even a component of a table, neither of those words fit our context. Evaporate, if anything, is the opposite of what we are looking for, and while we are talking about inventions as a whole, it would not make any contextual sense to say “inventions invent.”
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Adapted from White Fang by Jack London (1906)
Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness -- a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild.
But there was life, abroad in the land and defiant. Down the frozen waterway toiled a string of wolfish dogs. Their bristly fur was rimed with frost. Their breath froze in the air as it left their mouths, spouting forth in spumes of vapor that settled upon the hair of their bodies and formed into crystals of frost. Leather harness was on the dogs, and leather traces attached them to a sled which dragged along behind. On the sled, securely lashed, was a long and narrow oblong box. There were other things on the sled -- blankets, an axe, and a coffee-pot and frying-pan; but prominent, occupying most of the space, was the long and narrow oblong box.
In advance of the dogs, on wide snowshoes, toiled a man. At the rear of the sled toiled a second man. On the sled, in the box, lay a third man whose toil was over, -- a man whom the Wild had conquered and beaten down until he would never move nor struggle again.
But at front and rear, unawed and indomitable, toiled the two men who were not yet dead. Their bodies were covered with fur and soft-tanned leather. Eyelashes and cheeks and lips were so coated with the crystals from their frozen breath that their faces were not discernible. This gave them the seeming of ghostly masques, undertakers in a spectral world at the funeral of some ghost. But under it all they were men, penetrating the land of desolation and mockery and silence, puny adventurers bent on colossal adventure, pitting themselves against the might of a world as remote and alien and pulseless as the abysses of space.
They travelled on without speech, saving their breath for the work of their bodies. On every side was the silence, pressing upon them with a tangible presence.
The pale light of the short sunless day was beginning to fade, when a faint far cry arose on the still air. It soared upward with a swift rush, till it reached its topmost note, where it persisted, palpitant and tense, and then slowly died away. It might have been a lost soul wailing, had it not been invested with a certain sad fierceness and hungry eagerness.
A second cry arose, piercing the silence with needlelike shrillness. Both men located the sound. It was to the rear, somewhere in the snow expanse they had just traversed. A third and answering cry arose, also to the rear and to the left of the second cry.
"They're after us, Bill," said the man at the front.
"Meat is scarce," answered his comrade. "I ain't seen a rabbit sign for days.”
At the fall of darkness they swung the dogs into a cluster of spruce trees on the edge of the waterway and made a camp. The coffin, at the side of the fire, served for seat and table. The wolf-dogs, clustered on the far side of the fire, snarled and bickered among themselves, but evinced no inclination to stray off into the darkness.
- - -
"Henry," said Bill, munching with deliberation the beans he was eating, "How many dogs 've we got, Henry?"
"Six."
"Well, Henry . . ." Bill stopped for a moment, in order that his words might gain greater significance. "As I was sayin', Henry, we've got six dogs. I took six fish out of the bag. I gave one fish to each dog, an', Henry, I was one fish short."
"You counted wrong."
"We've got six dogs," the other reiterated dispassionately. "took out six fish. One Ear didn't get no fish. I come back to the bag afterward an' got 'm his fish."
"We've only got six dogs," Henry said.
"Henry," Bill went on, "I won't say they was all dogs, but there was seven of 'm that got fish."
Henry stopped eating to glance across the fire and count the dogs.
"There's only six now," he said.
"I saw the other one run off across the snow," Bill announced with cool positiveness. "I saw seven.”
Bill opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. Instead, he pointed toward the wall of darkness that pressed about them from every side. There was no suggestion of form in the utter blackness; only could be seen a pair of eyes gleaming like live coals. Henry indicated with his head a second pair, and a third. A circle of the gleaming eyes had drawn about their camp.
Compared to the narrator’s prose, the dialogue of the characters in the text __________.
The narrator of this passage uses very formal language, as we can see from the first paragraph. Consider the following excerpt as an example of the narrator's tone and style:
There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness -- a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild.
The narrator is using purposeful repetition for emphasis, as well as alluding to mythology ("the smile of the Sphinx"), all while using long, complex sentences and advanced vocabulary. In contrast, let's now consider some of the dialogue of the characters in the story, with the surrounding prose removed:
"They're after us, Bill."
"Meat is scarce. "I ain't seen a rabbit sign for days.”
and
"Well, Henry . . . As I was sayin', Henry, we've got six dogs. I took six fish out of the bag. I gave one fish to each dog, an', Henry, I was one fish short."
This dialogue uses short sentences as well as nonstandard English like "ain't," "sayin'," and "an'". It is considerably less formal and does not use any allusions or repetition for poetic effect. (While it uses repetition, this repetition is simply the restatement of the same point in the exact same way, not in a way that helps the audience better understand it like the narrator's prose does.) The best answer is thus that the dialogue of the characters in the passage "is less formal and poetic" than the narrator's prose. None of the other answer choices are correct: the characters do not use more allusions, similes, or metaphors than the narrator does; they make more, not less, use of slang, and neither the narrator's prose nor the characters' dialogue is particularly humorous, so we can't claim that one is much less humorous than the other.
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“Stone Trees”
Have you ever seen a stone tree? While the idea of a stone tree may sound fantastic, fallen trees can turn to stone in very specific circumstances, producing what scientists call “petrified wood.” “Petra” means stone in ancient Greek, so something “petrified” has been turned to stone. You may have heard the word “petrified” used to describe someone so scared that they have frozen as if turned to stone, but scientists use the word literally to refer to actual stone. Petrified trees are stone trees, not scared trees!
A Type of Fossil
Like ancient skeletons of dinosaurs and other organisms preserved in the earth, petrified wood is a type of fossil; however, there is a big difference between petrified wood and most fossils. Most fossils are imprints of creatures or partial remains of them, such as their skeletons. In contrast, the process of petrification recreates an entire preserved tree in stone. It’s very cool to see a petrified tree close-up, because it is still precisely life-size; you can get an idea of how big the tree was when it was alive, and even see individual tree cells that have been preserved. You can even count the tree rings in some petrified trees and estimate how old the tree grew to be before it was petrified.
From Tree to Stone
In order for a tree to become petrified wood, it must have died and been buried a very long time ago. This has to have happened in a specific environment, though, or petrified wood would not be so rare. The tree has to be buried in such a way that oxygen cannot get to its bark and wood. If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.
The environment has to have two more specific characteristics to produce petrified wood: there has to be water in the ground around the tree, and that water has to contain minerals. If mineral-containing water is present, water will go into and out of the tree’s cells and, over time, the minerals in the water will accumulate in the tree’s cells. When the tree’s cells eventually decay, the minerals are left. Petrified wood can be a rainbow of different colors, with each color corresponding to different elements in the tree’s preserving environment that affect the color of the minerals that form its stone.
Petrified wood is found all over the world, and there are even entire forests of petrified trees that you can travel to go see today. One national park in the United States, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, is famous for its many petrified trees. The next time you see a tree, remember, after a few million years in the right environment, it could turn to stone!
Which of the following best describes the author’s purpose in this passage?
Let's consider what the author does in each of the paragraphs in this passage. The first paragraph introduces the concept of petrified wood and discusses the history of the name. The second paragraph compares petrified wood to other types of fossils to help the reader understand the features that make it special. The third and fourth paragraphs talk about specific qualities of the environment necessary for petrified wood to form. Finally, the last paragraph talks about where petrified wood can be found.
Based on that reading, we can conclude that the author's purpose in the passage is not "to discuss one aspect of the process of petrification in particular." While parts of the passage "discuss the history of the name “petrified wood” and "explain how petrified wood differs from dinosaur fossils," neither of these is the focus of the entire passage. The author mentions national parks at the end of the passage, but doesn't talk about his or her experience of finding petrified wood there, so it's not the purpose of the passage "to recount the author’s experiences of finding petrified wood in national parks."
The best answer is that the author's purpose in the passage is "to provide a general description of petrified wood, including how it forms." The passage discusses a number of different topics related to the general topic of petrified wood, and does spend time explaining how it forms.
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Passage 1:
Graffiti - the public drawings and paintings that often cover surfaces of walls and other public structures - are often written off as an act of vandalism. However, the time has finally come when we begin to recognize graffiti for the art form it truly is.
Artists such as Banksy have shown us that graffiti can be a way to showcase not only one’s talent in the visual arts but also one’s political and social causes and stances. Some cities have even come to embrace graffiti to such an extent that they have commissioned works of art from these artists on the facades of public buildings.
Although graffiti began as an act of anarchy and rebellion, its contributions to society and the communities impacted by the art have seen positive responses that far outweigh the negatives. Graffiti is no longer a costly nuisance that should be immediately covered or removed, it has instead flourished to become an entirely new and unique art form with talent and renown that will eventually come to match the household names “Picasso” and “Michaelangelo” in stature.
Passage 2:
Though some might idolize graffiti as an act of admirable rebellion, this “art” causes nothing but negative impacts on its community. Those who would vandalize their streets and neighborhoods are no friend to the community. Instead, these criminals deface properties, decrease home values, and leave the community looking less pristine and cared for.
Such vandals also disregard the work put in by maintenance workers cleaning up after their messes and government officials attempting to create a better community for their citizens. While the work created by graffiti “artists” can sometimes be visually impressive, this does not outweigh the fact that what they have created is not art, but a crime against the community.
Popular graffiti “artists” auctioning work off for thousands of dollars apiece only perpetuate this trend. It is high time we put a stop to these criminal activities rather than glorifying them and allow true artists who follow city policies and stick to canvas or sculpture their due respect.
Which of the following statements would the author of Passage 1 be most likely to disagree with?
The author of Passage 1 feels overall positively about graffiti and cites its positive attributes. While the author does address graffiti’s origins in rebellion and anarchy, graffiti is referred to throughout Passage 1 as an art form that establishes artistic talent and has “seen positive responses that far outweigh the negatives.” This is precisely the opposite of what is expressed in our correct answer: “The negative impacts of graffiti far outweigh the positives.”
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Passage 1:
Graffiti - the public drawings and paintings that often cover surfaces of walls and other public structures - are often written off as an act of vandalism. However, the time has finally come when we begin to recognize graffiti for the art form it truly is.
Artists such as Banksy have shown us that graffiti can be a way to showcase not only one’s talent in the visual arts but also one’s political and social causes and stances. Some cities have even come to embrace graffiti to such an extent that they have commissioned works of art from these artists on the facades of public buildings.
Although graffiti began as an act of anarchy and rebellion, its contributions to society and the communities impacted by the art have seen positive responses that far outweigh the negatives. Graffiti is no longer a costly nuisance that should be immediately covered or removed, it has instead flourished to become an entirely new and unique art form with talent and renown that will eventually come to match the household names “Picasso” and “Michaelangelo” in stature.
Passage 2:
Though some might idolize graffiti as an act of admirable rebellion, this “art” causes nothing but negative impacts on its community. Those who would vandalize their streets and neighborhoods are no friend to the community. Instead, these criminals deface properties, decrease home values, and leave the community looking less pristine and cared for.
Such vandals also disregard the work put in by maintenance workers cleaning up after their messes and government officials attempting to create a better community for their citizens. While the work created by graffiti “artists” can sometimes be visually impressive, this does not outweigh the fact that what they have created is not art, but a crime against the community.
Popular graffiti “artists” auctioning work off for thousands of dollars apiece only perpetuate this trend. It is high time we put a stop to these criminal activities rather than glorifying them and allow true artists who follow city policies and stick to canvas or sculpture their due respect.
Which of the following statements would the author of Passage 2 be most likely to agree with?
The author of Passage 2 directly states that the work of graffiti artists should not be considered art, and that “what they have created is not art, but a crime against the community.” We do not, however, know that all graffiti artists are paid thousands, that vandalism can be good for the community, or that graffiti is always visually impressive - even if the author cites that in some cases, this might be true.
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Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with on a daily basis were developed completely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of the most well-known accidental inventions of today, the potato chip was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack around the world!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
According to the passage, the author would most likely agree that
In the passage, the author cites examples of accidental inventions. That is, inventions that were discovered without the original intent of the inventor. This does not, however, indicate to us that this is the only way helpful inventions can be created, nor does the passage indicate that the author believes these accidental inventions should not be credited as real inventions. However, there is strong evidence that the author believes that “Inventions aren’t always well planned out and anticipated,” as this is the entire idea behind accidental inventions.
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Every day it seems, new inventions surface that promise to add value to our day-to-day lives. But did you know, many of the inventions we interact with on a daily basis were developed completely by accident?
Take the microwave, for instance. This accidental invention was developed by engineer Percy Spencer who, upon experimenting with a microwave-emitting magnetron, found that the candy bar in his pocket had begun to melt. Spencer was then able to harness this radiation into the microwave we use today to make snack time a speedy process!
Perhaps one of the most well-known accidental inventions of today, the potato chip was born when a customer kept requesting that his french fries be sliced thinner and made crispier. Though chef George Crum responded with the chips as a joke, they quickly became a favorite snack around the world!
Even the match is a result of accidental invention. When pharmacist John Walker was stirring chemicals, he noticed that the end of his stirring stick had dried into a hardened lump. When attempting to scrape the dried residue off, a flame sparked, and so did Walker’s idea to turn this accident into a helpful tool!
So, the next time your science experiment doesn’t go as planned, or you burn what you have cooked on the stove, keep in mind that some of today’s most valued inventions were discovered when the inventor least expected it!
Which of the following represents a view not held by the author?
Though our other answer choices have reasonable support from the passage, we cannot confidently determine that the author felt that “Percy Spencer should have eaten the candy bar so that it wouldn’t be accidentally melted and wasted.” In fact, the author uses Spencer’s example to show the fortunate outcomes of accidental inventions. So, the author very likely would not suggest that Spencer should have eaten the candy bar before his work to avoid melting it - and certainly wouldn’t consider the bar wasted! Even though it likely went uneaten, the bar contributed to one of the most impactful inventions of our time!
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What personal opinion does the author interject into the story that alludes to his or her point of view?
Nearly all the workers of the Lowell textile mills of Massachusetts were unmarried daughters from farm families. Some of the workers were as young as 10. Many people in the 1820s were upset by the idea of working females. The company provided well-kept dormitories for the women to live in. The meals were decent and church attendance was mandatory. Compared to other factories of the time, the Lowell mills were clean and safe. There was even a journal, The Lowell Offering, which contained poems and other material written by the workers, and which became known beyond New England. Ironically, it was at the Lowell mills that dissatisfaction with working conditions brought about the first organization of working women.
The work was difficult. When wages were cut, the workers organized the Factory Girls Association. 15,000 women decided to “turn out,” or walk off the job. The Offering, meant as a pleasant creative outlet, gave the women a voice that could be heard elsewhere in the country, and even in Europe. However, the ability of women to demand changes was limited. The women could not go for long without wages with which to support themselves and families. This same limitation hampered the effectiveness of the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association (LFLRA), organized in 1844.
No specific changes can be directly credited to the Lowell workers, but their legacy is unquestionable. The LFLRA’s founder, Sarah Bagley, became a national figure, speaking before the Massachusetts House of Representatives. When the New England Labor Reform League was formed, three of the eight board members were women. Other mill workers took note of the Lowell strikes and were successful in getting better pay, shorter hours, and safer working conditions. Even some existing child labor laws can be traced back to efforts first set in motion by the Lowell mills women.
The author inserts his or her own opinion but states that the LFLRA’s legacy is unquestionable. This gives insight into how the author is feeling about the reform movement and how important they are. The other sentences were facts rather than opinions.
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You likely hear the name “Napoleon Bonaparte” and immediately think of the short in stature and short in temper French emperor. But have you heard about his most embarrassing surrender? No, not Waterloo! Not Laon or the battle of La Rothiere either! Napoleon's most laughable defeat came well before his loss at Waterloo, in the summer of 1807.
Despite Napoleon's great renown as a brilliant military leader, he once retreated frantically from an army of ….bunnies! You heard that right! Shortly after Napoleon’s Treaties of Tilsit was penned, the emperor planned to celebrate with his fellow military men the best way he knew how - a hunt! Napoleon ordered the chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, to organize an extravagant rabbit hunt for Napoleon and his men.
Not to be outdone, Berthier collected what was estimated to be between hundreds and thousands of rabbits for the hunt. However, while Berthier assumed that, like wild rabbits, these village-raised rabbits would scurry at the sight of Napoleon and his men, exactly the opposite was true. When the day came and the hunting party was ready for the chase, the bunnies were released. But instead of running for the woods, the swarm of rabbits came straight for Napoleon and his men. Though the men initially attempted to fight back, they were overwhelmed by the horde and fled to their coaches on a panicked retreat. It was not until the coaches sped away, rabbits still hopping aboard even as they attempted to retreat, that Napoleon was able to escape the furry army.
Embarrassed in front of the military peers and subordinates who once respected him, Napoleon fled home from a battle he never anticipated, and one he would never fully recover from the battle of the bunnies.
According to the passage, the author would describe Napoleon as all of the following except
Napoleon is described by the author as “short in stature and short in temper,” meaning that he was both short and easily upset, and the author cites that Napoleon had “great renown as a brilliant military leader,” meaning that he had at least some success. The author does not, however, refer to Napoleon as undefeated in battle, and actually cites several defeats - even beyond the embarrassing retreat spoken about in the passage.
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You likely hear the name “Napoleon Bonaparte” and immediately think of the short in stature and short in temper French emperor. But have you heard about his most embarrassing surrender? No, not Waterloo! Not Laon or the battle of La Rothiere either! Napoleon's most laughable defeat came well before his loss at Waterloo, in the summer of 1807.
Despite Napoleon's great renown as a brilliant military leader, he once retreated frantically from an army of ….bunnies! You heard that right! Shortly after Napoleon’s Treaties of Tilsit was penned, the emperor planned to celebrate with his fellow military men the best way he knew how - a hunt! Napoleon ordered the chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, to organize an extravagant rabbit hunt for Napoleon and his men.
Not to be outdone, Berthier collected what was estimated to be between hundreds and thousands of rabbits for the hunt. However, while Berthier assumed that, like wild rabbits, these village-raised rabbits would scurry at the sight of Napoleon and his men, exactly the opposite was true. When the day came and the hunting party was ready for the chase, the bunnies were released. But instead of running for the woods, the swarm of rabbits came straight for Napoleon and his men. Though the men initially attempted to fight back, they were overwhelmed by the horde and fled to their coaches on a panicked retreat. It was not until the coaches sped away, rabbits still hopping aboard even as they attempted to retreat, that Napoleon was able to escape the furry army.
Embarrassed in front of the military peers and subordinates who once respected him, Napoleon fled home from a battle he never anticipated, and one he would never fully recover from the battle of the bunnies.
We can determine from the passage that the author would likely describe Berthier as
According to the passage, we don’t know that Berthier was always making mistakes, or that he was often reprimanded for mistakes, and we can determine that he was definitely not always successful. We do, however, know that Berthier held a high-ranking military position, as he was chief of staff to Napoleon.
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The animal kingdom is made up of creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colors. While we may see color as little more than decoration, animals use their colors in three key ways: to hide, to deceive, and to attract.
The first purpose of color in the animal kingdom, to hide, is perhaps the most commonly known. Animals use a variety of colorations to camouflage themselves or to obscure their shapes from predators. For instance, the owl is often colored and patterned to match the bark of its tree of choice to better blend into its surroundings when perched. The leafy seadragon, an aquatic example of a species employing color to hide, uses its blue-green coloration and leaf-like protrusions to blend into the aquatic foliage of its ecosystem. But perhaps no species is better known for its ability to use color to hide than the chameleon, which can change color to blend into its surroundings. In fact, the chameleon is so well-known for this trait that its name has become a term that is now generally used to refer to one who “changes to fit/blend in.”
Deception is the second function of color in animals. Animals have been known to use their colors and patterns to deceive potential predators and prey. The hemeroplanes triptolemus, otherwise known as the aptly named “snake mimic caterpillar,” uses large, eye-like colorations on its underbelly to flip over and appear snake-like and thus more intimidating to predators. The orchid mantis is another fascinating example of deception in the animal kingdom. Brightly colored in hues of pink and purple, the mantis contorts itself to appear flower-like as it awaits its prey. When pollinators come around expecting a flower to feed on, they are in for a surprise, as the mantis sits ready to strike.
Animals don’t always use their colors to become less pronounced or to hide their true forms from predators or prey. They can also use colors to attract. Bright colorations in animals are used to both attract mates, and to attract attention from and send a warning to potential predators. Many species of birds are known to use bright colorations to attract potential female mates. Additionally, poisonous creatures might be seen with bright colorations and patterns to warn potential predators to leave them be! In fact, many non-poisonous animals have taken this “attract attention” purpose and melded it with “deception” to use their bright coloration to appear poisonous and thus dangerous to predators - even though they are completely harmless!
When it comes to animal colorations, there’s more than meets the eye. With bright colors to attract a mate or ward off a foe, patterns to obscure one’s form and markings that can make even the most harmless bug look like a terrifying creature, animals use color in many ways to better their chances of survival in the wild.
According to the passage, the author would be most likely to describe the colors of animals as
The author of the passage describes various purposes of the functions of colors in the animal kingdom. So, the author would describe the colors of animals as “functional,” or having a purpose/function. All of our other answer options contrast this function and don’t align with the passage.
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The animal kingdom is made up of creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colors. While we may see color as little more than decoration, animals use their colors in three key ways: to hide, to deceive, and to attract.
The first purpose of color in the animal kingdom, to hide, is perhaps the most commonly known. Animals use a variety of colorations to camouflage themselves or to obscure their shapes from predators. For instance, the owl is often colored and patterned to match the bark of its tree of choice to better blend into its surroundings when perched. The leafy seadragon, an aquatic example of a species employing color to hide, uses its blue-green coloration and leaf-like protrusions to blend into the aquatic foliage of its ecosystem. But perhaps no species is better known for its ability to use color to hide than the chameleon, which can change color to blend into its surroundings. In fact, the chameleon is so well-known for this trait that its name has become a term that is now generally used to refer to one who “changes to fit/blend in.”
Deception is the second function of color in animals. Animals have been known to use their colors and patterns to deceive potential predators and prey. The hemeroplanes triptolemus, otherwise known as the aptly named “snake mimic caterpillar,” uses large, eye-like colorations on its underbelly to flip over and appear snake-like and thus more intimidating to predators. The orchid mantis is another fascinating example of deception in the animal kingdom. Brightly colored in hues of pink and purple, the mantis contorts itself to appear flower-like as it awaits its prey. When pollinators come around expecting a flower to feed on, they are in for a surprise, as the mantis sits ready to strike.
Animals don’t always use their colors to become less pronounced or to hide their true forms from predators or prey. They can also use colors to attract. Bright colorations in animals are used to both attract mates, and to attract attention from and send a warning to potential predators. Many species of birds are known to use bright colorations to attract potential female mates. Additionally, poisonous creatures might be seen with bright colorations and patterns to warn potential predators to leave them be! In fact, many non-poisonous animals have taken this “attract attention” purpose and melded it with “deception” to use their bright coloration to appear poisonous and thus dangerous to predators - even though they are completely harmless!
When it comes to animal colorations, there’s more than meets the eye. With bright colors to attract a mate or ward off a foe, patterns to obscure one’s form and markings that can make even the most harmless bug look like a terrifying creature, animals use color in many ways to better their chances of survival in the wild.
Which of the following statements would the author of the passage be most likely to disagree with?
While the author of the passage addresses the use of color to deceive, the varying shapes and sizes of animals, and their use of color to attract a mate, the author also shows that animals can employ more than one function of color at a time. An example of such an instance is given in paragraph four, where the author states that “many non-poisonous animals have taken this “attract attention” purpose and melded it with “deception” to use their bright coloration to appear poisonous and thus dangerous to predators - even though they are completely harmless.”
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Passage 1:
The penny has long outlived its usefulness in the monetary system and should be removed from use. Pennies cost more to produce than the value they represent. In fact, it costs taxpayers nearly two cents to produce and distribute every one cent penny.
Additionally, the penny does not represent the real level of purchasing power. Go to the corner store today and ask for the “penny candy,” and you might be routed to a row of treats, but you’re unlikely to find anything for purchase for under a quarter.
On top of the cost and lack of benefit, pennies are also heavy for their value, so much so that many don’t even care to keep the pennies they receive in change. 11% of people report that they would rather throw a penny away than carry it around with them, and over $62 million dollars in coins are thrown out annually - most of them pennies.
Whether it’s at the grocery register or at the bank, everyone who handles pennies agrees that they are excessively time-consuming to process. Even most charities would rather do without the pennies they receive! It’s time we let go of this costly antiquity and get rid of the penny once and for all!
Passage 2:
The penny is a sacred historic symbol in America and should be respected for its historical value. Over half of Americans are in favor of keeping the penny, and many fear the trend that eliminating low-value currency sets. “Rounding tax,” or the inclination for businesses to round prices up to the nearest unit of change available, could have an impact on consumers, and as inflation continues, the nickel, the dime, and even the quarter could follow!
Not only does the penny help keep costs low, but it would also be costly to take out of commission effectively. The penny is also a powerful historical tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who has appeared on the penny’s face since 1909.
The penny represents far more than its one-cent value and eliminating it would take a toll on the history it represents and the majority of citizens who seek to keep it in commission.
Which of the following statements would the author of Passage 1 be most likely to agree with?
While the author of Passage 1 is in favor of removing the penny from use, we cannot use this information to conclude that the author thinks pennies have never been useful or held any historical significance, or that all change should be abolished. However, given the excerpt “go to the corner store today and ask for the “penny candy,” and you might be routed to a row of treats, but you’re unlikely to find anything for purchase for under a quarter,” we can see that the author would agree that most candy costs at least a quarter - or 25 cents.
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Passage 1:
The penny has long outlived its usefulness in the monetary system and should be removed from use. Pennies cost more to produce than the value they represent. In fact, it costs taxpayers nearly two cents to produce and distribute every one cent penny.
Additionally, the penny does not represent the real level of purchasing power. Go to the corner store today and ask for the “penny candy,” and you might be routed to a row of treats, but you’re unlikely to find anything for purchase for under a quarter.
On top of the cost and lack of benefit, pennies are also heavy for their value, so much so that many don’t even care to keep the pennies they receive in change. 11% of people report that they would rather throw a penny away than carry it around with them, and over $62 million dollars in coins are thrown out annually - most of them pennies.
Whether it’s at the grocery register or at the bank, everyone who handles pennies agrees that they are excessively time-consuming to process. Even most charities would rather do without the pennies they receive! It’s time we let go of this costly antiquity and get rid of the penny once and for all!
Passage 2:
The penny is a sacred historic symbol in America and should be respected for its historical value. Over half of Americans are in favor of keeping the penny, and many fear the trend that eliminating low-value currency sets. “Rounding tax,” or the inclination for businesses to round prices up to the nearest unit of change available, could have an impact on consumers, and as inflation continues, the nickel, the dime, and even the quarter could follow!
Not only does the penny help keep costs low, but it would also be costly to take out of commission effectively. The penny is also a powerful historical tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who has appeared on the penny’s face since 1909.
The penny represents far more than its one-cent value and eliminating it would take a toll on the history it represents and the majority of citizens who seek to keep it in commission.
According to the author of Passage 2, Abraham Lincoln
In Passage 2, we are told that “the penny is also a powerful historical tribute to Abraham Lincoln, who has appeared on the penny’s face since 1909.” While we do not know that this is when the penny was first created, nor do we know that Lincoln has no other means of tribute and would otherwise be forgotten (the Lincoln memorial and the five-dollar bill would beg to differ!), we do know that he was chosen to be featured as a sign of honor, otherwise known as a tribute.
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How would the author of the passage be most likely to characterize the role of King Fredrick of Prussia in the context of the passage?
When you hear the phrase “man’s best friend,” you probably think of one animal, and one animal alone: the dog. But why is that? How did dogs come to earn the name “man’s best friend,” and why has the name stuck around since?
Many historians trace the relationship between man and dog back more than 30,000 years, to when wolves used to scavenge alongside humans. Other historians cite the point when dogs and people began living together, around 15,000 years ago, as the start to this friendship.
Literature from long ago also references the friendship between man and dog, most famously in Homer’s The Odyssey. However, it wasn’t until the 1700s when King Fredrick of Prussia coined the term that dogs were formally given the position “best friend to man.” Frederick referred to his friendship with his dogs in a way that was unusual at the time. While pet dogs were common for those of his rank and stature, they were normally used for hunting and protecting, and it would be considered strange to speak of them as “friends.” Fredrick, however, was so fond of his dogs that he had portraits of them painted, spoke often of their loyalty, and even requested that he be buried next to them when he was laid to rest.
It is this strange but enduring relationship with “man’s best friend” that has stood the test of time. Today, dogs are often thought of for their loyalty and companionship. Studies even suggest that a canine companion can increase one’s lifespan, lower cardiovascular disease, and improve mental health. Even if you don’t share Frederick’s opinion that companionship with a dog is the only way to be truly “free of cares,” there’s no arguing that dogs have earned the title “man’s best friend” over the thousands of years they have stood by man’s side.
The author of the passage uses the history of King Fredrick of Prussia to show the first recorded instance where a dog was referred to as “best friend” to man. - Be careful! That’s different from saying “the first documented instance of companionship between man and dog” We see several earlier instances of companionship between man and dog that build the foundation for the interactions we see today. However, the author would certainly consider King Fredrick of Prussia’s role as “a core element” of that history.
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"Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare
1 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
2 Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
3 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
4 And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
6 And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
7 And every fair from fair sometime declines,
8 By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
11 Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,
12 When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
13 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
14 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Many sonnets contain a “volta.” "Volta" means turn in Italian, and a volta is a turn from one major train of thought or idea to another. This sonnet contains such a switch in train of thought. In which of the following lines does the narrator focus on a brand-new train of thought that is different from the train of thought of the lines leading up to it?
Let's start by reading the first part of the poem and seeing where the poet decides to veer to address another topic midway through the poem. In Line 1, the speaker begins by asking if he should compare someone to a summer's day. In Line 2, he decides that the person he is addressing is better than a summer's day. Lines 3–8 tell us various flaws in "a summer's day," making the poem's addressee look much better in comparison. There's no veer toward a different train of thought in these first eight lines. But consider the shift from Line 8 to Line 9:
7 And every fair from fair sometime declines,
8 By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
That's certainly a shift! The author stops focusing on the comparison between the summer's day's negative aspects and instead starts considering the addressee directly. The poem shifts from discussing nature to discussing life and death. Based on this evidence, we can correctly state that the "volta" of the poem occurs between lines 8 and 9. (This is actually the expected location of the volta in Shakespearean sonnets. The next time you read one, see if it includes a dramatic turn between its eighth and ninth lines!)
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“The Petrified Forest of Arizona” by E.A. J. Seddon, Associate Editor, Southern Division in The Mountain States Monitor, September 1918.
The Petrified Forest of Arizona is an area covered with the fossil remains of prehistoric trees. The name “Petrified Forest” is somewhat of a misnomer: the word “forest” suggests standing trees, but these trees fell over long ago and have been preserved in stone. At one time, they formed part of a forest of gigantic trees. They proudly reared their heads above the surrounding country, but they were conquered and laid low by some force of nature.
Then began the process of embalming and preserving these fallen monarchs. They were buried thousands of feet beneath the bottom of an inland sea. This was a vast pickling vat where the wood was slowly converted into living gems. We can tell this because volcanic cones and mineral springs still exist in the area.
Water containing minerals slowly forced its way into the trunks and limbs and roots of the fallen monarchs under a terrific pressure. Eventually, the woody material was gradually replaced by silica, a type of rock. Iron oxides were present in the silica. These oxides created brilliant and beautiful brown, yellow, and red colors in the rock.
Eventually, the sediment containing the petrified trees was thrown up from nature’s subterranean chemical laboratory. The wrappings of the dead monarchs were slowly washed away by erosion and corrosion. Then the glorious sun shone upon the trees once again. They were no longer rulers of the kingdom of flora, but preserved for all time as agate, jasper, opal, and other forms of silica.
Which of the following best describes the passage’s structure?
To figure out what kind of structure the passage employs, let's summarize what each of its paragraphs talk about and consider how the paragraphs connect to one another. In the first paragraph, the author introduces the Petrified Forest of Arizona and describes the ancient trees and how they fell. In the second paragraph, the author describes how the trees were buried underneath an inland sea. In the third paragraph, he talks about how the woody material of the trees was replaced by silica, a type of rock. In the fourth paragraph, the author describes how the trees made their way back to the surface.
This summary shows us that the passage as a whole doesn't "\[provide\] a lengthy, poetic description of a single piece of petrified wood" or "\[describe\] the Petrified Forest of Arizona as it exists in the author’s own time." It certainly doesn't "\[explain\] what the author thinks about the value of petrified wood as a resource," because this point is never mentioned. In addition, the passage does not "\[focus\] on how petrification occurs and then \[consider\] how this process differs from that which produces dinosaur skeleton fossils." While it focuses on how petrification occurs, it never mentions dinosaur fossils!
The correct answer is that the passage "follows the process of petrification chronologically." Did you notice when summarizing the passage that each paragraph described a sequential step in the process of petrification? The author starts by describing the trees before they fell and concludes by describing how the petrified wood arrived back on the Earth's surface, and he outlines each step in chronological order.
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“Stone Trees”
Have you ever seen a stone tree? While the idea of a stone tree may sound fantastic, fallen trees can turn to stone in very specific circumstances, producing what scientists call “petrified wood.” “Petra” means stone in ancient Greek, so something “petrified” has been turned to stone. You may have heard the word “petrified” used to describe someone so scared that they have frozen as if turned to stone, but scientists use the word literally to refer to actual stone. Petrified trees are stone trees, not scared trees!
A Type of Fossil
Like ancient skeletons of dinosaurs and other organisms preserved in the earth, petrified wood is a type of fossil; however, there is a big difference between petrified wood and most fossils. Most fossils are imprints of creatures or partial remains of them, such as their skeletons. In contrast, the process of petrification recreates an entire preserved tree in stone. It’s very cool to see a petrified tree close-up, because it is still precisely life-size; you can get an idea of how big the tree was when it was alive, and even see individual tree cells that have been preserved. You can even count the tree rings in some petrified trees and estimate how old the tree grew to be before it was petrified.
From Tree to Stone
In order for a tree to become petrified wood, it must have died and been buried a very long time ago. This has to have happened in a specific environment, though, or petrified wood would not be so rare. The tree has to be buried in such a way that oxygen cannot get to its bark and wood. If oxygen can get to the tree, it will rot instead of turn to stone.
The environment has to have two more specific characteristics to produce petrified wood: there has to be water in the ground around the tree, and that water has to contain minerals. If mineral-containing water is present, water will go into and out of the tree’s cells and, over time, the minerals in the water will accumulate in the tree’s cells. When the tree’s cells eventually decay, the minerals are left. Petrified wood can be a rainbow of different colors, with each color corresponding to different elements in the tree’s preserving environment that affect the color of the minerals that form its stone.
Petrified wood is found all over the world, and there are even entire forests of petrified trees that you can travel to go see today. One national park in the United States, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, is famous for its many petrified trees. The next time you see a tree, remember, after a few million years in the right environment, it could turn to stone!
In the section “A Type of Fossil,” the author __________, but in the section “From Tree to Stone,” the author __________.
This question asks you to summarize the general structure of two labeled sections in the passage "Stone Trees." To do this, let's first consider what the author does in each of the sections. In "A Type of Fossil," the author contrasts petrified wood against other fossils like dinosaur bones and imprints. The author then uses this contrast to discuss petrified wood's special qualities. In "From Tree to Stone," the author describes how petrified wood forms, walking the reader through each requirement.
This summary can help us answer the question: the section "A Type of Fossil" does not "introduce the passage" or "describe the history of a word"—the first paragraph does that! It's important not to confuse paragraphs when answering questions; if you do, you can easily end up with the wrong answer. The section "A Type of Fossil" also does not "explain a process." It "focuses on a comparison." This means that the correct answer must be "focuses on a comparison . . . explains different requirements for a process," but let's check that second part of the answer to make sure it's correct. The section "From Tree to Stone" does indeed explain different environmental characteristics necessary for petrification to occur. This answer is correct!
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You likely hear the name “Napoleon Bonaparte” and immediately think of the short in stature and short in temper French emperor. But have you heard about his most embarrassing surrender? No, not Waterloo! Not Laon or the battle of La Rothiere either! Napoleon's most laughable defeat came well before his loss at Waterloo, in the summer of 1807.
Despite Napoleon's great renown as a brilliant military leader, he once retreated frantically from an army of ….bunnies! You heard that right! Shortly after Napoleon’s Treaties of Tilsit was penned, the emperor planned to celebrate with his fellow military men the best way he knew how - a hunt! Napoleon ordered the chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, to organize an extravagant rabbit hunt for Napoleon and his men.
Not to be outdone, Berthier collected what was estimated to be between hundreds and thousands of rabbits for the hunt. However, while Berthier assumed that, like wild rabbits, these village-raised rabbits would scurry at the sight of Napoleon and his men, exactly the opposite was true. When the day came and the hunting party was ready for the chase, the bunnies were released. But instead of running for the woods, the swarm of rabbits came straight for Napoleon and his men. Though the men initially attempted to fight back, they were overwhelmed by the horde and fled to their coaches on a panicked retreat. It was not until the coaches sped away, rabbits still hopping aboard even as they attempted to retreat, that Napoleon was able to escape the furry army.
Embarrassed in front of the military peers and subordinates who once respected him, Napoleon fled home from a battle he never anticipated, and one he would never fully recover from the battle of the bunnies.
The author employs a series of questions and responses in paragraph one primarily because
The author employs a series of questions and responses in paragraph one to emphasize that the “battle” being referenced later in the passage is surprising, and not what most would associate as “Napoleon’s most embarrassing surrender.” While the author argues that this unexpected surrender is the most embarrassing, this does not mean that Waterloo is not embarrassing at all, or that the readers are expected to know about each and every one of Napoleon’s battles. Instead, the author uses this format as a stylistic technique to emphasize that the information introduced is unexpected and not necessarily common knowledge.
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