Diagnostic Test 8 Practice Test

A linguist proposes that early bilingual exposure enhances cognitive flexibility only when both languages are actively used in daily family interactions. Merely overhearing a second language at daycare or during occasional visits, the scholar claims, does not produce the same benefit. The prediction is that children who regularly speak and are spoken to in both languages at home will outperform both monolingual peers and children who mostly overhear a second language on tasks requiring rapid rule switching, even when socioeconomic factors are held constant. Critics argue that any advantage is due to broader enrichment—parents who speak two languages may also provide more books and puzzles—rather than to active dual-language use per se.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?

Economist Wei Huang argues that congestion pricing reduces total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across a metropolitan region rather than merely diverting drivers to untolled roads. According to Huang, higher peak-hour charges cause some trips to be consolidated, shifted to transit, or foregone entirely, leading to net reductions in driving. Critics contend that pricing simply pushes traffic to boundary arterials where people drive farther to avoid the cordon. Huang maintains that regional metrics—not corridor speeds—must be examined, and that spillovers on perimeter routes should be explicitly tested. The strongest evidence would show a region-wide VMT decline without offsetting increases on untolled alternatives.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholar's claim?