English Language Arts: Combining Sources (TEKS.ELA.9-12.12.F) Practice Test

Source A (Ecology and Evolution): Recent modeling and empirical lab trials of CRISPR-based gene drives targeting disease-vector mosquitoes (e.g., Anopheles, Aedes) reveal complex population dynamics. Resistance alleles arise via non-homologous end joining, often restoring fertility and slowing spread. Spatial structure and gene flow across heterogeneous habitats create threshold effects: below certain frequencies, drives fail to invade; above them, suppression can be rapid but uneven. Non-target ecological effects remain uncertain, including potential niche replacement by other vector species. Accordingly, technical assessments advocate a phased testing pathway—from contained laboratory work to small, reversible field trials—paired with ecological monitoring and clear criteria for pause or rollback. The precautionary principle does not imply prohibition but demands adaptive management, transparency, and international coordination to handle transboundary dispersal and shared ecosystems.

Source B (Global Health Policy): Vector-borne diseases impose high mortality and economic costs in low-resource regions where insecticide resistance and limited health infrastructure undermine traditional control. Comparative cost-effectiveness analyses suggest that, if efficacious, gene drive–enabled suppression could reduce transmission at lower recurrent cost than blanket spraying, especially when integrated with bed nets, targeted larviciding, and improved case management. Public health ethics frameworks stress procedural justice: community engagement, informed collective consent, and benefit sharing with affected populations. Modeling studies show that even partial reductions in vector density can yield nonlinear declines in malaria or dengue incidence when combined with surveillance and rapid treatment. However, governance questions persist: who authorizes release, how success is measured, and how liabilities are handled. Proponents argue pilot deployments should proceed where disease burden is severe and alternatives are failing, provided oversight is robust and locally legitimated.

Source A (Power Systems Engineering): Analysis of the 2021 winter storm in Texas indicates a compound failure: insufficient weatherization of gas supply and generation assets, limited firm fuel, and scarcity pricing that did not procure enough capacity for extreme tails. Probabilistic resource adequacy studies suggest that a combination of mandatory winterization standards, on-site fuel or firm delivery for critical units, and a reliability-oriented capacity construct would materially lower loss-of-load expectation. Import interconnections with neighboring grids can diversify extreme event risks and provide emergency support, but transmission siting and market seams complicate benefits. Stress testing with correlated outages shows that small DC ties are insufficient in deep, statewide events; nonetheless, targeted interties improve resilience when coupled with demand-side reliability products and clear emergency operations protocols.

Source B (Energy Economics and Policy): ERCOT's energy-only market excels at short-run efficiency but undervalues flexibility under climate volatility. Empirical evaluations of demand response and distributed energy resources show meaningful peak shaving and resilience when aggregated and paid for performance. Cost-benefit modeling finds that selective transmission interties, strategically placed battery storage, and enhanced scarcity pricing signals can achieve much of the reliability uplift at lower social cost than a full capacity market. However, without enforceable weatherization and fuel-delivery standards, incentives alone are insufficient. Political autonomy concerns limit appetite for extensive interconnection, suggesting a pragmatic portfolio: procure verifiable flexible capacity (including responsive demand), improve gas-electric coordination, and build moderate interties to hedge tail risks.