Prep 07’ Practice Test #2 Reading Comprehension (17 Essays, 57 Questions)

! Question #1. 009–01 (21279-!-

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Essay #1. 009 (21233-!-item-!-188;#058&00009–00)

The modern multinational corporation is described as having

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originated when the owner-managers of nineteenth-century

British firms carrying on international trade were replaced by
!
The author's main point is that

(A) modern multinationals originated in the sixteenth and

teams of salaried managers organized into hierarchies. seventeenth centuries with the establishment of chartered
Increases in the volume of transactions in such firms are trading companies
commonly believed to have necessitated this structural (B) the success of early chartered trading companies, like
change. Nineteenth-century inventions like the steamship that of modern multinationals, depended primarily on their
and the telegraph, by facilitating coordination of managerial ability to carry out complex operations
activities, are described as key factors. Sixteenth- and (C) early chartered trading companies should be more
seventeenth-century chartered trading companies, despite seriously considered by scholars studying the origins of
the international scope of their activities, are usually modern multinationals
considered irrelevant to this discussion: the volume of their (D) scholars are quite mistaken concerning the origins of
transactions is assumed to have been too low and the modern multinationals
communications and transport of their day too primitive to (E) the management structures of early chartered trading
!
make comparisons with modern multinationals interesting. companies are fundamentally the same as those of modern
In reality, however, early trading companies successfully
purchased and outfitted ships, built and operated offices and
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multinationals

Question #2. 009–04 (21325-!-

warehouses, manufactured trade goods for use abroad,
maintained trading posts and production facilities overseas,
procured goods for import, and sold those goods both at
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With which of the following generalizations regarding

home and in other countries. The large volume of management structures would the author of the passage
transactions associated with these activities seems to have
necessitated hierarchical management structures well before
the advent of modern communications and transportation.
!
most probably agree?

(A) Hierarchical management structures are the most

For example, in the Hudson's Bay Company, each far-flung efficient management structures possible in a modern
trading outpost was managed by a salaried agent, who context.
carried out the trade with the Native Americans, managed (B) Firms that routinely have a high volume of business
day-to-day operations, and oversaw the post's workers and transactions find it necessary to adopt hierarchical
servants. One chief agent, answerable to the Court of management structures.
Directors in London through the correspondence committee, (C) Hierarchical management structures cannot be
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was appointed with control over all of the agents on the bay.

The early trading companies did differ strikingly from modern

successfully implemented without modern communications
and transportation.
(D) Modern multinational firms with a relatively small volume
multinationals in many respects. They depended heavily on of business transactions usually do not have hierarchically
the national governments of their home countries and thus organized management structures.
characteristically acted abroad to promote national interests. (E) Companies that adopt hierarchical management
Their top managers were typically owners with a substantial structures usually do so in order to facilitate expansion into
minority share, whereas senior managers' holdings in
modern multinationals are usually insignificant. They
operated in a preindustrial world, grafting a system of
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foreign trade.

Question #3. 009–05 (21371-!-

capitalist international trade onto a premodern system of
artisan and peasant production. Despite these differences,
however, early trading companies organized effectively in
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The passage suggests that modern multinationals differ from

remarkably modern ways and merit further study as
analogues of more modern structures. !
early chartered trading companies in that

!! (A) the top managers of modern multinationals own stock in

their own companies rather than simply receiving a salary
(B) modern multinationals depend on a system of capitalist
international trade rather than on less modern trading
systems
(C) modern multinationals have operations in a number of
different foreign countries rather than merely in one or two
(D) the operations of modern multinationals are highly
profitable despite the more stringent environmental and
safety regulations of modern governments
(E) the overseas operations of modern multinationals are not !
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governed by the national interests of their home countries

Question #4. 009–07 (21417-!-

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item-!-188;#058&000009–07)

According to the passage, early chartered trading companies

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are usually described as

(A) irrelevant to a discussion of the origins of the modern

multinational corporation
(B) interesting but ultimately too unusual to be good subjects
for economic study
(C) analogues of nineteenth-century British trading firms
(D) rudimentary and very early forms of the modern
multinational corporation
(E) important national institutions because they existed to
further the political aims of the governments of their home

!!
countries

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 Question #5. 091–01 (21468-!-
!
Essay #2. 091 (21422-!-item-!-188;#058&00091–00)

More selective than most chemical pesticides in that they

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ordinarily destroy only unwanted species, biocontrol agents

(such as insects, fungi, and viruses) eat, infect, or parasitize
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The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) explaining why until recently scientists failed to recognize

targeted plant or animal pests. However, biocontrol agents the risks presented by biocontrol agents
can negatively affect nontarget species by, for example, (B) emphasizing that biocontrol agents and chemical
competing with them for resources: a biocontrol agent might pesticides have more similarities than differences
reduce the benefits conferred by a desirable animal species (C) suggesting that only certain biocontrol agents should be
by consuming a plant on which the animal prefers to lay its used to control plant or animal pests
eggs. Another example of indirect negative consequences (D) arguing that biocontrol agents involve risks, some of
occurred in England when a virus introduced to control which may not be readily discerned
rabbits reduced the amount of open ground (because large (E) suggesting that mishaps involving biocontrol agents are
rabbit populations reduce the ground cover), in turn reducing
underground ant nests and triggering the extinction of a blue
butterfly that had depended on the nests to shelter its
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relatively commonplace

Question #6. 091–03 (21514-!-

offspring. The paucity of known extinctions or disruptions
resulting from indirect interactions may reflect not the
infrequency of such mishaps but rather the failure to look for
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According to the passage, which of the following is a concern

or to detect them: most organisms likely to be adversely that arises with biocontrol agents but not with chemical
affected by indirect interactions are of little or no known
commercial value and the events linking a biocontrol agent
with an adverse effect are often unclear. Moreover,
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pesticides?

(A) Biocontrol agents are likely to destroy desirable species

determining the potential risks of biocontrol agents before as well as undesirable ones.
they are used is difficult, especially when a nonnative agent (B) Biocontrol agents are likely to have indirect as well as
is introduced, because, unlike a chemical pesticide, a direct adverse effects on nontarget species.
biocontrol agent may adapt in unpredictable ways so that it (C) Biocontrol agents may change in unforeseen ways and
can feed on or otherwise harm new hosts. thus be able to damage new hosts.
!! (D) Biocontrol agents may be ineffective in destroying
targeted species.
(E) Biocontrol agents may be effective for only a short period

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of time.

Question #7. 091–06 (21560-!-

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The passage suggests which of the following about the blue

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butterfly mentioned in the highlighted text?

(A) The blue butterfly's survival was indirectly dependent on

sustaining a rabbit population of a particular size.
(B) The blue butterfly's survival was indirectly dependent on
sustaining large amounts of vegetation in its habitat.
(C) The blue butterfly's survival was threatened when the
ants began preying on its offspring.
(D) The blue butterfly was infected by the virus that had been
intended to control rabbit populations.
(E) The blue butterfly was adversely affected by a biocontrol

!!
agent that competed with it for resources.

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 Question #8. 114–01 (21615-!-
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Essay #3. 114 (21569-!-item-!-188;#058&00114–00)

Ethnohistoric documents from sixteenth-century Mexico

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The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with

suggesting that weaving and cooking were the most common which of the following statements about the documents
productive activities for Aztec women may lead modern
historians to underestimate the value of women's
contributions to Aztec society. Since weaving and cooking
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mentioned in the first sentence of the passage?

(A) They contain misleading information about the kinds of

occurred mostly (but not entirely) in a domestic setting, productive activities Aztec women engaged in.
modern historians are likely to apply to the Aztec culture the (B) They overlook certain crucial activities performed by
modern Western distinction between "private" and "public" women in Aztec society.
production. Thus, the ethnohistoric record conspires with (C) They provide useful information about the way that Aztec
Western culture to foster the view that women's production society viewed women.
was not central to the demographic, economic, and political (D) They are of limited value because they were heavily
!
structures in sixteenth-century Mexico.

A closer examination of Aztec culture indicates that treating

influenced by the bias of those who recorded them.
(E) They contain information that is likely to be
Aztec women's production in Mexico in such a manner would
be a mistake. Even if the products of women's labor did not
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misinterpreted by modern-day readers.

Question #9. 114–02 (21661-!-

circulate beyond the household, such products were
essential to population growth. Researchers document a
tenfold increase in the population of the valley of Mexico
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According to the passage, Aztec women's cloth production

during the previous four centuries, an increase that was
crucial to the developing Aztec political economy. Population
growth—which could not have occurred in the absence of
!
enabled Aztec society to do which of the following?

(A) Expand women's role in agriculture

successful household economy, in which women's work was (B) Organize the flow of goods and services
essential—made possible the large-scale development of (C) Develop self-contained communities
labor-intensive chinampa (ridged-field) agriculture in the (D) Hire agricultural laborers from outside the society
southern valley of Mexico which, in turn, supported (E) Establish a higher standard of living than neighboring
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urbanization and political centralization in the Aztec capital.

But the products of women's labor did in fact circulate

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cultures

Question #10. 114–03 (21707-!-

beyond the household. Aztec women wove cloth, and cloth
circulated through the market system, the tribute system, and
the redistributive economy of the palaces. Cotton mantles
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Which of the following best describes the function of the third

served as a unit of currency in the regional market system.
Quantities of woven mantles, loincloths, blouses, and skirts
were paid as tribute to local lords and to imperial tax
!
paragraph of the passage?

(A) It attempts to reconcile conflicting views presented in the

stewards and were distributed to ritual and administrative previous paragraphs.
personnel, craft specialists, warriors, and other faithful (B) It presents evidence intended to undermine the argument
servants of the state. In addition, woven articles of clothing presented in the second paragraph.
served as markers of social status and clothing fulfilled a (C) It provides examples that support the position taken in
symbolic function in political negotiation. The cloth that was the first sentence of the second paragraph.
the product of women's work thus was crucial as a primary (D) It describes the contents of the documents mentioned in
means of organizing the flow of goods and services that the first paragraph.
sustained the Aztec state. (E) It suggests that a distinction noted in the first paragraph
!! !
is valid.

Question #11. 114–06 (21753-!-

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The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) using modern understanding of cultural bias to challenge

ethnohistoric documents
(B) evaluating competing descriptions of women's roles in
Aztec society
(C) comparing the influence of gender on women's roles in
Aztec society and in modern society
(D) remedying a potential misconception about the
significance of women's roles in Aztec society
(E) applying new evidence in a reevaluation of ethnohistoric
!
documents
 Question #12. 156–01 (21810-!-
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Essay #4. 156 (21764-!-item-!-188;#058&00156–00)

Solar ponds are bodies of water in which circulation is

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incomplete and there is a very high salt concentration that

increases with depth. This vertical change in salinity serves
!
The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) discuss ways of solving a problem that threatens to limit

to trap heat because concentrated brine in the lowest water the usefulness of an energy source
level acts as a collector and storage area for solar heat, (B) explain the mechanisms by which solar heat may be
while the less saline, lighter water at the upper levels converted into energy
!
provides insulation. Heat is thus retained in the depths.

An artificial pond of this type has been constructed on the

(C) detail the processes by which algae cells colonize highly
saline bodies of water
(D) report the results of an experiment designed to clean
western shore of the Dead Sea in Israel in order to test its contaminated bodies of water
suitability as a source of low-grade heat for conversion into (E) describe the unique properties of a solar pond on the
electricity. An immediate threat to the success of the venture
was the growth of algae. Water in solar ponds must be kept
maximally transparent to allow penetration of light to the
!
edge of the Dead Sea

Question #13. 156–02 (21856-!-

deep storage area. Therefore, any particles of matter in the
water, such as algae cells, that scatter or absorb light will !
item-!-188;#058&000156–02)

!
interfere with the collection of heat.

One proposed method of controlling the algae was the

It can be inferred from the passage that which of the
following is true about the salinity and temperatures of the
application of an algicide. However, the Dead Sea is a
closed body of water without any outlet and as such is very
!
highest and lowest water layers in a typical solar pond?

(A) The bottom layer is both highly saline and quite hot, while
easily contaminated. Extensive use of chemicals in the top layer is less saline and cooler.
numerous future full-scale solar ponds would lead to such (B) The two layers have similar salinity levels, but the bottom
contamination of the Dead Sea, which now enjoys a lucrative layer is hotter than the top.
!
tourist trade.

A recent experiment has supplied a more promising method

(C) There is no way to predict the salinity and temperature of
the different water layers in different solar ponds.
(D) The bottom layer is less saline and quite hot, while the
for controlling the algae. To repress the algae cells' capacity top layer is more saline and cooler.
for accommodating themselves to environmental changes, (E) The top layer has both higher salinity and higher
the water in the solar pond was first made more saline
through evaporation and then diluted by a rapid inflow of
fresh water. This shock reduced the cells' ability to regulate
!
temperatures than the bottom layer.

Question #14. 156–05 (21902-!-

the movement of water through their membranes. They
rapidly absorbed water, resulting in distortions of shape,
increase in volume, and impairment to motility. Their
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According to the passage, the growth of algae was

buoyancy adversely affected, the cells sank to the bottom of considered a threat to the success of the artificial pond near
the pond, where they encountered the hot waters of the
storage layer and were destroyed. This method allows for
effective control of nuisance algae while leaving solar ponds
!
the Dead Sea because the algae

(A) produce excess oxygen that lowers the water

as one of the cleanest technologies providing energy for temperature in the pond
human use. (B) restrict the circulation of water within the pond
!! (C) enable heat to escape through the upper level of the
pond
(D) prevent light from penetrating to the lowest levels of the
pond
(E) prevent accurate measurement of the heat collected in

!
the pond

Question #15. 156–08 (21948-!-

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Which of the following, if true, would seriously undermine the

validity of the conclusions drawn from the experiment

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described in the last paragraph of the passage?

(A) The algae cells that sank to the bottom of the pond were
destroyed only after a time lag of twenty-four hours.
(B) The lateral motility of the algae cells that sank to the
bottom of the pond was not impaired.
(C) The water with which the artificial solar pond was diluted
contained microorganisms that kill algae.
! (D) The algae cells that sank to the bottom of the pond were
actually killed by the rapid change in pressure.
(E) The higher salinity brought about through evaporation
increased the transparency of the upper levels of water in the

!!
pond.

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 Question #16. 189–01 (21999-!-
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Essay #5. 189 (21953-!-item-!-188;#058&00189–00)

Traditional social science models of class groups in the

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United States are based on economic status and assume

that women's economic status derives from association with
!
The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) offer sociohistorical explanations for the cultural

men, typically fathers or husbands, and that women differences between men and women in the United States
therefore have more compelling common interest with men (B) examine how the economic roles of women in the United
of their own economic class than with women outside it. States changed during the nineteenth century
Some feminist social scientists, by contrast, have argued that (C) consider differing views held by social scientists
the basic division in American society is instead based on concerning women's class status in the United States
gender, and that the total female population, regardless of (D) propose a feminist interpretation of class structure in the
economic status, constitutes a distinct class. Social historian United States
Mary Ryan, for example, has argued that in early-nineteenth- (E) outline specific distinctions between working-class
century America the identical legal status of working-class
and middle-class free women outweighed the differences
between women of these two classes: married women,
!
women and women of the upper and middle classes

Question #17. 189–03 (22045-!-

regardless of their family's wealth, did essentially the same
unpaid domestic work, and none could own property or vote.
Recently, though, other feminist analysts have questioned
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It can be inferred from the passage that the most recent

this model, examining ways in which the condition of feminist social science research on women and class seeks
working-class women differs from that of middle-class
women as well as from that of working-class men. Ann
Oakley notes, for example, that the gap between women of
!
to do which of the following?

(A) Introduce a divergent new theory about the relationship

different economic classes widened in the late nineteenth between legal status and gender
century: most working-class women, who performed wage (B) Illustrate an implicit middle-class bias in earlier feminist
labor outside the home, were excluded from the emerging models of class and gender
middle-class ideal of femininity centered around domesticity (C) Provide evidence for the position that gender matters
and volunteerism. more than wealth in determining class status
!! (D) Remedy perceived inadequacies of both traditional social
science models and earlier feminist analyses of class and
gender
(E) Challenge the economic definitions of class used by

!
traditional social scientists

Question #18. 189–05 (22091-!-

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Which of the following statements best characterizes the

relationship between traditional social science models of

!
class and Ryan's model, as described in the passage?

(A) Ryan's model differs from the traditional model by making

gender, rather than economic status, the determinant of
women's class status.
(B) The traditional social science model of class differs from
Ryan's in its assumption that women are financially
dependent on men.
(C) Ryan's model of class and the traditional social science
model both assume that women work, either within the home
or for pay.
(D) The traditional social science model of class differs from
Ryan's in that each model focuses on a different period of
American history.
(E) Both Ryan's model of class and the traditional model
consider multiple factors, including wealth, marital status,

!!
and enfranchisement, in determining women's status.

!
 Question #19. 196–01 (22144-!-
!
Essay #6. 196 (22098-!-item-!-188;#058&00196–00)

According to P. F. Drucker, the management philosophy

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known as Total Quality Management (TQM), which is

designed to be adopted consistently throughout an
!
The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) point out contradictions in a new management system

organization and to improve customer service by using (B) compare and contrast the objectives of various
sampling theory to reduce the variability of a product's management systems
quality, can work successfully in conjunction with two older (C) identify the organizational features shared by various
management systems. As Drucker notes, TQM's scientific management systems
approach is consistent with the statistical sampling (D) explain the relationship of a particular management
techniques of the "rationalist" school of scientific system to certain other management systems
management, and the organizational structure associated (E) explain the advantages of a particular management
with TQM is consistent with the social and psychological

!
emphases of the "human relations" school of management. !
system over certain other management systems

Question #20. 196–05 (22190-!-

However, TQM cannot simply be grafted onto these systems
or onto certain other non-TQM management systems.
Although, as Drucker contends, TQM shares with such
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Which of the following best describes the relationship of the

systems the ultimate objective of increasing profitability,
TQM requires fundamentally different strategies. While the
other management systems referred to use upper
!
second paragraph to the first paragraph?

(A) It presents contrasting explanations for a phenomenon

management decision-making and employee specialization presented in the first paragraph.
to maximize shareholder profits over the short term, TQM (B) It discusses an exception to a general principle outlined
envisions the interests of employees, shareholders, and in the first paragraph.
customers as convergent. For example, lower prices not (C) It provides information that qualifies a claim presented in
only benefit consumers but also enhance an organization's the first paragraph.
competitive edge and ensure its continuance, thus benefiting (D) It presents an example that strengthens a claim
employees and owners. TQM's emphasis on shared presented in the first paragraph.
interests is reflected in the decentralized decision-making, (E) It presents an alternative approach to solving a problem
integrated production activity, and lateral structure of
organizations that achieve the benefits of TQM. !
discussed in the first paragraph.

!! Question #21. 196–06 (22236-!-

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According to the passage, the rationalist and human

!
relations schools of management are alike in that they

(A) are primarily interested in increasing profits

(B) place little emphasis on issues of organizational structure
(C) use statistical sampling techniques to increase
profitability
(D) are unlikely to lower prices in order to increase
profitability

!!
(E) focus chiefly on setting and attaining long-term objectives

!
 Question #22. 216–03 (22289-!-
!
Essay #7. 216 (22243-!-item-!-188;#058&00216–00)

The United States hospital industry is an unusual market in

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Which of the following best describes the overall content of

that nonprofit and for-profit producers exist simultaneously.
Theoretical literature offers conflicting views on whether
nonprofit hospitals are less financially efficient. Theory
!
the second paragraph of the passage?

(A) It describes views concerning a particular aspect of one

suggests that nonprofit hospitals are so much more of the types of hospitals discussed earlier.
interested in offering high-quality service than in making (B) It describes an additional benefit of one of the types of
money that they frequently input more resources to provide hospitals discussed earlier.
the same output of service as for-profit hospitals. This (C) It offers a potential solution to a problem inherent in the
priority might also often lead them to be less vigilant in structure of the United States hospital industry.
streamlining their services—eliminating duplication between (D) It provides an additional contrast between the two types
departments, for instance. Conversely, while profit motive is of hospitals discussed earlier.
thought to encourage for-profit hospitals to attain efficient (E) It describes one of the consequences of the character of
production, most theorists admit that obstacles to that
efficiency remain. For-profit hospital managers, for example,
generally work independently of hospital owners and thus
!
the United States hospital market.

Question #23. 216–04 (22335-!-

may not always make maximum financial efficiency their
highest priority. The literature also suggests that widespread
adoption of third-party payment systems may eventually
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According to the passage, Newhouse's view of the social

eliminate any such potential differences between the two welfare efficiency of nonprofit hospitals differs from
!
kinds of hospitals.

The same literature offers similarly conflicting views of the

!
Weisbrod's view in that Newhouse

(A) contends that government already provides most of the

efficiency of nonprofit hospitals from a social welfare services that communities need
perspective. Newhouse (1970) contends that nonprofit (B) argues that for-profit hospitals are better at meeting
hospital managers unnecessarily expand the quality and actual community needs than are nonprofit hospitals
quantity of hospital care beyond the actual needs of the (C) argues that nonprofit hospitals are likely to spend more to
community, while Weisbrod (1975) argues that nonprofit provide services that the community requires than for-profit
firms—hospitals included—contribute efficiently to hospitals are likely to spend
community welfare by providing public services that might be (D) argues that nonprofit hospitals ought to expand the
inadequately provided by government alone. services they provide to meet the community's demands
!! (E) believes that the level of care provided by nonprofit
hospitals is inappropriate, given the community's

!
requirements

Question #24. 216–05 (22381-!-

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item-!-188;#058&000216–05)

The passage suggests which of the following about the

!
managers mentioned in the highlighted text?

(A) They have generally been motivated to streamline

hospital services as a result of direct intervention by hospital
owners.
(B) They are more likely than managers of nonprofit hospitals
to use unnecessary amounts of resources to provide
services.
(C) Their most important self-acknowledged goal is to
achieve maximum financial efficiency so that hospitals show
a profit.
(D) Their decisions regarding services provided by their
hospitals may not reflect hospital owners' priorities.
(E) They do not place a high priority on maximizing profits,

!!
despite their desire to achieve efficiency.

!
 Question #25. 219–01 (22434-!-
!
Essay #8. 219 (22388-!-item-!-188;#058&00219–00)

Although the industrial union organizations that emerged

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According to the passage, Faue's study and Gabin's study

under the banner of the Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO) in the 1930s and 1940s embraced the principles of
nondiscrimination and inclusion, the role of women within
!
agree in that both

(A) attribute the inclusion of women in unions to the policies

unions reflected the prevailing gender ideology of the period. of the CIO
Elizabeth Faue's study of the labor movement in Minneapolis (B) emphasize the importance of unions at the community
argues that women were marginalized by union level
bureaucratization and by the separation of unions from the (C) argue that women played important roles in the
community politics from which industrial unionism had establishment of industrial union organizations
emerged. Faue stresses the importance of women's (D) suggest that women in industrial union organizations
contribution to the development of unions at the community played a subordinate role
level, contributions that made women's ultimate fate within (E) suggest that the interests of women workers were
the city's labor movement all the more poignant: as unions
reached the peak of their strength in the 1940s, the
community base that had made their success possible and to
!
incompatible with those of unions in general

Question #26. 219–02 (22480-!-

which women's contributions were so vital became

!
increasingly irrelevant to unions' institutional life. !
item-!-188;#058&000219–02)

Which of the following can be inferred regarding the "gender

In her study of CIO industrial unions from the 1930s to the
1970s, Nancy F. Gabin also acknowledges the pervasive
male domination in the unions, but maintains that women
!
ideology" mentioned in the highlighted text?

(A) It prevented women from making significant contributions

workers were able to create a political space within some to the establishment of industrial unions.
unions to advance their interests as women. Gabin shows (B) It resulted from the marginalization of women in industrial
that, despite the unions' tendency to marginalize women's unions.
issues, working women's demands were a constant (C) It had a significant effect on the advancement of women's
undercurrent within the union, and she stresses the links issues within industrial unions.
between the unions' women activists and the wave of (D) Its primary tenets were nondiscrimination and inclusion.
feminism that emerged in the 1960s. (E) Its effects were mitigated by the growth of industrial
!! !
unions.

Question #27. 219–04 (22526-!-

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item-!-188;#058&000219–04)

!
The author of the passage is primarily concerned with

(A) presenting two views

(B) reconciling two antithetical claims
(C) assessing conflicting evidence
(D) weakening a generally accepted argument

!!
(E) tracing the development of an ideology

!
 Question #28. 224–01 (22581-!-
!
Essay #9. 224 (22535-!-item-!-188;#058&00224–00)

The view has prevailed for the better part of the twentieth
!
item-!-188;#058&000224–01)

century that small firms do not perform an important role in

Western economies. Official policies in many countries have
!
The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) dismissing a challenge to a traditional viewpoint

favored large units of production because there were strong (B) suggesting a new solution to a long-standing problem
reasons to believe that large firms were superior to small (C) resolving a conflict between two competing viewpoints
firms in virtually every aspect of economic performance— (D) discussing the emergence of an alternative viewpoint
productivity, technological progress, and job security and (E) defending an alternative viewpoint against possible
compensation. However, in the 1970s, evidence began to
suggest that small firms in some countries were
outperforming their larger counterparts. Perhaps the best
!
counterevidence

Question #29. 224–03 (22627-!-

example of this trend was in the steel industry, where new
firms entered the market in the form of "mini-mills," and
small-firm employment expanded, while many large
!
item-!-188;#058&000224–03)

The passage suggests which of the following about the

companies shut down plants and reduced employment.
Although no systematic evidence exists to determine
unequivocally whether smaller units of production are as
!
empirical study of small firms' role?

(A) Anecdotal evidence does not support the theory that

efficient as large firms or are, in fact, more efficient, some small firms' role is significant.
researchers have concluded that the accumulated evidence (B) Degrees of market turbulence are the primary indicator of
to date indicates that small firms are at least not burdened small firms' role.
!
with an inherent size disadvantage.

Thus, an alternative view has emerged in the economics

(C) An examination of new niches created by small firms has
provided important data for the analysis of such firms' role.
(D) Case studies have provided reliable evidence to answer
literature, arguing that small firms make several important major questions concerning small firms' role.
contributions to industrial markets. First, small firms are (E) A more precise definition of the term "small firm" is
often the source of the kind of innovative activity that leads to crucial to making a conclusive analysis about small firms'
technological change. Small firms generate market
turbulence that creates additional dimensions of competition,
and they also promote international competition through
!
role.

Question #30. 224–05 (22673-!-

newly created niches. Finally, small firms in recent years

!
have generated the preponderant share of new jobs. !
item-!-188;#058&000224–05)

Which of the following best describes the organization of the

However, empirical knowledge about the relative roles of
large and small firms is generally based upon anecdotal
evidence and case studies, and such evidence has proved
!
first paragraph of the passage?

(A) A viewpoint is introduced, counterevidence is presented,

inadequate to answer major questions concerning the role of and a new perspective is suggested.
small firms across various industries and nations. An (B) Opposing viewpoints are discussed, and evidence is
additional difficulty is that it is not obvious what criteria one provided that refutes both of those viewpoints.
should use to distinguish small firms from large ones. While (C) A hypothesis is described, supported with specific
a "small firm" is often defined as an enterprise with fewer evidence, and then reaffirmed.
than 500 employees, research studies of small firms use a (D) An alternative viewpoint is presented, criticized, and
wide variety of definitions. dismissed in light of new evidence.
!! (E) Opposing viewpoints are presented, discussed, and then

!
found to be more similar than previously supposed.

Question #31. 224–07 (22719-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000224–07)

According to the passage, an important contribution of small

!
firms to industrial markets is that small firms

(A) operate more efficiently than large firms

(B) offer high job security and compensation
(C) cause international competition to decrease
(D) help prevent market turbulence from affecting
competition
(E) frequently undertake activities that result in technological

!!
change

!
 Question #32. 247–01 (22776-!-
!
Essay #10. 247 (22730-!-item-!-188;#058&00247–00)

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth-

!
item-!-188;#058&000247–01)

century Europe, has intrigued scholars ever since Francis

Gasquet's 1893 study contending that this epidemic greatly
!
The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) demonstrating the relationship between bubonic plague

intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the and the Black Death
Middle Ages. Thirty-six years later, historian George Coulton (B) interpreting historical and scientific works on the origins
agreed but, paradoxically, attributed a silver lining to the of the Black Death
Black Death: prosperity engendered by diminished (C) employing the Black Death as a case study of disease
competition for food, shelter, and work led survivors of the transmission in medieval Europe
epidemic into the Renaissance and subsequent rise of (D) presenting aspects of past and current debate on the
!
modern Europe.

In the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist

historical importance of the Black Death
(E) analyzing the differences between capitalist and Marxist
interpretations of the historical significance of the Black
historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary
factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming
primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism.
!
Death

Question #33. 247–02 (22822-!-

In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically
determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a
relatively insignificant factor. This became the prevailing
!
item-!-188;#058&000247–02)

The passage suggests that Twigg believes that rats could

view until after the Second World War, when studies of not have spread the Black Death unless which of the
specific regions and towns revealed astonishing mortality
rates ascribed to the epidemic, thus restoring the central role !
following were true?

!
of the Black Death in history.

This central role of the Black Death (traditionally attributed to

(A) The rats escaped from ships that had been in Asia.
(B) The rats were immune to the diseases that they carried.
(C) The rat population was larger in medieval Europe than
bubonic plague brought from Asia) has been recently Twigg believes it actually was.
challenged from another direction. Building on bacteriologist (D) The rat population primarily infested densely populated
John Shrewsbury's speculations about mislabeled areas.
epidemics, zoologist Graham Twigg employs urban case (E) The rats interacted with other animals that Twigg
studies suggesting that the rat population in Europe was both
too sparse and insufficiently migratory to have spread
plague. Moreover, Twigg disputes the traditional trade-ship
!
believes could have carried plague.

Question #34. 247–04 (22868-!-

explanation for plague transmissions by extrapolating from
data on the number of dead rats aboard Nile sailing vessels
in 1912. The Black Death, which he conjectures was anthrax
!
item-!-188;#058&000247–04)

Which of the following statements is most compatible with

instead of bubonic plague, therefore caused far less havoc Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the
!
and fewer deaths than historians typically claim.

Although correctly citing the exacting conditions needed to

!
passage?

(A) The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious

start or spread bubonic plague, Twigg ignores virtually a and political upheaval in fourteenth-century Europe.
century of scholarship contradictory to his findings and (B) The economic consequences of the Black Death included
employs faulty logic in his single-minded approach to the increased competition for food, shelter, and work.
Black Death. His speculative generalizations about the (C) European history cannot be studied in isolation from that
numbers of rats in medieval Europe are based on isolated of the rest of the world.
studies unrepresentative of medieval conditions, while his (D) The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has
unconvincing trade-ship argument overlooks land-based been greatly exaggerated by other historians.
caravans, the overland migration of infected rodents, and the (E) The significance of the Black Death is best explained
many other animals that carry plague.
!! !
within the context of evolving economic systems.

Question #35. 247–06 (22914-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000247–06)

The "silver lining to the Black Death" (the highlighted text)

!
refers to which of the following?

(A) The decay of European feudalism precipitated by the

Black Death
(B) Greater availability of employment, sustenance, and
housing for survivors of the epidemic
(C) Strengthening of the human species through natural
!
selection
! (D) Better understanding of how to limit the spread of
contagious diseases
(E) Immunities and resistance to the Black Death gained by

!!
later generations

!
 Question #36. 316–01 (22967-!-
!
Essay #11. 316 (22921-!-item-!-188;#058&00316–00)

Most farmers attempting to control slugs and snails turn to

!
item-!-188;#058&000316–01)

baited slug poison, or molluscicide, which usually consists of

a bran pellet containing either methiocarb or metaldehyde.
!
In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with

(A) describing the limitations of molluscicides that affect

Both chemicals are neurotoxins that disrupt that part of the feeding behavior
brain charged with making the mouth move in a coordinated (B) proposing alternatives to current methods of controlling
fashion—the "central pattern generator"—as the slug feeds. slugs and snails
Thus, both neurotoxins, while somewhat effective, interfere (C) emphasizing the need for an alternative to currently
with the slugs' feeding behavior and limit their ingestion of available molluscicides
the poison, increasing the probability that some will stop (D) explaining how molluscicides are used to control slugs
feeding before receiving a lethal dose. Moreover, slugs are and snails
not the only consumers of these poisons: methiocarb may (E) criticizing the use of hazardous material for controlling
be toxic to a variety of species, including varieties of worms,

!
carabid beetles, and fish. !
slugs and snails

Question #37. 316–04 (23013-!-

Researchers are experimenting with an alternative
compound based on aluminum, which may solve these
problems, but this may well have a limited future as we learn
!
item-!-188;#058&000316–04)

The author cites which of the following as a disadvantage of

more about the hazards of aluminum in the environment.
For example, some researchers suggest that acid rain kills
trees by mobilizing aluminum in the soil, while others have
!
methiocarb?

(A) It contains high levels of aluminum.

noted that the human disease Alzheimer's is more prevalent (B) It may react with acid rain to kill trees.
in areas where levels of aluminum in the soil are high. With (C) It has been associated with Alzheimer's disease.
farmers losing as much as 20 percent of their crops to slugs (D) It may be toxic to some species of fish.
and snails even after treatment with currently available (E) It may not be as effective in killing slugs as metaldehyde
molluscicides, there is considerable incentive for researchers
to come up with better and environmentally safer solutions. !
is.

!! Question #38. 316–06 (23059-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000316–06)

The passage suggests that methiocarb and metaldehyde

would be more effective as slug poisons if it were true that

!
they

(A) disrupt the slug's digestive processes rather than its

reproductive functions
(B) reduce the slug's ability to taste food
(C) begin to affect the feeding behavior of a slug only after it
has ingested a lethal dose
(D) reach the central pattern generator more quickly
(E) accumulate only in the central pattern generator rather

!!
than throughout the brain

!
 Question #39. 325–01 (23112-!-
!
Essay #12. 325 (23066-!-item-!-188;#058&00325–00)

The storms most studied by climatologists have been those

!
item-!-188;#058&000325–01)

that are most easily understood by taking atmospheric

measurements. Hurricanes and tornadoes, for example, are
!
The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) evaluate the relative amounts of damage caused by

spatially confined, the forces that drive them are highly different storm types
concentrated, and they have distinctive forms and readily (B) describe the difficulties of classifying destructive storms
quantifiable characteristics. Consequently, data about them by type
are abundant, and their behavior is relatively well (C) examine the relationship between wave height and the
!
understood, although still difficult to predict.

Hurricanes and tornadoes are also studied because they are

destructive potential of storms
(D) discuss a theory that explains the origins of violent
storms
highly destructive storms, and knowledge about their (E) discuss reasons why certain types of storms receive
behavior can help minimize injury to people and property.
But other equally destructive storms have not been so
thoroughly researched, perhaps because they are more
!
more study than others

Question #40. 325–06 (23158-!-

difficult to study. A primary example is the northeaster, a
type of coastal storm that causes significant damage along
the eastern coast of North America. Northeasters, whose
!
item-!-188;#058&000325–06)

According to the passage, which of the following is true of

diffuse nature makes them difficult to categorize, are
relatively weak low-pressure systems with winds that rarely
acquire the strength of even the smallest hurricane.
!
northeasters?

(A) They have only recently been identified as a distinct

Although northeasters are perceived to be less destructive storm type.
than other storms, the high waves associated with strong (B) They are more destructive than tornadoes.
northeasters can cause damage comparable to that of a (C) They are low-pressure systems.
hurricane, because they can affect stretches of coast more (D) They affect a relatively small segment of the eastern
than 1,500 kilometers long, whereas hurricanes typically coast of North America.
threaten a relatively small ribbon of coastline—roughly 100 to (E) Their winds are typically as strong as those of small
150 kilometers.
!! !
hurricanes.

Question #41. 325–07 (23204-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000325–07)

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage

about storms that lend themselves to atmospheric

!
measurements?

(A) They are more likely than other storms to be studied by

climatologists.
(B) They are likely to be less highly concentrated than are
other storms.
(C) They are likely to be more difficult to predict than are
other storms.
(D) They occur less frequently along the eastern coast of
North America than in other areas.

!!
(E) They tend to affect larger areas than do other storms.

!
 Question #42. 537–01 (23257-!-
!
Essay #13. 537 (23211-!-item-!-188;#058&00537–00)

The identification of femininity with morality and a belief in

!
item-!-188;#058&000537–01)

According to the passage, the ideology of female

the innate moral superiority of women were fundamental to benevolence was consistent with women taking part in each
the cult of female domesticity in the nineteenth-century
United States. Ironically, this ideology of female
benevolence empowered women in the realm of social
!
of the following spheres of activity EXCEPT

(A) organized philanthropy

activism, enabling them to escape the confines of their (B) domestic life
traditional domestic spheres and to enter prisons, hospitals, (C) electoral politics
battlefields, and slums. By following this path, some women (D) fund-raising for worthy causes
came to wield considerable authority in the distribution of

!
resources and services in their communities. !
(E) social work

Question #43. 537–04 (23303-!-

The sentimentalized concept of female benevolence bore
little resemblance to women's actual work, which was
decidedly unsentimental and businesslike, in that it involved
!
item-!-188;#058&000537–04)

Information in the passage suggests that the author would be

chartering societies, raising money, and paying salaries. most likely to agree with which of the following statements
Moreover, in the face of legal limitations on their right to
control money and property, women had to find ingenious
legal ways to run and finance organized philanthropy. In
!
concerning the cult of female domesticity?

(A) The cult of female domesticity developed independently

contrast to the day-to-day reality of this work, the idealized of the concept of female benevolence.
image of female benevolence lent a sentimental and (B) The cult of female domesticity was incompatible with
gracious aura of altruism to the very real authority and women's participation in social activism.
privilege that some women commanded—which explains (C) The cult of female domesticity incorporated ideological
why some women activists clung tenaciously to this ideology. elements that actually helped some women to escape from
But clinging to this ideology also prevented these women their traditional domestic roles.
from even attempting to gain true political power because it (D) The original motivation behind the promotion of the cult
implied a moral purity that precluded participation in the of female domesticity was to exclude women from partisan
messy world of partisan politics. politics.
!! (E) The growth of organized philanthropy in the nineteenth-
century United States is ultimately attributable to the cult of

!
female domesticity.

Question #44. 537–05 (23349-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000537–05)

Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the

!
passage?

(A) The identification of femininity with morality promoted the

notion of women's moral purity while excluding women from
positions of authority in their communities.
(B) The belief in women's innate moral superiority allowed
women to exercise political power without participating in
partisan politics.
(C) The cult of female domesticity helped some women to
gain power and privilege but kept most women confined to
the domestic sphere.
(D) The ideology of female benevolence empowered women
in the realm of social activism but placed limits on their direct
political power.
(E) The idealization of female altruism enabled women to
engage in philanthropic activities but prevented them from

!!
managing money and property.

!
 Question #45. 553–01 (23402-!-
!
Essay #14. 553 (23356-!-item-!-188;#058&00553–00)

Maps made by non-Native Americans to depict Native

!
item-!-188;#058&000553–01)

The passage mentions each of the following as a factor

American land tenure, resources, and population
distributions appeared almost as early as Europeans' first
encounters with Native Americans and took many forms:
!
affecting current maps of Native American lands EXCEPT

(A) United States government policy

missionaries' field sketches, explorers' drawings, and (B) non-Native Americans' perspectives on Native Americans
surveyors' maps, as well as maps rendered in connection (C) origins of the information utilized to produce the maps
with treaties involving land transfers. Most existing maps of (D) changes in the ways that tribal lands are used
Native American lands are reconstructions that are based
largely on archaeology, oral reports, and evidence gathered
from observers' accounts in letters, diaries, and official
!
(E) the reasons for producing the maps

Question #46. 553–03 (23448-!-

reports; accordingly, the accuracy of these maps is
especially dependent on the mapmakers' own interpretive !
item-!-188;#058&000553–03)

!
abilities. The passage suggests which of the following about most
Many existing maps also reflect the 150-year role of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in administering tribal lands.
!
existing maps of Native American lands?

(A) They do not record the migrations of Native American

Though these maps incorporate some information gleaned tribes.
directly from Native Americans, rarely has Native American (B) They have been preserved primarily because of their
cartography contributed to this official record, which has connection with treaties involving land transfers.
been compiled, surveyed, and authenticated by non-Native (C) They tend to reflect archaeological evidence that has
Americans. Thus our current cartographic record relating to become outdated.
Native American tribes and their migrations and cultural (D) They tend to be less accurate when they are based on
features, as well as territoriality and contemporary trust oral reports than when they are based on written documents.
lands, reflects the origins of the data, the mixed purposes for (E) They are not based primarily on the mapmakers'
which the maps have been prepared, and changes both in
United States government policy and in non-Native
Americans' attitudes toward an understanding of Native
!
firsthand observations of Native American lands.

Question #47. 553–06 (23494-!-

Americans.
!! !
item-!-188;#058&000553–06)

Which of the following best describes the content of the

!
passage?

(A) A chronology of the development of different methods for

mapping Native American lands
(B) A discussion of how the mapmaking techniques of Native
Americans differed from those of Europeans
(C) An argument concerning the present-day uses to which
historical maps of Native American lands are put
(D) An argument concerning the nature of information
contained in maps of Native American lands
(E) A proposal for improving the accuracy of maps of Native

!!
American lands

!
 Question #48. 561–01 (23547-!-
!
Essay #15. 561 (23501-!-item-!-188;#058&00561–00)

After the Second World War, unionism in the Japanese auto

!
item-!-188;#058&000561–01)

industry was company-based, with separate unions in each

auto company. Most company unions played no
!
The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) contrasting the role of unions in the Japanese auto

independent role in bargaining shop-floor issues or pressing industry with the role of unions in the United States auto
autoworkers' grievances. In a 1981 survey, for example, industry after the Second World War
fewer than 1 percent of workers said they sought union (B) describing unionism and the situation of workers in the
assistance for work-related problems, while 43 percent said Japanese auto industry after the Second World War
they turned to management instead. There was little to (C) providing examples of grievances of Japanese auto
distinguish the two in any case: most union officers were workers against the auto industry after the Second World
foremen or middle-level managers, and the union's role was War
primarily one of passive support for company goals. Conflict (D) correcting a misconception about the role of the foreman
occasionally disrupted this cooperative relationship—one in the Japanese auto industry's union system after the
company union's opposition to the productivity campaigns of Second World War
the early 1980s has been cited as such a case. In 1986, (E) reasserting the traditional view of the company's role in
however, a caucus led by the Foreman's Association forced
the union's leadership out of office and returned the union's
policy to one of passive cooperation. In the United States,
!
Japanese auto workers' unions after the Second World War

Question #49. 561–02 (23593-!-

the potential for such company unionism grew after 1979, but
it had difficulty taking hold in the auto industry, where a
single union represented workers from all companies,
!
item-!-188;#058&000561–02)

According to the passage, a foreman in a United States auto

particularly since federal law prohibited foremen from joining company differed from a foreman in a Japanese auto
!
or leading industrial unions.

The Japanese model was often invoked as one in which

!
company in that the foreman in the United States would

(A) not have been a member of an auto workers' union

authority decentralized to the shop floor empowered (B) have been unlikely to support the goals of company
production workers to make key decisions. What these management
claims failed to recognize was that the actual delegation of (C) have been able to control production processes to a
authority was to the foreman, not the workers. The foreman large extent
exercised discretion over job assignments, training, (D) have experienced greater stress
transfers, and promotions; worker initiative was limited to
suggestions that fine-tuned a management-controlled
production process. Rather than being proactive, Japanese
!
(E) have experienced less conflict with workers

Question #50. 561–03 (23639-!-

workers were forced to be reactive, the range of their
responsibilities being far wider than their span of control. For
example, the founder of one production system, Taichi Ohno,
!
item-!-188;#058&000561–03)

The author of the passage mentions the "OH! NO!" system

routinely gave department managers only 90 percent of the
resources needed for production. As soon as workers could
meet production goals without working overtime, 10 percent
!
primarily in order to

(A) indicate a way in which the United States industry has

of remaining resources would be removed. Because the become more like the Japanese auto industry
"OH! NO!" system continually pushed the production process (B) challenge a particular misconception about worker
to the verge of breakdown in an effort to find the minimum empowerment in the Japanese auto industry
resource requirement, critics described it as "management (C) illustrate the kinds of problem-solving techniques
by stress." encouraged by company unions in Japan
!! (D) suggest an effective way of minimizing production costs
in auto manufacturing
(E) provide an example of the responsibilities assumed by a

!
foreman in the Japanese auto industry

Question #51. 561–06 (23685-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000561–06)

It can be inferred that the author of the passage sees which

of the following as the primary advantage to companies in

!
implementing the "OH! NO!" system?

(A) It permitted the foreman to take initiative.

(B) It minimized the effort required to produce automobiles.
(C) It ensured that production costs would be as low as
possible.
!
(D) It allowed the foreman to control the production process.
! (E) It required considerable worker empowerment to achieve

!!
managers' goals.

!
 Question #52. 563–01 (23738-!-
!
Essay #16. 563 (23692-!-item-!-188;#058&00563–00)

Planter-legislators of the post-Civil War southern United

!
item-!-188;#058&000563–01)

Which of the following best expresses the central idea of the

States enacted crop lien laws stipulating that those who
advanced cash or supplies necessary to plant a crop would
receive, as security, a claim, or lien, on the crop produced.
!
passage?

(A) Planters in the post-Civil War southern United States

In doing so, planters, most of whom were former sought to reinstate the institution of slavery.
slaveholders, sought access to credit from merchants and (B) Through their decisions regarding supply credit,
control over nominally free laborers—former slaves freed by merchants controlled post-Civil War agriculture.
the victory of the northern Union over the southern (C) Lien laws helped to defeat the purpose for which they
Confederacy in the United States Civil War. They hoped to were originally created.
reassure merchants that despite the emancipation of the (D) Although slavery had ended, the economic hierarchy
slaves, planters would produce crops and pay debts. changed little in the post-Civil War southern United States.
Planters planned to use their supply credit to control their (E) Newly freed workers enacted lien laws to hasten the
workers, former slaves who were without money to rent land
or buy supplies. Planters imagined continuation of the pre-
Civil War economic hierarchy: merchants supplying
!
downfall of the plantation economy.

Question #53. 563–02 (23784-!-

landlords, landlords supplying laborers, and laborers
producing crops from which their scant wages and planters'
profits would come, allowing planters to repay advances.
!
item-!-188;#058&000563–02)

According to the passage, each of the following was a

Lien laws frequently had unintended consequences,
however, thwarting the planter fantasy of mastery without
slavery. The newly freed workers, seeking to become self-
!
reason planters supported crop lien laws EXCEPT:

(A) Planters believed that lien laws would allow them to

employed tenant farmers rather than wage laborers, made expand their landholdings.
direct arrangements with merchants for supplies. Lien laws, (B) Planters expected that lien laws would give them control
the centerpiece of a system designed to create a dependent over former slaves.
labor force, became the means for workers, with alternative (C) Planters anticipated that lien laws would help them retain
means of supply advances, to escape that dependence. access to merchant credit.
(D) Planters intended to use lien laws to create a dependent
!! labor force.
(E) Planters saw lien laws as a way to maintain their

!
traditional economic status.

Question #54. 563–03 (23830-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000563–03)

The passage suggests which of the following about

!
merchants in the post-Civil War southern United States?

(A) They sought to preserve pre-Civil War social conditions.

(B) Their numbers in the legislatures had been diminished.
(C) Their businesses had suffered from a loss of collateral.
(D) They were willing to make business arrangements with
former slaves.
(E) Their profits had declined because planters defaulted on

!!
debts for supply advances.

!
 Question #55. 639–01 (23881-!-
!
Essay #17. 639 (23835-!-item-!-188;#058&00639–00)

In the 1980's, astronomer Bohdan Paczynski proposed a

!
item-!-188;#058&000639–01)

It can be inferred from the passage that which of the

way of determining whether the enormous dark halo following would constitute the strongest evidence of the
constituting the outermost part of the Milky Way galaxy is
composed of MACHO's (massive compact halo objects),
which are astronomical objects too dim to be visible.
!
microlensing of a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud?

(A) The brightness of such a star is observed to vary at

Paczynski reasoned that if MACHO's make up this halo, a irregular intervals.
MACHO would occasionally drift in front of a star in the Large (B) The brightening of such a star is observed to be of
Magellanic Cloud, a bright galaxy near the Milky Way. The shorter duration than the brightening of neighboring stars.
gravity of a MACHO that had so drifted, astronomers agree, (C) The red light of such a star is observed to be brighter
would cause the star's light rays, which would otherwise than its yellow light and its blue light.
diverge, to bend together so that, as observed from Earth, (D) The red light, yellow light, and blue light of such a star
the star would temporarily appear to brighten, a process are observed to be magnified temporarily by the same factor.
known as microlensing. Because many individual stars are (E) The red light of such a star is observed to have increased
of intrinsically variable brightness, some astronomers have
contended that the brightening of intrinsically variable stars
can be mistaken for microlensing. However, whereas the
!
tenfold.

Question #56. 639–04 (23927-!-

different colors of light emitted by an intrinsically variable star
are affected differently when the star brightens, all of a star's
colors are equally affected by microlensing. Thus, if a
!
item-!-188;#058&000639–04)

According to the passage, Paczynski's theory presumes that

MACHO magnifies a star's red light tenfold, it will do the if MACHO's constituted the Milky Way's dark halo,
same to the star's blue light and yellow light. Moreover, it is
highly unlikely that a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud will
undergo microlensing more than once, because the chance
!
occasionally a MACHO would

(A) drift so as to lie in a direct line between two stars in the

that a second MACHO would pass in front of exactly the outer Milky Way
same star is minuscule. (B) affect the light rays of a star in the Large Magellanic
!! Cloud with the result that the star would seem for a time to
brighten
(C) become obscured as a result of the microlensing of a star
in the Large Magellanic Cloud
(D) temporarily increase the apparent brightness of a star in
the Large Magellanic Cloud by increasing the gravity of the
star
(E) magnify each color in the spectrum of a star in the Large

!
Magellanic Cloud by a different amount

Question #57. 639–06 (23973-!-

!
item-!-188;#058&000639–06)

!
The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) outlining reasons why a particular theory is no longer

credited by some astronomers
(B) presenting data collected by a researcher in response to
some astronomers' criticism of a particular line of reasoning
(C) explaining why a researcher proposed a particular theory
and illustrating how influential that theory has been
(D) showing how a researcher's theory has been used to
settle a dispute between the researcher and some
astronomers
(E) describing a line of reasoning put forth by a researcher
and addressing a contention concerning that line of

!
reasoning

!
 Practice Test #2 Reading Comprehension Keys
1. C 21279-!-item-!-188;#058&000009–01
! 49. A 23593-!-item-!-188;#058&000561–02
2. B 21325-!-item-!-188;#058&000009–04 50. B 23639-!-item-!-188;#058&000561–03
3. E

!
4. A
21371-!-item-!-188;#058&000009–05
21417-!-item-!-188;#058&000009–07 !
51. C 23685-!-item-!-188;#058&000561–06

52. C 23738-!-item-!-188;#058&000563–01
5. D 21468-!-item-!-188;#058&000091–01 53. A 23784-!-item-!-188;#058&000563–02
6. C 21514-!-item-!-188;#058&000091–03

!
7. A 21560-!-item-!-188;#058&000091–06 !
54. D 23830-!-item-!-188;#058&000563–03

55. D 23881-!-item-!-188;#058&000639–01
8. E 21615-!-item-!-188;#058&000114–01 56. B 23927-!-item-!-188;#058&000639–04
9. B
10. C
21661-!-item-!-188;#058&000114–02
21707-!-item-!-188;#058&000114–03 !!
57. E 23973-!-item-!-188;#058&000639–06

!
11. D

12. A
21753-!-item-!-188;#058&000114–06

21810-!-item-!-188;#058&000156–01
!!
13. A 21856-!-item-!-188;#058&000156–02
14. D 21902-!-item-!-188;#058&000156–05

!
15. C 21948-!-item-!-188;#058&000156–08

16. C 21999-!-item-!-188;#058&000189–01
17. D 22045-!-item-!-188;#058&000189–03

!
18. A 22091-!-item-!-188;#058&000189–05

19. D 22144-!-item-!-188;#058&000196–01
20. C 22190-!-item-!-188;#058&000196–05

!
21. A 22236-!-item-!-188;#058&000196–06

22. A 22289-!-item-!-188;#058&000216–03
23. E 22335-!-item-!-188;#058&000216–04

!
24. D 22381-!-item-!-188;#058&000216–05

25. D 22434-!-item-!-188;#058&000219–01
26. C 22480-!-item-!-188;#058&000219–02

!
27. A 22526-!-item-!-188;#058&000219–04

28. D 22581-!-item-!-188;#058&000224–01
29. E 22627-!-item-!-188;#058&000224–03
30. A 22673-!-item-!-188;#058&000224–05

!
31. E

32. D
22719-!-item-!-188;#058&000224–07

22776-!-item-!-188;#058&000247–01
33. C 22822-!-item-!-188;#058&000247–02
34. E 22868-!-item-!-188;#058&000247–04

!
35. B 22914-!-item-!-188;#058&000247–06

36. C 22967-!-item-!-188;#058&000316–01
37. D 23013-!-item-!-188;#058&000316–04

!
38. C 23059-!-item-!-188;#058&000316–06

39. E 23112-!-item-!-188;#058&000325–01
40. C 23158-!-item-!-188;#058&000325–06

!
41. A 23204-!-item-!-188;#058&000325–07

42. C 23257-!-item-!-188;#058&000537–01
43. C 23303-!-item-!-188;#058&000537–04

!
44. D 23349-!-item-!-188;#058&000537–05

45. D 23402-!-item-!-188;#058&000553–01
46. E 23448-!-item-!-188;#058&000553–03
!
47. D 23494-!-item-!-188;#058&000553–06

48. B 23547-!-item-!-188;#058&000561–01