Question 1: Green Bank, West Virginia, is a tech-savvy teenager’s nightmare. In this tiny town in Pocahontas County— population 143—wireless signals are illegal. No cell phones. No WiFi. No radio. No Bluetooth. No electronic transmitters at all. You’re not even allowed to cozy up to an electric blanket. <br><br> The remote town is smack in the center of the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000-square-mile stretch of land designated by the Federal Communications Commission to protect two government radio telescopes from human-made interference. The rules are most strict in Green Bank. So strict that a police officer roves the streets listening for forbidden wireless signals. <br><br> It’s necessary, though. The town is home to the Green Bank Telescope, the largest steerable radio telescope in the world—and arguably our most powerful link to the cosmos. Scientists there listen to radio energy that has journeyed light years, unlocking secrets about how the stars and galaxies formed. A rogue radio signal could prevent potential discoveries, discoveries that could answer big questions about how the universe ticks. <br><br> The main purpose of the last paragraph of the Passage is to offer:

• criticism
• justification (Correct answer)
• exemplification
• comparison

Correct answer: justification

The last paragraph explains *why* the strict rules in Green Bank are necessary. It details the importance of the Green Bank Telescope, its sensitivity, and how human-made interference could hinder crucial scientific discoveries. By outlining these reasons, the paragraph provides a clear justification for the unusual regulations described earlier in the passage.

Question 2: Lawnmowers seem to have little in common with astronomy, but they are keeping astronomers at the National Radio Astronomical Observatory up at night. A new type of robotic lawn mower has been proposed that uses beacons to train the lawn mower to stay within property lines. The beacons, placed around the yard, transmit at the same wavelength as interstellar molecules astronomers study to understand how stars form. Humans wouldn’t notice the tiny amount of energy given off by the beacons, but the Green Bank Telescope—the size of a football stadium—is so sensitive it can detect the energy given off by a snowflake as it melts. By simply mowing the lawn, a homeowner runs the risk of interfering with one of our greatest tools for studying the universe. <br><br> The manufacturer of one “LawnBot” requested a waiver to operate within the National Radio Quiet Zone. Astronomers countered with the suggestion that the beacons be reprogrammed to transmit at another wavelength not emitted by interstellar molecules. Alternately, astronomers want global positioning system (GPS) devices added to each lawn bot to prevent them from operating within the Quiet Zone. <br><br> Which conclusion can reasonably be drawn about the status of the “LawnBot” issue at the time of the writing of Passage?

• The manufacturer has received a waiver to operate within the National Radio Quiet Zone.
• The manufacturer has changed the wavelength at which the LawnBot’s beacons transmit.
• Astronomers have succeeded in getting GPS devices added to each LawnBot.
• The manufacturer and astronomers have yet to resolve their conflicts.

The passage describes the manufacturer requesting a waiver and astronomers offering counter-suggestions, such as reprogramming beacons or adding GPS devices. There is no indication that any of these proposals have been accepted or implemented, or that a final decision has been reached. Therefore, it can be concluded that the conflict between the manufacturer and astronomers regarding the "LawnBot" issue remains unresolved.

Question 3: As soon as I saw the Manhattan map, I wanted to draw it. I should be able to draw the place where I lived. So I asked Mom for tracing paper and she got it for me and I brought it into my fort and I pointed the light right down on the first map in the Hagstrom Atlas—downtown, where Wall Street was and the stock market worked. The streets were crazy down there; they didn’t have any kind of streets and avenues; they just had names and they looked like a game of Pick-Up Sticks. But before I could even worry about the streets, I had to get the land right. Manhattan was actually built on land. Sometimes when they were digging up the streets you saw it down there—real dirt! The land had a certain curve to it at the bottom of the island, like a dinosaur head, bumpy on the right and straight on the left, a swooping majestic bottom. <br><br> In the passage, the use of “crazy,” “dinosaur head,” “bumpy,” “straight,” and “swooping” serve mainly to emphasize the:

• narrator’s serious approach to mapmaking
• narrator’s frustration with drawing
• irregularity of downtown Manhattan (Correct answer)
• ways in which a landscape can change over time

Correct answer: irregularity of downtown Manhattan

The narrator uses words like “crazy,” “dinosaur head,” “bumpy,” “straight,” and “swooping” to describe the streets and the land's shape in downtown Manhattan. These vivid descriptors emphasize the unusual, non-uniform, and unpredictable physical characteristics of the area. Therefore, these terms primarily highlight the irregularity of downtown Manhattan's layout and natural form.

Question 4: Bones found in South America reveal a bizarre new dinosaur. Based on an ancestry that links it to Tyrannosaurus rex, this reptile should have been a meat eater. Instead, it preferred plants. Researchers described the new species in Nature. Its genus name—Chilesaurus—reflects that it was found in what’s now Chile. The team that discovered the fossils gave it a species name of diegosuarezi to honor Diego Suarez. While just 7 years old, Diego found the first dinosaur bones in the same general area of Chile. It’s a place known as the Toqui Formation. <br><br> C. diegosuarezi roamed South America 150 million years ago. It measured about 3 meters (roughly 10 feet) from head to tail. Its sturdy back legs, thin body, and short, stout arms made it look a bit like T. rex. But it also had a long neck, a small head, and a mouth full of leaf-shaped teeth. Those gave it a Brontosaurus-like appearance. And like the Brontosaurus, it would have eaten plants, making it an herbivore. <br><br> When the author writes that C. diegosuarezi “should have been a meat eater,” she most likely means that the species:

• would have been healthier if it had eaten meat
• would have grown even larger if it had eaten meat
• had the head, neck, and teeth of a meat eater
• had body features similar to those of its meat-eating relative (Correct answer)

Correct answer: had body features similar to those of its meat-eating relative

The passage states that C. diegosuarezi's 'ancestry that links it to Tyrannosaurus rex' suggests it 'should have been a meat eater.' It then describes how C. diegosuarezi had 'sturdy back legs, thin body, and short, stout arms' that made it 'look a bit like T. rex.' This implies the expectation of a meat-eating diet was based on its physical resemblance and evolutionary lineage to a known carnivore, T. rex, despite its actual herbivorous diet.

Question 5: The first album that singer Leehom Wang bought as an adolescent was the Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill; his first concert was Heart, at the War Memorial in Rochester, New York. As for Chinese pop music, though, Wang says he recalls hearing it only once as a youngster—when his singer uncle, Li Jian-fu, paid a visit in the 1980s and played his nationalistic-patriotic hit “Descendants of the Dragon” in Wang’s living room. Wang didn’t know it then, but he would go on to remix “Descendants of the Dragon” for a new generation, adding new lyrics about his parents’ own immigrant experience. Over the last decade, Wang’s songs have frequently emphasized his dedication to and pride in his Chinese heritage—themes that reflect his personal journey and have a powerful commercial appeal, particularly on the mainland. At the same time, Wang has demonstrated a strong interest in incorporating traditional Chinese music and instruments into his hip-hop and R&B-based tunes. <br><br> The second paragraph marks a shift in the passage from a discussion of Leehom Wang’s:

• family members to Leehom Wang himself
• early musical influences on his later musical career (Correct answer)
• interest in the United States to his interest in China
• fondness for pop music to his fondness for traditional music

Correct answer: early musical influences on his later musical career

The first paragraph details Leehom Wang's early musical experiences, such as his first album and concert, and a singular exposure to Chinese pop music. The second paragraph then transitions to how these early influences, particularly the song 'Descendants of the Dragon,' shaped his later career, leading him to remix it and integrate Chinese heritage and traditional music into his own work. This clearly marks a shift from his initial musical background to his developed artistic direction.

Question 6: Technology has scrambled the lines between public and private. Cellphones make our most intimate conversations available to anyone within earshot, while headphones create zones of pure solitude even in the midst of the liveliest crowd. Smartphones and tablets allow us to spend time with art without ever leaving the office, while sophisticated new robots enable people who are housebound to participate in live events remotely. <br><br> Which of the following would be most similar to the examples the author provides in the passage?

• A person’s confidential information is compromised because that person left some papers in a public place.
• A person enjoys numerous television programs, so that person buys a sophisticated new television on which to watch them.
• A person’s unfiltered first reaction to a major event becomes widely known because that person posts it online. (Correct answer)
• A person wants to keep a record of his or her private thoughts, so that person secretly starts keeping a daily journal.

Correct answer: A person’s unfiltered first reaction to a major event becomes widely known because that person posts it online.

The passage discusses how technology blurs the lines between public and private, giving examples where private actions become public (cellphone conversations) or public spaces become private (headphones). Option C, where a person's unfiltered reaction is posted online and becomes widely known, directly illustrates this blurring. It shows how personal thoughts, traditionally private, are made public through digital platforms, aligning with the passage's central theme.

Question 7: Construction management is ideal for someone who has a general interest in building and design. Working as a construction manager affords the chance to learn a construction project from the planning stage with architects and engineers to the budgeting stage with cost estimators, to the production stage with laborers. And that’s just a small taste of the job’s duties: Construction managers also obtain work permits, hire contractors, troubleshoot emergencies, schedule walkthroughs, and keep clients informed on work timetables and progress. <br><br> The passage most strongly emphasizes which aspect of the job of construction management?

• The variety of its responsibilities (Correct answer)
• The educational background it requires
• The kind of person for whom it is suitable
• The amount of stress it inflicts

Correct answer: The variety of its responsibilities

The passage lists a wide array of duties for a construction manager, including planning, budgeting, production, obtaining permits, hiring contractors, troubleshooting, scheduling, and client communication. It explicitly states, 'And that’s just a small taste of the job’s duties,' before enumerating even more responsibilities. This extensive catalog of tasks strongly emphasizes the diverse and varied nature of the job's responsibilities.