Questions 1-2 refer to the following passage.
In The Federalist Number Ten, James Madison forewarned against the dangers of factions—groups of people with a common interest adverse to the overall good of the nation, what today are referred to as “special interest groups.” Madison described two hypothetical ways to check a faction: Either eliminate the causes or mitigate the effects of the faction. To eliminate the causes, the government would either have to make all people perfectly equal, an impossible goal, or take away people’s liberty and thus defeat the purpose of having a republican form of government. Madison argued, alternatively, for ameliorating the effects of factions by enlarging the population of the country and thus diluting their influence. If there are a sufficient number of diverse peoples, it will be difficult for a majority to share a common interest at the same time.
Question 1
According to the passage, why does Madison believe it necessary to check a faction?
Madison considered factions to be detrimental to the common welfare.
Madison thought factions were a way to encourage population growth.
Madison relied on factions to support the republican style of government.
Madison accepted factions as a consequence of allowing people to participate in government.
Madison surmissed that factions would likely be run by his political adversaries.
Question 2
Which of the following can be most correctly inferred from the passage?
Madison solved the problem of factions in the United States.
Madison thought that the best solution was to make all citizens equal.
Madison argued against a republican government in The Federalist Number Ten.
Madison analyzed the effects of increased population.
Madison considered more than one way to constrain factions.
Questions 3-4 refer to the following passage.
William Le Baron Jenney is considered the founder of the Chicago School of architecture, as well as the father of the American skyscraper. He served as an engineering officer during the Civil War but by 1868 was a practicing architect. His greatest accomplishments were his mammoth commercial buildings, including the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, which was one of the first buildings to use a metal skeleton. This structure, in fact, would become the archetypical American skyscraper design. Other notable accomplishments included his 16-story Manhattan Building, which was the first edifice ever to achieve that height, and the Horticultural Building, which was the largest botanical conservatory ever erected.
William Holabird also assisted in the evolution of the Chicago School, beginning as a draftsman for Jenney and then founding his own practice in 1880. Holabird invented the “Chicago window,” which made buildings appear to be constructed of glass.
Question 3
Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.
According to the passage, which of the following describe William Jenney?
He served as an architect during the Civil War.
He is credited with the development of a much-copied design for skyscrapers.
He designed buildings in New York, as well as Chicago.
Question 4
The author mentions the “Chicago window” in order to
highlight a feature of glass buildings
strengthen the argument that Holabird developed the Chicago School
argue that Holabird was a better inventor than Jenney
provide an example of Holabird’s contributions to the Chicago School
demonstrate the artistry of architecture
Questions 5-8 refer to the following passage.
“Solar wind” is the term scientists use to describe the stream of particles that the sun’s corona constantly emits. These solar winds, which consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, are intensely hot, fully ionized plasma. Because of the corona’s intense heat, these particles continuously escape the sun’s gravitational attraction, flowing away from the sun at extreme velocities. Solar winds, though, are not without variation, because they contain faster and slower moving pockets. For instance, solar winds that originate from streamers are slower moving winds at approximately 300 km/second, as opposed to the winds that originate from corona holes and reach speeds of 800 km/second. As they flow away from the sun, tangential discontinuities and interplanetary shocks form, producing pressure variations. Moreover, researchers also know that solar winds are directly related to geomagnetic storms, auroras, and comets. It is these winds that cause comet tails to bend away from the sun, as Kepler accurately predicted in the early 1600s.
Studies have been done on the effect of solar winds on the planets in the solar system. While all the planets are surrounded by this hot, super-charged plasma, the Earth’s magnetic field protects it from the solar wind by deflecting the particles. However, solar winds are responsible for the Earth’s magnetosphere, and changes in their speed and direction strongly influence Earth’s space environment. As the planet closest to the sun, Mercury endures the main impact of solar winds. If Mercury had an atmosphere, these winds would have stripped it away, leaving the planet bathed in radiation. Though Mars is much further from the sun than Mercury, solar winds have also greatly reduced its atmosphere. While Venus has a substantial atmosphere—100 times denser than ours—solar winds reduce its clouds. It is not just those planets nearest the sun which bear the effects of solar winds: The winds travel far beyond the limits of Pluto. Interestingly, while much is now known about solar winds, scientists still do not fully understand how the gases and particles in the sun’s corona reach such high velocities.
Question 5
Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.
According to the passage, which of the following is true of the effect of solar winds on the Earth?
Though the Earth’s magnetic field largely protects it from the full effects of solar winds, the winds have an impact on its magnetosphere and its space environment.
Solar winds play a significant role in the development of auroras and geomagnetic storms in the earth’s space environment.
Because of the corona’s intense heat, solar wind particles continuously escape the sun’s gravitational attraction, flowing away from the corona at extremely high velocities and surrounding the Earth with hot, super-charged plasma.
Question 6
It can be inferred from the passage that the Earth’s magnetic field acts to
absorb the particles blown by solar winds
incinerate the particles present in solar winds
assimilate the particles in solar winds into the Earth’s atmosphere
divert the particles in solar winds from the Earth
re-orient the particles in solar winds toward a central collection point
Question 7
The author most likely discusses Kepler’s predictions in order to
illustrate the observable effect solar winds have had on other celestial objects
denounce Kepler’s work as unreliable because the technology required to study solar winds directly has only been developed within the last century
describe more generally the first major contribution to the study of solar winds and the sun
disprove Kepler’s theories on the motion of comets and auroras
establish a standard against which to compare the observations concerning the atmospheres of Mars and Mercury
Question 8
Select the sentence that attempts to correct a possible misconception about the effects of solar winds.
Questions 9-10 refer to the following passage.
The American people have an incorrect understanding of what it means to be at war. At least, so argues T.H. Pickett in his conservative interpretation of American military history.
Pickett does present a wealth of examples, along with a refreshingly candid argument that America often goes to war for an abstract ideal such as democratization of societies, world peace, liberty, or freedom. For instance, the Spanish-American War of 1898 was ostensibly a consequence of national enthusiasm for the cause of Cuban liberty. And, more obviously, America’s entry into World War I stemmed from a desire to “make the world safe for democracy.” Although these observations are supportable, Pickett overstates the case when he argues that these abstract causes typically lead to a war hysteria in which American leadership can no longer enforce any measured policies.
Question 9
Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.
It can be inferred from the description of Pickett’s work that the author believes which of the following?
The desire for tangible rewards is not always the primary reason that America enters into warfare.
Democratization of a foreign country was a rationale for at least one war that America has waged.
Pickett provides a large number of examples to bolster his case.
Question 10
Which of the following best states the author’s main point?
Pickett’s study overturned the conventional understanding of why America engages in warfare.
Pickett’s study is valuable primarily because it provides a thorough understanding of the causes of American warfare.
The rationale for American warfare is well documented.
Pickett provides a cogent rationale for why America engages in warfare; however, he draws conclusions that the author does not fully support.
Pickett’s analysis of American military history provides the definitive historical record of the period from the Spanish-American War to World War I.
Questions 11-12 refer to the following passage.
Though artist Chuck Close has devoted his life to portraiture, his paintings rarely comport with that genre’s traditional purpose. His early photorealist images, which are created by overlaying a grid on a photograph and painstakingly copying the image cell by cell, are, to the naked eye, nearly undifferentiable from photographs. Furthermore, Close’s emphasis is on the disembodied head itself, expressionless and devoid of any overt personality. He has never acceded to commissions, relying on both his own image and his friends as models. In 1988, a collapsed spinal artery caused almost total paralysis, but Close has continued to work. His freer paintings evince a natural extension of an augmented interest in the minute grid over the total work that predated his illness. This non-privileging of any particular part of the canvas finds its inspiration, oddly enough, in abstract expressionism, despite the apparent inconsonance of the two techniques.
Question 11
What is the author’s intent when discussing Close’s focus on the head of his subjects?
The author compares the artistic impact of photographs of heads to that of abstract photographs of the same head.
The author ruminates on what early experiences led to Close’s focus on the head as a unifying theme in his work.
The author expounds upon how, by not accepting commissions, Close’s work has remained free of commercial influences.
The author deconstructs the impact that Close’s illness had on the content of his paintings.
The author believes that Close’s approach of depicting the head but none of the personality of the subject is rare.
Question 12
Consider each of the following answer choices separately and select all that apply.
Which of the following statements are supported by the passage?
Close’s portraits are so realistic that they are sometimes mistaken for photographs.
There are conceptual connections between Close’s later work and other, apparently dissimilar works.
Throughout his career as an artist, none of the portraits Close has painted have been done in exchange for money.
Questions 13-15 refer to the following passage.
The anti-foundationalist belief that there is no secure basis for knowledge was worked out philosophically in the somewhat wearisome tracts of Jacques Derrida. Différance, Derrida tells us, is the idea that any attempts to discuss universal features of human nature are merely products of local standards, often serving the vested interests of the status quo, and should rightly be dismantled and critiqued. Derrida was considered the originator of a profound challenge to the history of human thought. However, a century before Derrida, Darwin’s theory of natural selection had made anti-foundationalism almost an inevitable consequence. From an evolutionary point of view, our understanding of the world depends on earlier and less-developed forms of understanding; meaning is continuously referred or deferred to other terms or experiences.
Question 13
Derrida’s definition of difference suggests that he would most likely subscribe to which of the following beliefs?
The interests of the status quo always maintain local standards.
Ideas expressed by those who are part of the status quo do not necessarily represent a universally accepted truth.
Any attempts to discuss human nature serve the interests of the status quo.
The interests of the status quo should be critiqued and dismantled by those who are part of the status quo.
Ideas that are a product of local standards cannot contain elements of a universal truth.
Question 14
Select the sentence which states a position with which the author does NOT agree.
Question 15
The passage implies that which of the following beliefs is embraced by anti-foundationalists?
In many cases humans cannot be completely secure in thinking that they fully understand a given situation.
The meaning of an experience can best be understood outside the cultural context in which it occurs.
Those who are part of the status quo are best able to dismantle and critique society.
Derrida’s work would not have been possible without the prior ruminations of Darwin a century earlier.
Darwin’s faith in the status quo is sufficient grounds to develop universal truths about cultural experiences.