Chapter 5

Reading Practice Test: Answers and Explanations

READING PRACTICE TEST ANSWER KEY

EXPLANATIONS FOR THE READING PRACTICE TEST

1. B

Question 1 is a general question and is followed by a “best evidence” question, so questions 1 and 2 should be worked together after the specific questions have been tackled. Choice (2A) could support (1C), but the passage overall focuses on the effect of Heller’s visit, so the passage does not work to prove the author’s estimation of the book. Eliminate (2A). Choice (2B) offers some support for (1D), but the lines do more to note a difference between expectations and reality than to provide insight into the contrast. Eliminate (2B). Choice (2C) describes the impression Heller made when he spoke to the students and does not support any of the choices in question 1. Eliminate (2C). Choice (2D) supports (1B), and both reflect the emphasis in the passage on the idea that Heller’s visit had an impact on the author. Eliminate (1A), (1C), and (1D), as they are not supported by an answer choice in question 2. The correct answer for question 1 is (B), and the correct answer for question 2 is (D).

2. D

See the explanation for question 1.

3. C

This question is a little tricky; the key is to eliminate answers that contain details for which no evidence can be located. The description of Catch-22 is primarily found in the first two paragraphs, so check the answer choices against the details found there. The author does note that the book was practically an anthem for his friend and him, but there is no evidence to support the more extreme claim that the book appealed almost exclusively to young men (or even that the author’s friends were all male). Eliminate (A). The author does note that the book spoke to his generation, as they had grown during the turmoil of Vietnam, but there is no evidence that Heller’s book is a memoir, nor does the author explicitly say that Catch-22 was inspired by the Vietnam War. Eliminate (B). Heller’s book features a modern-day anti-hero whose action during the book is described as trying to stay sane in the midst of a war; there is not additional evidence to show that this action is described realistically or that the main character demonstrates valor, so eliminate (D). While (C) might not seem like a strong answer, there is plenty of evidence that the author thinks Heller’s novel is brilliant. His conviction 20 years later that his initial assessment of the book was not off base suggests that the book’s appeal is not necessarily limited to those directly experiencing the effects of the war. Choice (C) is the correct answer.

4. C

The indicated phrase is set off by dashes and, in the context of the sentence, functions as a further commentary on the topic that is mentioned right before the first dash, the turmoil of Vietnam. Eliminate (A) and (B), since the phrase is not making reference to the responses of critics or of the author and his friends to Catch-22. Eliminate (D) as too broad and also addressing reactions to books rather than reactions to the war. Choice (C) is the only answer that is consistent with the prediction that the indicated phrase comments on the nature of the Vietnam War. Choice (C) is the correct answer.

5. A

The quoted lines come at the beginning of the account of Heller’s speech and immediately follow the author’s explanation that he was dumbfounded because Heller had a very heavy speech impediment. In the context of the description of the speech, the words serve to emphasize the strength of the author’s initial reaction by contrasting his admiration for Heller’s book with his sense that Heller was a dork. Eliminate (B), as there’s no evidence that Heller could overhear the author’s comment. Eliminate (C), as there’s no evidence in the passage to support the idea that the author’s first sentence—That can’t be him—should be taken literally. The author’s comments might add humor as (D) suggests, but a stronger case can be made for (A), which matches the prediction. Eliminate (D). Choice (A) is the correct answer.

6. A

This question is the first in a set of specific paired questions, so look in the indicated lines to answer question 6 first. Lines 30–45 describe the adverse initial reaction the author and others in the auditorium had when Heller began speaking. After describing that reaction and the reasons the author reacted as he did, the author describes how the audience’s perception shifted: And then somehow, we began to listen to what he was saying. He was completely brilliant. The description of the occasion of the speech works to highlight this attitude. Eliminate (B) as too broad; the author is interested in the effect of Heller’s speech, not in the effect of good speakers generally. Choice (C) is also too broad and there’s no evidence elsewhere that the author is trying to provide a warning. Eliminate (C). Eliminate (D), as the author is discussing the reaction to Heller’s speech, not his book. Choice (A) is consistent with the prediction and is the correct answer.

7. C

This question is the second in a set of specific paired questions. The evidence for the answer to question 6 is found in lines 40–41. Choice (C) includes these lines. Eliminate (A), (B), and (D). The correct answer is (C).

8. D

This question is tricky and might be easier if saved until questions 9 and 10 have been answered, as the process of answering those questions will provide a better sense of the passage as a whole. While the author says that he and the rest of the audience were spellbound during Heller’s speech, there’s no evidence that the author’s response to the speech made it difficult to move to the gate. Eliminate (A). The author speculates that Heller was held up as he signed autographs and fielded questions inside the auditorium, but there’s no evidence that others have come out to the gate. Eliminate (B). The author is still in high school when Heller comes to speak, and there’s no evidence he served in Vietnam at any time. Eliminate (C). The author says of Heller’s speech I would not have left my seat even if I could, and that statement coupled with the fact that he is in a wheelchair while he waits for Heller’s exit supports the idea that the author was wheelchair-bound. Choice (D) is the correct answer.

9. A

The word fielded appears in the phrase signed autographs and fielded questions. Since the author supposes this is what Heller did after his speech, fielded must mean something like answered or responded to. Choice (A) matches the prediction very well. Eliminate (B), (C), and (D) as there’s no evidence that Heller did anything other than interact with his audience as speakers generally do after giving a speech. The correct answer is (A).

10. B

To answer an inference question, look for the answer that must be true based on what the passage says. There’s no evidence that the author had a speech impediment, only that Heller did. Eliminate (A). There’s no evidence that the author was afraid that Heller wouldn’t respond or that the author anticipated that Heller would not want to deal with another student. Eliminate (C) and (D). There is ample evidence that the author greatly admired both Heller and his book, so (B) is most consistent with what the passage says and is the correct answer.

11. C

The sting referred to in the opening question is echoed in the assertion later in the first paragraph that Many a badly stung survivor faced with the aftermath of some relative’s funeral has ruefully concluded that the funeral industry has won the battle. Thus the author is identifying the sting of death as the unpleasant aspects of dealing with the funeral industry. Eliminate (A) and (D), as both refer to the experience of the dying, not the mourners of the dead. While (B) does explicitly mention heirs, it focuses on a struggle for inheritance among survivors, not a struggle with the funeral industry. Eliminate (B). Choice (C) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

12. A

This question is a bit tricky. The author does not spell out her meaning here, but the blurb notes that the passage is from a book that takes a hard look at funeral practices in the 60s. The second paragraph also ends with a reference to the modern American funeral and the fourth paragraph begins with a reference to the funeral men, so (A), undertakers, is most consistent with the structure and subject of the passage overall. The term traders could seem to connect with shopkeepers, but as undertakers also have goods and services to sell, (A) is stronger than (B), and (B) can be eliminated. While three famous authors are mentioned, their names are used as examples of writers who have cast the dismal traders in a comic role in literature. Eliminate (C). Similarly, while the passage says the dismal traders have perpetrated a practical joke, it also says that this joke is not consciously conceived of as a joke, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (A).

13. B

This question is also tricky, as it asks about one of the several allusions that the author makes in this passage. The reference to Madison Avenue may not trigger any associations, so check the passage to see what characteristics of Madison Avenue language are provided. The language is implicated in the creation of a grotesque cloud-cuckoo-land (whatever that is) that emphasizes the trappings of Gracious Dying. The fifth paragraph provides several illustrations of the kind of language the author is referring to, and the quotations are all examples of appealing language that describes things that are not really necessary. The dead do not need either long-lasting protection or elaborate mattresses, and particularly not mattresses intended to address posture issues. While this language might be distracting if mourners focused on it, there’s no evidence that the language is intended to distract, so eliminate (A). There’s no evidence that sudden death is of particular concern here, so eliminate (C). The language describes items that one uses only after death, not while dying, so eliminate (D). Choice (B) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

14. C

The work done to answer question 13 helps here. The illustrations in the last paragraph are all examples of items that sound appealing but that are not really necessary. The author signals at the end of the fifth paragraph that she is interested in showing how Madison Avenue language has seeped into the funeral industry, which means she’s more interested in how the items are described than in the range of items available. Eliminate (A). While the descriptions might be funny, there’s no evidence the author believes that the funeral industry intends to be funny, so eliminate (B). The issue of delaying decay is raised in some but not all of the examples, so eliminate (D) as not addressing the examples overall. Choice (C) is consistent with the idea demonstrated by all of the examples, which do highlight the strangeness of describing funeral items in terms of benefits that the dead will never need. The correct answer is (C).

15. C

This is a general question followed by a “best evidence” question, so treat the questions together as specific paired questions. Choice (16A) does not support any of the choices in question 15, so eliminate (16A). In the lines given in (16B), the author of passage 2 asserts that in our search for economy and avoidance of discomfort we have weakened a very important family rite. This works well to support (15C), so keep it. Choices (16C) and (16D) do provide examples of practices that the author raises questions about, but neither is an example of measures that are ineffective in addressing escalating funeral costs. Since (16C) and (16D) do not support any of the choices in question 15, they can be eliminated. The only answer choice in 15 that is supported by an answer in 16 is (15C). Eliminate (15A), (15B), and (15D). The correct answer for question 15 is (C), and the correct answer for question 16 is (B).

16. B

See the explanation for question 15.

17. A

The word curbed appears in the statement that many of the questionable excesses of the funeral trade have been curbed. This statement is followed by a colon and the explanation that legislation and self-policing have brought some measure of regulation to the funeral industry. Thus curbed must mean something like reduced or made less excessive. Eliminate (B), (C), and (D), which do not match this prediction. The correct answer is (A).

18. D

The work for question 17 makes this question pretty straightforward to answer, since the phrase questionable excesses of the funeral trade appears in the lines that were used to answer question 17. The sentence explains that these excesses were curbed by legislation and self-policing by funeral home associations. Eliminate (A), (B), and (C), as these choices do not match the prediction; there’s no reference to the passage of time as a factor, and, while the examples from (B) and (C) are mentioned in the passage, they do not address how the excesses were brought under control. The correct answer is (D).

19. A

The author says to Consider the case of one funeral “park” that offers drive-in funerals. The example is provided to illustrate the claim made immediately before it that the search for economy and avoidance of discomfort have weakened a very important family rite. Choice (A) matches this prediction well. Eliminate (B), as it is not supported in the text and is a potentially offensive answer that a member of the funeral business is especially unlikely to make. The author does acknowledge that some positive changes have occurred in the funeral industry, but such changes are not being discussed in this paragraph. Eliminate (C). No claims that the funeral industry has not changed are mentioned in the passage, so the author is not rebutting them. Eliminate (D). The correct answer is (A).

20. A

The referenced phrase occurs in the statement that families will ask that contributions to charity be made in lieu of flowers and wreaths, which is followed by the point that this occurs without the recognition that buying flowers provides a chance for friends and relatives to show their concern in a more tangible way than a gift to charity. Since this opportunity to show tangible concern is not being acknowledged as important, friends and relatives must not have the opportunity to buy flowers and wreaths, so in lieu of must mean something like instead of. Eliminate (B), (C), and (D), as they do not match this prediction. Choice (A) is the correct answer.

21. D

The authors of both passages are most likely to agree on a point that each of them makes separately. Look at the answer choices so that you can look for support for the most likely candidate first. Choices (A) and (C) seem unlikely, as a member of the funeral industry is unlikely to make such strong claims, both of which are also inconsistent with the tone of the second passage. Choice (B) can also be eliminated, as the fact that the funeral industry has changed is essential to the argument made in the second passage. Choice (D) seems to be the most likely point upon which both authors agree, and evidence can be found in both passages when the information offered in the blurb is also considered—in the first passage because the author is writing about the negative aspects of the funeral industry in 1963, and in the second because the passage is from the 1980s and the author acknowledges that many of the questionable excesses of the funeral trade have been curbed in the last twenty years. Eliminate (A), (B), and (C). Choice (D) is the correct answer.

22. D

This general question is easier to answer after the more specific questions have been tackled. The passage begins by introducing the question of how life began and noting that numerous theories have been proposed to answer the question. Svante August Arrhenius’s proposal is considered and the point is made that the solution ultimately leaves the central question unanswered. A second theory is introduced and Stanley Lloyd Miller’s related experiment is described. Eliminate (A), as neither theory that is discussed is proved to be impossible. Eliminate (B), as it does not account for the discussion of the two theories. Eliminate (C), as the passage does not state that the question under consideration is impossible to answer, only one experiment is described, and that experiment is shown to shed light on the origin of life. Choice (D) best matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

23. C

The passage focuses on the question of how life on Earth arose, and since this occurred perhaps 4,000 million years ago, the larger details of the Earth’s history prior to this point are less important than the details of what follows. Choices (A) and (B) present ideas that may be true but are not the primary reason the author does not feel the need to detail the earliest years of Earth’s development too thoroughly. Eliminate (D) because while this aphorism may be true, it’s not directly relevant to the choices the author makes in terms of how detailed the presented history is. Choice (C) matches the prediction well and is the correct answer.

24. C

The author presents Arrhenius’s theory and then explains why, even if it is true, it still leaves open the question of how life began before it traveled to Earth. While Arrhenius’s theory is described as dramatic, there is no evidence that the author thinks the theory is innovative or daring, so eliminate (A). Similarly, (B) can be eliminated, because while dramatic is supported, too elaborate is not. The author does not rule out the possibility that Arrhenius’s theory is valid, so eliminate (D). The author chooses to highlight Arrhenius’s theory from among several different theories that have been proposed, which suggests that the author finds the theory interesting. The phrase even if we imagine that Earth was seeded from another world suggests that the author does not find the possibility particularly likely, however. Further, the author moves fairly quickly from Arrhenius’s theory to another that is more fully elaborated on and that the author seems to find more relevant to the discussion, so the structure of the passage suggests that the author does not find Arrhenius’s theory very likely. Choice (C) is best supported by the passage and is the correct answer.

25. A

The word generation appears in the phrase some period when life began on some world through spontaneous generation. Since the passage is discussing how life arose from nonliving things, the thing that happens spontaneously must be the creation or beginning of life. Eliminate (C) and (D), as they refer to a different sense of the word generation. Eliminate (B) because if life did not yet exist, it could not be reproduced, only produced. Choice (A) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

26. D

The best evidence for the answer to an inference question is what the passage actually says on the topic. The second half of the sentence that notes that Earth’s atmosphere did not contain oxygen is the explanation that the lack of oxygen also meant the absence of oxygen’s derivative, ozone, and thus that the Sun’s energetic ultraviolet rays would reach Earth’s surface undiluted. Choice (A) might be true, but it does not identify the reason specifically given in the passage, so eliminate it. Choice (B) is extreme and there’s no evidence that all energy sources produce more heat without oxygen, so eliminate it. Whether (C) is true or not, the issue it addresses is not discussed in the passage, so eliminate it, too. Choice (D) matches the prediction well and is the correct answer.

27. A

Miller’s experiment is discussed in the seventh paragraph and all the answer choices in question 28, a “best evidence” question, come from that paragraph, so the two questions can be treated as specific paired questions. The seventh paragraph opens with the claim that Miller made a discovery that shed light on the passage from a substance that is definitely unliving to one that is, in however simple a fashion, alive. This is another way of saying that Miller’s discovery showed how life arose from nonliving substances. The paragraph’s concluding sentence notes that Miller’s work was the first proof that organic material could have been formed from the inanimate substances. Since that formation is the central concern of the passage as a whole, this is likely to be the reason the author discusses Miller’s work. Choice (A) best fits with this prediction. Choices (B), (C), and (D) all touch on issues that may be relevant to the topic overall, but not as centrally as (A), which names the primary concern of the passage, so eliminate them. Choice (A) is the correct answer.

28. A

This is the second question in a set of specific paired questions. The support for the answer in question 27 was found in the first and last sentences of the seventh paragraph. No answer choice covers the last sentence, but (A) does include the first sentence. Eliminate (B), (C), and (D). The correct answer is (A).

29. C

The author’s conclusion at the end of the passage is that Miller’s experiment was the first proof that the conditions on Earth long ago could have been conducive to the spontaneous generation of life. The best support for the author’s conclusion would also back up this proof, and that would entail either confirming or expanding upon Miller’s findings. Choice (C) directly addresses that issue—if Miller’s results were duplicated by others, a conclusion based on Miller’s work would be better supported. The other answer choices offer options that might generate interesting information, but they do not equally reinforce the evidence upon which the conclusion is based. Eliminate (A), (B), and (D). Choice (C) is the correct answer.

30. B

This question asks which of the claims is supported by the table. Eliminate anything that isn’t supported. Choice (A) can be eliminated because there is no evidence that any new amino acids were created in the twenty-first century. Choice (B) is supported by the table, so keep it. Choice (C) can be eliminated because only three of the first five amino acids found by Miller are proteinogenic. Choice (D) can be eliminated because the table shows eleven amino acids found by the Volcanic Spark Discharge experiment, and Miller-Urey found five. The correct answer is (B).

31. B

This question asks which idea from the passage is most directly supported by the table. Choice (A) can be eliminated because the table contains data from an experiment testing the spontaneous generation of life on Earth, not the emergence of life from outer space. Choice (B) is supported, because Miller did apply an energy source to elements that existed on early Earth and found amino acids capable of building proteins. Keep (B). Choice (C) can be eliminated because the table does not show anything about the strength of the sun’s rays. Choice (D) can be eliminated because there is nothing in the table about RNA. The correct answer is (B).

32. A

This general question is easier to answer after the more specific questions have been tackled. The passage takes the form of an extended story that traces the author’s actions upon reconsidering the author’s response to a recently heard speaker. Choice (A) matches this prediction, so keep it. Eliminate (B), as the author ends up thinking that the symposium speaker’s argument might have some validity after all, so the theory is not debunked. There is no introductory anecdote, as the entire passage is a story of the author’s experiences and the thoughts they give rise to, so eliminate (C). The passage does not have a conclusion that redefines the terms under discussion, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (A).

33. A

The question asks for the author’s ultimate attitude toward the symposium speaker, so this and question 34 can be treated as a set of specific paired questions, in which the answer to question 33 will probably be found in the latest mention of the speaker in the passage. (Alternatively, since the answer choices in 34 span the entire passage, these two questions could be worked as a set of general paired questions.) The latest reference to the symposium speaker—both in terms of the development of the author’s attitudes and in the layout of the passage—comes in the last few lines of the passage: And I’m starting to think that maybe the Whimsical Professor ranting about his “technological opiates” is not so romantic after all. As before in the passage, the author gives the speaker a nickname that seems gently mocking but which also acknowledges some validity to the speaker’s arguments. Choice (A) matches this prediction well. Eliminate (B), as there is no evidence the author is puzzled or feels a negative emotion as strong as scorn. Eliminate (C), since the author never rejected the speaker’s ideas and there’s no evidence the author dislikes the speaker. Eliminate (D), since the author does not exhibit a sense of nostalgia about the speaker or anything else in the passage. Choice (A) is the correct answer.

34. D

Since this is the “best evidence” question that pairs with the specific question in 33, look for the answer choice in 34 that includes the lines that were used to predict the answer for 33. This refers to the last sentence of the passage, which is (D); the other three choices can be eliminated.

35. C

This is a tricky question. Since it asks about the primary purpose of the details In the context of the overall passage, the correct answer is likely to be one that shows how those details contribute to the development of the main idea of the passage. Eliminate both (A) and (D), as these answers are more general and there is no indication in the answers of how painting a picture in the reader’s mind or evoking a sense of an idyllic college campus would further the author’s development of the main idea. Eliminate (B), since this explanation suggests that the author’s main insight could be simply a product of a particular place rather than a generally applicable idea. Choice (C) suggests how the details in the first paragraph might contribute to the main idea overall, and even if it seems like a weak answer choice, it is more readily supported by the text than any other choice. The correct answer is (C).

36. D

Consider the roles that punctuation and italics play in the referenced lines. Since there is no indication in line 9 that the quotation marks around controversial are intended to signal that the word is a quotation, the most likely explanation is that the author is using the term with reservation—that is, that the author did not actually think the symposium was actually controversial. This idea is reinforced by the summation, I thought his speech was interesting, but altogether too romantic. The second referenced line has a structure that suggests that two opposing ideas will be presented, as in a sentence like this: “They are never…sad either.” Since the two ideas that are presented are actually the same phrase used twice, the italics are likely intended to indicate that the second use of the phrase they are never alone is different from the first. Eliminate (A) and (B), since the prediction provides a better explanation for the use of both quotation marks and italics than the need for variation or an inconsistency. Choice (C) also does not match the prediction, as there’s no evidence that the author has a whimsical attitude toward the passage’s main idea. Choice (D) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

37. D

The third paragraph is devoted to an account of the symposium speaker’s argument. Eliminate (A), as the only details that relate to the speaker’s age and fatigue come in the first sentence, so this answer doesn’t account for the whole paragraph. Also eliminate (B), for while a contrast may exist between the speaker and the girls on their cell phones, the passage is devoted to detailing the speaker’s ideas, not contrasting those ideas with the attitudes of the girls on their cell phones. Eliminate (C), as the author listened to the speaker in the morning and encountered the girls while eating lunch afterward, so the answer reverses the order of events. Choice (D) accounts for the whole paragraph, matches the prediction, and is the correct answer.

38. B

When the task is to identify with which statement someone will most likely agree, the answer that repeats or rephrases something the person actually said will be the best supported choice. Check the answers against the comments that are attributed to the symposium speaker to see which best matches what the symposium speaker said. Eliminate (A), since there is no evidence the speaker distinguished between appropriate and inappropriate use of the icons. Eliminate (C) as extreme, since the speaker does not make such a strong proclamation about the use of icons. Eliminate (D), since the speaker does not remark on the separate functions of dancing and flashing. Choice (B) is consistent with the speaker’s assertion that a letter-writer had time to think about his message and about how he could best phrase it. The correct answer is (B).

39. B

The beginning of the fourth paragraph—And what about cell phones? I thought—signals a transition from the summation of the symposium speaker’s ideas to the author’s own efforts to consider personal experiences in light of the speaker’s larger claims. Eliminate (C) as there’s no evidence the author believes people from a generation ago would not have tolerated the behavior. Eliminate (D), as there’s no evidence the author believes a new etiquette book should be written. Eliminate (A), as this answer does not provide a connection to the ideas the speaker raised. Choice (B) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

40. C

The author’s point in the referenced sentence is spelled out in the first sentence of the fifth paragraph: those girls, like most of us, could use a moment of solitude. The significant price the girls pay is that they are never alone, which, the author elaborates, contributes to the confused thinking that being alone is the same thing as being lonely. The author also asserts that to disconnect from the world for a while is necessary for our sanity and identity as humans. Eliminate (A), (B), and (D), as these are too literal interpretations of the downsides of using cell phones frequently, in public, and while doing other things. Choice (C) is most consistent with the prediction and is the correct answer.

41. B

The Whimsical Professor is one of the nicknames the author bestows on the symposium speaker. The speaker’s argument is summarized in the third paragraph, which offers the speaker’s conclusion as The temporary, impersonal nature of computers…is gradually rendering our lives equally temporary and impersonal. The best counter to the speaker’s claim would need to show why computers are not, in fact, rendering our own lives equally temporary and impersonal. Eliminate (A), as a speech with this title might actually reinforce the speaker’s ideas. Eliminate (C), since no indication is given of how a speech with that title would address the issue of spelling nor that a decline in spelling standards makes our lives temporary and impersonal. Eliminate (D), since that title suggests that both sides of the debate will be addressed in a speech of that title; by contrast, the title in (B) clearly signals that the positive aspects of computer use will be discussed. Choice (B) matches the prediction by countering the speaker’s negative conclusion with a positive thesis and is therefore the correct answer.

42. C

The initial portrayal of the speaker, whose ideas are characterized by the author as altogether too romantic, suggests the speaker is out-of-step with the world around him—he is antiquated, wears mismatched clothes, rails earnestly against modern conveniences, and even uses the clunky-sounding electronic mail instead of its more common shorter form, email. By the end of the passage, when the term romantic is used again, the speaker has come to believe that the speaker is not so romantic after all, which reinforces the idea that the author uses romantic to mean not fully relevant or not directly or practically applicable to current circumstances. Eliminate (A), (B), and (D) as accepted definitions of romantic that do not fit this particular context. Choice (C) matches the prediction well and is the correct answer.

43. C

This is a general question, and as such is probably easier to answer after the more specific questions have been tackled. The passage begins by asserting that few people realize that certain events on the sun can have disastrous consequences on Earth. After explaining how the events or CMEs can affect life on Earth, the passage addresses the difficulty in forecasting CMEs and how some on Earth are responding to the problems associated with them. Eliminate (A), as the passage does not detail the positive effects of CMEs. While the passage does say that CME is the term used by scientists to denote solar projections, it does not explain the phenomenon twice using two different kinds of terms; eliminate (B). There’s no evidence in the passage that CMEs are new or that the author is issuing a warning, so eliminate (D). Choice (C) matches the prediction well and is the correct answer.

44. C

The indicated phrase occurs in the first paragraph in a sentence that might require a little untangling. The sentence that immediately follows the referenced line can provide useful context, as it is more straightforward: Few people realize, however, that certain events on the sun can have disastrous consequences for life here on Earth. The however indicates that the idea that the sun can have disastrous effects on Earth contrasts with the information provided in the first sentence, so the first sentence must indicate that people don’t usually think the sun affects the Earth adversely. This suggests that the phrase almost unambiguously benign refers to the opinion most people have of the effects of the sun on Earth. Eliminate (B) and (D), as neither addresses the issue of what people think of the sun. When (A) and (C) are compared, (C) is the stronger answer that better matches the prediction; (A) incorporates a misreading of the phrase on the surface, which in the context of the passage means at first glance and does not literally refer to Earth’s surface. Eliminate (A). The correct answer is (C).

45. B

This question is a general question that is followed by a “best evidence” question whose answer choices are drawn from the whole of the passage, so questions 45 and 46 can be worked as a set of general paired questions. Choice (46A) does address the issue of how many people know about the potential that CMEs have to cause problems on Earth, but the indicated lines do not address governmental plans. Eliminate (46A) or mark its connection to (45A) as weak. Choice (46B) explicitly connects increasing dependence on new technologies to an increase in the potential havoc a major CME could cause. This answer offers strong support for (45B). Choice (46C) explains what scientists conjecture about a perfect storm, but the author does not draw attention to any ironies that might exist in the application of the term; thus while (46C) might offer some support to (45D), the support is not as strong as that offered by (46B) for (45B). Eliminate (46C). Choice (46D) does explain the high speeds at which CMEs travel, but there is no indication the author believes the difficulties caused by such speeds will not be overcome at any point in the future. Eliminate (46D). Eliminate (45A), (45C), and (45D), as none is as well-supported as (45B) is by (46B). The correct answer for question 45 is (B), and the correct answer for question 46 is (B).

46. B

See the explanation for the previous question.

47. D

The term geomagnetic storm can be used as a lead word to locate the introduction of that term in line 6; CMEs are explained later in the first paragraph, so look there to see which answer choice is supported by the passage. There is no mention of the frequency of either phenomenon, so eliminate (A). The relationship between DST and CMEs is not addressed, so eliminate (B). The passage does not clarify if the relative size of plasma ejections affects which term is applied when, so eliminate (C). The passage explains that CMEs are ejections of plasma from the sun’s surface and the first sentence of the second paragraph refers to the last…major CME and explains the effects of the resulting geomagnetic storm. These details are consistent with the explanation offered in (D). Thus, the correct answer is (D).

48. D

The words compounded by occur in the following phrase: The difficulties created by this narrow window of opportunity are compounded by the fact that…. The rest of the sentence goes on to describe a second factor that severely limits the time scientists have to analyze and formulate responses to a major CME. Thus compounded by must mean something like complicated by or made even more difficult by. Eliminate (A) and (B), which do not match the prediction at all, and (C), which does not match the prediction as well as (D) does. Choice (D) is the correct answer.

49. C

Chronology and the use of governments as a lead word help to locate the reference to how some world governments hope to combat this problem by placing a satellite in orbit around the sun at the start of the final paragraph. The previous paragraph describes the challenges of trying to predict a geomagnetic storm’s impact, so the problem the governments want to use a satellite to combat is the problem specified in the question. Eliminate (A) and (B), as these options do not match the prediction and are not discussed anywhere in the passage. Eliminate (D) because while the attempted solutions described are mentioned in the passage, these are steps taken—by energy providers—to minimize the effects of a CME, not steps taken to provide more time in which to analyze and respond to a CME. Choice (C) matches the prediction and is the correct answer.

50. A

The word buy occurs in the phrase in the hopes that this will buy scientists more time to predict the occurrence and intensity of geomagnetic storms. Since a major difficulty with geomagnetic storms is the very short window in which scientists can try to analyze a CME once it occurs, the benefit of placing a satellite in orbit around the sun would be that data about the CME would be available earlier in that window. Thus in this context, buy must mean something like offer to or gain. Eliminate (C) as it is not relevant in this context. Eliminate (D) as a too literal definition of buy that also does not fit in this context. Between (A) and (B), (A) better matches the prediction, while (B) introduces a suggestion of deserving or being entitled to that does not suit the context as well. Eliminate (B). The correct answer is (A).

51. D

The question asks for the answer that is consistent with information in the passage and the graph, so check the answer choices to determine which one doesn’t contradict the passage and graph. Choice (A) might initially seem consistent with the graph, since the year 2001 features the highest plotted point on the graph (at –10). The start of the second paragraph, however, refers to the last recorded instance of a major CME, which occurred in 1989 and resulted in a geomagnetic storm that caused very large-scale problems. Furthermore, if 1989 contained such a significant CME, then it seems very unlikely that a relatively high value on the vertical axis signals a great deal of geomagnetic storm activity. Eliminate (A), since the last major CME occurred in 1989, not 2001. Eliminate (B), since lower, not higher, relative values on the vertical axis seem to indicate greater geomagnetic storm activity. Eliminate (C), as the start of the third paragraph notes that perfect storms, or storms with the potential to cause massive disruptions on Earth, are difficult to forecast, so the graph is unlikely to provide any basis for making a prediction about when the next major CME would occur. Choice (D) is consistent with the passage and graph, which together suggest an inverse relationship between DST measure and the strength of geomagnetic storm activity. Choice (D) is the correct answer.

52. A

The question asks which statement is best supported by the data in the graph, so look for an answer choice that agrees with or at least does not contradict the graph. Choice (A) is consistent with the apparently random pattern of activity that the graph shows, so keep it. Choice (B), like (A), paraphrases information provided in the passage; however, the speed of CMEs is not addressed by the graph, so eliminate (B). The graph also does not support the extreme claim made in (C), nor does it address the factors that result in a storm causing damage. Eliminate (C). Choice (D) also paraphrases information given in the passage, but the timeframe for determining the orientation of a CME’s magnetic field is not addressed by the graph. Eliminate (D). Choice (A) is the correct answer.