ACT Reading Practice Social Science

The author's use of the words and phrases "thickets," "stretching in every direction," and "extensive forest" (lines 6-7) in Passage A most nearly serves to emphasize which of the following points?

• The Tian Shan mountains are a challenge to navigate

• The apple varieties of Kazakhstan would be difficult for a botanist to catalog.

• The diversity of plant species in Kazakhstan is crucially important

• The magnitude of wild apples in Kazakhstan is stunning

The author of Passage A most likely states that the wild apples growing in the Tian Shan looked like apples found at the local grocery store to support the point that:

• many of the apples stocked in grocery stores are harvested in the Tian Shan

• in the Tian Shan, Vavilov had likely found the wild ancestors of the domesticated apple

• the wild apples growing in the Tian Shan are among the most popular varieties with consumers.

• in the Tian Shan, Vavilov had found new apple varieties to introduce to food producers.

Passage A makes which of the following claims about plant species that are found in Kazakhstan?

• Approximately 157 species of cultivated temperate fruits originated in Kazakhstan

• 90% of all domesticated crops are either direct precursors or close wild relatives of plant species found in Kazakhstan

• Of the plant species found in Kazakhstan, 90% are species of apples.

• Aside from apples, at least 157 plant species found in Kazakhstan are either direct precursors or close wild relatives of domesticated crops.

Passage B most strongly suggests that Vavilov was motivated to become an agricultural scientist primarily because he:

• wanted to have one of his findings published

• aimed to work with a famous botanist

• wished to remedy a personal financial crisis

• hoped to help feed others

The author of Passage B uses the phrase "whittle away" (line 80) to refer to the way that apple varieties have been:

• gradually lost from nursery catalogs, farmers' markets , and the American table

• modified by plant breeders, entomologists, and pathologists to meet specialized needs

• weeded out by scientists until only a few thousand most resilient varieties remained

• pared down in 1904 to the few varieties that nursery catalogs wanted to feature

As it is used in lines 82-83, the phrase" named and nurtured" most nearly means:

• nominated and encouraged

• identified and cultivated

• pointed to and groomed

• cited and fed

In Passage B, it can most reasonably by inferred from the third paragraph (lines 74-79) that "centers of crop diversity" become crucially important when:

• plant breeders would like to learn more about the plant species of central Asia

• problems with a cultivated crop require experts to research a new variety of the crop

• consumers would like more variety in grocery produce departments

• disputes among plant breeders, pathologists, and entomologists lead to a reduction in crop variety

Which of the following statements best describes the difference in the tone of the two passages?

• Passage A is defensive, whereas Passage B is dispassionate

• Passage A is solemn, whereas Passage B is optimistic

• Passage A is celebratory, whereas Passage B is cautionary

• Passage A is accusatory, whereas Passage B is sentimental

Compared to the author of Passage A, the author of Passage B provides more information about the:

• reduction in the number of apple varieties in North America over the past four centuries

• methods Vavilov used to prove to other scientists that the apples grown in the Tian Shan are the ancestors of the modern apple

• number of apple varieties that are thriving in Kazakhstan today

• techniques used by researchers to determine the regions with the greatest genetic diversity in plants

Passage A quotes Vavilov as saying "'I could see with my own eyes that I had stumbled upon the centre of origin for the apple'" (lines 11-12). In Passage B this quote directly:

• invoked by the passage author as he imagines what Kazakhstan looked like centuries ago

• used to support an argument by USDA scientists

• paraphrased by Salova

• refuted by Bussey