TOEFL Reading Practice

Paragraph 5 implies that a special explanation of the Ir in the boundary clay is needed because

• the Ir in microscopic meteorites reaching Earth during the Cretaceous period would have been incorporated into Earth’s core

• the Ir in the boundary clay was deposited much more than a million years ago

• the concentration of Ir in the boundary clay is higher than in microscopic meteorites

• the amount of Ir in the boundary clay is too great to have come from microscopic meteorites during the time the boundary clay was deposited

The word "indigenous" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

• Intelligent

• Foreign

• Native

• Friendly

The word 'those' in paragraph 1 refers to:

• gene pool

• survival

• natural selection

• traits characteristics

In paragraph 4, what was the author's purpose of including a quote that the belief that the complexity of the human eye could have been formed by natural selection seems highly unlikely?

• To provide evidence that irreducibly complex systems exist

• The proof that the natural selection contradicts the basis of Darwin

• The support that the natural selection contributes to the basis of Darwin

• To support the claim that natural selection is just a theory and difficult to prove

According to paragraph 3, how has the development of a fully functional vertebrate eye been estimated?

• It has been estimated on mutation rates, relative advantages to the organism and natural selection.

• It has been estimated on studies of the fossil record of this period.

• It has been estimated on natural selection only.

• It has been estimated based on the first eye fossils, dating back to 540 million years ago.

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as a viewpoint to state the natural selection is difficult to prove EXCEPT

• The belief that the complexity of the human eye could have been formed by natural selection seems highly unlikely

• The presence of irreducibly complex system contradicts how evolution occurs

• Modern microbiology proves that irreducibly complex systems exist

• Selective breeding is the major hole in the theory of natural selection

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4?

• The fossil record suggests that there was an abrupt extinction of many plants and animals at the end of the Mesozoic era.

• Few fossils of the Mesozoic era have survived in the rocks that mark the end of the Cretaceous.

• Fossils from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic up to the beginning of the Cenozoic era have been removed from the layers of rock that surrounded them.

• Plants and animals from the Mesozoic era were unable to survive in the Cenozoic era.

In paragraph 5 of the passage, there is a missing sentence. The paragraph shows four letters (A, B, C, and D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added.Choose the place where the sentence fits best.

• A

• B

• C

• D