SAT PREP - Unit 1 Quiz

NASA’s Aspera mission, led by Carlos Vargas, will investigate the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the huge swaths of low-density gas that fill and surround galaxies. Specifically, the team will focus on portions of the gas that exist in a “warm-hot” phase: these portions haven’t previously been observable but are thought to fuel new star formation and hold most of the mass that makes up a galaxy. Using a telescope capable of revealing these parts of the CGM, the Aspera mission should help answer long-standing questions about how galaxies emerge, change, and even interact.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• As the leader of NASA’s Aspera mission, Vargas will be the first person to investigate the makeup of the CGM.

• Although galaxies that are surrounded by the CGM have been studied, researchers have been unable to directly observe low-density gas in the CGM in the “warm-hot” phase.

• Researchers don’t yet have a complete understanding of the process of galaxy evolution but have raised the possibility that galaxies interact with each other at times.

• The Aspera mission is expected to produce the first direct observations of CGM gas in the “warm-hot” phase, which likely has an important role in the evolution of galaxies.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by mentioning NASA’s Aspera mission, which will investigate the low-density gas that makes up the circumgalactic medium (CGM). According to the text, this mission will focus on a portion of the CGM’s gas that exists in a “warm-hot” phase; this “warm-hot” gas has not been previously observed, but it is thought to make up most of the mass of galaxies and play a part in star formation. Finally, the text mentions a telescope capable of examining this previously unobservable “warm-hot” gas: the Aspera mission will use this telescope in the hope of answering questions about galaxy formation and change. Therefore, the main idea of the text is that the Aspera mission is likely to produce the first direct observations of CGM gas in the “warm-hot” phase, which likely has an important role in the evolution of galaxies

Choctaw/Cherokee artist Jeffrey Gibson turns punching bags used by boxers into art by decorating them with beadwork and elements of Native dressmaking. These elements include leather fringe and jingles, the metal cones that cover the dresses worn in the jingle dance, a women’s dance of the Ojibwe people. Thus, Gibson combines an object commonly associated with masculinity (a punching bag) with art forms traditionally practiced by women in most Native communities (beadwork and dressmaking). In this way, he rejects the division of male and female gender roles.

Which choice best describes Gibson’s approach to art, as presented in the text?

• He draws from traditional Native art forms to create his original works.

• He has been influenced by Native and non-Native artists equally.

• He finds inspiration from boxing in designing the dresses he makes

• He rejects expectations about color and pattern when incorporating beadwork.

Answer explanation

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes Gibson’s approach to art. As the text explains, Gibson, who is Cherokee and Choctaw, transforms punching bags into art pieces by applying (or attaching) to them beadwork and elements of Native dressmaking, including leather fringe and the jingles of the jingle dress. The text goes on to say that in most Native communities, the art forms of beadwork and dressmaking are traditionally practiced by women. Therefore, Gibson’s approach to art consists of creating original works by drawing from traditional Native art forms.

“Mr. Cornelius Johnson, Office-Seeker” is a 1900 short story by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In the story, the narrator describes Mr. Cornelius Johnson’s appearance as conveying his exaggerated sense of his importance: _____

Which quotation from “Mr. Cornelius Johnson, Office-Seeker” most effectively illustrates the claim?

• “He carried himself always as if he were passing under his own triumphal arch.”

• “The grey Prince Albert was scrupulously buttoned about his form, and a shiny top hat replaced the felt of the afternoon.”

• “It was a beautiful day in balmy May and the sun shone pleasantly on Mr. Cornelius Johnson’s very spruce Prince Albert suit of grey as he alighted from the train in Washington.”

• “Mr. Cornelius Johnson always spoke in a large and important tone.”

Answer explanation

Choice A is the best answer. This quote most effectively illustrates the claim. The claim is that the narrator describes Mr. Johnson as arrogant and self-important. This basically says that Mr. Johnson always looks like he’s congratulating himself for something, which definitely supports the idea that Mr. Johnson is arrogant! .

The Post Office is a 1912 play by Rabindranath Tagore, originally written in Bengali. The character Amal is a young boy who imagines that the people he sees passing the window of his home are carefree even when engaged in work or chores, as is evident when he says to the daughter of a flower seller, ______

Which quotation from The Post Office most effectively illustrates the claim?

• “I see, you don’t wish to stop; I don’t care to stay on here either.”

• “Oh, flower gathering? That is why your feet seem so glad and your anklets jingle so merrily as you walk.”

• “I’ll pay when I grow up—before I leave to look for work out on the other side of that stream there.”

• “Wish I could be out too. Then I would pick some flowers for you from the very topmost branches right out of sight.”

Answer explanation

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim that Amal imagines the people he sees are carefree even when engaged in work. In the quotation, Amal observes that the flower seller’s daughter is “flower gathering,” or working, as the text indicates. Moreover, Amal notes that the daughter’s feet “seem so glad” and her “anklets jingle so merrily,” suggesting that Amal believes that the flower seller’s daughter is cheerful.

In 1534 CE, King Henry VIII of England split with the Catholic Church and declared himself head of the Church of England, in part because Pope Clement VII refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Two years later, Henry VIII introduced a policy titled the Dissolution of the Monasteries that by 1540 had resulted in the closure of all Catholic monasteries in England and the confiscation of their estates. Some historians assert that the enactment of the policy was primarily motivated by perceived financial opportunities.

Which quotation from a scholarly article best supports the assertion of the historians mentioned in the text?

• “At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, about 2 percent of the adult male population of England were monks; by 1690, the proportion of the adult male population who were monks was less than 1 percent.”

• A contemporary description of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Michael Sherbrook’s Falle of the Religious Howses, recounts witness testimony that monks were allowed to keep the contents of their cells and that the monastery timber was purchased by local yeomen.”

• “In 1535, the year before enacting the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry commissioned a survey of the value of church holdings in England—the work, performed by sheriffs, bishops, and magistrates, began that January and was swiftly completed by the summer.”

• “The October 1536 revolt known as the Pilgrimage of Grace had several economic motives: high food prices due to a poor harvest the prior year; the Dissolution of the Monasteries, which closed reliable sources of food and shelter for many; and rents and taxes throughout Northern England that were not merely high but predatory.”

Answer explanation

Choice C is the best answer. The fact that Henry VIII commissioned a survey of church holdings just before enacting the Dissolution of the Monasteries suggests that he was interested in the potential profits from claiming their assets. This supports the historians’ assertion

After a volcanic eruption spilled lava into North Pacific Ocean waters, a dramatic increase of diatoms (a kind of phytoplankton) near the surface occurred. Scientists assumed the diatoms were thriving on nutrients such as phosphate from the lava, but analysis showed these nutrients weren’t present near the surface in forms diatoms can consume. However, there was an abundance of usable nitrate, a nutrient usually found in much deeper water and almost never found in lava. Microbial oceanographer Sonya Dyhrman and colleagues believe that as the lava plunged nearly 300 meters below the surface it dislodged pockets of this nutrient, releasing it to float upward, given that ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?

• at 5–45 meters below the surface, the average concentration of phosphate was about the same in the seawater in the lava-affected area as in the seawater outside of the lava-affected area.

• for both depth ranges measured, the average concentrations of nitrate were substantially higher in the seawater in the lava-affected area than in the seawater outside of the lava-affected area.

• for both depth ranges measured in the seawater in the lava-affected area, the average concentrations of nitrate were substantially higher than the average concentrations of phosphate.

• in the seawater outside of the lava-affected area, there was little change in the average concentration of nitrate from 75–125 meters below the surface to 5–45 meters below the surfac

Answer explanation

Choice B is the best answer. The claim is that the lava freed the deep nitrate, allowing it to float upward. The table supports this by showing that there was more nitrate in the lava-affected seawater at various depths above 300 meters (the depth to which the lava plunged) than in unaffected seawater.

Georgia Tech roboticists De’Aira Bryant and Ayanna Howard, along with ethicist Jason Borenstein, were interested in people’s perceptions of robots’ competence. They recruited participants and asked them how likely they think it is that a robot could do the work required in various occupations. Participants’ evaluations varied widely depending on which occupation was being considered; for example, ______

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?

• 47% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a teacher, but 37% of respondents believe that it is somewhat or very unlikely that a robot could do so. 

• 9% of participants were neutral about whether a robot could work effectively as a television news anchor, which is the same percent of participants who were neutral when asked about a robot working as a surgeon

• 82% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a tour guide, but only 16% believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work as a surgeon.

• 62% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very unlikely that a robot could work effectively as a firefighter.

Answer explanation

Choice C is the best answer because it effectively uses data from the table to complete the example of variations in participants’ evaluations. The table shows participants’ evaluations of the likelihood that robots could work effectively in different occupations. The text asserts that participants’ evaluations varied widely depending on the occupation being considered and introduces an example supporting that assertion. The data from the table showing that 82% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a tour guide but only 16% of participants believe that it is somewhat or very likely that a robot could work effectively as a surgeon illustrate this assertion: those data show participants’ views changing substantially with the occupation being considered.  

Considering a large sample of companies, economics experts Maria Guadalupe, Julie Wulf, and Raghuram Rajan assessed the number of managers and leaders from different departments who reported directly to a chief executive officer (CEO). According to the researchers, the findings suggest that across the years analyzed, there was a growing interest among CEOs in connecting with more departments in their companies.

Which choice best describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion?

• The average numbers of managers and department leaders reporting directly to their CEO didn’t fluctuate from the 1991–1995 period to the 2001–2008 period.

• The average number of managers reporting directly to their CEO was highest in the 1996–2001 period.

• The average number of department leaders reporting directly to their CEO was greater than the average number of managers reporting directly to their CEO in each of the three periods studied.

• The average number of department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose over the three periods studied.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that support the researchers’ conclusion that there is a growing interest among CEOs in connecting with more departments in their companies. The graph shows the average number of individuals reporting directly to CEOs during three different time periods: the individuals are divided into managers and department leaders. The average number of department leaders directly reporting to their CEO during the 1991–1995 period was slightly more than three, during the 1996–2001 period it was four, and during the 2001–2008 period it was almost seven. Thus, the average number of department leaders reporting directly to their CEO rose over the three periods studied, which suggests that CEOs were connecting with more departments

The ancient Sumerian civilization formed around 4000 BCE between two large rivers in an area that is now Iraq and Syria. The extremely hot and sunny weather in that area helped crops grow very quickly, but it also made it hard to keep the crops from drying up and dying. So, the Sumerians used water from the rivers in their farming. That method worked so well that they often could harvest even more crops than they needed in a season. As a result, the Sumerians ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

• harvested crops only on the hottest days of each season.

• found ways to shield their crops from the sun.

• did not begin farming until long after 4000 BCE.

• were able to store extra crops for later use.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer because it presents the conclusion that most logically completes the text’s discussion of Sumerian civilization and crop growth. The text mentions the hot, sunny weather in the area where the Sumerians lived, which made crops grow quickly but also made it difficult to keep them alive. The Sumerians solved this problem by using river water for their farming—as a result, they often harvested more crops than were needed in a season. It follows that the Sumerians must have needed to find something to do with the surplus crops—that is, they stored the extra crops for later use.

Dutch painters in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries often showed tables filled with large wheels of cheese or carved shards of butter. Some art historians, noting that dairy products were a major component of the Dutch diet, interpret these depictions as reflections of everyday Dutch eating habits. However, a group of researchers recently reviewed hundreds of food-related paintings and found that lemons—which could only be acquired in the Netherlands at great cost, since they had to be imported from warmer climates—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more than three times as frequently as dairy products do, thereby casting doubt on the idea that ______

Which choice most logically completes the text?

• dairy products were a more significant component of the Dutch diet of the period than lemons were.

• food was a more popular subject among Dutch painters than it was among painters from other countries at the time.

• depictions of food in Dutch paintings of the period should be taken as realistic representations of Dutch eating habits

• Dutch painters of the period may have depicted foods for symbolic reasons rather than to show what Dutch people typically ate.

Answer explanation

Choice C is the best answer. The text tells us that lemons—an expensive imported product—feature in Dutch paintings of the period more frequently than dairy products do. Since it’s unlikely lemons were eaten more often than dairy, this fact casts doubt on the theory that these paintings realistically depicted Dutch diets.