Paired Passages Review

Passage

YOUTUBE:

YouTube:

A World of Knowledge and Fun at Your Fingertips

1

In 2004, three PayPal employees had a light bulb moment. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim envisioned a place on the internet where people could share their home movies with the world. They set up shop in a Silicon Valley garage, and Karim posted the first ever YouTube video in May of 2005. “Me at the Zoo” was just 19 seconds long, and it featured Karim casually speaking in front of the elephant enclosure. The video bore little semblance to the sophisticated productions often seen on YouTube today. In 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. If the original YouTube founders had had a crystal ball, they might not have been so quick to sign on the dotted line!

2

It is difficult to overstate just how popular YouTube currently is. There are 2.1 billion monthly active users all over the world. Unlike TikTok, which has a mostly young user base, suggesting young people prefer entertainment over educational content, YouTube appeals to people of all ages. In fact, the majority of internet users in the U.S., whether they are 15 or over the age of 56, use YouTube. In some places outside of the U.S., the internet can, of course, be more difficult to access.

3

Think of video sharing platforms like candy stores. While some offer just a few flavors, YouTube has a treat to satisfy absolutely any taste or craving. Want to get help with a difficult math concept? You’ll likely have no trouble at all finding a tutorial. Looking for some entertainment? There are videos featuring pranks, fictional characters, and hilarious cats. Videos can be up to twelve hours long, while a YouTube short is, like most TikTok videos, less than a minute. The amount of content on YouTube is also constantly increasing. A 2020 estimate stated that 500 hours of content were being uploaded every single minute!

4

Some young people who may have once said they wanted to be movie stars or professional sports players now aspire to be YouTubers. Those who can get enough views and subscribers on YouTube can indeed make money—serious money. In 2021, YouTuber Mr. Beast earned a staggering $54 million in gross revenue, making him the highest earning YouTube creator in history. It is hard not to feel a vague sense of injustice when there are so many doctors, nurses, firefighters, and police officers who will never come close to earning even a fraction of this amount. With that being said, the YouTube millionaire Mr. Beast is admittedly an inspiration to many. Stories like his show young people that with enough creativity, perseverance, and hard work, anyone with a camera and a YouTube account can make their dreams come true.

TIKTOK:

TikTok:

The Source for Bite-Sized Entertainment!

1

There is something about lip-synching and dancing to a favorite song turned up loud that is pure bliss. In 2014, Musical.ly, a social media app, offered users the chance to share their lip-synching skills with the world. Over the next few years, the app racked up hundreds of millions of users. A rival app called Douyin, which was developed by the company ByteDance, appeared on the scene in 2016. Outside of China, Douyin was rebranded as TikTok, which is now a household name. In late 2017, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly, instantly—and substantially—increasing TikTok's user base.

2

As of 2021, TikTok had more than one billion monthly active users in more than 150 countries, but it is undoubtedly a young person's app. TikTok videos can take many forms and be about practically any subject. There are videos of people completing challenges, sharing photos, responding to other TikTok creations, and, yes, lip-synching and dancing.

3

TikTok can be described as a form of micro-entertainment. Unlike movies or episodes of a television series, most TikTok videos are mere seconds long. So, TikTok does not require users to invest a substantial amount of time. People with just a few minutes to spare before a sports practice or class can log in and escape with some lighthearted fun. The popularity of TikTok among young users suggests they would prefer to see many videos in a given amount of time instead of just one.

4

Interestingly, while TikTok is known for short videos, the maximum video length seems to keep going up. At first, a TikTok video could only be 15 seconds long, but this was later changed to 60 seconds. In 2022, the maximum length was increased to 10 minutes. This change could be an effort to appeal to a broader range of users, and it might reflect TikTok's desire to compete with YouTube more effectively.

5

Some people who spend a lot of time generating TikTok videos want to know: Can I make money doing this? The answer is yes! TikTok does have an ad revenue sharing program, but the payout is a drop in the bucket compared to what some TikTokers can make by becoming "influencers." If TikTokers have a huge following, corporations will sometimes pay these influencers to feature and promote brands in their videos. And earnings can be mind-boggling. For example, TikTok personality Addison Rae earned an estimated $5 million in 2020. Success stories like these do have a downside, however. They can mislead people into thinking they, too, can make millions from TikTok, something only a miniscule percentage of people can do. If someone wants to make TikTok videos, the main goal should not be getting rich quick, but simply having fun.

In paragraph 3 of "YouTube," how does the author make a distinction between YouTube and other video platforms?

• The author uses an analogy to contrast the amount of selection offered by YouTube and other video platforms.

• The author uses an anecdote to contrast the amount of selection offered by YouTube and other video platforms.

• The author uses questions to contrast the types of videos typically featured on YouTube and other video platforms.

• The author uses categories to contrast the types of videos typically featured on YouTube and other video platforms.

Read this sentence from paragraph 4 of "YouTube." "Some young people who may have once said they wanted to be movie stars or professional sports players now aspire to be YouTubers." Which TWO pieces of evidence would be most relevant to this claim?

• a quote from a young person about what it would be like to make a living from YouTube

• a statistic showing the percentage of young people who make money with YouTube

• an interview with a movie star about how YouTube has changed the film industry

• two statistics showing the percentage of movie stars and YouTube stars who are under eighteen

• two quotes from experts about the characteristics and qualities most famous people possess

In paragraph 3 of "TikTok," how does the author make a distinction between TikTok and other forms of media entertainment?

• by giving examples of each type of entertainment

• by contrasting their content

• by contrasting their length

• by describing users of each type of entertainment

Which detail in paragraph 5 of "TikTok" BEST supports the author's claim that people can make money from TikTok?

• Some people who spend a lot of time generating TikTok videos . . .

• . . . Can I make money doing this?

• TikTok does have an ad revenue sharing program . . .

• . . . Addison Rae earned an estimated $5 million in 2020.

Which inference about TikTok influencers is BEST supported by paragraph 5 of "TikTok"?

• They produce videos that are very similar to commercials.

• They are very picky about the corporations they work with.

• They may be dishonest when they say they like a certain brand.

• They will usually decline to participate in ad revenue sharing.

Which evidence from paragraph 5 BEST supports the answer to Part A?

• ... the payout is a drop in the bucket . . .

• ... corporations will sometimes pay these influencers . . .

• ... to feature and promote brands in their videos.

• ... earnings can be mind-boggling.

How do the authors of both 'YouTube' and 'TikTok' interpret differently the fact that people can earn millions from making videos?

• The author of 'YouTube' believes that it can convince people to abandon their existing careers, while the author of 'TikTok' believes it can help others figure out how to earn a lot of money quickly.

• The author of 'YouTube' believes that it shows anyone can succeed if they work hard, while the author of 'TikTok' believes it can give people the wrong impression about their chances of success.

• The author of 'YouTube' believes that it can cause people to develop unrealistic goals for making money from videos, while the author of 'TikTok' believes it can make filming videos more fun.

• The author of 'YouTube' believes that it can encourage people to be more creative, while the author of 'TikTok' believes it can help people connect with different corporations.

Question: 8

How do the authors of both “YouTube” and “TikTok” interpret differently the fact that people can earn millions from making videos?

• A.

  The author of “YouTube” believes that it can convince people to abandon their existing careers, while the author of “TikTok” believes it can help others figure out how to earn a lot of money quickly.

• B.

  The author of “YouTube” believes that it shows anyone can succeed if they work hard, while the author of “TikTok” believes it can give people the wrong impression about their chances of success.

• C.

  The author of “YouTube” believes that it can cause people to develop unrealistic goals for making money from videos, while the author of “TikTok” believes it can make filming videos more fun.

• D.

  The author of “YouTube” believes that it can encourage people to be more creative, while the author of “TikTok” believes it can help people connect with different corporations.

Passage

Read the passages below and answer the corresponding questions.

Persevering Plants

1 Yellowstone National Park extends across a unique area of land in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Thousands of geothermal vents that lie just below the earth’s surface cover this vast region. Geothermal vents are deep holes in the ground that release built-up pressure in the form of steam and scalding-hot water. The temperature of the ground near these hot spots can rise to more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit. During a trip to Yellowstone, microbiologist Rusty Rodriguez noticed something peculiar. He observed many plants thriving in the searing soil despite these intense conditions. Rodriguez wondered how these plants were able to flourish in such extreme temperatures while other plants in similar or milder environments perish.

2 To solve this mystery Rodriguez took plant samples back to his laboratory for investigation. Under a microscope he saw tiny strands of fungi called endophytes living on the plants. Rodriguez’s research revealed that the endophytes made the plants better able to handle climate stressors such as drought, heat, and cold. Correspondingly, the plant provided sugar to support the existence of the fungi.

3 About 80 percent of the earth’s plants have a strain of endophyte fungus living on them. However, in the last few decades the fungi have unintentionally been destroyed by pesticides and fertilizer. Rodriguez believed that if the fungi could somehow be added back to a plant, its natural protection could be restored.

4 Rodriguez extracted endophyte fungi from several native plants known for surviving extreme temperatures to create a mixture. He found that when the mixture is applied to seeds, plants become immune to many of the agricultural woes that plague farmers. When plants are restored with endophyte fungi, they are protected from heat or cold. They also require less water and fertilizer to grow. Overall, plants are much healthier and more resilient.

5 Rodriguez has tested his endophyte mixture on crops and achieved success. In 2012 the state of Michigan was experiencing severe drought and extreme temperatures. Corn and rice seeds were coated with Rodriguez’s creation to see how they would endure such conditions. The results were overwhelmingly optimistic. Crop yields increased by 85 percent. In addition, the plants used between 25 and 50 percent less water than those not treated. Simply put, plants that had the mixture added to them were more inclined to tolerate drought than others.

6 Scientists are hopeful about the potential of endophyte fungi. Plants are easily protected from drought and other severe conditions when they are treated with this fungus. It is also a natural, nontoxic substance that does not harm plants or humans. Endophyte fungi could quite possibly be the key to providing sustainable crops for the future.

The Cure for Concrete

1 Bacteria have a reputation for being harmful. However, not all bacteria are bad. Some food products, such as yogurt, contain good bacteria. The human body even stores bacteria that help us produce vitamins and fight diseases.

2 Dutch microbiologist Hendrik Jonkers studies bacteria. He also has researched how certain living organisms are able to heal themselves when injured. An octopus, for example, can grow a new arm if needed. When a bone breaks in the human body, it is able to repair itself. Jonkers wondered if bacteria could be used to “heal” nonliving substances in a similar way. He tested this theory by adding bacteria to concrete. He discovered that concrete may also be able to recuperate from damage.

3 Concrete is one of the most important building materials. It was even used by the ancient Romans to build massive structures such as the Colosseum. Today it is used to construct highways, bridges, and high-rise buildings. In fact, concrete demand has doubled in the last decade. Concrete production now accounts for 5% of the world’s carbon emissions, which is harmful to the environment.

4 Despite its popularity, concrete cracks. When water gets inside the cracks, it weakens the composition of the concrete. Eventually the concrete must be repaired or replaced. In Europe the annual cost of maintaining concrete structures is billions of dollars.

5 Jonkers has developed a self-healing concrete, or bioconcrete, to help solve these problems. He combines concrete with bacteria that are naturally able to produce limestone, a hard rock. The bacteria are placed inside plastic capsules that are mixed into wet concrete. The bacteria can live in the hardened concrete for decades. When water enters through cracks in the concrete, the plastic capsules open, and the bacteria are released. As the bacteria grow and multiply, they form limestone, which fills in the cracks.

6 In 2011 self-healing concrete was used to construct a lifeguard station near a lake in the Netherlands. Lifeguard stations are susceptible to damage by water and weather. With the help of Jonkers’ bioconcrete, the lifeguard station has remained intact. Bioconcrete has been used on the floors and roofs of parking garages. It has even been used to reconstruct a canal and irrigation system in Ecuador.

7 While bioconcrete has its advantages, it is 50 percent more costly to create than traditional concrete. This makes the product unappealing to some people in the construction industry. Still, Jonkers believes the initial investment is worth the long-term savings and advantages it will provide.

8 Bioconcrete will reduce the need for repairs and making new concrete. In return, this will help manufacturers save money over time, and it will help lessen the amount of carbon pollution. Jonkers says, “I think it’s a really nice example of tying nature and the built environments together in one new concept.”

Use Preserving Plants to answer the following question:

Which characteristic of the geothermal vents made the survival of nearby plants so surprising?

• The depth of the holes

• The heat they generate

• The number of them that exist

• The amount of pressure they release

What is paragraph 1 mostly about?

• The unusual conditions in which some plants can survive

• The occurrence of geothermal vents in several western states

• The way geothermal vents release pressure in the form of steam

• The types of plants that microbiologists have observed at a national park