SAT REVIEW OCTOBER

Portland, Maine, has installed engineered structures along 77% of its shoreline to protect infrastructure from sea-level rise and other hazards, a practice known as shoreline hardening. To evaluate the responses of waterbirds to two types of hardening structures-riprap and bulkheads- Diann Prosser et al. surveyed waterbird communities consisting of the great egret, the spotted sandpiper, and 62 other species at different sites in the Chesapeake Bay on the US East Coast. Utilizing the Index of Waterbird Community Integrity (IWCI), on which a high score corresponds to high community integrity, the researchers found that bulkheads are more strongly negatively correlated with waterbird community integrity than is riprap.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• The text introduces a widespread coastal protection practice, describes a study investigating its impact on waterbirds, and presents findings comparing two types of structures.

• The text outlines a debate over the effectiveness of shoreline hardening, summarizes conflicting viewpoints, and proposes a compromise solution.

• The text describes the methodology of a recent study, details the statistical analysis used, and explains its broader implications for ecological policy.

• The text highlights a specific environmental challenge, examines historical attempts to address it, and critiques the effectiveness of current strategies.

The morphological novelty of echinoderms-marine invertebrates with radial symmetry, usually starlike, around a central point-impedes comparisons with most other animals, in which bilateral symmetry on an anterior-posterior (head to tail) axis through a trunk is typical. Particularly puzzling are sea stars, thought to have evolved a headless layout from a known bilateral origin. Applying genomic knowledge of Saccoglossus kowalevskii acorn worms (close relatives of sea stars, and thus expected to have similar markers for corresponding anatomical regions) to the body patterning genes of Patiria miniata sea stars, Laurent Formery et al. observed activity only in anterior genes across P. miniata's entire body and some posterior genes limited to the edges, suggesting that rather than undergoing changes resulting in the eventual elimination of a head region in their radial body plan, as previously assumed, sea stars' morphology evolved to completely lack a trunk and consist primarily of a head region.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• The text presents a challenge in comparing echinoderms to other animals, describes a puzzling case of sea star evolution, and then explains how recent genetic research revises prior assumptions about their body structure.

• The text introduces a long-standing debate about echinoderm evolution, outlines multiple competing theories, and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses.

• The text defines key terms in echinoderm morphology, describes their evolutionary origins, and speculates on how future research might clarify their development.

• The text highlights a unique feature of sea stars, provides historical context for how it was discovered, and critiques the methodology used in recent studies.

For its 1974 work Instant Mural, the Chicano art collective Asco taped members Patssi Valdez and Humberto Sandoval to an outdoor wall in East Los Angeles. The work is manifestly a commentary on constraint, but many critics focus on Valdez and the social constraints women faced at the time, which is understandable but leaves the presence of Valdez's male collaborator Sandoval unexplained. We should instead consider that in 1974, the art establishment's recognition of Chicano artists was (and had long been) restricted to sociohistorical muralists, leaving nonmuralist Chicano artists like Asco's members struggling to even exhibit their work; attending to this context opens an interpretation that accounts for all the evidence, allowing us to conclude that Instant Mural is a reflection on the constraining aesthetic expectations placed on Chicano artists in general rather than on the social constraints placed on women specifically.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• The presence of both Valdez and Sandoval in Instant Mural suggests that Asco sought to challenge conventional gender roles in public art.

• Instant Mural critiques the restrictive artistic expectations placed on Chicano artists rather than solely addressing gender-based social constraints.

• Critics of Instant Mural have largely misinterpreted its meaning by disregarding its connection to broader social movements.

• The work of Asco was primarily concerned with advocating for greater visibility of female Chicano artists.

Scholars are increasingly exploring the communication and preservation of ecological knowledge through Indigenous songs (e.g., Kazakh songs about water and foraging quality and those of the Tlingit people about wildlife encounters). In one study, ethnobiologist Dana Lepofsky et al. received insight from Kwaxsistalla Wathl'thla, a song keeper for the Kwakwaka'wakw people in Canada, into songs referencing the people's use of terraced gardens in intertidal zones along the Pacific Northwest coast for the cultivation of clams for consumption. Archaeological evidence of significant increases in clam size and abundance in that area concurrent with the documented past implementation of the method described in the songs supports the conclusion that the practice used by ancestors of modern Kwakwaka'wakw people not only effectively maintained a food source but also promoted its robustness.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' conclusion?

• Isotopic analysis of ancient clam shells from sites near Kwakwaka'wakw settlements indicates a consistent diet supplemented by marine resources.

• Linguistic analysis of Kwakwaka'wakw songs reveals complex metaphorical references to ecological sustainability.

• Empirical data from modern experimental replications of terraced clam gardens demonstrate a statistically significant increase in clam size and density.

• Ethnographic accounts from neighboring Indigenous communities describe different but equally effective methods for clam cultivation.

Almost all works of fiction contain references to the progression of time, including the time of day when events in a story take place. In a 2020 study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven Skiena claim that an observable pattern in such references reflects a shift in human behavior prompted by the spread of electric lighting in the late nineteenth century. The researchers drew this conclusion from an analysis of more than 50,000 novels spanning many centuries and cultures, using software to recognize and tally both specific time references that is, clock phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. and implied ones, such as mentions of meals typically associated with a particular time of day.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• The researchers manually examined thousands of novels to track the changes in time references over centuries.

• The study proves that authors deliberately adjusted time references in fiction to reflect technological advancements.

• The researchers concluded that novels from different centuries and cultures contain entirely different time references.

• The study suggests that references to time in fiction have evolved due to changes in human behavior influenced by electric lighting.

Can tomato plants grow on Mars? Can pea plants? You might think the answer to these questions is obviously no, but researchers in Europe recently showed that many common plant species can thrive in soil designed to simulate Martian conditions, as long as water is supplied. In fact, some species actually did better in Martian soil than in Earth soil: 84 percent of tomato plants grown in simulated Martian soil developed leaves, compared with 57 percent that did when planted in soil from their home planet.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as whole?

• It acknowledges that readers may object to the method used in the experiment discussed in the text.

• It signals the surprising nature of the findings discussed in the text.

• It clarifies a potential point of confusion about the hypothesis tested in the study discussed in the text.

• It draws a distinction between the two species discussed in the text.

Which of the following sentences best illustrates the correct use of "exaggeration of"?

• His report was a complete exaggeration of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence.

• The professor exaggerated of his theories to make them more appealing.

• She always exaggerates of when she tells stories about her childhood.

• Their speech was exaggeration with irrelevant details.

What does "disguise" mean in the sentence below?

"He attended the event in disguise to avoid unwanted attention."

• A state of confusion

• A hidden or altered appearance

• A serious conflict

• A personal conviction

"Pretentiousness" is best demonstrated in which of the following scenarios?

• A scientist who explains complex ideas in simple terms for the public

• A musician who acts superior because of their classical training

• A teacher who encourages students to express their ideas freely

• A politician who listens attentively to public concerns

The word "magnitude" is closest in meaning to which of the following?

• Depth

• Size or importance

• Complexity

• Duration