Test 55 - M1

In infrastructure engineering, the use of prefabricated components has become increasingly popular. These components, which are produced off-site and then transported to the construction location, can provide significant benefits, such as reduced construction time, increased sustainability, and potentially lower costs. However, the implementation of prefabricated components can be _______ in certain situations, such as those involving complex or highly specialized structures. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• negligible

• inevitable

• challenging

• repetitive

Offshoring has become a common business practice for companies seeking to reduce operational costs. By relocating certain functions to countries with lower labor costs, companies can achieve significant cost savings. However, it is crucial to consider the _______ implications of offshoring before making a decision. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• ethical

• aesthetic

• celestial

• alliterative

Fixed costs are expenses that remain constant, regardless of the level of goods or services produced. Examples of fixed costs include rent, insurance, and salaries. These costs are _________ to the volume of production, and businesses must account for them when assessing their overall financial health. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• independent

• proportional

• attractive

• imperative

Museums are increasingly acknowledging the fallible character of scientific knowledge. Many museums are now trying to exhibit the fact that scientific theories change over time; they get revised, they get thrown out, they get forgotten. Traditionally, the scientific community has feared the possible relativism that might arise if the lay audience was exposed to the 'real thing' and has worried that if Jane Q. Public realizes that science often succeeds without following the classical scientific method, then she might lose faith.

As used in the text, what does the word “character” most nearly mean?

• Symbol

• Reputation

• Capacity

• Nature

Some studies have suggested that posture can influence cognition, but we should not overstate this phenomenon. A case in point: In a 2014 study, Megan OʼBrien and Alaa Ahmed had subjects stand or sit while making risky simulated economic decisions. Standing is more physically unstable and cognitively demanding than sitting; accordingly, OʼBrien and Ahmed hypothesized that standing subjects would display more risk aversion during the decision-making tasks than sitting subjects did, since they would want to avoid further feelings of discomfort and complicated risk evaluations. But OʼBrien and Ahmed actually found no difference in the groupsʼ performance.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• It argues that research findings about the effects of posture on cognition are often misunderstood, as in the case of OʼBrien and Ahmedʼs study.

• It presents the study by OʼBrien and Ahmed to critique the methods and results reported in previous studies of the effects of posture on cognition.

• It explains a significant problem in the emerging understanding of postureʼs effects on cognition and how OʼBrien and Ahmed tried to solve that problem.

• It discusses the study by OʼBrien and Ahmed to illustrate why caution is needed when making claims about the effects of posture on cognition.

For his 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies, Beverly Glenn-Copeland wrote songs grounded in traditional soul and folk music, then accompanied them with futuristic synthesizer arrangements featuring ambient sounds and complex rhythms. The result was so strange, so unprecedented, that the album attracted little attention when first released. In recent years, however, a younger generation of musicians has embraced the stylistic experimentation of Keyboard Fantasies. Alternative R&B musicians Blood Orange and Moses Sumney, among other contemporary recording artists, cite the album as an influence.

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

• It urges contemporary musicians to adopt the unique sound of Keyboard Fantasies.

• It responds to criticism of Keyboard Fantasies by some younger musicians.

• It offers examples of younger musicians whose work has been impacted by Keyboard Fantasies.

• It contrasts Keyboard Fantasies with the recordings of two younger musicians.

The following text is from Charlotte Perkins Gilmanʼs 1910 poem “The Earthʼs Entail.” No matter how we cultivate the land, Taming the forest and the prairie free; No matter how we irrigate the sand, Making the desert blossom at command, We must always leave the borders of the sea; The immeasureable reaches Of the windy wave-wet beaches, The million-mile-long margin of the sea.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• The speaker argues against interfering with nature and then gives evidence supporting this interference.

• The speaker presents an account of efforts to dominate nature and then cautions that such efforts are only temporary.

• The speaker provides examples of an admirable way of approaching nature and then challenges that approach.

• The speaker describes attempts to control nature and then offers a reminder that not all nature is controllable.

In his 1855 review of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Charles A. Dana acknowledges Whitman's originality but criticizes his coarse and defiant language. He claims this language stems from naivety rather than indecency, likening Whitman’s text to conversations between Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, a time when shame was nonexistent. Nonetheless, Dana characterizes the diction in Leaves of Grass as inappropriate by contemporary standards, which limits the work’s readability. Text 2 Literary critic Rufus W. Griswold stated in a scathing review of Leaves of Grass that many individuals disregard basic manners and decency in their attempts to appear distinguished. Such people include Walt Whitman—they presume superiority to justify expressing immoral thoughts through their literary works. Griswold further contends those who disapprove of such works are accused of backwards thinking and an inability to recognize the alleged inner enlightenment possessed by these supposedly “gifted individuals.”

Based on the texts, what would Griswold say about Dana’s assessment of Whitman’s writing stemming from a naivety?

• He would argue that Whitman wrote with intentional arrogance rather than naivety to justify his form of expression.

• He would assert that Whitman lacked the sophistication to understand the societal norms of decency and manners.

• He would concede that Whitman's writing likely expresses inner desire though Whitman must have not realized the controversial nature of his verse.

• He would agree with the comparison between Whitman and Adam and Eve from the book of Genesis as he acknowledges Whitman’s naive innocence.

The ear is a complex organ that is responsible for both hearing and balance. The outer, visible part is called the auricle, and it helps funnel sounds to the tympanic membrane, which is also called the eardrum. The tympanic membrane vibrates and transfers the sound waves to three bones in the middle ear, which in turn conveys the sound to the inner ear, where it is converted into electrical impulses in a fluid-filled part called the cochlea. Those electrical impulses are transferred to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. The inner ear also contains two structures called the vestibule and semicircular canals, which are both related to maintaining proper balance.

According to the text, what is the function of the cochlea?

• It funnels sounds into the inner ear.

• It assists with ensuring good balance.

• Its fluid slows sound vibrations.

• It changes sound into electrical impulses.

Composer Florence Price won first place for her score Symphony in E Minor at the 1932 Wanamaker Foundation Awards. The piece was performed the following year by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a significant recognition of its quality. Price continued to compose many musical pieces throughout her career, blending traditional Black spirituals with classical European Romantic musical traditions. In recent years, Priceʼs concertos and symphonies have been performed and recorded by several major orchestras, further preserving her work for others to enjoy.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

• To provide examples of Priceʼs importance as a composer

• To argue that more major orchestras should perform Priceʼs compositions

• To describe the musical styles that inspired many of Priceʼs symphonies

• To compare Priceʼs scores with those of classical European composers