PSAT Practice Test #2_Mod 2_(1-11)

A unique dialect, or regional variety, of Spanish is spoken in Puerto Rico. It contains many words borrowed from the language of the Taínos, the Indigenous people of Puerto Rico. African languages also made important contributions to the Puerto Rican dialect. For example, the way certain vowel sounds are pronounced in it can be ________ to how they are pronounced in Yoruba, a West African language. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• traced

• surrendered

• announced

• offered

The Menominee and Anishinaabe peoples have been growing wild rice—known as manoomin in the Ojibwe language—in the Great Lakes region of North America for centuries, but climatic changes are causing lakes to get deeper, thereby threatening wild rice. These plants are extremely ________ to water depth during the “floating leaf” stage of development, and if the water is too deep, the buoyancy of the young wild-rice plants can literally uproot them from the lake bottom, destroying them. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• immune

• sensitive

• limited

• receptive

The invention in 1958 of the integrated circuit (or microchip) radically altered the semiconductor industry. In fact, some historians argue that it fundamentally _______ the industry by enabling it to take advantage of mass production methods for the first time. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• overwhelmed

• bypassed

• obstructed

• transformed

The early British postal system required the cost of mail delivery to be paid upon receipt, a system which encouraged inventive strategies by the intended recipient to avoid payment. To improve this system, _______ were proposed in 1837, including the use of a postage stamp, a small receipt pasted to the mail indicating that delivery costs had been paid by the sender. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• investigations

• expansions

• reforms

• possessions

Economist Jingting Fan argues that the effects of international trade may display spatial variation at sub-national levels. For instance, imported goods may reduce expenses for a country’s average consumer, but for consumers living far from ports, high intranational transport costs could _______ the price advantages associated with imports. Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• A) nullify

• B) denigrate

• C) underestimate

• D) misconstrue

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• A) It names animal species found in a place, then names plant species there.

• B) It sketches a setting by presenting a series of images of nature.

• C) It makes an extended comparison of nature to human emotions.

• D) It identifies a location, then refers to a person living there.

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

• A) It describes the narrator trying to memorize her telephone number.

• B) It provides examples of what the narrator thinks about at night.

• C) It gives directions to the narrator’s favorite local store.

• D) It portrays the narrator’s relationship with her mother.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

• A) It presents a scientific observation, describes a contrast between that observation and other observations, and then explains why those other observations should not be considered credible.

• B) It describes an astronomical finding, discusses competing theories about that finding that the author regards as flawed, and then describes new evidence that supports an alternative theory.

• C) It introduces a natural phenomenon, refutes two potential explanations for that phenomenon, and then presents a third explanation for that phenomenon that the author regards as plausible.

• D) It discusses a physical process, evaluates possible causes of that process, and then states that a persuasive account of the process has yet to be put forward.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the study findings mentioned in Text 2?

• By emphasizing that since agricultural water consumption would remain static in the event of replacing beef consumption with mycoprotein consumption, an effort must be made to substitute mycoprotein for chicken and pork in diets as well

• By asserting that the development of a more inexpensive substrate for mycoprotein production would contribute to the goal of decreasing worldwide deforestation over time

• By noting that most people would be more likely to use mycoprotein as a substitute for chicken or pork in their diets than as a substitute for beef

• By pointing out that some countries are responsible for greater deforestation than others and thus, to have any significant effect on the environment, will have to replace more than 20% of their beef consumption with mycoprotein

Based on the text, what would have been the most likely consequence if New had not begun using sewing machines?

• A) He would have been unable to ensure that each bag included unique, handcrafted details.

• B) He would have struggled to meet the increasing demand for his bags.

• C) He would have had to individually design each bag he produced.

• D) He would not have been able to generate as much interest in his bags.