Most people think of banana peels, eggshells, and dead leaves as “waste,” but compost is actually a valuable resource with multiple practical uses. When utilized as a garden fertilizer, compost provides nutrients to soil and improves plant growth while deterring or killing pests and preventing some plant diseases. It also enhances soil texture, encouraging healthy roots and minimizing or annihilating the need for chemical fertilizers.

Which choice best maintains the style and tone of the passage?

Better than soil at holding moisture, compost minimizes water waste and storm runoff, increases savings on watering costs, and helps reduce erosion on embankments near bodies of water. In large quantities, which one would expect to see when it is collected for an entire municipality), compost can be converted into a natural gas that can be used as fuel for transportation or heating and cooling systems.

In spite of all compost’s potential uses, however, most of this so-called waste is wasted. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 5 13 million tons of metal ended up in US landfills in 2009, along with over 13 million tons of yard debris. Remarkably, 6 less glass was discarded in landfills in that year than any other substance, including plastics or paper. Even 7 worse, then the squandering of this useful resource is the fact that compost in landfills cannot break down due to the lack of necessary air and moisture.

The writer wants to include information from the graph that is consistent with the description of compost in the passage. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

In spite of all compost’s potential uses, however, most of this so-called waste is wasted. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 13 million tons of metal ended up in US landfills in 2009, along with over 13 million tons of yard debris. Remarkably, less glass was discarded in landfills in that year than any other substance, including plastics or paper. Even worse, then the squandering of this useful resource is the fact that compost in landfills cannot break down due to the lack of necessary air and moisture.

The writer wants to support the paragraph’s main idea with accurate, relevant information from the graph. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

Even worse, than the squandering of this useful resource is the fact that compost in landfills cannot break down due to the lack of necessary air and moisture. As a result, organic material that is sent to landfills contribute to the release of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas.

Even worse, than the squandering of this useful resource is the fact that compost in landfills cannot break down due to the lack of necessary air and moisture. As a result, organic material that is sent to landfills contributes to the release of methane, a very potent greenhouse gas.

It’s the beginning of February, and as they do every year, thousands of people line H Street, the heart of Chinatown in Washington, DC. The crowd has gathered to celebrate Lunar New Year. The street is a sea of 12 red: red is the traditional Chinese color of luck and happiness. Buildings are draped with festive, red, banners, and garlands. Lampposts are strung with crimson paper lanterns, which bob in the crisp winter breeze

Experts agree that the lion dance originated in the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE); however, there is little agreement about the dance’s original purpose. Some evidence suggests that the earliest version of the dance was an attempt to ward off an evil spirit; 14 lions are obviously very fierce. Another theory is that an emperor, upon waking from a dream about a lion, hired an artist to choreograph the dance. The current function of the dance is celebration.

Which choice most effectively concludes the paragraph?

[1] While there are many regional variations of the lion dance costume, all make extensive use of symbols and colors. [2] The lion’s head is often adorned with a phoenix (a mythical bird) or a tortoise (for longevity). [3] Green lions encourage friendliness. [4] Golden and red lions represent liveliness and bravery, respectively. [5] Their older counterparts, yellow and white lions, dance more slowly and deliberately. [6] In some variations, lions of different colors are different ages, and they move accordingly. [7] Black lions are the youngest; therefore, they dance quickly and playfully. [8] The appearance of the lions varies, but their message is consistent: Happy New Year.

Which choice provides information that is most consistent in style and content with the information about the symbolism of the tortoise?

[1] While there are many regional variations of the lion dance costume, all make extensive use of symbols and colors. [2] The lion’s head is often adorned with a phoenix (for new beginnings) or a tortoise (for longevity). [3] Green lions encourage friendliness. [4] Golden and red lions represent liveliness and bravery, respectively. [5] Their older counterparts, yellow and white lions, dance more slowly and deliberately. [6] In some variations, lions of different colors are different ages, and they move accordingly. [7] Black lions are the youngest; therefore, they dance quickly and playfully. [8] The appearance of the lions varies, but their message is consistent: Happy New Year.

To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 5 should be placed

Court Reporting: Humans v. Machines Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes during hearings; depositions, and other legal proceedings. Despite the increasing use of digital recording technologies, court reporters still play a vital role in courtrooms. Although machines can easily make digital audio recordings of court events, they lack the nuance of human court reporters in providing a precise record.

Which choice best fits with the tone of the rest of the passage?

Court Reporting: Humans v. Machines Court reporters for years have been the record keepers of the court, taking scrupulous notes during hearings; depositions, and other legal proceedings. Despite the increasing use of digital recording technologies, court reporters still play a vital role in courtrooms. Although machines can easily make digital audio recordings of court events, they lack the nuance of human court reporters in providing a precise record.

Champions of court reporting, though, argue the opposite. They argue that with the increased reliance on technology, errors actually increase. Because digital systems record indiscriminately; they cannot discern important parts of the proceedings from other noises in the courtroom. Despite this, a digital device does indeed record everything, but that includes loud noises, such as a book dropping, that can make the actual words spoken impossible to hear.

Which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?

Champions of court reporting, though, argue the opposite--they argue that with the increased reliance on technology, errors actually increase. Because digital systems record indiscriminately; they cannot discern important parts of the proceedings from other noises in the courtroom. Despite this, a digital device does indeed record everything, but that includes loud noises, such as a book dropping, that can make the actual words spoken impossible to hear.

Champions of court reporting, though, argue the opposite--they argue that with the increased reliance on technology, errors actually increase. Because digital systems record indiscriminately, they cannot discern important parts of the proceedings from other noises in the courtroom. Despite this, a digital device does indeed record everything, but that includes loud noises, such as a book dropping, that can make the actual words spoken impossible to hear.

A group of engineering students from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), for example, tried to find a method to make their biofuel combustion study (fuels derived from once-living material) free of the drawbacks researchers face on Earth. The standard method involves burning droplets of fuel, but Earth’s gravitational influence causes the droplets to lose spherical symmetry while burning. This deformation results in subtle variations in density that both causes uneven heat flow and limits the size of the droplets that can be tested.

Which choice provides the most precise description of the phenomenon depicted in the previous sentence?

Specially designed “drop towers” built for this purpose reduce these problems, but they provide no more than 10 seconds of microgravity, and droplet size is still too small to produce accurate models of combustion rates. The UCSD students understood that these limitations had to be surmounted. As part of the program, researchers fly their experiments aboard aircraft that simulate the microgravity environment of space.

Specially designed “drop towers” built for this purpose reduce these problems, but they provide no more than 10 seconds of microgravity, and droplet size is still too small to produce accurate models of combustion rates. The UCSD students understood that these limitations had to be surmounted. As part of the program, researchers fly their experiments aboard aircraft that simulate the microgravity environment of space.

Which choice provides the most effective transition between ideas in the paragraph?

As part of the program, researchers fly their experiments aboard aircraft that simulate the microgravity environment of space. The aircraft accomplish this feat by flying in parabolic paths instead of horizontal ones. On the plane’s ascent, passengers feel twice Earth’s gravitational pull, but for brief periods at the peak of the trajectory, “weightlessness” or microgravity similar to what is experienced in space, is achieved. These flights allowed the UCSD students to experience microgravity. INSERT NEW IDEA HERE? Specifically, they investigated the combustion of biofuel droplets in microgravity for twice as long as could be accomplished.

At this point, the writer is considering adding the following.

"and perform their experiment without traveling into space."

Should the writer make this addition here?