Critical Reading: Section 1
Question Number: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24
1.
Choice (E) is correct. To describe something "vividly" is to describe it in a clear and striking manner. If the biography of Marie Curie makes readers feel that they are "hearing the French scientist's thoughts and experiencing her emotions," then it can be said to describe her life vividly.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Sparsely" means occurring at widely spaced intervals. It would be odd to speak of Marie Curie's life being described as "sparsely," and a sparse description would almost certainly not bring the subject to life as indicated in the sentence.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Inserting the word "mysteriously" in the blank would not produce a logical sentence. Describing Curie's life mysteriously would not make readers feel that they are hearing the French scientist's thoughts and experiencing her emotions.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Nothing in the sentence suggests that the biography describes Curie's life "cautiously."
Choice (D) is incorrect. The sentence does not suggest that the biography describes Curie's life "graciously," or with elegance and good taste.
2.
Choice (E) is correct. The word "although" indicates that there will be a contrast between what "some bacteria" do to water and what "certain other species" do. "Contaminate" makes sense in the first blank because bacteria that "contaminate water" would contrast with bacteria that "remove dangerous trace minerals from drinking water." "Beneficial" makes sense in the second blank because bacteria that remove dangerous trace minerals could certainly be considered helpful or advantageous.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Harmful" makes no sense when inserted in the second blank. Bacteria that remove dangerous minerals from water would not be considered harmful.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Neither term makes sense when inserted in the sentence. Something "porous" contains small holes that permit the passage of liquid or gas. Something would not be considered porous "because" it removes dangerous trace minerals. Also, "consume" makes little sense when inserted in the first blank. While some bacteria may indeed consume water, this would not contrast with the second part of the sentence, which speaks of bacteria that remove dangerous trace minerals from water.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The two words in this answer choice do not complete the contrast established by the word "although." It does not make sense to say that "although" some bacteria "poison" water, certain other species may actually be "vulnerable," or open to attack, because they remove dangerous trace elements.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The two words in this answer choice do not complete the contrast established by the word "although." It does not make sense to say that "although" some bacteria may "resist" water, certain other species may actually be "profitable."
3.
Choice (B) is correct. Skeptics would consider software that wastes money and hinders efficiency to be "uneconomical" and would likely be "opposed" to the decision to use it.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Provident" means economical or thrifty. Software that wastes money would not be considered provident.
Choice (C) is incorrect. "Frugal" means careful with money. It makes little sense to characterize software that wastes money as frugal.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Expedient" means suitable for achieving an immediate purpose. Software that hinders efficiency would not be considered expedient. In addition, skeptics would more likely have opposed than "ignored" a decision to use such software.
Choice (E) is incorrect. While "detrimental," or harmful, makes good sense in the second blank, it is unlikely that skeptics would have "endorsed," or lent public support to, software that is detrimental.
4.
Choice (C) is correct. "Ardor" refers to a fiery intensity of feeling. If the cellist practiced and performed in a "fervent, expressive manner," it would be evidence of her ardor.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Callowness" means immaturity. There is nothing in the sentence to suggest that a "fervent, expressive manner" is evidence of immaturity.
Choice (B) is incorrect. "Evasiveness" is the act of being intentionally vague or ambiguous. A "fervent, expressive manner" is not a sign of evasiveness.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Impartiality" means a lack of bias. Having a "fervent, expressive manner" is not a sign of impartiality.
Choice (E) is incorrect. A person who is "jocular" is given to joking. The cellist's "fervent, expressive manner" is unlikely to be considered a sign of jocularity.
5.
Choice (A) is correct. The words that fit in the blanks should be similar in meaning and should describe what the parents would seek to do about the anxiety their child feels. To "assuage" is to make less intense, and to "mollify" is to calm in temper or feeling. If the parents could not assuage the child's anxiety, then their attempts to mollify her would have failed completely.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To "palliate" is to make less severe. This word makes good sense when inserted in the first blank because the parents would likely want to lessen their child's anxiety. But "upbraid," which means to scold, makes little sense in the second blank. If the parents were trying to palliate the child's anxiety, they would not attempt to scold her.
Choice (C) is incorrect. It is unlikely that the parents would seek to "exacerbate," or intensify, their child's anxiety. Also, if they did try to do this, then it would make little sense to speak of their attempts to "comfort" her.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Although "penetrate" makes some sense in the first blank, "implicate" makes little sense in the second. To "implicate" someone is to involve the person in something, often in an incriminating way. It is not clear what the parents would be attempting to implicate their child in or how such an action would serve to penetrate the child's anxiety.
Choice (E) is incorrect. To "gauge" is to measure or evaluate. This word makes little sense in the first blank because "cajoling" would not be a way to evaluate a child's anxiety. To "unnerve" someone is to make the person nervous or upset. This is the opposite of the meaning required of the word that goes in the second blank. The parents would most likely try to calm the child, not upset her.
6.
Choice (C) is correct. "Misanthropy" means hatred or mistrust of humankind. If Elizabeth "always mistrusted other people" then one could say she is characterized by misanthropy.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Sarcasm" does not involve mistrusting other people, so this word makes little sense when inserted in the blank.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Nothing in the sentence suggests that Elizabeth is insincere in always mistrusting other people.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Dispassion" is the lack of passion or emotion. A person who "always mistrusted other people" would not be said to be dispassionate.
Choice (E) is incorrect. "Dejection" refers to a feeling of low spirits. The sentence indicates that Elizabeth "always mistrusted other people," not that she feels dejection.
7.
Choice (C) is correct. The words that fit in the blanks should help account for Frank's "indecisiveness" and "avoidance of controversial issues." "Irresolution" means indecisiveness, so this word works perfectly in the first blank, and "cowardice" makes good sense in the second. Frank's avoidance of controversial issues might well be evidence of "moral cowardice."
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Uprightness" means adherence to strict moral principles. Avoiding controversial issues would not be evidence of uprightness. "Pessimism" is the tendency to stress the negative or unfavorable. It is hard to see how an avoidance of controversial issues would be evidence of moral pessimism.
Choice (B) is incorrect. While "fearfulness" makes some sense in the first blank, "honesty" does not make sense in the second. An avoidance of controversial issues would not be evidence of moral honesty.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Instability" makes some sense in the first blank, but "depravity," which means moral corruption and perversion, is much too strong for the second blank. The avoidance of controversial issues would not be a sign of moral depravity.
Choice (E) is incorrect. While "deficiency" makes some sense in the second blank, "fortitude," or the ability to endure adversity with courage, is the opposite of what is called for by the first blank. A person with fortitude would probably not exhibit indecisiveness.
8.
Choice (B) is correct. By using a "traditional verse form" like the sonnet, McKay adhered to "convention," and by conveying "powerful challenges to contemporary social standards," he engaged in "dissent." His protest sonnets can therefore be said to "yoke," or join together, the two.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Partisanship" is the strict and often biased adherence to a political party or cause. Conveying "powerful challenges to contemporary social standards" does not necessarily involve strict or biased adherence to a cause, so "partisanship" is not a good word for the second blank. And the use of a traditional verse form could not be characterized as "politics," so this term makes no sense in the first blank.
Choice (C) is incorrect. "Piety" refers to religious devotion, and "ingenuity" means cleverness. Using a traditional verse form does not show piety, and challenging contemporary social standards does not necessarily involve ingenuity. The sentence does not indicate that McKay was "yoking" piety and ingenuity in his protest sonnets.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Novelty" refers to that which is new and different. McKay could not be said to have "yoked novelty with aspiration" if he used a "traditional" verse form like the sonnet. Also, "powerful challenges to contemporary social standards" would not be characterized as "aspiration," or a desire for high achievement.
Choice (E) is incorrect. "Custom" makes sense when inserted in the first blank because the use of a traditional verse form would involve adhering to custom, but "conservatism," or the inclination to maintain the existing order, makes no sense in the second. Conveying "powerful challenges to contemporary social standards" would be an attempt to change, not maintain, the existing order.
9.
Choice (D) is correct. Joining the travel tour was "a gamble" for Paul because he dreads situations where he "must give an account of himself to people he will never see again." In other words, he "dislikes interacting with strangers."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Nothing in the passage indicates that Paul "feels ill at ease in foreign countries."
Choice (B) is incorrect. No mention is made of Paul's financial situation. One cannot infer that he was "uncertain whether he could afford the trip."
Choice (C) is incorrect. We aren't told whether Paul used a travel agent to make his arrangement, so no judgment can be made about whether that agent was reliable.
Choice (E) is incorrect. We don't know whether Paul "prefers to travel in a less structured way." We are told only that the tour is a "gamble" because Paul dreads giving an account of himself to strangers.
10.
Choice (B) is correct. The response described in the parenthetical material exemplifies the "flurry of theatrical condolence" mentioned in line 9. It is an example of an "overly dramatic show of sympathy."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The companion's response is somewhat absurd and might possibly be considered offensive, but there is nothing to indicate that it is "calculatedly," or intentionally, offensive.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Although there is something comical about the parenthetical response, it is certainly not "irrelevant." Given that Paul had just revealed that he lost his wife, some form of condolence was called for.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The parenthetical remark is overly dramatic, not "profound." Also, nothing suggests that it should be regarded as "undervalued wisdom."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The parenthetical sentiment might possibly be considered "trite," or hackneyed, but nothing indicates that it is "appreciated."
11.
Choice (B) is correct. The author writes that on first reading Confucius, "none of it really sank in. The words I understood. The meaning escaped me." So the author initially found the works of Confucius "difficult to comprehend."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The passage focuses on the author's initial difficulty in understanding the work of Confucius. It does not indicate that the author found this work "impossible to disregard."
Choice (C) is incorrect. The passage makes no reference to reading Confucius out loud.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author indicates that the work of Confucius was hard to comprehend. The author does not suggest that it was "inconvenient to study."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The passage indicates that the author is reading Confucius in translation. The author is not trying to translate Confucius' work.
12.
Choice (C) is correct. This answer choice describes a situation that resembles the one mentioned in the last sentence of the passage. In both cases, the meanings of words in one language cannot fully be expressed in a different language. The meaning gets "lost in translation."
Choice (A) is incorrect. This choice suggests that the social customs of one culture are not easily understood by individuals from another culture. This is somewhat different from the phenomenon referred to in the last sentence of the passage, which involves word meanings not being easily translated.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In this choice, diplomats are said to learn the language of other cultures in order to conduct effective negotiations. This is quite different from the situation described in the last sentence of the passage, where differences in word meanings act as a kind of barrier.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The situation described in this choice involves specific words in a language having different meanings in different parts of a country. This is different from the phenomenon described in the last sentence of the passage, where the meanings of words don't easily translate from one language to another language.
Choice (E) is incorrect. This answer choice describes difficulties with pronunciation, which are not addressed in the last sentence of the passage.
13.
Choice (D) is correct. After placing quotation marks around a series of words in lines 6-8, the author asserts that "none of these phenomena is literally what it says it is." Rather, "the words we use are metaphors" (lines 15-16). So the author uses the quotation marks to "call attention to some examples of metaphoric language."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although these words would likely appear in "popular scientific texts," the author is not using quotation marks to signify direct citation. Rather, the author is calling attention to some words that don't mean exactly what they say.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author is not referring to "poetic" imagery here but rather to scientific images. And the author is certainly not mocking these images as "inappropriate."
Choice (C) is incorrect. The scientists have clearly engaged in a kind of simplification in creating these images, but the author does not argue that this is an "oversimplification." Indeed, the author seems to find such simplification necessary and understandable.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Although quotation marks around a word can sometimes suggest irony, that is not how they function here. The author is being sincere in suggesting that these words don't mean exactly what they say.
14.
Choice (C) is correct. In the first paragraph, the author suggests that physicists use language as poets do, in that both seek to create images. And in lines 9-15, the author asserts that these scientific images should not be taken literally but should be understood as metaphors. The author then illustrates this point by relating a scientific image (electrons traveling around a nucleus) to a poetic one (love's producing heartaches). Neither of these images, the author suggests, should be understood literally.
Choice (A) is incorrect. The author is not discussing the "limitations of atomic theory"; rather, the author is discussing the metaphoric language that physicists must use to describe things that cannot actually be seen.
Choice (B) is incorrect. While a person's "heartaches" might indeed arouse sympathy in others, the author is not seeking to arouse sympathy here. Rather, the author is making the point that scientific language, like poetic language, is not meant to be taken literally.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author makes no value judgments at all about the "melodramatic appeal of love poetry."
Choice (E) is incorrect. Although scientists do face some difficulties in communicating their findings, the author is not dramatizing that point here. The author is only pointing out a way in which scientific images resemble poetic ones.
15.
Choice (D) is correct. The author asserts in lines 27-28 that "the models of science are embedded inextricably in the current worldview we call culture." The author then supports this point by asking readers to imagine what the "planetary model of the atom would have looked like . . . if people had still thought the Earth was flat." It would, the author asserts, "have been literally unthinkable." The author's reference to the "planetary model" is demonstrating the point that scientific notions are "bound," or limited, by "cultural assumptions."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although the "planetary model of the atom" may well have "stood the test of time," the author is not making that point here. The author is not particularly concerned with which models have or have not stood the test of time.
Choice (B) is incorrect. It may be true that early scientists had a "simple understanding of the structure of the universe," but the point the author makes with this reference is that the planetary model of the atom would have been "unthinkable" if people still believed the Earth was flat.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Though the author might perhaps agree that "imagination is a key component in scientific thought," that is not the point being made with this reference. Rather, the author is discussing the difficulty of imagining things that cannot be seen and pointing out how, as a result, our mental images are limited by culture.
Choice (E) is incorrect. No long-standing belief about the "structure of the universe" is discussed here, so the author cannot be said to be challenging one.
16.
Choice (D) is correct. "Suppose" most nearly means "conceive" in this context. It is because we are unable to conceive, or imagine, what the universe is really like that we must rely on "limited but comfortably familiar models."
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Suppose" does not mean "pretend" in this context. It is contradictory to speak of "pretending" what the universe is really like.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To "imply" is to suggest something without stating it directly. This meaning makes little sense in this context.
Choice (C) is incorrect. While "suppose" can sometimes mean "believe," that is not how it is used here. The author suggests that we cannot understand what the universe is really like, not that we can understand it but are unable to believe it.
Choice (E) is incorrect. To "anticipate" is to look forward to something. This meaning makes little sense in this context.
17.
Choice (D) is correct. The phrase "stamp collecting" is a metaphor that refers to geologists' practice of "identifying bits of rock and cataloging where they lay" (lines 55-56). The author notes that the days of such stamp collecting are "gone." This phrase, then, serves to "characterize an obsolete methodology."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although the phrase "stamp collecting" may be faintly mocking, this mockery is not directed at a "group of theoreticians." If anything, it is directed at the geologists who are "identifying and cataloging bits of rock," a practice that is not theoretical at all.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The phrase "stamp collecting" does not refer to a "scientific claim" but, rather, to a practice. No scientific claim is discussed, much less ridiculed, in this part of the passage.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Although the phrase "stamp collecting" does refer to an outdated mode of research, the author does not mention it to "encourage a new form of research." The new forms of research mentioned in subsequent lines are already being practiced.
Choice (E) is incorrect. "Stamp collecting" in its literal sense might be described as an "unusual hobby." But the phrase is used metaphorically here, to describe the way geologists used to do their work.
18.
Choice (A) is correct. The author writes that modern researchers use "precision vises" and "controlled," or regulated, explosions to "recreate the conditions of Earth's interior in their laboratories."
Choice (B) is incorrect. To "verify" something is to establish its truth or accuracy. It would not make sense to say that researchers used "verified explosions."
Choice (C) is incorrect. One would not speak of using "influenced explosions."
Choice (D) is incorrect. To "conduct" something is to direct or take part in the performance or management of it. One might say that scientists "conducted" experiments, but it would be odd to say that they "conducted" explosions, because explosions are not something people perform or manage. And one would not say that that scientists were "using conducted explosions" because this would imply that they were using explosions conducted by others.
Choice (E) is incorrect. To "dominate" something is to rule or control it. It would not make sense to say that the explosions were "dominated" by scientists.
19.
Choice (E) is correct. In lines 85-88, the author notes that "history and popular culture may still be influencing how geophysicists see the Earth, just as they influenced the ancient philosophers and scientists who wrestled with the same subject." The words "just as" indicate that a similarity is being noted, one between the past and present.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although the ancient philosophers and scientists are said to have "wrestled with the same subject" as modern geophysicists do, the author does not discuss this subject in detail. Since there are no specifics offered, the author cannot be said to "trace the history of a scientific theory."
Choice (B) is incorrect. Although the author refers to the ancient philosophers and scientists who "wrestled with the same subject," the author does not suggest that there is a "debate that still rages among thinkers."
Choice (C) is incorrect. Although today's scientists have undoubtedly made progress, the mention of the "ancient philosophers and scientists" does not serve to make this point. Rather, the ancients are mentioned to make a point about the way culture influences scientific understanding.
Choice (D) is incorrect. This part of the passage does not discuss "theoretical and practical science" as separate things, so the reference cannot be said to be making the connection between them explicit.
20.
Choice (B) is correct. The question in lines 25-26 of Passage 1 asks, "how can you have a mental image of something you have never seen?" The first paragraph of Passage 2 discusses how geophysicists have begun to understand "the world beneath their feet," a world that, the passage makes clear, the geophysicists cannot directly see. One approach is to use tools like "powerful precision vises" to "re-create the conditions of the Earth's interior in their laboratories" (lines 60-62). Based on their findings, scientists can then "use their imaginations to picture how rock currents stir the deepest reaches of the Earth's mantle" (lines 81-83). So Passage 2 supports the answer in choice (B): "Use technology to duplicate a context in which you can study the object's properties."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Nothing in Passage 2 suggests that becoming "familiar with other scientists' understanding of the object" would be a good way to arrive at a mental image of something that cannot be seen.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Nothing in Passage 2 suggests that studying the "writings of ancient philosophers" is a good way to come up with an image of something that cannot be seen.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Nothing in Passage 2 suggests that "traditional models" can help one better understand the object and thus arrive at an image of it.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Nothing in Passage 2 suggests that research should be deferred, or put off, "until better tools are available."
21.
Choice (C) is correct. In the "metaphorical comparison" (line 20, Passage 1), a "concrete object . . . is used to illuminate an abstract idea." With the "educated guesses" (line 78, Passage 2), scientists "must use their imaginations to picture how rock currents stir the deepest reaches of the Earth's mantle" (lines 81-83). Both the metaphorical comparison and the educated guesses are seeking to "explain phenomena that cannot be perceived directly."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The "metaphorical comparison" does indeed serve to make the physicist's findings "more accessible to the public," but the "educated guesses" are only attempts on the part of scientists to "theorize about what causes the pulsing tremors" (line 80) and to "picture how rock currents stir the deepest reaches of the Earth's mantle" (lines 82-83). Nothing in Passage 2 indicates that the educated guesses serve to "make scientific writing more accessible to the public."
Choice (B) is incorrect. Neither the "metaphorical comparison" nor the "educated guesses" is an example of "needlessly complex scientific theories." Indeed, the metaphorical comparison is actually an attempt to make a complex idea more accessible.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The passages do not suggest that the "metaphorical comparison" and "educated guesses" should be regarded as "weak substitutes for true scientific precision." Rather, they are presented as attempts to explain phenomena that cannot be directly seen.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Passage 1 indicates that the physicist making the "metaphorical comparisons" is "like" a poet, but it does not say that he was influenced by a poet. And Passage 2 does not say that the scientists making the "educated guesses" have been influenced by poets.
22.
Choice (B) is correct. The "physicist" in line 18 of Passage 1 is studying electrons, which the passage had earlier listed as one of the "things we can never see" (line 5). The "astronomers" in line 70 in Passage 2 are said to "have a pretty easy job" because they "can see what they're working on." Taken together, the passages suggest that the astronomers are unlike the physicist in that "they can utilize direct observation in their research."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The physicists mentioned in Passage 1 may be fairly creative in their use of language, but Passage 2 never says anything about the astronomers' writing.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Both passages suggest that culture influences scientific understanding, but neither passage discusses whether scientists are aware of this influence or not.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Nothing in Passage 2 suggests that the "astronomers" are able to "recreate natural phenomena under laboratory conditions," so one would not say that they are unlike the "physicist" in this way.
Choice (E) is incorrect. If the "astronomers" are able to "predict the composition of the stars," then they can be said to "develop hypotheses." But nothing in Passage 2 indicates that these hypotheses can be tested "under real-world conditions." And Passage 1 says nothing about whether the "physicist" does this either.
23.
Choice (C) is correct. In lines 27-28, the author of Passage 1 asserts that "the models of science are embedded inextricably in the current worldview we call culture" and goes on to cite the planetary model of the atom as an example of this. In lines 85-87, the author of Passage 2 indicates that "history and popular culture may still be influencing how geophysicists see the Earth, just as they influenced the ancient philosophers and scientists." Both authors, then, acknowledge that culture has directly influenced scientific understanding.
Choice (A) is incorrect. While the author of Passage 2 does suggest that geophysicists face challenges that astrophysicists don't—namely, that they cannot actually see their object of study—the author of Passage 1 never compares physics to other scientific fields.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author of Passage 1 compares some scientific language to poetic language but does not go so far as to assert that scientific inquiry "requires" poetic language and understanding. And the author of Passage 2 makes no mention at all of poetic language or understanding.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Both authors agree that science sometimes involves looking at things that cannot be seen directly, and both might agree that it would be easier to study things that one can see. But neither author discusses the relative reliability of scientific discoveries made one way versus the other. There is no evidence in either passage to support the claim that "direct observation is the most reliable means of scientific discovery."
Choice (E) is incorrect. Passage 2 discusses some technological tools that have helped scientific progress, but Passage 1 makes no mention at all of technology.
24.
Choice (A) is correct. In discussing atomic physics, the author of Passage 1 asserts that science often "involves looking at things we can never see." As a result, physicists must create "models fashioned from familiar ingredients and nurtured with imagination" (lines 16-17). Passage 2 makes a similar claim about geophysicists, asserting that they must sometimes "use their imaginations to picture how rock currents stir the deepest reaches of the Earth's mantle" (lines 81-83). Both passages, then, support the statement that "scientific explanations must sometimes stem from creative visualization."
Choice (B) is incorrect. Neither passage discusses the importance of objectivity in scientific work.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Although Passage 2 discusses the importance of technology in scientific work, Passage 1 makes no mention of it.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Neither passage directly supports the statement that "scientific research should aim to have practical applications."
Choice (E) is incorrect. Passage 1 notes a similarity between poetry and science, but it does not argue that there is a relationship between the two that has been exaggerated, and Passage 2 makes no mention at all of poetry.
