Question: The ancient writing system used in the Maya kingdoms of southern Mexico and Central America had a symbol for the number zero. The earliest known example of the symbol dates to more than 2,000 years ago. At that time, almost none of the writing systems elsewhere in the world possessed a zero symbol. And the use of zero in Mexico and Central America may be even more ancient. Some historians suggest that Maya mathematicians inherited it from the Olmec civilization, which flourished in the region 2,400–3,600 years ago.
According to the text, what do some historians suggest about Maya civilization?
A) Maya civilization acquired the use of zero from the Olmec civilization.
B) Maya civilization respected its historians more than it respected its mathematicians.
C) Maya civilization was highly secretive about its intellectual achievements.
D) Maya civilization tried to introduce its writing system to other civilizations.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents information about Maya civilization that is supported by the text. The text states that the writing system used in the Maya kingdoms had a symbol for the number zero. It goes on to say that at the time of the zero symbol’s earliest example, more than 2,000 years ago, almost no other writing system in the world featured such a symbol. The text also points out that some historians suggest that Maya mathematicians inherited the use of zero from the Olmec civilization, which existed in the same area as the Maya civilization at an earlier date. Thus, according to the text, some historians suggest that the Maya civilization acquired the use of zero from the Olmec civilization.

Choice B is incorrect because although the text mentions present-day historians and Maya mathematicians, it does not say anything about how much the Maya civilization respected its historians and mathematicians.

Choice C is incorrect because the text does not indicate that the Maya civilization treated its use of the zero symbol, or any other intellectual achievements, as secrets to be kept from other civilizations.

Choice D is incorrect because although the text mentions historians who suggest that the writing system of the Maya civilization inherited some features from the earlier Olmec civilization, the text does not describe any attempts of the Maya civilization to introduce its writing system to other civilizations.

Focus on keywords like “suggest,’ ‘historian,’ and ‘Maya” to find the correct answer quickly.

Question: As Mexico’s first president from an Indigenous community, Benito Juarez became one of the most _________ figures in his country’s history: among the many significant accomplishments of his long tenure in office (1858–1872), Juarez consolidated the authority of the national government and advanced the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) unpredictable
B) important
C) secretive
D) ordinary

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of Juarez. In this context, “important” means marked by significant work or consequence. The text indicates that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, became a certain kind of figure in Mexico’s history. It then supports that claim by describing some of the “many significant accomplishments” from Juarez’s long tenure in office. This context conveys that Juarez is a significant and consequential figure in Mexico’s history.

Choice A is incorrect because the text focuses on Juarez’s role as the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community and on his many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office; nothing in the text suggests that Juarez was unpredictable,” or tended to behave in ways that couldn’t be predicted.

Choice C is incorrect because nothing in the text suggests that Juarez was a particularly “secretive” figure, or that he tended to keep things private or hidden from others. Instead, the text focuses on things that are known about Juarez: that he was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, that he had a lengthy tenure, and that his many major accomplishments included consolidating the national government’s authority and advancing Indigenous rights.

Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on the idea that Juarez, who was the first president of Mexico from an Indigenous community, had many major accomplishments during his lengthy time in office. Rather than suggesting that Juarez was an “ordinary,” or common and typical, figure in Mexico’s history, this context conveys that Juarez was instead a notable figure.

Read a sentence before and after the blank to find the relevant option.

Question: Due to their often strange images, highly experimental syntax, and opaque subject matter, many of John Ashbery’s poems can be quite difficult to _________ and thus are the object of heated debate among scholars.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) delegate
B) compose
C) interpret
D) renounce

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of John Ashbery’s poems. As used in this context, “interpret” would mean deciphering the meaning of. The text indicates that Ashbery’s poems have many unusual features, that it’s difficult to tell what exactly the poems’ subject matter is, and that scholars strongly disagree about the poems. This context conveys the idea that it’s difficult to interpret Ashbery’s poems.

Choice A is incorrect because “delegate” means to assign someone as a representative of another person or to entrust something to someone else, neither of which would make sense in context. The text is focused only on the difficulty that readers have interpreting Ashbery’s poems due to their many unusual features; it doesn’t suggest anything about the poems being difficult to delegate.

Choice B is incorrect because describing Ashbery’s poems as difficult to “compose,” or put together or produce, would make sense only if the text were about Ashbery’s experience of writing the poems. It could be true that it was difficult for Ashbery to compose his poems, but the text doesn’t address this; it instead discusses how readers interpret and engage with the poems.

Choice D is incorrect because describing Ashbery’s poems as being difficult to “renounce,” or give up or refuse, wouldn’t make sense in context. The text focuses on the idea that features of Ashbery’s poems are odd or unclear and have caused heated scholarly debate. This context suggests that the poems are difficult to interpret, not that the poems are difficult to renounce.

Work on your skimming skills rather than reading.

Question: The Cambrian explosion gets its name from the sudden appearance and rapid diversification of animal remains in the fossil record about 541 million years ago, during the Cambrian period. Some scientists argue that this __________ change in the fossil record might be because of a shift in many organisms to body types that were more likely to be preserved.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) catastrophic
B) elusive
C) abrupt
D) imminent

Choice C is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of the fossil record from the Cambrian period. In this context, “abrupt” means sudden. The text explains that the fossil record reflects the unexpected appearance and rapid diversification, or increase in variety, of animal remains during the Cambrian period. This context establishes that these remains’
entry into the fossil record was sudden.

Choice A is incorrect. Although the word “explosion” appears in the name of the event marked by the fossil record change, the text never suggests that the change was “catastrophic,” or disastrous. In context, “explosion” refers to the rapid diversification, or the swift increase in variety, of animal remains in the fossil record—a phenomenon that the text presents in a relatively neutral manner, without commenting on whether it was negative or positive.

Choice B is incorrect because the text never suggests that the change toward greater diversification is “elusive,” or difficult to locate, in the fossil record. Rather, the text notes that the change occurred about 541 million years ago, suggesting that scientists have indeed been able to locate it.

Choice D is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense in context to describe the change in the fossil record as “imminent,” or about to occur, since the text indicates that the change already occurred millions of years ago.

Read a sentence before and after the blank to find the relevant option.

Question: Within baleen whale species, some individuals develop an accessory spleen—a seemingly functionless formation of splenetic tissue outside the normal spleen. Given the formation’s greater prevalence among whales known to make deeper dives, some researchers hypothesize that its role isn’t _________; rather, the accessory spleen may actively support diving mechanisms.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) replicable
B) predetermined
C) operative
D) latent

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of baleen whale accessory spleens. In this context, “latent” means dormant or functionless. The text sets up a contrast between the idea that baleen whale accessory spleens appear not to have a function and the research indicating that the accessory spleen may actually have a role in supporting the whales’ diving mechanisms. This context therefore conveys the idea that the assumption that baleen whale accessory spleens are latent may be incorrect.

Choice A is incorrect because it wouldn’t make sense to say that the role of the accessory spleen is “replicable,” or capable of being reproduced. The text indicates that the role of the accessory spleen seems to have no function, but some researchers think it does have a role; the text doesn’t address whether the role of the accessory spleen could or couldn’t be reproduced.

Choice B is incorrect because suggesting that the role of the accessory spleen is “predetermined,” or decided in advance, wouldn’t make sense in context. Although the researchers may agree that the role of the accessory spleen or any other organ hasn’t been determined in advance, the text focuses on the idea that the accessory spleen was thought to have been functionless but may in fact serve an active role for baleen whales.

Choice C is incorrect because it’s the opposite of what the context of the text is conveying. The second sentence of the text indicates that baleen whale accessory spleens may not be useless, not that they aren’t “operative,” or functional.

Having wide knowledge of vocabularies with quick reading skills.

Question: The following text is from the 1923 poem “Black Finger” by Angelina Weld Grimké, a Black American writer. A cypress is a type of evergreen tree.
I have just seen a most beautiful thing,
Slim and still,
Against a gold, gold sky,
A straight black cypress,
Sensitive,
Exquisite,
A black finger
Pointing upwards.
Why, beautiful still finger, are you black?
And why are you pointing upwards?
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) The speaker assesses a natural phenomenon, then questions the accuracy of her assessment.
B) The speaker describes a distinctive sight in nature, then ponders what meaning to attribute to that sight.
C) The speaker presents an outdoor scene, then considers a human behavior occurring within that scene.
D) The speaker examines her surroundings, then speculates about their influence on her emotional state.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the overall structure of the text. First, the speaker describes observing a “most beautiful” sight: a tree (“black cypress”) standing out from the golden sky behind it, looking like a person’s finger “pointing upwards” and appearing “sensitive” and “exquisite.” Then the speaker wonders about the image’s meaning, asking why the finger is black and why it’s pointing upward. Thus, the text moves from the speaker’s description of a distinctive sight in nature to her pondering about what meaning to attribute to that sight.

Choice A is incorrect because the speaker assesses a natural sight—a “black cypress” tree standing “against a gold, gold sky” like a pointed finger—but doesn’t question the accuracy of her own assessment. Although she wonders why the finger, which is really a tree, is black and why it’s pointing, the speaker doesn’t suggest that her belief that the tree resembles a finger is wrong.

Choice C is incorrect. Although the speaker describes seeing a “black cypress” tree standing “against a gold, gold sky” like a pointed finger, she wonders about that natural image (asking why the finger, which is really a tree, is black and why it’s pointing) and doesn’t give any indication that any people are present in the scene.

Choice D is incorrect. Although the speaker examines and wonders about one thing in her surroundings—a “black cypress” tree standing “against a gold, gold sky” like a pointed finger—she doesn’t address her own emotional state or consider how it’s affected by her surroundings.

You should have knowledge of poetry and English to find the best answer.

Question: The following text is from Walt Whitman’s 1860 poem “Calamus 24.”
I HEAR it is charged against me that I seek to destroy institutions;
But really I am neither for nor against institutions
(What indeed have I in common with them?— Or what with the destruction of them?),
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta [Manhattan] and in every city of These States, inland and seaboard,
And in the fields and woods, and above every keel [ship] little or large, that dents the water,
Without edifices, or rules, or trustees, or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
A) The speaker questions an increasingly prevalent attitude, then summarizes his worldview.
B) The speaker regrets his isolation from others, then predicts a profound change in society.
C) The speaker concedes his personal shortcomings, then boasts of his many achievements.
D) The speaker addresses a criticism leveled against him, then announces a grand ambition of his.

Choice D is the best answer because it best describes the overall structure of the text. The speaker begins by stating that he has heard that others are accusing him of seeking to destroy institutions. The speaker then addresses this criticism by stating that he is “neither for nor against institutions.” Instead, the speaker states that his ultimate goal is to instill “the institution of the dear love of comrades” everywhere in the country. Therefore, the overall structure of the text is best described as an address of criticism followed by an announcement of a grand ambition.

Choice A is incorrect. While the speaker does address an opinion of him that he believes to be untrue, he doesn’t indicate that this attitude has become increasingly prevalent. The speaker also concludes by explaining his goal for the future rather than his current worldview.

Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t portray the speaker as isolated or regretful, and the speaker gestures toward a hope for societal change but doesn’t offer an explicit prediction that it will happen.

Choice C is incorrect because the speaker addresses a criticism of him that he believes to be false; he doesn’t admit any personal shortcomings. Moreover, the speaker concludes by stating a goal he has rather than showcasing his achievements.

You should have knowledge of poetry and English to find the best answer.

Question: The mimosa tree evolved in East Asia, where the beetle Bruchidius terrenus preys on its seeds. In 1785, mimosa trees were introduced to North America, far from any B. terrenus. But evolutionary links between predators and their prey can persist across centuries and continents. Around 2001, B. terrenus was introduced in southeastern North America near where botanist Shu-Mei Chang and colleagues had been monitoring mimosa trees. Within a year, 93 percent of the trees had been attacked by the beetles.
Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the overall structure of the text?
A) It states the hypothesis that Chang and colleagues had set out to investigate using mimosa trees and B. terrenus.
B) It presents a generalization that is exemplified by the discussion of the mimosa trees and B. terrenus.
C) It offers an alternative explanation for the findings of Chang and colleagues.
D) It provides context that clarifies why the species mentioned spread to new locations.

Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the function of the third sentence within the overall structure of the text. The third sentence makes a generalization, asserting that evolutionary links between predators and prey can persist across great expanses of time and distance. This generalization is exemplified by the text’s discussion of the relationship between mimosa trees and B. terrenus beetles. When mimosa trees were introduced to North America in 1785, no B. terrenus beetles were present, so the relationship between the trees and the beetles that exists in their native East Asia was disrupted. When the beetles were introduced to North America more than 200 years later, however, they quickly attacked mimosa trees, illustrating the generalization that links between predators and prey “can persist across centuries and continents.”

Choice A is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t indicate that Chang and colleagues were investigating any particular hypothesis. According to the text, Chang and colleagues were simply monitoring mimosa trees when the beetles happened to be introduced to the area.

Choice C is incorrect because the third sentence offers a generalization about the relationship between predators and prey, not an explanation for the findings of Chang and colleagues that differs from an explanation presented elsewhere in the text.

Choice D is incorrect because the third sentence doesn’t discuss any particular species (either the species mentioned elsewhere in the text or any other) and doesn’t help explain why species spread to new locations.

Read the one sentence before and after to underlined sentence to find the best answer.

Question:
Text 1
Conventional wisdom long held that human social systems evolved in stages, beginning with hunter-gatherers forming small bands of members with roughly equal status. The shift to agriculture about 12,000 years ago sparked population growth that led to the emergence of groups with hierarchical structures: associations of clans first, then chiefdoms, and finally, bureaucratic states.
Text 2
In a 2021 book, anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow maintain that humans have always been socially flexible, alternately forming systems based on hierarchy and collective ones with decentralized leadership. The authors point to evidence that as far back as 50,000 years ago some hunter-gatherers adjusted their social structures seasonally, at times dispersing in small groups but also assembling into communities that included esteemed individuals.
Based on the texts, how would Graeber and Wengrow (Text 2) most likely respond to the “conventional wisdom” presented in Text 1?
A) By conceding the importance of hierarchical systems but asserting the greater significance of decentralized collective societies
B) By disputing the idea that developments in social structures have followed a linear progression through distinct stages
C) By acknowledging that hierarchical roles likely weren’t a part of social systems before the rise of agriculture
D) By challenging the assumption that groupings of hunter-gatherers were among the earliest forms of social structure

Choice B is the best answer because it describes the most likely way that Graeber and Wengrow (Text 2) would respond to the “conventional wisdom” presented in Text 1. According to Text 1, the conventional wisdom about human social systems is that they developed through stages, beginning with hunter-gatherer bands, then moving to clan associations, then chiefdoms, and finally arriving at states with bureaucratic structures. Text 2 indicates that Graeber and Wengrow believe that human social systems have been flexible, shifting between different types of structures, including both hierarchical and collective systems, and that these shifts may have even occurred seasonally. This suggests that Graeber and Wengrow would dispute the idea that developments in social structures have followed a linear progression through distinct stages.

Choice A is incorrect because nothing in Text 2 suggests that Graeber and Wengrow believe that decentralized collective societies are more significant than hierarchical systems. Text 2 is focused on Graeber and Wengrow’s view that humans have flexibly shifted among various social structures, not on the importance of particular structures relative to others.

Choice C is incorrect because Text 2 doesn’t include any information suggesting that Graeber and Wengrow believe that hierarchies didn’t emerge until after the rise of agriculture. In fact, Text 2 indicates that Graeber and Wengrow cite evidence suggesting that some hunter-gatherer groups formed social structures with hierarchical elements (“communities that included esteemed individuals”) 50,000 years ago, long before the rise of agriculture, which Text 1 says occurred around 12,000 years ago.

These questions are time-consuming. If it consumes your time, guess the answer. The higher the rank, the more score you will get.

Question: The following text is adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel The Secret Garden. Mary, a young girl, recently found an overgrown hidden garden.
Mary was an odd, determined little person, and now she had something interesting to be determined about, she was very much absorbed, indeed. She worked and dug and pulled up weeds steadily, only becoming more pleased with her work every hour instead of tiring of it. It seemed to her like a fascinating sort of play.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A) Mary hides in the garden to avoid doing her chores.
B) Mary is getting bored with pulling up so many weeds in the garden.
C) Mary is clearing out the garden to create a space to play.
D) Mary feels very satisfied when she’s taking care of the garden.

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text describes Mary’s activities in an overgrown hidden garden, saying that she was “very much absorbed” and was “only becoming more pleased with her work every hour” rather than getting tired of it. She also thinks of garden activities as a “fascinating sort of play.” Thus, the main idea of the text is that Mary feels very satisfied when taking care of the garden.

Choice A is incorrect because the text never makes any mention of Mary’s chores.

Choice B is incorrect because the text indicates that Mary finds pulling up weeds to be fascinating, not boring.

Choice C is incorrect because Mary thinks of garden activities in and of themselves as play, not as something necessary to do to create a space to play.

Improve your reading skills by practicing more and more.

Question: The following text is adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1906 novel The Railway Children.
Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull [visits] to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay [visits] to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions.
According to the text, what is true about Mother?
A) She wishes that more ladies would visit her.
B) Birthdays are her favorite special occasion.
C) She creates stories and poems for her children.
D) Reading to her children is her favorite activity.

Choice C is the best answer because it describes something that is true of Mother, as presented in the text. The text indicates that in addition to other activities, Mother writes stories for her children while they are at school and makes up “funny pieces of poetry” for certain occasions.

Choice A is incorrect because the text suggests that Mother prefers to spend her time with her children and doesn’t sit at home hoping that ladies will visit her.

Choice B is incorrect because the text says only that Mother makes up poetry for the children’s birthdays, not that she likes birthdays more than other special occasions.

Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that Mother prefers reading to her children over the other activities she does with them, such as playing with them and writing stories and poems for them.

Whichever way suits you? (1) Take a look at the options, understand the sense of them then skim the paragraph to find the correct option. (2) Skim first and find the answer then look for the correct option.

Question: The following text is from Maggie Pogue Johnson’s 1910 poem “Poet of Our Race.” In this poem, the speaker is addressing Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Black author.
Thou, with stroke of mighty pen,
Hast told of joy and mirth,
And read the hearts and souls of men
As cradled from their birth.
The language of the flowers,
Thou hast read them all,
And e’en the little brook
Responded to thy call.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To praise a certain writer for being especially perceptive regarding people and nature
B) To establish that a certain writer has read extensively about a variety of topics
C) To call attention to a certain writer’s careful and elaborately detailed writing process
D) To recount fond memories of an afternoon spent in nature with a certain writer

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main purpose of the text. In the first part of the text, the speaker addresses Paul Laurence Dunbar’s ability to understand people (he has “read the hearts and souls of men” and written of their “joy and mirth”). In the second part of the text, the speaker describes Dunbar’s thorough understanding of the natural world (he has read “the
language of the flowers” and engaged with “the little brook”). Thus, the text mainly praises Dunbar for being especially perceptive about people and nature.

Choice B is incorrect because the speaker describes Dunbar as having read the “hearts and souls of men” and the “language of flowers” to convey Dunbar’s ability to comprehend people and nature, not to suggest that Dunbar has literally read any of these things or has read a great deal about them.

Choice C is incorrect because the text notes how well Dunbar has made sense of the topics he’s written about but doesn’t address any specific parts of Dunbar’s writing process beyond the suggestion that he used a pen.

Choice D is incorrect because the text focuses on Dunbar’s understanding of people and nature as expressed in his writing. Nothing in the text suggests that the speaker is recalling a particular afternoon actually spent in nature with Dunbar; even if there had been a shared experience, the text isn’t focused on reminiscing.

For doing this, the study of understanding English Literature is useful, or the study of key referencing skills.

Question: “To You” is an 1856 poem by Walt Whitman. In the poem, Whitman suggests that readers, whom he addresses directly, have not fully understood themselves, writing, __________.
Which quotation from “To You” most effectively illustrates the claim?
A) “You have not known what you are, you have slumber’d upon yourself / all your life, / Your eyelids have been the same as closed most of the time.”
B) “These immense meadows, these interminable rivers, you are immense / and interminable as they.”
C) “I should have made my way straight to you long ago, / I should have blabb’d nothing but you, I should have chanted nothing / but you.”
D) “I will leave all and come and make the hymns of you, / None has understood you, but I understand you.”

Choice A is the best answer because it presents the quotation that most directly illustrates the claim that Whitman’s poem suggests that its readers haven’t fully understood themselves. This quotation makes that point directly by saying to readers, “You have not known what you are.” The quotation goes on to reinforce this point using a metaphor of sleep, saying that readers have “slumber’d” and
that their “eyelids have been the same as closed most of the time.”

Choice B is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves but instead characterizes readers as “immense” and “interminable.” Although immense and interminable things can be difficult to understand, this quotation doesn’t make that point.

Choice C is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves but instead conveys the speaker’s regret over not having celebrated readers sooner. In fact, this quotation says nothing at all about readers themselves—it’s focused solely on the speaker’s feelings about readers.

Choice D is incorrect because this quotation doesn’t suggest that readers haven’t fully understood themselves; instead, this quotation makes the point that the speaker has understood readers and is determined to create “hymns” about them.

Read the paragraph and find the best option.

Question: Born in 1891 to a Quechua-speaking family in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Martín Chambi is today considered to be one of the most renowned figures of Latin American photography. In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Chambi’s photographs have considerable ethnographic value—in his work, Chambi was able to capture diverse elements of Peruvian society, representing his subjects with both dignity and authenticity.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the student’s claim?
A) Chambi took many commissioned portraits of wealthy Peruvians, but he also produced hundreds of images carefully documenting the peoples, sites, and customs of Indigenous communities of the Andes.
B) Chambi’s photographs demonstrate a high level of technical skill, as seen in his strategic use of illumination to create dramatic light and shadow contrasts.
C) During his lifetime, Chambi was known and celebrated both within and outside his native Peru, as his work was published in places like Argentina, Spain, and Mexico.
D) Some of the peoples and places Chambi photographed had long been popular subjects for Peruvian photographers.

Choice A is the best answer because it presents a finding that, if true, would support the claim about Chambi’s photographs. The text describes a student advancing the claim that Chambi’s photographs “have considerable ethnographic value”—meaning that they are valuable as records of cultures—and that they “capture diverse elements of Peruvian society” in a respectful way. If it’s true that Chambi carefully photographed people from a range of different communities in Peru as well as photographed the customs and sites of different communities, that would lend support to the claim that the photographs have ethnographic value as depictions of diverse elements of society in Peru.

Choice B is incorrect because the student’s claim is that Chambi’s photographs have considerable ethnographic value because they depict diverse elements of Peruvian society; the student doesn’t claim anything about the technical skill demonstrated in the photographs.

Choice C is incorrect because neither Chambi’s reputation nor the locations where his photographs may have been published would be relevant to the student’s claim that his photographs are valuable as an ethnographic record of Peru’s diverse society.

Choice D is incorrect because the popularity among other photographers of the people and places that Chambi photographed would be irrelevant to the student’s claim that Chambi’s photographs are valuable as an ethnographic record of Peru’s diverse society.

Read the paragraph and find the best option.

Question: Some researchers studying Indigenous actors and filmmakers in the United States have turned their attention to the early days of cinema, particularly the 1910s and 1920s, when people like James Young Deer, Dark Cloud, Edwin Carewe, and Lillian St. Cyr (known professionally as Red Wing) were involved in one way or another with numerous films. In fact, so many films and associated records for this era have been lost that counts of those four figures’ output should be taken as bare minimums rather than totals; it’s entirely possible, for example, that ________.
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?
A) Dark Cloud acted in significantly fewer films than did Lillian St. Cyr, who is credited with 66 performances.
B) Edwin Carewe’s 47 credited acting roles includes only films made after 1934.
C) Lillian St. Cyr acted in far more than 66 films and Edwin Carewe directed more than 58.
D) James Young Deer actually directed 33 films and acted in only 10.

Choice C is the best answer because it uses data from the table to effectively exemplify the idea that the film outputs of the four individuals included in the table should be considered bare minimums—that is, that we should assume that the individuals actually had higher outputs than those recorded. The table presents the years during which the individuals were active and the number of known films the individuals are credited in. The table indicates that Lillian St. Cyr has 66 film credits as an actor and that Edwin Carewe has 58 film credits as a director; it follows that if some films and records for the era were lost, it’s possible that Lillian St. Cyr acted in far more than 66 films and that Edwin Carewe directed more than 58 films.

Choice A is incorrect because it doesn’t effectively exemplify the idea that the film outputs of the four individuals included in the table should be considered bare minimums. Rather than addressing the idea that the individuals likely had higher outputs than those presented in the table, this choice simply compares data from the table to make the point that Dark Cloud has fewer credited acting
roles than Lillian St. Cyr (35 and 66, respectively).

Choice B is incorrect because it misrepresents data from the table, even though it may exemplify the idea that the film outputs of the four individuals included in the table should be considered bare minimums by implying that Edwin Carewe acted in more than 47 films. The table indicates that Edwin Carewe was active from 1912 to 1934, meaning that his 47 credited acting roles were in films made before or during 1934, not after that time.

Choice D is incorrect because it doesn’t effectively exemplify the idea that the film outputs of the four individuals included in the table should be considered bare minimums. Instead of addressing the idea that the individuals likely had higher outputs than those recorded, this choice suggests that James Young Deer actually acted in and directed fewer films than presented in the table (only 33 known films as a director instead of 35, and only 10 known films as an actor instead of 33).

Time-consuming question but if you have enough practice, you can solve it in no time. Remember, the higher the questions, the higher marks it keeps.

Question: Typically, underlines, scribbles, and notes left in the margins by a former owner lower a book’s __________ when the former owner is a famous poet like Walt Whitman, such markings, known as marginalia, can be a gold mine to literary scholars.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) value, but
B) value
C) value,
D) value but

Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the coordination of clauses within a sentence. This choice correctly uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction “but” to join a main clause (“Typically…value”) and a subordinate clause (“when…Whitman”) that precedes a main clause (“such… scholars”).

Choice B is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. A main clause is fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction to a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.

Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between a main clause and a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.

Choice D is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction “but” can’t be used in this way to join a main clause and a subordinate clause that precedes a main clause.

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Noun; Conjunction, and Punctuation.

Question: After the United Kingdom began rolling out taxes equivalent to a few cents on single-use plastic grocery bags in 2011, plastic-bag consumption decreased by up to ninety _________ taxes are subject to what economists call the “rebound effect”: as the change became normalized, plastic-bag use started to creep back up.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) percent, such
B) percent and such
C) percent. Such
D) percent such

Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period after “percent” is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (“After… percent”) and another (“Such…up”).

Choice A is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between sentences.

Choice B is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction “and” can’t be used in this way to join sentences.

Choice D is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences (“After…percent” and “Such…up”) are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Adverb; Conjunction, and Punctuation.

Question: As British scientist Peter Whibberley has observed, “the Earth is not a very good timekeeper.” Earth’s slightly irregular rotation rate means that measurements of time must be periodically adjusted. Specifically, an extra “leap second” (the 86,401st second of the day) is __________ time based on the planet’s rotation lags a full nine-tenths of a second behind time kept by precise atomic clocks.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) added, whenever
B) added; whenever
C) added. Whenever
D) added whenever

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation between a verb and a preposition. When, as in this case, a verb (“is added”) is immediately followed by a preposition (“whenever”), no punctuation is needed.

Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and the preposition.

Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and the preposition.

Choice C is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and the preposition.

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Adverb; Conjunction, Punctuation, and Clauses.

Question: Bengali author Toru Dutt’s A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (1876), a volume of English translations of French poems, __________ scholars’ understanding of the transnational and multilingual contexts in which Dutt lived and worked.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) has enhanced
B) are enhancing
C) have enhanced
D) enhance

Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “has enhanced” agrees in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields,” which is the title of a book of poems.

Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “are enhancing” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.”

Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “have enhanced” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.”

Choice D is incorrect because the plural verb “enhance” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields.”

You should learn the Present Tense to better understand this. Learn Tenses also.

Question: Journalists have dubbed Gil Scott-Heron the “godfather of rap,” a title that has appeared in hundreds of articles about him since the 1990s. Scott-Heron himself resisted the godfather __________ feeling that it didn’t encapsulate his devotion to the broader African American blues music tradition as well as “bluesologist,” the moniker he preferred.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A) nickname, however
B) nickname, however;
C) nickname, however,
D) nickname; however,

Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and two supplementary elements. In this choice, the commas after “nickname” and “however” are correctly used to separate the supplementary adverb “however” from the main clause (“Scott-Heron…nickname”) on one side and the supplementary participial phrase (“feeling…bluesologist”) on the other.

Choice A is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the supplementary adverb “however” and the supplementary phrase (“feeling…bluesologist”).

Choice B is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the supplementary adverb “however” and the supplementary phrase (“feeling…bluesologist”).

Choice D is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause (“Scott-Heron…nickname”) and the supplementary word and phrase (“however” and “feeling…bluesologist”). Moreover, placing the semicolon after “nickname” illogically signals that the following information (Scott-Heron’s feeling that the nickname didn’t encapsulate his devotion to the blues tradition) is contrary to the information in the previous clause (Scott-Heron’s resistance to the nickname).

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Adverb; Conjunction, Punctuation, and Clauses.

Question: The Inca of South America used intricately knotted
string devices called quipus to record countable information, like population data and payments. ____________ they may have used quipus to record more complex information, like stories and myths, according to researchers.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) As a result,
B) In other words,
C) In addition,
D) For example,

Choice C is the best answer. “In addition” logically signals that the claim in this sentence—that the Inca of South America may have used quipus to record more complex information—is an additional point related to the previous statement about the Inca using quipus to record countable information.

Choice A is incorrect because “as a result” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence is a consequence or result of the previous statement about the Incas using quipus to record countable information. Instead, the possibility that the Inca used quipus to record more complex information is an additional point about how the quipus were used.

Choice B is incorrect because “in other words” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence is merely a paraphrase or restatement of the previous statement about the Incas using quipus to record countable information. Instead, the possibility that the Inca used quipus to record more complex information is an additional point about how the quipus were used.

Choice D is incorrect because “for example” illogically signals that the claim in the sentence exemplifies the previous statement about the Incas using quipus to record countable information. Instead, the possibility that the Inca used quipus to record more complex information is an additional point about how the quipus were used.

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Adverb, and Clauses.

Question: In hindsight, given the ideas about the natural world
circulating among British scientists in the 1800s, the theory of natural selection was an obvious next step. It may not have been a coincidence, ___________ that Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace arrived at the concept independently. Indeed, contrary to the popular myth of the lone genius, theirs is not the first paradigm-shifting theory to have emerged from multiple scholars working in parallel.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A) however,
B) then,
C) moreover,
D) for example,

Choice B is the best answer. “Then” signals that this sentence’s claim about Darwin and Wallace follows logically from the previous information. In other words, both scientists independently arriving at the theory of natural selection was, arguably, an expected outcome of the circumstances mentioned in the previous sentence.

Choice A is incorrect because “however” illogically signals that the claim in this sentence contrasts with the previous information about the ideas circulating among British scientists in the 1800s. Instead, this claim follows logically from that information.

Choice C is incorrect because “moreover” illogically signals that the claim in this sentence merely adds to the previous information about the ideas circulating among British scientists in the 1800s. Instead, this claim follows logically from that information.

Choice D is incorrect because “for example” illogically signals that this sentence provides an example supporting the previous information about the ideas circulating among British scientists in the 1800s.
Instead, it presents a claim that follows logically from that information.

You should learn Parts of Speech, especially Adverb; Conjunction, and Clauses.

Question: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute in India sought to limit the country’s dependence on imported sugarcane.
• The institute enlisted botanist Janaki Ammal to breed a local variety of sugarcane.
• She crossbred the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India.
• She succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
The student wants to emphasize Janaki Ammal’s achievement. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) By crossbreeding the imported sugarcane species Saccharum officinarum with grasses native to India, Ammal succeeded in creating sugarcane hybrids well suited to India’s climate.
B) In the 1930s, the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute, which enlisted Ammal, sought to limit dependence on imported sugarcane.
C) Ammal was enlisted by the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute at a time when a local variety of sugarcane needed to be produced.
D) As part of efforts to breed a local variety of sugarcane, an imported sugarcane species called Saccharum officinarum was crossbred with
grasses native to India.

Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes Janaki Ammal’s achievement, explaining that she successfully created sugarcane hybrids that are well suited to India’s climate by crossbreeding an imported sugarcane species with grasses native to India.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the goal of the Imperial Sugar Cane Institute in the 1930s; it doesn’t emphasize Janaki Ammal’s achievement.

Choice C is incorrect. While the sentence mentions Ammal, it doesn’t emphasize her achievement of successfully creating sugarcane hybrids.

Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence mentions the achievement of crossbreeding imported sugarcane species with grasses native to India, it doesn’t emphasize the achievement as belonging to Janaki Ammal.

Work on your reading skills to read and sum them up.

Question: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Elizabeth Catlett’s sculpture Recognition (1970) shows two African American figures with rounded, indistinct features.
• The figures reach out to each other in a pose that symbolizes a close, supportive relationship.
• Her sculpture Students Aspire (1978) shows two African American figures with sharply defined features.
• The figures hold an equal sign above their heads with one hand and embrace each other with the other hand.
• This pose symbolizes their support for each other in the pursuit of equality.
The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Catlett’s Students Aspire depicts two figures supporting each other in the pursuit of equality.
B) Recognition and Students Aspire both show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.
C) Catlett completed Recognition in 1970 and Students Aspire in 1978.
D) The figures in Recognition have features that are rounded and indistinct, while the figures in Students Aspire have sharply defined features.

Choice B is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes a similarity between the sculptures Recognition and Students Aspire, noting that both sculptures show African American figures in poses that symbolize supportive relationships.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes one of the sculptures; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures.

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence specifies the different years the sculptures were completed in; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures.

Choice D is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes a difference between the two sculptures, noting that the figures in the sculptures have different feature definitions; it doesn’t emphasize a similarity between the two sculptures.

Work on your reading skills to read and sum them up.

Question: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Chemical leavening agents cause carbon dioxide to be released within a liquid batter, making the batter rise as it bakes.
• Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents.
• Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking soda needs to be mixed with liquid and an acidic ingredient such as honey.
• Baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and an acid.
• To produce carbon dioxide, baking powder needs to be mixed with liquid but not with an acidic ingredient. The student wants to emphasize a difference between baking soda and baking powder.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) To make batters rise, bakers use chemical leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder.
B) Baking soda and baking powder are chemical leavening agents that, when mixed with other ingredients, cause carbon dioxide to be released within a batter.
C) Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, and honey is a type of acidic ingredient.
D) To produce carbon dioxide within a liquid batter, baking soda needs to be mixed with an acidic ingredient, whereas baking powder does not.

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the difference between baking soda and baking powder, noting that baking soda needs to be mixed with an acidic ingredient to produce carbon dioxide but baking powder doesn’t.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence focuses on what bakers use to make batters rise; it doesn’t emphasize the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence provides a general description of baking soda and baking powder; it doesn’t emphasize the difference between them.

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains what baking soda and honey are; it doesn’t emphasize the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

Read all the lines and then sum them up to find the most suitable option.

Question: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Soo Sunny Park is a Korean American artist who uses light as her primary medium of expression.
• She created her work Unwoven Light in 2013.
• Unwoven Light featured a chain-link fence fitted with iridescent plexiglass tiles.
• When light passed through the fence, colorful prisms formed. The student wants to describe Unwoven Light to an audience unfamiliar with Soo Sunny Park.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Park’s 2013 installation Unwoven Light, which included a chain-link fence and iridescent tiles made from plexiglass, featured light as its primary medium of expression.
B) Korean American light artist Soo Sunny Park created Unwoven Light in 2013.
C) The chain-link fence in Soo Sunny Park’s Unwoven Light was fitted with tiles made from iridescent plexiglass.
D) In Unwoven Light, a 2013 work by Korean American artist Soo Sunny Park, light formed colorful prisms as it passed through a fence Park had fitted with iridescent tiles.

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence effectively describes Unwoven Light to an audience unfamiliar with Park, noting that Soo Sunny Park is a Korean American artist and that the 2013 work consists of colorful prisms formed by light passing through iridescent tiles.

Choice A is incorrect. The sentence describes aspects of Unwoven Light but doesn’t mention who Park is; it thus doesn’t effectively describe the work to an audience unfamiliar with Park.

Choice B is incorrect. Although the sentence indicates when the work was created and who Park is, it lacks descriptive details and thus doesn’t effectively describe Unwoven Light.

Choice C is incorrect. The sentence mentions Park and describes an aspect of Unwoven Light—the chainlink fence—but doesn’t effectively describe the overall work to an audience unfamiliar with the artist.

Read all the lines and then sum them up to find the most suitable option.

Question: While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Cambodia’s Angkor Wat was built in the 1100s to honor the Hindu god Vishnu.
• It has been a Buddhist temple since the sixteenth century.
• Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that enhances the contrast between colors in a photograph.
• Archaeologist Noel Hidalgo Tan applied decorrelation stretch analysis to photographs he had taken of Angkor Wat’s plaster walls.
• Tan’s analysis revealed hundreds of images unknown to researchers.
The student wants to present Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Tan photographed Angkor Wat’s plaster walls and then applied decorrelation stretch analysis to the photographs.
B) Decorrelation stretch analysis is a novel digital imaging technique that Tan used to enhance the contrast between colors in a photograph.
C) Using a novel digital imaging technique, Tan revealed hundreds of images hidden on the walls of Angkor Wat, a Cambodian temple.
D) Built to honor a Hindu god before becoming a Buddhist temple, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat concealed hundreds of images on its plaster walls.

Choice C is the best answer. The sentence effectively presents Tan’s research to an audience unfamiliar with Angkor Wat, explaining the results of the research and identifying Angkor Wat as a temple in Cambodia.

Choice A is incorrect. While the sentence presents Tan’s research, it fails to explain what Angkor Wat is for an audience unfamiliar with the temple.

Choice B is incorrect. The sentence emphasizes the role that decorrelation stretch analysis played in Tan’s research; it doesn’t present the research, which would require specifying where it was conducted.

Choice D is incorrect. While the sentence explains what Angkor Wat is, it fails to present Tan’s research.

Read all the lines and then sum them up to find the most suitable option.