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Craft & Structure practice questions

Word meaning in context, the purpose a sentence or paragraph serves, and how two texts relate. Read the sentence around the blank before looking at any choice.

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1Words in contextFoundation
In the sentence "The engineer's proposal was practical because it used materials already available locally," what does "practical" most nearly mean?
- Arelated to a classroom exercise
- Brequiring a great deal of travel
- Cintended only for experts
- Dpossible to carry out effectively
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Answer: possible to carry out effectively
The nearby reason - using locally available materials - signals that the proposal is feasible and workable, not merely academic or specialized.
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2Text structure and purposeFoundation
A paragraph first describes a community garden's crowded opening day and then explains how volunteers organized weekly work teams. The second part of the paragraph primarily
- Alists plants that cannot grow outdoors.
- Bargues that gardens should charge admission.
- Cintroduces a problem unrelated to the garden.
- Dexplains how the garden's early interest was sustained.
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Answer: explains how the garden's early interest was sustained.
The first part establishes strong initial interest, and the second provides an organizational response that can keep that activity going.
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3Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 calls public murals a way to make shared spaces more welcoming. Text 2 cautions that mural projects should compensate local artists fairly. Which statement best describes the relationship between the texts?
- ABoth texts focus only on private art collections.
- BText 2 contradicts Text 1 by rejecting public art.
- CText 2 adds an ethical consideration to Text 1's positive view.
- DText 1 explains how paint is manufactured.
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Answer: Text 2 adds an ethical consideration to Text 1's positive view.
The texts can agree that murals help shared spaces while also recognizing fair compensation as an important condition for the work.
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4Words in contextStandard
The author writes that a small change to the bus schedule had a "ripple effect" on nearby businesses. In this context, "ripple effect" most nearly refers to
- Aa change that can be measured only in minutes.
- Ba sound made by water striking a wall.
- Ca pattern that spreads through connected situations.
- Da plan that affects only one location.
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Answer: a pattern that spreads through connected situations.
A ripple begins in one place and spreads outward. Here the phrase describes consequences reaching connected businesses beyond the schedule itself.
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5Text structure and purposeStandard
An article opens with a description of a scientist repairing old instruments and then shifts to the scientist's discoveries. The opening description most likely serves to
- Aprovide a complete list of the scientist's discoveries.
- Bprove that old instruments are more accurate than new ones.
- Cargue that discoveries happen without effort.
- Dshow a habit that helped prepare the scientist for later work.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: show a habit that helped prepare the scientist for later work.
The shift links early hands-on experience with subsequent discoveries. The opening is illustrative background, not proof about instrument age or a complete catalog.
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6Words in contextFoundation
The review calls the novel's ending "restrained," noting that the author avoids dramatic speeches and allows the final scene to remain quiet. Which meaning best fits "restrained"?
- Aangry and confrontational
- Bunrelated to the rest of the novel
- Ccontrolled and not excessive
- Dunclear because it is unfinished
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Answer: controlled and not excessive
Avoiding dramatic speeches and keeping the scene quiet shows deliberate control. The context does not suggest incompleteness, anger, or irrelevance.
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7Cross-text connectionsStandard
A columnist argues that reusable containers are most effective when they are convenient. A city report describes return stations placed near transit stops. The report provides
- Aan example that could support the columnist's reasoning.
- Ban unrelated history of public transportation.
- Cevidence that containers should be made smaller.
- Da counterexample proving reuse is impossible.
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Answer: an example that could support the columnist's reasoning.
Stations near transit stops make returns easier, which is a practical example of convenience supporting the use of reusable containers.
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8Text structure and purposeStandard
A writer presents two possible explanations for a decline in pond water levels and then describes an experiment designed to distinguish between them. The experiment is included mainly to
- Aprove that both explanations are false.
- Bintroduce a new, unrelated topic.
- Creplace evidence with opinion.
- Dshow how the competing explanations can be tested.
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Answer: show how the competing explanations can be tested.
The experiment follows the competing explanations specifically to determine which one better accounts for the observed decline.
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9Words in contextStandard
The mayor described the new library branch as a "cornerstone" of the neighborhood plan. In context, the word suggests that the branch is
- Aa central and supporting part of the plan.
- Blocated at the corner of every street.
- Cthe smallest part of the plan.
- Dbuilt entirely from stone.
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Answer: a central and supporting part of the plan.
A cornerstone is figuratively an essential foundation. The phrase emphasizes the library's importance, not its construction material or literal location.
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10Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 says local oral histories preserve memories that may not appear in written archives. Text 2 explains methods for recording interviews and obtaining consent. Text 2 mainly
- Adisagrees that interviews contain memories.
- Bprovides practical guidance related to Text 1's source of information.
- Cargues that written archives should be destroyed.
- Dchanges the topic to fictional storytelling.
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Answer: provides practical guidance related to Text 1's source of information.
Text 1 identifies oral histories as valuable sources; Text 2 gives procedures for collecting interviews, which are the material for such histories.
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11Text structure and purposeFoundation
A guide first defines composting and then lists items that should not be placed in a home compost bin. The list mainly helps readers
- Amemorize the guide's publication date.
- Bcompare two fictional characters.
- Capply the definition correctly in practice.
- Dcalculate the cost of a compost bin.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: apply the definition correctly in practice.
By naming exclusions, the list translates the general definition into decisions a reader can make when composting at home.
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12Words in contextFoundation
The committee described the plan as "modest," noting that it proposed a single new bus route rather than a redesigned network. As used in the text, what does the word "modest" most nearly mean?
- Alimited in scope
- Breluctant to seek attention
- Ccarefully researched
- Dinexpensive to build
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: limited in scope
The clause after the comma contrasts one route with a whole network, which fixes the meaning as small in extent. The other senses of "modest" do not fit that contrast.
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13Text structure and purposeFoundation
An article opens by listing the tools a bookbinder keeps on her bench, then explains how each one is used during a single repair. The opening list mainly serves to
- Acompare two competing methods of repair.
- Bsummarize the article's conclusion.
- Cargue that bookbinding is difficult to learn.
- Dintroduce the objects the rest of the article will explain.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: introduce the objects the rest of the article will explain.
The list names exactly what the following section takes up one at a time, so it functions as a setup. No comparison is drawn and no conclusion is stated.
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14Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 claims that a museum's free admission days mainly draw visitors who already attend often. Text 2 reports that on free days at that museum, a third of visitors were attending for the first time. Text 2 primarily
- Arestates Text 1's claim in more precise language.
- Bexplains why the museum introduced free days.
- Cpresents evidence that complicates Text 1's claim.
- Dconfirms Text 1's claim with an additional example.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: presents evidence that complicates Text 1's claim.
A third of visitors being first-timers is hard to square with the claim that free days mainly draw regulars, so the second text pushes against the first rather than confirming or restating it.
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15Words in contextStandard
The biographer writes that the inventor's early notebooks are "crowded": margins filled with sketches, corrections layered over corrections. As used in the text, what does the word "crowded" most nearly mean?
- Apopular among readers
- Bnoisy and distracting
- Cdensely filled
- Ddifficult to obtain
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: densely filled
The colon introduces the evidence for the word: filled margins and layered corrections describe density on the page, not sound, popularity, or availability.
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16Text structure and purposeStandard
A passage describes a grower's failed attempt to raise a crop in poor soil, then the adjustments made over the next two seasons, then a successful harvest in the third. The passage is organized as
- Aa claim followed by two counterarguments.
- Ba problem, a sequence of responses, and an outcome.
- Ca comparison of two growers' methods.
- Da definition followed by a list of examples.
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Answer: a problem, a sequence of responses, and an outcome.
The three parts map directly onto a difficulty, the steps taken in response, and the result. No claim is argued against, nothing is defined, and only one grower appears.
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17Words in contextChallenge
The critic notes that the sculpture "anchors" the plaza: visitors gather beside it and give directions in relation to it. As used in the text, what does the word "anchors" most nearly mean?
- Agives a fixed reference point to
- Badds weight to
- Cfastens securely to the ground
- Ddecorates the edge of
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: gives a fixed reference point to
The evidence after the colon is about orientation, not weight or attachment: people locate themselves and others by the sculpture, which is what serving as a reference point means.
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18Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 argues that a shorter workweek raises output because rested workers concentrate better. Text 2 reports that in trials, output rose only at firms that also cut the number of meetings. The author of Text 2 would most likely say that Text 1
- Ashould have studied firms in a single industry.
- Bidentifies a real effect but overlooks a change in how time is used.
- Cunderstates how much rest improves concentration.
- Dis mistaken that output can rise at all under a shorter week.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: identifies a real effect but overlooks a change in how time is used.
Text 2 accepts that output rose, but attaches a condition Text 1 does not mention. It neither denies the effect nor comments on the size of the rest benefit or the study's design.
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19Text structure and purposeStandard
In a paragraph about a river cleanup, the writer gives one sentence to the volunteers' early doubts and five to what they accomplished. This proportion mainly serves to
- Aargue that the cleanup should have started earlier.
- Bcompare the volunteers' work with a similar project.
- Cacknowledge an initial concern while keeping the focus on results.
- Dsuggest that the volunteers' doubts were never resolved.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: acknowledge an initial concern while keeping the focus on results.
One sentence is enough to register the doubt; the five that follow put the weight on what was achieved. Nothing in the paragraph leaves the doubts open or draws a comparison.
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20Words in contextFoundation
The guide calls the trail "deceptive": it looks flat from the parking area but climbs steadily for two miles. As used in the text, what does the word "deceptive" most nearly mean?
- Ararely traveled
- Bdishonestly constructed
- Cdifficult to locate
- Dmisleading in appearance
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: misleading in appearance
The colon supplies the evidence: how the trail looks differs from how it is. That is a gap between appearance and reality, not dishonesty by a builder.
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21Cross-text connectionsChallenge
Text 1 argues that oral traditions preserve knowledge that written records leave out. Text 2 argues that written records preserve details that memory alters over time. Taken together, the two texts most strongly suggest that
- Aeach kind of record preserves something the other tends to lose.
- Bneither kind of record can be trusted about the past.
- Coral traditions are more reliable than written records.
- Dwritten records will eventually replace oral traditions.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: each kind of record preserves something the other tends to lose.
Read together, the two texts name complementary strengths rather than ranking the two forms. Neither text claims one will replace the other or that both are untrustworthy.
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22Text structure and purposeStandard
An essay opens by asking why a small town has kept its century-old clock running, then describes the volunteers who wind it each week, and closes by returning to the question. The closing mainly serves to
- Alist the repairs the clock will require next.
- Banswer the opening question using what the middle described.
- Cintroduce a new question the essay leaves unresolved.
- Dcast doubt on the accuracy of the volunteers' account.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: answer the opening question using what the middle described.
Returning to the opening question after presenting the volunteers' work is what makes the middle section the answer. No new question, doubt, or list is introduced.
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23Words in contextStandard
The historian describes the treaty's language as "elastic": each side read its central clause as protecting a different interest. As used in the text, what does the word "elastic" most nearly mean?
- Aeasily broken
- Bopen to more than one reading
- Cquickly written
- Dphysically flexible
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Answer: open to more than one reading
The colon supplies the evidence: two sides drew different meanings from the same clause. That is interpretive stretch, not physical flexibility or fragility.
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24Text structure and purposeStandard
A profile of a violin maker begins with three sentences on the noise of the workshop, then turns to the silence she requires when fitting a soundpost. The opening mainly serves to
- Aargue that violin making is a noisy trade.
- Blist the tools used in the workshop.
- Cexplain how a soundpost is fitted.
- Destablish a contrast that makes the later silence noticeable.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: establish a contrast that makes the later silence noticeable.
The opening's function is to set up the shift that follows; noise is meaningful here because silence comes after it. Summarising the noise or the fitting describes content rather than function.
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25Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 argues that open-plan offices increase collaboration by removing walls. Text 2 reports that in open-plan offices, face-to-face conversation fell while written messaging rose. The author of Text 2 would most likely respond that Text 1
- Acorrectly identifies the main benefit of open-plan design.
- Bassumes a form of collaboration that the evidence does not support.
- Coverlooks the cost of removing walls.
- Dshould have measured employee satisfaction instead.
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Answer: assumes a form of collaboration that the evidence does not support.
Text 1's mechanism is more direct interaction, and Text 2 reports that direct interaction fell. The disagreement is about the kind of collaboration claimed, not about cost or the choice of a satisfaction measure.
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26Words in contextFoundation
The report calls the museum's new wing "restrained": bare walls, low lighting, and no signage beyond a single line per object. As used in the text, what does the word "restrained" most nearly mean?
- Aheld back by force
- Bdeliberately plain
- Cdifficult to enter
- Dfinancially limited
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: deliberately plain
Bare walls, low light, and minimal labelling describe an aesthetic choice toward plainness. Nothing in the sentence concerns force, cost, or access.
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27Words in contextStandard
The engineer described the bridge's design as "conservative": every load-bearing element was specified well above the minimum the calculations required. As used in the text, what does the word "conservative" most nearly mean?
- Abuilt with a wide margin of safety
- Btraditional in appearance
- Copposed to change
- Dinexpensive to construct
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: built with a wide margin of safety
The colon explains the word: specifying above the minimum is margin, not politics, cost, or style.
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28Text structure and purposeChallenge
A chapter about a translator opens with a single sentence she spent four months on, then widens to describe her whole approach to the book. This movement from one sentence to the whole book mainly serves to
- Acompare the translator's work with another translator's.
- Buse a concrete case to introduce a general method.
- Cargue that translation is slower than most readers assume.
- Dlist the stages a translation passes through.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: use a concrete case to introduce a general method.
Beginning with a specific instance and widening to the approach is the classic particular-to-general move. No comparison is drawn and no list is given.
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29Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 says that anonymous peer review keeps assessments honest. Text 2 reports that reviewers who signed their reviews wrote longer and more specific ones. Taken together, the texts most strongly suggest
- Asigned reviews are honest and anonymous ones are not.
- Banonymous review should be abandoned entirely.
- Creview length is the best measure of review quality.
- Danonymity and accountability may pull review quality in different directions.
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Answer: anonymity and accountability may pull review quality in different directions.
Each text names a benefit the other's arrangement lacks, which is a tension rather than a verdict. Neither text ranks honesty against detail or equates length with quality.
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30Words in contextFoundation
The naturalist calls the moth's colouring "economical": two pigments, arranged so that the wing reads differently from above and below. As used in the text, what does the word "economical" most nearly mean?
- Aachieving much with little
- Bbrief and hurried
- Cinexpensive to produce
- Dcarefully saved for later
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Answer: achieving much with little
Two pigments producing two appearances is efficiency of means. The word is not about money, haste, or storage here.
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31Text structure and purposeStandard
An article on flood defences devotes its final paragraph to a village that declined the proposed barrier and explains why. That paragraph mainly serves to
- Aintroduce a new topic the article does not pursue.
- Bqualify the article's case by presenting a reasoned exception.
- Csummarise the technical content of the earlier paragraphs.
- Dprove that flood barriers do not work.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: qualify the article's case by presenting a reasoned exception.
An exception given with its reasons narrows a general case without overturning it. Nothing in the description suggests a proof, a summary, or an unrelated new topic.
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32Words in contextChallenge
The historian notes that the guild's records are "eloquent" about its finances and silent about its members. As used in the text, what does the word "eloquent" most nearly mean?
- Ahighly informative
- Bbeautifully written
- Cspoken aloud
- Dpersuasive in argument
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Answer: highly informative
The contrast with "silent" fixes the meaning: the records say a great deal about one subject and nothing about the other. Style, speech, and persuasion are not what the opposition sets up.
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33Words in contextStandard
The curator describes the collection as "uneven": three rooms of exceptional work and two that could belong to any regional museum. As used in the text, what does the word "uneven" most nearly mean?
- Ainconsistent in quality
- Bunfairly assembled
- Cincomplete
- Dphysically unstable
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Answer: inconsistent in quality
The colon supplies the evidence: exceptional rooms next to ordinary ones is variation in quality, not in stability, fairness, or completeness.
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34Text structure and purposeStandard
An article about a ferry service opens with the timetable as it stood in 1975, then gives the current one, then explains what changed between them. This structure mainly serves to
- Alist every change the service has made.
- Bargue that the older timetable was better.
- Cestablish a contrast that the rest of the article accounts for.
- Ddefine the terms used later in the article.
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Answer: establish a contrast that the rest of the article accounts for.
Two states followed by an explanation is a contrast set up for the sake of the account that follows. No preference is expressed and nothing is defined.
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35Cross-text connectionsChallenge
Text 1 argues that handwriting instruction should be kept because forming letters aids letter recognition. Text 2 reports that children taught letter recognition through tracing on screens performed as well as those taught with pens. The author of Text 2 would most likely say Text 1
- Ashould have studied older children.
- Bis mistaken that letter recognition matters.
- Cidentifies the right mechanism but ties it to the wrong medium.
- Dunderstates how much handwriting helps.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: identifies the right mechanism but ties it to the wrong medium.
Text 2 accepts that forming letters aids recognition — that is what tracing is — but shows it need not be done with a pen. It disputes the medium, not the mechanism or its importance.
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36Words in contextChallenge
The biographer writes that the composer's late works are "spare": a single line where the early symphonies would have carried four. As used in the text, what does the word "spare" most nearly mean?
- Athin and weak
- Bstripped to essentials
- Cheld in reserve
- Dproduced quickly
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Answer: stripped to essentials
One line against four is reduction of means, offered admiringly. "Thin and weak" imports a judgement the comparison does not make, and the other senses do not fit a description of a work.
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37Text structure and purposeStandard
A passage about a flood defence spends its first half on how the barrier was designed and its second half on a storm during which it was tested. The second half mainly serves to
- Ashow the design meeting the conditions it was built for.
- Bcriticise the assumptions behind the design.
- Ccompare the barrier with defences elsewhere.
- Ddescribe an unrelated weather event.
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Answer: show the design meeting the conditions it was built for.
A design followed by its test is a demonstration. Nothing in the description suggests criticism, and the storm is presented as the test rather than as a separate event.
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38Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 says that keeping a species register helps conservation by revealing decline early. Text 2 notes that registers depend on volunteer reporting, which is heaviest near towns. Taken together, the texts most strongly suggest
- Aspecies registers should be abandoned.
- Bvolunteers are unreliable observers.
- Ca register may detect decline unevenly across a region.
- Ddecline happens faster near towns.
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Answer: a register may detect decline unevenly across a region.
Text 1 gives the benefit and Text 2 gives a distribution of effort; together they imply uneven coverage. Neither text calls volunteers unreliable or says decline itself differs by location.
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39Words in contextFoundation
The report calls the timetable "punishing": eleven stops in nine hours with no scheduled break. As used in the text, what does the word "punishing" most nearly mean?
- Aintended as a penalty
- Bextremely demanding
- Cunfairly designed
- Dstrictly enforced
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: extremely demanding
The colon gives the evidence: a dense schedule with no break is demanding. Nothing suggests anyone is being penalised or that enforcement is the issue.
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40Text structure and purposeStandard
An essay about a disused railway ends by returning to a detail from its opening paragraph, now explained. This ending mainly serves to
- Aquestion the reliability of the opening description.
- Bsummarise every point the essay made.
- Cclose the essay by resolving something it opened with.
- Dintroduce a new line of argument.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: close the essay by resolving something it opened with.
Returning to an opening detail with an explanation attached is closure. It is neither a summary of everything nor a new argument.
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41Words in contextStandard
The editor calls the manuscript "dense": three arguments to a paragraph and no illustrations of any of them. As used in the text, what does the word "dense" most nearly mean?
- Aphysically thick
- Bslow-witted
- Cdifficult to read aloud
- Dpacked with more than it explains
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Answer: packed with more than it explains
The colon gives the evidence: many arguments, none developed. That is compression of content, not physical thickness or stupidity.
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42Text structure and purposeStandard
An article about a lighthouse keeper opens with the sound of the foghorn, returns to it midway, and ends with the day it was switched off. The repeated detail mainly serves to
- Amark the passage of time across the article.
- Bexplain how a foghorn works.
- Cargue that foghorns should be preserved.
- Dcompare two lighthouses.
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Answer: mark the passage of time across the article.
A detail that recurs at three points and ends by ceasing is functioning as a marker of chronology. No argument is made and nothing is explained mechanically.
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43Cross-text connectionsChallenge
Text 1 argues that translating poetry requires preserving sound above sense. Text 2 reports that readers of two translations — one preserving sound, one preserving sense — described the sense-preserving version as more moving. The author of Text 2 would most likely say Text 1
- Ais wrong that sound matters in poetry.
- Bunderstates the difficulty of translation.
- Cassumes a priority readers do not share.
- Dshould have compared more than two translations.
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Answer: assumes a priority readers do not share.
Text 2 does not deny that sound matters; it reports that when the two compete, readers preferred sense. That contests the ordering Text 1 asserts, not the value of sound.
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44Words in contextChallenge
The historian describes the settlement's layout as "legible": a stranger arriving at any gate could find the market without asking. As used in the text, what does the word "legible" most nearly mean?
- Aofficially recorded
- Beasily understood from within
- Cwritten in clear script
- Dvisible from a distance
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Answer: easily understood from within
The evidence is a stranger navigating unaided, which is comprehension of a place rather than of writing. The word is being used by analogy to reading, and the analogy is the point.
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45Text structure and purposeStandard
A passage about a river restoration devotes its opening to the river as it was in 1990, and everything after to the work done since. This structure mainly serves to
- Agive the later work a baseline to be measured against.
- Blist the species that returned.
- Cdescribe the engineering techniques used.
- Dargue that the river should be left alone.
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Answer: give the later work a baseline to be measured against.
A prior state placed before an account of change is a baseline. The passage is described as covering work, not techniques or species lists, and makes no argument against intervention.
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46Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 says that keeping bees in cities supports pollination. Text 2 notes that managed honeybees compete with wild pollinators for the same limited flowers. Taken together, the texts most strongly suggest
- Acities have more flowers than the countryside.
- Burban beekeeping should be banned.
- Cwild pollinators are more important than honeybees.
- Durban beekeeping may help one kind of pollinator at the expense of another.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: urban beekeeping may help one kind of pollinator at the expense of another.
Text 1 gives a benefit and Text 2 a cost falling on a different group; together that is a trade-off. Neither text calls for a ban or ranks the two kinds of pollinator.
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47Words in contextFoundation
The guide describes the harbour wall as "forgiving": beginners misjudge the approach constantly and nothing is damaged. As used in the text, what does the word "forgiving" most nearly mean?
- Atolerant of mistakes
- Bmorally generous
- Crecently repaired
- Dgently curved
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Answer: tolerant of mistakes
The colon supplies the evidence: errors happen and cause no harm. The word is describing what the wall does to mistakes, not its shape or its condition.
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48Text structure and purposeChallenge
An essay on urban trees gives four paragraphs to their benefits and one to the cost of maintaining them, then closes by arguing for more planting. The single paragraph on cost mainly serves to
- Aintroduce a topic the essay does not pursue.
- Bmake the closing argument harder to dismiss.
- Cconcede that the argument fails.
- Dsummarise the four preceding paragraphs.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: make the closing argument harder to dismiss.
An argument that names its own cost and proceeds anyway is more credible than one that ignores it. The paragraph is a concession in service of the conclusion, not a retreat from it.
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49Words in contextStandard
The reviewer calls the staging "austere": one chair, one lamp, and a bare back wall for the whole play. As used in the text, what does the word "austere" most nearly mean?
- Afinancially strict
- Bcoldly unwelcoming
- Csevere in manner
- Dstripped of ornament
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Answer: stripped of ornament
The colon lists what is on stage and how little of it there is. That is visual reduction, not personal severity or budgeting.
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50Text structure and purposeStandard
An article about a clock tower opens by describing the view from its top, then spends the rest on the mechanism inside. The opening mainly serves to
- Acompare the tower with others in the region.
- Bgive the reader a reason to care about what follows.
- Cargue that the tower should be opened to visitors.
- Dexplain how the mechanism keeps time.
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Answer: give the reader a reason to care about what follows.
An appealing image placed before technical material is doing motivational work. No argument is advanced and no comparison drawn, and the explanation comes later rather than in the opening.
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51Cross-text connectionsChallenge
Text 1 argues that a museum's collection should be displayed in full, because storage keeps objects from the public. Text 2 reports that of one museum's collection, ninety percent is too fragile to be lit for more than a few weeks a year. The author of Text 2 would most likely say Text 1
- Ais wrong that the public should have access to collections.
- Bshould have surveyed more museums.
- Cproposes something that would destroy what it aims to share.
- Dunderestimates how much storage space museums need.
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: proposes something that would destroy what it aims to share.
Text 2's point is that permanent display would damage most of the objects, so the proposal defeats its own purpose. It does not dispute the value of access or make a claim about storage space.
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52Words in contextChallenge
The engineer describes the older design as "honest": every joint is visible and nothing is hidden behind a panel. As used in the text, what does the word "honest" most nearly mean?
- Amorally truthful
- Bcheaply made
- Cshowing its own construction
- Dplainly ugly
Show the answer and explanationHide the explanation
Answer: showing its own construction
The evidence is visible joints and no concealment, which is a property of the object rather than of anyone's character. Nothing suggests the design is ugly or cheap.
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53Text structure and purposeStandard
A chapter on a printing press gives half its length to a single afternoon in 1455 and the rest to the following fifty years. This proportion mainly serves to
- Acompare two rival printers.
- Blist the books printed in that period.
- Cargue that the fifty years were uneventful.
- Dmark that afternoon as the turning point the rest follows from.
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Answer: mark that afternoon as the turning point the rest follows from.
Disproportionate space given to a short moment signals its importance. Covering fifty years in the remainder is compression, not a claim that nothing happened.
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54Cross-text connectionsStandard
Text 1 says that publishing raw research data lets others check a study's conclusions. Text 2 notes that raw data from human participants often cannot be published without identifying them. Taken together, the texts most strongly suggest
- Aopenness and confidentiality can pull against each other in the same study.
- Braw data is never useful to other researchers.
- Chuman research should not be published.
- Didentifying participants is rarely a real risk.
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Answer: openness and confidentiality can pull against each other in the same study.
Each text names a value the other's arrangement compromises, which is a tension. Neither concludes that such research should stop or that the risk is negligible.
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55Words in contextFoundation
The guide describes the path as "generous": two people can walk abreast the whole way, and there are benches every quarter mile. As used in the text, what does the word "generous" most nearly mean?
- Agiven freely as a gift
- Bexpensive to maintain
- Ckind toward others
- Damply provided
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Answer: amply provided
Width and frequent benches describe how much the path provides. The word is not about anyone's character or the cost of upkeep here.
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56Text structure and purposeChallenge
An essay arguing for wider pavements devotes a paragraph to a street where widening them removed parking and local shops objected. That paragraph mainly serves to
- Asummarise the essay's earlier points.
- Babandon the argument in the face of opposition.
- Cintroduce a topic the essay does not return to.
- Dstrengthen the argument by showing it has met its hardest case.
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Answer: strengthen the argument by showing it has met its hardest case.
An argument that names the strongest objection and continues is more credible than one that ignores it. Nothing in the description suggests the essay changes position.
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