Questions 1-11 are based on the following

passage and supplementary material.

Compost: Don’t Waste This Waste

1.
Over the past generation, people in
many parts of the United States have A) NO CHANGE
become accustomed to dividing their B) However,
household waste products into different
categories for recycling. (1) Regardless, C) Furthermore,
paper may go in one container, glass and
aluminum in another, regular garbage in a D) For example,
third. Recently, some US cities have added a
new category: compost, organic matter such
as food scraps and yard debris. Like paper or
glass recycling, composting demands a
certain amount of effort from the
public in order to be successful. But the 2. Which choice best maintains the style and
inconveniences of composting are far tone of the passage?
outweighed by its benefits.
A) NO CHANGE
Most people think of banana peels,
eggshells, and dead leaves as “waste,” but B) eliminating
compost is actually a valuable resource with C) ousting
multiple practical uses. When utilized as a
garden fertilizer, compost provides nutrients D) closing the door on
to soil and improves plant growth while
deterring or killing pests and preventing 3.
some plant diseases. It also enhances soil
A) NO CHANGE
texture, encouraging healthy roots and
minimizing or (2) annihilating the need for B) savings increase
chemical fertilizers. Better than soil at
holding moisture, compost minimizes water C) increases savings
waste and storm runoff, (3) it increases
D) also it increases savings
savings on watering costs, and helps reduce
erosion on embankments near bodies of 4.
water. In large (4) quantities, which one
would expect to see when it is collected for A) NO CHANGE
an entire municipality), compost can be
B) quantities (which
converted into a natural gas that can be used
as fuel for transportation or heating and C) quantities which
cooling systems.
D) quantities; (which
 In spite of all compost’s potential uses, 5. The writer wants to include information
however, most of this so-called waste is from the graph that is consistent with the
wasted. According to the Environmental description of compost in the passage.
Protection Agency (EPA), over (5) 13 Which choice most effectively accomplishes
million tons of metal ended up in US this goal?
landfills in 2009, along with over 13 million
tons of yard debris. Remarkably, (6) less A) NO CHANGE
glass was discarded in landfills in that year B) 6 million tons of rubber and leather
than any other substance, including plastics
or paper. Even (7) worse, then the C) 10 million tons of textiles
squandering of this useful resource is the
fact that compost in landfills cannot break D) 33 million tons of food waste
down due to the lack of necessary air and
6.
moisture.
The writer wants to support the paragraph’s
main idea with accurate, relevant
information from the graph. Which choice
most effectively accomplishes this goal?

A) NO CHANGE

B) more metal

C) more food waste

D) more yard waste

7.

A) NO CHANGE

B) worse than

C) worse then

D) worse, than
As a result, organic material that is sent to 8.
landfills (8) contribute to the release of
methane, a very (9) potent greenhouse gas. A) NO CHANGE

B) are contributing

C) contributes

D) have contributed

9.

A) NO CHANGE

B) sturdy

C) influential

D) commanding
 (10) While composting can sometimes 10.
lead to accidental pollution through the
release of methane gas, cities such as San Which choice provides the most effective
Francisco and Seattle have instituted transition from the previous paragraph?
mandatory composting laws requiring A) NO CHANGE
individuals and businesses to use separate
bins for compostable waste. This strict B) Though government regulations vary,
approach may not work everywhere.
However, given the clear benefits of C) Armed with these facts,
composting and the environmental costs of
D) Mindful of this setback,
not composting, all municipalities should
encourage their residents either to create 11.
their own compost piles for use in backyard
gardens (11) or to dispose of compostable A) NO CHANGE
materials in bins for collection.
B) nor

C) but

D) and
Questions 12-22 are based on the
following passage.
12.
A Lion’s Share of Luck
Which choice most effectively combines the
It’s the beginning of February, and as they sentences at the underlined portion?
do every year, thousands of people line H
Street, the heart of Chinatown in A) red,
Washington, DC. The crowd has gathered to B) red; in addition, red is
celebrate Lunar New Year. The street is a
sea of (12) red. Red is the traditional C) red; in other words, red is
Chinese color of luck and happiness.
Buildings are (13) draped with festive, red, D) red, the color; that is
banners, and garlands. Lampposts are strung
13.
with crimson paper lanterns, which bob in
the crisp winter breeze. The eager spectators A) NO CHANGE
await the highlight of the New Year parade:
the lion dance. B) draped, with festive red banners,

Experts agree that the lion dance C) draped with festive red banners—
originated in the Han dynasty (206 BCE–
D) draped with festive red banners
220 CE); however, there is little agreement
about the dance’s original purpose. Some 14. Which choice most effectively
evidence suggests that the earliest version of completes the explanation of a possible
the dance was an attempt to ward off an evil origin of the lion dance?
spirit; (14) lions are obviously very fierce.
Another theory is that an emperor, upon A) NO CHANGE
waking from a dream about a lion, hired an
B) the evil spirit was called Nian.
artist to
C) villagers dressed in lion costumes to
scare the spirit away.

D) the precise location of the village

remains lost to history.
choreograph the dance. (15) The current 15. Which choice most effectively concludes
function of the dance is celebration. the paragraph?

The lion dance requires the strength, A) NO CHANGE

grace, and coordination of two dancers, (16)
both of whom are almost completely hidden B) It turns out that the origins of the lion
by the elaborate bamboo and papier-mâché dance are irrelevant.
lion costume that they maneuver. One
C) Whatever its origins, today the lion dance
person operates the lion’s head as the other is a joyous spectacle, a celebration of the
guides the torso and tail. Many of the moves promise of the New Year.
in the dance, such as jumps, rolls, and kicks,
are similar to (17) martial arts and D) Things are different these days, of
acrobatics. The dancers must be course.
synchronized with the music accompanying
the dance—drums, cymbals, and gongs that 16.
supply the lion’s roar—as well as with each
A) NO CHANGE
other.
B) of which both

C) both of them

D) both

17.

A) NO CHANGE

B) the disciplines of martial arts and

acrobatics.

C) martial artists and acrobats.

D) those in martial arts and acrobatics.

 [1] While there are many regional 18. Which choice provides information that
variations of the lion dance costume, all is most consistent in style and content with
make extensive use of symbols and colors. the information about the symbolism of the
[2] The lion’s head is often adorned with a tortoise?
phoenix (18) (a mythical bird) or a tortoise
(for longevity). [3] Green lions encourage A) NO CHANGE
friendliness. [4] Golden and red lions B) (for new beginnings)
represent liveliness and bravery,
respectively. [5] Their older counterparts, C) (from Chinese mythology)
yellow and white lions, dance more slowly
and deliberately. [6] In some variations, D) (for symbolic reasons)
lions of different colors are different ages,
19. To make this paragraph most logical,
and they move accordingly. [7] Black lions
sentence 5 should be placed
are the youngest; therefore, they dance
quickly and playfully. [8] The appearance of A) where it is now.
the lions varies, but their message is
consistent: Happy New Year. (19) B) after sentence 1.

C) after sentence 3.

D) after sentence 7.
 As the parade winds its way through 20.
Chinatown, the music crescendos, and the
lion dance reaches (20) it’s climax with the A) NO CHANGE
“plucking of the greens.” Approaching a B) its
doorway in which dangles a red envelope
filled with green paper money, the (21) C) there
lion’s teeth snare the envelope. It then chews
up the bills and spits out the (22) money- D) their
filled envelope instead of chewing it up. The
21.
crowd cheers for the lion dancers and for the
prosperity and good fortune their dance A) NO CHANGE
foretells.
B) lion snares the envelope with its teeth.

C) envelope is snared by the lion with its

teeth.

D) teeth of the lion snare the envelope.

22.

A) NO CHANGE

B) envelope that had been dangling from the

doorway.

C) envelope that had the money in it.

D) envelope.
Questions 23-33 are based on the 23
following passage.
Which choice best fits with the tone of the
Court Reporting: Humans v. Machines rest of the Passage?

Court reporters for years have been the A) NO CHANGE

record keepers of the court, taking (23)
scrupulous notes during (24) hearings; B) super-rigorous
depositions, and other legal proceedings. C) spot-on
Despite the increasing use of digital
recording technologies, court reporters still D) intense
play a vital role in

24

A) NO CHANGE

B) hearings; depositions;

C) hearings, depositions,

D) hearings, depositions;
courtrooms. (25) Although machines can 25
easily make digital audio recordings of court
events, they lack the nuance of human court
reporters in providing a precise record.

[1] Court reporters record the spoken

word in real time, most commonly using the
technique of stenography. [2] A stenotype
machine allows a person to type about 200
words per minute (the speed of speech is
about 180 words per minute). [3] The typed
words are instantaneously translated onto a
computer screen for the judge to view, and
the transcript is used later by people who
want to review the case, such as journalists
and lawyers. [4] Digital audio recording is
becoming increasingly popular in
courtrooms across the United States, with
six states using solely audio recordings for Should the writer make this addition here?

A) Yes, because it supports the claim that

court reporting is an important part of a trial.

B) Yes, because it offers a relevant

counterpoint to the argument that the use of
digital recorders is on the rise.

C) No, because it presents information that

is not directly related to the paragraph's
discussion of the role of court reporters.

D) No, because it does not provide

information about the pay scale for more
experienced court reporter
general jurisdiction sessions. [5] Proponents 26
of going digital say that technology is the
easiest way to get the most accurate record A) NO CHANGE
of the proceedings, as the machine records B) subjected to
everything faithfully as it occurs and is not
(26) subject to human errors such as C) subjected from
mishearing or mistyping. [6] However, with
the rise of high-quality recording D) subject for
technology, reliance on court reporters (27)
as a record keeper is decreasing. (28)
27

A) NO CHANGE

B) each as record keepers

C) as record keepers

D) to be a record keeper

28

To make this paragraph most logical,

sentence 6 should be placed

A) where it is now.

B) after sentence 1.

C) after sentence 3.

D) after sentence 4
 Champions of court reporting, though, 29
argue the (29) opposite. They argue that
with the increased reliance on technology, Which choice most effectively combines the
errors actually increase. Because digital sentences at the underlined portion?
systems record (30) indiscriminately; they A) opposite, such
cannot discern important parts of the
proceedings from other noises in the B) opposite—
courtroom. (31) Despite this, a digital device
does indeed record everything, but that C) opposite, which is
includes loud noises, such as a book
D) opposite; their opinion is
dropping, that can make the actual words
spoken impossible to hear. A court reporter,
however,
30

A) NO CHANGE

B) indiscriminately, they

C) indiscriminately. They

D) indiscriminately, therefore they

31

A) NO CHANGE

B) In other words,

C) Therefore,

D) Consequently,
can distinguish between the words (32) and 32
distinguish between the extrinsic noises that
need not be recorded. Also, if a witness A) NO CHANGE
mumbles, a human court reporter can pause B) also between the
court proceedings to ask the witness to
repeat what he or she said. In some cases, C) and when there are
digital recording (33) makes it necessary for
the judge to make additional announcements D) and the
at the beginning of a trial. Increasing use of
33.
technology is "a transition from accurate
Which choice provides the best supporting
records to adequate records," says Bob Tate,
example for the main idea of the paragraph?
president of the Certified Court Reporters
Association of New Jersey. A) NO CHANGE

Despite the apparent benefits of using B) requires a courtroom monitor to ensure

digital recording systems in courtrooms, the equipment is functioning properly.
there is still a need for the human touch in
legal proceedings. At least for the C) leads to changes in the roles and duties of
foreseeable future, machines simply cannot several members of the courtroom staff.
replicate the invaluable clarification skills
D) has led to the need for retrial because of
and adaptability of human court reporters
indistinct testimony from key witnesses
Questions 34-44 are based on the 34.
following passage.
A) NO CHANGE
Fire in Space
B) however,
On Earth, fire provides light, heat, and
comfort. Its creation, by a process called C) accordingly,
combustion, requires a chemical reaction D) subsequently,
between a fuel source and oxygen. The
shape that fire assumes on Earth is a result
of gravitational influence and the movement
of molecules. In the microgravity
environment of space, (34) moreover,
35.
combustion and the resulting fire behave in
fundamentally different ways than they do A) NO CHANGE
on Earth —differences that have important
implications for researchers. B) strove for a method to make their study
of biofuel combustion
A group of engineering students from the
University of California at San Diego C) looked for a method to study biofuel
(UCSD), for example, (35) tried to find a combustion
method to make their biofuel combustion
D) sought a method to study combustion of
study (fuels derived from once-living
biofuels
material) free of the drawbacks researchers
face on Earth. The standard method involves
burning droplets of fuel, but Earth's
gravitational influence causes the droplets to
lose
spherical symmetry while burning. This (36) 36.
deformation results in subtle variations in
density that both (37) causes uneven heat Which choice provides the most precise
flow and limits the size of the droplets that description of the phenomenon depicted in
can be tested. Specially designed "drop the previous sentence?
towers" (38) built for this purpose reduce A) NO CHANGE
these problems, but they provide no more
than 10 seconds of microgravity, and droplet B) alteration
size is still too small to produce accurate
models of combustion rates. (39) The UCSD C) transformation
students understood that these limitations
D) modification
had to be surmounted. As part of the
program, researchers fly their experiments 37.
aboard aircraft that simulate the
microgravity environment of space. The A) NO CHANGE
aircraft accomplish this feat by flying in
B) cause uneven heat flow and limit
parabolic paths instead of horizontal ones.
On the plane's ascent, passengers feel twice C) cause uneven heat flow and limits
Earth's gravitational pull, but for brief
periods at the peak of the trajectory, D) has caused uneven heat flow and has
limited

38.

A) NO CHANGE

B) intended for this use

C) constructed for this function

D) DELETE the underlined portion.

39.Which choice provides the most effective

transition between ideas in the paragraph?

A) NO CHANGE

B) The UCSD group sought to overcome

these difficulties by participating in NASA's
Microgravity University program.

C) The engineering group realized that

aircraft might be the tools they were looking
for.

D) Thus, for the UCSD group, drop towers

were not an adequate solution.
(40) "weightlessness" or microgravity 40
similar to what is experienced in space, is
achieved. A) NO CHANGE

These flights allowed the UCSD students B) "weightlessness" or microgravity, similar

to experience microgravity (41). to what is experienced, in space
Specifically, they (42) investigated the C) "weightlessness" or, microgravity,
combustion of biofuel droplets in similar to what is experienced in space
microgravity for twice as long as could be
accomplished D) "weightlessness," or microgravity similar
to what is experienced in space,

41.

At this point, the writer is considering

adding the following.

and perform their experiment without

traveling into space

Should the writer make this addition here?

A) Yes, because it elaborates on the

advantage the students gained from the
flights.

B) Yes, because it reveals that the students

did not actually go into space, a point that
the previous paragraph does not address.

C) No, because it shifts focus away from the

students' experiences while on the flights.

D) No, because it restates what has already

been said in the sentence.

42.

A) NO CHANGE

B) could investigate

C) were investigating

D) were able to investigate

in drop towers and to perform tests with 43.
larger droplets. The larger, (43) spherically
symmetric droplets burned longer and gave Which choice most effectively establishes
the students more reliable data on that the UCSD students' approach had
combustion rates of biofuels because the solved a problem, mentioned earlier in the
droplets" uniform shape reduced the passage, relating to burning fuel on Earth?
variations in density that hinder tests A) NO CHANGE
performed in normal gravity. The students
hope the new data will aid future research by B) combustible
improving theoretical models of biofuel
combustion. Better combustion-rate models C) microgravity-influenced
may even lead to the production of more
D) biofuel-derived
fuel-efficient engines and improved (44)
techniques, for fighting fires in space or at
future outposts on the Moon and Mars.

44.

A) NO CHANGE

B) techniques for fighting fires, in space or

at future outposts

C) techniques for fighting fires in space or at

future outposts

D) techniques for fighting fires in space, or

at future outposts,