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Practice Test 1
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Scattered throughout Scotland are the remains of approximately 70 Iron Age forts built with
stones that are vitrified, which means that they have somehow melted into a glass-like material
and fused together. A few attempts have been made to explain the origin of these forts with
their distinctive stonework.
it is possible that vitrification was caused by signal fires. Fires were lit along the walls of the
forts as a means of communicating with other communities. The continual heat from these fires
would have melted the rock over time, resulting in vitrified surfaces. This theory is supported by
the fact that the vitrified stones are most common on the upper parts of the walls, which is the
logical location for signal fires.
Lightning is another plausible explanation for how the stones at these sites were vitrified. The
intense heat generated by a single lightning strike is sufficient to instantly transform rock into a
glass-like substance, and repeated strikes would have led to large sections of these structures
being vitrified. In addition, lightning accounts for the uneven appearance of the walls-the force
generated by a strike is powerful enough to crack rocks and break off large chunks.
Finally, some researchers have suggested that forts were built using volcanic rock, meaning that
the vitrification process occurred prior to construction. According to this theory, lava from
volcanic eruptions flowed over the rocks on the surface of the ground, and it caused them to
partially melt and fuse together. The ancient residents of Scotland used these aggregates of
stone to build their fortresses.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 28)
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Practice Test 2
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Genetically modified (GM) crops are agricultural plants that have been altered through genetic
engineering. First introduced in the early 1980s, GM crops benefit humans greatly.
One advantage is that GM crops can help solve the problem of world hunger. It is estimated that
there are more than a billion people on the planet who do not have enough to eat. However,
genetic modification of crops can alleviate the issue by increasing crop yields. As a case in point,
scientists are currently modifying the DNA in rice so that it uses sunlight more efficiently. They
estimate that the resulting GM rice will produce 50 percent more rice than the regular varieties.
Another benefit of GM crops is that they reduce the price of food. This is because plants can be
genetically modified to be more resistant to environmental problems. For instance, potatoes
were altered to make them more tolerant of freezing temperatures, and corn was modified to
become more resilient to drought. This means that fewer crops are lost to unfavorable growing
conditions, stabilizing the food supply and thus lowering food prices.
GM crops can also produce vaccines that can be made more widely available than earlier ones.
The temperature of a conventional vaccine needs to be carefully controlled during storage and
transportation to avoid loss of potency. This is often difficult to accomplish in poor, developing
countries, which reduces the availability of vaccines in those places. In response to the problem,
researchers recently developed edible vaccines by genetically modifying fruit plants. These
products are relatively easy to store and ship.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 29)
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Practice Test 3
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Global warming is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
including carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, scientists are developing methods to reduce
atmospheric CO2, levels in order to slow the warming trend. One interesting approach is called
carbon sequestration, which involves storing CO2 in the ground or oceans, and this can be
accomplished in a number of ways.
Many scientists argue that we should increase the amount of phytoplankton by adding iron to
the oceans. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine organisms that absorb CO2 into their bodies
during the process of photosynthesis. When phytoplankton die, they sink to the bottom of the
ocean, taking the CO2 with them. Since these organisms feed on iron, adding iron-rich dust to
the oceans will encourage more of them to grow, increasing the amount of CO2 stored in the
oceans.
Creating artificial wetlands is another excellent way to sequester CO2. In ecosystems such as
forests, bacteria use the abundant oxygen in the soil to decompose organic matter quickly,
releasing a lot of CO2 into the air. However, the ground in wetland areas is almost completely
covered by water, which prevents significant quantities of oxygen from entering the soil.
Therefore, decomposition occurs very slowly in wetlands, and the amount of CO2 that enters
the atmosphere is greatly reduced,
Lastly, Co2 can be stored in abandoned coal mines. To prevent CO2 from being emitted into the
atmosphere, it can be captured from fossil-fuel power plants using special filters installed in
smokestacks. The CO2 is then transported by truck or pipeline and pumped into old coal mines.
When CO2 molecules come into contact with coal, they attach themselves to the surfaces and
should remain in the coal mine for hundreds of years.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 30)
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Practice Test 4
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The sad discovery of whales lying helplessly on the beach is an all-too-common occurrence in
many parts of the world. There are a few probable reasons for why these strandings happen.
Whales may become stranded because of wind patterns. In the Southern Ocean, winds from the
south and west push cold water from Antarctica northeast toward Australia. Because food
sources, such as fish and plankton, are carried by the flow of the water, whales follow this ocean
stream to feed. As the whales swim closer and closer to Australia, they enter shallow water near
shore and are stranded when the tide goes out.
It is also possible that whales are coming ashore due to illness. Some experts believe that
whales become weak and are unable to swim well as a result of being sick. When this happens,
the vulnerable whales are gradually pushed closer to shore by currents and waves until they are
stranded. Moreover, marine biologists have noticed that many whales have already died of
disease when they wash up on the beach. This has led them to conclude that similar illnesses
are affecting live whales that strand.
Furthermore, the geological features of certain coastlines may cause whales to become
disoriented. Whales navigate their environment by emitting clicking noises and listening for
echoes. This means that they can easily detect geological formations with steep angles, such as
underwater cliffs. However, the ocean floor adjacent to some beaches has a very gentle slope
that may not properly reflect the sonar beams used by whales. If whales are unable to detect
the coastlines near beaches, they are much more likely to swim too close to shore and become
stranded.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 31)
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Practice Test 5
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
At its peak during the eighth and ninth centuries, the Maya Empire consisted of approximately
sixty cities and was home to over four million people. However, by AD 1100, most of these
urban centers had been abandoned and the population had declined significantly. Several
plausible theories have been advanced to explain why the Maya Empire collapsed.
The first is that social turmoil in the form of a peasant revolt led to a breakdown of Maya
society. This is supported by the fact that peasants were forced to perform physically
demanding work to construct the massive stone monuments and buildings found in Maya cities.
There is also evidence that some temples and thrones were destroyed around the time that the
Maya decline began, suggesting that a violent uprising against religious and political authorities
occurred.
Another explanation is that many of the Maya cities were abandoned because of a sudden
change to the trade routes of the region. Proponents of this theory point to the destruction of
Teotihuacan, which acted as a trade hub for large sections of Maya-controlled territory.
Following its destruction, the economies of the urban centers that were dependent on it for
trade were devastated. Residents were unable to purchase many basic goods and foodstuffs,
leading them to relocate to other areas.
Some experts have even theorized that the Maya collapse was a result of an epidemic. The
tropical climate of the area in which the Maya lived was ideal for the development of parasites
that cause disease. As the Maya urban centers were densely populated, diseases such as yellow
fever and malaria spread very quickly following an initial outbreak and caused many deaths.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 32)
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Practice Test 6
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Etruscan civilization thrived in northern Italy between 700 and 300 BC. Although a few
different regions have been identified as the original homeland of this people, there is a
growing consensus that the Etruscans migrated from Turkey,
Most importantly, DNA evidence shows that the Etruscans have Turkish roots. In 2004, Italian
researchers analyzed dozens of remains found in Etruscan gravesites. The scientists ran tests on
a specific type of DNA from the remains and found genetic markers linking the Etruscans to the
ancient Turks.
The language used by the Etruscans also indicates that they came from Turkey. By studying
Etruscan inscriptions and bilingual texts, linguists found some similarities between Etruscan and
Turkish, and concluded that the Etruscan alphabet is Turkish in origin. Furthermore,
comparative analyses have shown that Etruscan is very different from the Indo-European
languages that were spoken nearby, like Greek or Latin.
A final link between the Turks and the Etruscans is found in shared funerary practices. The
Etruscans cremated their dead and stored the ashes in elaborate urns, which is a characteristic
that they shared with the Turke. However, no other groups living in northern Italy at the time
are known to have practiced cremation.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 33)
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Practice Test 7
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
For hundreds of years, astronomers observing the planet Venus have detected a faint,
intermittent glow. The origin of this glow, known as the ashen light of Venus, has attracted much
scientific interest since its discovery, and many possible sources have been identified.
The ashen light could be the result of a chemical process in Venus's atmosphere. According to
this hypothesis, as atmospheric carbon dioxide is heated by solar radiation, it splits into carbon
monoxide and oxygen. These are then transported by wind to the dark side of the planet, where
they cool and recombine to form carbon dioxide. Light is produced when this recombination
takes place.
Another possibility is that the glow is sunlight reflected off clouds. Venus is completely covered
by a dense layer of clouds containing droplets of liquid sulfuric acid that are highly reflective.
Accordingly, the ashen light could simply be sunlight that is reflected back into space by the
clouds of Venus.
The last theory holds that the glow is aurorae, which are natural light displays that occur when
plasma from the Sun enters a planet's atmosphere. Plasma contains particles that collide with
atoms in the atmosphere. The energy produced by these collisions takes the form of visible
light, so they may be the cause of the ashen light observed on Venus.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 34)
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Practice Test 8
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Everglades is an extensive area of subtropical wetlands located in southern Florida. Its
rivers, marshes, and lakes are home to an extraordinary variety of flora and fauna. However, this
unique ecosystem and its wild inhabitants are being destroyed permanently due to
environmental problems.
The first problem is water pollution from nearby agricultural facilities, particularly the numerous
sugarcane farms in the region. Chemicals from fertilizers seep into the water, resulting in the
growth of algae. Thie causes the amount of oxygen in the water to decline, and low oxygen
levels destroy wetland ecosystems and the organisms they support.
Soil is also being lost at an alarming rate. The US government drained vast areas of the
Everglades in the 19th century, exposing the rich, organic soil to the air. This made the soil dry
and left it vulnerable to wind erosion. Geographers estimated that approximately six feet of
topsoil has blown away since 1900; they predict that all of the fertile soil in the region could
vanish within the next 25 years. This would leave nothing but bare, exposed rock, making it
impossible for plants to grow.
Human development in the Everglades is another problem, as it threatens wildlife. Construction
of farms and houses during the last century has reduced the region to half of its original size,
and it has deprived several animal species of their habitats. The most obvious example is the
Florida panther. Fewer than 100 panthers remain in the Everglades, and the species is expected
to disappear completely in the near future.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 35)
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Practice Test 9
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Lambeosaurus was an herbivorous duck-billed dinosaur that had an axe-shaped crest on the top
of its head. Recent research has shed some light on the roles that this distinctive physical
feature may have played.
The crests may have been used to attract mates. Many of the fossils showed that the crests
grew and changed according to sex and age, so they would have been an ideal means for the
dinosaurs to be noticed by potential mates. In particular, the crests could have helped male
dinosaurs attract females, as females may have preferred mates with large crests.
Another explanation is that the crests were used for combat. The large protrusions may have
served as protective helmets that helped Lambeosaurus defend itself from large predators.
Furthermore, many dinosaurs fought head-to-head. Lambeosaurus may have also used its crest
as a weapon to strike other members of its species, similar to the way Triceratops used its horns
to spar with each other.
A third possible use of the crests was to supply air while Lambeosaurus held its head
underwater to eat. It is believed that Lambeosaurus may have spent a significant amount of
time with its head submerged in order to eat aquatic plants. Since the crests were hollow and
contained passages that connected to the airways and lungs, they could have been used to
store air and provide it when necessary. This would have allowed the creatures to keep their
heads underwater for lengthy periods of time.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 36)
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Practice Test 10
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The government levies a special tax on tobacco products sold in the country. Some people
believe that this tax is already too high, but there are actually several advantages to increasing
it.
Raising the tax on cigarettes makes it less likely that young people will start smoking. A recent
study found that a 10 percent increase in cigarette prices will result in a 6 percent decline in the
number of people aged 12 to 24 who start smoking. This is because youth typically have less
spending money than adults, so they will be unable to afford the higher price of cigarettes.
Next, increasing the tax will make it possible to repair damage inflicted on the environment by
the cultivation of tobacco. In order to grow tobacco, thousands of acres of forests are destroyed
and converted into farmland each year. What's more, tobacco crops are routinely sprayed with
dangerous chemicals, which leach into the soil and pollute water systems. A higher tax will
provide more money to combat these environmental problems by planting new forests and
removing harmful chemicals from the ground. This will help reverse the environmental harm
caused by tobacco farms.
Lastly, the revenue raised by a higher cigarette tax can be used to reduce poverty. Increasing the
tax on cigarettes will result in higher revenue for the government. This means that it will have
enough funds to support social welfare programs, which can help poor people by providing
them with financial assistance such as unemployment and welfare benefits.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 37)
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Practice Test 11
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Lasting from the early 1300s until the late 1800s, the Little Ice Age was a period of decreased
global temperatures. The Little Ice Age has been a topic of great interest for climatologists, and
they have suggested a few credible theories regarding its cause.
Some scientists argue that the Little Ice Age was triggered by diminished solar radiation
reaching the planet. The Little Ice Age was marked by a decrease in the number of observable
sunspots, which are dark shapes that sometimes appear on the surface of the Sun. The
prevalence of sunspots is dependent on the amount of energy being emitted by the Sun.
Therefore, the dearth of spots during the Little Ice Age indicated a reduced level of solar activity,
meaning that less solar radiation was reaching the Earth. As a result, the Earth became cooler.
Others contend that a massive volcanic eruption brought about the Little Ice Age. Historical
records indicate that Mount Rinjani, an Indonesian volcano, erupted in the late 13th century. It
is believed to be the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history, and it would have sent a thick
plume of dust and ash into the atmosphere. This, in turn, reduced the amount of solar radiation
that reached the planet, lowering temperatures.
And finally, researchers have suggested that the global cooling may have occurred due to an
increase in the Earth's reflectivity. Several particularly cold winters in the early 14th century
increased the amount of glaciers and snow cover on the planet's surface. Since ice and snow
reflect up to 90 percent of sunlight it receives, less energy from the Sun was retained and
temperatures dropped, resulting in the Little Ice Age.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 38)
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Practice Test 11
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
The use of conventional polygraphs to determine whether a person is lying is controversial
because of doubts about their effectiveness. Recent research suggests that a brain scan lie
detector, a new form of polygraph that measures neural activity in the brain, is more accurate.
When a brain scan lie detector is used, true statements are not misidentified as lies.
Conventional polygraph tests are based on the premise that a person becomes anxious when
telling a lie. Therefore, the stress of being interrogated is often misinterpreted as dishonesty. In
contrast, a brain scan detects increased activity in the parts of the brain known to be used when
a person lies. This type of indicator is not affected by a subject's level of anxiety.
Another factor is that results are interpreted in an objective manner. When a traditional
polygraph test is conducted, an expert must use his or her judgment to analyze the responses, a
process that often results in mistakes. However, a brain scan produces actual images of the
specific parts of the brain that are associated with lying, so there is no need for a subjective
analysis.
Brain scans also make it much more difficult for a subject to intentionally trick the test.
Meditation techniques or sedative drugs can be used during a conventional polygraph test to
disguise the physical responses to lying, such as increased heart and breathing rates. However,
these countermeasures do not affect a person's brain activity, so they are ineffective during a
brain scan polygraph test.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 39)
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Practice Test 12
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Prior to European colonization in the 1600s and 1700s, more than 30 million people lived in
South America. Some historians speculate that many of them inhabited the Amazon rain forest
and formed a huge, highly developed society there. However, the available evidence shows that
it is extremely doubtful that the Amazon has ever supported a large, advanced civilization.
First of all, the dense jungle of the Amazon rain forest prevented the formation of a vast
civilization. Because of the high concentration of vegetation, it was too difficult for people to
move around in the rain forest. As a result, communication between population groups was
limited, so the cooperative effort that is required to build a large organized society was
impossible.
Furthermore, the artifacts that have been discovered in the Amazon lack sophistication.
Archaeologists have uncovered few ancient tools in the region, and those that have been found
are very simple items, such as axes, knives, and arrow heads. These basic implements did not
require a high level of technology to produce, but instead were made simply by striking one
stone with another to achieve the desired shape. The primitive state of their toolmaking
indicates that ancient inhabitants of the Amazon did not constitute an advanced society.
As well, European expeditions into the Amazon rain forest proved that no large civilization
existed there. The European explorers searched diligently for an advanced society, but after
thorough searches they found nothing more than scattered tribes in rudimentary settlements.
The small size of these communities made it clear that they were not part of a large civilization.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 40)
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Practice Test 13
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Coal is the most plentiful and easily accessible form of fossil fuel on the planet. It has been an
important source of energy for hundreds of years, and it will continue to be used in the future
because of its merits.
Perhaps the most important benefit of coal is that it is easy to mine. It is commonly located
close to the earth's surface, so miners do not need to dig tunnels to reach a deposit-instead,
they simply remove the layers of soil and rock that cover the coal. This method of extraction,
known as strip mining, enables a mining company to save both time and effort because it allows
for up to 90 percent of coal in a deposit to be extracted without the need for specialized
equipment to burrow deep into the earth.
Another reason to continue using coal is that it is cheap to transport. Other types of fuels, such
as oil, natural gas, and hydrogen, are transported by means of dangerous, high-pressure
pipelines. Therefore, the constant danger of explosions or leaks is existent, and it means that a
lot of money must be spent on safety measures to reduce the risk of accidents. However, coal is
commonly shipped in its solid form, with little chance of mishap. Thus, the cost of ensuring safe
transportation of coal is very low when compared to other fuels.
Lastly, the coal industry is a major employer that creates more jobs for workers. Mining
operations in the US employ thousands of workers in the extraction and processing of coal, as
well as related jobs such as the maintenance of coal facilities. Given that the country's energy
requirements will continue to increase, the coal industry will expand and hire even more
workers in the future.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 41)
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Practice Test 14
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Antlers are large, horn-like bone growths that extend from the heads of most male deer once
they reach maturity. In recent years, the functions of this appendage have been determined.
Antlers play a major role in attracting mates. During the annual mating season, male deer use
their antlers to establish dominance in competition for mates. Rival deer run at each other and
lock antlers, and after a struggle usually lasting only a few minutes, the weaker deer retreats.
The winner of the physical confrontation is much more likely to attract a female. Also, studies
have shown that even when these fights do not occur, female deer have a clear preference for
males with large antlers.
Next, deer use their antlers to mark the territory that they control. They have often been
observed rubbing their antlers against small trees, peeling away the bark and creating scrape
marks. This may be done in habitats with abundant food, such as wooded areas near farmland,
as well as in locations where the deer sleep. The markings could serve as visual warnings to
other males, which would discourage a deer from intruding upon another's territory.
Antlers also allow deer to defend themselves against predators. Deer are in constant danger of
being attacked and killed by large predators, such as wolves. When a predator approaches, deer
sweep their antlers back and forth in order to drive off the attacker. Furthermore, deer are
known to lower their heads when attacked, as this positions the antlers to effectively protect
the deer's head and neck.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 42)
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Practice Test 15
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Since the early 20th century, the US government has made special payments to farmers based
on tie amount of food crops they produce, with greater output resulting in higher payments.
Because these disbursements, referred to as agricultural subsidies, offer several benefits, the
government should continue to provide them to farmers.
An important thing is that they stabilize the food supply, Agriculture is heavily dependent on the
weather, as floods and droughts can greatly reduce crop yields. Agricultural subsidies address
this problem by encouraging farmers nationwide to grow additional crops to make up for any
regional losses. This ensures that the country will have a steady and sufficient supply of food
regardless of weather conditions,
Economic assistance for farmers also significantly lowers the price of food. Since much of the
costs sociated with farming are offset by the subsidies, agriculturists are able to sell their
harvests at a lower price while still remaining profitable. Without this system in place, food
prices in general would rise. forcing consumers to spend a higher portion of their incomes on
groceries. Providing agricultural subsidies to farmers makes food products remain affordable.
Finally, subsidies promise economic health in rural communities, Poverty is a major problem in
these areas because there are very few jobs available to residents. The subsidies reduce poverty
because they encourage farmers to increase the amount of land under cultivation, which
necessitates the hiring of many move workers. The greater number of employment
opportunities means that more rural residents will be able to find jobs, alleviating their financial
hardship and spurring the economic growth of the region.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 43)
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Practice Test 16
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
In the summer of 2001, the Indian state of Kerala experienced a rare weather phenomenon
known as red rain. Reddish-brown rain sporadically fell throughout the region, and this bizarre
weather caused much concern among local residents who believed it had a supernatural origin.
However, there are rational explanations for this event.
The first convincing explanation for this event is that the red rain contained the blood of bats.
India is home to many species of bat that migrate in massive groups. Some scientists believe
that a sizable flock of migrating bats was destroyed by a thunderstorm or meteor burst,
resulting in a large amount of bat blood being dispersed through the atmosphere. An analysis of
rain samples provided additional support for this theory, as it indicated the presence of cells
that contain bat DNA.
A second credible theory is that the red rain resulted from a volcanic eruption in the Philippines.
In June and July of 2001, Mount Mayon erupted, shooting massive clouds of acidic dust into the
atmosphere that was carried toward Kerala by the prevailing winds. As the dust mixed and fell
with rain, the low pH of the mixture caused it to appear red.
Another possibility is that chemical pollution released from local factories caused the red rain
phenomenon. In particular, factory chimneys without filters could be responsible, as they emit
industrial chemicals directly into the clouds. When some of these pollutants combine with
moisture in the atmosphere, they turn red. This could easily have created the red rain in Kerala.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 44)
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Practice Test 17
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Sauropods are the largest dinosaurs to have ever lived, and they all had extremely long necks.
The neck posture of this type of dinosaur has become a topic of great debate among scientists
in recent years, but it was almost certainly held in a horizontal position.
One reason for believing that a sauropod's neck was held horizontally is the unusual position of
its tail. Despite its great size and weight, fossilized tracks clearly show that a sauropod's tail was
almost never dragged on the ground, which means that it must have extended outward from
the body parallel to the ground. To maintain its balance, a sauropod would have had to keep its
neck in a similar position to act as a counterweight.
The fact that a sauropod's diet consisted primarily of marine vegetation is further evidence that
its neck was held horizontally. Sauropod fossils are usually found in regions that were once
coastal ecosystems and have even been discovered together with the remains of marine
organisms, indicating that a sauropod ate plants near the water's surface. In such habitats, it
would extend its neck outwards to reach the low-lying plants, and a horizontal neck posture
would make it easier to feed.
Additionally, a sauropod's muscles were incapable of raising the neck vertically, indicating that it
was kept in a horizontal position. Due to the long length and heavy weight of the neck, very
large neck muscles would have been required to lift the structure and maintain it in an upright
posture. However, analyses of sauropod fossils have led experts to conclude that the dinosaur's
neck muscles were not strong enough to perform such a feat.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 45)
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Practice Test 18
Directions: You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be
judges on the basis of the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the
points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective
response will be 150 to 225 words.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
When the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen first landed on Easter Island in the 1700s, he
encountered a shoreline covered with large, monolithic stone statues carved in the shape of
human figures. These impressive masonry works are called moai, and the reason why these
statues were built can be explained by three different theories.
A moai may have been built each year as a trophy for an annual competition between rival
chiefs. Every year, chiefs would gather their followers to compete in a test of endurance and
strength. Whoever won the competition would then have a moai built to celebrate his victory.
As a moai was a permanent monument in honor of the winning chief, it would have been a
symbol of prestige for the entire clan.
Another plausible explanation is that the moai served as intermediary beings that helped
facilitate communication between humans on the ground and the gods in the heavens. At least
one archaeologist has pointed out the notable fact that the heads of the statues are reclined so
as to focus their gaze above the horizon, as if looking into the sky. Also, one large cluster of moai
stands near three sacred mounds, which supports the idea that they may have been used in
religious ceremonies and rituals.
A third possible theory is that the moai were built to honor the ancestors of the island's
residents. That the original inhabitants came from the west has been demonstrated through
DNA analysis of direct descendants. Many of the statues face directly west, which is the
direction the original colonizers of the island would have come from, and the moai may be
paying homage to these people's first journey to Easter Island.
Listen to the lecture. (Track 46)
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Write your notes here.
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