Tài liệu Gmat official guide 10th edition part 15 doc

This information suggests that one reason manufacturers might take advantage of the provision is that, as C states, it allows “a deduction in excess of the cost of manufacturing the prod

The best answer is A Lines 30-31 state: “The managers of these companies are not deliberately wasteful; they are simply unaware of all their alternatives.” The single such “alternative” identified is one encouraged by “an above-cost federal tax deduction for companies that donate inventory to charity.” By stating that the manufacturers ‘are simply unaware” of this more cost-saving alternative, the author suggests that, if aware of the provision, they might choose inventory-donation over inventory-dumping Nowhere does the author suggest that the government “failed to provide sufficient encouragement” for donation (choice B), or that the manufacturers were unaware in the ways described by C, D, or E

188

The best answer is A Lines 34-36 indicate that a manufacturer can save money by donating excess inventory to charity However, if the cost of transporting inventory to a charitable destination is greater than that savings, as A indicates, the attractiveness of donating excess inventory would be lessened Because inventory dumping involves “straight cost write-off” (lines 18) and “requires little time or preparation” (lines 21), dumping might seem more attractive than a donation that does not save the manufacturer money Choice B, C, and D are consistent with the author’s suggestion that inventory donation is more attractive; D is irrelevant to the comparison

189

The best answer is C Lines 34-39 describe the 1976 tax provision as a financial “incentive” (line 34) that the manufacturers would take advantage of if they were not “unaware of all their alternatives” for disposing of excess inventory (lines 31) This provision allows “an above-cost federal tax deduction for comparison that donate inventory to charity”- specifically, deduction of

up to “twice cost” for donated goods (lines 34-39) This information suggests that one reason manufacturers might take advantage of the provision is that, as C states, it allows “a deduction in excess of the cost of manufacturing the product.” Choices A, B, and D each describe factors that are neither mentioned nor suggested by the passage; E contradicts lines 17-18, which state that inventory-dumping entails “a straight cost write-off on…taxes.”

190

The best answer is B Lines 13-17 state that sex segregation persisted in the workplace because “a prevailing definition of femininity” dictated the kinds of tasks women performed The passage then provides an example of this phenomenon by citing early textile-mill entrepreneurs who, “in justifying women’s employment in wage labor, made much of the assumption that women were by nature skillful at detailed tasks and patient in carrying out repetitive chores” (lines 18-21) Thus, job segregation by sex in the United States was perpetuated by those textile-mill owners A is incorrect because lines 36-40 state job segregation by sex was not diminished during World War II Choice C is wrong because lines 30-31 state that many “female” jobs were “less secure” Choices

D and E are not supported by the passage

191

The best answer is C Lines 4-9 state that historians of women’s labor focused on factory work rather than service-sector work because the “underlying economic forces of industrialism were presumed to be gender-blind and hence emancipator in effects.” Thus, the passage indicates that these historians assumed that sex segregation was less prevalent in factory work than in service-sector work Choices A, B, D, and E can be eliminated because the passage does not state that historians focused on factory work because it involved higher wages, required skill in detailed tasks, was accepted more readily by women, or fitted the economic dynamic of industrialisms

better

192

The best answer is E In lines 4-7 the author states that historians of women’s labor in the United States focused on factory work rather than the service sector because factory work “seemed so different from traditional, unpaid ‘women’ work’ in the home.” By indicating that historians preferred to study women’s work in factories rather than women’s work in the service sector because factory work seemed less like women’s work at home, the passage suggests that historians believed that women’s work in the service sector was similar to women’s work at home Choice A

is incorrect because the passage does not discuss statistics Choices B, C, and D can be eliminated because the passage does not compare women factor workers and women service workers

193

The best answer is C In lines 19-21, the author states that early textile-kill owners “made much of the assumption that women were by nature skillful at detailed tasks and patient in carrying out repetitive chores.” Choice A is incorrect because the passage states that the early mill owners were interested in “justifying women’s employment in wage labor” (lines 18-19) Choices B and D can

be eliminated because the passage does not state that the mill owners were interested in keeping men’s wages low or in bettering the condition of women Choice E can be eliminated because the passage does not discuss mill owners’ attitudes toward the tradition division of labor in the family

194

The best answer is E In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the author states that emancipation for women in factory work was “less profound than expected, for not even industrial wage labor has escaped continued sex segregation in the workplace.” The author goes on in the first sentence

of the second paragraph to discuss “this unfinished revolution in the status of women”; the phrase

“this unfinished revolution” refers back to the last sentence of the first paragraph, where the author has just mentioned the persistence of sex segregation in the industrialized work force Choice A is incorrect because the first paragraph indicates that women have entered the industrial labor market Choice C is wrong because the passage does not refer to any new definition of femininity unrelated to industrialism Choices B and D are incorrect because the first paragraph discusses women’s work in terms of sex segregation and not in terms of equal pay for men and women in various professions

195

The best answer is C The last sentence of the passage states that after the World War II

“employers quickly returned to men most of the ‘male’ jobs that women had been permitted to master.” Choice A is incorrect because the passage states that in the case of World War II many job occupied by women were returned to men Choice D is incorrect because the last paragraph of the passage indicates that war industries did hire women, although those women were subject to job segregation by sex The passage does not provide any information to support B or E

196

The best answer is C The author of the passage uses the word “hoary” in line 22 to characterize the kinds of stereotypes about women that mill owners imported into the new industrial order Through this word, the author expresses a negative opinion about stereotypes propagating the

notion women are more skillful than men in carrying out certain tasks Choices A and B can be eliminated because the author uses them to paraphrase the assumptions of the mill owners about the kinds of work women excelled at; the mill owners subscribed to the very stereotypes that the author describes as “hoary.” Choices D and E are incorrect because the words “homemaking” and

“purview” do not convey attitudes

197

The best answer is A To answer this question you must identify the central idea of the passage so

as to determine the relationship of the content of the last paragraph to that idea The central idea is introduced in lines 10-12 of the first paragraph: “not even industrial wage labor has escaped continued sex segregation in the workplace.” The second paragraph goes on to discuss the origins

of sex segregation in the industrialized workforce The author begins the last paragraph by mentioning the persistence of sex segregation and goes on to describe such segregation in industry during and after the Second World War Choice B is incorrect because the last paragraph focuses

on the topic under discussion and does not introduce any new and different topic Choices C, D, and E can be eliminated because the last paragraph cites evidence to support the central idea rather than to challenge it

199

The best answer is a In lines 5-6 the author mentions “the widely held view that the (Archean-age gold-quartz vein) systems were deposited from metamorphic fluids.” This view is said to be contrary to the recent theory that these systems originated in molten granitelike bodies, so choice

B is not correct Alluvial deposits are mentioned in the passage as having aided simple prospecting methods, but such deposits are not said to have formed that Archean-age gold-quartz vein systems (choice C) According to the author, “most deposits not yet discovered have gone undetected because they are buried and have no surface expression” (lines 14-16, so choice D is not correct And choice E is incorrect because the author says that chemical tests can aid the discovery of gold deposits if they are conducted in areas where mineralization is likely to have taken place (lines 23-27)

200

The best answer is C According to the author, “to maximize the chances of discovery the explore must …pay particular attention to selecting the ground formations most likely to be mineralized (lines 27-30); the explorer begins by using conceptual models “to identify those geological features that are critical to the formation of the mineralization being modeled, and then tries to select areas for exploration” (lines 35-38) According to the author, geophysical methods are of no

value if they are applied to sites that have never mineralized (lines 25-27), so choice D is not correct, and there is no indication in the passage that age of formation would narrow the explorer’ choices, so choice A is not correct Choice B is not correct because the new theory, which is said

to have “considerable practical importance” (lines 8-9) for the discovery of gold, is contrary to the view that gold deposits were deposited from metamorphic fluids And the passage says that simple prospecting methods that trace alluvial gold only occasionally lead to new discoveries, so choice E

is incorrect

201

The best answer is B According to the passage, “most gold deposits not yet discovered have gone undetected because they are buried and have no surface expression” (lines 14-16); as a result, an explorer uses conceptual models “to identify those geological features that are critical to the formation of the mineralization being modeled, and then tries to select areas fro exploration” (lines 35-38) The passage provides no information about the number of gold discoveries or the yield of gold deposits past or present, so choices A and C are not correct The author does not suggest that there is nay disagreement concerning the utility of simple prospecting methods, which the author says only occasionally lead to new discoveries, so choice D is incorrect And although the author indicates that the theory that gold originated from magnetic fluids has considerable practical importance, there is no information in the passage indicating that models based on this theory have already led to new discoveries of gold deposits, so choice E is incorrect

202

The best answer is D According to the passage, “Most of the gold deposits discovered during the original gold rushes were exposed at the Earth’s surface and were found because they had shed trails of alluvial gold that were easily traced by simple prospecting methods” (lines 9-12) By contrast, “most deposits not yet discovered have gone undetected because they are buried and have no surface expression” (lines 14-16), and the passage gives no indication that gold-quartz vein systems and gold deposits like those described in choices A, B, C, and E would have the kind

of surface expression that would make them easy to detect

204

The best answer is C According to the passage, “most deposits not yet discovered have gone undetected because they are buried and have no surface expression” (lines 14-16), and “The challenge in exploration is therefore to unravel the subsurface geology of an area and pinpoint the position of buried minerals” (lines 17-19) The “Methods widely used today” (line 19) are based

on these facts, which directly contradict choice B Choices A, D, and E are incorrect because there

is no information in the passage to support these statements about methods of exploring for gold

205

The best answer is D According to the passage, after constructing conceptual models based on observations of known mineral deposits and theories of ore-forming processes, “The explore uses the models to identify those geological features that are critical to the formation of the mineralization being modeled, and then tries to select areas for exploration that exhibit as many of the critical features as possible’ (lines 35-39) It can be inferred from this that the efficiency of the resulting exploration will depend on how closely the features of the selected area match the features identified by the model as critical (Statement I) and on how accurately the process of mineralization has been modeled (Statement III) According to the passage, both empirical observations of known mineral deposits and theories of ore-forming processes are important in constructing the models, so Statement II cannot be part of the correct answer

207

The best answer is A In lines 24-26, the author attributes improved productivity partly to the opportunity given to employees of privatized industries to purchase shares in their own companies The next sentence gives examples of how employees ‘responded enthusiastically to the offer of shares,” thereby implying that many employees bought shares in the privatized companies Choice

B is incorrect because, although the passage mentions that some economists suggested giving away free shares, the passage does not indicate that any shares were given away Choice C is incorrect because the subject of regulation is not addressed, and choices D and E are incorrect because the passage does not discuss the relationship between wages and productivity

209

The best answer is B In lines 27-30, the passage cites the percentage of eligible workers 9rather than the percentage of total workers) who bought shares at three different companies; these percentages were respectively 89 percent, 90 percent, and 92 percent-that is, approximately 90 percent in each case Choice A is incorrect because the passage does not state what portion of the workforce at each company was actually eligible to buy shares Choice C is incorrect because the passage does not state labor unions’ position on employee shareholding Choices D and E are incorrect because the passage does not mention any contingency on which employees’ opportunity

to buy shares was based

210

The best answer is C Lines 30-32 assert that people who have a persona stake in an endeavor will

“work to make it prosper.” In other words, self-interest is an incentive to make people perform better Choice C makes the same assumption and uses that the converse is also true: that when workers lack a personal stake in the fate of their industry, their performance will be poor Thus, state-owned industries, in which employees receive no additional benefit from increased profits, perform poorly because the industries have failed to use employees’ self-interest as motivation for those employees to perform well

211

The best answer is E In lines 36-38, the author notes that some economists have suggested a way

to “provide a needed acceleration of the privatization process.” That the acceleration is considered

to be “needed” suggests that these economists see the privatization process as occurring more slowly than it should be occurring Choice A is incorrect because the passage does not attribute any danger to individual ownership of shares Choice B is incorrect because the passage presents

no evidence that this idea was part of the original conception Choice D is incorrect because the passage does not mention how privatization has fared elsewhere

213

This question asks you to identify the primary concerns of the passage The best answer is B The first paragraph describes how coral reefs survive in nutrient-poor waters The second paragraph states that human activities are adding nutrients to shallow marine habitats, thus threatening the survival of coral reef communities Choices A and E can be eliminated because an increase in algae and filter-feeding animals is mentioned in the context of the passage’s larger concern with the negative effects of human activities on coral reefs Choice C is incorrect because the first paragraph of the passage explains how coral reefs survive in nutrient-poor waters; the deterioration of coral reef communities has occurred as a result of the increase in nutrients in their habitats Choice D can be eliminated because the first paragraph states that symbiotic cells of algae known as zooxanethellae produce food for coral reef communities

214

This question asks you to identify what the passage suggests about coral reef communities The best answer is A The first paragraph of the passage describes how coral reef communities have survived in nutrient-poor waters Lines 21-22 go on to state that recent “Declines in reef communities are consistent wit observations that nutrient input is increasing” in habitats occupied

by coral reefs Thus, the passage suggests that coral reef communities are more likely to survive in nutrient-poor waters Both B and C can be eliminated because the passage does not state that human population growth has led to changing ocean temperature, nor does it state that the nutrients on which coral reef communities thrive are found only in shallow waters Choice D is incorrect because the passage states that destabilized herbivore populations are a symptom of the decline of coral reef communities rather than a result of the growth of coral reef communities Choice E can also be eliminated because the first sentence of the passage states that coral reefs

“are one of the most fragile, biologically complex, and diverse marine ecosystems on Earth”; it does not, however, discuss the complexity of coral reefs communities in the context of ecosystems

on dry land

215

This question asks you to identify the purpose of the author’s reference to filter-feeding animals The best answer is A In the second paragraph, the author asserts than human activities are adding nutrients to coral reef habitats, thus causing reef decline In lines 18-20, the author identifies “an increasing abundance of … filter-feeding animals” as a typical symptom of this decline Choice B can be eliminated because the way in which reef communities acquire sustenance for survival is described in the first paragraph of the passage, prior to the author’s reference to filter-feeding animals Choice C is not the correct answer because filter-feeding animals are not identified as a factor that helps herbivore populations survive; in fact, destabilized herbivore populations and an increase in filter-feeding animals are signs of coral reef decline Choice D can be eliminated because the passage indicates that an increase in filter-feeding animals is a symptom of coral reef decline that is brought about by an increase in nutrient input in coral reef habitats, not a decrease

in nutrient input Choice E can be eliminated also because the passage does not mention filter-feeding animals in order to identify coral reef community members that rely on coral reefs for sustenance

216

This question asks you to identify a factor, mentioned in the passage, that is threatening the survival of coral reef communities The best answer is E In lines 16-18, the author indicates that waste by-products created by manufacturing increase the nutrient input in coral reef habitats In lines 21-25, the author states that the increase in nutrient input is threatening the coral reef communities Choice A can be eliminated because the first paragraph of the passage indicates that coral reef communities have thrived in nutrient-poor waters Choice B can be eliminated because the second paragraph of the passage indicates that there has been an increase in the nutrient input

in their habits, not a decline Choice C is not the correct answer Although the passage does indicate that the waters of coral reefs’ marine habitats have become degraded, the passage does not state that this degradation reduces the ability of coral reef communities to carry out photosynthesis Choice D is incorrect because the passage does indicate that coral reef communities are complex,

but it also states that they have been able to thrive in nutrient-poor waters

217

To answer this question, you must use information contained in the passage to draw an inference about why the author labels coral reef communities as paradoxical The bet answer is C In line 3, the author calls coral reefs “one of the fascinating paradoxes of the biosphere.” The author goes on

to explain the nature of this paradox: the “prolific and productive” coral reef communities survive

in nutrient-poor waters Choice A contradicts information presented in the passage The second paragraph indicates that human activities have increased, not decreased, the nutrients in coral reef communities’ waters, and that this increase has threatened the survival of such communities Choice B does not present a reason why the author describes coral reef communities as paradoxical In addition, lines 18-20 of the passage indicate that an abundance of algae is a symptom of reef decline, not reef survival Choice D does not describe a paradox, and it misrepresents information presented in the passage Lines 7-10 indicate that the metabolic wastes

of coral reefs are used by zooxanthellae to carry out photosynthesis, thereby sustaining themselves and the coral reefs Choice E contradicts information presented in the passage Lines 2-5 indicate that coral reef communities thrive in “clear, and thus nutrient-poor, waters.” However, they have begun to decline because of an addition of nutrients in their waters, thus suggesting that the water surrounding them is no longer as clear

218

This question asks you to identify the statement that best expresses the main idea of the passage The best answer is B The passage defines ethnicity and provides examples to illustrate how ethnicity is a “process” that combines cultural concerns with the “shared political and economic interests” mentioned in choice B Choice A can be eliminated because the “primorodial” character

of ethnicity mentioned in the passage Choices C and D can be eliminated because ethnic groups’ efforts to further their political and economic interests and changes brought about by the Civil Rights movement are merely used by the author as evidence supporting the main idea Choice E is not correct because although the passage suggests a new conception of ethnicity, there is no indication that the other definitions discussed are incompatible with each other

220

This question asks you to determine why the author uses the actions of Native American people as

an example To answer it, you must decide what the phrase “this process” in line 17 means The best answer is B because the “process” of ethnicity mentioned in line 17 is described generally in the first paragraph The reference to Native American people provides a specific example, in terms

of political activity, of that process Specifically, in lines 20-24, the author states that Native

Americans’ political activities, which were inspired by the Civil Rights movement, have in turn increased interest in Native American history and culture Choice A can be eliminated because the discussion of Native American people is not concerned with the concept of essential human need, which is mentioned in the first paragraph in the first definition of ethnicity Choice C can be eliminated because the Civil Rights movements is mentioned in the second paragraph because of its encouragement of Native American participation in politics, rather than its promoting of solidarity among groups Both D and E are incorrect because no mention is made of improvement

in Native Americans’ economic situation or of the benefits gained from studying ethnic history and culture

221

Since the question asks which statement is supported by the passage, you must read the information about the Mexican American community in order to answer The best answer is D because voting rights is characterized as an emerging issue –an issue of increasing concern Choice A can be eliminated because Cinco de Mayo and other ethnic holidays are not characterized as having been combined Choice B can be eliminated because no mention is made

of economic change as a motivation for ethnic solidarity Choice C is incorrect because the passage suggests that ethnic history and culture were not ends in themselves but were used to promote political ends Choice E is incorrect also because the Mexican American community is not characterized as more successful than other ethnic groups

222

This question simply requires that you select the type of ethnic cultural expression that is mentioned in the passage The best answer is D The celebration of Cinco de Mayo and St Patrick’s Day, which are both traditional ethnic holidays, is mentioned in the passage Choices A,

B, C and E are not correct: these types of ethnic expressions are not mentioned anywhere in the passage

223

Reference to the “many European ethnic groups in the nineteenth-century United States” is found

in the last paragraph of the passage The best answer is C “United States symbols” in choice C paraphrases “civic symbols” in the passage, and “those symbols of their countries of origin” in C paraphrases “ethnic … symbols.” Although the statements in choices A, B, D, and E are not necessarily incorrect, there is no information in the passage that clearly supports any of them

224

This question asks you to use the information in the passage to draw a conclusion about Henry Cisneros, a Mexican American leader who is discussed in the passage According to the passage, Cisneros cited Juarez as a model for Mexican Americans Choice A, the best answer, is another way of saying that Cisneros believed that his constituents would respond positively to Juarez’ example Choice B can be eliminated because although Cisneros believed a particular historical figure to be important to Mexican Americans, there is no indication that he though of Mexican Americans as insufficiently educated in Mexican history Choice C is incorrect because the author mentions only a parallel between a holiday celebrated by Mexican Americans and a holiday celebrated by Irish Americans Choice D can be eliminated because the passage states only that Juarez would provide a model for Mexican American; it does not refer to his tactics Choice E can

be eliminated because there is no indication in the passage that Cisneros recommended that

Mexican American emulate strategies used by other groups

225

This question asks you to identify the primary purpose of the passage as a whole The best answer

is B The first two sentences of the passage point out that attempts to create superior service do not always result in a competitive advantage for a company and that investments in service need to be weighted against other possible methods for improving a company’s competitiveness These statements suggest that more careful evaluation is needed when service improvements are being contemplated for the purpose of increasing competitiveness Choice A is incorrect because the passage does not contrast possible outcomes of investment in service The only outcome of such investment that is discussed in the passage is hat of lack of improvement in competitive advantage Choice C can be eliminated because although the passage illustrates a case in which investments

in service did not result in increased competitiveness, it does not illustrate various ways in which such investments fail to enhance revenues Choice D is incorrect because the passage is not primarily about the regional bank referred to in the second paragraph and its problems Rather, the bank is discussed as an example of the larger issue about which the passage is concerned Choice

E can be eliminated because the passage does not explain or criticize how managers actually analyze the costs and benefits of business investments: it indicates only that managers’ analysis in inadequate

on the basis of direct, tangible benefits such as cost reduction and increased revenues.” Choice A

is not correct: lines 3-7 suggest that the author believes that both investments in service and investments in production and distribution may be worthwhile if they result in tangible benefits, but the author neither states nor suggests that the tangibility of investments in production and distribution Choice B can be eliminated because there is no indication in the passage that when, I fact, investments in service do raise revenues, these revenues are comparable to the revenues raised by investments in production and distribution Choice D is incorrect because although the passage does suggest that managers’ analysis of investments in service is insufficient, there is no indication in the passage that managers’ analysis of investments in production and distribution is also insufficient Choice E can be eliminated because there is no discussion in the passage of the extent to which either investments in service or investments in production and distribution are likely to enhance competitive advantage

227

This question asks you to draw a conclusion about the service provided by the regional bank discussed in lines 13-24, prior to this bank’s investments in service The best answer is A The words “This truth” in line 13 refer to the information presented in the previous sentence (lines 7-12) By putting together the information in this sentence and the information in the first sentence

of the following paragraph, one can infer that even before this regional bank had instituted its service improvements, it was “already effectively on a par wit hits competitors because it provided service that avoided a damaging reputation and kept customers from leaving at an unacceptable

rate,…”(lines 8-10) Choice B can be eliminated because there is no indication in the passage that the bank’s competitive position was threatened by its service On the contrary, the passage suggests that the bank’s service was equal to that of its competitors Choice C can be eliminated because there is no suggestion in the passage that the bank’s reputation had been damaged in the past by its service; indeed, the passage suggests that the bank had avoided a damaging reputation (lines 7-9) Choice D and E are incorrect in that they contradict the passage’s implication that the bank was “on a par with its competitors” (liens 7-8) by suggesting that the bank’s service was either superior to (choice D) or inferior to (choice E) that of its competitors

229

This question asks you to select the choice that best describes how the second paragraph (lines 13-24) logically relates to the purpose in the passage is to suggest that investments in service do not necessarily translate into a competitive advantage The second paragraph logically relates to this purpose by presenting an example of a company that did not improve it competitive advantage

by investments in service, even though it did improve service Choice A can be eliminated: while

it is true that the bank’s investment in service failed to produce a competitive advantage, there is

no indication that the bank was unusual in this respect Choice B is incorrect because although the passage suggests that the regional bank’s investments in service ere unwise in that they failed to improved the bank’s competitiveness, the second paragraph does not illustrate problems, or pitfalls, arising from the bank’s decision to invest in service rather than in other aspects of its business Choice C and D are incorrect because the passage does not discuss the kind of analysis managers use in deciding which services to invest in (choice C), or the relative advantages of investing in different aspects of service (choice D)

230

This question requires you to identify the author’s most likely rhetorical purpose in using the word

“only” in line 23 of the passage The best answer is B The word “only” in line 23 appears in a sentence that identifies the sole benefit of the bank’s investment in service In this context, the word “only” highlights the low return on the bank’s investments in service: whereas the bank’s managers clearly had hoped to gain a competitive edge, in fact they gained only a single, seemingly insignificant benefit as a result of their investments in service, that is, the ease with which the improvement in service could be described to the bank’s customers Choice A can be eliminated because there is no suggestion in the passage that it is odd either for service to improve

as a result of investments in service or for businesses to invest in service improvements Choice C

is not correct because the passage does not discuss any particular attributes of the improvement Choice D can be eliminated because the passage mentions only one incidental merit of the service improvement: ease of explanation (lines 22-24) It cannot, therefore, be accurately described as singling out a certain merit from other merits Choice E is incorrect because the passage does not discuss the duration of the single benefit described

231

This question asks you to identify the primary purpose of the passage Choice E is the best answer The first paragraph of the passage mentions evidence discovered at the Rancho La Brea tar pits and suggests that his evidence provides information about predator-prey dynamics in the late Pleistocene era After dismissing possible alternative explanations, the second paragraph describes what is considered to be the most likely explanation for the findings Choice A is incorrect because the passage discusses several explanations for the findings but only in order to eliminate them as rivals of the explanation that credits behavioral difference In addition, there is no indication of how well known the evidence regarding tooth fractures is Choice B is incorrect because no alternative methods for resolving a debate are mentioned Choice C is incorrect because there is no suggestion in the passage that the preferred explanation for the tooth factures is controversial Choice D is incorrect: there is nothing in the passage to suggest that the evidence discussed in the passage or the way in which it is analyzed its questionable

232

This question asks you to recognize what is implied in the passage’s comparison of data obtained from La Brea with data obtained from other Pleistocene sites The best answer is B The passage says “…breakage data obtained from other Pleistocene sites were similar to the La Brea” (lines 16-17) Since there is no suggestion in the passage that this data is misleading, the implication is that the frequencies of tooth fractures (“breakage data”) in the two groups were similar Choice A

is incorrect because this issue is not addressed in the passage There is no discussion of differences between or similarities in species found in the two areas Choices C, D, and E can be eliminated because the passage does not suggest that carnivore populations at La Brea differed from carnivore populations at other Pleistocene sites

no mention of carnivores’ teeth impacting the bones of other carnivores during fights

234

This question asks you to identify a statement that would undermine the researchers’ conclusion regarding demographic bias The researchers concluded that demographic bias was not a factor because older individuals were not disproportionately represented among the fossils The implication of this conclusion is that older individuals might be expected to have a higher rate of tooth breakage The best answer is D The researchers’ conclusions with regard to the

demographic bias are depended upon reliable information about the age of the individuals in the fossil samples If there were a demographic bias-in this case, a preponderance of older individuals-in the fossil samples, the misidentification of older individuals as younger ones would have concealed the bias from researchers Choice A is not correct The researchers’ conclusions imply that older individuals might be expected to have a higher rate of tooth breakage Findings that confirmed this would not undermine the researchers’ conclusions that the samples were representative The information in choice B, C and E is irrelevant to the issue of whether older individuals were disproportionately represented among the fossil sample

in Pleistocene carnivores species, was responsible for the finding Choice D can be eliminated because the passage suggests that if every extinct species found in the La Brea pits showed tooth breakage, researchers would have concluded that the fractures could have been caused by preservational bias rather than by behavior in Pleistocene carnivore species that differed from behavior in present day species Choice E is incorrect: if every extinct species found in the La Brea pits showed tooth breakage, the breakage could have been attributable to preservational bias rather than to high predator densities during the Pleistocene era

236

This question asks you to identify what the passage is mainly concerned with doing The best answer is choice C Lines 1-5 state that the United States census’ occupational information about women became more detailed and precise during the nineteenth century The rest of the passage discusses how and why this change occurred Choice A is incorrect because it is overly broad The passage does not describe methods used by early statisticians Rather, it concerns the more narrow topic of information about women provided by the United States census during the nineteenth century Choice B is incorrect Although the passage does deal with a historical topic-namely, the United States censuses during the nineteenth century – it does not describe the current-day United State census Choice D is incorrect: although the passage describes a series of changes made to the United States census during the nineteenth century, there is no mention in the passage of opposition to the census Choice E is incorrect because the passage is concerned with certain historical changes in the census, not with a contemporary controversy

237

This question asks you to identify which of several pieces of information about nineteenth-century United States census is NOT presented in the passage The best answer is D Lines 24-29 of the passage, which describe the 1890 United States census, suggest that this census gathered