PART 4 | Eight Official Practice Tests with Answer Explanations

and figure 2 directly contradicts the conclusion that guppies from low-
predation environments have less mean embryo mass than those from
high-predation environments. Choice D is incorrect. Although figure 2
supports the conclusion that guppies from low-predation environments
have a greater mean embryo mass than those from high-predation
environments, figure 1 directly contradicts the conclusion that
guppies from low-predation environments produce a greater number of
offspring than those from high-predation environments.

QUESTION 32
Choice D is the best answer. In the passage, Sara T. Smith addresses
the Second Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women. In the
second sentence of the first paragraph, Smith states that confronting
slavery is “a question of justice” and that it involves “considerations
of immense importance to the welfare and prosperity of our country.”
In the third paragraph, Smith argues that women shouldn’t be deterred
from participating in the abolitionist cause. In the last paragraph, she
argues that women “cannot remain inactive” in confronting slavery
as “our country is as dear to us as to the proudest statesman. . . . Let
our course, then, still be onward!” Therefore, Smith’s main purpose in
the passage is to encourage women to see their participation in the
abolitionist cause as just and important.

Choices A and C are incorrect because Smith doesn’t accuse fellow

abolitionists of overlooking the contributions that women have made
to the movement (choice A) or make the case that women’s rights are
meaningless while slavery exists (choice C). Choice B is incorrect.
Although Smith quotes the Declaration of Independence in the
third paragraph, the main purpose of the passage isn’t to argue that the
causes of abolition and women’s rights are continuations of the spirit
of the American Revolution.

QUESTION 33
Choice A is the best answer. Throughout the passage, Smith poses
questions that aren’t answered explicitly until the last paragraph, but
the leading tone of the speech makes it clear that the implied answer
to these questions is “no.” In the second paragraph, Smith questions
her critics’ claim that upholding humanitarian values undermines
conventional feminine virtues. In the third paragraph, she wonders
how women can “have no interest” in the subject of slavery when it
could lead to the destruction of their families through war. In the last
paragraph, she asks women numerous questions and then answers
them with a “no.” Thus, a technique that Smith uses throughout the
passage to advance her main point is to present her claims in the form
of rhetorical questions that mostly have implicit negative answers.

Choice B is incorrect. Although Smith questions the assertions that

her opponents made, she doesn’t criticize her opponents themselves
by quoting self-contradictory remarks they have made. Choice C

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is incorrect. Although Smith makes use of vivid language and imagery

throughout the passage, she doesn’t illustrate each of her central
ideas with an emotionally powerful anecdote. Choice D is incorrect.
Although it is implied that Smith considers her views to be reasonable,
she doesn’t present them as universally held.

QUESTION 34
Choice B is the best answer. In the first sentence of the passage,
Smith introduces the argument that slavery is a “political question”
and therefore not “within the ‘province of woman.’” In the second
sentence, Smith voices her opposition to this argument: “It is not true
that [slavery] is merely a political question, it is likewise a question
of justice, of humanity, of morality, of religion.” In other words,
slavery is too broad a problem to be classified solely as “political,”
in Smith’s view. However, in the fourth paragraph, Smith returns
to the political aspect of the argument at hand by addressing how
women must engage in the subject of slavery on a political scale. She
argues that “admitting [slavery] to be a political question” doesn’t
mean that women have “no interest in the welfare of our country,” as
women must criticize slavery and its “unjust laws” and seek to stop
the nation’s “downward course” by choosing to not “remain inactive.”
Therefore, Smith develops her argument about slavery as a “political
question” over the course of the passage by dismissing the designation
as too narrow but then demonstrates its relevance to her audience.

Choice A is incorrect. Although Smith does offer alternative ways of

defining the problem of slavery, she doesn’t claim that the designation
of slavery as a “political question” is outdated, but rather that it is
insufficient. Choice C is incorrect because Smith doesn’t contend that
the designation of slavery as a “political question” has become trite,
nor does she invite her audience to revitalize it. Choice D is incorrect.
Although Smith’s argument is intertwined with questions of gender
roles, she doesn’t describe the meaning the designation of a “political
question” has for men and then challenge women to embrace it.

QUESTION 35
Choice B is the best answer. In the first sentence of the passage,
Smith relays a claim: “We are told that it is not within the ‘province
of woman,’ to discuss the subject of slavery; that it is a ‘political
question,’ and we are ‘stepping out of our sphere,’ when we take part
in its discussion.” In the next sentence, Smith rejects this claim: “It is
not true that it is merely a political question, it is likewise a question
of justice, of humanity, of morality, of religion.” She then argues that
the subject of slavery “involves considerations of immense importance
to the welfare and prosperity of our country, enters deeply into the
home-concerns, the every-day feelings of millions of our fellow
beings” and expands upon this point by providing an example of the
difference, under slavery, between laborers who are enslaved and those

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who are within the “dignity of conscious manhood.” Therefore, the

best summary of the first paragraph is that Smith rejects a claim and
elaborates on her reasons for doing so.

Choice A is incorrect. Although Smith may outline a conventional

viewpoint in the first paragraph, she doesn’t present evidence
to support it. Choice C is incorrect. Although Smith introduces
her subject in the first paragraph, she doesn’t provide historical
background for understanding it. Choice D is incorrect. Although
Smith does identify a problem in the first paragraph, she doesn’t
propose steps to remedy it.

QUESTION 36
Choice A is the best answer. In the first sentence of the second
paragraph, Smith relays the sentiment, presumably voiced by those
opposed to women abolitionists, that “woman ‘can take no part [in
the debate over slavery] without losing something of the modesty
and gentleness which are her most appropriate ornaments.’” Smith
opposes this view in the following sentence: “must woman necessarily
be less gentle because her heart is open to the claims of humanity,
or less modest because she feels for the degradation of her enslaved
sisters, and would stretch forth her hand for their rescue?” The leading
tone of this rhetorical question makes it clear that Smith would answer
it with a “no.” Thus, Smith argues that it is possible for women to act
according to humanitarian principles while preserving their femininity.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because Smith doesn’t argue that

it is possible for women to adhere to personal morality while being
politically neutral (choice B), contribute to their family’s financial
security while meeting social expectations (choice C), or resist calls for
war while still opposing slavery (choice D).

QUESTION 37
Choice A is the best answer. The previous question asks which
activity Smith argues it is possible for women to engage in. The
answer, that she argues that women can act according to humanitarian
principles while preserving their femininity, is best supported in the
last sentence of the second paragraph: “must woman necessarily be
less gentle because her heart is open to the claims of humanity, or
less modest because she feels for the degradation of her enslaved
sisters, and would stretch forth her hand for their rescue?” The leading
tone of this rhetorical question makes it clear that Smith would
answer it with a “no.” In other words, Smith believes that women
can uphold humanitarian principles while maintaining conventional
feminine virtues.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the cited lines don’t support
the answer to the previous question. Instead, they link women’s
conventional domestic concerns with the losses that would be incurred
by a war over slavery (choice B), affirm that the potential horrors of

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war are enough to stir women out of a state of political inactivity

(choice C), and equate women’s patriotism with that of male political
leaders (choice D).

QUESTION 38
Choice C is the best answer. In the first sentence of the third
paragraph, Smith states “by the Constitution of the United States,
the whole physical power of the North is pledged for the suppression
of domestic insurrections, and should the slaves, maddened by
oppression, endeavor to shake off the yoke of the taskmaster, the men
of the North are bound to make common cause with the tyrant, and
put down, at the point of the bayonet, every effort on the part of the
slave, for the attainment of his freedom.” In other words, according to
Smith, if slaves were to revolt, the US Constitution would require that
Northern states help the slave states fight the slaves’ rebellion.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because Smith doesn’t argue that

if the slaves were to revolt the US Constitution would require the
Northern states to sever ties with the slave states (choice A), give
shelter to refugees from the slave states (choice B), or provide financial
assistance to the rebelling slaves (choice D).

QUESTION 39
Choice D is the best answer. The word “tyrant” describes a cruel and
unfair ruler. It is first used in the first sentence of the third paragraph,
when Smith argues that in the event of a slave rebellion in the slave
states, “the men of the North are bound to make common cause with
the tyrant, and put down, at the point of the bayonet, every effort on the
part of the slave, for the attainment of his freedom.” The word occurs
again in the seventh sentence of the last paragraph, when Smith
asserts the strength of women’s “aspirations that every inhabitant of
our land may be protected . . . by just and equal laws” so that “the foot
of the tyrant may no longer invade the domestic sanctuary.” In both
instances, the word “tyrant” is used to represent slaveholders and
their allies. Thus, Smith’s use of “tyrant” emphasizes the unjustness
of slavery.

Choice A is incorrect because Smith’s use of the word “tyrant” doesn’t

identify a specific individual as oppressive. Instead, it refers to all
those individuals who profit from and abet the unjust institution of
slavery. Choice B is incorrect because Smith’s use of the word “tyrant”
doesn’t highlight the threat of aggression from abroad. Instead, it
highlights national injustice. Choice C is incorrect because Smith’s
use of the word “tyrant” doesn’t critique the limited roles for women
in antislavery movements. Smith’s use of the word “tyrant” refers to
slaveholders and their allies, not those who would discourage women’s
participation in the antislavery movement.

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QUESTION 40
Choice C is the best answer. In the last sentence of the third
paragraph, Smith argues that the threat of a war precipitated by slavery
“is of itself sufficient to arouse the slumbering energies of woman” to
speak out against slavery’s injustice. In other words, women have the
potential to protest slavery, but they have been relatively inactive, or
dormant, up until now. Therefore, the word “slumbering,” as used in
this sentence, most nearly means dormant.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because in the context of the

passage, “slumbering” means dormant, not lethargic (choice A),
drowsy (choice B), or unconscious (choice D).

QUESTION 41
Choice A is the best answer. The fifth sentence of the last paragraph
poses the following question: “Shall we silently behold the land
which we love with all the heart-warm affection of children, rendered
a hissing and a reproach throughout the world, by this system which
is already tolling the death-bell of her decease among the nations?” In
other words, the continuation of slavery in the United States is being
criticized “throughout the world,” such that the existence of slavery
affects the United States by lowering the country’s reputation in the
international community.

Choice B is incorrect because Smith doesn’t suggest that slavery

affects the United States by leading many women to disavow their
allegiance to the country. Instead, she suggests that it is partly
women’s patriotism that should stir them to protest slavery because
it is lowering the reputation of the United States in the international
community. Choice C is incorrect. Although Smith speaks ominously
in the last paragraph of “the events of the last two years” that are
“overclouding the bright prospects of the future,” she doesn’t cite
any current violent conflicts in the country. Choice D is incorrect
because Smith doesn’t suggest that slavery weakens the authority
of the country’s government. Instead, she argues that it damages the
country’s reputation abroad.

QUESTION 42
Choice C is the best answer. The previous question asks how Smith
most strongly suggests that slavery affects the United States. The
answer, that slavery affects the United States by lowering the country’s
reputation in the international community, is best supported by the
fifth sentence of the last paragraph: “Shall we silently behold the land
which we love with all the heart-warm affection of children, rendered a
hissing and a reproach throughout the world, by this system which is
already tolling the death-bell of her decease among the nations?”

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the cited lines don’t support
the answer to the previous question. Instead, they suggest that
because war affects home life, women are right to concern themselves

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with the possibility of war (choice A), imply that women have a right
to consider issues that fall outside the domestic sphere (choice B),
and issue a call to action for women to voice condemnation of slavery
(choice D).

QUESTION 43
Choice C is the best answer. The first paragraph of Passage 1
presents a quote by biochemist Kim Lewis of Northeastern University:
“Pathogens are acquiring resistance faster than we can introduce
new antibiotics, and this is causing a human health crisis.” The
rest of the passage describes Lewis’s research and the experimental
antibiotic called teixobactin that her research has produced. According
to the second paragraph of the passage, teixobactin has “proved
effective at killing off a wide variety of disease-causing bacteria—even
those that have developed immunity to other drugs.” Therefore, the
first paragraph of Passage 1 primarily serves to identify a problem that
the research discussed in the passage may help to address.

Choice A is incorrect because although the first paragraph quotes

a claim by Lewis regarding antibiotic resistance, this claim isn’t
developed over the course of Passage 1. Choice B is incorrect because
the claim made in the first paragraph regarding antibiotic resistance
isn’t presented as controversial, nor does Passage 1 attempt to resolve
any scientific controversies. Choice D is incorrect because the claim
made in Paragraph 1 isn’t presented as a theory; moreover, the findings
in Passage 1 support this claim rather than challenge it.

QUESTION 44
Choice D is the best answer. The third paragraph of Passage 1
describes how, historically, the development of antibiotics requires
“natural microbial substances,” but this reliance has severe limitations
as only about one percent of these microbial substances can be
grown in a laboratory. The author goes on to explain how “the rest,
in staggering numbers, have remained uncultured and of limited use
to medical science, until now.” The paragraph then describes the
method Lewis’s team used to grow teixobactin microorganisms “in
their natural environment where they already have the conditions they
need for growth.” Therefore, the author of Passage 1 suggests that an
advantage of the method Lewis’s team used to grow microorganisms
is that it allows researchers to make use of soil bacteria that they had
previously been unable to exploit.

Choice A is incorrect because although the author of Passage 1

suggests that Lewis’s team identified the requirements for soil bacteria
to thrive, the team didn’t replicate those features in artificial soil.
Instead, the author suggests in the third and fourth paragraphs of
Passage 1 that they used real soil samples. Choice B is incorrect
because the author of Passage 1 doesn’t suggest that the method
Lewis’s team used to grow microorganisms enabled soil bacteria to

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