10/31/23
In the sixteenth century, Thomas More coined the term utopia to describe a perfect yet fictitious island society’s ways of life. Since then, people have tried to replicate this society, not just in stories but also in real life. Around the world, a handful of towns and cities have been designed with this ideal society in mind. Though inevitably they fall short of perfection, it’s still possible to visit some of them.
What is the best placement for the underlined word?
A. Where it is now.
B. Before the word fall.
C. Before the word perfection.
D. Before the word possible.
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10/30/23
Twenty-five hundred miles from the nearest continental landmass and adrift in oceanic isolation, the Hawaiian islands are the most habitat-diverse place on the planet. Of its’ 1,200 native plant species, 90 percent exist nowhere else on earth.
A. NO CHANGE
B. its
C. there
D. their
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10/29/23
When fragments of China’s famed terracotta warriors were discovered by farmers in 1974, Zhao Kangmin was one of the first archaeologists on the scene. He consistently pieced the fragments together, spurring an excavation that would reveal thousands more clay soldiers packed into underground corridors.
Which choice most strongly emphasizes that Zhao Kangmin worked in a careful and detailed way?
A. NO CHANGE
B. compellingly
C. exclusively
D. meticulously
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10/28/23
The exhibition “Faces of Frida” includes not only paintings by Frida Kahlo and also her letters, personal photographs, and unpublished writings. Visitors can peruse the pages of her colorful diary, read her letters to her mother, Matilde Calderón y González, and browse through photos of Kahlo and her husband, the artist Diego Rivera.
A. NO CHANGE
B. along with
C. but also
D. in addition to
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10/27/23
The race is on to build the world’s first meaningful quantum computer—one that can help scientists do things like develop miraculous new materials and encrypt data with near-perfect security. Although technology companies persistently tout each new breakthrough, next-generation systems will also need new algorithms, software, interconnects and a number of other yet-to-be-invented technologies.
Which choice most clearly expresses that the technology companies are excited about new breakthroughs?
A. NO CHANGE
B. reportedly
C. breathlessly
D. skeptically
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10/26/23
Experts use to think that nearly all nitrogen in soil came directly from the atmosphere, sequestered by microbes or dissolved in rain. But it turns out that scientists have been overlooking another major source of this element, which is crucial to plant growth: up to a quarter of the nitrogen in soil and plants seeps out of bedrock.
A. NO CHANGE
B. use to think,
C. used to think
D. used to thinking
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10/25/23
No tidal dweller captured Rachel Carson’s imagination like Ascophyllum nodosum, a rubbery dark green algae known widely on the Atlantic coast as rockweed. The biologist was most enchanted by rockweed’s double life—how its identity changed with the tides.
A. NO CHANGE
B. nodosum, a rubbery, dark green, algae
C. nodosum a rubbery, dark green algae,
D. nodosum; a rubbery, dark green algae
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10/24/23
The tradition of using everyday objects in artwork is known as assemblage. London’s Tate Museum, which includes many assemblage-based works, traces its history back to Europe in the early 1900s when Pablo Picasso started making 3-D works with found objects. Therefore, some of the most famous twentieth-century assemblage artists, like the artist Robert Rauschenberg—born Milton Rauschenberg in Port Arthur, Texas—may have pulled their inspiration from work by African-American folk artists.
A. NO CHANGE
B. However,
C. Hence,
D. Moreover,
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10/23/23
More than 150 years ago, the first whales and dolphins were brought from the wild and into aquariums, and since that time, scientists learn an enormous amount about their intelligence and complex social lives.
A. NO CHANGE
B. learned
C. have learned
D. would have learned
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10/22/23
Cheesemaking, which began 10,000 years ago, was originally about survival for a farm family or community: taking a very perishable protein (milk) and transforming it into something less perishable (cheese) so that there would be something to eat later. Many of us today think of cheese in the context of tradition, flavor, or family farms, but a basic goal—whether a producer is making farm-made cheddar or concocting the cheeseless industrially produced dairy product Velveeta, has always been getting as much edible food from a gallon of milk as possible.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Velveeta has
C. Velveeta—has
D. Velveeta has,
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10/21/23
To evoke and conjure the spirit of the Rocky Mountains, the people of Stoney Nakoda have created artworks that have deep roots in the history of their homeland. A seemingly straightforward landscape image, for instance, pays homage to the region as a place to gather herbs, hold vision quests, and hunt.
A. NO CHANGE
B. To evoke while conjuring
C. To evoke yet conjure
D. To evoke
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10/20/23
The Loch Ness Monster is one of Scotland’s oldest and most enduring myths, having inspired books, TV shows and films, and sustains a major tourism industry around its home. The story of the monster can be traced back 1500 years to 565 AD, when an Irish missionary is said to have encountered a beast in the River Ness. Later, in the 1930s, they announced the first modern sighting of the creature, dubbed “Nessie.”
A. NO CHANGE
B. one
C. we
D. reporters
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10/19/23
It’s hard to imagine now, but a little over a century ago, there was hardly anyone in the world whom knew what plastic was. Today, that material fuels modern life, from medical devices to the lightweight materials used in cars, computers, spaceships, and shopping bags.
A. NO CHANGE
B. who knew
C. which knew
D. in which they knew
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10/18/23
Throughout the exhibitions at The American Jazz Museum, collections of photographs, sheet music, and posters from the height of jazz’s popularity creates context for historic artifacts such as Charlie Parker’s Grafton saxophone and a sequined gown worn by Ella Fitzgerald.
A. NO CHANGE
B. create
C. has created
D. creating
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10/17/23
It’s probably no surprise to dog owners, but growing research suggests that dogs often act more human than canine. They can: read facial expressions, communicate jealousy, display empathy, and even watch television.
A. NO CHANGE
B. can read facial expressions; communicate jealousy; display empathy, and even watch television.
C. can read facial expressions, communicate jealousy; display empathy; and even watch television.
D. can read facial expressions, communicate jealousy, display empathy, and even watch television.
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10/16/23
The Outer Space Treaty—written in 1967 and signed by all the major world powers—is the closest thing we have to a constitution for space. For a document conceived before the moon landing, it’s remarkably forward-looking: it declares “celestial bodies” like the moon and asteroids off-limits for private development and requires that countries authorize and continually supervise companies’ activities in space.
A. NO CHANGE
B. company’s activities
C. companies activity’s
D. companies activities’
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10/15/23
Not only are parrots known for being a loud and destructive bird, but they are also highly intelligent and live up to 80 years. Nevertheless, the draw to keep them can be irresistible.
A. NO CHANGE
B. a loud, and destructive bird, and
C. loud and destructive birds, but
D. loud and destructive birds, and
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10/14/23
A few years ago, my family and I piled into our car and headed west for a summer to explore Yosemite National Park. I tasted the freedom of the open road and experienced the wonders of wild places. I had never seen such dramatic scenery before. Last August, therefore, I set out on an expanded version of that adventure, seeking to spend 10 months visiting all the national parks in the contiguous United States.
Which choice provides the most effective transition between the previous sentence and the information that follows?
A. NO CHANGE
B. I couldn’t wait to experience that kind of adventure again.
C. I didn’t want to come at first, but my family insisted.
D. I’d been camping before, but never for so long.
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10/13/23
The idea for the first youth hostel was conceived in 1909 by Richard Shirrmann, an elementary school teacher living in the industrial center of Germany. Alarmed at the effects of the industrial revolution on his students’ health, he created a “wandering school” on weekends by taking students on field trips into the countryside for fresh air and exposure to nature. Students unrolled their bedding each night in school buildings, and the concept of student “youth hostels” was born.
A. NO CHANGE
B. effects of the industrial revolution,
C. affects of the industrial revolution
D. affects of the industrial revolution,
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10/12/23
Since the invention of digital technology and audio sampling, films have been able to rely on digital samples to imitate the sound of live instruments. Today, many scores are created and performed wholly by the composers, themselves, through the use of sophisticated music composition software.
A. NO CHANGE
B. composers themselves,
C. composers, themselves
D. composers themselves
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10/11/23
Wilhelm Von Osten firmly believed that humanity had greatly underestimated the reasoning skills and intelligence of animals. To test his hypothesis, he took it upon himself to tutor a cat, a horse, and a bear in mathematics. The cat was indifferent in his efforts, and the bear seemed outright hostile, but the Arab stallion named Hans showed some real promise.
A. NO CHANGE
B. to
C. at
D. from
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10/10/23
Cactuses are spiky and rough, foreboding and strange, gnarled and occasionally dangerous. They evoke harsh and unforgiving landscapes, but when they are removed from their native habitats, individually potted, and selling as decorations for a house, a garden, or an office, they are among the easiest plants, requiring little or no care and still looking good.
A. NO CHANGE
B. selling them
C. they sell
D. sold
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10/9/23
Color vision depends on our eyes and brain working together to perceive different properties of light. Although we see the natural and artificial light that illuminates our world as white, but it is actually a mixture of colors that, perceived on their own, would span the visual spectrum from deep blue to deep red. You can see this when rain separates sunlight into a rainbow or a glass prism separates white light into a multi-color band.
A. NO CHANGE
B. so
C. when
D. DELETE the underlined word.
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10/8/23
In 1984, several graffiti vandals were given the option of either going to jail or taking part in a new city beautification initiative. They chose the latter and became some of the first members of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Since then, the program overseen the creation of more than 3,800 pieces of art painted on sides of buildings. 2,000 of the works are still viewable by the public, making this collection the “World’s Largest Outdoor Art Gallery.”
A. NO CHANGE
B. has oversaw
C. has overseen
D. oversaw
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10/7/23
One issue that often plagues even the most sturdily built old homes is the “improvements’’ made in the intervening decades. Whether the culprit was a clueless homeowner or an unlicensed contractor or an unskilled handyman, substandard repairs are common.
A. NO CHANGE
B. most sturdy built
C. more sturdier built
D. sturdier built
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10/6/23
Tokyo is one of my favorite places, but it’s also one of the most expensive cities in the world. During my last visit I decided to participate in a homestay in order to save money on a hotel. Through a tourist website, I found Yuko, a young Japanese woman who rented out a spare room in her house. She seemed excited to hear from me and sent me useful information about public transportation, along with some maps. Tokyo was originally known as Edo, but its name was changed to Tokyo when it became the imperial capital in 1868. I could not wait to meet this interesting Japanese family.
Which choice provides the most relevant information at this point in the passage?
A. NO CHANGE
B. She also described her husband, who had a black belt in Karate, and her 85-year-old grandmother, who still rode a bicycle.
C. The house was located in Shinjuku, which is one of the busiest and most popular areas of the city.
D. Tokyo is divided into 23 districts, or wards, each of which is governed as an independent city.
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10/5/23
Born William Harrison Dempsey in Manassa, Colorado, “Jack” Dempsey was one of 11 children. He left home at the age of 16 and traveled west on freight trains with hobos, settling occasionally in mining towns. It was during that period of his life that Dempsey learned how to box. Initially, he only needed to defend himself at first, but soon he showed exceptional talent for the sport.
A. NO CHANGE
B. first of all
C. in the first place
D. DELETE the underlined portion.
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10/4/23
In 1931, RCA Victor developed and released the first 33 1/3 rpm records to the public. The format initially was a commercial failure because the records and playback equipment were expensive and because the audio performance was poor. When the stylus for playback was improved and the product released, the record became the standard in music playback for decades.
A. NO CHANGE
B. the product that was released,
C. the product being released,
D. the product has been released,
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10/3/23
The moment a volunteer with a therapy dog walks into a hospital room, you can instantly feel a change in mood. Their eyes immediately focus on the animal, and smiles spread across their faces.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Your
C. One’s
D. Patients’
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10/2/23
Throwing everything you own into your beat-up van and heading to California is a familiar path many aspiring musicians and actors follow as they head out West to chase their dreams. Although the odds are stacked quite heavily against them, opportunities are there for the taking. Such is the case for Richard Gibbs, a dreamer turned rock star and blockbuster film composer whose had a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
A. NO CHANGE
B. who’s had a knack for being
C. who’s had a knack to be
D. whose knack for being
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10/1/23
People are divided about whether hedgehogs should be kept as pets. Wild animals should stay wild, one argument goes. On the other hand, cats and dogs were wild once, and domestication has to start somewhere. At first, a hedgehog may feel threatened and extend they’re quills when handled by humans, but eventually most hedgehogs come to enjoy being petted and cuddled.
A. NO CHANGE
B. their
C. its
D. it’s
Click here for the answer.
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