When architect Lena Ortiz designed the Halvorsen Footbridge, she took a deliberately ______ approach. The bridge has no decorative towers, no patterned railings and no colored lights. Its thin steel cables and plain concrete deck are the only things you see.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
minimal The text lists everything the bridge leaves out: towers, patterns, lights. Only the basic parts remain. “Minimal” means using as little as possible, which matches that description exactly.
For a long time, many people assumed that honeybees found flowers mostly by smell. Later studies of bee behavior showed that bees also learn to recognize flower colors and shapes, and that they remember which flowers gave them the most food. These findings suggest that a bee’s search for food depends on learning and memory, not just on one sense.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
It presents an earlier assumption, describes research that complicated it, and then states what the research suggests. The text moves in three steps. First, an old belief (bees use smell). Then, studies that add to it (bees also learn colors and shapes). Last, a conclusion (learning and memory matter). Choice A follows those three steps in order.
Text 1
Some historians argue that the printing press spread new ideas in Europe mainly because it made books cheaper. In this view, lower prices alone explain why more people began reading.
Text 2
Historian Ana Ferreira agrees that printed books cost less than handwritten ones. But she points out that cheaper books would have mattered little without the growth of schools that taught people to read. In her view, rising literacy and cheaper books worked together.
Based on the texts, how would Ferreira (Text 2) most likely respond to the view described in Text 1?
She would say it is incomplete, because it leaves out the role of growing literacy. Ferreira agrees that books got cheaper, so she doesn’t reject Text 1. But she adds a second cause, schools teaching reading. Text 1 says price “alone” explains it, so she’d see that view as incomplete.
In the opening chapter of the novel, Tomas returns to the fishing village where he grew up. He notices that the harbor is quieter than he remembers and that several boats he knew have been replaced by newer ones. Still, when an old neighbor calls out his childhood nickname, Tomas laughs and feels, for the first time in years, that he is home.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Although the village has changed, Tomas still feels that he belongs there. The text shows changes (a quieter harbor, new boats), then turns with “Still.” The neighbor’s greeting makes Tomas feel at home. So the main idea is that he belongs there even though things have changed.
A student tested how long different seeds took to sprout at 20°C. Her results, as average days to sprout, were: radish, 4 days; lettuce, 7 days; carrot, 14 days; parsley, 21 days. She claims that in her test, carrot seeds took twice as long to sprout as lettuce seeds.
Which choice best uses data from the student’s results to support her claim?
Carrot seeds sprouted in an average of 14 days, while lettuce seeds sprouted in an average of 7 days. The claim compares carrots and lettuce, so the evidence must give both numbers. Carrot took 14 days and lettuce took 7, and 14 is twice 7. Only choice C gives both.
The music museum’s newest exhibit features three rare ______ a lute, a harpsichord, and a viola da gamba.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
instruments: a lute The first part is a complete sentence, and what follows is a list that explains “three rare instruments.” A colon is the right mark to introduce a list after a complete sentence.
The collection of letters written by the two scientists ______ how their friendship shaped their research over thirty years.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
reveals The subject is “collection,” which is singular. “Of letters written by the two scientists” just describes it. A singular subject needs a singular verb, so “reveals” is correct.
During exam week, the city’s two public libraries extended ______ opening hours until midnight.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
their The pronoun refers to “the city’s two public libraries,” which is plural. “Their” is the plural possessive pronoun, meaning “belonging to them.”
Many desert plants survive dry seasons by storing water in thick leaves or stems. ______ the creosote bush has small leaves with a resin coating that slows water loss, and it stores very little water at all.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
In contrast, The first sentence describes plants that store water. The second describes a plant that stores very little and survives a different way. When two ideas differ, a contrast transition like “In contrast” fits.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Venus and Mars are the planets on either side of Earth.
• Venus orbits the Sun closer than Earth does.
• Mars orbits the Sun farther away than Earth does.
The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two planets’ positions. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to do this?
Venus orbits closer to the Sun than Earth does, while Mars orbits farther away. The goal is a difference between the two planets’ positions. Choice C names both planets and shows they’re on opposite sides of Earth: one closer to the Sun, one farther. The word “while” sets up the contrast.
3(x − 4) = 2x + 5
What value of x is the solution to the equation above?
17 Distribute the 3: 3x − 12 = 2x + 5. Subtract 2x from both sides: x − 12 = 5. Add 12: x = 17. Check: 3(13) = 39 and 2(17) + 5 = 39.
A plumber charges a fixed fee of $60 for each visit plus $45 for each hour of work. Which equation gives the total charge C, in dollars, for a visit that takes h hours?
C = 45h + 60 The $45 is paid for every hour, so it multiplies h. The $60 is paid once, no matter how long the job takes, so it’s added on its own. That gives C = 45h + 60.
x + y = 10
x − y = 4
If (x, y) is the solution to the system of equations above, what is the value of y?
3 Add the two equations: the y’s cancel and you get 2x = 14, so x = 7. Put that into x + y = 10: 7 + y = 10, so y = 3. Check: 7 − 3 = 4.
x² − 5x + 6 = 0
What are the solutions to the equation above?
x = 2 and x = 3 Find two numbers that multiply to 6 and add to −5. Those are −2 and −3, so the equation factors as (x − 2)(x − 3) = 0. Each bracket can equal zero, so x = 2 or x = 3.
A lab culture starts with 500 bacteria, and the number of bacteria doubles every 3 hours. Which function gives the number of bacteria, P(t), after t hours?
P(t) = 500(2)^(t/3) Doubling means multiplying by 2. It happens once every 3 hours, so after t hours it has happened t/3 times. Start at 500 and multiply by 2 that many times: P(t) = 500(2)^(t/3).
Which expression is equivalent to (2x + 3)²?
4x² + 12x + 9 (2x + 3)² means (2x + 3)(2x + 3). Multiply each term: 4x² + 6x + 6x + 9 = 4x² + 12x + 9.
A jacket has a regular price of $80. It is on sale for 25% off, and then an 8% sales tax is added to the sale price. What is the total cost of the jacket?
$64.80 25% off $80 is $80 × 0.75 = $60. The 8% tax goes on the sale price: $60 × 1.08 = $64.80.
A data set has five values: 4, 7, 7, 9 and 13. If the value 13 is replaced with 23, which statement is true?
The mean increases, and the median stays the same. The mean goes from 40 ÷ 5 = 8 to 50 ÷ 5 = 10, so it increases. The median is the middle value when the numbers are in order. It’s 7 both times, because only the largest value changed.
In right triangle ABC, angle C is the right angle. Side BC = 6 and side AC = 8. What is the value of sin A?
3/5 First find the hypotenuse AB: 6² + 8² = 100, so AB = 10. Sine is opposite ÷ hypotenuse. The side opposite angle A is BC = 6, so sin A = 6/10 = 3/5.
(x − 2)² + (y + 3)² = 25
The equation above defines a circle in the xy-plane. What are the center and the radius of the circle?
Center (2, −3), radius 5 A circle’s equation has the form (x − h)² + (y − k)² = r², with center (h, k) and radius r. Here h = 2 and k = −3, because y + 3 is the same as y − (−3). And r² = 25, so r = 5.
United States · Admissions test