Topic 4: Command of Evidence - Support

58 Questions

DIRECTIONS

Must Know Tips:

• Use a visual map (e.g., if A rises, B goes down).

• Read the question prompt to know if it’s a support or weaken question.

• The passage is always in two parts: Background information and Hypothesis

• You should not support or weaken the entire passage but the claim itself (hunt the claim).

Recommended time per question in this section: min: 1 min, max: 1 min 35 sec, avg: 1 min
17.5 sec. (*Exam level)

The bird species Myiobius barbatus (the 1

bearded flycatcher), which forages in relatively
Which finding, if true, would most directly
dense vegetation, and Platyrinchus saturatus
support Martinez and colleagues’ hypothesis?
(the cinnamon-crested spadebill), which forages
in open areas or low-density vegetation, share A) When Martinez and colleagues played T.
territory in French Guiana with Thainnomanes caesius alarm calls, M. barbatus and P.
caesius (the cinereous antshrike), which emits a saturatus displayed no reaction, whereas
loud alarm call when it detects predators. T. caesius displayed predator-avoidance
Biologist Ari Martinez and colleagues, who behavior.
studied the ecological community the species
share, hypothesized that there is an inverse B) Many local bird species with similar
relationship between birds’ field of vision while foraging habits to those of M. barbatus
foraging and their sensitivity to alarm calls from displayed no reaction when Martinez and
neighboring species. colleagues played T. caesius alarm calls,
whereas M. barbatus displayed
predator-avoidance behavior.
C) Some individuals of P. saturatus displayed
predator-avoidance behavior when
Martinez and colleagues played T. caesius
alarm calls, whereas nearly all did when
M. barbatus alarm calls were played.
D) P. saturatus displayed no reaction when
Martinez land colleagues played T. caesius
alarm calls, whereas M. barbatus displayed
predator avoidance behavior in response to
the calls.
New research suggests that coffee could have a 2
positive effect on cardiovascular health.
Although caffeine is coffee’s most well-known Which finding, if true, would most directly
constituent, the beverage contains more than support the researchers’ conclusion?
100 biologically active components. In a study
A) Whereas regular coffee contains from
led by Jiyoung Kim, researchers at Seoul
70-140 mg of caffeine per cup, decaf
National University concluded that
contains approximately 0-7mg.
non-caffeinated compounds likely play a role in
the positive relationship between coffee B) Decaffeinated coffee causes cells to
consumption and health. produce NQO1, an enzyme that has
neuroprotective benefits.
C) Extracts from caffeinated coffee have been
shown to aid weight loss more than a
placebo.
D) People who drink several cups of coffee
every day are less vulnerable to certain
diseases.

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It was only when Alma Thomas turned away 3

from figurative art and toward abstraction that
Which choice, if true, would most effectively
she rose to acclaim as an artist. When the
support the writer’s claim?
solidity of her line gave way to broken, vibrant
colors, the beauty she had long seen emerged. A) Her painting Starry Night and the
Astronauts (1972) includes a small
kaleidoscope of red, orange, and yellow
that suggests the spaceship Apollo 10.
B) Thomas was fascinated by the natural
world, incorporating everything from the
flowers in her garden to the stars in the
night sky into her paintings.
C) Her Still Life with Vases and Flowers
(1964), which contains realistic images,
feels labored, whereas Lunar Surface
(1970) glows with rich splashes of purple
and blue.
D) Although Thomas’s own works focused on
nature, she believed that art could also
evoke the energy of airplanes, cars,
skyscrapers, and electric signals.
Biologist Rosanna Alegato believes that we 4
might learn how multicellular organisms
developed from single celled ones if we Which finding, if true, would most directly
understand why the single celled organism support Alegato and colleagues’ conclusion?
Salpingoeca rosetta, the oldest living relative of
A) Bowman and Ahmed found that S rosetta
animals, sometimes forms colonies of cells.
tended to form colonies after bacterial
Alegato and colleagues reviewed data from
exposure.
many studies of how S. rosetta responds when
exposed to another type of single-celled B) Bowman found that S, rosetta tended to
organism, bacteria, including lohn P. Bowman’s form colonies after bacterial exposure, but
work with Algoriphagus ratkowsky bacteria and Ahmed did not.
Iftikhar Ahmed’s work with Algoriphagus
boritolerans bacteria. Alegato and colleagues C) Ahmed found that s. rosetta tended to
concluded that both A. ratkowsky and A. form colonies after bacterial exposure, but
boritaterans might have played a role in the Bowman did not.
development of multicellular organisms. D) Neither Bowman nor Ahmed found that S
rosetta tended to form colonies after
bacterial exposure.

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Veronice L. Bura, Akito Y. Kawahara, and 5

Jayne E. Yack investigated the evolution and
Which finding, if true, would most directly
function of sound production in silk moth and
support Bura and colleagues’ claim?
hawk moth caterpillars. They found that during
harmless simulated attacks on isolated A) In most case, the sound that caterpillar
caterpillars, 33% of the tested species produced species produced during simulated attacks
sound, which ranged from clicks in Manduca was not produced by other caterpillar
pellenia to whistles in Rhodinia fugax. Although species during simulated attacks.
some insects use sound to communicate with
members of the same species, the researchers B) Chickens and yellow warblers, two
claim that the caterpillar sounds recorded in predators of caterpillars, have been
their study are directed primarily at predators. observed to stop their attacks in response
to caterpillars sounds.
C) Caterpillar clicks were emitted in a
frequency of detectable by birds that prey
on caterpillar, but caterpillar whistles were
not.
D) Each caterpillar species tended to produce
one sound during simulated attacks,
although individuals occasionally made a
variety of other sounds during simulated
attacks as well.

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Psychologists Gregory Bryant, Dorsa Amir, and 6
colleagues investigated cross-cultural perceptions
of spontaneous (real) laughter and volitional Which potential finding from another study, if
(fake or forced) laughter. Study participants true, would most directly strengthen the team’s
from 21 societies, including those in Austria and conclusion?
Turkey, listened to randomized recordings of 18
A) Acoustic features of spontaneous laughter,
spontaneous laughs taken from natural
such as pitch and intensity, have
conversations between pairs of women and 18
measurable variations both within and
volitional laughs produced separately by 18
across societies.
different women in response to an instruction to
laugh. Analysis of the participants’ evaluations B) There is some evidence of correlation
of the laughs prompted the team to conclude between the average size of communities in
that the ability to distinguish between a society and judgments of spontaneous
spontaneous and volitional laughter appears to and volitional laughter by listeners in that
be universal across cultures. society.
C) Listeners from both Austria and Turkey
tend to be able to determine how well two
people know each other based on
recordings of their conversation.
D) Spontaneous laughter typically has a
recognizably higher pitch than volitional
laughter, regardless of what society the
speakers in a conversation are from.

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The Arapaho language of the Plains region in 7
the United States has 16 vowel and consonant
sounds. In contrast, the Hadza language of Which finding, if true, would best support the
eastern Africa has 70. Why would languages researcher’s hypothesis?
differ in this way? One researcher has
A) Languages that emerged in northwestern
hypothesized that when modern humans arose
North America tend to have more sounds
in Africa, they spoke a single language, but as
than languages that emerged in East Asia
humans gradually spread throughout Africa and
do, even though northwestern North
then around the globe, that language developed
America is farther away from Africa than
into new languages. Those developed into still
East Asia is.
more languages as small bands of humans spread
even farther, with each new language retaining B) Languages that emerged in Eastern
fewer sounds from humanity’s original language. Europe tend to have more sounds than
languages that emerged in East Asia do,
and Eastern Europe is closer to Africa
than East Asia is.
C) Languages that emerged in Western
Europe tend to have fewer sounds than
languages that emerged in East Asia do,
and Western Europe is closer to Africa
than East Asia is.
D) Languages that emerged in Southeast Asia
tend to have more sounds than languages
that emerged in East Asia do, even though
the two regions are roughly the same
distance from Africa.

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Biologist Rosanna Alegado believes that we 8
might learn how multicellular organisms
developed from single-celled ones if we Which finding, if true, would most directly
understand why the single-celled organism support Alegado and colleagues’ conclusion?
Salpingoeca rosetta, the oldest living relative of
A) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when
animals, sometimes forms colonies of cells.
exposed to A. marincola but not when
Alegado and colleagues reviewed data from
exposed to D. fermentans.
many studies of how S rosetta responds when
exposed to another type of single-celled B) Although several studies involving other
organism, bacteria, including Eric W. Triplett’s bacteria species found that S. rosetta
work with Dyadobacter fermentans bacteria and tended to form colonies after bacteria
Jung-Hoon Yoon’s work with Algoriphagus exposure, only the studies using D.
marincola bacteria. Alegado and colleagues fermentans and A. marincola tested
concluded that both D. fermentans and A. whether the amount of bacteria exposure
marincola might have played a role in the affected the rate of colony formation.
development of multicellular organisms.
C) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when
exposed to D. fermentans but not when
exposed to A. marincola.
D) S. rosetta tended to form colonies when
exposed to D. fermentans and when
exposed to A. marincola.

...................................................................................................

External shopping cues are a type of marketing 9

that uses obvious messaging-a display featuring
Which response from a survey given to shoppers
a new product, for example, or a "buy one, get
who made a purchase at a retail store best
one free" offer to entice consumers to make
supports the researchers’ explanation?
spontaneous purchases. In a study, data scientist
Sam K. Hui and colleagues found that this effect A) I needed to buy some cleaning supplies,
can also be achieved with a less obvious cue: but they weren’t in their regular place.
rearranging a store’s layout. The researchers While I was looking for them, I saw this
explain that trying to find items in new interesting notebook and decided to buy
locations causes shoppers to move through more it, too.
of the store, exposing them to more products B) I didn’t buy everything on my shopping
and increasing the likelihood that they’ll buy an list today. I couldn’t find a couple of the
item they hadn’t planned on purchasing. items in the store, even though I looked all
over for them.
C) The store sent me a coupon for a new
brand of soup, so I came here to find out
what kinds of soup that brand offers. I
decided to buy a few cans because I had
the coupon.
D) This store is larger than one that’s closer
to where I live, and it carries more
products. I came here to buy some things
that the other store doesn’t always have.
...................................................................................................

A number of artists associated with hyperpop, a 10

movement in electronic music that emerged in
Which description of vocal manipulation in
the 2010s, aggressively manipulate their
hyperpop is best supported by the text?
recorded voice. The singer Dorian Electra, for
example, shifts the pitch of their vocals to be A) It serves as an example of digital
much deeper than that of Electra’s natural technology’s negative influence on daily
range. And even the hyperpop artists who don’t life.
rely on pitch-shifting, such as Rina Sawayama,
often distort their vocals using digital tools. By B) It represents the continuity of human
persistently modifying the voice, hyperpop experience despite social and historical
invites the listener to reflect on the extent to change.
which digital technology mediates the human
C) It functions as a commentary on
experience today.
contemporary social conditions.
D) It symbolizes the power of contemporary
music to influence listeners’ sense of self.

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The phrase usa-don sonda is a future-oriented 11

expression used by members of the Yupno, an
Which finding, if true, would most directly
Indigenous group in Papua New Guinea, that
support Núñez and colleagues claim?
translates to "next week." Rafael Núñez and
colleagues recorded Yupno speakers explaining A) Yupno speakers were observed making
several of these temporal-related words and temporal gestures both indoors and
phrases and coded each speaker’s manual outdoors, though with greater frequency
gestures. Previous research has found evidence when indoors.
of Spanish speakers referring to the left/right
axis to describe events in time, and many B) When outdoors and referring to the future,
researchers believe that this tendency to make Yupno speakers facing uphill gesture in
temporal distinctions along imagined linear axes front of themselves, whereas those facing
is universal. However, Núñez and colleagues downhill gesture behind themselves.
claim that this tendency is not in fact
C) Yupno speakers typically use their left
ubiquitous.
hand to make temporal gestures regardless
of whether the gestures are past oriented
or future oriented.
D) Some Yupno grammatical structures used
when talking about time are also used in
Spanish.

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Periods of subfreezing temperatures in Alaska 12
have been growing shorter in response to climate
warming, potentially enabling increased carbon Which finding, if true, would most directly
dioxide (CO2 ) absorption through greater support the researchers’ conclusion?
productivity of creeping dogwood (Cornus
A) Early snow melt reduces the amount of
canadensis) plants and other vegetation, but
soil moisture available for the growth of
also potentially enabling increased CO2 output
plant species such as C. canadensis, and it
through greater heterotrophic respiration (CO2
raises the rate of heterotrophic respiration.
generated by the activity of soil
microorganisms). Hydrologist Yonghong Yi and B) Early snow melt extends the period in
her colleagues developed a model incorporating which plant species such as C. canadensis
numerous inputs—years of solar radiation and can absorb CO2 , but has no effect on the
snow cover data among them—to evaluate the rate of heterotrophic respiration.
effects of warming on the CO2 balance in
Alaska, concluding that net CO2 is likely to C) Early snow melt slows the growth of plant
increase if warming hastens spring snow melt. species such as C. canadensis by reducing
soil insulation, and it suppresses
heterotrophic respiration.
D) Early snow melt amplifies the effect of
solar radiation on the growth of plant
species such as C. canadensis and on the
rate of heterotrophic respiration.

...................................................................................................
Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl 13
Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated
the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs. Which finding from the study, if true, would
The researchers monitored the brain activity of most directly support the team’s conclusion?
Bran (a border collie), Alma (a mixed breed),
A) The pattern of brain activity that
and other dogs while the animals listened to
long-headed dogs showed when hearing the
three recordings: one of The Little Prince being
scrambled recording was different from the
read in Spanish, the second in Hungarian, and a
pattern of brain activity that short-headed
third made up of short, randomly selected
dogs showed when hearing the language
fragments of the first two, scrambled so that
they were accustomed to.
they didn’t resemble human speech. Each dog
was familiar with either Spanish or Hungarian, B) Long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing
but not both. The team concluded that Spanish tended to show more brain
differences in dogs’ anatomical features may activity when hearing Spanish than
affect their ability to distinguish speech from long-headed dogs accustomed to hearing
nonspeech. Hungarian showed when hearing
Hungarian.
C) Compared with longer-headed dogs,
shorter-headed dogs showed less difference
in brain activity when hearing either
Spanish or Hungarian than when hearing
the scrambled recording.
D) Compared with longer-headed dogs,
shorter-headed dogs showed a greater
difference in brain activity when hearing
the language they were accustomed to
than when hearing the other language.

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The onsets of growing seasons in Alaska have 14
been shifting earlier, potentially enabling
increased carbon dioxide (CO2 ) absorption Which finding from the researchers’ study, if
through greater productivity of mooseberry true, would most directly support the
(Viburnum edule) plants and other vegetation, researchers’ conclusion?
but also potentially enabling increased CO2
A) Higher average heterotrophic respiration
output through greater heterotrophic respiration
rates were found for summer months than
(CO2 generated by the activity of soil
for winter months when modeled using
microorganisms). Hydrologist Yonghong Yi and
either a grid of 1 km2 cells or a grid of 10
her colleagues modeled seasonal changes in net
km2 cells.
CO2 in Alaska in a landscape grid of 1 square
kilometer (km2 ) cells and again in a grid of 10 B) No correlations between seasonal
km2 cells, which are finer resolutions than most variations in average heterotrophic
models of net CO2 have achieved. The respiration and CO2 absorption by V.
researchers concluded that variations in the edule and other plant species were found
landscape affect net CO2 in ways that most when modeled using either a grid of 1 km2
models are too coarse to capture. cells or a grid of 10 km2 cells.
C) Lower average heterotrophic respiration
rates were found for autumn months when
modeled using a grid of 1 km2 cells than
when modeled using a grid of 10 km2 cells.
D) When seasonal fluxes in average CO2
absorption and heterotrophic respiration
were modeled using a grid of 1 km2 cells,
much more data were generated than when
seasonal fluxes were modeled using a grid
of 10km2 cells, though the two models
reported identical net CO2 .

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Fernand Braudel and other historians of 15
capitalism rarely discuss domestic capitalism in
Africa before the period of European Which statement about Iliffe and other
colonization, implicitly presenting capitalism as Africanist scholars is best supported by
external to and imposed on Africa. John Iliffe information in the text?
and other Africanist scholars have shown,
A) They likely make use of different types of
however, that in parts of Africa, institutionally
evidence than historians of capitalism
protected private land ownership, the existence
typically rely on.
of salaried labor, and other features of
capitalism predated colonization. One reason for B) They likely have a different view about
this discrepancy is that historians of capitalism which activities should be considered
tend to focus on longitudinal economic data capitalist in nature than historians of
drawn from archival records, which do not exist capitalism do.
for much of precolonial Africa.
C) They likely differ from historians of
capitalism in the methods they use to
derive longitudinal economic data from
archival records.
D) They likely view capitalism as having been
more beneficial for Africa than historians
of capitalism do.

...................................................................................................

Veronica L. Bura, Akito Y. Kawahara, and 16

Jayne E. Yack investigated the evolution and
Which finding, if true, would most directly
function of sound production in silk moth and
support Bura and colleagues’ claim?
hawk moth caterpillars. They found that during
harmless simulated attacks on isolated A) None of the species that emitted sounds
caterpillars, 33% of the tested species produced did so before the simulated attacks, and
sound, which ranged from clicks in Manduca nearly all stopped emitting sounds within
pellenia to vocalizations in Sphecodina abbottii. ten seconds after the attacks.
Although some insects use sound to
communicate with members of the same species, B) In most cases, the sound that a caterpillar
the researchers claim that the caterpillar sounds species produced during simulated attacks
recorded in their study are directed primarily at was not produced by other caterpillar
predators. species during simulated attacks.
C) Caterpillar clicks were emitted in a
frequency detectable by birds that prey on
caterpillars, but caterpillar vocalizations
were not.
D) Each caterpillar species tended to produce
one sound during simulated attacks,
although individuals occasionally made a
variety of other sounds during simulated
attacks as well.

...................................................................................................
Thomas Piketty and other historians of 17
capitalism rarely discuss domestic capitalism in
Africa before the period of European Which statement about Alfagali and other
colonization, implicitly presenting capitalism as Africanist scholars is best supported by
external to and imposed on Africa. Crislayne information in the text?
Alfagali and other Africanist scholars have
A) They likely view capitalism as having been
shown, however, that in parts of Africa,
more beneficial for Africa than historians
export-oriented manufacturing, the existence of
of capitalism do.
salaried labor, and other features of capitalism
predated colonization. One reason for this B) They likely have a different view about
discrepancy is that historians of capitalism tend which activities should be considered
to focus on longitudinal economic data drawn capitalist in nature than historians of
from archival records, which do not exist for capitalism do.
much of precolonial Africa.
C) They likely make use of different types of
evidence than historians of capitalism
typically rely on.
D) They likely differ from historians of
capitalism in the methods they use to
derive longitudinal economic data from
archival records.

...................................................................................................

Past research suggests that pollination by 18

honeybees is responsible for up to 10 percent of
Which finding, if true, would most directly
total Chinese cabbage crop production. Now
support the researchers’ claim?
researchers are trying to determine how
dependent cucumber crop production is on A) The shielding used in the first phase of the
honeybees. The first phase of their study study did not affect the amount of sunlight
involved shielding some cucumber plants to the cucumber plants received.
prevent insects from pollinating them, resulting
in those plants having 40 to 90 percent lower B) Other insects like solitary bees also
crop production than plants that were pollinated pollinate Chinese cabbage plants, and
normally. However, the researchers claim that some studies have allowed them to
the first-phase experiment alone didn’t tell them pollinate normally while excluding
how much of that difference in crop production honeybees.
is due specifically to excluding honeybees.
C) Other insects like squash bees also
pollinate cucumber plants, and the
shielding in the first phase of the study
blocked them as well.
D) Honeybees are more commonly used to
pollinate cucumber plants than Chinese
cabbage plants.

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A film studies student is researching early 19
20th-century film serials, which consisted of
individual episodes of a single long story that Which finding, if true, would most directly
were shown weekly in theaters. Clancy of the support the student’s claim?
Mounted is a 1933 serial that, over its 12
A) The 12th episode of Clancy of the
episodes, kept its audience interested with the
Mounted was the most expensive episode
suspense and drama that are typical of the
of the series to produce.
northern adventure genre. The student,
however, claims that ultimately audiences of the B) The 12th episode of Clancy of the
time preferred resolution and closure over Mounted was viewed by more people than
ongoing tension. was any previous episode in the series.
C) Modern critics generally regard the first
episode as the best installment of Clancy
of the Mounted.
D) Audiences of the time considered Clancy
of the Mounted to belong to a genre other
than the northern adventure genre.

...................................................................................................
Water flowing around an obstruction creates 20
vortices (patterns of swirls) of varying size; by
detecting the vortices, fish can determine the Which finding, if true, would most directly
size and position of the obstruction. Testing by support the second research team’s hypothesis?
Yuzo R. Yanagisuru, Otar Akanyeti, and James
A) A study using obstructions that created
C. Liao using models of three head
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
shapes—narrow (low ratio of width to length),
found that the intermediate-headed black
intermediate, and wide (high ratio of width to
sea bass (Centropristis striates) bumped
length)—showed that for large vortices, fish with
into the obstructions just as often as the
intermediate heads would be better able than
wide-headed Synodontis macropunctata
wide-headed fish to distinguish between vortices
did.
and general turbulence in the water. A second
research team has therefore hypothesized that in B) A study using obstructions that created
low-visibility conditions, intermediate-headed large vortices in low-visibility conditions
fish will be more likely than wide-headed fish to found that the wide-headed Synodontis
detect obstructions that create large vortices. macropunctata bumped into obstructions
more often than the intermediate-headed
black sea bass (Centropristis striates) did.
C) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that some specimens of the
intermediate-headed black sea bass
(Centropristis striates) bumped into the
obstructions more often than other
specimens of the same fish did.
D) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that the Synodontis macropunctata,
which has a relatively wide head, bumped
into more than half of the obstructions.

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Some toothpastes contain titanium dioxide 21
nanoparticles (T iO2 -NPs), which can leach into
waterways and soils via wastewater. In a 2015 Which finding, if true, would most directly
study, Adeline Bourgeault and colleagues found support the hypothesis presented in the text?
that T iO2 -NPs can accumulate in the bodies of
A) In comparable environments, D.
zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). While
polymorpha and C. carpio display
bioaccumulation of manufactured nanoparticles
comparable rates of T iO2 -NP uptake.
may be inherently worrisome, it has been
hypothesized that T iO2 -NP bioaccumulation in B) Compared with C. carpio, D. polymorpha
invertebrates like D. polymorpha could serve a can tolerate significantly higher T iO2 -NP
valuable proxy role, obviating the need for concentrations without displaying any
manufacturers to conduct costly and intrusive negative effects.
sampling of vertebrate species—such as common
carp (Cyprinus carpio), commonly used in C) It is easier to detect low and harmless
regulatory compliance testing—for nanoparticle concentrations of T iO2 -NPs in D.
bioaccumulation, as environmental protection polymorpha than it is to detect high and
laws currently require. harmful concentrations of T iO2 -NPs in C.
carpio.
D) T iO2 -NP concentrations in D. polymorpha
tend to vary more from individual to
individual than do T iO2 -NP
concentrations in C. carpio when the
species are exposed to similar levels of
T iO2 -NPs.

...................................................................................................

Almost all works of fiction contain references to 22

the progression of time, including the time of
Which finding from the study, if true, would
day when events in a story take place. In a 2020
most directly support the researchers’
study, Allen Kim, Charuta Pethe, and Steven
conclusion?
Skiena claim that an observable pattern in such
references reflects a shift in human behavior A) Novels published after the year 1800
prompted by the spread of electric lighting in include the clock phrase 10 a.m. less often
the late nineteenth century. The researchers than novels published before the year 1800
drew this conclusion from an analysis of more do.
than 50,000 novels spanning many centuries and
cultures, using software to recognize and tally B) Among novels published in the nineteenth
both specific time references—that is, clock century, implied time references become
phrases, such as 7 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.—and steadily more common than clock phrases
implied ones, such as mentions of meals typically as publication dates approach 1900.
associated with a particular time of day. C) The time references of noon (12 p.m.) and
midnight (12 a.m.) are used with roughly
the same frequency in the novels.
D) Novels published after 1880 contain
significantly more references to activities
occurring after 10 p.m. than do novels
from earlier periods.
...................................................................................................

Early Earth is thought to have been 23

characterized by a stagnant lid tectonic regime
Which finding, if true, would most directly
in which the upper lithosphere (the outer rocky
support the researchers’ conclusion?
layer) was essentially immobile and there was no
interaction between the lithosphere and the A) Mantle-derived rocks older than 3.2 billion
underlying mantle. Researchers investigated the years show significantly more
timing of the transition from a stagnant lid compositional diversity than lithospheric
regime to a tectonic plate regime, in which the rocks older than 3.2 billion years do.
lithosphere is fractured into dynamic plates that
in turn allow lithospheric and mantle material to B) There is a positive correlation between the
mix. Examining chemical data from lithospheric age of lithospheric rocks and their chemical
and mantle-derived rocks ranging from 285 similarity to mantle-derived rocks, and
million to 3.8 billion years old, the researchers that correlation increases significantly in
dated the transition to 3.2 billion years ago. strength at around 3.2 billion years old.
C) Among rocks known to be older than 3.2
billion years, significantly more are mantle
derived than lithospheric, but the opposite
is true for the rocks younger than 3.2
billion years.
D) Mantle-derived rocks younger than 3.2
billion years contain some material that is
not found in older mantle-derived rocks
but is found in older and contemporaneous
lithospheric rocks.

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Honda’s introduction of a walk-behind 24
lawnmower in 1978 is an instance of brand
extension—the company leveraged its brand Which finding, if true, would provide evidence
recognition as an automobile manufacturer to that the possibility Grasby et al. investigated
enter a product category where it had not does occur?
previously competed. To determine if perceived
A) Consumers’ ratings and the changes in
category similarity predicts consumers’
probability calculated by the researchers
likelihood of purchasing brand extensions, Alicia
were both affected by level of brand
Grasby et al. identified 30 extended-brand pairs
recognition.
(e.g., the same brand of hand lotion and
mouthwash) in 52 weeks of purchases by B) There was a strong positive correlation
approximately 60,000 households; for each pair, between consumers’ ratings and the
Grasby et al. had consumers rate the similarity changes in probability calculated by the
of the product categories and calculated the researchers.
change in probability of a brand in one category
being purchased if the same brand was C) Consumers’ ratings varied substantially by
purchased in the other category. category pair, whereas the changes in
probability calculated by the researchers
were broadly similar for each pair.
D) Consumers tended to purchase more
products in categories in which
extended-brand pairs are found than in
categories in which extended-brand pairs
are not found.

...................................................................................................

Microsoft’s introduction of the Xbox console in 25

2001 is an instance of brand extension—the
Which finding, if true, would provide evidence
company leveraged its brand recognition as a
that the possibility Grasby et al. investigated
software producer to enter a product category
does occur?
where it had not previously competed. To
determine if perceived category similarity A) Consumers’ ratings varied substantially by
predicts consumers’ likelihood of purchasing category pair, whereas the changes in
brand extensions, Alicia Grasby et al. identified probability calculated by the researchers
30 extended-brand pairs (e.g., the same brand of were broadly similar for each pair.
mobile phone and headphones) in 52 weeks of
purchases by approximately 60,000 households; B) Consumers tended to purchase more
for each pair, Grasby et al. had consumers rate products in categories in which
the similarity of the product categories and extended-brand pairs are found than in
calculated the change in probability of a brand categories in which extended-brand pairs
in one category being purchased if the same are not found.
brand was purchased in the other category. C) There was a strong positive correlation
between consumers’ ratings and the
changes in probability calculated by the
researchers.
D) Consumers’ ratings and the changes in
probability calculated by the researchers
were both affected by level of brand
recognition.
...................................................................................................

The utilization of deceptive antipredator 26

displays is well documented in the little ringed
Which finding, if true, would most strongly
plover (Charadrius dubius) and other species of
support the researchers’ conclusion?
the avian order Charadriiformes. An extensive
literature review conducted by Léna de Framond A) Across the orders in the study,
et al. revealed that this trait has evolved across approximately 54% of the bird species
a surprisingly large phylogenetic distribution of brood in ranges from 50° to 80° absolute
13 Aves orders, including Caprimulgiformes and latitude, but most of the birds that are
Gruiformes. Subsequent investigation of known to use deceptive antipredator
potential selection mechanisms prompted the displays brood between 0° and 30°
researchers to conclude that independent of absolute latitude.
avian order, the prevalence of the trait is
mediated by environmental variations associated B) Deceptive antipredator displays are
with the absolute latitude of brooding sites. documented in Charadriiformes species
across the entire range of absolute
latitudes of brooding sites within that
order, but in species from other orders,
deceptive antipredator displays are
documented only when brooding sites are
at absolute latitudes 10°–20° higher than
what is typical for those species.
C) The use of deceptive antipredator displays
is widespread among Charadriiformes
species independent of the absolute
latitude of their breeding sites, but its
prevalence in other avian orders is limited
to species with brooding sites located in
absolute latitudes of 0°–30°.
D) Across the orders in the study, deceptive
antipredator displays are observed in
approximately 34% of species with
brooding ranges of 0°–30° absolute latitude
and approximately 60% of species with
brooding ranges of 50°–80° absolute
latitude.

...................................................................................................
Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl 27
Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated
the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs Which finding from the study, if true, would
raised in similar settings. The researchers most directly support the team’s conclusions?
monitored the brain activity of Barney (a golden
A) Dogs showed a different pattern of brain
retriever), Bingo (a mixed breed), and other
activity when hearing the language they
dogs while the animals listened to three
were accustomed to than when hearing the
recordings: one of The Little Prince being read
scrambled recording and the difference in
in Spanish, the second in Hungarian, and a third
brain activity increased with the age of the
made up of short, randomly selected fragments
dog scanned.
of the first two, scrambled so that they didn’t
resemble human speech. Each dog was familiar B) Although the dog’s general hearing
with either Spanish or Hungarian, but not both. sensitivity declined with age, dogs of all
The team concluded that the amount of ages showed more brain activity in
previous language exposure a dog has received response to hearing the language they were
may influence its ability to distinguish familiar accustomed to than in response to hearing
languages from unfamiliar ones. the other language.
C) The similarity between the pattern of
brain activity a dog showed in response to
hearing the scrambled recording and the
pattern of brain activity it showed in
response to hearing the language it was
not accustomed to was greatest among
older dogs.
D) The difference between the pattern of
brain activity a dog showed when hearing
the language it was accustomed to and the
pattern of brain activity it showed when
hearing the language it was not
accustomed to was greatest among older
dogs.

...................................................................................................
Cardiff, Wales, has installed engineered 28
structures – mainly breakwalls – along 87% of
its shoreline to protect infrastructure from storm Which finding, if true, would most directly
surges and other hazards, a practice known as support the researchers’ hypothesis?
shoreline hardening. Investigating the impact of
A) Waterbird communities at Back River, a
such structures on waterbird communities at
site with a relatively high percentage of
various sites in the Chesapeake Bay on the US
developed land and a relatively low
East Coast, Diann Prosser et al. hypothesized
percentage of hardened shoreline, had
that shoreline hardening more negatively affects
higher average IWCI scores than did
waterbirds than does land development for uses
waterbird communities at Margothy, a site
such as housing or agriculture. To evaluate the
with a lower percentage of developed land
responses of local waterbird species, including
but a higher percentage of hardened
the osprey, to landscape alterations, the
shoreline.
researchers utilized the Index of Waterbird
Community Integrity (IWCI), on which a low B) Waterbird communities at Langford, a site
score corresponds to low community integrity. with a relatively high percentage of
developed land and a relatively low
percentage of hardened shoreline, had
lower average IWCI scores than did
waterbird communities at Mill, a site with
a lower percentage of developed land but a
higher percentage of hardened shoreline.
C) Waterbird communities at Stony and
Curtis, two sites with relatively high
percentages of developed land and
hardened shoreline, had similar IWCI
scores, whereas waterbird communities at
Ware and Honga, two sites with relatively
low percentage of developed land and
hardened shoreline, had widely differing
IWCI scores.
D) Waterbird communities at Old Road, a
site with a relatively high percentage of
developed land and hardened shoreline,
had lower average IWCI scores than did
waterbird communities at Onancock, a site
with a relatively low percentage of
developed land and hardened shoreline.

...................................................................................................
The bird species Schistocichla leucostigma (the 29
spot-winged antbird) shares some territory in
French Guiana with Thamnomanes caesius (the Which finding, if true, would most directly
cinereous antshrike), which emits a loud alarm support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion?
call when it detects predators. Biologist Ari
A) In some instances, S. leucostigma froze in
Martinez and colleagues recorded T. caesius
place or scattered into vegetation when
alarm calls and played them in the vicinity of
Martinez and colleagues approached but
wild S. leucostigma. Finding that the birds
not before they began playing sounds.
often froze in place or scattered into vegetation
upon hearing the calls, they concluded that S. B) When Martinez and colleagues played
leucostigma associates T. caesius alarm calls control sounds of random noise in the
with danger. vicinity of S. leucostigma, the birds
displayed no reaction.
C) Other bird species than S. leucostigma also
showed a tendency to freeze in place or
scatter into vegetation when Martinez and
colleagues played T. caesius alarm calls.
D) Martínez and colleagues played alarm calls
from different T. caesius individuals and
observed no significant variation in the
responses of S. leucostigma.

...................................................................................................
Mooseberry (Viburnum edule) plants are native 30
to Alaska, where harsh conditions have
historically impeded potential invasive species. Which finding, if true, would most directly
As the boreal climate has warmed in recent support Mulder and Spellman’s conclusion?
decades, however, common knotgrass
A) Although V. edule and P. aviculare both
(Polygonum aviculare) plants have established
tended to produce leaves later into autumn
themselves in Alaska. It has been suggested that
in years with late subfreezing temperature
warming-induced delays in the onset of
onset, the extension was much greater for
subfreezing temperatures in autumn can benefit
P. aviculare than for V. edule.
invasives more than native species; to evaluate
this possibility, biologists Christa Mulder and B) Although significant interannual variations
Katie Spellman tracked V. edule and P. in subfreezing temperature onset were
aviculare, along with other native and invasive observed during the study, neither P.
species, over several years, concluding that aviculare nor V. edule showed any
invasives are advantaged by delays in significant interannual variation in the
subfreezing temperature onset in Alaska. cessation of leaf production.
C) Although V. edule and P. aviculare tended
to stop producing leaves at about the same
time in years with historically typical
temperature patterns, P. aviculare stopped
producing leaves sooner than V. edule did
in years with late subfreezing temperature
onset.
D) Although V. edule and P. aviculare both
tended to produce more leaves overall in
years with late subfreezing temperature
onset than they did in years with
historically typical temperature patterns,
the years with late subfreezing
temperature onset also had early growing
season onset in spring.

...................................................................................................
Water flowing around an obstruction creates 31
vortices (patterns of swirls) of varying size; by
detecting the vortices, fish can determine the Which finding, if true, would most directly
size and position of the obstruction. Testing by support the second research team’s hypothesis?
Yuzo R. Yanagisuru, Otar Akanyeti, and James
A) A study using obstructions that created
C. Liao using models of three head shapes –
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
narrow (low ratio of width to length),
found that the devil catfish (Bagarius
intermediate, and wide (high ratio of width to
bagarius), which has a relatively wide
length) – showed that for large vortices, fish with
head, bumped into more than half of the
intermediate heads would be better able than
obstructions.
wide-headed fish to distinguish between vortices
and general turbulence in the water. A second B) A study using obstructions that created
research team has therefore hypothesized that in large vortices in low-visibility conditions
low-visibility conditions, intermediate-headed found that the wide-headed devil catfish
fish will be more likely than wide-headed fish to (Bagarius bagarius) bumped into
detect obstructions that create large vortices. obstructions more often than the
intermediate-headed rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) did.
C) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that the intermediate-headed
rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
bumped into the obstructions just as often
as the wide-headed devil catfish (Bagarius
bagarius) did.
D) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that some specimens of the
intermediate-headed rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) bumped into the
obstructions more often than other
specimens of the same fish did.

...................................................................................................
The bird species Myiobius barbatus (the 32
bearded flycatcher) shares some territory in
French Guiana with Thamnomanes caesius (the Which finding, if true, would most directly
cinereous antshrike), which emits a loud alarm support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion?
call when it detects predators. Biologist Ari
A) Other bird species than M. barbatus also
Martinez and colleagues recorded T. caesius
showed a tendency to freeze in place or
alarm calls and played them in the vicinity of
scatter into vegetation when Martinez and
wild M. barbatus. Finding that the birds often
colleagues played T. caesius alarm calls.
froze in place or scattered into vegetation upon
hearing the calls, they concluded that M. B) Martinez and colleagues played alarm calls
barbatus associates T. caesius alarm calls with from different T. caesius individuals and
danger. observed no significant variation in the
responses of M. barbatus.
C) In some instances, M. barbatus froze or
scattered into vegetation when Martinez
and colleagues approached but not before
they began playing sounds.
D) When Martinez and colleagues played
control sounds of random noise in the
vicinity of M. barbatus, the birds
displayed no reaction.

...................................................................................................

The linguistic niche hypothesis (LNH) posits 33

that the exotericity of languages (how prevalent
Which finding, if true, would most directly
non-native speakers are) and grammatical
support Shcherbakova and colleagues’ claim?
complexity are inversely related, which the LNH
ascribes to attrition of complex grammatical A) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis
rules as more non-native speakers adopt the showed a slightly positive correlation
language but fail to acquire those rules. between grammatical complexity and
Focusing on two characteristics that are positive fusion.
indices of grammatical complexity, fusion (when
new phonemes arise from the merger of B) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis
previously distinct ones) and informativity showed a slightly negative correlation
(languages’ capacity for meaningful variation), between grammatical complexity and
Olena Shcherbakova and colleagues conducted a exotericity.
quantitative analysis for more than 1,300
C) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis
languages and claim the outcome is inconsistent
showed a slightly positive correlation
with the LNH.
between fusion and exotericity and
between informativity and exotericity.
D) Shcherbakova and colleagues’ analysis
showed a slightly negative correlation
between grammatical complexity and
fusion and between grammatical
complexity and informativity.
Among the most visited art museums in the 34
world, the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid had
approximately 4.4 million visitors in 2019. The Which statement, if true, would most directly
Museo Reina Sofía also offers virtual tours that support the administrators’ claim?
art lovers can view online for free. Although
A) Most surveyed visitors to the Museo Reina
there were initial concerns that people who
Sofía indicated that they lived somewhere
viewed the virtual tours would then consider an
other than Madrid.
in-person visit unnecessary, museum
administrators claim that their surveys of B) Many surveyed visitors to the Museo Reina
in-person visitors show that those concerns were Sofía indicated that the virtual tours
unjustified. convinced them to plan an in-person visit.
C) Many surveyed visitors to the Museo
Reina Sofía indicated that they would
likely view the virtual tours in order to
reminisce about their in-person visit.
D) Most surveyed visitors to the Museo Reina
Sofía indicated that they were unaware of
the virtual tours before their first
in-person visit.

...................................................................................................

Growing seasons in Alaska have been extending 35

further into the year in response to climate
Which finding, if true, would most directly
warming, potentially enabling increased carbon
support the researchers’ conclusion?
dioxide (CO2 ) absorption through greater
productivity of marsh cinquefoil (Comarum A) Early snow melt extends the period in
palustre) plants and other vegetation, but also which plant species such as C. palustre can
potentially enabling increased CO2 output absorb CO2 but has no effect on the rate
through greater heterotrophic respiration (CO2 of heterotrophic respiration.
generated by the activity of soil
microorganisms). Hydrologist Yonghong Yi and B) Early snow melt slows the growth of plant
her colleagues developed a model incorporating species such as C. palustre by reducing soil
numerous inputs – years of solar radiation and insulation, and it suppresses heterotrophic
snow cover data among them – to evaluate the respiration.
effects of warming on the CO2 balance in C) Early snow melt reduces the amount of
Alaska, concluding that net CO2 is likely to soil moisture available for the growth of
increase if warming hastens spring snow melt. plant species such as C. palustre, and it
raises the rate of heterotrophic respiration.
D) Early snow melt amplifies the effect of
solar radiation on the growth of plant
species such as C. palustre and on the rate
of heterotrophic respiration.

...................................................................................................
A team of public transportation experts in 36
Detroit is creating a new streetcar stop for the
Woodward Avenue Streetcar system that will Which finding, if true, would most directly
service a neighborhood in which a stop does not support the researcher’s claim?
currently exist. To decide where to place the
A) The number of sidewalks and crosswalks in
stop, the team is using a survey from ten years
the neighborhood that the streetcar stop
ago that asked how far neighborhood residents
will service has increased substantially in
would be willing to walk to a streetcar stop.
the last ten years.
The team also looked at studies showing that
people’s willingness to walk to public transit is B) Residents of Detroit are much less likely to
influenced by factors like weather and the use public transit on rainy days than on
presence of paved sidewalks and available clear days.
crosswalks. A researcher has argued that the
survey does not accurately reflect the feelings of C) There has been a sharp increase in the last
today’s residents of this neighborhood. ten years in cyclists who use the roads in
the neighborhood that the streetcar stop
will service.
D) Current users of the Woodward Avenue
Streetcar are satisfied with the number of
stops along the line.

...................................................................................................

Some food packaging contains silver 37

nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), which can leach into
Which finding, if true, would most directly
waterways and soils via wastewater. In a 2015
support the hypothesis presented in the text?
study, Tina Ramskov and colleagues found that
Ag-NPs can accumulate in the bodies of marine A) When C. teleta and S. salar are exposed to
annelid worms (Capitella teleta). While similar levels of Ag-NPs, individuals of the
bioaccumulation of manufactured nanoparticles two species tend to accumulate similar
may be inherently worrisome, it has been amounts of Ag-NPs, adjusted for body
hypothesized that Ag-NP bioaccumulation in size.
invertebrates like C. teleta could serve a
valuable proxy role, obviating the need for B) Ag-NP concentrations in C. teleta
manufacturers to conduct costly and intrusive correlate strongly with Ag-NP levels in the
sampling of vertebrate species – such as Atlantic environment, whereas Ag-NP
salmon (Salmo salar), commonly used in concentrations in S. salar are fairly stable
regulatory compliance testing – for nanoparticle regardless of environment.
bioaccumulation, as environmental protection
C) Compared with S. salar, C. teleta can
laws currently require.
tolerate significantly higher Ag-NP
concentrations without displaying any
negative effects.
D) It is easier to detect low and harmless
concentrations of Ag-NPs in C. teleta than
it is to detect high and harmful
concentrations of Ag-NPs in S. salar.

...................................................................................................
Mooseberry (Viburnum edule) plants are native 38
to Alaska, where harsh conditions have
historically impeded potential invasive species. Which finding, if true, would most directly
As the boreal climate has warmed in recent support Mulder and Spellman’s conclusion?
decades, however, common knotgrass
A) Although V. edule and P. aviculare both
(Polygonum aviculare) plants have established
tended to produce leaves later into autumn
Johann themselves in Alaska. It has been
in years with late subfreezing temperature
suggested that warming-induced delays in the
onset, the extension was much greater for
onset of subfreezing temperatures in autumn
P. aviculare than for V. edule.
can benefit invasives more than native species;
to evaluate this possibility, biologists Christa B) Although significant interannual variations
Mulder and Katie Spellman tracked V. edule in subfreezing temperature onset were
and P. aviculare, along with other native and observed during the study, neither P.
invasive species, over several years, concluding aviculare nor V. edule showed any
that invasives are advantaged by delays in significant interannual variation in the
subfreezing temperature onset in Alaska. cessation of leaf production.
C) Although V. edule and P. aviculare tended
to stop producing leaves at about the same
time in years with historically typical
temperature patterns, P. aviculare stopped
producing leaves sooner than V. edule did
in years with late subfreezing temperature
onset.
D) Although V. edule and P. aviculare both
tended to produce more leaves overall in
years with late subfreezing temperature
onset than they did in years with
historically typical temperature patterns,
the years with late subfreezing
temperature onset also had early growing
season onset in spring.

...................................................................................................
The bird species Hylophilus ochraceiceps (the 39
tawny-crowned greenlet) shares some territory
in French Guiana with Thamnomanes caesius Which finding, if true, would most directly
(the cinereous antshrike), which emits a loud support Martinez and colleagues’ conclusion?
alarm call when it detects predators. Biologist
A) When Martínez and colleagues played
Ari Martinez and colleagues recorded T. caesius
control sounds of random noise in the
alarm calls and played them in the vicinity of
vicinity of H. ochraceiceps, the birds
wild H. ochraceiceps. Finding that the birds
displayed no reaction.
often froze in place or scattered into vegetation
upon hearing the calls, they concluded that H. B) Other bird species than H. ochraceiceps
ochraceiceps associates T. caesias alarm calls also showed a tendency to freeze in place
with danger. or scatter into vegetation when Martinez
and colleagues played T. caesius alarm
calls.
C) Martinez and colleagues played alarm calls
from different T. caesius individuals and
observed no significant variation in the
responses of H. ochraceiceps.
D) In some instances, H. ochraceiceps froze in
place or scattered into vegetation when
Martinez and colleagues approached but
before they began playing sounds.

...................................................................................................
Apple’s introduction of the iPhone in 2007 is a 40
quintessential instance of brand extension—the
company leveraged its brand recognition as a Based on the text, which potential study design
computer manufacturer to enter a product would be most likely to produce evidence that
category where it had not previously competed. would enable Grasby et al. to answer their
An outstanding question is whether perceived research question?
category similarity predicts consumers’ A) Have a representative sample of the
likelihood of purchasing brand extensions. To households rate the similarity of the
answer this question, Alicia Grasby et al. product categories in each extended-brand
identified 30 extended-brand pairs (e.g., the pair, then determine how, if at all, those
same brand of laundry detergent and air ratings correlate with the change in
freshener) in 52 weeks of purchases by probability that the team calculated for
approximately 60,000 households and, for each each pair.
pair, calculated the change in probability of a
B) Have a representative sample of the
brand in one category being purchased if the
households rate the similarity of one
same brand was purchased in the other category.
product in each extended-brand pair to
other products in the same category, then
determine how, if at all, those ratings
correlate with the change in probability
that the team calculated for each pair.
C) Poll a representative sample of the
households to determine the degree of
brand recognition for each brand in the
extended-brand pairs, then determine how,
if at all, the degree of brand recognition
correlates with the frequency with which a
different group of households purchased at
least one product of that brand.
D) Poll a representative sample of the
households to determine the degree of
brand recognition of each brand in the
extended-brand pairs, then determine how,
if at all, the degree of brand recognition
correlates with the average cost of each
product in the pairs.
...................................................................................................

Veronica L. Bura, Akito Y. Kawahara, and 41

Jayne E. Yack investigated the evolution and
Which finding, if true, would most directly
function of sound production in silk moth and
support Bura and colleagues’ claim?
hawk moth caterpillars. They found that during
harmless simulated attacks on isolated A) In most cases, the sound that caterpillar
caterpillars, 33% of the tested species produced species produced during simulated attacks
sound, which ranged from clicks in Manduca was not produced by other caterpillar
pellenia to whistles in Rhodinia fugax. Although species during simulated attacks.
some insects use sound to communicate with
members of the same species, the researchers B) Chickens and yellow warblers, two
claim that the caterpillar sounds recorded in predators of caterpillars, have been
their study are directed primarily at predators. observed to stop their attacks in response
to caterpillar sounds.
C) Caterpillar clicks were emitted in a
frequency detectable by birds that prey on
caterpillars, but caterpillar whistles were
not.
D) Each caterpillar species tended to produce
one sound during simulated attacks,
although individuals occasionally made a
variety of other sounds during simulated
attacks as well.
Neurobiologists Laura Cuaya, Raúl 42
Hernández-Pérez, and colleagues investigated
the language detection abilities of eighteen dogs Which finding from the study, if true, would
raised in similar settings. The researchers most directly support the team’s conclusion?
monitored the brain activity of Grog (a border A) Although the dogs’ general hearing
collie), Alma (a mixed breed), and other dogs sensitivity declined with age, dogs of all
while the animals listened to three recordings: ages showed more brain activity in
one of The Little Prince being read in Spanish, response to hearing the language they were
the second in Hungarian, and a third made up accustomed to than in response to hearing
of short, randomly selected fragments of the first the other language.
two, scrambled so that they didn’t resemble
human speech. Each dog was familiar with B) The difference between the pattern of
either Spanish or Hungarian, but not both. The brain activity a dog showed when hearing
team concluded that the amount of previous the language it was accustomed to and the
language exposure a dog has received may pattern of brain activity it showed when
influence its ability to distinguish familiar hearing the language it was not
languages from unfamiliar ones. accustomed to was greatest among older
dogs.
C) The similarity between the pattern of
brain activity a dog showed in response to
hearing the scrambled recording and the
pattern of brain activity it showed in
response to hearing the language it was
not accustomed to was greatest among
older dogs.
D) Dogs showed a different pattern of brain
activity when hearing the language they
were accustomed to than when hearing the
scrambled recording, and the difference in
brain activity increased with the age of the
dog scanned.

...................................................................................................
Water flowing around an obstruction creates 43
vortices (patterns of swirls) of varying size; by
detecting the vortices, fish can determine the Which finding, if true, would most directly
size and position of the obstruction. Testing by support the second research team’s hypothesis?
Yuzo R. Yanagisuru, Otar Akanyeti, and James A) A study using obstructions that created
C. Liao using models of three head medium-sized vortices in low-visibility
shapes—narrow (low ratio of width to length), conditions found that the anglerfish
intermediate, and wide (high ratlo of width to (Lophiodes monodi), which has a
length)—showed that for medium-sized vortices, relatively wide head, bumped into more
fish with wide heads would be least able to than half of the obstructions.
distinguish between vortices and general
turbulence in the water. A second research team B) A study using obstructions that created
has therefore hypothesized that in low-visibility medium-sized vortices in low-visibility
conditions, wider-headed fish will be less likely conditions found that the narrower-headed
than narrower-headed fish to detect dusky smooth-hound (Mustelus canis)
obstructions. bumped into the obstructions just as often
as the wider-headed anglerfish (Lophiodes
monodi) did.
C) A study using obstructions that created
medium-sized vortices in low-visibility
conditions found that the wider-headed
anglerfish (Lophiodes monodi) bumped
into obstructions more often than the
narrower-headed dusky smooth-hound
(Mustelus canis) did.
D) A study using obstructions that created
medium-sized vortices in low-visibility
conditions found that some specimens of
dusky smooth-hound (Mustelus canis),
which has a relatively narrow head,
bumped into the obstructions more often
than other specimens of the same fish did.
Although Eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray 44
whales generally migrate between their
wintering waters along the coast of Mexico and Which finding, if true, would most directly
their foraging waters in the Arctic, a subset of support the researchers’ claim regarding the size
this population—known as the Pacific Coast of PCFG whales?
Feeding Group (PCFG)—forages along the A) When foraging along the coasts of
coastlines of Northern California (USA) and Northern California and British Columbia,
British Columbia (Canada) instead. PCFG whales are in closer proximity to
Interestingly, individuals in this subset reach major ports and urban populations than
smaller maximum sizes than other ENP whales ENP whales in the main group are when
do, despite having similar pre-maximum growth foraging in Arctic waters.
rates. Researchers hypothesize that this
difference may be an adaptation to distinct B) When present along the coasts of Northern
resource opportunities in the PCFG foraging California and British Columbia, PCFG
range. whales tend to forage in rocky kelp beds at
shallow depths inaccessible to whales as
large as those in the ENP main group.
C) Certain crustacean prey species available
along the coasts of Northern California
and British Columbia where PCFG whales
tend to forage are not available in the
Arctic waters where ENP whales in the
main group forage.
D) The average body size of PCFG whales
observed along the coasts of Northern
California and British Columbia has
remained relatively steady in recent
decades, while the average body size of
ENP whales in the main group has slightly
decreased.

...................................................................................................
Piezoelectric harvesters convert kinetic energy 45
(resonance) to electrical energy, precluding the
need for external electrical sources. The Which finding, if true, would most directly
vibration of a spacecraft, for example, can support the text’s claim about wireless
provide sufficient energy to power many of its communication devices?
sensors piezoelectrically. A newly designed A) The near-constant kinetic vibration of a
piezoelectric harvester incorporating a highly spacecraft makes it possible to power its
conductive carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer wireless communication devices using only
(CFRP) electrode has been shown to provide non-CFRP piezoelectric harvesters.
steady energy loads during resonance, an
absolute prerequisite for wireless communication B) Intermittent or unpredictable electrical
devices to be powered piezoelectrically. supply undermines the efficacy of wireless
communication devices.
C) The CFRP electrode is incompatible with
most wireless communication devices.
D) The high conductivity of the CFRP is
what makes the energy output from a
piezoelectric harvester sufficient for
wireless communication devices.

...................................................................................................
Ningyo joruri is a form of theater that was 46
popular in eighteenth-century Japan and that
unites puppetry with playing of the shamisen, a Which statement, if true, would most strongly
stringed musical instrument. The popularity of support the claim in the underlined sentence?
ningyo joruri was due to a puppetry method A) The kuruma ningyo puppeteering method
called sannin zukai, in which three puppeteers is not easy: it requires fewer puppeteers to
operated a single puppet that was large, manipulate puppets that are as large as
detailed, and capable of extensive movement those used in sannin zukai, but each
and nuanced emotional expression. Over the puppeteer’s work is more complex.
ensuing centuries, audience interest in ningvo
joruri began to decline and saunin zukal became B) The costs of building sannin zukai puppets
prohibitively expensive to mount so that sannin were very high until the advent of
zukai puppeteers could no longer make the machine-based production methods in the
profession a full-time career. Eventually, ningyo nineteenth century made them comparable
forurt productions resorted to cheaper forms of to the costs of building kuruma ningyo
puppetry, such as kuruma ningyo, which puppets.
Involves only one puppeteer
C) In 1872, Japanese puppeteer Nishikawa
Koryu developed a technique called
kuruma ningyo, or cart puppetry, in which
puppets have wooden pegs on their feet
that the puppeteer can manipulate by
moving his own feet.
D) The few remaining theatrical companies
with sannin zukai performers in the
present day are mostly amateur troupes,
in which members have other forms of
employment that serve as their primary
source of income.

...................................................................................................
Adelaide, Australia, has installed engineered 47
structures along 53% of its shoreline to protect
infrastructure from wave erosion and other Which finding, if true, would most directly
hazards, a practice known as shoreline support researchers’ finding?
hardening. To evaluate the responses of A) The difference in average IWCI scores for
waterbirds to two types of hardening waterbird communities at Stony and Old
structures—riprap and bulkheads—Diann Road, two sites with a higher percentage
Prosser et al. surveyed waterbird communities of shoreline consisting of bulkheads than of
consisting of the brown pelican, the red knot, riprap, was statistically insignificant.
and 62 other species at different sites in the
Chesapeake Bay on the US East Coast. B) Waterbird communities at Curtis, a site
Utilizing the Index of Waterbird Community with equal percentages of shoreline
Integrity (IWCI), on which a high score consisting of bulkheads and riprap, had
corresponds to high community Integrity, the higher average IWCI scores than did
researchers found that bulkheads are more waterbird communities at Miles, a site
strongly negatively correlated with waterbird with different percentages of shoreline
community integrity than is riprap. consisting of bulkheads and riprap.
C) Waterbird communities at Old Road, a
site with a relatively high percentage of
shoreline consisting of bulkheads, had
lower average IWCI scores than did
waterbird communities at Miles, a site
with a relatively high percentage of
shoreline consisting of riprap.
D) Waterbird communities at Curtis, a site
with a high percentage of shoreline
consisting of bulkheads and riprap, had
lower average IWCI scores than did
waterbird communities at Onancock, a site
with a low percentage of shoreline
consisting of bulkheads and riprap.

...................................................................................................
Piezoelectric harvesters convert kinetic energy 48
(resonance) to electrical energy, precluding the
need for external electrical sources. The Which finding, if true, would most directly
vibration of a spacecraft, for example, can support the text’s claim about wireless
provide sufficient energy to power many of its communication devices?
sensors piezoelectrically. A newly designed A) The near-constant kinetic vibration of a
piezoelectric harvester incorporating a highly spacecraft makes it possible to power its
conductive carbon fiber reinforced polymer wireless communication devices using only
(CFRP) electrode has been shown to provide non-CFRP piezoelectric harvesters.
steady energy loads during resonance, an
absolute prerequisite for wireless communication B) Intermittent or unpredictable electrical
devices to be powered piezoelectrically. supply undermines the efficacy of wireless
communication devices.
C) The CFRP electrode is incompatible with
most wireless communication devices.
D) The high conductivity of the CFRP is
what makes the energy output from a
piezoelectric harvester sufficient for
wireless communication devices.

...................................................................................................

To help combat the growing rate of microplastic 49

pollution, a team of researchers developed a
Which finding, if true, would most directly
synthetic sponge that can soak up microplastic
support Adlhart’s claim?
particles from liquid. The sponge, composed
mainly of starch and gelatin, does this by A) Textiles are one of the largest sources of
trapping the tiny particles within its pores. microplastic pollution in our oceans.
Guoqing Wang, one of the researchers, says that
the formula for the sponge can be adjusted to B) The sponge created by Wang and his team
best suit the size of particle the sponge is has a relatively light weight for its volume,
intended to trap, making it versatile in its making it potentially easy to ship to
potential applications. Chemist Christian different locations.
Adlhart, however, claims that this sponge would C) The absorption capabilities of the sponge
be difficult to massproduce. created by Wang and his team varied
depending on the liquid solution used in
the team’s experiments.
D) The worldwide supply of starch and
gelatin is in high demand from the food
industry, so those substances would be
difficult to source in significant quantities.

...................................................................................................
Born in Chile in 1917, artist and 50
ethnomusicologist Violeta Parra was a pioneer in
the nueva canción chilena (Chilean New Song) Which detail about songs associated with nueva
movement that emerged in the late 1950s and canción, if true, would best illustrate the
then spread throughout Latin America, underlined claim?
Portugal, and Spain as nueva canción. Parra A) Many feature political commentary
traveled all over Chile compiling extensive addressing contemporary issues that
records of authentic folk music as well as stemmed from shared experiences of
recipes, proverbs, and other facets of cultural European colonization in Latin American
history. These records formed the foundation for countries.
the early movement’s revival of traditional
Chilean folk forms in new songs that represented B) Many demonstrate the stylistic influence of
modern realities of the working class and corrido, a genre of narrative songs from
strongly advocated for social change. As the Mexico that had come to be characterized
movement spread beyond Chile, the breadth of by political themes in the early 1800s.
musical traditions incorporated into its
C) Many were written with parts meant to be
foundation also expanded.
played on the quena, a traditional flute
used across Andean countries, including
Chile.
D) Many were produced by Argentinian
artists in the late 1950s, with others by
artists in additional Latin American
countries first emerging soon after.

...................................................................................................
Norfolk, Virginia, has installed engineered 51
structures along 56% of its shoreline to protect
infrastructure from wave erosion and other Which finding, if true, would most directly
hazards, a practice known as shoreline illustrate the researchers’ finding?
hardening. To evaluate the responses of A) Waterbird communities at Curtis, a site
waterbirds to two types of hardening with a high percentage of shoreline
structures—riprap and bulkheads—Diann consisting of bulkheads and riprap, had
Prosser et al surveyed waterbird communities lower average IWCI scores than did
consisting of the osprey, the common tern, and waterbird communities at Onancock, a site
62 other species at different sites in the with a low percentage of shoreline
Chesapeake Bay on the US East Coast. consisting of bulkheads and riprap.
Utilizing the Index of Waterbird Community
Integrity (IWCI), on which a high score B) Waterbird communities at Old Road, a
corresponds to high community Integrity, the site with a relatively high percentage of
researchers found that bulkheads are more shoreline consisting of bulkheads, had
strongly negatively correlated with waterbird lower average IWCI scores than did
community integrity than is riprap. waterbird communities at Miles, a site
with a relatively high percentage of
shoreline consisting of riprap.
C) Waterbird communities at Curtis, a site
with equal percentages of shoreline
consisting of bulkheads and riprap, had
higher average IWCI scores than did
waterbird communities at Miles, a site
with different percentages of shoreline
consisting of bulkheads and riprap.
D) The difference in average IWCI scores for
waterbird communities at Stony and Old
Road, two sites with a higher percentage
of shoreline consisting of bulkheads than of
riprap, was statistically insignificant.

...................................................................................................
The bird species Malacoptilafusca (the 52
white-chested puffbird) practices a foraging
strategy known as sallying (catching insects in Which finding, if true, would most directly
flight and returning to a perch to eat them), support Martínez and colleagues’ hypothesis?
enabling it to scan for prey and predators A) When Martinez and colleagues played
simultaneously. Conversely, Myrmotherula control sounds of random noise, only M.
guttata (the rufous-bellled antwren), with which guttata displayed predator-avoidance
M. fusca shares territory in French Guiana, behavior, whereas both M. guttata and M.
practices foliage gleaning (picking insects off fusca displayed such behavior when alarm
leaves), substantially limiting the bird’s field of calls from another local bird species were
vision while foraging. Biologist Ari Martínez played.
and colleagues hypothesized that the greater
vulnerability inherent in the latter strategy is B) When Martinez and colleagues played
reflected in greater sensitivity to predator alarm calls from a species that does not
warning signals from neighboring species. share territory with M. fusca and M.
guttata, M. fusca displayed predator
avoidance behavior, whereas M. guttata
did not display any behavioral change.
C) When Martinez and colleagues played
alarm calls from another local bird species,
M. guttata displayed predator avoidance
behavior, whereas M. fusca did not display
any behavioral change.
D) When Martunez and colleagues played M.
fusca alarm calls, only M. fusca displayed
predator-avoidance behavior, whereas both
M. fusca and M. guttata displayed such
behavior when M. guttata alarm calls were
played
In medieval England, singers and minstrels 53
made livings as traveling performers, but the
pieces they performed have been a mystery, Which statement, if true, would most strongly
thought to be lost or never committed to paper support Wade’s argument?
at all. Recently, however, James Wade has A) Heege’s collection contains the earliest
argued that a manuscript collection compiled in examples of the three pieces in question,
the fifteenth century by Richard Heege contains but each of those pieces occurs in other
three pieces likely copied from a repertoire book manuscript collections compiled after
belonging to a minstrel working in the area Heege’s.
around Heege’s home. Wade cites features of the
texts indicative of live performance, such as B) The three pieces in question contain
chastising the audience, extensive use of simple references that presume that the audience
structures (allowing for easy memorization), and is familiar with Brackonwet and other
requests for tips (payment) from listeners. small villages near where Heege lived.
C) Features like simple structures also occur
in other texts from the period that were
widely read but are not known to have
been performed for live audiences.
D) Traveling minstrels are thought to have
performed mainly for elite audiences, and
other parts of Heege’s collection reflect his
interest in works with popular appeal

...................................................................................................
Psychologists Gregory Bryant, Dorsa Amir, and 54
colleagues investigated cross-cultural perceptions
of spontaneous (real) laughter and volitional Which potential finding from the team’s study,
(fake or forced) laughter. Study participants if true, would most directly support the team’s
from 21 societies, including those in Austria and conclusion?
Samoa, listened to randomized recordings of 18
A) An assessment of the effect of demographic
spontaneous laughs taken from natural
variables on judgements of laughter type
conversations between pairs of women and 18
in Austria, Samoa, and the other societies
volitional laughs produced separately by 18
in the study revealed that participants’
different women in response to an instruction to
evaluations were correlated with the
laugh. Analysis of the participants’ evaluations
economic conditions of the societies in
of the laughs prompted the team to conclude
which participants live.
that the ability to distinguish between
spontaneous and volitional laughter appears to B) The overall rate of correct judgments by
be universal across cultures. participants was 64%, substantially better
than chance, and spontaneous and
volitional laughs were recognized at similar
rates in Austria, Samoa, and the other
societies in the study.
C) Acoustic features of spontaneous laughter,
such as pitch and intensity, have
measurable variations both within and
across societies.
D) A variety of people from Austria and
Samoa evaluated the recordings in the
study, and no significant differences in
listeners’ judgments of laughter types were
found.
Water flowing around an obstruction creates 55
vortices (swirls) that vary in size with the
obstruction’s size and position, and fish sense Which finding, if true, would most directly
these vortices to navigate around the support the second research team’s hypothesis?
obstructions. Using models of three fish-head
A) A study using obstructions that created
shapes—narrow (low ratio of width to length),
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
intermediate, and wide (high ratio of width to
found that some specimens of the
length)— Yuzo R. Yanagisuru, Otar Akanyeti,
narrow-headed flat needlefish (Ablennes
and James C. Liao showed that as vortex size
hians) bumped into the obstructions more
increases, pressure fluctuations at the snout
often than other specimens of the same
increase for narrow-headed fish but remain low
fish did.
for wide-headed fish. A second research team
has therefore hypothesized that in low visibility, B) A study using obstructions that created
a fish will be more likely to avoid an obstruction large vortices in low-visibility conditions
when the associated pressure fluctuations at the found that the narrow-headed flat
fish’s snout are greater. needlefish (Ablennes hians) bumped into
the obstructions just as often as the
wide-headed devil catfish (Bagarius
bagarius) did.
C) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that the wide-headed devil catfish
(Bagarius bagarius) bumped into
obstructions more often than the
narrow-headed flat needlefish (Ablennes
hians) did.
D) A study using obstructions that created
large vortices in low-visibility conditions
found that the devil catfish (Bagarius
bagarius), which has a relatively wide
head, bumped into more than half of the
obstructions.
In medieval England, jugglers and minstrels 56
made livings as traveling performers, but the
pieces they performed have been a mystery, Which statement, if true, would most strongly
thought to be lost or never committed to paper support Wade’s argument?
at all. Recently, however, James Wade has
A) The three pieces in question contain
argued that a manuscript collection compiled in
references that presume that the audience
the fifteenth century by Richard Heege contains
is familiar with Brackonwet and other
three pieces likely copied froma repertoire book
small villages near where Heege lived.
belonging to a minstrel working in the area
around Heege’s home. Wade cites features of the B) Features like simple rhyming also occur in
texts indicative of live performance, such as other texts from the period that were
politely addressing the audience, extensive use widely read but are not known to have
of simple rhyming (allowing for easy been performed for live audiences.
memorization), and requests for tips (payment)
from listeners. C) Heege’s collection contains the earliest
examples of the three pieces in question,
but each of those pieces occurs in other
manuscript collections compiled after
Heege’s.
D) Traveling minstrels are thought to have
performed mainly for elite audiences, and
other parts of Heege’s collection reflect his
interest in works with popular appeal.

...................................................................................................

Radamés Cordero et al. have confirmed that 57

twenty mushroom species (including Coprinellus
Which statement about the mycelium of the
micaceus and species from the genus Russula)
twenty mushroom species is best supported by
maintain subambient temperatures in both their
the text?
fruited bodies and their mycelium (the root-like
hyphae from which the fruited bodies grow), A) Variation in thermoregulation across the
though the benefits of this hypothermic mycelium may occur independent of the
behavior are unclear. Noting that relative presence or absence of fruited bodies.
coldness was more pronounced in fruiting than
in nonfruiting sites of the mycelium—a B) The correlation between higher mycelium
difference that persisted even after fruited temperature and greater fruit productivity
bodies were detached—the researchers speculate indicates that successful reproduction may
that thermoregulation in the mycelium may be dependent on thermoregulation in the
influence reproductive success. mycelium.
C) Temperatures in the fruiting areas of the
mycelium are lower than in the nonfruiting
areas due to differences in the depth and
spread of the mycelium within soil or other
organic matter.
D) The mycelium generally maintains
temperatures lower than those of the
fruited bodies even when considering
temperature variations between fruiting
and nonfruiting sites.
...................................................................................................

Over the course of the 1900s, more and more 58

Native Hawaiians spoke English instead of the
Which statement, if true, would most directly
Hawaiian language. To preserve their language,
support the underlined claim?
Native Hawaiian teachers founded the ’Aha
Pünana Leo preschool in 1984. They spoke A) Besides Native Hawaiians, tens of
Hawaiian while teaching, and their Native thousands of people from other Pacific
Hawaiian students were soon able to understand Islander communities live in Hawai’i today,
and speak it themselves. The school was a huge including over 37,000 Samoans.
success. Eventually it opened locations around
Hawai’i and started teaching Hawaiian to B) Fewer than fifty children could speak
elementary and high school students too. Hawaiian when ’Aha Pünana Leo was
Thanks to ’Aha Punana Leo, the number of founded, but now more than 2,000
young people who speak the language has students at ’Aha Pünana Leo speak it
increased. C) Hawaiian is very similar to other languages
that are spoken on the Polynesian Islands
of the Pacific Ocean, including Tahitian,
Samoan, and Maori.
D) Roughly 680,000 Native Hawaiian people
lived in the United States in 2020, and a
little less than half of them lived in
Hawai’i.

...................................................................................................
Answers: Command of Evidence - Support

Number Answer Number Answer

1 D 2 B
3 C 4 A
5 B 6 D
7 B 8 D
9 A 10 C
11 B 12 C
13 C 14 C
15 A 16 A
17 C 18 C
19 B 20 B
21 A 22 D
23 D 24 B
25 C 26 D
27 D 28 A
29 B 30 A
31 B 32 D
33 C 34 B
35 C 36 A
37 A 38 A
39 A 40 A
41 B 42 A
Number Answer Number Answer
43 C 44 B
45 B 46 D
47 C 48 B
49 D 50 B
51 B 52 C
53 B 54 B
55 C 56 A
57 A 58 B