The Correct Answer (C) Was Chosen by 73% of Test Takers

Practice Test C

Answers and Explanations

1.

To answer this question, you must know the meaning of the terms presented as answer choices. Extended definitions are, as the term suggests, long definitions that provide details, examples, or amplification. Since the first paragraph defines homologous similarities, and the second defines analogous similarities, and since both definitions elaborate on the everyday meaning of these words, choice (C) is the correct answer. There are no elaborate p9126metaphors in either paragraph, nor are there any series of p9134parallel structures, so choices (A) and (B) are incorrect. There are no opposing viewpoints presented in the passage, so option (D) is not the answer. And no cause-and-effect relationships are described, so choice (E) is not correct.

The correct answer (C) was chosen by 73% of test takers.

2.

To answer this straightforward question, you need to review the section of the passage where homologous similarities are discussed and find a p9150synonym for "homologous." In line 6, the words "or genealogical" are set off in commas just after the word "homologous," signifying that "genealogical" is a synonym. Choice (B) is therefore correct. The other four answer choices are words that appear in the passage, but when you read them in the context of the sentences in which they appear, you can see that they are not synonyms for the word "homologous."

The correct answer (B) was chosen by 91% of test takers.

3.

To answer this question, first locate the quotation in the passage; note that the paragraph in which the quotation appears is about analogous similarities. Also note that the quoted phrase describes the examples offered for hexagonal shapes--soap bubbles, a turtle's shell, basalt pillar--and so is part of the example. Therefore, choice (C) is the correct choice. Option (A) is incorrect because it deals with homologous, not analogous, relationships, and choice (B) is wrong because false perceptions are not discussed in this part of the passage. Similarly, the author offers no bridge between homologous and analogous similarities, making option (D) incorrect. Finally, choice (E) may seem plausible, since the example in lines 33-34 is an example of formal or morphological resemblance; but this relationship is one of similarity rather than contrast, so option (E) is not correct.

The correct answer (C) was chosen by 73% of test takers.

4.

This question requires you to evaluate the author's p9155tone in this part of the passage. Note that by choosing the pronouns "our" (line 37) and "we" (lines 40 and 42), Gould includes himself among those who "make such mistakes all the time," which suggests he thinks making this sort of mistake is a reasonable thing to do. Choice (A), which captures the author's empathetic tone, is therefore the correct answer. Options (B) and (C) are incorrect because the author's tone is neither cautioning nor skeptical. Rather, he is impressed with the significance and complexity of the natural historian's task. Option (D) may be attractive because Gould does discuss the need to distinguish "the meaningful from the meaningless," but public opinion about classification is not discussed at all. Finally, choice (E) is incorrect because no opposing points of view, either direct or implied, are discussed in the passage.

The correct answer (A) was chosen by 53% of test takers.

5. This question requires you to select a suitable paraphrase of the quoted text. In lines 44-45, the speaker says that people with good judgment do not see significance in superficial similarities because their intuitions have been sharpened by training and experience. Choice (D), which captures this idea, is the correct answer. Option (A) is an inference that misreads the speaker's meaning. Choice (B) may be attractive because it is a generally true statement and Gould does discuss the complexity of the world in the previous sentence, but it is not a paraphrase of the quoted text. Similarly, the author does not discuss personal taste in lines 44-45, so option (C) is incorrect. Finally, the author has not proposed any standards of meaning, nor has he suggested who should create such standards, so choice (E) is also not the best answer.

The correct answer (D) was chosen by 61% of test takers.

6.

This question requires you to understand the author's p9112attitude toward people who make a particular type of mistake. You can answer this question using process of elimination. Since the author includes himself among people who make such mistakes, he cannot be said to be suspicious of them--choice (A); rather, he is certain of them. Similarly, since Gould points out that making such mistakes can lead to even larger errors of judgement, he is not indifferent--option (B). And he is not surprised at all at such "foolishness"--choice (C); rather, he accepts that it occurs. Neither is he uncertain--option (E); he is clear about the negative consequences of reasoning incorrectly. As a scientist, Gould is critical of those who make unwarranted connections, so option (D) is the correct answer.

The correct answer (D) was chosen by 68% of test takers.

7.

This is an EXCEPT question, which means that four of the five answer choices are correct statements, but wrong answers; the one statement that is incorrect is the answer you should choose. Notice that that the one word among the answer choices that does not appear in the passage is "imagination," choice (E). The pairs of words that make up options (A), (B), (C), and (D) not only appear in the passage, they are also accurately contrasted in the passage. Therefore, choice (E) is in fact the correct answer. Imagination is not discussed in the passage.

The correct answer (E) was chosen by 57% of test takers.

8.

This question tests your understanding of elements that can affect p9155tone. Because Gould offers the mistake of making comparisons between the assassinations of presidents Kennedy and Lincoln as an example of "foolishness," a negative tone would indeed have been set if the example had been used to begin the passage. Therefore choice (A) is the correct answer. Options (B), (C), and (D) incorrectly suggest that a derogatory tone arises from detailed definitions, analysis, specifications, or explanation. None of these things contributes to a derogatory, or belittling, tone. The speaker could have ended the passage with the note of caution mentioned in choice (E), but such an ending would have made the passage cautionary rather than derogatory.

The correct answer (A) was chosen by 67% of test takers.

9.

To answer this question, you must quickly analyze the structure of Gould's paragraphs, looking for similarities. When you do, you will see that each paragraph begins with a concept statement and is followed by illustrations or examples. In fact, the phrase "for example" is used in each of the three paragraphs. Therefore, option (C) is the correct answer. Since the p9155tone of the speaker is authoritative, not tentative, choice (A) is not your answer. Option (B) is incorrect because the passage does not include a discussion of exceptions. Similarly, choice (D) is incorrect because the speaker makes no concessions to opponents. Choice (E) is incorrect because, while Gould does present a potential problem and resolve it in the third paragraph, he does not do this in the first or second paragraphs.

The correct answer (C) was chosen by 79% of test takers.

10.

This question asks you to identify a key p9126metaphor used in the passage: the metaphor of the king as the likeness of the human heart. This metaphor is revealed in line 26-27 of the passage, where Donne states that "the heart alone is in the prinicpality and in the throne as king." Therefore, choice (B) is the correct answer. Option (A) suggests the king is a metaphor for the law, and option (B) suggests that the king is compared to the plague, but neither the law nor the plague is examined by the speaker. Similarly, the king is not compared to a medicine or to a philosopher, so choices (D) and (E) are incorrect.

The correct answer (B) was chosen by 92% of test takers.

11.

To answer this question, you must be able to trace a pronoun back to its p9106antecedent. Moving backward from line 11, you see that the word "it" is not identified for several lines. It is repeated in lines 9 and 5 before it is finally identified. Then, looking at line 5, the referent appears: "the heart of man." The noun "heart" in line 5 is the antecedent for the pronoun "it" in line 11. One way to test your answer is to substitute each answer choice, (A) through (E), for "it." The only substitution that makes sense is option (C), heart.

The correct answer (C) was chosen by 85% of test takers.

12.

To answer this question, you must understand the meaning of the word p9132paradox. In lines 1-14, Donne presents the paradox that the heart is the power center or chief organ of the human being, and yet it is the most vulnerable and defenseless organ. Choice (B), which captures this idea, is the correct answer. The word "rebellious" is used in lines 1-14, but Donne writes of a rebellion against the heart. He does not he characterize the heart itself as rebellious, so option (A) cannot be correct. In lines 10-11, Donne states that the brain and liver survive longer than the heart, so option (C) is incorrect as well. Choice (D) may be tempting because Donne states that the heart is "always in action and motion" and that the heart is not necessarily the strongest organ, but the passage does not compare how much the heart accomplishes with how much the brain and liver achieve. Finally, choice (E) can be eliminated because it is logical rather than paradoxical.

The correct answer (B) was chosen by 76% of test takers.

13.

This question asks you to find something that each of the quoted phrases has in common. The best way to proceed is to go back and reread the phrases; when you do, you will see that each phrase is set off by commas. Grammatically, this structure signifies that each phrase rewords or adds explanation to ideas that directly precede them. Therefore option (D) is the correct answer. Choice (A) is incorrect because the phrases are not more or less personal than any others. Since the phrases fortify rather than undercut the meaning of the sentences in which they appear, option (B) is also incorrect. Choice (C) simply offers a general statement that is not particular to the quoted phrases. Finally, option (E) is incorrect because the quoted phrases amplify, rather than raise objections to, ideas stated earlier.

The correct answer (D) was chosen by 71% of test takers.

14.

This questions asks you to identify the extended p9105analogy that helps to shape the development of the passage. Since lower animals are not mentioned in the passage, option (A) cannot be correct. And while the brain is discussed in the passage, the mind is not mentioned, and no comparison is made to the universe, so choice (B) is not correct. Option (C) can be eliminated because the heart is compared to a king, not to God. And choice (D) is incorrect because, while both the liver and a physician are mentioned in the passage, the two are not compared. Option (E) is the correct answer; the human body (particularly the brain, heart, and liver) is compared to a kingdom, and the heart is compared to the king.

The correct answer (E) was chosen by 75% of test takers.

15.

To answer this question, you must reread lines 22-27. Note that "a sovereignty equally shed upon them all" is a kind of definition or explanation of the phrase "a triumvirate in man;" its function is similar to that of the phrases asked about in question 26. Therefore choice (A), which captures the idea that the quoted phrase explains what is meant by the triumvirate, is the correct answer. Option (B) may be attractive because it mentions the three main parts of the body discussed in the passage, but Donne does NOT explain their relative importance in this phrase, but rather explains that in a triumvirate three things share power equally (which is not Donne's view of these organs in general). The idea stated in choice (C) is incorrect; the phrase describes a power held equally by three, which means no one organ can predominate. Option (D) does not make sense: since the word "sovereignty" appears within the quoted phrase, it cannot explain itself. And finally, since no mention is made of any connection between a family and a triumvirate, choice (E) is also incorrect.

The correct answer (A) was chosen by 42% of test takers.

16.

This kind of question tests your ability to identify more than one correct statement about the "four elements" noted in line 25 of the passage. When you reread the phrase "four elements" in context, you can see that Donne says each element holds equal power and is essential to the body's "very being." Statements I and II are true, therefore. We already saw that the heart, liver and brain are NOT equal in power in power according to Donne, so statement III cannot be true. Therefore, statements I and II are true and statement III is false, making option (C) the correct answer.

The correct answer (C) was chosen by 44% of test takers.

17.

This is an EXCEPT question, which means that four of the five choices are correct statements, but wrong answers to the question; the one statement that is incorrect is the answer you should choose. When you study each of the five choices in the contexts in which they appear, you can see that options (A), (B), (C), and (D) are all subject to a higher authority. The brain and liver, option (A), are ruled by the heart, as is the rest of the body--choice (B). Children, option (C), answer to the authority of their parents, and all persons, option (D), answer to their superiors. Choice (E) is the correct answer; "them that are weaker" may be in control even though their subjects are in some way stronger.

The correct answer (E) was chosen by 70% of test takers.

18.

This question asks you to identify the basis of Donne's argument. Since this passage is built upon a long conceit--the p9126metaphor of the heart as the king of a kingdom--option (A) is the correct answer. Choice (B) may be tempting, but it is not your answer. Donne does make a few abstract generalizations, but he does not base his argument on these; rather, he bases his argument on a careful comparison. No p9148syllogisms are presented in the passage, so option (C) is wrong. And a careful reading of the passage shows no p9156understatement and very little p9124irony, so choice (D) is also incorrect. Finally, since the speaker makes no appeals to authority (no authorities are even cited), option (E) is wrong.

The correct answer (A) was chosen by 76% of test takers.

19.

This question tests your understanding of one of Donne's main ideas. The best way to answer this kind of question is to reread the part of the passage in which the idea is discussed, making sure you understand the argument. In this case, reread lines 37-42 and lines 55-57. According to Donne, when we submit to a "sovereign," we are looking out for "our own preservation" and those who obey authority "do it for their own sakes." Therefore, option (D) is the correct answer. Choice (A), altruism, is not discussed in the passage, and is a concept that is opposite Donne's meaning. Similarly, neither jealousy nor the need for recognition are discussed in the passage, so options (B) and (C) are unsupported. Nor is any mention made of self-sacrifice, so choice (E) is also wrong.

The correct answer (D) was chosen by 76% of test takers.

20.

The phrase "According to the passage" suggests that you are likely to find the answer to this question stated directly in the passage. The idea presented in this question appears in lines 73-76, where Donne discusses "patience." Notice that choice (B) is another way of expressing Donne's idea that "the more we suffer, the more we are insulted upon." Therefore, it is the correct answer. No mention is made of converting or exhausting the heart's enemies, either internal or external; the speaker implies that the heart's enemies are inexhaustible. Options (A) and (C) are therefore wrong. Kings, not God, are mentioned in the passage, so choice (D) is incorrect. And while the idea expressed in option (E) may be humorous, it is not stated in the passage, and so is not the correct answer.

The correct answer (B) was chosen by 50% of test takers.

21.

To answer this question, you must understand the speaker's p9112attitude, as it is reflected in lines 76-96. There, the speaker emphasizes the near worthlessness of the "earth" and, by extension, its inhabitants. Therefore, choice (E), which captures the speaker's scorn of the earth, is the correct answer. Options (A) and (B) misread the speaker's tone. Rather than revering the earth, Donne states that "nothing can be nearer nothing than this earth," and rather than showing satisfaction with human greatness, he states "how little of this earth is the greatest man." Choice (C) might seem attractive because Donne does seem to be disgusted, but the speaker is not disgusted with evil; rather, he is incredulous that mortals hold themselves in high regard. Finally, since the speaker expresses dismay at man's self-importance, not awe at earth's diversity, option (D) is incorrect.

The correct answer (E) was chosen by 41% of test takers.