The companion set to Workshop 4. Twelve real-style questions on words in context and command of evidence, textual and data. Name the job the answer must do, then prove it fits.
For a word, read the sentence's signals (a contrast, a restatement, a cause, an example) and decide the exact job the blank must do. For a piece of evidence, name precisely what the claim must prove, then keep only the choice that is accurate and relevant. Here is how the near-misses miss:
Opposite Meaning. Points the reverse of what the sentence or claim needs.
Right Topic, Wrong Fit. On-topic and tempting, but it doesn't do the job asked.
Close but Imprecise. Almost right; a more exact choice fits better.
Backs the Other Side. For evidence: it supports the explanation the claim rejects.
Misreads the Data. For tables: a flipped comparison, wrong row, or transposed number.
Question 1 of 12
Words in ContextWarm-up
Beekeeper Tomas Ruiz remained ______ in his plan to restore native bee populations on the island: even after a storm destroyed half of his hives, he rebuilt them within a month and expanded the project the following year.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
The takeaway: The text shows Ruiz rebuilding after a storm and expanding his project, so the blank needs a word meaning 'firmly determined.' Resolute fits.
Textual EvidenceWarm-up
Some moths have large wing markings called eyespots, which resemble the eyes of a much larger animal. Zoologist Priya Venkataraman hypothesizes that the eyespots of a certain species of silk moth protect it from being eaten by startling the birds that hunt it.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Venkataraman's hypothesis?
The takeaway: Venkataraman hypothesizes that eyespots protect the moth from birds. If birds attacked moths with covered eyespots more often than moths with visible ones, the eyespots are clearly reducing attacks.
Data EvidenceWarm-up
Bamboo is increasingly used as a building material in regions where it grows quickly. Structural engineer Nomvula Dlamini tested the compressive strength (resistance to being crushed) of four bamboo species. Dlamini claims that Guadua angustifolia was the strongest of the four species in compression, making it a promising choice for load-bearing columns.
Bamboo species
Compressive strength (megapascals)
Guadua angustifolia
56
Dendrocalamus asper
48
Phyllostachys edulis
51
Bambusa vulgaris
39
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support Dlamini's claim?
The takeaway: The claim is that Guadua angustifolia was strongest in compression. The table lists it at 56 megapascals, the highest value, so the choice citing that supports the claim.
Words in ContextWarm-up
Plant biologist Priya Raman grew tomato seedlings in two kinds of soil, one containing a common root fungus and one without it. The results were clear: every seedling grown with the fungus was taller and had more leaves than every seedling grown without it.
As used in the text, what does the word "clear" most nearly mean?
The takeaway: Every seedling grown with the fungus beat every seedling grown without it, so the outcome leaves no doubt. "Clear" most nearly means "unequivocal."
Textual EvidenceWarm-up
In the 1870s, a small mining railway in Wales replaced the wooden rails along its tracks with steel rails. Historian Gwen Pritchard claims that this switch sharply reduced how often the railway's tracks needed to be repaired.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Pritchard's claim?
The takeaway: Pritchard claims switching to steel rails sharply reduced repairs. Repair records showing far fewer track repairs per year after the switch than before it directly support that claim.
Data EvidenceWarm-up
Lichens grow slowly on bare stone, and the type of stone can affect which lichens settle there. Lichenologist Tomás Arriaga surveyed headstones made of four kinds of stone in an old cemetery in Galicia, Spain, counting the lichen species on each. Arriaga claims that granite headstones supported the greatest variety of lichen species.
Stone type
Average number of lichen species per headstone
Granite
14
Sandstone
9
Marble
4
Slate
7
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to support Arriaga's claim?
The takeaway: The claim is that granite had the most lichen species. The table lists granite at 14 species per headstone, the highest value in the table, so the choice stating this supports the claim.
Words in ContextWarm-up
Unlike the bold blue jays that snatch crumbs from picnic tables, the wood thrush is a ______ bird that usually retreats into dense undergrowth the moment a person approaches.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
The takeaway: The text contrasts the thrush with bold jays and says it retreats when people approach, so the blank needs a word meaning 'shy or lacking confidence.' Timid fits.
Textual EvidenceWarm-up
In the 1890s, playwright Ottilie Varga wrote plays for a small touring theater company in Hungary, whose members changed from year to year. Theater historian Marcus Oyelaran claims that Varga created roles specifically suited to the talents of the actors who belonged to the company at the time.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Oyelaran's claim?
The takeaway: Oyelaran claims Varga wrote roles to suit the actors in the company at the time. If her plays included singing roles only in the years when a trained singer was a member, her roles tracked the company's talents directly.
Data EvidenceWarm-up
Rivers fed by glaciers carry fine rock particles that make the water cloudy, a property called turbidity. Hydrologist Dawa Gurung measured turbidity in a glacier-fed river in Nepal in four different months. Turbidity was greatest in July, when meltwater flow is at its peak, reaching ______
Month
Turbidity (nephelometric turbidity units, or NTU)
April
40
May
115
July
460
October
85
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
The takeaway: The statement needs the July turbidity value. The table lists 460 NTU, the highest of the four months, so that completes the statement.
Words in ContextWarm-up
In the 1920s, radio spread so quickly through American homes that by the end of the decade its influence was ______: families across the country planned their evenings around broadcasts, and advertisers, politicians, and musicians all rushed to reach listeners over the air.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
The takeaway: The text describes radio's influence reaching families across the country and many groups at once, so the blank needs a word meaning 'spread widely throughout.' Pervasive means exactly that.
Textual EvidenceWarm-up
On some glaciers, rounded clumps of moss known as glacier mice rest on the surface of the ice. Because moss needs sunlight to grow, a clump that stayed in one position would have its underside permanently shaded. Glaciologist Ingrid Tvedt hypothesizes that glacier mice survive because they regularly roll over, so that every side of each clump is exposed to light at some point.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support Tvedt's hypothesis?
The takeaway: Tvedt's hypothesis is that glacier mice regularly roll over, exposing every side to light. A dot placed on the top of a clump ending up facing down or sideways within weeks shows directly that the clumps turn over, which is exactly what the hypothesis requires.
Words in ContextWarm-up
Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was remarkably ______, writing more than 2,000 works over his career, including symphonies, operas, and hundreds of pieces for guitar and voice.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
The takeaway: The text supports the blank with the huge number of works Villa-Lobos wrote, so the blank needs a word meaning 'highly productive.' Prolific means producing many works.
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