This passage is from a 2019 novel. The narrator is reflecting on a time when she was about ten years old. A ham (amateur) radio is a device for exchanging messages and requires a license to operate. (1) One day, my father brought home a pile of the parts needed to build a ham radio and asked if I wanted to help him put it together. (2) It took us a week, and we built it at our kitchen table, which meant that for that week we ate dinner on our laps in our living room. (3) After dinner, my father went straight to the kitchen table where he'd left a mess of wire and cables and vacuum tubes, and got to work. (4) I started by helping my mother clean up, but then I went over to him, leaning over the part of the radio he was working on to study the diagrams and assembly instructions. (5) Once the receiver was built, we took it into the garage and built a simple transmitter. (6) Then we studied for the radio license, quizzing each other on Morse code and electrical principles and radio wave characteristics every night. (7) My father already knew all of it from the war. (8) He'd been a radio operator as a soldier, and he told me how radio waves could go far, far out into space and how a few years ago two radio operators from opposite sides of the world had sent messages to each other by bouncing them off the moon. (9) After we received our radio licenses, we spent many nights sitting side by side in the garage, picking up radio stations and messages from other amateur radio operators. (10) There were so many messages floating around, waiting to be picked up: Are you lonely? (11) How are you? (12) What's the weather like there? (13) There were reports of shipwrecks, and messages from as far away as Canada, and we decoded each message as it arrived. (14) Nowadays, when communication is so instantaneous, I cannot help remembering with nostalgia how my father and I turned the knobs to the contraption we had built as the messages came in through our complicated machine of vacuum tubing and plumbing wire. (15) We recorded the taps as they came in—and I marveled that each tap traveled only a little bit slower than the speed of light. (16) Tap tap tap came the pulses of radio waves into our earphones, and I transcribed the taps as fast as I could into letters, watching them gather into words and then sentences. (17) It was the closest thing to performing magic that I could imagine: manipulating the radio waves that were all around us to talk to someone across the world.
The third paragraph (sentences 5–8) indicates that in the past, the narrator's father had
- A. survived a shipwreck
- B. served as a soldier
- C. failed to become a professional radio operator
- D. learned Morse code from his own father
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: B
The third paragraph reveals that the narrator's father had military experience, indicating he served as a soldier. This aligns with option B. Option A, "survived a shipwreck," is incorrect as the text does not mention any maritime incidents. Option C, "failed to become a professional radio operator," is not supported by the text, which does not discuss any failures related to this profession. Option D, "learned Morse code from his own father," is also inaccurate since the paragraph does not reference any familial teaching of Morse code. Each incorrect option fails to connect with the details provided in the paragraph.
The third paragraph reveals that the narrator's father had military experience, indicating he served as a soldier. This aligns with option B. Option A, "survived a shipwreck," is incorrect as the text does not mention any maritime incidents. Option C, "failed to become a professional radio operator," is not supported by the text, which does not discuss any failures related to this profession. Option D, "learned Morse code from his own father," is also inaccurate since the paragraph does not reference any familial teaching of Morse code. Each incorrect option fails to connect with the details provided in the paragraph.
Other Related Questions
The author of Passage 2 would likely respond to the actions attributed to 'academia' in the fifth sentence of Passage 1 ('academia...complaints') by asserting that:
- A. these actions are consistent with the approach common in publishing
- B. academic plagiarism has usually been misrepresented in surveys
- C. universities increasingly treat plagiarism as a serious offense
- D. colleges should provide amnesty to researchers accused of plagiarism
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C
The assertion in Passage 2 likely aligns with the view that universities are taking a stronger stance against plagiarism, reflecting a growing seriousness about academic integrity. This perspective supports option C, as it highlights an evolving attitude within academia. Option A misrepresents the author's likely stance, as it suggests acceptance of the status quo in publishing rather than a critique of it. Option B incorrectly implies that the author believes surveys misrepresent plagiarism, which may not be the focus of their argument. Option D suggests a leniency that contradicts the seriousness implied in Passage 2, as it undermines the accountability that academia is increasingly emphasizing.
The assertion in Passage 2 likely aligns with the view that universities are taking a stronger stance against plagiarism, reflecting a growing seriousness about academic integrity. This perspective supports option C, as it highlights an evolving attitude within academia. Option A misrepresents the author's likely stance, as it suggests acceptance of the status quo in publishing rather than a critique of it. Option B incorrectly implies that the author believes surveys misrepresent plagiarism, which may not be the focus of their argument. Option D suggests a leniency that contradicts the seriousness implied in Passage 2, as it undermines the accountability that academia is increasingly emphasizing.
The author quoted in Passage 1 would likely argue that the historian’s having 'lifted passages from other historians' (sentence 4, Passage 2) is:
- A. an example of academic collaboration
- B. deserving of harsh punishment
- C. far from an isolated incident
- D. a comparatively recent problem
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: C
The author in Passage 1 likely views the historian's practice of lifting passages as a common occurrence in the field, suggesting that it reflects a broader trend rather than an isolated case. This aligns with option C, emphasizing the prevalence of such practices among historians. Option A misinterprets the act as collaboration, which typically involves mutual consent and acknowledgment, whereas lifting passages often lacks proper attribution. Option B is incorrect as it implies a punitive view that the author does not express. Lastly, option D suggests a recent emergence of this issue, contradicting the author's perspective that it has long been a part of historical writing.
The author in Passage 1 likely views the historian's practice of lifting passages as a common occurrence in the field, suggesting that it reflects a broader trend rather than an isolated case. This aligns with option C, emphasizing the prevalence of such practices among historians. Option A misinterprets the act as collaboration, which typically involves mutual consent and acknowledgment, whereas lifting passages often lacks proper attribution. Option B is incorrect as it implies a punitive view that the author does not express. Lastly, option D suggests a recent emergence of this issue, contradicting the author's perspective that it has long been a part of historical writing.
Because these speeding particles' compositions were quite different from those of other low-energy cosmic rays, scientists dubbed them ___ cosmic rays.
- A. intermittent
- B. transitory
- C. resilient
- D. anomalous
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
The term "anomalous" refers to something that deviates from the norm or is irregular, which accurately describes these speeding particles with compositions differing from typical low-energy cosmic rays. Option A, "intermittent," implies something occurring at irregular intervals, which does not capture the essence of the particles' unique composition. Option B, "transitory," suggests a temporary existence, failing to address the distinctiveness of the particles. Option C, "resilient," indicates strength or durability, which is unrelated to the compositional differences being highlighted. Thus, "anomalous" best conveys the uniqueness of these cosmic rays.
The term "anomalous" refers to something that deviates from the norm or is irregular, which accurately describes these speeding particles with compositions differing from typical low-energy cosmic rays. Option A, "intermittent," implies something occurring at irregular intervals, which does not capture the essence of the particles' unique composition. Option B, "transitory," suggests a temporary existence, failing to address the distinctiveness of the particles. Option C, "resilient," indicates strength or durability, which is unrelated to the compositional differences being highlighted. Thus, "anomalous" best conveys the uniqueness of these cosmic rays.
The primary purpose of the passage is to:
- A. Trace the history of guilds in New Spain
- B. Criticize the Spanish beliefs about manual labor
- C. Describe some particular works of art created in New Spain in the 1600s
- D. Describe the influence of Spanish attitudes and practices on the painting of New Spain
Correct Answer & Rationale
Correct Answer: D
The primary focus of the passage is on how Spanish attitudes and practices shaped the artistic landscape of New Spain, specifically in painting. This influence is central to understanding the cultural exchange and evolution of art during that period. Option A is incorrect as the passage does not primarily trace the history of guilds, but rather discusses their impact on art. Option B misinterprets the passage's intent; it does not criticize Spanish beliefs but rather examines their influence on art. Option C, while mentioning art, fails to capture the broader context of Spanish influence, which is the main theme of the passage.
The primary focus of the passage is on how Spanish attitudes and practices shaped the artistic landscape of New Spain, specifically in painting. This influence is central to understanding the cultural exchange and evolution of art during that period. Option A is incorrect as the passage does not primarily trace the history of guilds, but rather discusses their impact on art. Option B misinterprets the passage's intent; it does not criticize Spanish beliefs but rather examines their influence on art. Option C, while mentioning art, fails to capture the broader context of Spanish influence, which is the main theme of the passage.