Te s t

Plant S u r v i v a l

O n e area of botany studies how plants ad a p t to different regions. A n investigation

of ddsert plants is a perfect e x a m p le of this. W e often im ag in e that no plants live in
the desert. H o w e v e r the desert is h o m e to m a n y s p e c ie s of plant life. S o m e plants
survive b e c a u s e of p hysical adaptations; others adjust their behavior.
Plants have d e v e lo p e d two different wfays to survive in the desert. T h e first type
de veloped long roots. Th e s e roots are distributed u n dergro und . Their roots allow them
to obtain nutrients a n d water far below ground. A n exam ple of this type is the mesquite
tree. ■ Its roots g ro w up to eighty feet d e e p . ■ T h e y are lo nger than the roots
of other desert plants. ■ M esquite trees c a n live for m o re than 2 0 0 years. ■
T h e other ty p e of plant d e v e lo p e d special w a y s to store a n d s a v e water. T h e
most fam ous o ne is the ca ctu s. It has no leaves b e c a u s e plants lose water through
their leaves. It has w id e shallow roots so it c a n quickly obtain lots of rain water. Its
stem can a b s o rb a lot of water, fts spines are g o o d for p ro v id in g s h a d e . Its w a x y
skin seals in moisture. It c a n survive for ye ars without m u c h water. Th-is m a k e s cacti
po pu la r plants b e c a u s e they require almost no m a in te n a n c e
O ther plants adjust thei' behavior to the desert. S o m e flowers only g ro w leaves
w h e n it is wet. O n e o nly e m e r g e s only after rainfall. W h e n it is dry, the plant loses
its leaves. W h e n it rains, it establishes them again. This plant b lo o m s up to five times
per year.
S o m e plants are distinct b e c a u s e they are ve ry short-lived. T h e desert san d
ve rbe na g ro w s s e e d s in only ^ fe w w eeks after a h e a vy rain. It has ve ry h ardy seeds.
Th e n it dies. Its see ds wait until the next rain. T h e y c an e m e rg e , even after three years.

W hich of the following c a n be inferred about m esq uite trees?

( A ) It w o u ld be e a s y to g et water if you found a m esq uite tree

( B ) T h e y w o u ld die if there w a s no ram.
( C ) T h e y are b ig g e r than ether desert plants.
T h e y are hard to kill.

2. T h e w o rd a d a p t in the p a s s a g e isclosest in m e a n in g to

(A ) change ( B ) g ro w
( C ) interbreed ( D ) ) adjust
3. Look at the four s q u a re s [ B J that indicate w h e re the following s e n te n ce co u ld be
a d d e d to the p a s s a g e .

T h e y are able to live for s o long be ca us e their roots have adapted to the desert climate.

W here w ould these n te n ce best fit?

(A ) S q u a re 1 ( B ) S q u a re 2
(C ) S q ua re 3 S q u a re 4

4. W hich of the following best e x p re s s e s the essential information in the highlighted

sentence? Incorrect a n sw e rs c h a n g e the m e a n in g in im portant w a y s or leave out
essential information.

T h e other type of plant d e v e lo p e d special w a y s to store a n d s a v e water.

(A ) O n e w a y for a plant to survive in the desert is to g r o w long roots.

V fB )^P hysical adaptation has allow ed other types of plant to store a n d sa v e water in
the desert.
(C ) Plants must act in w a y s that d o not waste water.
Plants must d e v e lo p large leaves to collect water.

5. A c c o rd in g to the p a s s a g e , w h ic h of the following is N O T a plant adaptation to desert

regions?

(A ) L o n g roots
(B ) Skin that holds in water
( C ) F e w leaves
Extra flowers

6. D ir e c t io n s : A n introductory sentence for a brief s u m m a ry of the p a s s a g e is provided

below. C o m p le te the s u m m a ry b y selecting the T H R E E a n sw e r c h o ic e s that express
the most important ideas in the passage. So m e sentences d o not belong in the summary
because they express ideas that are not presented in the p a s sa g e or are minor ideas in
the passage.

Plants h a v e d e v e l o p e d a n u m b e r of s u c c e s s f u l w a y s of s u r v i v i n g in the desert.

A n s w e r choices

So m e plants modify the w a y they grow in order to take better a d va n ta g e of periods

of rain.
r^ B ^ )A lth o u g h they d o not live ve ry long, annuals are ideally suited to the desert.
}) Cacti are excellent plants to cultivate b e c a u s e they require little water.
£D) S o m e plants c h a n g e physically, in o rd er to better collect a n d c o n s e rv e water.
^njThe variety of different w a y s that plants have a d a p t e d to the desert is as broad
as the m a n y different plants the desert supports.
Check-up

A. C h o o s e t h e correct a n s w e r .

1. W hat should you d o w h e n you c o m e to a se n ten ce simplification question?

(X ) C h o o s e the a n s w e r that is longer than the highlighted p a s s a g e .

(B ) Look for a n to n y m s of w o rd s in the highlighted p a s s a g e in the a n s w e r cho ic e s.
( ( C ^ b - o o k for s y n o n y m s of w o rd s in the highlighted p a s s a g e in the a n s w e r cho ic e s.
Т & Т Select the an sw e r that contradicts the important points in the highlighted p a s s a g e

2. W h e n you c o m e to a s e n te n ce simplification question you should

TA X look for a n s w e r c h o ic e s with the s a m e se n te n ce structure as the highlighted

^„passage
LTB])select the answer that contains the most important details of the highlighted passage
T G ) scan the a n s w e r c h o ic e s for the se n te n ce that uses the s a m e w o r d s as the
highlighted p a s s a g e
T R )^ c h o o s e the a n s w e r that leaves out the most im portant details of the highlighted
passage

B. Fill in th e bl an ks w i t h th e correct w o r d s .

d e velo pm e nt germ inate nutrients pollinate

nicknam e deforestation cultivation corpse

f ,
1. A doctor c a n determ ine the c a u s e of death b y ex am ining the c o ^ b s c ^ _______ .

2. ^ u tru e > v c ts , like vitamins, are essential for g o o d health.

3. Most see ds will гьаїе if they are given water a n d plenty of sunshine.

4. ' Philly is a iru ІРуумал for the city of Philadelphia in the United States.

5. Indoor botanical g a rd e n s are interested in the VecUovv of plants from all

over the world.

6. Th e І Р Л of the tropics is causin g loss of habitat for m a n y plants an d

animals.

7. T h e cAWg of the oil industry in the Middle East w a s started by G reat Britain.

8 . Bats are im portant b e c a u s e they ^ o d і г\<£(Я s o m e tropical flowers in the

rainforest.
[ 4 ]
Getting Ready to Read
A. Learn th e w o r d s .

a tiny single piece

o n e of two electric properties of matter
one of two electric properties of matter
h avin g to d o with atoms

about: close to. but not exact

the smallest part of an elem ent
the basis of som ething
to state so m ething in detail or explicitly
p a c k e d together tightly

B. Learn t h e q u e s t i o n ty p e s.

Inference
What probably occurred after X?
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph A about X?

• Scan the passage or paragraph specified for the information given in the question.
• Eliminate answer choices that are inaccurate or not mentioned in the passage.
• Ensure that your answer choice is logically supported by details in the passage.

R he to ric al P u r p o s e
W h y does the author com pare X to Y ?
W h y does the author use the word X in discussing Y ?
T h e author discusses X in paragraph 2 in order to...

• Familiarize yourself with the meanings of various purpose vocabulary used in these questions,
such as the following: argue, classify, compare, contrast, criticize, emphasize, illustrate, persuade,
summarize, etc.
• Carefully read for connections between the points raised in the question.
• Cho o se the answer that provides the most logical explanation for the author's writing.
С. Read th e passage. N u m b e r each p a r a g r a p h w i t h th e correct m a i n idea o r pu rp o s e.

1. W h a t the proton does

2. W h a t ea ch atom is m a d e of
3. Introduction to ho w small atom s are
4. W h a t an atom looks like
5. W h a t atom s do

Th e Atom

Imagine a grain of sand. It is very small. N o w imagine that each gram of sand contains
approximately 78,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms.
J L A t o m s are the foundation of everything in the w orld. Y o u r heart, yo u r m other's g o ld
ring, a n d e v e n this book are all m a d e from atom s
J L E a c h single atom is m a d e up of three p a rts — prbtons, neutrons, a n d electrons.
Protons are positively c h a rg e d , neutrons have no c h a rg e , a n d electrons are negatively
c h a rg e d .
_ A _ T h e n u m b e r of protons that an atom has specifies what an atom is. Th is n u m b e r of
protons is called the atom ic n u m b e r. For exam p le , an atom with an atom ic n u m b e r of
seventy-nine is g o ld . O n e with eight is o x y g e n .
A T h e structure of an atom is ve ry basic. T h e co re or n u c le u s of an atom consists of
protons and neutrons. T h e core is very dense. Electrons orbit around the core like planets
around the Sun.

C o m p l e t e th e s u m m a r y not es b y filling in t h e blanks.

Topic: T h e A tom
Si ze: G ra in of s a n d has ^лхлуЛД\> OV\ atom s.
Importance: A to m s are _____________ of all things.
Parts: A to m has ^ _____________parts.
have a positive c h a rg e .
VlcjLutijaws have a neutral c h a rg e ,
have a negative c h a rg e .
Identification: T h e n u m b e r of specifies what an atom is.
N u m b e r of protons is called the с
Core; T h e co re has and
Electrons aroun d core.
E. C h o o s e th e co rre ct a n s w e rs .

1. W hich of the following c a n be inferred from p a ra g ra p h 1?

(< A })A t o m s are ve ry small.

(B ) A to m s are really heavy.

2 . W hich of the following c a n be inferred from p a ra g ra p h 4?

*(a ) E ven one proton c a n m ake a big difference to h o w an atom acts.
(B ) G o ld is m ore e x p e n s iv e than o x y g e n b e c a u s e it has m o re protons.

3. W h y did the author include the phrase like planets a ro u n d the S u n ?

( ( A ) H e w anted to s h o w the reader h o w electrons in an atom m o ve.

(B ) H e w a n te d to s h o w that planets are also m a d e of atoms.

4. W h y did the author state that e a c h grain of s a n d contains a p p ro x im a te ly

7 8 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 atom s?

(A ) T o d is c u s s h o w m a n y grains of s a n d there are on the b e a c h

Щ T o m ak e sure the re ade r u n d e rsta n d s the size be in g d is c u s s e d

F. Fill in t h e b l a n k s w i t h t h e c o r r e c t w o r d s .

atom de n se foundation approxim ately specifies

1. M a n y Asian cities have ve ry A<zw\s<z.- po pu la tio n s b e c a u s e there are so

m a n y p e o p le a n d so little s p a c e . «
^ і 1a \ U .
2 . T h e d isc o v e ry of the ultimately led to the d e v e lo p m e n t of nuclear
w eapo n s.

3. Th e re are j three h u n d re d million p e o p le living in A m e ric a

4. T h e o w n e r’s guide alw ays s how you should c a re for your com puter.

5. D e m o c r a c y is the 0 f the A m e ric a n g o v e r n m e n t system .

Practice
A . Learn t h e w o r d s .

a p la c e to d o scientific re search
to d is a p p e a r or a b s o rb into water
not strong; lacking in p o w e r
a thin ball of air

to c o n n e c t with s o m e o n e or so m ethin g else

u n able to be seen
a response to something happening
to h a p p e n ; to take p lace
to c h a n g e c hem ically

B. Read t h e pa ssa g e a n d u n d e r l i n e th e key i n f o r m a t i o n .

C hem istry and Soda

Normally w h e n people think of chemistry, they think of a scientist in a laboratory^

W e think of d a n g e r o u s things being m a d e that c a n hurt people. W e d o n ’t normally
associate c hemistry with food or drinks.
H a ve you ever w o n d e re d w h y oran g e s o d a is sweet, has bu bb le s, and tastes like
o ra n g e s 9 T h e an sw e r to these questions lies in chemistry
Soda is sweet b e ca u se it is / n a d e from sugar and water. How ever, w hen you finish
a can, you never see a n y white sugar. This is b e c a u s e the su g a r dissolves into the
water and b e c o m e s invisible.
Most s o d a s contain a w e a k ar.irh S o m e p e o p le have tried to s h o w that this ac id
is d a n g e r o u s . If you put a rusty nail in soda, the ac id in the s o d a will react with the
rust on the nail Th is reaction will m a k e the rust d i s a p p e a r . P eo p le think that this
m eans the ac id is ve ry strong a n d that it c a n hurt your sto m a ch. But it is unlikely
this reaction will o c c u r, as the acid is ve ry w e a k .
Finally, the s o d a gets its o ra n g e taste from chem istry. T h is h a p p e n s b e c a u s e
scientists m a k e formulas. T h e y then put these in the so d a . T h is formula then reacts
with our to n g ue a n d nose. It m ak es usj.aste o ra n g e s.