Test Prep SBAC Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Test Prep SBAC Online Questions & Answers

• Question 21:

  Read the text attached. Passage 1 Critical information needed in fight to save wildlife With global temperatures rising, an international group of 22 top biologists is calling for a coordinated effort to gather important species information that is urgently needed to improve predictions for the impact of climate change on future

  biodiversity. Current predictions fail to account for important biological factors like species competition and movement that can have a profound influence on whether a plant or animal survives changes to its environment, the scientists say in the September 9 issue of the journal Science. While more sophisticated forecasting models exist, much of the detailed species information that is needed to improve predictions is lacking. "Right now, we're treating a mouse the same way as an elephant or a fish or a tree. Yet we know that those are all very different organisms and they are going to respond to their environment in different ways," says University of Connecticut

  Ecologist Mark Urban, the Science article's lead author. "We need to pull on our boots, grab our binoculars, and go back into the field to gather more detailed information if we are going to make realistic predictions."

  The 22 top biologists affiliated with the article identify six key types of biological information, including life history, physiology, genetic variation, species interactions, and dispersal, that will significantly improve prediction outcomes for individual

  species. Obtaining that information will not only help the scientific community better identify the most at-risk populations and ecosystems, the scientists say, it will also allow for a more targeted distribution of resources as global temperatures

  continue to rise at a record rate.

  Current climate change predictions for biodiversity draw on broad statistical correlations and can vary widely, making it difficult for policymakers and others to respond accordingly. Many of those predictions tend not to hold up over time if they

  fail to account for the full range of biological factors that can influence an organism's survival rate: species demographics, competition from other organisms, species mobility, and the capacity to adapt and evolve.

  "We haven't been able to sufficiently determine what species composition future ecosystems will have, and how their functions and services for mankind will change," says co-author Dr. Karin Johst of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental

  Research and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. "This is because current ecological models often do not include important biological processes and mechanisms: so far only 23 percent of the reviewed studies have

  taken into account biological mechanisms."

  Generating more accurate predictions is essential for global conservation efforts. Many species are already moving to higher ground or toward the poles to seek cooler temperatures as global temperatures rise. But the capacity of different

  organisms to survive varies greatly. Some species of frog, for instance, can traverse their terrain for miles to remain in a habitable environment. Other species, such as some types of salamander, are less mobile and capable of moving only a

  few meters over generations.

  "New Zealand's strong foundation in ecological research will help," explains study co-author Dr. William Godsoe, a Lincoln University lecturer and member of New Zealand's Bio-Protection Research Centre. "One of our hopes is to build on

  these strengths and highlight new opportunities to improve predictions by explicitly considering evolution, interactions among species, and dispersal." This will aid in the development of strategies to manage impacts on species and

  ecosystems before they become critical.

  With more than 8.7 million species worldwide, gathering the necessary biological information to improve predictions is a daunting task. Even a sampling of key species would be beneficial, the authors say, as the more sophisticated models

  will allow scientists to extrapolate their predictions and apply them to multiple species with similar traits.

  The researchers are calling for the launch of a global campaign to be spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services or IPBES. The IPBES operates under the auspices of four United

  Nations entities and is dedicated to providing scientific information to policymakers worldwide. One thousand scientists from all over the world currently contribute to the work of IPBES on a voluntary basis. The scientists are also encouraging

  conservation strategies to support biodiversity such as maintaining dispersal corridors, and preserving existing natural habitats and genetic diversity.

  "Our biggest challenge is pinpointing which species to concentrate on and which regions we need to allocate resources," says UConn Associate Professor Urban. In an earlier study in Science, Urban predicted that as many as one in six

  species internationally could be wiped out by climate change. "We are at a triage stage at this point. We have limited resources and patients lined up at the door."

  Passage 2

  Forecasting climate change's effects on biodiversity hindered by lack of data

  An international group of biologists is calling for data collection on a global scale to improve forecasts of how climate change affects animals and plants. Accurate model predictions can greatly aid efforts to protect biodiversity from

  disturbances such as climate change and urban sprawl by helping scientists and decision-makers better understand, anticipate and respond to threats that imperil species and ecosystems.

  In a paper published in Science on Thursday (Sept. 8), biologists cite a critical lack of data on key biological mechanisms ?such as how animals and plants spread during their lifetime and how they evolve in response to changes in the

  environment - as the main obstacle to improving models' ability to forecast species' response to climate change.

  "This paper is a call to arms," said Patrick Zollner, article co-author and Purdue associate professor of wildlife science. "The world is in dire circumstances. We're losing a lot of species, and we're largely unaware why. How do we need to

  rethink the kind of data we're collecting so we can take advantage of modern modeling tools to understand the outcomes of climate change for ecological systems? This could help us forestall losing wildlife that we later deeply regret."

  The group outlines two key problems that hinder the capability of current models to make realistic predictions about biological responses to climate change.

  Most models are descriptive, based on statistical correlations and observations, and fail to capture the underlying processes that produce observed changes. For example, a descriptive model might show that lynx in the northern U.S. are

  declining while bobcat populations in the same region are on the rise. Understanding what is driving this change requires a different sort of model, one that incorporates biological mechanisms. A mechanistic model that accounts for how

  warming temperatures affect snow depth, for instance, could provide insights into why bobcats - better adapted to habitats with less snow - are gaining a competitive edge over lynx. But 77 percent of current models of climate change's

  impacts on wildlife do not include biological mechanisms.

  Another challenge is that as models have grown in sophistication, they have far outpaced data collection. Put another way, a model is like a state-of-the-art kitchen, but the cupboards are bare.

  "We can now build videogame-like environments with computers where we can create multiple versions of Earth and ask what the implications under different scenarios are," Zollner said. "But our ability to learn from these tools is constrained

  by the kinds of data we have."

  The group advanced several proposals on how to improve models, collect missing data and leverage available data to make broader predictions.

  They identified six biological mechanisms that influence wildlife's responses to climate change: physiology; demography and life history; evolutionary potential and adaptation; interactions between species; movement over land or water; and

  responses to changes in the environment. They ranked the information needed to account for these mechanisms in models and suggested proxies for data that are missing or hard to collect.

  A globally coordinated effort to fill data gaps could greatly advance improvements in models and informed conservation approaches, the researchers wrote. They point to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and its consistent

  improvements in climate change modeling as a valuable blueprint for such a project.

  But local and regional conservation groups need not wait for a global body to coalesce to start using a mechanistic approach in their own region, Zollner said "If the ideas put forth in this paper start to be adopted and integrated into climate

  change work in a grass roots way, that could make a big difference in a region and could scale up over time," he said.

  Citizen scientists also have an important role to play in pitching in with data collection, he said.

  Working with citizen scientists offers "an opportunity to get huge amounts of data, and it's foolish not to take advantage of it," Zollner said. "The data might not be as rigorous and needs to be treated differently, but it's one more source of

  valuable information.

  Overall, the tone of the attached passages could best be described as ____.

  A. discouraged but defiant: "`We haven't been able to sufficiently determine what species composition future ecosystems will have...'"; optimistic but cautious: "`We can now build videogame-like environments with computers where we can create multiple versions of Earth and ask what the implications under different scenarios are.'"
  B. uncertain and unachievable: "`We need to pull on our boots, grab our binoculars, and go back into the field to gather more detailed information if we are going to make realistic predictions'"; Defensive and dire: "`This paper is a call to arms...The world is in dire circumstances.'"
  C. urgent but hopeful: "`We are at a triage stage at this point. We have limited resources and patients lined up at the door.'"; Serious but optimistic: "`If the ideas put forth in this paper start to be adopted and integrated into climate change work in a grass roots way, that could make a big difference in a region and could scale up over time,'..."
  D. happy and reassuring: "Even a sampling of key species would be beneficial...as the more sophisticated models will allow scientists to extrapolate their predictions and apply them to multiple species with similar traits."; Defeated and hopeless: "Most models are descriptive, based on statistical correlations and observations, and fail to capture the underlying processes that produce observed changes."
  C. urgent but hopeful: "`We are at a triage stage at this point. We have limited resources and patients lined up at the door.'"; Serious but optimistic: "`If the ideas put forth in this paper start to be adopted and integrated into climate change work in a grass roots way, that could make a big difference in a region and could scale up over time,'..."

• Question 22:

  Read the text attached.

  Workplace Diversity The twenty-first century workplace features much greater diversity than was common even a couple of generations ago. Individuals who might once have faced employment challenges because of religious beliefs, ability differences, or sexual orientation now regularly join their peers in interview pools and on the job. Each may bring a new outlook and different information to the table; employees can no longer take for granted that their coworkers think the same way they do. This pushes them to question their own assumptions, expand their understanding, and appreciate alternate viewpoints. The result is more creative ideas, approaches, and solutions. Thus, diversity may also enhance corporate decision-making.

  Communicating with those who differ from us may require us to make an extra effort and even change our viewpoint, but it leads to better collaboration and more favorable outcomes overall, according to David Rock, director of the Neuro-Leadership Institute in New York City, who says diverse coworkers "challenge their own and others' thinking."2 According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organizational diversity now includes more than just racial, gender, and religious differences. It also encompasses different thinking styles and personality types, as well as other factors such as physical and cognitive abilities and sexual orientation, all of which influence the way people perceive the world. "Finding the right mix of individuals to work on teams, and creating the conditions in which they can excel, are key business goals for today's leaders, given that collaboration has become a paradigm of the twenty-first century workplace," according to an SHRM article.3

  Attracting workers who are not all alike is an important first step in the process of achieving greater diversity. However, managers cannot stop there. Their goals must also encompass inclusion, or the engagement of all employees in the corporate culture. "The far bigger challenge is how people interact with each other once they're on the job," says Howard J. Ross, founder and chief learning officer at Cook Ross, a consulting firm specializing in diversity. "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. Diversity is about the ingredients, the mix of people and perspectives. Inclusion is about the container璽he place that allows employees to feel they belong, to feel both accepted and different."4

  Workplace diversity is not a new policy idea; its origins date back to at least the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA) or before. Census figures show that women made up less than 29 percent of the civilian workforce when Congress passed Title VII of the CRA prohibiting workplace discrimination. After passage of the law, gender diversity in the workplace expanded significantly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the percentage of women in the labor force increased from 48 percent in 1977 to a peak of 60 percent in 1999. Over the last five years, the percentage has held relatively steady at 57 percent. Over the past forty years, the total number of women in the labor force has risen from 41 million in 1977 to 71 million in 2017.5 The BLS projects that the number of women in the U.S. labor force will reach 92 million in 2050 (an increase that far outstrips population growth).

  The statistical data show a similar trend for African American, Asian American, and Hispanic workers (Figure 8.2). Just before passage of the CRA in 1964, the percentages of minorities in the official on-the-books workforce were relatively small compared with their representation in the total population. In 1966, Asians accounted for just 0.5 percent of private-sector employment, with Hispanics at 2.5 percent and African Americans at 8.2 percent. 6 However, Hispanic employment numbers have significantly increased since the CRA became law; they are expected to more than double from 15 percent in 2010 to 30 percent of the labor force in 2050. Similarly, Asian Americans are projected to increase their share from 5 to 8 percent between 2010 and 2050.

  

  Figure 8.2There is a distinct contrast in workforce demographics between 2010 and projected numbers for 2050. (credit: attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license) Much more progress remains to be made, however. For example, many people think of the technology sector as the workplace of open-minded millennials. Yet Google, as one example of a large and successful company, revealed in its latest diversity statistics that its progress toward a more inclusive workforce may be steady but it is very slow. Men still account for the great majority of employees at the corporation; only about 30 percent are women, and women fill fewer than 20 percent of Google's technical roles (Figure 8.3). The company has shown a similar lack of gender diversity in leadership roles, where women hold fewer than 25 percent of positions. Despite modest progress, an ocean-sized gap remains to be narrowed. When it comes to ethnicity, approximately 56 percent of Google employees are white. About 35 percent are Asian, 3.5 percent are Latino, and 2.4 percent are black, and of the company's management and leadership roles, 68 percent are held by whites.

  

  Figure 8.3

  Google is emblematic of the technology sector, and this graphic shows just how far from equality and diversity the industry remains. (credit: attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)

  Google is not alone in coming up short on diversity. Recruiting and hiring a diverse workforce has been a challenge for most major technology companies, including Facebook, Apple, and Yahoo (now owned by Verizon); all have reported

  gender and ethnic shortfalls in their workforces.

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has made available 2014 data comparing the participation of women and minorities in the high-technology sector with their participation in U.S. private-sector employment overall, and

  the results show the technology sector still lags.8 Compared with all private-sector industries, the high-technology industry employs a larger share of whites (68.5%), Asian Americans (14%), and men (64%), and a smaller share of African

  Americans (7.4%), Latinos (8%), and women (36%). Whites also represent a much higher share of those in the executive category (83.3%), whereas other groups hold a significantly lower share, including African Americans (2%), Latinos

  (3.1%), and Asian Americans (10.6%). In addition, and perhaps not surprisingly, 80 percent of executives are men and only 20 percent are women. This compares negatively with all other private-sector industries, in which 70 percent of

  executives are men and 30 percent women.

  Technology companies are generally not trying to hide the problem. Many have been publicly releasing diversity statistics since 2014, and they have been vocal about their intentions to close diversity gaps. More than thirty technology

  companies, including Intel, Spotify, Lyft, Airbnb, and Pinterest, each signed a written pledge to increase workforce diversity and inclusion, and Google pledged to spend more than $100 million to address diversity issues.9

  Diversity and inclusion are positive steps for business organizations, and despite their sometimes slow pace, the majority are moving in the right direction. Diversity strengthens the company's internal relationships with employees and

  improves employee morale, as well as its external relationships with customer groups. Communication, a core value of most successful businesses, becomes more effective with a diverse workforce. Performance improves for multiple

  reasons, not the least of which is that acknowledging diversity and respecting differences is the ethical thing to do.

  What is the best explanation of the impact the last sentence of the attached passage has on the overall tone of the text? "Performance improves for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that acknowledging diversity and respecting

  differences is the ethical thing to do."

  A. The reader is reminded that this goes beyond being nice or fair, but that diversity not only improves performance in the business but is a moral responsibility employers have as people.
  B. The reader is encouraged to apply for that job he or she didn't think they would get because they wouldn't fit in as employers are looking to increase their diversity.
  C. The reader is confused by the double-standard taking place; companies claim to value diversity but continue to hire a very narrow section of society.
  D. The reader is warned that if employers don't increase the diversity and inclusion within their workforce, performance will suffer and the company may fail.
  A. The reader is reminded that this goes beyond being nice or fair, but that diversity not only improves performance in the business but is a moral responsibility employers have as people.

• Question 23:

  Of the six basic trigonometric function graphs, which two do not show asymptotes?

  A. sine and cosine
  B. sine and secant
  C. tangent and cotangent
  D. cosine and cotangent
  A. sine and cosine

• Question 24:

  FILL BLANK

  Read the text and answer the question.

  Moving to the Back of Beyond

  When my parents said the three of us were moving out to California, to a place just north of Los Angeles, my mind immediately went to thoughts of Disneyland and Hollywood, glitz and glamour. I imagined a Rodeo Drive shopping spree to

  pick out a bikini for the endless days I would be spending on the beach. However, I’d forgotten about my parents’ penchant for the unconventional; they’re definitely “the road less traveled” kind of people. Mom had a gopher snake for a pet

  when she was younger, and Dad was never happier than when he was climbing near-vertical cliffs that only mountain goats could love. These are not city folk.

  They had chosen to buy a 900-square-foot cabin under a 250-year-old oak tree in the high chaparral1 forest out in the back of beyond – so far away from Los Angeles that you couldn't even see the glow of the lights at night. When I first saw

  where we were going to live, I vacillated between feeling terrified and excited. This would be an adventure, for sure. But this was no camping trip where you could go home to civilization after a few days of roughing it; this was home, and

  roughing it was the new normal.

  On move-in day, we drove fifteen miles out from Antelope Valley – where the nearest grocery store was located – on a two-lane road past llamas, cattle, and horses. Up and up we went, until finally we turned down a dirt road and headed into

  a canyon full of towering Coulter pines, blue-green sagebrush, and ancient canyon live oaks. I didn't know the names of these plants then, of course; I learned them later. That first day all I saw then was a million shades of green.

  We parked under an oak tree that shaded our cabin and a front yard of rock, sand, and sagebrush twice as large as the cabin itself. On the stone staircase that led to the front door, black lizards interrupted their push-ups to twist their heads

  and eye us as we passed. Scrub jays squawked and hummingbirds zoomed past the eaves, scolding us with their territorial calls.

  No cars roared past. No radios blared from a neighbor's house. There were no neighbors – no human neighbors, anyway.

  Our new home consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and one big room for everything else. A fireplace in the corner of the big room would be our sole source of heat in the winter. A swamp box (cooler) would blow a breeze over a big

  damp pad to keep us cool all summer, or so my father said. But it was early autumn that day, and the temperature was perfect in the shade of the oak tree. Our oak tree, I thought; I was settling in.

  Mom wiped a layer of grime off the kitchen counter and muttered about getting a bottle of bleach on our next trip into town. That was the beginning of an important lesson about living in the back of beyond: you don't just zip over to the local

  convenience store anytime you need something out here. You have to make a careful list and check it twice so that you don't forget anything, because anywhere is a long way from here.

  On my first walk around the property, I saw two horned toads, a red-tailed hawk, and some deer tracks. I wondered what else I might find deeper and higher in the canyon. Dad told me the real estate agent had mentioned that coyotes,

  bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and even bears roamed these hills. To my surprise, I found I couldn't wait to see them. All of them. I felt my feet taking root in the earth, claiming this place as home.

  With no street lamps timed to turn on at sunset, when night came it was darker than anything I had ever experienced. Mom and I went out to look at the stars while Dad tried to unplug the ancient toilet. In the city, or even in the suburbs where

  I had lived before, you could see only the brightest stars in the sky. But out here, it was like being in a planetarium, except there were no labels typed onto our sky. The sheer number and spread of stars was awe-inspiring.

  That first night, we slept on air mattresses on the living room floor because the movers had not yet arrived. There were no curtains on the windows, so when the moon rose, it shone in as if moonbeams were an integral part of the cabin.

  Eventually, I moved into the bedroom and Mom and Dad got a foldout bed for the living room. Over the next few months, I began to count the passage of time in full moons rather than by the pages of a calendar, and for the first time I really

  noticed the days growing shorter in winter and longer in summer.

  It's hard to believe, but we’ve been here for six years now. I’ve been going to school in the valley, but I feel most at home up here with my wild fellow canyon dwellers. Soon, I will have to leave home for college, and I’m a little afraid of the

  culture shock I’m sure I will feel when I move back to civilization. Soon I’ll be walking on pavement and well-mowed grass again, rooming with strangers, and eating meals in a cafeteria crowded with more people than live within twenty miles of

  this house. But I know I will come back. The back of beyond is home now.

  1. chaparral: a dense thicket of shrubs and small trees

  The reader can conclude that the narrator is open to living at “the back of beyond” and accepts her new life there. Click three sentences that best support this conclusion.

  Our new home consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and one big room for everything else. A fireplace in the corner of the big room would be our sole source of heat in the winter. A swamp box (cooler) would blow a breeze over a big damp pad to keep us cool all summer, or so my father said. But it was early autumn that day, and the temperature was perfect in the shade of the oak tree. Our oak tree, I thought; I was setting in.

  Mom wiped a layer of grime off the kitchen counter and muttered about getting a bottle of bleach on our next trip into town. That was the beginning of an important lesson about living in the back of beyond: you don't just zip over to the local convenience store anytime you need something out here. You have to make a careful list and check it twice so that you don't forget anything, because anywhere is a long way from here.

  On my first walk around the property, I saw two horned toads, a red-tailed hawk, and some deer tracks. I wondered what else I might find deeper and higher in the canyon. Dad told me the real estate agent had mentioned that coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and even bears roamed these hills. To my surprise, I found I couldn't wait to see them. All of them. I felt my beet taking root in the earth, claiming this place as home.

  A. See explanation below.
  A. See explanation below.

  ---

  Our oak tree, I thought; I was settling in.; To my surprise, I found I couldn't wait to see them.; I felt my feet taking root in the earth, claiming this place as home.

• Question 25:

  Read the attachments

  Attachment 1

  How to fight drug-resistant bacteria

  This year, the U.S. reported for the first time that a patient had been infected by bacteria resistant to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort. The announcement followed several years of warnings that current antibiotics aren't diverse enough to

  fight pathogens as drug resistance spreads. The cover story of Chemical and Engineering News (CandEN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, sums up how researchers are trying to stay ahead of the bugs. Ann M.

  Thayer, a senior correspondent at CandEN, notes that antibiotic-resistant pathogens already cause at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. And the development pipeline for new treatments to deal with this

  growing problem is anemic. About 40 small molecules and two dozen other approaches, such as antibodies and vaccines, are in clinical testing. Only about one in five are expected to earn approval for patient use. In addition, sparse funding,

  poor business prospects and regulatory issues can stand in the way of development.

  Despite the hurdles, there is hope. Researchers are getting creative in their strategies for defeating infection-causing bacteria. They're designing drugs to overcome existing resistance mechanisms. Their tactics include making drugs that

  attack pathogens on multiple fronts, and that neutralize illness-causing bacterial toxins rather than killing the bugs themselves. To help encourage the development of new solutions, policymakers are proposing various bills to ease the

  financial and regulatory burdens. And new government and nonprofit funding is becoming available.

  Attachment 2

  Paraphrase A:

  Researchers continue to pursue the quest to find alternative solutions to drug resistant deadly bacteria. They are exploring alternative approaches and with the support of government and nonprofit agency funding, may be getting closer to

  new drug options.

  Paraphrase B:

  Scientists are working hard to beat drug-resistant, infection-causing bacteria. Researchers are developing drugs that can outsmart a bacteria's current means of resistance. This includes designing drugs that assault pathogens in multiple

  ways and can diffuse the toxins that cause the illness rather than killing the bacteria itself. Policymakers are trying to help support the research into new drugs by proposing bills that will help lessen the financial and regulatory burdens that

  currently slow down the process and the government and nonprofit agencies are also providing research funding.

  Paraphrase C:

  Scientists have hope, despite the challenges they face. Researchers are getting fancy in devising strategies for defeating infection-causing bacteria. Drugs designed to overcome existing resistance mechanisms are being developed. They are

  focusing on making drugs that attack pathogens on multiple fronts, and neutralize illness-causing bacterial toxins rather than destroying the bugs themselves. Policymakers hope to encourage the development of new solutions by proposing

  legislative bills to ease the financial and regulatory burdens, with new government and nonprofit funding also becoming available.

  Paraphrase D:

  Researchers are desperately searching for new alternatives to treat patients who may become infected with drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Although it seems an uphill battle, they are hopeful that new drug treatment options for patients who

  are stricken with bacterial infections may soon be available and will save countless lives worldwide. Scientists are looking in to newly designed drugs that attack the offending bacteria in different ways. They are also trying to determine how to

  neutralize the bacterial toxins that cause illness as opposed to killing the bacteria completely. They are getting creative in their approach on how to handle this increasing health concern. In support of these scientific advances, government

  policymakers are working to get bills passed that will help ease the financial burden companies face in trying to conduct this critical research and cut back on some of the regulatory hurdles that make drug approval such a time-consuming

  process. In addition to government support and assistance, nonprofit agencies are also providing private funding options.

  Which of the choices in the attachment 2 is the best paraphrase of paragraph 2 of the attachment 1?

  A. paraphrase D
  B. paraphrase B
  C. paraphrase C
  D. paraphrase A
  B. paraphrase B

• Question 26:

  Read the text and answer the question.

  Moving to the Back of Beyond

  When my parents said the three of us were moving out to California, to a place just north of Los Angeles, my mind immediately went to thoughts of Disneyland and Hollywood, glitz and glamour. I imagined a Rodeo Drive shopping spree to pick out a bikini for the endless days I would be spending on the beach. However, I’d forgotten about my parents’ penchant for the unconventional; they’re definitely “the road less traveled” kind of people. Mom had a gopher snake for a pet when she was younger, and Dad was never happier than when he was climbing near-vertical cliffs that only mountain goats could love. These are not city folk. They had chosen to buy a 900-square-foot cabin under a 250-year-old oak tree in the high chaparral1 forest out in the back of beyond – so far away from Los Angeles that you couldn't even see the glow of the lights at night. When I first saw where we were going to live, I vacillated between feeling terrified and excited. This would be an adventure, for sure. But this was no camping trip where you could go home to civilization after a few days of roughing it; this was home, and roughing it was the new normal. On move-in day, we drove fifteen miles out from Antelope Valley – where the nearest grocery store was located – on a two-lane road past llamas, cattle, and horses. Up and up we went, until finally we turned down a dirt road and headed into a canyon full of towering Coulter pines, blue-green sagebrush, and ancient canyon live oaks. I didn't know the names of these plants then, of course; I learned them later. That first day all I saw then was a million shades of green. We parked under an oak tree that shaded our cabin and a front yard of rock, sand, and sagebrush twice as large as the cabin itself. On the stone staircase that led to the front door, black lizards interrupted their push-ups to twist their heads and eye us as we passed. Scrub jays squawked and hummingbirds zoomed past the eaves, scolding us with their territorial calls. No cars roared past. No radios blared from a neighbor's house. There were no neighbors – no human neighbors, anyway.

  Our new home consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and one big room for everything else. A fireplace in the corner of the big room would be our sole source of heat in the winter. A swamp box (cooler) would blow a breeze over a big

  damp pad to keep us cool all summer, or so my father said. But it was early autumn that day, and the temperature was perfect in the shade of the oak tree. Our oak tree, I thought; I was settling in.

  Mom wiped a layer of grime off the kitchen counter and muttered about getting a bottle of bleach on our next trip into town. That was the beginning of an important lesson about living in the back of beyond: you don't just zip over to the local

  convenience store anytime you need something out here. You have to make a careful list and check it twice so that you don't forget anything, because anywhere is a long way from here.

  On my first walk around the property, I saw two horned toads, a red-tailed hawk, and some deer tracks. I wondered what else I might find deeper and higher in the canyon. Dad told me the real estate agent had mentioned that coyotes,

  bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and even bears roamed these hills. To my surprise, I found I couldn't wait to see them. All of them. I felt my feet taking root in the earth, claiming this place as home.

  With no street lamps timed to turn on at sunset, when night came it was darker than anything I had ever experienced. Mom and I went out to look at the stars while Dad tried to unplug the ancient toilet. In the city, or even in the suburbs where

  I had lived before, you could see only the brightest stars in the sky. But out here, it was like being in a planetarium, except there were no labels typed onto our sky. The sheer number and spread of stars was awe-inspiring.

  That first night, we slept on air mattresses on the living room floor because the movers had not yet arrived. There were no curtains on the windows, so when the moon rose, it shone in as if moonbeams were an integral part of the cabin.

  Eventually, I moved into the bedroom and Mom and Dad got a foldout bed for the living room. Over the next few months, I began to count the passage of time in full moons rather than by the pages of a calendar, and for the first time I really

  noticed the days growing shorter in winter and longer in summer.

  It's hard to believe, but we’ve been here for six years now. I’ve been going to school in the valley, but I feel most at home up here with my wild fellow canyon dwellers. Soon, I will have to leave home for college, and I’m a little afraid of the

  culture shock I’m sure I will feel when I move back to civilization. Soon I’ll be walking on pavement and well-mowed grass again, rooming with strangers, and eating meals in a cafeteria crowded with more people than live within twenty miles of

  this house. But I know I will come back. The back of beyond is home now.

  1. chaparral: a dense thicket of shrubs and small trees

  The following question is divided into two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

  Part B

  Which sentence from the text best supports your answer in part A?

  Note: Part A

  Q: What is most likely the author's intent by mentioning the “Rodeo Drive shopping spree” in the following paragraph?

  When my parents said the three of us were moving out to California, to a place just north of Los Angeles, my mind immediately went to thoughts of Disneyland and Hollywood, glitz and glamour. I imagined a Rodeo Drive shopping spree to pick out a bikini for the endless days I would be spending on the beach. However, I’d forgotten about my parents’ penchant for the unconventional; they’re definitely “the road less traveled” kind of people. Mom has a gopher snake for a pet when she was younger, and Dad was never happier than when he was climbing near-vertical cliffs that only mountain goats could love. These are not city folk.

  A:

  to contrast the narrator's grand dreams with the sparse life her parent have in mind

  A. "On the stone staircase that led to the front door, black lizards interrupted their push-ups to twist their heads and eye us as we passed."
  B. "Our new home consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and one big room for everything else."
  C. "Dad told me the real estate agent had mentioned that coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and even bears roamed these hills."
  D. "In the city, or even in the suburbs where I had lived before, you could see only the brightest stars in the sky."
  B. "Our new home consisted of one bedroom, one bathroom, and one big room for everything else."

• Question 27:

  After you paint

  

  of the walls in your bedroom, you realize you have painted 288 square feet. How many square feet of walls do you have left to paint in your bedroom?

  A. 288
  B. 192
  C. 144
  D. 432
  C. 144

• Question 28:

  Read the story attached.

  "Roughing It" by Mark Twain

  My brother had just been appointed Secretary of Nevada Territory ?an office of such majesty that it concentrated in itself the duties and dignities of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, and Acting Governor in the Governor's absence. A salary of eighteen hundred dollars a year and the title of "Mr. Secretary," gave to the great position an air of wild and imposing grandeur. I was young and ignorant, and I envied my brother. I coveted his distinction and his financial splendor, but particularly and especially the long, strange journey he was going to make, and the curious new world he was going to explore. He was going to travel! I never had been away from home, and that word "travel" had a seductive charm for me. Pretty soon he would be hundreds and hundreds of miles away on the great plains and deserts, and among the mountains of the Far West, and would see buffaloes and Indians, and prairie dogs, and antelopes, and have all kinds of adventures, and may be get hanged or scalped, and have ever such a fine time, and write home and tell us all about it, and be a hero. And he would see the gold mines and the silver mines, and maybe go about of an afternoon when his work was done, and pick up two or three pailfuls of shining slugs, and nuggets of gold and silver on the hillside. And by and by he would become very rich, and return home by sea, and be able to talk as calmly about San Francisco and the ocean, and "the isthmus" as if it was nothing of any consequence to have seen those marvels face to face.

  What I suffered in contemplating his happiness, pen cannot describe. And so, when he offered me, in cold blood, the sublime position of private secretary under him, it appeared to me that the heavens and the earth passed away, and the firmament was rolled together as a scroll! I had nothing more to desire. My contentment was complete.

  At the end of an hour or two I was ready for the journey. Not much packing up was necessary, because we were going in the overland stage from the Missouri frontier to Nevada, and passengers were only allowed a small quantity of baggage apiece. There was no Pacific railroad in those fine times of ten or twelve years ago ?not a single rail of it. I only proposed to stay in Nevada three months璉 had no thought of staying longer than that. I meant to see all I could that was new and strange, and then hurry home to business. I little thought that I would not see the end of that three-month pleasure excursion for six or seven uncommonly long years! I dreamed all night about Indians, deserts, and silver bars, and in due time, next day, we took shipping at the St. Louis wharf on board a steamboat bound up the Missouri River. We were six days going from St. Louis to "St. Jo." ?a trip that was so dull, and sleepy, and eventless that it has left no more impression on my memory than if its duration had been six minutes instead of that many days. No record is left in my mind, now, concerning it, but a confused jumble of savage-looking snags, which we deliberately walked over with one wheel or the other; and of reefs which we butted and butted, and then retired from and climbed over in some softer place; and of sand-bars which we roosted on occasionally, and rested, and then got out our crutches and sparred over.

  In fact, the boat might almost as well have gone to St. Jo. by land, for she was walking most of the time, anyhow ?climbing over reefs and clambering over snags patiently and laboriously all day long. The captain said she was a "bully" boat, and all she wanted was more "shear" and a bigger wheel. I thought she wanted a pair of stilts, but I had the deep sagacity not to say so.

  What is most likely the author's intent in mentioning the difficult time when traveling from St. Louis to "St. Jo"?

  A. to show he now regrets accepting the offer to travel with his brother to Nevada Territory
  B. to show that riverboat captains were often unprepared for the hidden dangers in the rivers they navigated, which meant there were unnecessary delays
  C. to show the difficulty and drudgery of traveling in those days, which is juxtaposed against the excitement and anticipation he felt about the opportunity to travel earlier on in the passage
  D. to show how much railways eased the travel burden (Whereas the boat he traveled on kept getting caught on the sandbars and river bottom, making progress slow, a railroad would have sped up the trip immensely.)
  C. to show the difficulty and drudgery of traveling in those days, which is juxtaposed against the excitement and anticipation he felt about the opportunity to travel earlier on in the passage

• Question 29:

  There are 125 adults and children attending a movie in a theatre. The cost for an adult to attend the movie is $5.75 and a child pays 3.50. The theatre raised $617.50 in total sales for the movie. If a represents the number of adults and c represents the number of children that attend the movie, which of the following systems of equations can be used to find the number of adults and children that attended the movie?

  A. a + c = 125 5.75a + 3.50 c = 617.50
  B. 5.75a + 3.50c = 125 a + c = 617.50
  C. a + c = 125 3.50a + 5.75c = 617.50
  D. a + c = 617.50 3.50a + 5.75c = 125
  A. a + c = 125 5.75a + 3.50 c = 617.50

• Question 30:

  

  A. statements 2 and 3 only
  B. All of the statements could justify the conclusion.
  C. statements 1 and 3 only
  D. statement 2 only
  C. statements 1 and 3 only