Test Prep SBAC Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Test Prep SBAC Online Questions & Answers

• Question 41:

  

  A. Option A
  B. Option B
  C. Option C
  D. Option D
  D. Option D

• Question 42:

  A student is writing a persuasive speech for his speech class about the value of fine arts programs in public education, Read the paragraphs from the student's draft and complete the task that follows.

  Value of the Arts

  Fine arts programs in public education furnish critical thinking. Artists must evaluate their work for form and substance to ensure it accurately represents their vision and make any adjustments that are needed. Musicians must practice their

  skills continually and evaluate accuracy of their performance.

  Arts programs also encourage goal setting. Both artists and musicians must make a vision of what they want their skills to be, and work to achieve that vision. They must constantly evaluate their abilities and decide what they must do to reach

  their goals. Goal setting is a skill that will be valuable to them not only in the arts, but also in other areas of life.

  What are more concrete or specific words to replace the two underlined words? (Choose two.)

  A. promote
  B. provide
  C. supply
  D. establish
  E. implement
  F. start
  A. promote
  D. establish

• Question 43:

  The graph of y = x26x + 1 has its ____ at the point (3, -8).

  A. center
  B. y-intercept
  C. maximum
  D. vertex
  D. vertex

• Question 44:

  The graph of f(x) = (x - 2) (x2 - 3x - 10) will ____.

  a ) cross the x-axis at three points b ) approach two vertical asymptotes c ) have a zero at x = −5 d ) increase without bound in the first quadrant e ) decrease without bound in the fourth quadrant

  A. a, b
  B. b, c, d
  C. c, e
  D. a, d
  D. a, d

• Question 45:

  

  A. a and c
  B. d and f
  C. b and e
  D. c and e
  D. c and e

• Question 46:

  Read the text and answer the question.

  Blue Crabs Provide Evidence of Oil Tainting Gulf Food

  Weeks ago, before engineers pumped in mud and cement to plug the gusher, scientists began finding specks of oil in crab larvae plucked from waters across the Gulf coast.

  The government said last week that three-quarters of the spilled oil has been removed or naturally dissipated from the water. But the crab larvae discovery was an ominous sign that crude had already infiltrated the Gulf's vast food web – and

  could affect it for years to come.

  "It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water," said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans.

  "Something likely will eat those oiled larvae . . . and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on."

  Tiny creatures might take in such low amounts of oil that they could survive, Thomas said. But those at the top of the chain, such as dolphins and tuna, could get fatal "megadoses."

  Marine biologists routinely gather shellfish for study. Since the spill began, many of the crab larvae collected have had the distinctive orange oil droplets, said Harriet Perry, a biologist with the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast

  Research Laboratory.

  "In my 42 years of studying crabs I've never seen this," Perry said.

  She wouldn't estimate how much of the crab larvae are contaminated overall, but said about 40 percent of the area they are known to inhabit has been affected by oil from the spill.

  While fish can metabolize dispersant and oil, crabs may accumulate the hydrocarbons, which could harm their ability to reproduce, Perry said in an earlier interview with Science magazine.

  She told the magazine there are two encouraging signs for the wild larvae – they are alive when collected and may lose oil droplets when they molt.

  Tulane University researchers are investigating whether the splotches also contain toxic chemical dispersants that were spread to break up the oil but have reached no conclusions, biologist Caz Taylor said.

  If large numbers of blue crab larvae are tainted, their population is virtually certain to take a hit over the next year and perhaps longer, scientists say. The spawning season occurs between April and October, but the peak months are in July

  and August.

  How large the die-off would be is unclear, Perry said. An estimated 207 million gallons of oil have spewed into the Gulf since an April 20 drilling rig explosion triggered the spill, and thousands of gallons of dispersant chemicals have been

  dumped.

  Scientists will be focusing on crabs because they're a "keystone species" that play a crucial role in the food web as both predator and prey, Perry said.

  Richard Condrey, a Louisiana State University oceanographer, said the crabs are "a living repository of information on the health of the environment."

  Named for the light-blue tint of their claws, the crabs have thick shells and 10 legs, allowing them to swim and scuttle across bottomlands. As adults, they live in the Gulf's bays and estuaries amid marshes that offer protection and abundant

  food, including snails, tiny shellfish, plants and even smaller crabs. In turn, they provide sustenance for a variety of wildlife, from redfish to raccoons and whooping cranes.

  Adults could be harmed by direct contact with oil and from eating polluted food. But scientists are particularly worried about the vulnerable larvae.

  That's because females don't lay their eggs in sheltered places, but in areas where estuaries meet the open sea. Condrey discovered several years ago that some even deposit offspring on shoals miles offshore in the Gulf.

  The larvae grow as they drift with the currents back toward the estuaries for a month or longer. Many are eaten by predators and only a handful of the 3 million or so eggs from a single female live to adulthood.

  But their survival could drop even lower if the larvae run into oil and dispersants.

  "Crabs are very abundant. I don't think we're looking at extinction or anything close to it," said Taylor, one of the researchers who discovered the orange spots.

  Still, crabs and other estuary-dependent species such as shrimp and red snapper could feel the effects of remnants of the spill for years, Perry said.

  "There could be some mortality, but how much is impossible to say at this point," said Vince Guillory, biologist manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

  Perry, Taylor and Condrey will be among scientists monitoring crabs for negative effects such as population drop-offs and damage to reproductive capabilities and growth rates.

  Crabs are big business in the region. In Louisiana alone, some 33 million pounds are harvested annually, generating nearly $300 million in economic activity, Guillory said.

  Blue crabs are harvested year-round, but summer and early fall are peak months for harvesting, Guillory said.

  Prices for live blue crab generally have gone up, partly because of the Louisiana catch scaling back due to fishing closures, said Steve Hedlund, editor of SeafoodSource.com, a website that covers the global seafood industry.

  Fishers who can make a six-figure income off crabs in a good year now are now idled – and worried about the future.

  "If they'd let us go out and fish today, we'd probably catch crabs," said Glen Despaux, 37, who sets his traps in Louisiana's Barataria Bay. "But what's going to happen next year, if this water is polluted and it's killing the eggs and the larvae? I

  think it's going to be a long-term problem."

  Excerpt from "Blue Crabs Provide Evidence of Oil Tainting Gulf Food Web" by John Flesher. Copyright © 2010 by The Associated Press. Reprinted by permission of The Associated Press.

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

  Part A

  Read this section from the text and the directions that follow.

  Weeks ago, before engineers pumped in mud and cement to plug the gusher, scientists began finding specks of oil in crab larvae plucked from waters across the Gulf coast.

  The government said last week that three-quarters of the spilled oil has been removed or naturally dissipated from the water. But the crab larvae discovery was an ominous sign that crude had already infiltrated the Gulf's vast food web – and could affect it for years to come.

  “It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water”, said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans. “Something likely will eat those oiled larvae… and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on.”

  What is the central idea of the section?

  A. Other organisms in the Gulf waters feed on the larvae of blue crabs.
  B. Most of the spilled oil that contaminated the Gulf waters recently has been cleaned up.
  C. Scientists recently discovered oil droplets on blue crab larvae in waters along the Gulf coast
  D. Scientists fear long-term negative effects on Gulf coast organisms from contaminated blue crab larvae.
  D. Scientists fear long-term negative effects on Gulf coast organisms from contaminated blue crab larvae.

• Question 47:

  HOTSPOT

  Student Directions

  Mandatory Financial Literacy Classes Argumentative Performance Task

  Task:

  In your economics class, you are discussing the importance of making smart financial decisions. Your teacher tells you that, in some school districts, students are required to take a financial literacy class before graduating. Your school board

  is hosting a meeting to decide whether to offer such a course for graduation, and wants students to contribute their perspectives. As part of your initial research, you have found four sources about financial literacy classes.

  After you have reviewed these sources, you will answer some questions about them. Briefly scan the sources and the three questions that follow. Then, go back and read the sources carefully so you will have the information you will need to

  answer the questions and finalize your research. You may click on the Global Notes button to take notes on the information you find in the sources as you read. You may also use scratch paper to take notes.

  In Part 2, you will write an argumentative essay on a topic related to the sources.

  Directions for Beginning:

  You will now examine several sources. You can re-examine any of the sources as often as you like.

  Research Questions:

  After looking at the sources, use the rest of the time in Part 1 to answer three questions about them. Your answers to these questions will be scored. Also, your answers will help you think about the information you have read and looked at,

  which should help you write your argumentative essay.

  You may click on the Global Notes button or refer back to your scratch paper to look at your notes when you think it would be helpful. Answer the questions in the spaces below the items.

  Both the Global Notes on the computer and your written notes on scratch paper will be available to you in Part 1 and Part 2 of the performance task.

  Part 1

  Sources for Performance Task:

  Source #1

  This article, from April 9, 2010, is from the New York Times, and is about the potential benefits of financial literacy courses.

  Working Financial Literacy in With the Three R's by Tara Siegel Bernard

  Most Americans aren't fluent in the language of money. Yet we're expected to make big financial decisions as early as our teens– Should I take on thousands of dollars of student debt? Should I buy a car? – even though most of us received

  no formal instruction on financial matters until it was too late.

  While no course in personal finance could have prevented many Americans from getting caught up in the housing bubble1, it's clear that most of us need some help, preferably starting when we're still in school. And I'm not just talking about

  learning to balance your checkbook. Its understanding concepts like the time value of money, risk and reward, and, yes, the importance of savings.

  All of this raises the question: What's happening inside our classrooms? And how many schools even broach the topic? As it turns out, for a country that prizes personal responsibility, we're doing very little.

  "We need to teach the basics of economics and finances so people can make financial decisions in a changing world," said Annamaria Lusardi, economics professor at Dartmouth College and a research associate at the National Bureau of

  Economic Research. "It's the compounding of interest2, the problem of inflation3. These are the principles. And these are really scientific topics.”

  While more states are beginning to require some sort of personal finance instruction, there aren't enough that do, financial literacy experts say, and there is little consistency in the quality of the education. Just 13 states require students to take a personal finance course or include the subject in an economics course before they graduate from high school, up from seven states in 2007, according to the Council for Economic Education. Meanwhile, 34 states (including those 13) have personal finance within their curriculum guidelines, up from 28 states in 2007…

  But that hasn't stopped enterprising teachers like Mathew Frost, who teaches 11th and 12th graders American history and economics at Sunset High School in Dallas, from working the topic into his student's school day. The Texas economics curriculum carves out time for personal finance, but it doesn't test students on the material. Mr. Frost says it's just too important to ignore. So he tries to bring the lesson to life for his students by pairing them up as married couples and giving them a couple of children. The students must then create a budget based on the average income range for their neighborhood, or about $21,000 to $40,000 a year. As in the board game “Life," the students are dealt real-world circumstances. Mr. Frost has them randomly pick "chance cards" from a bag, which might tell them they need new brakes for their car, broke an arm, suffered a death in the family, or found $20.

  "I try to make it as realistic as possible," he said. "We talk about building budgets, expenses, investing money," he added, as well as "how to use credit wisely, insurance and careers."

  One of his students later wrote about the experience. The 11th grader, who simulated life with a wife and two children on $21,000 a year, told of balancing needs versus wants, trying to find an apartment in a safe neighborhood that fit the

  family budget, and the effect of an unexpected rent increase on their savings.

  "I first learned that real life isn't going to be as nice as this game," he said. "I also learned that good budgeting has to be maintained throughout a person's life no matter the income, no matter the living conditions."

  Research shows that this type of financial education tends to resonate with the students later.

  Michael S. Gutter, an assistant professor of family financial management at the University of Florida, studied the issue in 2009, after he surveyed 15,700 students at 15 universities who came from states with different (or nonexistent) personal

  finance schooling requirements. The study was financed by the National Endowment for Financial Education, a nonprofit organization in Denver that provides financial education curriculums.

  "College students who came from states where there was a course required were more likely to budget, were more likely to be saving, and were less likely to have maxed out their credit cards in the last year and were more likely to be paying

  off their credit cards fully," Professor Gutter said. But his research also suggested that "social learning is also very powerful as well," he said. "What your parents tell you matters.”

  "It's hard because there is no silver bullet to get this into every school," said Matthew Yale, deputy chief of staff to Education Secretary Arne Duncan. "It's not as simple as saying, ‘We're going to institute this in the 100,000 public schools in

  America.’ But our plan for reauthorization does make room for financial literacy in schools, which is a really big, big deal." Mr. Yale was referring to the Obama administration's plan to revise the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,

  commonly known as No Child Left Behind. He said the Department of Education's next step is to work with districts and teachers and help them find the money they need, whether it's through the many literacy-minded nonprofits or the private sector. Mr.Yale also said that department officials were working on competitive grant programs, which would allow schools to compete for money to pay for the financial literacy programs. As a joint effort with the Treasury Department, the Education Department is currently running the National Financial Capability Challenge, an online exam for high school students that measures financial know-how and recognizes outstanding performers, to help raise awareness.

  President Bush created the first Advisory Council on Financial Literacy in 2008, and President Obama plans to assemble his own team. In its annual report, the first council recommended that Congress or state legislatures mandate financial education in all schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. But the new administration follows through with that recommendation? Mr. Yale said education officials were "not interested in introducing unfunded mandates."

  So what can we do? According to Scott Truelove, who teaches personal finance as part of a work-study program for seniors at Chesterton High School in Indiana, "It will take a parent movement."

  Mr. Truelove has already seen the power of financial education in his school's hallways, where a student told him and another personal finance teacher that she set up a Roth 1.R.A.* given what she learned in class.

  "That, to me, is huge," Mr. Truelove said.

  1ousing bubble: when housing prices rapidly increase to unsustainable levels and then collapse

  2compound interest: interest paid on both the original amount of money invested and on the interest it has already earned 3inflation: a general increase in prices that decrease the purchasing power of money 4“Roth I.R.A.: a type of individual retirement account

  Bernard Siegal, Tara. (2010, April 9). Working Financial Literacy in With the Three R's. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/your-money/10money.html

  Source #2

  In this article from February 6, 2009, the Chicago Tribune discusses problems with financial literacy education. Financial Education Leaving Americans Behind by Greg Burns

  With so many personal finance decisions turning into disasters, a chorus of voices is singing the praises of financial-literacy education.

  Make every American a financial whiz, the thinking goes, and credit bubbles never will bedevil us again.

  Trouble is, growing evidence suggests that financial-literacy courses don't work. Worse, they may actually hurt, in part by making their graduates overconfident about limited skills.

  Few want to hear that message, according to Lauren Willis, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, whose recent paper, "Against Financial Literacy

  Education,” shook up all sorts of vested interests. . . .

  Plenty of people make a living off these courses, and lawmakers love them, since they give the impression that something is being done about the intractable problem of financial ignorance.

  Utah, Missouri, and Tennessee require students to take a semester-long personal-finance class before graduating from high school. Illinois and 16 other states incorporate financial education into other subjects–by decree, of course.

  The Indiana Senate this month approved a bill that would require "personal financial responsibility" to be taught from kindergarten through high school. Its sponsor described it as an appropriate response to "difficult times." Other states are

  mulling expanded mandates

  These measures don't affect only youth. Adults face similar obligatory instruction when they seek bankruptcy protection or, in some cases, apply for loans.

  Academics have known for years about the scant evidence in support of the programs, but few are willing to go as far as Willis in bluntly denouncing them as a counterproductive racket."

  She cites examples, such as the high school students who took a semester-long personal finance course and tested worse than those who didn't. Or the graduates of retirement-planning classes who thought their literacy had increased, when

  their financial test scores had not.

  Now comes a study from Harvard Business School raising more doubts. Using rigorous methodology, it concluded that programs in widespread use during the past two decades were no use at all.

  "They weren't effective in changing people's financial decisions," said Shawn Cole, one of two professors behind the report, titled "If You Are So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?"

  "We find no effect," he said. "My gut feeling is that teaching math or statistics would be more useful."

  Still, Cole believes it may be possible to design an effective program. That's a common theme among those who favor financial education: Just because no one has proven these courses work is no reason to give up searching for the right

  formula.

  Willis has other ideas. She wants to forget about making Americans capable of handling their credit and investment needs – most will never get there, especially given the fast-moving, complicated nature of financial services.

  She favors pro-consumer regulation and one-on-one counseling with unbiased advisers. Sure, those could be tough to come by. But no one said saving Americans from themselves would be easy.

  1racket: a dishonest scheme or business activity

  Burns, Greg. (2009, February 6). Financial Education Leaving Americans Behind. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-02-16/news/0902150143_1_financial-literacy-financial-literacy-education-financial

  ignorance.

  Source #3

  This October 6, 2013 article from the New York Times is about the drawbacks of financial literacy courses, and what the research shows about teaching financial literacy skills.

  Financial Literacy, Beyond the Classroom

  by Richard H. Thaler

  Even if we grade on a very generous curve, many Americans flunk when it comes to financial literacy. Consider this three-item quiz:

  Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 percent a year. After five years, how much do you think you would have if you left the money to grow? More than $102, exactly $102 or less than $102?

  Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 percent a year and that inflation was 2 percent. After one year, would you be able to buy more than, the same as, or less than you could today with the money?

  Do you think this statement is true or false: "Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund"?

  Anyone with even a basic understanding of compound interest, inflation and the answers to these questions are "than" and "false." Yet in a survey of Americans over age 50 conducted by the economists Annamaria Lusardi of George

  Washington University and Olivia S Mitchell of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, only a third could answer all three questions correctly.

  This is particularly troubling given the inherent complexity of our modern economy. Whether in taking out a student loan, buying a house, or saving for retirement, people are being asked to make decisions that are difficult even if they have

  graduate training in finance and economics. Throwing the financially illiterate into that maelstrom is like taking students currently enrolled in driver's education and asking them to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

  A popular approach to this problem is to work harder to improve financial literacy – for example, by including household finance in the basic high school curriculum. One reason to think this solution will have big payoffs is that people who are

  more knowledgeable about financial matters, as measured by a test, perform better at tasks like saving for retirement and staying out of debt. This may seem a straightforward argument in support of financial literacy courses. Unfortunately, it

  isn't.

  The problem is that measured financial literacy is highly correlated with other factors, most notably higher education in general, so it's hard to sort out causes. (The ability to solve the Sunday crossword puzzle is probably also positively

  correlated with good financial outcomes.) So to see whether a financial education curriculum is likely to pay dividends, we should review specific efforts to shore up financial skills in those who are deficient, and not just measure what people

  already know.

  A new paper by three business school professors – Daniel Fernandes of Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the Catholic University of Portugal, John G. Lynch Jr. of the University of Colorado, and Richard Netemeyer of the University

  of Virginia – presents a discouraging assessment of attempts to teach people how to deal with money. Their article uses a technique called meta-analysis,” looking at results from 168 scientific studies of efforts to teach people to be financially

  astute, or at least less clueless.

  The authors’ conclusions are clear: over all, financial education is laudable,* but not particularly helpful. Those who receive it do not perform noticeably better when it comes to saving more, for example, or avoiding ruinous debt. . . .

  Don't get me wrong. I am all for trying to teach household finance in schools, starting as early as possible. And when it comes to high school, I think learning about compound interest is at least as important as trigonometry or memorizing the

  names of all 50 state capitals. If we try enough approaches, and evaluate what works, we may improve such programs' effectiveness. But we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking that adding a household finance class to a high school

  curriculum will in itself create knowledgeable consumers who can understand today's wide array of financial products.

  …In the meta-analysis, even the most time-intensive programs – those with more than 24 hours of education and training, almost the length of a college course – had no discernible effects just two years later.

  It would be premature to conclude that all efforts at improving financial literacy are futile. But it is a fair conclusion that simply doing more of the training commonly used now will not produce significant results. So what else might we try?

  Although no approach offers a panacea,” three types of efforts seem worthy of more attention.

  The first is what Professor Lynch, one of the authors of the meta-analysis, calls just-in-time education.

  Because learning decays quickly, it's best to provide assistance just before a decision is made. High school seniors should receive help in how to think about a student loan and how to make sure that the education bought with the loan offers

  good prospects for repayment. Just-in-time education can be offered at other crucial moments–when taking out a mortgage or figuring out when to retire. But unless such education is compulsory, many of the consumers most in need of help

  don't take advantage of it. And we need to be sure not to confuse self-serving marketing5 with objective advice.

  Another approach is to offer simple rules of thumb to help people cope. Because few people can calculate how much they need to save for a comfortable retirement, it might help to offer simple guidelines like “invest as much as possible in

  your 401(k) plan, H6 “save 15 percent of your income," or "get a 15-year mortgage if you are over 50."

  One example comes from a field experiment involving microentrepreneurs7 in the Dominican Republic. Of those who expressed an interest in receiving help, some were offered training in basic accounting principles while others were given

  simple rules of thumb. The accounting education did not have apparent effects, but simple rules – like keeping personal money and business money in separate drawers – led to better outcomes. This seemingly trivial concept helped small-

  business owners keep better track of how their businesses were faring.

  The third approach, and the one I believe offers the best prospects of immediate help, is to make our financial system more user-friendly. You don't need to be a computer scientist to use a smartphone. If we made choosing a suitable

  mortgage as easy as checking the weather in Timbuktu, fewer households would find themselves underwater* when real estate markets tumble…

  The same principle can be used in other areas, from credit cards to checking accounts. The financial services industry – either on its own or as required by government regulators – needs to find ways to make it easier for people to make

  sound decisions. And those financial firms that engage in fraudulent practices should be prosecuted and stopped.

  1diversification: investing in different assets in order to minimize risk

  2meta-analysis: an analysis of several separate but similar studies to determine if an observed effect is not due to chance alone

  3laudable: praiseworthy

  4panacea: a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases

  5self-serving marketing: surveys, top 10 lists, and technical papers that contain seemingly useful consumer information but are being used as a marketing strategy

  6401(k) plan: a retirement savings plan in which deductions are automatically made from an employee's paycheck before taxes are deducted and that are sometimes matched by the employer

  7microentrepreneur: operator of a microenterprise, or very small business; microenterprises typically employ fewer than ten people and have relatively low start-up costs

  8 underwater: when an individual owes more on a loan than the market value of the loan; this term is typically applied to home mortgages

  Thaler, Richard H. (2013, October 6). Financial Literacy, Beyond the Classroom. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/business/financial-literacy-beyond-the-classroom.html.

  Source #4

  This article, from October 15, 2006, is from the Baltimore Sun and is about concerns surrounding mandated financial literacy classes.

  Finance Course Prompts Debate

  by Gina Davis

  While Carroll County students will be required to take a financial literacy course to graduate starting next year, concerns linger over whether mandating the course is the most effective way to teach money matters to teens.

  "The course is likely a good thing, but I am convinced it is not the best thing," school board President Thomas G. Hiltz said last week. "One course is not a panacea and, alone, will not make our students financially literate."

  After a lengthy debate about requiring the class, board members voted 4-1 to require students beginning next school year to take the half-credit course. It will cover concepts such as money management, consumer rights and responsibilities,

  credit, savings, and investing.

  Carroll joins a handful of Maryland school systems – including Harford, St. Mary's, Talbot and Baltimore counties–with a similar requirement.

  The financial course was one of several changes to the high school program of studies that the board approved.

  During last week's meeting, Hiltz joined Cynthia L. Foley in supporting a motion to amend the proposal that would have eliminated financial literacy as a required course. The motion to amend failed in a 3-2 vote.

  Foley was the lone dissenter1 when the original proposal came to a vote. Hiltz said he voted to approve the high school program of studies that included the financial literacy requirement because he supported the overall plan.

  “While it did not turn out the way I may have wanted... unless I believe there has been an egregious mistake in judgment, a vote against the entire high school program of studies is, in my view, sour grapes," Hiltz said in an email.

  During the meeting, Hiltz suggested the board needed more time to consider alternatives, such as incorporating elements of the course into already required classes or developing a comprehensive “financial literacy program," not a single

  course.

  Hiltz also said a required course would necessitate about 10 teachers each year and cost the system about $600,000 annually.

  "My overwhelming concern is not cost – it is effectiveness," Hiltz said. "The $600,000 is a low cost if the course is effective. An effective course will return that investment. It is a high cost if it is ineffective."

  School officials said statistics suggest teens and young adults are assuming too much credit card debt and are not knowledgeable about finances.

  About one in five students gets a personal finance course during high school, according to the JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which surveys high school seniors every other year to gauge financial aptitude.

  Of the 5,775 high school seniors in 37 states who participated in that survey this year, students on average scored 52.4 percent on 30 questions, according to the group.

  A 2004 poll of college administrators found that excessive credit card debt was the primary reason students dropped out and the secondary reason was low grades, according to the Maryland Coalition for Financial Literacy.

  Carroll school officials said last week that in a "pre-test" given to about 30 students taking the

  financial literacy elective this semester, the highest score was about 60 percent–with some students scoring much lower.

  "Personal finances are not being taught in the home," said Patricia Hummel, a parent who also teaches financial literacy at Winters Mill High as a permanent substitute. "Studies have shown that only 26 percent of 13- to 21-year-olds reported

  that their parents actively taught them how to manage money.”

  Hummel supported a required financial literacy course because, "unless this class is mandated, students will not take advantage of the class."

  Hiltz said that while the district has piloted [tested] a financial literacy course; no local data has been collected on its effectiveness.

  "We all agree that financial literacy is essential," he said. "The lack of a real consideration of other options … troubled me greatly. I am concerned that we picked low-hanging fruit, which may be the most expensive and least effective option.”

  1dissenter: someone who disagrees with a particular view

  Davis, Gina. (2006, October 15). Finance Course Prompts Debate. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved from http://articales.baltimoresun.com/2006-10-15/news/0610140104_1_hiltz-high-school-program-financial-literacy.

  Click on the boxes to show the claim(s) that each source supports. Some supports will have more than one box selected.

  Hot Area:

  

  

• Question 48:

  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.

  Reread this excerpt from Passage 2 in the attached text.

  "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 different, but it's one more source of

  valuable information." Which statement best describes what the phrase "citizen scientists" most likely means?

  A. Citizens of the United States or other country belonging to the UN and who work as scientists in their own or another country.
  B. Trained scientists who may not currently work in the field of science but who have a university degree in a scientific field and whose research can therefore be relied upon by current scientists.
  C. People with a passion for science who may not have specific scientific training but who can gather information that can be used by trained scientists in their research and study of environment.
  D. Students who have not yet earned their degrees in science, but who are training for a career in science and who understand the basics of scientific research.
  C. People with a passion for science who may not have specific scientific training but who can gather information that can be used by trained scientists in their research and study of environment.

• Question 49:

  FILL BLANK

  Read the text and answer the question.

  Blue Crabs Provide Evidence of Oil Tainting Gulf Food

  Weeks ago, before engineers pumped in mud and cement to plug the gusher, scientists began finding specks of oil in crab larvae plucked from waters across the Gulf coast.

  The government said last week that three-quarters of the spilled oil has been removed or naturally dissipated from the water. But the crab larvae discovery was an ominous sign that crude had already infiltrated the Gulf's vast food web – and

  could affect it for years to come.

  "It would suggest the oil has reached a position where it can start moving up the food chain instead of just hanging in the water," said Bob Thomas, a biologist at Loyola University in New Orleans.

  "Something likely will eat those oiled larvae . . . and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on."

  Tiny creatures might take in such low amounts of oil that they could survive, Thomas said. But those at the top of the chain, such as dolphins and tuna, could get fatal "megadoses."

  Marine biologists routinely gather shellfish for study. Since the spill began, many of the crab larvae collected have had the distinctive orange oil droplets, said Harriet Perry, a biologist with the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast

  Research Laboratory.

  "In my 42 years of studying crabs I've never seen this," Perry said.

  She wouldn't estimate how much of the crab larvae are contaminated overall, but said about 40 percent of the area they are known to inhabit has been affected by oil from the spill.

  While fish can metabolize dispersant and oil, crabs may accumulate the hydrocarbons, which could harm their ability to reproduce, Perry said in an earlier interview with Science magazine.

  She told the magazine there are two encouraging signs for the wild larvae – they are alive when collected and may lose oil droplets when they molt.

  Tulane University researchers are investigating whether the splotches also contain toxic chemical dispersants that were spread to break up the oil but have reached no conclusions, biologist Caz Taylor said.

  If large numbers of blue crab larvae are tainted, their population is virtually certain to take a hit over the next year and perhaps longer, scientists say. The spawning season occurs between April and October, but the peak months are in July

  and August.

  How large the die-off would be is unclear, Perry said. An estimated 207 million gallons of oil have spewed into the Gulf since an April 20 drilling rig explosion triggered the spill, and thousands of gallons of dispersant chemicals have been

  dumped.

  Scientists will be focusing on crabs because they're a "keystone species" that play a crucial role in the food web as both predator and prey, Perry said.

  Richard Condrey, a Louisiana State University oceanographer, said the crabs are "a living repository of information on the health of the environment."

  Named for the light-blue tint of their claws, the crabs have thick shells and 10 legs, allowing them to swim and scuttle across bottomlands. As adults, they live in the Gulf's bays and estuaries amid marshes that offer protection and abundant

  food, including snails, tiny shellfish, plants and even smaller crabs. In turn, they provide sustenance for a variety of wildlife, from redfish to raccoons and whooping cranes.

  Adults could be harmed by direct contact with oil and from eating polluted food. But scientists are particularly worried about the vulnerable larvae.

  That's because females don't lay their eggs in sheltered places, but in areas where estuaries meet the open sea. Condrey discovered several years ago that some even deposit offspring on shoals miles offshore in the Gulf.

  The larvae grow as they drift with the currents back toward the estuaries for a month or longer. Many are eaten by predators and only a handful of the 3 million or so eggs from a single female live to adulthood.

  But their survival could drop even lower if the larvae run into oil and dispersants.

  "Crabs are very abundant. I don't think we're looking at extinction or anything close to it," said Taylor, one of the researchers who discovered the orange spots.

  Still, crabs and other estuary-dependent species such as shrimp and red snapper could feel the effects of remnants of the spill for years, Perry said.

  "There could be some mortality, but how much is impossible to say at this point," said Vince Guillory, biologist manager with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

  Perry, Taylor and Condrey will be among scientists monitoring crabs for negative effects such as population drop-offs and damage to reproductive capabilities and growth rates.

  Crabs are big business in the region. In Louisiana alone, some 33 million pounds are harvested annually, generating nearly $300 million in economic activity, Guillory said.

  Blue crabs are harvested year-round, but summer and early fall are peak months for harvesting, Guillory said.

  Prices for live blue crab generally have gone up, partly because of the Louisiana catch scaling back due to fishing closures, said Steve Hedlund, editor of SeafoodSource.com, a website that covers the global seafood industry.

  Fishers who can make a six-figure income off crabs in a good year now are now idled – and worried about the future.

  "If they'd let us go out and fish today, we'd probably catch crabs," said Glen Despaux, 37, who sets his traps in Louisiana's Barataria Bay. "But what's going to happen next year, if this water is polluted and it's killing the eggs and the larvae? I

  think it's going to be a long-term problem."

  Excerpt from "Blue Crabs Provide Evidence of Oil Tainting Gulf Food Web" by John Flesher. Copyright © 2010 by The Associated Press. Reprinted by permission of The Associated Press.

  Summarize the author's point about why scientists are monitoring the blue crab population so closely. Support your summary using key evidence from the text.

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

  ---

  For example:

  Score 2

  A response:

  Gives sufficient evidence of the ability to determine/summarize the author's message/claim/point/central idea, or to explain the support for a central idea Includes specific examples/details that make clear reference to the text Adequately explains the author's message/ claim/point/central idea or explanation with clearly relevant information based on the text

  Oil tainted water has contaminated populations of blue crabs, a species relatively low on the food chain. The primary concern here is that while these crabs may survive the poisoning, their position on the food chain could be disastrous for the environment overall. For example, the oil may negate their ability to reproduce and the animals who hunt blue crab may die off- and in turn their predators will starve as well. Poisoned blue crabs could also survive small doses of oil but those at the top of the food chain could consume fatal megadoses. "Something likely will eat those oiled larvae... and then that animal will be eaten by something bigger and so on." says the scientist in the text. Scientists must monitor the blue crab population because the effects that the oil may have had on them could disrupt the entire food chain.

  Score 1

  A response:

  Gives limited evidence of the ability to determine/summarize the author's message/ claim/point/central idea, or to explain the support for a central idea Includes vague/limited examples/details that make reference to the text Explains the author's message/ claim/point/central idea or explanation with vague/limited information based on the text

  They are monitoring the blue crab population so closely because they are a key part to the food chain. If the species cannot reproduce then they will die off causing a chain reaction that will effect the consumers of the food chain.

  Score 0 A response:

  Gives no evidence of the ability to determine/summarize the author's message/claim/point/central idea, or to explain the support for a central idea OR Gives the author's message/claim/point/central idea or explanation, but includes no examples or no examples/details that make reference to the text OR Gives the author's message/claim/point/central idea or explanation, but includes no explanation or no relevant information from the text

  Scientists began finding specks of oil in crab larvae plucked from waters across the Gulf coast. The government said last week that three- quarters of the spilled oil has been removed or naturally dissipated from the water.

• Question 50:

  Which of these is not equal to: tan(x) sin(x) + sec(x) cos2(x)?

  

  A. e
  B. c, e
  C. a, c
  D. d
  A. e