150. (A). The first paragraph of the passage stats that oxytocin treatments are often tried in isolated cases and the
overall effects are without evaluation. The passage then describes a small study that seems promising, but makes no
definitive claims. Therefore, it is likely that the author would agree that the effects of oxytocin require further
evaluation. Answer choice (B) is incorrect, as the passage states the opposite, that oxytocin is not a "cure-all."
Although the author focuses on the effects of oxytocin for those that are not able to interpret social cues, answer
choice (C) is incorrect, as the author does not state that the drug would not be useful for those that can already do so.
The author specifically addresses (D) in the passage, stating that the hormone oxytocin increases feelings of calm and
social bonding. Finally, answer choice (E) is incorrect, as the author never addresses oxytocin as an oral treatment.
151. (D). The passage states that, the experiment showed that the oxytocin had the greatest affect on those who
were least able to evaluate emotions properly when given the control. Thus, you can infer that those with the least
ability to naturally infer emotions, e.g., the ones who might need it most, reaped the greatest benefits of the hormone.
Additionally, (A) is incorrect, as the passage does not discuss inconclusiveness based on sample size. (B) is incorrect,
as it incorrectly pairs the known effects of the hormone in the brain with the results of the student study. (C) is
incorrect, as the passage does not address the ability of the students to recognize expressions, just the relative change
between the controlled salt water dose and the oxytocin. Finally, (E) is incorrect for a similar reason: the passage
does not state that the subtler the expression the more difficult it was for students to identify, just that some
expressions that were used were subtler than others.
152. (A). The experiment was related to students' ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions, not their
ability to tell faces apart. (B) is mentioned in the first sentence of the last paragraph of the passage. (C) is addressed
throughout the second passage, first when it is stated that, either a control dose of salt water was given and then by
comparing awareness after exposure to oxytocin to the controlled salt water dose. (D) is explicitly stated in the
second sentence of the second paragraph. Finally, (E) is explicitly addressed in the last sentence of the second
paragraph.
153. II and III only. You are told that Anansi originated with the Ashanti people in Ghana, so the first statement is
untrue. However, you are told that in Jamaican folklore, Anansi outsmarts other animal-god characters, so those
characters must exist. Since Anansi is called "Aunt Nancy" in the United States and is from Ghana, Anansi is known on
at least two continents.
154. (A). In the first paragraph of the passage, the author describes the discovery of the cosmic microwave
background. In the second, he or she explains why the cosmic microwave exists and its implications to science.
Therefore, the author writes this passage to describe the discovery and reason for the cosmic microwave background.
Answer choice (B) is incorrect, as the author cites one example of an accidental discovery, but does not explain how
multiple discoveries can be made accidentally. (C) and (D) are incorrect, as the author does not argue or defend,
respectively. Finally, the main theory presented in the passage is the cosmic microwave background, whereas (E)
incorrectly makes it seem as though the author's intent is to defend the Big Bang and that the cosmic microwave
background is only a subordinate idea.
155. (C). The second sentence in the first paragraph states that just an instant after the Big Bang, all matter in the
universe was so energetic, or hot, that it existed as free particles known as quarks. The paragraph proceeds in
sequential order, and thus this event happened soonest after the Big Bang. The events described in (A) and (B) are said
to have happened approximately 400,000 years after the Big Bang. Answer choice (D) describes the present state of
the cosmic microwave background, 13.6 billion years later. Answer choice (E) is never addressed in the passage, and
thus cannot be the correct answer.
156. (D). The passage states that Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background, and
did not even understand what they had found until after consulting the Princeton group. Clearly, they did not initially
understand the implications of their result. (A) is incorrect, as the passage does not describe the important of the
signal for which Penzias and Wilson were originally searching. (B) is incorrect, as the passage never discusses the
Princeton instrumentation used for searching for the cosmic microwave background. The capabilities of the telescope
used by Penzias and Wilson is never discussed, thus (C) is not supported. Finally, the opposite of (E) is stated in the
passage, which says that Penzias and Wilson convinced themselves that their signal was real before approaching the
Princeton team.
157. II and III only. Sousa argues against mechanical music based on the grounds that it is insincere, and that it will
decrease music in the home and music played or sung by amateurs, as well as music instruction in education. The first
statement is an example of one of the things Sousa was afraid of — vocal instruction being less a normal part of
education — and thus does not "contradict." The second statement is an example of the phonograph increasing
amateur music playing and "domestic music," so this does contradict Sousa's point. Finally, the third statement is an
example of recorded music being more sincere than live music, so this definitely contradicts Sousa's point.
158. (D). Here, chest really does mean "part of the human body," not "a trunk or treasury." The statement about the
"national" throat and chest comes right after a worry that music will become the province of machines and
professional singers only. Thus, the "national chest" is a reference to regular people's singing.
159. The blackbody emits just as much energy per unit time as it absorbs; the electromagnetic spectrum of the
emitted energy, however… (second sentence). The second sentence of the paragraph, after the semicolon, states that
the electromagnetic spectrum of the emitted energy of a blackbody is completely determined by temperature and no
other properties. Therefore, the only variable that defines the electromagnetic spectrum of a blackbody is
temperature, as stated in the second sentence.
160. I only. The passage states in the first sentence that an idealized blackbody is an object that reflects zero incident
electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, if an object reflects incident electromagnetic radiation, it cannot be an idealized
blackbody and the first statement can be properly inferred. The second statement, however, cannot be inferred as the
passage states that a possible Doppler shift can cause a fundamental change in the original spectral characteristics of
reflected electromagnetic radiation. Finally, for the third statement, the passage states that any object that absorbs all
incident electromagnetic radiation is a perfect blackbody. However, you are told that a microscopic "forest" of
vertically aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes of varying heights applied to a surface is the closest that scientists
have come to thus far creating a perfectly dark material, implying that this material is not a perfect blackbody.
Therefore, you cannot properly infer that this object will absorb all incident radiation.
161. (D). Choice (A) is wrong, since there is no reason that one cannot produce original research by using techniques
developed by someone else. (B) may be true, but this is not implied by the use of the word borrowing, since all you
know is that one technique from evolutionary biology proved helpful to research in linguistics; this is compatible with
the two areas having no common features. (C) is wrong, since the fact that methods from outside fields can help make
progress in linguistics does not show that such progress cannot be made by other means. (D) is correct: research
methods developed in evolutionary biology can lead to results in linguistics. (E) is the opposite of what the passage
tells you.
162. But given that some language is spoken by virtually all human beings, it would be strange if it did not reflect
cognitive universals. While it may be tempting to select the second sentence of the passage, this sentence does not
give any support for universalism; it only tells you the grounds on which Chomsky came to a universalist view. On the
other hand, the penultimate sentence of the passage does provide support for universalism by noting that it is likely
that all languages reflect features innate to human thinking, since virtually all human beings speak some language.
163. (B). Choice (A) is wrong, since the passage gives examples of non-empirical ways to support universalism. (B) is
correct: Gray's team claims their research casts doubt on Chomsky's theoretical conclusions. (C) may or may not be
true, but the passage only points to evidence of features that do not co-vary. (D) is wrong: you know that Gray's team
found no evidence of the existence of family-invariant rules, but this does not prove that there are no such rules. (E) is
wrong: Chomsky argued that universalism is the "best explanation" for the speed at which children learn a language,
but that does not mean that no other explanations are possible.
164. (B). The passage highlights two key points as they relate to each other: the two competing theories of the
universe and Hubble's discovery that the universe is expanding. The correct answer, (B), highlights both of these
points and their relation to each other. (A) and (C) highlight only one of these points each. (D) describes Hubble's
law, which does not fully capture the main idea. (E) is not an idea presented in the passage, and therefore cannot be the
main idea.
165. (E). The passage states that, Milton Humason, a fellow astronomer, helped Hubble to calculate the stars'
relative velocities to Earth, but nowhere in the passage does it say that Hubble deduced the velocity of Earth or the
stars' absolute velocities. (A) is mentioned at the beginning of the second paragraph when the author states that, Using
this relation and years of observing. (B) is mentioned in the first and fourth sentences of the second paragraph. (C)
is stated in the second to last sentence of the second paragraph. Finally, (D) is addressed in the second and third
sentences of the second paragraph.
166. I and II only. The passage states that Hubble's experiment was proof that you do not live in a steady-state
universe, therefore it must be true that the steady-state universe theory does not allow for an expanding universe, and
the first statement can be inferred properly. The passage also states that the speed at which objects are moving away
from each other in space increases with an increasing distance between the objects. From this, you can properly infer
that as the distance between two objects decreases, the speed at which they move apart must decrease. Thus, the
second statement can be properly inferred. Finally, the third statement incorrectly assumes that once the steady-state
universe theory was disproved, the Big Bang was the only theory that remained. The first sentence of the passage
states that most physicists believed in one of the two theories, leaving the possibility of many more theories that
might still agree with Hubble's discovery.
167. (A). The argument of the passage dismisses the assumption that the gods determine destiny by pointing out that
they act "politically," and their agendas often conflict, so that they could not formulate a "master plan." But if the gods
had a common goal, then this objection would no longer apply. On the other hand, if the agendas of the gods coincided
with the demands of fate, that wouldn't support the idea that the gods were in charge of fate, so (B) would not support
the assumption. If Homer and Hesiod disagreed about the motives and agendas of the gods, as (C) claims, that would
not undermine the view that for both authors fate is beyond the gods. Nor would the claim that destiny would be
fulfilled regardless of what the gods did — choice (D) — or the idea that the gods and mortals can make their own
decisions, so long as these decisions ultimately led to the fulfillment of destiny.
168. (B). This is the most common sense of the term unbiased, and is the only one that fits in this context. (A) is
clearly wrong since you are told that the role of the gods is a motif in the Histories. Since Herodotus provides an
account of conflicts in the Hellenic world, (C) is wrong. (D) is wrong since you are told that the concept of destiny is
part of Herodotus's history, so the actions of people and states by themselves cannot explain the events involved. As
for (E), there is no indication that the histories were meant to challenge anyone's sensibilities.
169. I, II, and III. The first statement paraphrases the claim that the gods act within certain boundaries, while the
second statement paraphrases the claim that they do so to accomplish his or her own agenda. The third statement is
the main point of the passage: that the gods act as agents of destiny which they do not themselves control.
170. (C). Chemical blockers scatter, or disperse, light waves. Chemical absorbers use them to promote electrons
which then release them as light waves with a longer wavelength as they return to their ground energy state. (A) makes
a reference to lightening and darkening light waves, neither of which is mentioned in the passage. (B) and (D) refer to
converting light waves to radiation, which is impossible since light waves are already radiation. And absorbers absorb
the radiation into their molecular structure, not into the skin as in (E).
171. (D). The chromophores absorb light in the 290–320 nm range and use it to promote (or move up) electrons
between energy levels. Since light with wavelengths of 300 nm falls in this range, their electrons should move up in
energy levels when exposed to it. (C) would be correct if not for the range given: you don't know how chromophores
react to light above 320 nm. (B) is the exact opposite of what you are looking for. (A) applies to physical blockers but
not to chemical absorbers.
172. The specific wavelength absorbed by a given chromophore is determined by the discrete quantal amounts of
energy that are required to excite electrons between the energy levels or its molecules. In order to select a
chromophore for a particular sunscreen, you would need to know which light waves the sunscreen needs to block and
which chromophore would block those waves. This sentence tells you which feature of a chromophore determines
which light waves it absorbs. The next sentence in the passage might seem like a good match, but it only tells you how
to select a chromophore that would absorb UVB radiation, not UVA radiation.
173. III only. The first statement is not true, because you are told For all we know, the story may have been
Christianized in its oral form long before the poet set it into writing. The second statement is incorrect because you
cannot make a leap from The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has its foundation in Arthurian legend to Sir
Gawain was a knight in King Arthur's court. The third statement is true, and a good match for the final sentence of
the passage, which tells you that you do not know whether the tale is a pagan interpretation of Christian ideals or
an externally imposed Christianization of pagan codes of behavior.
174. (E). Choices (C) and (D) are directly contradicted in the passages. Nothing suggests that the religious outlook of
the interpreter influences their interpretation of the story, so (A) is also wrong. (B) is too strong: the passage only
states that, according to its interpretation of the story, Gawain's motives are not Christian. But this doesn't show that
they could not be. (E), on the other hand, follows directly from the claim that while Gawain's actions and words are
Christian, his motives are not.
175. (B). The theory in the final sentence is that the poet associates Gawain with a pagan symbol and then portrays his
"Christian" virtues as superficial in order to criticize the pagan interpretation of Christianity. Choice (B), if true,
would show that the poet was, at very least, inconsistent in this message (or, possibly, the part about Gawain being
superficial in his virtues is really just about Gawain.) Choice (A) is true and described in the passage, so it would not
"undermine" the theory. Choices (C), (D), and (E) do not address the interplay between paganism and Christianity and
thus have no bearing on the theory.
176. I and III only. Since Astyages reacted to his first dream by altering the marriage arrangements for his daughter
(in order to select a less threatening husband), you can infer he believed her husband could be a threat. And since he
intentionally selected a Persian rather than a Median, you can infer that he thought a Persian would be less of a threat.
However, although you are told that Astyages' dream was interpreted ominously by the Magi and that as a
consequence, he pursued a course of action (indicating that this time, he was influenced by the Magi), you don't know
that he thought it was "always" best to obey the Magi, nor is it clear that the Magi made "recommendations." Watch
out for extreme language.
177. (A). One of the two mistakes referred to in the passage was marrying Mandane to Cambyses. But if her son would
have deposed Astyages even if he had had a different father, then altering what would have been the normal treatment
of her marriage was not a mistake that led to Astyages's downfall.
178. (B). The passage makes the case that Bierstadt's work, which is called optimistic and gaudy, was no longer suited
for the prevailing trends in art in American after the war. The optimism that once characterized American preferences
is now "tempered" by the "horrors of war." In other words, Americans are beginning to take a more realistic approach
to life, in a way that is sadly reflective of the disastrous things that can befall a country. Their attitude, in other words,
is one of somber realism. Don't get misled into picking prideful idealism by the fact that the passage mentions
American pride. The passage does not imply that there was anything idealistic about the new American attitudes after
the Civil War. (A) may also be tempting but the author never makes any sort of claim as to whether the new American
attitudes are misguided.
179. (E). A central thesis of the passage is that the same elements that initially made Bierstadt's work popular
eventually contributed to its downfall. These elements were, in short, an emphasis on size and quantity rather than
emotionality. The quoted phrase is a criticism of his work to this effect, providing a specific example of the opinion
of the time. (C) may be tempting, but this phrase may or may not be the opinion of an expert, plus "providing expert
testimony" is not the best description for the purpose of the phrase.
180. (C). You are told that Bierstadt "developed a fixed style that was most easily recognizable for its size" (A), that
he had an "ability to represent the optimistic feeling in America" (B), that he "deliberately appealed to those rich
patrons" (D), and that patrons could purchase a "hyperbolized replica of a Western vista" (E). The increasing attention
to "subdued appreciation for the details of American life" is mentioned in the second paragraph as a trend that worked
against
overall effects are without evaluation. The passage then describes a small study that seems promising, but makes no
definitive claims. Therefore, it is likely that the author would agree that the effects of oxytocin require further
evaluation. Answer choice (B) is incorrect, as the passage states the opposite, that oxytocin is not a "cure-all."
Although the author focuses on the effects of oxytocin for those that are not able to interpret social cues, answer
choice (C) is incorrect, as the author does not state that the drug would not be useful for those that can already do so.
The author specifically addresses (D) in the passage, stating that the hormone oxytocin increases feelings of calm and
social bonding. Finally, answer choice (E) is incorrect, as the author never addresses oxytocin as an oral treatment.
151. (D). The passage states that, the experiment showed that the oxytocin had the greatest affect on those who
were least able to evaluate emotions properly when given the control. Thus, you can infer that those with the least
ability to naturally infer emotions, e.g., the ones who might need it most, reaped the greatest benefits of the hormone.
Additionally, (A) is incorrect, as the passage does not discuss inconclusiveness based on sample size. (B) is incorrect,
as it incorrectly pairs the known effects of the hormone in the brain with the results of the student study. (C) is
incorrect, as the passage does not address the ability of the students to recognize expressions, just the relative change
between the controlled salt water dose and the oxytocin. Finally, (E) is incorrect for a similar reason: the passage
does not state that the subtler the expression the more difficult it was for students to identify, just that some
expressions that were used were subtler than others.
152. (A). The experiment was related to students' ability to recognize emotions from facial expressions, not their
ability to tell faces apart. (B) is mentioned in the first sentence of the last paragraph of the passage. (C) is addressed
throughout the second passage, first when it is stated that, either a control dose of salt water was given and then by
comparing awareness after exposure to oxytocin to the controlled salt water dose. (D) is explicitly stated in the
second sentence of the second paragraph. Finally, (E) is explicitly addressed in the last sentence of the second
paragraph.
153. II and III only. You are told that Anansi originated with the Ashanti people in Ghana, so the first statement is
untrue. However, you are told that in Jamaican folklore, Anansi outsmarts other animal-god characters, so those
characters must exist. Since Anansi is called "Aunt Nancy" in the United States and is from Ghana, Anansi is known on
at least two continents.
154. (A). In the first paragraph of the passage, the author describes the discovery of the cosmic microwave
background. In the second, he or she explains why the cosmic microwave exists and its implications to science.
Therefore, the author writes this passage to describe the discovery and reason for the cosmic microwave background.
Answer choice (B) is incorrect, as the author cites one example of an accidental discovery, but does not explain how
multiple discoveries can be made accidentally. (C) and (D) are incorrect, as the author does not argue or defend,
respectively. Finally, the main theory presented in the passage is the cosmic microwave background, whereas (E)
incorrectly makes it seem as though the author's intent is to defend the Big Bang and that the cosmic microwave
background is only a subordinate idea.
155. (C). The second sentence in the first paragraph states that just an instant after the Big Bang, all matter in the
universe was so energetic, or hot, that it existed as free particles known as quarks. The paragraph proceeds in
sequential order, and thus this event happened soonest after the Big Bang. The events described in (A) and (B) are said
to have happened approximately 400,000 years after the Big Bang. Answer choice (D) describes the present state of
the cosmic microwave background, 13.6 billion years later. Answer choice (E) is never addressed in the passage, and
thus cannot be the correct answer.
156. (D). The passage states that Penzias and Wilson accidentally discovered the cosmic microwave background, and
did not even understand what they had found until after consulting the Princeton group. Clearly, they did not initially
understand the implications of their result. (A) is incorrect, as the passage does not describe the important of the
signal for which Penzias and Wilson were originally searching. (B) is incorrect, as the passage never discusses the
Princeton instrumentation used for searching for the cosmic microwave background. The capabilities of the telescope
used by Penzias and Wilson is never discussed, thus (C) is not supported. Finally, the opposite of (E) is stated in the
passage, which says that Penzias and Wilson convinced themselves that their signal was real before approaching the
Princeton team.
157. II and III only. Sousa argues against mechanical music based on the grounds that it is insincere, and that it will
decrease music in the home and music played or sung by amateurs, as well as music instruction in education. The first
statement is an example of one of the things Sousa was afraid of — vocal instruction being less a normal part of
education — and thus does not "contradict." The second statement is an example of the phonograph increasing
amateur music playing and "domestic music," so this does contradict Sousa's point. Finally, the third statement is an
example of recorded music being more sincere than live music, so this definitely contradicts Sousa's point.
158. (D). Here, chest really does mean "part of the human body," not "a trunk or treasury." The statement about the
"national" throat and chest comes right after a worry that music will become the province of machines and
professional singers only. Thus, the "national chest" is a reference to regular people's singing.
159. The blackbody emits just as much energy per unit time as it absorbs; the electromagnetic spectrum of the
emitted energy, however… (second sentence). The second sentence of the paragraph, after the semicolon, states that
the electromagnetic spectrum of the emitted energy of a blackbody is completely determined by temperature and no
other properties. Therefore, the only variable that defines the electromagnetic spectrum of a blackbody is
temperature, as stated in the second sentence.
160. I only. The passage states in the first sentence that an idealized blackbody is an object that reflects zero incident
electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, if an object reflects incident electromagnetic radiation, it cannot be an idealized
blackbody and the first statement can be properly inferred. The second statement, however, cannot be inferred as the
passage states that a possible Doppler shift can cause a fundamental change in the original spectral characteristics of
reflected electromagnetic radiation. Finally, for the third statement, the passage states that any object that absorbs all
incident electromagnetic radiation is a perfect blackbody. However, you are told that a microscopic "forest" of
vertically aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes of varying heights applied to a surface is the closest that scientists
have come to thus far creating a perfectly dark material, implying that this material is not a perfect blackbody.
Therefore, you cannot properly infer that this object will absorb all incident radiation.
161. (D). Choice (A) is wrong, since there is no reason that one cannot produce original research by using techniques
developed by someone else. (B) may be true, but this is not implied by the use of the word borrowing, since all you
know is that one technique from evolutionary biology proved helpful to research in linguistics; this is compatible with
the two areas having no common features. (C) is wrong, since the fact that methods from outside fields can help make
progress in linguistics does not show that such progress cannot be made by other means. (D) is correct: research
methods developed in evolutionary biology can lead to results in linguistics. (E) is the opposite of what the passage
tells you.
162. But given that some language is spoken by virtually all human beings, it would be strange if it did not reflect
cognitive universals. While it may be tempting to select the second sentence of the passage, this sentence does not
give any support for universalism; it only tells you the grounds on which Chomsky came to a universalist view. On the
other hand, the penultimate sentence of the passage does provide support for universalism by noting that it is likely
that all languages reflect features innate to human thinking, since virtually all human beings speak some language.
163. (B). Choice (A) is wrong, since the passage gives examples of non-empirical ways to support universalism. (B) is
correct: Gray's team claims their research casts doubt on Chomsky's theoretical conclusions. (C) may or may not be
true, but the passage only points to evidence of features that do not co-vary. (D) is wrong: you know that Gray's team
found no evidence of the existence of family-invariant rules, but this does not prove that there are no such rules. (E) is
wrong: Chomsky argued that universalism is the "best explanation" for the speed at which children learn a language,
but that does not mean that no other explanations are possible.
164. (B). The passage highlights two key points as they relate to each other: the two competing theories of the
universe and Hubble's discovery that the universe is expanding. The correct answer, (B), highlights both of these
points and their relation to each other. (A) and (C) highlight only one of these points each. (D) describes Hubble's
law, which does not fully capture the main idea. (E) is not an idea presented in the passage, and therefore cannot be the
main idea.
165. (E). The passage states that, Milton Humason, a fellow astronomer, helped Hubble to calculate the stars'
relative velocities to Earth, but nowhere in the passage does it say that Hubble deduced the velocity of Earth or the
stars' absolute velocities. (A) is mentioned at the beginning of the second paragraph when the author states that, Using
this relation and years of observing. (B) is mentioned in the first and fourth sentences of the second paragraph. (C)
is stated in the second to last sentence of the second paragraph. Finally, (D) is addressed in the second and third
sentences of the second paragraph.
166. I and II only. The passage states that Hubble's experiment was proof that you do not live in a steady-state
universe, therefore it must be true that the steady-state universe theory does not allow for an expanding universe, and
the first statement can be inferred properly. The passage also states that the speed at which objects are moving away
from each other in space increases with an increasing distance between the objects. From this, you can properly infer
that as the distance between two objects decreases, the speed at which they move apart must decrease. Thus, the
second statement can be properly inferred. Finally, the third statement incorrectly assumes that once the steady-state
universe theory was disproved, the Big Bang was the only theory that remained. The first sentence of the passage
states that most physicists believed in one of the two theories, leaving the possibility of many more theories that
might still agree with Hubble's discovery.
167. (A). The argument of the passage dismisses the assumption that the gods determine destiny by pointing out that
they act "politically," and their agendas often conflict, so that they could not formulate a "master plan." But if the gods
had a common goal, then this objection would no longer apply. On the other hand, if the agendas of the gods coincided
with the demands of fate, that wouldn't support the idea that the gods were in charge of fate, so (B) would not support
the assumption. If Homer and Hesiod disagreed about the motives and agendas of the gods, as (C) claims, that would
not undermine the view that for both authors fate is beyond the gods. Nor would the claim that destiny would be
fulfilled regardless of what the gods did — choice (D) — or the idea that the gods and mortals can make their own
decisions, so long as these decisions ultimately led to the fulfillment of destiny.
168. (B). This is the most common sense of the term unbiased, and is the only one that fits in this context. (A) is
clearly wrong since you are told that the role of the gods is a motif in the Histories. Since Herodotus provides an
account of conflicts in the Hellenic world, (C) is wrong. (D) is wrong since you are told that the concept of destiny is
part of Herodotus's history, so the actions of people and states by themselves cannot explain the events involved. As
for (E), there is no indication that the histories were meant to challenge anyone's sensibilities.
169. I, II, and III. The first statement paraphrases the claim that the gods act within certain boundaries, while the
second statement paraphrases the claim that they do so to accomplish his or her own agenda. The third statement is
the main point of the passage: that the gods act as agents of destiny which they do not themselves control.
170. (C). Chemical blockers scatter, or disperse, light waves. Chemical absorbers use them to promote electrons
which then release them as light waves with a longer wavelength as they return to their ground energy state. (A) makes
a reference to lightening and darkening light waves, neither of which is mentioned in the passage. (B) and (D) refer to
converting light waves to radiation, which is impossible since light waves are already radiation. And absorbers absorb
the radiation into their molecular structure, not into the skin as in (E).
171. (D). The chromophores absorb light in the 290–320 nm range and use it to promote (or move up) electrons
between energy levels. Since light with wavelengths of 300 nm falls in this range, their electrons should move up in
energy levels when exposed to it. (C) would be correct if not for the range given: you don't know how chromophores
react to light above 320 nm. (B) is the exact opposite of what you are looking for. (A) applies to physical blockers but
not to chemical absorbers.
172. The specific wavelength absorbed by a given chromophore is determined by the discrete quantal amounts of
energy that are required to excite electrons between the energy levels or its molecules. In order to select a
chromophore for a particular sunscreen, you would need to know which light waves the sunscreen needs to block and
which chromophore would block those waves. This sentence tells you which feature of a chromophore determines
which light waves it absorbs. The next sentence in the passage might seem like a good match, but it only tells you how
to select a chromophore that would absorb UVB radiation, not UVA radiation.
173. III only. The first statement is not true, because you are told For all we know, the story may have been
Christianized in its oral form long before the poet set it into writing. The second statement is incorrect because you
cannot make a leap from The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has its foundation in Arthurian legend to Sir
Gawain was a knight in King Arthur's court. The third statement is true, and a good match for the final sentence of
the passage, which tells you that you do not know whether the tale is a pagan interpretation of Christian ideals or
an externally imposed Christianization of pagan codes of behavior.
174. (E). Choices (C) and (D) are directly contradicted in the passages. Nothing suggests that the religious outlook of
the interpreter influences their interpretation of the story, so (A) is also wrong. (B) is too strong: the passage only
states that, according to its interpretation of the story, Gawain's motives are not Christian. But this doesn't show that
they could not be. (E), on the other hand, follows directly from the claim that while Gawain's actions and words are
Christian, his motives are not.
175. (B). The theory in the final sentence is that the poet associates Gawain with a pagan symbol and then portrays his
"Christian" virtues as superficial in order to criticize the pagan interpretation of Christianity. Choice (B), if true,
would show that the poet was, at very least, inconsistent in this message (or, possibly, the part about Gawain being
superficial in his virtues is really just about Gawain.) Choice (A) is true and described in the passage, so it would not
"undermine" the theory. Choices (C), (D), and (E) do not address the interplay between paganism and Christianity and
thus have no bearing on the theory.
176. I and III only. Since Astyages reacted to his first dream by altering the marriage arrangements for his daughter
(in order to select a less threatening husband), you can infer he believed her husband could be a threat. And since he
intentionally selected a Persian rather than a Median, you can infer that he thought a Persian would be less of a threat.
However, although you are told that Astyages' dream was interpreted ominously by the Magi and that as a
consequence, he pursued a course of action (indicating that this time, he was influenced by the Magi), you don't know
that he thought it was "always" best to obey the Magi, nor is it clear that the Magi made "recommendations." Watch
out for extreme language.
177. (A). One of the two mistakes referred to in the passage was marrying Mandane to Cambyses. But if her son would
have deposed Astyages even if he had had a different father, then altering what would have been the normal treatment
of her marriage was not a mistake that led to Astyages's downfall.
178. (B). The passage makes the case that Bierstadt's work, which is called optimistic and gaudy, was no longer suited
for the prevailing trends in art in American after the war. The optimism that once characterized American preferences
is now "tempered" by the "horrors of war." In other words, Americans are beginning to take a more realistic approach
to life, in a way that is sadly reflective of the disastrous things that can befall a country. Their attitude, in other words,
is one of somber realism. Don't get misled into picking prideful idealism by the fact that the passage mentions
American pride. The passage does not imply that there was anything idealistic about the new American attitudes after
the Civil War. (A) may also be tempting but the author never makes any sort of claim as to whether the new American
attitudes are misguided.
179. (E). A central thesis of the passage is that the same elements that initially made Bierstadt's work popular
eventually contributed to its downfall. These elements were, in short, an emphasis on size and quantity rather than
emotionality. The quoted phrase is a criticism of his work to this effect, providing a specific example of the opinion
of the time. (C) may be tempting, but this phrase may or may not be the opinion of an expert, plus "providing expert
testimony" is not the best description for the purpose of the phrase.
180. (C). You are told that Bierstadt "developed a fixed style that was most easily recognizable for its size" (A), that
he had an "ability to represent the optimistic feeling in America" (B), that he "deliberately appealed to those rich
patrons" (D), and that patrons could purchase a "hyperbolized replica of a Western vista" (E). The increasing attention
to "subdued appreciation for the details of American life" is mentioned in the second paragraph as a trend that worked
against
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