This sentence is from the passage.



"For the most glutinously indefinite minds enclose some ,begin emphasis,hard grains of habit,end emphasis,."



What does the phrase ,begin emphasis,hard grains of habit,end emphasis, refer to in this passage?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
Mr. Brooke is a man of "miscellaneous opinions."

2.
Mr. Brooke "had travelled in his younger years."

3.
Mr. Brooke is "as difficult to predict as the weather."

4.
Mr. Brooke "would spend as little money as possible."

The correct answer is option 3. Mr. Brooke is described as having a mind that is difficult to predict, and the phrase "hard grains of habit" refers to his tendency to stick to certain routines or habits.

Part A,end emphasis,

This sentence is from the passage.



"She ,begin emphasis,careened,end emphasis, into the hall, her legs skittering across the polished wood like drops of water on a hot skillet." (Paragraph 11)



What does the word ,begin emphasis,careened,end emphasis, mean in the sentence?

Question 1 Answer options with 4 options
1.
moved wildly

2.
moved tiredly

3.
moved secretly

4.
moved hopefully

The correct answer is option 1. "Careened" in this context means to move wildly or uncontrollably.

How does the author support the argument in the passage that the "newspapers should be commended" for their reporting of the Vietnam war?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
by suggesting that the newspapers of the time were fulfilling the expectations of U.S. citizens

2.
by revealing how much newspapers have changed since the drafting of the First Amendment

3.
by stating the purpose of a free press and explaining how the newspapers fulfilled that purpose

4.
by explaining how keeping people informed is a shared duty of the government and newspapers

The correct answer is option 3. The author supports the argument that "newspapers should be commended" for their reporting of the Vietnam war by stating the purpose of a free press and explaining how the newspapers fulfilled that purpose.

This sentence is from the passage.



"He cannot very well be unduly elated by any small success, because, knowing how many greater successes there are in the world, he realizes the absurdity of being ,begin emphasis,puffed up,end emphasis, by a little one."



What does the phrase ,begin emphasis,puffed up,end emphasis, mean in the sentence?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
overly amused

2.
overly mystified

3.
overly distracted

4.
overly impressed

The correct answer is option 4. In this context, the phrase "puffed up" means to be overly impressed or overly proud of oneself.

paragraph 3,Sprites occur at some 50 miles (80 kilometers) altitude, high above thunderstorms. They appear moments after a lightning strikeā€”a sudden reddish flash that can take a range of shapes, often combining diffuse plumes and bright, spiny tendrils. Some sprites tend to dance over the storms, turning on and off one after another. Many questions about how and why they form remain unanswered.



(from "Spritacular: NASA's New Citizen Science Project to Capture Elusive Upper Atmospheric Electrical Phenomena on Camera" by Miles Hatfield, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD)

Question
What does the description of TLEs in paragraph 3 ,begin emphasis,most,end emphasis, clearly suggest about them?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
TLEs can be mistaken for lightning.

2.
TLEs are a relatively common occurrence.

3.
TLEs can emerge quickly and seem to move.

4.
TLEs are a consistent presence in thunderstorms.

The correct answer is option 3. The description of TLEs (Transient Luminous Events) in paragraph 3 clearly suggests that they can emerge quickly and seem to move, as they appear moments after a lightning strike and are described as dancing over the storms.

The Painted Bunting is a brightly colored bird that would look more at home in the tropics. The bright blue head, red chest, and green feathers are difficult to miss for any bird-watcher. Painted Buntings are migratory songbirds. Found in two distinct regions of the United States during the spring and summer, they typically migrate to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America for the winter. A few birds remain in Florida year-round. Scientists have observed a significant decrease in Painted Buntings and attribute the decline primarily to habitat loss, parasitism, and trapping. The songbirds usually breed and nest in areas with "shrub-scrub" habitat, low-lying vegetation found in coastal regions and forests. In 1966, volunteer citizens began working with scientists to observe and count breeding birds in a wide-scale effort known as the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). This research has enabled wildlife biologists to determine long-term population trends. Scientists have also used the data to develop new management strategies for helping the Painted Bunting recover in areas with the sharpest decline. From 1966 to 1995, the survey documented a 3.2 percent annual decline in Painted Buntings. This means that there has been a population decline of approximately 60 percent. Current conservation priorities include stabilizing Painted Bunting communities on the coastal islands of Georgia and South Carolina as well as preserving critical habitat in Arizona and northwestern Mexico.

Question
How does the author show that the declining population of Painted Buntings is linked to habitat loss?

Answer options with 4 options
1.
by stating that "preserving critical habitat" is a conservation priority

2.
by indicating that the population has decreased by "approximately 60 percent"

3.
by identifying specific habitats in different parts of the world to which the birds migrate

4.
by explaining that the birds usually breed and nest in a habitat with low-lying vegetation