Question

during an underwater eruption, steam quickly 8 condenses. the steam leaves only carbon dioxide bubbles and droplets of molten sulfur. this means that the water near nw rota-1 is more acidic than 9 that of stomach acid, presenting yet another challenge to life - forms living nearby. as the carbon dioxide level in earth’s atmosphere rises, the 10 worlds’ ocean’s absorb more carbon 11 dioxide. organisms flourishing near the volcano may help biologists understand how life adjusts to very acidic conditions. in addition, nw rota - 1 is a natural laboratory where scientists can study conditions that may be similar to those that gave rise to life on earth and perhaps even other worlds.

8 which choice most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?
a) condenses and leaves
b) condenses, having to leave
c) condenses, thereafter leaving
d) condenses, and then, after this, it leaves

9
a) no change
b) those of stomach
c) the acid from stomach
d) stomach

10
a) no change
b) world’s oceans’
c) world’s oceans
d) worlds oceans

11 the writer is considering revising the underlined portion to the following:
dioxide, which increases their acidity.
should the writer make this revision here?
a) yes, because it explains the relevance of this sentence to the point made in the paragraph.
b) yes, because it helps the reader understand why organisms near nw rota - 1 evolved the way they did.
c) no, because it merely repeats information provided earlier in the passage without contributing to the paragraph’s main idea.
d) no, because it interrupts discussion of oceanic life - forms with an irrelevant detail.

Explanation:

Question 8 (Sentence Combination)

We need to choose the option that combines the sentences "The steam condenses. The steam leaves only carbon dioxide bubbles and droplets of molten sulfur." most effectively. Option A uses "and" to connect the two actions, which is concise and clear. Option B's "having to leave" is illogical. Option C's "thereafter leaving" is wordy. Option D's "and then, after this, it leaves" is overly redundant. So A is the best choice.

The original sentence is "the water near NW Rota - 1 is more acidic than that of stomach acid". We are comparing the water near NW Rota - 1 with stomach acid. The correct comparison should be between the water and stomach acid (not "that of stomach acid" as "that" would refer to water, which is illogical here). Option D "stomach" makes the comparison correct: "the water... is more acidic than stomach acid". Option A has the illogical "that of". Option B "those of" is wrong as we are comparing a singular (water) to stomach acid (not plural "those"). Option C "the acid from stomach" is wordy and less direct than D.

We need to correct the phrase "worlds' ocean's". The correct form should be "world's oceans" (singular possessive for "world" and plural for "oceans" as we are talking about the oceans of the world). Option A is incorrect. Option B has an incorrect possessive on "oceans". Option D is missing the possessive for "world". So Option C is correct.

Answer:

A) condenses and leaves

Question 9 (Comparison and Pronoun Usage)