Question

sat practice set #1 - main idea and detail

1. the following text is adapted from maría cristina menas 1914 short - story \the vine - leaf.\

it is a saying in the capital of mexico that dr. malufrido carries more family secrets under his hat than any archbishop. the doctors hat is, appropriately enough, uncommonly capacious, rising very high, and sinking so low that it seems to be supported by his ears and eyebrows, and it has a furry look, as if it had been brushed the wrong way, which is perhaps what happens to it if it is ever brushed at all. when the doctor takes it off, the family secrets do not fly out like a flock of parrots, but remain nicely bottled up beneath a dome of old and highly polished ivory.
based on the text, how do people in the capital of mexico most likely regard dr. malufrido?
a. many have come to tolerate him despite his disheveled appearance.
b. few feel concerned that he will divulge their confidences.
c. some dislike how freely he discusses his own family.
d. most would be unimpressed by him were it not for his professional expertise.

1. several scholars have argued that conditions in england in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries - namely, burgeoning literacy amid running conflicts between englands anglo - saxon kingdoms and danish invaders - were especially conducive to the production of the old english epic poem beowulf, and they have dated the poems composition accordingly. it is not inconceivable that beowulf emerged from such a context, but privileging contextual fit over the linguistic evidence of an eighth - or even seventh - century composition requires a level of justification that thus far has not been presented.

which choice best states the main idea of the text?
a. although there are some grounds for believing that beowulf was composed between the late ninth and early eleventh centuries, advocates for that view tend to rely on evidence that has been called into question by advocates for an earlier date.
b. although several scholars have dated beowulf to the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, others have argued that doing so privileges a controversial interpretation of the social conditions of the period.
c. although beowulf fits well with the historical context of england in the late ninth through early eleventh centuries, it fits equally well with the historical context of england in the seventh and eighth centuries.
d. although the claim of a late ninth - through early eleventh - century composition date for beowulf has some plausibility, advocates for the claim have not compellingly addressed evidence suggesting an earlier date.

1. for many years, the only existing fossil evidence of mixopterid eurypterids - an extinct family of large aquatic arthropods known as sea scorpions and related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs - came from four species living on the paleocontinent of laurussia. in a discovery that expands our understanding of the geographical distribution of mixopterids, paleontologist bo wang and others have identified fossilized remains of a new mixopterid species, terropterus xiushanensis, that lived over 400 million years ago on the paleocontinent of gondwana. according to the text, why was wang and his teams discovery of the terropterus xiushanensis fossil significant?

a. the fossil constitutes the first evidence found by scientists that mixopterids lived more than 400 million years ago.
b. the fossil helps establish that mixopterids are more closely related to modern arachnids and horseshoe crabs than previously thought.
c. the fossil helps establish a more accurate timeline of the evolution of mixopterids on the paleocontinents of laurussia and gondwana.

Explanation:

Question 1

The text mentions that family secrets are safe with Dr. Malufrido as they don't "fly out like a flock of parrots" when he takes off his hat. This implies people trust him not to divulge their confidences.

The text states that while the claim of a late - ninth to early - eleventh - century composition of Beowulf has some plausibility, those who support this claim have not adequately addressed the evidence suggesting an earlier date.

The discovery is significant because it expands our understanding of the geographical distribution of mixopterids as it is from a new paleocontinent (Gondwana) while previous evidence was from Laurussia.

Answer:

B. Few feel concerned that he will divulge their confidences.

Question 2