MCAT verbal test (12)

MCAT Section Tests
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ANSWER KEY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B
D
A
B
C

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

C
D
B
B
A

21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

A
C
D
B
D

31.
32.
33.
34.
35.

B
B
B
D
A

41.
42.
43.
44.
45.

D
A
C
A
A

51.
52.
53.
54.
55.

A
B
C
B
B

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

D
B
D
C
B

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

C
B
D
A
C

26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

A
C
A
B
C

36.
37.
38.
39.
40.

D
C
C
A
A

46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

D
D
C
C
C

56.
57.
58.
59.
60.

C
C
D
C
C


VERBAL REASONING TEST 6
Passage I (Questions 1-7)
Topic and Scope: American labor; specifically, the connection between American labor
and American society.

Paragraph Structure: ¶1 remarks that American business institutions reflect general
American values. ¶s 2 and 3 make the same point, but in a narrower context: the American labor
movement. Finally, ¶4 contrasts the American labor movement with its counterparts in other
democratic polities.
The Big Picture: Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by long sentences and pedantic
language. The ideas behind these sentences and this language are usually very straightforward
(as in this case).
Questions:
1. (B)
In ¶4, the author mentions that American unions employ more militant tactics than foreign
unions. Thus, American unions would be more likely to use violence during a strike.
(A) is logically eliminated by choice (B).
(C) and (D) The author never says whether American or foreign unions are more likely to
bargain during a strike.
2. (D)
Throughout the passage, the author argues that American business institutions reflect basic
American values. One of these values is making a profit. Therefore, the author’s view would be
challenged by the existence of corporations that are less interested in making a profit than in
helping people.
(A), (B), and (C) The author acknowledges that American unions have officials who are
highly paid in relation to the rank-and-file membership (A); he acknowledges that American
unions tend to be “narrowly self-interested” (B); and he acknowledges that American workers
have a rather weak sense of group solidarity (C).

3. (A)
American society emphasizes individual achievement over class solidarity. So, statement I
is false. Statements II and III, though, are true. The author says that American unions tend to be
less concerned with non-union issues than foreign unions; and he notes that both American
business and religious organizations reflect basic American values.

4. (B)
It would contradict the author’s view: again, the author contends that American unions tend
to be “narrowly self-interested” in comparison to foreign unions. An American union that
encouraged its members to get involved in non-union issues like national politics would be
inconsistent with this view.
(A) and (C) are logically eliminated by choice (B).


(D) No, it would contradict the author’s view.

5. (C)
The phrase strong materialistic bent appears in the context of a discussion of basic
American values, one of which is the acquisition of wealth.
(A) and (D) are beyond the scope of the passage. There is no mention of what European
socialists think of aristocrats (A), nor is there any religious criticism of secular values (D).
(B) distorts information in ¶1.
6. (D)
The author compares American and foreign labor movements; but he doesn’t suggest that
foreign labor movements have influenced the American labor movement.
(A) and (B) are mentioned as influences in ¶2.
(C) is mentioned as an influence in ¶3.

7. (B)
The “traditional value system” refers to those basic values that are reflected in America’s
institutions. Individual achievement, according to ¶1, is one of those values.
(A) The author contends that class solidarity isn’t part of the American value system.
(C) and (D) play on details in the passage that have nothing to do with the American value
system.

Passage II (Questions 8-13)

Topic and Scope: The aspects of coral reefs that puzzle scientists; particularly, the
development of “fringing reefs” into “barrier reefs” and the relationship between Scleractinia
and zooxanthellae.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 discusses the roles of Scleractinia and zooxanthellae in the
coral reef environment. ¶2 discusses the theories regarding the develpment of reefs. ¶3
concludes the passage by offering an explanation for why coral reefs are called “coral reefs.”
The Big Picture: Often, passages will not follow a direct path. Instead, they will touch on
different aspects of a topic. Try to understand each paragraph for its distinct meaning.
Questions:

8. (D)
¶3 states that Scleractinia, the coral producers, account for only 10 percent of the average
community.


(A) To the contrary, the author proposes in the last sentence of ¶3 that this is the reason for
the name “coral reef.”
(B) ¶1 indicates that the coral portion of the reef plays a large role in reef formation as well
as reef “renewability.”
(C) is a true statement and would not contribute to a misnomer.

9. (C)
Opponents of Darwin’s theory believe that the “end of the Ice Age” had more to do with the
development of reefs than did the “submergence of volcanic islands.”
(A) is a belief held by scientists in general.
(B) is a commonly-accepted view concerning reefs.
(D) The crux of the theory held by Darwin’s opponents is that the Ice Age played a major
role in reef development.

10. (B)

0The theory about reef development is one of transformation; therefore, the reefs would not
have developed independently of one another.
(A) The passage suggests that each theory may contribute to explaining how reefs develop.
(C) ¶3 states that reefs exist worldwide that “lack an algal presence.”
(D) ¶1 demonstrates that multiple factors contribute to a reef’s “amazing renewability.”

11. (C)
The last sentence of ¶2 states that the drillings at Enewetak, which have uncovered volcanic
rock, support the theory proposed by Darwin.
(A) and (B) The passage offers no insight into what effect the recent drillings at Enewetak
have on the theory proposed by today’s scientists.
(D) is logically eliminated by (C).

12. (D)
¶2 contrasts Darwin’s theory to that of its opponents by discussing his focus on the
submergence of volcanic islands.
(A) To the contrary, Darwin’s theory is more persuasive due to recent discoveries at the
Enewetak atoll.
(B) According to the passage, reefs develop through transformation rather than through
separate, distinct processes.
(C) The passage implies in ¶2 that both theories of reef development are only “partially
correct.”


13. (B)
The last sentence of ¶1 states that scientists are puzzled by the mechanism through which
the symbionts stimulate the secretion of calcium carbonate in the other. If a chemical stimulus
could be isolated, then the symbiotic relationship would be more clearly understood.
(A) ¶1 states that algal photosynthesis is responsible for the high level of oxygen
saturation.

(C) The components of the reef’s protective layer are already known.
(D) Scientists know that the coral produces the colors and formations seen in reefs.

Passage III (Questions 14-19)
Topic and Scope: Archaeopteryx lithographica; specifically, its skeletal structure and what
scientists have deduced from this structure.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 describes Archaeopteryx lithographica in general terms and
points out its importance to scientific research on modern birds and flight. ¶s 2-5 describe its
anatomy in great detail, particularly comparing and contrasting it to modern birds. ¶5’s basic
idea is that Archaeopteryx lithographica represents a “transitionary” species—a species that was
part reptile and part bird.
The Big Picture: Don’t worry if you run across unfamiliar terms in a passage. If they’re
important, the passage will define and explain them. If they’re not defined and explained, the
questions won’t ask about them.
Questions:
14. (B)
How could scientists hold on to the view that Archaeopteryx lithographica represented a
“transitionary” species between reptiles and birds if a bird capable of flight already existed
before it?
(A) and (C) are logically eliminated by (B).
(D) focuses on an irrelevant passage detail.

15. (A)
The passage points out the many differences in skeletal structure between Archaeopteryx
lithographica and modern birds.
(B) That Archaeopteryx lithographica’s tail played a larger role in its daily life than the
essentially vestigial tail of a modern bird plays in its daily life is revealed in ¶4.
(C) ¶s 1 and 5 make this point.
(D) ¶4 makes this point.

16. (C)


The phrase “wealth of information” appears in the context of a remark about what scientists
have learned about birds’ ability to fly by studying the fossil remains of Archaeopteryx
lithographica.
(A) What “recent research projects”? None are mentioned in the passage.
(B) True, the passage provides a lot of detail on Archaeopteryx lithographica’s skeletal
structure; but the phrase in question doesn’t pertain to this information.
(D) is beyond the scope of the passage. There’s no mention of any fossil discoveries in
central Germany. The passage says only that Archaeopteryx lithographica lived near that area.
17. (B)
The passage mentions that Archaeopteryx lithographica had wings, but couldn’t fly. Since
modern birds have wings and can fly, it can be inferred that the wings of Archaeopteryx
lithographica and those of modern birds serve different purposes.
(A) To the contrary. The passage suggests that Archaeopteryx lithographica had a much
better developed tail than modern birds.
(C) and (D) are beyond the scope of the passage. The author never compares the
intelligence (C) or the size (D) of Archaeopteryx lithographica and modern birds.
18.. (D)
The passage indicates that one of the reasons that scientists believe that Archaeopteryx
lithographica couldn’t fly is that it lacked a sternum like the one possessed by modern birds.
Thus, if scientists were to find an Archaeopteryx lithographica skeleton that contains a sternum,
they’d very likely have to reassess their views about its ability to fly.
(A) and (B) Beliefs about where and when Archaeopteryx lithographica lived would not
necessarily be affected by the discovery of a sternum.
(C) According to the passage, scientists believe that Archaeopteryx lithographica
possessed bird-like feathers.
19. (A)
¶s 1 and 5 state that the Archaeopteryx did indeed possess ”bird-like feathers.”

(B) and (C) are both desrbied in ¶2.
(D) is described in ¶3.

Passage IV (Questions 20-27)
Topic and Scope: Australia; specifically, its natural life and the relevance of that life to
humans.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 makes the point that Australia’s “native species” are very
important to humans. ¶s 2 and 3 build on this point by describing those species and why they’re
important to humans. ¶4 strays from this theme, to talk about Australia’s “wanderings” over the
globe. ¶5 discusses the evolutionary history of Australia.


The Big Picture: On test day, don’t worry if some passages (like this one) seem to
ramble aimlessly. Concentrate on ¶ topics, so that you can relocate details quickly.
Questions:
20. (C)
¶2 discusses the efforts of scientists to catalogue Australia’s plants, while ¶4 discusses
shifts in Australia’s position on the Earth’s surface over the last 40 million years. There is some
supporting evidence or explanation, then, for statements I and II. Statement III, however, is
another matter. The author never claims that “Australia has more plant species than any other
continent.”
21. (A)
In ¶2, the author claims that important discoveries are constantly being made in Australia’s
rainforests. Thus, he’d surely support further research on those rainforests.
(B) The author would most likely condemn any effort to reduce Australian rainforests; he’d
likely argue that mankind might lose out on important discoveries if the rainforests were to be
tampered with.
(C) and (D) distort details in ¶3.

22. (C)

The first two sentences of ¶5 make it clear that the author feels that evolution in Australia
has been a less violent process than evolution elsewhere.
(A) The author never discusses plants on other continents; so, there’s no basis for
endorsing this statement.
(B) The author never expresses the opinion that Australian evolution has yet to receive its
due in the scientific community.
(D) According to the passage, the author asserts that Australia has been shifting position on
the Earth’s surface over the last 40 million years. He doesn’t say anything about when evolution
began in Australia.

23. (D)
In ¶3, the author mentions a “chicken-sized” dinosaur that lived in “a refrigerated world.”
Clearly, then, the author would agree that “not all dinosaur species lived in warm
environments.”
(A) The author mentions only one Australian dinosaur species; so, we can’t say that the
author would endorse this statement.
(B) The author never draws any link between dinosaurs and marsupials.
(C) The author doesn’t give us dates relating to the disappearance of dinosaurs or the
emergence of rainforests; so, we can’t conclude anything about the author’s beliefs on this issue.

24. (B)


According to ¶2, scientists have catalogued 18,000 Australian plants. Futhermore, they
believe about 7,000 remain to be discovered. Thus, most Australian plants have been
discovered.
(A) ¶4 reveals that Australia has moved between the northern and southern hemispheres.
(C) and (D) ¶s 1 and 2 indicate that the study of Australian plants is yielding important
information (C) and that Australian rainforests are different from other rainforests (D),
especially with regard to the unique plants found in Australian rainforests.

25. (D)
¶2 makes it evident that the author thinks that Australia’s rainforests are important. The
phrase “unimportant appendages” is in quotes because the author’s disparaging another view of
the rainforests’ worth.
(A) is logically eliminated by (D)
(B) and (C) distort details in ¶2.

26. (A)
In ¶2, the author asserts that scientists are routinely making important discoveries in
Australia’s rainforests. Hence, the discovery of a plant that had medicinal uses would support
his opinion.
(B) and (C) are logically eliminated by (A).
(D) No, this discovery would support the author’s opinion.

27. (C)
Neither of these is ever mentioned in the passage.
(A) is supported by ¶1.
(B) is supported by ¶5.
(D) is supported by the first sentence of ¶2.

Passage V (Questions 28-34)
Topic and Scope: The author discusses the pros and cons of giving shorter sentences to
criminals who are less likely to commit frequent and serious crimes, and longer sentences to
crime-prone individuals.
Paragraph Structure: The first two ¶s explain the idea of selective incapacitation and
make the claim that the concept can reduce crime without increasing prison populations. ¶3
raises the question of the potential for injustice, and ¶4 explores the issue in depth. The
remaining paragraphs are devoted to a defense of the technique underlying selective
incapacitation, the statistical prediction of a criminal’s future behavior.

28. (C)


If more criminals are going in than are coming out of prison under selective incapacitation,
prison populations are going to increase.
(A) If anything, the information in the stem strengthens this claim.
(B) This claim is never made.
(D) This claim is also never made; what the author says is that white-collar criminals may
unfairly receive shorter sentences under selective incapacitation.

29. (B)
This is the point of the next-to-last paragraph. Judges make predictions now when they are
sentencing criminals, and a judge’s judgment is flawed—even more flawed than statistical
prediction, according to the author.
(A) and (C) are far too extreme to be correct.
(D) contradicts everything the author argues for.

30. (C)
The author would not agree with this because he thinks that all sentencing has a predictive
basis.
(A) and (D) can be found in the next-to-last paragraph, and (B) comes from the second
paragraph.

31. (B)
If less privileged offenders cannot evade sanction, this means they must be dangerous
repeat offenders, since dangerous repeat offenders are the ones imprisoned under selective
incapacitation.
(A) This does not follow from the author’s statement.
(C) This misses the point that harmful middle-class people who commit white-collar

crimes would go free under selective incapacitation. No money is involved.
(D) This distorts the real point, that some middle-class offenders will go free but deserve
incarceration.

32. (B)
The idea is minimize all error, but that is not a choice here. (B) is correct because if you
minimize the “false negatives,” you minimize the number of crimes committed by mistakenly
released criminals.

33. (B)
This is a paraphrase of the end of ¶6.
(A) Some people may not like this, but according to the author more people are worried
about “false positives” than about “false negatives.”
(C) is an argument for statistical prediction.


(D) This choice is way out-of-bounds.

34. (D)
The author makes this claim but never backs it up with solid evidence.
(A) and (B) are claims that the author makes and then explains in detail.
(C) is not a claim made in the passage; as far as we know, first-time offenders could get
probation.

Passage VI (Questions 35-41)
Topic and Scope: Many new technological products were not designed with the average
user in mind, resulting in the complexity problem: a fundamental mismatch between the
demands of a technology and the user’s capabilities.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 introduces the complexity problem with the example of the
digital wristwatch. ¶2 defines the complexity problem as well as ergonomics, the field that

attempts to address the problem. In ¶3, the author says that if a consumer can’t figure out how
to work a gadget, it’s the engineer’s fault, not the consumer’s. He goes on to assert in ¶4 that a
lot of baffling technology enters the market because it is never tested on typical users during the
production phase.
The remaining paragraphs explain how user-centered design and discovering the “mental
models” by which a user instinctively interprets a technology can help solve complexity
problems.
Questions:
35. (A)
This is the sort of product an ergonomics expert wants; something the user doesn’t have to
spend a lot of time figuring out.
(B) Ergonomics is not anti-technology; it just seeks to make technological products userfriendly.
(C) This choice is a distractor that plays on the watch example.
(D) is a distortion of the passage’s information on the complexity problem.

36. (D)
In the first ¶, the author says that the digital watch became hard to reset since it didn’t have
a conventional winding mechanism, and that consumers were returning the digital watches as
defective in the spring and the fall because they couldn’t reset them. According to the author’s
argument, conventional watches should not come back right after the time changes because they
are supposed to be easier to reset. If they come back at that time, the author’s argument is
undermined.
(A) Be careful. The info in the stem is not by itself enough to weaken the argument
because the conventional watches really could be defective.


37. (C)
The author does make this claim but doesn’t support it with any evidence.

38. (C)

If the tram was never supposed to be driven in reverse—that is, if it should have had
enough room to turn around so that it was always moving ahead—then there would have been
no reason for the engineers to design the controls for movement in both directions. It would not
have been their fault if the tram was not being used as it was supposed to be.
(A) does not respond to the author’s criticism; the issue is not whether it “should” have
been difficult. The results show it was difficult, and that’s the problem.
(B) is a Distortion of the passage information. The driver never physically switched the
pedals.
(D) is FUD. The “mental models” referred to are discussed in paragraph 6, and relate to
models used by the technologists in designing equipment.
39. (A)
Consumers feel that the problem lies with them because they think that they are supposed to
be able to use the gadget easily. They think this because they assume the gadget was designed
for easy use.
(B) and (C) If consumers made either of these assumptions, they wouldn’t be blaming
themselves.
(D) This assumption defies common sense.

40. (A)
If features are added to a product because manufacturers know it will make the product
more desirable to the consumer, then the nature of the product is at least partially determined by
consumers and their desires.
(B) This does not necessarily mean that the nature of those products has come to be
determined by consumers and their needs.
(C), if anything, strengthens rather than weakens the contention.
(D) The fact that consumers need answering machines does not mean that the answering
machine was designed with the needs of the consumer in mind.

41. (D)
This choice is consistent with the author’s argument in ¶3.

(A) It’s not that the user has to find the correct mental model; it’s that the designer has to
find out what mental model the user will employ.
(B) According to the author, most people who can’t figure out high-tech equipment blame
themselves, not the designer.
(C) The author, as stated before, would not place the blame on the user.


Passage VII (Questions 42-47)
Topic and Scope: In some cases it is clear that a person is deceiving himself, but in some
cases it is not. If a person believes in something strongly, he may come to assume that those
who disagree with him are deceiving themselves.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1: Sometimes self-deception is harmless but in other cases it can
be dangerous. ¶2: The problem in making judgments about someone else’s possible selfdeception is that one’s belief system can lead one to conclude that nonbelievers are deluded. ¶3:
A believer may come to think that a nonbeliever needs help and can be helped. ¶4: Zealots take
things to extremes in that they will argue that anyone who disagrees with them is part of a
conspiracy. ¶5: The author illustrates her point by describing the behavior of a sixteenthcentury witch-hunter.
Questions:
42. (A)
This is in accord with the author’s point that one’s belief system can lead one to the
conclusion that others are suffering from self-deception.
(B) The author says that some minor self-deceptions are benevolent.
(C) This is a distortion of the idea that true believers may think that others are in part aware
that their beliefs are false.
(D) This is way too extreme; obviously some anorexics and alcoholics can be helped.

43. (C)
Self-deception concerning one’s physical fitness may or may not be dangerous, depending
on the situation. If it were to be dangerous for some reason, the author would advocate bringing
the friend around to the realization that he is deceiving himself.
(A) This choice is incorrect because the false belief about physical fitness may be

harmless.
(B) This is intervention without bringing the person to a recognition of the self-deception.
(D) The author says people can be wrong about other people’s beliefs, not their physical
fitness.

464 (A)
See ¶4: Conspiracy theorists argue that “anyone who disagrees with them...has been taken
over by the forces they are striving to combat.”
(B) Conspiracy theorists don’t give up that easily.
(C) This is a distortion of the statement in the final paragraph that calling something trivial
or far-fetched counts, for conspiracy theorists, as further evidence of its significance.
(D) A little comic relief.


45. (C)
This is supported by the last sentence of ¶2.
(A) It’s not clear that the unorthodox views of the psyche are harmless.
(B) There is no reason the author would jump immediately to this conclusion.
(D) On the contrary; the person with unorthodox views would very easily establish (at least
to himself) the presence of unorthodox views in others.
46. (D)
The final two paragraphs should have convinced you of this.
(A) This choice misconstrues the meaning of the author’s statement that conspiracy
theorists believe “there are no accidents.”
(B) There is no evidence in the passage that conspiracy theorists doubt their beliefs at all.
(C) The author never says anything against the right to free speech.

47. (D)
This may have seemed like a ridiculous answer at first, but if Bodin were correct in his
accusations, then he wouldn’t have been such a lunatic after all, and this would ruin the author’s

argument. Sure, there are no witches, but the stem says “if true”...
(A) There could have been townspeople with the same convictions as Bodin, for all we
know. This wouldn’t weaken the author’s argument.
(B) This is irrelevant to the argument.
(C) We assume that this is true anyway, based on the info in the last paragraph.

Passage VIII (Questions 48-54)
Topic and Scope: Recent archaeological findings have led researchers to believe Mayan
civilization existed much earlier than previously thought.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 introduces the idea that Mayan culture may have existed as far
back as 2500 B.C. ¶2 explains the relevance of the first paragraph. Previously, archaeologists
believed that the oldest Mayan settlement dated to 1000 B.C. ¶3 discusses Colha and the idea of
a “pre-ceramic presence.” ¶4 identifies the stone tool, the “constricted uniface,” that led
researchers to believe that a Mayan settlement may have existed as far back as 2500 B.C. ¶5
expands on the idea that Mayans existed before 1000 B.C. by also suggesting that Colha
residents were “pre-ceramic” Mayans, rather than non-Mayans. The paragraph concludes by
stating that evidence may turn up that would change their hypothesis.
The Big Picture: This is a difficult passage because it discusses a theory without
providing background information on the subject. Don’t waste time trying to fully
understand complicated passages: go to the questions in order to determine what is
important.


Questions:
48. (C)
Recent archaeological findings have led researchers to change their view that the oldest
Mayan civilization dated back to about 1000 B.C. They now believe it may have dated as far
back as 2500 B.C.
(A) The findings do not discuss the extent to which the Mayans settled throughout the
Yucatan penninsula.

(B) Researchers have always believed that Mayans used pottery.
(D) To the contrary, the constricted uniface had distinct designs that researchers believed
were Mayan.
49. (C)
¶2 states that “until now, the oldest Maya settlements yielded extensive pottery remains.”
The paragraph (and passage) continue by suggesting that early inhabitants of the Colha area did
not use ceramic pottery and that these inhabitants were most likely Mayans.
(A) The passage never indicates that Mayans used the stone tools to create clay pottery.
(B) If anything, the passage implies that the cultivation of crops occurred before the
development of pottery.
(D) This statement draws a conclusion beyond the scope of the passage.

50. (C)
The designs on the constricted uniface, its radiocarbon date, and its location of discovery,
Pulltrouser Swamp (a known Maya site), all indicate that Mayans may have inhabited the area
before 1000 B.C.
(A) ¶4 indicates that researchers believe that Mayans exclusively inhabited the Colha area.
(B) To the contrary, the researchers believe that Mayans, not non-Mayans, inhabited Colha
as stated in ¶4.
(D) To the contrary, ¶4 describes the conclusions drawn by the scientists.

51. (A) is directly stated in ¶4.
(B), (C), and (D) are all logically eliminated by reading ¶4.

52. (B)
The term “archaeological serendipity” refers to the unexpected good fortune the researchers
experienced upon making their discoveries.
(A) is too simple. The discovery of stone tools was just one of the components of the
archaeological progress made by these scientists.
(C) The term does not refer to a method.

(D) The term refers to the archaeologists, not the Mayans.
Strategy point: Even if you don’t know a word such as “serendipity,” you can use
both the surrounding text and the focus of the passage to clarify the meaning.

53. (C)
¶4 directly states the opposite of this belief. Analysis of the stone tools convinced
researchers that Mayans had always inhabited the Colha region.
(A) is supported by the passage, ¶4.
(B) is the recently proposed hypothesis regarding ancient Maya civilizations.
(D) is supported by the first sentence of ¶4.

54. (B)
(B) would undermine the idea of “pre-ceramic.” In addition, the last sentence of ¶4 claims
that researchers have not yet found ceramics in these early residential structures.
(A) Archaeologists already believe that the stone tools were used for this purpose.
(C) Stone tools have already been found dating back to 2500 B.C.
(D) Pottery has already been found dating back to 1000 B.C. at Mayan sites in the Yucatan
penninsula.

Passage IX (Questions 55-60)

Topic and Scope: The effect of the tsetse fly on humans and livestock, and how attempts
toward eradication of the fly have fared.
Paragraph Structure: ¶1 describes characteristics of the tsetse fly. ¶2 discusses the
trypanosome’s role in the transmission of diseases. ¶3 describes the immune system’s inability
to deal with the trypanosome’s ability to alter its genetic code. ¶4 describes the attempts that
have been made toward eradicating the fly. ¶5 explains the environmentalist predictions
concerning destruction of the tsetse fly population. In ¶6, the author suggests that some

compromise be reached that benefits both animal health and the environment.
Questions
55. (B)
The tsetse fly transmits a deadly parasite, not a chemical.
(A) ¶2 states that trypanosomes depend on vertebrate blood for nourishment.
(C) ¶1 states that the tsetse uses vertebrate blood for nourishment, while ¶2 states that the
trypanosome does as well.
(D) is definitely true according to the passage.


56. (C)
The passage discusses the trypanosome’s ability to alter its genetic code, not the tsetse fly’s.
(A), (B), and (D) are all mentioned in the passage.
57. (C)
(C) is exactly what environmentalists fear would happen if the tsetse fly were controlled to
the point of elimination.
(A) can be inferred from the passage since diseases spread by trypanosomes can’t be
controlled by antibodies or vaccines.
(B) is mentioned in ¶2.
(D) is directly stated in the first sentence of ¶4.

58. (D)
(D) directly follows the logic of the environmentalists argument in ¶5. The lizard
represents the tsetse fly, the locust represents the cattle, and the agricultural crops represent the
African grasslands.
(A) and (B) misconstrue the analogy presented in the question stem.
(C) is a nonsense answer.

59. (C)
(C) is described in ¶5 as the major concern of African environmentalists.

(A) and (B) The passage doesn’t mention what environmentalists think will happen if the
tsetse continues to exist.
(D) is logically eliminated by (C).
60. (C)
The author would most favor an approach that controls, rather than eliminates, the
population and that does not harm the environment.
(A) and (B) imply eradication as well as disregard for the environment.
(D) The first sentence of ¶4 mentions that the trypanosome cannot be conquered by
vaccine; therefore, the author would not encourage continued research.