Section 2: Structure and Written Expression

Time: 25 minutes
This section is designed to measure your ability to recognize language that is appropriate
for standard written English. There are two types of questions in this section, with special
directions for each type.

Structure
Directions: Questions 1-15 are incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence you
will see four words or phrases, marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Choose the one word or
phrase that best completes the sentence. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number
of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you
have chosen.

Example I Sample Answer

A B C D
Geysers have often been compared to volcanoes they both emit hot liquids from
below the Earth’s surface.
(A) due to
(B) because
(C) in spite of
(D) regardless of
The sentence should read, “Geysers have often been compared to volcanoes because
they both emit hot liquids from below Earth’s surface.” Therefore, you should choose (B).

Example II Sample Answer

A B C D
During the early period of ocean navigation, any need for sophisticated
instruments and techniques.
(A) so that hardly
(B) when there hardly was
(C) hardly was
(D) there was hardly
The sentence should read, “During the early period of ocean navigation, there was
hardly any need for sophisticated instruments and techniques.” Therefore, you should
choose (D).

Now begin work on the questions.

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 1. Rhymes result from sound 4. When from REM (Rapid
rather than spelling, and words Eye Movement) sleep, a state in
neither have to be spelled the which brain activity resembles
same way look alike in the waking state, they usually
order to rhyme. report that they have been
(A) not dreaming.
(B) and (A) awakened people
(C) nor (B) people awakening
(D) either (C) are people awakening
(D) people are awakened
2. The gardenia, about 200
species to tropical and 5. In their designs the Shakers
subtropical countries, was always sought to a
named in honor of eighteenth- problem, whether it was a
century naturalist Alexander rocking chair or a steam engine.
Garden. (A) the simplest solution
(A) native of which are (B) the solution of simplest
(B) are native of which (C) the solution that
(C) which are native of simplification
(D) of which are native (D) which solution simplest

3. Bioethics is the moral 6. Carbohydrates, of the

and social implications of three principal constituents
techniques resulting from of food, form the bulk of the
advances in the biological average human diet.
sciences. (A) are one
(A) study (B) one that
(B) studied (C) one
(C) the study of (D) which one
(D) the study that

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7. Eva Gatling directed in 11. Distantly related to pigs,
Huntington, New York, from the great Indian rhinoceros as
1962 until 1978. the second largest living land
(A) the Heckscher Museum animal.
(B) the Heckscher Museum was (A) rivaling the hippopotamus
(C) how the Heckscher (B) the rival of the
Museum hippopotamus
(D) and the Heckscher Museum (C) which the hippopotamus
rivals
8. Geometrically, the hyperbolic (D) the hippopotamus rivals
functions are related to
the hyperbola, the 12. Psychologists who study
trigonometric functions are information processing have
related to the circle. found to identify and
(A) just as describe several memory
(B) same structures and control
(C) similar to processes.
(D) and similar (A) is instructive
(B) instructive
9. United States aviation pioneer (C) it instructive
Amelia Earhart set long- (D) as instructive
distance flight records.
(A) of several 13. Not until the 1820s part
(B) several the of the curriculum of Harvard
(C) several and Yale universities.
(D) several of (A) physical education became
(B) physical education had
10. The brilliance of the Sun’s disk become
makes observations of the (C) did physical education
corona and nearby stars become
with ordinary telescopes, (D) when physical education
became
except during an eclipse.
(A) impossibility
(B) impossible
(C) they are impossible
(D) are impossible

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 14. Perhaps even more important 15. Ellis Island in Upper New York
than the accuracy and reliability Bay was the principal reception
of a meteorological instrument center the United States
. from 1892 to 1943.
(A) that positioning it is correct (A) immigrants entered
(B) is positioned correctly (B) which immigrants entered
(C) that its correct position (C) through which immigrants
(D) is that it be positioned entered
correctly (D) which immigrants who
entered

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Written Expression
Directions: In questions 16-40 each sentence has four underlined words or phrases.
The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Identify the
one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.
Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that
corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.

Example I Sample Answer

A B C D

Guppies are sometimes call rainbow fish due to the bright colors of the males.
A B C D

The sentence should read, “Guppies are sometimes called rainbow fish due to the bright
colors of the males.” Therefore, you should choose (A).

Example II Sample Answer

A B C D

Serving several term in the United States Congress, Shirley Chisholm became a
A B C
respected political figure.
D

The sentence should read, “Serving several terms in the United States Congress, Shirley
Chisholm became a respected political figure.” Therefore, you should choose (B).

Now begin work on the questions.

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 16. The earliest known inhabitants of North America were a people of whose
A B
culture was highly oriented toward music and dance.
C D

17. Write poetry is a craft in which the poet works with words as a carpenter
A B C
works with wood.
D

18. If the circumference of any circle is divided by the circle’s diameter, the
A B
result of the calculation will always the same.
C D

19. The mountains, especially the Rocky Mountains, formerly constituted a

A
seriously barrier to east-west trade in British Columbia.
B C D

20. Earth’s atmosphere is in perpetual motion because differences in solar heating

A B C
that occur between the equator and the poles.
D

21. Research on artificial intelligence began after soon the development of the
A B C
modern digital computer in the 1940s.
D

22. Among 1963 and 1965 United States manufacturers of detergents voluntarily
A B
changed their processes to produce only biodegradable, or soft, detergents.
C D

23. In terms of its size, influence, and visible, the corporation has become the
A B
dominant business form in industrial countries.
C D

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24. The painting style of the photorealists, which they arose in the late 1960s,
A B
favored such subjects as neon signs, cafeterias, and common urban and
C D
suburban scenes.

25. The Music Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., was
established in 1897 and has more than six million items in itself collections.
A B C D

26. Scientists cannot agree on a single definition formal of life, although most
A B
people think that they can recognize a living thing when they see it.
C D

27. Success in acting is achieved only by the relatively few persons who combine
A B C
natural talent with well-developed techniques, dedicate, and self-discipline.
D

28. Traditionally, a trial jury in the United States consists of twelve people, often
A B C
with one or two additional jurors, nor alternates.
D

29. Like wood, paper is a hygroscopic material; that is, it absorbs water from, and
A B C
also release water into, the air.
D

30. Several factors responsible for the Oklahoma Dust Bowl of the 1930s were
A B
the character of the soil, the climatic and the types of agriculture practiced.
C D

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 31. Dehydrated food is prepared by removing water from fresh food to yield a
A B
relatively dry, stable product in which the growth of microorganisms are
C D
inhibited.

32. Fireworks, combustible or explosive preparations using for entertainment, were

A B
probably first devised in ancient China.
C D

33. As a dogfish swims, an S-shaped wave passes down its body toward its tail
A B C
to provide many of its forward propulsion.
D

34. Marshes, wetland areas characterized by plant grassy growth, are

A B
distinguished from swamps, wetlands where trees grow.
C D

35. A documentary film shapes factual material and interprets it for purposes of
A B C
education or the entertainment.
D

36. Native to South America and cultivated there for thousands of years, the peanut
A B
is said to have introduced to North America by early explorers.
C D

37. The igloo, a temporarily winter home built by the Inuits of Canada and
A B
Greenland, is generally dome shaped and is usually made from blocks of snow.
C D

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 38. Boston began a series of urban renewal project during the 1960s, emphasizing
A B
renovation and modern architectural styles harmonious with the traditional
C D
buildings.

39. Copper, a soft yellowish-red metal whose use dates back to prehistoric times,
A B
has been mined for over 6,000 years ago.
C D

40. In 1999 astronomers found evidence of six new planets orbiting distant
A
stars, bringing to 28 the number of planets then known to exist out the solar
B C D
system.

This is the end of Section 2.

If you finish before time is called, check your work
on Section 2 only.
DO NOT read or work on any other section of the test.
At the end of 25 minutes, go on to Section 3.
Use exactly 55 minutes to work on Section 3.

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 Section 3: Reading Comprehension

Time: 55 Minutes
Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several
questions about it. For questions 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (C),
or (D), to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and
fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.

Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that
passage.

Read the following sample passage:

The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to
draw attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as merchants
have set out their wares at daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated,
Line people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The
5 value of this tradition is today more apparent than ever. Were it not for public
acceptance of a single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic:
the massive daily transfers of goods, services, and information would proceed in
fits and starts; the very fabric of modern society would begin to unravel.

Example I Sample Answer

A B C D

What is the main idea of the passage?

(A) In modern society we must make more time for our neighbors.
(B) The traditions of society are timeless.
(C) An accepted way of measuring time is essential for the smooth
functioning of society.
(D) Society judges people by the times at which they conduct certain
activities.
The main idea of the passage is that societies need to agree about how time is to be
measured in order to function smoothly. Therefore, you should choose (C).

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Example II Sample Answer
A B C D

In line 5, the phrase “this tradition” refers to

(A) the practice of starting the business day at dawn
(B) friendly relations between neighbors
(C) the railroad’s reliance on time schedules
(D) people’s agreement on the measurement of time
The phrase “this tradition” refers to the preceding clause, “people have been in rough
agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day.” Therefore, you should choose (D).

Now begin work on the questions.

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Questions 1-10
The first maps of Venus were made using radar beams transmitted from Earth.
Radar was the only way to map its surface, because the clouds on Venus are so thick
that the surface cannot be seen through them. The results of these early attempts at
Line mapping were relatively crude and difficult to interpret, although the regions known as
5 Alpha and Beta Regiones were discovered.
The first direct view of the surface came from probes, which were landed on Venus
in 1975 by the spacecraft Venera 9 and 10, and showed a dry rock-strewn surface.
Maps of the surface improved dramatically in 1978, when the Pioneer-Venus 1
spacecraft went into orbit around Venus, equipped with a radar altimeter. It showed
10 huge rolling plains stretching right around the planet, some lowland areas, and
two highland regions called Ishtar and Aphrodite. The peaks of the highest mountains,
Maxwell Montes, in the eastern part of Ishtar, were found to be 12,000 meters above
the general surface level, so they are appreciably higher than the Himalayas. Aphrodite,
which is larger than Ishtar, has a vast rift valley at its eastern end nearly 3,000 meters
15 deep, 2,200 kilometers long, and 280 kilometers wide. Two shield volcanoes, broad
volcanoes formed of successive outpourings of lava, which are much larger than any
found on Earth, were also found isolated from the two upland areas. Six years later a
great many impact craters and small volcanoes were found by Venera 15 and
16 orbiters.
20 Later yet, the Magellan spacecraft entered orbit around Venus in August 1990, and
over the next two years completed a detailed radar mapping of the surface. It found that
the surface is mostly volcanic, with large lava-flooded plains and thousands of
volcanoes. There are also signs of tectonic activity, which has caused, for example,
multiple faulting and deep fractures. There are a number of rift valleys, some of which
25 have been partly flooded by molten lava, and a number of impact craters, the density of
which has enabled the ages of various areas to be estimated. The absence of impact
craters in an area suggests an age of no more than a few tens of millions of years.

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1. The passage mainly discusses 3. The word “equipped” in line 9 is
how closest in meaning to
(A) radar technology improved (A) selected
over time (B) adjusted
(B) the surface of Venus (C) inspected
compares to Earth’s (D) furnished
surface
(C) the age of Venus was 4. The author discusses Maxwell
determined scientifically Montes together with the
(D) knowledge about the
Himalayas in the passage in
surface of Venus was
order to
obtained
(A) indicate their similar
2. The passage mentions that composition
(B) establish the height of
radar beams were used to
Maxwell Montes
obtain the first maps of Venus
(C) indicate that the terrain on
because they Earth resembles the
(A) allowed for mapping more terrain on Venus
than the two regions (D) compare the origins of the
already familiar to two mountain ranges
scientists
(B) could penetrate the clouds 5. The word “appreciably” in
that concealed the line 13 is closest in meaning to
surface of Venus
(C) were the least expensive (A) surprisingly
method of mapping at (B) probably
the time (C) noticeably
(D) could be transmitted easily (D) consistently
from Earth
6. The word “vast” in line 14 is
closest in meaning to
(A) extensive
(B) remote
(C) obvious
(D) raised

The questions for this passage continue on the

next page.

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 7. The word “isolated” in line 17 is 10. It can be inferred from the
closest in meaning to passage that scientists use the
(A) surrounded density of impact craters on
(B) separated Venus to determine which of
(C) accumulated the following?
(D) elevated (A) The cause of the faults and
fractures
8. Pioneer-Venus 1 discovered (B) The age of different areas
that Venus had all of the of the planet’s surface
following features EXCEPT (C) The areas that are most
geologically active
(A) impact craters
(D) The amount of flooding of
(B) lowlands
rift valley areas
(C) mountains
(D) shield volcanoes

9. The Magellan spacecraft

discovered that most of the
surface of Venus is covered with
(A) faults and fractures
(B) rift valleys
(C) lava and volcanoes
(D) impact craters

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