Module I: Reading and Writing

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During his career, Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona produced hundreds of compositions. Especially impressive is how _____ his body of work is: Lecuona showcased a diverse range of musical talents in different areas, from orchestral pieces and operas to popular film scores.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

1
Mark for Review

outdated

 lonely

 forgotten

 varied

The following text is from Amy Tan’s 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club. The narrator describes practicing the piano when she was a child.

For the talent show, I was to play a piece called “Pleading Child” from Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood. It was a simple, moody piece that sounded more difficult than it was. I was supposed to memorize the whole thing, playing the repeat parts twice to make the piece sound longer. But I dawdled over it, playing a few bars and then cheating, looking up to see what notes followed. I never really listened to what I was playing. I daydreamed about being somewhere else, about being someone else.

©1989 by Amy Tan

Based on the text, when the narrator describes herself as “cheating,” what does she most likely mean?

2
Mark for Review

She was violating an expectation about how to perform the piece.

 She was deceiving her piano teacher.

 She was gaining an unfair advantage over other contestants in the talent show.

 She was lying to herself about her musical ability.

As with other river deltas, the Indus River delta is _____; it is a constantly evolving network of channels and strips of land that change in size and shape as the river deposits new sedimentary particles where the river meets the waters of the Arabian Sea.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

3
Mark for Review

dynamic

 sustainable

 immutable

 unrivaled

The following text is from Bram Stoker’s 1911 novel The Lair of the White Worm. Adam is meeting his great-uncle Richard at a port.

The meeting so auspiciously begun proceeded well. Adam, seeing that the old man was interested in the novelty of the ship, suggested that he should stay the night on board, and that he would himself be ready to start at any hour and go anywhere that the other suggested. This affectionate willingness to fall in with his own plans quite won the old man’s heart. He warmly accepted the invitation, and at once they became not only on terms of affectionate relationship, but almost like old friends.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

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Mark for Review

It showcases how Adam’s flexibility and consideration strengthen his relationship with his great-uncle Richard.

 It states the reasons why Adam and his great-uncle Richard decide to sleep on the ship rather than finding lodging on land.

 It describes why Adam and his great-uncle Richard are excited for their upcoming journey on the ship.

 It contrasts great-uncle Richard’s wary first impressions of Adam with his ultimate affection toward him.

Vertical gene transfer involves the transmission of genetic material from a parent to offspring; horizontal gene transfer, on the other hand, involves the exchange of genetic material between organisms not in a parent-offspring relationship. While horizontal gene transfer is common among prokaryotes—single-celled organisms such as the bacteria Cyanobacterium viridans and Moraxella catarrhalis—it has rarely been observed among eukaryotes (typically multicellular organisms). However, new studies suggest that horizontal gene transfer is more common in eukaryotes than originally thought.

Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

5
Mark for Review

It argues that a particular direction of research concerning horizontal gene transfer is likely to be fruitless.

 It indicates a distinction between horizontal gene transfer and vertical gene transfer.

 It implies that a common perception of horizontal gene transfer may be inaccurate.

 It compares the frequencies with which horizontal gene transfer has been detected in two categories of organisms.

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