Reading and Writing Test - 1 - SAT MCQ

• Choice A is the best answer. “Currently” logically signals that the archaeologists’ use of drones (a current technology) to photograph the lines is the present-day continuation of the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence.
• Choice B is incorrect because “in comparison” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence offers a comparison to the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.
• Choice C is incorrect because “still” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence occurs despite the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.
• Choice D is incorrect because “however” illogically signals that the action described in this sentence occurs either despite or in contrast to the ongoing archaeological research described in the previous sentence. Instead, the use of drones is the present-day continuation of that research.

• Choice A is the best answer. The sentence emphasizes the aim of the research study by highlighting what the researchers conducting the study wanted to know—specifically, which factors influence clutch size among lizards.
• Choice B is incorrect because the sentence emphasizes what researchers determined at the end of the study, not what the study’s aim was.
• Choice C is incorrect because the sentence emphasizes a finding from the research study, not the aim of the study.
• Choice D is incorrect because the sentence emphasizes the research study’s methodology, not its aim. 

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by stating that the new picture “failed to fit in” with the other items that the shop owner has. The text goes on to illustrate that point by describing the other pictures the shop owner has, indicating that the shop owner is fuming because he doesn’t think the new picture belongs in the store. In the second paragraph, however, the text indicates that the shop owner is “secretly proud of his acquisition.” The main purpose of the text is thus to reveal the shop owner’s conflicted feelings about the new picture.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the shop owner resents the young man who sold him the new picture; in fact, the text gives no indication of the owner’s feelings about the young man at all.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although the text indicates that the new picture is different from the other items in the shop, there’s no suggestion that the shop owner prizes either the new picture or the pictures of the city, pets, and landscapes more than he prizes any other items.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t describe what the new picture looks like; rather, the text identifies some of the other kinds of images that the shop owner has and states that they’re different from the new picture without explaining how they’re different.

• Choice A is the best answer because it presents the quotation that best illustrates the journalist’s claim. By indicating that a collective didn’t continue because it was hard to share credit and responsibilities within the group even though the company was enjoyable, the quotation shows that working collaboratively can be difficult for artists who are used to having complete control over their work.
• Choice B is incorrect because the quotation indicates that members of a collective are able to collaborate together and have agreed on a fair way to manage their responsibilities; this doesn’t demonstrate the challenge of sharing control among members of a collective.
• Choice C is incorrect because the quotation highlights the support and encouragement of individual expression an artist experiences due to working in a collective; these positive aspects don’t demonstrate the challenge of sharing control among members of a collective.
• Choice D is incorrect because the quotation doesn’t address any challenges of sharing control among members of a collective; it simply indicates that artists sometimes choose to work with collectives without having to be a member. Therefore, the quotation doesn’t illustrate the journalist’s claim.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement. The text explains that mycorrhizal hosts are plants that benefit from the presence of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil and that some such plants produce more mass when grown in the presence of these fungi, while for nonmycorrhizal species the fungi either have no effect or may be harmful. The experiment included two mycorrhizal hosts (corn and marigold) and one nonmycorrhizal species (broccoli). Given the claim in the text that nonmycorrhizal species will see either no difference or a decrease in mass when exposed to mycorrhizal fungi, the student would likely have been surprised by the higher average mass for broccoli grown in the presence of the fungi than the broccoli grown in the soil treated to kill fungi.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although this choice accurately describes the corn data from the table, the fact that the mycorrhizal host corn is more massive in the presence of the fungi likely fits with what the student expected and would therefore not be surprising.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although this choice accurately describes the marigold data from the table, the fact that the mycorrhizal host marigold is more massive in the presence of the fungi is likely what the student expected and thus would not be surprising.
• Choice D is incorrect because it does not accurately represent the data in the table—when grown in soil treated to kill fungi, corn had an average mass of 3.8 g while broccoli had an average mass of 7g—and because making comparisons among the plants in the no-fungi condition, by itself, does not provide a basis to compare the average mass of mycorrhizal hosts and nonmycorrhizal species grown in the presence of the fungi with those grown in the soil treated to kill fungi.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The plural possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories” correctly indicate that there are multiple stories from multiple people.
• Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “people’s” and the plural noun “stories,” not the plural noun “peoples” and the singular possessive noun “story’s.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “people’s,” not the plural noun “peoples.”
• Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the plural noun “stories,” not the singular possessive noun “story’s.”

• Choice A is the best answer. “In addition” logically signals that the detail in this sentence—that Coleridge-Taylor included traditional African music in his classical compositions—adds to the information in the previous sentence. Specifically, the previous sentence indicates one way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry, and the claim that follows indicates a second, additional way.
• Choice B is incorrect because “actually” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence is surprising in light of the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.
• Choice C is incorrect because “however” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence contrasts with the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.
• Choice D is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the detail in this sentence is true despite the information in the previous sentence. Instead, the detail adds to the information, indicating a second, additional way in which Coleridge-Taylor emphasized his mixed-race ancestry.

• Choice B is the best answer because it most logically and precisely completes the text’s discussion of Jeyifous’s series of images for the 2020 exhibition. In this context, “created” means produced. The text explains that Jeyifous, a photographer and neurobiologist, photographed adults who had appeared as children in posters from the 1970s, then combined those photographs with magnified images of the adults’ cells—a process that resulted in what he called “micro and macro portraiture.” This context suggests that Jeyifous drew on his dual interests in photography and neurobiology to produce the images for display in the exhibition.
• Choice A is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “validated,” or corroborated, the series of images. The text describes Jeyifous’s process for composing the images but doesn’t describe Jeyifous making an effort to evaluate the images for their artistic or scientific legitimacy.
• Choice C is incorrect because there’s nothing in the text to suggest that Jeyifous “challenged,” or disputed, an aspect of the images; rather, the focus of the text is on the inspiration behind the images and the method Jeyifous used to achieve them.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text indicates that Jeyifous made the images himself using a combination of photography and magnified pictures of cells, not that he “restored,” or reconditioned, the images from a deteriorated state.

• Choice A is the best answer because it describes an experimental outcome that would most directly weaken the student’s hypothesis. According to the text, the student hypothesizes that Brassica rapa parachinensis (choy sum) will benefit more from acidic soil than it will from neutral soil. The text then explains that the student planted 16 choy sum seeds in potting soil with coffee grounds added to increase acidity and another 16 seeds in soil without coffee grounds as a control (a group identical to the experimental group except for the experimental modification being tested). If the hypothesis were correct, the plants in the more acidic soil-and-coffee-grounds mixture would grow faster than those in the control group. However, choice A proposes a scenario in which the plants in soil without coffee grounds were “significantly taller” than those in the more acidic mixture—an outcome that weakens the hypothesis that higher acidity is beneficial to the plants’ growth.
• Choice B is incorrect. If the choy sum planted in the neutral soil produced less plant matter and therefore weighed less than the choy sum planted in the acidic soil-and-coffee-grounds mixture, this finding would strengthen the student’s hypothesis, not weaken it.
• Choice C is incorrect. If seeds planted in neutral soil (without coffee grounds) sprouted significantly later than seeds planted in the acidic soil-and-coffee -grounds mixture, this finding would strengthen, not weaken, the student’s hypothesis that acidic soil benefits choy sum.
• Choice D is incorrect. If seeds planted in the neutral soil (without coffee grounds) sprouted significantly fewer plants than seeds planted in the acidic soil-and-coffeegrounds mixture did, this finding would strengthen, not weaken, the student’s hypothesis that choy sum benefits from acidic soil.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use and punctuation of an integrated relative clause. This choice correctly uses the relative pronoun “that” and no punctuation to create an integrated relative clause that provides essential information about the noun phrase (“a book packaging company”) that it modifies.
• Choice A is incorrect because it doesn’t use a relative pronoun to link the verb phrase beginning with “specializes” to the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).
• Choice C is incorrect because it doesn’t use a relative pronoun to link the verb phrase beginning with “specializes” to the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).
• Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the integrated relative clause beginning with “that specializes” and the noun phrase that it modifies (“a book packaging company”).

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary phrase. In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A study… continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological…above”) and to introduce the following explanation of the origin of Earth’s continents.
• Choice A is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause (“A study…continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological… above”) with appropriate punctuation.
• Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause (“A study…continents”) and the supplementary phrase (“geological…above”). A semicolon is conventionally used to join two main clauses, whereas a colon is conventionally used to introduce an element that explains or amplifies the information in the preceding clause, making it the better choice in this context.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “geological.”

• Choice B is the best answer because it most accurately describes the main purpose of the text. The text begins by stating that there were many Spanishlanguage newspapers in cities across Texas in the late 1800s, citing San Antonio as a city that produced eleven such newspapers. The text then goes on to note that in El Paso, there were twenty-two newspapers published in Spanish in the late 1800s, more than any other Texas city. The text then concludes by explaining that the reason for this large number of Spanish-language newspapers was likely El Paso’s location near Mexico and its large population of Spanish speakers. Therefore, the main purpose of the text is to explain that Spanish-language newspapers thrived in Texas cities, especially in El Paso, in the late 1800s.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas today, let alone compare them with newspapers that were published in the 1800s.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although the text characterizes El Paso as a particularly rich site for Spanish-language journalism in the late 1800s, the text doesn’t discuss whether newspapers published in El Paso influenced the newspapers published in other cities across Texas, including San Antonio.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text doesn’t mention whether Spanish-language newspapers published in Texas were also widely read in Mexico. The text only focuses on the popularity of Spanish-language newspapers within Texas, and especially in El Paso. 

• Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of a crater’s connection to the start of the Younger Dryas. According to the text, some scientists believe that a comet fragment hitting Earth caused the cooling of the Younger Dryas period to come about. The text then indicates that a team of scientists found a crater in Greenland, which some believe supports the theory of a comet fragment hitting Earth to initiate the Younger Dryas. However, the text also notes that the team was unable to determine the age of the crater. If the age of the crater can’t be determined, then its connection to the Younger Dryas period of time can’t be confirmed either. Thus, it can’t be concluded that the impact that made the crater was connected to the beginning of the Younger Dryas.
• Choice B is incorrect because though the text suggests that the age of the comet crater found by a team of scientists is uncertain, it doesn’t address whether a comet fragment can make a crater as large as 19 miles wide. The text doesn’t consider the size of comet fragments and how they relate to the size of craters they might make.
• Choice C is incorrect because the debate in the text centers on the age of the crater found, not the cause of the crater. The text doesn’t indicate uncertainty about what caused the discovered crater.
• Choice D is incorrect because the text suggests that the age of the crater found by the team of scientists is uncertain, not that the dates of the Younger Dryas are uncertain or incorrect. The text states that “the Younger Dryas was a period of extreme cooling from 11,700 to 12,900 years ago” but doesn’t indicate any debate about the timing of the period. 

• Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb “ensures” agrees in number with the singular subject “using.”
• Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb “are ensuring” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “using.”
• Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb “have ensured” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “using.”
• Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb “ensure” doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject “using.”

• Choice D is the best answer. “As a result” logically signals that the information in this sentence—the vessel turning black—is a result of the heating technique discussed in the previous sentence.
• Choice A is incorrect because “on the contrary” illogically signals that the information in this sentence directly opposes the heating technique in the previous sentence. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.
• Choice B is incorrect because “for example” illogically signals that the information in this sentence is an example of the heating technique in the previous sentence. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.
• Choice C is incorrect because “previously” illogically signals that the information in this sentence occurs earlier in a chronological series of events than does the heating technique discussed in the first two sentences. Instead, the vessel turns black as a result of that technique.

• Choice C is the best answer. The sentence specifies how the salt in a freeze-thaw battery enables energy storage, explaining that energy stops flowing and can be stored when the salt solidifies at room temperature.
• Choice A is incorrect. The sentence explains some properties of molten salt; it doesn’t specify how that salt enables energy storage.
• Choice B is incorrect. The sentence indicates how the energy in a freeze-thaw battery can be released; it doesn’t specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage.
• Choice D is incorrect. The sentence specifies how much charge the freeze-thaw battery retains when storing energy; it doesn’t specify how the salt in the battery enables energy storage.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the significance of the War of 1812 in British historical memory. In this context, “tenuous” means vulnerable or uncertain. The text indicates that the War of 1812 was both smaller, and less prominent, than the conflict with France, and resulted in no significant geopolitical changes. These details imply that the War of 1812 is less likely than other British historical events to be remembered, giving the War of 1812 a tenuous place in British historical memory.
• Choice B is incorrect because in this context “enduring” would mean lasting or durable, but the text describes the War of 1812 as being overshadowed by, and smaller than, the simultaneous conflict with France. This seems to conflict with the notion that the War of 1812 has an enduring place in British historical memory.
• Choice C is incorrect because in this context “contentious” would mean likely to cause disagreement, and while there likely are contentious issues related to the War of 1812, nothing in the text discusses or implies any such disagreement.
• Choice D is incorrect because in this context “conspicuous” would mean obvious, but the text describes the War of 1812 as being overshadowed by, and smaller than, the simultaneous conflict with France. Rather than suggesting that the War of 1812 has a conspicuous place in British historical memory, these descriptions suggest that its place is not particularly obvious.

• Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states what is happening in the text. The narrator notes that Lutie thinks the street looks nice in the light of the sunset. The narrator goes on to describe what Lutie can see in the street: children playing ball or tag and girls skipping rope. Thus, what is happening in the text is that Lutie is observing the appearance of the street at a particular time of day and the events occurring on it.
• Choice B is incorrect. Although Lutie is observing children playing games on her street, the text doesn’t suggest that she is annoyed by the noise of the games. Instead, the text says that Lutie thinks the street looks nice in the light of the sunset.
• Choice C is incorrect. Although Lutie is observing children playing games on her street, the text doesn’t suggest that she is puzzled by the rules of the games.
• Choice D is incorrect because there is no evidence in the text that Lutie doesn’t want to interact with her neighbors or that she is in her apartment alone. All the text indicates about Lutie is that she is watching the events on the street and thinks the street looks nice in the light of the sunset.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a subject and a verb. When, as in this case, a subject (“the strings inside the instrument”) is immediately followed by a main verb (“are plucked”), no punctuation is needed.
• Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb.
• Choice C is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb.
• Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb.

• Choice D is the best answer. “For this reason” logically signals that the information that follows—that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature—is a result of the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement to guarantee the validity of experimental results.
• Choice A is incorrect because “in contrast” illogically signals that the information that follows contrasts with the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.
• Choice B is incorrect because “regardless” illogically signals that the information that follows is true despite the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measure. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.
• Choice C is incorrect because “in addition” illogically signals that the information that follows is merely an additional fact related to the previous claim that scientists rely on precise, unchanging standards of measurement. Instead, the information that metrologists developed the SI based on unchanging values in nature is a result of that claim.

• Choice C is the best answer because it accurately states the main idea of the text. According to the text, contrary to what some might expect, foreign investment is typically lower in developing countries whose economies are more dependent on natural-resource extraction. The text explains that high reliance on naturalresource extraction can subject a developing country to economic shocks that can destabilize the local currency and introduce economic uncertainty that tends to keep investors away. In other words, although we may think otherwise, foreign investors are less willing to invest in projects in developing countries whose economies are heavily dependent on natural-resource extraction because those economies tend to exhibit instability that investors want to avoid.
• Choice A is incorrect. The text does indicate that foreign investment is typically lower in developing countries whose economies are more dependent on natural-resource extraction; the text further indicates that natural-resource extraction requires substantial initial investments (to acquire things like required technologies) for which there are fewer investors willing to participate at this stage than one might think. But the text does not implicate the cost of these initial investments as a reason why foreign investment is less widely available than some might think.
• Choice B is incorrect. The text indicates that greater dependence on natural-resource extraction makes a developing country less appealing to foreign investors because of associated economic instability. Rather than arguing that the goal of developing countries is to become less dependent on foreign investment, as the phrasing of choice B suggests, the text focuses only on why foreign investors become less involved with such countries, which suggests that more investment would be preferable.
• Choice D is incorrect. Although the text indicates that natural-resource extraction requires substantial initial investments (to acquire things like required technologies) and that there are fewer likely investors willing to participate at this stage than one might think, the text does not address what investors are likely to do over time as the industry stabilizes itself.

• Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-modifier placement. This choice makes the proper noun “Matthew Henson” the subject of the sentence and places it immediately after the modifying phrase “one… century.” In doing so, this choice clearly establishes that Matthew Henson—and not another noun in the sentence—is being described as one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice B is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “1891 and 1909” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that those years were one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the proper noun “Greenland” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that Greenland was one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a dangling modifier. The placement of the noun phrase “several treks across Greenland” immediately after the modifying phrase illogically suggests that the treks were one of the few African American global explorers during the turn of the 20th century.

Choice A is the best answer. The text says that the impact of photography on the portrait miniature might be "overstated," as some records show a decrease in the number of portrait miniatures before the invention of photography. From this, we can conclude that factors other than the rise of photography may be more directly responsible for the portrait miniature’s decline.
Choice B is incorrect. The text never discusses the "artistic merit" of either art form.
Choice C is incorrect. The text never suggests that the portrait miniature was popular for longer than historians thought—if anything, it suggests that the portrait miniature started losing its popularity earlier than historians thought.
Choice D is incorrect. The text never suggests that portrait painters shifted to become photographers.

Choice A is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text begins by explaining that many literary theorists rely on the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events) and illustrates these concepts by explaining how they can be applied to the film The Godfather Part II. The text then discusses how Mikhail Bakhtin, a literary theorist, argued that fabula and syuzhet can’t fully describe a narrative, since systematic categorizations such as these fail to account for all the ways in which interactions between the artist, the work, and the audience produce meaning. Thus, the main idea is that Bakhtin argued that there are important characteristics of narratives that are not fully encompassed by two concepts that other theorists have used to analyze narratives.
Choice B is incorrect because according to the text, Mikhail Bakhtin believed that meaning was created through the interactions of the artist, narrative, and audience, not simply through the interaction between the audience and narrative; moreover, the text doesn’t address whether Bakhtin focused on the ways in which different people interpret narratives differently.
Choice C is incorrect. Although the text implies that the storytelling methods used in The Godfather Part II are complicated, it discusses the film only to illustrate how the concepts of fabula and syuzhet may be applied to a narrative.
The film’s storytelling methods aren’t the primary focus of the text.
Choice D is incorrect. The text discusses The Godfather Part II, whose narrative doesn’t adhere to a single chronological order, only to illustrate the concepts of fabula (a narrative’s content) and syuzhet (a narrative’s arrangement and presentation of events). The primary focus of this text isn’t the structure of this film or of other narratives that are told out of chronological order; moreover, the text doesn’t consider whether such structures make it harder for audiences to understand narratives.

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is subject-verb agreement. The singular verb "takes" agrees in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice A is incorrect because the plural verb "are taking" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice B is incorrect because the plural verb "have taken" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."
Choice C is incorrect because the plural verb "take" doesn’t agree in number with the singular subject "a cycle of lunar phases."

The sentence contrasts Ibn Rushd's geographical distance from the centre of Islamic thought with how his works were perceived by other Muslim philosophers of his time.

• "Controversial among" (a) fits best because it suggests that while some scholars now dispute how much his ideas clashed with those of his contemporaries, his works were still debated or opposed by some.

• "Antagonistic toward" (b) would imply that Ibn Rushd himself was hostile to other philosophers, which doesn’t fit the context.

• "Imitated by" (c) would contradict the idea that his works were geographically distant from mainstream Islamic thought.

• "Inconsequential to" (d) would suggest his works had no impact, which clashes with the historical significance of Ibn Rushd (Averroes).

• The sentence implies that earlier claims about his works being controversial are now being questioned, making (a) the best choice.

• Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately states the main idea of the text. The text indicates that archaeologist Mª Ángeles Medina-Alcaide and her team used replicas of Paleolithic light sources to understand how Paleolithic artists moved through dark caves. The researchers learned, for example, that torches were more helpful for moving through caves than animal-fat lamps were. Thus, the main idea of the text is that Medina-Alcaide and her team tested Paleolithic light sources and learned some details about how Paleolithic artists traveled within dark caves.
• Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the usefulness of fireplaces for Paleolithic cave artists; it only mentions fireplaces briefly as one of the three lighting methods the researchers tested.
• Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss how often Paleolithic cave artists used each kind of light source tested. Although the text does compare animal-fat lamps with another lighting method, the point of that comparison is that animal-fat lamps were less useful than torches when walking, not that one method was used more often than another.
• Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t discuss either how difficult it was for Medina-Alcaide and her team to replicate light sources or how the team felt about drawing conclusions from their study. Instead, the text reveals that the team was able to conclude that each light source likely had a distinct purpose.

• Choice B is the best answer because it describes data from the graph that complete the text’s discussion of lizard species’ use of maximal speed when escaping predators. According to the text, moving at maximal speed (the highest speed possible) requires so much energy that it is not always an effective strategy for animals, even when they are escaping predators. The graph displays data on the average percent of maximal speed used by lizard species while either escaping predators or pursuing prey. The graph categorizes the data for both pursuing and escaping by the number of species using 30%–39% of maximal speed, 40%–49% of maximal speed, 50%–59% of maximal speed, 60%–69% of maximal speed, 70%–79% of maximal speed, 80%–89% of maximal speed, and 90%–100% of maximal speed, respectively. In the graph, there is at least one species in each of the following percent categories for maximal speed while escaping predators: 50%– 59%, 60%–69%, 70%–79%, and 80%–89%. Thus, the data in the graph show that multiple lizard species move at an average of less than 90% of their maximal speed while escaping predation.
• Choice A is incorrect because the data in the graph isn’t organized in such a way that a comparison of the percentage of maximal speed used when escaping predation with the percentage used when pursuing prey is possible at the level of individual species.
• Choice C is incorrect. It is true that in the graph, the percent category with the largest number of species using maximal speed while escaping predators is 90%–100% (8 species total). However, these data don’t complete the text, which is concerned instead with how animals are discouraged from using maximal speed even when escaping predators because of the amount of energy required to use it.
• Choice D is incorrect because these data from the graph pertain to maximal speed while pursuing prey and therefore don’t complete the text’s discussion of lizard species’ use of maximal speed when escaping predators.

• Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a verb and an object. No punctuation is needed between the verb “popularized” and its object “the use of Jamaican Creole.” The object helps complete the idea of the verb—in this case, it explains what Louise Bennett popularized—and any punctuation between the two results in an ungrammatical sentence.
• Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and its object.
• Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and its object.
• Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the verb and its object.

• Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is used to correctly mark the boundary between one sentence (“A ray...works”) and another (“Because...image”).
• Choice A is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two sentences (“A ray…works” and “Because…image”) are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction.
• Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between sentences.
• Choice D is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. Since the contraction “it’s” creates a main clause, the comma after “single ray” can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between two main clauses (“it’s...ray” and “all light…image”).