Explanation-1

Streams and rivers carry soil and rocks from one location to another. But there is another way for these geological materials to move. Scientists call this process “aeolian transport.” In aeolian transport, winds move small particles of soil or rock over potentially great distances. Geologist Melisa Diaz and her team studied dust in Antarctica to find out if it was moved by aeolian transport. They discovered that the dust matched geological material in Australia. Aeolian transport had carried it from one continent to another, across thousands of miles of open ocean.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?

A) It presents Melisa Diaz’s remarks about difficulties that her team encountered.

B) It introduces a scientific term that is used in the discussion that follows.

C) It emphasizes the surprising nature of the findings that are presented.

D) It explains the difference between two kinds of geological material.

Explanation-2

San Francisco is known for the colorful murals painted on many of its buildings. The densest collection of murals is found on Balmy Alley in the Mission District neighborhood. In the 1970s, Latina artists painted vivid scenes of community life on walls along this block. As the original murals have faded, later generations of artists have painted new ones over them. As a result, Balmy Alley has become a living showcase of San Francisco’s artistic spirit, with its murals reflecting changes in the cultural life of the city.

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) To compare the Balmy Alley murals to other murals in San Francisco

B) To offer an overview of the history and importance of the Balmy Alley murals

C) To urge people to protect the murals of San Francisco from decay

D) To describe the rise of mural painting in San Francisco beginning in the 1970s

Explanation-3

Jackie Ormes’s Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem (1937–38) was the first comic strip by a Black woman to appear in a widely read newspaper. The strip tells the story of Torchy, a young woman who leaves Mississippi to become a performer in New York City. Torchy’s story reflects the experience of the Great Migration (1910–1970), when millions of Black Americans left the South in search of opportunities in other parts of the United States. Torchy Brown thus shows how Ormes used comics to comment humorously on issues affecting Black Americans,

Which she continued to do throughout her career. Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) To show how Ormes’s Torchy Brown inspired other Black women to write comic strips in the 1930s

B) To illustrate how the subjects Ormes addressed in her comic strips changed over the course of her career

C) To give an example of how Ormes presented the experiences of Black Americans in her comic strips

D) To claim that several characters in Torchy Brown were based on people that Ormes knew personally

Explanation-4

The following text is from Georgia Douglas Johnson’s 1922 poem “Benediction.”

Go forth, my son,
Winged by my heart’s desire!
Great reaches, yet unknown,
Await
For your possession.
I may not, if I would,
Retrace the way with you,
My pilgrimage is through,
But life is calling you!

Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

A) To express hope that a child will have the same accomplishments as his parent did

B) To suggest that raising a child involves many struggles

C) To warn a child that he will face many challenges throughout his life

D) To encourage a child to embrace the experiences life will offer

Explanation-5

Genetic studies have led researchers to suggest that turtles are most closely related to the group that includes modern crocodiles. But studies of fossils have suggested instead that turtles are most closely related to other groups, such as the one that contains modern snakes. However, many of the fossil studies have relied on incomplete data sets. For a 2022 investigation, biologist Tiago R. Simões and colleagues examined more than 1,000 reptile fossils collected worldwide. From this large data set, they found clear agreement with the results of the genetic studies.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence?

A) It offers an overview of the tools scientists use to examine fossils.

B) It describes a limitation of some studies about the origin of turtles.

C) It summarizes previous research on the evolution of crocodiles.

D) It criticizes a widely held belief about genetic studies of reptiles.