Bicycles were first mass-produced in the late nineteenth century throughout Europe and North America, allowing individuals remarkable freedom to travel longer distances quickly and comfortably. This freedom, coupled with the affordability of the vehicle, made the bicycle immensely popular. Individuals were able to live farther from their workplaces, easily visit neighboring towns, and participate in new leisure and sport activities. Bicycling quickly became a popular social endeavor, with enthusiasts forming local cycling clubs to enjoy these newfound activities with others.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) The affordability of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century made it the preferred way to travel.

B) The popularity of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century gave rise to the first cycling clubs.

C) The mass production of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century made it safer for people to use.

D) The widespread adoption of the bicycle in the late nineteenth century provided new opportunities for people.

Xin Wang and colleagues have discovered the earliest known example of a flower bud in a 164-million-year-old plant fossil in China. The researchers have named the new species Florigerminis jurassica. They believe that the discovery pushes the emergence of flowering plants, or angiosperms, back to the Jurassic period, which occurred between 145 million and 201 million years ago.

According to the text, how old was the fossil that Wang and colleagues discovered?

A) 150 million years old

B) 164 million years old

C) 145 million years old

D) 201 million years old

In West Africa, jalis have traditionally been keepers of information about family histories and records of important events.They have often served as teachers and advisers, too. New technologies may have changed some aspects of the role today,but jalis continue to be valued for knowing and protecting their peoples’ stories.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Although jalis have many roles, many of them like teaching best.

B) Even though there have been some changes in their role, jalis continue to preserve their communities’ histories.

C) Jalis have been entertaining the people within their communities for centuries.

D) Technology can now do some of the things jalis used to be responsible for.

The following text is adapted from Johanna Spyri’s 1881 novel Heidi (translated by Elisabeth Stork in 1915). Eight-year-old Heidi and her friend’s grandmother are looking at some illustrated books. Heidi had come and was looking with wondering eyes at the splendid pictures in the large books, that Grandmama was showing her. Suddenly she screamed aloud, for there on the picture she saw a peaceful flock grazing on a green pasture. In the middle a shepherd was standing, leaning on his crook. The setting sun was shedding a golden light over everything. With glowing eyes Heidi devoured the scene.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Heidi is upset until she sees a serene image of a pasture in one of Grandmama’s books.

B) Heidi is initially frightened by an image in one of Grandmama’s books but quickly comes to appreciate its beauty.

C) Heidi is delighted and fascinated by an image she sees in one of Grandmama’s books.

D) Heidi is inspecting an image in one of Grandmama’s books because she has never seen a shepherd with his sheep before.

The painter María Izquierdo played an important role in the development of twentieth-century Mexican art, but her work has never been well-known in the United States except among art historians. One reason for Izquierdo’s relative obscurity is the enormous popularity of some of her peers. In particular, the painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera have so captivated the interest of US audiences that Izquierdo and other Mexican artists from the period often get overlooked, despite the high quality of their work.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Izquierdo’s work is not as well-known in the United States as it should be because Kahlo and Rivera draw so much of the public’s attention.

B) During Izquierdo’s lifetime, her paintings were displayed in galleries in the United States much more frequently than paintings by Kahlo and Rivera were.

C) Izquierdo painted some of the same subjects that Kahlo and Rivera painted but used different techniques than they used. 

D) Few of Izquierdo’s works are in galleries today because she produced only a small number of paintings.

To dye wool, Navajo (Diné) weaver Lillie Taylor uses plants and vegetables from Arizona, where she lives. For example, she achieved the deep reds and browns featured in her 2003 rug In the Path of the Four Seasons by using Arizona dock roots,drying and grinding them before mixing the powder with water to create a dye bath. To intensify the appearance of certain colors, Taylor also sometimes mixes in clay obtained from nearby soil.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A) Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor’s rugs.

B) Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert.

C) Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.

D) In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative weaving techniques. 

The following text is adapted from Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray is taking his first look at a portrait that Hallward has painted of him.Dorian passed listlessly in front of his picture and turned towards it. When he saw it he drew back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he had recognized himself for the first time. He stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly conscious that Hallward was speaking to him, but not catching the meaning of his words. The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation. He had never felt it before.

According to the text, what is true about Dorian?

A)He is delighted by what he sees in the portrait.

B) He wants to know Hallward’s opinion of the portrait.

C) He prefers portraits to other types of paintings.

D) He is uncertain of Hallward’s talent as an artist.

Utah is home to Pando, a colony of about 47,000 quaking aspen trees that all share a single root system. Pando is one of the largest single organisms by mass on Earth, but ecologists are worried that its growth is declining in part because of grazing by animals. The ecologists say that strong fences could prevent deer from eating young trees and help Pando start thriving again.

According to the text, why are ecologists worried about Pando?

A)Its root system can’t support many more new trees.

B) It isn’t producing young trees anymore.

C) It can’t grow into new areas because it is blocked by fences.

D) It isn’t growing at the same rate it used to.

The following text is adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s 1849 story “Landor’s Cottage.” During a pedestrian trip last summer, through one or two of the river counties of New York, I found myself, as the day declined, somewhat embarrassed about the road I was pursuing. The land undulated very remarkably; and my path, for the last hour, had wound about and about so confusedly, in its effort to keep in the valleys, that I no longer knew in what direction lay the sweet village of B——, where I had determined to stop for the night.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A)The narrator recalls fond memories of a journey that he took through some beautiful river counties.

B) The narrator remembers a trip he took and admits to getting lost.

C) The narrator describes what he saw during a long trip through a frequently visited location.

D) The narrator explains the difficulties he encountered on a trip and how he overcame them.

To dye wool, Navajo (Diné) weaver Lillie Taylor uses plants and vegetables from Arizona, where she lives. For example, she achieved the deep reds and browns featured in her 2003 rug In the Path of the Four Seasons by using Arizona dock roots,drying and grinding them before mixing the powder with water to create a dye bath. To intensify the appearance of certain colors, Taylor also sometimes mixes in clay obtained from nearby soil.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

A)Reds and browns are not commonly featured in most of Taylor’s rugs.

B) Taylor finds it difficult to locate Arizona dock root in the desert.

C) Taylor draws on local resources in the approach she uses to dye wool.

D) In the Path of the Four Seasons is widely acclaimed for its many colors and innovative weaving techniques.