SAT Reading & Writing: Inferences (Drill 2)

Question 1. Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) predators near olive ridley nesting beaches are more numerous than predators near the nesting beaches of other sea turtle species.
• B) olive ridley eggs that are laid during an arribada are more likely to survive than eggs that are laid by a solitary nesting female. ✓
• C) the predators that consume olive ridley eggs prefer to hunt during the brief period of an arribada rather than throughout the year.
• D) olive ridley sea turtles have evolved to nest exclusively during arribadas rather than nesting individually.

Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text's discussion of olive ridley nesting behavior. The text states that the percentage of nests destroyed by predators is substantially lower during an arribada than when individual turtles nest alone. A lower rate of predation directly means that eggs laid during an arribada are more likely to survive than those laid by a solitary nesting female. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not compare predator populations across different turtle species' nesting beaches. Choice C is incorrect because the text attributes the lower predation rate to predator saturation (more eggs than predators can consume), not to predators preferring to hunt during a specific period. Choice D is incorrect because the text explicitly mentions that individual olive ridleys do sometimes nest alone outside of an arribada, contradicting the claim that they nest exclusively during mass events.

Question 2. Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) economic mobility in the United States has increased in recent decades due to improvements in public education.
• B) the community-level environment in which children grow up may influence their economic outcomes independently of their own family circumstances. ✓
• C) children from families with low incomes are unlikely to achieve higher incomes as adults regardless of the county in which they are raised, according to the passage.
• D) residential segregation is a more significant barrier to economic mobility than income inequality is.

Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text's discussion of economic mobility. The key finding described in the text is that county-level factors predict economic mobility not only for children whose own families exhibit those characteristics but also for other children in the same counties. This means the broader community environment affects outcomes beyond what individual family circumstances alone would predict, suggesting that the community-level environment independently influences children's economic outcomes. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not discuss national trends in economic mobility over time or attribute changes to improvements in public education. Choice C is incorrect because the text's findings suggest the opposite: the county in which a child is raised does matter, since community-level characteristics correlate with mobility for all children in the county. Choice D is incorrect because while the text lists several correlated factors including segregation and income inequality, it does not rank or compare the relative significance of these individual factors.

Question 3. Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) gravitational lensing is a less reliable method for measuring the Hubble constant than observations of supernovae or the cosmic microwave background are.
• B) the discrepancy may reflect a genuine gap in scientists' understanding of the universe rather than an error in any single measurement technique. ✓
• C) the cosmic microwave background does not contain useful information about the rate of the universe's expansion.
• D) the rate of the universe's expansion has likely slowed over time, which accounts for the lower value derived from early-universe observations.

Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text's discussion of the Hubble constant discrepancy. The text emphasizes that the disagreement between the two approaches has persisted across multiple independent studies. If the discrepancy were caused by a simple measurement error, additional independent studies would be expected to resolve it. The fact that it persists suggests the issue may reflect something deeper, a genuine gap in scientific understanding, rather than a flaw in any single technique. Choice A is incorrect because Suyu's gravitational lensing measurement agreed with the supernova-based measurement, so the text does not suggest lensing is less reliable. Choice C is incorrect because the text treats the cosmic microwave background as a legitimate source of information about the Hubble constant; the issue is that its value differs from values obtained by other methods. Choice D is incorrect because while this is one possible explanation, the text does not provide evidence that the expansion rate has slowed; it does not favor any specific explanation for the discrepancy.

Question 4. Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) other Indigenous communities in the Pacific region most likely developed similar techniques for detoxifying the fruit of C. laevigatus.
• B) the Māori detoxification process was likely refined through sustained, cumulative experimentation across many generations. ✓
• C) karakin is one of the most dangerous naturally occurring toxins found in any fruit species native to New Zealand.
• D) Māori communities abandoned the consumption of C. laevigatus fruit once alternative food sources became available.

Explanation: Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text's discussion of the Māori detoxification process. Leach emphasizes that the technique is not intuitive, involves steps that individually appear unrelated to detoxification, and requires a specific sequence performed over several weeks. A process this complex and precise is unlikely to have been developed all at once by a single individual; it is far more likely the result of sustained experimentation refined over many generations. Choice A is incorrect because the text provides no information about other Pacific communities or their food preparation techniques. Choice C is incorrect because the text does not compare karakin's toxicity to that of other naturally occurring compounds; it only states that karakin causes severe illness. Choice D is incorrect because the text does not mention alternative food sources or suggest that Māori communities stopped eating the fruit.

Question 5. Which choice most logically completes the text?

• A) protected bicycle lanes are more cost-effective than other forms of urban transportation infrastructure, such as bus rapid transit.
• B) the increase in cycling rates in these cities was primarily driven by residents who had recently moved from cities with established cycling cultures, according to the passage.
• C) a significant number of potential cyclists in US cities had been deterred by safety concerns that protected lane infrastructure can effectively address. ✓
• D) cities that do not invest in protected bicycle lanes will inevitably experience a decline in overall commuter ridership.

Explanation: Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text's discussion of protected bicycle lanes and cycling rates. The text presents two findings: cycling rates increased after protected lanes were installed, and new cyclists cited fear of being struck by a car as the primary reason they had not cycled before. Taken together, these findings suggest that a significant number of potential cyclists had been deterred by safety concerns and that the protected lane infrastructure effectively addressed those concerns. Choice A is incorrect because the text does not discuss the cost-effectiveness of bicycle lanes or compare them to other infrastructure investments. Choice B is incorrect because the text attributes the increase in cycling to residents who had previously been deterred by safety concerns, not to newcomers from other cities. Choice D is incorrect because it makes an overly broad prediction that goes well beyond the text's evidence; the text discusses specific cities that invested in lanes but does not make claims about what will happen to cities that do not.