1. The most striking result of the expansion of social networking sites in the past few years has been the numerous legal questions regarding privacy policies. Some frustrated users have abandoned the sites over concerns that their information will be shared without their knowledge, while the sites' executives have insisted that they are constantly upgrading the tools users can employ to make sure what is private stays private. In the end, it seems unwise to assume that anything uploaded to a social networking site will remain unseen by those who are not permitted to see it. If you choose to post a picture on your page, make sure it's something you don't mind sharing with the world. This passage is mainly about

2. The Earth's past climate-including temperature and elements in the atmosphere-has recently been studied by analyzing ice samples from Greenland and Antarctica. The air bubbles in the ice have shown that, over the past 160,000 years, there has been a close correlation between temperature changes and level of natural greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. One recent analysis from Greenland showed that at the end of the last glacial period (when the great ice sheets began to retreat to their present position), temperatures in southern Greenland rose from 5 to 7 degrees in about 100 years. Air bubbles are not the only method of determining characteristics of the Earth.s ancient climate history. Analysis of dust layers from ancient volcanic activity is another such method; as is the study of ice cores, which interpret past solar activity that may have affected our climate. This passage states that:

3. With the advent of the Internet, it is now widely believed that the most successful corporate managers are those who deviate from classical management models. Whereas before it was important to determine and weigh all options, a process often delayed by bureaucracy and an inability to find consensus, now most successful managers say they rely on "intuition." This is not, as many people believe, advocating uninformed impulses when making decisions, but rather a very specific impulse sharpened by years of experience and practice. In many cases, this particular style of thinking can expose flaws in tried-and-true methods that have not evolved with the times and are therefore inadequate on their own. It can be inferred from the passage that successful managers

4. Research indicates that male pattern baldness is genetic, passed from parent to child on the androgen receptor gene. My father is bald, and lately I've noticed that my hairline is receding. How are the two sentences related?

5. The new Dance Tunes CD has proved to be very popular. It has sold 80,000 copies over the last year. How are these two sentences related?

6. There are two kinds of jewelry that I do. There is commercial jewelry-class rings, necklaces, the kinds of things most people wear. I sell these items to meet my expenses for raw materials, supplies, and to make my living. The other, more creative work I do makes me feel that I am developing as a craftsperson. The author of this passage implies that:

7. Although the most familiar type of spider web is called an "orb" web, some spiders make horizontal "funnel" webs in moist, sheltered places, such as under a rock or fallen tree. Underneath the flat sheet of web is a sequence of funnels that lead to a hole where the spider is concealed. When an insect strolls out onto the web's smooth surface, the spider senses the vibrations, emerges from the hole, bites the insect, and drags its meal back into the hole. Funnel webs are very durable, and spiders that construct them often build them for years. From the passage above, it can be inferred that

8. When we write a check that we know is going to "bounce," we are in fact performing a criminal act. It is a crime to knowingly write a "hot" check, one we know we don't have sufficient funds to cover. What does the second statement do?

9. Many parents have withdrawn their children from private high schools because tuition costs have become prohibitively expensive. Over the past ten years, the median tuition price at private high schools has kept pace with the rate of increase in the cost of living index. How are the two sentences related?

10. French physicist Charles Fabry found ozone gas in the atmosphere in 1913. At room temperature, ozone is a colorless gas; it condenses to a dark blue liquid at -170° F. At temperatures above the boiling point of water, 212° F, it decomposes. Ozone is all around us. After a thunderstorm, or around electrical equipment, ozone is often detected as a sharp odor. Ozone is used as a strong oxidizing agent, a bleaching agent, and to sterilize drinking water. This gas is also highly reactive. For example, rubber insulation around a car's spark plug wires will need to be replaced eventually, due to the small amounts of ozone produced when electricity flows from the engine to the plug. These passages imply that:

11. Experienced truck drivers often travel in a convoy.a group of trucks that are traveling to the same part of the country. Convoys can help truckers to stay alert. The author implies that professional long-distance truck drivers may avoid traveling alone because:

12. In most cases little birds lay little eggs. The kiwi is an astonishing exception to this rule-it is a smallish bird that lays a big egg. The kiwi, a flightless bird found in New Zealand, weighs about four pounds, and its egg weighs, believe it or not, about one pound. That is one-fourth of the bird's body weight! If an ostrich laid an egg that was in the same proportion to the ostrich as the kiwi egg is to the kiwi, an ostrich egg would weigh a whopping seventy-five pounds instead of the usual three pounds. Which statement below best describes the organizational method used in this passage?

13. Over-the-counter medications are just as useful in combating head-cold symptoms as the medications that require a prescription. The cough syrup that I bought at the grocery store stopped my cough just as well as the expectorant I got from my pharmacist. How are the two sentences related?

14. In the spring of 2010, the explosive eruption of an Icelandic volcano disrupted airplane routes in and out of Europe for weeks. The enormous ash cloud that shrouded much of the North Atlantic Ocean was bad enough, but pilots were particularly concerned about sudden rises and drops in the height of the cloud, which made flying over it more unpredictable and dangerous. Researchers may have found a way to solve this problem by analyzing the ash cloud's static electricity, which is eventually discharged as bolts of lightning. We can conclude from the information in the passage that

15. As immigrants left Ellis Island, some headed for New York, but others bought tickets to board the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) and traveled by train to their new homes. As the population of the United States increased throughout the 1800s, the need for railway transportation in and out of New Jersey became more obvious. In 1864, the CRRNJ built its first railroad terminal where people could purchase tickets and board trains. As immigration increased, a second terminal was constructed in 1889. This terminal, located near what is now the northern part of Liberty State Park, still stands today as an important part of American history. The main purpose of this passage is to

16. Domesticated cats and dogs both see their human owners as pseudoparents, but for different reasons. Cats develop a bond with their masters early in life, when they respond to the food and comfort given to them by their human guardians. Dogs, by contrast, view their masters through the lens of their innate pack mentality, which confers on the human a very important status relationship. This is why, when they leave the house, the cat runs off to explore independently, while the dog's innate response is to look back to find packmates with which to roam. The primary purpose of the passage is to:

17. One of the greatest intellectual breakthroughs of the 20th century was the discovery that the universe is constantly expanding. It is difficult to fathom, however, why this revelation took so long to discover, since Isaac Newton and his colleagues should have known that gravity would cause an inert universe ultimately to shrink. Further study could have helped physicists determine the minimal rate at which the universe must be growing, in order to compensate for the gravitational forces holding it back. Instead, the theory of a static universe persisted centuries after Newton's death. The author of the passage mentions Isaac Newton in order to

18. Jenny does not like cake. She does not like to bake it, to ice it, or to eat it. What does the second sentence do?

19. Many modern naval vessels have been fitted with a sophisticated new sonar system called S2076 Stage 5. Environmentalists lament that the soundbursts emitted by the system, some of which exceed 250 decibels, are seriously damaging marine wildlife. To support this claim, they point to an extraordinary number of seal carcasses found washed up near areas where vessels have used S2076 Stage 5. The developers of this technology have responded by asserting that, although the number of seal deaths is unfortunate, no one has found a causal link between them and the use of S2076 Stage 5. They maintain that the system is safe. The primary purpose of the passage is to

20. The ancient Chinese perspective regarding dragons is one that Americans might not expect. In America, dragons are typically portrayed as menacing and villainous monsters that crush villages, trample castles, and spew fiery breath at any hero who dares challenge them. In ancient China, however, these mythical beasts were wise, strong, compassionate, and protected people's families and land. Dragons were seen everywhere in ancient China—carved into temples, book covers, thrones, musical instruments, and weapons. In fact, the Chinese believed that their ruling class actually descended from dragons and continue to seek advice from them. The author's main purpose is to

21. Polls indicate that many Americans do not reveal all of their income on their income tax returns. My uncle received a cash settlement and neglected to pay tax on it. How are these sentences related?

22. Because it was a holiday weekend, Marcus believed that the roads would be less crowded than usual. That morning, Marcus chose to drive to the city rather than take public transportation. What does the second sentence do?

23. Over the past two months, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Johnson County has risen 15%. Over that same time period, Johnson County gas station owners reported a 12% increase in gasoline sales. What does the second sentence do?

24. When the Organic Act of 1900 established Hawaii as a United States territory, the new law made an immediate and powerful impact on Hawaiian commerce. Plantation owners could no longer import contract laborers to work their fields, and all previous labor contracts were nullified and had to be completely renegotiated. During the first six months after the Organic Act was passed, there were no fewer than 26 strikes and work stoppages, some of which involved immigrant workers of Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese descent. The primary focus on the passage is on the

25. Although jazz is mostly an improvisational form, it is easy to detect from its exotic sound its many disparate musical roots. The fundamental syncopation and the common inclusion of a piano and brass instruments—such as the cornet, trumpet, and trombone—suggest the influence of ragtime. The subsequent addition of saxophones stems from the debt jazz owes to dance orchestras. Brass bands were also one of the chief inspirations of jazz's ensemble mentality, whereby all musicians play lead and counter melodies simultaneously. But the most striking features of jazz originate directly from the blues, where musical soloists often mimic the vocals while distorting them using various unique effects. This passage is mainly about: