Remember the basics:
1 Read the introductory blurb.
2 Start with the line-number questions.
3 Work the detail questions.
4 Read the whole passage.
5 Answer the inference and main-idea questions.
Then for each question (except for the best-evidence questions):
1 Cover the answer choices.
2 Answer the question yourself.
3 Cross off the wrong answers or put a dot if you’re not sure, but don’t spend time on it.
And for those best-evidence questions:
1 Using the answer choices, mark the sentence answers in the passage.
2 Reread the correct answer to the previous question.
3 Cross off the wrong answers.
Got all that? Now practice the strategies and make your mistakes here so that you make fewer mistakes on the exam.
Social Studies Passages
This passage is from Into the House of the Ancestors by Karl Maier (Wiley).
1. The description of Bamako, Mali, in paragraph one (Lines 1–9) serves primarily to
(A) explain how challenging it is to work in Bamako
(B) show the poverty of Mali
(C) give the reader information about Mali’s climate and economy
(D) create a contrast between the research center and its surroundings
2. Each of these statements about the Department of Epidemiology and Parasitic Infections is true EXCEPT
(A) The center primarily investigates the Ebola virus, cholera, yellow fever, and measles.
(B) The center’s scientists take blood samples from rural residents.
(C) The center studies traditional medicines.
(D) The center uses computers to access research materials.
3. The passage implies that the media
(A) pay too much attention to illnesses in Africa
(B) do not focus enough attention on African diseases
(C) focus on some diseases for a short period of time and then move on
(D) portray African doctors incorrectly
4. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
(A) Lines 12–18 (“Department of Epidemiology … malaria parasite’s DNA”)
(B) Lines 18–21 (“Unlike those in some other major research centers … neighboring African countries”)
(C) Lines 31–34 (“far outdistancing … overshadowing AIDS”)
(D) Lines 43–45 (“What sets the center off … leaders and healers”)
5. The reference to Hollywood is intended to illustrate
(A) Western exploitation of Africa
(B) the power of publicity
(C) how the media misses important stories
(D) a universal interest in healthcare
6. The quotation from Dr. Ogobara Doumbo (Lines 50–57) depicts Western researchers as
(A) interested only in obtaining research data
(B) better trained than African researchers
(C) respectful of traditional healers
(D) committed to extensive periods of research in Africa
7. In the context of Line 57, which of the following is the best definition of “dynamic”?
(A) energy
(B) liveliness
(C) change
(D) pattern
8. What is the most likely reason the author refers to “so-called” traditional and modern Africa (Lines 55–56)?
(A) The definitions of the two are not clear.
(B) Only one of the terms is accurate.
(C) The “traditional” face of Africa is actually a recent development.
(D) The author highlights the distinction between the two.
9. The discovery of Malaria 5 is an example that demonstrates
(A) traditional healers knowing more than research scientists
(B) the importance of investigating herbal compounds
(C) the advantages of working with traditional healers
(D) the idea that malaria will soon be extinct
10. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
(A) Lines 80–84 (“Traditional healers … ahead of them”)
(B) Lines 84–86 (“With [the usual … traditional remedy”)
(C) Lines 86–88 (“Malaria 5 is … Malian healers”)
(D) Lines 88–91 (“Together with … no longer fight”)
11. The author’s attitude toward the Department of Epidemiology and Parasitic Infections may best be characterized as
(A) laudatory
(B) critical
(C) antagonistic
(D) serious
Passage I Answers
1 D. The author lowers the reader’s expectations by taking the reader through “the potholes and traffic jams of creaking minibuses and cars and goats and streams of people who walk” (Lines 4–6). Then, in the second paragraph, the scene changes completely to a high-tech paradise. Contrast is the point here, so Choice (D) is your answer.
2 A. Though the diseases listed in Choice (A) are mentioned in the passage, the focus of the center is malaria. Therefore, the center primarily deals with that disease. Choice (A) is untrue — and the answer you seek.
3 C. The third paragraph declares that malaria is ignored because the media pay attention to “highly publicized outbreaks” (Lines 32), such as Ebola. An outbreak, however terrible, usually lasts for only a short period of time. The passage also states that Ebola “at least for the time being” (Lines 33–34) gets more publicity than AIDS. These statements add up to a “disease of the week” mentality, which is expressed by Choice (C).
4 C. As you see in the explanation for Question 3, malaria is a killer “far outdistancing the latest more highly publicized outbreaks, such as the Ebola virus, and even, at least for the time being, overshadowing AIDS” (Lines 31–34). The correct