The Water Cycle
Water is needed to sustain practically all life functions on planet Earth. A single drop of this compound is composed of an oxygen atom that shares its electrons with each of the two hydrogen atoms.
The cycle starts when precipitation, such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail, descends from the sky onto the ground. Water that is not absorbed immediately from the precipitation is known as runoff. The runoff flows across the land and collects in groundwater reservoirs, rivers, streams, and oceans.
Evaporation takes place when liquid water changes into water vapor, which is a gas. Water vapor returns to the air from surface water and plants.
Ultimately, condensation happens when this water vapor cools and changes back into droplets of liquid. In fact, the puffy, cotton clouds that we observe are formed by condensation. When the clouds become heavily laden with liquid droplets, precipitation ensues.
Knowing that the cooling of water vapor results in condensation, one could conclude that ___ is a factor in the evaporation process.
- A. Humidity
- B. Heat
- C. Electrons
- D. Runoff
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Heat is a crucial factor in the evaporation process. Evaporation occurs when liquid water changes into water vapor due to the input of heat energy, causing the water molecules to gain enough energy to escape into the air as vapor. When this vapor cools down, condensation occurs, leading to the formation of clouds and eventually precipitation. Therefore, the cooling of water vapor resulting in condensation is directly linked to the heat input required for the initial evaporation process.
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Exams: Subjective exams measure your ability in several areas. Besides recalling information, you must be able to organize content logically and intelligently express yourself in a clearly understood manner. Subjective tests provide a greater opportunity for students to show their broad knowledge of a subject area. Answers may be in the form of paragraphs or lengthy essays.
When you review for an essay exam, concentrate on main ideas rather than details. Since essay tests are limited to a few questions, they are likely to deal with more important ideas of a subject. Prepare a list of questions that you think might be asked. Write an answer to each of your questions. Rather than writing complete sentences, jot down your thoughts in outline form. Doing so will help you organize the information so that you can express yourself clearly.
When you take the test, read through all the questions before you start to write. Allot time for each question, allowing more time for questions worth the most points. Read each question carefully to determine exactly what is being asked. Pay attention to words such as 'compare,' 'contrast,' 'discuss,' 'explain,' 'justify,' and 'define.' Write your answers on the front or the back of the test page. Make sure you include all the important ideas that are within the limits of the question. In other words, do not give more than is asked for each answer. When you write your answer, keep it specific and as brief as possible. In the introductory sentence, it is often helpful to make a general statement that includes important points addressed in the question. Such a topic sentence serves as a framework for your answer.
Check your paper before you submit it. Look for mistakes in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. Unless you are certain an answer is wrong, do not change it. Your answer is an educated guess and is usually your best chance of answering correctly.
When taking a subjective examination, you will find questions like
- A. Definitions.
- B. Matching.
- C. True & False.
- D. Multiple Choice.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: Multiple Choice. Subjective examinations typically involve questions that require students to provide detailed, well-thought-out responses, which align more closely with the format of essay questions found in multiple-choice tests. Multiple-choice questions allow for a range of possible answers, requiring students to select the most appropriate response from a set of choices. This format assesses students' understanding of the material, critical thinking skills, and ability to analyze and synthesize information effectively. In contrast, choices A, B, and C are more commonly associated with objective examinations, such as definitions, matching, and true/false questions, which focus on factual recall rather than the comprehensive analysis and interpretation required in subjective exams. Therefore, when taking a subjective examination, students are more likely to encounter questions in the format of multiple-choice to assess their deeper understanding and reasoning abilities.
Have you ever wondered why the whistle of a traveling, distant locomotive predicts its approach several yards before anyone actually sees it? Or why an oncoming ambulanceâìĄ¢s screaming siren is heard momentarily several feet before the ambulance comes into full view, before it passes you, and why its siren is still heard faintly well after the ambulance is out of sight?
What you are witnessing is a scientific phenomenon known as the Doppler Effect. What takes place is truly remarkable. In both of these instances, when the train or ambulance moves toward the sound waves in front of it, the sound waves are pulled closer together and have a higher frequency. In either instance, the listener positioned in front of the moving object hears a higher pitch. The ambulance and locomotive are progressively moving away from the sound waves behind them, causing the waves to be farther apart and to have a lower frequency. These fast-approaching modes of transportation distance themselves past the listener, who hears a lower pitch.
What is the main idea of the passage?
- A. Trains and ambulances emit distinctively loud noises.
- B. Low-frequency waves produce high-pitched sounds.
- C. High-frequency waves result in low-pitched sounds.
- D. The Doppler Effect explains why sound is heard more strongly initially and then faintly after a moving object has passed.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The main idea of the passage is to explain the phenomena of the Doppler Effect in relation to the sound produced by moving objects like trains and ambulances. The Doppler Effect causes sound waves to be compressed and have a higher frequency as the object approaches, resulting in a higher pitch. Conversely, as the object moves away, the sound waves are stretched, leading to a lower frequency and a lower pitch. This effect clarifies why the sound is heard more loudly when the object is approaching, and then faintly when it has passed. Therefore, choice D is the correct answer as it summarizes the key concept discussed in the passage.
Blood Pressure Regulators The body is composed of systems that have evolved and diversified in order to maintain the natural functions and processes they regulate. One such system that has these regulators is the body’s cardiovascular system. The body’s pump, which regulates the flow of vitally needed oxygen to all cells of the body, as well as the discard of carbon dioxide and other waste products, is the heart. Because blood pressure varies at different points within the body, differing components are needed to keep the body’s blood pressure regulated. Three of the basic components are baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, and the kidneys. Baroreceptors are stretch receptors composed of fine branching nerve endings and are contained along the walls of the arteries near the heart and in other areas of the body as well. Impulses are related to this stretching along the arterial walls, which causes these baroreceptors to send out even more impulses to the heart, arteries, and veins, causing the blood pressure to go either up or down. Chemoreceptors are located along the walls of the arteries and monitor changes in oxygen level, carbon dioxide, and pH. Just think! A fall in oxygen causes receptors to send impulses to raise the blood pressure. The kidneys play a role in regulating blood pressure by absorbing salts and water and removing wastes. Hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex cause the kidney to keep or let go of any salt and water. This has an influence on blood volume and consequently on blood pressure.
Which statement is not a detail from the passage?
- A. Baroreceptors are stretch receptors composed of fine branching nerve endings that are contained along the arterial walls and send out messages related to stretching along the arterial walls.
- B. Chemoreceptors are located along the walls of the arteries and monitor changes in oxygen level, carbon dioxide, and pH.
- C. The kidneys play a role in regulating blood pressure by absorbing salts and water.
- D. The heart is the body's pump, which regulates the flow of vitally needed oxygen to all cells of the body.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The passage describes baroreceptors as stretch receptors composed of fine branching nerve endings that send out messages related to stretching along the arterial walls. However, the statement in option A incorrectly describes baroreceptors as rigid and static nerve endings. This misrepresentation makes option A the correct answer as it does not align with the details provided in the passage about baroreceptors.
Lightning Strikes
The old wives' tale of "Lightning never strikes twice" has been proven untrue time and time again. Lightning forms from negative and positive charges within clouds and from the earth below. When these charges react with each other, the air between the cloud and the earth ionizes, which produces a lightning flash. Lightning is actually a series of multiple events consisting of a leader stroke of lightning, followed by as many as 40 smaller strokes of lightning. Being just split seconds apart, these strokes of lightning often reflect off the lining of the clouds.
Lightning rods that extend from above the roof to the ground protect buildings by forming a low resistance path for the lightning so that the lightning does not enter the building, but rather defuses as it penetrates the ground.
Some myths about lightning need to be explained. Lightning does strike tall buildings often, and during a particularly violent storm, a tall building may be hit by lightning several times. The safest place during a thunder and lightning storm is in a metal car or lying flat, face down, in the open, not under a tree as the myth suggests.
Many people believe that thunder and lightning are connected; however, this proves to be true only about 50% of the time, so if you're waiting for the clap of thunder, you're missing out on some exciting strokes of lightning!
Lightning causes injuries, deaths, and forest fires each year. However, some scientists reveal the positive aspects of lightning because it releases nitrogen into the atmosphere which the raindrops then deliver to earth to fertilize our soil.
What is the meaning of the word 'penetrates'?
- A. To shield
- B. To pierce
- C. To cover
- D. To obscure
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'To pierce.' To penetrate means to pass into or through something. In the context provided, the sentence 'defuses as it penetrates the ground' suggests that the lightning dissipates or spreads out as it passes through the ground. Therefore, 'pierce' accurately captures the meaning of 'penetrates' in this context.
ALL THE JAZZ
Jazz has been described as "the art of expression set to music" and "America's great contribution to music." It has served as popular art, enjoying periods of widespread public interest during the "jazz age" of the 1920s, the "swing era" of the late 1930s, and the peak popularity of modern jazz in the late 1950s. The standard narrative is that jazz originated around the end of the 19th century in New Orleans before moving up the Mississippi River to cities like Memphis, St. Louis, and finally Chicago. Jazz emerged by blending elements of ragtime, marching band music, and the blues. However, its roots trace back to tribal African drum beats and European musical structures. Buddy Bolden, a New Orleans barber and cornet player, is generally considered the first real jazz musician, emerging around 1891. What sets jazz apart from earlier musical forms is its emphasis on improvisation. Unlike traditional music, where composers write entire pieces on paper for musicians to follow exactly, jazz offers a starting point—a skeletal guide for musicians to improvise around. Many early jazz musicians were poor sight readers, with some unable to read music at all. Consequently, they often struggled to make a living, working menial jobs to survive. The second wave of New Orleans jazz musicians included notable figures like Joe Oliver, Kid Ory, and Jelly Roll Morton. These artists formed small bands, built upon earlier styles, and enhanced the music's complexity, achieving greater success. This energetic style became known as "hot jazz" due to its fast tempos and rhythmic drive. A young cornet player named Louis Armstrong was discovered by Joe Oliver in New Orleans. Armstrong went on to become one of the greatest and most successful musicians of all time, later emerging as a global star. The impact of Armstrong and other talented early jazz musicians transformed our perception of music.
Derivation of the word "Jazz"
- A. East coast slang
- B. West coast slang
- C. Southern dialect
- D. Northern jargon
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: 'West coast slang.' The word 'Jazz' is believed to have originated as West coast slang, specifically in the early 20th century. It was initially used in reference to a style of music that emerged in African American communities. Over time, the term 'Jazz' became widely recognized and associated with this unique genre of music, known for its improvisational elements and rhythmic complexities.
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