Free ATI TEAS Reading Diagnostic Test (36 Questions)

Which of the following is a conclusion based on the pie chart?

A friend calls and tells you, “I’ve been stuck in traffic on the highway for the past hour. There must have been an accident, so I need to take a detour. So, I haven’t been able to go home and grab a shower. I know I’m late, but I’ll be over as soon as I’ve done that!”

When should you expect your friend to arrive?

To: All Employees

From: Public Relations Team
Date: January 8th
Subject: Healthy Habits Campaign

Do the winter months put you in a slump? Do you find that you engage in more unhealthy habits after the holiday season? Well, you are not alone. Studies show that unhealthy habits are expanded upon in the winter, ranging from unhealthy eating habits to lack of exercise. So, in an effort to combat these unhealthy habits during the winter months, the Public Relations Team is excited to announce a new health initiative for our company. Joining us in this adventure is one of the healthiest decisions you can make this season!
Along with local medical professionals, we have developed an employee health program that is sure to kickstart your journey to healthy habits. Each department will have access to a pedometer and one free one-on-one consultation with a dietician at the start of the program. Of course, the initiative is in no way obligatory, but it would be a great way to start the new year! How will it work? For the next three months, we will be inputting the number of steps walked each day, along with our minutes of screen time. The department with both the highest amount of steps and lowest number of screen time minutes will win a prize. Taking part in this initiative will surely help you feel happier and healthier!

Please keep in mind that all details will always be kept anonymous, and your personal details will never be shared with a third party or anyone else in the company. Only you will have access to the information in this initiative. Please refer to one of the Public Relations Team members for any additional questions.

What is the main purpose of the memo?

Living in one of the warmest countries on Earth poses many challenges, as its inhabitants need not only to find inventive ways to stay cool, but they also require innovative strategies that allow them to grow their own food. Since 1985, Dmitry Ivanov has been researching hydroponic farming systems, a way to grow crops directly in nutrient-rich water. Among its many advantages, Dmitry remarks on the fact that hydroponics offers a decrease in water usage in agriculture: to grow 1 kilogram of tomatoes using intensive farming methods requires 400 liters of water, whereas hydroponic methods need only 70 liters. Nevertheless, climate change and land degradation will render all of Ivanov’s efforts useless.

Which of the following sentences from the passage does not follow the overall tone of the passage?

In order to keep horses as domesticated animals, proper care and training are necessities from the beginning.  A newborn horse, or foal, will often be hesitant to interact with humans. However, it is crucial to gently attempt this interaction starting in the first few days of life and continuing on a daily basis to familiarize the horse with humans.  This helps make further training for specific skills, such as racing or working cattle, much easier because trust has been established.  You should probably feed your horse.  Depending on the available resources, horses may eat grass, hay, grain, oats, vegetables, or even a mixture of these through feed from a store.  Though it is time-consuming, caring for and training a horse early on can have significant benefits for both the horse and owner.

Which of the following sentences contains information that does not belong in the paragraph?

4 4 2 3 1 4 1 1 2 3

Using the number string above, replace every 1 with the letter E, every 2 with the letter A, every 3 with the letter U, and every 4 with the letter N. For letters that appear twice in a row, delete the first instance of each. Switch the first and last letters in the string, and replace the consonants with the letter O.

Olympic Runners 

Depending on the type of track running, Olympic runners have different dietary requirements. Sprinters, for example, run for short lengths and need short, sharp bursts of energy. In contrast, long-distance or marathon runners need slow-releasing nutrients that provide energy for a longer period of time. For this reason, they require a similar amount of calories as swimmers. During training sessions close to their race, marathon runners follow a high-carb diet. They eat a very high percentage of carbohydrates three days before the race, but an average portion the night before. On the other hand, carb-loading the day before the event could compromise their performance, leaving the runners feeling bloated and lethargic.

What is the main idea of the passage?

Saving Giant Pandas 

With their distinctive black and white wooly coat and their usually docile temperament, giant pandas are the symbol of China. The decrease of the giant panda population prompted the country to put a lot of effort into protecting this species, which was removed from the ‘endangered’ list and labeled as ‘vulnerable’ in 2016. After poaching spiralled out of control in the 1980s and deforestation exhausted their bamboo food resources, giant pandas were officially deemed endangered in 1990. 

Since then, the Chinese government and conservation organizations worldwide have worked to reforest and protect the habitat in which the giant panda and other wildlife can thrive. There are now over sixty reserves dotted around the country, where pandas can breed in captivity and are cared for if injured. Furthermore, visitors are educated about conservation programs, while the locals learn the importance of panda-related tourism and how it can benefit their community.

Which of the following is a supporting detail for the idea that people have attempted to save giant pandas?

About Dogs

Their behavior can tell us a lot about their personalities, but there are some myths that revolve around dogs’ nature. The misconception that large dogs are more aggressive than small ones still exists so does that of believing that it is normal for dogs to have bad breath. Unfortunately, persistent bad breath could be a sign of tooth decay or gum disease. It is also believed that dogs can only see in black and white. However, this is not true, as they are able to distinguish some colors.

Among many myths, a true fact is that dogs have played an important role in society throughout history. Dogs are able to track and catch prey during hunting trips without eating it and can help shepherds with their sheep and cows. Nowadays, dogs are often employed to trace illegal drugs and explosives in public places, and during rescue missions, we rely on dogs to find people in danger. Some are trained to become guide dogs to assist people with vision impairment. However, most dogs can be great companions to the elderly and families with young children.

Which of the sentences from the passage best presents the topic of the passage?

Spinal Movement

Four types of movement occur in the spine. Flexion is the forward folding of the spine. In opposition to this, extension is backbending. Axial rotation is a twisting motion and, finally, lateral flexion is side stretching. Unfortunately, with our modern sedentary lifestyle, we often don’t get enough of any type of movement. We sit for hours at keyboards and in cars, our shoulders hunching over and our spines becoming stiff. When we’re done with work for the day, we’re exhausted, and we plop down on the couch for even more sedentary time. This can contribute to back pain and a loss of mobility, especially as we age over time. 

A sedentary lifestyle is relaxing. However, it’s important to have balance, and it may be necessary to make a deliberate effort to create this balance so as to keep our spines mobile and healthy. During your work day, make time for breaks for brief walks and stretching sessions. If you work from home, this will be easier because it feels awkward at work if your colleagues watch you take laps around the office. Additionally, at home it’s easier to stretch your spine. A bolster (a long, narrow, and firm pillow) is great for this. You can lie down with the bolster placed vertically in line with your spine. With your head and back supported, you’ll experience gentle, supported extension (the backward bending motion of the spine). This posture is relaxing and bolsters are quite comfortable. Regular time in this or in a similar position will help counteract the flexion we experience while sitting, thus bringing more balance to the spine.

Which of the following statements from the passage expresses an opinion?

Spinal Movement

Four types of movement occur in the spine. Flexion is the forward folding of the spine. In opposition to this, extension is backbending. Axial rotation is a twisting motion and, finally, lateral flexion is side stretching. Unfortunately, with our modern sedentary lifestyle, we often don’t get enough of any type of movement. We sit for hours at keyboards and in cars, our shoulders hunching over and our spines becoming stiff. When we’re done with work for the day, we’re exhausted, and we plop down on the couch for even more sedentary time. This can contribute to back pain and a loss of mobility, especially as we age over time. 

A sedentary lifestyle is relaxing. However, it’s important to have balance, and it may be necessary to make a deliberate effort to create this balance so as to keep our spines mobile and healthy. During your work day, make time for breaks for brief walks and stretching sessions. If you work from home, this will be easier because it feels awkward at work if your colleagues watch you take laps around the office. Additionally, at home it’s easier to stretch your spine. A bolster (a long, narrow, and firm pillow) is great for this. You can lie down with the bolster placed vertically in line with your spine. With your head and back supported, you’ll experience gentle, supported extension (the backward bending motion of the spine). This posture is relaxing and bolsters are quite comfortable. Regular time in this or in a similar position will help counteract the flexion we experience while sitting, thus bringing more balance to the spine.

Which of the following statements from the passage expresses a fact?

An Environmental Vacation

The state of Maine is home to famous state parks and sought-after beaches, making it a popular vacation destination. Recently, however, this northeastern state has made headlines for a mysterious black element, similar to soot, found on some of its beaches. Visitors alerted authorities after realizing that their feet had been covered with the ash-like substance, which was almost impossible to remove. What was initially believed to have been oil deposits mixed with sand was proven to be something else entirely and even more concerning. Thanks to a collaboration between a team of oceanographers and the Department of Environmental Protection, the black ash was confirmed to be tiny carcasses of millions of insects identified as Coelopa frigida, a fly that is rich in pigment and tends to feed on algae. While it is not clear how the insects ended up on the beaches or why the disastrous phenomenon occurred, experts believe that it is likely an isolated incident.

Which of the answer choices presents a reasonable conclusion based on the given information?

Give Me…Four?

The spectacled salamander, also known as the salamandrina terdigitata, is a European species of salamanders found in both central and southern regions of Italy. Unlike all of the other European salamander species, it has four fingers instead of five on its hind legs. Another interesting feature of the species is that it does not secrete substances that are as toxic as those of other salamanders, even though its dark coloring would suggest otherwise. Typically, the presence of these salamanders denotes a healthy environmental status in the surrounding area. As such, they are most often found in lush forests with a high humidity rate and clear streams. The climate and other elements help the species stay cool without having to enter the water. In fact, only females enter water in order to lay their eggs in the early summer months. After a few months, these eggs hatch, which triggers the metamorphosis stage that leads to adulthood. Once the metamorphosis stage has completed, male spectacled salamanders spend their time on land and avoid the water.

Which of the answer choices presents a valid inference based on the given information?

Because she paid attention, took notes, and looked up unfamiliar words, she was able to discern the speaker’s meaning. 

Which of the following words has the same meaning as discern, as it is used in this sentence?

Expanding a Viking Family Tree with DNA

When a genomicist team from the University of Copenhagen set out to research ancient DNA, they expected to discover more information about the origins of Scandinavian populations. What they did not expect to find, however, was a familial tie between two warriors from the Viking Age, buried around 500 miles away from each other. This unexpected element not only provided a fascinating look into the ancient Viking population, but it also debunked some common ideas related to the general time period of the Viking Age, spanning from around 750 to 1100 CE. These findings are changing what we know about this time period and even offering up more information regarding genetic diversity.

In the research project’s early stages, Ashot Margaryan, the lead genomicist on the project, and his team set off to sample and sequence DNA from just over 400 human skeletons located in ancient archaeological sites in Europe and Greenland. The next step involved comparing the genomes and matching them up against other readily available genomes from modern populations, which led to a surprising discovery. The team realized that the effects of Scandinavian maritime expansion during the Viking Age was twofold. First, mixed ancestries were present along coastal areas, likely due to the raiding and settlements of Viking tribes. Moreover, it proves that genetic DNA from Scandinavia moved along the most common trade and raiding routes of the time.

Using the newfound knowledge of Viking travels and additional genetic DNA, the team was able to trace back the origins of two different sets of skeletal remains found in Denmark and England, respectively. Not only did the remains belong to two Viking warriors, but research proved that they were actually second-degree relatives. The first set of remains found in Denmark likely belonged to a fifty-year-old man who had sustained multiple injuries from raids throughout his long life. The second set, found in England, belonged to a younger man in his early twenties, who archaeologists believe met his death in a violent manner. Although the exact familial ties between the pair is impossible to know with certainty, the DNA proves that they could have been half-siblings, grandfather and grandson, or uncle and nephew.

While the link between these two warriors’ remains added an unexpected twist in the research phase, it serves as a testament to how useful ancient DNA can be as a tool to reconstruct the past. Whether it can shed light on mass migrations or provide a more personal look into select individuals, genetic evidence will remain a source of interest and study for researchers. Coupled with archaeology, geneticists hope to use ancient DNA when studying the history of complex civilizations that have left behind little evidence. If it has made us rethink some common ideas surrounding one of the most studied civilizations in the world, there is no telling what it will do next.

Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 2?

Where are the majority of the campgrounds located?

COVID Price-Gouging

With the onslaught of COVID-19, people naturally wanted to do what they could to ensure their families’ safety and their own. For many, this meant increased attention to hand-washing and sanitizing. Accordingly, store shelves were soon barren of cleaning and sanitizing products. While the sudden increase in demand was certainly a cause of this, the shortage was exacerbated by opportunistic individuals who quickly made the rounds of every store in reach, buying up huge supplies of these products in order to sell them at an exorbitant cost to desperate people.

Many people were willing to pay these prices, but that doesn’t mean they were happy about it. State attorney generals noted vast increases in complaints of price gouging, and, as most states have laws against price gouging, these complaints were legally actionable. Many retailers received citations and fines for price gouging. Additionally, online retailers like Amazon took action, including the removal of thousands of seller accounts. That products like sanitizer were viewed as necessities for the pandemic and not luxuries likely increased people’s indignation. Supplying a need and creating a reasonable profit is one thing, but artificially amplifying that need by hoarding products and then taking advantage of people’s desperation is another.

What is the structure of the passage?

Which of the following statements indicates a stereotype?

Julie is conducting a research project that seeks to understand how confident teachers who have recently graduated from college feel in a classroom setting. She will interview teachers who have recently graduated from college and are teaching in a middle school.

Which of the following answer choices best describes the appropriateness of Julie’s data sample in the following vignette?

After careful examination, the researchers managed to date the fossil back to 3000 years ago.

Date v.

1. a specific day or year on which a given event occurred or will occur
2. a person with whom one has a social or romantic appointment
3. to go out with someone that one is romantically involved with
4. to establish the year/period of origin of an object or event 

Which of the following dictionary definitions best fits the word date as used in context?

The Dewey Decimal Classes

000 Computer science, information, and general works

100 Philosophy and psychology

200 Religion

300 Social sciences

400 Languages

500 Science and mathematics

600 Technical and applied science

700 Arts and recreation

800 Literature

900 History, geography, and biography

Stuti needs to do research on residential buildings. To which section of the library should she go to?

Public Transit

Big cities offer unparalleled recreation options. There are restaurants, museums, parks, and other unique features. And, if you want to visit these places, you’ll notice something else big cities offer: traffic. Rather than sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic as your day and sanity slip away, consider using public transit. Not only will it save you the stress of driving, but some cities also offer innovative forms of transportation that are themselves pleasant and entertaining. 

Water Taxi, Seattle, Washington

As part of its public transit array, Seattle offers a water taxi on two routes, both departing from Pier 50 on Alaskan Way. One goes to Vashon Island and the other to Seacrest Park in West Seattle. The vessels offer indoor seating and tables and plenty of windows so you can enjoy Pacific Northwest views while staying warm and dry, regardless of the weather. If you’d like to step outside, though, there are viewing decks available. The fare for an adult is $5.75 if you’re paying with cash or a ticket or $5.00 if you’re paying with a public transit card (an ORCA card). While this is a little pricier than the more mundane forms of public transit, the ride itself offers more than convenience; it is also part of the day’s fun.

Which text feature is primarily used in this text?

The Decapitating Sea Slug

While the placid shallow waters of the South Pacific Ocean might call to mind images of tropical love stories, beneath their tranquil surface dwells a creature whose regenerative ability is more akin to the grisly spectacle of a horror film. This monster is no toothy menace, but rather the leaf-like sea slug, Elysia marginata. Recently, scientists have discovered that these slugs are able to decapitate themselves and regrow brand new bodies in a matter of weeks. This shocking finding represents a novel scientific discovery with numerous potential applications for human medicine. 

A few years ago, researchers at Nara Women’s University in Japan were astounded to find the severed head of one of their laboratory’s Elysia marginata sea slugs crawling away from its discarded body, continuing to eat algae as if nothing had occurred. Meanwhile, the body continued to show signs of life, wriggling and writhing around, with its heart still beating. Within three weeks, the sea slug had regrown a brand new body from the base of its detached head.

While this kind of self-amputation, called autotomy, is not altogether uncommon across the animal kingdom, the sea slug’s feat is notable for the complexity of the body parts that it is able to regenerate. Various species of reptiles and insects are known to detach limbs in order to escape predation, and simple-bodied organisms like flatworms and sea squirts are able to regenerate large portions of their bodies. In each of these cases, however, the regrown body parts are relatively straightforward structures. Elysia marginata, on the other hand, is the first animal known to detach its entire body and then regrow vital organs such as its heart and kidneys.

The secret to an Elysia marginata’s regeneration appears to lie in the chloroplasts that it hijacks from algae. Chloroplasts are the green-tinted drivers of photosynthesis that algae and other plants use to draw energy directly from the sun’s rays. Incredibly, when these sea slugs eat algae, they incorporate these chloroplasts into their own cells, giving them the nickname “solar-powered sea slugs”, and allowing them to synthesize sugars directly from the sun and thus survive without their organs.

The sea slug’s radical autotomy appears to be a way to rid itself of parasitic infection. All of the individuals in the lab who underwent self-decapitation were observed to be carrying harmful parasites. After regenerating their bodies, these parasites were nowhere to be found. 

While researchers are thrilled by these novel discoveries, much remains unknown about the biological processes that enable this amazing phenomenon. Scientists believe that deepening our understanding of these slugs could one day lead to advances in regenerative medicine and other scientific fields.

Which word best describes the author’s attitude towards sea slugs?

Recycling 

While you might feel virtuous for placing all of your plastic waste into the recycling bin, the ugly truth is that even when recycled, most plastic ends up in landfills. Many types of plastic are not recyclable even when sorted properly, and even when plastic is recycled successfully, the resulting substance is not of much use. Its altered consistency means that it must be combined with new materials and its murky color means that it can only be turned into objects whose appearance is unimportant.

One of the most common reasons for the rejection of plastic objects from recycling facilities is their composition. Most of these objects are composed of different types of plastic. A newly developed process uses liquids to dissolve one type of plastic at a time, from a group of mixed plastics, thus chemically separating the different plastics from one another. 

Another proposed solution to the mixed-plastic conundrum involves chemicals called “compatibilizers” that break down the plastics and blend them together. While no chemical exists that can blend all types of plastic, researchers have been able to successfully blend the two most prevalent forms of plastic together in testing.

Tackling the problem from a different angle, a new class of plastics called PDKs aims to be infinitely recyclable by being easily decomposable into its most basic elements in the presence of a strong acid. This decomposed plastic could then be used to make new pristine plastic products all over again. While this alternate material is a long way from becoming widespread, it could – along with the other chemical advances in recycling – contribute to a solution to the world’s severe plastic waste problem.

Which of the following best depicts the author’s tone in paragraph 1?

The Cascadia Subduction Zone

Picture the millions of people living in and around Portland and Seattle. They bustle about their daily lives right on the precipice of the West Coast of the United states. Now, zoom out. Seven hundred miles off that Pacific Northwest Coast lies the Cascadia Subduction Zone. It is situated within the 500 km by 40,000 km Ring of Fire — the volcanic hotbed wrapped around the Pacific Ocean rim. The name comes from the Cascadia Range, roughly one hundred miles inland. The volcanic mountain range stretches from northern California, up through Oregon and Washington to British Columbia. There is evidence of destructive earthquakes at the Cascadia Subduction Zone long before all those people got there. Another might be around the corner. 

Seafloor core samples recording the past ten thousand years of geographic history depict a deposit from torrents of land rushing off the continental slope. This evidence offers glimpses into the frequency and extent of Cascadia Subduction Zone ruptures. 41 times over the past 10,000 years, land has collapsed into the seafloor from earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, leaving deposits. That is a recurrence interval of 243 years. The most recent earthquake happened there in 1700 (320 years ago), so the Pacific Northwest is almost 80 years overdue for another devastating event. Chris Goldfinger is a scientist studying the Cascadia Subduction Zone’s volatility. He predicts a one in three chance of a big earthquake in the next 50 years, and a one in ten chance of a completely catastrophic one.

What is the author’s purpose for writing this passage?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching framework that seeks to increase accessibility and reduce barriers for students. It is organized around three principles: providing students with multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. Within each principle are numerous teaching and classroom management strategies that teachers could implement. This might seem overwhelming, but it’s important to realize that not all strategies would work for all classes. Additionally, the strategies vary in the degree to which they rely on technology. Some do not at all rely on technology, while some are fairly high-tech, and some are in the middle. This means that there’s something available for all teachers to implement, no matter what their comfort level with technology may be. However, it should be noted that technological tools open up more options for increasing student access. For example, providing discussions online via your school’s learning management system (LMS) as well as in person provides an additional way for students to interact with their classmates and the teacher. Online discussions can increase engagement for students who might be too shy to easily engage in in-person discussions. Additionally, online discussions give students a chance to put more effort into developing and refining their contributions, which might be significantly harder in a real-time, in-person discussion. This helps students successfully convey their ideas and gain mastery of class concepts.

Which of the following citations would be the best resource to support the author’s purpose?

First Day at Work

Mara was nervously looking for her car keys because she couldn’t remember where she had put them. She could have easily taken the bus, but counting on the unreliable frequency of her town’s public transport didn’t fill her with confidence. It was her first day at work and she wanted to feel in control of the situation, so driving was the best option. Unfortunately, it was rush-hour — her least favourite time of the day. She would have to find her keys soon to avoid the stress of dashing through the busy roads of the city centre. Mara didn’t like rushing. She was a calm person and she didn’t like to do things in a hurry. She often arrived late at dinners, appointments and even business meetings. There they were! The keys were in her handbag all along.

Which of the following best describes this type of writing?

Circus – Advertisement 1 

Do you have a unique skill?
Are you ready to share it with the world?

Then Fantasy Circus
WANTS YOU!

Join our team of talented artists
and
transform your life into a thrilling adventure.

Interested? Pop in for more info.

Circus – Advertisement 2

The team at Fantasy Circus
are delighted to invite you
to our brand new show!

Treat yourself and your loved ones to a thrilling evening:
Come and see us for an unforgettable experience
of mesmerizing acts.

You won’t regret it – there’s nothing quite like it!

Which of the following is a difference between the themes of the two advertisements?

Sandra just finished watching a play with the ‘familial love’ theme, in which two sisters joined at the hip share an extraordinary life that brings them fame.

Which of the following has a contrasting theme?

Studying at the Sound of Music 

What’s the soundtrack of your learning? What do you have in the background? Some people listen to the sound of birds singing, while others prefer that of the ocean waves. Research suggests that complete silence is a better option when completing tasks that require memory recalling or problem-solving. Most learners, however, prefer to listen to some music while studying. Studies have shown that music with lyrics can be distracting. This is because listening to the words of a song takes brain resources away from the studying process. It turns out that our brain has only so much power to work with at any given time! Despite this, another study shows that songs with unintelligible words do not have such a negative impact on your studying.

However, if you are looking for music that can improve your studying and concentrating abilities,  it is important to remember that different genres of music are unlikely to have the same impact on our brains. Generally speaking, classical music is considered a good background choice for studying, but there are some exceptions. Explosive works like Respighi’s Pines of Rome or Rossini’s William Tell Overture may be too energetic for effective studying. As concluded by other studies on music and concentration, it appears that baroque music is a particularly useful type of music to listen to when studying. With 50 to 80 beats per minute, baroque music creates an ideal environment for studying by creating stable mental, physical, and emotional patterns.

Another genre without lyrics is meditative music, regarded as a good study option as an alternative, or in addition, to classical music. This hypothesis is supported by studies that focus specifically on this kind of music. It has been found that meditative music, which contains what’s called “alpha” beats, stimulates alpha waves in the brain. These put our brains in a relaxed, yet alert, state, which allows the brain to better absorb and retain information and ideas. Meditative music also commonly includes sounds of nature, like croaking frogs or wind through the trees, which can improve cognitive function and concentration. They also efficiently conceal other sounds that interfere with studying, like people talking or road noise.

A study on the correlation between music genres and studying demonstrates that each person’s taste might give more reliable clues regarding the best studying music than any specific genre. This was carried out by comparing brain wave patterns reacting to different musical genres and a song selected by each study participant as a personal favorite. They found that neural activity connected to cognitive processing improved when participants were listening to their music of choice, regardless of the genre. The researcher shared their study results in their paper, titled “Network Science and the Effects of Music Preference on Functional Brain Connectivity: From Beethoven to Eminem.”

So, listening to music can improve our concentration and ability to study, but that’s not all, as music is a gift that keeps on giving. It has been suggested that learning to play a musical instrument can strengthen our abilities involved in remembering information, and it could even enhance our IQ. Regardless of whether you can become more intelligent or not, you can use music to make studying more enjoyable and more effective. Ultimately, you know when you’re studying well and when you’re not, so try out some different genres and find out what works for you.

What is the primary argument of the passage?

Studying at the Sound of Music 

What’s the soundtrack of your learning? What do you have in the background? Some people listen to the sound of birds singing, while others prefer that of the ocean waves. Research suggests that complete silence is a better option when completing tasks that require memory recalling or problem-solving. Most learners, however, prefer to listen to some music while studying. Studies have shown that music with lyrics can be distracting. This is because listening to the words of a song takes brain resources away from the studying process. It turns out that our brain has only so much power to work with at any given time! Despite this, another study shows that songs with unintelligible words do not have such a negative impact on your studying.

However, if you are looking for music that can improve your studying and concentrating abilities,  it is important to remember that different genres of music are unlikely to have the same impact on our brains. Generally speaking, classical music is considered a good background choice for studying, but there are some exceptions. Explosive works like Respighi’s Pines of Rome or Rossini’s William Tell Overture may be too energetic for effective studying. As concluded by other studies on music and concentration, it appears that baroque music is a particularly useful type of music to listen to when studying. With 50 to 80 beats per minute, baroque music creates an ideal environment for studying by creating stable mental, physical, and emotional patterns.

Another genre without lyrics is meditative music, regarded as a good study option as an alternative, or in addition, to classical music. This hypothesis is supported by studies that focus specifically on this kind of music. It has been found that meditative music, which contains what’s called “alpha” beats, stimulates alpha waves in the brain. These put our brains in a relaxed, yet alert, state, which allows the brain to better absorb and retain information and ideas. Meditative music also commonly includes sounds of nature, like croaking frogs or wind through the trees, which can improve cognitive function and concentration. They also efficiently conceal other sounds that interfere with studying, like people talking or road noise.

A study on the correlation between music genres and studying demonstrates that each person’s taste might give more reliable clues regarding the best studying music than any specific genre. This was carried out by comparing brain wave patterns reacting to different musical genres and a song selected by each study participant as a personal favorite. They found that neural activity connected to cognitive processing improved when participants were listening to their music of choice, regardless of the genre. The researcher shared their study results in their paper, titled “Network Science and the Effects of Music Preference on Functional Brain Connectivity: From Beethoven to Eminem.”

So, listening to music can improve our concentration and ability to study, but that’s not all, as music is a gift that keeps on giving. It has been suggested that learning to play a musical instrument can strengthen our abilities involved in remembering information, and it could even enhance our IQ. Regardless of whether you can become more intelligent or not, you can use music to make studying more enjoyable and more effective. Ultimately, you know when you’re studying well and when you’re not, so try out some different genres and find out what works for you.

Which of the following is a claim that supports the argument of the passage?

Procrastination

Procrastination is often thought of as a time-management problem. In such a view, the person is simply so overwhelmed by their tasks or so inept at managing them that they are unable to make time for everything. Conversely, some see it as a laziness problem. In this view, the person doesn’t do much of anything, whether that be the particular task they are procrastinating or anything else, from housework to exercising to other important activities.

However, even highly motivated and organized people procrastinate. That’s because procrastination is often an emotional response. For some reason, the task evokes a negative emotional reaction in the person. This often happens when the task is performative in some way, when we’ll be judged on it. It might therefore not be the task itself that we’re avoiding so much as the potential negative reaction to our efforts at the task. This feared negative reaction could come from others or even ourselves. We are often our own harshest critics, and the fear that what we’re doing isn’t good enough may keep us from starting the task in the first place, lest we risk confirming our fears. That a person who is procrastinating isn’t incapable of time management and isn’t lazy is often clear in that people who are procrastinating often assuage their guilt by making great progress in other tasks. Then, they are able to accomplish something while avoiding the task that evokes negative emotions.

What is the structure of the passage?

Planning a wedding is time-consuming and exhausting. Although it originally felt like the wrong decision, we ultimately decided to postpone our wedding until next year so that all of our relatives could be there. When we first found out that our extended family members wouldn’t be able to join us from overseas, we immediately started evaluating our options and then thinking of backup plans.

Which event came last in the sequence?

Mosquitoes in Winter

Mosquitoes tend to be ubiquitous in the summer months, especially in humid areas with damp climates. With the advent of cooler autumn months though, they seem to disappear for the entire year. Where do they go? In short, they go into hiding since they cannot survive temperatures below 73 degrees Fahrenheit. This process is known as a diapause and it gives adult mosquitoes the opportunity to go into a “standby” of sorts during the colder months. The first step involves finding a place to settle in for the winter, including natural areas (such as caves or tree trunks) or in some cases, man-made structures like garages and cellars. They then enter a highly lethargic state in which they do not move, eat, or grow until they can sense a change in the weather. In other words, time seems to stand still until the arrival of spring and a warmer climate.

Which of the following is a reasonable conclusion about what the author will include in the paragraphs to follow?

Expanding a Viking Family Tree with DNA

When a genomicist team from the University of Copenhagen set out to research ancient DNA, they expected to discover more information about the origins of Scandinavian populations. What they did not expect to find, however, was a familial tie between two warriors from the Viking Age, buried around 500 miles away from each other. This unexpected element not only provided a fascinating look into the ancient Viking population, but it also debunked some common ideas related to the general time period of the Viking Age, spanning from around 750 to 1100 CE. These findings are changing what we know about this time period and even offering up more information regarding genetic diversity.

In the research project’s early stages, Ashot Margaryan, the lead genomicist on the project, and his team set off to sample and sequence DNA from just over 400 human skeletons located in ancient archaeological sites in Europe and Greenland. The next step involved comparing the genomes and matching them up against other readily available genomes from modern populations, which led to a surprising discovery. The team realized that the effects of Scandinavian maritime expansion during the Viking Age was twofold. First, mixed ancestries were present along coastal areas, likely due to the raiding and settlements of Viking tribes. Moreover, it proves that genetic DNA from Scandinavia moved along the most common trade and raiding routes of the time.

Using the newfound knowledge of Viking travels and additional genetic DNA, the team was able to trace back the origins of two different sets of skeletal remains found in Denmark and England, respectively. Not only did the remains belong to two Viking warriors, but research proved that they were actually second-degree relatives. The first set of remains found in Denmark likely belonged to a fifty-year-old man who had sustained multiple injuries from raids throughout his long life. The second set, found in England, belonged to a younger man in his early twenties, who archaeologists believe met his death in a violent manner. Although the exact familial ties between the pair is impossible to know with certainty, the DNA proves that they could have been half-siblings, grandfather and grandson, or uncle and nephew.

While the link between these two warriors’ remains added an unexpected twist in the research phase, it serves as a testament to how useful ancient DNA can be as a tool to reconstruct the past. Whether it can shed light on mass migrations or provide a more personal look into select individuals, genetic evidence will remain a source of interest and study for researchers. Coupled with archaeology, geneticists hope to use ancient DNA when studying the history of complex civilizations that have left behind little evidence. If it has made us rethink some common ideas surrounding one of the most studied civilizations in the world, there is no telling what it will do next.

Which of the following is a condensed summary of paragraph 3?

Start with the shape pictured above.  Follow the directions to alter its appearance.

– Move section 2 immediately underneath sections 4 and 5.
– Remove section 3.
– Rotate section 5 90 degrees counterclockwise, such that one side remains in contact with section 2, on its top.
– Rotate section 4 90 degrees clockwise so that one side remains in contact with section 2, on its top.
– Move section 1 down until its two lower corners are against the topmost parts of sections 4 and 5.
– Draw a circle around the entire image, enclosing it completely.