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LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

1. It can most reasonably be inferred from Passage A that Bà Nội primarily hopes to help Linh:

Bà Nội connects the cooking to the village vendors and her own mother and grandmother, tying the lesson to family history and heritage.

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

2. According to Passage A, the recipes Bà Nội taught Linh to make were dishes that:

The passage states directly that these were "dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế."

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

3. In Passage B, the narrator characterizes her mother's refusal to use the bread machine as:

"It doesn't know what it's making" suggests the mother values the awareness and intention behind the act of baking, not just the result.

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

4. Based on Passage B, from the narrator's perspective, receiving the loaf of bread in her college dorm was:

The narrator says she "understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me"—a moment of realization about her mother's intention.

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

5. According to Passage B, the narrator eventually becomes embarrassed by:

The narrator says she "felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them."

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

6. Which choice best describes a difference in how the passages are structured?

Passage A covers one morning's lesson; Passage B moves from childhood through high school to college, ending with an insight.

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

7. Compared to their older relatives, Linh in Passage A and the narrator in Passage B are both initially:

Linh sees no one else recognizes Bà Nội's songs; the narrator notices her friends' families don't spend Sundays baking—both are aware of the gap between their home traditions and the wider culture.

LITERARY NARRATIVE: Passage A is an original work of fiction. Passage B is an original work of nonfiction.

Passage A

[Bà Nội and her granddaughter Linh live with Linh's parents in New Jersey.]

Bà Nội taught Linh how to make bánh cuốn—thin rice-flour crepes filled with minced mushrooms and pork—dishes that Linh's parents had stopped preparing after moving from Huế. The rice flour had to be mixed to exactly the right consistency, and the pan heated to precisely the right temperature. When she cooked, Bà Nội liked to hum old songs from their hometown that no one else in the apartment recognized.

"Spread it thinner," Bà Nội said one morning, watching Linh pour the batter.

Linh tried, but her crepe bunched at the edges and tore.

"You're thinking too hard," Bà Nội said, taking Linh's hand and guiding it in a slow circle over the pan. "Let your wrist do it."

As they cooked, Bà Nội told Linh about the vendors in Huế who had sold bánh cuốn at sunrise, setting up their low wooden tables along the riverbanks before the city was fully awake.

"My mother sold it there," Bà Nội said. "And her mother before her. Now I teach you."

Linh's next crepe came out nearly perfect—pale and thin as paper, curling gently at the edges.

Passage B

When I was younger, my mother baked bread every Sunday in our house in Wisconsin. She had learned from her own mother in a small town in Poland, and the loaves she made were dense and dark, nothing like the soft white bread at the grocery store.

The kitchen on those mornings was full of flour dust and the smell of yeast. She mixed everything by hand, refusing to use the bread machine my father had bought her. "It doesn't know what it's making," she told him.

I didn't find it interesting until high school, when I started noticing that my friends' families didn't spend Sundays this way. I felt embarrassed sometimes when friends came over and the kitchen smelled like something unfamiliar to them—warm and yeasty, nothing like the chemical sweetness of packaged bread.

When I went away to college, she mailed me a loaf wrapped in cloth. I hadn't expected to miss it. But unwrapping it in my small dorm room, I understood for the first time what she had been trying to give me all those years—not just bread, but a way of paying attention.

8. Based on both passages, one way that both Bà Nội in Passage A and the narrator's mother in Passage B pass knowledge to the younger generation is by:

Bà Nội tells Linh about the village vendors and her own mother and grandmother; the narrator's mother traces her baking to her mother in Poland—both frame the skill within a chain of history.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

9. What is the main purpose of the passage?

The passage covers why the dam was needed, how it was built, and what it accomplished—all centered on its construction and importance.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

10. Based on the passage, in the early 1930s, compared to the Colorado River canyon, Las Vegas was more:

The passage describes Las Vegas as "a railroad stop with a few thousand residents," while the canyon to the east was "wild and largely inaccessible."

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

11. It can reasonably be inferred that, once construction of Hoover Dam was approved, the greatest obstacle to beginning work was:

The passage says "before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River"—making that the first and most critical obstacle to starting the project itself.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

[The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.]

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

12. What is the main idea of the highlighted paragraph?

The paragraph covers diverting the river, deadly heat, and the concrete cooling problem—all challenges that had to be overcome during construction.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The [Black Canyon]—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

13. As it is used at this point in the passage, what does the highlighted name "Black Canyon" refer to?

The passage immediately defines it: "The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas."

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and [the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard] now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

14. The author states that "the spring floods had once been a distant hazard." This phrase most likely indicates that:

The contrast with "now threatened entire communities" implies that previously, fewer people lived close enough to the river for the floods to affect them directly.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

15. Based on the passage, before Hoover Dam was built, the Colorado River's seasonal flooding mainly:

The passage says the flooding "regularly devastated farmland" and later that it "threatened entire communities."

INFORMATIONAL: "The Hoover Dam" is an original work of nonfiction.

Standing at the Nevada-Arizona border, Hoover Dam is one of the most recognizable structures in the American West. When it was built in the 1930s, no engineer had attempted a concrete dam of this size, and many doubted a structure could hold back the full force of the Colorado River. But more than eighty years later, the dam continues to generate electricity for millions of people and supply water to cities and farms across the region.

Las Vegas, Nevada, in the early 1930s was little more than a railroad stop with a few thousand residents. To the east, the Colorado River cut through miles of canyon, wild and largely inaccessible. The Black Canyon—a narrow gorge about thirty miles from Las Vegas—had been identified as the ideal site to control the river's seasonal flooding, which regularly devastated farmland in California's Imperial Valley.

By the 1920s, the need for flood control had become urgent. More and more families had built homes near the river, and the spring floods that had once been a distant hazard now threatened entire communities. Local leaders began calling for a dam. The idea had been discussed for decades, but it was not until 1928 that Congress passed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, authorizing construction.

The project faced enormous obstacles. Before construction could begin, workers had to divert the Colorado River through tunnels drilled into the canyon walls. Summer temperatures in the canyon reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and dozens of workers died during construction. The concrete used to build the dam also had to be cooled by an elaborate system of pipes—unhardened concrete generates its own heat as it sets, and at the dam's scale, the center would have taken 125 years to cool on its own.

Construction was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1936. Lake Mead, the reservoir created behind the dam, became the largest man-made lake in the United States at the time. The dam transformed the Southwest—enabling the growth of cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix, providing irrigation water for millions of acres of farmland, and generating hydroelectric power that fueled factories during World War II.

16. Based on the passage, which of the following arguments was likely used by people in favor of building Hoover Dam?

The passage explains that flooding was destroying farmland and threatening communities—so stopping the floods was the central motivation for local leaders calling for a dam.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

17. What is the main purpose of the passage?

The passage traces Wu's life, her major scientific contribution, and the recognition she received, making it a biographical account of her career.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

18. A main idea of the passage is that Wu:

Wu was passed over for the Nobel but later received the National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize, and became APS president—showing she achieved lasting recognition despite the Nobel exclusion.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

19. Which of the following events from Wu's life mentioned in the passage occurred first chronologically?

Wu was born in 1912, which is the earliest event mentioned. All other events occurred after she moved to the United States.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

[The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.]

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

20. What is the purpose of the highlighted paragraph?

The paragraph defines what physicists do, setting up the introduction of Wu as "one important physicist" in the very next paragraph.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. ["I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."]

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

21. Which of the following statements best summarizes the highlighted text?

Wu says she never consciously thought about her race or sex—only about physics—showing that her work, not her identity, was her central concern.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

22. According to the passage, what is one reason Wu found it difficult to obtain a research position after completing her studies?

The passage states directly that "research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time," which is the reason cited for her difficulty finding work.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. [Originally, experiments meant careful observation.]

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

23. What is the main purpose of the highlighted sentence?

"Originally, experiments meant careful observation" contrasts early experimental science with modern technology-driven approaches, setting up the discussion of early physicists.

INFORMATIONAL: "Chien-Shiung Wu, Experimental Physicist" is an original work of nonfiction.

Anyone who studies the history of modern physics knows that experiments are its foundation. It can be difficult, though, to find two people who picture the same kind of physicist—a person bent over equations, or a person adjusting instruments in a lab. But before modern particle accelerators existed, physicists conducted experiments entirely by hand, sometimes over many years. Originally, experiments meant careful observation.

The word physicist was first used to describe someone who studied the natural world through precise measurement and testing. These people worked alongside theorists to confirm or disprove ideas about how the universe operates. Sometimes the experiments required only simple tools, but often they demanded specialized equipment, careful timing, and the willingness to work for long periods without seeing clear results.

One important physicist was a Chinese American woman named Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in Liuhe, China, in 1912, Wu had been encouraged to pursue science from a young age. Her father had founded a school for girls at a time when girls' education was rare in her region. "I have never consciously thought about my race or sex," Wu once said. "What I do think about is physics."

Wu eventually moved to the United States to study at the University of California, Berkeley. Research positions were rarely offered to women or Asian Americans at the time, making it difficult for her to find work. But in 1944 she joined the Manhattan Project at Columbia University, helping to develop the process for separating uranium isotopes. After the war, she joined Columbia's faculty.

Wu's most famous contribution came in 1956, when two theoretical physicists—Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang—proposed that a widely accepted law in physics, the conservation of parity, might not always hold true. Most physicists were skeptical. Wu designed a demanding experiment at extremely low temperatures to test the theory, and within weeks she had proven Lee and Yang correct. Lee and Yang received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. Wu was not included, despite the fact that her experiment had made their prize possible.

Wu continued her research for decades. She received the National Medal of Science in 1975—the first physicist ever to do so—and was elected president of the American Physical Society that same year. In 1978, she received the Wolf Prize. Her determination to work at the highest level of science, regardless of the barriers placed before her, made her a lasting model for future generations of researchers.

24. According to the passage, Wu's 1956 experiment changed physics because it:

The passage says Wu proved Lee and Yang's prediction correct—that the conservation of parity did not always hold—a law "most physicists" had previously believed was reliable.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

25. What is the main purpose of the passage?

The passage focuses on how Andrade and Low identified a nutritional problem, developed a solution through selective breeding, and spread the improved cassava globally.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

26. Which of the following events mentioned in the passage occurred first chronologically?

HarvestPlus began in the 1990s. Andrade and Low began collaborating in the early 2000s, and the World Food Prize was awarded in 2016.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

27. Based on the passage, what is one difference between traditional cassava and high-iron cassava?

The passage states that high-iron cassava has "significantly higher levels of iron and zinc" than traditional varieties, which "contain low levels" of these nutrients.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

[Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.]

28. What is the main idea of the highlighted paragraph?

The paragraph summarizes the global reach of the work, the award received, and the impact on millions—all pointing to recognition for work that helped people.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from [deficiencies] in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

29. As it is used in the passage, the highlighted word "deficiencies" most nearly means:

In this context, "deficiencies in these nutrients" means the body is not getting enough of them—a shortage of iron and zinc.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: [that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.]

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

30. What is the main function of the highlighted phrase?

"That is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need" defines the term "biofortified" that appears just before it.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

31. Based on the passage, what is one reason it was necessary to create multiple hybrid varieties of the improved cassava?

The passage says "cassava grows in many different climates" and "each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region," indicating climate variation was why multiple hybrids were needed.

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

32. The passage indicates that, compared to traditional cassava varieties grown in Rwanda, the high-iron cassava's yields were:

The passage states that in Rwanda, "the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region."

INFORMATIONAL: "The Power of Cassava" is an original work of nonfiction.

In many parts of the world, the primary food people depend on is cassava. For a long time, communities that relied heavily on cassava struggled to get adequate nutrition from it. Scientists began working on improving cassava so that it could deliver as much nutritional value as possible in a crop that remained high yielding and disease resistant.

Traditional cassava varieties contain low levels of iron and zinc—two nutrients essential for healthy development. Children who depend on cassava as their main food source often suffer from deficiencies in these nutrients, which can affect growth and cognitive development. Starting in the 1990s, a program called HarvestPlus began developing biofortified varieties of cassava: that is, varieties bred or engineered to contain higher levels of the nutrients people need.

At the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, two scientists began working in the early 2000s to address the problem. Maria Andrade, a plant breeder from Cape Verde, collaborated with Jan Low, a food scientist from the United States, to develop improved cassava varieties with significantly higher levels of iron and zinc. Using selective breeding rather than genetic modification, they processed thousands of plant samples a year to find the ideal combination of nutritional and agricultural qualities.

Within a few years, their work produced a new type of cassava called high-iron cassava, which dramatically improved the nutritional content of the crop while preserving the characteristics that farmers and consumers valued. The plants had good flavor, remained disease resistant, and continued to yield well under difficult growing conditions.

Andrade and Low then traveled across sub-Saharan Africa, educating farming communities about the benefits of the new variety. They also developed additional hybrids of the improved cassava. Hybrids are produced by crossing two varieties of the same plant to combine their most desirable traits. Because cassava grows in many different climates, each hybrid had to be adapted to thrive in a specific region.

As the new varieties were grown across Africa, researchers measured their impact. Children who ate the high-iron cassava showed better health outcomes than those eating traditional varieties. In Nigeria, families that grew the improved cassava earned higher incomes because the crop commanded better prices. In Rwanda, the high-iron cassava produced yields 15 percent higher than traditional varieties grown in the same region.

Today, improved cassava varieties are grown in more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2016, Andrade and Low received the World Food Prize, the most prestigious award in food and agriculture. Their decades of research and community education have improved the nutritional outcomes and livelihoods of millions of people.

33. Based on the passage, where did Andrade and Low begin working together?

The passage states they began collaborating at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

34. According to the passage, why did participants in the Underground Railroad use railroad terminology?

The passage states participants used railroad terminology "as code." No mention is made of actual railroad tracks, funding, or worker training.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

35. Based on the passage, why did Tubman carry a pistol during her escape missions?

The passage explicitly states Tubman carried a pistol for self-defense and to discourage passengers who might turn back and endanger the group.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

36. The passage states Tubman preferred to depart on Saturdays. Which best explains why?

The passage directly states she departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post notices until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

37. As used in the second paragraph, the word "inflicted" most nearly means:

"Inflicted" means to impose or cause something harmful on someone. The overseer caused the head injury by force--he did not describe, prevent, or heal it.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

38. According to the passage, what was historically significant about the Combahee River raid?

The passage states the raid "liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history."

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

39. Which statement about Harriet Tubman is best supported by the passage?

The passage confirms she suffered a lasting head injury, returned south at least thirteen times, and never lost a single passenger. It also states she continued activism after the war.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

40. The author's main purpose in writing this passage is most likely to:

The passage traces Tubman's escape, her methods, her wartime service, and her later activism. The primary focus is on her life and contributions.

The Long Road North

In the decade before the Civil War, an elaborate network of safe houses, secret routes, and courageous individuals helped thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom. This network, known as the Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all--it was a system of cooperation built on whispered instructions, coded signals, and extraordinary personal risk. Participants used railroad terminology as code: those who guided freedom seekers were called "conductors," the safe houses were "stations," and the people escaping enslavement were called "passengers" or "freight."

Harriet Tubman was the most celebrated conductor in the network. Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia in 1849 after suffering years of brutal treatment, including a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer--a wound that caused her to experience sudden, uncontrollable sleeping episodes for the rest of her life. Rather than remain safely in the North, she returned south at least thirteen times to guide others to freedom. She never lost a single passenger.

Tubman's success relied on careful planning. She departed on Saturdays because slaveholders could not post runaway notices in newspapers until Monday, giving her group a two-day head start. She preferred winter travel, when long nights provided more cover of darkness. She carried a pistol--not only for self-defense but also to discourage any passenger who grew frightened and considered turning back, which could endanger the entire group.

During the Civil War, Tubman served the Union Army as a spy and scout. She led a raid along the Combahee River in 1863 that liberated more than 700 enslaved people in a single night--the largest emancipation event achieved by a single military raid in American history. After the war, she continued her activism, advocating for women's suffrage until her death in 1913.

41. Which evidence from the passage best supports the idea that Tubman was a careful strategic planner?

Saturday departures to delay newspaper notices and winter travel for longer darkness are deliberate tactics demonstrating strategic planning. The other choices state personal facts unrelated to planning.