59- ] Model SAT Tests - Test Fifty Nine

59- ] Model SAT Tests

Test Fifty Nine

The passages below are followed by questions based on their content ; questions following a pair of related passages may also be based on the relationship between the paired passages . Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be provided .

Questions 1 - 12 are based on the following passage .

The following passage is adapted from an article on the importance of bacteria to modern life .

            There is a whole category of life that is fascinating , versatile , useful , and surprisingly varied and populous , and it’s overlooked by a majority of people . Bacteria make up one and possibly two overarching categories of life , as biologists currently classify it . Prokaryotes , or true bacteria , are organisms without an organized cell nucleus . Archaebacteria were originally classified as prokaryotes , but recent studies have revealed differences in their cellular structure that might necessitate a whole new category to describe them . Bacteria are incredibly numerous ; it may be that all the species we have ever catalogued make up only five percent of the total number of species of bacteria . They are everywhere in our world , from our dirt to our food to the very insides of our bodies . The fact that we can’t see them makes them easy to ignore , but their impact on our lives is undeniable , and probably extends into more aspects of living than scientists even aware of.  

            Perhaps the most remarkable thing about bacteria is their ability to survive in extreme environmental conditions . The oldest fossils scientists have discovered are fossilized bacteria ; they were on earth when the planet was unbearably hot and carried no oxygen in its atmosphere . It was through bacteria evolving to adapt the sun’s light into nutrients and their subsequent development of the same kind of photosynthesis that plants use today , that oxygen and carbon dioxide were introduced to our atmosphere as waste products , allowing plants and animals to find a toehold on an otherwise inhospitable planet .

            One thing that makes bacteria such hardy survivors is their ability to alter their living DNA by exchanging their own with that in the environment around them or with that of other bacteria using methods called , respectively , transformation and conjugation . In this way , they can acquire the genes necessary to protect themselves from extreme conditions like exceptionally hot , acidic or airless environments ; they can also acquire resistance to a particularly antibiotic from another bacteria that already has the resistance. With these DNA trading tactics , bacteria can benefit from evolutionary progress made by other species , simply by assuming it s their own .

            The most common response to the word “bacteria” is to think of disease . While bacteria are the cause of many annoying and deadly diseases , most species are harmless , and many are actually beneficial . Bacteria is indispensable to many aspects of modern industry and production . We use bacteria to culture cheese and give each type its distinctive flavor , to treat sewage by breaking down harmful toxins into methane gas , to extract the desirable metal from other minerals in mines in a more environment-friendly alternative to smelting , and to improve the nutrient absorption and therefore the yield of food crops . Bacteria is also the basis for biotechnology ; by combining bacteria with human DNA , we can use bacterial reproduction to manufacture important hormones like insulin , or antibodies that fight disease .

            Despite all their beneficial uses , of course , the negative impacts of some bacteria cannot be ignored . While one strain of bacteria might give your smoked gouda its distinctive flavor , another species cold very well working on spoiling it , covering it with mold . Much of the bacteria in pre-treated sewage can cause deadly diseases . Some bacteria accelerates rusting , especially in metals containing iron . Other species will kill a farm’s entire crop . If canned food during preservation is not heated to 250   Fahrenheit , it could be infected with botulism , a deadly toxin . With all their dangers , ironically enough , bacteria are supporting other industries , such as those devoted to antibacterial cleaning products , sterilization , and controlling the growth of dangerous species . Our relationship with bacteria is not a simple one , but it is an important one , and one that is highly if invisibly ingrained into our daily way of life .

1 . The author assumes that “a majority of people” ( line 3 ) are

(A) not curious about things they can’t see

(B) infected with bacterial diseases

(C) spreading bacteria intentionally in their everyday life

(D) poorly educated

(E) using antibacterial products

2 . In line 10 , “easy to ignore” emphasizes that bacteria are

(A) useful

(B) widely acknowledged

(C) deeply misunderstood

(D) too scare to pay attention to

(E) taken for granted

3 . In line 11 , the author uses “undeniable” to convey the

(A) unavoidable incidence of disease caused by bacteria

(B) necessity of using bacteria in industry

(C) incontrovertible nature of the fact that bacteria affect us

(D) inevitability of encountering visible bacteria

(E) lack of solid support for the conjecture that bacteria are all around us

4 . The reference to “extreme environmental conditions” in line 13 primarily serves to

(A) highlight the fact that certain environments cannot support life

(B) exaggerate the adversity of places that bacteria live

(C) emphasize the difficulty overcome by bacteria to live where other types of life cannot

(D) emphasize the difficulty of conquering infectious disease

(E) provide an example of ways to use bacteria in industry

5 . In lines 17 - 18 , the author mentions “waste products” to illustrate that

(A) bacteria can excrete harmful substances

(B) plants and animals were only able to live on Earth due to bacteria’s production of necessary gases

(C) bacteria can live in extreme environments

(D) plants and animals made Earth’s environment hospitable for bacteria

(E) bacteria are useful in treating sewage

6 . The author argues that one reason bacteria are such “hardy survivors” at the beginning of paragraph three is that

(A) they can adapt their own DNA

(B) they can live inside humans

(C) they use photosynthesis

(D) they cause diseases

(E) they have very long life-spans

7 . At the end of paragraph three , “assuming” most nearly means

(A) jumping to conclusions (B) ascending (C) calculating (D) gaining (E) rejecting

8 . The author mentions several industries in paragraph 4 in order to

(A) illustrate all the uses of bacteria in modern industry

(B) explain that using bacteria is good for the environment

(C) provide examples of ways in which bacteria can be harmful

(D) inform the reader in depth about distinct species of bacteria

(E) provide examples of ways in which bacteria can e beneficial

9 . -Which example would be most appropriate to add to the list of bacteria’s effects in paragraph 4 ?

(A) bacteria contribute carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

(B) bacteria produce enzymes used to manufacture laundry detergent

(C) bacteria are responsible for mildew in humid places

(D) bacteria are used to aid in digestion

(E) bacteria coat different surfaces with a slimy substance called a “biofilm”

10 . Which of the following industries are both helped and harmed by bacteria , according to

the passage ?

I . agriculture

II . cheese manufacture

III . canning foods

(A) I only (B) II only  (C) II and111 only (D) I and II only (E) I , II , and III

11 . The passage indicates that which industry is supported by the actual dangers of bacteria ?

(A)  mining

(B) cheese manufacturing

(C) sewage treatment

(D) the antibacterial industry

(E) agriculture

12 . The tone of the passage is primarily one of

(A) scientific exhilaration

(B) dry humor

(C) conservative criticism

(D) informed appreciation

(E) mild disapproval

Answer Key

1 . A 2 . E 3 . C 4 . C 5 . B 6 . A 7 . D 8 . E 9 . B 10 . D 11 . D 12 . D