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
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