1. Which of the following, if true, would most contribute to strengthening the researcher's explanation?
A. A majority of Portmund businesses shut down during heavy snowstorms.
B. Most Portmund taxi drivers own their vehicles.
C. Portmund residents who would ordinarily drive tend to prefer transportation by taxi during heavy snowstorms. Correct
D. Portmund's average annual number of rainy and snowy days is higher than the national average.
E. At most times, the most common destination for Portmund taxi passengers is the local airport.
Explanation
The researcher explains that fewer taxis are available during peak demand because drivers avoid working in hazardous weather. Option C strengthens this by showing that bad weather coincides with even higher demand (people who normally drive switch to taxis), making the drop in supply more noticeable and directly supporting the idea that driver reluctance in bad weather is a key factor.
2. Which of the following would, if true, most help to account for the plan's failure to achieve the desired results?
A. The population increased significantly between the 1980s and 2008.
B. Makers of processed foods have created several new products since the 1980s.
C. In 2008, processed foods were a significantly higher percentage of people's daily food consumption than in the 1980s. Correct
D. In 2008, more people were aware of the dangers of consuming excess salt than prior to the 1980s.
E. On average, the consumption of excess salt has more adverse effects on men's health than it has on women's health.
Explanation
The plan focused on reducing salt in processed foods, but if processed foods became a much larger share of total diet despite some reduction in salt per serving, overall salt intake would rise. This directly explains why voluntary reductions were insufficient to lower population-wide consumption.
3. Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the discrepancy between precipitation and flooding in Verenia?
A. Nearly all of the increase in precipitation in Verenia has occurred in the hottest and driest months of the year. Correct
B. After descending from Verenia, the rivers flow into a region in which crop irrigation has increased significantly over the last 50 years.
C. Many scientists are predicting that the increase in precipitation in Verenia will cease.
D. Because Verenia has few inhabitants, flooding there seldom leads to loss of human life.
E. Very few of the streams and rivers in Verenia are suitable for damming.
Explanation
Increased precipitation during the hottest, driest months would be absorbed by parched soil or evaporate quickly rather than cause runoff and flooding. This resolves the paradox by showing the extra water is not translating into higher river flow during typical flood-prone seasons.
4. Which of the following, if true, provides Coastal Rail's management with the best justification for its decision?
A. Several of Coastal Rail's top managers live in Seaside County's coastal towns.
B. More passengers use Coastal Rail between noon and 4 p.m. on Fridays than during those hours on other days of the week.
C. Most passengers who use the service after 4 p.m. on a weekday are returning home after using Coastal Rail to get to work that morning.
D. The number of passengers using Coastal Rail after 4 p.m. has been declining on weekdays other than Friday.
E. Expenditures, such as that for rail maintenance, will not be reduced by discontinuing service after 4 p.m. on Fridays. Correct
Explanation
If fixed costs like maintenance and crew salaries do not decrease by cutting Friday evening service, the marginal cost of running those trains is low. Keeping the service maintains goodwill and commuter loyalty without significant additional expense, making cancellation financially unsound.
5. Assuming that one of the two conclusions cited above is correct, which of the following, if discovered at the site, would most help determine which is the correct one?
A. Residues of human food at the top of the mound
B. Evidence that the copper bells were originally attached to clothing items
C. Fragments of several large and strong baskets dating from around a thousand years ago
D. Traces of hearths on the mound showing sustained use for baking around a thousand years ago Correct
E. One-thousand-year-old trails connecting the mound to sites several kilometers away known to have been permanent villages
Explanation
Sustained hearth use for cooking indicates regular, prolonged occupation consistent with a permanent village. Ritual sites typically lack evidence of daily domestic activities like repeated cooking fires.