Marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle has spent decades advocating for ocean conservation. In a 2014 TED Talk, she argued that less than 5% of the ocean has been explored and that designating marine protected areas is essential for preserving biodiversity. Her nonprofit, Mission Blue, identifies "Hope Spots" — ecologically significant ocean areas that need protection. Since the organization's founding, the number of Hope Spots has grown from 50 to over 130.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Analysis: The passage covers Earle's advocacy, the case for marine protection, and the growth of Hope Spots. The main idea ties these together: Earle's work has advanced ocean conservation through the Hope Spots initiative.
A too-narrow answer might focus only on the TED Talk. A too-broad answer might claim "ocean pollution is the greatest environmental threat" — the passage doesn't go that far.
A literary critic argues that nineteenth-century novelist George Eliot used her fiction to challenge prevailing social norms about women's intellectual capabilities.
Which quotation from a literary analysis, if accurate, would most directly support this claim?
Correct evidence: "In Middlemarch, Eliot's protagonist Dorothea Brooke is driven by scholarly ambition in an era when women were expected to confine their aspirations to domestic life — a portrayal that implicitly critiques Victorian gender expectations."
Why wrong choices fail:
A researcher studying urban heat islands hypothesizes that cities with higher tree canopy coverage experience lower average summer temperatures.
City Tree Canopy (%) Avg. Summer Temp (°F) Portland 30 74 Phoenix 9 104 Atlanta 48 80 Denver 20 83 Charlotte 47 81 Which statement best uses the data to evaluate the hypothesis?
Correct: "The data generally support the hypothesis — Portland, Atlanta, and Charlotte have the highest canopy coverage and the lowest temperatures, while Phoenix has the lowest canopy and highest temperature, though other factors like latitude and elevation also influence temperature."
Why wrong choices fail: A choice that says "The data prove the hypothesis" is too strong — observational data cannot prove causation. A choice focusing only on Phoenix ignores the broader pattern.