QUESTION: 13

The Florida panther, known for its distinctive characteristics, including a kinked tail and cowlicks, is nearing extinction with the help of scientists and government officials. Though once abundant in Florida, by the end of the twentieth century, only approximately 30 Florida panthers remained. Efforts to preserve the panthers had focused on shielding them from human encroachment with the hope that they could develop sustainable numbers to survive as a species. However, pressure from development caused officials to grow impatient and shift their strategy and goals.
In 1995, new breeds of female panthers were brought to Florida from Texas to bolster the population. The change has been dramatic. In 1990, 88% of the panthers in Florida had the distinct kinked tail. By 2000, five years after the introduction of the Texas panthers, not a single kitten born to the Texas females had a kinked tail. The breed known as the Florida panther is now on an expedited, ineluctable road to extinction — with the assistance of wildlife protection agencies.
If the goal was to have any kind of panther in Florida, it has been realized. Since the introduction of the Texas panthers, the panther population in Florida has risen to approximately 80 mixed-breed panthers. However, this “success” could portend a tragic trend in wildlife management in the United States. We cannot and should not create genetically mixed species as a means of achieving a compromise between the needs of development and a species’ survival. This type of species tampering is a perversion of the ideal of wildlife management and will irrevocably transform our national landscape.

It can be inferred from the passage that

extinction is preferable to mixing species.
wildlife protection and development are completely incompatible.
wildlife protection agencies are in the pocket of development corporations.
scientist and government officials are equally disappointed with the results of the experiment.
there is alternatives to interbreeding, but they take longer.

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

The end of the first paragraph provides the clue to this answer. The Texas panther was introduced because “pressure from development caused officials to grow impatient and shift their strategies and goals.” This suggests that interbreeding was brought in as a quick fix so that the panther population could grow quickly and development in the area could be approved once the population was stabilized.
The author is clearly against interbreeding, but nothing indicates that the author would prefer extinction (choice a). The passage suggests that wildlife protection and development are often in con-flict, but does not suggest that they are incompatible (choice b). Development corporations pressured officials to act quickly, but the author does not state that wildlife protection agencies are in the pocket of development corporations (choice c). Nothing suggests how government officials feel about the results of the interbreeding, so choice d is also incorrect.

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QUESTION: 14

The Florida panther, known for its distinctive characteristics, including a kinked tail and cowlicks, is nearing extinction with the help of scientists and government officials. Though once abundant in Florida, by the end of the twentieth century, only approximately 30 Florida panthers remained. Efforts to preserve the panthers had focused on shielding them from human encroachment with the hope that they could develop sustainable numbers to survive as a species. However, pressure from development caused officials to grow impatient and shift their strategy and goals.
In 1995, new breeds of female panthers were brought to Florida from Texas to bolster the population. The change has been dramatic. In 1990, 88% of the panthers in Florida had the distinct kinked tail. By 2000, five years after the introduction of the Texas panthers, not a single kitten born to the Texas females had a kinked tail. The breed known as the Florida panther is now on an expedited, ineluctable road to extinction — with the assistance of wildlife protection agencies.
If the goal was to have any kind of panther in Florida, it has been realized. Since the introduction of the Texas panthers, the panther population in Florida has risen to approximately 80 mixed-breed panthers. However, this “success” could portend a tragic trend in wildlife management in the United States. We cannot and should not create genetically mixed species as a means of achieving a compromise between the needs of development and a species’ survival. This type of species tampering is a perversion of the ideal of wildlife management and will irrevocably transform our national landscape.

The author suggests that blame for the extinction of Florida panthers rests chiefly upon

government officials who bowed to pressure from developers
developers who encroached upon protected areas.
scientists who suggested interbreeding as a solution
advocates of species preservation.
wildlife agencies that did not act sooner to protect the panther population

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

Several sentences point the blame at government officials. The first sentence states that the panther “is nearing extinction with the help of scientists and government officials.” The last sentence in the first paragraph reveals that officials opted for interbreeding because “pressure from development caused [them] to grow impatient.” Finally, the third paragraph tells us that the interbreeding was “a compromise between the needs of development and a species’ survival.” Thus, the blame rests on officials who bowed to pressure from developers. The author does not state that developers are encroaching upon protected areas (choice b), and although fingers are pointed at scientists in the first sentence, nothing indicates that scientists suggested the solution (choice c). Choices d and e are incorrect because the passage does not mention advocates of species preservation or suggests that agencies did not act quickly enough. Rather, the problem is that agencies wanted to act too quickly.

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QUESTION: 15

The Florida panther, known for its distinctive characteristics, including a kinked tail and cowlicks, is nearing extinction with the help of scientists and government officials. Though once abundant in Florida, by the end of the twentieth century, only approximately 30 Florida panthers remained. Efforts to preserve the panthers had focused on shielding them from human encroachment with the hope that they could develop sustainable numbers to survive as a species. However, pressure from development caused officials to grow impatient and shift their strategy and goals.
In 1995, new breeds of female panthers were brought to Florida from Texas to bolster the population. The change has been dramatic. In 1990, 88% of the panthers in Florida had the distinct kinked tail. By 2000, five years after the introduction of the Texas panthers, not a single kitten born to the Texas females had a kinked tail. The breed known as the Florida panther is now on an expedited, ineluctable road to extinction — with the assistance of wildlife protection agencies.

If the goal was to have any kind of panther in Florida, it has been realized. Since the introduction of the Texas panthers, the panther population in Florida has risen to approximately 80 mixed-breed panthers. However, this “success” could portend a tragic trend in wildlife management in the United States. We cannot and should not create genetically mixed species as a means of achieving a compromise between the needs of development and a species’ survival. This type of species tampering is a perversion of the ideal of wildlife management and will irrevocably transform our national landscape.

The passage suggests that the author

is a former member of the Wildlife Protection Agency.
is willing to compromise if it means the survival of a species.
is afraid that species tampering will become the norm in wildlife preservation management.
believes the government has encouraged species tampering as a means of conducting genetic experiments
believes that “sustainable numbers” statistics are not realistic and lead to the expedited extinction of species.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The last paragraph expresses the author’s fear that the “success” in Florida “could portend a tragic trend in wildlife management” and that “species tampering . . . will irrevocably transform our national landscape.” Thus, he fears that this approach will become a standard in wildlife preservation. Nothing suggests that he is a former member of any agency, so choice a is incorrect. The author clearly does not want to compromise a species’ integrity, so choice b is incorrect. The author does not state that he believes in a conspiracy of genetic experiments, so choice d is incorrect. Finally, the realism of sustainable numbers” statistics is not discussed, so choice e is incorrect.

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QUESTION: 16

Using art to condemn the moral shortcomings of society is nothing new. English artist William Hogarth (1697 — 1764) was renowned for prints that revealed the moral lapses of eighteenth-century England. Despite the fact that Hogarth enjoyed the patronage of England’s wealthier citizens, he did not shrink away from producing scathing depictions of all levels of English society.
In the ten-print series Industry and Idleness, Hogarth presents two apprentices who begin working side by side only to arrive at vastly different ends. The first apprentice is portrayed as a morally incorruptible, diligent worker. He is promoted, marries his boss’s daughter, and achieves great distinction and financial success. The other apprentice does little work and engages in many unsavory activities. He is fired from his apprenticeship and continues down a path of illicit behavior and corruption. The series comes to a climax when the two former coworkers are reunited with the industrious apprentice — now elevated to alderman — standing in judgment of the idle coworker brought before him for murder. The idle apprentice is sentenced to death and executed, whereas the industrious apprentice goes on to become Lord Mayor of London. Among Hogarth’s most popular series was The Rake’s Progress, which tells the story of wealthy Tom Rakewell. In the first of eight prints, Tom inherits a large sum of money that he foolishly spends on enhancing his image and prestige in superficial ways. His prodigal ways lead to his rapid decline as he is arrested for debt and in return marries an old maid for her money. He begins gambling, is imprisoned, and eventually goes insane in Bedlam. Tom’s descent and desperate outcome, like many of Hogarth’s subjects, is tied directly to moral corruption and poor self-discipline. It is interesting that Hogarth’s prints were extremely popular in his day. Whatever the moral shortcomings of eighteenth-century England, its citizens welcomed Hogarth’s social critiques and harsh judgments.

According to the passage, Hogarth’s prints

portrayed many different kinds of moral corruption.
focused on the weak and disenfranchised.
were extremely controversial.
often offended his wealthy patrons.
are extremely valuable today.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

The passage states that Hogarth’s prints were “scathing depictions of all levels of English society,” and it offers examples of several different kinds of moral corruption (the apprentice who “engages in many unsavory activities” and the wealthy Tom Rakewell who spends his money foolishly, marries for money, and gambles).
Because of these examples, you know choice b is incorrect. Hogarth’s work may have been controversial (choice c), but this is not indicated in the passage. The passage also does not imply that his works offended his wealthy patrons (choice d). You might also infer that his works are very valuable (choice e), but the passage does not mention this either.

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QUESTION: 13

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QUESTION: 14

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QUESTION: 15

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QUESTION: 16

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