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Test Prep MCAT Test Exam
Medical College Admission Test: Verbal Reasoning, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample (Page 2 )

Updated On: 19-Jan-2026
Page 2 of 164
PDF with 811 Questions

In the early nineteenth century a large number of communal experiments, both secular and religious, sprang up in the northeastern United States. Perhaps the most famous secular commune was Brook Farm, founded by transcendentalists George Ripley and William H. Channing to promote the pursuit of leisure and culture through the proper application of time and labor. Its members (among the more notable were Nathaniel Hawthorne and Margaret Fuller) pursued field labor by day, art and philosophy by night. For a time the system worked so well that two afternoons a week were set aside for leisure and Brook Farm began outcompeting local farmers at the produce market. But by nature the Farm's members were thinkers, not workers; despite their success they remained mainly interested in the theoretical and philosophical implications of the experiment. Thus, when a devastating fire brought the community considerable financial burdens in its fifth year, the members felt little compunction about closing shop and returning to their comfortable Boston homes.
One of the most notable religious utopias was the Oneida community. Its founder, John Humphrey Noyes, believed that Christ's second coming had already occurred and that everyone alive was favored by Divine grace, which Noyes saw as an imperative to live a better life. Perhaps surprisingly, the Oneidans embraced industry and commerce, achieving success in fruit packing, trap making, and silk thread winding. They owned everything communally, and this principle extended to each other. The Oneidans saw monogamy as a selfish act and asserted that the men and women of the community were united in one "complex" marriage; sex between any two consenting members was perfectly acceptable. The Oneidans maintained order solely through "criticism" ­ anyone acting out of line was made to stand before the other members and hear his or her faults recounted. Oneida remained viable for some thirty years, until the leadership devolved on Noyes' son, an agnostic. The old religious fervor died out, and the dream degenerated into a joint stock company.
Doubtless the most successful communalists were the Shakers, so called for the early propensity to tremble ecstatically during religious worship. Their guiding light, Mother Ann, espoused four key principles: Virgin Purity, Christian Communism, Confession, and Separation from the World. Though the Shakers were less adamant on the last point ­ maintaining social relations and some commerce with their neighbors ­ they insisted on the other three, and renounced both personal property and sex. Men and women lived in a single large "Unitary Dwelling" and were considered complete equals, but they occupied separate wings and could speak together only if a third person were present. Despite their religious strictness, Shakers were known as simple, sincere, intelligent people, healthy and long-lived, producers of lovely books and hymns, and of furniture still prized for its quality and durability. In their heyday, six thousand Shakers lived in fifty-eight separate "families" throughout the Northeast. Later their celibacy, combined with their strict discipline, led to a decline in numbers, but even today a small number of elderly Shakers in two communities in Maine and New Hampshire continue to keep the faith.
The passage implies that the end of the Brook Farm experiment was probably brought on by:

  1. faltering commitment in the face of hardship.
  2. a failure to attract members of sufficient intellect or ability.
  3. the completion of the community's aims.
  4. the incompetence of philosophers at field labor.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This is an inference question regarding Brooke Farm's demise. The last half of the first paragraph suggests that Brook Farm failed because the Farm's members, although interested in the theoretical aspects of their community, were not committed to maintaining the Farm in the face of hardship, choice (A). The first paragraph does suggest that Brook Farm was successful in meeting its aims, but it does not imply that such success led to the end of the experiment, as choice (C) suggests. You probably know that Margaret Fuller and Nathaniel Hawthorne were major American intellectuals of the 19th century; even if you don't, you are told that these two are among the Farm's more notable members. Thus, you can infer that Brook Farm was indeed able to attract
members of sufficient intellect or ability, so (B) is wrong. Although the author notes that Brook Farm's members were thinkers, not workers, the fact that the members had more leisure than expected and outcompeted local farmers suggest that the Farm's philosophermembers were competent field hands; therefore, (D) is incorrect.



The resistance of a resistor is defined as the ratio of the voltage drop across it to the current passing through it. The resistance of a resistor can be measured using the circuit illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1
In the above circuit, a variable voltage source with negligible internal resistance is connected to a resistor. The voltage across the resistor is measured by a voltmeter and the current through the resistor is measured by an ammeter.
Additional resistors may be added to the circuit. The total resistance can be calculated as follows: If R1 and R2 are two resistances of two resistors, then the total resistance is given by Rtotal = R1 + R2 when the resistors are connected in series, and by 1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2 when the resistors are connected in parallel.
Circuits similar to the one above are used in the common household appliance known as the toaster. The rate by which energy in the form of heat is dissipated by the resistor equals I2R, where I is the current that passes through the resistor and R is the resistance of the resistor. Energy is dissipated in a resistor because moving electrons collide with atoms in the resistor, causing the atoms to vibrate.
In order for the ammeter to have a very small effect on the current flowing through the resistor, the ammeter should:

  1. be connected to the resistor with insulated wire.
  2. be connected as close as possible to the positive terminal of the voltage source.
  3. have a very low resistance.
  4. be sensitive to currents flowing in either direction around the circuit.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

Ammeters, like all components of electric circuits, have some internal resistance. Therefore, adding an ammeter to the circuit is like adding another resistor in series. If the ammeter has a large resistance, then the current flowing through the resistor will be significantly reduced when it is added to the circuit. If it has a small resistance, the current will be only slightly affected; so choice C is correct.
Choice A is wrong. Insulated wires are wires surrounded by a nonconducting material, which prevents unintended contact with the current. Insulating the wires won't directly affect the current through the resistor and won't affect the way that the ammeter works. Choice B is wrong as well. The current in the wire to the right of the resistor is the same as the current to the left of the resistor, so an ammeter will function identically at either location. In both cases, the ammeter is in series with the resistor. Choice D is also wrong. An ammeter that can detect current in either direction might be useful. But whether it can or not is unrelated to the ammeter's effect on the current flowing through the resistor.



The resistance of a resistor is defined as the ratio of the voltage drop across it to the current passing through it. The resistance of a resistor can be measured using the circuit illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1
In the above circuit, a variable voltage source with negligible internal resistance is connected to a resistor. The voltage across the resistor is measured by a voltmeter and the current through the resistor is measured by an ammeter.
Additional resistors may be added to the circuit. The total resistance can be calculated as follows: If R1 and R2 are two resistances of two resistors, then the total resistance is given by Rtotal = R1 + R2 when the resistors are connected in series, and by 1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2 when the resistors are connected in parallel.
Circuits similar to the one above are used in the common household appliance known as the toaster. The rate by which energy in the form of heat is dissipated by the resistor equals I2R, where I is the current that passes through the resistor and R is the resistance of the resistor. Energy is dissipated in a resistor because moving electrons collide with atoms in the resistor, causing the atoms to vibrate.
As current passes through a resistor, the temperature of the resistor will increase. Which of the following accounts for the temperature increases?

  1. The average kinetic energy of the atoms in the resistor increases as a result of the collisions with the electrons in the current.
  2. The average potential energy of the atoms in the resistor increases as a result of the collisions with the electrons in the current.
  3. The average kinetic energy of the electrons in the current increases as a result of the collisions with the atoms in the resistor.
  4. The average potential energy of the electrons in the current increases as a result of the collisions with the atoms in the resistor.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

When the electrons collide with the atoms of the resistor, the vibration of the atoms increase, and the atoms' kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion, increases as well. By definition, the temperature of a gas, liquid, or solid is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the atoms that make up the substance. Thus, the increase in the kinetic energy of the atoms is directly related to the increase in temperature, and choice A is correct.
Since temperature is related to the average kinetic energy and not the potential energy, choices B and D are wrong. As for choice C, the passage states that the atoms vibrate as a result of the collisions. A moving electron hits an atom which is basically stationary and starts it in motion. This means that the electron transfers some of its kinetic energy to the atom. So the electron's kinetic energy actually decreases as a result of the collisions, and choice C is wrong.



The resistance of a resistor is defined as the ratio of the voltage drop across it to the current passing through it. The resistance of a resistor can be measured using the circuit illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1
In the above circuit, a variable voltage source with negligible internal resistance is connected to a resistor. The voltage across the resistor is measured by a voltmeter and the current through the resistor is measured by an ammeter.
Additional resistors may be added to the circuit. The total resistance can be calculated as follows: If R1 and R2 are two resistances of two resistors, then the total resistance is given by Rtotal = R1 + R2 when the resistors are connected in series, and by 1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2 when the resistors are connected in parallel.
Circuits similar to the one above are used in the common household appliance known as the toaster. The rate by which energy in the form of heat is dissipated by the resistor equals I2R, where I is the current that passes through the resistor and R is the resistance of the resistor. Energy is dissipated in a resistor because moving electrons collide with atoms in the resistor, causing the atoms to vibrate.
What is the energy delivered to a piece of toast in one second when it is inside a toaster in which a 4 × 10-3 a current passes through a 10-k resistor?

  1. 0.04 J
  2. 0.16 J
  3. 2.5 J
  4. 40 J

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The energy delivered to a piece of toast must be equal to the energy dissipated by the toaster's resistor. The rate of energy dissipation, or the energy released per unit time, is known as the power. Mathematically, this can be expressed as P = E/t, where P is the power, and E is the energy released in time t. The passage gives the relation P = I2R, where P is the power, I is the current, and R is the resistance of the resistor. Equating the two expressions for power and solving for E, gives E = I2Rt. Now we substitute the values given in the question stem into the last equation for the energy and obtain E = (4 × 10-3 A)2 (10 × 103 ) (1 s) = 0.16 J, which is choice B.
As is often the case with questions involving calculations, the wrong answer choices are the results of math errors. For example, you would have obtained choice D, if you forgot to square the current.



It is critical for the human body blood to maintain its pH at approximately 7.4. Decreased or increased blood pH are called acidosis and alkalosis respectively; both are serious metabolic problems that can cause death. The table below lists the major buffers found in the blood and/or kidneys.
Table 1
Buffer
pKa of a typical conjugate acid:*

Histidine side chains

Organic phosphates
N-terminal amino groups

6.1
6.3
6.8
7.0
8.0
9.2
*For buffers in many of these categories, there is a range of actual pKa values.
The relationship between blood pH and the pKa of any buffer can be described by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
pH = pKa + log([conjugate base] / [conjugate acid])
Equation 1
Bicarbonate, the most important buffer in the plasma, enters the blood in the form of carbon dioxide, a byproduct of metabolism, and leaves in two forms: exhaled CO2 and excreted bicarbonate. Blood pH can be adjusted rapidly by changes in the rate of CO2 exhalation. The reaction given below, which is catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase in the erythrocytes, describes how bicarbonate and CO2 interact in the blood.

Reaction 1
If the pH of blood were to increase to 7.6, what would be the likely outcome?

  1. An increase in carbonic anhydrase activity
  2. A decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity
  3. An increase in the rate of CO2 exhalation
  4. A decrease in the rate of CO2 exhalation

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

If the pH of blood increases to 7.6, it becomes more alkaline, and the pH of blood must be kept at approximately pH 7.4. Since it is stated in the second sentence of the last paragraph that blood pH can be adjusted rapidly by changes in the rate of CO2 exhalation, choice A and choice B can be eliminated. In order to bring the pH of blood back to its normal value of 7.4, it must become more acidic; it becomes more acidic by increasing the concentration of H+ Reaction 1 has H+ as a product, and according to Le Châtelier's principle, you should know that a reaction will proceed in a direction that will consume an added reactant or product. In other words, the concentration of a product can be increased by increasing the concentration of a reactant. If the concentration of carbon dioxide is allowed to increase, it will react to produce more H+, resulting in a lowering of the pH. The concentration of carbon dioxide will increase if it is not exhaled, making choice D the correct response.



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