Hi everyone,
Got 5/7 correct in 12:30 minutes, including 6 minutes to read.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------P1Paragraph one tries to clarify a misconception about the ice age. Usually people think that there was one long period in which the earth was characterized by glaciations but in reality there were different glaciations and in between the climate was very similar to the one we are currently experiencing. Plus the effects of the ice age affected also the part of the earth that were not subjected to such glaciations. An example is the desert that was subject to dry and wet periods.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to clarify a misconception about the ice age and to explain what this age really represented.
P2In this paragraph the author highlights the problem related with dating the ice age. We are given that usually the rate of decay of radioactive elements is used to obtain dates but in the ice age the rate of decay of such elements is not very accurate.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to highlight a problem related with dating the ice age and explain why such problem exists
P3In this paragraph we are given that, even though dating was a problem, the people who studied the ice age created ways to date such period. We are given one easy approach and th author states that such approach is not very valid and that it was mistakenly used for other purposes.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to underscore the existence of probably biased way of dating the ice age and to give an example
P4In paragraph 4 the author highlights the fact that we still have not conclusive proofs about the ice age. As a matter of fact we could be between one glaciation and its subsequent glaciation. Also there are some studies that suggest that temperatures are decreasing and a new glaciation is about to come.
Purpose: The purpose of this paragraph is to underscore the inconclusiveness of the evidence available and to hypothesize that we might be in between one glaciation and the subsequent one.
Main pointThe main point is to clarify what the ice age actually is, evaluate studies related to dating of such period and conclude that we don't have sufficient evidence to define the ice age completely.
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1. In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with
Pre-thinking
Main point question
The main point is to clarify what the ice age actually is, evaluate studies related to dating of such period and conclude that we don't have sufficient evidence to define the ice age completely.
(A) searching for an accurate method of dating the Pleistocene epoch
Out of scope
(B) discussing problems involved in providing an accurate picture of the Pleistocene epoch
In line with pre-thinking
(C) declaring opposition to the use of the term "Ice Age" for the Pleistocene epoch
Partial scope
(D) criticizing fanciful schemes about what happened in the Pleistocene epoch
Out of scope
(E) refuting-'the idea that there is no way to tell if we are now living in an Ice Age
Out of scope
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2. The "wrong impression" to which the author refers is the idea that the
Pre-thinking
Detail question
From P1:" [b]The epoch that geologists know as the Pleistocene and that spanned the 1.5 to 2.0 million years prior to the current geologic epoch was not one long continuous glaciation, but a peri?d of oscillating climate with ice advances punctuated by times of interglacial climate not very different from the climate experienced now."
[/b]
(A) climate of the Pleistocene epoch was not very different from the climate we are now experiencing
irrelevant
(B) climate of the Pleistocene epoch was composed of periods of violent storms
out of context
(C) Pleistocene epoch consisted of very wet, cold periods mixed with very dry, hot periods
out of context
(D) Pleistocene epoch comprised one period of continuous glaciation during which Northern Europe was covered with ice sheets
In line with pre-thinking
(E) Pleistocene epoch had no long periods during which much of the Earth was covered by ice
out of scope
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3. According to the passage, one of the reasons for the deficiencies of the "early classification of Alpine glaciation" is that it was
Pre-thinking
Detail question
[b]
From P3: "This succession was based primarily on a series of deposits and events [b]not directly related to glacial and interglacial periods, rather than on the more usual modern method of studying biological remains found in interglacial beds themselves interstratified within glacial deposits. "
[/b]
(A) derived from evidence that was only tangentially related to times of actual glaciation
In line with pre-thinking
(B) based primarily on fossil remains rather than on actual living organisms
Irrelevant
(C) an abstract, imaginative scheme of how the period might have been structured
Not flaw
(D) based on unmethodical examinations of randomly chosen glacial biological remains
Never mentioned
(E) derived from evidence that had been haphazardly gathered from glacial deposits and inaccurately evaluated
Never mentioned
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4. Which of the following does the passage imply about the "early classification of Alpine glaciation" (lines 32-33)?
Pre-thinking
Assumption question
[b]An assumption made by the author is that [b]the succession of glaciations derived from such classification is not completely correct
[/b]
(A) It should not have been applied as widely as it was.
Good candidate
(B) It represents the best possible scientific practice, given the tools available at the time.
too extreme
(C) It was a valuable tool, in its time, for measuring the length of the four periods of glaciation.
nowhere we are given such evaluation by the author
(D) It could be useful, but only as a general guide to the events of the Pleistocene epoch.
out of scope
(E) It does not shed any light on the methods used at the time for investigating periods of glaciation.
out of scope
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. It can be inferred from the passage that an important result of producing an accurate chronology of events of the Pleistocene epoch would be a
Pre-thinking
Inference question
From P4: "There is no conclusive evidence about the relative length. complexity, and temperatures of the various glacial and interglacial periods." Knowing one of these elements for sure would help.
(A) clearer idea of the origin of the Earth
The origin of the earth is not discussed(B) clearer picture of the Earth during the time that humans developed
From P1: "Although the time involved is so short, about 0.04 percent of the total age of the Earth, the amount of attention devoted to the Pleistocene has been incredibly large, probably because of its immediacy, and because the epoch largely coincides with the appearance on Earth of humans and their immediate ancestors. "
We are given that dating represents a problem and that the appearance of humans occurred during the ice age. It is not clearly given that knowing the time period in which humans appeared is relevant but common sense says that it would be a great achievement. [b]SajjadAhmad do you think that is it okay sometimes to use common sense or did I miss some connexion in the past between human appearance and relevance? [/b]
(C) clearer understanding of the reasons for the existence of deserts
Out of scope(D) more detailed understanding of how radioactive dating of minerals works
Yhis option tells us about the how aspect but we are concerned with what happens after having such understanding(E) firmer understanding of how the northern polar ice cap developed
out of scope
6. The author refers to deserts primarily in order to
Pre-thinking
Function question
[b]FromP1. " And beyond the margins of the ice sheets, climatic oscillations affected most of the rest of the world; for example, in the deserts,"
[/b]
(A) illustrate the idea that an interglacial climate is marked by oscillations of wet and dry periods
Out of scope
(B) illustrate the idea that what happened in the deserts during the Ice Age had far-reaching effects even on the ice sheets of Central and Northern Europe
Out of scope
(C) illustrate the idea that the effects of the Ice Age's climatic variations extended beyond the areas of ice
In line with pre-thinking
(D) support the view that during the Ice Age sheets of ice covered some of the deserts of the world
Out of scope
(E) support the view that we are probably living in a postglacial period
Out of scope
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7. The author would regard the idea that we are living in an interglacial period as
Pre-thinking
Inference question
In the last paragraph the author talks about some studies suggesting that we might live in a interglacial period. Hence the author considers this idea possible.
(A) unimportant
Incorrect
(B) unscientific
Incorrect
(C) self-evident
Incorrect
(D) plausible
In line with pre-thinking
(E) absurd
Incorrect
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09 Jan 2020, 18:02
25%
(medium)
28%
(02:37) wrong 
