The qualities expected of a professional musician seem _______, for she must be studious, disciplined,
and technically impeccable while bringing passion and _______ to each performance.

• A. paradoxical . . spontaneity
• B. multifarious . . virtuosity
• C. unattainable . . emotion
• D. eclectic . . impulsiveness
• E. ambiguous . . capriciousness

UNION JACK : VEXILLOLOGY

• A. algae : zoology
• B. friend : home economics
• C. gymnosperms : botany
• D. turtle : microbiology
• E. toad : ornithology

A certain strain of bacteria called lyngbya majuscula, an ancient ancestor of modern-day algae, is making
a comeback in ocean waters just off the world's most industrialized coastal regions. This primitive bacteria
has survived for nearly three billion years due to a variety of survival mechanisms. It can produce its own
fertilizer by pulling nitrogen out of the air; it relies on a different spectrum of light than algae do, allowing it
to thrive even in deep, murky waters; and when it dies and decays, it releases its own nitrogen and
phosphorous, on which the next generation of lyngbya feeds. Lyngbya emits more than one hundred
different toxins harmful to other ocean life as well as to humans. Commercial fishermen and divers who
come in contact with the bacteria frequently complain of skin rashes and respiratory problems, which can
keep these workers off the job for months at a time. The bacteria further disrupts local economies by
blocking sunlight to sea grasses that attract fish and other sea life. Scientists attribute the modern-day
reappearance of lyngbya, and the resulting problems, chiefly to nitrogen- and phosphorous-rich sewage
partially processed at wastewater treatment plants and pumped into rivers that feed coastal ocean waters.
According to passage, the lyngbya majuscula strain
I. depends largely on nitrogen and phosphorous as nutrients
II. can harm other ocean life as a result of its high toxicity
III. thrives mainly in waters where algae is largely absent

• A. I only
• B. I, II, and III
• C. II and III only
• D. I and II only
• E. III only

Human cells are programmed to selfdestruct at the same rate at which they are generated. However, the
programs can malfunction, resulting either in excessive cell growth, which can lead to cancer, or
excessive cell destruction, which can lead to degenerative diseases. As for the latter, using a tool called
RNA interference, researchers can turn off the functions of genes individually and, by observing the
results, determine which genes influence the process of cell death. Geneticists have isolated more than
one hundred different human genes that prevent cells from self-destructing. However, these genes
operate interdependently toward this end; moreover, most such genes serve other functions as well,
including cell differentiation and proliferation. Scientists are just beginning to identify the gene groups that
play key roles in the prevention of cell death and to understand the intricacies of how these groups
function, not just as units but also together, in what appears to be a vast network. Building on this
knowledge, researchers hope to learn how to precisely manipulate the process of cell death in humans-a
crucial step toward the development of diagnostics and treatments that target the specific diseases
associated with out-of-control cell destruction.
The author's primary concern in the passage is to

• A. summarize the findings of recent scientific research on degenerative diseases
• B. provide hope that scientists will soon discover a cure for many degenerative diseases
• C. describe the process of cell death and regeneration in the human body
• D. explain the methodology by which researchers are learning how to control cell death
• E. propose a theory to account for the increasing variety of degenerative diseases in humans

FALLOW : PRODUCTIVITY ::

• A. poisonous : protection
• B. obscure : clarity
• C. friendly : allegiance
• D. bitter : taste
• E. handsome : attraction