SBAC Online Practice Questions and Answers

Read the text attached.

"Declaration of Conscience" by Margaret Chase Smith June 1, 1950

Mr. President, I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition. It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition

that comes from the lack of effective leadership either in the legislative branch or the executive branch of our government...

...I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a United States senator. I speak as an American...

...I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some real soul searching and to weigh our consciences as to the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America and the manner in which

we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges.

I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech, but also of

trial by jury instead of trial by accusation.

Whether it is a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined.

"The Basic Principles of Americanism"

Those of use who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism ?

The right to criticize.

The right to hold unpopular beliefs.

The right to protest.

The right of independent thought.

The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds

unpopular beliefs. Who of us does not? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.

The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as "Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by

some that it is not exercised by others.

The American people are sick and tired of seeing innocent people smeared and guilty people whitewashed. But there have been enough proved cases...to cause nationwide distrust and strong suspicion that there may be something to the

unproved, sensational accusations.

A Challenge to the Republican Party

As a Republican, I say to my colleagues on this side of the aisle that the Republican Party faces a challenge today that is not unlike the challenge that it faced back in Lincoln's day. The Republican Party so successfully met that challenge that

it emerged from the Civil War as the champion of a united nation ?in addition to being a party that unrelentingly fought loose spending and loose programs....

The Democratic administration has greatly lost the confidence of the American people by its complacency to the threat of communism here at home and the leak of vital secrets to Russia through key officials of the Democratic administration.

There are enough proved cases to make this point without diluting our criticism with unproved charges.

Surely these are sufficient reasons to make it clear to the American people that it is time for a change and that a Republican victory is necessary to the security of this country.... Yet to displace it with a Republican regime embracing a

philosophy that lacks political integrity or intellectual honesty would prove equally disastrous to this Nation. The nation sorely needs a Republican victory. But I do not want to see the Republican party ride to political victory... [using] fear,

ignorance, bigotry, and smear... I do not want to see the Republican party win that way. While it might be a fleeting victory for the Republican party, it would be a more lasting defeat for the American people. Surely it would ultimately be

suicide for the Republican party and the two-party system that has protected our American liberties from the dictatorship of a one-party system.

As members of the minority party, we do not have the primary authority to formulate the policy of our government. But we do have the responsibility of rendering constructive criticism, of clarifying issues, of allaying fears by acting as

responsible citizens.

As a woman, I wonder how the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters feel about the way in which members of their families have been politically mangled in Senate debate - and I use the word "debate" advisedly...

I do not like the way the Senate has been made a rendezvous for vilification, for selfish political gain at the sacrifice of individual reputations and national unity. I am not proud of the way we smear outsiders from the floor of the Senate and

hide behind the cloak of congressional immunity and still place ourselves beyond criticism on the floor of the Senate.

As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and Democrates alike are playing directly into the Communist design of "confuse, divide, and conquer." As an American, I don't want a Democratic administration "whitewash" or "coverup" any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt.

As an American, I condemn a Republican Fascist just as much as I condemn a Democrat Communist. I condemn a Democrat Fascist just as much as I condemn a Republican Communist. They are equally dangerous to you and me and to

our country. As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.

It is with these thoughts that I have drafted what I call a Declaration of Conscience. I am gratified that the senator from New Hampshire, the senator from Vermont, the senator from Oregon, the senator from New York, the senator from

Minnesota and the senator from New Jersey have concurred in that declaration and have authorized me to announce their concurrence.

Which answer best describes the central idea of the attached text?

A. Men in the nation are not giving women the credit they are due or the voice they deserve. This is why she mentions that she is speaking as a woman about her concerns regarding the direction of the nation.

B. Only the Republican Party can reinstate the order and decorum necessary to run the country. Without strong Republican leadership, we will continue to flounder and fight among ourselves and run the risk of failing as a nation on the world's stage.

C. Communism is a real threat to the safety and security of the nation. If the politicians in the Senate don't pass some legislation soon to protect against the spread of Communism and Fascism, then the freedoms Americans know and live by are going to be lost forever.

D. Too much infighting and negative politicking is ripping apart the very foundations of what this country stands for. We need to stop looking for excuses to be divided and work together to keep the nation strong against outside forces that might like to see this great nation fail.

Read the text attached.

Passage 1

Critical information needed in fight to save wildlife

With global temperatures rising, an international group of 22 top biologists is calling for a coordinated effort to gather important species information that is urgently needed to improve predictions for the impact of climate change on future

biodiversity. Current predictions fail to account for important biological factors like species competition and movement that can have a profound influence on whether a plant or animal survives changes to its environment, the scientists say in

the September 9 issue of the journal Science. While more sophisticated forecasting models exist, much of the detailed species information that is needed to improve predictions is lacking.

"Right now, we're treating a mouse the same way as an elephant or a fish or a tree. Yet we know that those are all very different organisms and they are going to respond to their environment in different ways," says University of Connecticut

Ecologist Mark Urban, the Science article's lead author. "We need to pull on our boots, grab our binoculars, and go back into the field to gather more detailed information if we are going to make realistic predictions."

The 22 top biologists affiliated with the article identify six key types of biological information, including life history, physiology, genetic variation, species interactions, and dispersal, that will significantly improve prediction outcomes for individual

species. Obtaining that information will not only help the scientific community better identify the most at-risk populations and ecosystems, the scientists say, it will also allow for a more targeted distribution of resources as global temperatures

continue to rise at a record rate.

Current climate change predictions for biodiversity draw on broad statistical correlations and can vary widely, making it difficult for policymakers and others to respond accordingly. Many of those predictions tend not to hold up over time if they

fail to account for the full range of biological factors that can influence an organism's survival rate: species demographics, competition from other organisms, species mobility, and the capacity to adapt and evolve.

"We haven't been able to sufficiently determine what species composition future ecosystems will have, and how their functions and services for mankind will change," says co-author Dr. Karin Johst of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental

Research and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research. "This is because current ecological models often do not include important biological processes and mechanisms: so far only 23 percent of the reviewed studies have

taken into account biological mechanisms."

Generating more accurate predictions is essential for global conservation efforts. Many species are already moving to higher ground or toward the poles to seek cooler temperatures as global temperatures rise. But the capacity of different

organisms to survive varies greatly. Some species of frog, for instance, can traverse their terrain for miles to remain in a habitable environment. Other species, such as some types of salamander, are less mobile and capable of moving only a

few meters over generations.

"New Zealand's strong foundation in ecological research will help," explains study co-author Dr. William Godsoe, a Lincoln University lecturer and member of New Zealand's Bio-Protection Research Centre. "One of our hopes is to build on

these strengths and highlight new opportunities to improve predictions by explicitly considering evolution, interactions among species, and dispersal." This will aid in the development of strategies to manage impacts on species and

ecosystems before they become critical.

With more than 8.7 million species worldwide, gathering the necessary biological information to improve predictions is a daunting task. Even a sampling of key species would be beneficial, the authors say, as the more sophisticated models

will allow scientists to extrapolate their predictions and apply them to multiple species with similar traits.

The researchers are calling for the launch of a global campaign to be spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services or IPBES. The IPBES operates under the auspices of four United

Nations entities and is dedicated to providing scientific information to policymakers worldwide. One thousand scientists from all over the world currently contribute to the work of IPBES on a voluntary basis. The scientists are also encouraging

conservation strategies to support biodiversity such as maintaining dispersal corridors, and preserving existing natural habitats and genetic diversity.

"Our biggest challenge is pinpointing which species to concentrate on and which regions we need to allocate resources," says UConn Associate Professor Urban. In an earlier study in Science, Urban predicted that as many as one in six

species internationally could be wiped out by climate change. "We are at a triage stage at this point. We have limited resources and patients lined up at the door."

Passage 2

Forecasting climate change's effects on biodiversity hindered by lack of data

An international group of biologists is calling for data collection on a global scale to improve forecasts of how climate change affects animals and plants. Accurate model predictions can greatly aid efforts to protect biodiversity from

disturbances such as climate change and urban sprawl by helping scientists and decision-makers better understand, anticipate and respond to threats that imperil species and ecosystems.

In a paper published in Science on Thursday (Sept. 8), biologists cite a critical lack of data on key biological mechanisms ?such as how animals and plants spread during their lifetime and how they evolve in response to changes in the

environment - as the main obstacle to improving models' ability to forecast species' response to climate change.

"This paper is a call to arms," said Patrick Zollner, article co-author and Purdue associate professor of wildlife science. "The world is in dire circumstances. We're losing a lot of species, and we're largely unaware why. How do we need to

rethink the kind of data we're collecting so we can take advantage of modern modeling tools to understand the outcomes of climate change for ecological systems? This could help us forestall losing wildlife that we later deeply regret."

The group outlines two key problems that hinder the capability of current models to make realistic predictions about biological responses to climate change.

Most models are descriptive, based on statistical correlations and observations, and fail to capture the underlying processes that produce observed changes. For example, a descriptive model might show that lynx in the northern U.S. are

declining while bobcat populations in the same region are on the rise. Understanding what is driving this change requires a different sort of model, one that incorporates biological mechanisms. A mechanistic model that accounts for how

warming temperatures affect snow depth, for instance, could provide insights into why bobcats - better adapted to habitats with less snow - are gaining a competitive edge over lynx. But 77 percent of current models of climate change's

impacts on wildlife do not include biological mechanisms.

Another challenge is that as models have grown in sophistication, they have far outpaced data collection. Put another way, a model is like a state-of-the-art kitchen, but the cupboards are bare.

"We can now build videogame-like environments with computers where we can create multiple versions of Earth and ask what the implications under different scenarios are," Zollner said. "But our ability to learn from these tools is constrained

by the kinds of data we have."

The group advanced several proposals on how to improve models, collect missing data and leverage available data to make broader predictions.

They identified six biological mechanisms that influence wildlife's responses to climate change: physiology; demography and life history; evolutionary potential and adaptation; interactions between species; movement over land or water; and

responses to changes in the environment. They ranked the information needed to account for these mechanisms in models and suggested proxies for data that are missing or hard to collect.

A globally coordinated effort to fill data gaps could greatly advance improvements in models and informed conservation approaches, the researchers wrote. They point to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and its consistent

improvements in climate change modeling as a valuable blueprint for such a project.

But local and regional conservation groups need not wait for a global body to coalesce to start using a mechanistic approach in their own region, Zollner said "If the ideas put forth in this paper start to be adopted and integrated into climate

change work in a grass roots way, that could make a big difference in a region and could scale up over time," he said.

Citizen scientists also have an important role to play in pitching in with data collection, he said.

Working with citizen scientists offers "an opportunity to get huge amounts of data, and it's foolish not to take advantage of it," Zollner said. "The data might not be as rigorous and needs to be treated differently, but it's one more source of

valuable information.

Reread this excerpt from Passage 2 in the attached text.

"Working with citizen scientists offers "an opportunity to get huge amounts of data and it's foolish not to take advantage of it," Zollner said. "The data might not be as rigorous and needs to be treated different, but it's one more source of

valuable information." Which statement best describes what the phrase "citizen scientists" most likely means?

A. Citizens of the United States or other country belonging to the UN and who work as scientists in their own or another country.

B. Trained scientists who may not currently work in the field of science but who have a university degree in a scientific field and whose research can therefore be relied upon by current scientists.

C. People with a passion for science who may not have specific scientific training but who can gather information that can be used by trained scientists in their research and study of environment.

D. Students who have not yet earned their degrees in science, but who are training for a career in science and who understand the basics of scientific research.

The first attachment:

Source 1:

Military Supports Alternative Treatments for Treating Pain in Vets and Troops

The military has long worried that an over-reliance on prescription pain killers for the after-effects of tours of duty was putting both veterans and active-duty troops at risk of dependency, serious adverse reactions to the drugs and accidental

death. The problem was found to be greatest among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan ?particularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder ?who, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), may have been given "inappropriate prescriptions" for opioids in a misguided attempt to relieve their suffering quickly.

Now, however, change appears to be coming as the military expands its use of alternative treatments such as chiropractic care.

Dr. Robert D. Kerns, the national program director for pain management at the Department of Veterans Affairs, told the New York Times that the study "encourages" both his department, as well as the Pentagon's health system, "to build on...

existing initiatives."

If done, that would be good news to Congressional committees following up on last year's Veterans Health Administration scandal.

"We have said for a long time that sending a veteran out of the door with a bagful of pills is not a solution," Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said in investigating allegations that a Tomah, Wisconsin, Veterans Affairs hospital was prescribing "excessive

dosages of opiates."

Even as more research pours in, chiropractic care continues to gain support. A 2013 study published in the journal Spine found that 73 percent of participating active-duty military patients with low back pain receiving a combination of

chiropractic manipulative treatment and standard medical care rated their global improvement as "pain completely gone," "much better," or "moderately better."

In the same study, only 17 percent who received standard medical care alone said likewise.

Source 2:

Relief for Weekend Warriors Comes From Chiropractic Care, Not a Pill Bottle

Sports injuries can happen to anyone, and they may be more likely among amateur athletes than professionals.

Amateur athletes, whether they are weekend warriors or regular fitness buffs, can end up with an injury for a variety of reasons, from wearing the wrong shoes to an incorrect technique in a tennis or golf swing. However, amateurs and pros

alike want relief when they get hurt, and anyone can become addicted to strong, opioid painkillers, according to a recent article in Outside magazine. "The reality is that all athletes are one fall, twist, or tweak away from landing their own opioid

prescription," the article notes.

In the wake of a directive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cut down on painkiller prescriptions, doctors and patients are seeking drug-free alternatives, and chiropractic care is one of them.

In fact, chiropractic care can provide not only short-term pain relief but long-term prevention of future pain by helping to address structural imbalances in the body that might be contributing to the problem.

Medications (including ibuprofen and other over-the-counter drugs as well as prescription drugs) can mask the pain from an injury but fail to address the cause. Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) use hands-on techniques to manipulate the joints

and soft tissues of the body to address where pain syndromes may originate. DCs receive a minimum of seven years of higher education and are skilled in the diagnosis and art of spinal manipulation.

In addition, according to Dr. Sherry McAllister of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, most insurance and health plans cover chiropractic care.

The second attachment.

Paraphrase A:

An increased reliance on opioid painkillers to alleviate the pain of injured military personnel is a concern for the medical community.

Paraphrase B:

The military has been troubled by an increasing over-reliance on prescription pain killers for the after-effects of tours of duty that they feel puts both veterans and active duty troops at risk of dependency, serious adverse reactions to the drugs

and accidental death. Studies suggest the problem is greatest among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan ?particularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder ?who may have been given "inappropriate prescriptions" for opioids in

an erroneous attempt to relieve their suffering quickly.

Paraphrase C:

There is a concern about the rising rates of dependency on prescription painkillers for troops returning from active duty. Using prescribed opioid painkillers puts both veterans and active-duty military personnel at increased risk of negative

reactions to the drugs and accidental death. Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who often return suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, are often given quick and fast-acting painkiller prescriptions as well-intentioned doctors

try to help alleviate their patients' physical pain as swiftly as possible. But those prescriptions may not always be the best medicine.

Paraphrase D:

A rise in the number of "inappropriate prescriptions" being given by doctors and medical professionals to military personnel returning from active-duty or veterans who served in the past is alarming. These prescriptions include orders for

opioid painkillers. Opioids have become an epidemic in this nation and the rates of addiction and premature death from these drugs is rising. To stop the increase in opioid dependency, a different approach to pain management must be

introduced to the troops who return with battle scars both physical and mental.

The student really likes the first paragraph from source 1, as reproduced here, but he wants to paraphrase it. Look at the second attachment to this question .Which of the choices in that document is the best paraphrase of the paragraph?

"The military has long worried that an over-reliance on prescription pain killers for the after-effects of tours of duty was putting both veterans and active-duty troops at risk of dependency, serious adverse reactions to the drugs and accidental death. The problem was found to be greatest among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan璸articularly those with post-traumatic stress disorder瓀ho, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), may have been given "inappropriate prescriptions" for opioids in a misguided attempt to relieve their suffering quickly."

A. paraphrase C

B. paraphrase A

C. paraphrase B

D. paraphrase D

These six sentences could form a paragraph. What is the best order to put them in to create an organized, cohesive paragraph?

1.

Western culture has only recently "accepted" tattoos.

2.

Before the 1970s, tattoos were generally reserved for soldiers or sailors, but their popularity has grown over the past few years.

3.

Tattoos are a form of body modification and self-expressive "art."

4.

Now it is common to see tattoos of all shapes and sizes on people from all walks of life.

5.

Many cultures have used tattoos as a rite of passage or to indicate social rank or status for hundreds of years.

6.

Each has its own significance and meaning to the individual person.

A. sentence 3, sentence 5, sentence 1, sentence 2, sentence 4, sentence 6

B. sentence 5, sentence 1, sentence 2, sentence 6, sentence 4, sentence 3

C. sentence 1, sentence 3, sentence 5, sentence 4, sentence 6, sentence 2

D. sentence 4, sentence 6, sentence 5, sentence 1, sentence 3, sentence 2

Which of these sentences does not use standard capitalization?

A. Although she was invited, Alana claimed she was "way too busy" to join us for coffee.

B. Sarah asked, "Where are we going tonight after the movie?"

C. Harry applied to start college in the spring, as he planned to take a "gap semester" in the fall after his high school graduation.

D. Traveling from Alaska to Argentina on a motorcycle: this was the trip he had waited his whole life to take.

Which piecewise function below matches the attached graph?

A. d

B. a

C. b

D. c

The distance between A = (2, 15) and B = (x, 3) is 13 units. The domain values for B could be ____.

A. -3 or 7

B. -2 or 0

C. -13 or 15

D. -2 or 1

For the distributions shown in the attached image, which will be the better measure of the center of the data set?

A. mean or median

B. median or mode

C. mean only

D. mode only

In this survey (results attached), what is the relative frequency of seniors attending the game?

A. 0.46

B. 0.41

C. 0.23

D. 0.50

A student is writing a persuasive speech for his speech class about the value of fine arts programs in public education, Read the paragraphs from the student's draft and complete the task that follows.

Value of the Arts

Fine arts programs in public education furnish critical thinking. Artists must evaluate their work for form and substance to ensure it accurately represents their vision and make any adjustments that are needed. Musicians must practice their

skills continually and evaluate accuracy of their performance.

Arts programs also encourage goal setting. Both artists and musicians must make a vision of what they want their skills to be, and work to achieve that vision. They must constantly evaluate their abilities and decide what they must do to reach

their goals. Goal setting is a skill that will be valuable to them not only in the arts, but also in other areas of life.

What are more concrete or specific words to replace the two underlined words? (Choose two.)

A. promote

B. provide

C. supply

D. establish

E. implement

F. start