Command Of Evidence Mock Tests

Read the following passage about language acquisition: Noam Chomsky proposed that humans are born with an innate capacity for language, which he called the Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Critics argue that children's language abilities emerge from social interaction rather than biological programming. A 2021 study by researchers at MIT and Stanford examined bilingual children aged two to four and found that both genetic markers and environmental factors significantly influenced the age at which children began speaking. Which choice best describes the relationship between the second and third sentences?

As part of a research abstract: "Our study examined the effects of sleep deprivation on decision-making in adult participants. Those who slept fewer than five hours per night for three consecutive days performed significantly worse on risk-assessment tasks than the control group, suggesting that even short-term sleep loss impairs cognitive function related to judgment." What can be inferred about the control group from the passage?

As part of an economic report on the gig economy: "The rise of platform-based work has created a new category of employment that defies traditional classification. Delivery drivers, freelance writers, and ride-share operators are technically independent contractors, yet many depend exclusively on a single platform for their income. This dependency raises questions about worker protections that were designed for the employer-employee relationship of the twentieth century." The passage suggests that gig workers differ from traditional independent contractors because they: a) work exclusively for government platforms b) often rely on a single platform for their livelihood c) receive more legal protections than employees d) are not affected by twentieth-century labor laws

Read the following passage about the development of antibiotics: "Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 when he noticed that a mold called Penicillium had killed bacteria in a petri dish. However, it was not until 1938 that Howard Florey and Ernst Chain developed a method to purify and mass-produce penicillin. During World War II, penicillin saved countless soldiers' lives by treating infected wounds." Which finding, if true, would most directly challenge the passage's implication about Fleming's role?

In this passage from a biography: "As a young girl in rural Illinois, Marie Curie excelled in mathematics and physics, despite the fact that women were largely excluded from higher education at the time. Her determination led her to attend the flying university, a clandestine institution that offered higher education to Polish women." What can be inferred about the flying university?

Read the following passage about the water cycle: "Evaporation occurs when solar radiation heats liquid water, causing it to transform into water vapor that rises into the atmosphere. Condensation follows when this vapor cools and forms clouds. Precipitation then returns water to Earth as rain, snow, or hail. This continuous cycle distributes freshwater across the globe, sustaining ecosystems and human civilizations." Which choice, if true, would most weaken the passage's claim about the importance of the water cycle?

Read the following passage: "Earth's magnetic field is generated by the geodynamo effect, which occurs in the planet's outer core. The outer core consists of molten iron and nickel, and the convection currents within this liquid metal, combined with Earth's rotation, create electric currents that produce the magnetic field. Unlike Earth's solid inner core, the fluid outer core allows for continuous motion, which is essential for maintaining the magnetic field." According to the passage, what would most likely happen if the outer core were to solidify?

As part of a passage about the development of the telescope: "Before Galileo turned a Dutch lens design toward the sky in 1609, astronomers had mapped the positions of planets using only the naked eye. Galileo's observations — of Jupiter's moons, the craters on the Moon, and the phases of Venus — provided empirical evidence that not all celestial bodies orbit the Earth. These findings directly challenged the geocentric model that had dominated Western thought for nearly two millennia." What does the passage suggest about the significance of Galileo's observations?