<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<competency testname="Adaptive Reading Test 7" shuffle_choices="1" shuffle_questions="0" displaytype="list">
<direction><![CDATA[Choose the best answer to each question.]]></direction>
<qa name="q331" theta="2.29411764705882" difficulty="0.269230769230769" discrimination="0.471042202908656" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1390" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[<em>The Hubble Space Telescope has observed what looks to be plumes emanating from Europa.<br><br></em>Which phrase helps explain the meaning of "emanating"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[spewing into space]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[vaporizing in the sky]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[spiraling out of control]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[drawing ever closer]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1037" theta="-0.647058823529415" difficulty="0.647058823529412" discrimination="0.456511348212856" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="890" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[America beckons, but Americans repel” is an old immigrant saying translated into many languages, says historian Alan Kraut.<br><br></em>What two words would BEST replace beckons" and "repel" in this sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[invites; resist]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[demands; push]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[dismisses; refuse]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[entices; duel]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q863" theta="2.64705882352941" difficulty="0.222222222222222" discrimination="0.640577208454181" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1450" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[NASA will have first dibs on a similar mission if it so chooses, Musk said. The space agency learned of his plan at the same time as reporters and was busy preparing a statement following the announcement. NASA sent several Apollo moon missions, with the last in 1972.<br><br></em>Which phrase from the paragraph helps you understand that NASA would have priority to carry out a mission of this kind?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[first dibs]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[busy preparing]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[so chooses]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[space agency]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q836" theta="-1.23529411764706" difficulty="0.727272727272727" discrimination="0.390448154553775" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="790" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Those opposing Trump's policies have made Lazarus' words their rallying cry. They say the poetic lines are proof that American liberty means welcoming those in need, not shunning them.<br><br></em>Which word could replace "shunning" without changing the meaning of the second sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[rejecting]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[evading]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[sanctioning]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[tolerating]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1029" theta="-0.352941176470591" difficulty="0.615384615384615" discrimination="0.519336108905447" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="940" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In September of the same year, he was elected president of the governing council, going on to contend with a difficult winter.<br><br></em>What does the verb "contend" convey in this sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[a sense of struggle against new adversities]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense of anger at the hardships that were to be faced]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense of confusion about how people would survive]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[a sense of excitement at the element of the unknown]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q539" theta="-2.41176470588236" difficulty="0.875" discrimination="0.353409233935251" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="590" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Many people are curious about Thalia Arenas. They ask her how she can be both Muslim and Mexican.<br><br></em>What is the BEST definition of "curious" based on the information in the paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[wanting to learn more]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[acting very angry]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[becoming glad]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[feeling a little sad]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q751" theta="2.35294117647058" difficulty="0.263157894736842" discrimination="0.608682231439594" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1400" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The fact that we are unaware of this amazing reflex just goes to show how much important undercover work the balance system does for us.<br><br></em>What does the phrase "undercover work" mean in the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[work that is unseen]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[work that has some risks]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[work that involves investigation]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[work that is kept private]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q62" theta="-0.58823529411765" difficulty="0.636363636363636" discrimination="0.441315178831161" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="900" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Select the sentence that contains a word that is an antonym for "protected."]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[All of the teens in Urban Warriors regularly face dangerous situations.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[They tell of losing friends and seeing people shot at. Each week, a kid seemed to arrive with a fresh battle story.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[In the third shooting, Sammy, who is not in a gang, escaped a spray of gunfire on a porch where he was sitting.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[As the smell of barbecuing fills the air and hip-hop thumps from a speaker, two inner-city teens are playing hard.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1152" theta="0.941176470588232" difficulty="0.444444444444444" discrimination="0.557062512351726" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1160" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The Lidar system, at about $200,000, is prohibitively expensive for many forecasters whose agencies rely on government funding and donations as well as for many safety teams that use explosives to blast potential avalanche areas near highways, railroads and in ski resorts to create controlled slides, Schwartz said. And that system can’t reveal the level of detail in the snowpack’s layering that Schwartz and his colleagues need, he said.<br><br></em>Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this selection?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[The Lidar system is not a very useful tool for avalanche forecasters.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Lidar system is well worth the high cost associated with it.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Lidar system will help forecasters predict future avalanches.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[The Lidar system will save many lives in the future.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q6" theta="0.882352941176468" difficulty="0.454545454545455" discrimination="0.250030523167198" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1150" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In 2011, people in Syria began to peacefully protest the government. The government responded violently. It killed hundreds of people.<br><br></em>What is the BEST definition of "protest" based on the information in the paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[disapprove]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[support]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[fight]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[protect]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q32" theta="-0.470588235294121" difficulty="0.625" discrimination="0.484434138636445" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="920" category="752" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Select the sentence that contains a word that means "to grow very quickly."]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[New construction is booming.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Then those cities became more crowded and expensive.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Something about Cleveland was beginning to bring back young people.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Cleveland residents say it means the city is coming back from hard times.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q446" theta="-3" difficulty="0.944444444444444" discrimination="0.452259923991761" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="490" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[During a trip, Smith was captured by a group of Native Americans. They took him to their chief, Powhatan.<br><br></em>Which word could replace "captured" WITHOUT changing its meaning?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[caught]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[met]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[rescued]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[visited]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q429" theta="-0.235294117647062" difficulty="0.590909090909091" discrimination="0.505097502141867" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="960" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The Great Plains are in the middle of the country and stretch from Canada to Mexico. They are made up of flat plains. The Plains have everything from forests to deserts. There are very different kinds of weather here.<br><br></em>Based on the paragraph, what does the word "plains" mean in the first and second sentences?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[areas of land that have no tall mountains]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[areas of land that are bordered by the ocean]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[areas of land that are covered by water]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[areas of land that have no tall plants]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q83" theta="0.823529411764703" difficulty="0.458333333333333" discrimination="0.425425528316085" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1140" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Select the sentence that contains a word that is an antonym for "disappointed."]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Castellanos says he's pleased, but pushes for improvement.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Don't fear going overboard, he tells them. "The farther you go, the more dramatic the shift it's gonna be crazy!"]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[At first she was afraid of getting onstage, and she was shocked when she was chosen for the WordSpeak team the following year.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Roach says she's the only artist in a family focused on sports and business.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q556" theta="-2.11764705882353" difficulty="0.833333333333333" discrimination="0.403206833849248" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="640" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[America has millions of Muslim citizens. They make an incredibly important contribution to our country.<br><br></em>Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, soldiers, businessmen and shopkeepers. They are moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. As angry as we may feel, we Americans must treat all our fellow Americans with respect.<br><br></em>What does Bush mean by saying Muslim citizens make a "contribution" to the country in the second sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Muslim citizens live good lives and improve the community.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Muslim citizens are the most important citizens in the country.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Muslim citizens give money to politicians.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Muslim citizens own many big businesses.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q706" theta="0.41176470588235" difficulty="0.526315789473684" discrimination="0.540514601785159" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1070" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[We'll do everything we can to minimize that risk, but it's not zero. But they're coming into this with their eyes open, said Musk.<br><br></em>Which of the following words, if it replaced the word "minimize" in the first sentence, would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[expand]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[lessen]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[lower]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[reduce]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q607" theta="-0.764705882352944" difficulty="0.666666666666667" discrimination="0.542404478193493" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="870" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Scientists then found that exposure to even dead viruses helped protect the body from falling sick. Scientists then placed dead or weak viruses in vaccines.<br><br></em>What does the author mean by "exposure" in the sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[contact with]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[infection from]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[knowledge of]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[protection from]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q633" theta="-2.29411764705883" difficulty="0.857142857142857" discrimination="0.566140051568474" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="610" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The 1970s brought an energy crisis.<br><br></em>Which phrase BEST helps you understand the meaning of "energy crisis"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[Oil and gas were in short supply]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[conflicts in the Middle East]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[daylight saving became widely used]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[much of the oil used in the United States]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q519" theta="-2" difficulty="0.818181818181818" discrimination="0.499878763117671" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="660" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In this plan, the people vote for other people to make decisions for them. The people who get votes are called representatives. They work in Congress.<br><br></em>A "representative" is a __________]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[person chosen to make decisions for the people.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[person who votes for a new kind of government.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[vote made directly by the people.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[vote to change the kind of government.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q1068" theta="-1.94117647058824" difficulty="0.80952380952381" discrimination="0.245940666490273" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="670" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[But I am now & always will be too old & that's the truth & I can't get away from the fact that you're just a boy - a kid.<br><br></em>What is the effect of calling Hemingway "just a boy"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It creates distance between them by pointing out his immaturity.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It encourages him by showing intimacy between them.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It illustrates the reason she thinks he will be successful.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It suggests that he is fun and interesting to be with.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q601" theta="-0.882352941176474" difficulty="0.684210526315789" discrimination="0.366097095224289" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="850" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The satellite was named Sputnik. “Sputnik” is Russian for “traveling companion.”<br><br></em>Which phrase helps you understand what a "satellite" is?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[orbit around the Earth]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[giant country]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[important event]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[the night sky]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q22" theta="-0.647058823529415" difficulty="0.647058823529412" discrimination="0.34275722819879" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="890" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Its lineup was talked about frequently and the players were filmed everywhere they went.<br><br></em>Which word means the same thing as "frequently" as it is used in the above sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[regularly]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[vastly]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[commonly]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[rarely]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q902" theta="0.235294117647056" difficulty="0.541666666666667" discrimination="0.404344901410224" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1040" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The team stumbled across a clue to the creatures’ whereabouts thanks to a YouTube video of a Philippine television news report. They asked academics in the region about possible locations and subsequently located a crop of the tubes in a lagoon full of rotting wood.<br><br></em>How does the phrase "stumbled across" affect the meaning of the first sentence?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It indicates that the team found the clue by accident.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It indicates that the team made an error when it found the clue.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It suggests that the team found the clue when it tripped over some rotting wood.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[It suggests that the team was awkward at first as it searched for the clue.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q872" theta="0.588235294117644" difficulty="0.5" discrimination="0.61870654352999" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1100" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Gutting the Clean Power Plan is a colossal mistake and defies science itself. Erasing climate change may take place in Donald Trump's mind, but nowhere else, Brown said.<br><br></em>Which two words could BEST replace "colossal" and "defies" in the sentence above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[huge and ignores]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[possible and challenges]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[recent and resists]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[serious and changes]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q685" theta="-2.47058823529412" difficulty="0.882352941176471" discrimination="0.470427876650754" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="580" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The Vietnam War was accompanied every step of the way by a soundtrack that captured the effects of the war. Like the anti-war movement itself, this soundtrack began without a huge audience. But by the war's end it had developed a large following.<br><br></em>What does the author mean by stating that anti-war music "developed a large following"?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[It became very popular.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[Many people disliked it.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[More people created it.]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[People protested against it.]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q841" theta="0.588235294117644" difficulty="0.5" discrimination="0.604415767388672" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="1100" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[The amount of splicing in humans is extensive, and typically several gene products are made from each gene.<br><br></em>Which two words would BEST replace "extensive" and "typically" in the excerpt above?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[large; generally]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[narrow; usually]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[stretching; average]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[wide; abnormally]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q47" theta="-1.35294117647059" difficulty="0.736842105263158" discrimination="0.547789430413968" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="770" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[In 1776, the American colonists would fight against Britain's rule in the Revolutionary War. They wanted to be their own country.<br><br></em> However, the struggle between the colonists and Britain started years earlier.<br><br></em>Which word could replace "struggle" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the second paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[conflict]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[war]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[offer]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[jump]]></answer></qa>
<qa name="q828" theta="-2.41176470588236" difficulty="0.875" discrimination="0.354526149012865" guessing="0.25" distraction="1.702" group="590" category="" correct_goto="" incorrect_goto="" branch_using=""><question><![CDATA[Fisheries are likely to be harmed by climate change. Many species will move north in search of cooler water. This shift in location is expected to cause local declines in species including lobster and cod. New diseases could also harm fish species.<br><br></em>Which answer choice is the BEST definition of the word "declines" as used in the paragraph?]]></question><answer goto="" value="1"><![CDATA[decreases]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[developments]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[strengthening]]></answer><answer goto="" value="0"><![CDATA[upgrades]]></answer></qa>
</competency>