4. The mastodon, a large mammal resembling today's elephant, became extinct at the end of the Ice Age. Scientists once attributed the mastodon's extinction to the disappearance of evergreen forests at the end of the Ice Age. More recently, however, scientists have rejected that theory, hypothesizing instead that the mastodon's extinction was caused by the draining of glacial wetlands. Which of the following, if recently discovered, would help to account for the change in the accepted explanation of the mastodon's extinction? (A) When the Ice Age ended, many forests died off, endangering the food supply for herbivores that fed primarily on evergreens. (B) As glaciers receded at the end of the Ice Age, glacial wetlands drained, leaving a new topography of hills and plains. (C) Bacteria found in mastodon remains are similar to bacteria found in the remains of species that are known to have fed on evergreens. (D) The mastodon's diet consisted primarily of water plants such as marsh grasses and water lilies. (E) Evergreen forests were inhabited by many species of large mammals until the end of the Ice Age. The key is D...I don't know why...What about C? 14. The recycling of municipal solid waste is widely seen as an environmentally preferable alternative to the prevailing practices of incineration and of dumping in landfills. Recycling is profitable, as the recycling programs already in operation demonstrate. A state legislator proposes that communities should therefore be required to adopt recycling and to reach the target of recycling 50 percent of all solid waste within 5 years. Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls into question the advisability of implementing the proposal? (A) Existing recycling programs have been voluntary, with citizen participation ranging from 30 percent in some communities to 80 percent in others. (B) Existing recycling programs have been restricted to that 20 percent of solid waste that, when reprocessed, can match processed raw materials in quality and price. (C) Existing recycling programs have had recurrent difficulties finding purchasers for their materials usually because of quantities too small to permit cost-effective pickup and transportation. (D) Some of the materials that can be recycled are the very materials that, when incinerated, produce the least pollution. (E) Many of the materials that cannot be recycled are also difficult to incinerate. The key is B...I don't know why... 15. A recent survey found that more computers than copies of computer programs were purchased by Germans last year. The best interpretation of this finding is that the practice of illegally duplicating commercial computer programs is widespread among Germans. Each of the following, if true, would counter some reasonable objection to the interpretation advanced above EXCEPT: (A) Few German computer users write their own computer programs. (B) There are few free noncommercial computer programs available in Germany. (C) Some Germans purchase computers outside of Germany for use in Germany, and such purchases were counted in the survey. (D) The typical German computer user has several commercially written computer programs on his or her computer. (E) Many Germans legally make duplicates of commercial computer programs, but such duplicates were counted as purchased copies in the survey. The key is C...I don't understand the question.... Thanks so much......... |