New York City SHSAT 2017

Which of the following best describes why the Galapagos Rift is called “a surprisingly congenial environment for

life” (line 22)?

36.

(F) Chemosynthetic bacteria do not generally provide life-sustaining nourishment.

(G) Previous searches of the Galapagos Rift had not revealed the presence of any ecosystems.

(H) Tube worms found there are larger than any known to exist on dry land.

(J) The water temperature at depths of 7,000 feet is too low to sustain life.

(K) Scientists had not expected to find life in volcanically active underwater areas.

37. What does the term “primary producers” (line 31) refer to?

(A) producers of new and exciting scientific discoveries

(B) organisms that serve as the first link in an ecosystem’s food chain

(C) organisms that consume other organisms in a food chain

(D) simple chemicals that can be transformed into more complex compounds

(E) geologic formations, such as deep-sea vents, that support an independent ecosystem

38. Which of the following conclusions about photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms is supported by this passage?

(F) Both perform similar functions in different food chains.

(G) Both are known to support communities of higher organisms at great ocean depths.

(H) Sunlight is a basic source of energy for both.

(J) Chemosynthetic organisms are less nourishing than photosynthetic organisms.

(K) Chemosynthetic organisms always thrive in environments that cannot support photosynthetic organisms.

The dancer and choreographer Martha Graham is
regarded as one of the outstanding innovators in the
history of dance. In a career that lasted over 50 years,
Graham created more than 170 works ranging from
( 5 ) solos to large-scale pieces and danced in most of them
herself. Trained in a variety of different international
styles of dance, she set out in the mid-1920s to break
away from the rigid traditions of classical ballet. She
wanted to create new dance forms and movements that
( 10 )would reflect the changed atmosphere of the postwar
period.
Her early dances reflect this spirit. She rejected