12.Practice.Tests.for.the.SAT_2015-2016_1128p

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Section 6
Practice Test Two
The purpose of these exhibits is not to provide
viewers with a complex and thorough under-
(85) standing of a particular phenomenon-there are
whole college courses for that-but to introduce
them to an area of knowledge that they have not
been exposed to before and inspire them to want
to learn more. Not only that, but the exhibits
(90) are presented with nested layers of knowledge,
footnotes and references and further reading, so
that the portion of the audience that does have a
background in the topic will have something new
to chew on as well.
(95) Improved understanding of different peoples'
learning styles has led to entirely new exhibit
types, such as the much-maligned interactive
stations where viewers can participate in the quest
for knowledge in a more active way. These exhib-
(100) its, far from being passive learning tools, engage
a visitor's kinesthetic sense to give information
another path into the brain. These tools are meant
to increase the value of the museum visit by providing
a variety of experiences, not just passive
( 105) viewing and label reading, along the way. One
exhibit might allow a visitor to operate an antique
machine by proxy or allow visitors to choose
between different aspects of the exhibit that they
wish to have more information about.
(1 10) It's true that there may be a shift in the mission
statement of the museum as we know it. Instead
of providing specialized scholars with more and
more arcane knowledge about their topic, museums
are encouraging laypeople and the generally
( 115) educated to interact and to be inspired by things
their minds have not encompassed before. These
public institutions are heading in the right direction:
to be more and more useful to-who else?­
the public.
13.
14.
15.
What would the authors of both passages probably
agree is the main purpose of a museum?
(A) to inspire visitors to learn more about the
topics on display
(B) to help visitors develop a complex and
thorough understanding of relevant concepts
(C) to be a fun place to visit
(D) to raise funds to complete new exhibits
(E) to provide specialized scholars with in-depth
research material
What does the author of Passage 1 claim is the
cause of "the worst of such results" (line 11)?
(A) the decline in education of the visitors
(B) entertaining interactive displays
(C) a museum curator's belief that the museum
content is too difficult for visitors to
understand
(D) a museum curator who fails to understand
that different people have different learning
styles
(E) a decline in federal funding for museums
In Passage 1, "interactive" exhibits (line 26) are
mentioned in order to provide an example of
(A) a way that museums have broadened their
exhibits to appeal to different learning styles
(B) a way that museums have "dumbed down"
their content
( C) a method for raising funds to forestall the
current crisis in museums
(D) a tactic museums use to cater to specialized
scholars
(E) the way that visitors have influenced the
evolution of museum exhibits
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