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

Section 51
Practice Test Six 529
of millions and more, but in the beginning our
main social grouping was in tribes or clans of
no more than a few hundred individuals. Each
tribe had to compete for food, land, and other
(85) resources, making skirmishes between neighboring
groups inevitable and frequent. The presence
of an outsider generally meant trouble, and thus
adherence to a common language and belief system
both ensured the acceptance of the individual
(90) within his tribe and preserved the group's integrity,
helping it to remain united against external
forces. Conformity thus became an adaptation for
survival; no individual wished to be cut off from
the group and left all alone to deal with the many
(95) dangers of the outside world.
In the modern day, of course, we live in much
larger societies that make many of the cultural values
of our tribal ancestors obsolete. Nevertheless,
the desire for group acceptance still runs deep
(100) in our veins, and its results can be seen all the
way from nations and political parties to street
gangs and sports teams. Though our behavior is
far more complex than that of dogs and gorillas,
the principle is the same; we flock to those who
( 105) share our tastes, interests, and beliefs because deep
down, we believe that they will protect us against
competing groups who may insult or even attack
us. Still, we humans have one advantage that
other social animals lack: the ability to reason and
( 110) make discerning choices about the groups we join,
enabling us to form alliances that work for the
common good rather than simply struggling for
our own survival.
13. One technique employed by the author of Passage
1 but not the author of Passage 2 is that of
(A) addressing the reader directly
(B) providing historical background
( C) relating examples from the natural world
(D) applying his argument to social issues
(E) viciously attacking his opponents
14. In Passage l, the phrase "While all of these
attributes sound reasonable enough" (lines 8-9)
implies that the author believes that
(A) they are the defining characteristics of the
human species
(B) these adaptations are useful but not unique
(C) such qualities are useless luxuries with no
survival value
(D) no single trait distinguishes human beings
from animals
(E) human beings would be helpless without
them
15. In line 22, the word "serve" most nearly means
(A) obey
(B) help
(C) deliver
(D) provide
(E) accumulate
16. The quotation marks in lines 42-43 most nearly
serve to
(A) express a tone of sarcasm
(B) make reference to a distinguished source
(C) draw extra attention to a crucial phrase
(D) indicate the author's disagreement with the
phrase
(E) set apart an unusual bit of terminology
17. In Passage l, the author's use of the word
"birthright" (line 46) suggests that language is
(A) inherited rather than earned
(B) common rather than unique
( C) deserved rather than desired
(D) artificial rather than natural
(E) cultural rather than universal
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