Practice 8

1)
The ancient city of Teotihuacán in central Mexico was meticulously planned, with its Avenue of the Dead and pyramids aligned to celestial events. Scholars argue that this alignment was not coincidental but ______, reflecting a cosmological vision that integrated urban design with astronomical knowledge.

2)
The quipu, a system of knotted cords used by the Inca for record-keeping, is often misunderstood as merely a numerical tool. In fact, recent scholarship suggests it may have encoded narrative, administrative, and even ritual information — making it a ______ component of Incan governance and culture.

3)
Certain species of cleaner shrimp and reef fish engage in mutualistic interactions: the shrimp remove parasites from the fish, while the fish provide protection and access to food scraps. This ______ arrangement ensures survival advantages for both parties, reinforcing evolutionary stability in coral reef ecosystems.

4)
Prior to the 1970s, U.S. environmental policy lacked a mechanism to systematically assess the ecological consequences of federal projects. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) introduced the Environmental Impact Statement, a document that could be ______ to compel agencies to consider alternatives and mitigate harm.

“The first time I saw my mother cry, she was laughing. It was New Year’s Eve, 1999. Fireworks burst above us like silent stars. She clutched her stomach, tears rolling down her cheeks — not from sorrow, but from the sheer absurdity of surviving this long.”

6)
Biologists once assumed that tardigrades, or “water bears,” enter cryptobiosis — a near-death metabolic pause — only under extreme dehydration. However, Noa Haim and colleagues propose that tardigrades also use cryptobiosis to survive freezing temperatures. 

7)
Researchers trained octopuses to navigate mazes using visual cues. Even when the maze was rotated or submerged, the octopuses consistently reached the reward zone. The study suggests that octopuses possess spatial memory not limited to a single sensory modality or environmental context — a trait previously thought to be exclusive to vertebrates.

8)
Percentage of Students Participating in Extracurricular Activities, by School Division

Education researcher Dr. Ana Ribeiro examined patterns of extracurricular participation across three school divisions. She noted that certain activities consistently drew a large portion of students, and in some cases, involved nearly half the student body. For instance, ______

9) Percentage of Households Using Renewable Energy Sources, by Region

Environmental scientist Dr. Karim Hassan compared household adoption of renewable energy across three regions. He emphasized that some sources of energy were clearly favored in specific areas, while others showed more balanced usage. For example, ______

10)
In 2015, a landmark study linked glyphosate exposure to increased cancer risk in agricultural workers. However, the study’s cohort was limited to workers in only two U.S. states, and follow-up analyses noted potential confounding variables such as concurrent pesticide use. Subsequent meta-analyses have urged caution in generalizing the findings.

11)
While nectar volume and sugar concentration are often assumed to drive pollinator preference, field studies of bumblebees visiting Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) revealed that flower shape and landing platform size were stronger predictors of visitation frequency. Even flowers with low nectar rewards received frequent visits if their morphology matched the bees’ physical capabilities.

12)
As Arctic permafrost thaws, invasive grasses like Calamagrostis epigejos are colonizing regions previously dominated by mosses and lichens. Ecologists hypothesize that invasives benefit more from extended growing seasons than native tundra species. To test this, researchers compared growth rates under simulated late-frost conditions.

13)
Recruiting participants for mental health studies in remote Indigenous communities presents logistical and cultural challenges. Researchers tested “community ambassador” recruitment — enlisting local leaders to explain the study and invite participation. Retention rates were 40% higher than with external recruiters, suggesting that ______.

14)
Snow leopards and Himalayan wolves both inhabit high-altitude ecosystems. Researchers found that while snow leopards prefer steep, rocky terrain for stalking prey, wolves favor open valleys for pack hunting. Both, however, avoid areas with high human activity. Thus, neither species is likely to thrive in regions where ______.

15)
In chemistry, the atomic mass of an element represents the weighted average of all its naturally occurring isotopes. For example, chlorine ______ an atomic mass of approximately 35.45 u, reflecting the abundance of Cl-35 and Cl-37.

16)
Contemporary Nigerian authors — including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, and Akwaeke Emezi — ______ global acclaim in the 21st century, reshaping perceptions of African literature.

17)
The Catalan Atlas, created in 1375 by Abraham Cresques, is one of the most detailed medieval world maps. Housed today at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, it is among the few surviving maps from the Majorcan cartographic school, with the 1385 Atlas of Dulcert ______ another notable example.

18)
The bristlecone pine known as Methuselah, located in California’s White Mountains, is over 4,800 years old. Its growth rings, meticulously analyzed by dendrochronologists, provide a continuous climate record stretching back millennia ______ tree offers such an unbroken temporal window into Earth’s atmospheric history.

19)
Topographic isolation measures how far a peak is from any higher land. With an isolation of 2,253 kilometers, ______.

20)
The transit method, used to detect exoplanets, measures dips in a star’s brightness as a planet passes in front of it. This technique has identified thousands of distant worlds — ______ the Earth-sized Kepler-186f, orbiting a red dwarf 500 light-years away; the super-Earth 55 Cancri e; and the gas giant HD 209458 b.

21)
Fashion historian Valerie Steele attempted to reconstruct the bias-cut technique pioneered by Madeleine Vionnet in the 1920s. The method, ______ revolutionized women’s wear by allowing fabric to drape fluidly along the body’s curves, remains influential today.

22)
On July 15, 2022, researchers at the Mauna Loa Observatory recorded atmospheric CO₂ levels at ______ and 421.21 ppm at 6:00 p.m.

23)
Scientists initially hypothesized that the expansion of Burmese pythons in the Everglades was fueled by high reproductive rates. ______, tracking data revealed that python populations grow primarily due to low adult mortality and high survival of juveniles in predator-free environments.

24)
Many tech startups adopt whimsical names to stand out — think “Slack” or “Zoom.” The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, ______, chose a name evoking vigilance and collective defense, aligning with its mission to protect enterprise networks.

25)
Studies show that sulforaphane, a compound in broccoli sprouts, activates cellular detoxification pathways in mammals. ______, researchers are investigating whether dietary sulforaphane could reduce cancer risk in humans by enhancing the body’s natural defense mechanisms.

26)
The Jabberwock is a fictional beast from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem “Jabberwocky.” ______, its vivid description and cultural resonance made it a natural inclusion in Borges’s Book of Imaginary Beings, which catalogs mythical creatures from global literature.

27)
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was an anthropologist and key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
• Her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) is widely taught in American literature courses.
• She also published the folklore collection Mules and Men (1935).
The student wants to highlight Hurston’s literary significance.