Correct Answer: promote reflection on different scientific perspectives
Passage Reference: real science should encourage critical thinking
Why this is correct: Look at the first sentence. Lee believes “real science should encourage critical thinking,” even if that means questioning the textbook. So Lee wants students to think about different views.
Tips: For a “main objective” question, look for words like “believes” or “my job is.” These often show what a person is trying to do.
Why the other options are wrong:
- win arguments with her fellow teachers: Lee disagrees with other teachers, but her aim is to help students think. Winning debates is not the goal.
- make sure students master the textbook content: Lee wants students to question the textbook, not just learn it by heart.
- prepare students for university science exams: Exams and university are never mentioned in the feature.
Correct Answer: they typically present information from particular vantage points
Passage Reference: textbooks often monopolize certain viewpoints and push them as the only truth
Why this is correct: In the second paragraph, Lee says textbooks “monopolize certain viewpoints and push them as the only truth.” In other words, textbooks show only one angle.
Tips: When a question asks about the “main issue,” look for strong complaint words like “push” or “only.” The problem usually sits right there.
Why the other options are wrong:
- they promote low-standard research with no scientific credibility: Lee complains that textbooks leave out other views. Lee never calls their research weak.
- they reflect research sponsored by private businesses: Business sponsors are never mentioned in the feature.
- they are written at too difficult a reading level: Lee never says textbooks are hard to read. The worry is one-sided content.
Correct Answer: she observes that historically the earth’s temperature has fluctuated
Passage Reference: throughout history, the earth's temperature has naturally risen and fallen
Why this is correct: At the end of the second paragraph, Lee also taught that “the earth’s temperature has naturally risen and fallen” over history. The textbook does not give this view.
Tips: For a “differs from” question, find what the person adds that the other side does not say. Words like “also” or “not only” can help.
Why the other options are wrong:
- she agrees it is actually a chiefly human-caused phenomenon: This is the textbook’s view, and Lee calls it “little more than propaganda.”
- she argues that fossil fuel consumption is mostly to blame: Lee says carbon dioxide changes “have not been proven to be the primary cause.”
- she demonstrates that the temperature around the world has mainly dropped: Lee says temperatures have both gone up and come down, not mainly dropped.
Correct Answer: it could be misleading for some students
Passage Reference: Other science teachers at Lee's school have raised concerns that Lee's approach is only confusing students
Why this is correct: The third paragraph says other teachers think Lee’s approach “is only confusing students.” Harvey adds that it makes students “dismiss valuable textbook information.”
Tips: A “criticism” question usually points to words like “concerns” or “confusing.” Read who complains and what exactly they say.
Why the other options are wrong:
- it ignores controversy in the scientific community: Harvey says the opposite. The greenhouse effect “is not a controversy in the scientific community.”
- it takes up too much class time: No teacher complains about class time. The worry is that students get confused.
- it lacks a historical perspective: Lee does teach history. Lee shows that temperatures have gone up and down over time.
Correct Answer: arguing multiple perspectives ought to be part of learning science
Passage Reference: science should not shy away from evaluating multiple perspectives
Why this is correct: In the last paragraph, Lee says science “should not shy away from evaluating multiple perspectives.” Lee adds that the job is to help students “analyze both theories.”
Tips: When a question asks how someone responds, go to the paragraph that starts with “disagrees” or “responds.” The reply usually follows.
Why the other options are wrong:
- questioning whether her colleagues really understand the science: Lee disagrees with colleagues but never questions what they know about science.
- promising to use only the textbook from now on: Lee says students should not “simply accept the one presented in the textbook.”
- highlighting how well her students have accepted her approach: Lee never mentions how students have reacted to the lessons.
Correct Answer: scientists do not dispute the greenhouse effect
Passage Reference: the greenhouse gas effect and subsequent global warming is not a controversy in the scientific community
Why this is correct: In the third paragraph, Harvey says the greenhouse effect and global warming are “not a controversy in the scientific community.” In other words, scientists do not argue about it.
Tips: When the comment says someone “reminds us,” go back to that person’s words in the text. The blank often restates their main point.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the school’s textbooks are badly out of date: Harvey says the opposite: “Our textbooks are up to date.”
- students have complained about Lee’s lessons: The concerns come from other teachers, not from students.
- Lee should be removed from the classroom: Harvey criticizes Lee’s approach but never asks for Lee to be removed.
Correct Answer: a roughly 30 percent rise in greenhouse gases
Passage Reference: humans have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by roughly 30% in the last 100 years
Why this is correct: The third paragraph says humans have raised greenhouse gases “by roughly 30% in the last 100 years.” That is a fact the textbook side can use.
Tips: When the blank needs a fact or a number, check every detail in the option. One wrong date or amount makes the option wrong.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a doubling of carbon dioxide since 1990: The feature gives a rise of about 30% over 100 years, not a doubling since 1990.
- a steady drop in global temperatures: Nothing says temperatures are dropping. Lee only says they have gone up and down over history.
- a century of stable ocean levels: Ocean levels are never mentioned in the feature.
Correct Answer: The issue of climate change and global warming
Passage Reference: Part of the curriculum involves learning about climate change
Why this is correct: The first paragraph says part of the course is “learning about climate change.” This is the topic Lee chose to focus on and criticize.
Tips: If the blank starts a sentence, read the words after it too. They tell you what kind of thing the blank must be.
Why the other options are wrong:
- The value of reading original research in class: Lee mentions research only to support a point about carbon dioxide. Reading research in class is not the focus.
- The question of changing the school’s curriculum: Lee challenges the textbook material, not the school’s course plan.
- The cost of new science textbooks: Textbook prices are never mentioned.
Correct Answer: make choices about which theories should be taught
Passage Reference: Lee taught her students additional perspectives
Why this is correct: The second paragraph says “Lee taught her students additional perspectives.” Lee chose, on her own, which theories to add to the textbook.
Tips: Think about what the person actually did in the text. The comment often describes that action in more general words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- decide which students may take science courses: Lee chooses what to teach, not who may take the course.
- create tests that measure scientific knowledge: Tests are never mentioned in the feature.
- dictate how researchers should carry out their investigations: Lee comments on research results but never tells researchers how to work.
Correct Answer: the theory that humans cause warming
Passage Reference: Not only did she teach the theory of anthropogenic global warming
Why this is correct: The second paragraph says Lee “not only” taught natural temperature change. Lee also taught “the theory of anthropogenic global warming,” which means warming caused by people.
Tips: “Alongside” means “together with.” Look for a “not only … but also” sentence to find the two things someone did.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a lesson on ocean currents: Ocean currents do not come up anywhere in the feature.
- a unit on renewable energy: Nothing in the feature talks about renewable energy.
- a debate about nuclear power: The feature does not discuss nuclear power at all.
