Choice B is the best answer. The second sentence of the last
paragraph says that Alexander Volkov and his colleagues “first
demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap
to close.” In this context, the word “demonstrated” most nearly means
established.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because in the context of
scientists showing what causes the Venus flytrap to close, the
word “demonstrated” most nearly means established, not protested
(choice A), performed (choice C), or argued (choice D).
QUESTION 50
Choice B is the best answer. As described in the third paragraph,
Hodick and Sievers’s model emphasizes that the Venus flytrap closes
by means of an electrical charge triggered when the plant’s hairs are
touched. But as explained in the last paragraph, when Alexander
Volkov tested this model, the design of his experiment involved the
direct application of an electrical charge, which “made the trap close
without any direct touch to its trigger hairs.” Therefore, Volkov’s
work could be criticized because his design omitted, rather than
corroborated, a central element of Hodick and Sievers’s model—
namely, the physical stimulation of the hairs.
Choice A is incorrect because although the last paragraph explains
that Volkov omitted an element of Hodick and Sievers’s model when
designing his own experiment, there is no suggestion that he did so
out of a faulty understanding of their model. Choice C is incorrect
because it is impossible to know from the passage if Hodick and
Sievers would have objected to Volkov’s methods. Choice D is incorrect
because the passage doesn’t indicate whether the technology Volkov
used had been available to Hodick and Sievers when they formulated
their model.
ANSwER ExPlANATIONS
| SAT Practice Test #8 QUESTION 51
