Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

1) Which of the following discoveries would confirm Dr. Erickson’s findings?

Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

2) Based on the information in the passage, which of the following is not an indicator of a dinosaur’s age?

Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

3) The topic of this passage relates to the attempts of scientists to

Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

4) From the information presented in the passage, it seems that counting growth rings

Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

5) The author’s purpose in the passage is to

Passage #1:

[textwrap]The Tyrannosaurus Rex, which we typically refer to as T. Rex, is one of the most renowned of all dinosaurs due to its large mass. Recently with the assistance of computational biologists, scientists have gained new insights into the lifespan of the fascinating creature, and how these dinosaurs grew to be so large. The age of a T. Rex Dinosaur was found by simply counting the growth rings in certain bones of the animal’s body. The technique found it roots in the study of plants. Large woody trees are assigned their ages by dendrochronology, a process by which patterns of rings in a tree are analyzed. Using this technique, the scientist assigns a date to formation of each tree ring. By using dendrochronology, scientists have identified trees that lived as many as 11,000 years ago.

Recently this concept was applied to dinosaur fossils when Dr. Greg Erickson, a renowned archaeologist and his team, unexpectedly uncovered the growth rings in the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. These growth rings were subsequently used as indicators of the T. Rex’s age. By counting and analyzing the rings, Erickson and his team determined that T. Rex dinosaurs commenced their lives as ten pound hatchlings. Following their births, the dinosaurs grew to become enormous 12,000 pound titans. Erickson also determined that most of the growth took place between the ages of fourteen and eighteen in the dinosaur. This means that at twenty-five or thirty years of age, T. Rex dinosaurs were senior citizens. How long the dinosaur lived after entering old age is another subject of inquiry.

One technique that is used to assess or postulate T. Rex’s age is to compare its lifespan with those of animals that are living in today’s world. The natural selection is to use large animals with long lifespans such as elephants, and close relatives of the dinosaur such as crocodiles and birds. Both groups of animals enjoy long prosperous lives that end at a maximum of approximately eighty years old. So it is likely that T. Rex lived to about eighty years of age as well. Yet, there is one disadvantage of the T. Rex’s lifespan that could have decreased its life expectancy. As a carnivore, T. Rex had to engage in numerous battles to obtain its food. Daily, weekly, and monthly combat from year to year would have significantly reduced T. Rex’s lifespan.

Though the combat might have limited T. Rex, its fighting has helped with the dating of its fossils. The injuries and illnesses that T. Rex suffered throughout its life can be used to estimate its age. Doing so involves creating a timeline that starts with its birth as a hatchling and ends with its passing. If for instance a dinosaur is found with numerous broken ribs, a lot of puncture wounds, pulled tendons and ligament, a broken extremity, infections, and crushed vertebrae this is very telling of its age. It is virtually impossible to receive all of these injuries in a single fight without succumbing to them. Furthermore, if the injuries have completely healed they can be compared to injuries in large living animals in today’s world. In most cases, such a T. Rex would have lived a long and flourishing life. [/textwrap]

6) In the third paragraph, “natural selection” is used to mean