A Birthplace of Stars
The winter night I attempted to see the famed Orion Nebula, I didn’t expect to succeed. I was an inexperienced astronomer peering through (45) light-polluted skies. But I was eager to test my new telescope’s capabilities, and the nebula being (46) one of the greatest sights in the night sky.
So I bundled up, set out my scope to cool down (its mirrors must adjust to the cold air for optimal viewing), and scanned for the constellation Orion.
I had prepared for this night by studying constellations in my astronomy books. Orion appears as a hunter who, in some mythologies, (47) is fighting Taurus the Bull, another constellation. [A] Even in bright skies, the telltale three stars marking Orion’s belt has been (48) easy to spot. [B] I knew to follow the belt to Orion’s sword, a dim line of stars extending south. [C] The middle of these is actually not a star but a nebula, the Great Orion Nebula, a birthplace of stars. [D] When gravity causes the gas and dust to collapse, forming stars. (49)
The nebula, is home to thousands of young stars, is often called a galactic “nursery.” [51]
I centered my scope where the nebula should be, inserted my lowest-powered eyepiece, and leaned in to look. I just made out a dull smudge. I couldn’t get much improvement even when I adjusted the focuser. Coincidentally, (52) I switched to a higher-powered eyepiece and tried a trick I’d (53) read about for viewing faint objects: using averted vision.
The principle of averted vision states that the eye can often see distant objects better by looking to their one side (54) rather than directly at them. [55] I focused my eye on an area beside the smudge, and, sure enough, my peripheral vision yielded far more of a (56) better view of the nebula’s swirling clouds. I even saw the Trapezium star cluster, illuminated (57) by four bright young stars nestled in the nebula like birds’ eggs (58) in a nest. [59]
45.
A. NO CHANGE
B. astronomer, peering through,
C. astronomer: peering through
D. astronomer peering through,
46.
F. NO CHANGE
G. is by them said to be
H. is said to be
J. having been
47.
A. NO CHANGE
B. hunter, who in some mythologies,
C. hunter who, in some mythologies
D. hunter who in, some mythologies,
48.
F. NO CHANGE
G. were being
H. are
J. is
49.
A. NO CHANGE
B. collapse to form stars.
C. collapse, stars form.
D. collapse and form stars.
50.
F. NO CHANGE
G. nebula is home to thousands of young stars, and
H. nebula, home to thousands of young stars, and
J. nebula, home to thousands of young stars,
51. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the preceding paragraph:
Located 1,300 light-years from Earth, the nebula is a massive cloud of gas and dust. This sentence would most logically be placed at:
A. Point A.
B. Point B.
C. Point C.
D. Point D.
52.
F. NO CHANGE
G. Similarly,
H. Besides,
J. So,
53.
A. NO CHANGE
B. tried a trick I’d have
C. try a trick I’d
D. try a trick I
54.
F. NO CHANGE
G. one side of them
H. they’re side
J. one’s side
55. The writer is considering deleting the preceding sentence. Should the sentence be kept or deleted?
A. Kept, because it elaborates on why the narrator is capable of using averted vision when looking at the night sky.
B. Kept, because it explains the principle that allowed the narrator to see the nebula more clearly.
C. Deleted, because it adds a level of technical detail that is inappropriate for the tone of the essay.
D. Deleted, because it digresses from the main point of the paragraph.
56.
F. NO CHANGE
G. a farther,
H. a far
J. a far,
57.
A. NO CHANGE
B. emanated
C. emulated
D. eliminated
58.
F. NO CHANGE
G. bird’s eggs
H. birds eggs
J. bird eggs’
59. Given that all the following statements are true, which one, if added here, would best conclude the paragraph and the essay by referring back to the opening paragraph?
A. Observing these features made my winter trek outdoors worthwhile, teaching me that a change in focus is sometimes helpful to see more clearly.
B. In addition to averted vision, it is also important to eliminate stray light and use the correct magnification when observing the night sky.
C. Although my initial goal was to observe Orion’s belt and sword, the constellation is also very useful as an aid to locating other constellations such as Taurus and Gemini.
D. The Trapezium star cluster was originally discovered in 1617 by Galileo, whom I’d read about extensively in my astronomy books.
Question 60 asks about the preceding passage as a whole.
60. Suppose the writer’s goal had been to write an essay about a personal experience with astronomy. Would this essay accomplish that goal?
F. Yes, because the narrator recounts several past adventures and challenges of using the telescope to view the night sky.
G. Yes, because the narrator describes a stargazing session from start to finish, from setting up the telescope to observing an actual constellation.
H. No, because it primarily focuses on the Orion Nebula and its process of star formation.
J. No, because it describes a universally used technique for viewing distant objects in the night sky.
Answers
45. The best answer is A because no punctuation is needed here. The absence of punctuation creates the clearest and most understandable sentence explaining that the narrator was peering through light-polluted skies.
46. The best answer is H because it correctly creates an independent clause, which is necessary following a comma plus and construction.
47. The best answer is A because it correctly uses commas to set off the phrase “in some mythologies.” In this sentence, the phrase is nonessential information, so using commas around the phrase is appropriate.
48. The best answer is H because it uses the plural verb are, which agrees in number with the plural subject of the sentence, stars. In addition, the verb form are is in the present tense, as are the verbs in the preceding sentence.
49. The best answer is C because it is the only option that contains a main clause and, therefore, is the only one that is a complete sentence.
50. The best answer is J because it correctly punctuates the appositive phrase “home to thousands of young stars” by putting commas around it. This phrase adds nonessential information that helps define nebula.
51. The best answer is D because the Great Orion Nebula is introduced in the sentence preceding Point D. The added sentence expands on the discussion of that nebula.
52. The best answer is J because the word so serves as a logical transition from the preceding sentence, which discusses the narrator’s struggle to get the nebula in focus, to this sentence, which explains that the narrator switches to a higher-powered eyepiece. The word so conveys the idea of intent or purpose; the narrator switches the eyepiece in an attempt to bring the nebula into focus.
53. The best answer is A because it correctly uses the past tense verbs tried and had (I’d). At this point in the essay, the narrator is describing a past event, so the past tense is called for.
54. The best answer is G because it correctly uses the word them to refer to the distant objects, whereas the phrase “one side of them” clearly explains that the viewer is looking to one side of the distant objects.
55. The best answer is B because the sentence explains how averted vision works. Deleting the sentence would result in an essay that is less clear.
56. The best answer is H because it correctly establishes the comparison the narrator is making. The view with averted vision is far better than the view when looking directly at the nebula.
57. The best answer is A because the word illuminated makes sense in this context. The four bright stars help reveal the Trapezium star cluster.
58. The best answer is F because the plural possessive birds’ and the plural eggs correctly convey that the stars look like eggs laid by birds in a nest.
59. The best answer is A because it concludes the essay by referring back to an idea presented in the first paragraph of the essay, as required by the stem. The sentence refers to the narrator’s trek outside during the winter, which is mentioned in the first paragraph of the essay.
60. The best answer is G because the essay focuses on one particular experience of viewing the constellation Orion, from setting up the telescope to focusing on one specific part of the constellation, the nebula.