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Universities want to know that you can perform well in class. One of the many ways these institutions will determine your skillset is by examining your latest SAT score. Created by the College Board, the SAT is a standardized test designed to showcase your abilities to universities across the country. If you are seeking to pursue higher education, you understand the importance of performing well on this examination. Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools are here to help you with all of your test preparation needs. The Question of the Day for SAT Critical Reading is just one of the beneficial study tools in this set that can be utilized to prepare for a testing session. Varsity Tutors also offers resources like a free SAT prep book to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider an SAT Critical Reading tutor.
The Question of the Day is a daily test review; every day, you will be presented with a randomly selected question similar to what is expected to be found on the official examination. These questions test your current skills and may even impart new information to you. Whether you need top SAT tutors in New York, SAT tutors in Chicago, or SAT tutors in Los Angeles, working with a pro may take your studies to the next level. For the Critical Reading portion of the SAT, the questions focus on the two main components in this area: reading comprehension and sentence completion. Reading comprehension accounts for the largest part of the Critical Reading segment. Through your answers, you can determine how well you understand the information that has been presented to you. Sentence completion tests your vocabulary knowledge. Each question gives you one or two blanks that need to be filled in with the correct word. The Question of the Day focuses on both areas to ensure that you receive practice to successfully complete this entire portion of the SAT.
By utilizing the Question of the Day, you will receive access to information regarding your performance. No matter how you answer, each question is followed up with an explanation about the correct option. From this page, you can also track your own personal progress and review previous questions you have answered. This will allow you to determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie, which will help you plan your studies to correlate with your needs. You will also have the ability to compare yourself to other students that have also answered the Question of the Day. The platform will show you the percentage of those who answered correctly, the average amount of time taken to provide an answer, and place you within a percentile. It is recommended that you participate on a regular basis; the more questions you answer, the more in-depth information you will be presented with.
As previously stated, the Question of the Day is only one of several study tools designed for your study use. In addition to the SAT Critical Reading Question of the Day and SAT Critical Reading tutoring, you may also want to consider taking some of our SAT Critical Reading practice tests. The entire set of Varsity Tutors’ Learning Tools is rounded out with flashcards, Learn by Concept, full-length practice tests that match the make-up of the actual SAT, and practice tests that focus in on specific topics. Each tool offers something different, therefore allowing you to build confidence and gain the correct knowledge needed for the SAT Critical Reading. By combining one or more of these tools, you have the ability to create a tailored study system to prepare you for test day.
Question of the Day: SAT Critical Reading
Adapted from "Taking a Second Look: An Analysis of Genetic Markers in Species Relatedness" by Joseph Ritchie (2014)
Phylogenetics is the study of genetic composition in various species and is used by evolutionary biologists to investigate similarities in the molecular sequences of proteins in varying organisms. The amino acid sequences that build proteins are used to construct mathmatical matrices that aid in determining evolutionary ties through the investigation of percentage similarities. The study of these matrices helps to expose evolutionary relationships between species that may not have the same overt characteristics.
Species adapt and evolve based on the pressures that exist in their environment. Climate, food source, and habitat availability are only a few factors that act on species adaptation. These stressors can alter the physical characteristics of organisms. This divergence in evolution has made it difficult to determine the interrelatedness of organisms by analyzing their physical characteristics alone.
For instance, looking only at physical characteristics, the ghost bat resembles a pigeon more than a spider monkey; however, phylogenetics has found that the amino acid sequences that construct the beta hemoglobin molecules of bats are twenty percent more similar to those of mammalian primates than those of birds. This helps reject the assumption that common physical characteristics between species are all that is needed to determine relatedness.
The differences produced by divergent evolution observed in the forest-dwelling, arboreal spider monkey and the nocturnal, airborne ghost bat can be reconciled through homology. Homologous characteristics are anatomical traits that are similar in two or more different species. For instance, the bone structure of a spider monkey’s wrist and fingers greatly resembles that of a bat’s wing or even a whale’s fin. These similarities are reinforced by phylogenetic evidence that supports the idea that physically dissimilar species can be evolutionarily related through anatomical and genetic similarities.
The central idea of this passage is best described by which of the following statements?
Phylogenetics is a relatively new area of study and has yet to yield supported conclusions on evolutionary histories.
Despite differences in physical appearance, genetic similarities can aid in determining species relatedness and evolutionary histories.
Genetic analysis is the only method of studying evolutionary ties and species relatedness.
Understanding divergent evolution is necessary for understanding species relatedness.
You can use the SAT Critical Reading Question of the Day to get into the habit of thinking about SAT Critical Reading content on a daily basis when studying for the SAT. Varsity Tutors' SAT Critical Reading Questions of the Day are drawn from each topic and question type covered on the Critical Reading section of the SAT.
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