Class07_Summer_SSAT_Upper_Level_Homework_July_17 (1)

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Meritus Academy/SSAT Upper Level/Homework 7 1 Name: ____________________________________________________________ Mark: _____ Teacher or Date and Time: ________________________________________________________ Merriam- Webster’s Vocabulary Builder HER comes from the Latin verb haerere , meaning “to stick.” Another form of the verb produces the root hes- , seen in such words as adhesive , which means basically “sticky” or “sticking,” and hesitate , which means more or less “stuck in one place.” adherent: (1) Someone who follows a leader, a party, or a profession. (2) One who believes in a particular philosophy or religion. cohere: To hold together firmly as parts of the same mass. incoherent: (1) Unclear or difficult to understand. (2) Loosely organized or inconsistent. inherent: Part of something by nature or habit. FUG comes from the Latin verb fugere , meaning “to flee or escape.” Thus, a refugee flees from some threat or danger, while a fugitive is usually fleeing from the law. centrifugal: Moving outward from a center or central focus. refuge: Shelter or protection from danger or distress, or a place that provides shelter or protection. fugue: A musical form in which a theme is echoed and imitated by voices or instruments that enter one after another and interweave as the piece proceeds. subterfuge : (1) A trick designed to help conceal, escape, or evade. (2) A deceptive trick. Fill in each blank with the correct letter: a. cohere b. refuge c. incoherent d. fugue e. centrifugal f. adherent g. subterfuge h. inherent 1. The author tries to take on so many different subjects that the book really doesn't ___ very well.

Meritus Academy/SSAT Upper Level/Homework 5 2 2. All the plans for the surprise party were in place except the ___ for keeping her out of the house until 6:30. 3. She had left Scientology and was now an ___ of the Unification Church. 4. Fleeing the Nazis, he had found ___ in the barn of a wealthy family in northern Italy. 5. By the time his fever reached 105°, the boy was mumbling ___ sentences. 6. A rock tied to a string and whirled about exerts ___ force on the string. 7. Mahatma Gandhi believed goodness was ___ in humans. 8. As the last piece in the recital, she had chosen a particularly difficult ___ by Bach. Reading Comprehension Reading the following passages and then decide which of the responses is the best answer to each question. Circle the letter that appears before your answer. Cognitive dissonance refers to the state of discomfort that people feel when they hold conflicting beliefs, or act in a way that conflicts with their beliefs. For instance, many people hold a belief that they should exercise more, yet act in conflict with this belief when they do not adhere to an exercise plan. To reduce cognitive dissonance, they might formulate excuses for not exercising, or they might begin exercising more so that their beliefs are reflected in their actions. A specific type of cognitive dissonance is called the sunk cost effect. The sunk cost effect refers to a line of irrational thinking related to investments: when people have invested time or money in an endeavor, they are usually unwilling to accept the failure of that venture. For example, if you start a business, even if the business loses money every year, you may keep investing resources into it in hopes that your investment will pay off. Or, if you spend money on an expensive car, you may pay for many ongoing repairs because of your original investment, the price you initially paid for the car. In both of these (16) cautionary tales, the sunk cost effect impacts your approach. You feel the dissonance between your beliefs and the evidence; however, rather than accept that your original belief (that the business was a good idea or that the car was worth the price) was wrong, you continue to throw away resources in the hopes that your belief may be vindicated. Salespeople, politicians, grassroots organizers, and others use persuasion strategies that take advantage of these psychological tendencies. The foot-in-the-door technique is one related method used to influence people’s behavior. To employ it, a proponent of a certain cause (say safer driving in neighborhoods) will start by getting people to sign a petition calling for a new safe driving law. Signing a petition is a very low-stakes way for someone to essentially state agreement with the cause. After signing, people are psychologically primed to be more open to further actions related to this belief. (Remember, people want to reduce cognitive dissonance -- if they believe that safe driving is

Meritus Academy/SSAT Upper Level/Homework 5 3 important, all of their actions should match this belief.) Thus, the safe-driving proponent is now much more likely to convince the signers of the petition to do something more, like displaying a lawn sign that reads “Drive Safely.” This technique relies on the reasoning that leads to the sunk cost effect, operating on the assumption that a relevant prior commitment can overcom e people’s resistance to investing time, effort, or money. Being aware of your natural psychological tendencies is the best way to recognize when you may not be acting rationally, or may have some cognitive dissonance. Follow the old Turkish proverb: “No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road, turn back.” 1. Which choice best summarizes the second paragraph of the passage? (A) People are tempted by the sunk cost effect because they don't want to feel wasteful. (B) The theory of cognitive dissonance offers the best explanation for the sunk cost effect. (C) The sunk cost effect impacts people because they are essentially irrational. (D) People tend to believe that the more expensive an item or service is, the higher quality it must be. (E) People might be tempted to persist in irrational investments because the more they have invested, the more committed they feel. 2. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following is likely NOT an example of the sunk cost effect? (A) You continue driving your car even though you could take the bus, because it's more convenient. (B) You continue going to basketball games even though you don't enjoy them, because you bought season tickets. (C) You continue trimming and fertilizing a rose bush even though it hasn't bloomed for years, because you transplanted it specially to your garden. (D) You continue taking accordion lessons even though you no longer like them, because you've already spent two years learning. (E) You continue paying for repairs on a computer that keeps breaking, because the initial repair was very expensive. 3. The passage's discussion of the foot-in-the-door technique primarily serves to (A) identify a possible explanation for the sunk cost effect. (B) emphasize the importance of the foot-in-the-door effect. (C) demonstrate that human behavior can be manipulated. (D) introduce the concept of persuasion strategies. (E) warn consumers about sales techniques designed to encourage spending. 4. In line 16, "cautionary tales" most nearly means (A) stories that are entertaining, but pessimistic. (B) stories with an embedded warning. (C) examples of questionable manners and conduct. (D) informal expressions to make a point. (E) metaphors to illustrate difficult concepts.

Meritus Academy/SSAT Upper Level/Homework 5 4 5. The main purpose of the passage is to (A) introduce the concept of the sunk cost effect. (B) illustrate a common human psychological tendency. (C) compare rational and irrational reasoning. (D) describe various explanations for the sunk cost effect. (E) discuss the myriad ways that people are compelled to waste resources. One of the most impressive feats in nature is the ability of birds to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to distant lands where they breed and spend the winter. Migration is not just the seasonal movement of birds each fall and spring. In every month, some percentage of the Western Hemisphere’s five billion birds are in the midst of migration. Their journeys can take weeks or months to complete, depending on the species and difficulties encountered along the way. Impending cold weather is one of a number of factors that encourage birds to migrate. The main trigger is depletion of the food supply, as when insects go into hibernation or when snow cover makes seeds inaccessible. Diminishing daylight means that there is less time to feed, and birds begin to have difficulty maintaining sufficient energy stores to cope with lower temperatures. This cause-and- effect relationship creates another signal that it is time to head south. Once the instinct to migrate is triggered, activities such as feeding, resting, and aggression are often suppressed, allowing birds to focus on little else but reaching their destination. Most large-scale migration occurs at night when the air is cool and calm and there are few predators. Warblers, vireos, thrushes, and tanagers are all night-time flyers, as are shorebirds. Daylight migrants include ducks, geese, cranes, loons, swallows, and swifts. Soaring birds, such as hawks and vultures, migration during the day to take advantage of the warm updrafts created by heat from the sun. Migrating birds use mountain ranges, narrow peninsulas, and coastlines as landmarks to help them navigate. They are also known to use the setting sun and star patterns for migration, and some birds species appear to reply on the magnetic field of the Earth. Overcast or foggy nights can hamper the progress of birds that rely on the stars for navigational cues. Birds have help, however, from seasonal wind patterns than blow in the general direction they need to travel. Whatever the means of navigation, it is extraordinary that many species are capable of returning not only to their home ranges, but to their exact nesting or winter feeding sites. 6. This passage is primarily about (A) how and why birds migrate. (B) using landmarks to navigate. (C) reasons why birds fly at night. (D) locating the right nesting and feeding sites. (E) preparations for a long flight.

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