11. The word "obscure" in line 1 is closest in meaning to (A) interesting (B) unclear (C) imperfect (D) complex

12. According to the passage, which of the following activities is characteristic of the early part of the reproductive cycle of birds? (A) Selecting a mate (B) Collecting nest-building materials (C) Playing with nest-building materials (D) Building a nest

13. The word "display" in line 17 is closest in meaning to (A) communicate (B) imitate (C) initiate (D) exhibit 14. The novelist John Steinbeck is mentioned in line

14 because he (A) conducted a scientific study on the behavior of ospreys (B) was the first to describe where ospreys built their nests (C) described the materials ospreys can use to build their nests (D) compared the size of osprey nests with the nests of other species

15. Which of the following birds are mentioned as those that build nests that include unusual objects? (A) Ravens (B) Ospreys (C) Crows (D) Sparrowhawks

16. According to the passage, when gathering materials to build their nests, sparrowhawks do which of the following? (A) Hang upside down (B) Select only green twigs (C) Use objects blowing in the wind (D) Collect more branches than necessary

17. The word "these" in line 20 refers to (A) golden eagles (B) generations (C) winds (D) nests

18. The word "load" in line 23 is closest in meaning to (A) weight (B) number (C) section (D) level

19. The author mentions twenty percent in line 23 to indicate that (A) eagles are twenty percent bigger than most birds (B) twenty percent of all nests include foundation branches (C) the nests of eagles are twenty percent of larger than those of other birds (D) birds can carry twenty percent of their own weight

Questions 20-30 A survey is a study, generally in the form of an interview or a questionnaire, that provides information concerning how people think and act. In the United States, the best-known surveys are the Gallup poll and the Harris poll. As anyone who watches the news during Line campaigns presidential knows, these polls have become an important part of political life in (5) the United States. North Americans are familiar with the many "person on the street? interviews on local television news shows. While such interviews can be highly entertaining, they are not necessarily an accurate indication of public opinion. First, they reflect the opinions of only those people who appear at a certain location. Thus, such samples can be biased in favor (10) of commuters, middle-class shoppers, or factory workers, depending On which area the newspeople select. Second, television interviews tend to attract outgoing people who are willing to appear on the air, while they frighten away others who may feel intimidated by a camera. A survey must be based on a precise, representative sampling if it is to genuinely reflect a broad range of the population. (15) In preparing to conduct a survey, sociologists must exercise great care in the wording of questions. An effective survey question must be simple and clear enough for people to understand it. It must also be specific enough so that there are no problems in interpreting the results. Even questions that are less structured must be carefully phrased in order to elicit the type of information desired. Surveys canbe indispensable sources of information, but (20) only if the sampling is done properly and the questions are worded accurately. There are two main forms of surveys: the interview and the questionnaire. Each of these forms of survey research has its advantages. An interviewer can obtain a high response rate because people find it more difficult to turn down a personal request for an interview than to throw away a written questionnaire. In addition, an interviewer can go beyond written (25) questions and probe for a subject’s underlying feelings and reasons. However, questionnaires have the advantage of being cheaper and more consistent.