2016SHSAT_English

Specific StrategiesVerbalthe letter K? No, it could represent any of those words. Thedirections state that “the letters may or may not be presentedin the same order as the words.” Thus, the letter K appearsabove the words “to” and “meet,” but that does not mean itrepresents either of those words. It is impossible to determinewhich word is represented by K, so the correct answer isOption E, “Cannot be determined from the information given.”READINGThis section measures your ability to read and comprehendfive informational passages. Each passage is 400 to 500words long. The subjects include short biographies, discussionsof historical events, descriptions of scientific phenomena,brief essays on art or music, discussions with a point ofview, and human interest stories.Example 55101520Several animal species, although theyremain “wild,” are comfortable living inclose proximity to people. Some of theseanimals, such as squirrels and pigeons, areplentiful even in big cities. Many maketheir homes in buildings and have developeda taste for human food. Among thesespecies, few have a larger appetite for theproducts of human civilization than seagulls.Despite the name, not all gulls live near thesea. Of the 44 gull species, some are foundin deserts or mountain regions, though mostinhabit shorelines. On the California coast,western gulls far outnumber other gull species.Glaucous-winged gulls dominate thePacific Northwest; herring gulls, the NorthAtlantic coast; ring-bills, the Great Lakesand other inland fresh water; and Californiagulls, despite their name, the Great SaltLake in Utah. Because of special glandsabove their eyes, all gulls can drink saltwater as well as fresh water.510152040455055Gulls have learned that human habitationusually means a plentiful, easy food supply.They accept handouts eagerly and willdrive off more mild-mannered birds, suchas ducks, rather than share food with them.Gulls follow fishing boats and garbagescows, knowing that these are reliablesources of easy pickings. They find landfills,with their plentiful food scraps, especiallyinviting. Unfortu nately, this causes a seriousproblem when the landfills are locatednear airports. Gulls have been sucked intothe air intakes of jet engines, resulting infatal plane crashes.Many gulls have adapted to living amongcity skyscrapers. The buildings’ high roofsand straight sides resemble the cliffs wheregulls nest in the wild and provide the samekind of updrafts that allow sea gulls to glideand soar with little effort. Apart from anoccasional hawk, sea gulls have few naturalpredators in urban settings. And city livingprovides easy access to plenty of garbage.40455055253035Gulls have a varied natural diet, rangingfrom fish, shellfish, and rodents to insects.They typically break shellfish open by carryingthem while they fly, then droppingthem onto a hard surface. Some gulls havebeen seen trying to dine on some ratherunusual substances. For example, gullshave attempted to eat golf balls, perhapsmistaking them for the eggs of anotherspecies of bird. Others have dropped metalobjects, such as nuts and bolts, from the skyonto the ground.253035606570Indeed, gulls are not the best of neighbors.They are noisy and have been known todamage buildings and farm crops, and topester humans carrying food. A whole“gull control” industry has sprung up todiscourage sea gulls from congregating nearhuman communities. For example, electronicdevices produce flashing lights or thesounds of predators, and spikes and sprinklerson buildings and fences deter the birdsfrom roosting. As long as people continue toprovide them with food, however, gulls willprobably remain the birds next door.60657025