English Usage Test 11

Para: A universal cash transfer boosted spending initially but tapered after three months. Recipients used funds mainly for essentials. Best summary? Para: A universal cash transfer boosted spending initially but tapered after three months. Recipients used funds mainly for essentials. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Spending surged permanently on luxuries Spending surged permanently on luxuries
Cash transfers raised short-run essential spending with fading effects
Recipients saved all the money Recipients saved all the money
Effects were negative Effects were negative

Para: People overrate information that confirms beliefs. Training to seek disconfirming evidence improved decisions modestly. Best summary? Para: People overrate information that confirms beliefs. Training to seek disconfirming evidence improved decisions modestly. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Confirmation bias is unbeatable Confirmation bias is unbeatable
Confirmation bias skews judgment; targeted training yields modest improvements
Training removed all bias Training removed all bias
Beliefs were unchanged Beliefs were unchanged

Para: A ventilation retrofit lowered CO2 and absenteeism in schools. Costs were recouped in two years through reduced sick days. Best summary? Para: A ventilation retrofit lowered CO2 and absenteeism in schools. Costs were recouped in two years through reduced sick days. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Ventilation increased illness Ventilation increased illness
Improved ventilation paid for itself via fewer absences
CO2 levels rose CO2 levels rose
Savings were negligible Savings were negligible

Para: The team’s press created turnovers but left space behind. A deeper line after halftime reduced chances conceded without killing attacks. Best summary? Para: The team’s press created turnovers but left space behind. A deeper line after halftime reduced chances conceded without killing attacks. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Pressing had no risks Pressing had no risks
Balancing an aggressive press with a deeper line improved defense while preserving offense
The team stopped attacking The team stopped attacking
Turnovers disappeared Turnovers disappeared

Para: User tests showed onboarding was confusing. A simplified flow and contextual tips halved drop-offs in the first week. Best summary? Para: User tests showed onboarding was confusing. A simplified flow and contextual tips halved drop-offs in the first week. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Adding steps improved onboarding Adding steps improved onboarding
Simplifying onboarding and adding guidance reduced early churn
Tips increased confusion Tips increased confusion
Drop-offs remained the same Drop-offs remained the same

Para: The report uses vivid case studies, but hides methods in an appendix. Conclusions are persuasive yet difficult to evaluate. Best summary? Para: The report uses vivid case studies, but hides methods in an appendix. Conclusions are persuasive yet difficult to evaluate. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Persuasive storytelling without transparent methods hinders evaluation
Methods are the only important part Methods are the only important part
Case studies invalidate conclusions Case studies invalidate conclusions
The report contains no appendix The report contains no appendix

Para: With all approvals routed through one manager, projects stalled. Delegating sign-offs cut cycle times and reduced errors from haste. Best summary? Para: With all approvals routed through one manager, projects stalled. Delegating sign-offs cut cycle times and reduced errors from haste. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Centralizing approvals improves speed Centralizing approvals improves speed
Removing a single point of failure sped decisions and improved quality
Delegation increased errors Delegation increased errors
Approvals were abolished Approvals were abolished

Para: The newspaper launched newsletters and podcasts. Subscriptions rose, but revenue still relies on ads during big news cycles. Best summary? Para: The newspaper launched newsletters and podcasts. Subscriptions rose, but revenue still relies on ads during big news cycles. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Subscriptions fell after podcasts Subscriptions fell after podcasts
New products increased subs, yet revenue remains tied to ad spikes
Ads were eliminated Ads were eliminated
The paper stopped covering big news The paper stopped covering big news

Para: End-to-end encryption protects messages, but metadata remain visible. Reforms target minimizing log retention to improve privacy. Best summary? Para: End-to-end encryption protects messages, but metadata remain visible. Reforms target minimizing log retention to improve privacy. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Encryption hides everything Encryption hides everything
Encryption secures content; policy changes aim to reduce metadata exposure
Metadata are irrelevant Metadata are irrelevant
Logs are increasing Logs are increasing

Para: One accountant both created and approved payments. Splitting duties and adding audits cut fraud attempts to near zero. Best summary? Para: One accountant both created and approved payments. Splitting duties and adding audits cut fraud attempts to near zero. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Concentrating duties prevents fraud Concentrating duties prevents fraud
Segregating duties and auditing reduced fraud risk substantially
Audits were harmful Audits were harmful
Fraud attempts increased Fraud attempts increased

Para: Pre-registration limited flexibility in analysis. Despite smaller effects than expected, findings were more credible to peers. Best summary? Para: Pre-registration limited flexibility in analysis. Despite smaller effects than expected, findings were more credible to peers. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Pre-registration inflates effects Pre-registration inflates effects
Constraining researcher flexibility yielded smaller but more trusted results
Peers ignored the study Peers ignored the study
Flexibility guarantees credibility Flexibility guarantees credibility

Para: A festival revived crafts by pairing elders with teens. Schools added workshops; orders from visitors gave artisans steady income. Best summary? Para: A festival revived crafts by pairing elders with teens. Schools added workshops; orders from visitors gave artisans steady income. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

The festival disrupted schooling The festival disrupted schooling
Intergenerational training and school support revitalized crafts and incomes
Visitors avoided local products Visitors avoided local products
Crafts declined further Crafts declined further

Para: A walking program improved seniors’ cognition in trials versus stretching. Gains were modest but consistent across sites. Best summary? Para: A walking program improved seniors’ cognition in trials versus stretching. Gains were modest but consistent across sites. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Walking harmed cognition Walking harmed cognition
Moderate walking produced small but reliable cognitive benefits compared to stretching
Only stretching improved cognition Only stretching improved cognition
Results were contradictory Results were contradictory

Para: Drip irrigation cut water use and stabilized yields in drought years. Upfront costs deterred small farmers until subsidies arrived. Best summary? Para: Drip irrigation cut water use and stabilized yields in drought years. Upfront costs deterred small farmers until subsidies arrived. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Drip irrigation wastes water Drip irrigation wastes water
Efficient irrigation improved resilience, but adoption needed financial support
Yields collapsed under drip Yields collapsed under drip
Subsidies harmed farmers Subsidies harmed farmers

Para: Planting trees cools streets, but species choice matters. Some emit compounds that worsen smog. Cities now favor low-emitting, drought-tolerant varieties. Best summary? Para: Planting trees cools streets, but species choice matters. Some emit compounds that worsen smog. Cities now favor low-emitting, drought-tolerant varieties. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Any tree reduces smog Any tree reduces smog
Urban greening helps, but species selection is crucial to avoid air-quality trade-offs
Cities abandoned tree planting Cities abandoned tree planting
Only drought tolerance matters Only drought tolerance matters

Para: Rooftop solar grew fast, but evening peaks persisted. Batteries and time-of-use pricing helped smooth demand. Best summary? Para: Rooftop solar grew fast, but evening peaks persisted. Batteries and time-of-use pricing helped smooth demand. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Solar alone solved peaks Solar alone solved peaks
Solar adoption required storage and pricing signals to address peak demand
Batteries increased peaks Batteries increased peaks
Pricing had no effect Pricing had no effect

Para: Letters found in an archive show a compromise proposed months before talks collapsed. Historians now reassess who stalled negotiations. Best summary? Para: Letters found in an archive show a compromise proposed months before talks collapsed. Historians now reassess who stalled negotiations. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

No new evidence was found No new evidence was found
New letters shift the timeline, prompting a reevaluation of blame in failed talks
The compromise was accepted The compromise was accepted
Historians ignored the letters Historians ignored the letters

Para: A nudge placed healthy snacks at eye level. Sales rose, but the effect faded when promotions on sweets returned. Best summary? Para: A nudge placed healthy snacks at eye level. Sales rose, but the effect faded when promotions on sweets returned. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Nudges permanently change preferences Nudges permanently change preferences
Placement nudges work, but can be undermined by counter-incentives
Sales of snacks fell overall Sales of snacks fell overall
Promotions had no effect Promotions had no effect

Para: A bakery switched to sourdough and longer fermentation. Flavor improved and some customers with sensitivities tolerated bread better. Best summary? Para: A bakery switched to sourdough and longer fermentation. Flavor improved and some customers with sensitivities tolerated bread better. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Short fermentation improved flavor Short fermentation improved flavor
Long ferment and sourdough enhanced flavor and tolerability for some
Customers disliked the change Customers disliked the change
Bread quality fell Bread quality fell

Para: Upwelling brought nutrients, fueling blooms that drew fish. When winds shifted, productivity fell and boats moved on. Best summary? Para: Upwelling brought nutrients, fueling blooms that drew fish. When winds shifted, productivity fell and boats moved on. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Fish ignore nutrients Fish ignore nutrients
Wind-driven upwelling drives boom–bust productivity cycles for fisheries
Blooms reduce fish Blooms reduce fish
Boats stayed despite poor catch Boats stayed despite poor catch

Para: The author’s late essays shed ornament for clarity, confronting illness frankly. Critics praise the voice’s steadiness amid decline. Best summary? Para: The author’s late essays shed ornament for clarity, confronting illness frankly. Critics praise the voice’s steadiness amid decline. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Late essays grew more ornate Late essays grew more ornate
A stripped style met illness with calm candor, earning critical respect
Critics disliked the tone Critics disliked the tone
The essays hid illness The essays hid illness

Para: Trained on vast text, a model learned grammar implicitly and generalized to new tasks. The result revived debates about “understanding.” Best summary? Para: Trained on vast text, a model learned grammar implicitly and generalized to new tasks. The result revived debates about “understanding.” Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

The model cannot generalize The model cannot generalize
Unsupervised training produced emergent abilities, prompting debate on what counts as understanding
Grammar was hand-coded Grammar was hand-coded
Debates ended Debates ended

Para: Upgrading signaling shortened train headways. With more frequent service, crowding eased even without adding carriages. Best summary? Para: Upgrading signaling shortened train headways. With more frequent service, crowding eased even without adding carriages. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Signaling upgrades reduced frequency Signaling upgrades reduced frequency
Better signaling increased frequency, relieving crowding
Carriages were doubled Carriages were doubled
Crowding worsened Crowding worsened

Para: Automation took over repetitive checks. Workers were retrained for troubleshooting, raising job satisfaction and cutting error rates. Best summary? Para: Automation took over repetitive checks. Workers were retrained for troubleshooting, raising job satisfaction and cutting error rates. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Automation eliminated all jobs Automation eliminated all jobs
Automation of routine tasks freed staff for higher-value work, improving morale and quality
Error rates rose Error rates rose
Retraining failed Retraining failed

Para: Students using retrieval practice remembered more weeks later than those rereading notes. The advantage held across subjects. Best summary? Para: Students using retrieval practice remembered more weeks later than those rereading notes. The advantage held across subjects. Best summary?

2 Mark(s)

Rereading outperforms retrieval practice
Testing yourself improves long-term retention across domains
Results apply only to math Results apply only to math
Memory was not measured Memory was not measured

English Usage Test 11 : Question 1 of 25