SAT Reading Practice Test Questions- Social Science based Set 5

Questions 22–31 are based on the following passage.

This passage is excerpted from Joshua Hammer, “The Dying of the Dead Sea.” ©2005 by Smithsonian Magazine.

A refuge over the millennia for messiahs, martyrs and zealots, the Dead Sea region abounds with sites sacred to Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Some Muslims believe that Moses, whom they regard as a Line 5 prophet, lies buried in a hilltop mosque just off the main road from Jerusalem. Jesus Christ was said to have been baptized in the Jordan River after traveling down to the Dead Sea from Galilee. And despite its name, the Dead Sea helps support one of the world’s Line 10 most complex and vibrant ecosystems. Fed by fresh water springs and aquifers, a half-dozen oases along the shore harbor scores of indigenous species of plants, fish and mammals, including ibex and leopards. About 500 million birds representing at least 300 species, Line 15 including storks, pelicans, lesser spotted eagles, lesser kestrels and honey buzzards, take refuge here during a biannual great migration from Africa to Europe and back again. Ein Feshka, a lush expanse of tamarisk, papyrus, oleander and pools of crystal water, was Line 20 used by the late king Hussein of Jordan as a private playground in the 1950s and early ’60s. But as the Dead Sea recedes, the springs that feed the oases are moving along with it; many experts believe that Ein Feshka and other oases could wither away within five years. Line 25 One reason for the decline, according to environmentalists and various government officials, is a water policy on the part of Israel, Jordan and Syria that encourages unrestricted agricultural use. From the first years of Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, for Line 30 example, when collective farming transformed much of it into fertile vineyards and vegetable fields, both Labor and Likud governments have bestowed generous water subsidies on the nation’s farmers. The results have been disastrous: today, agriculture accounts for Line 35 just 3 percent of Israel’s gross national product and uses up to half of its fresh water. Recently, Uri Sagie, chairman of Israel’s national water company, told a conference of Israeli farmers that a growing and irreversible gap between production and consumption Line 40 looms. “The water sources are being depleted without the deficit being restored; he warned. Jordan lavishes similar water subsidies on its farmers with similar consequences: the kingdom takes about 71 billion gallons of water a year from the Yarmouk River and Line 45 channels it into the King Abdullah Canal, constructed by USAID in the 1970s to provide irrigation for the Jordan Valley; Syria takes out another 55 billion gallons. So what is the answer? Environmental activists say that one solution is to Line 50 eliminate the water subsidies altogether. “Unless water is priced at its real costs; says Ra’ed Daoud, managing director of ECO Consult, a water-use consulting firm, “there’s no way you’re going to reduce agriculture; But because the region’s agricultural lobby is strong Line 55 and the environmental movement weak, says Daoud, there has been insufficient leverage for change. Israel’s water commissioner, Shimon Tal, recently spoke publicly about the need to reduce some subsidies, but he admitted that it would be a long and difficult Line 60 battle. Another approach is to encourage alternate water sources. Friends of the Earth Middle East is part of a coalition of 21 environmental groups that has developed proposals to conserve household water use (about 133 billion gallons a year, as much as that used Line 65 in agriculture) and to regulate the amount that can be taken out of Israel’s springs. In addition, the Israeli government is promoting the building of wastewater treatment plants and desalination facilities; the first large one on the Mediterranean was completed this Line 70 past August. Over the next five years, the government says, these facilities will provide as much as 106 billion gallons of fresh water annually for agricultural and domestic consumption. Friends of the Earth is also taking its message to the Line 75 farmers themselves—encouraging them to plant crops that use less water and spelling out the advantages of renewed tourism in the area. “Israeli agriculture is incredibly mismanaged; Friends of the Earth director Gidon Bromberg says. “The farmers here could be Line 80 planting olives, flowers and other crops like dates that don’t require fresh water. They could be using treated sewage water and allow fresh water to flow back into the Jordan River; Friends of the Earth cites a Haifa University study that argues that current uses of the Line 85 Jordan River make no sense. “The potential tourism-dollar return of a healthy river and a healthy Dead Sea outweighs the little return that agriculture offers,” says Bromberg.

22. The primary purpose of the passage is to

1. discuss how the governments of Israel, Syria, and Jordan create water policy.
2. describe the many species of plants, fish, and mammals that live in the Dead Sea region.
3. explain the consequences of continuing current water policy in the Dead Sea region.
4. discuss one cause of the decline of the Dead Sea and outline a possible remedy.

23. As used in line 12, “harbor” most nearly means

1. nourish.
2. shelter.
3. entertain.
4. consider.

24. The author mentions Ein Feshka primarily in order to

1. describe a historical site in need of preservation.
2. transition from a description of the region to a discussion of a problem the region faces.
3. identify a need for recreation areas in the Dead Sea region.
4. indicate that environmental impacts vary with different types of land use.

25. What is the most likely reason the author includes “both Labor and Likud governments” in lines 28–33 (“From…farmers”)?

1. To describe the level of cooperation between political parties in the Israeli government
2. To emphasize the popularity of current water policy among all political parties
3. To indicate broad political support for water subsidies
4. To criticize the politicization of natural resources

26. According to the passage, water laws favor

1. the tourism industry.
2. government.
3. environmental activists.
4. farmers.

27. What can reasonably be inferred about the agriculture industry in the Dead Sea region?

1. Its use of water is disproportionate to its impact on the economy.
2. It is an industry in decline.
3. The agriculture lobby is the most powerful influence on governments in the Dead Sea region.
4. It will soon use more than 100 billion gallons of water from treatment facilities.

28. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

1. Lines 34–36 (“today…water”)
2. Lines 54–56 (“But…change”)
3. Lines 70–73 (“Over…consumption”)
4. Lines 77–79 (“Israeli…says”)

29. What does the author suggest about tourism?

1. It was most vibrant in the mid-20th century.
2. Eco-tourism will be an important part of the future economy in the region.
3. Tourism may provide more benefit to the Dead Sea region’s economy than agriculture currently does.
4. Officials in the tourism and agriculture industries should work together to create policy.

30. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

1. Lines 18–21 (“Ein Feshka…’60s”)
2. Lines 66–68 (“the Israeli…facilities”)
3. Lines 79–81 (“The farmers…water”)
4. Lines 85–88 (“The potential…Bromberg”)

31. What is the main idea of the final paragraph?

1. Farmers can adopt new practices to use less water and help maintain the Dead Sea.
2. Farmers should stop planting crops and focus on tourism.
3. Tourism will soon replace agriculture as the main industry of the region.
4. In the absence of policy change, farmers are adjusting their practices to conserve water.