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Answers and Explanations
1) B
In paragraph 1, the author poses a series of questions about how to keep a hamburger looking delicious for hours under hot lights.
In paragraph 2, the author suggests that this problem is exactly what fast food companies must worry about when they make
advertisements for their food. The author explains that the conditions used during photo shoots “can cause the food to look quite
unappealing to potential consumers. Because of this, the menu items that you see in fast food commercials are probably not
actually edible.” In paragraphs 3-5, the author gives a step-by-step explanation of what the food stylist does to keep a hamburger
looking delicious for hours. Since the author poses a question and then delivers an explanation, we can understand that the author’s
purpose is to explain how fast food companies make their food look delicious in commercials. Therefore (B) is correct. The author
does not use a persuasive tone or try in other ways to convince people not to eat at fast food restaurants. This means (A) is
incorrect. Although a reader might be able to use the information presented in the passage to make similar food at home, the
primary purpose is to explain, not to teach. This means (C) is incorrect. The author does not use a harsh tone to criticize fast food
companies; instead, he or she explains the facts about how food commercials are made. This means (D) is incorrect.
2) C
Although it is likely that no one actually has to eat the food used in commercials, the author does not state this in the passage. This
eliminates option (I). In paragraph 1, the author asks readers to imagine making a hamburger and letting it sit under hot lights for
six or seven hours. The author then asks: “If someone took a picture or made a video of this hamburger after the seventh hour,
would anyone want to eat it? More importantly, do you think you could get millions of people to pay money for this hamburger?”
Then, in paragraph 2, the author states that fast food companies have to worry about these questions. These sentences suggest
that fast food companies think that it is important that people would pay for the food being advertised, so they must make the food
look very good. Glue and glycerin are some of the things they use to make the food look good. This supports option (II). In
paragraph 2, the author states, “Video and photo shoots often last many hours.” Since these photo shoots can take a very long time,
the food stylist uses things like glue and glycerin to keep the food looking fresh. This supports option (III). Therefore (C) is correct.
3) A
edible (adjective): suitable for a human being to eat; eatable.
In paragraph 2, the author states that “the menu items that you see in fast food commercials are probably not actually edible.” In the
rest of the passage, the author explains that the food used in fast food commercials contains things like glue, paint, and raw meat,
which are not things that people should eat. From the context, we can understand that the food used in commercials is probably not
suitable to be eaten. This means that if something is edible, you can eat it safely. Therefore (A) is correct. The food in fast food
commercials looks delicious, but it is not actually edible. This means that edible cannot mean to look very delicious. Therefore (B) is
incorrect. The passage does not contain any information about the size of the food in commercials versus real life, so (C) is
incorrect. Since the food contains glue and paint, it probably does not taste good, but more importantly it is not safe to eat. The big
question when considering whether something is edible is one of safety, not a question of taste. This means (D) is not the best
answer.
4) B
In paragraph 3, the author notes that a food stylist uses glue and tweezers to carefully rearrange “the sesame seeds on the bun…for
maximum visual appeal.” Therefore (B) is correct. The passage does not contain information to support answer choices (A), (C),
and (D). Therefore they are incorrect.
5) D
In paragraph 3, the author claims that a food stylist looking for the perfect lettuce and tomato searches for the “crispest lettuce” and
“the reddest tomato.” The food stylist then sprays the lettuce and tomato with glycerin “to keep them looking fresh.” From these
sentences, we can understand that freshness is the most important quality when the food stylist deals with lettuce and tomatoes.
Therefore (D) is correct. There is no information in the passage to make us think the lettuce and tomato should have a great taste; in
fact, if they are sprayed with glycerin, they probably do not taste good at all. This eliminates (A). Although the food stylist may
choose produce based on shape and size, and he or she may want the food to appear natural, the passage suggests that the most
important quality is that the lettuce and tomato look fresh. This rules out (B) and (C).
6) C
After paragraphs 1 and 2, which introduce the main idea, this passage is organized according to the steps one generally follows in
making a hamburger: first the bun (paragraph 3), then the meat (paragraph 4), and finally the lettuce and tomatoes (paragraph 5). If
the author wanted to include a paragraph about cheese, which goes directly on top of the meat, but beneath the lettuce and
tomatoes, it would likely come between paragraphs 4 and 5. Therefore (C) is correct. It would not make sense to talk about putting
the cheese on the hamburger before you explain how the hamburger patty is made, so this rules out (A) and (B). Putting the
paragraph about cheese after the paragraph about the lettuce and tomato would indicate that the lettuce and tomato are put on the
hamburger, then the cheese on top of the lettuce and tomato. But the question tells us that the cheese goes on top of the
hamburger patty, not on top of the produce. This means (D) is incorrect.
7) D
delectable (adjective): greatly pleasing to the taste; delicious.
The question asks us to find the best synonym. Synonyms are words that have nearly the same meanings. In the final paragraph,
the author writes: “So the next time you see a delectable hamburger in a fast food commercial, remember: you’re actually looking at
a glue, paint, raw meat, and glycerin! Are you still hungry?” We understand that the hamburgers in fast food commercials are
designed to look delicious, because in paragraph 1 the author discusses the problem of making “a delicious-looking hamburger” that
people would pay money for. According to the rest of the passage, however, the hamburger in a fast food commercial is not actually