SAT历年真题：201605官方北美真题

PracticeTest#5

Maketimetotakethepracticetest.It’soneofthebestwaystogetreadyfortheSAT.

Afteryou’vetakenthepracticetest,scoreitrightawayat/scoring.

K-5MSA04

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Eachpassageorpairofpassagesbelowisfollowedbyanumberofquestions.Afterreadingeachpassageorpair,choosethebestanswertoeachquestionbasedonwhatisstatedorimpliedinthepassageorpassagesandinanyaccompanyinggraphics(suchasatableorgraph).

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ThispassageisadaptedfromWilliamMaxwell,TheFoldedLeaf.©1959byWilliamMaxwell.Originallypublished

in1945.

TheAlcazarRestaurantwasonSheridanRoadnearDevonAvenue.Itwaslongandnarrow,withtablesfortwoalongthewallsandtablesforfour

Linedownthemiddle.Thedecorationwasartmoderne,

5exceptfortheseriesofmuralsdepictingthefourseasons,andthesickfernsinthefrontwindow.Lymiesatdownatthesecondtablefromthecashregister,andorderedhisdinner.Thehistorybook,whichheproppedagainstthecatsupandtheglass

10sugarbowl,hadbeenusedbyothersbeforehim.Blankpagesfrontandbackwerefilledinwithmaps,drawings,dates,comiccartoons,andorgansofthebody;alsowithnamesandmessagesnolongerclearandneverabsolutelylegible.Onnearlyeveryother

15pagetherewassomemarginalnotation,eitherininkorinveryhardpencil.Andunlesssomeonehadupsetaglassofwater,themarksonpage177werefromtears.

WhileLymiereadaboutthePeaceofParis,signed

20onthethirtiethofMay,1814,betweenFranceandtheAlliedpowers,hisrighthandmanagedagainandagaintobringfooduptohismouth.Sometimeshechewed,sometimesheswallowedwholethefoodthathehadnoideahewaseating.TheCongressof

25Viennamet,withsomeallowancefordelays,earlyinNovemberofthesameyear,andallthepowersengagedinthewaroneithersidesent

plenipotentiaries.Itwasbyfarthemostsplendidandimportantassemblyeverconvokedtodiscussand

30determinetheaffairsofEurope.TheEmperorofRussia,theKingofPrussia,theKingsofBavaria,Denmark,andWurttemberg,allwerepresentinpersonatthecourtoftheEmperorFrancisIintheAustriancapital.WhenLymieputdownhisforkand

35begantocountthemoff,onebyone,onthefingersofhislefthand,thewaitress,whosenamewasIrma,thoughthewasthrougheatingandtriedtotakehisplateaway.Hestoppedher.PrinceMetternich(hisrightthumb)presidedovertheCongress,and

40PrinceTalleyrand(theindexfinger)representedFrance.

Apartyoffour,twomenandtwowomen,cameintotherestaurant,alltalkingatonce,andtookpossessionofthecentertablenearestLymie.

45Thewomenhadshingledhairandshorttightskirtswhichexposedtheundersideoftheirkneeswhentheysatdown.Oneofthewomenhadthefaceofayoungboybutdisguisedbyonetrickoranother(rouge,lipstick,powder,wetbangsplasteredagainst

50thehighforehead,andapairoflongpendentearrings)tolooklikeawomanofthirty-five,whichasamatteroffactshewas.Themenwereolder.Theylaughedmorethanthereseemedanyoccasionfor,whiletheyweredecidingbetweensoupandshrimp

55cocktail,andtheirlaughterwastooloud.Butitwasthewomen’svoices,theterriblenotquitesoberpitchofthewomen’svoiceswhichcausedLymietoskimovertwowholepageswithoutknowingwhatwasonthem.Fortunatelyherealizedthisandwentback.

60Otherwisehemightneverhaveknownaboutthe

secrettreatyconcludedbetweenEngland,France,andAustria,whenthepretensionsofPrussiaandRussia,actinginconcert,seemedtothreatenarenewaloftheattack.TheresultsoftheCongress

65werestatedclearlyatthebottomofpage67andatthetopofpage68,butbeforeLymiegothalfwaythroughthem,acoatthatherecognizedashisfather’swashungonthehooknexttohischair.

Lymieclosedthebookandsaid,“Ididn’tthinkyou

70werecoming.”

Timeisprobablynomoreunkindtosportingcharactersthanitistootherpeople,butphysicaldecayunsustainedbyrespectabilityissomehowmorenoticeable.Mr.Peters’hairwasturninggrayandhis

75scalpshowedthroughontop.Hehadlostweightalso;henolongerfilledouthisclothesthewayheusedto.Hiscolorwaspoor,andtheflowerhaddisappearedfromhisbuttonhole.InitsplacewasanAmericanLegionbutton.

80 Apparentlyhehimselfwasnotawarethattherehadbeenanychange.Hestraightenedhistie

self-consciouslyandwhenIrmahandedhimamenu,hegesturedwithitsothatthetwowomenatthenexttablewouldnoticethediamondringonthefourth

2

Themainpurposeofthefirstparagraphisto

introducethepassage’smaincharacterbyshowinghisnightlyhabits.

indicatethedatethepassagetakesplacebypresentingperioddetails.

conveythepassage’ssettingbydescribingaplaceandanobject.

foreshadowaneventthatisdescribedindetaillaterinthepassage.

3

ItcanreasonablybeinferredthatIrma,thewaitress,thinksLymieis“througheating”(line37)because

hehasbegunreadinghisbook.

hisplateisempty.

heisnolongerholdinghisfork.

hehasaskedhertoclearthetable.

85fingerofhisrighthand.Bothofthesethings,and

alsothefactthathishandsshowedsignsofthemanicurist,onecanblameontheyoungmanwhohadhispicturetakenwithaderbyhatonthebackofhishead,andalsosittingwithagirlinthecurveof

90themoon.TheyoungmanhadneverforoneseconddesertedMr.Peters.Hewasalwaysthere,tuggingatMr.Peters’elbow,makinghimdothingsthatwerenotbecominginamanofforty-five.

1

Overthecourseofthepassage,theprimaryfocusshiftsfrom

Lymie’sinnerthoughtstoobservationsmadebytheothercharacters.

anexchangebetweenstrangerstoasatisfyingpersonalrelationship.

thephysicalsettingofthescenetothedifferentcharacters’personalitytraits.

Lymie’sexperiencereadingabooktodescriptionsofpeopleintherestaurant.

4

Lymie’sprimaryimpressionofthe“partyoffour”(line42)isthatthey

arenoisyanddistracting.

arearefreshingchangefromtheothercustomers.

resemblecharactersfromhishistorybook.

representglamourandyouth.

5

Whichchoiceprovidesthebestevidencefortheanswertothepreviousquestion?

Lines45-47(“Thewomen...down”)

Lines47-52(“One...was”)

Lines55-59(“But...them”)

Line69(“Lymie...book”)

6

8

ThenarratorindicatesthatLymiefinallyclosesthehistorybookbecause

hisfatherhasjoinedhimatthetable.

thepeopleattheothertablearetoodisruptive.

hehasfinishedthechapterabouttheCongress.

heispreparingtoleavetherestaurant.

ThemainideaofthelastparagraphisthatMr.Peters

neglectstospendanytimewithhisfamilymembers.

behavesasifheisayoungerversionofhimself.

isveryconsciousofsymbolsofwealthandpower.

ispreoccupiedwiththeknowledgethatheisgrowingold.

7

Theprimaryimpressioncreatedbythenarrator’sdescriptionofMr.Petersinlines74-79isthatheis

healthyandfit.

angryandmenacing.

nervousandhesitant.

agingandshriveled.

9

10

WhichchoicebestsupportstheconclusionthatMr.Peterswantstoattractattention?

Lines80-81(“Apparently...change”)

Lines81-85(“Hestraightened...hand”)

Lines90-91(“Theyoung...Mr.Peters”)

Lines91-93(“Hewas...forty-five”)

Asusedinline93,“becoming”mostnearlymeans

emerging.

fitting.

developing.

happening.

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Passage1isadaptedfromCatharineBeecher,EssayonSlaveryandAbolitionism.Originallypublishedin1837.Passage2isadaptedfromAngelinaE.Grimké,LetterstoCatharineBeecher.Originallypublishedin1838.GrimkéencouragedSouthernwomentoopposeslaverypublicly.Passage1isBeecher’sresponsetoGrimké’sviews.

Passage2isGrimké’sresponsetoBeecher.

1BTTBHF1

Heavenhasappointedtoonesexthesuperior,andtotheotherthesubordinatestation,andthiswithoutanyreferencetothecharacterorconductof

Lineeither.Itisthereforeasmuchforthedignityasitis

5fortheinterestoffemales,inallrespectstoconformtothedutiesofthisrelation. Butwhilewoman

holdsasubordinaterelationinsocietytotheothersex,itisnotbecauseitwasdesignedthatherdutiesorherinfluenceshouldbeanythelessimportant,or

10all-pervading.Butitwasdesignedthatthemodeofgaininginfluenceandofexercisingpowershouldbealtogetherdifferentandpeculiar

Amanmayactonsocietybythecollisionofintellect,inpublicdebate;hemayurgehismeasures

15byasenseofshame,byfearandbypersonalinterest;hemaycoercebythecombinationofpublicsentiment;hemaydrivebyphysicalforce,andhedoesnotoutsteptheboundariesofhissphere.Butallthepower,andalltheconqueststhatarelawfulto

20woman,arethoseonlywhichappealtothekindly,generous,peacefulandbenevolentprinciples.

Womanistowineverythingbypeaceandlove;bymakingherselfsomuchrespected,esteemedandloved,thattoyieldtoheropinionsandtogratifyher

25wishes,willbethefree-willofferingoftheheart.Butthisistobeallaccomplishedinthedomesticandsocialcircle.Thereleteverywomanbecomesocultivatedandrefinedinintellect,thathertasteandjudgmentwillberespected;sobenevolentinfeeling

30andaction;thathermotiveswillbereverenced;—sounassumingandunambitious,thatcollisionandcompetitionwillbebanished;—so“gentleandeasytobeentreated,”asthateveryheartwillreposeinherpresence;then,thefathers,thehusbands,andthe

35sons,willfindaninfluencethrownaroundthem,towhichtheywillyieldnotonlywillinglybutproudly

Awomanmayseektheaidofco-operationandcombinationamongherownsex,toassistherinher

40appropriateofficesofpiety,charity,maternaland

domesticduty;butwhatever,inanymeasure,throwsawomanintotheattitudeofacombatant,eitherforherselforothers—whateverbindsherinapartyconflict—whateverobligesherinanywaytoexert

45coerciveinfluences,throwsheroutofherappropriatesphere.Ifthesegeneralprinciplesarecorrect,theyareentirelyopposedtotheplanofarrayingfemalesinanyAbolitionmovement.

1BTTBHF2

Theinvestigationoftherightsoftheslavehasled

50metoabetterunderstandingofmyown.IhavefoundtheAnti-Slaverycausetobethehighschoolofmoralsinourland—theschoolinwhichhumanrightsaremorefullyinvestigated,andbetterunderstoodandtaught,thaninanyother.Herea

55greatfundamentalprincipleisupliftedandilluminated,andfromthiscentrallight,raysinnumerablestreamallaround.

Humanbeingshaverights,becausetheyaremoral

beings:therightsofallmengrowoutoftheirmoral

60nature;andasallmenhavethesamemoralnature,theyhaveessentiallythesamerights.Theserightsmaybewrestedfromtheslave,buttheycannotbealienated:histitletohimselfisasperfectnow,asisthatofLymanBeecher:1itisstampedonhismoral

65being,andis,likeit,imperishable.Nowifrightsarefoundedinthenatureofourmoralbeing,thenthemerecircumstanceofsexdoesnotgivetomanhigherrightsandresponsibilities,thantowoman.Tosupposethatitdoes,wouldbetodenythe

70self-evidenttruth,thatthe“physicalconstitutionisthemereinstrumentofthemoralnature.”Tosupposethatitdoes,wouldbetobreakuputterlytherelations,ofthetwonatures,andtoreversetheirfunctions,exaltingtheanimalnatureintoamonarch,

75andhumblingthemoralintoaslave;makingtheformeraproprietor,andthelatteritsproperty.

Whenhumanbeingsareregardedasmoralbeings,sex,insteadofbeingenthroneduponthesummit,administeringuponrightsand

80responsibilities,sinksintoinsignificanceandnothingness.Mydoctrinethenis,thatwhateveritismorallyrightformantodo,itismorallyrightforwomantodo.Ourdutiesoriginate,notfromdifferenceofsex,butfromthediversityofour

85relationsinlife,thevariousgiftsandtalentscommittedtoourcare,andthedifferenterasinwhichwelive.

1LymanBeecherwasafamousministerandthefatherofCatharineBeecher.

11

15

InPassage1,Beechermakeswhichpointaboutthestatusofwomenrelativetothatofmen?

Womendependonmenfortheirsafetyandsecurity,butmenarelargelyindependentofwomen.

Womenareinferiortomen,butwomenplayaroleassignificantasthatplayedbymen.

Womenhavefewerrightsthanmendo,butwomenalsohavefewerresponsibilities.

Womenaresuperiortomen,buttraditionrequireswomentoobeymen.

12

Whichchoiceprovidesthebestevidencefortheanswertothepreviousquestion?

Lines6-10(“But...all-pervading”)

Lines13-14(“Aman...debate”)

Lines16-18(“hemaycoerce...sphere”)

Lines41-46(“butwhatever...sphere”)

13

InPassage1,Beecherimpliesthatwomen’seffectonpubliclifeislargely

overlooked,becausefewmenareinterestedinwomen’sthoughtsaboutpolitics.

indirect,becausewomenexerttheirinfluencewithinthehomeandfamilylife.

unnecessary,becausemenareabletogovernsocietythemselves.

symbolic,becausewomentendtobemoreidealisticaboutpoliticsthanmenare.

14

Asusedinline2,“station”mostnearlymeans

region.

studio.

district.

rank.

Asusedinline12,“peculiar”mostnearlymeans

eccentric.

surprising.

distinctive.

infrequent.

16

WhatisGrimké’scentralclaiminPassage2?

Therightsofindividualsarenotdeterminedbyraceorgender.

Menandwomenmustlearntoworktogethertoimprovesociety.

Moralrightsarethemostimportantdistinctionbetweenhumanbeingsandanimals.

Menandwomenshouldhaveequalopportunitiestoflourish.

17

InPassage2,Grimkémakeswhichpointabouthumanrights?

Theyarevieweddifferentlyinvariousculturesaroundtheworld.

Theyretaintheirmoralauthorityregardlessofwhethertheyarerecognizedbylaw.

Theyaresometimesatoddswithmoralresponsibilities.

Theyhavebecomemoreadvancedandrefinedthroughouthistory.

18

Whichchoiceprovidesthebestevidencefortheanswertothepreviousquestion?

Lines58-61(“Human...samerights”)

Lines61-65(“These...imperishable”)

Lines71-76(“Tosuppose...property”)

Lines77-81(“When...nothingness”)

19

Whichchoicebeststatestherelationshipbetweenthetwopassages?

Passage2illustratesthepracticaldifficultiesofaproposalmadeinPassage1.

Passage2takesissuewiththeprimaryargumentofPassage1.

Passage2providesahistoricalcontextfortheperspectiveofferedinPassage1.

Passage2elaboratesuponseveralideasimpliedinPassage1.

20

Basedonthepassages,bothauthorswouldagreewithwhichofthefollowingclaims?

Womenhavemoraldutiesandresponsibilities.

Menoftenworkselflesslyforpoliticalchange.

Theethicalobligationsofwomenareoftenundervalued.

Politicalactivismisasimportantforwomenasitisformen.

21

Beecherwouldmostlikelyhavereactedtolines65-68(“Now...woman”)ofPassage2with

sympathy,becauseshefeelsthathumanbeingsoweeachotheradebttoworktogetherintheworld.

agreement,becauseshefeelsthathumanresponsibilitiesareanaturalproductofhumanrights.

dismay,becauseshefeelsthatwomenactuallyhaveamoredifficultroletoplayinsocietythanmendo.

disagreement,becauseshefeelsthatthenaturesofmenandwomenarefundamentallydifferent.

2VFTUJPOT22-31BSFCBTFEPOUIFGPMMPXJOHQBTTBHFBOETVQQMFNFOUBSZNBUFSJBM.

ThispassageisadaptedfromBryanWalsh,“WholeFoodBlues:WhyOrganicAgricultureMayNotBeSoSustainable.”

©2012byTimeInc.

Whenitcomestoenergy,everyonelovesefficiency.Cuttingenergywasteisoneofthosegoalsthatbothsidesofthepoliticaldividecanagreeon,

Lineeveniftheysometimesdivergeonhowbesttoget

5there.Energyefficiencyallowsustogetmoreoutofourgivenresources,whichisgoodfortheeconomyand(mostly)goodfortheenvironmentaswell.Inanincreasinglyhotandcrowdedworld,theonlysustainablewaytoliveistogetmoreoutofless.

10Everyenvironmentalistwouldagree.

Butchangetheconversationtofood,andsuddenlyefficiencydoesn’tlooksogood.

Conventionalindustrialagriculturehasbecomeincrediblyefficientonasimplelandtofoodbasis.

15Thankstofertilizers,mechanizationandirrigation,eachAmericanfarmerfeedsover155peopleworldwide.Conventionalfarminggetsmoreandmorecroppersquarefootofcultivatedland—over170bushelsofcornperacreinIowa,for

20example—whichcanmeanlessterritoryneedstobeconvertedfromwildernesstofarmland.

Andsinceathirdoftheplanetisalreadyusedforagriculture—destroyingforestsandotherwildhabitatsalongtheway—anythingthatcouldhelpus

25producemorefoodonlesslandwouldseemtobegoodfortheenvironment.

Ofcourse,that’snothowmostenvironmentalistsregardtheirarugula[aleafygreen].Theyhaveembracedorganicfoodasbetterfortheplanet—and

30healthierandtastier,too—thanthestuffproducedbyagriculturalcorporations.Environmentalistsdisdaintheenormousamountsofenergyneededandwastecreatedbyconventionalfarming,whileorganicpractices—forgoingartificialfertilizersandchemical

35pesticides—areconsideredfarmoresustainable.Salesoforganicfoodrose7.7%in2010,upto$26.7billion—andpeoplearemakingthosepurchasesfortheirconsciencesasmuchastheirtastebuds.

Yetanewmeta-analysisinNaturedoesthemath

40andcomestoahardconclusion:organicfarmingyields25%fewercropsonaveragethanconventionalagriculture.Morelandisthereforeneededtoproducefewercrops—andthatmeansorganicfarmingmaynotbeasgoodfortheplanetas

45wethink.

IntheNatureanalysis,scientistsfromMcGillUniversityinMontrealandtheUniversityofMinnesotaperformedananalysisof66studiescomparingconventionalandorganicmethodsacross

5034differentcropspecies,fromfruitstograinstolegumes.Theyfoundthatorganicfarmingdeliveredaloweryieldforeverycroptype,thoughthedisparityvariedwidely.Forrain-wateredlegumecropslike

Whatthatmeansisthatwhileconventionalagricultureismoreefficient—sometimesmuchmoreefficient—thanorganicfarming,therearetrade-offs

80witheach.Soanidealglobalagriculturesystem,intheviewsofthestudy’sauthors,mayborrowthebestfrombothsystems,asJonathanFoleyoftheUniversityofMinnesotaexplained:

Thebottomline?Today’sorganicfarming

beansorperennialcropslikefruittrees,organic

55trailedconventionalagriculturebyjust5%.Yetformajorcerealcropslikecornorwheat,aswellasmostvegetables—allofwhichprovidethebulkoftheworld’scalories—conventionalagricultureoutperformedorganicsbymorethan25%.

85 practicesareprobablybestdeployedinfruitandvegetablefarms,wheregrowingnutrition(notjustbulkcalories)istheprimarygoal.Butfordeliveringsheercalories,especiallyinourstaplecropsofwheat,rice,maize,soybeansandsoon,

90 conventionalfarmshavetheadvantageright

60 Themaindifferenceisnitrogen,thechemicalkeytoplantgrowth.Conventionalagriculturemakesuseof171millionmetrictonsofsyntheticfertilizereachyear,andallthatnitrogenenablesmuchfasterplantgrowththantheslowerreleaseofnitrogenfromthe

now.

Lookingforward,Ithinkwewillneedtodeploydifferentkindsofpractices(especiallynew,mixedapproachesthattakethebestoforganic

65compostorcovercropsusedinorganicfarming.WhenwetalkaboutaGreenRevolution,wereallymeananitrogenrevolution—alongwithalot

ofwater.

Butnotallthenitrogenusedinconventional

70fertilizerendsupincrops—muchofitendsuprunningoffthesoilandintotheoceans,creatingvastpolluteddeadzones.We’realreadyputtingmorenitrogenintothesoilthantheplanetcanstandoverthelongterm.Andconventionalagriculturealso

75dependsheavilyonchemicalpesticides,whichcanhaveunintendedsideeffects.

95andconventionalfarmingsystems)wheretheyarebestsuited—geographically,economically,socially,etc.

FJHVSF1

OrganicYieldasaPercentageofConventionalYield,byCropType

allcrops(316)

fruits(14)

oilseedcrops(28)

cereals(161)

vegetables(82)

CropType

40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

At100%,theorganicyieldisthesameastheconventionalyield.Thenumberofobservationsforeachcroptypeisshowninparentheses.

FJHVSF2

OrganicYieldasaPercentageofConventionalYield,bySpecies

maize(74)

barley(19)

wheat(53)

tomato(35)

soybean(25)

Species

40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

At100%,theorganicyieldisthesameastheconventionalyield.Thenumberofobservationsforeachspeciesisshowninparentheses.

FiguresadaptedfromVerenaSeufert,NavinRamankutty,andJonathanA.Foley,“ComparingtheYieldsofOrganicandConventionalAgriculture.”©2012

byNaturePublishingGroup.

22

24

Asusedinline14,“simple”mostnearlymeans

straightforward.

modest.

unadorned.

easy.

23

Accordingtothepassage,asignificantattributeofconventionalagricultureisitsabilityto

produceawidevarietyoffruitsandvegetables.

maximizetheoutputofcultivatedland.

satisfythedietaryneedsoftheworld’spopulation.

lessenthenecessityofnitrogeninplantgrowth.

Whichchoicebestreflectstheperspectiveofthe“environmentalists”(line27)onconventionalagriculture?

Itproducesinferiorfruitsandvegetablesandisdetrimentaltotheenvironment.

Itisenergyefficientandreducestheneedtoconvertwildernesstofarmland.

Itisgoodfortheenvironmentonlyintheshortrun.

Itdepletescriticalresourcesbutprotectswildlifehabitats.

25

Whichchoiceprovidesthebestevidencefortheanswertothepreviousquestion?

Lines27-28(“Ofcourse...green”)

Lines28-31(“They...corporations”)

Lines31-35(“Environmentalists...sustainable”)

Lines42-45(“More...think”)

26

28

Whichstatementbestexpressesarelationshipbetweenorganicfarmingandconventionalfarmingthatispresentedinthepassage?

Bothareequallysustainable,buttheydifferdramaticallyintheamountoflandtheyrequiretoproduceequivalentyields.

Bothrelyonartificialchemicalsforpestcontrol,butorganicfarmersusethechemicalssparinglyinconjunctionwithnaturalremedies.

Bothusenitrogentoencourageplantgrowth,butthenitrogenusedinconventionalfarmingcomesfromsyntheticsources.

Bothcreateasubstantialamountofnitrogenrunoff,butonlythetypeofnitrogenfoundinfertilizersusedinconventionalfarmingcanbedangerous.

27

Whichchoiceprovidesthebestevidencefortheanswertothepreviousquestion?

Lines13-14(“Conventional...basis”)

Lines22-26(“Andsince...environment”)

Lines51-53(“They...widely”)

Lines61-65(“Conventional...farming”)

AccordingtoFoley,an“idealglobalagriculturesystem”(line80)

focusesprimarilyonyieldpercentagesandglobalmarkets.

considersmultiplefactorsintheselectionoffarmingtechniques.

weighstheeconomicinterestsoffarmersagainsttheneedsofconsumers.

putsthenutritionalvalueofproducefirstandforemost.

29

Inline88,“sheer”mostnearlymeans

transparent.

abrupt.

steep.

pure.

30

31

Whichstatementisbestsupportedbytheinformationprovidedinfigure1?

Theorganicyieldasapercentageofconventionalyieldisgreaterforvegetablesthanforfruits.

Theorganicyieldasapercentageofconventionalyieldissimilarforcerealsandallcrops.

Thereportednumberofobservationsforeachcroptypeexceeds82.

Theorganicyieldasapercentageofconventionalyieldisgreaterforvegetablecropsthanitisforoilseedcrops.

Whichofthefollowingclaimsissupportedbyfigure2?

Oftheorganicallygrownspeciesrepresented,soybeanshavethelowestyield.

Theorganicallygrownmaizeandbarleyrepresentedarecomparableintheiryieldstoconventionallygrownmaizeandbarley.

Oftheorganicallygrownspeciesrepresented,tomatoeshavethehighestyield.

Theorganicallygrownspeciesrepresentedhaveloweryieldsthantheirconventionallygrowncounterpartsdo.

2VFTUJPOT32-41BSFCBTFEPOUIFGPMMPXJOHQBTTBHFBOETVQQMFNFOUBSZNBUFSJBM.

ThispassageisadaptedfromJohnBohannon,“WhyYouShouldn’tTrustInternetComments.”©2013byAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience.

The“wisdomofcrowds”hasbecomeamantraoftheInternetage.Needtochooseanewvacuumcleaner?Checkoutthereviewsononlinemerchant

LineAmazon.Butanewstudysuggeststhatsuchonline

5scoresdon’talwaysrevealthebestchoice.AmassivecontrolledexperimentofWebusersfindsthatsuchratingsarehighlysusceptibletoirrational“herdbehavior”—andthattheherdcanbemanipulated.

Sometimesthecrowdreallyiswiserthanyou.The

10classicexamplesareguessingtheweightofabullorthenumberofgumballsinajar.Yourguessisprobablygoingtobefarfromthemark,whereastheaverageofmanypeople’schoicesisremarkablyclosetothetruenumber.

45 Forfivemonths,everycommentsubmittedbyauserrandomlyreceivedan“up”vote(positive);a“down”vote(negative);orasacontrol,novoteatall.Theteamthenobservedhowusersratedthosecomments.Theusersgeneratedmorethan

50100,000commentsthatwereviewedmorethan

10milliontimesandratedmorethan300,000timesbyotherusers.

Atleastwhenitcomestocommentsonnewssites,thecrowdismoreherdlikethanwise.

55Commentsthatreceivedfakepositivevotesfromtheresearcherswere32%morelikelytoreceivemorepositivevotescomparedwithacontrol,theteamreports.Andthosecommentswerenomorelikelythanthecontroltobedown-votedbythenextviewer

60toseethem.Bytheendofthestudy,positivelymanipulatedcommentsgotanoverallboostofabout25%.However,thesamedidnotholdtruefornegativemanipulation.Theratingsofcommentsthat

gotafakedownvotewereusuallynegatedbyanup

15 Butwhathappenswhenthegoalistojudgesomethinglesstangible,suchasthequalityorworthofaproduct?Accordingtoonetheory,thewisdomofthecrowdstillholds—measuringtheaggregateofpeople’sopinionsproducesastable,reliable

65votebythenextusertoseethem.

“Ourexperimentdoesnotrevealthepsychologybehindpeople’sdecisions,”Aralsays,“butanintuitiveexplanationisthatpeopl