Passage 21

The process for making a coin is quite complicated, and many types of errors can be made during the procedure. Coin collectors study the errors because they can dramatically affect the value of a coin. That is, some kinds of errors are considered interesting and add value to a collected coin. Some errors will affect only one or a few coins, while others will affect all coins made at a given time. While the word error is generally a negative concept, it can be a positive concept to a coin collector because it makes the coin interesting and more valuable, unlike dam-age to the coin after it is in circulation or the cleaning of a coin, both of which detract from its value.

After an artist creates the drawing that will appear on a coin, a die is made in plastic or plaster from the drawing. The die is a mirror image of the coin. Where there is a raised area on the coin, there is a depressed area on the die, and vice versa. The die is then trans-ferred to a metal pattern in order to create a master die. The dies, one for the front of the coin and one for the back, are placed in a coin press. The metal in the coin comes from a large metal piece called a planchet, which is used at room temperature rather than melted. A feed mechanism passes planchets through the coin press. The two dies, sur-rounded by collars, strike the planchet, which causes the softer planchet metal to flow into all the design cavities of the die up to the collars, resulting in the flat or reeded edge of the coin.

Sometimes errors take place on the planchet itself. Normally, because the strip of planchet material is used on only one or a few coins, an error on the planchet will only affect one or a few coins. The types of errors possible on the planchet include: an im-proper mixture of the alloy used to make the planchet; damaged, defective or incomplete planchets; or unstruck planchets. The alloy-mix error occurs when the wrong metals or wrong percentages of metals go into the alloy mix, resulting in discoloration. A defective planchet may be scratched or dented. Specialists can sometimes tell whether the scratch or dent occurred prior to or after the strike, and it might make a difference to a collector. Planchets are cut from strips through a rough punch, like cutting cookies out of dough, so there may be overlaps into already punched areas.

A die error occurs during the creation of the die or by a change or alteration after it is cre-ated. Because one die is used on many coins, the error will be reflected on every coin struck by that die. Common errors affecting the die are: errors in engraving; die cracks and die breaks; dents, gouges, and scratches; and the polishing of the die.

The earliest dies were made by hand using engraving tools to cut the design directly into the die. Many errors were made in the dies themselves, and often have no significant value. Sometimes these errors appear as a date on top of another date, known as doubling, or as a ghost or duplicate image. A die crack will result in a raised, irregular line on the coin metal above the normal surface of the coin, while a die break is a raised, irregular area of coin metal above the normal sur-face of the coin. Scratches, dents, and other marks on the die will transfer to the coin when it is struck.

Another type of error is a striking error, which occurs only when the planchet is actually struck by the dies. This type of error is commonly caused by misaligned or rotated dies, multiple or double strikes, or similar problems. It is important to be sure that the die for the front of the coin is exactly opposite the die of the reverse.

1. The author explains that collectors often view errors in minting coins as

2. The author explains that an error on the die will affect

3. The word others  in the first paragraph refers to

4. The word detract  in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

5. The author implies that cleaning a coin after it is minted

6. The passage states that a die is made of plastic or plaster and a master die is made of

7. According to the passage, the image on a die is

8. According to the passage, after the master die is created it is

9. The author describes a planchet as a

10. According to the passage, what is true about the planchet when the die strikes it to create a coin?

11. The design or flat edge on the rim of the coin is caused by the metal of the planchet flowing against

12. According to the passage, an error in the planchet could result in

13. The author uses the analogy of cutting cookie dough to explain how the

14. A crack in the die will result in

15. The author implies that errors in the die are often made by

Passage 22

Tequila is created from one of the hundred species of agave, which was discovered as a source of alcohol by the ancient Aztecs. In the 1500s, it was used to create an alcoholic beverage called octli, which was sour and not tasty. But later, the Spanish used the dis-tillation process to create mezcal. Finally, double-distilling was used with a special type of agave known as agave azul, or blue agave in English (scientifically known as agave tequilana weber), and tequila was born. Creating tequila is a long, involved process. The plant is 8 to 12 years old before it can be used. The plant itself resembles a huge green aloe plant. To maintain the potency of the agave, the leaves are periodically cut back. Finally, when the plant has reached the proper age and weight, the leaves are cut, and workers known as Jimadors use a special hoe-type tool called a coa to remove the huge heart from the ground. The heart is large, brown, hard, and heavy, weighing 80 or more pounds. It is filled with a sweet sap referred to as agua miel, or honey water, which is actually the source of the tequila. The heavy roots are then carried to trucks on the backs of burrows. At the processing plant, the roots are chopped into quarters with machetes and carried on conveyor belts to huge ovens where they are baked for four days at 120 degrees Celsius. Next, they are placed in a dark room for a day or so, and finally, they are thrown onto a conveyor belt, which runs them through a shredding ma-chine, where they are ground to a pulp. As they are ground, the liquid is released and falls into collectors below. The pulp continues to be run through additional shredders where it is further crushed and manipulated so that all the juice is released. The liquid is sent by a hose to an aluminum vat where yeast is added, and it is kept at a cool temperature for two days. Next, the liquid is transported via another hose to an open vat, where the yeast assists in the natural fermentation process. Then, approximately 10 percent of the liquid continues in the process, and the balance is discarded. The liquid is then sent by hoses to other vats to be distilled twice in order to achieve the desired purity. It is measured and tested at every step. Finally, when it has reached the proper temperature, it is transported by another hose or a tanker truck to the bottling plant. If it will be a select brand, it is placed in oak vats to be aged, which allows the distillate to mellow and affects the color slightly. In the bottling area, a machine fills the bottles, which are measured by an attendant. The bottles then travel on a conveyor belt to several different workers, one who affixes the large label, another the neck label, another the top, another the tape over the top, and so on. Then workers meticulously clean and polish the bottles and peer through the glass for impurities. Finally, the bottles are boxed and transported for wholesale or retail sale.
1. According to the passage, blue agave is

2. The author implies all of the following except that

3. The author states all of the following about the agave plant except that

4. The word periodically  in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to

5. The word sap  in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to

6. According to the passage, tequila is formed from

7. The author indicates that the aloe plant

8. The word ground  in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to

8. The word pulp  in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to

10. According to the passage, what is true about the hearts of the agave?

11. After the liquid is removed from the heart of the agave, it is transported from place to place by

12. According to the passage, the last process before the agave hearts are ground up is

13. According to the passage, the liquid is transported from vat to vat because

14. The author implies all of the following except that

15. In describing the bottling process, the author implies that

Passage 23
The Greenland Shark, whose scientific name, somniosus microcephalus, means ―small-headed sleeper,‖ has eluded study until recently and is unique among sharks of the world. As one might imagine, the water of Arctic Bay is extremely frigid, but the Greenland Shark is perfectly suited for it. The shark itself may appear ghoulish, having large nostrils, gray and blotched skin, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and milky eyes (like those of a dead fish) with something that appears like a tassel hanging from each of them. Its jaw and teeth look quite similar to those of other sharks, with entire layers of teeth being discarded together and replaced with a new set. The lethargic shark feeds on seals, fish, and carrion, with a power to suck in huge pieces of meat. It is known to grow to at least 20 or more feet and to live for at least 16 years, although there is not much data on the subject. Curiously, when the flesh of one of these sharks is ingested by any being other than another Greenland Shark, a strong neuro-toxin causes extreme intoxication. Researchers have spotted packs of wild dogs that have eaten a dead Greenland Shark and become so intoxicated that they could not walk. The shark meat can be detoxified by soaking it in salt water for several days, and then there is no adverse effect. The tassel-like object hanging from the eyes is, in fact, a certain type of parasite called a copepod that regularly attaches itself to the cornea of Greenland Sharks, severely dam-aging their eyesight. The three-inch invertebrate exhibits two claw-like appendages that hook on to the cornea. A scar is created where the copepod latches on and where it moves back and forth across the eye. This is what results in the milky eyes. Unbelievably, the shark still appears to see through the fogginess and the annoying copepod hanging in front of the cornea, although its sight does not appear to be that important. Naturally, it has a keen sense of smell to make up for the lack of sight.

1. The word eluded  in the first sentence is closest in meaning to

2. The word frigid  in the second sentence is closest in meaning to

3. The word ghoulish in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

4. The word blotched  in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

5. The word tassel  in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

6. The word them  in the last sentence of the first paragraph refers to

7. The author implies that instead of losing a tooth, the Greenland shark

8. The author implies that due to the extremely cold water,

9.The word lethargic  in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to

10. The author implies in paragraph two that carrion  is

11. The author indicates that the Greenland Shark‟s flesh contains

12. The word they in the third paragraph refers to

13. The passage indicates in the last paragraph that a copepod is

14. The word scar  in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to