Reading Comprehension

PT106 · S4 · P2 · Q10 Volcanoes

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Long after the lava has cooled, the effects of a major volcanic eruption may linger on.

Topic

The lingering climate effects of major volcanic eruptions and how they influence global and regional temperatures.

Framework

Present Debate

Main Point

While volcanic eruptions are thought to cool Earth's climate, recent research suggests the cooling effect is smaller and more complicated than previously believed, with global impacts being minor but potential for larger regional effects due to feedback loops. (The “most valuable sentence” encapsulating the main point appears in P3: )

P1: Common Belief about Volcanic Eruptions

After a big volcano erupts, the dust and acid it throws into the air can cool the planet by blocking sunlight—some even blame Tambora’s 1815 eruption for an entire summer without warm weather in 1816.

P2: New Findings Challenge Conventional Wisdom

Scientists Mass and Portman say this connection isn’t quite as strong as we think. By analyzing global temperatures around nine eruptions—while accounting for El Niño’s effects—they find the supposed volcanic cooling can be tricky to pin down.

P3: Refining the Evidence—What Eruptions Really Do

Once they filtered out El Niño, they saw that smaller eruptions don’t noticeably affect temperatures, and even huge eruptions only slightly cool the hemisphere—much less than earlier studies had claimed.

10.

To which one of the following situations would the concept of a feedback loop, as it is employed in the passage, be most accurately applied?

Correct
An increase in the amount
Why this is right
This gives us a feedback loop. We start with an "increase in the amount of decaying matter in the soil", and so we just want to read to see if the rest of the answer describes some chain reactions that result in "even more increase in the amount of decaying matter in the soil". That does indeed happen. an increase in X leads to Y, which leads to Z, which further increases X
Skill tested: Application · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
79% picked this
An increase in the number
No Loop
The initial cause doesn't get amplified, so there is no feedback loop. We start with an "increase in the number of wolves", and so we just want to read to see if the rest of the answer describes some chain reactions that result in "even more increase in the number of wolves". But we never hear about an increase in wolves, just "other animals" in the area.
7% picked this
An increase in the amount
No Loop
The initial cause doesn't get amplified, so there is no feedback loop. We start with an "increase in the amount of rain", and so we just want to read to see if the rest of the answer describes some chain reactions that result in "even more increase in the amount of rain". But we never hear about a further increase in rain.
3% picked this
An increase in the amount
No Loop
The initial cause doesn't get amplified, so there is no feedback loop. We start with an "increase in the amount of sunlight", and so we just want to read to see if the rest of the answer describes some chain reactions that result in "even more increase in the amount of sunlight". But we never hear about a further increase in sunlight. In fact we hear the opposite - something starts blocking sunlight.
9% picked this
As increase in the number
No Loop
The initial cause doesn't get amplified, so there is no feedback loop. We start with an "increase in the number of outdoor electric lights", and so we just want to read to see if the rest of the answer describes some chain reactions that result in "even more increase in the number of outdoor electric lights". But we never hear about a further increase in the number of outdoor electric lights.
2% picked this

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