brate analogue to the extreme form of altruism abserved in

eusocial insects like ants and bees, whereby individuals

cooperate, sometimes even sacrificing their own oppor-

( 5) tunities to survive and reproduce, for the good of others.

However, such a vertebrate society may exist among under-

ground colonies of the highly social rodent Heterocephalus

glaber, the naked mole rat.

A naked mole rat colony, like a beehive, wasp’s nest, or

(10) termite mound, is ruled by its queen, or reproducing

female. Other adult female mole rats neither ovulate nor

breed. The queen of the largest member of the colony, and

she maintains her breeding status through a mixture of

behavioral and, presumably, chemical control. Queens have

(15) been long-lived in captivity, and when they die or are

removed from a colony one sees violent fighting for breed-

ing status among the larger remaining females, leading to a

takeover by a new queen.

Eusocial insect societies have rigid caste systems, each

(20)insects’s role being defined by its behavior,body shape, and

physiology. In naked mole rat societies, on the other hand,

differences in behavior are related primarily to reproductive

status (reproduction being limited to the queen and a few

males), body size, and perhaps age. Smaller nonbreeding

(25) members, both male and female, seem to participate pri-

marily in gathering food, transporting nest material, and

tunneling. Larger nonreaders are active in defending the

colony and perhaps in removing dirt from the tunnels.

Jarvis’ work has suggested that differences in growth rates

(30)may influence the length of time that an individual performs

a task, regardless of its age.

Cooperative breeding has evolved many times in verte-

brates, but unlike naked mole rats, most cooperatively

breeding vertebrates (except the wild dog, Lycaon pictus)

(35) are dominated by a pair of breeders rather than by a single

breeding female. The division of labor within social groups

is less pronounced among other vertebrates than among

naked mole rats, colony size is much smaller, and mating

by subordinate females may not be totally suppressed,

(40) whereas in naked mole rat colonies subordinate females are

not sexually active, and many never breed.

166. One function of the third paragraph of the passage is to

(A) state a conclusion about facts presented in an earlier paragraph

(B) introduce information that is contradicted by information in the fourth paragraph

(C) qualify the extent to which two previously mentioned groups might be similar

(D) show the chain of reasoning that led to the conclusions of a specific study

(E) demonstrate that, of three explanatory factors offered, two may be of equal significance

Passage 35

Two divergent definitions have dominated sociologists’

discussions of the nature of ethnicity. The first emphasizes

the primordial and unchanging character of ethnicity. In

this view, people have an essential need for belonging that

(5) is satisfied by membership in groups based on shared

ancestry and culture. A different conception of ethnicity

de-emphasizes the cultural component and defines ethnic

groups as interest groups. In this view, ethnicity serves as

a way of mobilizing a certain population behind issues

(10) relating to its economic position. While both of these

definitions are useful, neither fully captures the dynamic

and changing aspects of ethnicity in the United States.

Rather, ethnicity is more satisfactorily conceived of as a

process in which preexisting communal bonds and common

(15) cultural attributes are adapted for instrumental purposes

according to changing real-life situations.

One example of this process is the rise of participation

by Native American people in the broader United States

political system since the Civil Rights movement of the

(20)1960’s. Besides leading Native Americans to participate

more actively in politics (the number of Native American

legislative officeholders more than doubled), this movement

also evoked increased interest in tribal history and traditional

culture. Cultural and instrumental components of

(25 )ethnicity are not mutually exclusive, but rather reinforce

one another.

The Civil Rights movement also brought changes in the

uses to which ethnicity was put by Mexican American

people. In the 1960’s, Mexican Americans formed

(30) community-based political groups that emphasized ancestral

heritage as a way of mobilizing constituents. Such emerg-

ing issues as immigration and voting rights gave Mexican

American advocacy groups the means by which to promote

ethnic solidarity. Like European ethnic groups in the

(35) nineteenth-century United States, late-twentieth-century

Mexican American leaders combined ethnic with contem-

porary civic symbols. In 1968 Henry Censors, then mayor

of San Antonio, Texas, cited Mexican leader Benito Juarez

as a model for Mexican Americans in their fight for con-

(40) temporary civil rights. And every year, Mexican Americans

celebrate Cinco de Mayo as fervently as many Irish

American people embrace St. Patrick’s Day (both are major

holidays in the countries of origin), with both holidays

having been reinvented in the context of the United States

and linked to ideals, symbols, and heroes of the United

States

218. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

(A) In their definitions of the nature of ethnicity, sociologists have underestimated the power

of the primordial human need to belong.

(B) Ethnicity is best defined as a dynamic process that combines cultural components with

shared political and economic interests.

(C) In the United States in the twentieth century, ethnic groups have begun to organize in

order to further their political and economic interests.

(D) Ethnicity in the United States has been significantly changed by the Civil Rights

movement.

(E) The two definitions of ethnicity that have dominated sociologists discussions are

incompatible and should be replaced by an entirely new approach.