Inference Problem Set 3

In 1928, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming made a discovery that eventually resulted in the development of the first modern antibiotic. He returned to his lab one day to find that a mold, Penicillium notatum, had contaminated one of his Staphylococcus bacterial culture plates. This observation led Fleming to conclude that the mold was producing a diffusible substance that inhibited bacterial growth. The pattern of bacterial growth on the plate suggested that ________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

Before the mid-15th century, the production of books in Europe was a laborious process involving hand-copying by scribes, which kept books expensive and largely restricted to the clergy and the nobility. The introduction of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440 drastically reduced the time and cost required to produce texts. Historical records indicate that in the decades following this invention, there was not only a massive increase in the volume of religious texts but also a sudden surge in the publication of books written in local vernacular languages rather than in Latin. This shift in publishing is evidence that ________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

Under the legal doctrine of “qualified immunity,” government officials in the United States are shielded from being held personally liable for constitutional violations—such as the use of excessive force—as long as their actions did not violate “clearly established” law. To be considered “clearly established,” a previous court must have ruled on a case with nearly identical facts. However, legal critics point out that because many cases are dismissed at the outset due to qualified immunity, few new rulings are ever issued to define what constitutes a violation in new or unique circumstances. It can be inferred that the “clearly established” requirement ________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

The “Cathedral Effect” is a theory in environmental psychology suggesting that ceiling height influences the way humans process information. Research has shown that high ceilings (ten feet or more) tend to activate concepts related to freedom and abstraction, leading individuals to perform better on creative tasks that require “outside-the-box” thinking. Conversely, low ceilings (eight feet or less) tend to activate concepts of confinement and focus, enhancing performance on tasks requiring attention to specific, concrete details. Thus, an interior designer tasked with creating a layout for a firm that handles both imaginative architectural drafting and meticulous, technical accounting would likely find that ________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

Albedo (from the Latin word for ‘whiteness’) is a measure of how much solar energy is reflected by a portion of the Earth’s surface. Light-colored surfaces, such as sea ice and snow, have high albedo and reflect most sunlight back into space, helping to cool the planet. Darker surfaces, like open ocean water or asphalt, have low albedo and absorb heat. Scientists have observed a feedback loop in the Arctic: as rising temperatures cause sea ice to melt, the resulting exposed dark water absorbs more heat, which further accelerates the melting of the remaining ice. Therefore, an intervention that artificially increases the albedo of the Arctic ocean — such as covering the water with reflective silica beads — would likely ________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?