031. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos.

The word "outstanding" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) extensive

(B) surprising

(C) vertical

(D) excellent

032. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzamden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time.

The word "site" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) example

(B) location

(C) development

(D) characteristic

033. The quality of preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.

The phrase "account for " is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) record

(B) describe

(C) equal

(D) explain

034. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century.

The words "a supremacy" in line 9 are closest in meaning to

(A) a suggestion

(B) an improvement

(C) a dominance

(D) a development

035. A series of mechanical improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or to soften it, the perfection of a metal frame, and steel wire of the finest quality, finally produced an instrument capable of myriadtonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to a sharp, percussive brilliance.

The word "myriad" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) noticeable

(B) many

(C) loud

(D) unusual

036. Each one was virtually a stone town, which is why the Spanish would later call them pueblos, the Spanish word for towns. These pueblos represent one of the Anasazis' supreme achievements. At least a dozen large stone houses took shape below the bluffs of Chiaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico.

The word "supreme" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) most common

(B) most outstanding

(C) most expensive

(D) most convenient

037. They functioned as sanctuaries where the elders met to plan festivals, perform ritual dances, settle pueblo affairs, and impart tribal lore to the younger generation.

The word "settle" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) sink

(B) decide

(C) clarify

(D) locate

038. Then, to connect the pueblos and to give access to the surrounding tableland, the architects laid out a system of public roads with stone staircases for ascending cliff faces.

The word "ascending" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) arriving at

(B) carving

(C) connecting

(D) climbing

039. Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.

The word "solemn" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) simple

(B) serious

(C) short

(D) silent

040. Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these early special scores was that composed and arranged for D. W. Griffith's film Birth of a Nation, which was released in 1915.

The word "composed" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) selected

(B) combined

(C) played

(D) created

The word "scores" is closest in meaning to which of following?

(A) totals

(B) successes

(C) musical compositions

(D) groups of musicians