Reading Comprehension

I received a PM asking me to comment on what I think the official answers are.

In future, please type out the text of the questions. When things are posted as JPEGs, they don't show up in the "previous posts" text at the bottom of the screen when we reply to things, and we have to keep going "back" and "forward" in our browsers to answer. This takes us a lot longer to do - even on RC, it would save lots of time if we could at least see the questions below and we'd only have to go "back" to see the passage.

I'll answer this one today, but in future, I'll simply ask people to notify me after they've typed out the questions and then I'll answer.

P1
diatom has periodic behavior assoc. with tides
diatoms burrow in sand during high tide
emerge during daytime low tide
(How do they know when to burrow or emerge?)
Hyp: environmental change?
BUT: if remove env. change, they still have the same behavior
Hyp #2: internal clock

P2
The period of the clock is not fixed though
can use env. factors to change the period
analogy with a watch
solar + tidal influences

Q1: inference, accuracy of the bio clock
Passage says:
- "unusually accurate" bio clock, due to env. pressures (ie, die if they get it wrong)

A: the accuracy doesn't vary. The clock is "unusually accurate." The period varies - that's different.
B: the reason given for the unusual accuracy is the specific environmental pressure of the tide. Other intertidal species would presumably have the same "pressure" to get things right or be washed away.
C: the best answer. The reason given for the unusual accuracy is the specific environmental pressure of the tide. Something subject to less environmental pressure, therefore, wouldn't be as likely to achieve such an "unusual" accuracy rate.
D: this isn't why the passage says the accuracy exists; in fact, the period can vary, which would seem to imply that the tidal cycle is not completely consistent
E: passage says that they still display the behavior even under lab conditions

Q2
the periodic behavior under lab conditions = ?

A: nope - says that it's the same "for several weeks"
B: yep - says that it's the same "for several weeks"
C: nope - says that it's the same only "for several weeks"
D: nope - says that it's the same "for several weeks"
E: nope - says that it's the same "for several weeks"

I do think practice makes perfect - in fact, I'll go so far as to say that whatever you haven't made a habit via practice before the test simply won't happen during the official test.

For my passage notes, I wrote a bit more than I would have on my scrap paper because I was writing what I was thinking. When I actually write, I use serious abbreviations, because my written notes are just used to jog my memory on where the major pieces of information are located.

My goals on the read-through are:
1) find "The Point" - the author's overall reason for writing the passage. This is not the same thing as the topic, though it is closely related. The topic is what you might see in an encyclopedia: this is about butterfly mating habits. The Point is why the author is writing about butterfly mating habits: the mating habits have been changing and there are several theories as to why (and then the author discusses those theories). Or something like that.
2) Delineate the structure of the passage: the kind of information contained in each paragraph, so that I can use my written notes as an outline to very quickly find the right detailed sentences in the passage when I get a particular specific question.

I'll copy my original notes below and then put next to it what I might've written on my scrap paper <new notes in brackets>:

P1
diatom has periodic behavior assoc. with tides <D prd behav b/c tide>
diatoms burrow in sand during high tide <(up arrow) tide --> D burrow>
emerge during daytime low tide <(down arrow) " --> " emerge (note: write this right below previous line)>
(How do they know when to burrow or emerge?) <(probably wouldn't write this down)>
Hyp: environmental change? <Hyp: env. (triangle)?>
BUT: if remove env. change, they still have the same behavior <BUT: Hyp (with X through it)>
Hyp #2: internal clock <Hyp2: int clck (might go back and add a 1 to first hyp)>

P2
The period of the clock is not fixed though <prd not fxd>
can use env. factors to change the period <env can (triangle) prd>
analogy with a watch <watch anal>
solar + tidal influences <sol, tid infl>

By the time I'm done, I can remember at least half of the stuff I've written down, because the act of thinking about it and jotting down SHORT notes helps me to get everything ordered well in my mind. I'm also writing while I'm thinking / reading - I don't stop and look over at my paper and concentrate on writing. Rather, half the time, I don't even look at the paper while I'm writing. This makes things a little messy sometimes but it keeps my focus where it belongs: on the passage.

Re: Q2, B says "short term," which corresponds to a few weeks. C says "long term," which doesn't.