In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began an expedition across the western United States, then known as the Louisiana Territory. The two men had met years earlier and established a long-lasting friendship. When Lewis was later a young captain in the army, he received a letter from President Thomas Jefferson offering him funding to explore the Western country. With Jefferson's permission, Lewis offered a partnership in the expedition to his friend Clark. When their journey had safely concluded 8,000 miles later, President Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory for fifteen million dollars.

The purpose of the passage is

1. to give the background to Lewis and Clark's westward expedition
2. to defend the purchase of the Louisiana Territory
3. to state a crucial decision made by Thomas Jefferson
4. to compare the skills of Lewis and Clark

The correct answer is A. The the main purpose of the passage is to describe how Lewis and Clark met and talk about the events that led up to their expedition together. The passage does not take a defensive tone or mention any criticisms, so answer B is incorrect. Answers C gives a specific point from the passage, not the main purpose. Answer D is incorrect because the passage does not make any comparisons. In other words, it doesn't use any of the following: like, similarly, in the same way

Cancer occurs when cells in the body begin to divide abnormally and form more cells without control or order. There are some factors which are known to increase the risk of cancer. Smoking is the largest single cause of death from cancer in the United States. In addition, poor food choices increase cancer risk. Indeed, research shows that there is a definite link between the consumption of high-fat food and cancer.

From this passage, we can infer that

1. a low-fat diet can reduce the risk of cancer X
2. smoking usually causes cells to divide abnormally
3. the consumption of high-fat food has increased in recent years
4. most cancer sufferers have made poor food choices

The correct answer is A. This type of question tests your ability to draw conclusions from the informaiton that is stated in the passage. The passage states that a high-fat diet increases the risk of cancer, so conversely, a low-fat diet will reduce the risk of cancer. The passage does not state that smoking always leads to cancer, so answer B is incorrect. The passage makes no statement about whether the consumption of high-fat food has increased in recent years, so answer C is incorrect. We know from the passage that poor food choices can cause cancer. However, we do not know if this is true for most people. So answer D is incorrect.