Analyze Connections and Distinctions Practice Test

Read the passage, then answer the question.

In the late 1800s, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla both worked with electricity, and the text points out that each held many patents and helped shape modern power systems. Similarly, both relied on careful observation and repeated testing to improve their inventions. However, the author draws a clear contrast in their goals. Edison focused on building devices that could be sold quickly and used safely in homes and businesses, so he organized teams and created companies to produce his designs. In contrast, Tesla spent more time imagining bold new possibilities, such as long-distance wireless transmission, even when the technology and funding were not yet ready. The passage suggests that these different approaches affected their public reputations: Edison became known as a practical business-minded inventor, while Tesla became known as a visionary whose ideas sometimes arrived “ahead of their time.”

Which distinction does the author make between Edison and Tesla?

Read the passage, then answer the question.

The author compares two ways communities respond to water shortages: building dams and promoting water conservation. Both approaches, the text notes, aim to ensure people have enough water for drinking, farming, and industry. Similarly, each can require planning and cooperation across many groups. However, the author highlights a key contrast. Dams increase supply by storing water, but they can flood habitats and change river ecosystems. In contrast, conservation reduces demand through actions like fixing leaks, using drought-tolerant landscaping, and installing efficient appliances. The author uses signal words such as “both,” “similarly,” and “however” to show shared purpose first and then separate the strategies by their different methods and side effects.

Question: How does the author show the relationship between building dams and promoting conservation?