B. READING

In this section of the test, you will read FOUR different passages, each followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer to each question. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.

You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions.

Passage 1:

Brainrot (sometimes written as “brain rot”) is internet slang for the mental fog and shortened attention span that comes from spending too much time consuming low-quality online content. It also refers to the content itself: the bizarre, nonsensical, algorithmically boosted videos and memes that flood platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

Part of what makes brainrot recognizable is its own micro-language. Young people who consume large amounts of this content often pepper their speech with internet-native references: “skibidi” (from the YouTube series Skibidi Toilet), “rizz” (charisma), “gyatt” (a reaction to someone’s body), “fanum tax” (jokingly stealing food from someone’s plate), and “sigma” (a self-reliant, lone-wolf male archetype). If you’ve heard a child or teenager string these words together in a sentence that sounds like nonsense, you’ve witnessed brainrot vocabulary in action. For many parents and teachers, this language is the most visible sign that something has shifted in how kids interact with media.

The term started as slang, but research suggests the underlying concern is real. The core mechanism is something researchers call “dopamine-scrolling”: each swipe releases a small hit of dopamine, and because you never know whether the next video will be boring or hilarious, the unpredictability keeps you hooked. This variable reward schedule is the same psychological principle that makes slot machines compelling. Over time, your brain builds tolerance, meaning you need more scrolling to get the same satisfaction.

A 2024 study measuring brain activity in college-age participants found that higher levels of short-video addiction correlated with weaker executive control in the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for focus, planning, and impulse control. The same study found a significant negative relationship between short-video addiction and self-control. In plain terms: the more hooked someone was on short videos, the harder it was for them to regulate their own attention and behavior.

A broader review published in Brain Sciences linked excessive screen time and low-quality content consumption to brain fog, decreased concentration, impaired brain development in adolescents, increased anxiety and depression, social withdrawal, and distorted perceptions of reality. Some researchers have raised concerns about potential connections to early-onset cognitive decline in later adulthood, though that long-term picture is still developing.

(Adapted from https://scienceinsights.org/what-does-brainrot-mean-and-why-it-affects-your-brain/)

Passage 3: As forests are razed at a dizzying pace and rainforests steadily shrink, the ecolo...