(c) i would much rather be poor and respected than be rich and despises. to have the respect of others is far more valuable than to have millions of dollars.

　　(d) i have never been betrayed by any of my friends. they have been true to me through good times and bad. therefore i will never betray any of my friends.

　　(e) because every plant i have ever seen has green leaves, i have concluded that all plants must have green leaves. this looks like a plant but it does not have green leaves, so it cannot be a plant.

　　58. some people say that the scarcity of food is a <i>function</i> of the finite limits of the earth's resources, coupled with a relentless rate of population growth. this analysis fails to recognize, however, that much of the world's agricultural resources are used to feed livestock instead of people. in the united states, for example, almost one-half of the agricultural acreage is devoted to crops fed to livestock. a steer reduces twenty-one pounds of inexpensive grain to one pound of expensive meat. thus, the scarcity of food is not merely a <i>function</i> of limited resources and population growth.

　　which one of the following is an assumption that would allow the conclusion in the argument to be properly drawn?

　　(a) people prefer eating meat to eating grain.

　　(b) meat is twenty-one times more expensive than grain.

　　(c) the limits of the earth's agricultural resources are not finite.

　　(d) more than one-half of the agricultural acreage in the united states is devoted to drops fed to humans.

　　(e) growing crops for human consumption on the acreage currently devoted to crops for livestock will yield more food for more people.

　　59. top college graduates are having more difficulty demonstrating their superiority to prospective employers than did the top students of twenty years ago when an honors degree was distinction enough. today's employers are less impressed with the honors degree. twenty years ago no more than 10 percent of a given class graduated with honors. today, however, because of grade inflation, the honors degree goes to more than 50 percent of a graduating class. therefore, to restore confidence in the degrees they award, colleges must take steps to control grade inflation.

　　which one of the following is an assumption that, if true, would support the conclusion in the passage?

　　(a) today's students are not higher achievers than the students of twenty years ago.

　　(b) awarding too many honors degrees causes colleges to inflate grades.

　　(c) today's employers rely on honors ranking in making their hiring decisions.

　　(d) it is not easy for students with low grades to obtain jobs.

　　(e) colleges must make employers aware of the criteria used to determine who receives an honor degree.

　　60. one of the more reliable methods of determining regional climatic conditions in prehistoric periods is to examine plant pollen trapped in glacial ice during ancient times. by comparing such pollen samples with spores take from modern vegetation, scientists can figure out approximately what the weather was like at the time of pollen deposition. furthermore, by submitting the prehistoric samples to radiocarbon dating techniques, we can also determine when certain climatic conditions were prevalent in that portion of the globe.

　　which one of the following may be inferred from the information in the passage?

　　(a) the earth has undergone several glacial periods.