GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: OG2

Arctic sea ice comes in two varieties. Seasonal ice forms in winter and then melts in summer, while perennial ice persists year-round. To the untrained eye, all sea ice looks similar, but by licking it, one can estimate how long a particular piece has been floating around. When ice begins to form in seawater, it forces out salt, which has no place 5 in the crystal structure. As the ice gets thicker, the rejected salt collects in tiny pockets of brine too highly concentrated to freeze. A piece of first-year ice will taste salty. Eventually, if the ice survives, these pockets of brine drain out through fine, veinlike channels, and the ice becomes fresher; multiyear ice can even be melted and drunk.

Question List: 1 2

The passage mentions which of the following as being a characteristic of seasonal ice?

  • A It is similar in appearance to perennial ice
  • B It is typically filled with fine, veinlike channels.
  • C It tastes saltier than perennial ice.

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