English
Question Catalogue Index
I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
1. Spelling
A. Double Letter
1. Double Letter……………………………………………… 1
B. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Vowel (s)
1. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Vowel (s)……….……………9
C. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Consonant (s)
1. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Consonant (s)………………28
D. Incorrect Letter Order
1. Incorrect Letter Order……………………..………………33
2. Vocabulary
A. Synonyms
1. Synonyms……………………………..……………………36
B. Definitions
1. Definitions……………………….………………………… 79
C. Defining Word(s) As Used In Sentence
1. Defining Word(s) As Used In Sentence…………………
93
3. Grammar
A. Parts Of Sentences
1. Parts Of Sentences……………….……………………… 118
II. LISTENING EXERCISES
1. Listening - MC Questions Only
A. Speeches
1. Speeches…………………………….………………………123
B. Articles
1. Articles…………………………...…………………………152
C. Essays
1. Essays…………………………………..……………………180
2. Listening - MC Questions and Essays
A. Speeches
1. Speeches…………………………….………………………206
B. Articles
1. Articles…………………………...…………………………241
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
A. Narrative / Prose………………………………………………………271
B. Instructional / Historical……………………………………………. 309
C. Editorial / Commentary………………………………………….. 330
D. Poem…………………………………………………………………… 340
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
A. Controlling Idea
1. The Influence of Teachers……………………………… 388
2. Mother-Daughter Relationship………………………… 392
3. The Power of Nature………………………………………396
4. The Nature of Boyhood Friendships……………………402
5. Influences on Personal Growth…………………………406
6. The Discovery of Beauty…………………………………409
7. Meaning of Human Dignity………………………………413
8. Visiting Libraries……………………………………………
418
9. Meaning of Play……………………………………………422
10. Coexistence of Humans and Computers……………429
11. Nature of Time……………………………………………434
12. Power of Emotion…………………………………………437
13. Wisdom Through Failure……………………………… 440
14. Purpose of Novels……………………………………… 444
15. Daughter's Departures………………………………… 447
16. In a Dark Time, The Eye Begins to See………………451
17. A Person is a Person Through Others……………… 455
18. Nature of Work……………………………………………458
19. Parental Expectations……………………………………461
20. Opportunities For Learning……………………………466
21. Power of Literature………………………………………470
22. The Natural World…………………………………………
474
23. A Childhood Place……………………………………… 478
24. Lessons Learned…………………………………….. 481
25. Influence of Grandmothers………………………… 485
26. Technology in the Classroom……………………… 488
27. Routines………………………………………………… 493
28. A Person's Identity…………………………………… 496
29. Bicycles for Commuting…………………………….. 500
30. Childhood Memories………………………………… 505
B. DBQs and Exercises
1. The Employment of Children……………………………508
2. Cost of Heating…………………………………………… 513
3. Recycling is Worth the Effort……………………………515
4. Hazardous Waste Incineration………………………… 519
5. Television Ratings System………………………………522
6. Free Computer Networking………………………………530
7. Benefits of School-to-Work Programs…………………537
8. Components of Physical Fitness……………………… 544
9. Work Related Injuries………………………………………
548
10. Adolescent Sleep Patterns………………………………
552
11. Searches for Sunken Vessels…………………………557
12. 20th Century Natural Disasters…………………………
562
13. Forest Fire Causes………………………………………564
14. Playground Development………………………………570
15. Teen Curfews………………………………………………
574
16. Effects of Global Warming………………………………579
17. Wind Power in NYS………………………………………584
18. Global Food Production…………………………………592
19. Problems Facing Communities…………………………
596
20. Encouraging Student Volunteer Work……………… 601
21. Endangered Species…………………………………… 605
22. Acid Rain……………………………………………………
610
23. Consumer Culture……………………………………… 615
24. Volcanic Eruptions…………………………………… 620
25. Vending Machines in Schools………………………. 624
26. Voting Through the Ages……………………………. 628
IV. WRITING
1. Composition Using Works of Literature
A. Given Situation / Theme………………………………………….. 633
B. Given Critical Lens
1. Given Critical Lens…………………………………………640
2. Compositon Given Situation / Theme
A. Speech
1. Speech……………………………………………..…….. 657
B. Editorial
1. Editorial………………………………………………………658
C. Informative, Imaginative, or About a Person
1. Informative, Imaginative, or About a Person…………666
D. About Yourself or Personal Experience
1. About Yourself or Personal Experience………………672
I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
1. Spelling
Base your answers to questions 17 through 6087 on the following
groups of words. Only one of the words is misspelled. Correctly
spell the misspelled word on your answer sheet.
17. scenery
beckoning
pleasurable
dizziness
couragous
courageous
18. defiance
manufacturer
alleviate
umberella
loosen
umbrella
20. analyze
artical
hundredths
household
stamina
article
22. wearisome
compitent
sympathetic
pneumatic
fictitious
competent
57. utensil
audience
cabbage
stricken
excitment
excitement
58. sophomore
coarsely
cafateria
curtained
despise
cafeteria
59. larceny
explination
coincidence
bafflement
celery
explanation
60. villain
inadequate
abbreviation
thorough
hopeing
hoping
65. mortalhty
supervisory
parliamentry
electrocute
collegiate
parliamentary
98. delicious
wholly
geological
applys
furthered
applies
99. mountainous
partnership
ninty
participant
arterial
ninety
102. heresy
babyish
hatchet
refueled
vegatation
vegetation
104. fluency
rebellion
transitions
boycott
interchangable
interchangeable
106. magnificent
suspension
butcher
ordinarily
vacume
vacuum
107. disability
forfeit
schedual
repentance
perforate
schedule
B. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Vowel(s)
1. Wrong, Extra, or Missing Vowel(s)
139. allowence
interpreter
supersonic
imaginary
mannerism
allowance
186. audiance
extensively
comradeship
abundance
superintendency
audience
141. metropolis
partiality
specimen
fortunatly
reservoir
fortunately
222. temperary
ghastliness
duped
umbrella
righteous
temporary
143. declarative
aboveboard
affiliate
plurality
musicial
musical
224. beneficiary
insomnia
formost
molasses
nostril
foremost
144. quarantine
legitamate
dimension
corduroy
reconnoiter
legitimate
225. unbiased
repellent
cruiser
icey
devotee
icy
147. summation
betrothal
orthodox
poisionous
prescription
poisonous
226. caramel
missionery
ruinous
asylum
amiable
missionary
181. porcupine
boisterous
distroying
irrational
separately
destroying
227. annulment
dynamite
subterranean
placard
prisioner
prisoner
182. prosprous
conceited
apprehensive
underwriter
terrorize
prosperous
231. mosquito
unchangeable
essentually
quarrelsome
balloon
essentially
184. ballast
tapestry
journying
addict
temperature
journeying
264. negetive
unilateral
bacteriology
dissenter
encyclopedia
negative
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
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I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
2. Vocabulary
Base your answers to questions 1 through 6067 on the following
instructions: Select the word or expression that most nearly
expresses the meaning of the italicized word.
36
A. Synonyms
1. Synonyms
12. chagrin
(1) delight
(2) deceit
(3) wit
(4) caution
(5) vexation
1. intrigue
(1) request
(2) plot
(3) veto
(4) poison
(5) trespass
(4) embezzlement
(5) deterioration
2. explicit
(1) violent
(2) incomplete
(3) forgotten
13. defamation
(1) slander
(2) debt
(3) infection
(4) lengthy
(5) definite
(4) cheerless
(5) brittle
3. cede
(1) force
(2) stop
(3) yield
14. sundry
(1) quiet
(2) various
(3) luxurious
(4) keep
(5) warn
(4) extreme
(5) secure
4. stealthy
(1) disobedient
(2) slender
(3) discontented
15. palatial
(1) tasty
(2) magnificent
(3) disordered
(4) sly
(5) vulgar
(4) loudness
(5) luck
5. dauntless
(1) lazy
(2) poor
(3) bold
42. fortitude
(1) wealth
(2) courage
(3) honesty
(4) modest
(5) uncivilized
(4) monster
(5) song
6. debonair
(1) gay
(2) corrupt
(3) fragile
44. labyrinth
(1) pool
(2) maze
(3) formula
(4) extravagant
(5) healthful
(4) stray
(5) depress
8. ponderous
(1) conceited
(2) shameless
(3) fearful
49. deviate
(1) destroy
(2) lower in value
(3) invent
(4) heavy
(5) abundant
52. exhilaration
(1) animation
(2) withdrawal
(3) payment
(4) suffocation
(5) despair
53. rasping
(1) irritating
(2) scolding
(3) fastening
(4) sighing
(5) plundering
54. proponent
(1) spendthrift
(2) rival
(3) distributor
(4) advocate
(5) neighbor
10. delete
(1) injure
(2) delay
(3) please
(4) erase
(5) reveal
11. pilfer
(1) drain
(2) pray
(3) steal
(4) laugh
(5) toy with
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
2. Vocabulary
Base your answers to questions 7 through 6065 on the following
instructions: Select the word or expression that most nearly
expresses the meaning of the italicized word.
B. Definitions
1. Definitions
138. stratagem
(1) sneak attack
(2) military command
(3) thin layer
(4) deceptive device
(5) narrow passage
(4) provide proof
(5) act jointly
7. jargon
(1) unintelligible speech
(2) kind of gait
(3) word game
(4) exaggeration
(5) misinformation
9. amnesty
(1) loss of memory
(2) ill will
(3) general pardon
165. collaborate
(1) condense
(2) converse
(3) arrange in order
(4) indistinctness
(5) improvement
43. abolition
(1) retirement
(2) disgust
(3) enslavement
171. consensus
(1) steadfastness of purpose (4) informal vote
(5) impressive amount
(2) general agreement
(3) lack of harmony
(4) unrestricted power
(5) complete destruction
47. cuisine
(1) headdress
(2) game of chance
(3) leisurely voyage
175. incur
(1) take to heart
(4) impress by repetition
(2) anticipate
(5) attack
(3) bring down on oneself
(4) artistry
(5) style of cooking
(4) lack of feeling
(5) discontent
48. censure
(1) erase
(2) build up
(3) criticize adversely
178. apathy
(1) fixed dislike
(2) skill
(3) sorrow
(4) charm
(5) help
(4) wry face
(5) impurity
50. swarthy
(1) dark-complexioned
(2) slender
(3) grass-covered
213. grimace
(1) peril
(2) subtle suggestion
(3) signal
(4) springy
(5) rotating
(4) general pardon
(5) hiding place
51. mercenary
(1) poisonous
(2) unworthy
(3) serving only for pay
215. covenant
(1) solemn agreement
(2) formal invitation
(3) religious ceremony
(4) luring by false charms
(5) showing pity
(4) vary slightly
(5) pay out
86. integrate
(1) make into a whole
(2) stir up
(3) strengthen
221. disburse
(1) remove forcibly
(2) twist
(3) amuse
(4) make identical
(5) question persistently
252. aggressive
(1) disgusting
(2) impulsive
(3) short-sighted
(4) coarse-grained
(5) self-assertive
258. antipathy
(1) exact opposite
(2) intense dislike
(3) high praise
(4) tolerance
(5) preventive medicine
136. omnivorous
(1) devouring everything (4) living on plants
(2) many-sided
(5) all-knowing
(3) powerful
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
79
I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
2. Vocabulary
Base your answers to questions 2322 through 6077 on the
following instructions: Select the word or expression that most
nearly expresses the meaning of the italicized word.
2322. A person who is diminutive is
(1) scholarly
(4) bossy
(2) shy
(5) tired
(3) small
C. Defining Word(s) As Used In Sentence
1. Defining Word(s) As Used In Sentence
2450. Bob invariably follows that schedule.
(1) now and then
(4) happily
(2) under protest
(5) constantly
(3) of necessity
2451. When her opinion was asked, she gave a candid reply.
(1) sarcastic
(4) humorous
(5) puzzling
(2) frank
(3) brief
2323. If Mary voted by proxy, she
(1) voted by absentee ballot
(2) voted twice
(3) authorized another to vote for her
(4) voted for an independent candidate
(5) voted with the majority
2452. His family was dubious about the outcome of his project.
(1) dismayed
(4) indifferent
(2) excited
(5) annoyed
(3) doubtful
2324. Which person would be most likely to behave
surreptitiously?
(1) a marksman
(4) a shoplifter
(2) a young child
(5) an athlete
(3) a busdriver
2325. If Jan has ambivalent feelings toward Rick, she feels both
(1) attracted to and repelled by him
(2) angry with and ashamed of him
(3) unhappy with and jealous of him
(4) pity and concern for him
(5) friendship for and interest in him
2326. In the sentence, "Don't be deceived by his lugubrious
appearance; he's really quite a jolly person," the word
"lugubrious" most nearly means
(1) peaceful
(4) conservative
(5) ugly
(2) mournful
(3) sarcastic
2402. Inasmuch as Mike's Halloween "trick" was innocuous, he
did not get into trouble.
(3) clever
(1) harmless
(2) evil
(4) secretive
2403. They approved the plan in spite of its shortcomings.
(1) hasty preparation
(3) defects
(2) harsh terms
(4) provisions
2448. The organization's rules were inflexible.
(1) orderly
(4) detailed
(2) new
(5) incomplete
(3) rigid
2449. The chairperson was criticized for the brevity of the report.
(4) incorrectness
(1) shortness
(2) insincerity
(5) untidiness
(3) lateness
2453. The man's manner intimidated the little boy.
(4) confused
(1) frightened
(2) angered
(5) pleased
(3) encouraged
2454. His action filled her with hostility.
(1) regret
(4) joy
(2) love
(5) resistance
(3) horror
2455. The player was ruffled by the cheering of the crowd.
(1) guided
(4) thrilled
(2) surprised
(5) deafened
(3) disturbed
2456. A horticulturist chiefly works with
(1) the human body
(4) flowers
(2) bees
(5) dogs
(3) birds
2457. A plaintiff is one who
(1) prosecutes a criminal
(2) advises a lawyer
(3) defends himself in court
(4) brings suit in court
(5) refuses to appear as a witness
2513. Ralph decided that the good life he led would refute the
predictions of his relatives.
(1) restrain
(3) prove false
(2) lead to
(4) reward
2514. Rheumatism plagued her during her childhood.
(1) retarded
(3) changed
(4) weakened
(2) tormented
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
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I. SPELLING, VOCABULARY, AND GRAMMAR
3. Grammar
A. Parts of Sentences
1. Parts of Sentences
Base your answers to questions 529 through 1807 on the
following instructions: Choose the answer that best fits in place
of the underlined words.
1300. This book will be of little help to either your or me.
(3) either you nor I
(1) Correct as is
(2) either you or I
(4) either you nor me
529. How much has food costs raised during the past year?
(1) Correct as is
(3) have food costs risen
(2) have food costs rose
(4) has food costs risen
1301. Jefferson is given credit as to being the author of the
Declaration of Inclepenclence.
(1) Correct as is
(3) as for
(2) as for being
(4) as
530. " Will you come too " she pleaded?
(1) Correct as is
(3) too ?" she pleaded.
(2) too, ?" she pIeaded.
(4) too," she pleaded ?
531. If he would have drank more milk his health would have
been better.
(1) Correct as is
(3) had drank
(2) would drink
(4) had drunk
532. Jack had no sooner laid down and fallen asleep when the
alarm sounded.
(1) Correct as is
(2) no sooner lain down and fallen asleep than
(3) no sooner lay down and fell asleep when
(4) no sooner laid down and fell asleep than
533. Jackson is one of the few Sophomores, who has ever made
the varsity team.
(1) Correct as is
(2) one of the few Sophomores, who have
(3) one of the few sophomores, who has
(4) one of the few sophomores who have
1248. " The wise man," said a famous writer, " reads both books
and life itself."
(3) writer " Reads
(1) Correct as is
(2) writer " reads
(4) writer, " Reads
1249. The book must be old, for it's cover is torn.
(1) Correct as is
(3) it's cover is tore
(2) its' cover is torn
(4) its cover is torn
1250. Williams Faulkner's great themes are the following;
courage, pride, pity.
(1) Correct as is
(3) following,
(2) following
(4) following:
1251. My edition is more recent then yours.
(1) Correct as is
(3) than your's
(4) then yours'
(2) than yours
1302. Before you were born Helen we lived in Albany.
(1) Correct as is
(3) , Helen were born
(2) were born Helen,
(4) were born, Helen,
1303. The mayor said that he was going to look into his own
cities’ finances and its hiring policies.
(1) Correct as is
(3) citys’ finances and its
(2) city’s finances and its (4) cities finances and it’s
1304. All students, who have a final average of 90 or better, are
excused from taking final exams.
(1) Correct as is
(2) who have a final average of 90 or better
(3) whom have a final average of 90 or better
(4) , that have a final average of 90 or better,
1352. You're being a senior gives you special advantages.
(1) Correct as is
(3) Being that your
(2) Because of your being (4) Your being
1353. One out of every twenty persons in this town has an iodine
deficiency.
(1) Correct as is
(2) One, out of every twenty persons, in this town
(3) One out of eatery twenty persons, in this town
(4) One, out of every twenty persons in this town
1354. The total cost of the magazines and the books were less
than I had expected.
(1) Correct as is
(3) was less then
(4) were less then
(2) was less than
1355. While passing a large boulder, a sudden noise made me
jump aside.
(1) Correct as is
(3) Passing
(2) On passing
(4) While I was passing
1356. " These cookies are delicious," said Mary, " May I have
the recipe?"
(1) Correct as is
(3) Mary. " May
1252. Because of the bad weather, the newspapers have lain there
(2) Mary," may
(4) Mary: " May
in the shipping room since morning.
(3) have laid there
(1) Correct as is
(2) have lain their
(4) have laid their
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© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
II. LISTENING EXERCISES
1. Listening - MC Questions Only
A. Speeches
1. Speeches
Base your answers to questions 2556 through 2565 on the passage your teacher will read to you.<speak>[The following passage has been
adapted from a speech given by Adlai E. Stevenson at a university.]
It would be presumptuous, and out of character, for me to lecture you about your spirit. That, I must leave to wiser and better people. But
perhaps you'll forgive me if I draw on what experiences I have had. I wish to say a word about the intelligence and experience you will need
for good judgment and good sense.
Don't be afraid to learn; to read, to study, to work, to try to know, because at the very best, you can know very little. And don't, above all
things, be afraid to think for yourself. In my judgment, nothing has been more disheartening about the contemporary scene during the last
several years in America than the growth of the popularity of unreason and of anti-intellectualism. One thinks of those chanting, screaming
crowds that walked over precipices in Germany – and not so long ago. The conformists abominate thought. Thinking implies disagreement and
disagreement implies nonconformity and nonconformity implies heresy and heresy implies disloyalty. So, obviously, thinking musted be
stopped. This is the routine. But I say to you that yelling is not a substitute for thinking and I say to you that reason is not the subversion but
the salvation of freedom. Don't be afraid of unpopular positions, of driving upstream. All progress has resulted from people who took
unpopular positions. All change is the result of a change in the contemporary state of mind. Don't be afraid of being out of tune with your
environment, and above all, pray that you are not afraid to live, to live hard and fast. To my way of thinking, it is not the years in your life but
the life in your years that counts in the long run. You'll have more fun, you'll do more, and you'll get more. You'll give more satisfaction the
more you know, the more you have worked, and the more you have lived. For yours is a great adventure at a stirring time in the history of
humanity.
"University" is a proud, a noble, an ancient word. Around it cluster all the values and the traditions which civilized people have for
centuries prized most highly. The idea which underlies any university is greater than any of its physical manifestations; its classrooms, its
laboratories, its clubs, its athletic plant, even the particular groups of faculty and students who make up its human element as of any given
time. What is this idea? It is that the highest condition of humans in this mysterious universe is the freedom of the spirit. And it is only truth
that can set the spirit free.</speak>
2556. The speaker implies that dedicated study and application can lead to
(1) learning right from wrong
(3) being a financial success
(4) succeeding in the political world
(2) knowing only a little
2557. By referring to events in Germany, the speaker supports his plea to his audience to
(3) follow the call for anti-intellectualism
(1) think independently
(2) help those who are less fortunate
(4) join the establishment
2558. The speaker warns the complete conformist to beware of
(1) economic failure
(2) mental instability
(3) self-destruction
2559. According to the speaker, which group poses a danger to contemporary democratic society?
(1) subversives
(2) intellectuals
(3) traditionalists
(4) popular disapproval
(4) conformists
2560. Although the speaker disagrees with the idea, he indicates that some individuals identify disloyalty with
(1) chanting and screaming
(2) seeking adventure
(4) anti-intellectualism
(3) thinking independently
2561. The speaker indicates his belief that freedom can best be saved by
(2) equality before the law
(1) reason
(3) total nonconformity
(4) popular causes
2562. The speaker uses the phrase “of driving upstream” suggest
(1) a sameness of thought
(2) an undirected action
(3) a definite approach
(4) an unpopular position
2563. The speaker thinks that progress has always been made by those who
(2) work well with others
(3) follow basic principles
(1) do not conform
(4) ignore experience
2564. The speaker describes the audience’s era as one which is
(1) bewildering
(2) stirring
(4) unknowing
(3) satisfying
2565. According to the speaker, what should each member of the audience seek?
(1) recognition
(2) good health
(3) contentment
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
(4) truth
123
II. LISTENING EXERCISES
1. Listening - MC Questions Only
B. Articles
1. Articles
Base your answers to questions 2376 through 2385 on the passage your teacher will read to you.
<speak>. . . We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the
luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is
the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from
the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent
will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those
who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business
as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt
will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But that is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the
process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by
drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to
degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The
marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our
white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And - they
have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the
devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable
horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We
can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites
Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which
to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty
stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow
jail cells. Some of you have come from fresh from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and
staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that
unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of
our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair...</speak>
2376. According to this passage, the speaker implies that the struggle for racial justice can best be won through
(1) marching on Washington
(3) creative protest
(2) civil disorder
(4) challenging unjust laws in the courts
2377. The speaker's attitude toward white people appears to be based on
(3) mutual distrust
(1) noncommitment
(2) contempt for authority
(4) respect for individual worth
2378. The speaker's response to those who ask "When will you be satisfied?" can be characterized as
(2) defensive
(3) casual
(1) assertive
(4) appeasing
2379. The speaker's remarks indicate that he considers the racial problem a national problem because
(1) all white Americans are prejudiced
(3) all areas of American life are affected
(2) American blacks are moving to the suburbs
(4) the United States Constitution supports segregation
2380. What does the speaker say about unearned suffering?
(1) It brings brutality.
(2) It redeems people.
(3) It insures equality.
(4) It brings persecution.
2381. In this passage, the speaker's attitude is generally
(1) prejudiced
(2) cynical
(3) fearful
(4) optimistic
2382. In this speech, the speaker argues for
(2) faith in God
(1) nonviolent resistance
(3) Communist ideals
(4) social turmoi
156
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
II. LISTENING EXERCISES
1. Listening - MC Questions Only
B. Articles
1. Articles
Base your answers to questions 6048 through 6057 on the passage your teacher will read to you.<speak>[The following passage is from
an article entitled “You Can Find the Courage” by Al Santoli, published in Parade Magazine in April 1990. In this excerpt, Admiral
James Stockdale discusses the lessons he learned while a prisoner of war in Vietnam.]
Lesson 1:
Life is not fair. The challenge of education is how to prepare young people to respond with grace when they don’t succeed. They
need to know that a failure is not the end of everything - how to not give up in the face of adversity.
At the time I was shot down, I had the top job a Navy fighter pilot could hold. Suddenly, I was isolated and crippled, with my
captors trying to tear apart my system of values. I was able to overcome the “why me ?,, feeling by recalling my studies of men who had
successfully dealt with failure in our historical past. The biblical story of Job reminded me that life isn’t always fair. Even honest and
upright men can be tested by evil and must be prepared to deal with it.
Lesson 2:
Don’t worry about things you can’t control. We spend most of our lives dealing with situations we didn’t cause. As a result, we burn
a lot of nervous energy worrying about things ultimately not determined by us. There is, however, one important thing we have the
choice to control - our attitude.
In my case, locked up and hungry, never knowing when I would be called next for torture, the tension was unbearable. I realized that
I couldn’t allow myself to waste precious energy worrying about what would happen anyway. To prevail, I had to find a way to take
charge. For instance, when interrogators pressured me to make propaganda exhibits, I would stand up and challenge them: “No way.
Come here and fight.” I knew they could slam me into the ropes and steel bars, making me scream like a baby. But they couldn’t take
me before cameras if I showed signs of torture.
Lesson 3:
Courage is endurance in the presence of fear. We all - whether in school or business, the military or the neighborhood - face pressure
in our lives when people try to manipulate us through fear or guilt. Guilt can mean feeling inadequate - feeling that we never measure up
to expectations or that “I’m not good enough.” Fear of failure can be a great motivator, but if those feelings get out of control, they can
destroy you.
In the prisons of Hanoi, at one time or another, all of us were forced to submit under brute force. Our captors went to great lengths,
alternating force with suggestions of “be reasonable” or “meet us halfway” to get a man to compromise his honor, if only a little. Like
drug dealers, they knew that if a man begins to compromise, then gets depressed and full of guilt, he can be brought under their control.
Lesson 4:
You are your brother’s keeper. It’s always tempting to better your position by thinking only of yourself. Some people trying to move
up the ladder of success tend to say “I’ll survive at any cost” or “It’s the result that counts.” In the prison camps, we learned the
hollowness of that conventional wisdom. If guys stayed alone, clinging to self-preservation, our captors could tear us apart by playing
one against the other.
Through our secret wall “tap” code, we wrote our own laws and codified certain principles that formed the backbone of our attitude.
Our highest value was to support the man next door.
Lesson 5:
Hatred is self-defeating. We can’t prevent anger sometimes. It can be a healthy reaction to the twists and turns we face in life. But if
you allow it to develop into bitterness or hatred, anger becomes a destabilizing emotion. Harnessing it gives you power.
I realized, after being tortured beyond the point of human endurance, that our captors had all the advantages and I had to find a way
to outsmart them. So I learned to harness my anger as a tool rather than as a weapon they could use against me. That started with
resisting self-pity and becoming fully engaged with my comrades – helping others and being encouraged by them.
The most valuable lesson I learned from my experience is that, in times of adversity, people have the potential to behave better than
the social critics predict.</speak>
6048. The speaker indicates that his captors began their mistreatment of him by attacking his
(1) authority
(2) pride
(3) motives
(4) beliefs
6049. In referring to the “why me feeling,” the speaker implies that his initial response to his situation was one of
(2) self-doubt
(3) confusion
(4) suspicion
(1) self-pity
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
175
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
A. Narrative/Prose
Base your answers to questions 4549 through 4554 on the following passage:
“You
“I’m
silently
He
that
and
stant,
come
tomed
flat,
of
sweat
true
vague
his
living,
all
cause
up.”
cases
the
He
“Where’s
“It’s
“No,”
he
gazed
part-time
faced
his
condition.
huddled
old
and
to
entirely
don’t
had
Ithat
New
inconsistent
had
to
or
don’t
last
away
over
see
enough
the
he
just
after
started
his
between
left
felt
York
have
connection
an
said,
thought
yonder,”
under
the
job
like
mother
behind
barely
“You
accustomed
the
the
Before
imaginary
car?”
to
in
across
Times
“let
to
sheets
end
aluminum
aches
him
his
know
the
tell
don’t
come
so,
him,
of
grimly,
sleeping
his
this
coming
he
two
bookstore
with
me
and
death
the
between,
on
soaking
and
when
muttered.
have
temple
mother
leaving
out
to
there
what
his
blankets
road
home.
athe
irked
headaches,
speck
here.
this
larger
on
savings
dogs
to
Ihad
the
thought
with
want
and
in
said.
that
he
tell
for
aearly
Now
that
disappearing
this
view
lie,”
and
temperature
been
had
world
nearly
removed
me
them.
he
to
“And
and
he
by
there
collapsing
his
He
had
of
and
take
what
of
ahad
myself.
was
these,
gradual
death,
overcoat
the
four
had
your
alost
he
was
my
allowed
the
all
chill
vanishing
twin
picked
been
is!”
months.
into
it.
diminishing
coat
doubt
sister
nothing.
but
temperature
country
There’s
slackening
one
Since
blocks
he
and
the
absent
he
off!”
himself
up
is
said
night,
from
had
woods.
with
Alone
forever.
asleep
then
his
He
junction.
no
of
The
in
so
not
his
day
two
need
followed
three
was
dilapidated
is!”
of
even
he
amany
in
train
high
It
in
become
mind
his
had
by
Then
bulging
his
here.
he
seemed
the
to
thicknesses
for
He
energy
day,
glided
days
voice.
said
freezing
wake
been
about
back
by
an
he
had
accushad
stores.
in
suitinafrom
turned
toher
beand
beviolent
his
ahim
been
high voice.
“I’m old enough to know when I want to take my coat off!” The train glided
silently away behind him, leaving a view of the twin blocks of dilapidated stores.
He gazed after the aluminum speck disappearing into the woods. It seemed to him
5 that his last connection with a larger world was vanishing forever. Then he turned
and faced his mother grimly, irked that he had allowed himself even for an instant, to see an imaginary temple in this collapsing country junction. He had become entirely accustomed to the thought of death, but he had not become accustomed to the thought of death here.
10
He had felt the end coming on for nearly four months. Alone in his freezing
flat, huddled under his two blankets and his overcoat and with three thicknesses
of the New York Times between, he had had a chill one night, followed by a violent
sweat that left the sheets soaking and removed all doubt from his mind about his
true condition. Before this there had been a gradual slackening of his energy and
15 vague inconsistent aches and headaches, He had been absent so many days from
his part-time job in the bookstore that he had lost it. Since then he had been
living, or just barely so, on his savings and these, diminishing day by day, had been
all he had between him and home. Now there was nothing. He was here.
“Where’s the car?” he muttered.
20
“It’s over yonder,” his mother said. “And your sister is asleep in the back because I don’t like to come out this early by myself. There’s no need to wake her
up.”
“No,” he said, “let sleeping dogs lie,” and he picked up his two bulging suitcases and started across the road with them.
– Flannery O’Connor
4549. The main character most likely prefers to take off his coat because
(3) he has very little energy
(1) he is sick from a chill
(2) he would have something else to carry
(4) his clothes are in poor condition
4550. In line 5, “last connection” refers to
(1) his job
(2) the train
(3) his flat
4551. The main character’s physical condition is comparable to the
(3) aluminum speck
(1) dilapidated stores (2) silent train
(4) the stores
(4) imaginary temple
4552. In line 18, the statement “Now there was nothing” refers to the fact that the main character
(1) has lost hope of living
(3) does not have any money
(2) has no love for his family
(4) was fired fom his job
4553. The purpose of the second paragraph is to
(1) give background information
(2) provide the setting
(3) change the author’s tone
(4) establish the conflict
4554. The main character has returned home to die because he
(1) wants to be near his family
(3) loves his hometown
(4) lost his job
(2) has nowhere else to go
274
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
A. Narrative/Prose
Base your answers to questions 5644 through 5649 on the following passage:
ing.the
included
Pacific,
seaside
pages.
of
the
out
still
beach
edge
craft
merest
righting
him
about
water,
vain
and
sea.
Already
There
Like
Pacific
across
touched
also
dry
Waking
then,
action,
with
where
me.
gently
that
taking
The
wavelet,
cottage,
there
the
and
itself
the
you,
can
Icanvas
The
its
lay
and
smoke
heard
aold
abut
state
sandless,
with
There
up
sloping
few
my
be
hushed
small
was
after
and
behind
clouds
his
conquistador
into
of
its
scratching
aown
the
sails.
of
young
such
quality
you
of
the
actual
sails
can
each
boy
being
it,
street
morning
brine’s
waves,
faintest
ain
Isort
meanings
are
you
Launching
be
aput
stone
played
suddenly
roll,
the
mothers
quality
contact
to
ablessed
possessed;
of
words
Idown
become
quality
distance
acould
had
hiss
its
who
possession,
underblush
jetty.
seaside
coffee
with
enamel
of
to
seen
with
about
my
about
sodden
had
for
his
see
I“possession,”
this
to
aware
two
cast
were
lifted
pen
to
the
morning
it
caravel,
achildren
to
it,
morning
my
morning
seaside
paint
Balboa
turn
be
toy
endure
Iof
off
thinking
and
day.
that
had
like
into
held,
knees,
pink.
boats,
my
tobrightened
sauntered
lank.
At
he
yet
in
sails.
that
had
ink
the
standing
across
morning
an
sandals
as
swept
sleep
which
Santa
saw
saw
as
to
as
one
profoundly
Iinterval
But
spread
isIsat
Itouch
like
the
it
stretched
did
the
aup,
the
Cruz,
down
quickly
include
on
and
out
that
sort
again
tug,
first
no
so,
rough
green
out
enrapt,
it.
the
tug
between
on
stepped
is
other,
of
the
not
Iwhere
to
stars
their
silent
glassed-in
and
bobbed
had
like
the
my
serene
the
capsized
swell
the
fiber
other
only
as
again.
spangled,
Pacific,
seen
arms
gear
soft
act
no
sea.
we
his
to
air,
now
of
coming
of
privacy
other,
alike
of
the
and
stopped
first
on
sunset
stately
notebook
and
out
that
by
porch
Wading
possessing
I water’s
awas
pearly
the
dreamthe
view
over
at
barrel,
soft
and
old
up
has
small
flame
the
sea-going
of
by
on
and
now,
and
the
of
past
gray
aend
this
thedreaming. Waking up into it, you become aware that in sleep a sort of serene privacy has
included you, and you are blessed for the day. At Santa Cruz, where we stopped on the
Pacific, there was such a quality to this morning as I sat on the glassed-in porch of a
5 seaside cottage, scratching words about Balboa across the rough fiber of notebook
pages. The smoke of morning coffee lifted into the profoundly silent air, and at the end
of the gently sloping street I could see morning standing out on the Pacific, pearly gray
and touched with the faintest underblush of pink.
Like the old conquistador who had to endure an interval between his first view of
10 the Pacific and his actual contact with it, I had yet to touch it. I had seen sunset flame
out across its hushed waves, had seen it turn to ink as the first stars spangled, and now,
still dry and sandless, I put down my pen and sauntered down to the sea.
Already a few young mothers with children had spread out their gear on the small
beach that lay behind a stone jetty. I cast off my sandals and stepped to the water’s
15 edge where a small boy played with two toy boats, one a tug, the other a stately sea-going
craft with canvas sails. Launching his caravel, he saw it quickly capsized by the
merest wavelet, its sails suddenly sodden and lank. But the tug bobbed like a barrel,
righting itself after each roll, its enamel paint brightened again and again. Wading past
him then, I heard the brine’s hiss about my knees, saw the green swell coming up
20 about me. The clouds in the distance were like sails. I stretched my arms out over the
water, taking my own sort of possession, thinking as I did so, not only of that old and
vain action, but of the meanings of “possession,” which include the act of possessing
and also the state of being possessed; to be held, swept up, enrapt, as now I was by this
sea.
–– Frederick Turner
5644. In lines 2 and 3, the narrator's choice of the pronoun "you" has the effect of
(1) separating the narrator from the experience
(3) suspending time
(4) rewriting history
(2) involving the reader directly
5645. In line 9, the word "endure" is used to emphasize the
(1) character of the conquistador
(3) heat of the sand
(2) vitality of the narrator
(4) lure of the ocean
5646. In describing the effects of "the merest wavelet" (lines 16 and 17), the narrator conveys the
(1) sturdiness of the caravel
(3) relative power of the ocean
(2) unusual shape of the shoreline
(4) flimsiness of the sails
5647. In contrast of the caravel, the tugboat appeared to be
(2) faster
(3) older
(1) more seaworthy
(4) more expensive
5648. In lines 17 and 18, the description of the painted tug reinforces the
(1) hiss of the brine
(3) disappointment of the boys
(4) color of the sails
(2) rhythm of the waves
5649. Which words best reflect the feelings expressed in lines 22 and 23?
(3) nostalgia and regret
(1) ownership and captivity
(2) freedom and responsibility
(4) excitement and fear
290
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
B. Instructional/Historical
Base your answers to questions 5075 through 5080 on the following passage:
vided
tating
the
ancient
and
relationships.
dent
curiosity,
tance
Calcutta,
casual
thus
wise
though
ment
public
warmth
upon
Public
courage
or
“occurrence,”
One
Public
French
can
facilitate
has
have
in
an
with
mechanisms
his
contacts
places
the
Greek
of
modern
that
become
and
atmosphere
first
the
integration
becoming
places
little
the
him,
mall
role
comes
facilitate
public
become
where
are
Throughout
collaboration
greatest
cities.
among
if
they
and
have
cities
One
acquainted
emerged
events
elements
any
for
from
places
finally
used
people
have
in
People
of
into
long
aware
chance
the
has
making
contributions
people
which
the
that
collective
to
kinds
the
played
spontaneously
rarely
history,
played
available
of
seeking
greatest
can
in
without
his
of
emerge
social
of
the
belonging
neighborhood
the
the
all
mannerisms
assemble,
of
becoming
been
in
human
aclasses
presence
activities
itstranger,
activities.
role
his
the
body.
contributions
integration
having
spontaneously
of
for
has
successful.
Old
company.
past
the
analogous
been
to
presence
inand
The
but
acquainted.
different
World
all
of
to
activities
observing
is
identified
before
activities
A
in
it
origins
commit
the
well
Italian
cities
only
is
real
the
It
In
of
stranger
difficult
is
cities
to
and
engaging
understood,
ispublic
the
city
Old
of
to
active
religions
of
that
meet
piazza,
easy
with
themselves
him
of
the
almost
miserable
daily
is
environment
World
people
of
that
tolerable
extent
to
places
O1d
critically
in
rather
the
the
in
the
generate
design
these
life
or
unconsciously.
they
words
nodding
their
cities
World.
agora
who
social
Spanish
that
than
bring
to
sections
pubic
have
and
but
attractive
personal
establishwould
is
“happening”
depends
they
the
in
the
passive.
classes
But
about
that
for
also
acquainthe
proplaza,
places
resihuman
of
enalfaciliotherthey
with
andhave provided mechanisms for making the presence of the stranger tolerable and for facilitating his integration into the social body. The Italian piazza, the Spanish plaza,
the French mall have long played a role analogous to that of the agora in the
5 ancient Greek cities. People of all classes and origins meet in these pubic places
and can become acquainted without having to commit themselves to personal
relationships. Throughout history, it has been in the public places that the resident has first become aware of the stranger, observing him critically but also with
curiosity, becoming used to his mannerisms before engaging in nodding acquain10 tance with him, and finally seeking his company. In the miserable sections of
Calcutta, the public places available for the activities of daily life bring about
casual contacts among people belonging to different religions or social classes and
thus facilitate collaboration in neighborhood activities of people who would otherwise have little if any chance of becoming acquainted.
15
Public places emerged spontaneously in all cities of the O1d World. But although the role they have played in the past is well understood, their establishment in modern cities has rarely been successful. It is easy to design attractive
public places where people can assemble, but it is difficult to generate the human
warmth that comes from collective activities. A real city environment depends
20 upon an atmosphere in which the human presence is active rather than passive.
Public places are elements of social integration only to the extent that they encourage and facilitate the kinds of activities identified with the words “happening”
or “occurrence,” events that emerge spontaneously and almost unconsciously.
–Rene DuBois
5075. The writer implies that strangers are usually regarded with
(1) contempt
(2) fear
(3) discourtesy
(4) caution
5076. In lines 1 through 5, the writer implies that the role of public places has been unaffected by
(1) professional needs
(3) time and culture
(2) climatic conditions
(4) commerce and industry
5077. According to the passage, the character of public places diminishes the effects of
(2) political unrest
(3) local customs
(4) personal integrity
(1) class isolation
5078. Which is the most logical explanation of the spontaneity mentioned in line 15?
(1) The design of most cities is similar.
(2) The need for such spaces is universal.
(3) Populations exploded at the same time all over the world.
(4) Economic growth occurred rapidly in industrial countries.
5079. According to the passage, the significance of public places is linked to the
(1) importance of the native city
(3) activities they encourage
(2) naturalness of the design
(4) history they represent
5080. In this passage, the writer’s tone is best described as
(2) satirical
(3) apathetic
(1) objective
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
(4) critical
313
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
C. Editorial/Commentary
Base your answers to questions 4613 through 4619 on the following passage:
mals,
due
communicate
acts
intelligent
pened
and
experiences,
with
have
our
become
We
are
Nature.
to
occasional
also
of
every
time
take
the
We
at
intelligence
experience,
need
to
developed
writing
and
its
the
to
and
one
stage
popIar
at
the
imagine
us
and
delight
select
The
the
world
experiences.
just
toin
back
with
fact
than
moments,
see
of
move
task
deform
human
most
so
the
tree
not
and
our
that
it.
around
in
the
to
ourselves
the
that
and
has
of
right
Yet
its
only
waving
that
back
senses,
analyze
We
biological
plants
we
apes,
our
our
world
grown
we
thus
by
swiftness,
the
We
in
moment
primitive
imagine
us
have
our
poetry
thinking
to
are
feelings
this
there
the
fierceness
which
and
as
that
did
its
our
of
-that
feelings
by
many
learned
the
dolphins,
process
branches
today
past
not
animals.
roots
is
leaps
and
is
to
that
the
is,
end-product
Eden
animals
in
and
true.
alearn
times
develop
that
painting
loss
break
them
freedom
is
and
in
we
of
to
and
perceptions.
we
too
But
of
that
we
in
the
and
speak
This
to
are
of
more
intentions,
bounds
have
we
and
immediate
the
up
penned
do
can
the
sensitivity
the
tiger,
untutored
many
the
to
of
should
lose
and
wind.
this
of
young
aintelligent
greater
also
necessary
recover
move
elephants,
the
language
athe
because
mutilate-the
that
times
because
in;
long
Words
bird
lost
as
Itbe
terror
children
sensual
in
we
life
and
is
immediate
part
they
our
for
process.
something
the
to
more
only
need
than
vocal
which
are
speech
of
awareness.
but
pierce
we
of
us
of
lost
opposite
also
the
contact
symbols
our
by
possess.
the
intelligent
because
the
continuous
were
toheritage.
organs.
can,
We
enables
senses
this
look
has
sensual
the
antelope
meaning
intelligence
birds
because
so
may
direction
with
sympathy
but
air,
drawn
So
out
representing
To
much
we
where
Since
and
us
than
concrete
the
itfeel,
contact
web
speak,
Nature.
from
hapwhich
of
has
to
speech
aniitecstasy
more
then
the
is
we
out
and
in
of
with
time
our
we
birds
is
and animals, and in most senses, that is true. But the greater part of our intelligence is
due to the fact that we have learned to speak a language which enables us to
communicate not only our feelings and intentions, as they also can, but concrete
5 acts and experiences. We did not learn to do this because we were so much more
intelligent than the apes, the dolphins, and the elephants, but because we happened at just the right moment to develop the necessary vocal organs. Since then
our intelligence has grown by leaps and bounds because speech has drawn it out
and developed it. Yet in this process we have also lost something because speech
10 and writing deform our feelings and perceptions. Words are symbols representing
experiences, so that by thinking in them we lose that immediate sensual contact
with the world around us which animals and young children possess. To speak, we
have to select and analyze -that is, break up and mutilate-the continuous web of
our experience, and thus there is a loss of sensitivity and awareness. So it has
15 become the task of our poetry and painting to move in the opposite direction and
to take us back to that primitive Eden of immediate sensual contact with Nature.
We need to move back to our roots in that untutored life of the senses where we
are at one with the plants and animals. This should be for us the meaning of
Nature. The human world of today is too penned in; we need to look out from time
20 to time and see ourselves as the end-product of a long process. We may feel, in our
occasional moments, the fierceness of the tiger, the terror of the antelope which is
also its delight in its swiftness, the freedom of the bird to pierce the air, the ecstasy
of the popIar tree waving its branches in the wind. It is only by this sympathy with
every stage of our biological past that we can recover our lost heritage.
–Gerald Brenan
4613. According to this passage, what kind of information are birds and animals able to communicate to each
other?
(1) concepts
(2) experiences
(3) facts
(4) intentions
4614. According to this passage, human intelligence has increased because humans
(1) have deemphasized their emotions
(3) are able to analyze information
(4) have had many and varied experiences
(2) have learned to communicate oralIy
4615. This passage suggests that young children are similar to animals in that they both
(1) lack the ability to communicate
(3) have a great sensitivity to symbols
(2) rely heavily on mature adults
(4) are close to their feelings and perceptions
332
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. One Passage with MC Questions
D. Poem
Base your answers to questions 5068 through 5074 on the following passage:
Kachina
Canyons,
A
aterrain
moves
whose
will
thrilling
Sheltered
and
if
But
the
sheet
rock
what
place
human
wonder
doubt,
trust
brush
or
beaded
like
so
of
I’ve
so
songbirds
these
circling
odd,
mesas,
in
rain
the
augured
dry
as
aseen
who
agirl,
in
canyon
cave,
skirt
escorted
without
dripping
a our
cough
and
buttes
crow
sent
thirsting
in
of
Ilives
why
felt
watch
walls
the
raindrops
by
events
might
can
by
and
leaves
took
gods
or
magpie’s
and
the
start
in
and
chaparral.
her
with
seem
or
sun
the
place
where
and
to
Canyons,
pass
fill
shot
aacts,
adance,
dust.
cloud;
love,
trickling
asplash.
up
atsign,
with
she’s
all.
pools
mesas,
light
gone;
spells,
buttes and chaparral.
A place so dry a cough can start a cloud;
terrain so odd, without events or acts,
a rock or circling crow might seem a sign,
5 a sheet of rain escorted by the sun
moves like a girl, sent by gods to dance,
whose beaded skirt of raindrops shot with light
will brush the canyon walls and fill up pools
thrilling songbirds thirsting in the dust.
10 Sheltered in a cave, I watch her pass
and wonder who and why and where she’s gone;
and doubt, as in our lives or with a love,
if what I’ve seen and felt took place at all.
But trust these dripping leaves and trickling spells,
15 the human augured in the magpie’s splash.
–John Balaban
5068. The features mentioned in line I are used to convey a
(1) sense of despair
(3) fantasy location
(2) geographic area
(4) timeless setting
5069. Which literary device is used in line 2?
(2) a symbol
(1) hyperbole
(4) assonance
(3) a simile
5070. The setting as presented in lines 1 through 4 can best be described as
(1) startling
(2) ordinary
(3) enclosed
(4) uneventful
5071. Through the use of figurative language, the poet is describing a real
(1) dancing girl
(3) circling crow
(2) rainstorm
(4) singing bird
5072. The image of the “beaded skirt” (line 7) is suggested by the
(1) movement of the “girl”
(3) beauty of the “dance”
(4) colors of the canyon walls
(2) reflection of light on water
5073. Who is “sheltered in a cave” (line 10)?
(1) gods
(2) a girl
(3) the narrator
(4) songbirds
5074. In lines 14 and 15, the narrator seems to be telling his audience to
(1) have faith in the future
(3) see the good in human beings
(4) preserve the beauty in nature
(2) believe in their senses
346
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
Base your answers to questions 6340 through 6350 on the following passages.
Passage I
The
One
though
TO
women
day,
empty.
Nonfiction
Beside
floor,
wall,
counter,
coat
obscure
cool
Streams.
in
plankton
slides,
aquarium.
mosquitoes.
of
an
and
seen,
well
water
snakes,
That
Although
written
from
to
the
subsequent
where
Iaddress
which
this
you
enamel,”
museum—might
such
The
When
wrote
glued
Streams
were
after
plants,
Who
ponds?
Every
book’s
someone
For
streets
But
might
nor
little
was
was
the
fine
write
screwtop
artillery
marble
THE
stream
Icheer
substance
their
The
Field
really
Homewood
greatest
in
people
not
chatting
was
the
darkness
watered,
all.
aanyone
money
numbers
saving
the
were
and
assumed
such
afraid,
so
pennies,
to
adult
your
happen;
you
year,
Iwas
legendary
how
among
type
the
were,
the
card.
The
not
Had
The
and
of
such
personally
him
fair.
of
two
Field
for
and
the
With
that
authority
to
nets,
PEOPLE.
hopes
else
why
at
the
him
Book
Homewood—browsed
got
library,
as
these
checked
the
farthest
just
floor
on
much
was
number
of
one,
of
go
to
section.
kind
on
Field
Iturtles,
the
baby-food
book’s
they
to
One
and
shock
vaulted
from
There
too,
had
apparently,
ano
with
read
the
title
who
for
cheesecloth
of
the
burned-out
label
would
Homewood,
down
Book
us,
called
glass-bottomed
on
tall
up?
that,
into
they
stonefly
letter,
thin
buy
beginning
farthest
were
second
on
of
human
ask
people?
at
Library
little
aHomewood
assure
field
lived
item
found
carried
athat
of
there
both
Book
and
streetcar
page
the
again
nonfiction
Ponds
Ibottom
and
had
the
fifth-grade
might
wall,
came
we
“the
microscopes.
all
paper.
out
on
like
In
last
insects
were
simply
This
it,
of
him
to
rooms,
cheesecloth,
anyone
even
of
my
free
oak
librarians
sharing
where
as
the
of
left.
Homewood
Ponds
the
sides.
from
all
freedom
checked
one
jars,
it,
time,
aindicated
larvae,
of
streams?
being
him
page.
remove
course,
me,
field”
The
had
in
aHad
many
From
at
was
book
adults,
which
and
find
letter
was
houses—they
were.
to
evenings,
Ponds
bench
shelf,
Its
nets,
fine
book’s
time.
more
question
wooden
routes.
on
some
could
avisited
the
athe
he
that
attract
Field
under
graven
My
IWalter
make
“ruck-sack”
librarians,
stacks:
third
and
an
white
Streams
they,
When
could
our
aenamel?
student
their
buckets,
wearing
noticed
from
dragonfly
life
the
adults.
end.
would
had
aor
it
of
pond,
adults’
books
from
There
one
or
The
vain
that
living
enormous
someone
where
and
hearty
In
of
quite
notebook,
find,
in
out
card
and
Streams.
enthusiasm
The
how
it,
it.
Book
chapter
nearest
reading—stood
described
Library.
trays
leaded
in
bucket?
my
found
pins,
outside
enamel
their
whom
ever
neighborhood
the
could
Iacross
Milligan
marble
NATURAL
Ithat
than
IStreams,
the
more
checked
Pittsburgh’s
what
or
disappoint
at
found
was
the
themselves.
and
sat
Homewood
plainly
in
hip
If
own
and
to
my
after
Homewood
author
library
dreamed
of
out
the
aand
see
bedrooms
idle
nymphs,
candy
Homewood.
its
half
learn
pickings
book’s
mine,
had
on
windows
carry
library
stream.
explained
lived
aboots
my
distinguish
stamped
Ponds
silent
This
its
mother
than
killing
children’s
the
do
tray,
Ianotice.
floor
Ellis
of
author
small,
shocker
The
anything
in
awould,
how
the
librarians
hand
played
for
aenormous
found
that
out
scientists
Inumber.
trial
and
it?
scope
and
if
Chapter
dozen
could,
home.
nevertheless
field—unlike
once.
in
for
assorted
and
marble
Field
room
him
of
HISTORY.
dragonfly
School
card.
was
he
Iand
to
Where—short
salamander
But
The
Homewood
jars.
people—the
one
the
visible
waited
pretty
lens,
residents
Ilearned
blue-bound
period,
What,
brought
they
was
set
the
Iponds
Library,
were
in
set
was
his
football—was
from
how
perhaps
was
of
by
sections,
from
beginning
Streams.
Might
There
corked
last
among,
Inotoriously,
Field
Book
Ann
with
It
the
ten
It
at
due
There
aup
3did
his
perhaps
book,
fashioned
do
floor
stone
betraying
on
still
was
slim
pipettes
specified
man.
atheir
to
astonished
not
for
poverty,
in
beginning
and
same
feet
had
aevery
child,
them—next
with
larvae
book,
date
their
Haven
not
marble
Fifth
make
whom
of
Book
was
her
freshwater
the
Iimagined,
It
alive.
aexample,
almost
test
alone
and
was
the
larvae,
in
contact
facade:
daphniae,
section,
streams.
darkest
curved
Ponds
book
given
head
It
from
were
men
was
Often,
know
on
librarian
letter
camel’s-hair
it?
ato
of
Pittsburgh.
children.
the
neither
sort
would
Avenue
and
fields
tubes,
which
studied
map,
and
of
sweep
the
plankton
my
Morgan
on
how
chill
I“eat
floors.
robbing
evidently
the
What,
in
here,
and
net
the
dark
printed
knew
almost
full.
to
Ponds
me.
me
of
tadpoles,
how
anything
and
crowded
eye-droppers,
number
this
or
FREE
the
when
wooden
and
ignorance,
single-celled
found
was
sheet
end.
They
perhaps
to
Ithrough
for
be
me.
suprising
awas
planaria,
pond
in
ait,
nets,
had
in
There
near
obtain
the
world,
smattering
when
By
person
the
mount
card
most
to
had
good
had
aand
anets.
the
IItvery
of thing—some of it,
From
the
nearest
library
Iand
learned
every
sort
suprising
thing—some
of
though not much of it, from the books themselves.
The Homewood Library had graven across its enormous stone facade: FREE
TO THE PEOPLE. In the evenings, neighborhood people—the men and
5 women of Homewood—browsed in the library and brought their children. By
day, the two vaulted rooms, the adults’ and children’s sections, were almost
empty. The kind Homewood librarians, after a trial period, had given me a card
to the adult section. This was an enormous silent room with marble floors.
Nonfiction was on the left.
10 Beside the farthest wall, and under leaded windows set ten feet from the
floor, so that no human being could ever see anything from them—next to the
wall, and at the farthest remove from the idle librarians at their curved wooden
counter, and from the oak bench where my mother waited in her camel’s-hair
coat chatting with the librarians or reading—stood the last and darkest and most
15 obscure of the tall nonfiction stacks: NATURAL HISTORY. It was here, in the
cool darkness of a bottom shelf, that I found The Field Book of Ponds and
Streams.
The Field Book of Ponds and Streams was a small, blue-bound book printed
in fine type on thin paper. Its third chapter explained how to make sweep nets,
20 plankton nets, glass-bottomed buckets, and killing jars. It specified how to mount
slides, how to label insects on their pins, and how to set up a freshwater
aquarium.
One was to go into “the field” wearing hip boots and perhaps a head net for
mosquitoes. One carried in a “ruck-sack” half a dozen corked test tubes, a smattering
25 of screwtop baby-food jars, a white enamel tray, assorted pipettes and eye-droppers,
an artillery of cheesecloth nets, a notebook, a hand lens, perhaps a map,
and The Field Book of Ponds and Streams. This field—unlike the fields I had
seen, such as the field where Walter Milligan played football—was evidently very
well watered, for there one could find, and distinguish among, daphniae, planaria,
30 water pennies, stonefly larvae, dragonfly nymphs, salamander larvae, tadpoles,
snakes, and turtles, all of which one could carry home.
That anyone had lived the fine life described in Chapter 3 astonished me.
Although the title page indicated quite plainly that one Ann Haven Morgan had
written The Field Book of Ponds and Streams, I nevertheless imagined, perhaps
35 from the authority and freedom of it, that its author was a man. It would be good
to write him and assure him that someone had found his book, in the dark near
the marble floor at the Homewood Library. I would, in the same letter or in a
subsequent one, ask him a question outside the scope of his book, which was
where I personally might find a pond, or a stream. But I did not know how to
40 address such a letter, of course, or how to learn if he was still alive.
I was afraid, too, that my letter would disappoint him by betraying my ignorance,
which was just beginning to attract my own notice. What, for example, was
this substance called cheesecloth, and what do scientists do with it? What, when
you really got down to it, was enamel? If candy could, notoriously, “eat through
45 enamel,” why would anyone make trays out of it? Where—short of robbing a
museum—might a fifth-grade student at the Ellis School on Fifth Avenue obtain
such a legendary item as a wooden bucket?
The Field Book of Ponds and Streams was a shocker from beginning to end.
The greatest shock came at the end.
50 When you checked out a book from the Homewood Library, the librarian
wrote your number on the book’s card and stamped the due date on the sheet
glued to the book’s last page. When I checked out The Field Book of Ponds and
Streams for the second time, I noticed the book’s card. It was almost full. There
were numbers on both sides. My hearty author and I were not alone in the world,
55 after all. With us, and sharing our enthusiasm for dragonfly larvae and single-celled
418
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
A. Controlling Idea
8. Visiting Libraries
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
A. Controlling Idea
8. Visiting Libraries
plants, were, apparently, many adults.
Who were these people? Had they, in Pittsburgh’s Homewood section, found
ponds? Had they found streams?
Every year, I read again The Field Book of Ponds and Streams. Often, when I
60 was in the library, I simply visited it. I sat on the marble floor and studied the
book’s card. There we all were. There was my number. There was the number of
someone else who had checked it out more than once. Might I contact this person
and cheer him up?
For I assumed that, like me, he had found pickings pretty slim in Pittsburgh.
65 The people of Homewood, some of whom lived in visible poverty, on crowded
streets among burned-out houses—they dreamed of ponds and streams. They
were saving to buy microscopes. In their bedrooms they fashioned plankton nets.
But their hopes were even more vain than mine, for I was a child, and anything
might happen; they were adults, living in Homewood. There was neither pond
70 nor stream on the streetcar routes. The Homewood residents whom I knew had
little money and little free time. The marble floor was beginning to chill me. It
was not fair.
—Annie Dillard
Passage II
Maple Valley Branch Library, 1967
For
to
slip
what
décolletés,
lay
There
fractal
of
spill
with
her
(mom
I’d
phonics,
lead
pre-Columbian
but
Tell
that
above
So
lingered
it
All
all
As
on
greedily:
the
words
ink
corsets
and
Isomeone
IF
Yes,
what
could
would
studied
carried
CAN
was
showed
do:
aImy
bareback
the
Imuch
for
go
out
path
bedroom
rough
harsh
play
stuff
British
the
and
all
apast
the
smell
into
TAKE
pineapple
me
half
read
Ipoisoning
of
her
vast
I’m
fifteen-year-old
said
browse
was
were
big,
the
of
up
and
world
the
plastic
Igeometry’s
EAT
atime
and
follow,
stars.
place
what
whips,
claim
wanted
of
the
over
we
salt
it
Gestalt
smile
road,
ahad
history
six
as
gonna
Gone
parchment
to
curve
tristesse
collar
all
wisdom,
improbable
to
so
sighs
and
home,
kid
and
accent
Harold’s
light
SMALL
poetry
equations
Iher
humans
Adult
old
in
rodeo
AN
and
books,
window
on
sides
no
Oh,
you’ve
could
scrawled:
much
of
Cubist
card’s
the
to
Jell-O
Ithe
afloat
haiku
in
Brahma
step-by-step,
the
with
pottery
desk
to
of
knew
ado!
garage
women
in
one
theory,
and
of
for
ELEPHANT
be
paprika
Ifive
the
magazines,
single
and
language
section
and
know
world
unwinding
was
bound
of
or
Dutch
plague
could
your
put
hold
to
researching
six
its
the
purple
BITES.
in
read
imprint
are
of
silence,
art
and
because
mold—or
Late
abinary
and
there
elegant
blocks
from
sweater
discover—how
librarian
blood
aparticular:
rhapsody
guitar
or
born
dreams.
where,
and
volumes
for
Wind
in
made
impeccable
page.
was:
hand
was
upsweep,
walk
ask
Renaissance
leather,
that
onto
Chinese
of
to
Roman
the
crayon
was
the
school)—
cosine,
of
of
codes,
Ithe
see
too
sugar
of
for
there,
they
at
as
maple
because
took,
out
of:
keeps
clip
tribe
any
flowers,
on
arush-hour
way
take
aluminum
plenty
once.
slow
alavender
of
much
help
ofits
to
That’s
French
Empire;
were
foot-binding,
through
aisle
levels—
bliss,
dates,
of
and
blouse.
touch
leaf;
boarded-up
disclosure
For
to
Moost.
painting;
money.
sometimes
small.
traffic,
twist,
asiding
fifteen-year-old
doors,
there was plenty
to do: browse the magazines,
slip into the Adult section to see
what vast tristesse was born of rush-hour traffic,
5 décolletés, and the plague of too much money.
There was so much to discover—how to
lay out a road, the language of flowers,
and the place of women in the tribe of Moost.
There were equations elegant as a French twist,
10 fractal geometry’s unwinding maple leaf;
I could follow, step-by-step, the slow disclosure
of a pineapple Jell-O mold—or take
the path of Harold’s purple crayon through
the bedroom window and onto a lavender
15 spill of stars. Oh, I could walk any aisle
and smell wisdom, put a hand out to touch
the rough curve of bound leather,
the harsh parchment of dreams.
As for the improbable librarian
20 with her salt and paprika upsweep,
her British accent and sweater clip
(mom of a kid I knew from school)—
I’d go up to her desk and ask for help
on bareback rodeo or binary codes,
25 phonics, Gestalt theory,
lead poisoning in the Late Roman Empire;
the play of light in Dutch Renaissance painting;
I would claim to be researching
pre-Columbian pottery or Chinese foot-binding,
30 but all I wanted to know was:
Tell me what you’ve read that keeps
that half smile afloat
above the collar of your impeccable blouse.
So I read Gone with the Wind because
35 it was big, and haiku because they were small.
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
419
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
A. Controlling Idea
8. Visiting Libraries
I studied history for its rhapsody of dates,
lingered over Cubist art for the way
it showed all sides of a guitar at once.
All the time in the world was there, and sometimes
40 all the world on a single page.
As much as I could hold
on my plastic card’s imprint I took,
greedily: six books, six volumes of bliss,
the stuff we humans are made of:
45 words and sighs and silence,
ink and whips, Brahma and cosine,
corsets and poetry and blood sugar levels—
I carried it home, five blocks of aluminum siding
and past the old garage where, on its boarded-up doors,
50 someone had scrawled:
I CAN EAT AN ELEPHANT
IF I TAKE SMALL BITES.
Yes, I said to no one in particular: That’s
what I’m gonna do!
— Rita Dove
6340. The author’s repeated references to The Field Book of Ponds and Streams has the effect of emphasizing the book’s
(1) age
(3) unpopularity
(4) size
(2) significance
6341. Lines 23 through 31 are developed primarily through the use of
(2) definition
(3) metaphor
(1) listing
(4) analogy
6342. The narrator implies that The Field Book of Ponds and Streams was a “shocker” partly because it revealed to her the
(1) cruelty of nature
(3) existence of a different way of life
(2) capabilities of women
(4) importance of preserving the environment
6343. In lines 59 through 63, the narrator implies that studying the book’s card gave her a sense of
(1) commitment
(2) order
(3) privacy
(4) community
6344. At the end of the passage, the narrator implies that she is chilled by both the coldness of the floor and her awareness of
(1) dishonest people
(3) unworthy goals
(4) irresponsible behavior
(2) unequal opportunities
6345. In lines 9 and 10, equations and geometry are depicted as being
(1) difficult
(3) ancient
(2) beautiful
(4) useful
6346. The images in lines 11 through 15 are used to suggest two different
(1) historical eras
(2) character types
(3) book genres
(4) architectural elements
6347. According to the narrator, the list of topics in lines 24 through 29 was
(2) an assignment
(3) a symbol
(1) an excuse
(4) an apology
6348. The expression “my plastic card’s imprint” (line 42) refers to
(1) copying books
(2) buying books
(4) writing in books
(3) signing out books
6349. In line 51, the narrator most likely uses the expression “eat an elephant” to mean
(2) achieve fame
(3) be patient
(1) gain knowledge
420
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
(4) banish fear
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
B. DBQs and Exercises
5. Television Ratings System
Base your answers to questions 6239 through 6248 on the text and graphic on the following pages.
Television Ratings System
in
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7of
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achildren’s
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no
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entertaining
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of
information
programming
greater
past
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parents.”
pressure—and
rating
with
watching
of
Lieberman,
some
intensely
as
to
[of
the
however,
now
the
kids’
or
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of
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worded
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use
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almost
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producers
home—kids
parents
the
to
information
asets
and
no
meet
way
will
has
says
intense
animals
the
system
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find
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Robert
also
(“mature
broadcast
says
issues
TV-Y7-FV.
of
the
tone
inadequate
learn.”
on
“Our
May
sexual
letter
programs,
76
language.
holding
children’s
what
appropriate,”
clear
devised
revived.
broadcast
Jeans.
frighten
18
White
the
million.
to
popular
TV
out
uncertain
indication
to
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the
in
amount
are
programs
the
kids
as
Center
Fege,
sexual
an
content.
to
see
needs
will
TV
system,
rate
material
acceded
rating
percent
that
Medical
television
Cyma
provide
unsuitable
or
have.
the
carry
months
“S”
make
says
Rosalyn
the
of
down
adoption
with
contain
any
industry
by
have
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objectionable
programming
concern
added
taking
requirement
when
their
back
that
find
decide
as
Montgomery
President
and
violence,
more
begins
suggestive
dialogue,
aLoos,
influence
but
sex
activity
Broadcasters
and
grew
parents
programs
carry
new
House.
there
15–20
for
familiar
also
an
as
audiences
about
director
that
well
D-Conn.
audiences”)
on
executive
Dennis
for
younger
complimentary.
time
Fox
and
situations,
system
for
of
“V-chip”
more
Zarghami,
effective
the
say
suitable
programs
V-chips
that
aabout
networks,
and
can
intake
by
kids
programs]
well
of
and
“The
accompanied
assortment
how
an
to
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that
sexual
at
aappeal:
of
varied.
Association
or
children’s
business,
credit
sex
educational
up
one
worry
mimicked
fantasy
what
Weinman,
will
Media
with
as
children’s
cable
issues.
the
food.”
Children’s
industry
of
is
agreed
aLoesch
pressure
even
least
of
persuade
unenthusiastic
for
programs,
hours
the
advertisers
now
you
violence.
will
Vice
are
with
Bill
as
parents
that
the
families
and
in
the
system
Wharton,
sight
of
will
day.
both
total.
of
be
children.
context
their
the
educational,
for
and
their
director
don’t
programs.
watching,”
three
decisions
that
in
the
The
governmental
says,
(“V”
watch
producers
National
FCC
content
to
without
“FV”
any
violence
or
the
aOn
senior
NBC,
be
ever
says,
As
and
1996.
it.
age-based
on
by
week
of
the
the
issee
for
atelevision:
“It
a
a bearded,
Parents
of
young
children
may
soon
see
aenterprise,
familiar
sight
on
television:
acoalition
bearded,
TV-Y
TV-Y7
TV-G
TV-PG
TV-14
TV-MA
Ratings
Ratings
for
Children’s
for
All
Audiences
Programs
rotund fellow wearing a bright blue coat, surrounded by animals and accompanied
by a lanky helper with the improbable name of Mr. Green Jeans.
That’s right: Captain Kangaroo is back! Four decades of kids grew up with the
original Captain. Now, with a new cast, the show is being revived.
5
“It’s a big, wonderful show that you and I grew up watching and that you don’t see
on TV that much anymore,” says Saban Entertainment’s Robert Loos, one of the
producers of “The All New Captain Kangaroo.” “It’s entertaining as well as educational,
it’s kind and gentle, and it keeps you laughing while you learn.”
The Captain Kangaroo formula had an enviable record of holding audiences and
10 advertisers during its commercial TV run. But the show has an added appeal: producers
are designing the series to help commercial TV stations meet the new
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirement to provide at least three
hours a week of “core educational programming” for children.
“This is the first time that there is a clear quantitative guideline on children’s
15 programming,” says Kathryn Montgomery, president of the Center for Media
Education, which led the lobbying drive for the rule. “It’s clear that the industry
knows it has to respond.”
The FCC adopted the rule last summer after broadcasters acceded to pressure
from a coalition of advocacy groups and a nudge from the White House.
20 Broadcasters, however, say they were already meeting kids’ needs for educational
shows.
“We have done a good job with children’s programming,” says Dennis Wharton,
vice president of media relations for the National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB). Wharton says the industry “voluntarily agreed” to the adoption of the FCC
25 rule, which put a concrete number on a more generally worded requirement
included in the Children’s Television Act of 1990.
“We’ve been producing at least three hours a week [of children’s programs] ever
since we started,” says Margaret Loesch, who founded the popular Fox Children’s
Network (now Fox Kids) in 1990. “We felt [the rule] was appropriate,” Loesch says,
30 “because it was an important issue and because we’re parents.”
In fact, the TV offerings for kids have never been greater or more varied. The
seemingly endless cartoon and action shows are supplemented by an assortment of
educational offerings and a few teen-oriented dramas.
Even longtime critics of children’s television are begrudgingly complimentary. “It
35 is getting better, and it will get better,” Montgomery says.
Children’s television is not a charitable enterprise, however, but a business, and a
lucrative one. Advertisers spent nearly $1 billion on children’s programming in 1996.
Animated programs accounted for about $688 million, or 76 percent of the total.
Educational and instructional programs pulled in just $1.4 million.
40
“There’s money to be made in kids’ entertainment,” says Cyma Zarghami, senior
vice president of programming and general manager of Nickelodeon, a children’s
cable network.
But young people watch more than children’s programs in the 15–20 hours a week
they spend watching TV. With the expanding number of broadcast and cable
45 channels—and the expanding number of TV sets in the home—kids can now watch
violent adult dramas and sex-tinged situation comedies almost any time of day. As a
result, many parents now view TV as a decidedly unwholesome influence in their
children’s lives.
That widespread concern fueled the drive over the past 18 months to persuade
50 the television industry to adopt a ratings system to help parents decide what their
children should watch. Initially, an age-based system was devised that mimicked the
ratings used for movies. But the system was criticized as inadequate by a coalition
that included groups specializing in children’s television issues as well as the National
PTA, National Education Association (NEA), and American Medical Association
522
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
B. DBQs and Exercises
5. Television Ratings System
55 (AMA). They argued that parents needed more specific information about the content
of programs—specifically violence, sex, and language.
Those arguments had strong support in official Washington. President Bill
Clinton helped persuade the TV industry to agree to a rating system, and Vice
President Al Gore had long paid close attention to children’s television issues. On
60 Capitol Hill, lawmakers of both parties were criticizing the amount of sex and violence
on television and urging the industry to help parents limit children’s intake of
inappropriate fare.
Faced with the combination of public and political pressure—and an unenthusiastic
public response to the limited ratings system—most of the TV industry agreed
65 last month to more detailed advisories. The new system will rate programs both by
age and by content, as indicated below. The new ratings system begins with the age-based
ratings symbols first instituted by the industry and adds a letter when appropriate
to denote potentially objectionable content: “V” for violence, “S” for sexual
situations, “L” for coarse language, “D” for sexually suggestive dialogue, and “FV”
70 for fantasy violence in children’s programs.
Ratings for Children’s Programs
TV-Y Programs designed for all children, not expected to frighten younger children.
TV-Y7 Programs designed for children ages 7 and older. May contain fantasy or
comedic violence or may frighten younger children. Programs with more
intense or combative fantasy violence will be designated TV-Y7-FV.
Ratings for All Audiences
75 TV-G Programs for general audiences that most parents would find suitable for
all ages. Little or no violence, sexual situations, or strong language.
TV-PG Programs that require parental guidance, containing material that parents
might find unsuitable for young children. Programs may also carry
V, S, D and/or L designations (for moderate violence, some sexual situations,
80 infrequent coarse language, and some suggestive dialogue), as
appropriate.
TV-14 Programs with material that many parents would find unsuitable for
children under age 14. Parents are urged to monitor these programs,
which will also carry V, S, D and/or L designations (for intense violence,
85 intense sexual situations, strong, coarse language, and intensely suggestive
dialogue), as appropriate.
TV-MA Programs designed to be viewed only by adults (“mature audiences”)
and that may be unsuitable for children under age 17, which will carry
V, S and/or L designations (for graphic violence, explicit sexual activity
90 and crude, indecent language), as appropriate.
“This is designed to be a consumer device,” says Arnold Fege, director of governmental
relations for the National PTA, “to give parents more information about programs,
similar to the information they get from a nutrition label on the back of food.”
Having been dragged into the change, broadcasters now are taking credit for it.
95 “We’re trying to give parents a little extra tool to monitor what their kids are watching,”
says the NAB’s Wharton.
Some people in the TV industry, however, worry that the rating system will be
inherently subjective and necessarily incomplete—with no indication of the context
for sexual material or violent scenes. Many writers and producers also worry that
100 watchdog groups could use ratings to galvanize boycotts of programs or advertisers
or that skittish network executives could lean on them to tone down programs to the
detriment of “the creative process.”
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
523
III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
105
110
115
120
B. DBQs and Exercises
5. Television Ratings System
Those concerns contributed to a decision by one of the broadcast networks, NBC,
not to participate in the new rating system. “There is no way that there will be any
consistency in application or any consistency in its use,” says Rosalyn Weinman,
NBC’s executive vice president for broadcast standards and content. “The system is
at best confusing and at worst totally incoherent.”
From the opposite perspective, some critics of TV programming say even the
revised rating system still provides too little information. “Our concern is that without
identifying the extent and degree of sex, language, and violence, parents will
have little more information than they do now,” says Mark Honig, executive director
of the conservative-leaning Parents Television Council.
Other critics say the rating system has no direct effect on TV sex and violence.
“Garbage labeled is still garbage,” says Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn.
The new system is designed for use in conjunction with the new “V-chip” (“V” for
violence), a computer-encrypted microchip that can screen out objectionable programs.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires new TV sets to have V-chips
once the rating system has been reviewed by the FCC.
Even supporters of the new rating system, however, are uncertain how families
will use the new TV screening tools or what effects they will have.
“It may be that nothing happens in terms of programming,” Montgomery says,
“but it’s my hope that parents will have a tool they can use to make effective decisions
in their own homes.”
— Kenneth Jost, 1997
6239. The author refers to the “Captain Kangaroo” show as an example of television programming that is
(1) outdated
(2) economical
(4) unpopular
(3) educational
6240. Both the new FCC programming regulation and the ratings system aim to
(1) restrict children’s access to television advertising
(2) limit the time children spend watching television
(3) make children’s television programming more entertaining
(4) provide control over the quality of children’s television programming
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III. READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
2. Two Documents - MC & Writing Task
B. DBQs and Exercises
5. Television Ratings System
6241. The first system for rating children’s programs was criticized because it did not provide information about
(1) alternative programming (2) objectionable content
(3) age appropriateness
(4) participating networks
6242. According to the author, some people fear that use of the ratings system will lead to
(2) greed
(3) corruption
(1) censorship
(4) propaganda
6243. In line 104, the word “galvanize” most nearly means
(1) celebrate
(2) stimulate
(4) interrupt
(3) oppose
6244. According to the author, NBC declined to participate in the new ratings system because the network objected to the
(3) groups responsible for assigning ratings
(1) equipment needed to use the ratings
(2) time required to use the ratings
(4) method of assigning ratings
6245. The “V-chip” required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (lines 119 through 122) allows parents to
(3) record the time children spend watching television
(1) prevent viewing of unsuitable programs
(2) observe the ratings symbol directly on the screen
(4) remove violent scenes from televised programs
6246. The main purpose of the text is to
(1) criticize the use of sex and violence on television
(2) persuade people to support the television ratings system
(3) inform people about issues surrounding the television ratings system
(4) describe children’s views about the quality of television
6247. According to graph a, entitled “Kids with TVs in Their Bedrooms,” what percentage of American children have televisions in
their bedrooms?
(1) 25.6%
(2) 37.8%
(4) 55.8%
(3) 40.7%
6248. Which statement is best supported by the data in graph b, entitled “Parents’ Views of TV Quality”?
(1) Television is a more positive experience for adolescents than for preschoolers.
(2) Parents’ opinions of television quality decline as the ages of their children increase.
(3) Elementary students have more negative views of television quality than do adolescent students.
(4) Parents of adolescents have more positive views of television programming than do parents of preschoolers.
© 1998-2009 Eduware, Inc.
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