“Furnish” means
A. to consume
B. to provide
C. to store D. to ship
The purpose of this passage is to show
A. how the California gold rush affected farmers
B. how the California gold rush affected factory owners
C. how the California gold rush raised prices
D. how the California gold rush affected the shipping industry
12. The male and female mosquito make an odd couple. The female is a vampire that
lives on blood and may even need blood for the proper development of her eggs. The
male is a vegetarian that sips nectar and plant juices. Females of different species choose
different hosts on which to dine. Some feed exclusively on cattle, horses, birds, and other
warm-blooded creatures. Some favor cold-blooded animals. Still others prefer humans.
To eat, the female mosquito drives her sharp, tubular snout through the skin and injects a
fluid to keep the blood from clotting. Then she drinks her fill. The fluid that she injects
may carry disease germs if she has previously bitten a diseased animal.
From information in the paragraph, you can conclude that a mosquito that bites you
A. is male
B. is diseased
C. is female
D. is resting
Because mosquitoes carry disease germs you can conclude that
A. con not be controlled effectively
B. render important health services to humankind.
C. are a health hazard to most living creatures
D. are a necessary element in the balance of nature
13. Every kid should have an older brother or sister to look up to. I feel sorry for those
kids who don’t care for their older siblings as I do mine. A kid requires understanding,
protection, and a strong sense of belonging and identity. I guess Kevin, my older brother,
was my security blanket. It wasn’t that he allowed me to follow him around like a puppy.
I can’t explain it; he was just there—like the Rock of Gibraltar. If you don’t have an
older brother or sister, you’re missing one of the greatest pleasures growing up.
What is the author’s attitude toward people who don’t have older siblings?
A. pitying
B. awestruck
C. contemptuous
D. annoyed
The author’s purpose for writing this paragraph seems to be to
A. describe his brother Kevin
B. belittle his brother Kevin
C. make fun of his brother Kevin D. praise his brother Kevin
14. If it is true that people are drawn to one another through adversity, then the greatest
fraternity of misery in the world must be composed of commuters. Whether stuck in
traffic on a LA freeway or imprisoned in a stalled train within the tunnels of NY’s Grand
Central Station, we are victims of circumstances, poor planning and the decay of public
services in the US. In other parts of the world, the person who goes to work by car, bus,
subway or train fares no better. Must it be this way? The city of Hamburg, Germany
says NO!
The passage supports which of the following inferences?
A. Californians are better off than New Yorkers
B. Transportation costs will be increasing to finance a better system
C. The city of Hamburg, Germany has developed a new transportation solution
D. Public transportation in the US has never been better
15. People who talk and sing to plants are not crazy, according to Arnold Braymar.
“Singing and talking to plants will actually make them grow better,” says Braymar, a
government agricultural expert. The reason is quite simple—when we sing or talk to
plants, we exhale carbon dioxide, which plants need to survive and thrive. Plants absorb
the carbon dioxide through their pores during the sunlight hours and produce oxygen,
which people need to survive.
The main point of the paragraph is that singing and talking to plants can be
A. socially embarrassing for some people
B. personally gratifying for most people
C. proved dangerous be science
D. helpful to people and plants
16. To be completely accurate, the word duck should be used only for the female
members of the bird family. The males are called drakes. However, in popular usage
duck applies to the whole family. Most drakes are more brightly colored than female
ducks. However, at the end of the mating season most ducks molt; that is, they lose their
feathers. When they molt they are unable to fly. The drakes lose their brilliant plumage
and turn a drabber but safer brown, like that of the females.
For a while after the mating season is over, ducks
A. do not swim
B. can not fly
C. are unable to secrete oils
D. acquire bright, brilliantly colored plumage
“Drab” means
A. bright
B. dull
C. colorful D. soft
17. Back in Thomas Jefferson’s day, we were a nation of farmers and merchants, and the
boss of each farm or store was the owner. Some worked hard, were cruel, and enjoyed
prosperity. Some worked hard, were fair and prospered even more. Some were lazy, and
they failed. In any event, it was their business, and they were entitled to run their
business any way they saw fit, free from a meddlesome government.
“Meddlesome” means
A. interfering
B. helpful
C. restrictive
D. hated
The author seems to
A. favor letting owners run businesses as they want
B. oppose large farms and businesses
C. favor laws protecting workers from cruel employers
D. take an impartial stand on the issue
18. One day pioneer banker James Sloan Hutchinson was walking on Sansome Street in
San Francisco. He saw a boar break away from a drove of hogs on its way to the market.
The boar ran up Washington Street, chased by two mounted drovers with lassos. The
men lassoed the runaway boar. One lasso caught its front legs, and the other its hind legs.
The men dragged the squealing pig across the rough cobblestones of Washington Street.
Mr. Hutchinson was so angered by the cruel treatment of the pig that he stepped into the
street and stopped the drovers. Supported by other angry witnesses, he urged the men to
put the boar into a cart and bring it back humanely. Eventually, Hutchinson organized
the San Francisco Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mr. Hutchinson’s actions suggest that he was
A. hesitant
B. concerned
C. tolerant
D. disinterested
You can infer that Mr. Hutchinson’s motivation for organizing the SPCA was
A. personal gain
B. dislike of the drovers
C. dislike of the pigs
D. inspired by a single event
19. If you are planning to build a house, consider your future needs as well as your
present ones. Providing for future needs may increase the initial cost of the house, but it
can save money in the long run. Such work can be done more cheaply at the time the
house is built. For example, you may need more bedrooms and another bathroom or two at some time in the future. You can rough-in heating and electrical work for bedrooms in
an unfinished attic or a clean, dry basement. For future bathrooms, you can rough in the
plumbing in the attic or basement, or even in a large walk-in closet.
The main idea of the paragraph is that
A. it is best not to spend any more than necessary when building a house
B. building a house always costs more than the builder’s estimate
C. spending more now may save money in the future
D. you must build all needed bathrooms at the start
20. The benefits of exercise cannot be stored for long. Without regular exercise, physical
condition soon deteriorates. Astronauts who have spent long periods of time in space
know firsthand how weightlessness works to weaken a person’s muscles. On earth, when
our muscles lift, push, or pull, they work against the resistance of gravity to maintain tone
and to build strength. In space, with the removal of this resistance, they tend to lose their
strength and endurance. That is why the legs of recently returned astronauts wobble
when they first resume the normal task of supporting the body’s weight.
Which of the following is implied by the paragraph?
A. Space travel is extremely dangerous because of its effects on the muscles
B. Astronauts get no exercise in space
C. Muscles lose their tone if they are not exercised every day
D. Astronauts’ legs never recover their strength
The author’s purpose for writing seems to have been to
A. describe methods astronauts can use to exercise
B. explain why astronauts should exercise their legs
C. persuade people to support the space program
D. persuade people to exercise on a regular basis
21. One thing strikes a visitor at Walnut Hills Community Elementary School near
Denver. The rooms are gigantic and there aren’t any desks. Children are lying all over
the floor, some reading by themselves, some doing worksheets in groups of twos and
threes; others sit in small groups asking questions of an adult. Many of the children come
to school early and leave late—by choice. Absences have been halved. What’s more, the
children are learning academic subjects far better than average. And they understand a
lot more about themselves and other than most children do.
From the fact that the children are learning academic subjects far better than average you
can conclude that:
A. the educators at Walnut Hills are discouraged
B. the techniques described are educationally sound
C. the school is likely to be shut down
D. there is a serious lack of equipment in the school