Reading comprehension practice test ôn thi đại học khối d,a1

Reading Comprehension Practice Test 1
Passage For Question 1 to 9
"Most economists in the United states seem captivated by spell of the free market. Consequently, nothing
seems good ornormal that does not accord with the requirements of the free market. A price that is
determined by the seller or for that matter, established by anyone other than the aggregate of consumers
seems pernicious, Accordingly, it requires a major act of will to think of price – fixing (the determination of
prices by the seller) as both “normal” and having a valuable economic function. In fact, price-fixing is
normal in all industrialized societies because the industrial system itself provides, as an effortless
consequence of its own development, the price-fixing that requires, Modern industrial planning requires
and rewards great size. Hence a comparatively small number of large firms will be competing for the
same group of consumers. That each large firm will act with consideration of its own needs and thus
avoid selling its products for more than its competitors charge is commonly recognized by advocates of
free-markets economic theories. But each large firms will also act with full consideration of the needs that
it has in common with the other large firms competing for the same customers. Each large firm will thus
avoid significant price cutting, because price cutting would be prejudicial to the common interest in a
stable demand for products. Most economists do not see price-fixing when it occurs because they expect
it to be brought about by a number of explicit agreements among large firms; it is not. More over those
economists who argue that allowing the free market to operate without interference is the most efficient
method of establishing prices have not considered the economies of non socialist countries other than the
United States. These economies employ intentional price-fixing usually in an overt fashion. Formal price
fixing by cartel and informal price fixing by agreements covering the members of an industry are common
place. Were there something peculiarly efficient about the free market and inefficient about price fixing,
the countries that have avoided the first and used the second would have suffered drastically in their
economic development. There is no indication that they have. Socialist industry also works within a frame
work of controlled prices. In early 1970’s, the soviet union began to give firms and industries some of the
flexibility in adjusting prices that a more informal evolution has accorded the capitalist system. Economists
in the United States have hailed the change as a return to the free market.But Soviet firms are no more
subject to prices established by free market over which they exercise little influenced than are capitalist
firms.
Question 1
The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. refute the theory that the free market plays a useful role in the development of industrialized
societies.
B. suggest methods by which economist and members of the government of the United States can
recognize and combat price-fixing by large firms.
C. explain the various ways in which industrialized societies can fix in order to stabilized the free
market
D. argue that price-fixing, in one form or another, is an inevitable part of and benefit to the economy
of any industrialized society.
E. Analysis of free markets in different economies
Correct Answer : E
Question 2
The passage provides information that would answer which of the following questions about
price-fixing?
I.What are some of the ways in which prices can be fixed?
II.For what products is price-fixing likely to be more profitable than the operation of the free
market?
III.Is price-fixing more common in socialist industrialized societies or in nonsocialist industrialized
societies?
A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
Correct Answer : A
Question 3
The author’s attitude toward “Most economists in the United States” can best be described as
A. spiteful and envious
B. scornful and denunciatory
C. critical and condescending
D. ambivalent but deferential

E. uncertain but interested
Correct Answer : C
Question 4
It can be inferred from the author’s argument that a price fixed by the seller “seems pernicious”
because
A. people do not have confidence in large firms
B. people do not expect the government to regulate prices
C. most economists believe that consumers as a group should determine prices.
D. most economists associate fixed prices with communist and socialist economies.
E. Most economists believe that no one group should determine prices.
Correct Answer : C
Question 5
The suggestion in the passage that price-fixing in industrialized societies is normal arises from
the author’s statement that price-fixing is
A. a profitable result of economic development
B. an inevitable result of the industrial system
C. the result of a number of carefully organized decisions.
D. a phenomenon common to industrialized and to industrialized societies.
E. a phenomenon best achieved cooperatively by government and industry.
Correct Answer : B
Question 6
According to the author, priced-fixing in nonsocialist countries is often.
A. accidental but productive
B. illegal but useful
C. legal and innovative
D. traditional and rigid
E. intentional and widespread.
Correct Answer : E
Question 7
According to the author, what is the result of the Soviet Union’s change in economic policy in the

1970’s?
A. Soviet firms show greater profit
B. Soviet firms have less control over the free market
C. Soviet firms are able to abject to technological advances.
D. Soviet firms have some authority to fix prices.
E. Soviet firms are more responsive to the free market.
Correct Answer : D
Question 8
8.With which of the following statements regarding the behavior of large firms in industrialized
societies would the author be most likely to agree.
A. The directors of large firms will continue to anticipate the demand for products
B. The directors of large firms are less interested in achieving a predictable level of profit tan in
achieving a large profit.
C. The directors of large firms will strive to reduce the costs of their products.
D. Many directors of large firms believe that the government should establish the prices that will be
charged for products.
E. Many directors of large firms believe that the price charged for products is likely to increase
annually.
Correct Answer : A
Question 9
In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with
A. predicting the consequences of a practice
B. criticizing a point of view
C. calling attention to recent discoveries.
D. proposing a topic for research.
E. summarizing conflicting opinions.
Correct Answer : B
Passage For Question 10 to 15
The discoveries of the white dwarf, the neutron star, and the black hole, coming well after the discovery of
the red giant are among eh most exciting developments in decades because they may be well present

physicists with their greatest challenge since thefailure of classical mechanics. In the life cycle of the star,
after all of the hydrogen and helium fuel has been burned, the delicate balance between the outer nuclear
radiation.pressure and the stable gravitational force becomes disturbed and slow contraction begins. As
compression increases, a very dense plasma forms. If the initial star had mass of less than 1.4 solar
masses (1.4 times the mass of our sun), the process ceases at the density of 1,000 tons per cubic inch,
and the star becomes the white dwarf. However, if the star was originally more massive, the white dwarf
plasma can’t resist the gravitations pressures, and in rapid collapse, all nuclei of lthe star are converted to
a gas of free neutrons. Gravitational attraction compresses this neutron gas rapidly until a density of 10
tons per cubic inch is reached; at this point the strong nuclear force resists further contraction. If the mass
of the star was between 1.4 and a few solar masses, the process stops here, and we have a neutron star.
But if the original star was more massive than a few solar masses, even the strong nuclear forces cannot
resist the gravitational orunch. The neutrons are forced into one another to form heavier hadrons and
these in turn coalesce to form heavier entities, of which we as yet know nothing. At this point, a complete
collapse of the stellar mass occurs; existing theories predict a collapse to infinite density and infinitely
small dimensions Well before this, however, the surface gravitational force would become so strong that
no signal could ever leave the star - any photon emitted would fall back under gravitational attraction –
and the star would become black hole in space. This gravitational collapse poses a fundamental
challenge to physics. When the most widely accepted theories predict such improbable things as infinite
density and infinitely small dimensions, it simply means that we are missing some vital insight. This last
happened in physics in the 1930’s, when we faced the fundamental paradox concerning atomic structure.
At that time, it was recognized that electrons moved in table orbits about nuclei in atoms. However, it was
also recognized that if charge is accelerated, as it must be to remain in orbit, it radiates energy; so,
theoretically, the electron would be expected eventually to spiral into the nucleus and destroy the atom.
Studies centered around this paradox led to the development of quantum mechanics. It may well be that
an equivalent t advance awaits us in investigating the theoretical problems presented by the phenomenon
of gravitational collapse.
Question 10
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. offer new explanations for the collapse of stars.
B. explain the origins of black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs.

C. compare the structure of atoms with the structure of the solar system.
D. explain how the collapse of stars challenges accepted theories of physics.
E. describe the imbalance between radiation pressure and gravitational force.
Correct Answer : D
Question 11
According to the passage, in the final stages of its devedlopment our own sun is likely to take the
form of a
A. white dwarf
B. neutron star
C. red giant
D. gas of free neutrons
E. black hole
Correct Answer : A
Question 12
According to the passage, an imbalance arises between nuclear radiation pressure and
gravitational force in stars because
A. the density of a star increases as it ages
B. radiation pressure increases as a star increases in mass
C. radiation pressure decreases when a star’s fuel has been consumed
D. the collapse of a star increases its gravitational force.
E. a dense plasma decreases the star’s gravitational force.
Correct Answer : C
Question 13
The author asserts that the discoveries of the white dwarf, the neutron star, and the black hole are
significant because these discoveries.
A. demonstrate the probability of infinite density and infinitely small dimensions
B. pose the most comprehensive and fundamental problem faced by physicists in decades
C. clarify the paradox suggested by the collapse of electrons into atomic nuclei.
D. establish the relationship between the mass and gravitational pressure.
E. assist in establishing the age of the universe by tracing the life histories of stars.

Correct Answer : B
Question 14
The passage contains information that answers which of the following questions?
A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
Correct Answer : E
Question 15
The author introduces the discussion of the paradox concerning atomic structures in order to
A. Show why it was necessary to develop quantum mechanics
B. Compare the structure of an atom with the structure of star
C. Demonstrate by analogy that a vital insight in astrophysics is missing
D. Illustrate the contention that improbable things do happen in astrophysics
E. Argue that atoms can collapse if their electrons do not remain in orbit.
Correct Answer : C
Reading Comprehension Practice Test 2
Passage For Question 1 to 9
Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedented opportunities-
as well as new and significant risks. Civil rights activists have long argued that one of the principal
reasons why Blacks, Hispanics and the other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in
business is that they lack access to the sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large
companies. Now congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that businesses awarded federal
contracts of more than $500,000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do
so on forms field with the government. Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to
set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises.
Corporate response appears to have been substantial. Accoring to figures collected in 1977, the total of
corporate contracts with minority business rose from $77 to $1. 1 billion in 1977. The projected total of
corporate contracts with minority business for the early 1980’s is estimated to be over $3 billion per year

with no letup anticipated in the next decade. Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased
patronage poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending
themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large businesses they often need to
make substantial investments in new plants, staff, equipment, and the like in order to perform work
subcontracted to them. If, there after, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face
potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small
entrepreneur’s who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuable time
and resources and a small cmpany’s efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the
financial health of the business will suffer. A second risk is that White-owned companies may-seek to cash
inon the increasing apportion-ments through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns, of
course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, white and minority
enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could Third, a minority enterprise that secures
the business of one large corporate customer often runs the danger of becoming – and remaining
dependent. Even in the best of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more established
companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases; when such firms have
nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle against
complacency arising from their current success.
Question 1
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies
B. describe a situation and its potential drawbacks
C. propose a temporary solution to a problem
D. analyze a frequent source to a problem
E. explore the implications of a findings.
Correct Answer : B
Question 2
The passage supplies information that would answer which of the following questions?
A. What federal agencies have set percentage goals for the use of minority owned businesses in
public works contracts?
B. To which governments agencies must businesses awarded federal contracts report their efforts

to find minority subcontractors?
C. How widespread is the use of minority-owned concerns as “fronts; by White backers seeking to
obtain subcontracts?
D. How many more minority owned businesses were there in 1977 than in 1972?
E. What is one set of conditions under which a small business might find itself financially
overextended?
Correct Answer : E
Question 3
According to the passage, civil rights activists maintain that one disadvantage under which
minority owned businesses have traditionally had to labor is that they have
A. been specially vulnerable to governmental
B. been denied bank loans at rates comparable to those afforded larger competitors
C. not had sufficient opportunity to secure businesses created by large corporations
D. not been able to advertise in those media that reach large numbers of potential customers
E. not had adequate representation in the centers of government power.
Correct Answer : C
Question 4
The passage suggests that the failure of a large business to have its bids for subcontracts results
quickly in order might cause it to
A. experience frustrations but not serious financial harm
B. face potentially crippling fixed expenses
C. have to record its efforts on forms filed with the government
D. increase its spending with minority subcontractors
E. revise its procedure for making bids for federal contracts and subcontracts
Correct Answer : A
Question 5
The authors implied that the minority owned concern that does the greater part of its business
with one large corporate customer should
A. avoid competition with the larger, more established concerns by not expanding
B. concentrate on securing even more business from that corporation

C. try to expands its customers base to avoid becoming dependent on the corporation
D. pass on some of the work to be done for the corporation to other minority owned concerns.
E. use its influence with the other corporation to promote subcontracting with other minority
concerns.
Correct Answer : C
Question 6
It can be inferred from the passage that, compared with the requirements of law, the percentage
goals set by “some federal and local agencies” are
A. more popular with large corporations
B. more specific
C. less controversial
D. less expensive to enforce
E. easier to comply with
Correct Answer : B
Question 7
Which of the following if true, would most weaken the author’s assertion that, in 1970’s, corporate
response to federal requirements (lines 18-19) was substantial?
A. Corporate contracts with minority owned business totaled about $2 billion in 1979
B. Between 1970 and 1972, corporate contracts with minority owned businesses declined by 25
percent
C. The figures collected 1977 underrepreented the extent of corporate contracts with minority
owned businesses.
D. The estimate of corporate spending with minority owned businesses in 1980 is approximately
$10 million too high
E. The $1.1 billion represented the same percentage of total corporate spending in 1977 as did
$77 million in 1972.
Correct Answer : E
Question 8
The passage most likely appeared in
A. a business magazine

B. an encyclopedia of black history to 1945
C. a dictionary of financial terms
D. a yearbook of business statistics
E. an accounting textbook
Correct Answer : A
Question 9
The author would most likely agree with which of the following statements about corporate
response to working with minority subcontractors?
A. Annoyed by the proliferations of “front” organizations, corporates are likely to reduce their efforts
to work with minority owned subcontractors in the near future.
B. Although corporations showed considerable interest in working with minority businesses in the
1970’s their aversion to government paperwork made them reluctant to pursue many government
contracts.
C. The significant response of corporation in the 1970’s is likely to be sustained and conceivably be
increased throughout the 1980’s
D. Although corporations re eager to co-operate with minority owned businesses, a shortage of
capital in the 1970’s made substantial response impossible.
E. The enormous corporate response has all but eliminated the dangers of over expansion that
used to plague small minority owned businesses.
Correct Answer : C
Passage For Question 10 to 15
In strongly territorial birds such as the indigo bunting, song is the main mechanism for securing g,
defining, and defending an adequate breeding are. When population density is high, only the strongest
males can retain a suitable area. The weakest males do not breed or are forced to nest on poor or
marginal territories.During the breeding season, the male indigo bunting sings in his territory; each song
lasts two or three seconds with a very short pause between songs, Melodic and rhythmic characteristics
are produced by rapid changes in sound frequency and some regularity of silent periods between sounds.
These modulated sounds form recognizable units, called figures, each of which is reproduced again and
again with remarkable consistency. Despite the large frequency range of these sounds and the rapid
frequency changes that the birds makes, the n umber of figures is very limited. Further, although we found

some unique figures in different geographical populations, more than 90 percent of all Indigo bunting
figures are extremely stable on the geographic basis . In our studies of isolated buntings we found that
male indigo buntings are capable of singing many more types of figures than they usually do. Thus, it
would seem that they copy their figures from other buntings they hear signing.Realizing that the ability to
distinguish the songs of one species from those of another could be an important factor in the volition of
the figures, we tested species recognition of a song. When we played a tape recording of a lazuli bunting
or a painted bunting, male indigo bunting did not respond; Even when a dummy of male indigo bunting
was placed near the tape recorder. Playing an indigo bunting song, however, usually brought an
immediate response, making it clear that a male indigo bunting can readily distinguished songs of its own
species from those of other species.The role of the songs figures in interspecies recognition was then
examined. We created experimental songs composed of new figures by playing a normal song
backwards, which changed the detailed forms of the figures without altering frequency ranges or gross
temporal features. Since the male indigos gave almost a full response to the backward song, we
concluded that a wide range of figures shapes can evoke positive responses. It seems likely, therefore,
that a specific configuration is not essential for interspecies recognition, but it is clear that song figures
must confirm to a particular frequency range, must be within narrow limits of duration, and must be
spaced at particular intervals.There is evident that new figures may arise within a population through a
slow process of change and selection. This variety is probably a valuable adaptation for survival: if every
bird sang only a few types of figures, in dense woods or underbrush a female might have difficulty
recognizing her mate’s song and a male might not be able to distinguished a neighbor from a stranger.
Our studies led us to conclude that there must be a balance between song stability and conservatism,
which lead to clear-cut species recognition, and song variation, which leads to individual recognition.
Question 10
The primary purpose of passage is to
A. raise new issues
B. explain an enigma
C. refute misconceptions
D. reconcile differing theories
E. analyze a phenomenon
Correct Answer : E

Question 11
According to the passage, which of the following is true about the number and general nature of
figures sung by the indigo bunting?
A. They are established at birth
B. They evolve slowly as the bird learns
C. They are learned from other indigo buntings.
D. They develop after the bird has been forced onto marginal breeding areas.
E. The gradually develop through contact with prospective mates
Correct Answer : C
Question 12
It can be inferred that the investigation that determined the similarly among more than 90 percent
of all the figures produced by birds living in different regions was undertaken to answer which of
the following questions?
I.How much variations, if any, is there in the figure types produced by indigo buntings in different
locales?
II.Do local populations of indigo buntings develop their own dialects of figure types?
III.Do figure similarities among indigo buntings decline with increasing geographic separation?
A. II only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
Correct Answer : E
Question 13
It can be inferred from the passage that the existence of only a limited number of indigo bunting
figures servers primarily to
A. ensure species survival by increasing competition among the fittest males for the females
B. increase population density by eliminating ambiguity in the figures to which the females must
respond
C. maintain the integrity of the species by restricting the degree of figure variation and change

D. enhance species recognition by decreasing the number of figure patterns to which the bird must
respond
E. avoid confusion between species by clearly demarcating the figure patterns of each specials
Correct Answer : D
Question 14
It can be inferred that a dummy of a male indigo bunting was placed near the tape recorder that
played the songs of different species in order to try to
A. simulate the conditions in nature.
B. Rule out visual cues as a factor in species recognition
C. Supply an additional clue to species recognition for the indigo bunting
D. Provide data on the habits of bunting species other than then indigo bunting
E. Confound the indigo buntings in the experiment
Correct Answer : B
Question 15
According to the passage, the authors played a normal indigo bunting song backwards in order to
determine which of the following?
A. What are the limits of the frequency range that will provide recognition by the indigo bunting.
B. What is the time duration necessary for recognition by the indigo bunting?
C. How specific must a figure shape be for it to be recognized by the indigo bunting?
D. How does variation in the pacing of song figures?
E. Is the indigo bunting responding to cues other than those in the song figures?
Correct Answer : C
Reading Comprehension Practice Test 3
Passage For Question 1 to 9
Those examples of poetic justice that occur in medieval and Elizabethan literature, and that seem so
satisfying, have encouraged a whole school of twentieth-century scholars to "find" further examples. In
fact, these scholars have merely forced victimized character into a moral framework by which the
injustices inflicted on them are, somehow or other, justified. Such scholars deny that the sufferers in a
tragedy are innocent; they blame the victims themselves for their tragic fates. Any misdoing is enough to
subject a character to critical whips. Thus, there are long essays about the misdemeanors of Webster’s

Duchess of Malfi, who defined her brothers, and he behavior of Shakespeare’s Desdemona, who
disobeyed her father.\n\nYet it should be remembered that the Renaissance writer Matteo Bandello
strongly protests the injustice of the severe penalties issued to women for acts of disobedience that men
could, and did, commit with virtual impunity. And Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Webster often enlist their
readers on the side of their tragic heroines by describing injustices so cruel that readers cannot but join in
protest. By portraying Griselda, in the Clerk’s Tale, as a meek, gentle victim who does not criticize, much
less rebel against the prosecutor, her husband Waltter, Chaucer incites readers to espouse Griselda’s
cause against Walter’s oppression. Thus, efforts to supply historical and theological rationalization for
Walter’s persecutions tend to turn Chaucer’s fable upside down, to deny its most obvious effect on
reader’s sympathies. Similarly, to assert that Webster’s Duchess deserved torture and death because she
chose to marry the man she loved and to bear their children is, in effect to join forces with her tyrannical
brothers, and so to confound the operation of poetic justice, of which readers should approve, with
precisely those examples of social injustice that Webster does everything in his power to make readers
condemn. Indeed. Webster has his heroin so heroically lead the resistance to tyranny that she may well in
spire members of the audience to imaginatively join forces with her against the cruelty and hypocritical
morality of her brothers. Thus Chaucer and Webster, in their different ways, attack injustice, argue on
behalf of the victims, and prosecute the persecutors. Their readers serve them as a court of appeal that
remains free to rule, as the evidence requires, and as common humanity requires, in favour of the
innocent and injured parties. For, to paraphrase the noted eighteenth-century scholar, Samuel Johnson,
despite all the refinements of subtlety and the dogmatism of learning, it is by the common sense and
compassion of readers who are uncorrupted by the characters and situations in mereval and Dlizabetahn
literature, as in any other literature, can best be judged.
Question 1
According to the passage, some twentieth-century scholars have written at length about
A. Walter's persecution of his wife in Chaucer's the Clerk's Tale
B. the Duchess of Malfi's love for her husband
C. the tyrannical behaviour of the Duchess of Malfi's brothers
D. the actions taken by Shakespeare's Desdemona
E. the injustices suffered by Chaucer's Griselda
Correct Answer : D

Question 2
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. describe the role of the tragic heroine in medieval and Elizabethan literature
B. resolve a controversy over the meaning of "poetic justice" as it is discussed in certain medieval
and Elizabethan literary treatises
C. present evidence to support the view that characters in medieval and Elizabethan tragedies are
to blame for their fates
D. assert that it is impossible for twentieth-century readers to fully comprehend the characters and
situations in medieval and Elizabethan literary works
E. argue that some twentieth-century scholars have misapplied the concept of "poetic justice" in
analyzing certain medieval and Elizabethan literary works.
Correct Answer : E
Question 3
It can be inferred from the passage that the author consider Chaucer's Grisselda to be
A. an innocent victim
B. a sympathetic judge
C. an imprudent person
D. a strong individual
E. a rebellious daughters
Correct Answer : A
Question 4
The author's tone in her discussion of the conclusion's reached by the "school of twentieth-
century scholars" (line 4) is best described as
A. plaintive
B. philosophical
C. disparaging
D. apologetic
E. enthusiastic
Correct Answer : C
Question 5

It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that most people respond to intended
instances of poetic justice in medieval and Elizabethan literature with
A. annoyance
B. disapproval
C. indifference
D. amusement
E. gratification
Correct Answer : E
Question 6
As described in the passage, the process by which some twentieth-century scholars have reached
their conclusions about the blameworthiness of victims in medieval and Elizabethan literary
works is mot similar to which of the following?
A. Derivation of logically sound conclusions from well-founded premises
B. Accurate observation of data, inaccurate calculation of statistics, and drawing of incorrect
conclusions form the faulty statistics
C. Establishment of a theory, application of the theory to ill-fittings data, and drawing of
unwarranted conclusions from the data
D. Development of two schools of thought about a factual situation, debate between the two
schools, and rendering of a balanced judgment by an objective observer
E. Consideration of a factual situation by a group, discussion of various possible explanatory
hypotheses and agreement by consensus on the most plausible explanation
Correct Answer : C
Question 7
The author's paraphrase of a statement by Samuel Johnson serves which of the following
functions in the passage?
A. it furnishes a specific example
B. it articulates a general conclusion
C. it introduces a new topic
D. it provides a contrasting perspective
E. it clarifies an ambiguous assertion

Correct Answer : B
Question 8
The author of the passage is primarily concerned with
A. reconciling opposing viewpoints
B. encouraging innovative approaches
C. defending an accepted explanation
D. advocating an alternative interpretation
E. analyzing an unresolved question
Correct Answer : D
Question 9
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. criticize the inflexibility of American economic mythology
B. contrast "Old World" and "New World" economic ideologies
C. challenge the integrity of traditional political leaders
D. champion those Americans whom the author deems to be neglected
E. suggests a substitue for the traditional metaphor of a race
Correct Answer : A
Passage For Question 10 to 15
Woodraw Wilson was referring to the liberal idea of the economic market when he said that the free
enterprise system is the most efficient economic system. Maximum freedom means maximum
productiveness; our "openness" is to be the measure of our stability. Fascination with this ideal has made
Americans defy the "Old World" categories of settled possessiveness versus unsettling deprivation., the
cupidity of retention versus the cupidity of seizure, a "status quo" defended of attacked. The United
States, it was believed, had no status quo ante. Our only "station" was the turning of a stationary wheel,
spinning faster and faster. We did not base our system on property but opportunity-which meant we
based it not on stability but on mobility. The more things changed, that is, the more rapidly the wheel
turned, the steadier we would be. The conventional picture of class politics is composed of the Haves,
who want a stability to keep what they have, and Have-Nots, who want a touch of instability and change
in which to scramble for the things they have not. But Americans imagined a condition in which
speculators, self-makers, runners are always using the new opportunities given by our land. These

economic leaders (front-runners) would thus be mainly agents of Change. The nonstarters were
considered the ones who wanted stability, a strong referee to give them some position in the race, a
regulative hand to calm manic speculation; an authority that can call things to a half begin things again
from compensatorily staggered "starting lines".:Reform" in America has been sterile because it can
imagine no change except through the extension of this metaphor of the race, wider inclusion of
competitors, "a piece of the action." As it were, of the disenfranchised. There is no attempt to call off the
race. Since our only stability is change. America seems not to honor the quite work that achieves social
interdependence and stability. There is, in our legends, no heroism of the office clerk, no stable industrial
work force of the people who actually make the system work. There is no pride in being an employee
(Wilson asked for a return to the time when everyone was an employer). There has been no boasting
about our social workers-they are need; empty boasts from the past make us ashamed of our present
achievements, make us try to forget or deny the, move away from them. There is no honor but in the
wonderland race we must all run, all trying to win, none winning in the end (for there is no end).
Question 10
According to the passge, "Old World" values were based on
A. ability
B. property
C. family connections
D. guild hierarchies
E. education
Correct Answer : B
Question 11
In the context of the author's discussion of regulat ing change, which of the following could be
most probably regvarded as a "strong referee" (lin e 30) in the United States?
A. A school principle
B. A political theorist
C. A federal court judge
D. A social worker
E. A government inspector
Correct Answer : C

Question 12
The author sets off the word "Reform" with quotation marks in order to
A. emphasize its departure from the concept of settled possessiveness
B. show his support for a systematic program of change
C. underscore the flexibility and even amorphousness of United States society
D. indicate that the term was one of Wilson's favorites
E. assert that reform in the United States has not been fundamental
Correct Answer : E
Question 13
It can be inferred from the passage that the author most probably thinks that giving the
disenfranchised" ‘ a piece of action'" is
A. a compassionate, if misdirected, legislative measure
B. an example of American's resistance to profound social change
C. an innovative program for genuine social reform
D. a monument to the efforts of industrial reformers
E. a surprisingly " Old World" remedy for social ills
Correct Answer : B
Question 14
Which of the following metaphors could the authors most appropriately use to summarize his own
assessment of the American economic system ?
A. A windmill
B. A water fall
C. A treadmill
D. A gyroscope
E. A bellows
Correct Answer : C
Question 15
It can be inferred from the passage that Woodrow Wilson's idea's about the economic market
A. encouraged those who "make the system work"
B. perpetuated traditional legends about America

C. revealed the prejudices of a man born wealthy
D. foreshadowed the stock market crash of 1929
E. began a tradition of presidential proclamations on economics
Correct Answer : B
Reading Comprehension Practice Test 4
Passage For Question 1 to 9
The fossil remain of the first flying vertebrates, the pterosaurs, have intrigued paleontologists for more
than two centuries. How such large creatures, which weighed in some cases as much as a piloted
hangglider and had wingspans from 8 to 12 meters, solved the problems of powered flight, and exactly
what these creatures were-reptiles or birds- are among the questions scientist have puzzled over.
Perhaps the least controversial assertion about the pterosaurs is that they were reptiles. Their skulls,
pelvises, and hind feet are reptilian. The anatomy of their wings suggests that they did not evolve into the
class of birds. In pterosaurs a greatly elongated fourth finger of each forelimb supported a wing like
membrane. The other fingers were short and reptilian, with sharp claws, In birds the second finger is the
principle strut of the wing, which consists primarily of features. If the pterosaur walked or remained
stationary, the fourth finger, and with it the wing, could only turn upward in an extended inverted V-shape
along side of the animal's body. The pterosaurs resembled both birds and bats in their overall structure
and proportions. This is not surprising because the design of any flying vertebrate is subject to
aerodynamic constraints. Both the pterosaurs and the birds have hollow bones, a feature that represents
a saving in weight. In the birds, however, these bones are reinforced more massively by internal struts.
Although scales typically cover reptiles, the pterosaurs probably had hairy coats. T.H. Huxley reasoned
that flying vertebrates must have been warm – blooded because flying implies a high internal
temperature. Huxley speculated that a coat of hair would insulate against loss of body heat and might
streamline the body to reduce drag in flight. The recent discovery of a pterosaur specimen covered in
long, dense, and relatively thick hairlike fossil material was the first clear evidenced that his reasoning
was correct. Efforts to explain how the pterosaurs became air-borne have led to suggestions that they
launched themselves by jumping from cliffs, by dropping from trees, or even by rising into light winds from
the crests of waves. Each hypothesis has its difficulties. The first wrongly assumes that the pterosaur's
hind feet resembled a bat's and could served as hooks by which the animal could bang in preparation for
flight. The second hypothesis seems unlikely because large pterosaurs could not have landed in trees

without damaging their wings. The birds calls for high waves to channels updrafts. The wind that made
such waves however, might have been too strong for the pterosaurs to control their flight once airborne.
Question 1
It can be inferred from the passage that scientists now generally agree that the
A. enormous wingspan of the pterosaurs enable them to fly great distances
B. structure of the skeleton of the pterosaurs suggests a close evolutionary relationship to bats
C. fossil remains of the pterosaurs reveal how they solved the problem of powered flight
D. pterosaurs were reptiles
E. pterosaurs walked on all fours.
Correct Answer : D
Question 2
The authors views the idea that the pterosaurs became airborne by rising into light winds created
by waves as
A. revolutionary
B. unlikely
C. unassailable
D. probable
E. outdated
Correct Answer : B
Question 3
According to the passage, the skeleton of a pterosaur can be distinguished form that of a bird by
the
A. size of its wingspan
B. presence of hollow spaces in its bones
C. anatomic origin of its wing strut
D. presence of hooklike projections on its hind feet
E. location of the shoulder joint joining the wind to its body
Correct Answer : C
Question 4
The ides attributed to T.H. Huxley in the passage suggest that he would most likely agree with

which of the following statements?
A. An animal's brain size has little bearing on its ability to master complex behaviors.
B. An animal's appearance dramatically over a period of time.
C. Animals within a given family group are unlikely to change their appearance
D. The origin of flight in vertebrates was an accidental development rather than the outcome
E. The pterosaurs should be classifieds as birds, not reptiles.
Correct Answer : B
Question 5
It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is characteristic of the pterosaurs?
A. They were unable to fold their wings when not in use.
B. They hung upside down from branches as bats do before flight
C. They flew in order to capture prey
D. They were an early stage in the evolution of the birds
E. The lived primarily in a forest like habitat.
Correct Answer : A
Question 6
Which of the following best describes the organization of the last paragraph of the passage?
A. New evidence is introduced to support a traditional point of view
B. Three explanations for a phenomenon are presented, and each is disputed by means of specific
information.
C. Three hypotheses are outlined, and evidenced supporting each is given.
D. Recent discoveries are described, and their implications for future study are projected
E. A summary of the materials in the preceding paragraphs is presented, and conclusions are
drawn.
Correct Answer : B
Question 7
It can be inferred from the passage that some scientists believe that pterosaurs.
A. lived near large bodies of water
B. had sharp teeth for tearing food
C. were attacked and eaten by larger reptiles

D. had longer tails than many birds
E. consumed twice their weight daily to maintain their body temperature
Correct Answer : A
Question 8
Which of the following is the principle topic of the passage?
A. What causes labor market pathologies that result in suffering
B. Why income measures are imprecise in measuring degrees of poverty
C. Which of the currently used statistical procedures are the best for estimating the incidence of
hardship that is due to unemployment
D. Where the areas of agreement are among poverty, employment, and earnings figures
E. How social statistics give an unclear picture of the degree of hardship caused by low wages and
insufficient employment opportunities
Correct Answer : E
Question 9
The author uses “labor market problems' in lines 1-2 to refer to which of the following ?
A. The over all causes of poverty
B. Deficiencies in the training of the work force
C. Trade relationships among producers of goods
D. Shortages of jobs providing adequate income
E. Strikes and inadequate supplies of labor
Correct Answer : D
Passage for Question 10 to 15
How many really suffer as a result of labor market problems ? This is one of the most critical yet
contentious social policy questions. In many ways, our social statistics exaggerate the degree of har-ship.
Unemployment does not have the same dire consequences today as it did in the 1930's when most of the
unemployed were primary bread-winners, when income and earnings were usually much closer to the
margin of subsistence, and when there were no countervailing social programs for those failing in the
labor market. Increasing affluence, the rise of families with more than one wage earner, the growing
predominance of secondary earners among the unemployed, and improved social welfare protection have
unquestionably mitigated the consequences of joblessness. Earnings and income data also overstate the

dimensions of hard-ship. Among the millions with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage level,
the overwhelming majority are from multiple-earner, relatively affluent families. Most of those counted by
the poverty statistics are elderly or handicapped or have family responsibilities which keep them out of the
labor force, so the poverty statistics are by no means an accurate indicator of labor market pathologies.
Yet there are also many ways our social statistics underestimate the degree of labour-market-related
hardship. The unemployment counts exclude the millions of fully employed workers whose wages are so
low that their families remain in poverty. Low wages and repeated or prolonged unemployment frequently
interact to undermine the capacity for self-support. Since the number experiencing job-lessness at some
time during the year is several times the number unemployed in any month, those who suffer s a result of
forced idleness can equal or exceed average annual unemployment, even though only a minority of the
jobless in any month really suffer. For every person counted in the month unemployment tallies, there is
another working part-time because of the inability to find full-time work, or else outside the labor force but
wanting a job. Finally, income transfers in our country have always focused on the elderly, disabled, and
dependent, neglecting the needs of the working poor, so that the dramatic expansion of cash and in kind
transfers does not necessarily mean that those failing in the labor market are adequately protected. As a
result of such contradictory evidence, it is uncertain whether those suffering seriously as a result of labor
market problems number in the hundreds of thousands or the tens of millions, and hence, whether high
levels of joblessness can be tolerated or must be countered by job creation and economic stimulus. There
is only one area of agreement in this debate-that the existing poverty, employment, and earnings statistics
are inadequate for one of their primary applications, measuring the consequences of labor market
problems.
Question 10
The author contrasts the 1930's with the present in order to show that
A. more people were unemployed in the 1930's
B. unemployment now has less severe effects
C. social programs are more needed now
D. there now is a greater proportion of elderly and handicapped people among those in poverty
E. poverty has increased since the 1930's
Correct Answer : B
Question 11

Which of the following proposals best responds to the issues raised by the author ?
A. Innovative programs using multiple approaches should be set up to reduce the level of
unemployment.
B. A compromise should be found between the positions of those who view joblessness as an evil
greater than economic control and those who hold the opposite view.
C. New statistical indices should be developed to measure the degree to which unemployment and
inadequately paid employment cause suffering.
D. Consideration showed be given to the ways in which statistics can act as partial causes of the
phenomena that they purport to measure.
E. The labor force should be restructured so that it corresponds to the range of job vacancies.
Correct Answer : C
Question 12
The author's purpose in citing those who are repeatedly unemployed during a twelve-month
period is most probably to show that
A. there are several factors that cause the payment of low wags to some members of the labor
force
B. unemployment statistics can underestimate the hardship resulting from joblessness
C. recurrent inadequacies in the labor market can exist and can cause hardships for individual
workers.
D. A majority of those who are jobless at any one time do not suffer severe hardship
E. There are fewer individuals who are without jobs at some time during a year than would be
expected on the basis of monthly unemployment figures
Correct Answer : B
Question 13
The author states that the mitigating effect of social programs involving income transfers on the
income level of low-income people is often not felt by
A. the employed poor
B. dependent children in single – earner families
C. workers who become disabled
D. workers who become disabled

E. full-time workers who become unemployed
Correct Answer : A
Question 14
According to the passage, one factor that causes unemployment and earnings figures to
overpredict the amount of economic hardship is the
A. recurrence of periods of unemployment for a group of low-wage workers
B. possibility that earnings may be received from more than one job per workers.
C. Fact that unemployment counts do not include those who work for low wages and remain poor
D. Establishment of system of record-keeping that makes it possible to compile poverty statistics
E. Prevalence, among low-wage workers and the unemployed, of members of families in which
other are employed
Correct Answer : E
Question 15
The conclusion stated about the number of people who suffer as a result of forced idleness
depends primarily on the point that
A. in times of high unemployment, there are some people who do not remain unemployed for long
B. the capacity for self-support depends on receiving moderate-to-high wages
C. those in forced idleness include, besides the unemployed, both underemployed part-time
workers and those not actively seeking work
D. at different times during the year, different people are unemployed
E. many of those who are affected by unemployment ae dependents of unemployed workers.
Correct Answer : D
Reading Comprehension Practice Test 5
Passage for Question 1 to 9
At the time Jane Austen's novels were published – between 1811 and 1818 – English literature was not
part of any academic curriculum. In addition, fiction was under strenuous attack. Certain religious and
political groups felt novels had the power to make so called immoral characters so interesting young
readers would identify with them; these groups also considered novels to be of little practical use. Even
Cole-ridge, certainly no literary reactionary, spoke for many when he asserted that "novel-reading
occasions the destruction of the mind's power. These attitudes towards novels help explain why Ausjten

received little attention from early nineteenth century literary critics. (In any case, a novelist published
anonymously, as Austin was, would not be likely to receive much critical attention). The literary response
that was accorded her, however, was often as incisive as twentieth century criticism. In his attack in 1816
on novelistic portrayals "outside of ordinary experience, " for example, Scott made an insightful remarks
about the merits of Austen;'s fiction. Her novels, wrote Scott, "present to the reader an accurate and
exact. picture of ordinary everyday people and places, reminiscent of seventeenth –century Flemish
painting. " Scott did not use the word "realistic probability in judging novels. The critic whitely did not use
the word realism either, but he expressed agreement with Scott's evaluation, and went on to suggest the
possibilities for moral instruction in what we have called Austen's realistic method. Her characters, wrote
whitely, are persuasive agents for moral truth since they are ordinary persons "so clearly evoked that was
feel an interest in their fate as if it were our own Moral instruction, explained Whitely, is more likely to be
effective when conveyed through recognizably human and interesting characters then when imparted by
a sermonizing narrator. Whately especially praised Austen's ability to create characters who "mingle
goodness and villainy, weakness and virtue, as in life they are always mingled. "Whately concluded his
remarks by comparing Austen's art of characterization to Sicken's, stating his preference for Austin's.
often anticipated the reservations of twentieth-century critics. An example of such a response was Lewes'
complaint in 1859 that Austen's range of subjects and characters was too narrow. Praising her
verisimilitude, Lewes added that nonetheless her focus was too often upon only the unlofty and the
common place. (Twentieth-century Marxists, on the other hand, were to complain about what they saw as
her exclusive emphasis on a lofty upper-middle class) in any case, having been rescued by some literary
critics from neglect and indeed gradually lionized by them, Austen's steadily reached, by the mid-
nineteenth century, the enviable pinnacle of being considered controversial.
Question 1
The primary purpose of the passage is to
A. demonstrate the nineteenth-century preference for realistic novels rather than romantic ones.
B. Explain why Jane Austen's novels were not included in any academic curriculum in the early
nineteenth century
C. Urge a reassessment of Jane Austen's novels by twentieth-century literary critics
D. Describe some of the responses of nineteenth – century critics tol Jane Austen's novels as well
as to fiction in general

E. Argue that realistic character portrayal is the novelist's most difficult task as well as the aspect of
novel most likely to elicit critical response.
Correct Answer : D
Question 2
The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?
A. Ws Whately aware of Scott's remarks about Jane Austen's novels?
B. Who is an example of a twentieth-century Marxist critic?
C. Who is an example of twentieth-century critic who admired Jane Aujsten's novels?
D. What is the author's judgment of Dickens?
E. Did Jane Austen's express her opinion of those nineteenth-century critics who admired her
novels.
Correct Answer : A
Question 3
The authors mentions that English literature "was not part of any academic curriculum " in the
early nineteenth century in order to
A. emphasize the need for Jane Austen to increate ordinary, everyday character in her novels.
B. give support to those religious and political groups that had attacked fiction
C. give one reason why Jane Austen's novels received little critical attention in the early nineteenth
century.
D. Suggest the superiority of an informal and unsystematized approach to the study of literature
E. contrast nineteenth-century attitudes towards English literature with those towards classical
literature
Correct Answer : C
Question 4
The passage supplies information to suggest that the religious and political groups mentioned
and Whately might have agreed that a novel
A. has little practical use
B. has the ability to influence the moral values of its readers
C. is of most interest to readers when representing ordinary human characters.
D. should not be read by young readers.

E. Needs the sermonizing of a narrator in order to impart moral truths
Correct Answer : B
Question 5
The author quotes Coleridge in order to
A. refute the literary opinions of certain religious and political groups
B. make a case for the inferiority of novels to poetry
C. give an example of a writer who was not a literary reactionary
D. illustrate the early nineteenth-century belief that fiction was especially appealing to young
readers
E. indicate how widespread was the attack on novels in the early nineteenth century
Correct Answer : E
Question 6
The passage suggests that twentieth century Marxists would have admired Jane Austen's noels
more if the novels, a he Marxists understood them, had
A. described the values of upper-middle class society
B. avoided moral instruction and sermonizing
C. depicted ordinary society in a more flattering light portrayed characters from more than one
class of society
D. portrayed characters from more than one class of society
E. anticipated some of controversial social problems of the twentieth century.
Correct Answer : D
Question 7
It can be inferred from the passage that Whately found Dickens character to be
A. especially interest to you readers
B. ordinary persons in recognizably human situations
C. less liable than Jane Aujten's characters to have a realistic mixture of moral qualities
D. more often villainous and week than virtuous and good
E. less susceptible than Jane Austen's characters to the m oral judgments of sermonizing narrator.
Correct Answer : C
Question 8

According to the passage, the lack of critical attention paid to Jane Austen can be explained by all
of the following nineteenth-century attitudes towards the novel EXCEPT the
A. assurance felt by many people that novels weakened the mind
B. certainly shared by many political commentators that the range of novels was too narrow
C. lack of interest shown by some critics in novels that were published anonymously
D. fear exhibited by some religious and political groups that novels had the power to portray
immoral characters attractively
E. belief held by some religious and political groups that novels had no practical value.
Correct Answer : B
Question 9
The author would most likely agree that which of the following ios the best measure of a writer's
literary success?
A. Inclusion of the writer's work in an academic curriculum
B. Publication of the writer's work in the writer's own name
C. Existence of debate among critics about the writers work
D. Praise of the writers work by religious and political groups
E. Ability of the writers work to appeal to ordinary people.
Correct Answer : C
Passage for Question 10 to 15
Despite their many differences of temperament and of literary perspective, Emerson, Thoreau,
Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman share certain beliefs. Common to all these writers is their humanistic
perspective. Its basic premises are that humans are the spiritual center of the universe and that in them
alone is the clue of the nature, history and ultimately the cosmos itself. Without denying outright the
existenced either of a deity or of brute matter, this perspective nevertheless rejects them as exclusive
principles of interpretation and prefers to explain humans and the world in terms of humanity itself. This
preference is expressed most clearly in the Transcendentalist principle that the structure of the universe
literally duplicates the structure of the individual self: therefore, all knowledge begins with self-knowledge.
This common perspective is almost always universalized. Its emphasis is not upon the individual as a
particular European or American, but upon the hyuman as universal, freed from the accidents of time,
space, birth and talent. Thus, for Emerson, the "American Scholar turns out to be simply "Main Tinking;

while, for Whitman, the "Song of Myself merges imperceptibly into a song of all the "children of Adam:,
where "every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Also common to all five writers is the belief
that individual virtue and happiness depends upon the self-realization, which, in turn, depend upon the
harmonious reconciliation of two universal psychological tendencies: first, the self-asserting impulse of the
individual to withdraw; to remain unique and separate, and to be responsible only to himself or herself,
and second, the self-transcending impulse of the individual to embrace the whole world in the experience
of a single moment and to know and become one with that world. These conflicting impulses can be seen
in the democratic ethic. Democracy advocates individualism, he preservation of the individual's free-dom
and self-expression. But the democratic self is torn between the duty to self, which is implied by the
concept of liberty, and the duty to society, which is implied by the concept of equality and fraternity. A third
assumption common to the five writers is that intuition and imagination offer a surer road to truth than
does abstract logic or scientific method. It is illustrated by their emphasis upon the introspection-their
belief that the clue to external nature is to be found in the inner world of individual psychology and by their
interpretation of experience as, in essence, symbolic. Both these stresses presume an organic
relationship between the self and the cosmos of which only intuition and imagination can properly take
account. These writers' faith in the imagination and in themselves as practitioners of imagination led them
conceive of the writer as a seer and enabled them to achieve supreme confidence in their own moral and
metaphysical insights.
Question 10
The author's discussion of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman is primarily
concerned with explaining.
A. some of their beliefs about the difficulties involved in self-realization
B. some of their beliefs concerning the world and the place that humanity occupies in the universal
order
C. some of their beliefs concerning the relationship between humanism and democracy
D. the way some of their beliefs are shaped by differences in temperament and literary outlook.
E. the effects of some of their beliefs on their writings
Correct Answer : B
Question 11
According to the passage, the humanistic perspective of the five writers presupposes which of

the following?
I)The structures of the universe can be discovered through self-knowledge.
II)The world can be explained in terms of humanity
III)The spiritual and the material worlds are incompatible
A. I only
B. II only
C. I and II only
D. II and III only
E. I, II and III
Correct Answer : C
Question 12
The authors quotes Whiteman primarily in order to
A. show that the poet not agree with Emerson
B. indicate the way the poet uses the humanists ideal to praise himself
C. suggest that the poet adapts the basis premises of humanism to his own individual outlook on
the world
D. illustrate a way the poet expresses the relationship of the individual to the humanistic universe