READING COMPREHENSION
Questions 1-10
Alice Walker makes her living by writing, and her poems short stories, and novels
have won many awards and fellowships for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She
went to public schools there, and then to Spelman College in Atlanta before coming to
New York to attend Sarah Lawrence College, from which she graduated in 1966. For a
time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi with her lawyer husband and small daughter.
About Langston Hughes, American Poet, her first book for children, she says ,"After my
first meeting with Langston Hughes I vowed I would write a boot about him for
children someday. Why? Became I, at twenty-two, knew next to nothing of his work,
and he didn't scold me; he just gave me a stack of his book. And he was kind to me; I
will always be grateful that in his absolute warmth and generosity he fulfilled my
deepest dream (and need) of what a poet should be.
"To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of him or speak
of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a sack full
of oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished by time. He said he
liked oranges, too."
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
(A) Alice Walker's reflections on Langston Hughes
(B) The influence of Alice Walker on the writing of Langston Hughes
(C) Langston Hughes' book about Alice Walker
(D) A comparison of the childhoods of Alice Walker and Langston Hughes
2. In the passage, Alice Walker is described as
(A) a research fellow at Spelman College
(B) a professor at Sarah Lawrence College
(C) a prize-winning writer ofprose and poetry
(D) an author ofplays for children
3. Before attending college, Alice Walker went to school in
(A) Atlanta, Georgia
(B) Eatonton, Georgia
(C) Jackson, Mississippi
(D) Lawrence, Massachusetts
4. The word "vowed" in line 7 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Confided
(B) Believed
(C) Denied
(D) Promised
5. It can be inferred from the passage that Alice Walker was twenty-two years old when
(A) she moved to Jackson, Mississippi
(B) she moved to New York
(C) she first met Langston Hughes
(D) Langston Hughes died
6. It can be inferred from lines 9-11 that Alice Walker's first impressions ofLangston
Hughes were derived mostly from
(A) talking with his friends
(B) reading his autobiography
(C) studying his poetry
(D) meeting him
7. The word "dream" in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) nightmare
(B) expectation
(C) sleep
(D) misconception
8. what does Alice Walker imply when she says Langston Hughes "is not dead at all"
(Line 12)?
(A) Langston Hughes believed in eternal life.
(B) She had not been informed of Langston Hughes' death.
(C) For her, Langston Hughes had never really existed.
(D) Langston Hughes is still present in her thoughts.
9. The word "undiminished" in line 14 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Not exaggerated
(B) Not lessened
(C) Disappointed
(D) Unequaled
10. According to the passage, what did Alice Walker give Langston Hughes before he died?
(A) A job
(B) An award
(C) Some oranges
(D) A stack of books
Question 11-21
Human vision, like that of other primates, has evolved in an arboreal environment. In
the dense, complex world of a tropical forest, it is more important to see well than to
develop an acute sense of smell. In the course of evolution, members of the primate line
have acquired large eyes while the snout has shrunk to give the eye an unimpeded view.
Ofmammals, only humans and some primates enjoy color vision. The red flag is black
to the bull. Horses live in a monochrome world. Light visible to human eyes, however,
occupies only a very narrow band in the whole electromagnetic spectrum. Ultraviolet
rays are invisible to humans, though ants and honeybees are sensitive to them. Humans
have no direct perception ofinfrared rays, unlike the rattlesnake, which has receptors
tuned into wavelengths longer than 0.7 micron. The world would look eerily different if
human eyes were sensitive to infrared radiation. .Then, instead of the darkness of night,
we would be able to move easily in a strange, shadows world where objects glowed
with varying deGREe of intensity. But human eyes excel in other ways. They are, in fact ,
remarkably discerning in color gradation. The color sensitivity of normal human vision
is rarely surpassed even by sophisticated technical devices.
11. What does the passage mainly discuss?.
(A )Ultraviolet rays
(B) Human vision
(C) Sight and smell
(D)The environment of primates
12. Why does the author mention the "tropical forest", in line 2 ?
(A) To explain why primates have developed keen vision
(B) To suggest that primates need to see only the color GREen
(C)To give an example of environmental change
(D)To indicate where large-eyed primates can be found
13. What does the author mean by stating that "the red flag is black to the bull"(lines 5-6)?
(A) Bulls are attracted to red objects.
(B) Bulls do not notice flags.
(C) Bulls attack all flags.
(D) Bulls do not see the color red
14. The word "monochrome" in line 6 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Monotonous
(B) Ultraviolet
(C) One-dimension
(D) One-color
15 In line 8 ,"them" refers to which of the following?
(A) Human eyes
(B) Ultraviolet rays
(C) Humans
(D) Wavelengths
16. According to the passage, which of the following can detect wavelengths oflight
longer than 0.7 micron?
(A) Bulls
(B) Ants
(C) Horses
(D) Rattlesnakes
17. The word "eerily'' in line 10 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Strangely
(B) Increasingly
(C) Slightly
(D) Superficially
l8. It can be inferred from the passage that humans could move more easily at night if they
(A) had a narrower field of vision
(B) were color-blind
(C) had infrared vision
(D) lived in an arboreal environment
l9. The word "surpassed'' in line 15 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Recorded
(B) Exceeded
(C) Found
(D) Provided
20. According to the passage, the ability of humans to distinguish color differences is
(A) average
(B) weak
(C) excellent
(D) variable
21. Where in the passage does the author mention the development over time of certain
physical changes among primates ?
(A) Lines 3-4
(B) Lines 5-6
(C) Lines 7-10
(D) Lines 13-15
Questions22-31
Ancient people made clay pottery because they needed it for their survival. .They
used the pots they made for cooking, storing food, and carrying things from place to
place, Pottery was so important to early cultures that scientists now study it to learn
more about ancient civilizations. The more advanced the pottery in terms of decoration,
materials, glazes, and manufacture, the more advanced the culture itself .
The artisan who makes pottery in North America today utilizes his or her skill and
imagination to create items that are beautiful as well as functional, transforming
something ordinary into something special and unique.
The potter uses one of the Earth 's most basic materials, clay. Clay can he found
almost anywhere. Good pottery clay must be free from all small stones and other hard
materials that would make the potting process difficult. Most North American artisan-
potters now purchase commercially processed clay, but some find the clay they need
right in the earth, close to where they work. .
The most important tools potters use are their own hands; however, they also use
wire loop tools, wooden modeling tools, plain wire, and sponges. .Plain wire is used to
cut away the finished pot from its base on the potter's wheel.
After a finished pot is dried of all its moisture in the open air, it is placed in a kiln
and fired. The first firing hardens the pottery, and it is then ready to be glazed and
fired again.
For areas where they do not want any glaze, such as the bottom of the pot, artisans
paint on melted wax that will late burn off in the kiln. They then pour on the liquid
glaze and let it run over the clay surface, making any kind of decorative pattern that
they want.
22. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Different kinds of clay
(B) The training of an artisan
(C) The making of pottery
(D) Crafts of ancient civilizations.
23. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a way that ancient
people used pottery?
(A) To hold food
(B) To wash clothes
(C) To cook
(D) To transport objects.
24. The word "it" in line 3 refers to
(A) clay
(B) culture
(C) survival
(D) pottery
25. According to the passage, which of the following can be learned about an ancient
civilization by examining its pottery?
(A) Its food preferences
(A) Its developmental stage
(C) Its geographic location
(D) Its population
26. The word "functional" in line 7 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Useful
(B) Strong
(C) Inexpensive
(D) Original
27. The word "basic'' in line 9 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Familiar
(B) Fundamental
(C) Versatile
(D) Dirty
28. According to the passage, how do most North American potters today get the
clay they need?
(A) They buy it.
(B) They make it.
(C) They dig it from the earth.
(D)They barter for it.
29. It can be inferred from the passage that clay is processed commercially in order to
(A) make it dry more evenly
(B) remove hard substances
(C) prevent glaze from sticking
(D) make it easier to color
30. According to the author, what do potters use to remove the pot from the wheel?
(A) Melted wax
(B) A wire loop
(C) A sponge
(D) Plain wire
31. The word "pattern" in line 22 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Model
(B) Color
(C) Puzzle
(D) Design
Questions 32-41
The status of women in colonial North America has been well studied and described
and can be briefly summarized. Throughout the colonial period there was a marked
shortage of women, which varied with the regions and was always GREatest in the
frontier areas. This favorable ratio enhanced women's status and position and allowed
them to pursue different careers. The Puritans, the religious sect that dominated the
early British colonies in North America, regarded idleness as a sin, and believed that life
in an underdeveloped country made it absolutely necessary that each member of the
community perform an economic function. Thus work for women, married or single,
was not only approved, it was regarded as a civic duty. Puritan town councils expected
widows and unattached women to be self-supporting and for a long time provided
needy spinsters with parcels ofland. There was no social sanction against married
women working; on the contrary, wives were expected to help their husbands in their
trade and won social approval far doing extra work in or out of the home. Needy
children, girls as well as boys, were indentured or apprenticed and were expected to
work for their keep.
The vast majority of women worked within their homes, where their labor produced
most articles needed for the family. The entire colonial production of cloth and clothing
and partially that of shoes was in the hands of women. In addition to these occupations,
women were found in many different kinds of employment. They were butchers,
silversmiths, gunsmiths, upholsterers. They ran mills, plantations, tanyards, shipyards,
and every kind of shop, tavern, and boardinghouse. They were gatekeepers, jail keepers,
sextons, journalists, printers, apothecaries, midwives, nurses, and teachers.
32. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Colonial marriages
(B) The Puritan religion
(C) Colonial women's employment
(D) Education in the colonies
33. The word "marked" in line 2 is closest in meaning to
(A) underlined
(B) graded
(C) prolonged
(D) distinct
34. According to the passage, where in colonial North America were there the fewest
women?
(A) Puritan communities
(B) Seaports
(C) Frontier settlements
(D) Capital cities
35. The word "enhanced'" in line 4 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Supplemented
(B) Confirmed
(C) Improved
(D) Determined
36. It can be inferred from the passage that the Puritans were
(A) uneducated
(B) hardworking
(C) generous
(D) wealthy
37. According to the passage, Puritans believed that an unmarried adult woman should be
(A) financialIy responsible for herself
(B) returned to England
(C) supported by her family
(D)trained to be a nurse
38. The phrase "unattached women" line 10 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Women without high social status
(B) Women without property
(C) Unmarried women
(D) Unemployed women
39. According to the passage, what did the Puritans expect from married women ?
(A) They should adopt needy children.
(B) They should assist in their husbands' trade or business.
(C) They should work only within their own homes.
(D) They should be apprenticed.
40. According to the passage, which products were made entirely by women?
(A) Gunpowder and bullets
(B) Cups and plates
(C) Paper and books
( D) Cloth and clothing
41.The lists in lines l9-22 are intended to show which of the following ?
(A) The influence of the Puritans in the colonies
(B) The limits of job opportunities in the colonies
(C) The main industries of the colonial economy
(D) The variety of work done by colonial women
Questions 42-50
Beneath the deep oceans that cover two-thirds of the Earth are concealed some of
the most tantalizing secrets of our planet. There the crust of the Earth is thinner and the
unknown mantle--the layer beneath the crust - lies closest, tempting scientists to
drill into it. The first such attempt, the ambitious Project Mohole, got under way during
the 1960's and proved the value of deep-sea drilling by making several test holes in the
mantle beneath the crust before spiraling costs led to its cancellation.
Soon afterward, however, work began on the more modest Deep Sea Drilling
Project, which is not aimed at reaching the mantle but at exploring the crust itself. This
venture uses a special ship, the Glomar Challenger, which can be held precisely in
position in the sea--without any anchor--by sound--wave guiding systems and computer-
controlled propellers. From this stable platform, scientists lowered drilling
pipes into waters four miles deep to scoop up cores of ocean sediment and bedrock.
Analysis of the fossil contents has indicated that the ocean floors spread, moving
continents around the Earth .
42. The passage mainly discusses
(A) analysis offossils in the ocean
(B) exploration beneath the ocean bottom
(C) the composition of the Earth's crust
(D) the construction of the Glomar Challenger
43. According to the passage, one of the objectives of Project Mohole was to
(A) increase public support for underwater experimentation
(B) test the ocean bottom for unusual ocean sediment
(C) estimate the age of the Earth's crust
(D) study the Earth's mantle
44. The word "spiraling'' in ling 6 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Rising
(B) Necessary
(C) Unpredictable
(D) Circular
45.It can be infered from the passage that Project Mohole originally was intended to
(A) involve deeper drilling than the Deep Sea Drilling Project
(B) cost less than the Deep Sea Drilling Project
(C) employ fewer scientists than the Deep Sea Drilling Project
(D) yield more fossil discoveries than the Deep Sea Drilling Project
46. The expression"more modest'' in line7 is closest in meaning to
(A) more sophisticated
(B) more timid
(C) less ambitious
(D) less controversial
47.The word "precisely'' in line 9 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Exactly
(B) Clearly
(C) Economically
(D) Practically
48. According to the passage, computers are used on the Glomar Challenger in order to
(A) measure the spread of the ocean floors
(B) lower its drilling pipes into the water
(C) keep it in one place
(D) detect the location ofthe Earth's mantle
49. The Phrase "stable platform" in Line 11 refers to
(A) the Glomar Challenger
(B) a ship's anchor
(C) sound-wave guiding systems
(D) computer-controlled propellers
50. For which of the following terms does the author supply a definition?
(A) "mantle'' (line 3)
(B) "anchor'' (line 10)
(C) "sound-wave guiding systems'' (line 10)
(D) "bedrock''(line l2)
