1. The passage suggests that formal education was not as effective as a) social interaction b) practical experience c) personal instruction d) parental guidance
2. The passage indicates that some Roman men felt that women displayed their learning with a) excessive pride b) great respect c) modest interest d) obvious indifference
3. Compared to Roman girls, Roman boys were at a disadvantage as students because they a) received less attention in elementary classes b) had less time to spend on their studies c) had fewer opportunities for conversation with adults d) dealt with a greater variety of information
The spider is one of Nature's most successful wanderers. Found all over the world, it is able to travel huge distances. When a traveling spider approaches a stream or river, it uses a unique method of locomotion. Rolling over on its back, the spider shoots out a glue-tipped glob of web material attached to a line, gradually paying out more and more line as the wind carries the "anchor." If the arrowing line strikes a secure target on the favored side of the water, the spider then climbs a bush and walks over the bridge. Another method of locomotion is even more dramatic. The spider again spins out a sticky line ending in a swollen tip. If the line is kept short and the spider does not attach itself firmly to an anchoring bush or rock, the wind will carry the creature far away to an unknown destination. Such sailing spiders have been scraped off the superstructures of ship several hundred miles away from the nearest land.
4. As used in this passage, "locomotion" most nearly means a) attacking b) moving c) shooting d) spinning
5. The author feels that it is especially dramatic that the spider a) rolls over on its back b) spins out a sticky line c) anchors to rocks and bushes d) sails through the air
6. From the way "superstructures" is used in the last sentence, it is probable that such ship parts are to be found a) inside the ship b) at the waterline c) near the propeller d) on the top section
It was 1900 and there was no weather forecaster on television or weather-service jet plane monitoring a tropical storm. But there was a weather observer in Galveston, Texas -- Isaac Cline. when he visited the beach soon after dawn on Saturday, September 8, 1900, he noticed that the wind had maintained a constant northerly direction through the night and the tide level had continued to rise steadily. Because he understood the significance of these concurrent conditions, several thousand lives were saved later that day and night. Yet, even Cline underestimated the total force of nature's coming onslaught, a storm that would go down in history because it took 7,200 lives. Cline himself nearly perished. Realizing that his meteorological instruments were warning of the approach of a hurricane that would bring with it a storm wave of dangerous proportions, Cline rode up and down the beaches on horseback warning people of the impending danger. He urged residents near the beaches to move to higher ground near the center of the city and advised summer visitors still in Galveston to take the first train for Houston. But, sadly enough, many failed to heed his warning.
7. The passage is mainly concerned with a) what one person did in a crisis b) how people react to danger c) how little we know about nature d) how one person prevented a natural disaster
8. In the second paragraph, "meteorological instruments" are best defined as instruments that measure a) water pressure b) wave strength c) ground speed d) atmospheric conditions
9. It can be inferred that Cline thought the greatest danger during the storm would be a) train accidents b) high winds c) flooding from the sea d) panic among the inhabitants
The use of coal and oil by electric power companies creates some very serious environmental problems. One of these problems is nitrogen oxide. When you burn the oxygen out of the air, you are left with nitrogen. Nitrogen, when exposed to air at high temperature, forms nitrogen oxide. It comes out of the power-plant stack, gets mixed with moisture in the air to make various acids, and these get inhaled. When coal and oil are burned, they give off impurities that contribute to air pollution. They all have a certain percentage of sulfur. Sulfur oxides come out of the stacks and form acids, which are irritant to the mucous membrane, and thus a public health problem. Another pollutant is mercury. Combustion of coal and oil is responsible for about one-third of the mercury that gets into our environment annually. To get clean air, we can invest money in a stack chemical-process plant to clean the waste gases that result from the combustion of coal and oil. Such plants are now being experimented with, but utility companies are reluctant to install expensive stack cleanup systems that they are not sure will work. Solutions will be developed to handle the problem. They will be expensive, and their use might raise the cost of power to the public ten to twenty percent.
10. According to the passage, why may the cost of power go up? a) Stopping pollution will be expensive. b) Power companies will need to make a larger profit. c) We will use more power. d) The price of coal and oil will rise.
11. According to the passage, what does nitrogen need to form nitrogen oxide? a) Moisture b) Air and great heat c) Air free of oxygen d) The great heat caused by acids
12. What does the passage say coal and oil are being used for? a) To get rid of waste gases b) To manufacture chemicals c) To purify the air d) To create electric power
Today the ruins of Casa Grande form the Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona. They remain a tribute to their builders, who came to Arizona long before Columbus set foot on North American soil. The Hohokam Indians were the first known settlers in the area. They began irrigating the Salt and Gila river valleys as early as A.D. 700. They built irrigation canals more than 20 miles long, up to 25 feet wide, and 15 feet deep. During the twelfth century a group of Pueblo Indians from the north came into those valleys, moving alongside the Hohokam. These Pueblos built Casa Grande or Big House. Originally four stories high (although the first story was filled with dirt), the building was constructed of caliche, a limelike clay. The one-room observation tower atop it provided an excellent view of the surrounding country. The Casa Grande was occupied for about 150 years before it was abandoned in 1450.
13. The passage is primarily concerned with a) why a region around Casa Grande was settled b) who chose Casa Grande as a national monument c) why Casa Grande was built d) how Casa Grande came into existence
14. The passage indicates that all of the following were characteristics of the people who settled the region near Casa Grande EXCEPT: a) They were farmers. b) They built Casa Grande for religious reasons. c) They were peaceable. d) They built an extensive system of irrigation.
15. Which of the following questions does the passage answer? a) Who built Casa Grande? b) Why was Casa Grande left uninhabited? c) When was Casa Grande made into a national monument? d) Are the canals near Casa Grande still used today?