Part 1
Introduction
General
Strategy
Types of
questions
–
• Do not spend too much time reading the passages.
• Do not worry if a reading passage is on a topic you are
unfamiliar with.
• Do not spend too much time on a question you are ensure
of.
• Guess to complete the section before time is up.
• Read a lot of English text long before the test.
• Skim the reading passage to determine the main idea and
the overall organization of ideas in the passage.
• Look ahead at the questions to determine what language
skills are being tested in the questions.
• Find the section of the passage that deals with each
question.
• Read the part of the passage that contains the answer
carefully.
• Choose the best answer to each question from the four
choices listed in our test book.
• Main Idea • Author’s attitude/
• Inference opinion/ purpose
• Restatement • Organization
• Vocabulary • Preceding / following
• Negative Question topic
• Referent • Support
• analogy
Almost every passage begins with a main idea question. The
main idea is the main message that the passage conveys.
The beginning and the end of a passage often give clues to
the main idea.
In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between
intelligence and reasoning. According to Dewey, intelligence is the only
absolute way to achieve a balance between realism and idealism,
between practicality and wisdom of life. Intelligence involves “interacting
with other things and knowing them,” while reasoning is merely the act
of an observer, “….. A mind that beholds or grasp objects outside the
world of things….” With reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be
achieved, but it is through intelligence that control is taken of events that
shape one’s life.
What is the passage mainly about?
a. The intelligence of John Dewey
b. Distinction made by John Dewey
c. Dewey’s ideas on the ability to reason
d. How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey’s works
In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between
intelligence and reasoning. According to Dewey, intelligence is the only
absolute way to achieve a balance between realism and idealism,
between practicality and wisdom of life. Intelligence involves “interacting
with other things and knowing them,” while reasoning is merely the act
of an observer, “….. A mind that beholds or grasp objects outside the
world of things….” With reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be
achieved, but it is through intelligence that control is taken of events that
shape one’s life.
What is the passage mainly about?
a. The intelligence of John Dewey
b. Distinction made by John Dewey
c. Dewey’s ideas on the ability to reason
d. How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey’s works
In inference-type questions, the answer is not stated directly
in the text. Usually you must read several sentences to
understand the inference. To answer this kind of question,
choose a keyword in the question first. Scan the passage for
the keyword (or related idea), then carefully read the
sentence that contains the keyword.
Until the 1850's, Herman Melville primarily published novels, including Moby Dick, which would
later become one of America's most famous and beloved novels. His novels, however, had
extremely low sales, and Melville had to quit writing novels because no publisher would agree
to print his books. In an effort to make more money from his writing, Melville chose to publish
some poetry instead. Poetry was extremely popular and sold well in 19th-century America, so
Melville expected to make a profit from his first book of poems. These poems, however, were as
unpopular as his novels, and sold scarcely any copies.
Which of the following can be inferred about Melville's poetry?
A. It was not as well-written as Melville's novels.
B. It was written primarily in iambic pentameter.
C. It did not yield a significant profit for Melville.
D. It was Melville's only possible way of making money.
Until the 1850's, Herman Melville primarily published novels, including Moby Dick, which would
later become one of America's most famous and beloved novels. His novels, however, had
extremely low sales, and Melville had to quit writing novels because no publisher would agree
to print his books. In an effort to make more money from his writing, Melville chose to publish
some poetry instead. Poetry was extremely popular and sold well in 19th-century America, so
Melville expected to make a profit from his first book of poems. These poems, however, were as
unpopular as his novels, and sold scarcely any copies.
Which of the following can be inferred about Melville's poetry?
A. It was not as well-written as Melville's novels.
B. It was written primarily in iambic pentameter.
C. It did not yield a significant profit for Melville.
D. It was Melville's only possible way of making money.
In restatement-type questions, the answer might be found in
the text, or it might use synonyms or restructuring of the
grammar in the text.
Example of a restatement
Sentence: Williamsburg was settled 26 years after the first
permanent English colony in America was settled at
Jamestown.
Restatement: Jamestown was the first permanent English
colony in America.
Flutes have been around for quite some time, in all sorts of shapes and sizes and made from a
variety of materials. The oldest known flutes are about 20,000 years old; they were made from
hollowed-out bones with holes cut in them. In addition to bone, older flutes were often
constructed from bamboo or hollowed-out wood. Today’s flutes are generally made of metal,
and in addition to the holes they have a complicated system of keys, levers, and pads. The
instrument belonging to well known flautist James Galway is not just made of any metal; it is
made of gold
According to the passage, the oldest flutes…..
a. had holes cut in them
b. were made of metal
c. were made 200,000 years ago
d. had a complicated set of levers and pads
Flutes have been around for quite some time, in all sorts of shapes and sizes and made from a
variety of materials. The oldest known flutes are about 20,000 years old; they were made from
hollowed-out bones with holes cut in them. In addition to bone, older flutes were often
constructed from bamboo or hollowed-out wood. Today’s flutes are generally made of metal,
and in addition to the holes they have a complicated system of keys, levers, and pads. The
instrument belonging to well known flautist James Galway is not just made of any metal; it is
made of gold
According to the passage, the oldest flutes…..
a. had holes cut in them
b. were made of metal
c. were made 200,000 years ago
d. had a complicated set of levers and pads
Vocabulary questions tests your ability to choose a synonym
for a word or phrase as it is used in a passage.
But sometimes, you have to understand the context of the
sentence to guess the most suitable synonym of the word.
The assessment of past rises and falls in sea level requires study of submerged land surfaces
off the coast and of elevated beaches on land. Raised beaches are remnants of former
coastlines at higher levels relative to the present shoreline and visible, for instance, along the
California coast north of San Francisco, the height of a raised beach above the present
shoreline, however, does not generally give a straightforward indication of the height of a
former sea level.
The word "remnants" in line 2 is closest in meaning to…
a. Remains
b. Regions
c. Pints
d. origins
The assessment of past rises and falls in sea level requires study of submerged land surfaces
off the coast and of elevated beaches on land. Raised beaches are remnants of former
coastlines at higher levels relative to the present shoreline and visible, for instance, along the
California coast north of San Francisco, the height of a raised beach above the present
shoreline, however, does not generally give a straightforward indication of the height of a
former sea level.
The word "remnants" in line 2 is closest in meaning to…
a. Remains
b. Regions
c. Pints
d. origins
A negative question asks for something that is not in the
passage. There will be three answers that are right, but you
have to choose the one that is wrong.
This type of question is usually marked with the word NOT or
EXCEPT in the questions.
Their demise also resulted in the extinction of a half-dozen species of forest insects and the
severe crippling of other animal populations such as the wild turkey: these all relied on the
American Chestnut as a source of habitat and food. Affected wildlife attempted to adapt to
their disrupted environment by looking to other species of trees, such as the Acorn, and seed-
bearing plants for food. This placed great ecological pressure on those species, as none could
equal the American Chestnut in its ability to provide a consistently abundant crop of nuts. The
problems the American Chestnut blight engendered thus show the ripple effects that can
occur within any ecosystem when new elements are introduced in an unsound manner.
According to the passage, all of the following were results of the wide disappearance of
American Chestnut trees EXCEPT:
a. he loss of creatures who required the tree's resources for their survival.
b. Overuse of other types of trees by wildlife attempting to compensate for the change.
c. A reduction in the total output of harvested nut crops within many major American forests.
d. Macro-changes to the environment in which the trees previously flourished.
Their demise also resulted in the extinction of a half-dozen species of forest insects and the
severe crippling of other animal populations such as the wild turkey: these all relied on the
American Chestnut as a source of habitat and food. Affected wildlife attempted to adapt to
their disrupted environment by looking to other species of trees, such as the Acorn, and seed-
bearing plants for food. This placed great ecological pressure on those species, as none could
equal the American Chestnut in its ability to provide a consistently abundant crop of nuts. The
problems the American Chestnut blight engendered thus show the ripple effects that can
occur within any ecosystem when new elements are introduced in an unsound manner.
According to the passage, all of the following were results of the wide disappearance of
American Chestnut trees EXCEPT:
a. he loss of creatures who required the tree's resources for their survival.
b. Overuse of other types of trees by wildlife attempting to compensate for the change.
c. A reduction in the total output of harvested nut crops within many major American forests.
d. Macro-changes to the environment in which the trees previously flourished.
In pronoun referent question, it is important to understand
that a noun is generally used first in the passage, and the
pronoun that refers to it comes after.
Whenever you are asked to which noun a pronoun refers to,
you usually should look at the previous noun, phrase, clause,
or sentence to find the noun.
The astrological nature of the Mayan use of astronomical data explains in part why so few
written records exist of that data. The Mayans believed that the passage of the sun continued
throughout the night, only, then, it was traveling through the underworld. This was believed to
be a perilous journey, with many demonic figures lurking in the darkness, waiting to ambush
the sun to prevent it from returning to the sky at dawn.
The word it in line 3 refers to….
a. Night
b. Sun
c. Passage
d. Data
The astrological nature of the Mayan use of astronomical data explains in part why so few
written records exist of that data. The Mayans believed that the passage of the sun continued
throughout the night, only, then, it was traveling through the underworld. This was believed to
be a perilous journey, with many demonic figures lurking in the darkness, waiting to ambush
the sun to prevent it from returning to the sky at dawn.
The word it in line 3 refers to….
a. Night
b. Sun
c. Passage
d. Data
In this type of question you are not looking for a specific
answer in the passage. Instead, you read to find out what
the author might be implying. How does the author seem to
feel about the passage? What is the author trying to do?
"... Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art-
objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of line art objects. This
assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are
not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because
their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to
make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the
properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that
the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are
problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her
conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses
with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the
cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg..."
Why does the author discuss bronze statues of horses created by artists in the early Italian
Renaissance?
a. To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must
overcome
b. To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the laws of physics
c. To contrast the relative sophistication of modern artists in solving problems related to the
laws of physics
d. To note an exceptional piece of art constructed without the aid of technology.
Answer : a. To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist
must overcome
