english exercise

QUESTIONS 1 – 8

Carbon tetrachloride is a colorless and inflammable liquid that can be produced by combining carbon disulfide and chlorine. This compound is widely used in industry today because of its effectiveness as a solvent as well as its use in the production of propellants.

Despite its widespread use in industry, carbon tetrachloride has been banned for home use. In the past, carbon tetrachloride was a common ingredient in cleaning compounds that were used throughout the home, but it was found to be dangerous: when heated, it changes into a poisonous gas that can cause severe illness and even death if it is inhaled. Because of this dangerous characteristic, the United States revoked permission for the home use of carbon tetrachloride in 1970. The United States has taken similar action with various other chemical compounds.

1. The main point of this passage is that

1. carbon tetrachloride can be very dangerous when it is heated
2. the government banned carbon tetrachloride in 1970
3. although carbon tetrachloride can legally be used in industry, it is not allowed in home products.
4. carbon tetrachloride used to be a regular part of cleaning compounds

Answer : 3. although carbon tetrachloride can legally be used in industry, it is not allowed in home products.

2. The word “widely” in line 2 could most easily be replaced by

1. grandly
2. extensively
3. largely
4. hugely

Answer : 2. extensively

3. The word “banned” in line 4 is closest in meaning to

1. forbidden
2. allowed
3. suggested
4. instituted

Answer : 1. forbidden

4. According to the passage, before 1970 carbon tetrachloride was

1. used by itself as a cleanser
2. banned in industrial use
3. often used as a component of cleaning products
4. not allowed in home cleaning products

Answer : 4. not allowed in home cleaning products

5. It is stated in the passage that when carbon tetrachloride is heated, it becomes

1. harmful
2. colorless
3. a cleaning compound
4. inflammable

Answer : 1. harmful

6. The word “inhaled” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

1. warmed
2. breathed in
3. carelessly used
4. blown

Answer : 2. breathed in

7. The word “revoked” in line 8 could most easily be replaced by

1. gave
2. granted
3. instituted
4. took away

Answer : 4. took away

8. It can be inferred from the passage that one role of the U.S. government is to

1. regulate product safety
2. prohibit any use of carbon tetrachloride
3. instruct industry on cleaning methodologies
4. ban the use of any chemicals

Answer : 4. regulate product safety

Questions 9 – 16

The next artist in this survey of American artist is James Whistler; he is include in this survey of American artist because he was born in the United States, although the majority of his artwork was completed in Europe. Whistler was born in Massachusetts in 1834, but nine years later his father moved the family to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work on the construction of a railroad. The family returned to the United States in 1849. Two years later Whistler entered the U.S. military academy at West Point, but he was unable to graduate. At the age of twenty-one Whistler went to Europe to study art despite familial objections, and he remained in Europe until his death.

Whistler worked in various art forms, including etchings and lithographs. However, he is most famous for his paintings, particularly Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother or Whistler’s Mother, as it is more commonly known. This painting shows a side view of Whistler’s mother, dressed I black and posing against a gray wall. The asymmetrical nature of the portrait, with his mother seated off-center, is highly characteristic of Whistler’s work.

9. The paragraph preceding this passage most likely discusses

1. a survey of eighteenth-century art
2. a different American artist
3. Whistler’s other famous paintings
4. European artists

Answer : 2. a different American artist

10. Which of the following best describes the information in the passage?

1. Several artists are presented
2. One artist’s life and works are described
3. Various paintings are contrasted
4. Whistler’s family life is outlined.

Answer : 2. One artist’s life and works are described

11. Whistler is considered an American artis because

1. he was born in America
2. he spent most of his life in America
3. he served in the U.S. military
4. he created most of his famous art in America

Answer : 1. he was born in America

12. The world “majority” in line 2 is closest in meaning to

1. seniority
2. maturity
3. large pices
4. high percentage

Answer : 4. high percentage

13. It is implied in the passage that Whistler’s family was

1. unable to find any work at all in Rusia
2. highly supportive of his desire to pursue art
3. working class
4. military

Answer : 3. working class

14. The word “objections” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

1. protests
2. goals
3. agreements
4. battles

Answer : 1. protests

15. In line 8, the “etchings” are

1. a type of painting
2. the same as a lithograph
3. an art form introduced by Whistler
4. an art form involving engraving

Answer : 4. an art form involving engraving

16. The word “asymmetrical” in line 11 is closest in meaning to

1. proportionate
2. uneven
3. balanced
4. lyrical

Answer : 2. uneven

Questions 17 – 23

The locations of stars in the sky relative to one another, do not appear to the naked eye to change, and as a result stars are often considered to be fixed in position. Many unaware stargazers falsely assume that each star has its own permanent home in the nighttime sky.

In reality, though, stars are always moving, but because of the tremendous distances between stars themselves and from stars to Earth, the changes are barely perceptible here. An example of a rather fast-moving star demonstrate why this misconception prevails; it takes approximately 200 years for a relatively rapid star like Bernard’s star to move a distance in the skies equal to the diameter of the earth’s moon. When the apparently negligible movement of the stars is contrasted with the movement of the planets, the stars are seemingly unmoving.

17. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

1. What the Eye Can See in the Sky
2. Bernard’s Star
3. Planetary Movement
4. The Evermoving Stars

Answer : 4. The Evermoving Stars

18. The expression “naked eye” in line 1 most probably refers to

1. a telescope
2. a scientific method for observing stars
3. unassisted vision
4. a camera with a powerful lens

Answer : 3. unassisted vision

19. According to the passage, the distance between the stars and Earth are

1. barely perceptible
2. huge
3. fixed
4. moderate

Answer : 1. barely perceptible

20. The word “perceptible” in line 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following

1. Noticeble
2. Persuasive
3. Conceivable
4. Astonishing

Answer : 1. Noticeble

21. In line 6, a “misconception” is closest in meaning to a(n)

1. idea
2. proven fact
3. erroneous belief
4. theory

Answer : 3. erroneous belief

22. The passage states that in 200 years Bernard’s star can move

1. around Earths’s moon
2. next to Earth’s moon
3. a distance equal to the distance from Earth to the Moon
4. a distance seemingly equal to the diameter of the Moon

Answer : 4. a distance seemingly equal to the diameter of the Moon

23. The passage implies that from Earth it appears that the planets

1. are fixed in the sky
2. move more slowly than the stars
3. show approximately the same amount of movement as the stars
4. travel through the sky considerably more rapidly than the stars.

Answer : 4. travel through the sky considerably more rapidly than the stars.