2. The publisher John Newbery is principally known for which of the following reasons?
A) He produced and sold books written by Maria Edgeworth.
B) He had more influence on American childrens literature than any other publisher
C) He published books aimed amusing children rather than instructing them.
D) He was commercially minded and cheerful.
3. The word "notwithstanding" in line 8 is closest in meaning to
A) in spite of
B) in addition to
C) as a result of
D) as a part of
4. The word "they" in line 9 refers to
A) children
B) Americans
C) books
D) vehicles
5. The word "allay" in line 13 is closest in meaning to
A) clarify
B) attack
C) reduce
D) confirm
6. It can be inferred from the passage that American children s books sold before 1785 were almost always
A) written by Maria Edgeworth
B) attractive and interesting to children
C) written by American authors
D) intended only for religious and moral instruction
8. The word "permeated" in line 15
A) opposed
B) improved
C) competed with
D) spread through
9. According to the passage, American children s stories differed from their British equivalents in that the characters in American stories were
A) children who showed a change of behavior
B) children who were well behaved
C) rarely servants
D) generally not from a variety of social classes
10. The word" testimony to" in line 28 is closest in meaning to
A) inspiration for
B) evidence of
C) requirement for
D) development of
Question 11-21
Lichens. probably the hardiest of all plants, live where virtually nothing else can---not
just on rugged mountain peaks but also on sunbaked desert rocks. They are usually the
first life to appear on a mountainside that has been scraped bare by an avalanche.
Line Unlike other members of the plant kingdom, lichens are actually a partnership between
5 two plants. The framework of a lichen is usually a network of minute hairlike fungus that
anchors the plant, The other component is an alga (similar to the green film of plant life
that grows on stagnant pools) that is distributed throughout the fungus. Being green plants,
algae are capable of photosynthesis--that is, using energy from the Sun to manufacture
their own food. The fungi arc believed to supply water, minerals, and physical support to
10 the partnership.
Lichens are famous for their ability to survive ~ water shortage. When water is scarce
(as is often the case on a mountain), lichens may become dormant and remain in that
condition for prolonged periods of time. Some lichens can even grow where there is no
rain at all, surviving on only occasional dew--the moisture that condenses on the surface
15 of the plants at night, And unlike most other plants, lichens are little affected by the strong
ultraviolet rays in the mountains.
Lichens use little energy, for they grow slowly. Some grow so slowly and are so old
that they are called "time stains." You may find lichens that are centuries old; certain of
these lichen colonies have been established for an estimated 2,000 years.
20 For decades, scientists wondered how the offspring of an alga and a fungus got together
to form a new lichen, it seemed unlikely that they would just happen lo encounter one
another. It was finally discovered that in many cases the two partners have never been
separated. Stalklike "buds" that form on certain lichens are broken off by the wind or by
animals; these toll or are blown to a new location
11. Which of the following questions does the passage answer?
A) Where can the oldest lichens be found?
B) How long does it take for lichens to establish themselves?
C) How large can lichens he?
D) Where do lichens usually occur?
12. The word "hardiest" in line I is closest in meaning to
A) most unusual
B) most basic
C) most abundant
D) most vigorous
13. The word "framework" in line 5 is closest in meaning to
A) structure
B) fragment
C) condition
D) environment
14. The author mentions "the green film of plant life that grows on stagnant pools" (lines 6-7) in order to explain
A) how the sun affects lichens
B) why plants depend on water
C) where fungi become algae
D) what algae are
15. It can be inferred from the passage that lichens use less energy and grow more slowly when
A) the environment is polluted
B) they are exposed to ultraviolet rays
C) they are very old
D) the supply of water is inadequate
16. Which of file following terms is defined in the passage?
A) "anchors" (line 6)
B) "stagnant" (line 7)
C) "dew" (line 14.)
D) "ultraviolet" (line 16)
17. The word "prolonged" in line 13 is closest in meaning to
A) precise
B) extended
C) approximate
D) regular
18. All of the following are mentioned in the discussion of lichens EXCEPT:
A) They are capable of producing their own food.
B) They require large amounts of minerals lo prosper.
C) They are a union of two separate plants.
D) They can live thousands of years.
19. What does the phrase "lichen colonies" (line 19)suggest?
A) Nothing but lichens live in some locations.
B) Many lichens live together in one area.
C) Lichens displace the plants that surround them.
D) Certain groups of lichens have never been separated.
20. The word "encounter" in line 21 is closest in meaning to
A) lose
B) support
C) meet
D) create
21. The word "these" in line 24 refers to
A) partners
B) buds
C) lichens
D) animals
Question 22-31
The languages spoken by early Europeans are still shrouded in mystery. There is no
linguistic continuity between the languages of Old Europe (a term sometimes used for
Europe between 7000 and 3000 B.C.) and the languages of the modem world, and we
Line cannot yet translate the Old European script, Scholars have deciphered other ancient
5 languages, such as Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian, which used the cuneiform
script, because of the fortuitous discovery of bilingual inscriptions, When cuneiform
tablets were first discovered in the eighteenth century, scholars could not decipher them.
Then inscriptions found in baa at the end of the eighteenth century provided a link: these
inscriptions were written in cuneiform and in two other ancient languages, Old Persian
10 and New Elamite--languages that had already been deciphered. It took several decades,
but scholars eventually translated the ancient cuneiform script via the more familiar
Old Persian language:
Similarly, the hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptians remained a mystery until French
troops unearthed the famous Rosetta stone in the late eighteenth century. The stone carried
15 the same message written in ancient Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Egyptian hieratic,
a simplified form of hieroglyphs. The Rosetta stone thwarted scholars efforts for several
decades until the early nineteenth century when several key hieroglyphic phrases were
decoded using the Greek inscriptions. Unfortunately, we have no Old European Rosetta
stone to chart correspondences between Old European script and the languages that
20 replaced it.
Tim incursions of Indo-European tribes into Old Europe from the late fifth to the
early third millennia B.C. caused a linguistic and cultural discontinuity. These incursions
disrupted the Old European sedentary farming lifestyle that had existed for 3,000 years
As the Indo-Europeans encroached on Old Europe from the east, the continent underwent
25 upheavals. These severely affected the Balkans, where the Old European cultures
abundantly employed script. The Old European way of life deteriorated rapidly, although
pockets of Old European culture remained for several millennia, ~ new peoples spoke
completely different languages belonging to the Indo-European linguistic family. The
Old European language or languages, and the script used to write them, declined and
eventually vanished.
22. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A) Reasons for the failure to understand the written records of Old European culture
B) Influences on the development of Old European script
C) Similarities between Old European script and other ancient writing systems
D) Events leading to the discovery of Old European script
23. According to the passage, New Elamite is
A) a language that was written in the cuneiform script
B) a modem language that came from Old Persian
C) one of the languages spoken by the Old Europeans
D) a language that was understood by the late eighteenth century
24. According to the passage, scholars were able to decipher cuneiform script with the help of
A) the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian languages
B) Old Persian.
C) tablets written in Old European
D) a language spoken in eighteenth century Iran
25. The word “fortuitous” in line 6 is closet in meaning to
A) important
B) sudden
C) early
D) lucky
26. The word "them" in line 7 refers to
A) Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian
B) bilingual inscriptions
C) cuneiform tablets
D) scholars
27. When does the passage suggest that ancient Egyptian hieroglypttic script was finally deciphered?
A) At around the same time as cuneiform script was deciphered
B) Shortly before the Rosetta stone was unearthed
C) As soon as additional bilingual inscriptions became available to scholars
D) A few decades after the hieratic script was decoded
28. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Rosetta stone?
A) It was found by scholars trying to decode ancient languages.
B) It contains two versions of hieroglyphic script.
C) Several of its inscriptions were decoded within a few months of its discovery.
D) Most of its inscriptions have still not been decoded.
29. The word "thwarted" in line 16 is closest in meaning to
A) continued
B) influenced
C) encouraged
D) frustrated
30. According to the passage, Indo-European incursions caused Old European populations to
A) separate into different tribes
B) move eastward
C) change their ways of living obtaining food
D) start recording historical events in Writing
31. The author mentions the Balkans in the passage in order to explain why
A) Indo-European languages were slow to spread in Old Europe
B) the inhabitants of Old Europe were not able to prevent Indo-European incursions
C) the use of the Old European script declined
D) the Old European culture survived for a time after the Indo-European incursions
Questions 32-40
Next to its sheer size, the profound isolation of its many small islands is the most
distinctive feature of the Pacific Ocean. Over 25,000 islands are scattered across the
surface of the Pacific, more than in all the other oceans combined, but their land area
Line adds up to little more than 125,000 square kilometers, about the size of New York State,
5 and their inhabitants total less than two million people, about a quarter of the number that
live in New York City. The oceanic islands of the Pacific are some of the most isolated
places on Earth. Many are uninhabitable, by virtue of their small size and particular
characteristics, but even the most favored are very isolated fragments of land, strictly
circumscribed by the ocean, strictly limited in terms of the numbers of people they can
10 support. This basic fact of environmental circumstance has been the most pervasive
influence in determining the social arrangements, and cultural practices of the people that
settled in the Pacific Islands.
The peopling of the Pacific Islands has been described as the greatest feat of maritime
colonization in human history. Contrary to the conclusions of Thor Heyerdahls Kon-Tiki
15 expedition of 1946, the evidence of plant dispersal, archaeology, linguistics, and genetics
now shows quite conclusively that the Pacific Islands were not populated from tile east by
South Americans who drifted on balsa-wood rafts and the prevailing wind and current, but
from the west, by groups from mainland Asia who gradually spread from island to island
out into the Pacific. The process began over 40,000 years ago and reached Easter Island
20 the most isolated place on Earth-about 1.500 years ago. It ended about 1,000 years ago,
when people first settled in Hawaii and New Zealand.
Simply surviving those ocean crossings of indeterminate length, in open canoes, to
arrive on the shores of uninhabited and hitherto unknown islands, was a formidable
achievement. But having found an oasis of land in a watery wilderness, crossed its reef,
25 and landed, on its shores, the survivors then faced a series of pressing problems for which
solutions had to be found quickly if the small group was to become a vigorous, self-
sustaining island population.
32. The word "scattered" in line 2 is closest in meaning to
A) widely known
B) usually estimated
C) rarely inhabited
D) irregularly distributed
33. Why does the author mention New York City in line 6 ?
A) To emphasize how small the population of the Pacific Islands is
B) To emphasize the extreme distances between the Pacific Islands and other regions
C) To note the economic ties of the Pacific Islands to other regions
D) To note the lack of urban environments on the Pacific Islands
34. The phrase "by virtue or" in line 7 is closest in meaning to
A) regarding
B) because of
C) taking advantage of
D) in place of
35. The word "circumscribed" in line 9 is closest in meaning to
A) located
B) flooded
C) restricted
D) pushed
36. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as, evidence used to determine Iht origins of Pacific Islands people?
A) Oral histories
B) Plant dispersal
C) Linguistics
D) Archaeology
37. According to the-passage where did the original inhabitants of the Pacific Islands come from?
A) South America
B) Hawaii
C) New Zealand
D) Asia
38. The word "It in line 20 refers to
A) Pacific
B) process
C) isolated place
D) Earth
39. The word "indeterminate" in line 22 is closest in meaning to
A) undecided
B) uncertain
C) unacceptable
D) increasing
40. The passage is most likely followed by a discussion of
A) how settlers adapted to newly discovered Pacific Ocean Islands
B) the design and construction of canoes used in the Pacific Islands
C) the characteristics sties of reefs in the Pacific Islands
D) how early explorers of the Pacific Ocean found their way from island to island
Questions 41-50
The atmosphere that originally surrounded Earth was probably much different from
the air we breathe today. Earths first atmosphere (some 4.6 billion years ago) was most
likely hy~ogen and helium--.the two most abundant gasses found in the universe--as
Line well as hydrogen compounds, such as methane and ammonia, Most scientists feel that
5 this early atmosphere escaped into space from the Earths hot surface.
A second, more dense atmosphere, however, gradually enveloped Earth as gasses
from molten rocks within its hot interior escaped through volcanoes and steam vents.
We assume that volcanoes spewed out the same gasses then as they do today: mostly
water vapor (about g0 percent), carbon dioxide (about ten percent), and up to a few
10 percent nitrogen. These same gasses probably created Earths second atmosphere.
As millions of years passed, the constant outpouring of gasses from the hot
interior--known as outgassing--provided a rich supply of water vapor, which formed
into clouds. Rain fell upon Earth for many thousands or years, forming the rivers,
lakes, and oceans of the world. During this Lime, large amounts of carbon dioxide were
15 dissolved in the oceans. Through chemical and biological processes, much of the carbon
dioxide became locked up in carbon sedimentary rocks, such as limestone. With much
of the water vapor already condensed into water and the concentration of carbon dioxide
dwindling, the atmosphere gradually became rich nitrogen.
It appears that oxygen, the second most abundant gas in todays atmosphere, probably
20 began an extremely slow increase in concentration as energetic rays from the sun split
water vapor into hydrogen and oxygen during a process called photodissociation. The
hydrogen, being lighter, probably rose and escaped into space, while the oxygen remained
in the atmosphere.
This slow increase in oxygen may have provided enough of this gas for primitive
25 plants to evolve, perhaps two to three billion years ago. Or the plants may have evolved
in an almost oxygen-free (anaerobic) environment. At any rate, plant growth greatly
enriched our atmosphere with oxygen. The reason for this enrichment is that plants, in
the presence of sunlight, process carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen.
7. By the end of the eighteenth century, the publishers of children’s looks in the United States were most concerned about which of the following?
A) Attracting children with entertaining stories that provided lessons of correct behavior
B) Publishing literature consisting of exciting stories that would appeal to both children and adults
C) Expanding markets for books in both Britain and the United States
D) Reprinting fictional books from earlier in the century
41. What is the main idea of the passage?
A) The original atmosphere on Earth was unstable.
B) The atmosphere on Earth has changed over time.
C) Hot underground gasses created clouds, which formed the Earth s atmosphere.
D) Plant growth depended on oxygen in the Earth s atmosphere.
42. The word "enveloped" in line 6 is closest in meaning to
A) surrounded
B) changed
C) escaped
D) characterized
43. The word "they in line 8 refers to
A) gasses
B) volcanoes
C) steam vents
D) rocks
44. According to the passage, outgassing eventually led to all of the following EXCEPT
A) increases in the carbon dioxide content of sedimentary rocks
B) the formation of bodies of water
C) decreases in the level of nitrogen
D) the formation of clouds
45. The word "gradually" in line 18 is closest in meaning to
A) accidentally
B) quickly
C) in the end
D) by degrees
46. The passage suggests that oxygen remained in the atmosphere because
A) it was caused by outgassing
B) it was heavier than hydrogen
C) hydrogen became trapped in limestone
D) rays from the sun created equal amounts of hydrogen and oxygen
47. The author uses the word "Or" in line 25 to
A) criticize the previous suggestion
B) provide unrelated information
C) propose a similar idea
D) suggest an alternative
48. The phase “At any rate ”in line 26 is closest in meaning to
A) regardless
B) in addition
C) although unlikely
D) fortunately
49. The author organizes the discussion of the Earth s atmosphere in terms of the
A) role of volcanoes in its formation
B) occur in which changes occurred
C) time it took for the Earth s surface: to cool and nitrogen to appear
D) chemical and physical features of gasses
50. Which of the following does the passage mention as necessary for both the production of oxygen by photodissociation and the production of oxygen by plants?
A) Water
B) Hydrogen
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Nitrogen
