Read the following text for questions 1 to 6.
Another noteworthy trend in twentieth-century music in the U.S. was the use of folk and popular music as a base for more serious compositions. The motivation for these borrowings from traditional music might be a desire on the part of a composer to return to simpler forms, to enhance patriotic feelings, or to establish an immediate report with an audience. For whatever reason, composer such as Charles Ives and Aaron Copland offered composition featuring novel musical forms flavored with refrains from traditional Americana. Ives employed the whole gamut of patriotic song, hymns, jazz and popular songs in his compositions, while Copland drew upon folk music, particularly as sources for the music he wrote for the ballets Billy the kid, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring.
1. The paragraph preceding this passage most probably discusses......
A. nineteenth-century music
B. one development in music in the twentieth century
C. The works of Aaron Copland
D. the history of folk and popular music
2. Which of the following best describes the main idea of the passage?
A. Traditional music flavored some American musical composition in the last century
B. Ives and Copland used folk and popular music in their composition
C. A variety of explanation exist as to why a composer may use traditional sources of music
D. Traditional music is composed of various types of folk and popular music
3. It can be inferred from this passage, that the author is not sure ...
A. when Ives wrote his compositions
B. that Ives and Copland actually borrowed from traditional music
C. why certain composers borrowed from folk and popular music
D. if Copland really featured new musical forms
4. Which of the following is not listed in the passage as a source for Ives' composition?
A. National music
B. Jazz
C. Religious music
D. American novels
5. Where in the passage does the author list examples of titles of Copland's works?
A. Lines 1-2
B. Lines 2-4
C. Lines 4-6
D. Lines 6-9
6. The passage would most probably be assigned reading in which of the following courses?
A. American History
B. The History of Jazz
C. American Music
D. Composition
The following text is for questions 7 to 13.
The rattlesnake has a reputation as a dangerous and deadly snake with a fierce hatred for humanity. Although the rattlesnake is indeed a venomous snake capable of killing a human, its nature has perhaps been somewhat exaggerated in myth and folklore.
The rattlesnake is not inherently aggressive and generally strikes only when it has been put on the defensive. In its defensive posture the rattlesnake raises the front part of its body off the ground and assumes an S-shaped form in preparation for a lunge forward. At the end of forward thrust, the rattlesnake pushes its fangs into the victim, thereby injecting its venom.
There are more than 30 species of rattlesnakes, varying in length from 20 inches to 6 feet and also varying in toxicity of venom. In the United Stated there are only a few deaths annually from rattlesnakes, with a morality rate of less than 2 percent of those attacked.
7. Which of the following would be the best tittle for this passage?
A. The Exaggerated Reputation of the Rattlesnake
B. The Dangerous and Deadly Rattlesnake
C. The Venomous Killer of Humans
D. Myth Folklore about Killers
8. According to the passage, which of the following is true about rattlesnakes?
A.They are always ready to attack
B. They are always dangerous and deadly
C. Their fierce nature has been underplayed in myth and folklore
D. Their poison can kill people
9. The word "posture" in line 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. Mood
B. Fight
C. Position
D. Strike
10. When a rattlesnake is ready to defend itself, it......
A. lies in S-shape of the ground
B. lunges with the back part of its body
C. is partially off the ground
D. assumes it is prepared by thrusting its fangs into the ground
11. It can be inferred from the passage that....
A. all rattlesnakes bites are fatal
B. all rattlesnake bites are not equally harmful
C. the few death from rattlesnake bites are from six-foot snakes
D.deaths from rattlesnake bites have been steadily increasing
12. The word "mortally" in line 10 is closest in meaning to....
A. percentage
B. illness
C. death
D. survival
13. The author's purpose in this passage is to....
A. warn readers about the extreme danger from rattlesnakes
B. explain a misconception about rattlesnakes
C. describe a rattlesnake attack
D. clarify how rattlesnakes kill humans
The following text is for questions 14 to 21.
For a century before the Eric Canal was built, there was much discussion among the general population of the Northeast as to the need for connecting the waterways of Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. A project of such monumental proportion was not going to be undertaken and completed without a supreme amount of effort.
The man who was instrumental in accomplishing the feat that was the Eric Canal was DeWitt Clinton. As early as 1812, he was in the nation's capital petitioning the federal government for financial assistance on the project, emphasizing what a boon to the economy of the country the canal would be; his effort with the federal government, however, were not successful.
In 1816, Clinton asked the New York State Legislature for the funding for the canal, and this time he did succeed. A canal commission was instituted, and Clinton himself was made head of it. One year later, Clinton was elected governor of the state, and soon after construction of the canal was started.
The canal took eight years to complete, and Clinton was on the first barge to travel the length of the canal, the Seneca Chief, which departed from Buffalo on October 26, 1825, and arrived in New York City on November 4. Because of the success of the Erie Canal, numerous other canals were built in other parts of the country.
14. The information in the passage....
A. gives a cause followed by an effect
B. is in chronological order
C. list opposing viewpoint of a problem
D. is organized spatially
15. When did Clinton ask the U.S. government for funds for the canal?
A. One hundred years before the canal was built
B. In 1812
C. In 1816
D. In 1825
16. The word "boon" in line 7 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. Detriment
B. Disadvantage
C. Benefit
D. Cost
17. The pronoun "it" in line 10 refers to which of the following?
A. The New York State Legislature
B. The canal
C. The commission
D. The state governor
18. In what year did the actual building of the canal get underway?
A. In 1812
B. In 1816
C. In 1817
D. In 1825
19. The Seneca Chief was.....
A. the name of the canal
B. the name of the boat
C. Clinton's nickname
D. the nickname of Buffalo
20. Where in the passage does the author mention a committee that worked to develop the canal?
A. The first paragraph
B. The second paragraph
C. The third paragraph
D. The fourth paragraph
21. The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses.....
A. the century before the building
B. canals in different U.S. location
C. The effect of the Erie Canal on the Buffalo area
D. Clinton's career as governor of New York
The following text is for questions 22 to 33.
A Celtic languages are a group of languages of northern Europe that are descendants of the Indo-European family of languages. These languages developed from the language of the Celts, a war like civilization originating in the eastern part of central Europe, in the Northern Alps, and along the Danube during the Bronze Age, the last five centuries 8.C., and then fanned out from their original homeland into many parts of continental Europe and across the channel and into the British Isles. Celtic languages were spoken in much of western Europe during Pre-Roman and Roman times.Place names of Celtic origin can be found today all over the British Isles and France, in northern Spain and Italy, and in Switzerland and parts of Germany.
Rather than one language, the Celtic languages consist of two distinct clusters: the Gaelic group and the Brythonic group. These two clusters of languages most likely developed from dialects of the same language, the language of the Celts in their original homeland. these two dialects were most likely mutually intelligible to to some degree as late as the fourth century. The Gaelic group of the Celtic languages consists Irish, Scottish, and Manx, the language of the Isle of Man. The Brythonic group of Celtic languages includes Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Gaulish, the language of Gaul prior to the days of the Roman Empire, with its Latin-speaking population.
Many, though not all, of the Celtic languages are either extinct or are in the process of the becoming extinct. Gaulish apparently disappeared around 600 A.D. Cornish and Manx both actually become extinct, the former in the nineteenth century and the letter just a few decades ago, but both are being revived and are now taught in a few school each. Scottish, Irish, and Breton are all declining in use. There are under a hundred thousand speakers of Scottish Gaelic, mostly on the northern Hebridean Islands; there are about a half million speakers who use Breton on a daily basis. In all these situations, though, the rate of transmission tq new generation is low, and this does not bode well for the survival of these languages. Of all the Caltic languages, perhaps only Welsh has a strong hold on the future.
22. The author's purpose in the passage is to.....
A. describe the past and the present of a related set of languages
B. list the major characteristics of Celtic languages
C. outline the major achievement of the Celts
D. explain how languages manage to survive without changing
23. According to the passage, the Celtic languages did NOT...
A. develop from Indo-European language family
B. originate in the British Isles
C. exist before the time of the Roman Empire
D. provide any Italian place names
24. The passage states that the Celtic were.....
A. peaceful farmers
B. unheard of during the Bronze Age
C. at their peak during the Iron Age
D.at the height of their civilization 1,500
25. The expression "fanned out" in line 5 could best be replaced by.....
A. spread out
B. called
C. got lost
D. turned out
26. The Brythonic group of languages does NOT include.....
A.Welsh
B. Cornish
C. Manx
D. Breton
27. It is implied in the passage that Gaulish...
A. first surface after the roman Roman Empire
B. has been revived in the last century
C. is declining in use
D. was replaced by Latin
28. The main idea of the third paragraph is that...
A. all Celtic languages are extinct
B. a few Celtic languages disappeared
C. some Celtic languages are flourishing
D. most Celtic languages are either dead or daying
29. It is not true according to the passage that both Cornish and Manx....
A. were once considered extinct
B. became extinct in the same century
C. were being resuscitated
D.may be taught in some academic institution
30. According to the passage, the percentage of young people learning Scottish, Irish, and Breton is.....
A. nonexistent
B. not high
C. increasing
D.quite robust
31. This passage would most likely be assigned reading in a course on.....
A. archeology
B. European literature
C. historical linguistics
D. Bronze Age civilization
32. Where in the passage does the author explain when the two clusters of Celtic languages were still understood by members of each group of speakers?
A. Line 2-4
B. Line 6-7
C. Line 10-11
D. Line 12-13
33. The paragraph following the the passage most likely discuss.....
A. how Welsh is surviving
B. effort to classify Celtic languages
C. language that preceded Celtic languages in Europe
D. the causes of language extinction
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