Section 3: Reading Comprehension [b]Questions 1-9 [b]Glass fibers have a long history. The Egyptians made coarse fibers by 1600 [b]B.C., and [b]fibers survive as decorations on Egyptian pottery dating back to 1375 B.C. [b]During the [b]Renaissance (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries A.D.), glassmakers from [b]Venice used glass [b]Line fibers to decorate the surfaces of plain glass vessels. However, [b]glassmakers guarded their [b](5) secrets so carefully that no one wrote about glass fiber production [b]until the early [b]seventeenth century. [b]The eighteenth century brought the invention of “spun glass” fibers. [b]Rene-Antoine de [b]Reaumur, a French scientist, tried to make artificial feathers from glass. [b]He made fibers [b]by rotating a wheel through a pool of molten glass, pulling threads of [b]glass where the hot [b](10) thick liquid stuck to the wheel. His fibers were short and fragile, [b]but he predicted that [b]spun glass fibers as thin as spider silk would be flexible and could be [b]woven into fabric. [b]By the start of the nineteenth century, glassmakers learned how to make [b]longer, stronger [b]fibers by pulling them from molten glass with a hot glass tube. Inventors [b]wound the [b]cooling end of the thread around a yarn reel, then turned the reel rapidly [b]to pull more fiber [b](15) from the molten glass. Wandering tradespeople began to spin glass [b]fibers at fairs, making [b]decorations and ornaments as novelties for collectors, but this material [b]was of little [b]practical use; the fibers were brittle, ragged, and no longer than ten [b]feet, the circumference [b]of the largest reels. By the mid-1870’s, however, the best glass fibers [b]were finer than silk [b]and could be woven into fabrics or assembled into imitation ostrich [b]feathers to decorate [b](20) hats. Cloth of white spun glass resembled silver; fibers drawn from [b]yellow-orange glass [b]looked golden. [b]Glass fibers were little more than a novelty until the 1930’s, when their [b]thermal and [b]electrical insulating properties were appreciated and methods for [b]producing continuous [b]filaments were developed. In the modern manufacturing process, liquid [b]glass is fed [b](25) directly from a glass-melting furnace into a bushing, a receptacle [b]pierced with hundreds [b]of fine nozzles, from which the liquid issues in fine streams. As they [b]solidify, the streams [b]of glass are gathered into a single strand and wound onto a reel. [b][b]1. Which of the following aspects of glass fiber does the passage mainly [b]discuss? [b](A) The major developments in its production [b](B) Its relationship with pottery making [b](C) Important inventors in its long history [b](D) The variety of its uses in modern industry [b][b]2. The word “coarse” in line 1 is closest in meaning to [b](A) decorative [b](B) natural [b](C) crude [b](D) weak [b][b][b]3. Why was there nothing written about the making of Renaissance glass [b]fibers until the seventeenth century? [b](A) Glassmakers were unhappy with the quality [b]of the fibers they could make. [b](B) Glassmakers did not want to reveal the [b]methods they used. [b](C) Few people were interested in the [b]Renaissance style of glass fibers. [b](D) Production methods had been well known [b]for a long time. [b][b]4. According to the passage, using a hot glass tube rather than a wheel to [b]pull fibers from molten glass made the fibers [b](A) quicker to cool [b](B) harder to bend [b](C) shorter and more easily broken [b](D) longer and more durable [b]5. The phrase “this material” in line 16 refers to [b](A) glass fibers [b](B) decorations [b](C) ornaments [b](D) novelties for collectors [b][b]6. The word “brittle” in line 17 is closest in meaning to [b](A) easily broken [b](B) roughly made [b](C) hairy [b](D) shiny [b][b]7. The production of glass fibers was improved in the nineteenth century [b]by which of the following [b](A) Adding silver to the molten glass [b](B) Increasing the circumference of the glass [b]tubes [b](C) Putting silk thread in the center of the fibers [b](D) Using yarn reels [b][b]8. The word “appreciated” in line 23 is closest in meaning to [b](A) experienced [b](B) recognized [b](C) explored [b](D) increased [b][b]9. Which of the following terms is defined in the [b]passage? [b](A) invention (line 7) [b](B) circumference (line 17) [b](C) manufacturing process (line 24) [b](D) bushing (line 25) [b][b][b][b]Questions 10-19 [b]The most thoroughly studied cases of deception strategies employed by [b]ground-nesting [b]birds involve plovers, small birds that typically nest on beaches or in [b]open fields, their [b]nests merely scrapes in the sand or earth. Plovers also have an effective [b]repertoire of tricks [b]Line for distracting potential nest predators from their exposed and [b]defenseless eggs or chicks. [b](5) The ever-watchful plover can detect a possible threat at a [b]considerable distance. When [b]she does, the nesting bird moves inconspicuously off the nest to a spot [b]well away from [b]eggs or chicks. At this point she may use one of several ploys. One [b]technique involves [b]first moving quietly toward an approaching animal and then setting off [b]noisily through [b]the grass or brush in a low, crouching run away from the nest, while [b]emitting rodent like [b](10) squeaks. The effect mimics a scurrying mouse or vole, and the [b]behavior rivets the [b]attention of the type of predators that would also be interested in eggs [b]and chicks. [b]Another deception begins with quiet movement to an exposed and visible [b]location well [b]away from the nest. Once there, the bird pretends to incubate a brood. [b]When the predator [b]approaches, the parent flees, leaving the false nest to be searched. The [b]direction in which [b](15) the plover “escapes” is such that if the predator chooses to [b]follow, it will be led still further [b]away from the true nest. [b]The plover’s most famous stratagem is the broken-wing display, actually a [b]continuum [b]of injury-mimicking behaviors spanning the range from slight disability to [b]near-complete [b]helplessness. One or both wings are held in an abnormal position, [b]suggesting injury. The [b](20) bird appears to be attempting escape along an irregular route that [b]indicates panic. In the [b]most extreme version of the display, the bird flaps one wing in an [b]apparent attempt to [b]take to the air, flops over helplessly, struggles back to its feet, runs [b]away a short distance, [b]seemingly attempts once more to take off, flops over again as the [b]“useless” wing fails to [b]provide any lift, and so on. Few predators fail to pursue such obviously [b]vulnerable prey. [b]Needless to say, each short run between “flight attempts” is directed [b]away from the nest. [b][b][b]10. What does the passage mainly discuss? [b](A) The nest-building techniques of plovers [b](B) How predators search for plovers [b](C) The strategies used by plovers to deceive [b]predators [b](D) Why plovers are vulnerable to predators [b][b]11. The word “merely” in line 3 is closest in meaning to [b](A) often [b](B) only [b](C) usually [b](D) at first [b][b]12. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage about plovers? [b](A) Their eggs and chicks are difficult to find. [b](B) They are generally defenseless when away [b]from their nests. [b](C) They are slow to react in dangerous [b]situations. [b](D) Their nests are on the surface of the ground. [b][b][b]13. The word “emitting” in line 9 is closest in [b]meaning to [b](A) bringing [b](B) attracting [b](C) producing [b](D) minimizing [b][b]14. In the deception technique described in paragraph 2, the plover tries [b]to [b](A) stay close to her nest [b](B) attract the predator’s attention [b](C) warn other plovers of danger [b](D) frighten the approaching predator [b][b]15. The word “spanning” in line 18 is closest in meaning to [b](A) covering [b](B) selecting [b](C) developing [b](D) explaining [b][b][b]16. According to paragraph 4, which of the following aspects of the [b]plover’s behavior gives the appearance that it is frightened? [b](A) Abnormal body position [b](B) Irregular escape route [b](C) Unnatural wing movement [b](D) Unusual amount of time away from the nest [b][b]17. The word “pursue” in line 24 is closest in meaning to [b](A) catch [b](B) notice [b](C) defend [b](D) chase [b][b]18. According to the passage, a female plover utilizes all of the [b]following deception techniques EXCEPT [b](A) appearing to be injured [b](B) sounding like another animal [b](C) pretending to search for prey [b](D) pretending to sit on her eggs [b][b]19. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage? [b](A) A description of the sequence of steps [b]involved in plovers nest building [b](B) A generalization about plover behavior [b]followed by specific examples [b](C) A comparison and contrast of the nesting [b]behavior of plovers and other ground [b]nesting birds [b](D) A cause-and-effect analysis of the [b]relationship between a prey and a [b]predator [b][b][b][b]Questions 20-28 [b]The interrelationship of science, technology, and industry is taken for [b]granted [b]today—summed up, not altogether accurately, as “research and [b]development.” Yet [b]historically this widespread faith in the economic virtues of science is a [b]relatively recent [b]Line phenomenon, dating back in the United States about 150 years, and in [b]the Western world [b](5) as a whole not over 300 years at most. Even in this current era of [b]large scale, intensive [b]research and development, the interrelationships involved in this process [b]are frequently [b]misunderstood. Until the coming of the Industrial Revolution, science and [b]technology [b]evolved for the most part independently of each other. Then as [b]industrialization became [b]increasingly complicated, the craft techniques of preindustrial society [b]gradually gave way [b](10) to a technology based on the systematic application of scientific [b]knowledge and scientific [b]methods. This changeover started slowly and progressed unevenly. Until [b]late in the [b]nineteenth century, only a few industries could use scientific techniques [b]or cared about [b]using them. The list expanded noticeably after 1870, but even then much of [b]what passed [b]for the application of science was “engineering science” rather than [b]basic science. [b](15) Nevertheless, by the middle of the nineteenth century, the rapid [b]expansion of scientific [b]knowledge and of public awareness—if not understanding-of it had created [b]a belief that the [b]advance of science would in some unspecified manner automatically generate [b]economic [b]benefits. The widespread and usually uncritical acceptance of this thesis [b]led in turn to the [b]assumption that the application of science to industrial purposes was a [b]linear process, starting [b](20) with fundamental science, then proceeding to applied science or [b]technology, and through [b]them to industrial use. This is probably the most common pattern, but it [b]is not invariable. New [b]areas of science have been opened up and fundamental discoveries made as a [b]result of [b]attempts to solve a specific technical or economic problem. Conversely, [b]scientists who mainly [b]do basic research also serve as consultants on projects that apply [b]research in practical ways. [b](25) In sum, the science-technology-industry relationship may flow in [b]several different ways, and [b]the particular channel it will follow depends on the individual situation. [b]It may at times even [b]be multidirectional. [b][b][b]20. What is the author’s main purpose in the passage? [b](A) To show how technology influenced basic [b]science [b](B) To describe the scientific base of [b]nineteenth-century American industries [b](C) To correct misunderstandings about the [b]connections between science, technology, [b]and industry [b](D) To argue that basic science has no practical [b]application [b][b]21. The word “altogether” in line 2 is closest in meaning to [b](A) completely [b](B) realistically [b](C) individually [b](D) understandably [b][b][b]22. The word “intensive” in line 5 is closest in meaning to [b](A) decreased [b](B) concentrated [b](C) creative [b](D) advanced [b][b]23. The “list” mentioned in line 13 refers to [b](A) types of scientific knowledge [b](B) changes brought by technology [b](C) industries that used scientific techniques [b](D) applications of engineering science [b][b][b]24. The understanding of research and development in the late nineteenth [b]century is based on which of the following? [b](A) Engineering science is not very important. [b](B) Fundamental science naturally leads to [b]economic benefits. [b](C) The relationship between research and [b]development should be criticized. [b](D) Industrial needs should determine what [b]areas fundamental science focuses on. [b][b]25. The word “it” in line 16 refers to [b](A) understanding [b](B) public awareness [b](C) scientific knowledge [b](D) expansion [b][b]26. The word “assumption” in line 19 is closest in meaning to [b](A) regulation [b](B) belief [b](C) contract [b](D) confusion [b][b]27. Why does the author mention “consultants” in line 24? [b](A) To show how new areas of science have [b]given rise to new professions [b](B) To distinguish between scientists who work [b]in industry and those who do not [b](C) To explain the ways in which scientists find [b]financial support for their work [b](D) To show how scientists who work in basic [b]research contribute to applied science [b][b]28. Which of the following statements does the passage support? [b](A) The development of science and of industry [b]is now interdependent. [b](B) Basic scientific research cannot generate [b]practical applications. [b](C) Industries should spend less money on [b]research and development. [b](D) Science and technology are becoming more [b]separate. [b][b][b]Questions 29-39 [b][b]The economic depression in the late-nineteenth-century United States [b]contributed [b]significantly to a growing movement in literature toward realism and [b]naturalism. After the [b]1870’ s, a number of important authors began to reject the romanticism [b]that had prevailed [b]Line immediately following the Civil War of 1861—1865 and turned instead [b]to realism. [b](5) Determined to portray life as it was, with fidelity to real life and [b]accurate representation [b]without idealization, they studied local dialects, wrote stories which [b]focused on life in [b]specific regions of the country, and emphasized the “true” relationships [b]between people. In [b]doing so, they reflected broader trends in the society, such as [b]industrialization, [b]evolutionary theory which emphasized the effect of the environment on [b]humans, and the [b](10) influence of science. [b]Realists such as Joe Chandler Harris and Ellen Glasgow depicted life in [b]the South; [b]Hamlin Garland described life on the Great Plains; and Sarah Orne Jewett [b]wrote about [b]everyday life in rural New England. Another realist, Bret Harte, achieved [b]fame with stories [b]that portrayed local life in the California mining camps. [b](15) Samuel Clemens, who adopted the pen name Mark Twain, became the [b]country’s most [b]outstanding realist author, observing life around him with a humorous and [b]skeptical eye. In [b]his stories and novels, Twain drew on his own experiences and used dialect [b]and common [b]speech instead of literary language, touching off a major change in [b]American prose style. [b]Other writers became impatient even with realism. Pushing evolutionary [b]theory to its [b](20) limits, they wrote of a world in which a cruel and merciless [b]environment determined [b]human fate. These writers, called naturalists, often focused on economic [b]hardship, [b]studying people struggling with poverty, and other aspects of urban and [b]industrial life. [b]Naturalists brought to their writing a passion for direct and honest [b]experience. [b]Theodore Dreiser, the foremost naturalist writer, in novels such as Sister [b]Carrie, grimly [b](25) portrayed a dark world in which human beings were tossed about by [b]forces beyond their [b]understanding or control. Dreiser thought that writers should tell the [b]truth about human [b]affairs, not fabricate romance, and Sister Carrie, he said, was “not [b]intended as a piece of [b]literary craftsmanship, but was a picture of conditions.” [b][b]29. Which aspect of late-nineteenth-century United States literature does [b]the passage mainly discuss? [b](A) The influence of science on literature [b](B) The importance of dialects for realist writers [b](C) The emergence of realism and naturalism [b](D) The effects of industrialization on [b]romanticism [b][b]30. The word “prevailed” in line 3 is closest in meaning to [b](A) dominated [b](B) transformed [b](C) entered [b](D) generalized [b][b]31. The word “they” in line 8 refers to [b](A) authors [b](B) dialects [b](C) stories [b](D) relationships [b][b][b]32. According to the passage, a highly significant factor in the [b]development of realist and naturalist literature was [b](A) the Civil War [b](B) a recognition that romanticism was [b]unpopular [b](C) an increased interest in the study of common [b]speech [b](D) an economic depression [b][b]33. Realist writers took an interest in all of the following EXCEPT [b](A) human relationships [b](B) characteristics of different regions [b](C) the idealization of life [b](D) social and historical theories [b][b][b]34. The word “depicted” in line 11 is closest in meaning to [b](A) emphasized [b](B) described [b](C) criticized [b](D) classified [b][b]35. Why does the author mention mining camps in line 14? [b](A) To contrast the themes of realist and [b]naturalist writers [b](B) To illustrate how Bret Harte differed from [b]other authors [b](C) As an example of a topic taken up by realist [b]writers [b](D) As an example of how setting can influence [b]literary style [b][b]36. Which of the following wrote about life in rural New England? [b](A) Ellen Glasgow [b](B) Sarah Orne Jewett [b](C) Hamlin Garland [b](D) Mark Twain [b][b]37. Mark Twain is considered an important literary figure because he [b](A) was the first realist writer in the United [b]States [b](B) rejected romanticism as a literary approach [b](C) wrote humorous stories and novels [b](D) influenced American prose style through his [b]use of common speech [b][b]38. The word “foremost” in line 24 is closest in meaning to [b](A) most difficult [b](B) interesting [b](C) most focused [b](D) leading [b][b]39. Which of the following statements about Theodore Dreiser is supported [b]by the passage? (A) He mainly wrote about historical [b]subjects such as the Civil War. [b](B) His novels often contained elements of [b]humor. [b](C) He viewed himself more as a social [b]commentator than as a literary artist. [b](D) He believed writers should emphasize the [b]positive aspects of life. [b][b][b][b]Questions 40-50 [b]In 1900 the United States had only three cities with more than a million [b]residents— [b]New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. By 1930, it had ten giant [b]metropolises. The newer [b]ones experienced remarkable growth, which reflected basic changes in the [b]economy. [b]Line The population of Los Angeles (114,000 in 1900) rose spectacularly in [b]the early [b](5) decades of the twentieth century, increasing a dramatic 1,400 percent [b]from 1900 to 1930. [b]A number of circumstances contributed to the meteoric rise of Los Angeles. [b]The [b]agricultural potential of the area was enormous if water for irrigation [b]could be found, and [b]the city founders had the vision and dating to obtain it by constructing a [b]225-mile [b]aqueduct, completed in 1913, to tap the water of the Owens River. The city [b]had a superb [b](10) natural harbor, as well as excellent rail connections. The climate [b]made it possible to shoot [b]motion pictures year-round; hence Hollywood. Hollywood not only supplied [b]jobs; it [b]disseminated an image of the good life in Southern California on screens [b]all across the [b]nation. The most important single industry powering the growth of Los [b]Angeles, however, [b]was directly linked to the automobile. The demand for petroleum to fuel [b]gasoline engines [b](15) led to the opening of the Southern California oil fields, and made [b]Los Angeles North [b]America’s greatest refining center. [b]Los Angeles was a product of the auto age in another sense as well: its [b]distinctive [b]spatial organization depended on widespread private ownership of [b]automobiles. Los [b]Angeles was a decentralized metropolis, sprawling across the desert [b]landscape over an [b](20) area of 400 square miles. It was a city without a real center. The [b]downtown business [b]district did not grow apace with the city as a whole, and the rapid [b]transit system designed [b]to link the center with outlying areas withered away from disuse. [b]Approximately 800,000 [b]cars were registered in Los Angeles County in 1930, one per 2.7 residents. [b]Some visitors [b]from the east coast were dismayed at the endless urban sprawl and [b]dismissed Los [b](25) Angeles as a mere collection of suburbs in search of a city. But the [b]freedom and mobility [b]of a city built on wheels attracted floods of migrants to the city. [b][b][b]40. What is the passage mainly about? [b](A) The growth of cities in the United States in [b]the early 1900’s [b](B) The development of the Southern California [b]oil fields [b](C) Factors contributing to the growth of Los [b]Angeles [b](D) Industry and city planning in Los Angeles [b][b]41. The author characterizes the growth of new large cities in the United [b]States after 1900 as resulting primarily from [b](A) new economic conditions [b](B) images of cities shown in movies [b](C) new agricultural techniques [b](D) a large migrant population [b][b]42. The word “meteoric” in line 6 is closest in meaning to [b](A) rapid [b](B) famous [b](C) controversial [b](D) methodical [b]43. The word “it” in line 8 refers to [b](A) aqueduct [b](B) vision [b](C) water [b](D) agricultural potential [b][b]44. According to the passage, the most important factor in the development [b]of agriculture around Los Angeles was the [b](A) influx of “new residents to agricultural areas [b]near the city [b](B) construction of an aqueduct [b](C) expansion of transportation facilities [b](D) development of new connections to the [b]city’s natural harbor [b][b]45. According to the passage, the initial success of Hollywood’ s motion [b]picture industry was due largely to the [b](A) availability of many skilled workers [b](B) beauty of the countryside [b](C) region’s reputation for luxurious lifestyles [b](D) region’s climate and good weather [b][b]46. It can be inferred from the passage that in 1930 the greatest number [b]of people in the Los Angeles area were employed in [b](A) farming [b](B) oil refining [b](C) automobile manufacturing [b](D) the motion picture industry [b][b]47. According to the passage, the Southern California oil fields were [b]initially exploited due to [b](A) the fuel requirements of Los Angeles’ rail [b]system [b](B) an increase in the use of gasoline engines in [b]North America [b](C) a desire to put unproductive desert land to [b]good use [b](D) innovative planning on the part of the city [b]founders [b][b]48. The phrase “apace with” in line 21 is closest in meaning to [b](A) anew with [b](B) apart from [b](C) as fast as [b](D) at the middle of [b][b]49. It can be inferred from the passage that the spatial organization of [b]Los Angeles contributed to the relative decline there of [b](A) public transportation [b](B) industrial areas [b](C) suburban neighborhoods [b](D) oil fields [b][b]50. The visitors from the east coast mentioned in the passage thought that [b]Los Angeles [b](A) was not accurately portrayed by Hollywood [b]images [b](B) lacked good suburban areas in which to live (C) had an excessively [b]large population [b](D) was not really a single city [b]