PRACTICE READING COMPREHENSION

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 : 4. hugely
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 : 3. often used as a component of 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 : 1. 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 : 4. Whistler’s family life is outlined.
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 : 2. huge

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 : 3. conceivable
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