TSI - Quick Pre-Test
Reading Section
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Carefully read the following paragraphs and answer the questions that follow.
Paragraphs
1. As we all know, before a human being can survive on its own, it needs many years of parental
care and instruction. We think of animals as creatures of instinct, but in fact they too learn by
observing. A baby chimpanzee must spend years watching its elders and then practicing the skills
they demonstrate before it can take care of itself.
2. What would happen if a chimpanzee raised by humans were to be transferred to the wild? Could
it adapt itself to such different surroundings? Could an adult acquire the new skills required to
survive? Would it learn to socialize with other chimpanzees instead of with humans? Would it
learn to gather its own food rather than opening the refrigerator for a ready-made snack? These
were the questions faced in the case of a chimpanzee named Lucy. She was born in a roadside
zoo and then raised almost like a human daughter by the Temerlins, a pair of American
psychologists. Lucy lived in a house, “read” magazines for amusement, and even learned to
communicate extensively with sign language.
3. When Lucy’s “parents” heard about a program in Africa to return captive chimps to the wild,
they wanted to see if the program could work for her. They had long been searching for a way to
bring Lucy’s captivity to an end, and this program, run by Stella and Eddie Brewer, seemed ideal.
So the Temerlins and Janis Carter, a student who had been involved with their project, flew Lucy
to Africa.
4. In Africa, however, it became clear to the Temerlins and Janis that Lucy would not benefit from
the Brewer’s program and would not survive on her own without a great deal of special help.
Unlike the Brewers’ chimps, Lucy had been raised for years as a human. It would, therefore, take
much extra time and effort to help her develop the skills she would need for survival in the wild.
Although the Temerlins left after a brief stay, Janis remained in Africa to help Lucy adapt to her
new home.
5. Janis ended up staying with Lucy and other chimps in an African island refuge for the next ten
years. Janis had to live almost as a chimp herself. She showed the animals how to build sleeping
platforms and demonstrated how to eat green figs and ants. When one of the chimps frequently
forgot to nurse her newborn infant, Janis tied a doll to her chest in the nursing position.
6. At first Lucy was especially dependent upon her teacher. As the chimp acquired skills and related
with the other chimps, however, Janis gradually withdrew her support. This was an important
step in transforming Lucy from a pet back into a wild animal, but it was painful for both Janis
and Lucy.
7. Eventually the time came for Janis to leave the island. She moved to the mainland, from where
she would continue to visit and observe the chimps. Six months after moving, Janis visited Lucy
for the first time since their separation. Lucy greeted her tenderly but soon moved off to rejoin
the other chimps. Her behavior was no longer noticeably different from those of her fellow
chimps who had been born in the wild, and her future seemed assured. With raised hopes, Janis
left the area for her first vacation in ten years.
Saved:: The Quick Pre-Test Reading (Microsoft Word & PDF)
Source: TASP Study Guide By: National Evaluation Systems © 1993 p. 22 {edited C. Hines}
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8. When Janis returned a month later, Lucy had disappeared. Janis organized a search, and
eventually Lucy’s skeleton was found. The cause of death? Janis could never be certain, but the
most likely answer was that the chimp had been killed by human beings. Although Janis was
saddened by this tragedy, she managed to find consolation in the knowledge that Lucy had made
a substantial contribution to the understanding of learning and behavior in animals. During her
years in captivity, Lucy had learned to communicate in a way that far exceeded anything
previously known or expected of animals. Subsequently she proved that even a creature that had
lived for years in captivity could adapt to living in the wild.
Questions
1. Which of the following best defines the word raised as it is used in paragraph 7 of the selection?
A. advanced
B. refined
C. elevated
D. inspired
2. Which of the following statements bests expresses the main idea of the selection?
A. Psychologists have found that, with adequate training, chimpanzees such as Lucy can learn to
live among, and communicate extensively with, human beings.
B. Despite her unfortunate end, Lucy’s experiences living first in a human home and later in the
wilds taught researchers much about chimpanzee learning and behavior.
C. Compared with other types of animals, chimpanzees have a unique ability to learn complex
skills through observation and practice.
D. Lucy’s problems adjusting to the wild should serve as a warning that the costs associated
with the removal of animals from their natural environment may well outweigh any possible
benefits.
3. The writer’s main purpose in this selection is to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
explore the ability of chimpanzees to learn and adapt
compare the intelligence of humans and chimpanzees
analyze psychological theories explaining chimpanzee behavior
expose the negative results of experimentation with animals.
4. Janis and the Temerlins did not believe that Lucy would benefit from the Brewers’ program to
return captive chimps to the wild because Lucy:
A.
B.
C.
D.
could communicate only with sign language
lacked the animal instincts of other chimps in the program
had been born in a roadside zoo
possessed fewer survival skills than other chimps in the program
Saved:: The Quick Pre-Test Reading (Microsoft Word & PDF)
Source: TASP Study Guide By: National Evaluation Systems © 1993 p. 22 {edited C. Hines}
2
5. Which of the following information included in the selection most directly supports the writer’s
view that, like humans, chimps learn by observing?
A. Janis showed the animals how to build sleeping platforms and demonstrated how to eat green
figs and ants.
B. Janis’s gradual withdrawal of support was an important step in transforming Lucy from a pet
back into a wild animal.
C. In Africa, it became clear that Lucy would not benefit from the Brewers’ program and would
not survive on her own without special help.
D. Janis moved to the mainland, from where she would continue to visit and observe the chimps.
6. Which of the following statements bet summarizes the information presented in the selection for
study purposes?
A. Like human infants, baby chimps must spend years watching and learning from their elders
before they can take care of themselves. As a result, chimps that have been raised to behave
like human beings are unlikely to have the skills needed to survive in the wild. The case of
Lucy demonstrated, however, that such chimps do have the capacity to develop these skills
B. Lucy, a chimpanzee, was born in a roadside zoo and raised by the Temerlins, a pair of
American psychologists. After teaching Lucy to live and communicate much like a human
being, the Temerlins turned her over to Janis Carter, whose job it was to prepare the chimp
for life in the wild.
C. Animals learn how to take care of themselves in much the same way that humans do: by
watching and practicing the skills demonstrated by their elders. This idea was first set forth
by the Temerlins, a pair of psychologists, and was later conclusively proven by Janis Carter
in her work with Lucy and other chimpanzees.
D. Janis Carter devoted more than ten years to developing a program to help captive chimps
learn the skills needed to survive on their own. Through her work Janis demonstrated that it
was possible to teach such chimps how to build sleeping platforms, find food, and nurse their
young. One of her most successful “students” was a chimpanzee named Lucy, who had been
raised by two American psychologists.
ANSWER KEY
Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answer
C
B
A
D
A
A
Skill Being Tested
Meaning of words and phrases
Main idea and details
Writer’s purpose and meaning
Relationship among ideas
Critical Reasoning Skills
Study Skills in reading
For additional Reading Practice, see the following websites:
www.townsendpress.com
www.thea.nesinc.com
www.aims.edu/student/assessment/accuplacer_desc.htm
Saved:: The Quick Pre-Test Reading (Microsoft Word & PDF)
Source: TASP Study Guide By: National Evaluation Systems © 1993 p. 22 {edited C. Hines}
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