Developed by Marian Helms
Funded by Title III
This is a self-administered, self-scored
reading assessment, which will help you
identify any basic reading weaknesses. For
some good readers, these reading problems
create difficulty in reading textbooks,
annotating effectively, and remembering
information learned through reading.
PART I
This section of the basic reading
skills self-test involves finding
the main idea. As you read each
selection, identify the main idea
by the number that precedes the
sentence.
In finding the topic sentences of
these paragraphs, you may return
to re-read the paragraph by
selecting the arrow button that
sends you back ( ).
Selection 1
1At
the turn of the century, fewer than
20 percent of women worked outside the
home. 2Over the past several decades, the
employment picture has changed
appreciably. 3In 1960, some 35 percent of
American women were working outside the
home. 4Today the figure is 55 percent (the
percentage of men is 76 percent).
(Continued on next slide)
5Women
hold 44 percent of all available
jobs, and since 1980, they have taken 80
percent of the new jobs created in the
economy. 6Less than 11 percent of women
today are the stereotyped “housewife”- a
married woman, not in the labor force, with
children at home. 7Indeed, most women
prefer to work.
Selection 2
1
Greek and Roman orators used a
topical system of mnemonics to memorize
long speeches. 2 They would visit a large
house or temple and walk through the rooms
in a definite order, noting where specific
objects were placed within each room. 3
When the plan of the building and its
contents were memorized, the orator would
(Continued on next slide)
go through the rooms in his mind, placing
images of material to be remembered at
different places in the rooms.4 In order to
retrieve the material during speech, he
would imagine himself going through the
building and, by association, would recall
each point of his speech as he came to each
object and each room.
Selection 3
1Five
years ago, how did you feel about nuclear
power? about South African apartheid? about your
parents? 2If your attitudes have changed, are you aware
of the extent of the change? 3To answer such questions,
experimenters have asked people whose attitudes have
been altered to recall their pre-experiment attitudes.
4The result of the study is unnerving: People often insist
that they have always felt much as they now feel.
(Continued on next slide)
5For
example, Daryl Bem and Keith McConnell (1970)
took survey among Carnegie-Mellon University
students. 6Buried in it was a question concerning student
control over the university curriculum. 7A week later the
students agreed to write an essay opposing student
control. 8After doing so, their attitudes shifted toward
greater opposition to student control. 9When asked to
recall how they had answered the question a week
previously, they “remembered” holding the opinion that
they now held and denied that the experiment affected
them.
Selection 4
1Sociologists
use three different models to explain how
societies operate. 2The “functional” model regards a
society as a system that brings people together to
accomplish needed tasks. 3A functional sociologists,
for example, sees our educational system as a means
of providing people with the variety of skills needed to
keep our society working. 4In contrast, the “conflict”
model sees a society as a system, in which some
people take advantage of others.
(Continued on next slide)
5A conflict
sociologist sees our educational system as
designed to make sure that the children of the
privileged get the best schooling and the most
opportunities. 6Finally, the “interactionist” model in
sociology looks not at society as a whole, but at how
individuals and small groups deal with one another. 7
An interactionist sociologist looks at the whole
educational system, but at how different students cope
with school.
Selection 5
1In
one tribe in New Guinea, aggression is
encouraged in boys from early infancy. 2The child cannot
obtain nourishment from his mother without carrying on a
continuous battle with her. 3Unless he grasps the nipple
firmly and sucks vigorously, his mother will withdraw it
and stop the feeding. 4In his frantic effort to get food, the
child frequently chokes-an annoyance to both himself and
his mother. 5Thus the feeding situation itself is
“characterized by anger and struggle rather than by
affection and reassurance” (Mead, 1939).
(Continued on next slide)
6The
people of another New Guinea tribe are extremely
peaceful and do everything possible to discourage
aggression.7They regard all instances of aggression as
abnormal. 8A similar tribe-the Tasaday of the Philippineshas been discovered. 9These people are extremely
friendly and gentle. 10They possess no weapons for
fighting or food-gathering; in fact, they are strict
vegetarians who live off the land. 11Evidence of this sort
suggests that, rather than being basically aggressive
animals, human beings are peaceful or aggressive
depending upon their early childhood training.
Selection 6
1Unlike
many lower animals that use their noses to
detect mates, predators, and prey, humans do not depend
on their sense of smell for survival. 2Nevertheless, the
sense of smell in humans is incredibly sensitive: only a
few molecules of a substance reaching the smell receptors
are necessary to cause humans to perceive an odor.
3Certain substances that give off a large number of
molecules that dissolve easily in the moist, fatty tissue of
the nose can be detested in especially small amounts.
4Decayed cabbage, lemons, and rotten eggs are examples.
Selection 7
1An
old saying has it that”Many hands make light
work.” 2Thus we might expect that three individuals
can pull three times as much as one person and that
eight can pull eight times as much. 3But research
reveals that whereas persons individually average 130
pounds of pressure when tugging on a rope, in groups
of three, they average 351 pounds (only 2.5 times the
solo rate) and in groups of eight only 546 pounds (less
than 4 times the solo rate).
(Continued on next slide)
4One
explanation is that faulty coordination produces
group inefficiency. 5However, when subjects are
blindfolded and believe they are pulling with others,
they also slacken their effort. 6Apparently when we
work in groups, we cut down our efforts, a process
termed social loafing.
Selection 8
1A century
ago, medical practice left much to be
desired. 2In the late 1800s, surgeons still operated with
bare hands, wearing the same clothes they had worn
on the street. 3Their shoes carried in the debris of the
street and hospital corridors. 4Spectators were often
permitted to observe operations, gathering around the
patient within touching distance of the incision.
(Continued on next slide)
5Surgeons
used surgical dressings made from pressed
sawdust, a waste product from the floors of sawmills.
6Surgical instruments were washed in soapy water, but
not heat-sterilized or chemically disinfected. 7The
mortality rate following operations in many hospitals
was as high as 90 percent.
Selection 9
1Without
doubt, our moods color our thinking.
2To West Germans enjoying their team’s World Cup
soccer victory and to Australians emerging from a
heart warming movie, people seem goodhearted, life
in general seems wonderful. 3But in a happy mood,
the world seems friendlier, decisions come more
easily, good news more readily comes to mind.
4When we feel happy, we think happy and optimistic
thoughts.
(Continued on next slide)
5Let
our mood turn gloomy, and our thoughts switch
into a different track. 6Off come the rose-colored
glasses; on come the dark glasses. 7Now the bad
mood primes our recollections of negative events.
8Whereas formerly depressed people recall their
parents the same as do never-depressed people,
currently depressed people recall their parents as
having been rejecting and punitive. 9When a black
mood strikes, our relationships seem to sour, our
self-image takes a dive, our hopes for the future dim,
people’s behavior seems more sinister.
Selection 10
1Dr.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has identified five
stages in the reactions of dying patients.2The first
stage, she says, is denial. 3Patients will at first deny
the seriousness of their illness, claiming that some
error has been made. 4Then patients become angry.
5They ask, “Why me?” 6Their anger may be directed
against God, fate, or even their doctors. 7Next
comes depression. 8During this stage, patients feel
hopeless and lose interest in life. 9After depression
(Continued on next slide)
comes bargaining-patients try to bargain for their
lives. 10They may promise God or their doctors that
they’ll be good, stop smoking, give up alcohol, or
do whatever is necessary if only they can survive.
11The fifth stage is that of acceptance. Patients
finally resign themselves to the inevitable. 12They
are not joyful, but they gain a sense of inner peace.
13While there has been some criticism of KublerRoss’s stages, her work has contributed much to
making death a more comfortable and betterunderstood subject.
The following slides show you
the correct answers. Score your
own responses.
Selection 1
1At
the turn of the century, fewer than
20 percent of women worked outside the
home. 2Over the past several decades, the
employment picture has changed
appreciably. 3In 1960, some 35 percent of
American women were working outside the
home. 4Today the figure is 55 percent (the
percentage of men is 76 percent).
(Continued on next slide)
5Women
hold 44 percent of all available
jobs, and since 1980, they have taken 80
percent of the new jobs created in the
economy. 6Less than 11 percent of women
today are the stereotyped “housewife”- a
married woman, not in the labor force, with
children at home. 7Indeed, most women
prefer to work.
Selection 2
1
Greek and Roman orators used a
topical system of mnemonics to memorize
long speeches. 2 They would visit a large
house or temple and walk through the rooms
in a definite order, noting where specific
objects were placed within each room. 3
When the plan of the building and its
contents were memorized, the orator would
(Continued on next slide)
go through the rooms in his mind, placing
images of material to be remembered at
different places in the rooms.4 In order to
retrieve the material during speech, he
would imagine himself going through the
building and, by association, would recall
each point of his speech as he came to each
object and each room.
Selection 3
1Five
years ago, how did you feel about nuclear
power? about South African apartheid? about your
parents? 2If your attitudes have changed, are you aware
of the extent of the change? 3To answer such questions,
experimenters have asked people whose attitudes have
been altered to recall their pre-experiment attitudes.
4The result of the study is unnerving: People often insist
that they have always felt much as they now feel.
(Continued on next slide)
5For
example, Daryl Bem and Keith McConnell (1970)
took survey among Carnegie-Mellon University
students. 6Buried in it was a question concerning student
control over the university curriculum. 7A week later the
students agreed to write an essay opposing student
control. 8After doing so, their attitudes shifted toward
greater opposition to student control. 9When asked to
recall how they had answered the question a week
previously, they “remembered” holding the opinion that
they now held and denied that the experiment affected
them.
Selection 4
1Sociologists
use three different models to explain how
societies operate. 2The “functional” model regards a
society as a system that brings people together to
accomplish needed tasks. 3A functional sociologists,
for example, sees our educational system as a means
of providing people with the variety of skills needed to
keep our society working. 4In contrast, the “conflict”
model sees a society as a system, in which some
people take advantage of others.
(Continued on next slide)
5A conflict
sociologist sees our educational system as
designed to make sure that the children of the
privileged get the best schooling and the most
opportunities. 6Finally, the “interactionist” model in
sociology looks not at society as a whole, but at how
individuals and small groups deal with one another. 7
An interactionist sociologist looks at the whole
educational system, but at how different students cope
with school.
Selection 5
1In
one tribe in New Guinea, aggression is
encouraged in boys from early infancy. 2The child cannot
obtain nourishment from his mother without carrying on a
continuous battle with her. 3Unless he grasps the nipple
firmly and sucks vigorously, his mother will withdraw it
and stop the feeding. 4In his frantic effort to get food, the
child frequently chokes--an annoyance to both himself
and his mother. 5Thus the feeding situation itself is
“characterized by anger and struggle rather than by
affection and reassurance” (Mead, 1939).
(Continued on next slide)
6The
people of another New Guinea tribe are extremely
peaceful and do everything possible to discourage
aggression.7They regard all instances of aggression as
abnormal. 8A similar tribe-the Tasaday of the Philippineshas been discovered. 9These people are extremely
friendly and gentle. 10They possess no weapons for
fighting or food-gathering; in fact, they are strict
vegetarians who live off the land. 11Evidence of this sort
suggests that, rather than being basically aggressive
animals, human beings are peaceful or aggressive
depending upon their early childhood training.
Selection 6
1Unlike
many lower animals that use their noses to
detect mates, predators, and prey, humans do not depend
on their sense of smell for survival. 2Nevertheless, the
sense of smell in humans is incredibly sensitive: only a
few molecules of a substance reaching the smell receptors
are necessary to cause humans to perceive an odor.
3Certain substances that give off a large number of
molecules that dissolve easily in the moist, fatty tissue of
the nose can be detested in especially small amounts.
4Decayed cabbage, lemons, and rotten eggs are examples.
Selection 7
1An
old saying has it that”Many hands make light
work.” 2Thus we might expect that three individuals
can pull three times as much as one person and that
eight can pull eight times as much. 3But research
reveals that whereas persons individually average 130
pounds of pressure when tugging on a rope, in groups
of three, they average 351 pounds (only 2.5 times the
solo rate) and in groups of eight only 546 pounds (less
than 4 times the solo rate).
(Continued on next slide)
4One
explanation is that faulty coordination produces
group inefficiency. 5However, when subjects are
blindfolded and believe they are pulling with others,
they also slacken their effort. 6Apparently when we
work in groups, we cut down our efforts, a process
termed social loafing.
Selection 8
1A century
ago, medical practice left much to be
desired. 2In the late 1800s, surgeons still operated with
bare hands, wearing the same clothes they had worn
on the street. 3Their shoes carried in the debris of the
street and hospital corridors. 4Spectators were often
permitted to observe operations, gathering around the
patient within touching distance of the incision.
(Continued on next slide)
5Surgeons
used surgical dressings made from pressed
sawdust, a waste product from the floors of sawmills.
6Surgical instruments were washed in soapy water, but
not heat-sterilized or chemically disinfected. 7The
mortality rate following operations in many hospitals
was as high as 90 percent.
Selection 9
1Without
doubt, our moods color our thinking.
2To West Germans enjoying their team’s World Cup
soccer victory and to Australians emerging from a
heart warming movie, people seem goodhearted, life
in general seems wonderful. 3But in a happy mood,
the world seems friendlier, decisions come more
easily, good news more readily comes to mind.
4When we feel happy, we think happy and optimistic
thoughts.
(Continued on next slide)
5Let
our mood turn gloomy, and our thoughts switch
into a different track. 6Off come the rose-colored
glasses; on come the dark glasses. 7Now the bad
mood primes our recollections of negative events.
8Whereas formerly depressed people recall their
parents the same as do never-depressed people,
currently depressed people recall their parents as
having been rejecting and punitive. 9When a black
mood strikes, our relationships seem to sour, our
self-image takes a dive, our hopes for the future dim,
people’s behavior seems more sinister.
Selection 10
1Dr.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has identified five
stages in the reactions of dying patients.2The first
stage, she says, is denial. 3Patients will at first deny
the seriousness of their illness, claiming that some
error has been made. 4Then patients become angry.
5They ask, “Why me?” 6Their anger may be directed
against God, fate, or even their doctors. 7Next
comes depression. 8During this stage, patients feel
hopeless and lose interest in life. 9After depression
(Continued on next slide)
comes bargaining-patients try to bargain for their
lives. 10They may promise God or their doctors that
they’ll be good, stop smoking, give up alcohol, or do
whatever is necessary if only they can survive. 11The
fifth stage is that of acceptance. Patients finally resign
themselves to the inevitable. 12They are not joyful, but
they gain a sense of inner peace. 13While there has
been some criticism of Kubler-Ross’s stages, her work
has contributed much to making death a more
comfortable and better-understood subject.
For each of the missed responses on
Part I, deduct 10 points from 100. This will
give you a percent correct. If your score is
below 70%, you should follow up with some
reading instruction in the area of main ideas.
The Academic Development Center has
courses that target this specific weakness.
PART II
This section of the basic reading
skills self-test measures your
ability to distinguish the major
points of support from the minor
ones.
”Paralanguage” relates to the sound we hear. It
concerns how something is said, not what was said. A
major category of paralanguage is vocal characteristics, of
which there are several. Pitch refers to the highness or
lowness of your voice. Fortunately, most people speak at a
pitch that is about right for them, although a few persons
talk using notes that are too high or too low for their
voice. The loudness of the tone you make is its volume.
Each person, regardless of size, can make his or her voice
louder. If you have trouble talking loudly enough to be
heard in a large classroom, work on increasing pressure
from the abdominal area of exhalation.
(Continued on next slide)
Our rate of speed is the speed at which we talk. Although
most of us utter between 140 and 180 words a minute, the
optimal rate is a highly individual matter. The test of rate
is if listeners can understand what you are saying. The
tone, the timbre, or the sound of your voice referred to as
its quality. The best vocal quality is a clear, pleasant-tolisten-to voice. Problems of quality include nasality (too
much resonance in the nose on vowel sounds), breathiness
(too much escaping of the air during phonation),
harshness (too much tension in the throat and chest), and a
hoarseness (a raspy sound to the voice).
1.
In general, the major details of this
paragraph are
A. sound.
B. types of voices.
C. pitches of voices.
D. vocal characteristics.
2.
Specifically, the major details of the
paragraph are
A. paralanguage, sound, and voices.
B. pitches that are about right, too high,
and too low.
C. pitch, volume, rate of speed,quality.
D. tone, timbre, sound, and quality of the
voice.
3.
Sentence 3 provides
A. the main idea.
B. a major detail.
C. a minor detail.
4. Sentence 8 provides
A. A.
B. B.
C. C.
The main idea.
A major detail.
A minor detail.
The people of the Republic of Abkhasia in
the southwest corner of the former Soviet Union
have the distinction of living, on the average,
longer than any other people on earth. In one
village of twelve hundred people studied by
anthropologists, for example, almost two
hundred people were over the age of 81.
(Continued on next slide)
Although there is no proven explanation
for the longevity of the Abkhasians, a few
theoretical explanations have been advanced.
Perhaps the centuries of grueling warfare in
Abkhasia have allowed only the most physically
sturdy to survive and pass on their genes. The
Abkhasia diet, low in saturated fat, lacking
caffeine, but high in fruits and vegetables, may
be a component.
(Continued on next slide)
The regular exercise that is a part of the
Abkhasian agricultural lifestyle may also help
explain the villagers’ long lives. Researchers
also suggest that the Abkhasian culture, which
expects all members to perform meaningful
work and provides all members with a clear
sense of identity, may produce in the most
elderly citizens a healthful sense of being
needed and valued members of their
communities.
5.
In general, the major details of the second
paragraph are
A. problems of the Abkhasian.
B. possible reasons of the Abkhasian
longevity.
C. examples of Abkhasian lifestyle.
D. components of the Abkhasian diet.
6.
The first major detail of the second
paragraph is
A. a proven explanation
B. a sturdy genetic heritage
C. regular exercise
D. the Abkhasian diet
7.
The third major detail of the second
paragraph is
A. the survival of the physically
sturdy.
B. no caffeine.
C. regular exercise.
D. a sense of being needed and
valued members of the
community.
The climate becomes colder when the amount
of dust at high altitudes in the atmosphere increases.
There are several ways that dust may get into the
atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions can add so much
dust that sunlight is scattered back to outer space.
Chimneys, especially smokestacks, also throw large
amounts of dust into the atmosphere. The burning of
tropical forests to clear land farming is another way
the amount of airborne dust increased.
(Continued on next slide)
Finally, should a nuclear war ever occur, it might
add so much dust to the atmosphere that it could
cause new ice age—a nuclear winter in which the
climate becomes so cold that no new crops can
grow.
8.
In general, the major details of this
paragraph are
A.
reasons why dust in the atmosphere
makes the climate colder
ways that dust may get into the
atmosphere
natural causes of dust getting into the
atmosphere
ways that industry puts dust into the
atmosphere
B.
C.
D.
9. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A.
B.
C.
D.
One
Two
Three
Four
10. One source of dust in the atmosphere is
A.
B.
C.
D.
A.
B.
C.
D.
sunlight.
farming.
chimneys.
cold weather
11. An enormous amount of dust in the
atmosphere could lead to
A.
B.
C.
D.
warmer weather.
burning of tropical forests.
volcanic eruption.
a new ice age.
12. The last major detail is introduced
with the additional word
A.
B.
C.
D.
several.
add.
finally.
another.
Studies done in the 1930s in New Guinea by
the social scientist Margaret Mead show that not all
cultures share our views of the difference between
the sexes. The mountain people called Arapesh, for
example, do not think men and women are different
in temperament. They expect both sexes to be
equally gentle, home-loving, and what we would call
“maternal’ in their relations with others. The
neighboring Mundugumor people, by contrast,
(Continued on next slide)
are as fierce as the Arapesh are gentle. Men and
women are equally “macho,” paying less attention
to their children than to plotting for power and
position. A third tribe, the Tchambuli, do believe
the sexes are different in temperament, but their
sex roles are the reverse of ours. Tchambulo
women are the practical, hard-headed providers,
while the men of the tribe spend their days
beautifying themselves and looking for approval of
women.
13. In general, the major supporting details of
this paragraph are...
A.
B.
C.
D.
differences between the sexes.
examples of differing cultural views of
the sexes.
studies of Arapesh
a series of stereotypes about Western
culture.
14. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Two
Three
Four
Five
15. The Arapesh do not think that men and
women are...
A.
B.
C.
D.
equally gentle.
“maternal.”
alike in temperament.
different in temperament.
Sociologists have identified several
common reasons why people join religious
cults. Many cult members come from homes
filled with conflict; seeking to escape that
conflict, they are drawn to the apparent
security and acceptance offered by the cult.
Another reason people join a cult is that they
may be overwhelmed by the demands of adult
life.
(Continued on next slide)
The cult, with its strict rules and rigid
discipline, relieves them from making personal
decisions. Finally, many cult members are
highly idealistic persons-they are gratified by
the feeling that by joining the cult, they are
committing their lives to the establishment of a
better world.
16. The preceding selection...
A.
B.
C.
D.
lists religious cults.
lists reasons for joining religious cults.
describes stages in cult membership.
describes a series of events in cult
history.
17. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
one
two
three
four
Many food products are stamped with
dates that tell consumers when the product is
still fresh. Products are dated in one of three
ways. Some food products contain the date
following the words “sell by.” These foods
remain fresh for about one week after the date
on the label. Other foods list the date after the
words “best if used by.”
(Continued on next slide)
Products with this label can still be used for
a few weeks after the date on the label, but
they might not have the same quality.Third,
certain products, such as baby formulas,
have an expiration date. These products
should not be used after the date on the
label.
18. The details of the preceding paragraph
provides a...
A.
B.
list of ways in which food products
are dated.
description of the stages in dating
food products.
19. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
one
two
three
four
There are several reasons why middle-aged
adults are returning to school. Some want to learn
to do their jobs better. College courses can help
them improve their job skills and keep up in their
fields. Others return to school because more
credits may mean a raise or promotion. Teachers,
for instance, get raises for reaching certain levels
of education. Also, some adults return to the
classroom because of interest in a new field, such
as telecommunications or computer programming.
(Continued on next slide)
Finally, others want to study subjects such as
foreign languages, history, or literature for the
sake of learning. Such classes help adults spend
time in more productive and interesting ways and
deepen their understanding of themselves and
their world.
20. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
One
Two
Three
Four
PART II ANSWERS
Score your own responses so that
you can determine how effectively
you read for details. You may use
the
button to review the
selection.
”Paralanguage” relates to the sound we hear. It
concerns how something is said, not what was said. A
major category of paralanguage is vocal characteristics, of
which there are several. Pitch refers to the highness or
lowness of your voice. Fortunately, most people speak at a
pitch that is about right for them, although a few persons
talk using notes that are too high or too low for their
voice. The loudness of the tone you make is its volume.
Each person, regardless of size, can make his or her voice
louder. If you have trouble talking loudly enough to be
heard in a large classroom, work on increasing pressure
from the abdominal area of exhalation.
(Continued on next slide)
Our rate of speed is the speed at which we talk. Although
most of us utter between 140 and 180 words a minute, the
optimal rate is a highly individual matter. The test of rate
is if listeners can understand what you are saying. The
tone, the timbre, or the sound of your voice referred to as
its quality. The best vocal quality is a clear, pleasant-tolisten-to voice. Problems of quality include nasality (too
much resonance in the nose on vowel sounds), breathiness
(too much escaping of the air during phonation),
harshness (too much tension in the throat and chest), and a
hoarseness (a raspy sound to the voice).
1.
In general, the major details of this
paragraph are
A. sound.
B. types of voices.
C. pitches of voices.
D. vocal characteristics.
2.
Specifically, the major details of the
paragraph are
A.
B.
C.
D.
paralanguage, sound, and voices.
pitches that are about right, too high,
and too low.
pitch, volume, rate of speed,quality.
tone, timbre, sound, and quality of the
voice.
3.
Sentence 4 provides
A. the main idea.
B. a major detail.
C. a minor detail.
4. Sentence 8 provides



A.
B.
C.
The main idea.
A major detail.
A minor detail.
The people of the Republic of Abkhasia in
the southwest corner of the former Soviet Union
have the distinction of living, on the average,
longer than any other people on earth. In one
village of twelve hundred people studied by
anthropologists, for example, almost two
hundred people were over the age of 81.
(Continued on next slide)
Although there is no proven explanation
for the longevity of the Abkhasians, a few
theoretical explanations have been advanced.
Perhaps the centuries of grueling warfare in
Abkhasia have allowed only the most physically
sturdy to survive and pass on their genes. The
Abkhasia diet, low in saturated fat, lacking
caffeine, but high in fruits and vegetables, may
be a component.
(Continued on next slide)
The regular exercise that is a part of the
Abkhasian agricultural lifestyle may also help
explain the villagers’ long lives. Researchers
also suggest that the Abkhasian culture, which
expects all members to perform meaningful
work and provides all members with a clear
sense of identity, may produce in the most
elderly citizens a healthful sense of being
needed and valued members of their
communities.
5.
In general, the major details of the second
paragraph are
A. problems of the Abkhasian.
B. possible reasons of the Abkhasian
longevity.
C. examples of Abkhasian lifestyle.
D. components of the Abkhasian diet.
6.
The first major detail of the second
paragraph is
A. a proven explanation
B. a sturdy genetic heritage
C. regular exercise
D. the Abkhasian diet
7.
The third major detail of the second
paragraph is
A. the survival of the physically
sturdy.
B. no caffeine.
C. regular exercise.
D. a sense of being needed and
valued members of the
community.
The climate becomes colder when the amount
of dust at high altitudes in the atmosphere increases.
There are several ways that dust may get into the
atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions can add so much
dust that sunlight is scattered back to outer space.
Chimneys, especially smokestacks, also throw large
amounts of dust into the atmosphere. The burning of
tropical forests to clear land farming is another way
the amount of airborne dust increased.
(Continued on next slide)
Finally, should a nuclear war ever occur, it might
add so much dust to the atmosphere that it could
cause new ice age—a nuclear winter in which the
climate becomes so cold that no new crops can
grow.
8.
In general, the major details of this
paragraph are
A.
reasons why dust in the atmosphere
makes the climate colder
ways that dust may get into the
atmosphere
natural causes of dust getting into the
atmosphere
ways that industry puts dust into the
atmosphere
B.
C.
D.
9. How many major details are in this
paragraph?




A.
B.
C.
D.
One
Two
Three
Four
10. One source of dust in the atmosphere is




A.
B.
C.
D.
sunlight.
farming.
chimneys.
cold weather
11. An enormous amount of dust in the
atmosphere could lead to
A.
B.
C.
D.
warmer weather.
burning of tropical forests.
volcanic eruption.
a new ice age.
12. The last major detail is introduced
with the additional word
A.
B.
C.
D.
several.
add.
finally.
another.
Studies done in the 1930s in New Guinea by
the social scientist Margaret Mead show that not all
cultures share our views of the difference between
the sexes. The mountain people called Arapesh, for
example, do not think men and women are different
in temperament. They expect both sexes to be
equally gentle, home-loving, and what we would call
“maternal” in their relations with others. The
neighboring Mundugumor people, by contrast,
(Continued on next slide)
are as fierce as the Arapesh are gentle. Men and
women are equally “macho,” paying less attention
to their children than to plotting for power and
position. A third tribe, the Tchambuli, do believe
the sexes are different in temperament, but their
sex roles are the reverse of ours. Tchambulo
women are the practical, hard-headed providers,
while the men of the tribe spend their days
beautifying themselves and looking for approval of
women.
13. In general, the major supporting details of
this paragraph are...
A.
B.
C.
D.
differences between the sexes.
examples of differing cultural views of
the sexes.
studies of Arapesh
a series of stereotypes about Western
culture.
14. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Two
Three
Four
Five
15. The Arapesh do not think that men and
women are...
A.
B.
C.
D.
equally gentle.
“maternal.”
alike in temperament.
different in temperament.
Sociologists have identified several
common reasons why people join religious
cults. Many cult members come from homes
filled with conflict; seeking to escape that
conflict, they are drawn to the apparent
security and acceptance offered by the cult.
Another reason people join a cult is that they
may be overwhelmed by the demands of adult
life.
(Continued on next slide)
The cult, with its strict rules and rigid
discipline, relieves them from making personal
decisions. Finally, many cult members are
highly idealistic persons-they are gratified by
the feeling that by joining the cult, they are
committing their lives to the establishment of a
better world.
16. The preceding selection...
A.
B.
C.
D.
lists religious cults.
lists reasons for joining religious cults.
describes stages in cult membership.
describes a series of events in cult
history.
17. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
one
two
three
four
Many food products are stamped with
dates that tell consumers when the product is
still fresh. Products are dated in one of three
ways. Some food products contain the date
following the words “sell by.” These foods
remain fresh for about one week after the date
on the label. Other foods list the date after the
words “best if used by.”
(Continued on next slide)
Products with this label can still be used for
a few weeks after the date on the label, but
they might not have the same quality.Third,
certain products, such as baby formulas,
have an expiration date. These products
should not be used after the date on the
label.
18. The details of the preceding paragraph
provides a...
A.
B.
list of ways in which food products
are dated.
description of the stages in dating
food products.
19. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
one
two
three
four
There are several reasons why middle-aged
adults are returning to school. Some want to learn
to do their jobs better. College courses can help
them improve their job skills and keep up in their
fields. Others return to school because more
credits may mean a raise or promotion. Teachers,
for instance, get raises for reaching certain levels
of education. Also, some adults return to the
classroom because of interest in a new field, such
as telecommunications or computer programming.
(Continued on next slide)
Finally, others want to study subjects such as
foreign languages, history, or literature for the
sake of learning. Such classes help adults spend
time in more productive and interesting ways and
deepen their understanding of themselves and
their world.
20. How many major details are in this
paragraph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
One
Two
Three
Four
For each of the missed responses on
Part II, deduct 5 points from 100. This
will give you a percent correct. If your
score is below 75%, you should follow up
with some reading instruction in the areas
where you have demonstrated weakness.
The Academic Development Center has
courses that target these specific
weaknesses.