Reading Il

Reference and Vocabulary Questions

• Reference Question
Reference items ask you to find the noun (called the referent) that a pronoun or other word
refers to Two things to remember:
1. The referent almost always comes before the reference word in the passage.
2. The referent is NOT always the noun that is closest to the reference word in the
sentence.
You can identify "possible answers" in the text according to the type of reference word that is
questioned.
For example, if the pronoun he is being asked about, you would only look for nouns that name a
singular male person. Here's a list of common reference words and the kinds of nouns they refer
to:
Reference Words Possible Referents
- She, her, hers, herself - A singular female
- He, his, him, himself - A singular male
- It, its, itself - A singular thing, place, animal, action, idea
- They, their, them, themselves - Plural things, pesons, animals, actions, ideas
- Who, whoseWhich - Person(s)
- That (relative pronoun) - Things(s), place(s), animal(s), action(s), idea(s)
- Person(s), things(s), place(s), animal(s), action(s), idea(s)
- Then
- Time
- There
- Place
- This, that - Singular thing, action, idea
- These, those - Plural things, actions, idea

This, that, these, and those can also be used with nouns: this person, that time, those animals,
or these places. After you have identified possible answers, you should read the sentence with
the answers in place of the reference. Which one is the most logical substitute? If you are not
sure, you can at least eliminate unlikely choices and guess.

Exercise 1
Read the items. Decide which word or phrase in the items is the correct referent for the boxed
word or phrase and underline it or (for Multiple-Choice items) mark the correct answer. If
there are two highlighted words or phrases, circle the first reference and underline the second.
1. X rays allow art historians to examine paintings internally without damaging them
2. The poisonous, plantlike anemone lives in a coral reef. When a small fish ventures near this
creature ,it is stung and eaten. For some reason, the anemone makes an exception of the
clown fish. Whén the clown fish is endangered by another fish, it dashes among the
anemone's tentacles. It even builds its nest where the anemone can protest it.
3. Florists often refrigerate cut flowers to protect their fresh appearance.
(A) Florists' (B) Flowers'
4. Water is an exception to many of nature's rules because of its unusual properties.
5. Yasuo Kuniyashi was born in Japan iri 1883 and studied art at the Los Angeles School of
Art and Design. He also studied art in New York City, where he gave his first one-man
show. In 1925 he moved from there to Paris where he was influenced by the works of
Chagall and other artists.
(A) Japan (B) Paris (C) Los Angeles (D) New York City
6. William Dean Howells, a contemporary and friend of Mark Twain, wrote a number of books
that realistically portrayed life on farms in Midwestern America. One of his followers,
Hamlin Garland, was even more bitter in his criticism of rural America than his mentor.
 Vocabulary Question
In vocabulary items, you must determine which of four words or phrases can best
substitute for a word or words in the passage. Most of the questions ask about single words
(usually nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs). Some ask about two- or three-word phrases.
Sometimes two of the answer choices for these items might be "correct" definitions of the word
that is asked about. In those cases, you must. decide which of the two is correct in the context of
the passage.

In ordinary reading, there are several clues that can help you to determine the meaning of an
unknown word:
 Synonyms
The first state to institute compulsory education was Massachusetts, which made it mandatory
for students to attend school twelve weeks a year.
The word mandatory is a synonym for the word compulsory

 Examples
Many gardeners use some kind of mulch, such as chopped leaves, peat moss, grass clippings,
pine needles, or wood chips, to stop the growth of weeds and hold in moisture.
From the examples given, it is clear that mulch is plant matter.

 Contrast
In the 1820s, the Southern states supported improvements in the national transportatidn system,
but the Northern states balked.
Since the Sbuthern states supported improvements, and since a word signaling contrast
(but) is used, it is clear that the Northern states disagreed with this idea, and that the word balked
must mean objected or refused.

 Generål Context
In a desert, vegetation is so scanty to be incapable of supporting any large human population.
As is generally known, deserts contain little vegetation, so clearly the word scanty must
mean scarce or barely sufficient.

When answering vocabulary items, you must most often depend on the general context of
the sentence to help you choose the correct answer. You should follow these steps to answer
vocabulary items.

1. Look at the word being asked about and the four answer choices. If you are familiar
with the word, guess which answer is correct. Do NOT mark your answer sheet yet.
2. Read the sentence in which the word appears. If you were familiar with the word and
gueeesd at the answer, make sure that the word that you chose fits with the word as it
is used in the sentence. If you were unfamiliar with the word, see if context clues in
the sentence before or in the sentences I or after help you guess the meaning.
3. If you are not sure which answer is correct, read the sentence with each of the four
answer choices in place. Does one seem more logical, given the context of the
sentence, than the other three? If not, do any seem illogical? (You can eliminate
those.)
4. If you're still not sure, make the best guess you can and go on.

Example
In Britain's North American colonics, university-trained physicians were at a
premium. At the time of the Revolution, there were probably only around 400
 physicians and some 3,000 practitioners who had on-the-job training as barber-
surgeons or physicians' apprentices.
The phrase at a premium in the first sentence is closest in meaning to
(A) well-paid. (B) not very numerous. (C) very experienced. (D) not well-respected.

Exercise 2
Write the wordfrom the passage that is the closest or most nearly opposite in meaning in
the blanks.
Passage 1
Everyday life in the British colonies of North America may now seem glamorous,
especially as reflected in antique shops. But judged by modern standards, it was quite a drab
existence. For most people, the labor was heavy and constant from daybreak to nightfall.
Basic comforts now taken for granted were lacking. Public buildings were often not heated at
all. Drafty homes were heated only by inefficient fireplaces. There was no running water or
indoor plumbing flickering light of candles and whale oil lamps provided inadequate
illumination. There was no sanitation service to dispose of garbage; instead, long-snouted hogs
were allowed to roam the streets, consuming refuse.

1. Find the word or phrase in paragraph 1 that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to
wold glamorous. __________
2. Find the word or Phrase in paragraph 2 that is closest in meaning to the word refuse.
______
Passage 2
Blood is a complex fluid composed of several types of cells suspended in plasma, the
liquid portion of the blood. Red blood cells make up the vast majority of blood cells.
Hemoglobin in the red blood cells picks up oxygen in the blood and delivers it to the tissues of
the body. Then these cells carry carbon dioxide from the body's cells to the lungs.
Think of it as a railroad that hauls freight. The cargo (oxygen) is loaded into a
railroad car (hemoglobin). Then the locomotive (a red blood cell) carries the cars where they
are needed. After unloading, the train returns with a different cargo (carbon dioxide) and the
process starts over.
Hemoglobin is the part of the cell that traps oxygen and carbon dioxide. It contains a
compound called porphyrin that consists of a carbon-based ring with four nitrogen atoms
facing a central hole. The nitrogen bonds to an iron atom, and the iron then captures one
molecule of oxygen or carbon dioxide.

4. Find the word or phrase in paragraph 2 that is closest in meaning to the word hauls.
_______
5. Find the word or phrase in paragraph 2 that is closest in meaning to the word cargo.
_______
6. Find the word or phrase in paragraph 3 that is closest in meaning to the word traps.

TOEFL Exercise
The Civil War created feverish manufacturing activity to supply critical material,
especially in the North. When the fighting stopped, the stage was set for dramatic economic
growth. Wartime taxes on production had vanished, and the few taxes that remained leaned
heavily on real estate , not on business. The population flow from farm to city increased, and
the labor force it provided was buttressed by millions of newly arrived immigrants willing to
work for low wages in the mills of the North and on the railroad crews of the Midwest and
West.
The federal government's position toward economic expansion was nothing if not
accomodating . The government established tariff barriers, provided loans and grants to build a
transcontinental railroad, and assumed a studied stance of nonintervention in private enterprise.
The Social Darwinism of British philosopher Herbert Spencer and American economist
William Graham Summer prevailed. The theory was that business, if left to its own devices ,
 would eliminate the weak and nurture the strong. But as business expanded, the rivalry heated
up. In the 1880s, five railroads operating between New York and Chicago vied for traffic, and
two more were under construction. As a result of the battle, the fare between the cities
decreased to $1. Petroleum companies likewise competed savagely and, in the 1880s, many of
them failed.
1. The Word feverish in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
(A) extremely rapid. (B) sickly and slow. (C) very dangerous. (D) understandable.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word critical in paragraph 1?

(A) Industftal (B) Serious (C) Crucial (D) Insulting

3. The phrase the stage was set in paragraph I is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) The play was over. (B) The progress continued. (C) The foundation was laid.
(D) The direction was clear.

4. Look at the word newcomers in the text below.

The population flow from farm to city increased, and the labor force it provided was
buttressed by millions of recent immigrants. These newcomer were willing to work for low
wages in the mills of the North and on the railroad crews of the Midwest and West.
Underline the word or phrase in the text that is closest in meaning to the word newcomers.

5. The phrase real estate in paragraph 1 refers to

(A) tools and machines. (B) actual income.
(C) new enterprises. (D) land and buildings.

6. The word buttressed in paragraph I is closest in meaning to s

(A) concerned. (B) supplemented. (C) restructured. (D) enriched.

7. The word accommodating in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) persistent. (B) indifferent. (C) balanced. (D) helpful.

8. Look at the word stance in the text below:

The federal government's position toward economic expansion was nothing if not
accommodating. It established tariff barriers, provided loans and grants to build a
transcontinental railroad, and assumed a studied stance of nonintervention in private
enterprise.
Underline the word or phrase in the text that is closest in meaning to the word stance.

9. The word prevailed in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

(A) influenced. (B) triumphed. (C) premiered. (D) evolved.

10. The phrase left to its own devices in paragraph 2 means

(A) forced to do additional work. (B) allowed to do as it pleased.
(C) made to change its plans. (D) encouraged to produce more goods.

11.Look at the word vied in the text below:

In the 1880s, five railroads operating between New York and Chicago vied for traffic, and
two more were under construction. As a result of the battle, the fare between the cities
decreased to $1. Petroleum companies likewise competed savagely and, in the 1880s, many
of them failed.
Underline the word or phrase in the bold text that is closest in meaning to the word vied.

12.The word them in the last line refers to

(A) Petroleum companies (B) railroads
(B) New York and Chicago (D) cities