DIKTAT READING

COMPREHENSION

NAMA: SILVIA INDAH PARAWANSAH

NIM: 20020074067
KELAS: PB 2020
MATA KULIAH: BAHASA INGGRIS

UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SURABAYA

2020
 READING COMPREHENSION

 50 questions 55 minutes
 The reading section consists of ± 5 passages from academic texts,
250-350 words each, with 10 questions per passage.

In this part of the test you will be given reading passages, and you will be
asked two types of questions about the reading passages:
1. Reading Comprehension questions
(ask you to answer questions about the information given in the reading passages)
2. Vocabulary questions
(ask you to identify the meanings of vocabulary words in the reading passages)

 GENERAL STRATEGIES
 Be familiar with the directions.
 Do not spend too much time reading the passages!
 Do not worry if a reading passage is on a topic that you are unfamiliar with.
 Never leave any answers blank on your answer sheet.
 Time is definitely a factor in the Reading Comprehension section.
Skill 1 : OVERVIEW ITEMS

(MAIN IDEA/TOPIC, MAIN PURPOSE, ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS, TONE,

PREVIOUS/FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS)

No Type Sample How to answer Tip

s
1. Main idea/topic 1. What is the topic of The answer to  Don’t answer
(ask you what the a the passage? this type of the initial
paragraph/passage is 2. What is the subject of questions can overview
generally about) the passage? generally be question about
determined by a passage until
3. What is the main idea
looking at the you have
of the passage?
first sentence of answered the
4. What is the author's each paragraph. other questions.
main point in the
passage?  The process of
answering the
2. Organization of idea 1. How is the detail questions
(ask you to determine information in the may give you a
how the ideas in one passage clearer idea of
paragraph relate to the organized? the main
ideas in another idea/topic,
2. How is the
paragraph) purpose,
information in the organization of
second paragraph idea and the
related to the tone of the
information in the passage.
first paragraph?
3. Main purpose 1. The author’s purpose
(ask why an author in writing is to
wrote a passage) 2. What is the author’s
main purpose in the
passage?
3. The main point of this
passage is to
4. Why did the author
write the passage?
4. Tone 1. What tone does the
(ask you to determine author take in writing
the author’s feelings this passage?
about the topic by the 2. The tone of this
language that uses) passage could
best
be described as
5. Previous or 1. What topic would the Previous/
following following/preceding preceding:
paragraphs paragraph most likely looking at the first
(asks you to deal with? sentence of the
demonstrate that you 2. The paragraph passages
understand that good before/after the Following/after:
writing contains passage most looking at the last
transitions from one probably sentence of the
paragraph to the next) discusses passages
Exercise:

Common types of calendars can be based on the Sun or the Moon. The solar calendar is
based on the solar year. Since the solar year is 365.2422 days long, solar calendars consist of
regular years of 365 days and have an extra day every fourth year, or leap year, to make up for
the additional fractional amount. In a solar calendar, the waxing and waning of the Moon can
take place at various stages each month.
The lunar calendar is synchronized to the lunar month rather than the solar year. Since
the lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days long, most lunar calendars have alternating
months of twenty-nine and thirty days. A twelve-month lunar year thus has 354 days, 11 days
shorter than a solar year.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

Common types of calendars can be based on the Sun or the Moon.
The lunar calendar is synchronized to the lunar month rather than the solar year.

(A) All calendars are the same

(B) The solar calendar is based on the Sun
(C) Different calendars have similar bases
(D) The lunar month is twenty-nine and a half days long

2. How is the information in the passage organized?

Common types of calendars can be based on the Sun or the Moon.
The lunar calendar is synchronized to the lunar month rather than the solar year.

(A) Characteristics of the solar calendar are outlined.

(B) Two types of calendars are described
(C) The strengths and weakness of the lunar calendar are described
(D) The length of each existing calendar is contrasted.

Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1966) is a well-known example of the "nonfiction novel,"
a popular type of writing based upon factual events in which the author attempts to describe
the underlying forces, thoughts, and emotions that lead to actual events. In Capote's book, the
author describes the sadistic murder of a family on a Kansas farm, often showing the point of
view of the killers. To research the book, Capote interviewed the murderers, and he maintains
that his book presents a faithful reconstruction of the incident.

3. The purpose of this passage is to

Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1966) is a well-known example of the
"nonfiction novel," a popular type of writing based upon factual events in which
the author attempts to describe the underlying forces, thoughts, and emotions
that lead to actual events.

(A) discuss an example of a particular literary genre

(B) tell the story of In Cold Blood
(C) explain Truman Capote's reasons for writing In Cold Blood
(D) describe how Truman Capote researched his nonfiction novel
4. Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?
Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (1966) is a well-known example of the
"nonfiction novel," a popular type of writing based upon factual events in which
the author attempts to describe the underlying forces, thoughts, and emotions
that lead to actual events.

(A) Cold
(B) Sadistic
(C) Emotional
(D) Descriptive

When a strong earthquake occurs on the ocean floor rather than on land, a tremendous
force is exerted on the seawater and one or more large, destructive waves called tsunamis can
be formed. Tsunamis are commonly called tidal waves in the United States, but this is really an
inappropriate name in that the cause of the tsunami is an underground earthquake rather than
the ocean's tides.
Far from land, a tsunami can move through the wide open vastness of the ocean at a
speed of 600 miles (900 kilometers) per hour and often can travel tremendous distances
without losing height and strength. When a tsunami reaches shallow coastal water, it can reach
a height of 100 feet (30 meters) or more and can cause tremendous flooding and damage to
coastal areas.

5. The paragraph preceding the passage most probably discusses

When a strong earthquake occurs on the ocean floor rather than on land

(A) tsunamis in various parts of the world

(B) the negative effects of tsunamis
(C) land-based earthquakes
(D) the effect of tides on tsunamis

6. Which of the following is most likely the topic of the paragraph following the passage?
When a tsunami reaches shallow coastal water, it can reach a height of 100 feet
(30 meters) or more and can cause tremendous flooding and damage to coastal
areas.

(A) The causes of tsunamis

(B) The destructive effects of tsunamis on the coast
(C) The differences between tsunamis and tidal waves
(D) The distances covered by tsunamis
Skill 2 : INFERENCE, PURPOSE, DETAILS, NEGATIVE AND LINE ITEMS

No Type Sample How to answer Tip

s
1. Inference 1. Which of the 1. Choose a  The answers to
(ask you to find the following can be key word in these
implicit, inferred, or inferred from the the question. questions are
implied meaning of a passage? 2. Scan the not directly
passage to understand 2. It can be inferred from passage for the provided in the
ideas that have not be the passage that key word (or a passage (you
directly stated by the 3. The author implies related idea). must “read
author) between the
that 3. Carefully read
lines”)
4. Which of the the sentence
that contains  You must
following does the
the key word. make
passage imply?
conclusions
4. Look for an
based
2. Purpose Items 1. Why does the author answer that
indirectly on
(ask why the author of a mention ? could be true,
information in
passage mentions according to
2. The author refers to the passage.
some piece of that sentence.
to indicate that
information, or includes 3. The author quotes
a quote
in order to show
from a person or a
study, or uses some 4. The phrase in
particular word or line is
phrase) mentioned to
illustrate the effect of
3. Details 1. According to the
(ask about explicit facts passage
and details given in the 2. It is stated in the
passage) passage
3. The passage
indicates that
4. The author mentions
that
4. Negative 1. According to the  Negative
(ask you to determine passage, all of the questions
which of the four following are true often take
choices is not given in EXCEPT more time
the passage. These 2. Which of the than other
questions contain the following is NOT questions.
words NOT, EXCEPT, mentioned in the  You may want
or LEAST) passage? to guess and
3. Which of the following come back to
is the LEAST these
questions if
likely
you have time.

5. Line 1. Where in the Choose the

(ask you to determine passage... ? answer that
where in the passage a contains the line
piece of information is numbers of a
found) restatement of
the question.
Exercise:
Eskimos need efficient and adequate means to travel across water in that the areas where
they live are surrounded by oceans, bays, and inlets and dotted with lakes and seas. Two different
types of boats have been developed by the Eskimos, each constructed to meet specific needs.
The kayak is something like a canoe that has been covered by a deck. A kayak is generally
constructed with one opening in the deck for one rider; however, some kayaks are made for two.
Because the deck of a kayak is covered over except for the hole (or holes) for its rider (or riders), a
kayak can tip over in the water and roll back up without filling with water and sinking. One of the
primary uses of the kayak is for hunting.

1. It is implied in the passage that if a kayak has two holes, then

 Keyword = hole
Because the deck of a kayak is covered over except for the hole (or holes) for its
rider (or riders)
 A hole for a rider

(A) it accommodates two riders

(B) it is less stable than a kayak with one hole
(C) it is as large as an umiak
(D) it cannot be used on the ocean

No one yet has seriously suggested that "planktonburgers" may soon become popular around
the world. As a possible farmed supplementary food source, however, plankton is gaining
considerable interest among marine scientists.
One type of plankton that seems to have great harvest possibilities is a tiny shrimplike
creature called krill. Growing to two or three inches long, krill provide the major food for the giant
blue whale, the largest animal ever to inhabit the Earth, flealizing that this whale may grow to 100
feet and weigh 150 tons at maturity, it is not surprising that each one devours more than one ton of
krill daily.

2. Why does the author mention "planktonburgers"?

 Keyword = planktonburgers
No one yet has seriously suggested that "planktonburgers" may soon
become popular around the world. As a possible farmed supplementary
food source,…..

(A) To describe the appearance of one type of plankton

(B) To illustrate how much plankton a whale consumes
(C) To suggest plankton as a possible food source
(D) To compare the food values of beef and plankton

Ice ages, those periods when ice covered extensive area of the Earth, are known to have
occurred at least six times. Past ice ages can be recognized from rock strata that show evidence of
foreign materials deposited by moving walls of ice or melting glaciers. Ice ages can also be
recognized from land formations that have been produced from moving walls of ice, such a U-
shaped valleys, sculptures landscapes, and polished rock faces.
3. According to the passage, what happens during an ice age?
 Keyword = Ice age
Ice ages, those periods when ice covered extensive area of the Earth, are
known to have occurred at least six times.

(A) Rock strata are recognized by geologists

(B) Evidence of foreign materials is found.
(C) Ice covers a large portion of the Earth’s surface
(D) Ice melts six times
 Blood plasma is a clear, almost colorless liquid. It consists of blood from which the red and
white blood cells have been removed. It is often used in transfusions because a patient
generally needs plasma portion of the blood more than the other components. Plasma differs
in several important ways from whole blood. First of all, plasma can be mixed for all donors and
does not have to be from the right blood group, as whole blood does. In addition, plasma can
be dried and stored, while whole blood cannot.

4. All of the following are true about blood plasma EXCEPT that
 Keyword = blood plasma
Blood plasma is a clear, almost colorless liquid

(A) It is a deeply colored liquid

(B) Blood cells have been taken out of it
(C) Patients are often transfused with it
(D) It is generally more important to the patients than other parts of whole blood

5. Which of the following is NOT stated about blood?

 Keyword = blood
In addition, plasma can be dried and stored, while whole blood cannot

(A) It is different from plasma

(B) It cannot be dried
(C) It is impossible to keep it in storage for a long time.
(D) It is a clear, colorless liquid

Beavers generally live in family clusters consisting of six to ten members. One cluster
would probably consist of two adults, one male and one female, and four to eight young
beavers, or kits. A female beaver gives birth each spring to two to four babies at a time. These
baby beavers live with their parents until they are two years old. In the springtime of their
second year they are forced out of the family group to make room for the new babies. These
two-year-old beavers then proceed to start new family clusters of their own.

6. Where in the passage does the author give the name of a baby beaver?
 Keyword = baby beaver
One cluster would probably consist of two adults, one male and one female, and
four to eight young beavers, or kits.

(A) Line 1
(B) Line 2
(C) Line 3
(D) Lines 4-5
Skill 3 : VOCABULARY ITEMS

No Typ Sample How to answer Tips

e
1. Word parts 1. What is 1. Find the word  Read the sentence
(asked to determine the in the in which the word
the meaning of a meaning passage. appears. If you
long of 2. Read the were familiar with
word by studying the 2. Which of sentence that the word and
word parts) the contains the guessed at the
2. Word meaning following is word answer, make sure
(asked to closest in carefully. that the word that
determine meaning to 3. Look for you chose fits with
the meaning of a 3. The phrase in context clues the word as it is
the first to help you used in the
word, a word that
sentence is understand the sentence.
you are not
closest in meaning.  If you were
expected to know meaning to 4. Choose the unfamiliar with the
or a word that you 4. The word in answer that word, see if
see often in paragraph 1 is the context context clues in the
everyday English) closest in indicates. sentence or in the
meaning to sentences before
or after help you
guess the
meaning.

The following chart contains a few word parts that you will need to know to complete
the exercises in this part of the text. A more complete list of word parts and exercises to
practice them can be found in Appendix I at the back of the book.

A SHORT LIST OF WORD PARTS

PART MEANING EXAMPLE PART MEANING EXAMPLE

CONTRA (against) contrast DIC (say) dictate
MAL (bad) malcontent DOMIN (master) dominant
MIS (error) mistake JUD (judge) judgment
SUB (under) subway MOR (death) mortal
DEC (ten) decade SPEC (see) spectator
MULTI (many) multiple TERR (earth) territory
SOL (one) solo VER (turn) divert
TRI (three) triple VIV (live) revive
Exercise:

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese-born explorer who is credited with the
exploration of the coast of what is today the state of California. Sketchy military records from
the period show that early in his career he served with the Spanish army from 1520 to 1524 in
Spain's quest for subjugation of the people in what are today Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala.
Little is known of his activities over the next decades, but apparently he succeeded in rising up
through the ranks of the military; in 1541, he was ordered by Antonio de Mendoza, the Spanish
ruler of Mexico, to explore the western coast of North America. Cabrillo set out in June of 1542
in command of two ships, the San Salvador and the Victoria; he reached San Diego Bay on
September 28, 1542, and claimed the terrain for Spain. The peninsula where he landed is today
named Cabrillo Point in his honor; the area has been established as a national monument and
park, and local residents each year hold a celebration and reenactment of Cabrillo's landing.

1. The word "subjugation" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

 Sub = under

(A) religion
(B) flag
(C) control
(D) agreement

2. In line 5, the word "decades" is closest in meaning to

 Dec = ten

(A) months
(B) centuries
(C) long epoch
(D) ten-year periods

3. In line 9, the word "terrain" is closest in meaning to

 Terr = earth

(A) land
(B) population
(C) minerals
(D) prosperity
 The black widow is the most dangerous spider living in the United States. It is most
common in the southern parts of the country, but it can be found throughout the country. The
black widow got its name because the female has been known to kill the male after mating and,
as a result, becomes a widow.
The black widow is rather distinctive in appearance; it has a shiny globular body, the size
and shape of a pea, and is marked on its underbelly with a red or yellow spot. The female is
considerably more ample than the male, roughly four times large on the average.
If a human is bitten by a black widow, the spider’s poison can cause severe illness
and pain. Black widow bites have occasionally proved deadly, but it is certainly not the norm
for black widow bites to be mortal.

4. In line 4, the word "widow" means

The black widow got its name because the female has been known to kill the
male after mating and, as a result, becomes a widow.

(A) a type of poison

(B) the dead male spider
(C) the human victim of the spider
(D) a female whose mate has died

5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "globular" in line 5?

The black widow is rather distinctive in appearance; it has a shiny globular
body, the size and shape of a pea.

(A) Earthen
(B) Luminescent
(C) Green in color
(D) Round

6. The word "ample" in line 7 indicates that the spider is

The female is considerably more ample than the male, roughly four times
large on the average.

(A) feminine
(B) large in size
(C) dotted with colors
(D) normal
Skill 4 : REFERENCE ITEMS

No Typ Sampl How to answer

e e
1. Reference Items (ask The pronoun......in line 1. Find the pronoun in
you to find the noun X refers to which o f the passage.
(called the referent) that the following? 2. Look for nouns that
a pronoun or other word come before the
refers to) pronoun.
3. Read the part of the
passage before the
pronoun
carefully.

Exercise:

The full moon that occurs nearest the equinox of the Sun has become known as the
harvest moon. It is a bright moon which allows farmers to work late into the night for several
nights; they can work when the moon is at its brightest to bring in the fall harvest. The harvest
moon of course occurs at different times of the year in the northern and southern
hemispheres. In the northern hemisphere, the harvest moon occurs in September at the time
of the autumnal equinox. In the southern hemisphere, the harvest moon occurs in March at the
time of the vernal equinox.

1. The pronoun "It" in line 2 refers to

(A) the equinox
(B) the Sun
(C) the harvest moon
(D) the night

2. The pronoun "they" in line 3 refers to

(A) farmers
(B) nights
(C) times of the year
(D) northern and southern hemispheres
Reading Exercise 1
Line Having no language, infants cannot be told what they need to learn. Yet by the
age of three they will have mastered the basic structure of their native language and
will be well on their way to communicative competence. Acquiring their language is
a most impressive intellectual feat. Students of how children learn language
5 generally agree that the most remarkable aspect of this feat is the rapid acquisition
of grammar. Nevertheless, the ability of children to conform to grammatical rules is
only slightly more wonderful than their ability to learn words. It has been reckoned
that the average high school graduate in the United States has a reading
vocabulary of 80. 000 words, which includes idiomatic expressions and proper
10 names of people and places. This vocabulary must have been learned over a period
of 16 years. From the figures, it can be calculated that the average child learns at a
rate of about 13 new words per day. Clearly a learning process of great
complexity goes on at a rapid rate in children.

1. What is the main subject of the 4. In line 8, the word "which" refers to
passage. (A) their ability
(A) Language acquisition in children (B) reading vocabulary
(B) Teaching languages to children (C) idiomatic expression
(C) How to memorize words (D) learning process
(D) Communicating with infants
5. According to the passage, what is
2. The word "feat" in line 5 is impressive about the way children
closest in meaning to which of learn vocabulary.
the following? (A) They learn words before they
(A) Experiment learn grammar
(B) Idea (B) They learn even very long words.
(C) Activity (C) They learn words very quickly.
(D) Accomplishment (D) They learn the most words in
high school.
3. The word "reckoned' in line 7 is
closest in meaning to which of the
following?
(A) Suspected
(B) Estimated
(C) Proved
(D) Said

Line By the late nineteenth century, the focus for the engineers and builders of
tunnels was beginning to shift from Europe to the United States and especially New
York, where the rivers encircling Manhattan captured the imagination of tunnelers
and challenged their ingenuity. The first to accept the challenge was a somewhat
5 mysterious Californian named DeWitt Clinton Haskin, who turned up in New York in
the 1870's with a proposal to tunnel through the silt under the Hudson River
between Manhattan and Jersey City.
Haskin eventually abandoned the risky project. But a company organized by
William McAdoo resumed the attack in I 902, working from both directions.
10 McAdoo’s men were forced to blast when they ran into an unexpected ledge of rock,
but with this obstacle surmounted. The two headings met in 1904 and McAdoo
donned oilskins to become the Hudson’s first underwater bank - to - bank
pedestrian. World's Work magazine proudly reported in 1906 that New York could
now be described as a body of land surrounded by tunnels Three one - way shafts
beneath the Hudson and two under the Harlem River were already holed through;
three more Hudson tubes were being built. Eight separate tunnels
were under construction beneath the East River.
6. According to the passage, DeWitt 8. According to the passage, when
Clinton Haskin came from did William McAdoo begin to work
(A) Jersey City on the Hudson River tunnel?
(B) Europe (A) 1870
(C) California (B) 1902
(D) New York (C) 1904
(D) 1906
7. What does the author imply about
DeWitt Clinton Haskin's 9. According to the passage, the
background? workers tunneling for William
(A) It did not qualify him to McAdoo were surprised to find
handle explosives. which of the following where they
(B) It was not something people were working?
knew much about. (A) Oil
(C) It included diverse work (B) Silt
experiences. (C) Rock
(D) It included many inferior projects. (D) Shafts
 Reading Exercise 2
Line The term ‘virus’ is derived from the Latin word for poison or slime. It was
originally applied to the noxious stench emanating from swamps that was thought
to cause a variety of diseases in the centuries before microbes were discovered
and specifically linked to illness. But it was not until almost the end of the
5 nineteenth century that a true virus was proven to be the cause of a disease.
The nature of viruses made them impossible to detect for many years even
after bacteria had been discovered and studied. Not only are viruses too small to be
seen with a light microscope, they also cannot be detected through their biological
activity, except as it occurs in conjunction with other organisms. In fact, viruses
10 show no traces of biological activity by themselves. Unlike bacteria, they are not
living agents in the strictest sense Viruses are very simple pieces of organic
material composed only of nucleic acid, either DNA or RNA, enclosed in a coat of
protein made up of simple structural units (some viruses also contain carbohydrates
and lipids). They are parasites, requiring human, animal or plant cells to live. The
15 virus replicates by attaching to a cell and injecting its nucleic acid.' once inside the
cell, the DNA or RNA that contains the virus' genetic information takes over the
cell's biological machinery, and the cell begins to manufacture viral proteins
rather than its own.

1. Which of the following is the best 4. The word “nature" in line 6 is

title for the passage? closest in meaning to which of the
(A) New Developments in Viral following
Research (A)Self-sufficiency
(B) Exploring the Causes of Disease (B)Shapes
(C) DNA: Nature’s Building Block (C) Characteristics
(D) Understanding Viruses (D)Speed

2. Before microbes were discovered It 5. All of the following may be

was believed that some diseases components of a virus EXCEPT
were caused by (A)RNA
(A) germ-carrying insects (B)plant cells
(B) certain strains of bacteria (C) carbohydrates
(C) foul odors released from swamps (D)a coat of protein
(D) slimy creatures living near
swamps

3. The word "proven" in line 5 is

closest meaning to which of the
following.
(A)Shown
(B)Feared
(C)Imagined
(D)Considered

Line Born in 1830 in rural Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson spent her entire
life in the household of her parents. Between 1858 and 1862, it was later discovered,
she wrote like a person possessed, often producing a poem a day. It was also during
this period that her life was transformed into the myth of Amherst.
5 Withdrawing more and more, keeping to her room sometimes even refusing to
see visitors who called, she began to dress only in white-a habit that added to her
reputation as an eccentric.
In their determination to read Dickinson's life in terms of a traditional romantic
10 plot biographers have missed the unique pattern of her life-her struggle to create a
female life not yet imagined by the culture in which she lived. Dickinson was not the
innocent, lovelorn
 and emotionally fragile girl sentimentalized by the Dickinson myth and popularized by
William Luce’s 1976 play, The BeIle of Amherst. Her decision to shut the door on
Amherst society in the 1950's transformed her house into a kind of magical realm in
which she was free to engage her poetic genius. Her seclusion was not the result of
15 a failed love affairs but rather a part of a more general pattern of renunciation
through which she, in her quest for self – sovereignty, carried on an argument with
the Puritan fathers, attacking with wit and irony their cheerless Calvinist doctrine,
their stern patriarchal God, and their rigid notions of
"true womanhood."

6. What is the author's main purpose in 9. The author implies that many
the passage? people attribute Emily Dickinson's
(A)To interpret Emily seclusion to
Dickinson’s eccentric (A)physical illness
behavior (B)a failed love affair
(B)To promote the popular myth of (C) religious fervor
Emily Dickinson (D)her dislike of people
(C) To discuss Emily Dickinson's
failed love affair 10. It can be inferred from the passage
(D)To describe the religious
that Emily Dickinson lived in a
climate in Emily Dickinson's
time society that was characterized by
(A)strong Puritan beliefs
7. Which of the following is NOT (B)equality of men and women
mentioned as being one of (C) the encouragement
of nonconformity
Emily Dickinson's
(D)the appreciation of poetic creativity
eccentricities?
(A) Refusing to eat
(B) Wearing only white
(C) Avoiding visitors
(D) Staying in her room

8. Why does the author mention

William Luce's play The Belle of
Amherst?
(A)To give an example of the
sentimentalized Emily
Dickinson myth
(B)To show how popular Emily
Dickinson's poems have
become
(C) To show that Emily Dickinson
was also an actress
(D)To illustrate the theatrical quality
of Emily Dickinson's poems
Reading Exercise 3
Line There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The
one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved
from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human
beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as
5 unpredictable, and they sought through various means, to control these unknown
and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results
were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually
stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed
some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and
10 provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites
contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were
almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for
performances, and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division
15 was usually made between the "acting area" and the "auditorium." In addition, there
were performers, and since considerable importance was attached to avoiding
mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.
Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or
supernatural beings, and mimed the desired effect- success in hunt or battle, the
20 coming rain, the revival of the Sun-as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic
representations were separated from religious activities.
Another theory traces the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling.
According to this view, tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually
elaborated at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a
narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person.
A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical
and gymnastic or that are
imitations of animal movements and sounds.

1. What does the passage mainly 4. Which of the following is NOT

discuss? mentioned as a common
(A)The origins of theater element of theater and ritual?
(B)The role of ritual in modern dance (A)Dance
(C)The importance of storytelling (B)Costumes
(D)The variety of early (C) Music
religious activities (D)Magic

2. The word "they" in line 4 refers to 5. Where in the passage does the
(A)seasonal changes author discuss the separation of the
(B)natural forces stage and the audience?
(C)theories (A)Lines 7-8
(D)human beings (B)Lines 12-13
(C) Lines 15-16
3. What aspect of drama does the
author discuss in the first (D)Lines 18-20
paragraph?
(A) The reason drama is 6. The word "considerable" in line
often unpredictable 15 is closest in meaning to
(B) The seasons in which dramas (A)thoughtful
were performed (B)substantial
(C) The connection between myths (C) relational
and dramatic plots (D)ceremonial
(D) The importance of costumes in
early drama
7. The word "enactment" in line 9. The word "they" in line 16 refers to
15 is closest in meaning to (A)mistakes
(A)establishment (B)costumes
(B)performance (C) animals
(C)authorization (D)performers
(D)season
10. According to the passage, what is
8. The passage supports which of the main difference between ritual
the following statements? and drama?
(A) No one really knows how (A) Ritual uses music whereas
the theater began. drama does not.
(B) Myths are no longer (B) Ritual is shorter than drama.
represented dramatically. (C) Ritual requires fewer
(C) Storytelling is an important part performers than drama.
of dance. (D) Ritual has a religious purpose
(D) Dramatic activities require the and drama does not.
use of costumes.
Reading Exercise 4
Line Panel painting, common in thirteenth -and fourteenth -century Europe,
involved a painstaking, laborious process. Wooden planks were joined, covered
with gesso to prepare the surface for painting, and then polished smooth with
special tools. On this perfect surface, the artist would sketch a composition with
5 chalk, refine it with inks, and then begin the deliberate process of applying thin
layers of egg tempera paint (egg yolk in which pigments are suspended) with small
brushes. The successive layering of these meticulously applied paints produced the
final, translucent colors.
Backgrounds of gold were made by carefully applying sheets of gold leaf, and
10 then embellishing of decorating the gold leaf by punching it with a metal rod on
which a pattern had been embossed. Every step in the process was slow and
deliberate. The quick-drying tempera demanded that the artist know exactly where
each stroke be placed before the brush met the panel, and it required the use of
fine brushes. It was, therefore, an ideal technique for emphasizing the hard linear
15 edges and pure, fine areas of color that were so much a part of the overall aesthetic
of the time. The notion that an artist could or would dash off an idea in a fit of
spontaneous inspiration was completely alien to these deliberately produced works.
Furthermore, making these paintings was so time-consuming that it demanded
assistance. All such work was done by collective enterprise in the workshops. The
20 painter or master who is credited with having created painting may have designed
the work and overseen its production, but it is highly unlikely that the artist's hand
applied every stroke of the brush. More likely, numerous assistants, who had been
trained to imitate the artist's style, applied the paint. The carpenter's shop probably
provided the frame and perhaps supplied the panel, and yet another shop supplied
25 the gold. Thus, not only many hands, but also many shops were involved in the final
product.
In spite of problems with their condition, restoration, and preservation many
panel
paintings have survived, and today many of them are housed in museum collections.

1. What aspect of panel paintings does 4. The word "deliberate" in line 5

the passage mainly discuss? is closest in meaning to
(A) Famous examples (A) decisive
(B) Different styles (B) careful
(C) Restoration (C) natural
(D) Production (D) unusual

2. According to the passage, what does 5. Which of the following processes

the first step in making a panel produced the translucent colors
painting? found on panel paintings?
(A) Mixing the paint (A) Joining wooden planks to form
(B) Preparing the panel large sheets
(C) Buying the gold leaf (B) Polishing the gesso
(D) Making ink drawings (C) Applying many layers of paint
(D) Covering the background with
3. The word "it" in line 4 refers to gold leaf
(A) chalk
(B) composition 6. What characteristic of tempera
(C) artist paint is mentioned in the passage?
(D) surface (A) It dries quickly
(B) It is difficult to make
(C) It dissolves easily
(D) It has to be applied directly to wood
7. The word "demanded" in line 9. The word "imitate" in line 21 is
17 is closest in meaning to closest in meaning to
(A) ordered (A) copy
(B) reported (B) illustrate
(C) required (C) promote
(D) questioned (D) believe in

8. The "collective enterprise" 10. The author mentions all of the

mentioned in line 18 includes all of following as problems with the
the following EXCEPT survival of panel painting EXCEPT
(A) supplying the gold leaf (A) condition
(B) building the panels (B) theft
(C) applying the paint (C) preservation
(D) selling the painting (D) restoration
Reading Exercise 5
Line No two comets ever look identical, but they have basic features in common,
one of the most obvious of which is a coma. A coma looks like a misty, patch of
light with one or more tails often streaming from it in the direction away from the
Sun. At the heart of a comet's coma lies a nucleus of solid material, typically no
5 more than 10 kilometers across. The visible coma is a huge cloud of gas and dust
that has escaped from the nucleus, which it then surrounds like an extended
atmosphere. The coma can extend as far as a million kilometers outward from the
nucleus. Around the coma there is often an even larger invisible envelope of
hydrogen gas.
10 The most graphic proof that the grand spectacle of a comet develops from a
relatively small and inconspicuous chunk of ice and dust was the close-up image
obtained in 1986 by the European Giotto probe of the nucleus of Halley's Comet. It
turned out to be a bit like a very dark asteroid, measuring 16 by 8 kilometers. Ices
have evaporated from its outer layers to leave a crust of nearly black dust all over
15 the surface. Bright jets of gas from evaporating ice burst out on the side facing the
Sun, where the surface gets heated up, carrying dust with them. This is how the
coma and the tails are created.
Comets grow tails only when they get warm enough for ice and dust to boil off.
As a comet's orbit brings it closer to the Sun, first the coma grows and then two
20 distinct tails usually form. One, the less common kind, contains electrically charged
(i.e., ionized) atoms of gas, which are blown off directly in the direction away from
the Sun by the magnetic field of the solar wind. The other tail is made of neutral
dust particles, which get gently pushed back by the pressure of the sunlight itself.
Unlike the ion tail, which is straight, the
dust tail becomes curved as the particles follow their own orbits around the Sun.

1. The passage focuses on comets 5. The word "graphic" in line 9 is

primarily in terms of their closest in meaning to
(A) orbital patterns (A) mathematical
(B) coma and tails (B) popular
(C) brightness (C) unusual
(D) size (D) vivid

2. The word "identical" in line 1 is 6. Why does the author mention the
closest in meaning to Giotto probe in paragraph 3?
(A) equally fast (A) It had a relatively small
(B) exactly alike and inconspicuous
(C) near each other nucleus.
(D) invisible (B) It was very similar to an asteroid.
(C) It was covered with an unusual
3. The word "heart" in line 3 is black dust.
closest in meaning to (D) It provided visual evidence of
(A) center the makeup of a comet's
(B) edge nucleus.
(C) tail
(D) beginning 7. Which of the following occurred as
the ices from Halley's Comet
4. It can be inferred from the passage evaporated?
that the nucleus of a comet is made (A) Black dust was left on the
up of comet's surface.
(A) dust and gas (B) The nucleus of the comet expanded.
(B) ice and dust (C) The tail of the comet
(C) hydrogen gas straightened out.
(D) electrically charged atoms (D) Jets of gas caused the
comet to increase its speed.
8. All of the following statements about
the tails of comets are true 10. Compared to the tail of
EXCEPT: electrically charged atoms,
(A) They can contain electrically the tail of neutral dust
charged or neutral particles. particles is relatively
(B) They can be formed only when (A) long
there is sufficient heat. (B) curved
(C) They are formed before the (C) unpredictable
coma expands. (D) bright
(D) They always point in the
direction away from the Sun.
11. Compared to the tail of
electrically charged atoms,
9. The word "distinct" in line
the tail of neutral dust
17 is closest in meaning to particles is relatively
(A) visible (A) long
(B) gaseous (B) curved
(C) separate (C) unpredictable
(D) new (D) bright