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Practice Reading G

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Question 1- 11

	The United States Constitution makes no provision for the nomination of candidates
	for the presidency. As the framers of the Constitution set up the system, the electors would,
	out of their own knowledge, select the "wisest and best" as President. But the rise of
	political parties altered that system drastically — and with the change came the need for
	nominations.
	The first method that the parties developed to nominate presidential candidates was
	the congressional caucus, a small group of members of Congress. That method was
	regularly used in the elections of 1800 to 1824. But its closed character led to its downfall
	in the mid-1820's. For the election of 1832, both major parties turned to the national
	convention as their nominating device. It has continued to serve them ever since.
	With the convention process, the final selection of the President is, for all practical
	purposes, narrowed to one of two persons: the Republican or the Democratic party
	nominee. Yet there is almost no legal control of that vital process.
	The Constitution is silent on the subject of presidential nominations. There is, as well,
	almost no statutory law on the matter. The only provisions in federal law have to do with
	the financing of conventions. And in each state there is only a small body of laws that deal
	with issues related to the convention, such as the choosing of delegates and the manner in
	which they may cast their votes. In short, the convention is very largely a creation and a
	responsibility of the political parties themselves.
	In both the Republican and Democratic parties, the national committee is charged with
	making the plans and arrangements for the national convention. As much as a year before
	it is held, the committee meets (usually in Washington, D.C.) to set the time and place for
	the convention. July has been the favored month; but each party has met in convention as
	early as mid-June and also as late as the latter part of August.
	Where the convention is held is a matter of prime importance. There must be an
	adequate convention hall, sufficient hotel accommodations, plentiful entertainment outlets,
	and efficient transportation facilities.

1. Which of the following motivated a change in the original method of selecting a President of the United States?

(A) The framers of the Constitution
(B) The rise of the congressional caucus
(C) The emergence of the party system
(D) The establishment of national conventions

Correct Answer: C

2. When was the congressional caucus used?

(A) In the early 1800's
(B) During the election of 1832
(C) Throughout the nineteenth century
(D) In several recent elections

Correct Answer: A

3. What can be inferred about why the congressional caucus system was terminated?

(A) It was too expensive.
(B) It took too much time.
(C) It did not conform to the Constitution.
(D) It did not include enough citizens.

Correct Answer: D

4. The word "them" in line 10 refers to

(A) conventions
(B) parties
(C) elections
(D) candidates

Correct Answer: B

5. The word "Yet" in line 13 indicates that what follows is

(A) an unexpected fact
(B) a personal observation
(C) a list
(D) an example

Correct Answer: A

6. The word "vital" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) extremely important
(B) always accessible
(C) political
(D) optional

Correct Answer: A

7. According to the passage, the only aspect of political conventions addressed by federal law involves

(A) organization
(B) choosing delegates
(C) voting procedures
(D) funding

Correct Answer: D

8. In paragraph 4, the author compares

(A) nominations and conventions
(B) finances and the Constitution
(C) delegates and candidates
(D) federal and state laws

Correct Answer: D

9. The words "charged with" in lines 20-21 are closest in meaning to

(A) responsible for
(B) excited about
(C) blamed for
(D) in favor of

Correct Answer: A

10. The passage refers to all of the following as necessary in the city where the convention is held EXCEPT

(A) an acceptable meeting place
(B) politically aware citizens
(C) an easy way of traveling around the city
(D) sufficient amusement opportunities

Correct Answer: B

11. Where in the passage does the author refer to the original method of selecting a president?

(A) Lines 2-3
(B) Lines 11-13
(C) Lines 18-19
(D) Lines 20-21

Correct Answer: A

Questions 12 – 17

	Several hundred million years ago, plants similar to modern ferns covered vast
	stretches of the land. Some were as large as trees, with giant fronds bunched at the top of
	trunks as straight as pillars. Others were the size of bushes and formed thickets of me
	undergrowth. Still others lived in the shade of giant club mosses and horsetails along the
	edges of swampy lagoons where giant amphibians swam.
	A great number of these plants were true ferns, reproducing themselves without fruits
	or seeds. Others had only the appearance of ferns. Their leaves had organs of sexual
	reproduction and produced seeds. Although their "flowers" did not have corollas these
	false ferns (today completely extinct) ushered in the era of flowering plants.
	Traces of these flora of the earliest times have been preserved in the form of fossils.
	Such traces are most commonly found in shale and sandstone rocks wedged between coal
	beds.
	Today only tropical forests bear living proof of the ancient greatness of ferns. The
	species that grow there are no longer those of the Carboniferous period, but their variety
	and vast numbers, and the great size of some, remind us of the time when ferns ruled the
	plant kingdom.

12. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Plant reproduction
(B) How to locate fossils
(C) An ancient form of plant life
(D) Tropical plant life

Correct Answer: C

13. The word "others" in line 3 refers to

(A) plants
(B) pillars
(C) trees
(D) fronds

Correct Answer: A

14. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of the plants described in the passage?

(A) They once spread over large areas of land.
(B) They varied greatly in size.
(C) They coexisted with amphibians, mosses, and horsetails.
(D) They clung to tree trunks and bushes for support

Correct Answer: D

15. The word "true" in line 6 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

(A) accurate
(B) genuine
(C) straight
(D) dependable

Correct Answer: B

16. The author states that fossils of early plant life are usually found in rocks located between deposits of

(A) coal
(B) shale
(C) sandstone
(D) corollas

Correct Answer: A

17. The word "bear" in line 13 could best be replaced by which of the following?

(A) call for
(B) provide
(C) tolerate
(D) suffer

Correct Answer: B

Questions 18 – 28

	The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular
	population boom in the West. Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms.
	Throughout much of its history, western settlement had been characterized by spurts,
	rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold
	and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's. The decade after the First World War — the
	1920's — witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into
	urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930's brought this expansion to a halt;
	some of the more sparsely settled parts of the region actually lost population as migrants
	sought work in more heavily industrialized areas. By 1941,when the United States entered
	the Second World War and began to mobilize, new job opportunities were created in the
	western part of the nation.
	If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was
	most striking on the Pacific coast, it also affected interior cities like Denver, Phoenix, and
	Salt Lake City. Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants
	in Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California. The
	flow of people into these areas provided an enormous impetus to the expansion of the
	service industries — banks, health care services, and schools. Although strained to the
	limit by the influx of newcomers, western communities welcomed the vast reservoir of new
	job opportunities. At the same time, the unprecedented expansion of government
	installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian
	openings. As land had served as a magnet for western migrants in the late nineteenth
	century, so wartime mobilization set in motion another major expansion of population.
	Indeed, it could be said that the entire western United States became a giant boomtown
	during the Second World War. This was especially true of California. Of the more than
	eight million people who moved into the West in the decade after 1940, almost one-half
	went to the Pacific coast. In fact, between 1940 and 1950, California's population surged
	by more than three million people.

18. What is the main point of the passage?

(A) California dominated the economic growth of the West during the Second World War.
(B) Industrial growth during the 1940's attracted large numbers of people to the West.
(C) The military drew people away from civilian jobs during the 1940's.
(D) The West experienced gradual and steady economic growth from 1900 to 1940.

Correct Answer: B

19. The word "triggered" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) was connected to
(B) generated
(C) interfered with
(D) illuminated

Correct Answer: B

20. Why does the author mention "the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's" in the first paragraph?

(A) As causes of gradual population growth
(B) As contrasts to later patterns of population growth
(C) As illustrations of a market economy
(D) As examples of western population booms

Correct Answer: D

21. Which of the following occurred in the West during the 1920's?

(A) Gold and silver deposits were discovered.
(B) The population density gradually increased.
(C) The population of the cities increased significantly.
(D) Many military bases were established.

Correct Answer: C

22. According to the passage, the depression of the 1930's caused which of the following?

(A) A lack of population growth in the West
(B) The building of new suburbs
(C) A creation of more job opportunities
(D) A growth in immigration from abroad

Correct Answer: A

23. Which of the following statements about the shipbuilding industry is suggested by the passage?

(A) It came into being during the First World War.
(B) Many new shipbuilding yards were established on the Pacific coast during the 1940's.
(C) Denver was considered to be a poor location for shipbuilding factories.
(D) Shipbuilding was the dominant industry in Oregon and Washington.

Correct Answer: B

24. The word "it" in line 13 refers to

(A) expansion
(B) Denver
(C) manufacturing
(D) the Pacific coast

Correct Answer: A

25. The word "enormous" in line 16 is closest in meaning to

(A) unexpected
(B) immense
(C) adequate
(D) important

Correct Answer: B

26. The passage suggests that industrialization in the West led to all of the following EXCEPT

(A) A reduction in the price of land
(B) An increase in school construction
(C) Improved access to doctors
(D) An increase in the number of banks

Correct Answer: A

27. According to the passage, what was one result of the building of new military bases in the West in the 1940's?

(A) Military bases in other parts of the United States were closed.
(B) Many settlers were forced off their land.
(C) Many civilian jobs were created.
(D) The cost of living rose sharply in California and other western states.

Correct Answer: C

28. It can be inferred from the passage that the principal cause of California's population surge between 1940 and 1950 was

(A) the increased availability of land
(B) people's desire to live in a warm, coastal climate
(C) the industrial mobilization necessitated by the Second World War
(D) overcrowding in urban areas in other regions of the United States

Correct Answer: C

Questions 29 – 39

	For 150 years scientists have tried to determine the solar constant, the amount of
	solar energy that reaches the Earth. Yet, even in the most cloud-free regions of the planet,
	the solar constant cannot be measured precisely. Gas molecules and dust particles in the
	atmosphere absorb and scatter sunlight and prevent some wavelengths of the light from
	ever reaching the ground.
	With the advent of satellites, however, scientists have finally been able to measure the
	Sun's output without being impeded by the Earth's atmosphere. Solar Max, a satellite from
	the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has been measuring the Sun's
	output since February 1980. Although a malfunction in the satellite's control system limited
	its observation for a few years, the satellite was repaired in orbit by astronauts from the
	space shuttle in 1984. Max's observations indicate that the solar constant is not really
	constant after all.
	The satellite's instruments have detected frequent, small variations in the Sun's
	energy output, generally amounting to no more than 0.05 percent of the Sun's mean
	energy output and lasting from a few days to a few weeks. Scientists believe these
	fluctuations coincide with the appearance and disappearance of large groups of sunspots
	on the Sun's disk. Sunspots are relatively dark regions on the Sun's surface that have
	strong magnetic fields and a temperature about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the
	rest of the Sun's surface. Particularly large fluctuations in the solar constant have coincided
	with sightings of large sunspot groups. In 1980, for example, Solar Max's instruments
	registered a 0.3 percent drop in the solar energy reaching the Earth. At that time a sunspot
	group covered about 0.6 percent of the solar disk, an area 20 times larger than the Earth's
	surface.
	Long-term variations in the solar constant are more difficult to determine. Although
	Solar Max's data have indicated a slow and steady decline in the Sun's output, some
	scientists have thought that the satellite's aging detectors might have become less
	sensitive over the years, thus falsely indicating a drop in the solar constant. This possibility
	was dismissed, however, by comparing Solar Max's observations with data from a similar
	instrument operating on NASA's Nimbus 7 weather satellite since 1978.

29. What does this passage mainly discuss?

(A) The launching of a weather satellite
(B) The components of the Earth's atmosphere
(C) The measurement of variations in the solar constant
(D) The interaction of sunlight and air pollution

Correct Answer: C

30. Why does the author mention "gas" and "dust" in line 3?

(A) They magnify the solar constant.
(B) They are found in varying concentrations.
(C) Scientific equipment is ruined by gas and dust.
(D) They interfere with accurate measurement of the solar constant.

Correct Answer: D

31. Why is it not possible to measure the solar constant accurately without a satellite?

(A) The Earth is too far from the Sun.
(B) Some areas on Earth receive more solar energy than others.
(C) There is not enough sunlight during the day.
(D) The Earth's atmosphere interferes with the sunlight.

Correct Answer: D

32. The word "scatter" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) emit
(B) capture
(C) transform
(D) disperse

Correct Answer: D

33. The word "its" in line 10 refers to the

(A) orbit
(B) atmosphere
(C) satellite
(D) malfunction

Correct Answer: C

34. The word "detected" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) estimated
(B) disregarded
(C) registered
(D) predicted

Correct Answer: C

35. According to the passage, scientists believe variations in the solar constant are related to

(A) sunspot activity
(B) unusual weather patterns
(C) increased levels of dust
(D) fluctuations in the Earth's temperature

Correct Answer: A

36. The word "decline" in line 25 is closest in meaning to

(A) fall
(B) reversal
(C) release
(D) fluctuation

Correct Answer: A

37. Why did scientists think that Solar Max might be giving unreliable information?

(A) Solar Max did not work for the first few years.
(B) The space shuttle could not fix Solar Max's instruments.
(C) Solar Max's instruments were getting old.
(D) Nimbus 7 interfered with Solar Max's detectors.

Correct Answer: C

38. The phrase "This possibility" in line 27 refers to the likelihood that the

(A) solar constant has declined
(B) Nimbus 7 satellite is older than Solar Max
(C) solar constant cannot be measured
(D) instruments are providing inaccurate data

Correct Answer: D

39. The attempt to describe the solar constant can best be described as

(A) an ongoing research effort
(B) an issue that has been resolved
(C) a question that can never be answered
(D) historically interesting, but irrelevant to contemporary concerns

Correct Answer: A

Questions 40 – 50

	Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions:
	the realistic and the formalistic. Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than
	absolute, terms. When used to suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels can
	be helpful, but in the end they are still just labels. Few films are exclusively formalist in
	style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an important difference between
	realism and reality, although this distinction is often forgotten. Realism is a particular style,
	whereas physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and
	formalistic. Virtually all movie directors go to the photographable world for their subject
	matter, but what they do with this material — how they shape and manipulate it —
	determines their stylistic emphasis.
	Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality
	with a minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to
	suggest the copiousness of life itself. Both realist and formalist film directors must select
	(and hence emphasize) certain details from the chaotic sprawl of reality. But the
	element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists, in short, try to preserve the
	illusion that their film world is unmanipulated, an objective mirror of the actual world.
	Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretense. They deliberately stylize and distort
	their raw materials so that only the very naive would mistake a manipulated image of an
	object or event for the real thing.
	We rarely notice the style in a realistic movie; the artist tends to be self-effacing. Some
	filmmakers are more concerned with what is being shown than how it is manipulated. The
	camera is used conservatively. It is essentially a recording mechanism that reproduces the
	surface of tangible objects with as little commentary as possible. A high premium is placed
	on simplicity, spontaneity, and directness. This is not to suggest that these movies lack
	artistry, however, for at its best the realistic cinema specializes in art that conceals art.

40. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Acting styles
(B) Film plots
(C) Styles of filmmaking
(D) Filmmaking 100 years ago

Correct Answer: C

41. With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?

(A) Realism and formalism are outdated terms.
(B) Most films are neither exclusively realistic nor formalistic.
(C) Realistic films are more popular than formalistic ones.
(D) Formalistic films are less artistic than realistic ones.

Correct Answer: B

42. The phrase "this distinction" in line 6 refers to the difference between

(A) formalists and realists
(B) realism and reality
(C) general and absolute
(D) physical reality and raw materials

Correct Answer: B

43. Whom does the author say is primarily responsible for the style of a film?

(A) The director
(B) The actors
(C) The producer
(D) The camera operator

Correct Answer: A

44. The word "shape" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) specify
(B) form
(C) understand
(D) achieve

Correct Answer: B

45. The word "preserve" in line 15 is closest in meaning to

(A) encourage
(B) maintain
(C) reflect
(D) attain

Correct Answer: B

46. The word 'They" in line 17 refers to

(A) films
(B) realists
(C) formalists
(D) raw materials

Correct Answer: C

47. How can one recognize the formalist style?

(A) It uses familiar images.
(B) It is very impersonal.
(C) It obviously manipulates images.
(D) It mirrors the actual world.

Correct Answer: C

48. The word "tangible" in line 23 is closest in meaning to

(A) concrete
(B) complex
(C) various
(D) comprehensible

Correct Answer: A

49. Which of the following terms is NOT used to describe realism in filmmaking?

(A) Simple
(B) Spontaneous
(C) Self-effacing
(D) Exaggerated

Correct Answer: D

50. Which of the following films would most likely use a realist style?

(A) A travel documentary
(B) A science fiction film
(C) A musical drama
(D) An animated cartoon

Correct Answer: A