TSI Assessment Practice (Reading) Questions And Answers

When we think of volcanoes, eruptions, lava, and smoke- filled air come to mind—all occurring on land. Most people are surprised to learn about the prevalence of underwater volcanoes on our planet. Because the lava and smoke spilling out of an active, underwater volcano is contained by the ocean, people generally do not take note of these eruptions. However, the largest underwater volcanoes are capable of creating huge tidal waves, threatening coastal communities. (The main idea of the passage is that...) A. traditional volcanoes and underwater volcanoes are similar B. the lava and smoke from an underwater volcano is contained by the sea C. most tidal waves are caused by underwater volcanoes D. underwater volcanoes receive little attention but can be dangerous - Answer- Choice (D) is correct. The main idea of the passage is that underwater volcanoes receive little attention but can be dangerous. The author explains that while "people generally do not take note" of underwater eruptions because "the lava and smoke . . . is contained by the ocean," such eruptions are dangerous because they are "capable of creating huge tidal waves, threatening coastal communities." Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage highlights differences, not similarities, between traditional and underwater volcanoes. Choice (B) is incorrect because although the passage notes that the lava and smoke from underwater volcanoes is contained by the sea, that fact is not the main idea; it supports the larger point about what people notice. Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage does not indicate that most tidal waves are caused by underwater eruptions. In 2010, talk show host Oprah Winfrey and novelist Jonathan Franzen kissed and made up after a nine-year feud. In 2001, Franzen was disinvited from appearing on Winfrey's TV show to pitch his novel The Corrections after he made it clear that he was unhappy about the book's being chosen for the Oprah Book Club. Describing his work as "in the high-art literary tradition," Franzen said he didn't want to be associated with the Club, which he accused of occasionally choosing "schmaltzy, one-dimensional" novels. But Winfrey is apparently able to forgive and forget: she chose Franzen's next novel, Freedom, for her book club and said of it, "Now you haven't heard me say this word often, but this book is a masterpiece." (The passage implies that Franzen's criticism of the Oprah Book Club was motivated primarily by...) A. pride B. anger C. insensitivity D. ignorance - Answer- Choice (A) is correct. The author of the passage states that Franzen refers to his own work as belonging to a "high-art literary tradition" and to Oprah's book club choices as being "schmaltzy," or overly sentimental, and "one-dimensional." These details suggest that Franzen felt that his own book is of higher quality than other books chosen for the book club. In other words, Franzen's criticism of the Oprah Book Club was motivated by his pride, or his sense of self-importance. Ch