Indicated After the Questions
Reading
Questions 1-6 are based upon the following passage:
This excerpt is an adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travelsinto
Several Remote Nations of the World.
My gentleness and good behaviour had gained so far on the emperor and
his court, and indeed upon the army and people in general, that I began to
conceive hopes of getting my liberty in a short time. I took all possible
methods to cultivate this favourable disposition. The natives came, by
degrees, to be less apprehensive of any danger from me. I would
sometimes lie down, and let five or six of them dance on my hand; and at
last the boys and girls would venture to come and play at hide-and-seek
in my hair. I had now made a good progress in understanding and
speaking the language. The emperor had a mind one day to entertain me
with several of the country shows, wherein they exceed all nations I have
known, both for dexterity and magnificence. I was diverted with none so
much as that of the rope-dancers, performed upon a slender white thread,
extended about two feet, and twelve inches from the ground. Upon which I
shall desire liberty, with the reader’s patience, to enlarge a little.
This diversion is only practised by those persons who are candidates for
great employments, and high favour at court. They are trained in this art
from their youth, and are not always of noble birth, or liberal education.
When a great office is vacant, either by death or disgrace (which often
happens,) five or six of those candidates petition the emperor to entertain
his majesty and the court with a dance on the rope; and whoever jumps
the highest, without falling, succeeds in the office. Very often the chief
ministers
,themselves are commanded to show their skill, and to convince the
emperor that they have not lost their faculty. Flimnap, the treasurer, is
allowed to cut a caper on the straight rope, at least an inch higher than
any other lord in the whole empire. I have seen him do the summerset
several times together, upon a trencher fixed on a rope which is no
thicker than a common packthread in England. My friend Reldresal,
principal secretary for private affairs, is, in my opinion, if I am not partial,
the second after the
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treasurer; the rest of the great officers are much upon a par.
1. Which of the following statements best summarize the central
purpose of this text?
a. Gulliver details his fondness for the archaic yet interesting
practices of his captors.
b. Gulliver conjectures about the intentions of the aristocratic sector of
society.
c. Gulliver becomes acquainted with the people and practices of his new
surroundings.
,d. Gulliver’s differences cause him to become penitent around new
acquaintances.
2. What is the word principal referring to in the following text?
My friend Reldresal, principal secretary for private affairs, is, in my
opinion, if I am not partial, the second after the treasurer; the rest of the
great officers are much upon a par.
a. Primary or chief
b. An acolyte
c. An individual who provides nurturing d. One in a subordinate
position
3. What can the reader infer from this passage?
I would sometimes lie down, and let five or six of them dance on my hand;
and at last the boys and girls would venture to come and play at hide-
and-seek in my hair.
a. The children tortured Gulliver.
b. Gulliver traveled because he wanted to meet new people.
c. Gulliver is considerably larger than the children who are playing
around him.
d. Gulliver has a genuine love and enthusiasm for people of all sizes.
4. What is the significance of the word mind in the following
passage?
The emperor had a mind one day to entertain me with several of the
country shows, wherein they exceed all nations I have known, both for
dexterity and magnificence.
a. The ability to think
b. A collective vote
c. A definitive decision
d. A mythological question
, 5. David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is the holy grail of modern
literature. It will stand the test of time in its relevance. Every single
person who starts
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reading Infinite Jest cannot physically put down the book until
completing it.
Which of the following is the main point of the passage?
a. David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is the holy grail of modern
literature. b. Infinite Jest is a page-turner.
c. David Foster Wallace wrote Infinite Jest.
d. Infinite Jest is a modern classic for good reason and everybody
should read it.
6. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is often
ascribed as the cause of World War I. However, the assassination merely
lit the fuse in a combustible situation since many of the world powers
were in complicated and convoluted military alliances. For example,
England, France, and Russia entered into a mutual defense treaty seven
years prior to World War I. Even without Franz Ferdinand's assassination
.
Which of the following most logically completes the passage? a. A war
between the world powers was extremely likely. b. World War I never
would have happened.
c. England, France, and Russia would have started the war. d. Austria
would have started the war.
e. The world powers would still be in complicated and convoluted
military alliances.
7. When students use inference, what are they able to do? a. Make
logical assumptions based on contextual clues b. Independently