mishum2000 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 1996-> 01 Joyce Carol Oates published her first collection of short stories, By The North Gate, in 1963, two years after she had received her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin and become an instructor of English at the University of Detroit. Her productivity since then has been prodigious, accumulating in less than two decades to nearly thirty titles, including novels, collections of short stories and verse, play, and literary criticism. In the meantime, she ahs continued to teach, moving in 1967 from the University of Detroit to the University of Windsor, in Ontario, and, in 1978, to Princeton University. Reviewers have admired her enormous energy, but find a productivity of such magnitude difficult to assess. In a period characterized by the abandonment of so much of the realistic tradition by authors such as John Barth, Donald Barthelme, and Thomas Pynchon, Joyce Carol Oates has seemed at times determinedly old-fashioned in her insistence on the essentially mimetic quality of her fiction. Hers is a world of violence, insanity, fractured love, and hopeless loneliness. Although some of it appears to come from her own direct observations, her dreams, and her fears, much more is clearly from the experiences of others. Her first novel, With Shuddering Fall (1964), dealt with stock car racing, though she had never seen a race. In Them (1969) she focused on Detroit from the Depression through the riots of 1967, drawing much of her material from the deep impression made on her by the problems of one of her students. Whatever the source and however shocking the events or the motivations, however, her fictive world remains strikingly akin to that real one reflected in the daily newspapers, the television news and talk shows, and popular magazines of our day. 7. Which of the following would Joyce Carol Oates be most likely to write? (A) A story with an unhappy ending (B) A romance novel set in the nineteenth century © A science fiction novel (D) A dialogue for a talk show I answered C, but the answer is A. Why ? 2002->08 Reading 1 The Native American peoples of the north Pacific Coast created a highly complex maritime culture as they invented modes of production unique to their special environment. In addition to their sophisticated technical culture, they also attained one of the most complex social organizations of any nonagricultural people in the world. In a division of labor similar to that of the hunting peoples in the interior and among foraging peoples throughout the world, the men did most of the fishing, and the women processed the catch. Women also specialized in the gathering of the abundant shellfish that lived closer to shore. They collected oysters, crabs, sea urchins, mussels, abalone, and clams, which they could gather while remaining close to their children. The maritime life harvested by the women not only provided food, but also supplied more of the raw materials for making tools than did the fish gathered by the men. Of particular importance for the native tool kit before the introduction of metal was the wide knife made from the larger mussel shells, and a variety of cutting edges that could be made from other marine shells. The women used their tools to process all of the fish and marine mammals brought in by the men. They cleaned the fish, and dried vast quantities of them for the winter. They sun-dried fish when practical, but in the rainy climate of the coastal area they also used smokehouses to preserve tons of fish and other seafood annually. Each product had its own peculiar characteristics that demanded a particular way of cutting or drying the meat, and each task required its own cutting blades and other utensils. After drying the fish, the women pounded some of them into fish meal, which was an easily transported food used in soups, stews, or other dishes to provide protein and thickening in the absence of fresh fish or while on long trips. The women also made a cheese-like substance from a mixture of fish and roe by aging it in storehouses or by burying it in wooden boxes or pits lined with rocks and tree leaves. 38. The wore "peculiar" in line 19 is closest in meaning to (A) strange (B) distinctive © appealing (D) biological I answered B, but the key answer is A. I looked in the dictionary for the word, and both answers are synonyms for the word peculiar. Still I think that B best fit here. What do you think ? Reading 2 Archaeological literature is rich in descriptions of pot making. Unlike modern industrial potters, prehistoric artisans created each of their pieces individually, using the simplest technology but demonstrating remarkable skill in making and adorning their vessels. The clay used in prehistoric pot making was invariably selected with the utmost care; often it was traded over considerable distances. The consistency of the clay was crucial; it was pounded meticulously and mixed with water to make it entirely even in texture. By careful kneading, the potter removed the air bubbles and made the clay as plastic as possible, allowing it to be molded into shape as the pot was built up. When a pot is fired, it loses its water and can crack, so the potter added a temper to the clay, a substance that helped reduce shrinkage and cracking. Since surface finishes provided a pleasing appearance and also improved the durability in day-to-day uses, the potter smoothed the exterior surface of the pot with wet hands. Often a wet clay solution, known as a slip, was applied to the smooth surface. Brightly colored slips were often used and formed painted decorations on the vessel. In later times, glazes came into use in some areas. A glaze is a form of slip that turns to a glasslike finish during high-temperature firing. When a slip was not applied, the vessel was allowed to dry slowly until the external surface was almost like leather in texture. It was then rubbed with a round stone or similar object to give it a shiny, hard surface. Some pots were adorned with incised or stamped decorations. Most early pottery was then fired over open hearths. The vessels were covered with fast-burning wood; as it burned, the ashes would fall around the pots and bake them evenly over a few hours. Far higher temperatures were attained in special ovens, known as kilns, which would not only bake the clay and remove its plasticity, but also dissolve carbons and iron compounds. Kilns were also used for glazing, when two firings were needed. Once fired, the pots were allowed to cool slowly, and small cracks were repaired before they were ready for use. 42. Which of the following was a process used by prehistoric potters to improve the texture of the clay? (A) adding temper (B) removing the water © beating on the clay (D) mixing the clay with plastic substances I answered A but the key answer is C… Why ? 45. Which of the following was a method used by some potters to give vessels a glossy finish? (A) smoothing them with wet hands (B) mixing the clay with colored solutions © baking them at a very high temperature (D) rubbing them with a smooth hard object I answered D, but the key answer is A. Why ? 2002->05 See the picture attached for the passage. 44. It can be inferred that the “safety valve” in line 13refers to A) a new kind of machinery B) an alternative for urban workers C) an area in a factory D) a procedure designed to protect workers I answered B, but the answer is D…Why ? 2002->08 The Moon, which has undergone a distinct and complex geological history, presents a striking appearance. The moon may be divided into two major terrains: the maria (dark lowlands) and the terrace (bright highlands). The contrast in the reflectivity (the capability of reflecting light) of these two terrains suggested to many early observers that the two terrains might have different compositions, and this supposition was continued by missions to the Moon such as Surveyor and Apollo. One of the most obvious differences between the terrains is the smoothness of the maria in contrast to the roughness of the highlands. This roughness is mostly caused by the abundance of craters; the highlands are completely covered by large craters (greater than 40-50 km in diameter), while the craters (10) of the maria tend to be much smaller. It is now known that the vast majority of the Moon's craters were formed by the impact of solid bodies with the lunar surface. Most of the near side of the Moon was thoroughly mapped and studied from telescopic pictures years before the age of space exploration. Earth-based telescopes can resolve objects as small as a few hundred meters on the lunar surface. Close observation of craters, combined with the way the Moon diffusely reflects sunlight, led to the understanding that the Moon is covered by a surface layer, or regolith, that overlies the solid rock of the Moon. Telescopic images permitted the cataloging of a bewildering array of land forms. Craters were studied for clues to their origin: the large circular maria were seen. Strange, sinuous features were observed in the maria. Although various land forms were catalogued, the majority of astronomers' attention was fixed on craters and their origins. Astronomers have known for a fairly long time that the shape of craters changes as they increase in size. Small craters with diameters of less than 10-15 km have relatively simple shapes. They have rim crests that are elevated above the surrounding terrain. smooth, bowl-shaped interiors, and depths that arc about one-fifth to one-sixth their diameters. The complexity of shape increases for larger craters. 47. All of the following terms are defined in the passage EXCEPT: A) Moon (line 1) B) Reflectivity (line 3) C) Religolith (line 16) D) Rays (line 19) (I can’t find this word in the text) My answer was A, but the key answer is C ..Why ? 2002->10 Reading 1 Newspaper publishers in the United States have long been enthusiastic users and distributors of weather maps. Although some newspapers that had carried the United States Weather Bureau's national weather map in 1912 dropped it once the novelty had passed, many continued to print the daily weather chart provided by their local forecasting office. In the 1930's, when interest in aviation and progress in air-mass analysis made weather patterns more newsworthy, additional newspapers started or resumed the daily weather map. In 1935, The Associated Press (AP) news service inaugurated its WirePhoto network and offered subscribing newspapers morning and afternoon weather maps redrafted by the AP's Washington, B.C., office from charts provided by the government agency. Another news service, United Press International (UPI), developed a competing photowire network and also provided timely weather maps for both morning and afternoon newspapers. After the United States government launched a series of weather satellites in 1966, both the AP and UPI offered cloud-cover photos obtained from the Weather Bureau. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, the weather map became an essential ingredient in the redesign of the American newspaper. News publishers, threatened by increased competition from television for readers' attention, sought to package the news more conveniently and attractively. In 1982, many publishers felt threatened by the new USA. Today, a national daily newspaper that used a page-wide, full-color weather map as its key design element. That the weather map in USA today did not include information about weather fronts and pressures attests to the largely symbolic role it played. Nonetheless, competing local and metropolitan newspapers responded in a variety of ways. Most substituted full-color temperature maps for the standard weather maps, while others dropped the comparatively drab satellite photos or added regional forecast maps with pictorial symbols to indicate rainy, snowy, cloudy, or clear conditions. A few newspapers, notably The New York Times, adopted a highly informative yet less visually prominent weather map that was specially designed to explain an important recent or imminent weather event. Ironically, a newspaper's richest, most instructive weather maps often are comparatively small and inconspicuous. 13. What regular service did The Associated Press and United Press International begin to offer subscribing newspapers in the 1930's? (A) A new system of weather forecasting (B) An air-mass analysis © Twice daily weather maps (D) Cloud-cover photographs I answered C, but the key answer is B…Why ? Reading 2 Some animal behaviorists argue that certain animals can remember past events,anticipate future ones, make plans and choices, and coordinate activities within a group. These scientists, however, are cautious about the extent to which animals can be credited with conscious processing. (5) Explanations of animal behavior that leave out any sort of consciousness at all and ascribe actions entirely to instinct leave many questions unanswered. One example of such unexplained behavior: Honeybees communicate the sources of nectar to one another by doing a dance in a figure-eight pattern. The orientation of the dance conveys the position of the food relative to the sun's position in the sky, (10)and the speed of the dance tells how far the food source is from the hive. Most researchers assume that the ability to perform and encode the dance is innate and shows no special intelligence. But in one study, when experimenters kept changing the site of the food source, each time moving the food 25 percent farther from the previous site, foraging honeybees began to anticipate where the food source would (15) appear next. When the researchers arrived at the new location, they would find the bees circling the spot, waiting for their food. No one has yet explained how bees, whose brains weigh four ten-thousandths of an ounce, could have inferred the location of the new site. Other behaviors that may indicate some cognition include tool use. Many (20)animals, like the otter who uses a stone to crack mussel shells, are capable of using objects in the natural environment as rudimentary tools. One researcher has found that mother chimpanzees occasionally show their young how to use tools to open hard nuts. In one study, chimpanzees compared two pairs of food wells containing chocolate chips. One pair might contain, say, five chips and three chips, the other (25)four chips and three chips. Allowed to choose which pair they wanted, the chimpanzees almost always chose the one with the higher total, showing some sort of summing ability. Other chimpanzees have learned to use numerals to label quantities of items and do simple sums. 21. Which of the following is NOT discussed as an ability animals are thought to have? (A) Selecting among choices (B) Anticipating events to come © Remembering past experiences (D) Communicating emotions What’s your answer here ? I will post the key choice after I hear your opinion. 27. The word "rudimentary" in line 21 is closest in meaning to (A) superior (B) original © basic (D) technical My answer was C, but the key one is B. Personally I don’t see any connection between “rudimentary” and “original” and neither the dictionary does. Reading 3 Scientists have discovered that for the last 160,000 years, at least, there has been a consistent relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and the average temperature of the planet. The importance of carbon dioxide in regulating the Earth's temperature was confirmed by scientists working in eastern (5) Antarctica. Drilling down into a glacier, they extracted a mile-long cylinder of ice from the hole. The glacier had formed as layer upon layer of snow accumulated year after year. Thus drilling into the ice was tantamount to drilling back through time. The deepest sections of the core are composed of water that fell as snow 160,000 years ago. Scientists in Grenoble, France, fractured portions of the core and (10)measured the composition of ancient air released from bubbles in the ice.Instruments were used to measure the ratio of certain isotopes in the frozen water to get an idea of the prevailing atmospheric temperature at the time when that particular bit of water became locked in the glacier. The result is a remarkable unbroken record of temperature and of atmospheric (15)levels of carbon dioxide. Almost every time the chill of an ice age descended on the planet, carbon dioxide levels dropped. When the global temperature dropped 9°F (5 °C), carbon dioxide levels dropped to 190 parts per million or so. Generally, as each ice age ended and the Earth basked in a warm interglacial period, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 parts per million. Through the 160,000 years of that ice (20)record, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fluctuated between 190 and 280 parts per million, but never rose much higher-until the Industrial Revolution beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing today. There is indirect evidence that the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperature change goes back much further than the glacial record. Carbon (25) dioxide levels may have been much greater than the current concentration during the Carboniferous period, 360 to 285 million years ago. The period was named for a profusion of plant life whose buried remains produced a large fraction of the coal deposits that are being brought to the surface and burned today. 50. The passage explains the origin of which of the following terms? (A) Glacier (line5) (B) Isotopes (line 11) © Industrial Revolution (line 21) (D) Carboniferous period (lines 26) I answered D but the key answer is C….Why ? 2003->01 Reading 1 By far the most important United States export product in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was cotton, favored by the European textile industry over flax or wool because it was easy to process and soft to tile touch. Mechanization of spinning and weaving allowed significant centralization and expansion in the textile industry during this period and at the same time the demand for cotton increased dramatically. American producers were able to meet this demand largely because of tile invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. Cotton could be grown throughout the South, hut separating the fiber—or lint—from the seed was a laborious process. Sea island cotton was relatively-easy to process by hand, because its fibers were long and seeds were concentrated at the base of the (lower, hut it demanded a long growing season, available only along the nation's eastern seacoast. Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season, hut the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could hand-process only about one pound per day. Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine with revolving drums and metal teeth to pull cotton fibers away from seeds. Using the gin, a worker could produce up to '50 pounds of lint a day. The later development of larger gins, powered by horses, water, or steam, multiplied productivity further. The interaction of improved processing and high demand led in the rapid spread of the cultivation of cotton and to a surge in production. It became the main American export, dwarfing all others. In 1802, cotton composed 14 percent of total American exports by value. Cotton had a 36 percent share by 1810 and over a 50 percent share in 1830. In 1860, 61 percent of the value of American exports was represented by cotton. In contrast, wheat and wheat flour composed only 6 percent of the value of American exports in that year. Clearly, cotton was king in the trade of the young republic. The growing market for cotton and other American agricultural products led to an unprecedented expansion of agricultural settlement, mostlyin the eastern half of the United Stales—west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. 6. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about cotton production in the United Slates after the introduction of Whitney's cotton gin? A) More cotton came from sea island cotton plants than before. B) More cotton came from short-staple cotton plants than before. C) Most cotton produced was sold domestically. D) Most cotton produced was exported to England. I answered B, but the key answer was D…Why ? Reading 2 The origins of nest-building remain obscure, bin current observation of nest-building activities provide evidence of their evolution. Clues to this evolutionary process can be found in the activities of play and in the behavior and movements of birds during mating, such as incessant pulling at strips of vegetation or scraping of the soil. During the early days of the reproductive cycle, the birds seem only to play with the building materials. In preparation for mating, they engage in activities that resemble nest-building, and continue these activities throughout and even after the mating cycle. Effective attempts at construction occur only after mating. Although nest-building is an instinctive ability, there is considerable adaptability in both site selection and use of materials, especially with those species which build quite elaborate constructions. Furthermore, some element of learning is often evident since younger birds do not build as well as their practiced elders. Young ravens, for example, first attempt to build with sticks of quite unsuitable size, while a jackdaw's first nest includes virtually any movable object. The novelist John Steinbeck recorded the contents of a young osprey nest built in his garden, which included three shirts, a bath towel, and one arrow. Birds also display remarkable behavior in collecting building materials. Crows have been soon to tear off stout green twigs. And sparrowhawks will dive purposefully onto a branch until it snaps and then hang upside down to break it off. Golden eagles, over generations of work, construct enormous nests. One of these, examined after it had been dislodged by high winds, weighed almost two tons and included foundation branches almost two meters long. The carrying capacity of the eagles, however, is only relative to their size ant most birds are able to carry an extra load of just over twenty- percent of their body weight. 15. Which of the following birds are mentioned as those that build nests that include unusual objects? A) Ravens B) Ospreys C) Crows D) Sparrowhawks I answered B but the key answer is C...Why ? Reading 3 Of all modern instruments, the violin is apparently one of the simplest. It consists in essence of a hollow, varnished wooden sound box, or resonator, and a long neck, covered with a fingerboard, along which four strings are stretched at high tension. The beauty of design, shape, and decoration is no accident: the proportions of the instrument are determined almost entirely by acoustical considerations. Its simplicity of appearance is deceptive. About 70 parts are involved in the construction of a violin. Its tone and its outstanding range of expressiveness make it an ideal solo instrument. No less important, however, is its role as an orchestral and chamber instrument. In combination with the larger and deeper-sounding members of the same family, the violins form the nucleus of the modern symphony orchestra. The violin has been in existence since about 1550. Its importance as an instrument in its own right dates from the early 1600's, when it first became standard in Italian opera orchestras. Its stature as an orchestral instrument was raised further when in 1626 Louis XIII of France established at his court the orchestra known as les vingt-quatre violins du Roy (The King's 24 Violins), which was to become widely famous later in the century. In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet lone resulting from the fact that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical chances were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain. Accordingly, .a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes. 47. According to the passage, early violins were different from modern violins in that early violins A) were heavier B) broke down more easil C) produced softer tone D) were easier to play My answer was D but the key one is C. Why ? 2003->08 The wide variety of climates in North America has helped spawn a complex pattern of soil regions. In general, the realm’s soils also reflect the broad environmental partitioning into “humid America” and “arid America.” Where annual precipitation exceeds 20 inches (50 centimeters),soils in humid areas tend to be acidic in chemical content, Since crops do best in soils that are neither acidic(higher in acid content) nor alkaline(higher in salt content).fertilization is necessary to achieve the desired level of neutrality between the two. Arid America’s soils are typically alkaline and must be fertilized back toward neutrality by adding acidic compounds. Although many of these dryland soils, particularly in the Great Plains, are quite fertile, European settlers learned over a century ago that water is the main missing ingredient in achieving their agricultural potential. In the 1970’s, certain irrigation methods were perfected and finally provided a real opportunity to expand more intensive farming west from the Central Lowland into the drier portions of the Great Plains. Glaciation also enhanced the rich legacy of fertile soils in the central United States,both from the deposition of mineral-rich glacial debris left by meltwater and from thick layers of fine wind-blown glacial material, called loess, in and around the middle Mississippi Valley. Natural vegetation patterns could be displayed on a map of North America, but the enormous human modification of the North American environment in modern times has all but reduced this regionalization scheme to the level of the hypothetical. Nonetheless, the humid America-arid America dichotomy is still a valid generalization: the natural vegetation of areas receiving more than 20 inches of water yearly is forest, whereas the drier climates give rise to a grassland cover. The forests of North America tent to make a broad transition by latitude. In the Canadian North, needle-leaf forests dominate, but these coniferous trees become mixed with broadleaf deciduous trees as one crosses the border into the Northeast United States. As one proceeds toward the Southeast, broadleaf vegetation becomes dominant. Arid America mostly consists of short-grass prairies or stepper. The only areas of true desert are in the Southwest. 27 The phrase “this regionalization scheme” in line 19 refers to the (A) movements of glacial deposits (B) patterns of natural vegetation © human modification of the North American environment (D) distinction between humid America and arid America My answer was B but the correct one is D. I think the key answer is correct here, but I don’t understand the meaning of the sentence. What kind of reference is this ? It's a forward one ? Thanks, Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 1. Look at these sentences from the passage: -- Hers is a world of violence, insanity, fractured love, and hopeless loneliness. -- In Them (1969) she focused on Detroit from the Depression through the riots of 1967... -- Whatever the source and however shocking the events or the motivations, however, her fictive world remains strikingly akin to that real one reflected in the daily newspapers, the television news and talk shows, and popular magazines of our day. Now, look at the question: 7. Which of the following would Joyce Carol Oates be most likely to write? (A) A story with an unhappy ending (B) A romance novel set in the nineteenth century © A science fiction novel (D) A dialogue for a talk show D), B) -> Ruled out. C) Science fiction may not necessarily make it to everyday newspapers, magazines etc. Would it? I doubt it. Is it realistic? Definitely not. BUT we know that Joyce Carol Oates wrote realistic novels. This is given in the passage. A) This sounds right. Why? Because the passage says there is "hopeless loneliness" and "shocking events" in her writing. These indicate that there is a certain amount of unhappiness in her novels. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2. I second your answer. Peculiar here does seem to mean Distinctive. Disregard the answer key. ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Look at these sentences from the passage: -- The consistency of the clay was crucial; it was pounded meticulously and mixed with water to make it entirely even in texture. -- When a pot is fired, it loses its water and can crack, so the potter added a temper to the clay, a substance that helped reduce shrinkage and cracking. From these two sentences, one can clearly see that: -->Pounding (which also means beating) improves texture. -->Adding temper reduces shrinkage and cracking. Hence © ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Now let us look at this para: Since surface finishes provided a pleasing appearance and also improved the durability in day-to-day uses, the potter smoothed the exterior surface of the pot with wet hands. Often a wet clay solution, known as a slip, was applied to the smooth surface. Brightly colored slips were often used and formed painted decorations on the vessel. In later times, glazes came into use in some areas. A glaze is a form of slip that turns to a glasslike finish during high-temperature firing. When a slip was not applied, the vessel was allowed to dry slowly until the external surface was almost like leather in texture. It was then rubbed with a round stone or similar object to give it a shiny, hard surface. Now, glass-like means glossy. Shiny, hard surface does NOT mean glossy. Look at the question: 45. Which of the following was a method used by some potters to give vessels a glossy finish? (A) smoothing them with wet hands --> produced glass-like results. (B) mixing the clay with colored solutions © baking them at a very high temperature (D) rubbing them with a smooth hard object --> produced shiny, hard results. Hence (A) is the better fit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Can't see the picture!! I am getting this message: Dingus, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be for any of several reasons: Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system? If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation. Can you convert it into JPEG format and repost? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. This question has me flummoxed! :confused: -- Moon is definitely not defined anywhere in the passage. -- The word "Rays" is nowhere to be found. -- Is Religolith the same as regolith? I don't know. :confused: ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. I agree with you. This does sound like the right answer: © Twice daily weather maps How can it be air-mass analysis? It is clearly stated that the weather-maps were provided and NOT an air-mass analysis. Weather-maps became popular because of increased interest in aviation and developments in air-mass analysis in the 1930s. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 7. I think I would select this as the right choice: (D) Communicating emotions The rest are definitely implied. This choice: © Remembering past experiences is not explicitly discussed, however, it is implied. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8. 27. The word "rudimentary" in line 21 is closest in meaning to (A) superior (B) original © basic (D) technical I agree with you here. Basic does seem like the closest fit. So correct answer: © --------------------------------------------------------------- 9. 50. The passage explains the origin of which of the following terms? (A) Glacier (line5) (B) Isotopes (line 11) © Industrial Revolution (line 21) (D) Carboniferous period (lines 26) I would have to say: (A) Glacier. The origin is not EXPLAINED for the other choices. It seems to me that explaining the origin consists of not merely stating when the particular thing/structure started forming but ALSO how it came into being. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10. Look at the question: 6. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about cotton production in the United Slates after the introduction of Whitney's cotton gin? A) More cotton came from sea island cotton plants than before. B) More cotton came from short-staple cotton plants than before. C) Most cotton produced was sold domestically. D) Most cotton produced was exported to England. Now look at the passage: Mechanization of spinning and weaving allowed significant centralization and expansion in the textile industry during this period and at the same time the demand for cotton increased dramatically. American producers were able to meet this demand largely because of tile invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. Cotton could be grown throughout the South, hut separating the fiber—or lint—from the seed was a laborious process. Sea island cotton was relatively-easy to process by hand, because its fibers were long and seeds were concentrated at the base of the (lower, but it demanded a long growing season, available only along the nation's eastern seacoast. Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season, but the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could hand-process only about one pound per day. Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine with revolving drums and metal teeth to pull cotton fibers away from seeds. Using the gin, a worker could produce up to '50 pounds of lint a day. The later development of larger gins, powered by horses, water, or steam, multiplied productivity further. Note that nowhere in the passage is it stated that Whitney's Gin lead to the utilization of more short-staple cotton. It just says: more cotton production. It does NOT say the cotton production was more from the short-staple variety. So, Choice (B) is NOT implied. However, it says explicitly that Whitney's Gin helped the farmers of America meet the increased demand for cotton from Europe - which includes England. Hence answer (D) is correct. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. I would have answered (B) Ospreys too. Shirts, towels and arrows do strike me as "unusual"! Green twigs, which according to the passage, crows are known to use, don't really strike me as unusual. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Look at the passage: In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet tone resulting from the fact that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical chances were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain. Accordingly, a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes. Now look at the question: 47. According to the passage, early violins were different from modern violins in that early violins A) were heavier B) broke down more easily C) produced softer tone D) were easier to play As I have highlighted the MAIN difference between the older and newer violins were the quality of their TONES and structure. The ease of play is not mentioned anywhere. The compositions of Vivaldi was more technically demanding from the violin structure and NOT from the player him/herself. So the violins were modified to produce higher tones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Look at the very first sentence of the passage: The wide variety of climates in North America has helped spawn a complex pattern of soil regions. In general, the realm’s soils also reflect the broad environmental partitioning into “humid America” and “arid America.” SO a "regionalization scheme" which is referred to later refers to the soils and NOT the vegetation. Later in the passage: Natural vegetation patterns could be displayed on a map of North America, but the enormous human modification of the North American environment in modern times has all but reduced this regionalization scheme to the level of the hypothetical. Nonetheless, the humid America-arid America dichotomy is still a valid generalization: the natural vegetation of areas receiving more than 20 inches of water yearly is forest, whereas the drier climates give rise to a grassland cover. The connecting word: "nonetheless" indicates that the passage is going to talk about the "regionalization scheme" further. And the passage later talks about humid and arid regions. So we can infer that it was the soil demarcation that the passage was talking about, right from the very beginning. So the answer is (D) indeed. Whew! Done. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Michael, there may be typos in my answer. I am feeling pretty lazy so I am not going to re-read what I wrote again. I am sorry for any mistakes that might have slipped in. If you have problems please don't hesitate to post. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zorrillo Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 38) Agree with you. answer is 'distinctive'. 42) - "The consistency of the clay was crucial; it was pounded meticulously and mixed with water to make it entirely even in texture" "pounding=beating" 45) IMO, none of the above! 'slip' or 'glaze' gives a glossy finish. "A glaze is a form of slip that turns to a glasslike (=glossy) finish during high-temperature firing" "the potter smoothed the exterior surface of the pot with wet hands." Wet hands smoothed. Nowhere is it stated that it gave a glossy appearance. Smooth=glossy? I don't think so. "rubbed with a round stone or similar object to give it a shiny (=glossy), hard surface" Given the options, I agree with you. As for the rest, I second Dingus (A very helpful TMian; deserves all the rep points he's got) Michael, something tells me you're using the GRE approach to these RCs. Don't read the entire passage and try to make sense of it. When faced with a question, classify it as "detail", "structure", "vocab", "inference", etc. For detail questions, read only details. In other words, dissect the passage little by little. Thats what Dingus has done bolding sentences - dissection. Most of the questions you had doubts with were the simplest kind (detail), with the answers clearly mentioned in the passage. Don't get bogged down with these. Doesn't matter if you don't understand the passage, just search for the answer. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 45) IMO, none of the above! 'slip' or 'glaze' gives a glossy finish. "A glaze is a form of slip that turns to a glasslike (=glossy) finish during high-temperature firing" "the potter smoothed the exterior surface of the pot with wet hands." Wet hands smoothed. Nowhere is it stated that it gave a glossy appearance. Smooth=glossy? I don't think so. "rubbed with a round stone or similar object to give it a shiny (=glossy), hard surface" Given the options, I agree with you. :hmm: I re-read the passage. I think you do have a very valid point! I overlooked the fact that smoothing with wet hands doesn't necessarily mean the potter is using the "slip" as well. So all instances of "smoothing" may NOT result in a glazed finish. Thanks for pointing that out. :) -Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mishum2000 Posted February 26, 2005 Author Share Posted February 26, 2005 Hi guys.Sorry for my late reply, but I've been quite busy lately. I'm going to present now my point of view regarding the answers you gave: 1996->01 7. I agree with your explanation. I hadn't paid enough attention to the text. I was distracted by "her fictive world" and I thought that she would most probably write science fiction novels . 2002->08 42.I agree with you.I was answering the wrong question.... 45. I agree with zorrillo. 2002->05 Here is the text from the attached picture: The Homestead Act of 1862 gave heads of families or individuals aged twenty-one or older the right to own 160 acres of public land in the western United States after five years of residence and improvement. This law was intended to provide land for small farmersand to prevent land from being bought for resale at a profit or being owned by large landholders. An early amendment to the act even prevented husbands and wives from filing separate claims. The West, land reformers had assumed, would soon contain many 160-acre family farms. They were doomed to disappointment. Most landless Americans were too poor to become farmers even when they could obtain land without cost. The expense of moving afamily to the ever-receding frontier exceeded the means of many, and the cost of tools, draft animals, a wagon, a well, fencing, and of building the simplest house, might come to $ 1,000—a formidable barrier. As for the industrial workers for whom the free land was supposed to provide a "safety valve," they had neither the skills nor the inclination to become farmers. Homesteaders usually came from districts not far removed from frontierconditions. And despite the intent of the law, speculators often managed to obtain large tracts. They hired people to stake out claims, falsely swear that they had fulfilled the conditions laid down in the law for obtaining legal title, and then deed the land over to their employers. Furthermore. 160 acres were not enough for raising livestock or for the kind ofcommercial agriculture that was developing west of the Mississippi. The national government made a feeble attempt to make larger holdings available to homesteaders by passing the Timber Culture Act of 1873, which permitted individuals to claim an additional 160 acres if they would agree to plant a quarter of it in trees within ten years. This law proved helpful to some farmers in the largely treeless states of Kansas,Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Nevertheless, fewer than 25 percent of the 245,000 who took up land under the Act obtained final title to the property. 44. It can be inferred that the "safety valve" in line 13 refers to A) a new kind of machinery B) an alternative for urban workers C) an area in a factory D) a procedure designed to protect workers I answered B, but the answer is D…Why ? 47. All of the following terms are defined in the passage EXCEPT: A) Moon (line 1) B) Reflectivity (line 3) C) Regolith (line 16) D) Rays (line 19) (I can’t find this word in the text) My answer was A, but the key answer is C ..Why ? Dingus, to answer your question I wrote choice C wrong. So "religolith is the same as regolith". Anyway this question seems dubious. Let's drop it.... 2002->10 21. Here comes the promised key answer C. I was surprised when I saw this answer, but on a second thought I think the key is correct. My first choice was as yours D. But the question asks "Which of the following is NOT discussed as an ability animals are thought to have?" So if we choose the D answer we will respond to the following question : "Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an ability animals are thought to have ?" Am I right ? Those three paragraphs discuss the A,B and D answer choices, despite the fact that in the beginning of the passage the A,B and C answer choices are mentioned. So what do you say ? 50. Okay your explination sounds better than the key answer.So I agree with it . 2003->01 6. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about cotton production in the United Slates after the introduction of Whitney's cotton gin? A) More cotton came from sea island cotton plants than before. B) More cotton came from short-staple cotton plants than before. C) Most cotton produced was sold domestically. D) Most cotton produced was exported to England. I'm in doubts here. I can't find anywhere in the passage that the most of the cotton was exported to Europe after the invention of the cotton gin.The only thing that this passage states is that "By far the most important United States export product in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was cotton, favored by the European textile industry over flax or wool because it was easy to process and soft to tile touch" . But what the passage clearly states is that : "Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season, but the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could hand-process only about one pound per day. Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine with revolving drums and metal teeth to pull cotton fibers away from seeds. Using the gin, a worker could produce up to '50 pounds of lint a day. " Form this couldn't we conclude that more cotton came from the short-staple plants ? If the workers processed only one pond per day then with the invention of the Whitney's gin they processed up to 50 pounds per day. Am I correct ? 47. According to the passage, early violins were different from modern violins in that early violins A) were heavier B) broke down more easily C) produced softer tone D) were easier to play The passage states: "In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet lone resulting from the fact that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical chances were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain. Accordingly, a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes." My point of view is: I can't agree with you because the question asks the main difference between modern and early violins in that the early violins... So the question asks about the early violins, not about the modern ones. The modern violins produced a softer tone, not the early ones which produced "a dull and rather quiet lone ". The only thing that can be concluded from this passage is the following. Since the modern violins "Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes." then the early violins were easier to play because they didn't need such complicated fingering patterns in order to be played. What do you say ? 2003->08 27. I agree with you and with the key answer . Zorrillo I'm not using the GRE approach to these TOEFL questions (or at least I don't try because I'm preparing also for GRE in paralel with TOEFL ). Those questions are form PBT Tests given by ETS. I use them because they are official materials. Since I intend to give the CBT TOEFL I used some of the non-official materials like Longman,Cambridge and Barrons to get familiar with the CBT questions type (black square, click on a sentence, click on a paragraph, etc.). At these PBT Tests I'm currently scoring quite well (I miss arround 2 or 3 questions out of 50). Sometimes I miss only one, usually a vocabulary question (my vocabulary is quite weak since I'm an engineer).But I hope to focus very well in the real CBT Test and to obtain a very good score. My target score in TOEFL is 280 and in the last power-prep attempt I scored only 260. And Reading was one of my weakest section along with the listening comprehension one. That is why I try to improve my performances using some official materials. Thanks for your feedback guys, and I hope to get some more in the near future :) Regards, Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 As for the industrial workers for whom the free land was supposed to provide a "safety valve," they had neither the skills nor the inclination to become farmers. 44. It can be inferred that the "safety valve" in line 13 refers to A) a new kind of machinery B) an alternative for urban workers C) an area in a factory D) a procedure designed to protect workers I would say (D) because farming wasn't just an alternative. It was also an alternative that would protect the workers from poverty when they had no work to do in the industries. If it were a mere alternative, the workers would have had a choice between farming and working in industries. But here, they had to resort to farming not as a matter of choice but out of necessity of earning money for a living. ------------------------------------------------------- 21. "Which of the following is NOT discussed as an ability animals are thought to have?" So if we choose the D answer we will respond to the following question : "Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an ability animals are thought to have ?" Am I right ? It is possible. Such questions are very tough to answer precisely. So an element of luck is involved in getting them right. When I first answered this question, if you notice in my post, I considered choice © too, for the very same reason that you mention. I then rejected it. I am still not very sure. ---------------------------------------------- 6. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about cotton production in the United Slates after the introduction of Whitney's cotton gin? A) More cotton came from sea island cotton plants than before. B) More cotton came from short-staple cotton plants than before. C) Most cotton produced was sold domestically. D) Most cotton produced was exported to England. I'm in doubts here. I can't find anywhere in the passage that the most of the cotton was exported to Europe after the invention of the cotton gin.The only thing that this passage states is that "By far the most important United States export product in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was cotton, favored by the European textile industry over flax or wool because it was easy to process and soft to tile touch" . That's right. But what about these two sentences, which immediately follow the one you have quoted?: Mechanization of spinning and weaving allowed significant centralization and expansion in the textile industry during this period and at the same time the demand for cotton increased dramatically. American producers were able to meet this demand largely because of tile invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. This would imply the INCREASED European demand was largely met BECAUSE of the cotton gin. But what the passage clearly states is that : "Short-staple cotton required a much shorter growing season, but the shortness of the fibers and their mixture with seeds meant that a worker could hand-process only about one pound per day. Whitney's gin was a hand-powered machine with revolving drums and metal teeth to pull cotton fibers away from seeds. Using the gin, a worker could produce up to '50 pounds of lint a day. " Form this couldn't we conclude that more cotton came from the short-staple plants ? If the workers processed only one pond per day then with the invention of the Whitney's gin they processed up to 50 pounds per day. Am I correct ? This is also correct. BUT how do you know how much cotton was produced from long-staple cotton? If the cotton produced from long-staple cotton was ALREADY 60 pounds per day, then 50 pounds per day from short-staple cotton may not have accounted for "most" of the production as compared to earlier times. The problem with the inference about short-staple cotton is that long-staple cotton yield is NOT specified. Hence choosing answer (B) would be an assumption and NOT an inference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 47. According to the passage, early violins were different from modern violins in that early violins A) were heavier B) broke down more easily C) produced softer tone D) were easier to play The passage states: "In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet tone resulting from the fact that the strings were thick and were attached to the body of the instrument very loosely. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical chances were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. Small changes had to be made to the violin's internal structure and to the fingerboard so that they could withstand the extra strain. Accordingly, a higher standard of performance was achieved, in terms of both facility and interpretation. Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes." My point of view is: I can't agree with you because the question asks the main difference between modern and early violins in that the early violins... So the question asks about the early violins, not about the modern ones. The modern violins produced a softer tone, not the early ones which produced "a dull and rather quiet lone ". Consider these two statements from the passage: 1. In its early history, the violin had a dull and rather quiet tone 2. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, exciting technical chances were inspired by such composer-violinists as Vivaldi and Tartini. Their instrumental compositions demanded a fuller, clearer, and more brilliant tone that was produced by using thinner strings and a far higher string tension. 1. Softer would mean lower tone = quiet tone - Old violins. 2. Brilliant, fuller tone would mean a loud shrill tone - Newer Violins. Also, from physics, we do know that a higher string tension in any musical instrument would definitely produce a tone with a higher pitch. Since the newer violins had higher string tensions, they could be expected to produce a sound which was louder than the older violins. The only thing that can be concluded from this passage is the following. Since the modern violins "Left-hand technique was considerably elaborated, and new fingering patterns on the fingerboard were developed for very high notes." then the early violins were easier to play because they didn't need such complicated fingering patterns in order to be played. What do you say ? Note that the compositions were tougher to play, not the violins. For eg: If an older composer's work were compared with Vivaldi, then Vivaldi's work would be certainly tougher to play on the same violin (whether old or new) than the older composer's work. So we cannot conclude that the violins themselves were tougher to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xiaonan Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Hi,Dingus,your answer is excellent.But I have some different opinions. :) 8. 27. I would like to say, the answer is "original", the reason is that "rudimentary" means primitive (you can see this interpretation in webster dic which is the official dic of ETS ),and original does have that meaning. The word "rudiment" here is to say that the stone is a primitive tool, you can say a not developed tool as well, "basic" here is not fixed. 9. 50. I think the answer is D. the word "origon" means that why the thing/period is named by a specific term. It does not mean how something is formed. In Line 26 "The period is named for ……" we can see the why such period are named as "Carboniferous". Also, form geological knowledge we know that coal (carbon) is form the remains of plants and animals,and you can see that the root of the word "carboniferous" is "carbon". SORRY,my writen English is very poor. Am I make my self understood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.