Extra RLA Answers
Answers are in Bold.
Links to corresponding RLA concepts are in Bold.
Passage
SPAM
– publications.usa.gov
– nonfiction
1 Many consumers find unwanted texts and email – which can include commercial messages known as spam – annoying and time-consuming. And unwanted texts to mobile phones and other mobile devices can be intrusive and costly. Two laws – the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act – address spam.
2 The TCPA and Federal Communication Commission (FCC) rules ban many text messages sent to a mobile phone using an autodialer. These texts are banned unless (1) you previously gave consent to receive the message or (2) the message is sent for emergency purposes. This ban applies even if you have not placed your mobile phone number on the national Do-Not-Call list of numbers telemarketers must not call.
3 The CAN-SPAM Act supplements the consumer protections provided by the TCPA. The CAN- SPAM law bans unwanted email messages sent to your mobile phone if they are “commercial messages.” (Email messages can sometimes appear as texts on your mobile phone, depending on how they’re addressed.) The CAN-SPAM Act defines commercial messages as those that primarily advertise or promote a commercial product or service. The FCC’s ban does not cover “transactional or relationship” messages — that is, notices to facilitate a transaction you have already agreed to — for example, messages that provide information about your existing account or warranty information about a product you’ve purchased. The FCC’s ban also does not cover non-commercial messages, such as messages about candidates for public office, or email messages that you have forwarded from your computer to your wireless device (but read below about the FTC’s rules that may restrict such messages).
4 Federal rules require the following for commercial email sent to your mobile phone:
• Identification – The email must be clearly identified as a solicitation or advertisement for products or services;
• Opt-Out – The email must provide easily-accessible, legitimate, and free ways for you to reject future messages from that sender;
• Return Address – The email must contain legitimate return email addresses, as well as the sender’s postal address.
5 Under the FCC’s rules, texts and commercial email messages may be sent to your mobile phone if you previously agreed to receive them. For texts that are commercial, your consent must be in writing (for example, in an email or letter); for non-commercial, informational texts (such as such as those by or on behalf of tax-exempt non-profit organizations, those for political purposes, and other noncommercial purposes, such as school closings) your consent may be oral.
6 For commercial email, your consent may be oral or written. Senders must tell you the name of the entity that will be sending the messages and, if different, the name of the entity advertising products or services. All commercial email messages sent to you after you’ve given your authorization must allow you to revoke your authorization, or “opt out” of receiving future messages. You must be allowed to opt out the same way you “opted in,” including by dialing a short code. Senders have 10 days to honor requests to opt out.
Questions
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. SPAM is a kind of food.
B. SPAM is not a problem.
C. SPAM is being ignored by the government.
D. SPAM (unwanted texts and emails) has been addressed by laws.
Main Idea
How to Follow a Reading Passage
2. TCPA stands for which of the following?
A. Television Consumer Protection Act
B. Teletype Consumer Protection Act
C. Telephone Consumer Protection Act
D. Telemarketing Consumer Protection Act
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
3. Which of the following, from earliest at the top to latest at the bottom, is the correct order of events?
A.
• SPAM obviously existed before TCPA.
• CAN- SPAM bans unwanted “commercial” email messages.
• CAN-SPAM supplements TCPA.
• TCPA bans texts sent using an autodialer.
B.
• CAN- SPAM bans unwanted “commercial” email messages.
• TCPA bans texts sent using an autodialer.
• CAN-SPAM supplements TCPA.
• SPAM obviously existed before TCPA.
C.
• SPAM obviously existed before TCPA.
• CAN-SPAM supplements TCPA.
• TCPA bans texts sent using an autodialer.
• CAN- SPAM bans unwanted “commercial” email messages.
D.
• SPAM obviously existed before TCPA.
• TCPA bans texts sent using an autodialer.
• CAN-SPAM supplements TCPA.
• CAN- SPAM bans unwanted “commercial” email messages.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
4. Which of the following can you infer from this passage?
A. SPAM was used in World War II.
B. There are no exceptions to SPAM laws.
C. The issue of SPAM is complicated.
D. SPAM is unappetizing.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
5. What does the word legitimate mean near the end of Paragraph 4?
A. ticklish
B. touchable
C. legal
D. fragrant
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
6. Which of the following are character traits of SPAM?
A. Worthwhile. Costly. Unwanted.
B. Annoying. Costly. Wanted.
C. Worthwhile. Wanted. Unwanted.
D. Annoying. Costly. Unwanted.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
7. To receive commercial texts, which of the following conditions must be met?
A. Your consent must be oral.
B. Your consent must be in writing.
C. No consent is necessary.
D. Your consent must be in the cloud.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
8. In your judgment, this passage is suggesting which of the following?
A. Opting out is similar to cooperation.
B. The concept of consent is irrelevant to SPAM.
C. SPAM is as SPAM does.
D. The concepts of “opting out” and “opting in” are crucial to SPAM management.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
9. What does the word entity mean near the beginning of Paragraph 6?
A. entirety
B. entirely
C. organization
D. nonexistent
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
10. Which of the following shows the correct point of view?
A.
TCPA’s Point of View
• Bans autodialers.
• Supplements.
CAN-SPAM’s Point of View
• In force even when mobile number not on Do-Not-Call list.
• Bans “commercial messages.”
B.
TCPA’s Point of View
• Bans “commercial messages.”
• In force even when mobile number not on Do-Not-Call list.
CAN-SPAM’s Point of View
• Supplements.
• Bans autodialers.
C.
TCPA’s Point of View
• Bans autodialers.
• In force even when mobile number not on Do-Not-Call list.
CAN-SPAM’s Point of View
• Supplements.
• Bans “commercial messages.”
D.
TCPA’s Point of View
• Bans autodialers.
• Bans “commercial messages.”
CAN-SPAM’s Point of View
• Supplements.
• In force even when mobile number not on Do-Not-Call list.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
Passage
Waiting for Sweetcorn
– Scott Solomon
– fiction
1 Corn! Get your hot sweetcorn!
2 “Why don’t we go to the IGA?” said Del. What end was served by getting in line in the veterans’ cemetery, loudspeakers blaring, when corn from the grocery store, though not given away, tasted nearly as good?
3 “Don’t be silly,” said Annette. She smiled beneath her mostly sable mane and tousled her husband’s mostly russet own. “Good things come to those who wait.”
4 Tina Tilton, eleven going on twelve, four years older than her little brother, without a trace of gray in her sable, smiled.
5 “Are we there yet?” said Kyle.
6 A jumble of fallen leaves swirled skyward like a twister while a daddy longlegs skittered over a tombstone.
7 “Grandpa will like it here,” added Kyle.
8 “What makes you say that, son?” said Del.
9 “He’ll finally get some rest.”
10 Corn! Get your hot sweetcorn!
11 The smoke filling the air from the faraway sweetcorn made Del long for a smoke, but the good wife, a nurse by trade, made tobacco a plant of the past. Then again, an errant ash would set fire to the trampled grass-turned-thatch, putting an end to the line while teaching a lasting lesson.
12 Missed opportunities aside, the Nibblet Sweetcorn Festival and its fresh but fleeting graveside flowers landed on neither Memorial Day nor Veterans Day but Labor Day to coincide with the unpredictable Illinois harvest. After importation from Nebraska or Kazakhstan, the festival’s corn proceeded to evoke the Prairie State’s heritage of flat black soil (owing to erosion and fertilizer), even as the last remaining cubic foot of real prairie was rumored to reside in Kansas under a geodesic dome.
13 This state of affairs galvanized all the blue collars from the city of Nibblet (pop. 12,378) plus all the blue jeans from Nibblet County (pop. 5,496) plus half of Chicago in red Michael Jordan Memorial jerseys plus half of Indianapolis in red Bobby Knight Memorial sweaters to wait no less than two sweltering hours for no more than six ears a head.
14 Labor Day. They got that right.
15 “Somebody help him!” hollered an old lady. “He’s keeling over.”
16 Del dragged the corresponding old man’s armpits under an old oak tree next to the cemetery he thought he left behind.
17 “Save my place, kids,” said the lady, motioning to Tina, Kyle, and the line. While the patchwork-skirted coordinator ambled to the tree, Annette straightened the American Legion hat and loosened the blue collar delimiting a pale bald head interrupted by ink-spot eyes and a curvilinear mouth.
18 “Is this your husband?” asked Del.
19 “What else?” said the like-featured spouse. “Gladys Smiley’s the name. He’s Orville.”
20 “I’m Del Tilton, and this is my wife Annette.”
21 “Don’t go trying to shake my hand, boy,” said Mrs. Smiley, nearly losing her smile.
“I’d lose my pot.”
22 Del glanced at the closely guarded container. “Would you like me to take your husband to the hospital, Mrs. Smiley?”
23 “Oh, he’ll be all right. He gets like this when he forgets to take his medicine.”
24 “Are you sure?”
25 “Sure I’m sure. It takes more than a line to get him down. He’s tough. He’s a veteran.”
26 “Don’t worry,” whispered Annette into Del’s ear. “We see this all the time at the VA.”
27 Del wiped armpit juice from his hands, sprinted to the midway, zoomed back with a lemon shake-up, and helped Annette help with the straw.
28 “Did he take his medicine?” said Mrs. Smiley, back in line.
29 “Yes,” said Annette.
30 “He made corporal, you know.”
31 Del twisted from the line toward the tree, watched Corporal Smiley suck under his own power, and turned back, that is, forward.
32 Corn! Get your hot sweetcorn!
Questions
11. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. A veteran has much to say.
B. An old oak tree comes in handy.
C. Cigarettes are bad for health.
D. A family has a long wait in line for sweetcorn at a festival.
Main Idea
How to Follow a Reading Passage
12. Where is the festival being held?
A. Chicago
B. Indianapolis
C. Nibblet
D. Peoria
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
13. Which of the following, from earliest at the top to latest at the bottom, is the correct order of events?
A.
• Del runs to get a lemon shake-up.
• A jumble of fallen leaves swirls.
• An old man keels over.
• Annette tousles Del’s hair.
B.
• Annette tousles Del’s hair.
• A jumble of fallen leaves swirls.
• An old man keels over.
• Del runs to get a lemon shake-up.
C.
• A jumble of fallen leaves swirls.
• Annette tousles Del’s hair.
• An old man keels over.
• Del runs to get a lemon shake-up.
D.
• Annette tousles Del’s hair.
• A jumble of fallen leaves swirls.
• Del runs to get a lemon shake-up.
• An old man keels over.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
14. Which of the following can you infer from this passage?
A. Only a few people are waiting in line.
B. Del has things other than sweetcorn on his mind.
C. Annette is uncaring.
D. Annette works in retail.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
15. What does the word errant mean in Paragraph 11?
A. stray
B. aimed
C. incorrect
D. airborne
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
16. Which of the following are character traits of Del Tilton?
A. Uncaring. Ambivalent. Former Smoker.
B. Caring. Ambivalent. Former Smoker.
C. Blond. Ambivalent. Former Smoker.
D. Uncaring. Ambivalent. Blond.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
17. Where did Del get the lemon shake-up?
A. IGA
B. cooler
C. basket
D. midway
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
18. What does this passage imply?
A. Gladys Smiley is a softy.
B. Corporal Smiley is in optimum health.
C. There is something ailing Kyle’s grandfather.
D. Kyle is clueless.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
19. What does the word sweltering mean in Paragraph 13?
A. cool
B. hot
C. balmy
D. sunny
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
20. Which of the following shows the correct point of view?
A.
Del’s Point of View
• “Why don’t we go to the IGA?”
• “Are you sure?”
Annette’s Point of View
• “Don’t be silly.”
• “Don’t worry.”
B.
Del’s Point of View
• “Why don’t we go to the IGA?”
• “Don’t be silly.”
Annette’s Point of View
• “Are you sure?”
• “Don’t worry.”
C.
Del’s Point of View
• “Don’t be silly.”
• “Don’t worry.”
Annette’s Point of View
• “Why don’t we go to the IGA?”
• “Are you sure?”
D.
Del’s Point of View
• “Why don’t we go to the IGA?”
• “Don’t worry.”
Annette’s Point of View
• “Don’t be silly.”
• “Are you sure?”
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
Passage
What is Crime?
– Clarence Darrow
– nonfiction
1 There can be no sane discussion of “crime” and “criminals” without an investigation of the meaning of the words. A large majority of men, even among the educated, speak of a “criminal” as if the word had a clearly defined meaning and as if men were divided by a plain and distinct line into the criminal and the virtuous. As a matter of fact, there is no such division, and from the nature of things, there never can be such a line.
2 Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by the law of the land, and one which is considered sufficiently serious to warrant providing penalties for its commission. It does not necessarily follow that this act is either good or bad; the punishment follows for the violation of the law and not necessarily for any moral transgression. No doubt most of the things forbidden by the penal code are such as are injurious to the organized society of the time and place, and are usually of such a character as for a long period of time, and in most countries, have been classed as criminal. But even then it does not always follow that the violator of the law is not a person of higher type than the majority who are directly and indirectly responsible for the law.
3 It is apparent that a thing is not necessarily bad because it is forbidden by the law. Legislators are forever repealing and abolishing criminal statutes, and organized society is constantly ignoring laws, until they fall into disuse and die. The laws against witchcraft, the long line of “blue laws,” the laws affecting religious beliefs and many social customs, are well-known examples of legal and innocent acts which legislatures and courts have once made criminal. Not only are criminal statutes always dying by repeal or repeated violation, but every time a legislature meets, it changes penalties for existing crimes and makes criminal certain acts that were not forbidden before.
4 Judging from the kind of men sent to the State legislatures and to Congress, the fact that certain things are forbidden does not mean that these things are necessarily evil; but rather, that politicians believe there is a demand for such legislation from the class of society that is most powerful in political action. No one who examines the question can be satisfied that a thing is intrinsically wrong because it is forbidden by a legislative body.
5 Other more or less popular opinions of the way to determine right or wrong are found to be no more satisfactory. Many believe that the question of whether an act is right or wrong is to be settled by a religious doctrine; but the difficulties are still greater in this direction. First of all, this involves a thorough and judicial inquiry into the merits of many, if not all, forms of religion, an investigation which has never been made, and from the nature of things cannot be made. The fact is, that one’s religious opinions are settled long before he begins to investigate and quite by other processes than reason. Then, too, all religious precepts rest on interpretation, and even the things that seem the plainest have ever been subject to manifold and sometimes conflicting construction. Few if any religious commands can be, or ever were, implicitly relied on without interpretation. The command, “Thou shalt not kill,” seems plain, but does even this furnish an infallible rule of conduct?
6 Of course this commandment could not be meant to forbid killing animals. Yet there are many people who believe that it does, or at least should. No Christian state makes it apply to men convicted of crime, or against killing in war, and yet a considerable minority has always held that both forms of killing violate the commandment. Neither can it be held to apply to accidental killings, or killings in self-defense, or in defense of property or family. Laws, too, provide all grades of punishment for different kinds of killing, from very light penalties up to death. Manifestly, then, the commandment must be interpreted, “Thou shalt not kill when it is wrong to kill,” and therefore it furnishes no guide to conduct. As well say: “Thou shalt do nothing that is wrong.” Religious doctrines do not and clearly cannot be adopted as the criminal code of a state.
7 In this uncertainty as to the basis of good and bad conduct, many appeal to “conscience” as the infallible guide. What is conscience? It manifestly is not a distinct faculty of the mind, and if it were, would it be more reliable than the other faculties? It has been often said that some divine power implanted conscience in every human being. Apart from the question of whether human beings are different in kind from other organisms, which will be discussed later, if conscience has been placed in man by a divine power, why have not all peoples been furnished with the same guide? There is no doubt that all men of any mentality have what is called a conscience; that is, a feeling that certain things are right, and certain other things are wrong. This conscience does not affect all the actions of life, but probably the ones which to them are the most important. It varies, however, with the individual. What reason has the world to believe that conscience is a correct guide to right and wrong?
8 The origin of conscience is easily understood. One’s conscience is formed as his habits are formed—by the time and place in which he lives; it grows with his teachings, his habits and beliefs. With most people it takes on the color of the community where they live. With some people the eating of pork would hurt their conscience; with others the eating of any meat; with some the eating of meat on Friday, and with others the playing of any game of chance for money, or the playing of any game on Sunday, or the drinking of intoxicating liquors. Conscience is purely a matter of environment, education and temperament, and is no more infallible than any habit or belief. Whether one should always follow his own conscience is another question, and cannot be confounded with the question as to whether conscience is an infallible guide to conduct.
9 Some seek to avoid the manifold difficulties of the problem by saying that a “criminal” is one who is “anti-social.” But does this bring us nearer to the light? An anti-social person is one whose life is hostile to the organization or the society in which he lives; one who injures the peace, contentment, prosperity or well-being of his neighbors, or the political or social organization in which his life is cast.
10 In this sense many of the most venerated men of history have been criminals; their lives and teachings have been in greater or lesser conflict with the doctrines, habits and beliefs of the communities where they lived. From the nature of things the wise man and the idealist can never be contented with existing things, and their lives are a constant battle for change. If the anti-social individual should be punished, what of many of the profiteers and captains of industry who manipulate business and property for purely selfish ends? What of many of our great financiers who use every possible reform and conventional catch word as a means of affecting public opinion, so that they may control the resources of the earth and exploit their fellows for their own gain?
Questions
21. What is the author of this passage trying to say?
A. Crime is an absolute.
B. All crimes fit easily into the Ten Commandments.
C. Carnivores are morally bankrupt.
D. Crime is not easily defined.
Main Idea
How to Follow a Reading Passage
22. The passage makes which of the following points?
A. The law is immutable.
B. Conscience is a distinct faculty of the mind.
C. Religious precepts are not open to interpretation.
D. A thing is not necessarily bad because it is forbidden by the law.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
23. Which of the following, from earliest at the top to latest at the bottom, is the correct order of events?
A.
• Punishment is not necessarily based on morals.
• Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by law.
• A crime is not necessarily good or bad.
• There can be no discussion of crime without definition.
B.
• Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by law.
• Punishment is not necessarily based on morals.
• A crime is not necessarily good or bad.
• There can be no discussion of crime without definition.
C.
• There can be no discussion of crime without definition.
• A crime is not necessarily good or bad.
• Punishment is not necessarily based on morals.
• Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by law.
D.
• There can be no discussion of crime without definition.
• Strictly speaking, a crime is an act forbidden by law.
• A crime is not necessarily good or bad.
• Punishment is not necessarily based on morals.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
24. Which of the following can you infer from this passage?
A. Jaywalking can be considered a crime that society ignores.
B. Conscience is a genetic trait.
C. Crime has a clearly defined meaning.
D. All antisocial people are bad for society.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
25. What does the word transgression mean in Paragraph 2?
A. infringement
B. obedience
C. carelessness
D. compliance
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
26. Which of the following are character traits of Crime?
A. Indistinct. Constant. Inconstant.
B. Indistinct. Distinct. Inconstant.
C. Indistinct. Ambiguous. Inconstant.
D. Distinct. Ambiguous. Inconstant.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
27. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. Legislators never repeal laws.
B. Laws can fall into disuse and die.
C. Religious doctrines should be adopted as the code of the state.
D. Everyone agrees that alcoholic beverages should be illegal.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
28. In your judgment, which of the following could this passage be implying?
A. Antisocial people should take ballroom dancing lessons.
B. The financial industry always has the public’s best interests at heart.
C. Public protests should be made illegal.
D. Martin Luther King could have been considered antisocial.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
29. What does the word infallible mean near the end of Paragraph 8?
A. always right
B. inaccurate
C. impulsive
D. always wrong
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
30. Which of the following shows the correct point of view?
A.
Religion’s Point of View
• Similar to habits.
• Feeling of right vs. wrong.
Conscience’s Point of View
• “Thou shalt not kill.”
• Commandments rely on interpretation.
B.
Religion’s Point of View
• “Thou shalt not kill.”
• Commandments rely on interpretation.
Conscience’s Point of View
• Similar to habits.
• Feeling of right vs. wrong.
C.
Religion’s Point of View
• Similar to habits.
• Commandments rely on interpretation.
Conscience’s Point of View
• “Thou shalt not kill.”
• Feeling of right vs. wrong.
D.
Religion’s Point of View
• “Thou shalt not kill.”
• Feeling of right vs. wrong.
Conscience’s Point of View
• Similar to habits.
• Commandments rely on interpretation.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
Passage
The Invisible Man
– H. G. Wells
– fiction
1 The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand. He was wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a white crest to the burden he carried. He staggered into the “Coach and Horses” more dead than alive, and flung his portmanteau down. “A fire,” he cried, “in the name of human charity! A room and a fire!” He stamped and shook the snow from off himself in the bar, and followed Mrs. Hall into her guest parlour to strike his bargain. And with that much introduction, that and a couple of sovereigns flung upon the table, he took up his quarters in the inn.
2 Mrs. Hall lit the fire and left him there while she went to prepare him a meal with her own hands. A guest to stop at Iping in the wintertime was an unheard-of piece of luck, let alone a guest who was no “haggler,” and she was resolved to show herself worthy of her good fortune. As soon as the bacon was well under way, and Millie, her lymphatic maid, had been brisked up a bit by a few deftly chosen expressions of contempt, she carried the cloth, plates, and glasses into the parlour and began to lay them with the utmost éclat. Although the fire was burning up briskly, she was surprised to see that her visitor still wore his hat and coat, standing with his back to her and staring out of the window at the falling snow in the yard. His gloved hands were clasped behind him, and he seemed to be lost in thought. She noticed that the melting snow that still sprinkled his shoulders dripped upon her carpet. “Can I take your hat and coat, sir?” she said, “and give them a good dry in the kitchen?”
3 “No,” he said without turning.
4 She was not sure she had heard him, and was about to repeat her question.
5 He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. “I prefer to keep them on,” he said with emphasis, and she noticed that he wore big blue spectacles with sidelights, and had a bush side-whisker over his coat-collar that completely hid his cheeks and face.
6 “Very well, sir,” she said. “As you like. In a bit the room will be warmer.”
7 He made no answer, and had turned his face away from her again, and Mrs. Hall, feeling that her conversational advances were ill-timed, laid the rest of the table things in a quick staccato and whisked out of the room. When she returned he was still standing there, like a man of stone, his back hunched, his collar turned up, his dripping hat-brim turned down, hiding his face and ears completely. She put down the eggs and bacon with considerable emphasis, and called rather than said to him, “Your lunch is served, sir.”
8 “Thank you,” he said at the same time, and did not stir until she was closing the door.
Then he swung round and approached the table with a certain eager quickness.
9 As she went behind the bar to the kitchen she heard a sound repeated at regular intervals. Chirk, chirk, chirk, it went, the sound of a spoon being rapidly whisked round a basin. “That girl!” she said. “There! I clean forgot it. It’s her being so long!” And while she herself finished mixing the mustard, she gave Millie a few verbal stabs for her excessive slowness. She had cooked the ham and eggs, laid the table, and done everything, while Millie (help indeed!) had only succeeded in delaying the mustard. And him a new guest and wanting to stay! Then she filled the mustard pot, and, putting it with a certain stateliness upon a gold and black tea-tray, carried it into the parlour.
10 She rapped and entered promptly. As she did so her visitor moved quickly, so that she got but a glimpse of a white object disappearing behind the table. It would seem he was picking something from the floor. She rapped down the mustard pot on the table, and then she noticed the overcoat and hat had been taken off and put over a chair in front of the fire, and a pair of wet boots threatened rust to her steel fender. She went to these things resolutely. “I suppose I may have them to dry now,” she said in a voice that brooked no denial.
11 “Leave the hat,” said her visitor, in a muffled voice, and turning she saw he had raised his head and was sitting and looking at her.
12 For a moment she stood gaping at him, too surprised to speak.
13 He held a white cloth—it was a serviette he had brought with him—over the lower part of his face, so that his mouth and jaws were completely hidden, and that was the reason of his muffled voice. But it was not that which startled Mrs. Hall. It was the fact that all his forehead above his blue glasses was covered by a white bandage, and that another covered his ears, leaving not a scrap of his face exposed excepting only his pink, peaked nose. It was bright, pink, and shiny just as it had been at first. He wore a dark-brown velvet jacket with a high, black, linen-lined collar turned up about his neck. The thick black hair, escaping as it could below and between the cross bandages, projected in curious tails and horns, giving him the strangest appearance conceivable. This muffled and bandaged head was so unlike what she had anticipated, that for a moment she was rigid.
14 He did not remove the serviette, but remained holding it, as she saw now, with a brown gloved hand, and regarding her with his inscrutable blue glasses. “Leave the hat,” he said, speaking very distinctly through the white cloth.
15 Her nerves began to recover from the shock they had received. She placed the hat on the chair again by the fire. “I didn’t know, sir,” she began, “that—” and she stopped embarrassed.
16 “Thank you,” he said drily, glancing from her to the door and then at her again.
Questions
31. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. It’s cold outside.
B. Good help is hard to find.
C. Clothes go in and out of fashion.
D. A mysterious stranger arrives at an inn.
Main Idea
How to Follow a Reading Passage
32. Which of the following describes the weather outside?
A. rainy
B. sunny
C. warm
D. snowy
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
33. Which of the following, from earliest at the top to latest at the bottom, is the correct order of events?
A.
• The stranger holds a cloth to his face.
• Mrs. Hall prepares a meal for the stranger.
• Mustard is prepared for the stranger.
• A stranger arrives.
B.
• Mrs. Hall prepares a meal for the stranger.
• Mustard is prepared for the stranger.
• A stranger arrives.
• The stranger holds a cloth to his face.
C.
• Mustard is prepared for the stranger.
• Mrs. Hall prepares a meal for the stranger.
• A stranger arrives.
• The stranger holds a cloth to his face.
D.
• A stranger arrives.
• Mrs. Hall prepares a meal for the stranger.
• Mustard is prepared for the stranger.
• The stranger holds a cloth to his face.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
34. Which of the following can you infer from this passage?
A. Mrs. Hall is an inconsiderate host.
B. The stranger is hiding more than his appearance.
C. The stranger is in a good mood.
D. Millie is usually helpful.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
35. From its context, what does the word fire mean in this passage?
A. A blazing inferno.
B. Shoot a gun.
C. A warm fire from a fireplace.
D. A forest fire.
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
36. Which of the following are character traits of the stranger?
A. Garrulous. Happy. Gruff.
B. Uneasy. Secretive. Gruff.
C. Garrulous. Secretive. Uneasy.
D. Garrulous. Happy. Secretive.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
37. Which of the following foods did Mrs. Hall prepare?
A. grits
B. pancakes
C. eggs
D. waffles
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
38. What does this passage imply?
A. Mrs. Hall cares only about money.
B. Mrs. Hall is curious but respectful.
C. Mrs. Hall is happy with the help.
D. Mrs. Hall could care less.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
39. What does the word inscrutable mean in Paragraph 14?
A. understandable
B. unscrupulous
C. obvious
D. impenetrable
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
40. Which of the following shows the correct point of view?
A.
Stranger’s Point of View
• Wears blue glasses.
• “Leave the hat.”
Mrs. Hall’s Point of View
• “That girl!”
• Grateful to have a customer.
B.
Stranger’s Point of View
• “That girl!”
• Grateful to have a customer.
Mrs. Hall’s Point of View
• Wears blue glasses.
• “Leave the hat.”
C.
Stranger’s Point of View
• “That girl!”
• “Leave the hat.”
Mrs. Hall’s Point of View
• Wears blue glasses.
• Grateful to have a customer.
D.
Stranger’s Point of View
• Grateful to have a customer.
• “Leave the hat.”
Mrs. Hall’s Point of View
• “That girl!”
• Wears blue glasses.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
Passage
How Safe is a Motorcycle?
– publications.usa.gov
– nonfiction
1 There are over 6.2 million motorcycles registered in the United States. The popularity of this mode of transportation is attributed to the low initial cost of a motorcycle, its use as a pleasure vehicle, and, for some models, the good fuel efficiency.
2 Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately 11 percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent approximately 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent.
3 An automobile has more weight and bulk than a motorcycle. It has door beams and a roof to provide some measure of protection from impact or rollover. It has cushioning and airbags to soften impact and seat belts to hold passengers in their seats. It has windshield washers and wipers to assist visibility in the rain and snow. An automobile has more stability because it’s on four wheels, and because of its size, it is easier to see. A motorcycle suffers in comparison when considering vehicle characteristics that directly contribute to occupant safety. What a motorcycle sacrifices in weight, bulk, and other crashworthiness characteristics is somewhat offset by its agility, maneuverability, ability to stop quickly, and ability to swerve quickly when necessary.
4 A motorcyclist should attend a motorcycle rider-training course to learn how to safely and skillfully operate a motorcycle. A motorcyclist has to be more careful and aware at intersections, where most motorcycle-vehicle collisions occur. Motorcyclists must remain visible to other motorists at all times. Don’t ride in a car’s “No Zone” (blind spot).
Anticipate what may happen more than other vehicle drivers may. For example, anticipate that drivers backing their cars out of driveways may not see you; and place greater emphasis on defensive driving.
5 Motorcyclists also must be more cautious when riding in inclement weather, on slippery surfaces, or when encountering obstacles on the roadway. They must place greater reliance on their helmets, eye protection, and clothing to increase riding comfort and to reduce the severity of injury should they become involved in a crash.
6 Approximately half of all fatal single-vehicle motorcycle crashes involve alcohol. A motorcycle requires more skill and coordination to operate than a car. Riding a motorcycle while under the influence of any amount of alcohol significantly decreases an operator’s ability to operate the motorcycle safely.
7 On average, 25 percent of motorcycle operators killed in traffic crashes are not licensed or are improperly licensed to operate a motorcycle. By not obtaining a motorcycle operator license, riders are bypassing the only method they and State licensing agencies have to ensure they have the knowledge and skill needed to safely and skillfully operate a motorcycle.
Questions
41. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Operating a motorcycle requires a great deal of attention to safety.
B. Motorcycles are as safe as automobiles.
C. Alcohol-related motorcycle injuries are uncommon.
D. A motorcycle is more maneuverable than an automobile.
Main Idea
How to Follow a Reading Passage
42. This passage states which of the following?
A. Automobiles are lighter than motorcycles.
B. Motorcycles provide a lot of protection in a crash.
C. Automobiles are impregnable.
D. Approximately half of all fatal single-vehicle motorcycle crashes involve alcohol.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
43. Which of the following, from earliest at the top to latest at the bottom, is the correct order of events?
A.
• In the face of the high incidence of injury or death, it is not stated who reports a motorcycle crash.
• In the midst of a crash, the motorcycle provides virtually no protection.
• Because the motorcycle provides virtually no protection, a crash has an 80% chance of causing injury or death.
• A motorcycle is involved in a crash.
B.
• A motorcycle is involved in a crash.
• In the midst of a crash, the motorcycle provides virtually no protection.
• Because the motorcycle provides virtually no protection, a crash has an 80% chance of causing injury or death.
• In the face of the high incidence of injury or death, it is not stated who reports a motorcycle crash.
C.
• In the face of the high incidence of injury or death, it is not stated who reports a motorcycle crash.
• Because the motorcycle provides virtually no protection, a crash has an 80% chance of causing injury or death.
• In the midst of a crash, the motorcycle provides virtually no protection.
• A motorcycle is involved in a crash.
D.
• Because the motorcycle provides virtually no protection, a crash has an 80% chance of causing injury or death.
• In the face of the high incidence of injury or death, it is not stated who reports a motorcycle crash.
• In the midst of a crash, the motorcycle provides virtually no protection.
• A motorcycle is involved in a crash.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
44. Which of the following can you infer from this passage?
A. Motorcycles are less dangerous than automobiles.
B. Motorcycles are equally dangerous as automobiles.
C. Motorcycles are more dangerous than automobiles.
D. Motorcycles are illegal.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
45. What does the term “No Zone” mean in Paragraph 4?
A. no fly zone
B. no trespassing
C. clear view
D. blind spot
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
46. Which of the following are character traits of a motorcycle?
A. Bulky. Heavy. Popular.
B. Bulky. Agile. Maneuverable.
C. Popular. Agile. Heavy.
D. Agile. Maneuverable. Popular.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
47. A motorcyclist should do which of the following?
A. Attend a training course.
B. Wing it.
C. Operate without a license.
D. Whistle.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
48. In your judgment, this passage is suggesting which of the following?
A. Human error is rarely responsible for motorcycle accidents.
B. A motorcycle’s agility trumps alcohol intake.
C. Motorcycle insurance is a bad idea.
D. Irresponsible behavior is responsible for many motorcycle accidents.
Inference
How to Follow a Reading Passage
49. What does the word inclement mean in Paragraph 5?
A. mild
B. harsh
C. benign
D. unpredictable
Context
How to Follow a Reading Passage
50. Which of the following shows the correct point of view?
A.
Motorcycle’s Point of View
• Airbags.
• More stable.
Automobile’s Point of View
• Stops quickly.
• Swerves quickly.
B.
Motorcycle’s Point of View
• Stops quickly.
• Swerves quickly.
Automobile’s Point of View
• Airbags.
• More stable.
C.
Motorcycle’s Point of View
• Airbags.
• Swerves quickly.
Automobile’s Point of View
• Stops quickly.
• More stable.
D.
Motorcycle’s Point of View
• Stops quickly.
• More stable.
Automobile’s Point of View
• Airbags.
• Swerves quickly.
Detail
How to Follow a Reading Passage
51. Which of the following sentences is correct?
(A) jack’s friend jill fell off mount everest.
(B) Jack’s friend Jill fell off Mount everest.
(C) jack’s friend Jill fell off Mount Everest.
(D) Jack’s friend Jill fell off Mount Everest.
Capitalization
52. Which of the following sentences is correct?
(A) I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger in July.
(B) I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger in july.
(C) I will gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger in July.
(D) i will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger in July.
Capitalization
53. Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?
(A) The moon is bright vanilla ice cream is my favorite.
(B) The moon is bright, vanilla ice cream is my favorite.
(C) The moon is bright. vanilla ice cream is my favorite.
(D) The moon is bright. Vanilla ice cream is my favorite.
Punctuation
54. Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?
(A) Bob will need the following items, shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow.
(B) Bob will need the following items: shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow.
(C) Bob will need the following items; shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow.
(D) Bob will need the following items shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow.
Punctuation
55. Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?
(A) Dogs bark – cats meow.
(B) Dogs bark! cats meow.
(C) Dogs bark; cats meow.
(D) Dogs bark cats meow.
Punctuation
56. Which of the following sentences uses correct punctuation?
(A) I should get more exercise said Bob.
(B) “I should get more exercise;” said Bob.
(C) “I should get more exercise.” said Bob.
(D) “I should get more exercise,” said Bob.
Punctuation
57. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) The snake slither.
(B) The snake slithers.
(C) The snakes slithers.
(D) The slithers snakes.
Subject-Verb Agreement
58. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) Jim cures cancer, ended famine, and watched television.
(B) Jim cured cancer, ends famine, and watched television.
(C) Jim cured cancer, ended famine, and watches television.
(D) Jim cured cancer, ended famine, and watched television.
Verb-Verb Agreement
59. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) The snake slither.
(B) The snakes slithers.
(C) The snakes slither.
(D) The slither snakes.
Subject-Verb Agreement
60. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) In lieu of fun, Bob shovels, raked, and snarled.
(B) In lieu of fun, Bob shoveled, raked, and snarled.
(C) In lieu of fun, Bob shoveled, rakes, and snarled.
(D) In lieu of fun, Bob shoveled, raked, and snarls.
Verb-Verb Agreement
61. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) Having paid the cashier, a week’s supply of food departed the store.
(B) Having paid the cashier, the store allowed a week’s supply of food to depart.
(C) Having paid the cashier, a week’s supply of food left the store.
(D) Having paid the cashier, I departed the store with a week’s supply of food.
Dangling Modifiers
62. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) Everyone hate broccoli.
(B) Everyone sort of like broccoli.
(C) Everyone like broccoli.
(D) Everyone likes broccoli.
Pronouns
63. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) Your going there.
(B) You’re going they’re.
(C) You’re going there.
(D) You’re going their.
Confusing Words
64. Which of the following sentences uses correct grammar?
(A) I will except the award, accept for the cheap wine.
(B) I will excerpt the award, except for the cheap wine.
(C) I will except the award, excerpt for the cheap wine.
(D) I will accept the award, except for the cheap wine.
Confusing Words
65. Whatever you wrote for an extended response practice prompt (english or spanish) provided by the GED Testing Service should be to your satisfaction.
Extended Response: Example 1
Extended Response: Example 2
Extended Response: Example 3