READING POST-TEST LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

READING POST-TEST

QUESTIONS 1-10

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves in front of the Sun and hides at least some part of the Sun from the earth. In a partial eclipse, the moon covers part of the Sun; in an annular eclipse, the Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a bright ring of light around the moon; in a total eclipse, the Sun is completely covered by the Moon. It seems rather improbable that a celestial body the size of the Moon could completely block out the tremendously immense Sun, as happens during a total eclipse, but this is exactly what happens. Although the Moon is considerably smaller in size than the Sun, the Moon is able to cover the Sun because of their relative distances from Earth. A total eclipse can last up to 7 minutes, during which time the Moon’s shadow moves across Earth at a rate of about .6 kilometers per second.

1	The passage mainly		6	According to the passage, how can the Moon hide the Sun during a total eclipse?
	A	describes how long an eclipse will last		A	The fact that the Moon is closer to Earth than the Sun makes up for the Moon’s smaller size.
	B	gives facts about the Moon		B	The Moon can only obscure the Sun because of the Moon’s great distance from the earth.
	C	explains how the Sun is able to obscure the Moon		C	Because the Sun is relatively close to Earth, the Sun can be eclipsed by the Moon.
	D	informs the reader about solar eclipses		D	The Moon hides the Sun because of the Moon’s considerable size.
2	In which type of eclipse is the Sun obscured in its entirety?		7	The word “relative” in line 8 could best be replaced by
	A	A partial eclipse		A	familial
	B	An annular eclipse		B	infinite
	C	A total eclipse		C	comparative
	D	A celestial eclipse		D	paternal
3	The word “ring” in line 3 could best be replaced by		8	The passage states that which of the following happens during an eclipse?
	A	piece of gold		A	The Moon hides from the Sun.
	B	circle		B	The Moon is obscured by the Sun.
	C	jewel		C	The Moon begins moving at a speed of .6 kilometers per second.
	D	bell		D	The Moon’s shadow crosses earth.
4	A “celestial body” in line 5 is most probably one that is found		9	The word “rate” in line 9 could best be replaced by
	A	within the Moon’s shadow		A	form
	B	somewhere in the sky		B	speed
	C	on the surface of the Sun		C	distance
	D	inside Earth’s atmosphere		D	rotation
5	What is the meaning of “block out” in line 5?		10	Where in the passage does the author mention the rate of a total eclipse?
	A	Square		A	Lines 1-2
	B	Cover		B	Lines 2-4
	C	Evaporate		C	Lines 5-6
	D	Shrink		D	Lines 8-9

QUESTIONS 11-20

While the bald eagle is one national symbol of the United States, it is not the only one. Uncle Sam, a bearded gentleman costumed in the red, white, and blue stars and stripes of the nation’s flag, is another well-known national symbol. According to legend, this character is based on Samuel Wilson, the owner of meat-packing business in Troy, New York. During the War of 1812, Sam Wilson’s company was granted a government contract to supply meat to the nation’s soldiers; this meat was supplied to the army in barrels stamped with the initials U.S., which stood for United States. However, the country was at that time relatively young, and the initials U.S. were not commonly used. Many people questions what the initials represented, and the standard reply became “Uncle Sam,” for the owner of the barrels. It is now generally accepted that the figure of Uncle Sam is based on Samuel Wilson, and the U.S. Congress has made it official by adopting a resolution naming Samuel Wilson as the inspiration for Uncle Sam.

11	The paragraph preceding this passage most probably discusses		16	The word “granted” in line 5 means
	A	the War of 1812		A	refused
	B	the bald eagle, which symbolizes the United States		B	underbid for
	C	Sam Wilson’s meat packing company		C	told about
	D	the costume worn by Uncle Sam		D	given
12	Which of the following is the most appropriate tittle for this passage?		17	According to the passage, what was in the barrels stamped U.S.?
	A	The Bald Eagle		A	Sam Wilson
	B	The Symbols of the United States		B	Food for the army
	C	Samuel Wilson		C	Weapons to be used in the war
	D	Uncle Sam-Symbol of the Nation		D	Company contracts
13	Which of the following is NOT  mentioned about Uncle Sam’s appearance?		18	The word “initials” in line 6 means
	A	He wears facial hair.		A	nicknames
	B	There is some blue in his clothing.		B	family names
	C	He is bald.		C	first letters of words
	D	His clothes have stripes in them.		D	company names
14	The word “costumed” in line 2 could most easily replaced by		19	The word “official” in line 10 is closest in meaning to
	A	dressed		A	authorized
	B	nationalized		B	professional
	C	hidden		C	dutiful
	D	seen		D	accidental
15	Sam Wilson was the proprietor of what type of business?		20	In 1812, people most probably answered that the letters “U.S.” written on the barrels stood for “Uncle Sam” because
	A	A costume company		A	Congress required it
	B	A meat-packing company		B	Samuel Wilson was their favourite uncle
	C	A military clothier		C	Sam Wilson preferred it
	D	A barrel-making company		D	they were not exactly sure what the letters meant

QUESTIONS 21-31

Most people think of desserts as dry, flat areas with little vegetation and little or no rainfall, but this is hardly trues. Many deserts have varied geographical formations ranging from soft, rolling hills to start, jagged cliffs, and most deserts have a permanent source of water. Although deserts do not receive a high amount of rainfall-to be classified as a desert, an area must get less than twenty-five centimeters of rainfall per year-there are many plants that thrive on only small amounts of water, and deserts are often full of such plant life. Deserts plants have a variety of mechanisms for obtaining the water needed for survival. Some plants, such as cactus, are able to store large amounts of water in their leaves or stems; after a rainfall these plants absorb a large supply of water to last until the next rainfall. Other plants, such as the mesquite, have extraordinarily deep root systems that allow them to obtain water from far below the desert’s arid surface.

21	What is the main topic of the passage?		27	The word “mechanisms” in line 7 could most easily replaced by
	A	Deserts are dry, flat areas with few plants.		A	machines
	B	There is little rainfall in the desert.		B	pumps
	C	Many kinds of vegetation can survive with little water.		C	sources
	D	Deserts are not really flat areas with little plant life.		D	methods
22	The passage implies that		28	Which of the following is mentioned in the passage about cacti?
	A	the typical conception of a desert is incorrect		A	They have deep root systems.
	B	all deserts are dry, flat areas		B	They retain water from one rainfall to the next.
	C	most people are well informed about deserts		C	They survive in the desert because they do not need water.
	D	the lack of rainfall in deserts causes the lack of vegetation		D	They get water from deep below the surface of the desert.
23	The passage describes the geography of deserts as		29	“Mesquite” in line 10 is probably?
	A	flat		A	a type of tree
	B	sandy		B	a desert animal
	C	varied		C	a type of cactus
	D	void of vegetation		D	a geographical formation in the desert
24	The word “source” in line 3 means		30	The word “arid” in line 11 means
	A	supply		A	deep
	B	storage space		B	dry
	C	need		C	sandy
	D	lack		D	superficial
25	According to the passage, what causes an area to be classified as a desert?		31	Where in the passage does the author describe desert vegetation that keeps water in its leaves?
	A	The type of plants		A	Lines 1-2
	B	The geographical formations		B	Lines 3-6
	C	The amount of precipitation		C	Lines 7-9
	D	The source of water		D	Lines 9-11
26	The word “thrive” in line 5 means
	A	suffer
	B	grow well
	C	minimally survive
	D	decay

QUESTIONS 32-41

American Jazz is a conglomeration of sounds borrowed from such varied sources as American and African folk music, European classical music, and Christian gospel songs. One of the recognizable characteristics of jazz is its use of improvisation; certain parts of the music are written out and played the same way by various performers, and other improvised parts are created spontaneously during a performance and vary widely from performer to performer. The earliest form of jazz was ragtime, lively songs or rags performed on the piano, and the best-known of the ragtime performers and composers was Scott Joplin. Born in 1868 to former slaves, Scott Joplin earned his living from a very early age playing the piano in bars along the Mississippi. One of his regular jobs was in the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia, Missouri. It was there that he began writing the more than 500 compositions that he was to produce, the most famous of which was “The Maple Leaf Rag.”

32	This passage is about		37	The word “living” in line 8 could most easily replaced by
	A	jazz in general and one specific type of jazz		A	money
	B	the various sources of jazz		B	life-style
	C	the life of Scott Joplin		C	enjoyment
	D	the major characteristics of jazz		D	health
33	The word “conglomeration” in line 1 could best be replaced by		38	The word “regular” in line 9 could best be replaced by
	A	disharmony		A	popular
	B	mixture		B	steady
	C	purity		C	unusual
	D	treasure		D	boring
34	In line 3, the word “improvisation” involves which of the following?		39	The word “which” in line 10 refers to
	A	Playing the written parts of the music		A	regular jobs
	B	Performing similarly to other musicians		B	the Maple Leaf Club
	C	Making up music while playing		C	Sedalia, Missouri
	D	Playing a varied selection of musical compositions		D	500 compositions
35	According to the passage, ragtime was		40	The name of Scott Joplin’s most famous composition probably came from
	A	generally performed on a variety of instruments		A	the name of a saloon where he performed
	B	the first type of jazz		B	the maple tree near his Sedalia home
	C	extremely soothing and sedate		C	the name of the town where he was born
	D	performed only at the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia		D	the school where he learned to play the piano
36	Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?		41	The paragraph following the passage probably discusses
	A	Scott Joplin was a slave when he was born.		A	Sedalia, Missouri
	B	Scott Joplin’s parents had been slaves before Scott was born.		B	the Maple Leaf Club
	C	Scott Joplin has formerly been a slave, but he no longer was after 1868.		C	the numerous compositions of Scott Joplin
	D	Scott Joplin’s parents were slaves when Scott was born.		D	the life of Scott Joplin

QUESTIONS 42-50

The idea of determinism, that no event occurs in nature without natural causes, has been postulated as a natural law yet is under attack on both scientific and philosophical grounds. Scientific laws assume that a specific set of conditions will unerringly lead to a predetermined outcome. However, studies in the field of physics have demonstrated that the location and speed of minuscule particles such as electrons are the result of random behaviours rather than predictable results determined by pre-existing conditions. As a result of these studies, the principle of indeterminacy was  formulated in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg. According to his principle, only the probable behaviour of an electron can be predicted. The inability to absolutely predict the behaviour of electrons casts doubt on the universal applicability of a natural law of determinism. Philosophically, the principal opposition to determinism emanates from those who see humans as creatures in possession of free will. Human decisions may be influenced by previous events, but the ultimate freedom of humanity may possibly lead to unforeseen choices, those not preordained by preceding events.

42	It is implied in the passage that a natural law		47	The expression “emanates from” in line 10 could most easily be replaced
	A	is something that applies to science only		A	derives from
	B	can be incontrovertibly found in the idea of determinism		B	differs from
	C	is philosophically unacceptable		C	is in contrast to
	D	is a principle to which there is no exception		D	is subordinate to
43	The word “unerringly” in line 3 could be most easily replaced by		48	It is implied in the passage that free will is
	A	fortunately		A	accepted by all philosophers
	B	effortlessly		B	a direct outcome of Werner’s principle of indeterminacy
	C	without mistake		C	the antithesis of determinism
	D	with guidance		D	a natural law
44	The idea of determinism is refuted in this passage based on		49	The word “unforeseen” in line 12 is closest in meaning to
	A	scientific proof		A	forewarned
	B	data from the science and philosophy of determinism		B	blind
	C	principles or assumptions from different fields of study		C	unappreciated
	D	philosophical doubt about free will		D	unpredictable
45	The word “minuscule” in line 4 is closest in meaning to		50	Where in the passage does the author mention who develop the contrary principle to determinism?
	A	charged		A	Lines 1-2
	B	fast-moving		B	Lines 6-7
	C	circular		C	Lines 8-9
	D	tiny		D	Lines 9-13
46	According to the passage, which of the following is NOT trues about the principle of Indeterminacy?
	A	It was formulated based on studies in physics.
	B	It was philosophically unacceptable.
	C	It has been in existence for more than a decade.
	D	It is concerned with the random behaviour of electrons.

ANSWER KEY

1	D	11	B	21	D	31	C	41	C
2	C	12	D	22	A	32	A	42	D
3	B	13	C	23	C	33	B	43	C
4	B	14	A	24	A	34	C	44	A
5	B	15	B	25	C	35	B	45	D
6	A	16	D	26	B	36	B	46	B
7	C	17	B	27	D	37	A	47	A
8	D	18	C	28	B	38	B	48	C
9	B	19	A	29	A	39	D	49	D
10	D	20	D	30	B	40	A	50	B