THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE PRACTICE TEST 1 READING PART 2 (Questions 1-10)

THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE

PRACTICE TEST 1

READING

PART 2 (Questions 1-10)

Questions 1-10            It takes a long time to raise a family of owlets, so the great horned owl begins early in the year. In January and February, or as late as March in the North, the male calls to the female with a resonant hoot. The female is larger than the male. She sometimes reaches a body length of twenty-two to twenty-four inches, with a wingspread up to fifty inches. To impress her, the male does a strange courtship dance. He bobs. He bows. He ruffles his feathers and hops around with an important air. He flutters from limb to limb and makes flying sorties into the air. Sometimes he returns with an offering of food. They share the repast, after which she joins the dance, hopping and bobbing about as though keeping time to the beat of an inner drum. Owls are poor home builders. They prefer to nest in a large hollow in a tree or even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. The mother lays two or three round, dull white eggs. Then she stoically settles herself on the nest and spreads her feather skirts about her to protect her precious charges from snow and cold. It is five weeks before the first downy white owlet pecks its way out of the shell. As the young birds feather out, they look like wise old men with their wide eyes and quizzical expressions. They clamor for food and keep the parents busy supplying mice, squirrels, rabbits, crayfish, and beetles. Later in the season baby crows are taken. Migrating songsters, waterfowl, and game birds all fall prey to the hungry family. It is nearly ten weeks before fledglings leave the nest to search for their own food. The parent birds weary of family life by November and drive the young owls away to establish hunting ranges of their own. 1 What is the topic of this passage? A Raising a family of great homed owls Mating rituals of great homed owls Nest building of great homed owls Habits of young great homed owls B C D 2 In line 3, the phrase "a resonant hoot" is closest in meaning to A an instrument a sound a movement an offering of food B C D 3 It can be inferred from the passage that the courtship of great horned owls A takes place on the ground is an active process happens in the fall involves the male alone B C D 4 According to the passage, great homed owls A are discriminate nest builders need big nests for their numerous eggs may inhabit a previously used nest build nests on tree limbs B C D 5 According to the passage, which of the following is the mother owl's job? A To initiate the courtship ritual To feed the young To sit on the nest To build the nest B C D 6 The phrase "precious charges" in lines 16-17 refers to A the eggs the nest the hawks and crows other nesting owls B C D 7 According to the passage, young owlets eat everything EXCEPT A other small birds insects small mammals nuts and seeds B C D 8 In line 19, the word "they" refers to A the wise old men the adult birds the young birds the prey B C D 9 What can be inferred from the passage about the adult parents of the young great horned owls? A They are sorry to see their young leave home. They are lazy and careless about feeding the small owlets. They probably don't see their young after November. They don't eat while they are feeding their young. B C D 10 The phrase "weary of" in line 24 is closest in meaning to A tire of become sad about support are attracted to B C D

ANSWER KEY

1. A   The key phrase in the answer is raising a family. All the paragraphs in the passage are related to raising  a family, from   mating to sending the young owls away. (B),(C), and (D) are too specific. 2. В   Clues to meaning of "a resonant hoot" are the male calls to the female with a resonant hoot (lines 2-3). The meaning of calls in this context includes making a sound (B) which in this case is "a resonant hoot." 3. В   The reference to the answer is found in paragraph one, lines 5-10, where the courtship is described. All verbs used in this description are verbs of action. To understand  the incorrect answer choices refer to: (A) line 7; (С) lines 2-3; (D) lines 8-10. 4. С   The choices are all about nests, which are mentioned  in paragraph two. The correct answer (C) is found in  lines 11-12. (A) is wrong because the passage says that owls are poor home builders, which is the opposite of discriminate nest builders. (B) is incorrect because  line 15 states that the mother lays two or three ... eggs, in contrast to numerous eggs. (D) is not correct because lines 11-12 state that owls prefer to nest in a large hollow in a tree... , not on the tree limb. 5. С  The correct answer (C) is found in lines 15-17 she ... settles herself on the nest.... According to paragraph  one, the male initiates the courtship ritual. Lines 20-21 tell us that both parents feed the owlets, and in paragraph two the use of the word owls implies that both males and females build nests. 6. A   Clues to the meaning of "precious charges" in  lines 16-17 are in the logical development of the        description  of the mother owl first laying and then caring   for the eggs in the nest. Key words are lays ... eggs;  settles ... on the nest; to protect her.. .from snow and cold. 7. D  The correct answer (D) is found in lines 20-23; nuts and seeds are not mentioned. Beetles are insects.  Birds are mentioned and so are mice, squirrels, and rabbits, which are small mammals. 8. С   The pronoun "they" in line 19 refers to the young birds  mentioned in the preceding sentence. It is logically  the young birds who ask for food and keep the parents busy. 9. С   The correct answer (C) is found in lines 24-25, ... and drive the young owls away .... (A) is not true  because line 24   states The parent birds weary of family life... , in  contrast to being sorry. (B) is wrong because careless feeding is not implied. (D) is not discussed in the passage. 10. A   Clues to the meaning of "weary of" in line 24  are found  in the information that the young birds are demanding (they clamor for food, line 20) and  time consuming (it is ten weeks before [they] leave the nest to look for their own food, lines 23-24). In lines 24-25  we read that the parents  drive the young owls away, which suggests a negative attitude  toward the young of the owl family. All of this information  suggests that the parents will have worked hard and are tired  by  November. The verb form of tired is tire, (A) tire of is  the correct answer