THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE PRACTICE TEST 4 READING PART 5 (Questions 38-50)

THE HEINEMANN TOEFL COURSE

PRACTICE TEST 4

READING

PART 5 (Questions 38-50)

line 5 For its sudden destruction of crops, farmers call hail the "white plague." "It wipes you out in the passing of a cloud”, complained a Colorado farm boy bitterly. "Half an hour ago you had a half-section of wheat—320 acres—ready to harvest and haul to town. Now you haven’t got a penny." Thousands of hailstorms occur each year, especially in the moist, temperate line 10 climates of the middle latitudes. In the United States alone, crop damage from hail totals about one billion dollars a year, with a further $75 million in losses attributable to livestock deaths and property damage.    The groundwork for such devastation is laid innocently enough, deep within a thunderstorm's cumulus cloud. There, at frigid altitudes above 15,000 feet, the air line 15 is at first so pure that water droplets can exist at temperatures well below the freezing point without turning to ice.     As the storm's convection currents become more powerful, however, they  sweep tiny particles of dust and ice upward into the cloud. Each of these foreign bodies—a potential hailstone nucleus—begins to collide with supercooled water line 20 droplets, which freeze to it on impact. Buffeted about by a series of updrafts and downdrafts, the hailstone gathers layer upon layer of ice. When it has grown so heavy that even the strongest updraft cannot sustain it, the mature hailstone plummets to earth.     While weak storms produce small stones that melt before reaching the ground, line 25 severe thunderstorms are capable of generating hail the size of eggs, baseballs, or even grapefruit. When a particularly violent storm ravaged Coffeyville, Kansas, on September 3, 1970, residents collected scores of unusually large hailstones, including one that measured nearly six inches in diameter and weighed 1-2/3 pounds. When the amazing specimen was sent to Colorado's National Center for Atmospheric Research, meteorologists confirmed that it set a new record for size— and calculated that, in its final stages of growth, the stone had required an updraft of 100 miles per hour to keep it in the air. 38 What does this passage mainly discuss? A Hailstorms          Heavy stones Severe storms     An amazing specimen B C D 39 In lines 1-2 the phrase "it wipes you out" is closest in meaning to A hail has a cleansing effect you feel tired after a hailstorm hailstorms can cause financial ruin a hailstorm will make you feel depressed B C D 40 The word "devastation" in line 9 is closest in meaning to A destruction        speculation creation             preparation B C D 41 It can be inferred from the passage that hailstorms would most likely occur in which of the following climates? A A dry climate A tropical climate An arctic climate A moderate climate B C D 42 According to the passage, water droplets are able to exist as water when temperatures are below freezing because of A the high altitude the pure air the cumulus cloud the convection currents B C D 43 The word "frigid" in line 10 is closest in meaning to A high                   cold cloudy               remarkable B C D 44 The formation of a hailstone can be best described as A sudden              cumulative severe               sustaining B C D
	45	According to the passage, the hailstone falls to earth
		A	immediately when the downdraft is very strong when it is heavier than the updraft after the winds die down
		B
		C
		D
	46	The phrase "the amazing specimen" in line 25 refers to
		A	a storm              a hailstone a grapefruit        a baseball
		B
		C
		D
	47	It can be inferred from the passage that some hailstones melt before reaching the ground because of their
		A	weight               size nucleus              immaturity
		B
		C
		D
	48	The word "confirmed" in line 26 is closest in meaning to
		A	suggested          predicted established        guessed
		B
		C
		D
	49	The word "it" in line 26 refers to
		A	the National Center for Atmospheric Research the size the specimen the storm
		B
		C
		D
	50	Which of the following types of organization does the author use for this passage?
		A	Argumentation        Comparison Description              Process
		B
		C
		D

ANSWER KEY

38. A   The correct answer is (A) because hailstorms are discussed throughout the passage. The other answer choices do not reflect the topic nor the main ideas of the passage. 39. C   The meaning of "it wipes you out" can be found by checking the context of the phrase in paragraph one. Lines 1-2 state that sudden destruction of crops can be caused by hail, which is what wipes you out. Line 4 states that this loss of crops to harvest leaves you without a penny—in financial ruin. We can infer that wipes you out means financial disaster. 40. A   The meaning of "devastation" can be inferred from the information in the preceding paragraph (lines 5-8). Hailstorms cause crop damage of billions of dollars as well as millions of dollars lost to livestock deaths and property damage. The phrase such devastation (line 9) refers to this damage and destruction. Therefore, answer choice (A) destruction is correct. 41. D   The correct answer (D) can be inferred from lines 5-6: Thousands of hailstorms occur each year, especially in the moist, temperate climates of the middle latitudes. Of the answer choices, only (D) a moderate climate/ is similar in meaning to the moist temperate climates of the middle latitudes. Logical reasoning also tells us that the middle latitudes have moderate climates, not dry, tropical, or arctic climates. 42. В   The correct answer (B) can be found in lines 10-12.... the air is at first so pure that water droplets can exist at temperatures well below the freezing point without turning to ice. 43. В    Clues to the meaning of "frigid" are found in the phrase temperatures well below the freezing point and without turning to ice (lines 11-12), where the reference is to cold temperatures. 44. В    The correct answer (B) can be inferred from lines 16-19 which describes the formation of a hailstone: Buffeted about by a series of updrafts and downdrafts, the hailstone gathers layer upon layer of ice. When it has grown so heavy that even the strongest updraft .... This description can best be restated as cumulative. 45. С   The correct answer (C) is found in lines 17-19: When it has grown so heavy that even the strongest updraft cannot sustain it, the mature hailstone plummets to earth. 46. B    The phrase "the amazing specimen" refers to the pronoun one in one that measured... (line 24): one refers to the noun hailstones in the preceding clause scores of unusually large hailstones (line 23). The phrase the stone (line 27) also refers back to the amazing specimen. 47. B   The correct answer (B) is found in line 20:  While weak storms produce small stones that melt before reaching the ground.... Because the stones are small (in size), they melt quickly. 48. С   From the context meteorologists confirmed that it set a new record for its size... (line 26) we infer that it is scientists who made the judgment of the record setting size. We further infer that this was an authoritative statement that was recorded. Therefore, answer (C) established is correct. 49. C   The correct answer (C) is found by checking the context of the sentence: When the amazing specimen was sent to Colorado's National Center for Atmospheric Research, meteorologists confirmed that it set a new record for size .... Logical reasoning tells us that the new record for size was set by the specimen stone, not the storm, nor the National Center for Atmospheric Research. 50. C   The correct answer (C) is found by noting that the passage is a series of descriptions of 1) the damage of hailstorms, 2) the formation of hailstones, and 3) the characteristics of hailstones. It is not a passage to argue a point (A), to compare hailstones with other natural disasters (B), or to show a process (D).