CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019 READING PRACTICE DRILL 1

 

CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019 READING PRACTICE DRILL 1

 

Impeachment   Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate then holds the impeachment trial, essentially serving as jury and judge, except in the impeachment of a president when the chief justice presides. The president, vice president, and all civil officers of the United States are subject to impeachment; conviction means automatic removal from office.       5       →The concept of impeachment originated in England and was adopted by many of the American colonial governments and state constitutions. At the Constitutional Convention, the framers considered several possible models before deciding that the Senate should try impeachments. Since 1789, only 17 federal officers have been impeached by the House, 14 of which were tried by the Senate. Three were dismissed before trial because the individual had left office, 7 ended in acquittal and 7 in conviction. All of those convicted were federal judges.     10           →Impeachment is a very serious affair. It is perhaps the most awesome power of Congress, the ultimate weapon it wields against officials of the federal government. The House of Representatives is the prosecutor. The Senate chamber is the courtroom. The Senate is the jury and also the judge, except in the case of a presidential impeachment trial when the chief justice presides. The final penalty is removal from office. There is no appeal. 15           20 →So grave is this power of impeachment, and so conscious is the Congress of this solemn power, that impeachment proceedings have been initiated in the House only sixty-two times since 1789. Only seventeen federal officers have been impeached: two presidents, one cabinet officer, one senator and thirteen federal judges. Sixteen cases have reached the Senate. Of these, two were dismissed before trial because the individuals had left office, seven ended in acquittal, and seven in conviction. Each of the seven Senate convictions has involved a federal judge.         25       The American colonial governments and early state constitutions followed the British pattern of trial before the upper legislative body on charges brought by the lower house. Despite these precedents, a major controversy arose at the Constitutional Convention about whether the Senate should act as the court of impeachment. Opposing that role for the Senate, James Madison and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney asserted that it would make the president too dependent on the legislative branch. They suggested, as alternative trial bodies, the Supreme Court or the chief justices of the state supreme courts. Hamilton and others argued, however, that such bodies would be too small and susceptible to corruption. In the end, after much wrangling, the framers selected the Senate as the trial forum.     30         35       There was also considerable debate at the convention in Philadelphia over the definition of impeachable crimes. In the original proposals, the president was to be removed on impeachment and conviction “for mal or corrupt conduct,” or for “malpractice or neglect of duty.” Later, the wording was changed to “treason, bribery, or corruption,” then to “treason or bribery” alone. A final revision defined impeachable crimes as “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”     40         In the Constitution, the House is given the “sole power of impeachment.” To the Senate is given “the sole power to try all impeachments.” Impeachments may be brought against “the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States.” Conviction is automatically followed by “removal from office.”   45         While the framers very clearly envisaged the occasional necessity of initiating impeachment proceedings, they put in place only a very general framework. ■ They left many questions open to differences of opinion and many details to be filled in. ■ Despite the open-endedness, as Peter Charles Hoffer and N.E.H. Hull note in their book Impeachment in America 1635-1805, thanks to the framers: a tool used in Parliament to curb kings and punish placemen was molded into an efficient legislative check upon executive and judicial wrongdoing. ■ The power of the English House of Commons to impeach anyone, for almost any alleged offense, was restrained; the threat of death   50         55 and forfeiture upon conviction was lifted; and the interference of the Commons and the House of Lords with the regular courts of justice was limited. ■ American impeachment law shifted, at first inadvertently and then deliberately, from the orbit of English precedent to a native republican course. Federal constitutional provisions for impeachment reflected indigenous experience and revolutionary tenets instead of English tradition.           1 The word power in the passage is closest in meaning to A motivation B desire C bearing D authority 2 According to paragraph 3, what three roles do the House of Representatives and Senate play in the impeachment process? (Paragraph 3 is marked with an arrow →) A Government official, jury, judge B Prosecutor, jury, judge C President, prosecutor, judge D Civil officers, jury, prosecutor. 3 In paragraph 2, the author explains that the idea of impeachment began (Paragraph 2 is marked with an arrow →) A at the Constitutional Convention B in 1789 C in England D in colonial governments 4 What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the decision to impeach a government official? (Paragraph 2 is marked with an arrow →) A The decision made in the Senate B Impeachment results in removal from office C Impeachment occurs often D Impeachment rarely occurs 5 The word wields in the passage is closest in meaning to A uses B maintains C formulates D shapes 6 In paragraph 3, the author explains that during the impeachment of a president (Paragraph 3 is marked with an arrow →) A a chief justice presides B the Senate presides C the House of Representatives presides D Congress presides 7 According to paragraph 4, how many impeachment proceedings have been initiated since 1789? (Paragraph 4 is marked with an arrow →) A Seventeen B Two C Sixty-two D Sixteen 8 The word precedents in the passage is closest in meaning to A charges B statutes C examples D claims 9 According to the passage, the impeachment process incorporates A the House of Representatives and the Senate B the Senate and the President C a Chief Justice and the House of Representatives D a Chief Justice and the Senate 10 Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. There was also considerable debate at the convention in Philadelphia over the definition of impeachable crimes. A Philadelphians debated considerably over the definition of impeachable crimes. B Formidable debate occurred at the convention in Philadelphia concerning the meaning of impeachable crimes. C Impeachable crimes were debated at the convention in Philadelphia. D The classification of impeachable crimes was a significant debate at the Philadelphia convention. 11 ALL of the following are mentioned as part of the final definition of impeachment EXCEPT A corruption B misdemeanors C bribery D treason 12 The word initiating in the passage is closest in meaning to A concluding B starting C deciding D forming 13 Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Consequently, the American version of impeachment was clearly quite different than the English version upon which it was based. Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [■] to add the sentence to the passage. 14 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. The power of impeachment was initiated during the Constitutional Convention as a means to try government officials who do not act according to the law. ·         _________ ·         __________ ·         ___________

ANSWER KEY

1 D This is a vocabulary in context question. Look at the lines from the passage. Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate then holds the impeachment trial, essentially serving as jury and judge, except in the impeachment of a president when the chief justice presides. Based on what you’ve read, this part of the passage is talking about the House of Representatives and its ability to impeach a government official. The word “authority” would fit well with the ability to impeach someone. Therefore, (D) is the correct response. 2 B This is a detail question. The question is asking for what the passage says, in paragraph 3, about the roles of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Use the lead words “House of Representatives” and “Senate” to find the answer in the paragraph. The House of Representatives is the prosecutor. The Senate chamber is the courtroom. The Senate is the jury and also the judge, except in the case of a presidential impeachment trial when the chief justice presides. The passage clearly states that the House of Representatives and Senate are the prosecutor, jury, and judge. Therefore, the correct answer is (B). Choice (A) is incorrect because a government official is someone who can be impeached, so that choice makes no sense. Similarly, (C) is incorrect because the president can be impeached. And another similar option, (D), is incorrect because civil officers can be impeached. 3 C This is a detail question. The correct answer will be based on what the passage says. The concept of impeachment originated in England and was adopted by many of the American colonial governments and state constitutions. Choice (A) is incorrect because the Constitutional Convention is where the framers considered several models of impeachment. Choice (B) is incorrect because the passage says, “Since 1789 only 17 federal officers have been impeached by the House, 14 of which were tried by the Senate.” Ulis sentence does not discuss where the impeachment came from, but rather when it has been enacted. Choice (D) is not correct because the passage says that the colonial government adopted the concept of impeachment—this concept didn’t begin there. 4 D This is an inference question. Based on paragraph 2, what does the passage say about the decision to impeach a government official? Take a look at the sentences in paragraph 2. Since 1789 only 17 federal officers have been impeached by the House, 14 of which were tried by the Senate. Three were dismissed before trial because the individual had left office, 7 ended in acquittal and 7 in conviction. All of those convicted were federal judges. In short, during the last 200 years, only 17 federal officers have been impeached. Choice (D) is the correct answer—impeachment rarely occurs. Choice (A) is incorrect because the decision made in the Senate was to try the concept of impeachment. Choice (B) is incorrect because this part of the passage (paragraph 2, as specified by the question) does not discuss the removal from office. Choice (C) is incorrect because the passage states the opposite of this—impeachment does NOT occur often. 5 A This is a vocabulary in context question. Look at the sentence surrounding the word “wields.” Impeachment is a very serious affair. It is perhaps the most awesome power of Congress, the ultimate weapon it wields against officials of the federal government. The sentence is talking about the awesome power of Congress and it being a weapon against the federal government. The correct response is (A). 6 A This is a detail question. The question is asking about what happens “during the impeachment process of the president.” The House of Representatives is the prosecutor. The Senate chamber is the courtroom. The Senate is the jury and also the judge, except in the case of a presidential impeachment trial when the chief justice presides. The passage states, “in the case of a presidential impeachment trial when the chief justice presides,” and the only relevant choice is (A) here. Choices (B) and (C) are incorrect because neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives presides over presidential impeachment. Choice (D) is incorrect because Congress is comprised of the Senate and the House of Representatives, so it’s the same thing as in (B) and (C). Choice (A) is the best option. 7 C This is a detail question. Don’t be thrown off by the information in paragraph 2—this question specifically asks for data from paragraph 4 and the question is about how many times impeachment proceedings have been initiated—not completed. Don’t fall for the trap answer (A) that seems correct and familiar. The correct answer is (C), sixty-two. 8 C This is a vocabulary in context question. Take a look at the sentence around the word. The American colonial governments and early state constitutions followed the British pattern of trial before the upper legislative body on charges brought by the lower house. Despite these precedents, a major controversy arose at the Constitutional Convention about whether the Senate should act as the court of impeachment. This sentence is talking about the pronoun “these,” and it is being used to refer to the British pattern of trial. The correct response is (C). 9 A This is a detail question. Because the question does not tell us where to look, use the lead words provided by the question. The lead words for this question are “the impeachment process incorporates.” The House of Representatives is the prosecutor. The Senate chamber is the courtroom. The Senate is the jury and also the judge, except in the case of a presidential impeachment trial when the chief justice presides. The final penalty is removal from office. There is no appeal. The information for this can be found in the third paragraph. This part of the paragraph states that both the Senate and the House of Representatives play a role, so (A) is the correct answer. 10 D This question asks you to paraphrase a sentence from the passage. Look at the sentence and see how you can put it into your own words. There was also considerable debate at the convention in Philadelphia over the definition of impeachable crimes. This sentence is talking about a debate regarding the definition of impeachable crimes and you need to find a version that expresses the “essential information.” The best choice is (D). Choice (A) is incorrect because it was not the Philadelphians who debated. Choice (B) is incorrect because “formidable” means “inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large.” The word formidable is too extreme to replace “considerable.” Choice (C) is incorrect because it does not discuss the size of the debate. 11 A This is an EXCEPT question. Remember to go back to the passage and look for each answer choice. The correct response is (A) because it is the only one that is NOT mentioned in the passage. Choices (B), (C), and (D) can be found in the passage, so they are wrong. Be careful with EXCEPT questions—they’re tricky! 12 B This is a vocabulary in context question. Take a look at the sentence that contains the word. While the framers very clearly envisaged the occasional necessity of initiating impeachment proceedings, they put in place only a very general framework. The sentence is talking about the impeachment process and when it is needed. Therefore, “initiating” is close in meaning to “starting.” The correct response is (B). 13 For sentence insertion questions, remember to make sure the ideas in the new sentence match up with the sentences surrounding it. Look at the first squares. While the framers very clearly envisaged the occasional necessity of initiating impeachment proceedings, they put in place only a very general framework. This sentence doesn’t work because the original sentence starts off with the transitional word Consequently and then discusses the American version. Therefore, the correct location of this question is going to be after something that can be compared to the American version. The second square: They left many questions open to differences of opinion and many details to be filled in. This sentence won’t work either. Third box: Despite the open-endedness, as Peter Charles Hoffer and N.E.H. Hull note in their book Impeachment in America 1635-1805, thanks to the framers: a tool used in Parliament to curb kings and punish placemen was molded into an efficient legislative check upon executive and judicial wrongdoing. This sentence continues to discuss the English model of impeachment. The next sentence continues to discuss the English model of Impeachment. There is no transition between these sentences. Fourth box: The power of the English House of Commons to impeach anyone, for almost any alleged offense, was restrained; the threat of death and forfeiture upon conviction was lifted; and the interference of the Commons and the House of Lords with the regular courts of justice was limited. This is the correct response. 14 This is a summary question. The correct answer is as follows: The power of impeachment was initiated during the Constitutional Convention as a means to try government officials who do not act according to the law. • The power to impeach is taken very seriously by Congress and very few government officials have been impeached. • The impeachment process is initially brought forth by the House of Representatives, and it is tried before the Senate. • The definition of impeachable crimes was an important component of the Constitutional Convention; nevertheless, the language defining remains decidedly vague. These are the reasons why the other choices are incorrect: • Sixty-two trials of impeachment have occurred since 1789. This statement is a detail and does not contribute to the main idea of the passage. • A chief justice presides over the hearing of presidential impeachment, and this is the only instance in which the Senate is not the judge. This statement discusses the proceedings, but this is not the main point of the passage. • If a government official is convicted subsequent to impeachment, he/she is automatically removed from office. This is another detail statement.