TOEFL 8 (READING PASSAGE 5) TOEFL READING PRACTICE WITH ANSWERS

 

TOEFL READING PRACTICE WITH ANSWERS TOEFL 8 (READING PASSAGE 5)

 

Question 39-50 Perhaps the most striking quality of satiric literature is its freshness, its originality of perspective. Satire rarely offers original ideas. Instead it presents the familiar in a new form. Satirists do not offer the world new philosophies. What they do is look at familiar conditions from a perspective that makes these conditions seem foolish, harmful or affected. Satire jars us out of complacence into a pleasantly shocked realization that many of the values we unquestioningly accept are false. Don Quixote makes chivalry seem absurd, Brave New World ridicules the pretensions of science, A Modest proposal dramatizes starvation by advocating cannibalism. None of these ideas is original. Chivalry was suspect before Cervantes, humanists objected to the claims of pure science before Aldous Huxley and people were aware of famine before Swift. It was not the originality of the idea that made these satires popular. It was the manner of expression the satiric method that made them interesting and entertaining. Satires are read because they are aesthetically satisfying works of art, not because they are morally wholesome or ethically instructive. They are stimulating and refreshing because with commonsense briskness they brush away illusions and secondhand opinions. With spontaneous irreverence, satire rearranges perspectives, scrambles familiar objects into incongruous juxtaposition and speaks in a personal idiom instead of abstract platitude. Satire exists because there is need for it. It has lived because readers appreciate a refreshing stimulus, an irreverent reminder that they lived in a world of platitudinous thinking, cheap moralizing, and foolish philosophy. Satire serves to prod people into an awareness of truth though rarely to any action on behalf of truth. Satire tends to remind people that much of what they see, hear, and read in popular media is sanctimonious, sentimental, and only partially true. Life resembles in only a slight degree the popular image of it. Soldiers rarely hold the ideals that movies attribute to them, nor do ordinary citizens devote their lives to unselfish service of humanity. Intelligent people know these things but tend to forget them when they do not hear them expressed.   39 What does the passage mainly discuss? (A) Difficulties of writing satiric literature. (B) Popular topics of satire (C) New philosophies emerging from satiric literature (D) Reasons for the popularity of satire. 40 The word "realization" in line 6 is closest in meaning to (A) certainly (B) awareness (C) surprise (D) confusion 41 Why does the author mention Don Quirote, Brave New World and A Modest Proposal in lines 6-8? (A) They are famous examples of satiric literature (B) They present commonsense solutions to problems. (C) They are appropriate for readers of all ages. (D) They are books with similar stories. 42 The word "aesthetically" in line 13 is closest in meaning to (A) artistically (B) exceptionally (C) realistically (D) dependably 43 Which of the following can be found in satire literature? (A)Newly emerging philosophies (B) Odd combinations of objects and ideas (C) Abstract discussion of moral and ethnics (D)Wholesome characters who are unselfish. 44 According to the passage, there is a need for satire because people need to be (A) informed about new scientific developments (B) exposed to original philosophies when they are formulated (C) reminded that popular ideas are often inaccurate (D) told how they can be of service to their communities. 45 The word "refreshing" in line 19 is closest in meaning to (A) popular (B) ridiculous (C) meaningful (D) unusual 46 The word "they" in line 22 refers to (A) people (B) media (C) ideals (D) movies 47 The word "devote" in line 25 is closest in meaning to (A) distinguish (B) feel affection (C) prefer (D) dedicate 48 As a result of reading satiric literature, readers will be most likely to (A) teach themselves to write fiction (B) accept conventional points of view (C) become better informed about current affairs (D) reexamine their opinions and values 49 The various purposes of satire include all of the following EXCEPT (A) introducing readers to unfamiliar situations (B) brushing away illusions (C) reminding readers of the truth (D) exposing false values. 50 Why does the author mention "service of humanity" in line 25? (A) People need to be reminded to take action (B) Readers appreciate knowing about it (C) It is an ideal that is rarely achieved. (D) Popular media often distort such stories.

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ANSWER KEY

39.            D 40.            B 41.             A 42.            A 43.            B 44.            C 45.            D 46.            A 47.            D 48.            D 49.            A 50.            A