Reading Skills: Structural Clues

Multiple Choice

One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century was behaviorism-the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the best-known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on how positive and negative reinforcement influence behavior. He came to believe that positive reinforcement such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or punishment.

In “Behaviorism “, a psychologist in concerned with _____

• Conscious thought patterns

• Unconscious thought patterns

• Observable actions

• Unobservable actions

Multiple Choice

One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century was behaviorism-the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the best-known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on how positive and negative reinforcement influence behavior. He came to believe that positive reinforcement such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or punishment.

Positive reinforcement might take the form of _____

• a gift

• a reward

• a bribe

• a penalty

Multiple Choice

One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century was behaviorism-the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behavior, which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the best-known proponent of behaviorism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on how positive and negative reinforcement influence behavior. He came to believe that positive reinforcement such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good behavior than negative reinforcement, or punishment.

Which word or phrase in the passage that is close in meaning to negative reinforcement _____

• praise

• reward

• promotion

• punishment

Multiple Choice

The teddy bear is a child’s toy, a nice soft stuffed animal suitable for cuddling. It is, however, a toy with an interesting history behind it.

According to line 1 of the passage, what is a “teddy bear”?

• A ferocious animal

• The president of the United States

• A famous hunter

• A plaything

Multiple Choice

The incident attracted a lot of attention among journalists. First a cartoon – drawn by Clifford K. Berryman to make fun of this situation – appeared in the Washington Post, and the cartoon was widely distributed and reprinted throughout the country. Then toy manufacturers began producing a toy bear which they called a “teddy bear.” The teddy bear became the most widely recognized symbol of Roosevelt’s presidency.

A "cartoon" could best be described as _____

• a newspaper

• a type of teddy bear

• a drawing with a message

• a newspaper article

Multiple Choice

A supernova occurs when all of the hydrogen in the core of a huge star is transformed to iron and explodes. All stars die after their nuclear fuel has been exhausted. Stars with little mass die gradually, but those with relatively large mass die in a sudden explosion, a supernova. The sudden flash of light can then be followed by several weeks of extremely bright light, perhaps as much light as twenty million stars.

A "supernova" is which of the following?

• The iron component of a star

• The core of a star

• The hydrogen in a star

• The explosion of a star