READING COMPREHENSION, ADJECTIVE-ADVERB, COMPARISON DEGREE

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

According to the author, registering to become an organ donor is ...

• painful and dangerous

• difficult but affordable

• simple and free

• immoral but justifiable

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

As used near the end of the passage, which of the following is an example of an objector?

• In Jaeson's country, all young men must serve in the military. He refuses, because he believes war is wrong.

• Brittany's friends are teasing a girl at their bus stop. She doesn't participate, but she doesn't stop them either.

• Marcel was caught stealing shoes from a store. He later denied that he did so.

• Esteban dislikes visiting his grandmother, but he always does so for Sunday dinner.

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

An appeal to tradition is a fallacy in which an author or speaker assumes that something is correct simply because it has been done for a long time. Where does the author of this passage make an appeal to tradition?

• paragraph 1

• paragraph 2

• paragraph 3

• paragraph 4

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

One of the main weaknesses of this author's argument is that ...

• she does not provide specific examples to support her argument

• she does not explain why opt-in donor registration is a problem

• she does not examine any counterarguments against universal donor registration

• she reduces her opponents to insulting caricatures

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

According to the passage, Germany and Austria have donor registration rates of roughly

• 19% and 92%, respectively

• 49% and 29%, respectively

• 2% and 89%, respectively

• 12% and 99%, respectively

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Every day, new patients are diagnosed with diseases in their organs. If a patient’s body can’t heal itself, he or she can have new organs transplanted instead. Just as blood donation has been common for hundreds of years, volunteers can donate other parts too.

In most countries, volunteers must register to donate. This simple act only takes a few seconds. It’s painless and free, and it only affects the donor’s body if he or she passes away, usually in some sort of untimely accident. However, most people never take the time to register. I believe there’s an easy way to fix this.

Some countries register all their citizens as organ donors by default. If someone does not wish to be an organ donor, he or she can withdraw from the program. This dramatically raises the number of potential organ donors.

Take Germany and Austria, for example. These two neighboring countries are similar in almost every way. But when it comes to organ donation, Germany has a opt-in system, while Austria has an opt-out system. The difference is clear: only twelve percent of Germans are registered organ donors, compared to over 99 percent of Austrians.

If more countries switched to an opt-out system for organ donors, we could save thousands of lives each year. Freedom of choice could still be protected by making it easy and free for objectors to withdraw for any reason. We could create a world where no curable patients die on donation waiting lists any longer. This is a problem the world can solve easily, and we should do it today.

Which of the following pieces of evidence, if true, would best support the author's argument?

• After Argentina switched to an opt-out registry, the Argentine wait list for donor kidneys was cut in half.

• Some Orthodox Jewish rabbis consider any form of organ donation to be a sin.

• France recently switched to an opt-out registry. The effects of this change are inconclusive so far.

• There is currently no strong political movement urging Germany to switch to an opt-out registry.

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She is not only the first black female president in the world, but also the first female president of any country in Africa.

Sirleaf was born in Liberia in 1938. When she got older, Sirleaf went to school in the United States. After finishing school, she returned to Liberia and worked in the government. There were many times when she had to leave the country to get away from enemies in the government. However, she never gave up. She became president in 2005 and was reelected in 2011.

As president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has brought the people of her country together. But she has done more than just bring unity to Liberia. She has also worked to improve women’s rights, education, and health care in Liberia. Because of all of her hard work, Sirleaf was one of three women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

In what year did Ellen Johnson Sirleaf first become president?

• 2011

• 1938

• 2005

• 1979

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She is not only the first black female president in the world, but also the first female president of any country in Africa.

Sirleaf was born in Liberia in 1938. When she got older, Sirleaf went to school in the United States. After finishing school, she returned to Liberia and worked in the government. There were many times when she had to leave the country to get away from enemies in the government. However, she never gave up. She became president in 2005 and was reelected in 2011.

As president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has brought the people of her country together. But she has done more than just bring unity to Liberia. She has also worked to improve women’s rights, education, and health care in Liberia. Because of all of her hard work, Sirleaf was one of three women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

According to the passage, why did Sirleaf leave Liberia?

• she had to get away from her government enemies

• her family wanted to move to a different country

• she lost an important election

• she wanted to work in a different country's government

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She is not only the first black female president in the world, but also the first female president of any country in Africa.

Sirleaf was born in Liberia in 1938. When she got older, Sirleaf went to school in the United States. After finishing school, she returned to Liberia and worked in the government. There were many times when she had to leave the country to get away from enemies in the government. However, she never gave up. She became president in 2005 and was reelected in 2011.

As president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has brought the people of her country together. But she has done more than just bring unity to Liberia. She has also worked to improve women’s rights, education, and health care in Liberia. Because of all of her hard work, Sirleaf was one of three women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had to fight hard in order to become president of Liberia.

• Liberia would be a more peaceful country if Ellen Johnson Sirleaf were not the president.

• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a good leader who has helped her country.

• There are many different people who have helped Liberia to become a great country.

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She is not only the first black female president in the world, but also the first female president of any country in Africa.

Sirleaf was born in Liberia in 1938. When she got older, Sirleaf went to school in the United States. After finishing school, she returned to Liberia and worked in the government. There were many times when she had to leave the country to get away from enemies in the government. However, she never gave up. She became president in 2005 and was reelected in 2011.

As president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has brought the people of her country together. But she has done more than just bring unity to Liberia. She has also worked to improve women’s rights, education, and health care in Liberia. Because of all of her hard work, Sirleaf was one of three women to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

As used in the final paragraph, the word unity fits best with which of the following word groups?

• visitors, travelers, tourists

• togetherness, friendship, peace

• war, violence, anger

• money, treasure, wealth