English Expression

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

In 1970 about sixty small and medium-sized factories in the United States adopted a four-day workweek. According to the plan, workers work fourty hours but instead of the usual five-day week, they now work only four days. Workers are enthusiastic about the three-day weekly vacation. According to management, productivity has increased about 18% since the inception of the new plan. Absenteeism has dropped by 69% and lateness is almost non-existent.

The passage suggests that a four-day workweek may result in

• increased productivity, enthusiasm, and attendance.

• significant changes in the 1970s.

• 69% lateness or absenteeism among workers.

• 40 hour workweeks for factory workers.

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Anxious to ensure that America would depart from European traditions regarding religion and royalty, the early U.S. could be described as a place that focused more on work than on the entertainment offered by spectacle and ceremony in the Old World.

However, national celebrations such as the lighting of the White House Christmas Tree and the ceremonies used to swear in new federal officials give the American people some experiences that are based upon national tradition.

What does the second sentence do?

• It provides an example of the first sentence.

• It cancels the meaning of the first sentence.

• It adds more detail to the first sentence.

• It offers an exception to the information given in the first sentence.

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

Baby carriages were invented in 1848 by Charles Burton. He lived in New York City and faced opposition to his invention from people who felt they were unsafe. He believed in his idea and moved to England, where he opened a factory. He made carriages for Queen Victoria of England, Queen Isabella II of Spain, and other royalty. A factory opened in the United States ten years later but only 75 carriages were sold. Today, baby carriages are extremely popular and almost every baby has at least one.

We can conclude from the passage that

• baby carriage sales have dramatically risen in the last 75 years.

• Burton had many inventions that he tried to put into mass production.

• the initial design of the baby carriage was not safe.

• Americans’ attitudes toward baby carriages has changed significantly.

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Brad Taylor, the star quarterback, is injured this season.

The team does not expect to make the playoffs.

How is the second sentence related to the first sentence?

• It analyzes the first statement.

• It gives an example.

• It contradicts the first statement.

• It gives an effect.

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Public speaking is very different from everyday conversation.

First of all, speeches are much more structured than a typical informal discussion.

What does the second sentence do?

• It contradicts the statement made in the first sentence.

• It compares two kinds of speeches.

• It shows an exception to the first sentence

• It offers support for the statement made in the first sentence.

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

Samuel Morse, best known today as the inventor of Morse Code and one of the inventors of the telegraph, was originally a prominent painter. While he was always interested in technology and studied electrical engineering in college, Morse went to Paris to learn from famous artists of his day and later painted many pictures that now hang in museums, including a portrait of former President John Adams. In 1825, Morse was in Washington, D.C., painting a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette when a messenger arrived on horseback to tell him that his wife was gravely ill back at his home in Connecticut. The message had taken several days to reach him because of the distance. Morse rushed to his home as fast as he could, but his wife had already passed away by the time he arrived. Grief-stricken, he gave up painting and devoted the rest of his life to finding ways to transmit messages over long distances faster.

Morse left the art world and helped to invent the telegraph because he

• experienced a personal tragedy in his life

• was fascinated by science

• wanted to communicate with people far away

• was tired of painting

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Knowledge of another language fosters greater awareness of cultural diversity among the peoples of the world.

Individuals who have foreign language skills can appreciate more readily other peoples’ values and ways of life.

How are the two sentences related?

• They repeat the same idea

• They establish a contrast.

• They present problems and solutions.

• They contradict each other

Read the underlined sentences, then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

Paris, France, is a city that has long been known as a center of artistic and cultural expression.

In the 1920s, Paris was home to many famous artists and writers from around the world, such as Picasso and Hemingway.

What does the second sentence do?

• It provides a contrast.

• It draws a conclusion

• It states an effect.

• It reinforces the first.

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

There are two kinds of jewelry that I do. There is commercial jewelry -- class rings, necklaces, the kinds of things most people wear. I sell these items to meet my expenses for raw materials, supplies, and to make my living. The other, more creative work I do makes me feel that I am developing as a craftsperson.

The author of this passage implies that

• commercial and creative work fulfills different needs for the artist.

• artists are poor.

• there is no market for creative work.

• rings and necklaces cannot be creative.

Read the passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.

SCUBA diving is the most exhilarating experience I have ever had. The first time I went, the dark mirror of the water beckoned me to drop from the side of the boat. I jumped feet first and entered a brightly colored world populated with fish, plants, and objects I had never dreamed of.

The passage suggests that the writer feels

• anxious about SCUBA diving

• bored with SCUBA diving

• serene about the SCUBA diving experience

• excited about SCUBA diving