Assessment 1. Skill 1-3

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This made the keys easy to find. However, this arrangement also caused the bars of the machine to jam, or get stuck.

To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was introduced by Christopher Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on typewriters today. He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This resulted in far less jamming than had occurred with the alphabetical models.

The main topic of this passage is...

• the invention of the typewriter

• a problem and solution concerning the early typewriter

• how to write a letter on the typewriter

• why the keys stick on today’s typewriter

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This made the keys easy to find. However, this arrangement also caused the bars of the machine to jam, or get stuck.

To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was introduced by Christopher Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on typewriters today. He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This resulted in far less jamming than had occurred with the alphabetical models.

According to the passage, on the first typewriters

• the keys were in alphabetical order

• the keys were hard to find

• the bars on the machine never jammed

• Scholes’s system worked quite well

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This made the keys easy to find. However, this arrangement also caused the bars of the machine to jam, or get stuck.

To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was introduced by Christopher Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on typewriters today. He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This resulted in far less jamming than had occurred with the alphabetical models.

Which of the following is NOT true about the system invented by Scholes?

• It was introduced in 1872.

• It is still used today.

• It became the standard system.

• It was alphabetical.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This made the keys easy to find. However, this arrangement also caused the bars of the machine to jam, or get stuck.

To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was introduced by Christopher Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on typewriters today. He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This resulted in far less jamming than had occurred with the alphabetical models.

The passage indicates that under Scholes’s system, the bars hit the ribbon

• in alphabetical order

• from opposite directions

• and caused the keys to jam

• in the same way as they had on the original typewriter

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-9)

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

• Where Desert Tundra Is Found

• The Weather in the Arctic

• The Effect of Desert Tundra on Plant Life

• The Variety of Plant Life in Desert Tundra

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-9)

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

According to the passage, desert tundra is found

• throughout North America, Europe, and Asia

• in Antarctica

• on the Arctic borders of the northern continent

• at the North Pole

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-9)

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

According to the passage, what makes plant life almost impossible in areas of desert tundra during most of the year?

• Excessive water on the plants

• The frozen state of the water

• The increase in temperature

• The lack of ice

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-9)

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

According to the passage, which of the following does NOT happen when the weather heats up?

• Plants grow well.

• The ice melts.

• There is not enough drainage.

• There is too much water.

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

According to the passage, why is it impossible for the water to drain after it melts?

• The land beneath the surface is still frozen

• The temperature is too high

• The period of time is too short.

• The vegetation is flourishing.

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 10—14)

Whales are mammals rather than fish, yet they live in the world’s oceans rather than on land. Because of the fact that they are mammals, scientists have believed for quite some time that whales are descendants of land mammals.

Some interesting evidence to support this theory has recently been found. In Egypt, fossils have been found of a forty-million-year-old whale leg, kneecap, ankle, footbones, and toes. It appears from the fossil evidence that the bones were not very strong and not very large in comparison to the size of the whale.

Based on this fossil evidence, the following evolutionary path has been hypothesized. As the whale began its evolution toward the water, its legs weakened and decreased in size. Then, during its millions of years in the water, the legs slowly disappeared, leaving only the front flippers today.

The main idea of this passage is that

• numerous whale fossils have been found in the world’s oceans

• there is evidence that whales may have descended from land mammals

• whales are mammals and not fish

• whales have not evolved very much over the last millions of years