Reading Fiction Passage (Test 4)

Over the course of the passage, the narrator’s attitude

shifts from

• A) fear about the expedition to excitement about it.

• B) doubt about his abilities to confidence in them.

• C) uncertainty of his motives to recognition of

  them.

• D) disdain for the North Pole to appreciation of it.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the

answer to the previous question?

• A) Lines 10-12 (“For . . . moment”)

• B) Lines 21-25 (“Yet . . . will”)

• C) Lines 42-44 (“And . . . stand on”)

• D) Lines 56-57 (“What . . . myself”)

As used in lines 1-2, “not readily verifiable” most

nearly means

• A) unable to be authenticated.

• B) likely to be contradicted

• C) without empirical support.

• D) not completely understood.

The sentence in lines 10-13 (“For years . . . other”)

mainly serves to

• A) expose a side of the narrator that he prefers to

  keep hidden.

• B) demonstrate that the narrator thinks in a

  methodical and scientific manner.

• C) show that the narrator feels himself to be

  influenced by powerful and independent forces.

• D) emphasize the length of time during which the

  narrator has prepared for his expedition.

The narrator indicates that many previous explorers

seeking the North Pole have

• A) perished in the attempt.

• B) made surprising discoveries.

• C) failed to determine its exact location.

• D) had different motivations than his own.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the

answer to the previous question?

• A) Lines 20-21 (“Nobody . . . died”)

• B) Lines 25-27 (“All . . . out”)

• C) Lines 31-34 (“The . . . newspaper”)

• D) Lines 51-53 (“Behind . . . bedsteads”)

Which choice best describes the narrator’s view of

his expedition to the North Pole?

• A) Immoral but inevitable

• B) Absurd but necessary

• C) Socially beneficial but misunderstood

• D) Scientifically important but hazardous

The question the narrator asks in lines 30-31

(“Will it . . . railway”) most nearly implies that

• A) balloons will never replace other modes of

  transportation.

• B) the North Pole is farther away than the cities

  usually reached by train.

• C) people often travel from one city to another

  without considering the implications.

• D) reaching the North Pole has no foreseeable

  benefit to humanity

As used in line 49, “take the slightest interest in”

most nearly means

• A) accept responsibility for.

• B) possess little regard for.

• C) pay no attention to.

• D) have curiosity about.

As used in line 50, “bearing” most nearly means

• A) carrying.

• B) affecting.

• C) yielding.

• D) enduring.