A Lasting Tribute Reading Passage

27.) What is an objective summary of the selection?

• A visit to the Taj Mahal leaves an indelible impression.

• The construction of the Taj Mahal took a long time to complete.

• The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by an emperor as a tribute to his late wife.

• The emperor Shah Jahan was overthrown and imprisoned by one of his sons.

28.) What is the purpose of beginning the selection with a summary of the authors trip to India thus far and then moving to a description of the Taj Mahal?

• The reader is not able to comprehend or appreciate the description of the Taj Mahal without this information.

• Given the information that comes later, the reader can decide whether the order of the authors trip makes sense.

• The information at the beginning helps the reader decide whether to visit India.

• By starting with a summary of the trip, the author creates anticipation that encourages the reader to continue reading.

29.) In the last sentence of the first paragraph, what does the word indelible mean?

• lasting

• invisible

• forgettable

• fading

30.) What can be inferred from paragraph 6?

• Shah Jahan was not concerned with what things cost.

• Shah Jahan was a compassionate emperor.

• Shah Jahan was very religious.

• Shah Jahan made rash decisions.

31.) What does the author mean when he describes the Taj Mahal as ¨synonymous with India itself¨?

• The building and the country once had the same name.

• Most buildings in India are different from the Taj Mahal.

• Most people readily associate the Taj Mahal with India.

• The Taj Mahal is the center of government in India.

32.) Why does the author include the sentence below from paragraph 3?

¨The morning sun was still low in the sky, and the shiny white marble reflected a soft pink hue, giving the grounds an ethereal quality.¨

• to emphasize how tired the author was from waking up early

• to describe the elegant, peaceful mood of the site

• to compare the morning light to the authors journey

• to analyze the types of materials used to build the site

33.) What is the significance of the statement below from the last paragraph?

¨As I departed from the site, I was reminded of the cruel twist of Shah Jahans fate. For from his prison, which was located across the river from the Taj Mahal, he was afforded a perfect view of the monument he had raised for his eternal love.¨

• It suggests to the reader that the authors next travel destination will be the prison.

• It explains why the prison was built so close to the Taj Mahal.

• It describes another way in which the story of the Taj Mahal is a tragic one.

• The prison was a much less comfortable place to live than the Taj Mahal.

34.) What is the authors purpose in writing this selection?

• to retell the events of the authors trip to India

• to describe how and why the Taj Mahal was built

• to persuade readers that the Taj Mahal is the most impressive site in India

• to provide a history of India by describing its most famous buildings

35.) How does the author unfold his ideas about the Taj Mahal?

• He explains in detail the different sections of the Taj Mahal, including the materials and construction methods used to build them.

• He addresses Shah Jahans rule of India both before and after the construction of the site.

• He uses the Taj Mahal as a metaphor for all that India stands for.

• He parallels the story of its history with a firsthand description of someone visiting it in the present day.