Reading Comprehension Part 1

READING COMPREHENSION 

This section is designed to measure the ability to read and understand short passages similar in topic and style to those found in North American universities and colleges.

Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by a number of questions about it. You are to choose the one best answer, A, B, C or D, to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.

Answer all questions about the information in a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.

Read the following passage:

Questions 1-9

Carbon tetrachloride is a colorless and inflammable liquid that can be produced by combining carbon disulfide and chlorine. This compound is widely used in industry today because of its effectiveness as a solvent as well as its use in the production of propellants.

Despite its widespread use in industry, carbon tetrachloride has been banned for home use. In the past, carbon tetrachloride was a common ingredient in cleaning compounds that were used throughout the home, but it was found to be dangerous: when heated, it changes into a poisonous gas that can cause severe illness and even death if it is inhaled. Because of this dangerous characteristic, the United States revoked permission for the home use of carbon tetrachloride in 1970. The United States has taken similar action with various other chemical compounds.

1. The main point of this passage is that

          A.    carbon tetrachloride can be very dangerous when it is heated

          B.     the government banned carbon tetrachloride in 1970

          C.  although carbon tetrachloride can legally be used in industry, it is not allowed in home products.

          D.    carbon tetrachloride used to be a regular part of cleaning compounds

Kunci Jawaban: A

2. The word “widely” in line 2 could most easily be replaced by

          A.    grandly

          B.     extensively

          C.     largely

          D.    hugely

Kunci Jawaban: B

3. The word “banned” in line 4 is closest in meaning to

          A.    forbidden

          B.     allowed

          C.     suggested

          D.    instituted

Kunci Jawaban: A

4. According to the passage, before 1970 carbon tetrachloride was

          A.    used by itself as a cleanser

          B.     banned in industrial use

          C.     often used as a component of cleaning products

          D.    not allowed in home cleaning products

Kunci Jawaban: C

5. It is stated in the passage that when carbon tetrachloride is heated, it becomes

          A.    harmful

          B.     colorless

          C.     a cleaning compound

          D.    inflammable

Kunci Jawaban: A

6. The word “inhaled” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

           A.    warmed

           B.     breathed in

           C.     carelessly used

           D.    blown

Kunci Jawaban: B

7. The word “revoked” in line 8 could most easily be replaced by

          A.    gave

          B.     granted

          C.     instituted

          D.    took away

Kunci Jawaban: D

8. It can be inferred from the passage that one role of the U.S. government is to

          A.    regulate product safety

          B.     prohibit any use of carbon tetrachloride

          C.     instruct industry on cleaning methodologies

          D.    ban the use of any chemicals

Kunci Jawaban: A

9. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses

          A.    additional uses of carbon tetrachloride

          B.     the banning of various chemical compounds by the U.S. government

          C.     further dangerous effects of carbon tetrachloride

          D.    the major characteristic of carbon tetrachloride

Kunci Jawaban: B

Questions 10-19

The next artist in this survey of American artist is James Whistler; he is included in this survey of American artist because he was born in the United States, although the majority of his artwork was completed in Europe. Whistler was born in Massachusetts in 1834, but nine years later his father moved the family to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work on the construction of a railroad. The family returned to the United States in 1849. Two years later Whistler entered the U.S. military academy at West Point, but he was unable to graduate. At the age of twenty-one Whistler went to Europe to study art despite familial objections, and he remained in Europe until his death.

Whistler worked in various art forms, including etchings and lithographs. However, he is most famous for his paintings, particularly Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother or Whistler’s Mother, as it is more commonly known. This painting shows a side view of Whistler’s mother, dressed I black and posing against a gray wall. The asymmetrical nature of the portrait, with his mother seated off-center, is highly characteristic of Whistler’s work.

10. The paragraph preceding this passage most likely discusses

             A.    A survey of eighteenth-century art

             B.     a different American artist

             C.     Whistler’s other famous paintings

             D.    European artists

Kunci Jawaban: B

11. Which of the following best describes the information in the passage?

             A.    Several artists are presented

             B.     One artist’s life and works are described

             C.     Various paintings are contrasted

             D.    Whistler’s family life is outlined.

Kunci Jawaban: B

12. Whistler is considered an American artist because

            A.    he was born in America

            B.     he spent most of his life in America

            C.     he served in the U.S. military

            D.    he created most of his famous art in America

Kunci Jawaban: A

13. The world “majority” in line 2 is closest in meaning to

             A.    seniority

             B.     maturity

             C.     large pices

             D.    high percentage

Kunci Jawaban: D

14. It is implied in the passage that Whistler’s family was

            A.    unable to find any work at all in Rusia

            B.     highly supportive of his desire to pursue art

            C.     working class

            D.    military

Kunci Jawaban: C

15. The word “objections” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

            A.    protests

            B.     goals

            C.     agreements

            D.    battles

Kunci Jawaban: A

16. In line 8, the “etchings” are

            A.    a type of painting

            B.     the same as a lithograph

            C.     an art form introduced by Whistler

            D.    an art form involving engraving

Kunci Jawaban: D

17. The word “asymmetrical” in line 11 is closest in meaning to

            A.    proportionate

            B.     uneven

            C.     balanced

            D.    lyrical

Kunci Jawaban: B

18. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passsage?

            A.    Whistler work with a variety of art forms.

            B.     Whistler’s Mother is not the official name of his painting.

            C.     Whistler is best known for his etchings.

            D.    Whistler’s Mother is painted in somber tones.

Kunci Jawaban: C

19. where in the passage does the author mention the types of artwork that Whistler was involved in?

            A.    Lines 1-3

            B.     Lines 4-5

            C.     Lines 6-7

            D.    Lines 8-10

Kunci Jawaban: D

Questions 20-25

The locations of stars in the sky relative to one another do not appear to the naked eye to change, and as a result stars are often considered to be fixed in position. Many unaware stargazers falsely assume that each star has its own permanent home in the nighttime sky.

In reality, though, stars are always moving, but because of the tremendous distances between stars themselves and from stars to Earth, the changes are barely perceptible here. An example of a rather fast-moving star demonstrates why this misconception prevails; it takes approximately 200 years for a relatively rapid star like Bernard's star to move a distance in the skies equal to the diameter of the earth's moon. When the apparently negligible movement of the stars is contrasted with the movement of the planets, the stars are seemingly unmoving.

20. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

             A.    What the eye can see in the sky

             B.     Bernard's star 

             C.     Planetary Movement

             D.    The Evermoving stars

Kunci Jawaban: D

21. The expression‍ "naked eye" in line 1 most probably refers to

             A.    a telescope

             B.     a scientific method for observing stars

             C.     unassisted vision

             D.    a camera with a powerful lens

Kunci Jawaban: C

22. According to the passage, the distances between the stars and Earth are

            A.    barely perceptible

            B.     huge 

            C.     fixed 

            D.    moderate

Kunci Jawaban: B

23. The word "perceptible" in line 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

             A.    noticeable

             B.     persuasive

             C.     conceivable 

             D.    astonishing

Kunci Jawaban: A

24. In line 6, a "misconception" is closest in meaning to a (n)

            A.    idea

            B.     proven fact

            C.     erroneous belief 

            D.    theory 

Kunci Jawaban: C

25. The passage states that in 200 years Bernard's star can move

             A.    around Earth's moon

             B.     next to the earth's moon

             C.     a distance equal to the distance from earth to the moon 

             D.    a distance seemingly equal to the diameter of the moon

Kunci Jawaban: D

Source:

http://berita-english.blogspot.co.id/2014/01/soal-toefl-reading-dan-kunci-jawabanpre-test-longman.html