Critical Reading: Section 3
Question Number: 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - 47 - 48
25.
Choice (A) is correct. Something that is "therapeutic" has or exhibits healing powers. If Amy "felt better" when she was with small children, then working with them can be said to have had a therapeutic effect on her.
Choice (B) is incorrect. "Dignified" means marked by a formal seriousness or a stateliness of manner. Something that makes one feel better does not necessarily have a "dignified" effect.
Choice (C) is incorrect. "Recalcitrant" means marked by stubborn resistance. It makes no sense to say that working with children had a "recalcitrant" effect on Amy.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Sullen" means marked by silent resentment or ill humor. It makes no sense to say that working with children had a "sullen" effect on Amy.
Choice (E) is incorrect. A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit comparison. It makes no sense to say that working with children had a "metaphorical" effect on Amy.
26.
Choice (B) is correct. A "paradigm" is a pattern or model. The first part of the sentence indicates that "animals commonly eat plants," but the material after the colon gives examples of plants eating animals. This would demonstrate that the "paradigm" noted in the first part of the sentence is sometimes "reversed."
Choice (A) is incorrect. An "axiom" is a self-evident principle, and the statement that "animals commonly eat plants" can rightly be called an axiom. But the material after the colon does not "affirm," or uphold, this axiom. Rather, the material after the colon notes some exceptions to it.
Choice (C) is incorrect. It would be odd to speak of animals eating plants as a "hierarchy." But if one did use this term, it would not makes sense to say that examples of plants eating animals "perpetuate" this hierarchy. In fact, they could be said to overturn it.
Choice (D) is incorrect. A "fabrication" is something that is made up. The statement that "animals commonly eat plants" is not a fabrication. It is a statement of fact.
Choice (E) is incorrect. An "abnormality" is something that is not normal. Animals eating plants cannot be called an abnormality, since it occurs all the time.
27.
Choice (B) is correct. "Sultry," in this context, means very hot and humid. If "everyone complained of the oppressive heat and humidity," then this would suggest that the weather was sultry.
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Arid" means excessively dry. If everyone complained about the humidity, then the weather was probably not arid.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Something that is "fetid" has an offensive odor. Nothing in the sentence suggests that the weather could be described as fetid.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Nothing in the sentence indicates that the weather was "stormy."
Choice (E) is incorrect. "Temperate" means mild. Everyone would not be complaining about the heat and humidity if the weather were temperate.
28.
Choice (D) is correct. To "juxtapose" things is to place them side by side, especially for the purpose of comparison or contrast. If Kingston's book places "contrasting portraits side by side," then it can be said to juxtapose them.
Choice (A) is incorrect. If Kingston's book "withholds" the contrasting stories about women, it would not be placing them side by side. Rather, it would not be telling them at all.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To "supersede" is to replace. The sentence does not indicate that Kingston's book replaces the contrasting stories about women. Rather, it indicates that the book places them side by side.
Choice (C) is incorrect. To "complement" something is to add something to it that completes it. The sentence does not indicate that Kingston's book does this to the contrasting stories about women. The sentence says only that it places them "side by side."
Choice (E) is incorrect. Nothing in the sentence indicates that Kingston "interrupts" the contrasting stories about women.
29.
Choice (E) is correct. The word that best fits in the second blank helps explain why the workers were "hardly noticing" the "clattering noise." To become "inured" to something is to grow accustomed to it. If the workers became inured to the clattering noise, then it would make sense to say that they hardly noticed it. To "abate" is to lessen in intensity. Inserting this word in the first blank logically completes the sentence. Although the noise did not abate, or lessen, the workers eventually became inured to it, hardly noticing it.
Choice (A) is incorrect. To "reverberate" is to continue in a series of echoes. The two words in this answer choice do not create a logical sentence. Whether the clattering noise reverberated or not has no logical relationship to whether the workers became accustomed to it. It makes little sense to say that "although" the clattering noise did not reverberate, the workers eventually became "accustomed" to it.
Choice (B) is incorrect. To be "drawn" to something is to be attracted to it. If the workers were hardly noticing the clattering noise, it is doubtful that they would be drawn to it. And "persist" makes little sense here. If the clattering noise did not persist–that is, if it stopped–then the workers could not "eventually" become drawn to it.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The two words in this answer choice do not create a logical sentence. If the workers became "exposed" to clattering noise, then one would not say that they were "hardly noticing it." And if the noise "did not fade," it would make little sense to say that the workers "eventually became exposed to it." Presumably, they would have been exposed to it all along.
Choice (D) is incorrect. It makes little sense to suggest that the workers became "hostile," or openly antagonistic, to a noise that they were "hardly noticing."
30.
Choice (A) is correct. Passage 1 begins by suggesting that "Americans have never been truly fond of their press" and then goes on to speak of the public's "disdain for the media" and of the public's belief that the media are "too arrogant, cynical, scandal-minded, and destructive." The primary purpose of the passage, then, is to "convey Americans' view of the news media."
Choice (B) is incorrect. Although Passage 1 suggests that the American public takes a dim view of the media, it never actually argues that television news needs to reform itself in response to this view.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Passage 1 does conclude by noting the decline in newspaper readership, but the passage cannot be said to "debate" this decline. Rather, it presents it as a fact.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Passage 1 does mention both newspapers and television news broadcasts, but the purpose of the passage is not so much to discuss these different media as to characterize the public's view of them.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Passage 1 begins by noting that Americans have "never been truly fond of their press" but then goes on to describe their current attitudes. The passage cannot be said to "trace the history of journalism in America."
31.
Choice (E) is correct. Passage 2 acknowledges a decline in journalistic standards, noting the "cut-down stories," the "trash making the front page," and the "'bottom line' focus of editors and publishers." But then the passage says that while "these are reasons enough to be embarrassed by our profession . . . let's not give in just yet." The author of the passage is addressing other journalists here and encouraging them to "resist the decline in journalistic standards."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Passage 2 is clearly concerned about the state of modern journalism, but it concludes on a positive note. It urges reporters to "not give in just yet," asserting that there is "still great journalism produced every day" and that "solid writing and reporting about issues that matter will find an audience." The passage does more than just "bemoan," or express grief over, the decline of journalism: it encourages journalists to resist it.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Although Passage 2 does mention a particular "reporter" in line 1, it does not praise his efforts.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Passage 2 does not discuss any reasons "why journalists seek promotion to editorial positions."
Choice (D) is incorrect. Although Passage 2 does, in the end, counter some earlier negative statements about journalism, the passage does not include any "illustrations of good writing."
32.
Choice (A) is correct. Passage 2 ends on a hopeful note, arguing that there's "great journalism produced every day" and that "solid writing and reporting about issues that matter will find an audience." Passage 1, on the other hand, concludes by noting that "year by year, a smaller proportion of Americans goes to the trouble of reading newspapers or watching news broadcasts." Passage 1, therefore, has a less "hopeful" tone than Passage 2 does.
Choice (B) is incorrect. "Irate" means characterized by an intense and usually open display of anger. Neither passage has an "irate" tone, so it would be inaccurate to say that one is "less irate" than the other.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Neither of these passages can be said to have an "amused" tone.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Passage 2 ends on a hopeful note, and Passage 1 does not. So one would not say that Passage 1 is "less discouraged" than Passage 2. Indeed, it is more discouraged.
Choice (E) is incorrect. To be "resigned" to something is to accept it as unavoidable. If anything, the tone of Passage 1 is more, not less, "resigned" than that of Passage 2.
33.
Choice (C) is correct. Passage 1 discusses the American public's "disdain for the media establishment," its feeling that the press has become "too arrogant, cynical, scandal-minded, and destructive." Passage 2 speaks of this same general situation. After noting the "cut-down stories," the "trash making the front page," and the "'bottom line' focus of editors and publishers," the author acknowledges that these "are reasons enough to be embarrassed by our profession." Because the author of Passage 2 speaks here as a member of the media, the passage can be said to "provide a professional perspective on the general situation discussed in Passage 1."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Passage 2 is fairly critical of the news media. It cannot be said to "fully support" the profession criticized in Passage 1.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Two different "groups" are mentioned in Passage 1: the news media and the American public. But Passage 1 cannot be said to "objectively analyze" either of these groups. And while Passage 2 does criticize the media, it does more than just "denounce," or openly condemn, them.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Passage 2 certainly does acknowledge "the shortcomings of a profession," but Passage 1 makes no effort to "downplay," or minimize, them. Indeed, it implies that these shortcomings are reasons why Americans take such a dim view of the press.
Choice (E) is incorrect. While Passage 1 is "completely serious," Passage 2 does not uncover "the humor in a situation.
34.
Choice (B) is correct. In this passage, the author, a steamboat pilot, describes the consequences of acquiring a certain kind of professional knowledge. When he says in line 1 that he "mastered the language of this water," he means that he learned to read it, to tell what various conditions meant on this particular river. (The long quote in lines 28-35 provides an example of the author's "reading" the water.) In line 1, then, "the language" refers to "natural characteristics indicating the presence of specific conditions."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The phrase "the language of this water" is a metaphor and should not be taken literally. It does not refer to a "dialect unique to settlements" along the river.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The author speaks here of the language "of this water." This is not a reference to an actual language, but something analogous to it. It is not a reference to the "body of writing" dealing with this river.
Choice (D) is incorrect. In line 1, "the language of this water" does not refer to "the rhythm of human travel along a waterway." Rather, it refers to the natural features of the water that the author, as a steamboat pilot, learned to "read."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The "language" is said to be "of this water." It is not a language composed of words.
35.
Choice (B) is correct. In the first paragraph, the author describes the way the river looked to him when he first became a steamboat pilot. At this time, what he most notices is the great beauty of the river. In the second paragraph, the author describes the way the river looked after he acquired expertise as a steamboat pilot. What he notices now are things that may present hazards to his boat. Since the river itself has not changed, the difference must involve a fundamental change in "perception."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The first two paragraphs describe differing responses to the same situation. Nothing suggests that these two paragraphs are talking about different locations on the same river.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The first two paragraphs offer different perspectives on the same "sunset scene" (line 25). Nothing indicates that there has been a fundamental change in the weather.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Although there is a change in the author between the two paragraphs, it is not a change in "personal health." It is a change in mental outlook.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Although the author is, in fact, a writer, the passage is about his experiences as a steamboat pilot. It is not about his "literary training."
36.
Choice (E) is correct. At the beginning of the last paragraph, the author concludes that the "romance and beauty were all gone from the river." Now he looks at the river with the eyes of a steamboat pilot, concerned only with details useful for the "safe piloting of a steamboat" (line 39). In lines 39-48, he implicitly compares his situation to that of a doctor, asking whether doctors "ever see beauty at all" or whether they "simply view it professionally" (lines 44-45). Lines 39-48, then, "provide an example of a particular mindset," one that sees things in purely professional terms.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Lines 39-48 compare the author's situation to that of a doctor, implying that the two are analogous. These lines do not, however, draw a "general conclusion" about the author's fate. To do this, they would need to make a broad statement about the larger consequences of the author's experience.
Choice (B) is incorrect. In lines 39-48, the author implies that his situation resembles that of a doctor. These lines do not suggest that the author's situation is "unique."
Choice (C) is incorrect. To "qualify" a point is to limit it by noting exceptions. In lines 39-48, the author does not note exceptions to a point made earlier in the passage. Rather, he notes a situation analogous to his own experience.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The doctor's situation is not an "alternative point of view." Indeed, as represented in lines 39-48, the doctor's point of view is very similar to the author's.
37.
Choice (C) is correct. In lines 40-42, the author asks, "What does the lovely flush in a beautiful cheek mean to doctors but a 'break' that ripples above some deadly disease?" In this context, "break" most nearly means a "telling irregularity." It is "telling" because it is a sign of underlying disease.
Choice (A) is incorrect. While "break" can mean "an escape from confinement," as in a prison break, this meaning makes little sense in this context.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Although "break" does refer to a kind of interruption here, it is certainly not a "planned" interruption.
Choice (D) is incorrect. Since the "break" is said to be the sign of a "deadly disease," it does not mean "a favorable situation."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The "lovely flush" is referred to as a "break" that "ripples above" some deadly disease, suggesting that the break is a subtle sign of disease, recognizable only to a trained eye. "Break" does not mean an "open rupture" in this context.
38.
Choice (D) is correct. The passage focuses on the way the author's perception of the river changed after he acquired professional expertise as a steamboat pilot. He has ceased to note the beauty of the river, now thinking of its features solely in terms of the "amount of usefulness they could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat" (lines 38-39). In lines 28-35 he provides an example of such a highly analytical response to the river, and in the last paragraph, he implies that doctors may have the same experience. So the author's view of professional expertise is best summarized by the statement that "It can make a person too analytical."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The author does not suggest that professional expertise "creates opportunities for growth." Rather, he focuses on the negative consequences of expertise.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author does not advocate professional expertise as "a goal for all workers." Rather, he focuses on the negative consequences of expertise.
Choice (C) is incorrect. Although the author does not, in fact, define "professional expertise," neither does he suggest that it is "impossible to define precisely." Rather, he discusses the impact that it has had on the way he views the river.
Choice (E) is incorrect. Although "professional expertise" may indeed be "difficult to attain," the author does not make this point in the passage.
39.
Choice (B) is correct. The question in lines 46-48 asks about doctors, "And don't they sometimes wonder whether they have gained most or lost most by learning their trade?" In asking this question, the author implies that doctors, like the author, have lost something by learning their trade. Specifically, they have lost the ability to simply perceive beauty. Since such a loss was presumably not a goal of their professional training, it is best characterized as an "unintended consequence."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The question in lines 46-48 implies that doctors, like the author, have lost something by learning their trade. But this loss has to do with perception, not with the damage done to "pristine landscapes."
Choice (C) is incorrect. The author is not making the general point that "sorrow is sometimes inevitable." Rather, he makes a specific point about the unintended consequences of learning certain trades.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author might regret having become a steamboat pilot, but there is nothing to indicate that the author regrets having become a writer.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The question in lines 46-48 implies that there is a loss involved with learning certain trades. It does not hint that "certain benefits are shared by all who learn a trade."
40.
Choice (A) is correct. At the beginning of the passage, the author speaks of wanting to be thought of "simply as a 'writer.'" But she soon finds that she carries the "added responsibility of being a Latina writer." The use of italics here emphasizes the distinction between being "a writer" and being a "Latina writer," a distinction that the author then elaborates on.
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author never suggests that there has been "widespread misuse" of the term "Latina."
Choice (C) is incorrect. The subject of being a "Latina writer" is not presented as "controversial" in this passage. Also, the author's use of italics cannot be said to "clarify her position" on this subject.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author does not use italics to "define" the word "Latina." She uses them to make a distinction between being a "writer" and a "Latina writer."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author does not "convey anger" in the passage but, rather, speaks in a very measured way. The author does not suggest that anything is "unfair" about her situation either.
41.
Choice (B) is correct. In lines 7-13, the author notes that her "case as a developing Latina writer is somewhat different from that of others" in that she "lived in relative geographical isolation from the Latino communities." If she is different because she has lived in geographical isolation, it can be inferred that the "others" do not live in geographical isolation, that they have "more direct contact with Latino communities" than the author does.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although the author has not lived in Latino communities as an adult, there is no indication that she feels "embarrassed" by this.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The author never suggests that her childhood memories are hazy, or unclear. Indeed, in subsequent paragraphs it appears that some of her recollections are quite vivid.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author indicates that during her youth she lived in Puerto Rico and in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Paterson, New Jersey. However, she never suggests that these weren't "typical" Puerto Rican neighborhoods.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author does not speak about the subjects chosen by other Latina writers. She certainly does not object to them.
42.
Choice (C) is correct. In lines 12-13, the author does not simply speak of her "isolation from the Latino communities of the United States"; she speaks of her "geographical" isolation. The fact that she qualifies the kind of isolation she experienced indicates her awareness that there are ways in which she was not isolated. She elaborates on this in the following sentence by noting that she "never abandoned" that "obsession called 'the Island.'" So the author's use of the term "geographical" in line 12 indicates that she is aware of a contrast between "physical realities and emotional bonds."
Choice (A) is incorrect. The term "geographical" helps make the point that the author is isolated from Latino communities only in a physical sense. It does not establish a contrast between "small towns and urban centers."
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author never speaks of her "material aspirations." Rather, she speaks of intangible things—namely, her identity as a Latina writer. She never actually establishes a contrast between "material aspirations and artistic goals."
Choice (D) is incorrect. The term "geographical" is used to characterize the kind of "isolation" the author has experienced, to help make the point that the author is isolated from Latino communities only in a physical sense. This term does not indicate her awareness of a contrast between "childhood reminiscences," or memories, and the "adult choices" that she has made.
Choice (E) is incorrect. As a child, the author lived in Latino communities both in New Jersey and in Puerto Rico, but the term "geographical" does not help create a contrast between these two locales. Rather, it is used to characterize the kind of "isolation" she has experienced.
43.
Choice (C) is correct. In line 17, the author says that she is "not a scholar in the field of Latino literature." In this context, "field" most nearly means "academic specialty."
Choice (A) is incorrect. It makes little sense to speak of Latino literature as an "unbroken expanse."
Choice (B) is incorrect. Scholars study subjects in a deep and often specialized manner. One would not speak of being a scholar in the "background knowledge" of Latino literature.
Choice (D) is incorrect. "Field" can sometimes mean "battleground," but that is not the meaning in this context. Rather, the author is speaking of Latino literature as an academic discipline.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The phrase "sphere of influence" refers to the realm in which someone's or something's influence is paramount. The author is not speaking here of the influence exerted by Latino literature.
44.
Choice (D) is correct. In lines 21-25, the author includes as literature both "the spoken tales" the women in her family told and the "books" she buried her head in. That is, she describes literature as being both "oral and written."
Choice (A) is incorrect. In lines 21-25, the author says she consumed books as if she were a "creature who consumed paper and ink for sustenance," which suggests that she read books with great enthusiasm. But this claim does not indicate what the literature itself was like.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Nothing in lines 21-25 suggests that the author found literature to be "fearsome," or capable of inspiring fear.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In lines 21-25, the author says she consumed books as if she were a "creature who consumed paper and ink for sustenance." Things that provide "sustenance" are those that maintain life or health (such as food and water), so the author might possibly be implying that she found literature to be "comforting." But nothing in lines 21-25 suggests she found literature to be "provocative."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author makes no distinction between literature that is "direct" and "indirect."
45.
Choice (B) is correct. In lines 31-33, the author says that "the world was tearing itself asunder," but that each writer she read "put it back together" for her by "giving order to chaos." A few lines later, she speaks metaphorically of holding "back the madness outside" with her pen. In these lines, the author portrays language as a "defense against a disordered world."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Although many people believe that writing can "spark political change," the author does not make this point. Rather, she portrays language as a defense against, and a form of refuge from, a chaotic world.
Choice (C) is incorrect. The author never states or implies that a "common language is necessary for true communication between different cultures."
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author speaks at length of the importance of language, but she never voices any viewpoint about the precise kind of language that is most effective. She certainly never suggests that "undisciplined" language is the "most effective."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author never compares writers' understanding of language with that of most other people.
46.
Choice (A) is correct. In lines 49-57, the author speaks of claiming her Puerto Rican heritage as well as "the culture and literature of the country [she] was brought to as a child." She tells us she claims both, that she plants her "little writer's flag on both shores." The author's "flag" is thus used to claim "experiences from both cultures to use in her writing."
Choice (B) is incorrect. The author never discusses her "right to choose her profession as an artist." She seems to confidently assume that she has this right.
Choice (C) is incorrect. In this paragraph, the author is discussing the kinds of experiences she lays claim to in her writing, but she says nothing about where the "market for her work" will be.
Choice (D) is incorrect. With the reference to the "flag," the author is speaking in broad terms about the kinds of experiences she lays claim to in her writing. She does not suggest that writing about these experiences would necessarily involve expressing "political thoughts."
Choice (E) is incorrect. The author speaks of claiming both her Puerto Rican heritage and "the language of [her] education, English," but she does not suggest that she will actually be writing in both English and Spanish, much less writing "fluently" in both. Rather, she implies that she will be writing in English about both cultures.
47.
Choice (B) is correct. The author claims that the "exclusivists" (line 58) would have her "choose sides," that they would have her be either an American writer or a Puerto Rican writer, but not both. So it can be inferred that these exclusivists believe that "belonging to two cultures is neither truly possible nor desirable."
Choice (A) is incorrect. Nothing in the passage suggests that the exclusivists believe that few people have the ability to become good writers. The passage says only that these "exclusivists" would have the author "choose sides."
Choice (C) is incorrect. Nothing in the passage gives any clues as to what the "exclusivists" believe about the kinds of writers who achieve financial versus critical success.
Choice (D) is incorrect. The author indicates only that the "exclusivists" would have her "choose sides." She says nothing about their beliefs regarding the language that the "best Hispanic American writers" compose in. No clear inference can be drawn about this.
Choice (E) is incorrect. The "exclusivists" would have the author "choose sides" by identifying herself as a Puerto Rican or an American writer. Nothing indicates that they would regard one of these choices as an "artistic mistake."
48.
Choice (D) is correct. "Reflective" means given to reflection, or thoughtful. Since the author carefully considers the significance of her experiences, her tone can be said to be "reflective."
Choice (A) is incorrect. "Cynical" means pessimistic, or inclined to believe that people are motivated chiefly by selfish concerns. The tone of the passage cannot be characterized as cynical.
Choice (B) is incorrect. "Remote," in this context, means distant in manner. The author shares many personal feelings and insights with her readers, so her tone cannot be said to be remote.
Choice (C) is incorrect. To say this passage has an "amused" tone would be to suggest that the author treats her subject in a light, slightly humorous, fashion. In fact, the author is serious about her subject and treats it accordingly.
Choice (E) is incorrect. An "empathetic" tone is one that shows concern and sympathy for others. The author mainly describes her own experiences in the passage, so her tone cannot really be characterized as empathetic.
