epdf.pub_cbest-cliffs-test-prep13a9b242c7cb4125e6cca92d00a73d5a41681

Section I Reading
Practice Test 1
D. The passage opposes factual
reporting and speculation,
presenting the facts in paragraph
one and the speculations in
paragraph two.
E. The first paragraph gives a
subjective account of Robinson’s
life as a baseball player, and the
second gives an objective report of
his later life.
Read the passage below and answer the
four questions that follow.
The ancient Greeks named the constellations
of the Northern Hemisphere after the gods,
goddesses, beasts, and heroes of their myths.
________, many of the stars of the Southern
Hemisphere, which were not named until
much later, reflect more modern notions
such as instruments or geometric figures.
________, the rocks on Mars that have acquired
names in the 1990s are called after
late twentieth-century phenomena like the
cartoon characters Calvin and Hobbes.
[1]As we draw near to the year 2000, many
people expect a significant planetary event,
as if the idea of the millennium had some
important meaning throughout the universe.
[2]They fail to see that any point we name in
time is arbitrary, and has no special significance
in the universe or the natural world.
[3]The whole idea of time is man-made.
[4]All any date can tell us is the position of
the earth in relation to the sun. [5]Like the
names of the stars, numbers are useful fictions
that men have created to make relationships
easier to grasp or to remember.
6. Which words or phrases, if inserted in
order into the blanks in the first
paragraph, would help the reader to
understand the writer’s ideas?
A. Thus; On the other hand
B. Perhaps; Therefore
C. Meanwhile; Consequently
D. Although; Yet
E. However; Similarly
7. Which of the following is the best
definition of the word arbitrary as it is
used in the second paragraph?
A. based on whim; capricious
B. lacking in judgment; foolish
C. conveying a truth; informative
D. of no practical value; useless
E. having two meanings; ambiguous
8. Which of the following phrases from
the second paragraph makes most clear
the connection of the ideas of the first
paragraph to those of the second?
A. Sentence 1: “Many people expect a
significant planetary event.”
B. Sentence 2: “Any point we name in
time is arbitrary.”
C. Sentence 3: “The whole idea of
time is man-made.”
D. Sentence 4: “All any date can tell
us is the position of the earth in
relation to the sun.”
E. Sentence 5: “Like the names of the
stars, numbers are useful fictions
that men have created.”
9. Which of the following inferences
about the beliefs of the author may be
drawn from the information that this
passage presents?
A. The author believes in astrology,
since he or she has an interest in
the names of the stars.
B. The author is skeptical about the
claims of astrologers.
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