VSTEP-Reading Test 3 [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

READING PAPER 3 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40 _______________________________________________________________________ Directions:In this section you will read FOUR different passages. Each one is followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the 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 following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage. You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10 Today Singapore is a world centre for trade, shipping and tourism, but two hundred years ago, Singapore was just a deserted island off the coast of Malaya with only a few fishermen living there. Stamford Raffles was an Englishman who helped to make Singapore. Raffles, the son of an English sea captain, was born in Jamaica in 1781. (2)Because his parents were poor, he left school when he was 14 and (1)started work in a trading company in London. The trading company was called the British East India Company. (3)It was an important and powerful company that sent ships all over the world. As well as trading, the company officials sometimes became rulers of the countries they traded with. Raffles did his work well and soon began to get higher positions in the company. He was often sent to other countries and he became very interested in foreign places. He became the ruler of Java and in 1817 he wrote a book called History of Java. In 1819, Raffles went to rule the island of Singapore. (4)At that time, Singapore was covered with forest and there were only a few poor fishermen living there. Some of them were pirates and when a ship came near the island, they went out to it in small boats. They attacked the Code 3 - Page 1 of 15

ships, stole things from them and sometimes killed the sailors. The waters around Singapore were dangerous and ships were afraid to come near the island. (6)When Raffles came, he made laws and stopped the pirates. He made some of the people policemen and they made sure that the new laws were kept. Singapore became safe and people were no longer afraid. 7AMany people came to live in Singapore and ships were no longer afraid to visit there. The ships came to buy and sell things and the island began its history as a trading center for the world. 7B Now people could easily go from one place to another on the island. 7CBeside houses and roads, Raffles built schools and he brought in (8)teachers from Britain to work in the schools. 7DThe lessons were taught in both English and Malay, and the teachers wrote school books to help their students. Many Europeans came to Singapore and started companies. In 1824, Raffles and his wife returned to England. (9)He put all his books, plants and animals on the ship but before it reached England, a fire began on the ship and everything was lost. Despite this, Raffles started the London Zoo and was its first president. Raffles died at the age of 45 in 1826. 1. While young, Raffles worked in_____ A. Singapore. B. Malaysia. C. Indonesia. D. England. 2. Stamford Raffles began to work when he was young because A. he wanted to see the world. B. he was not clever. C. his parents do not have much money D. he did not like to study. 3. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to? A. The captain Code 3 - Page 2 of 15

B. The trading C. The British East India Company D. The ship 4. When Raffles first came to Singapore, it was______ A. a very busy port. B. almost deserted. C. a big city. D. a very old city. 5. The word “pirates” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by A. sailors B. captains C. sea robbers D. wealthy fishermen 6. Singapore became safe because_______ A. no more ships went there. B. the thieves were caught. C. many pirates came there. D. the thieves went to other islands. 7. Look at paragraph 4, where the following sentence can be added? Raffles built many houses, buildings and roads. A. 7A B. 7B C. 7C D. 7D 8. Most of the first teachers in Singapore were_____ A. foreigners. B. from Singapore. C. not real teachers. D. not good at teaching 9. When Raffles was travelling back to England, Code 3 - Page 3 of 15

A. his wife died. B. he died. C. all his books were burned. D. the ship was lost. 10. What is the main purpose of the author when writing this passage? A. To tell the life story of Stamford Raffles. B. To explain why Singapore is a world centre for trade C. To invite foreign companies to invest in Singapore. D. To explain why Stamford Raffles left Singapore. PASSAGE 2 – Questions 11-20 No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex.  By changing word sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations in meaning.  We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning.  Nor is this complexity inherent to the English language.  All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have clever grammatical components. (11) The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between 'you and I', 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I'.  In English, all these meanings are summed up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'.  Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.  So the question which has baffled many linguists is - who created grammar? At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer.  To find out how grammar is created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence.  Many historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how languages are started from scratch.  Amazingly, however, this is possible. Code 3 - Page 4 of 15

Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade.  At that time, slaves from a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under the colonizer's rule.  Since they had no opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a makeshift language called a pidgin.(13)  Pidgins are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner.  They have little in the way of grammar, and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to whom.  16A Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood.  16B Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue.  16C Slave children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language.  16D Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are invented by children. Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first.  The English past tense –ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'.  'It ended' may once have been 'It end-did'.  Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children.  Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are first trying to make sense of the world around them.  Their minds can serve to create logical, complex structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy. 11. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherolee language? A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures. B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees. D. To demostrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language. 12. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence? Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.   Code 3 - Page 5 of 15

A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar. B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little. C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common than languages that contain a little. D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved. 13. What can be inferred about the slaves’ pidgin language? A. It contained complex grammar. B. It was based on many different languages. C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves. D. It was created by the land-owners. 14. “From scratch” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to A. from the very beginning B. in simple structures C. by copying something else D. by using written information 15. “Make-shift” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to A. complicated and expensive B. simple and temporary C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal 16. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed? It included standardised word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin language, nor the language of the colonizers. A. 16A B. 16B C. 16C D. 16D 17. What does the word “they” in paragraph 3 refer to? A. elders B. slave children Code 3 - Page 6 of 15

C. strings D. words 18. In which paragraph does the writer state how complex languages are formed? A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 2 C. Paragraph 3 D. Paragraph 4 19. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph? A. English was probably once a creole. B. The English past tense system is inaccurate. C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children. D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults. 20. What is the topic of this passage? A. The difficulty of grammar B. The importance of grammar C. The creators of grammar D. The formation of grammar PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30 The period following World War II was filled with a succession of crises as the United States dealt with the difficulty of postwar reconversion to a peacetime economy. A threatened railroad strike in 1946 was one of many crises that led to a reconsideration of the interrelationships among government, management, and labor. Organized labor, which had fared well during the war years of 1939-1945, faced severe problems because of the swift demobilization of 13 million service personnel following the war and the destabilizing results of industrial reconversions from wartime to peacetime uses. During late 1945 and early 1946, a record wave of labor disputes and strikes hit the United States, and even more strikes and disputes were expected. At the height of the problems, more than 500 strikes were under way, some of them in industries that were highly critical to the Code 3 - Page 7 of 15

overall U.S. economy, including coal, steel, cars, and oil. When a national strike was threatened by the railroads in the spring of 1946, the government moved into action, believing that the U.S. economy was threatened were it to take place. President Harry S. Truman had dealt rather patiently with the labor problems until the spring of 1946. Throughout his political career, Truman had been a friend of organized labor and had been strongly supported by labor in his elections, and (25) when the railroad strike was first threatened, he called for a 60-day mediation period while the issues, particularly the main issue of a wage hike for railroad workers, were negotiated between management and labor. By April, 18 of the 20 unions related to the railroads had arrived at an agreement; however, the remaining unions which together controlled 280,000 workers and were essential to the operation of the railroads, were dissatisfied and set a date for a strike. The day before the strike deadline, Truman’s patience wore thin, and he signed an executive order authorizing government seizure of the railroads.Under threat of having the government take over the operation of the railroads, the two unions in question agreed to a five-day delay in the strike.Truman even suggested an 18.5-cent per hour day raise for railroad workers. However, as the strike deadline approached, negotiations remained at a stalemate.The strike began as scheduled and had an immediate impact; of the country’s 200,000 trains, only a few hundred remained in operation. Infuriated, Truman took to the radio waves and delivered a burning speech to the public; two days later, he delivered a speech to Congress blasting the striking workers and urging Congress to take unprecedented steps to break the strike, including urging approval to draft striking workers into military service. As Truman was delivering the speech, he was handed a note stating that the strike had been settled. Even though the strike was resolved, deep issues had been raised over what role the government should pay in disputes between management and labor. Truman’s proposal to use the federal government to break a strike by drafting strikers into the armed forces brought this issue to the fore. Although management was pleased with the toughness that Truman had shown and many citizens were pleased that disruption of the economy had been avoided, Code 3 - Page 8 of 15

concern was expressed about the constitutionality of having Congress take such a step. The Labor Management Relations Act (also known as the Taft-Hartley Act), which was enacted in the year following the strike, was an attempt to clarify some of the interrelationships among government, management, and labor. 21. The phrase “fared well” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to A. recovered from illness B. won battles C. made good wages D. experienced good fortune 22. According to paragraph 2, in late 1945 and early 1946 A. there were labor problems because too many workers were in the military B. there were labor problems because too many people were leaving the military C. there were 500 strikes in the railroad industry D. A. there were 500 strikes in critical industries 23. The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to A. a national strike B. the government C. action D. the U.S. economy 24. The phrase “called for” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to A. criticized B. cheered C. proposed D. postponed 25. According to paragraph 3, it is NOT true that the railroad workers A. were all in favor of the strike B. were interested in higher pay C. from two unions set a strike date Code 3 - Page 9 of 15

D. turned down Truman’s offer of a pay raise 26. Why does the author mention 280,000 workers in paragraph 3? A. To indicate how many workers were opposed to the strike B. To demonstrate that the railroads were not really a critical industry C. To support management’s claim that a wage increase was not possible D. To illustrate how serious the strike threat was 27. The phrase “wore thin” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to A. was extended B. decreased C. lightened D. lost weight 28. The phrase “remained at a stalemate” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to A. stayed on target B. proceeded on a friendly basis C. suddenly started up again D. were at a standstill 29. The word “steps” in paragraph 4 could best be replaced by A. spaces B. measures C. stairs D. suggestions 30. It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that A. Truman actually drafted striking workers into the military B. Congress passed a law allowing the drafting of striking workers C. It was the threat of drafting strikers that ended the strike D. Truman was actually opposed to drafting workers into the military PASSAGE 4 – Questions 31-40 The earliest known American painters, who were active in the latter part of the seventeenth century and the early part of the eighteenth century, were described in documents, journals, and Code 3 - Page 10 of 15

letters of the time as limners. Most of the paintings created by limners were portraits, and they were unsigned because the finished pieces did not belong to the limners who created them but were instead the possessions of the subjects in the portraits. The portraits today are named after the subjects portrayed in them, and a particular artist is known only as the creator of a particular portrait; thus a particular portrait is named Mrs. Elizabeth Freake and Baby Mary after the people in the portrait, and the limner who created the portrait is known only as the Freake Limner. Art historians who specialize in art from this era have been able to identify clusters of portraits painted by each of a number of limners but, in many cases, do not know the name of the actual limner. As can be seen from the fact that portraits created by limners went unsigned, limners were regarded more as artisans or skilled tradesmen than as artists. They earned their living as many artisans and tradesmen did at the time, as itinerant workers moving from town to town offering their services to either those who could pay or, more likely, to those who had goods or services to offer in return. They were able to paint portraits for those desiring to have a tangible representation of a family member for posterity; they also took on a variety of other types of painting jobs to stay employed, such as painting the walls of buildings, painting signs for businesses and painting furniture. 38A Some of the early portraits most likely received their education in art or trained others in America in their craft; because they were working in undeveloped or minimally developed colonial areas, their lives were quite difficult. 38B They had little access to information about the world of art and little access to art supplies, so they needed to mix their own paints and make their own brushes and stretched canvasses. 38C They also needed to be prepared to take on whatever painting jobs were needed to survive. 38D There seem to be two broad categories of painting styles used by the portraitists, the style of the New English limners and the style of the New York limners. The style of the New England limners was a decorative style with flat characters, characters that seem to lack mass and volume. This is not because the New England limners had no knowledge of painting techniques Code 3 - Page 11 of 15

but was instead because the New England limners were using the style of Tudor painting that became popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a style that included characters with a flat woodenness yet with the numerous highly decorative touches and frills popular in the English court. The New York limners had a rather different style from the New England limners, and this was because New York had a different background from the rest of New England. Much of New England had been colonized by the English, and thus the basis for the style of the New England limners was the Tudo style that had been popularized during the Tudor queen Elizabeth I. However, the Dutch had settled the colony of New Amsterdam, and though New Amsterdam became an English colony in 1664 and was renamed New York, the Dutch character and influence was strongly in place during the era of the limners. The New York limners, as a result, were influenced by the Dutch artists of the time rather than the Tudor artists. Dutch art, unlike the more flowery Tudor art, was considerably more sober and prosaic. In addition, the New York limners lacked the flat portrayals of characters of the New England limners and instead made use of light and shade to create more lifelike portraits. 31. The word “pieces” in paragraph 1 could be best replaced by A. parts B. works C. ideas D. fragments 32. The word “them” in paragraph 1 refers to A. limners B. portraits C. possessions D. subjects 33. Which of the sentences below expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 1? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. Code 3 - Page 12 of 15

A. Art historians have been able to identify characteristics in paintings indicating that the paintings were created by limners. B. Artists from the era of limners painted clusters of portraits without knowing whom they were painting. C. People studying art have been able to identify clusters of artists who had painted portraits of the same subjects. D. Certain groups of portraits are known to have been painted by the same limner, though the limner’s name is often not known. 34. The word “itinerant” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to A. successful B. uneducated C. wandering D. professional 35. It is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 that a limner might A. work as a carpenter B. receive pay for a painting C. offer his services in return for other services D. paint a house 36. The word “posterity” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to A. prominent display B. future generations C. social acceptance D. delayed gratification 37. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that limners A. would not possibly have had any formal training B. were quite knowledgeable about the world of art C. were held in high esteem by the population D. were not all formally trained artists 38. Look at the four spaces that indicate where the following sentence can be added to paragraph 3 Code 3 - Page 13 of 15

Few limners were formally trained artists. 38A 39. Why does the author state that the Dutch had settled the colony of New Amsterdam in a passage about limners? A. To provide background information about the New England limners B. To indicate why the Tudor style of painting was possible C. To give a reason for the highly flowery Dutch paintings D. To explain why the style of the New York limners differed from that of the New England limners 40. It is stated in the passage that New Amsterdam A. was settled by the English B. was a Dutch colony after 1664 C. moved from English control to Dutch control D. later became New York

Code 3 - Page 14 of 15

`

Code 3 - Page 15 of 15