Sample: Reading Comprehension QuestionsQuestions 14 are about the following announcement.Student Volunteers Needed!On Saturday, December 12th, from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M., Carverton Middle School will be holding a music festival in the school gymnasium. The special event willfeaturea variety of professional musicians and singers.TaskTimeDate

Make posters1 P.M.4 P.M.December 5th

Set up gym11 A.M.4 P.M.December 11th

Help performers9 A.M.4 P.M.December 12th

Welcome guests10 A.M.2 P.M.December 12th

Clean up gym4 P.M.7 P.M.December 12th

Interested students should speak with Ms. Braxton, the music teacher. Students who would like to help at the festival must have written permission from a parent or guardian.

1. What time will the festival begin?A. 10 A.M.B. 11 A.M.C. 1 P.M.D. 2 P.M.2. In line 2, the wordfeatureis closest in meaning to _______.A. lookB. keepC. includeD. entertain3. What job will be done the day before the festival begins?A. Making postersB. Setting up the gymC. Cleaning up the gymD. Helping the performers4. Who is told to talk to Ms. Braxton?A. ParentsB. StudentsC. TeachersD. PerformersQuestions 511 refer to the following story.Line

"Did you see that?" Joe said to his friend Bill. "You're a great shooter!"Bill caught the basketball and bounced it before throwing it again. The ball flew intothe net."Bill, you never miss!" Joe said admiringly.

5"Unless I'm in a real game," Bill complained. "Then I miss all the time."Joe knew that Bill was right. Billperformedmuch better when he was having funwith Joe in the school yard than he did when he was playing for the school team in frontof a large crowd."Maybe you just need to practice more," Joe suggested.

10"But I practice all the time with you!" Bill objected. He shook his head. "I just can'tplay well when people are watching me.""You play well when I'm watching," Joe pointed out."That's because I've known you since we were five years old," Bill said with a smile. "I'm just notcomfortable playing when other people are around."

15Joe nodded and understood, but he also had an idea.The next day Joe and Bill met in the school yard again to practice. After a few minutes, Joeexcused himself."Practice without me," Joe said to his friend. "I'll be back in a minute."Joe hurried through the school building, gathering together whomever he could findtwo

20students, a math teacher, two secretaries, and a janitor.

When Joe explained why he needed them, everyonewas happy to help.Joe reminded the group to stay quiet as they allwent toward the school's basketball court. As Joe

25had hoped, Bill was still practicing basketball. Hemade five baskets in a row without noticing thesilent people standing behind him."Hey, Bill!" Joe called out finally.Bill turned. A look of surprise came over his

30face."I just wanted to show you that you could playwell with people watching you," Joe said. "Nowyou'll have nothing to worry about for the nextgame!"

5. What would be the best title for the story?A. Joe Joins the TeamB. Practice Makes PerfectC. Bill Wins the Big GameD. Bill's Basketball Problem6. In line 6, the wordperformedis closest in meaning to _______.A. actedB. playedC. movedD. changed7. Why is Bill upset?A. He plays better in practice than he does during games.B. The school yard is not a good place to practice.C. Joe watches him too closely when he plays.D. His team loses too many games.8. Why does Bill play well when Joe is watching him?A. He is comfortable with Joe.B. Joe tells him how to play better.C. He does not know that Joe is there.D. He wants to prove to Joe that he is a good player.9. Why does Joe decide to gather a group of people?A. Because he wants more players for his teamB. Because he wants to help Bill feel less nervousC. Because he wants to show them his talentD. Because he wants more people to see the next game10. At the end of the story, all of the following people watch Bill practice EXCEPT _____.A. JoeB. a janitorC. a math teacherD. the basketball coach11. Why does the group have to be quiet when they go to the basketball court?A. Because Joe is telling Bill what to doB. Because they do not want Bill to know they were thereC. Because Bill likes to practice aloneD. Because the group needs to listen to Joes instructionsQuestions 1220 are about the following passage.Line

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it

is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequentthese days that hardly anybodypays heed tothem. However,when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940,

5

the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls werehundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousandsof years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals,such as bison or wild cats. Other imagesdepictbirds and,most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than

10300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.Early artists drawing these animals accomplisheda monumental and difficult task.Theydid not limitthemselves to the easily accessible walls but carriedtheir painting materials to spaces that required climbing

15steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in theLascaux complex.Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to thedestructive action of water and temperature changes, whicheasily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have

20many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside.Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have

destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barelyrecognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years afterit was discovered.

12. Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?A. Wild Animals in ArtB. Hidden Prehistoric PaintingsC. Exploring Caves RespectfullyD. Determining the Age of French Caves13. In line 3, the wordspays heed toare closest in meaning to ______.A. discoversB. watchesC. noticesD. buys14. Based on the passage, what is probably true about the south of France?A. It is home to rare animals.B. It has a large number of caves.C. It is known for horse-racing events.D. It has attracted many famous artists.15. According to the passage, which animals appear most often on the cave walls?A. BirdsB. BisonC. HorsesD. Wild cats16. In line 8, the worddepictis closest in meaning to _______.A. showB. huntC. countD. draw17. Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?A. It was completely dark inside.B. The caves were full of wild animals.C. Painting materials were hard to find.D. Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.18. In line 12, the wordTheyrefers to _______.A. wallsB. artistsC. animalsD. materials19. According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintingsEXCEPT _______ .A. temperature changesB. air movementC. waterD. light20. What does the passage say happened at the Lascaux caves in 1963?A. Visitors were prohibited from entering.B. A new lighting system was installed.C. Another part was discovered.D. A new entrance was created.

By the time a child is six or seven she has all the essential avoidances well enough by heart to be trusted with the care of a younger child. And she also develops a number of simple techniques. She learns to weave firm square balls from palm5 leaves, to make pinwheels of palm leaves or frangipani blossoms, to climb a coconut tree by walking up the trunk on flexible little feet, to break open a coconut with one firm well-directed blow of a knife as long as she is tall, to play a number of group games and sing the songs which go with them, to tidy the house by10 picking up the litter on the stony floor, to bring water from the sea, to spread out the copra to dry and to help gather it in when rain threatens, to go to a neighboring house and bring back a lighted faggot for the chief's pipe or the cook-house fire.

But in the case of the little girls all these tasks are merely15supplementary to the main business of baby-tending. Very small boys also have some care of the younger children, but at eight or nine years of age they are usually relieved of it. Whatever rough edges have not been smoothed off by this responsibility for younger children are worn off by their contact with older boys.20 For little boys are admitted to interesting and important activities only so long as their behavior is circumspect and helpful. Where small girls are brusquely pushed aside, small boys will be patiently tolerated and they become adept at making themselves useful. The four or five little boys who all wish to assist at the25important, business of helping a grown youth lasso reef eels, organize themselves into a highly efficient working team; one boy holds the bait, another holds an extra lasso, others poke eagerly about in holes in the reef looking for prey, while still another tucks the captured eels into his lavalava. The small girls,30 burdened with heavy babies or the care of little staggerers who are too small to adventure on the reef, discouraged by the hostility of the small boys and the scorn of the older ones, have little opportunity for learning the more adventurous forms of work and play. So while the little boys first undergo the35 chastening effects of baby-tending and then have many opportunities to learn effective cooperation under the supervision of older boys, the girls' education is less comprehensive. They have a high standard of individual responsibility, but the community provides them with no lessons in cooperation with one40 another. This is particularly apparent in the activities of young people: the boys organize quickly; the girls waste hours in bickering, innocent of any technique for quick and efficient cooperation.Adapted from:Coming of Age in Samoa, Margaret Mead (1928)1.The primary purpose of the passage with reference to the society under discussion is toA. explain some differences in the upbringing of girls and boysB. criticize the deficiencies in the education of girlsC. give a comprehensive account of a day in the life of an average young girlD. delineate the role of young girlsE. show that young girls are trained to be useful to adults2.The word 'brusquely' (line 22) most nearly meansA. quicklyB. gentlyC. nonchalantlyD. abruptlyE. callously3.The list of techniques in paragraph one could best be described asA. household dutiesB. rudimentary physical skillsC. important responsibilitiesD. useful social skillsE. monotonous tasks4.It can be inferred that the 'high standard of individual responsibility' (line 38) isA. developed mainly through child-care dutiesB. only present in girlsC. taught to the girl before she is entrusted with babiesD. actually counterproductiveE. weakened as the girl grows older.5.The expression 'innocent of' (line 42) is best taken to meanA. not guilty ofB. unskilled inC. unsuited forD. uninvolved inE. uninterested in6.It can be inferred that in the community under discussion all of the following are important exceptA. domestic handicraftsB. well-defined social structureC. fishing skillsD. formal educationE. division of labor7.Which of the following if true would weaken the author's contention about 'lessons in cooperation' (line 39) ?I Group games played by younger girls involve cooperationII Girls can learn from watching boys cooperatingIII Individual girls cooperate with their mothers in looking after babiesA. I onlyB. II onlyC. III onlyD. I and II onlyE. I, II and III8.Which of the following is the best description of the author's technique in handling her material?A. Both description and interpretation of observations.B. Presentation of facts without comment.C. Description of evidence to support a theory.D. Generalization from a particular viewpoint.E. Close examination of preconceptions.