MCQ Test Practice

RA MCQ Passage 1 March 1, 1988Mr. Philip BravinPresidential Search CommitteeGallaudet University7th and Florida Avenue, NEWashington, DC 20002Dear Mr. Bravin:It is my understanding that Gallaudet University*is in the process of selecting a new President. I also understand that you have identified six finalists who are highly qualified for the position, three of whom are deaf.I have a deep interest in disability civil rights. Over the past few years I have worked with many national and local organizations run by and for disabled people, including the National Council on Independent Living, the National Council on the Handicapped, Capitol People First of Sacramento and the Association on Handicapped Student Service Programs in Post-Secondary Education. I have also had many conversations with disabled leaders, including deaf persons, throughout the United States. And my office has served as the focal point for the development of the Administration’s disability policy.From this experience, I have become aware of the two basic principles underlying the disability rights movement; the right of disabled people to control their own lives and the right to integration and involvement in society.Gallaudet University has a critical role to play in advancing these principles. It is held in the highest regard by deaf people throughout the United States and the world. It provides an excellent education and a meaningful future for thousands of deaf persons. More importantly, Gallaudet University is a symbol of leadership and opportunity, not only for deaf people, but for all of us.In the last two decades our society has undergone a quiet revolution. The Congress, the Courts and the Administration have strongly supported the right of people with disabilities to hold positions of trust and leadership. Our government has enacted numerous laws to ensure that disabled people are ensured equality of opportunity.Accordingly, as an entity funded by the Federal government, Gallaudet has a responsibility to set an example and thus to appoint a President who is not only highly qualified, but who is also deaf. I hope that the Trustees will keep Gallaudet’s critical leadership position in mind when they make their decision.Sincerely,George Bush Which of the following best describes the organization of the second paragraph? The author defends a controversial claim; then he presents examples that strengthen the claim. The author summarizes his position regarding a cause; then he describes how he arrived at his position. The author makes an assertion; then he lists strategically selected evidence in support of his assertion. The author expresses support for a political movement; then he explains how the movement could be advanced. The author outlines his approach to a problem; then he offers a more complete explanation of his approach. Which of the following best characterizes the author’s mode of persuasion in the second paragraph? He asserts his own credibility and authority on an issue. He appeals to the audience’s emotions regarding a controversy. He presents himself as a neutral party in a disagreement. He attempts to influence his audience’s beliefs about a subject. He highlights an area of common ground between himself and his opponents. In the fourth paragraph, the author calls Gallaudet University “a symbol of leadership and opportunity” in order to praise the institution’s former president soften subsequent criticism of the institution compare Gallaudet favorably to other institutions suggest that his audience’s values have evolved appeal to his audience’s pride in the institution Which of the following best summarizes the author’s thesis? The Administration’s disability policy has been underappreciated. Gallaudet University should appoint a person who is deaf as its next president. The author deserves more credit for the Administration’s disability policy. Gallaudet’s leadership misunderstands the goals of the disability rights movement. Congress and the Courts can do more to protect the rights of people with disabilities. Which of these questions did YOU think was the hardest? WHY? Composition MCQ Passage #1 (1) While dogs are highly social and easily trained, with an innate desire to please, cats are . . . well, cats. (2) But both have succeeded at the process of domestication from their wild ancestors: they are the two most popular pets in the United States. (3) Though so different, both species domesticated themselves by joining humans for their own benefit and providing benefits in return, thus ensuring their places beside humans.(4) Dogs descended from wolves almost 41,000 years ago, when humans were hunter-gatherers. (5) Although some argue that domestication took place when humans captured and raised wolf pups as pets, far more likely is that some wolves began to follow human hunters. (6)Skilled at hunting in groups, they eventually assisted humans on the hunt, and, as their territorial interests merged with those of humans, they provided them with protection and warning against intruders. (7) This combination of usefulness, mutual interest, and similar social structure created a canine-human bond that has endured for millennia.(8) Cats, whose ancestors are the wildcat Felis silvestris lybica, were domesticated much later, although earlier than once believed. (9) Archaeologists long assumed they were first domesticated about 4,000 years ago by the Egyptians, whose paintings were the first to depict domestic cats. (10) First was the discovery, in 2004, of a wildcat buried near a human skeleton in a 9,500-year-old grave in Cyprus. (11) Subsequently, genetic analysis confirmed the presence of Felis silvestris lybica in Turkey dating back 9,000 years and in southeastern Europe dating back 6,500 years. (12) Moreover, that these appearances coincided with the invention of agriculture was not accidental: as farmers began storing grain, rodents appeared in large numbers, and cats soon followed this supply of prey. (13) As with dogs thousands of years earlier, these cat ancestors both benefited from their contact with humans (in the form of a steady food supply) and benefited humans (by ridding farmers of rodents). (14) The recent discovery at the site of a 5,500-year-old Chinese farming village of cultivated millet isotopes in the bones of both rodents (who ate the millet) and cats (who ate the rodents) proves that agriculture brought us more than just food. Which of the following sentences, if placed before sentence 1, would best orient the audience and provide an engaging introduction to the topic of the first paragraph? The process of domestication varies by species. As any pet owner knows, dogs and cats are very different. Domestication is the taming of an animal and then keeping it as a pet or as a farm animal. The natural instincts of dogs and cats toward one another are usually antagonistic, but pet owners can help foster friendly relationships between their pets. The personalities of cat owners and dog owners are as different as the personalities of the pets they prefer. Which of the following versions of sentence 3 (reproduced below) best previews the line of reasoning in the passage?Though so different, both species domesticated themselves by joining humans for their own benefit and providing benefits in return, thus ensuring their places beside humans. (As it is now) However, because cats and dogs are so dissimilar in their behaviors, many people prefer one animal to the other. Yet when we look further back in their history, both cats and dogs share a common ancestor: a mammal of the order Carnivora. While dogs may be the oldest companion species of humans, this does not necessarily mean that cats are less thoroughly domesticated than dogs are. Obtaining access to a steady supply of food is crucial to the story of domestication for both species. In sentence 14 (reproduced below), the writer wants to provide descriptive details that appeal to the audience’s emotions and experiences.The recent discovery at the site of a 5,500-year-old Chinese farming village of cultivated millet isotopes in the bones of both rodents (who ate the millet) and cats (who ate the rodents) proves that agriculture brought us more than just food.Which of the following versions of the underlined text best achieves this purpose? (as it is now) food, although without agriculture, the development of civilization would never have been possible food, the history of which is equally as fascinating as the history of the domestication of dogs and cats food; farmers continue to struggle with the problems of pests to this day, but the technology at their disposal is far greater than anything these early farmers could have imagined food: it also brought us those graceful, warm, furry creatures who snooze contentedly in our homes and delight us with their playful antics WHY is that the right answer??? ⚡ THAT is the END of our work TOGETHER ⚡NOTE: You still have ONE more passage and reflection question to complete on YOUR OWN 👇 Composition MCQ Passage 2 (1) In the 1990s, the furniture company Herman Miller developed a revolutionary new chair with an adjustable lower back and breathable upholstery. (2) But consumer focus groups derided it, failing to understand the design’s innovations; only the bold decision of Herman Miller executives to release the chair anyway allowed it to become a success. (3) The popular writer Malcolm Gladwell has provided a compelling introduction to the focus group, a research technique in which groups of consumers are asked detailed questions about a new product. (4) As an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of focus groups, however, Gladwell’s story has some shortcomings.(5) As journalist Liza Featherstone explains inDivining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation, the social role of focus groups has changed over time in response to political and economic developments. (6)According to one executive interviewed by Featherstone, “You can’t use focus groups to create an idea . . . a focus group would create an Edsel.” (7) The executive refers to a famously unsuccessful 1957 car model whose shortcomings were blamed on the development team’s excessive use of focus groups. (8)But, as Featherstone shows, focus groups actually rejected some features that spelled the Edsel’s doom, including the name, which group members thought “sounded too much like ‘weasel.’” (9) Other features, such as the unpopular design of the car’s body, were not subject to focus group research at all. (10) Overall, it may be that a truly unfortunate name is what actually contributed to the Edsel’s failure.(11) Whether or not focus groups could have saved the Edsel, it is clear that they produced useful feedback. (12) Seen in this light, even the focus groups used by Herman Miller come off better: their reservations about the unusual chair design did correspond to low initial sales figures before the product became a hit. (13) As Eric L. Johnston argues, Gladwell criticizes focus groups for failing to predict the future, something that should not be expected of them. (14) “Ultimately, focus groups are just one component in a company’s decision-making process, and they should never be treated as a magical elixir nor a substitute for sound business decisions,” Johnston asserts. In sentence 3 (reproduced below), the writer wants to introduce Malcolm Gladwell’s perspective on focus groups in order to integrate this perspective into the writer’s line of reasoning in the passage.The popular writer Malcolm Gladwell has provided a compelling introduction to the focus group, a research technique in which groups of consumers are asked detailed questions about a new product.Which of the following versions of the underlined text would best accomplish this goal? (As it is now) This is just one of many stories journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell tells about The author of many best-selling books, including Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell has strong feelings about One of the ways Malcolm Gladwell, a popular author and columnist for the New Yorker magazine, has come to public attention is by writing about This narrative, popularized by best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, exemplifies his and others’ critique of The writer is considering deleting the underlined portion of sentence 8 (reproduced below), adjusting the punctuation as neededBut, as Featherstone shows, focus groups actually rejected some features that spelled the Edsel’s doom, including the name, which group members thought “sounded too much like ‘weasel.’”Should the writer keep or delete the underlined text? Keep it, because it appropriately acknowledges the source of the quotation in the sentence and the information about Edsel focus groups. Keep it, because it signals to the audience that the writer is setting up a counterargument to Featherstone’s claim. Delete it, because it suggests that the writer lacks independent ideas and must rely on other sources. Delete it, because it distracts from the information about the Edsel with irrelevant reminders of where the information came from. Delete it, because it undermines the claims of the paragraph by raising the possibility that the writer is using biased sources. The writer is considering adding the following sentence after sentence 11.Focus groups are best understood as sources of potentially valuable information, not as the final word on consumer response.Should the writer add this sentence? Yes, because it introduces a counterargument to the claim made in sentence 11 that is rebutted in the rest of the paragraph. Yes, because it provides commentary that connects the claim in sentence 11 with the evidence about focus groups provided in sentence 12. No, because it interrupts the discussion of how focus groups provide information with unnecessary details about consumer response. No, because it makes the argument of the passage less convincing by insisting that there is only one way to view focus groups. No, because it includes a vague reference to valuable information without explaining the nature of this information. After today's lesson, how confident do YOU feel about the test next class, AND what can you do to better make sure you do well?