Reading Comprehension 7

The next artist in this survey of American artist is James Whistler; he is included in this survey of American artist because he was born in the United States, although the majority of his artwork was completed in Europe. Whistler was born in Massachusetts in 1834, but nine years later his father moved the family to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work on the construction of a railroad. The family returned to the United States in 1849. Two years later Whistler entered the U.S. military academy at West Point, but he was unable to graduate. At the age of twenty-one Whistler went to Europe to study art despite familial objections, and he remained in Europe until his death.

Whistler worked in various art forms, including etchings and lithographs. However, he is most famous for his paintings, particularly Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother or Whistler’s Mother, as it is more commonly known. This painting shows a side view of Whistler’s mother, dressed I black and posing against a gray wall. The asymmetrical nature of the portrait, with his mother seated off-center, is highly characteristic of Whistler’s work.

1. The paragraph preceding this passage most likely discusses

     A. A survey of eighteenth-century art

     B. a different American artist

     C. Whistler’s other famous paintings

     D. European artists

2. Which of the following best describes the information in the passage?

     A. Several artists are presented

     B. One artist’s life and works are described

     C. Various paintings are contrasted

     D. Whistler’s family life is outlined.

3. Whistler is considered an American artist because

     A. he was born in America

     B. he spent most of his life in Americat

     C. he served in the U.S. military

     D. he created most of his famous art in America

4. The world “majority” in line 2 is closest in meaning to

     A. seniority

     B. maturity

     C. large pices

     D. high percentage

5. It is implied in the passage that Whistler’s family was

     A. unable to find any work at all in Rusia

     B. highly supportive of his desire to pursue art

     C. working class

     D. military

6. The word “objections” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

     A. protests

     B. goals

     C. agreements

     D. battles

7. In line 8, the “etchings” are

     A. a type of painting

     B. the same as a lithograph

     C. an art form introduced by Whistler

     D. an art form involving engraving

 8. The word “asymmetrical” in line 11 is closest in meaning to

     A. proportionate

     B. uneven

     C. balanced

     D. lyrical

9. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passsage?

     A. Whistler work with a variety of art forms.

     B. Whistler’s Mother is not the official name of his painting.

     C. Whistler is best known for his etchings.

     D. Whistler’s Mother is painted in somber tones.

Reading Comprehension 5

Carbon tetrachloride is a colorless and inflammable liquid that can be produced by combining carbon disulfide and chlorine. This compound is widely used in industry today because of its effectiveness as a solvent as well as its use in the production of propellants.

Despite its widespread use in industry, carbon tetrachloride has been banned for home use. In the past, carbon tetrachloride was a common ingredient in cleaning compounds that were used throughout the home, but it was found to be dangerous: when heated, it changes into a poisonous gas that can cause severe illness and even death if it is inhaled. Because of this dangerous characteristic, the United States revoked permission for the home use of carbon tetrachloride in 1970. The United States has taken similar action with various other chemical compounds. 

1. The main point of this passage is that

     A. carbon tetrachloride can be very dangerous when it is heated

     B. the government banned carbon tetrachloride in 1970

   C. although carbon tetrachloride can legally be used in industry, it is not allowed in  home products.

     D. carbon tetrachloride used to be a regular part of cleaning compounds

2. The word “widely” in line 2 could most easily be replaced by

     A. grandly

     B. extensively

     C. largely

     D. hugely

3. The word “banned” in line 4 is closest in meaning to

     A. forbidden

     B. allowed

     C. suggested

     D. instituted

4. According to the passage, before 1970 carbon tetrachloride was

     A. used by itself as a cleanser

     B. banned in industrial use

     C. often used as a component of cleaning products

     D. not allowed in home cleaning products

5. It is stated in the passage that when carbon tetrachloride is heated, it becomes

     A. harmful

     B. colorless

     C. a cleaning compound

     D. inflammable

6. The word “inhaled” in line 7 is closest in meaning to

     A. warmed

     B. breathed in

     C. carelessly used

     D. blown

7. The word “revoked” in line 8 could most easily be replaced by

     A. gave

     B. granted

     C. instituted

     D. took away

  

8. It can be inferred from the passage that one role of the U.S. government is to

     A. regulate product safety

     B. prohibit any use of carbon tetrachloride

     C. instruct industry on cleaning methodologies

     D. ban the use of any chemicals

9. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses

     A. additional uses of carbon tetrachloride

     B. the banning of various chemical compounds by the U.S. government

     C. further dangerous effects of carbon tetrachloride

     D. the major characteristic of carbon tetrachloride

Reading Comprehension #3

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 frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940,
5	the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than
10	300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.    Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing
15	steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.    Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have
20	many 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 barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.
	Choose the correct answer!!

1. Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

1. Wild Animals in Art
2. Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
3. Exploring Caves Respectfully
4. Determining the Age of French Caves

2. In line 3, the words pays heed to are closest in meaning to ______.

1. discovers
2. watches
3. notices
4. buys

3. Based on the passage, what is probably true about the south of France?

1. It is home to rare animals.
2. It has a large number of caves.
3. It is known for horse-racing events.
4. It has attracted many famous artists.

4. According to the passage, which animals appear most often on the cave walls?

1. Birds
2. Bison
3. Horses
4. Wild cats

5. In line 8, the word depict is closest in meaning to _______.

1. show
2. hunt
3. count
4. draw

6. Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?

1. It was completely dark inside.
2. The caves were full of wild animals.
3. Painting materials were hard to find.
4. Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.

7. In line 12, the word They refers to _______.

1. walls
2. artists
3. animals
4. materials

8. According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings
     EXCEPT _______ .

1. temperature changes
2. air movement
3. water
4. light

9. What does the passage say happened at the Lascaux caves in 1963?

1. Visitors were prohibited from entering.
2. A new lighting system was installed.
3. Another part was discovered.
4. A new entrance was created.