Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Reading
A. Read very carefully through the following passage and then answer the questions that follow it. Write
your answers in the following grid.
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If a lump of candle wax is cut or broken into smaller pieces, or if it is melted (a change of state), the
sample remaining is still candle wax. When cooled, the molten wax returns to a solid, in these
examples, only a physical change has taken place: that is, the composition of the substance was not
affected.
When a candle is burned, there are both physical and chemical changes. After the candle is
lighted, the solid wax near the burning wick melts. This is a physical change; the composition of the
wax does not change as it goes from solid to liquid. Some of the wax is drawn into the burning wick
where a chemical change occurs. Here, wax in the candle flame reacts chemically with oxygen in the
air to form carbon dioxide gas and water vapor, in any chemical change, one or more substances
are used up while one or more new substances are formed. The new substances produced have their
own unique physical and chemical properties.
The apparent disappearance of something, like the candle wax, however, is not necessarily a sign
that we are observing a chemical change. For example, when water evaporates from a glass and
disappears, it has changed from a liquid to a gas (called water vapor), but in both forms it is water.
This is a phase change (liquid to gas), which Is a physical change. When attempting to determine
whether a change is physical or chemical, one should ask the critical question: Has the fundamental
composition of the substance changed? In a chemical change (a reaction), it has, but in a physical
change, it has not.
Glossary
ductility: can be drawn into wire malleability: can be shaped viscosity: thick, resistant to flow
1. According to paragraph 1, what do physical properties and chemical properties have in common?
A. They are both used to create most of the substances.
B. They include basic substances like sugar and water.
C. They are classified as characteristic properties of substances.
D. They change in proportion to the amount of the substance.
Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow [->].
2. The word pertain in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. compare
B. relate
C. explain
D. change
3. The word which in the passage refers to
A. properties
B. tendency
C. density
D. ratio
4. According to the passage, a carcinogen
A. explodes under pressure
B. conducts electricity
C. causes cancer
D. tarnishes in air
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5. Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the highlighted statement in the
passage? The other choices change the meaning or leave out important information.
A. Properties that are classified as intensive identify the type of substance and the extent of it
present in the surrounding matter,
B. The quantity of a substance influences its extensive properties, but the characteristics of the
substance define the intensive properties.
C. Where the intensive and extensive properties are found in substances is important in
identifying their characteristics,
D. Both intensive and extensive properties tend to have quantitative rather than qualitative
characteristics present.
6. In paragraph 8, the author contrasts the concepts of physical and chemical changes by
A. listing several types for each concept
B. providing clear definitions for them
C. identifying the common characteristics
D. using a wax candle as an example
Paragraph 8 is marked with an arrow [].
7. The word unique in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. distinctive
B. idealized
C. primary
D. significant
8. What can be inferred about phase changes?
A. They are always chemical changes.
B. They are sometimes physical changes.
C. They are dependent on extensive properties.
D. They usually produce new substances.
9. The word critical in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. last
B. important
C. difficult
D. simple
10. According to the passage, the classification of characteristic properties as "physical" or
"chemical" is determined by
A.
B.
C.
D.
11. All of the following are mentioned as characteristic physical properties EXCEPT
A. dissolving in water
B. carrying an electrical charge
C. resisting continuous flow
D. decomposing when heated
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12. Look at the four squares [] that show where the following sentence could be inserted in the
passage.
It can be made into wire or thin, flexible sheets.
Where could the sentence best be added?
13. Directions: Complete the table by matching the phrases on the left with the headings on the right.
TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 3 points.
Properties
Physical Properties
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Chemical Properties
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B. Read very carefully through the passage and write the answers in the following grid.
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Ans
In Southwest France in the 1940s, playing children discovered Lascaux Grotto, a series of narrow
cave chambers that contain huge prehistoric paintings of animals. Many of these beasts are as large
as 16 feet (almost 5 meters). Some follow each other in sol emn parades, but others swirl about,
sideways and upside down. The animals are bulls, wild horses, reindeer, bison, and mammoths
outlined with charcoal and painted mostly in reds, yellow, and browns. Scientific analysis reveals that
the colors were derived from ocher and other iron oxides ground into a fine powder. Methods of
applying color varied: some colors were brushed or smeared on rock surfaces and others were
blown or sprayed. It is possible that tubes made from animal bones were used for spraying because
hollow bones, some stained with pigment, have been found nearby.
One of the most puzzling aspects of the paintings is their location. Other rock paintingsfor
example, those of Bushmen in South Africaare either located near cave entrances or completely in
the open.
Cave paintings in France and Spain, however, are in recesses and caverns far
removed from original cave entrances.
This means that artists were forced to work in cramped
spaces and without sources of natural light.
It also implies that whoever made them did not
want them to be easily found.
Since cave dwellers normally lived close to entrances, there must
have been some reason why so many generations of Lascaux cave dwellers hid their art.
Scholars offer three related but different opinions about the mysterious origin and significance of
these paintings. One opinion is that the paintings were a record of seasonal migrations made by
herds. Because some paintings were made directly over others, obliterating them, it is probable that
a paintings value ended with the migration it pictured. Unfortunately, this explanation fails to
explain the hidden locations, unless the migrations were celebrated with secret ceremonies.
Another opinion is that the paintings were directly related to hunting and were an essential part
of a special preparation ceremony. This opinion holds that the pictures and whatever ceremony they
accompanied were an ancient method of psychologically motivating hunters. It is conceivable that
before going hunting the hunters would draw or study pictures of animals and imagine a successful
hunt. Considerable support exists for this opinion because several animals in the pictures are
wounded by arrows and spears. This opinion also attempts to solve the overpainting by explaining
that an animals picture had no further use after the hunt.
A third opinion takes psychological motivation much further into the realm of tribal ceremonies
and mystery: the belief that certain animals assumed mythical significance as ancient ancestors or
protectors of a given tribe or clan. Two types of images substantiate this theory: the strange,
indecipherable geometric shapes that appear near some animals, and the few drawings of men.
Wherever men appear they are crudely drawn and their bodies are elongated and rigid. Some
men are in a prone position and some have bird or animal heads. Advocates for this opinion point to
reports from people who have experienced a trance state, a highly suggestive state of low
consciousness between waking and sleeping. Uniformly, these people experienced weightlessness
and the sensation that their bodies were being stretched lengthwise. Advocates also point to people
who believe that the forces of nature are inhabited by spirits, particularly shamans* who believe
that an animals spirit and energy is transferred to them while in a trance. One Lascaux narrative
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picture, which shows a man with a birdlike head and a wounded animal, would seem to lend
credence to this third opinion, but there is still much that remains unexplained. For example, where is
the proof that the man in the picture is a shaman? He could as easily be a hunter wearing a
headmask. Many tribal hunters, including some Native Americans, camouflaged themselves by
wearing animal heads and hides.
Perhaps so much time has passed that there will never be satisfactory answers to the cave
images, but their mystique only adds to their importance. Certainly a great art exists, and by its
existence reveals that ancient human beings were not without intelligence, skill, and sensitivity.
*shamans: holy people who act as healers and diviners
1. The word others in the passage refers to
A.
B.
C.
D.
chambers
paintings
beasts
parades
Ways
Shades
Stages
Rules
3. What are the bones found in the Lascaux caves believed to indicate?
A.
B.
C.
D.
To suggest that ancient artists from all over the world painted animals on rocks
To contrast the location of their rock paintings to those found at Lascaux
To support the claim that early artists worked in cramped spaces
To give an example of other artists who painted in hidden locations
5. What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about cave painters in France and Spain?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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represented
developed into
were associated with
came after
8. According to paragraph 4, why do some scholars believe that the paintings were related to
hunting?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Because some tools used for painting were also used for hunting
Because cave inhabitants were known to prefer animal food rather than plant food
Because some of the animals are shown wounded by weapons
Because many hunters were also typically painters
9. According to paragraph 5, why do some scholars refer to a trance state to help understand the
cave paintings?
A. To explain the state of consciousness the artists were in when they painted their pictures
B. To demonstrate the mythical significance of the strange geometric shapes
C. To indicate that trance states were often associated with activities that took place inside
caves
D. To give a possible reason for the strange appearance of the men painted on the cave walls
10. According to paragraph 5, if the man pictured with the birdlike head is not a shaman, he may
have worn the headmask
A.
B.
C.
D.
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11. According to paragraph 6, why might the puzzling questions about the paintings never be
answered?
A.
B.
C.
D.
This made it easy for the artists to paint and display them for the rest of the cave dwellers.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Select the square
13. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas
in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are
not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 3 points.
Scholars have wondered about the meaning of the subjects, location, and overpainting
of Lascaux cave images.
Answer Choices
A. The paintings may have recorded
D. Unlike painters of the recently discovered
information about animal migrations, and may paintings, other Lascaux cave painters usually
only have been useful for one migration at a
painted on rocks near cave entrances or in open
time.
spaces outside the caves.
B. The human figures represented in the
paintings appear to be less carefully shaped
than those of animals.
C. It is possible that the animals in the paintings
were of mythical significance to the tribe, and
the paintings reflected an important spiritual
practice.
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Integrated Writing
Directions
You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the
quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their
relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.
Altruism is a type of behavior in which an animal sacrifices its own interest for that of another animal
or group of animals. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness; individuals performing altruistic acts gain
nothing for themselves.
Examples of altruism abound, both among humans and among other mammals. Unselfish acts among
humans range from the sharing of food with strangers to the donation of body organs to family
members, and even to strangers. Such acts are altruistic in that they benefit another, yet provide
little reward to the one performing the act.
In fact, many species of animals appear willing to sacrifice food, or even their life, to assist other
members of their group. The meerkat, which is a mammal that dwells in burrows in grassland areas
of Africa, is often cited as an example. In groups of meerkats, an individual acts as a sentinel,
standing guard and looking out for predators while the others hunt for food or eat food they have
obtained. If the sentinel meerkat sees a predator such as a hawk approaching the group, it gives an
alarm cry alerting the other meerkats to run and seek shelter. By standing guard, the sentinel
meerkat gains nothingit goes without food while the others eat, and it places itself in grave
danger. After it issues an alarm it has to flee alone, which might make it more at risk to a predator,
since animals in groups are often able to work together to fend off a predator. So the altruistic
sentinel behavior helps ensure the survival of other members of the meerkats group.
Now read the transcript of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Professor
You know, often in science, new findings force us to re-examine earlier beliefs and assumptions. And
a recent study of meerkats is having exactly this effect. The study examined the meerkats behavior
quite closely, much more closely than had ever been done before. And some interesting things were
found...like about eating habits...it showed that typically meerkats eat before they stand guard
so the ones standing guard had a full stomach! And the study also found that since the sentinel is the
first to see a predator coming, its the most likely to escape...because it often stands guard near a
burrow, so it can run immediately into the burrow after giving the alarm. The other meerkats, the
ones scattered about looking for food, are actually in greater danger.
And in fact, other studies have suggested that when an animal creates an alarm, the alarm call might
cause the other group members either to gather together or else to move about very quickly,
behaviors that might actually draw the predators attention away from the caller, increasing that
animals own chances of survival.
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And what about peoplewhat about some human acts that might be considered altruistic? Lets take
an extreme case, uh, suppose a person donates a kidney to a relative, or even to a complete
stranger. A selfless act, right? But ...doesnt the donor receive appreciation and approval from the
stranger and from society? Doesnt the donor gain an increased sense of self worth? Couldnt such
non-material rewards be considered very valuable to some people?
Question:
Summarize the points made in the lecture you just read, explaining how they cast doubt on
points made in the reading.
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Directions
You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. Your response will be judged on the basis of the
quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their
relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words
A truly amazing characteristic of human memory is that all people seem to experience a certain
type of very specific amnesia, or the inability to remember events that have occurred in their lives.
This particular type of amnesia, which is apparently experienced quite universally, is the inability to
remember events that took place in the first few years of life; even though the first few years of life
are a time when learning is at its highest and tremendous amounts of information are learned,
people seem to remember basically nothing from this period. When Freud first noted this interesting
aspect of memory in 1805, he referred to it as childhood amnesia.
Since the time that Freud first noted this phenomenon, numerous studies have been conducted to
learn about it, and the results of these studies are that people tend not to remember anything from
the first three or five years of their lives. A possible difficulty in this type of study is that one cannot
simply ask people if they remember events from the first five years of life because they may think
that they remember things, but there is no way to check whether the remembered events actually
occurred. Even when this difficulty is overcome in experiments, at least somewhat, by testing whether
or not subjects can remember events that have been well documented from childhood, such as family
celebrations or births of siblings, the results remain constant, that people tend not to remember
anything from the first three or five years of life.
Now read the transcript of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Professor
Now, Id like to talk about the cause of childhood amnesia. Though its cause is not known for
certain and various explanations have been hypothesized, one explanation is more generally
accepted than others.
The generally accepted explanation for childhood amnesia has to do with a huge difference in
the way that young children and adults encode their experiences. Young children simply encode their
experiences randomly as they happen, while adults retain their memories in an organized way.
Because a young child encodes events randomly, without forming associations between events or
categorizing events in an organized way, the memories of the encoded events of young children
dont last.
There are most likely numerous causes of the shift from early childhood random encoding to adult
encoding in organized patterns. A major factor in this shift is the maturing of the hippocampus. Do
you know what a hippocampus is? Its a part of the brain that helps organize and consolidate
memories, and this part of the brain is not mature for at least the first two or three years of life. As a
result, events that take place in the first two or three years cant be organized and consolidated and
therefore most likely wont be remembered later in life.
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QUESTION
How does the information in the second passage add to the ideas presented in the first
passage?
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Speaking
1- What is the most important thing you would like to change in your country? Give
enough reasons and examples to support your response. Do not write more than one
paragraph. Your answer must be coherent and unified.
2- Which do you prefer: studying alone, or studying in a group? Give enough reasons
and examples to support your response. Do not write more than one paragraph. Your
answer must be coherent and unified.
3- Do you agree or disagree with the idea that teachers must give students a lot of home
assignments? Give enough reasons and examples to support your response. Do not
write more than one paragraph. Your answer must be coherent and unified.
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4. Read an article from a campus newspaper. Take notes on the main points of the reading
passage.
Reading time: 45 seconds.
Why isn't recycling mandatory on campus?
How does an Ivy League educational institute, such as U of C get away with being so nonchalant
about recycling? After a recent search across campus, volunteers from the U of C Environmental
Watch group counted only 10 recycling bins. In comparison, the students counted 30 vending
machines, the majority of which carry plastics, cans, and glass bottles. Only one paper recycling bin
was found. This means that almost all of the paper that is discarded on campus, including U of C
residences, is being disposed of in the regular garbage. When asked why no recycling bins for
paper have been placed on campus, U of C president, James Wicker, explained that the company
the university employs to pick up recycling does not currently recycle paper. When asked why
another company is not used, Wicker sited university finances as an obstacle.
Now listen to two students discuss the article.
M: Hey Lisa, you and your roommate have a recycling bin in your dormitory room, don't you? I'm
sure I've thrown a water bottle in a bin at your place before.
W: Sure. Why do you ask Mark? Are you wondering where to go to pick one up. I think they have
them available in the housing office.
M: No, it's not that. My roommate and I have one too, and we put it out with our garbage each
week. It's just that I read this article in the campus paper today that suggests that none of the
dormitories on campus are recycling.
W: Oh, I read that article too. I agree that the writer obviously didn't check her facts. But, she had a
point about the lack of bins for recycling paper. I mean, what type of institution goes through more
paper than a university?
M: True. And, like anything, the budget is always to blame.
W: What I don't get is how they can charge us student dues for things like live entertainment, which
many people don't even use, but they can't charge us for something like a recycling program.
M: Maybe you should write a letter to the editor about that. I for one wouldn't have a problem
throwing in a few dollars each year to do my part for the environment and save a few trees.
W: Maybe, but I'm not sure how many other students would share your enthusiasm.
Why does the woman approve of the article? State her opinion and explain the reasons she
gives for holding that opinion.
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5. Read a passage about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Take notes on the main points of the
reading passage. You have 45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.
Reading time: 45 seconds
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCD is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to experience obsessive thoughts and to react to
these with compulsive behavior or rituals. The obsessions are typically described by OCD sufferers
as persistent thoughts or impulses that cause a great amount of stress. These differ from those
stressors that the average person suffers from in daily life, such as work or financial problems, in that
they are a product of the imagination. While most OCD sufferers admit to knowing that their
concerns are not real, they cannot control the thoughts from recurring, and they compensate by
performing certain repetitive actions. In addition to these symptoms and responses, a true OCD
sufferer spends a large part of the day battling this disease. The debate continues over whether the
disease should be classified as a psychological or biological disorder.
Now listen to a talk on the same academic subject.
Professor: The terms "obsessed" and "addicted" are used so loosely these days, that one of the most
serious mental diseases in America is often not taken seriously even by medical professionals.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is in fact one of the most debilitating psychological diseases, though
it only affects about 4% of the population. Now, when I say debilitating, I mean, in terms of quality
of life. While very few people die from the symptoms and responses to OCD, if they don't seek any
help, which most don't, they become severely depressed and isolated. Holding down a job or
maintaining social relationships are virtually impossible for many OCD sufferers. The term obsession
has to be defined properly when making a proper diagnosis. A true obsession for OCD sufferers is
something that is considered abnormal even by the patient himself. So, we're not talking about a
passion for golf, or a love of game shows here. To an OCD sufferer, an obsession is generally a
persisting thought with no merit, such as the feeling that one is going to throw oneself into traffic. The
rituals and behavior that OCD sufferers engage in, such as repetitive hand washing or excessive
checking are usually unrelated to the obsessive thoughts. In other words, someone who can't get the
image of a tree falling on their house out of their mind might engage in an unrelated ritual such as
flipping constantly through pages of a certain book.
Explain how the professor's description of OCD expands upon the reading.
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