<p>Practice Test no 2 in 1st edition of Blue Book (4th in second edition)</p>
<p>Section 2
- “strives for an element of surprise” gives me a hint that I should be looking for a word that would mean “boring”. After looking at the choices I can see that only D works here.
- “pandas had already been weakened by desease and drought” tells me that I should be looking for an even worse consequences. C, catastrophic, fits well.
- After reading the sentence I get a sense that I should be looking for words like “matter” and “without”. Only A and D have fitting first words but only A’s second word fits.
- “procrastinator” gives me a hint that I should look for words relating to it. B’s both words work.
- I see that I should find parallel words for “offering light and insulation”. First word should make a parallel to “offering light”. Eliminate A, B and E. Now which of the second words makes a parallel to insulation? C.
- Note “praised for her style”, “ridiculed for her vacuity”. “Naive” listeners (who didn’t get previously stated labels) were moved by her… I am able to eliminate all the other answers based on their first words and see that the correct answer is C.
- “quickly became irritated” hints me to look for a characteristic close to that. D is a perfect fit.
- “although most of them are not so sentimental”… so it means the movies were called sentimental. What are my choices? I am seeing the word “treacly” for the first time in my life but I know what the other four words mean and they do not fit at all. My answer is A.
- I mark the lines 4-8 and read the passage till I finish the marked lines. I get the idea that the man’s writings didn’t reflect his real personality at all. So what does the example suggest? A – on the contrary, eliminate. B – example is not about financial matters. C – true. D – “could not respect him as an artist”, wrong. E – nah. C is my answer.
- I read the rest of the passage. “It seems the true source of creation for Balzac was not sesitivity but imagination.” And the rest tells where he got that imagination. Let’s see the choices. A – financial affairs topic is long gone, eliminate. B – exactly. C – lol, eliminate. D – Balzac as a student is not a topic here. E – “school life during Balzac’s youth” is not the topic here.
- The passage is very little, so I go ahead and read it. The whole passage is about Dr. Jane’s father; he seems to be the the center of the discussion. A – doesn’t answer the question. B – nowhere in the passage it says so. C – I don’t think so; seems like she was pretty determined. D – doesn’t answer the question. E – logical (“His very fame, within and beyond the African American community, made her training harder in some ways… Everyone knows who Papa is”). That’s my answer.
- I already noticed that the center of the passage is Dr. Jane’s father. A and B can be eliminated. C – could be. D – no collaboration was mentioned. E – father didn’t encourage her but warned her it will be hard, eliminate. So the answer is C.
- I underline the lines 18-21, then read the passage till I finish the underlined lines. From the lines I can understand that “self worth” and “economic exertions” do not go together. Let’s see the answer choices. A, mutually exclusive, says exactly what I have concluded and skimming through the rest assures me there is no better choice.
- I underline the word “occupation”. I read till I finish the sentence with it. I get the sense that the word means something like “career”. Looking through the choices I see that only C fits.
- I underline “trade tokens” and read from where I left until I finish the sentence with it. I get the idea that “fifth class” consėsts of women who are housewives; trade tokens included the initials of both men and women in seventeenth century but by the eighteenth century only male initials were kept. Let’s see the answer choices. A – not related, eliminate. B – no one is discussing “middle class” and working class” women here. C – we are not talking stereotypes here. D – on the contrary, eliminate. E – here is my correct answer.
- I am looking for evidence of women’s diminshed social status mentioned in the passage to eliminate. A – right, eliminate. B – right, eliminate. C – right, eliminate. D – aha, this one is the correct answer, since the queen was “a famous example of a woman at work”. E – once I read the last paragraph, I find it mentioned, so right, and eliminate.
- I underline the lines and read them. Idea - women are withrawing from the business. I should be looking for something that supports that. A – contradicts, eliminate. B – contradicts, eliminate. C – contradicts, eliminate. D – fits. E – out of topic. D is the answer.
- I mark the word “hail” and read the passage till I reach it. I get the sense that the word should mean something like “take it”. D seems like a good fit. Notice that “call out to” and “summon” mean exactly the same. When you encounter two identical choices, you can be sure you can eliminate them both. There can’t be two correct answers, right?
- I mark the lines and finish reading the passage. I understand that Mary Kingsley’s actions and attitude towards emancipation of women are contradictory. Let’s see the answer choices. A – she wasn’t interested in that at all, eliminate. B – she wasn’t dedicated to any cause. C – no one is talking about the citizenship here. D – there is no mention about any other groups. E – fits the idea I grasped, so that’s my choice.
- The sacond paragraph began with answering this question: “desire to do scientific research to involvment in misionary work… the desire to escape from domestic confinement”. “Educational pursuits” match the “scientific research”, “humanitarian concerns” match “misionary work”. No business or work was mentioned so “entrepreneurial interests” can be eliminated. C is the answer.
- Which traveler fits the picture depicted in the passage 2? Important notes to have in mind: women were traveling unescorted, alone, and they were going for education or humanitarian reasons; they were from richer families able to afford traveling. I go to the choices. A – seems fine. I look the other choices to be sure. B – her father is present, then it doesn’t fit. C – “and her husband”, no. D – “nursmaid” who accompanies aristocratic family doesn’t fit the picture. E – definitely doesn’t fit the picture since the women were not going there to earn money or work.
- I already know that “fifth class” consists of housewives stuck at home and going through the choices I find “caged birds” that match. My answer is B.
- Let’s see what’s the tone of the passages. A – definitely not. B – could be. C – definitely not. D – I didn’t detect any indignation. E – definitely not. Okey, then, the answer is B.
- I am looking for a statement that fits both passages. A – seems correct. B – as I have noticed already, they weren’t going abroad to do business, eliminate. C – as I noticed earlier, they were traveling unescorted. D – there was no talk about that. E – passage 1 didn’t discuss advocating a social reform. Then I can be confident that the answer is A.</p>
<p>Section 5
- “detail-oriented” workers can only be “adept at” keeping track of myriad details. The answer is B.
- “controversial tax” hints us that it caused some kind of a disatisfaction. From here we can eliminate B,C, and D. Impassioned speeches could not do what? “Quelled” works so E is our answer.
- “subject to desease or impair” gives a hint to me that I should choose a negative word that means “doing harm”. E is the only choice.
- The sentence calls for 2 words that should correlate with each other. “The doctor” gives me the context of the words. From here I can eliminate B – out of context, C – opposing words, D – opposing words and E – contradicting words. A fits nicely.
- “that depicts both the strengths and the weaknesses” shows that the blank calls for a word that means something like “balanced”; “avoiding too extremes” hints that the second word should be the opposite of “indictment”. A is the trap of this question. If the person isn’t sure about the meaning of the word “polarized”, then that person will fall for the trap since the second word sounds like a perfect opposite of “indictment”. The correct answer is E. The person must know too that “eulogy” is not a word only meant for funerals. It can mean a praising speech for a living person.</p>
<p>After skimming through the questions of the double short passage I can see that they all ask about BOTH passages; therefore I read them both, determining their main ideas. It can be useful to write shortly beside each passage their main idea. Passage 1 - “farmer means working hard 24-hours with no holidays”. Passage 2 – “americans believe fairy tales about a life of a farmer”.
6. I look to the choices if I can find ideas resembling what the passage 1 is concerned about. A – idea from passage 2, eliminate. B – bingo. C – not mentioned in either of the passages, eliminate. D – passage 2 material, eliminate. E – passage 2 material, eliminate.
7. In both passages what is discouraged? I know the answer already – believing fairy tales that the life of a farmer is easy and nice. I only need to find it among the choices. D.
8. What do you think the author of passage 1 would say about those people who romanticize the life of a farmer? That they are wrong. Let’s see among the choices. B – they have little understanding of the realities of farm life. This is it.
9. In such questions I like to check for the quotes first since they are easy to spot. Here I am lucky because the answer is exactly E – quotes an authority. I can see that there are no quotation marks in passage 2. No need to analyze other choices.
10. I read the blurb to understand the setting of the first 2 paragraphs. I read those 2 paragraphs. I can’t be sure what Waverly is criticizing by reading her words. The answer is in June’s mother’s reaction: <code>True, one can’t teach style. June is not sophisticated like you.</code> So the correct answer is A – Waverly implies that June is unsophisticated and heavy-handed.
11. I was confused about this question the first time I encountered it so I go into more details. The hint to the answer is the words right after the mentioned line in the question: <code>how humiliated I felt.</code> I got the idea - she was surprised about her feelings. I look to the choices. A fits perfectly. Why “emotional vulnerability” fits? Because “humiliated” says that she was hurt, became vulnerable. Now why the other choices do not fit? B – “exasperated” – there is no sign of being annoyed or angry. C – there is no mention that she “dislikes” someone. D – “mother admiring Waverly” this was not mentioned and also is not the center idea of the question. My clue is “how humiliated I felt”. I cannot infer anything too far from that because it would be making things up. E – “guilty about resenting” – there was no mention about such feelings. So, I cannot just make things up. I can only use facts that are stated in the passage. If it is not clearly named in the passage, then it doesn’t exist. The only emotion/feeling that was named here was “humiliation”. Since other emotions weren’t mentioned, they do not exist.
12. My clue here is “once again”, so I can safely say that this happened before. I look to the choices. A – if it happened before, it doesn’t mean June “expected” it to happen. B – “hoping to embarras Waverly” is not mentioned in the passage. C – no such thing was stated in the passage. D – that’s exactly what I understood, this is the answer. E –no such thing was mentioned in the passage.
13. Here, let’s see the choices. I should know everything to answer this question. A – “mother has taken great pains” – there was no such thing discussed. B – “arguing with Waverly” – that didn’t happen. C – possible. D – Waverly didn’t anger June’s mother, quite the opposite, eliminate. E – there was no discussion of lying. Then C is my choice.
14. Now I read the rest of the passage, tracking the main points. I need the whole story to answer the question. The main points are: June’s mother gave her a pendant which June didn’t like and kept it in her lacquer box. Mother died and then June started wearing the pendant every day having no idea what it means. June was pondering excessively about what it means and was observing other Chinese people with exactly same pendants. One day she decided to ask a random person, a bartender, what his pendant meant. It turned out that he also had no idea. I look to the choices. A – quite the opposite, the stories sounded the same, eliminate. B – possible. C – I just found out that neither the narrator, nor the bartender knows, eliminate. D – no she doesn’t, eliminate. E – not the point here. Then the answer is B.
15. I look to the choices. A – possible. B – “forgiveness” wasn’t the case in both situations. C – “example of extravagance” definitely is not what the act of giving the pendant is. D – that is not an act of generosity. It would be if a stranger would give something valuable without wanting anything back. E – “unremarkable” – quite the opposite. Then the answer is A.
16. I leave this question for last. I make sure I mark it conspicuously so I don’t forget it. So what is the main point of this passage? Bats are inoccuous and even potentially useful creatures that humans unjustly label as monsters and so are afraid of them. Let’s see the choices. A – just a minor detail of the passage. B – just a minor detail. C – only a part of the passage. D – the opposite is true. E – that is a pretty good answer. Throughout the entire passage the author is trying to point out where the fear of bats comes from.
17. I mark the word “classic” and read to it. In here it helps to know how people use the word “classic” and what it means. Classic is something that everyone’s supposed to know. Now let’s apply it to the context. A – “literary incisions” – nah, the author doesn’t even mention literature but says “in the movies” (line 10). B – classics are enduring but “enduring incissions” is out of context. C – here author doesn’t mean a style of incissions. D – fits. Author is implying that everyone has seen vampire incisions in the movies. E – “significant incisions” – I don’t think so.
18. Reading the whole paragraph I got the idea that there are many species of bats and only some of them are vampires; however, in the popular culture we see bats only as vampires. Whereas we see bats as creatures that could seriously harm us, the reality is that bats do their bites so insensibly that they don’t even wake up their victims. On top of that, bats can be used to treat heart patients but there is one central problem – we are afraid of them. Let’s see the choices. A – yes, that was mentioned. B – no such thing was mentioned. C – it wasn’t stated like that. D – on the contrary – not toxic. E – apparently scientists know something. Then my choice is A.
19. I read the first 2 sentences of the second paragraph. I get the idea that by “normal” the author means behaviour that is common for humans. This implies that any behaviour that is not common for humans would be labeled as “not normal” and “defying nature” (line 29). Let’s see the answer choices. A – there can be no such reason. B – time is not the point here. C – a match. People who label behaviours that are not common to them as abnormal have limited point of view. D – he doesn’t agree with that. E – there can be no such reason.
20. I couldn’t answer this question because I had no idea what “detracts from” means. After clearing things up I explain how it was supposed to be. Which of the following undermines author’s argument in the second paragraph the LEAST? First of all I need to know what is his argument in order to understand what contradicts or weakens it. What author is trying to say by that extensive paragraph is that humans label everyone and everything, that doesn’t follow the same behaviour patterns, as villains, ghouls and outlaws. Now let’s see the choices. A – that would contradict authors argument a lot, eliminate. B – that significantly undermines the argument, eliminate. C – that undermines the argument a lot. D – again, this undermines the argument significantly. E – I can’t even understand what’s this choice all about and where did this conclusion came from but I do know definitely that this is the only choice I have left. Others are definitely undermining the argument a lot. E is my answer.
21. Let’s see the 3rd paragraph. There are examples from “mythology, religion, and superstition of peoples everywhere” (44-45) So where are these examples taken from? A – anthropology, correct. B – autobiography – these facts are definitely not taken from one person’s autobiography. C – these facts are definitely not fiction. D – these examples do not belong to psychiatry (science about mental dissorders). E – these examples are definitely not from biology. The examples should list other animals’ beliefs about bats to be taken from biology.
22. This question asks about the structure of the third paragraph. For me, personally, it takes time to stomach and check all the statements. I am not good at detecting “structure” yet so I lose a lot of time or skip this question. How it was supposed to be… I look at the paragraph. The structure is this: first the author gives a statement (thesis) (43-45). Then he cites examples to support it (45-63). Now the choices. A – “different sides of a single issue” is wrong because what I have here is an issue and some examples supporting it. B – that is not what it is. C – perfect fit, the correct answer. D – author does not refute anything in this paragraph. E – there is no one “common opinion” stated but various kinds of views of bats.
23. Let’s see in the paragraph which of the cultures saw bats as useful. I see the answer right away: <code>Ancient Egyptians prized bats parts as medicine for a variety of deseases.</code> All I have to do is find it among the choices. B.
24. Why Stoker‘s work is mentioned? I can see that the mention of Stoker‘s work extends the list of examples why bats are seen as frightening creatures: the novel „turned small, furry mammals into huge, bloodsucking monsters in the minds of English-speaking people“. Let‘s see the choices. A – opposite of what is written. B – possible, a twisted mind boggling answer with an intention to confuse me! C – it is not stated in the passage. D – not the point. E – not the point. Aha, then the answer is that confusing B.</p>
<p>Section 8
- „chose not to heed that advice“ gives me a hint that Luis sought her advice. D – counsel is the only word for it.
- „that excitement“ tells me that the first word will be related. Looking through the choices only A has the matching word.
- „disintegration“ hints me to look for the negative first word; „nevertheless presented some“ tells me the second word will be opposite - positive. E fits with both words.
- „cloaked“ tells me that I am looking for a relating meaning. D.
- „just as demand was reaching its peak“ tells me that Walker used the fortunate opportunity for her own good. A.
- „should not automatically reject what might seem silly or superstitious“ tells me I should look for the first word that means arrogance and the second word should be something like „allows“. Looking through the choices I see that D fits both criteria.
- I mark „wire-pullers“ and read till I finish the sentence with it. I understand that the author means „those who form public opinion“. B is exactly that.
- I mark the word „consumption“. This one is pretty straightforward. You can only „consume“ television by watching it. B, viewing, is the correct choice.
- I look at the lines to locate them. I look to the paragraph with the intention to find out „what impression about cultural critiques“ it conveys. I get the idea that the reference to eighteenth century was used to show how „imitation“ theory‘s claims existed even back then and it was a ridiculous warning about the dangers of reading novels. Let‘s see the answers. A – that is not a tradition. B – no one said they were „the main preoccupation“. C – no one says „they were once persuasive“. D – possible. E – no such thing is stated in the paragraph. Then the answer is D.
- I got all the relevant information from the previous question. Straight to the choices. A – nowhere it is stated that television stemmed from literature. B – out of topic. C – out of context. D – possible. E – „shortcomings of television producers“ - no one is talking about them. Then the answer is D.
- I locate the words and read the paragraph. It is already stated in the passage that primary and secondary means „reality and fiction“ (line 27). I look to the choices. Clearly it is C. Others are out of context.
- I locate the lines and read until I finish them. From the example I understand that what the author is saying is that simulation theory‘s authors do not care that there is not even one person to prove their theory‘s validity. Let‘s see the choices. A – possible. B – the point is rather significant and very central to their theory, eliminate. C – „not a psychologist“ is not supported by the passage. D – the author does not criticize the theory to support another one, eliminate. E – the author already tries to find examples among the people from „popular culture“, eliminate. Then the answer is A.
- Lines 45-64 can give me the author‘s attitude. The author sounds kind of aggressive and demeaning. Let‘s see through the choices. B seems like a pretty good answer.
- I made a mistake here, marking D as the correct answer. I look to the answers. A is not true because then the author would try to refute the theories. Author only criticizes them. B – no authority was mentioned. C – totally not (no mentions of history after presenting all 4 theories). D – that is something the author does but it is not the “full picture“, just a part of the argument. E – I have to choose this because it applies to the whole passage. The author was trying to imply this with all of his arguments.
- Let‘s see the assumptions. I was totally not mentioned. II is correct. III nothing like that was stated in the passage. So I have only II as correct, answer B.
- Let‘s see the choices. A – he is not reevaluating anything, just stating. B – no „academic documentation“ was mentioned in the passage. C – he is not warning about the future. D – he is not falsificating anything. E – seems correct, I pick it.
I locateark the word and read the context. Trying to match with the context I end up with A and D as possible choices. Now what makes me choose D is that the critics seem to be <code>completely intact morally</code> (lines 58-59). Completely=absolutely, then they „can distinguish in an <code>absolute</code> manner“. D. - What is the „fatal loophole“? Fatal loophole > „theories themselves are symptoms of a universal stupefaction“ (lines 63-64). Let‘s see the choices. A – out of context. B – sounds like it. C – out of context. D – out of context. E – out of context. I can be confident with B.
- I read the last paragraph. I get the idea that the author says that politicians are clearly victims of these theories („they found ready listeners among politicians“, lines 69-70, and the last sentence). I notice the somewhat aggressive language „dealing with millions of idiots“. Let‘s see the choices. A – seems fine, the author is making fun of politicians and does it in a harsh manner. B – no „emberrassment“ detected. C – no „puzzlement“ detected. D – there‘s certainly no „resignation“ here. E – no „sympathy“ here.</p>