READING:

A phase of my life which has lost something through refinement is the game of croquet. We
used to have an old croquet set whose wooden balls, having been chewed by dogs, were no
rounder than eggs. Paint had faded; wickets were askew. The course had been laid out
haphazardly and eagerly by a child, and we all used to go out there on summer nights and play
good-naturedly, with the dogs romping on the lawn in the beautiful light, and the mosquitos
shots for the sheer love of battle. Last spring, we decided the croquet set was beyond use and
invested in a rather fancy new one with hoops set in small wooden sockets, and mallets with
rubber faces. The course is now exactly seventy-two feet long and we lined the wickets up with
a string, but the little boy is less fond of it now, for we make him keep still while we are
shooting. A dog isn’t even allowed to cast his shadow across the line of play. There are frequent
quarrels of a minor nature, and it seems to me we return from the field of honor tense and out
of sorts.

1. The word refinement in this context means.

A. politeness
B. distinction
C. improvement
D. his own dignity

2. The author of the paragraph is

A. very angry
B. deeply grieved
C. indifferent
D. mildly regretful

3. The mood of the paragraph is

A. dogmatic
B. very earnest
C. wistful
D. belligerent
4. In comparing the earlier and later ways in which they played croquet, the author considers
the new way more.
A. exact and less attractive
B. beneficial for children
C. conducive to family life
D. fun for the dogs

5. The “quarrels of a minor nature” occur because

A. the dog chasses the croquet balls
B. the balls do not roll well
C. efficiency has become more important than sociability
D. the little boy interrupts the game with his shouts

6. The author
A. is opposed to all progress
B. is very exact in everything he does
C. dislikes games
D. feels that undue attention to detail can lessen enjoyment

7. The author thinks that

A. children should be seen and not heard
B. dogs are pleasant compassion
C. dogs are a nuisance
D. children should not be trusted to arrange croquet wickets
About the year 1812, two steam ferryboats built under the direction of Robert Fulton for
crossing the Hudson River, and one of the same description was built for service on the East
River. These boats were what are known as twin boats, each of them having two complete hulls
united by a deck or bridge. Because these boats were pointed at both ends and moved equally
well with either end foremost, they crossed and recrossed the river without losing any time in
turning about. Fulton also contrived, with great ingenuity, floating brought to the docks without
a shock. These boats were the first of a fleet that has since carried hundreds of millions of
passenger to and from New York.

8. The title that best expresses the main idea of this selection is
A. “Crossing the Hudson River by boat”
B. “Transportation of Passengers”
C. “The Invention of Floating Docks”
D. The Beginning of Steam Ferryboat Service

9. The steam ferryboats were known as twin boats because

A. they had two complete hulls united by a bridge
B. they could move as easily forward as backward
C. each ferryboat had two captains
D. two boats were put into service at the same time

9. Which statement is true according to the selection?

A. Boats built under Fulton’s direction are still in use
B. Fulton planned a reception to celebrate the first ferryboat
C. Fulton piloted the first steam ferryboat across the Hudson
D. Fulton developed a satisfactory way of docking the ferryboats

10. Robert Fulton worked in the

A. seventeenth century
B. eighteenth century
C. nineteenth century
D. twentieth century

11. In this paragraph, the word shock is used to mean an

A. unpleasant surprise
B. impact
C. illness following an accident
D. electrical impulse

The Rhodora
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes, I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods, s
spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook, to please the desert and the sluggish brook. the
purple petals, fallen in the pool, made the black water with their beauty gay; Here might the
red-bird come his plumes to cool, Rhodora! If the sages ask thee why this charm is wasted on
the earth and sky, tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing, then Beauty is its own
excuse for being: why thou wert there, o rival of the rose! I never thought to ask, I never knew:
but, in my simple ignorance suppose the self-same Power that brought me there brought you

-----Ralph Waldo Emerson

12. The poet is impressed with the beauty of
A. the sea
B. the woods
C. a bird
D. a flower
13. When the poet says that the flower cheapens the array of the red-bird. He means that the
A. bird gets nothing from the flower
B. flower gets nothing from the bird
C. color of the flower is brighter than that of bird
D. bird ruins the flower
13. In saying “This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,” the poet means that
A. the earth and sky do not appreciate beaty.
B. no one sees a flower that blooms deep in the woods
C. wise men sometimes ask foolish questions
D. the bird does not even notice the beauty of the flower
14. The poet believes that
A. flower petals pollute the water
B. red birds are garish
C. beauty exists for its own sake
D. sea-wind is refreshing

15. The poet probably

A. is an insensitive person
B. dislikes solitude
C. is a religious person
D. is ignorant