INFERENCE &

PURPOSE

INFERENCE & PURPOSE

Passage 1
Pigeons have been taught to recognize human facial expressions, upsetting long-held beliefs
that only humans had evolved the sophisticated nervous systems to perform such a feat. In recent
experiments at the University of Iowa, eight trained pigeons were shown photographs of people
displaying emotions of happiness, anger, surprise, and disgust. The birds learned to distinguish
between these expressions. Not only that, but they were also able to correctly identify the same
expressions on photographs of unfamiliar faces. Their achievement does not suggest, of course, that
the pigeons had any idea what the human expressions meant.
Some psychologists have theorized that because of the importance of facial expression to
human communication, humans developed special nervous systems capable of recognizing subtle
expressions. The pigeons cast doubt on that idea, however.
In fact, the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion is not necessarily innate even in
human babies, but may have to be learned in much the same way pigeons learn. In experiments
conducted several years ago at the University of Iowa, it was found that pigeons organize images of
things into the same logical categories that humans do.
None of this work would come as any surprise to Charles Darwin, who long ago wrote about
the continuity of mental development from animals to humans.

1. From the passage, which of the following
can be inferred about pigeons?
A. They can show the same emotions
humans can.
B. They can understand human emotions.
C. They can only identify the expressions
of people they are familiar with.
D. They have more sophisticated nervous
systems than was once thought.
2. The passage implies that, at birth, human
babies …
A. have nervous systems capable of
recognizing subtle expressions.
B. can learn from pigeons.
C. are not able to recognize familiar faces.
D. may not be able to identify basic
emotions through facial expressions.
3. Why does the author mention the
experiments conducted several years ago at
the University of Iowa?
A. They showed the similarities between
the mental organization of pigeons and
that of humans.
B. They proved that pigeons were not the
only kind of animal with the ability to
recognize facial expressions.
C. They were contradicted by more recent
experiments.
D. They proved that the ability to recognize
human expressions was not innate in
human babies.
4. If Charles Darwin could have seen the
results of this experiment, his most probable
response would have been one of …
A. agreement.
B. amusement.
C. rejection.
D. surprise.

Passage 2
The spectacular and famous eruptions of Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park do
not occur like clockwork. Before the earthquake of 1959, eruptions came every 60 to 65 minutes;
today they are as little as 30 minutes or as much as 90 minutes apart. Changes in weather and in
atmospheric pressure can influence the regularity of the eruptions and the height of the column. The
geyser usually gives a warning: a short burst of steam. Then a graceful jet of water and steam rises
up to 150 feet in the air, unfurling in the sunlight with the colors of the rainbow playing across it.
The eruption is only the visible part of the spectacle. In order for a geyser to erupt, there are
three necessary ingredients: a heat source, a water supply, and a plumbing system. In the geyser
fields of Yellowstone, a steady supply of heat is provided by hot spots of molten rock as little as two

1|TES BAHASA INGGRIS (TBI)’S PREPARATION

 INFERENCE &
PURPOSE
miles below the surface. The water supply of Old Faithful comes from groundwater and rainfall, but
other geysers in Yellowstone are located on river banks. Geysers have various types of plumbing
systems. Geologists studying Old Faithful theorized that it had a relatively simple one consisting of an
underground reservoir connected to the surface by a long, narrow tube. In 1992 a probe equipped
with a video camera and heat sensors was lowered into the geyser and confirmed the existence of a
deep, narrow shaft and of a cavern, about the size of a large automobile, about 45 feet beneath the
surface. The water supply of Old Faithful comes from groundwater and rainfall, but other geysers in
Yellowstone are located on river banks. Geysers have various types of plumbing systems. Geologists
studying Old Faithful theorized that it had a relatively simple one consisting of an underground
reservoir connected to the surface by a long, narrow tube. In 1992 a probe equipped with a video
camera and heat sensors was lowered into the geyser and confirmed the existence of a deep, narrow
shaft and of a cavern, about the size of a large automobile, about 45 feet beneath the surface.
As water seeps into Old Faithful’s underground system, it is heated at the bottom like water in
a tea kettle. But while water in a kettle rises because of convection, the narrow tube of the plumbing
system prevents free circulation. Thus, the water in the upper tube is far cooler than the water at the
bottom. The weight of the water puts pressure on the column, and this raises the boiling point of the
water near the bottom. Finally, the confined, superheated water rises, and the water in the upper
part of the column warms and expands, some of it welling out of the mouth of the geyser. This
abruptly decreases the pressure on the superheated water, and sudden, violent boiling occurs
throughout much of the length of the tube, producing a tremendous amount of steam and forcing
the water out of the vent in a superheated mass. This is the eruption, and it continues until the water
reservoir is emptied or the steam runs out.
There are two main types of geysers. A fountain geyser shoots water out in various directions
through a pool. A columnar geyser such as Old Faithful shoots water in a fairly narrow jet from a
conical formation at the mouth of the geyser that looks like a miniature volcano.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the
earthquake of 1959 made Old Faithful
geyser erupt …
A. more frequently.
B. less regularly.
C. more suddenly.
D. less spectacularly.
6. Why does the author mention a rainbow in
paragraph 1?
A. In the sunlight, the column of water
may produce the colors of the rainbow.
B. Rainbows can be seen quite frequently
in Yellowstone National Park.
C. The column of water forms an arc in the
shape of a rainbow.
D. The rainbow, like the geyser, is an
example of the beauty of nature.
7. It can be inferred from the passage that
which of the following would be LEAST likely
to cause any change in Old Faithful’s
eruptions?
A. A drop in atmospheric pressure.
B. An earthquake.
C. A rise in the water level of a nearby
river.
D. A period of unusually heavy rainfall.
8. The passage implies that Old Faithful would
probably not erupt at all if …
A. the tubes of the geyser system were
wide.
B. the climate suddenly changed.
C. there had not been an earthquake in
1959.
D. the underground tubes were longer.
9. The author implies that, compared to Old
Faithful, many other geysers …
A. are more famous.
B. have a more complex plumbing system.
C. shoot water much higher into the air.
D. have far larger reservoirs.
10. The author mentions the probe that was
lowered into Old Faithful in 1992 to indicate
that …
A. it is difficult to investigate geysers.
B. the geologists’ original theory about Old
Faithful was correct.
C. Old Faithful’s structure was more
intricate than had been believed.
D. some surprising discoveries were made.
11. The author probably compares the
formation at the mouth of Old Faithful with
a volcano because of the formation’s …
A. shape.
B. age.
C. power.
D. size.

2|TES BAHASA INGGRIS (TBI)’S PREPARATION