SECTION 2: ENGLISH PROFICIENCY NAME: ____________________________ Commented [A1]: USTET

English Proficiency
Time – 45 minutes SCHOOL: _________________________ 80 Questions in 45 minutes
80 Questions
All items are answerable in 10-20 seconds

Test Types
For each question, decide which is the best answer choice, and encircle the corresponding letter. I. Fill in the blanks → 40
II. Vocabulary (underlined word in a phrase)→ 20
10 items: similar meaning
10 items: opposite meaning
III. Reading Comprehension (3 stories) → 20
Directions: Choose the word or phrase that means the same or about the same as the underlined word.
Commented [A2]: Underlined word in a phrase

1. charged with a number of petty offenses Samples can be found in this site:
https://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-
(1) immense (2) spiteful (3) minor (4) mean bloser/WW_Week4-6.pdf

2. gullible enough to believe

Commented [A3]:
(1) credulous (2) astute (3) biting (4) unworldly
Commented [A4]:

3. a perverted interest in death

(1) artful (3) unnatural Commented [A5]:
(2) corrupted (4) misrepresented

4. oblivious of his surroundings

(1) remote (2) unaware (3) naive (4) cognizant Commented [A6]:

5. gregarious smile
(1) solitary (2) cold (3) introverted (4) affable Commented [A7]:

6. a potent influence
(1) powerful (2) feeble (3) infirm (4) fragile Commented [A8]:

7. dutiful to their course

(1) devoted (2) remiss (3) contemptuous (4) thorough Commented [A9]:

8. abhor with a passion

(1) cherish (2) fancy (3) loathe (4) relish Commented [A10]:

9. encroach on a neighbor’s land

(1) respect (2) desist (3) ignore (4) trespass Commented [A11]:

10. raucous behavior of the studio audience

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 (1) subdued (2) harsh (3) dulcet (4) restrained Commented [A12]:

Directions: Choose the word or phrase that means the opposite as the underlined word. Commented [A13]:
Underlined word in a phrase

11. tired and famished for food and sleep Samples can be found in this site:
https://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-
(1) satiated (2) peckish (3) ravenous (4) starved bloser/WW_Week4-6.pdf

Commented [A14]:
12. phenomenal growth of cotton manufacturing
(1) astonishing (2) remarkable (3) stunning (4) typical Commented [A15]:

13. fastidious attention to detail

(1) scrupulous (2) finicky (3) squeamish (4) lax Commented [A16]:

14. a rich shipping magnate

(1) mogul (2) plebian (3) tycoon (4) aristocrat Commented [A17]:

15. couldn’t repress a smirk

(1) stifle (2) curb (3) release (4) extinguish Commented [A18]:

16. fortend to be someone

(1) profess (2) deny (3) sham (4) affect Commented [A19]:

17. a cacophony that wakes me up every morning

(1) lull (2) uproar (3) clamor (4) din Commented [A20]:

18. a breach between two factions of the party

(1) delict (2) neglect (3) agreement (4) transgression Commented [A21]:

19. living a melancholic life

(1) buoyant (2) dejected (3) lugubrious (4) desolate Commented [A22]:

20. the homely man in the tweed jacket

(1) unostentatious (3) imposing Commented [A23]:
(2) plain (4) ugly

Reading Comprehension Commented [A24]:

4 passages
20 questions
Easy lang daw

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 Directions: Answer the questions below based on the information in the accompanying passages and
compositions and then darken the corresponding oval on the answer sheet.

PASSAGE 1:

If Johnny can’t write, one of the reasons may be a conditioning based on speed rather than respect for the Commented [A25]: From UPCAT 2013 set A
creative process. Speed is neither a valid test of nor a proper preparation for competence in writing. It makes for item number 226 – 230

murkiness, glibness, disorganization. It takes the beauty out of the language. It rules out respect for the reflective
thought that should precede expression. It runs counter to the word-by-word and line-by-line reworking that enables
a piece to be finely knit.
This is not to minimize the value of genuine facility. With years of practice, a man may be able to put down
words swiftly and expertly. But it is the same kind of swiftness that enables a cellist, after having invested years of
efforts, to negotiate an intricate passage from Haydn. Speed writing is for stenographers and court reporters, not for
anyone who wants to use language with precision and distinction.
Thomas Mann was not ashamed to admit that he would often take a full day to write 500 words, and another
day to edit them, out of respect for the most difficult art in the world. Flaubert would ponder a paragraph for hours.
Did it say what he wanted it to say—not approximately but exactly? Did the words turn into one another with proper
rhythm and grace? Where they artistically and securely fitted together? Were they briskly alive, or were they full of fuzz
and ragged edges? Were they likely to make things happen inside the mind of the reader, igniting the imagination and
touching off all sorts of new anticipations? These questions are relevant not only for the established novelist but for
anyone who attaches value to words as a medium of expression and communication.
E. B. White, whose respect for the environment of good writing is exceeded by no word-artist of our time,
would rather have his five fingers cut off than to be guilty of handling words lightly. No sculptor chipping away at a
granite block in order to produce a delicate curve or freature has labored more painstakingly than White in fashioning
a short paragraph. Obviously, we can’t expect our schools to make every Johnny into a White or a Flaubert or a Mann,
but it is not unreasonable to expect more of them to provide the conditions that promote clear, careful, competent
expression. Certainly the cumulative effort of the school experience should not have to be undone in later years.
—by Norman Cousins, Editor of Saturday Review

21. According to the passage, competence in writing is

a. an art that takes practice. c. a result of the spontaneous flow of words. Commented [A26]:
b. a skill that requires dexterity. d. an innate ability that a few people have.

22. The main purpose of the passage is to

a. present an original idea. c. argue against an established practice.
b. describe a new process. d. comment on a skill and its techniques. Commented [A27]:

23. Our schools, according to the passage,

a. are providing proper conditions for good writing.
b. should not stress writing speed on a test. Commented [A28]:
c. should give essay tests rather than multiple-choice tests.
d. teach good writing primarily through reading.

24. In describing White as a “word-artist,” the author means that White

a. was a great writer. b. illustrated his stories. Commented [A29]:

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 c. was colorful in his descriptions. d. had artistic background.

25. It can be inferred from the passage that the author values good literature primarily for its ability to
(1) relieve the boredom of everyday life. (3) prevent disorder in society.
(2) accurately describe events as they occur. (4) communicate ideas and experiences. Commented [A30]:

PASSAGE 2:

French portrait painting in the years immediately following the French Revolution developed a character all its Commented [A31]: From UPCAT 2013 Set A
own. The bitter experience of the Revolution created a people who had lost their ability to idealize, and could only item number 250 - 254

recognize a reality they could see. Naturalism became a jealous god that purged completely the elements of
Romanticism—be they classical, Walterian, Bolati, or whatever—with which it had found a certain compatibility in the
first half of the century. We can see naturalism as an end in itself in the late portraits of Francis Peters, where the
earlier Walterial ideal was swept aside. It can also be seen in the work of James Ellis Green, whose portrait of General
Lefete is no match for his marvelous equestrian “Welton.” And it can be recognized in countless other painters of the
period. It has gained for the sixties and seventies the reputation of an art that is crass and banal in its naturalism,
devoid of any poetry. With some justification, the question has been asked whether a painter that was so captivated
by objectivism and the pursuit of reality could attain the level of the highest form of art. The painted portrait in
America experienced the same disastrous result. An excessive naturalism had been encouraged by the appearance of
the camera, which produced an image of total objectivity and accuracy, and unfortunately both patron and artist
accepted this as the true form of art. The photographic naturalism of the painted portrait was not to be outdone by
the modeled portrait, and American portraiture had to await the arrival of such men as Jerome Singer, John Elkin, and
Jerode Balter to restore Art with a capital A upon the throne usurped by Naturalism with a capital N. To rise above the
dull mediocrity it had achieved, naturalism had to be revitalized with elegance and heroism.

26. According to the author, after the French Revolution French portrait painting
a. was returned to the common man. c. decreased in quality. Commented [A32]:
b. improved its idealism. d. developed into a modern classicism.

27. Each of the following is mentioned as affecting art in the 1870s EXCEPT
a. photography. b. religion. c. objectivism. d. naturalism. Commented [A33]:

28. It seems to be that the thing the author dislikes most about the art following the French Revolution is its
a. inability to make changes. c. poor craftsmanship.
b. use of naturalism. d. lack of elegance. Commented [A34]:

29. The author implies that he liked least the works of

a. Green. b. Singer. c. Peters. d. Bolati. Commented [A35]:

30. The article’s main purpose is to

a. discuss the reasons for the changes in some of the art of the mid-1800s. Commented [A36]:
b. show how war can destroy art.
c. urge that art take a turn from naturalism.
d. show how classical art and modern art are alike.

PASSAGE 3:

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 The general principles of dynamics are rules which demonstrate a relationship between the motions of bodies
and the forces which produce those motions. Based in large part on the work of the predecessors, Sir Isaac Newton
deduced three laws of dynamics which he published in 1687 in his famous Principia.
Prior to Newton, Aristotle had established that the natural state of a body was a state of rest, and that unless
a force acted upon it to maintain motion, a moving body would come to rest. Galileo had succeeded in correctly
describing the behavior of falling objects and in recording that no force was required to maintain a body in motion.
He noted that the effect of force was to change motion. Huygens recognized that a change in the direction of motion
involved acceleration, just as did a change in speed, and further, that the action of a force was required. Kepler
deduced the laws describing the motion of planets around the sun. It was primarily from Galileo and Kepler that
Newton borrowed.

31. Which of the following scientists established that the natural state of a body was a state of rest?
(1) Galileo (2) Kepler (3) Aristotle (4) Newton Commented [A37]:

32. Huygen stated that acceleration was required

(1) for either a change in direction or a change in speed. Commented [A38]:
(2) only for a change in speed.
(3) only for a change in direction.
(4) neither for a change in direction nor for a change in speed.

33. The first scientist to correctly describe the behavior of falling objects was
(1) Aristotle. (2) Newton. (3) Kepler. (4) Galileo. Commented [A39]:

34. According to this passage, Newton based his laws primarily upon the work of
(1) Galileo and Copernicus. (3) Huygens and Kepler.
(2) Ptolemy and Copernicus. (4) Galileo and Kepler. Commented [A40]:

35. What was the main purpose of this passage?

(1) to demonstrate the development of Newton’s laws Commented [A41]:
(2) to establish Newton as the authority in the field of physics
(3) to discredit Newton’s laws of motion
(4) to describe the motion of planets around the sun
PASSAGE 4:
The first reaction one has to the question of viable approaches to the control of chemical and biological
weapons (CBW) is that there are no such approaches. And it is most difficult to dispense with this first reaction. The
reasons are that the nations, including some of the smaller ones, are already downstream too far. The larger arsenals
for CB warfare may be restricted to the major powers, but there is little doubt that an increasing capability is
proliferating in some of the smaller and developing countries. What used to be largely a picture of research has turned
to development, and development has turned to manufacturing and stockpiling. The subject is shrouded in secrecy
and it is the secrecy which seems to provide a non-stop momentum to realize the full potential of these types of
weapons. No one really knows what someone else may have ready for employment in a military situation. The large
and expensive programs in the United States and the Soviet Union are attributed to each other’s “large and expensive
programs”. Knowledge and capability required for detection and defense are tied to knowledge and capability for
retaliation. The “no first use” policy of the United States and other major nations implies that this retaliation may be
in kind, and this requires that weapons of the CB class be available.
A philosophy of mutual deterrence is developing in CB warfare comparable to that in the nuclear warfare. In
fact, much of the literature on the subject repeats that the stalemate in the latter opens up the need for capability in

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the former. As an arms race, CBW does not present the spiraling costs of the ICBM-ABM systems, hence a movement
to CB weapons (especially chemical) among some smaller nations. So far as the major powers are concerned, the
elements in CBW which are common with the nuclear arms race include the now-accepted approach to that race. Thus
in discussing control of CB warfare, an editorial in the British journal, Nature, concluded:
“The balance of terror between the great power blocs may not be to everybody’s taste, but it is probably still
the best way of avoiding war.”

36. It can be inferred that the control of chemical and biological warfare
(1) is less costly than controlling other systems of warfare.
(2) may not be possible or necessarily desirable. Commented [A42]:
(3) is in the hands of the United States and Russia.
(4) should become a matter of prime importance.

37. Which of the following is not given as a cause for the continued development of CB weapons?
(1) increase hostilities between the nations involved Commented [A43]:
(2) the need to have CB weapons with which to retaliate
(3) the need to be able to detect a CB attack
(4) other weapons programs are more costly than the development of a CB system

38. The writer in the British journal might feel that the research and development of CB system should be
(1) encouraged and expanded. (3) immediately halted.
(2) conducted only by the major powers. (4) maintained as it is now. Commented [A44]:

39. The justification for the United States’ participation in CB warfare programs is mainly due to the
(1) need for undetectable weaponry. (3) costliness of the nuclear programs.
(2) still untapped knowledge in that field. (4) Soviet Union’s having such a program. Commented [A45]:

40. The main purpose of this article is to

(1) show the difficulties involved in stopping CB warfare programs. Commented [A46]:
(2) explain the cost of CB warfare.
(3) discuss alternatives to CB warfare.
(4) chronicle the history of CB warfare.