OBJECTIVE TEST 18

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose stress pattern
is different from the others’ in each of the following questions.

Question 1: A. contrivance B. dynamics C. imagine D. vigorous

Question 2: A. commercialize B. characterise C. computerise D. memorialise
Question 3: A. spontaneous B. procedure C. committee D. predator
Question 4: A. detective B. observant C. recommend D. continual
Question 5: A. apparatus B. prosperity C. participant D. peninsula

Circle the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others in
the same line.

Question 6: A. geyser B. honeymoon C. journey D. money

Question 7: A. every B. inheritance C. spectacular D. electronic
Question 8: A. dumb B. lamb C. rib D. plumber
Question 9: A. envelopes B. communicates C. headaches D. judges
Question 10: A. hatched B. wicked C. allegedly D. needed

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of
the following questions.

Question 11: Did your school campaign to clean up the neighborhood ever come _____?
A. off B. along C. up with D. over
Question 12: The new school complex cost _____ the city council had budgeted for.
A. just twice as much as B. twice more by far than
C. twice much more than D. almost twice as much as
Question 13: The government has agreed to _____ healthcare for all citizens over 60 years of
age.
A. commercialize B. stabilize C. characterize D. subsidize
Question 14: _____ companies have announced economic losses recently.
A. A large number of B. A several of C. A great deal of D. Plenty of the
Question 15: I'm glad I accepted the summer job in Italy, otherwise I _____ you.
A. would meet B. didn't
C. would have met D. wouldn't have met
Question 16: Sharon is such a positive person. She _____ her problems, whatever they are.
A. takes a large bite of B. tightens the screws on
C. makes light of D. eats into
Question 17: The peach pie was so delicious that we _____ the whole thing.
A. coughed up B. polished off C. wound up D. sponge off
Question 18: - "Ann borrowed the car without asking last night." - "I know, and _____, he asked
me for a raise in his allowance."
A. all in all B. therefore C. all the same D. on top of that
Question 19: Advertising on TV is very expensive now. _____, there is no shortage of
companies competing for air time.
A. Moreover B. Nonetheless C. Consequently D. Whereas
Question 20: Suzy _____ her brain, and finally found the answer.
A. picked B. racked C. scratched D. overused

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Question 21: He grew up in an _____ place, which was an hour's drive from the nearest town.
A. isolated B. unexpected C. interested D. uneven
Question 22: We need some vegetables for dinner. - Do we? Okay, I _____ at the market on
the way home.
A. will stop B. am going to stop C. stop D. am stopping
Question 23: -"Why are you so worried about Kyle?" -" _____ concerns me is that he hasn't
even contacted his parents."
A. Which B. That C. What D. It
Question 24: -"Do you have long, hot summers in your area?" - "August is the only month
_____ it gets really warm."
A. when B. which C. where D. who
Question 25: Don't worry. It's _____ natural to lose your temper sometimes”
A. highly B. bitterly C. downright D. perfectly
Question 26: A traumatic experience in childhood can _____ a person for life.
A. sting B. infect C. scar D. blur
Question 27: -"How come Brenda didn't audition for the show?" -"I guess she _____ the
notice."
A. didn't have to see B. needn't have seen
C. can't have seen D. shouldn't have seen
Question 28: "What about going to National Museum this weekend? - "_____"
A. I agree with you. B. I will accept that.
C. Yes, let's do that. D. Me, too.
Question 29: - I got a job as a lecturer in the English Department. - “_____”
A. Yes, why not? B. That's great news!
C. Hurrah, you've passed. D. Go ahead.
Question 30: -“It says here that cosmetic companies perform more than half of all animal tests.”
- “_____.”
A. That'll make it worse B. What's the point?
C. Oh, it's just ridiculous D. The very thought of it makes me sick

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or the phrase that
is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined in each of the following questions.
Question 31: Because of his novel approaches to scientific problem, Edison was able to patent
dozens of inventions.
A. original B. varied C. coherent D. unbiased
Question 32: The cultural life of New Orleans is a synthesis of contributions by both blacks and
white.
A. product B. demonstration C. reflection D. combination
Question 33: The Sweetwater River was supposedly named by General William Ashley in 1823
because its water tasted sweet to his trappers.
A. presumably B. oddly C. aptly D. predictably
Question 34: Technical curricula are requisite in a wide range of fields.
A. assimilated B. promoted C. demanded D. acquired
Question 35: Modes of suggestion are usually verbal or visual and sometimes may involve the
other senses.
A. enhance B. influence C. include D. disrupt

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or the phrase that
is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined in each of the following questions.

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Question 36: We left New York when I was six, so my recollections of it are rather faint.
A. ambiguous B. unintelligible C. clear D. explicable
Question 37: We are very grateful to Professor Humble for his generosity in donating this
wonderful painting to the museum.
A. meanness B. sympathy
C. gratitude D. churlishness
Question 38: Generally speaking I don't read film reviews because I like to be open-minded
when I go to the cinema.
A. absent-minded B. narrow-minded
C. small-minded D. broad-minded
Question 39: Astrology contends that the position of constellations at the moment of your birth
profoundly influences your future.
A. unmistakably B. inconsistently
C. insignificantly D. indisputably
Question 40: The motorist felt that the ticket for the infraction was unwarranted.
A. inevitable B. conscientious C. inadvertent D. justified

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Since water is the basis of life, composing the greater part of the tissues of all living things,
the crucial problem of desert animals is to survive in a world where sources of flowing water are
rare. And since man’s inexorable necessity is to absorb large quantities of water at frequent
intervals, he can scarcely comprehend that many creatures of the desert pass their entire lives
without a single drop.
Uncompromising as it is, the desert has not eliminated life but only those forms unable
to withstand its desiccating effects. No moist-skinned, water-loving animals can exist there. Few
large animals are found: the giants of the North American desert are the deer, the coyote, and
the bobcat. Since desert country is open, it holds more swift-footed, running, and leaping
creatures than the tangled forest. Its population are largely nocturnal, silent, filled with reticence,
and ruled by stealth. Yet they are not emaciated. Having adapted to their austere environment,
they are as healthy as animals anywhere in the world.
The secret of their adjustment lies in a combination of behaviour and physiology. None
could survive if, like mad dogs and Englishmen, they went out in the midday sun; many would die
in a matter of minutes. So most of them pass the burning hours asleep in cool, humid burrows
underneath the ground, emerging to hunt only by night. The surface of the sun-baked desert
averages around 150 degrees, but 18 inches down the temperature is only 60 degrees.
An example of a desert animal that has adapted to subterranean living and lack of water
is the kangaroo rat. Like many desert animals, kangaroo rats stay underground during the day.
At night, they go outside to look for food. As evening temperatures drop, moisture from the air
forms on plants and seeds. They absorb some of this moisture and kangaroo rats take in the life-
giving water as they eat.

Question 41: What is the topic of this passage?

A. Desert plants B. Life underground
C. Animal life in a desert environment D. Man’s life in the desert
Question 42: The word ‘greater’ in line 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. stronger B. larger C. more noticeable D. heavier
Question 43: The phrase ‘those forms’ in line 6 refers to all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A. water-loving animals B. the bobcat

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 C. moist-skinned animals D. many large animals
Question 44:“Desiccating” in line 7 means _____.
A. drying B. humidifying C. killing D. life threatening
Question 45: The author mentions all of the following as examples of the behaviour of desert
animals EXCEPT _____.
A. animals sleep during the day B. animals dig homes underground
C. animals are noisy and aggressive D. animals are watchful and quiet
Question 46: The word ‘emaciated’ in line 12 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. wild B. cunning C. unmanageable D. unhealthy
Question 47: The author states that one characteristic of animals that live in the desert is that
they _____.
A. are smaller and fleeter than forest animals
B. are less healthy than animals that live in different places
C. can hunt in temperatures of 150 degrees
D. live in an accommodating environment
Question 48: The word ‘subterranean’ in line 17 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. underground B. safe C. precarious D. harsh
Question 49: The word ‘they’ in passage 4 refers to _____.
A. kangaroo rats B. the desert population
C. plants and seeds D. the burrows of desert animals
Question 50: Which of the following generalizations are supported by the passage?
A. Water is the basis of life.
B. All living things adjust to their environment.
C. Desert life is colourful.
D. Healthy animals live longer lives.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs
correction.
Question 51: To save the California condor from extinct, a group of federal, local and private
A B C
organizations initiated a rescue programme.
D
Question 52: The preferring of many Western cultures for maintaining a physical distance
A B
of at least three feet during social interaction is well documented in anthropological studies.
C D
Question 53: Few synthetic vitamins and minerals in pill supplements are absorbed so
A
efficiently by the body that are those occurring naturally in foods.
B C D
Question 54: Wages and salaries account for nearly three fourths of the total national
A B
Income generating in the United States annually.
C D
Question 55: Farther evidence is needed to support recent research which suggests that
A B C
certain chemicals found in broccoli may act as cancer preventives.
D

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Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
According to the best evidence gathered by space robes and astronomers, Mars is an
inhospitable planet, more similar to Earth’s Moon than to Earth itself – a dry, stark, seemingly
lifeless world. Mars’ air pressure is equal to Earth’s at an altitude of 100,000 feet. The air there is
95 percent carbon dioxide.
Mars has no ozone layer to screen out the sun’s lethal radiation. Daytime temperatures
may reach above freezing, but because the planet is blanketed by the mere wisp of an
atmosphere, the heat radiates back into space. Even at the equator, the temperature drops to -
50oC (60oF) at night. Today there is no liquid water, although valleys and channels on the surface
show evidence of having been carved by running water. The polar ice caps are made of frozen
water and carbon dioxide, and water may be frozen in the ground as permafrost.
Despite these difficult conditions, certain scientists believe that there is a possibility of
transforming Mars into a more Earth-like planet. Nuclear reactors might be used to melt frozen
gases and eventually build up the atmosphere. This in turn could create a “greenhouse effect”
that would stop heat from radiating back into space. Liquid water could be thawed to form a polar
ocean. Once enough ice has melted, suitable plants could be introduced to build up the level of
oxygen in the atmosphere so that, in time, the planet would support animal life from Earth and
even permanent human colonies. “This was once thought to be so far in the future as to be
irrelevant, “said Christopher McKay, a research scientist at NASA. “But now it’s starting to look
practical. We could begin work in four or five decades.”
The idea of “terra-forming: Mars, as enthusiasts call it, has its roots in science fiction. But
as researchers develop a more profound understanding of how Earth’s ecology supports life,
they have begun to see how it may be possible to create similar conditions on Mars. Don’t plan
on homesteading on Mars any time soon, though. The process could take hundreds or even
thousands of years to complete and the cost would be staggering.

Question 56: With which of the following is the passage primarily concerned?
A. The possibility of changing the Martian environment.
B. The challenge of interplanetary travel.
C. The advantages of establishing colonies on Mars.
D. The need to study the Martian ecology.
Question 57: The word “stark” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. harsh B. unknown C. dark D. distant
Question 58: The word “there” in paragraph 1 refers to _____.
A. a point 100 miles above the Earth B. the Earth’s Moon
C. Mars D. outer space
Question 59: Which of the following does the author NOT list as a characteristic of the planet
Mars that would make colonization difficult?
A. There is little liquid water.
B. Daytime temperatures are dangerously high.
C. The sun’s rays are deadly
D. Night time temperatures are extremely low.
Question 60: According to the passage, the Martian atmosphere today consists mainly of _____.
A. carbon dioxide B. oxygen C. ozone D. water vapour
Question 61: It can be inferred from the passage that the “greenhouse effect” mentioned in
paragraph 3 is _____.
A. the direct result of nuclear reactions
B. the cause of low temperatures on Mars

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 C. caused by the introduction of green plants
D. a possible means of warming Mars
Question 62: The word “suitable” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. resistant B. altered C. appropriate D. native
Question 63: According to Christopher McKay, the possibility of transforming Mars _____.
A. could only occur in science fiction stories
B. will not begin for hundreds, even thousands of years
C. is completely impractical
D. could be started in forty to fifty years
Question 64: The phrase “more profound” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. deeper B. more practical C. more up-to-date D. brighter
Question 65: According to the article, the basic knowledge needed to transform Mars comes
from _____.
A. the science of astronomy B. a knowledge of Earth’s ecology
C. data from space probes D. science fiction stories

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct word(s) for each of the blanks.
Whatever line of work you're in, there's a lot to learn when you start a new job. At big
Japanese companies, new employees have to undergo several weeks of formal instruction in the
(66) _____ of how to behave at work. After mastering the company song, new (67) _____ are
taught everything from how to shake hands to how to hand over a cup of tea correctly. In Japan,
manners play an important role in all (68) _____ of adult life. Business has its own rules of
behaviour, which must be adhered to. Business cards, for example, must be presented and
received with the body held at a specific angle. Cards must be (69) _____ respectfully as they are
considered an (70) _____ of the holder's identity. An (71) _____ businessman, for instance, who
put a card he had just (72) _____ into his trouser pocket would cause great offence. This would
seriously (73) _____ his chances of closing a deal. Therefore, the correct gestures have to be
learnt and practised.
Even after completing the training course, new employees may still find that corporate life
is not easy. Workers at large Japanese firms are expected to sacrifice a great deal for the
company. They often live in company-owned accommodation with their colleagues and put in (74)
_____ hours at work. In offices, workers are not free to leave until their (75) _____ have done so.

Question 66: A. basics B. grounds C. senses D. regulations

Question 67: A. employers B. contracts C. recruits D. resources
Question 68: A. perspective B. aspects C. worlds D. walks
Question 69: A. delegated B. demanded C. handled D. dealt
Question 70: A. extension B. expansion C. asset D. occupation
Question 71: A. innovative B. impersonal C. unemployed D. inexperienced
Question 72: A. taken on B. received C. circulated D. set up
Question 73: A. fall B. shrink C. downsize D. diminish
Question 74: A. broad B. high C. long D. great
Question 75: A. employees B. superiors C. staff D. contemporaries