The seemingly simple question of “what defines a sport?

” has been the fodder for

argument and conversation for years, among professional and armchair athletes alike. There
seems to be no doubt that vigorous and highly competitive activities such as baseball, football,
and soccer are truly “sports,” but when the subject of other activities such as darts, chess, and
shuffleboard is broached we find ourselves at the heart of a controversy.

If say, billiards, is not a sport, then what exactly is it? Those who would dispute it to be a
sport would respond that it is a simple leisure activity. They would go on to claim a true sport
first and foremost requires some form of physical exertion. More to the point, if a player does not
break a sweat, what he or she plays is not a sport. Beyond that, more important criteria would be
the need for decent hand-eye coordination, and the ever-present possibility of sustaining injury.
Billiards only fits one of those specifications (hand-eye coordination), so according to the
doubters, it is not a real sport. To help resolve this dispute, the first text to consult would have to
be the dictionary. According to one dictionary, a sport is defined as “a diversion” or a
“recreation.” Assuming one strictly adheres to the simple guidelines laid out in that definition, it
would seem that almost any activity that provides enjoyment could be classified as a sport. And
if, according to the dictionary, watching a sport on television is a sport itself, I guess that would
make a couch potato an athlete. Play ball! Annunziata, M. A. & Team. (2004). 501 Critical
Reading Questions. New York: LearningExpress.

1. The author’s attitude in this passage is…

A. Pessimistic
B. Lighthearted
C. Nostalgic
D. Dark
E. Pompous
2. The word broached in the first paragraph most nearly means…
A. Maintained
B. Appraised
C. Defined
D. Ceased
E. Brought up
3. According to the criteria given in paragraph 2, all of the following would be considered a
“true” sport, EXCEPT…
A. Cheerleading
B. Skiing
C. Race car driving
D. Horse shoes
E. Gymnastics
Traditional body signage seems largely to have disappeared. Well, many of the old
symbols and names are still around, of course, but they are part of the commercial range of
options. Seeing someone in a Harvard or Oxford sweatshirt or a kilt or a military tie now
communicates nothing at all significant about that person’s life other than the personal choice of
a particular consumer. Religious signs are still evocative, to be sure, but are far less common
than they used to be. Why should this be? I suspect one reason may be that we have lost a sense
of significant connection to the various things indicated by such signs. Proclaiming our high
school or university or our athletic team or our community has a much lower priority nowadays,
in part because we live such rapidly changing lives in a society marked by constant motion that
the stability essential to confer significance on such signs has largely gone.

But we still must attach ourselves to something. Lacking the conviction that the
traditional things matter, we turn to the last resort of the modern world: the market. Here there is
a vast array of options, all equally meaningless in terms of traditional values, all equally
important in identifying the one thing left to us for declaring our identity publicly, our fashion
sense and disposable income. The market naturally manipulates the labels, making sure we keep
purchasing what will most quickly declare us excellent consumers. If this year a Chicago Bulls
jacket or Air Jordan shoes are so popular that we are prepared to spend our way into a trendy
identity, then next year there will be something else. Annunziata, M. A. & Team. (2004). 501
Critical Reading Questions. New York: LearningExpress.

4. What is most likely the author’s main purpose of writing this passage?
A. Discuss the impact of basketball in fashion nowadays
B. Relate the tribal history of tattoos
C. Tell the reader about the past
D. Advise the reader to have his or her own true identity
E. Discuss commercialism’s powerful influence upon personal identity
5. The author guesses that religious signs are used less commonly because…
A. The sense of significant connection to fashion is changing
B. The feeling of connection to religious signs has been gone
C. Internet has made things easier
D. The buyers are more aware
E. Technology’s impact upon the world
6. In paragraph 2, disposable income refers to…
A. recyclable goods
B. spending money
C. life savings
D. a donation to charity
E. garbage
7. The author would agree with all the following statements EXCEPT…
A. In today’s society, being trendy is more important than keeping tradition.
B. A person wearing a New York Yankees baseball hat is not necessarily a fan of the
team or a resident of New York.
 C. Pride in our school or community is not as strong today as it was years ago.
D. You can tell a lot about somebody by what they are wearing.
E. The last resort of the modern world is the marketplace.
8. Valentino Rossi stopped his motorcycle … the children could cross the road.
A. In order to
B. For
C. In case
D. So that
E. Because
Local legends say that Borneo’s few thousand wild elephants are descendants from those brought
to an Island from India or Malaysia as a gift to a sultan in the eighteenth century. Biologists from
Columbia University’s Centre for Environmental Research and Conservation compared DNA
samples from Borneo elephants with Asian elephants in Sumatra, India and elsewhere. Findings
confirmed their (1)_______: Borneo’s elephants are genetically different. In fact, the DNA
(2)_______ are so great between them and their closest relatives (elephants in Peninsular
Malaysia) that the populations may have separated up to 300,000 years ago, say the scientists.
The animals become isolated when the island became totally cut off from the mainland due to a
rise in sea level. Borneo’s elephants are, therefore, an important, separate population.

9. Choose the word that best suits number (1)!

A. Suspects
B. Suspicious
C. Suspiciously
D. Suspecting
E. Suspicions
10. Choose the word that best suits number (2)!
A. Different
B. Differs
C. Differences
D. Differentiate
E. Differential
11. Judging from the information provided in the paragraph, which of the following
statements is accurate?
A. It was believed that people gave elephants from Borneo Island to a sultan in the 18th
century.
B. Borneo elephants are unique.
C. The DNA of Borneo's elephants is very similar with the elephants in Peninsular
Malaysia.
D. The research by Biologists from Columbia University’s Centre was unproven.
E. Legends say that Borneo’s elephant came from Borneo Island itself.
12. A good title for this passage is ....
 A. Genetical Difference Between Borneo Elephant and Other Asian Elephants
B. Borneo Elephants in The 18th Century
C. Borneo Elephant's Uniqueness Proven Scientifically
D. The Separation of Borneo Elephants
E. The Impact of Sea Level on Borneo Elephants

Recently, vegetarian diets have experienced an increase in popularity. A vegetarian diet is

associated with many health benefits because of its higher content of fiber, folic acid, vitamins C
and E, potassium, magnesium, and many phytochemicals and a fat content that is more
unsaturated. Compared with other vegetarian diets, vegan diets tend to contain less saturated fat
and cholesterol and more dietary fiber. Vegans tend to be thinner, have lower serum cholesterol,
and lower blood pressure, reducing their risk of heart disease. However, eliminating all animal
products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional ______. Micronutrients of special
concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and log-chain n-3 (omega-3) fatty
acids. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate
supplements should be consumed. In some cases, iron and zinc status of vegans may also be of
concern because of the limited bioavailability of these minerals. The American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, Volume 89, Issue 5, May 2009, Pages 1627S–1633S

13. According to the passage, vegan diets ....

A. contain a lot of iron and zinc
B. raise blood pressure
C. lack of folic acid
D. include vitamins B-12 and D
E. have more unsaturated fats
14. Which of the following words would best fit into the blank in the first sentence of the 2 nd
paragraph?
A. Deficiencies
B. Deficient
C. Efficiencies
D. Efficient
E. Eminency
15. The sentence “Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these
nutrients, appropriate supplements should be consumed.” (paragraph 2) means ....
A. Vegans do not need to consume additional supplements if they have eaten
nutritional foods.
B. It is necessary for vegans to take appropriate supplements regardless of what they
eat.
C. Vegans do not need to consume any supplements.
D. Vegans are not required to eat nutritional food as they take supplements.
 E. Vegans should consume appropriate supplements. Thus, they do not have to
consume nutritional foods regularly
16. Continue the sentence below! In spite of the fact that learning to speak a foreign language
requires a lot of time and effort, it turns out that ....
A. many people give up after a short time.
B. many people manage it successfully.
C. only few people succeed.
D. many people travel around the world.
E. learning a new language is difficult.
Eventhough it is called Central Park, New York City’s great green space has no
“center”— no formal walkway down the middle of the park, no central monument or body of
water, no single orienting feature. The paths wind, the landscape constantly shifts and changes,
the sections spill into one another in a seemingly random manner. But this “decentering” was
exactly the intent of the park’s innovative design. Made to look as natural as possible, Frederick
Law Olmsted’s 1858 plan for Central Park had as its main goal the creation of a democratic
playground— a place with many centers to reflect the multiplicity of its uses and users. Olmsted
designed the park to allow interaction among the various members of society, without giving
preference to one group or class. Thus, Olmsted’s ideal of a “commonplace civilization” could
be realized.

17. The main idea of the passage is ….

A. Central Park is democratic by design.
B. Olmsted was a talented designer.
C. New York City is a democratic city.
D. More parks should be designed without centers.
E. Central Park is commonly used by many people for various purposes.
18. The word commonplace in the last sentence of the passage most nearly means ….
A. Mediocre
B. Ordinary
C. Normal
D. Inclusive
E. Trite
19. In the passage, the author describes specific features of the park in order to ….
A. show how well the author know the park.
B. provide evidence that the park has no center.
C. suggest the organization of the rest of the passage.
D. present both sides of an argument.
E. demonstrate of how large the park is.
20. The passage suggests that Olmsted’s design ….
A. did not succeed in creating a democratic playground
B. was radically different from other park designs.
C. was like most other parks being designed at the time.
D. was inspired by similar parks in Europe.
E. was initially very unpopular with New Yorkers.