EST I – Literacy Test I

Student’s Name _____________________________________

National ID _____________________________________
Test Center: _____________________________________

Duration: 35 minutes
44 Multiple Choice Questions

Instructions:
- Place your answer on the answer sheet. Mark only one answer for each of the
multiple choice questions.
- Avoid guessing. Your answers should reflect your overall understanding of the
subject matter.

The first edited passage is from Birds of
the Indian Hills by Douglas Dewar which
discusses Himalayan bird habitat.
Passage 2 taken from Birds in Town and
Village by W. H. Hudson is about exotic
birds found in Britain.
Passage 1
Himalayan birds inhabit what is perhaps
the most wonderful tract of country in the
world. The Himalayas are not so much a
chain of mountains as a mountainous
5 country, some eighty miles broad and
several hundred long—a country
composed entirely of mountains and
valleys with no large plains or broad
plateaux.
10 There is a saying of an ancient Sanskrit
poet which, being translated into English,
runs: “In a hundred ages of the gods I
could not tell you of the glories of
Himachal.” This every writer on things
15 Himalayan contrives to drag into his
composition. Some begin with the
quotation, while others reserve it for the
last, and make it do duty for the epigram
which stylists assure us should terminate
20 every essay.
There are some who quote the Indian
sage only to mock him. Such assert that
the beauties of the Himalayas have been
greatly exaggerated—that, as regards
25 grandeur, their scenery compares
unfavorably with that of the Andes, while
their beauty is surpassed by that of the
Alps. Not having seen the Andes, I am
unable to criticize the assertion regarding
30 the grandeur of the Himalayas, but I find
it difficult to imagine anything finer than
their scenery.
As regards beauty, the Himalayas at their
best surpass the Alps, because they
35 exhibit far more variety, and present
everything on a grander scale.
8
The Himalayas are a kind of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde. They have two faces—the
fair and the plain. In May they are at their
40 worst. Those of the hillsides which are
not afforested are brown, arid, and
desolate, and the valleys, in addition to
being unpleasantly hot, are dry and dusty.
The foliage of the trees lacks freshness,
45 and everywhere there is a remarkable
absence of water, save in the valleys
through which the rivers flow. On the
other hand, September is the month in
which the Himalayas attain perfection or
50 something approaching it. The eye is
refreshed by the bright emerald garment
which the hills have newly donned. The
foliage is green and luxuriant. Waterfalls,
cascades, mighty torrents and rivulets
55 abound. Himachal has been converted
into fairyland by the monsoon rains.
A remarkable feature of the Himalayas is
the abruptness with which they rise from
the plains in most places. In some parts
60 there are low foothills; but speaking
generally the mountains that rise from the
plain attain a height of 4000 or 5000 feet.
Passage 2
There are countries with a less fertile soil
and a worse climate than ours, yet richer
65 in bird life. Nevertheless, England is not
poor; the species are not few in number,
and some are extremely abundant.
Unfortunately many of the finer kinds
have been too much sought after;
70 persecuted first for their beauty, then for
their rarity, until now we are threatened
with their total destruction. As these
kinds become unobtainable, those which
stand next in the order of beauty and
75 rarity are persecuted in their turn; and in a
country as densely populated as ours,
where birds cannot hide themselves from
human eyes, such persecution must
eventually cause their extinction.
80 Meanwhile the bird population does not
decrease. Every place in nature, like
every property in Chancery, has more
October 2020
 than one claimant to it—sometimes the
claimants are many—and so long as the
85 dispute lasts all live out of the estate. For
there are always two or more species
subsisting on the same kind of food,
possessing similar habits, and frequenting
the same localities. It is consequently
90 impossible for man to exterminate any
one species without indirectly benefiting
some other species, which attracts him in
a less degree, or not at all. This is
unfortunate, for as the bright kinds, or
95 those we esteem most, diminish in
numbers the less interesting kinds
multiply, and we lose much of the
pleasure which bird life is fitted to give
us. When we visit woods, or other places
100 to which birds chiefly resort, in districts
uninhabited by man, or where he pays
little or no attention to the feathered
creatures, the variety of the bird life
encountered affords a new and peculiar
105 delight. There is a constant succession of
new forms and new voices; in a single
day as many species may be met with as
one would find in England by searching
diligently for a whole year.
22. The tone of the author in Passage 1 is
one of
A. mild interest and openness.
B. awe and subjectivity.
C. disdain and judgement.
D. scientific objectivity.
23. Which choice best provides evidence
for the answer to the previous
question?
A. Lines 14-16 (“This” …
“composition”)
B. Lines 21-22 (“There”…“him”)
C. Lines 22-28 (“Such”… “Alps”)
D. Lines 28-32 (“Not”… “scenery”)
9
24. The author of Passage 1 most likely
uses a saying from an ancient Sanskrit
poet to
A. outline the Himalaya’s beauty.
B. draw attention to the author’s
erudite nature.
C. enlighten the reader on little
known literature.
D. emphasize how the Himalayas are
perceived from a certain
perspective.
25. When the author mentions Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde, he most likely expects
the readers to
A. recognize key literary characters
in order to understand the
analogy.
B. research the two mentioned name
to become more cultured.
C. cause discordance between the
science of the mountains and
literary characters.
D. test to what extent readers are
familiar with classical literature.
26. All of the following are mentioned
about the Himalayas EXCEPT that
A. the Himalayas are a mountain
range.
B. a poet has written about its
beauty.
C. the Himalayas can be both arid
and fertile.
D. the mountains mostly consist of
low foothills.
27. As used in line 19, “terminate” most
nearly means
A. cut.
B. downsize.
C. end.
D. stop.
October 2020
28. The main idea of Passage 2 is to 31. Which choice best provides evidence
for the answer to the previous
A. discuss the presence of rare birds
question?
in England and the reason for their
diminishing numbers. A. Lines 65-67 (“Nevertheless” …
“abundant”)
B. convince the reader that despite
England’s bad climate, rare birds B. Lines 75-79
still live there. (“and”…“extinction”)
C. persuade the reader of the C. Lines 89-93 (“It”… “all”)
existence of rare species that D. Lines 99-105 (“When”…
persist year round. “delight”)
D. explain to the reader that it is often
difficult to sight rare bird species 32. As used in line 98, “fitted” most nearly
in England. means
A. provided.
29. How does the style of Passage 1 differ B. positioned.
from Passage 2?
C. matched.
A. Passage 1 is more narrative while
Passage 2 is expository. D. qualified.
B. Passage 1 seeks to judge set codes
while Passage 2 is more
argumentative.
C. Passage 1 is rhetorical while
Passage 2 is based on assertions.
D. Passage 1 is based on abstract
ideas while Passage 2 focuses on
the concrete.

30. Which of the following statements

best describes the author of Passage
2’s perception of the human
population’s effect on birds?
A. With growing cities, birds will
always be in sight.
B. The rapid growing population in
cities is causing bird species to die
out.
C. Humans benefit species with their
growing presence.
D. Humans share many habitats with
birds.

10
October 2020
 Passage 1 is edited and taken from On
the Origin of Species By Means of
Natural Selection on the complex
relationship between plants and
animals and Passage 2 is edited and
taken from Criticisms on “The Origin
of Species” by Thomas Henry Huxley
which presents a critical reading of the
theory of animal adaptation.
Passage 1
I am tempted to give one more instance
showing how plants and animals, most
remote in the scale of nature, are bound
together by a web of complex relations.
5 I shall hereafter have occasion to show
that the exotic Lobelia fulgens, in this
part of England, is never visited by
insects, and consequently, from its
peculiar structure, never can set a seed.
10 Many of our orchidaceous plants
absolutely require the visits of moths to
remove their pollen-masses and thus to
fertilize them. I have, also, reason to
believe that humble-bees are
15 indispensable to the fertilization of the
heartsease (Viola tricolor), for other
bees do not visit this flower. From
experiments which I have tried, I have
found that the visits of bees, if not
20 indispensable, are at least highly
beneficial to the fertilization of our
clovers; but humble-bees alone visit the
common red clover (Trifolium
pratense), as other bees cannot reach the
25 nectar. Hence I have very little doubt,
that if the whole genus of humble-bees
became extinct or very rare in England,
the heartsease and red clover would
become very rare, or wholly disappear.
30 The number of humble-bees in any
district depends in a great degree on the
number of field-mice, which destroy
their combs and nests; and Mr. H.
Newman, who has long attended to the
35 habits of humble-bees, believes that
“more than two thirds of them are thus
destroyed all over England.” Now the
number of mice is largely dependent, as
everyone knows, on the number of cats;
6
40 and Mr. Newman says, “Near villages
and small towns I have found the nests
of humble-bees more numerous than
elsewhere, which I attribute to the
number of cats that destroy the mice.”
45 Hence it is quite credible that the
presence of a feline animal in large
numbers in a district might determine,
through the intervention first of mice
and then of bees, the frequency of
50 certain flowers in that district!
In the case of every species,
many different checks, acting at
different periods of life, and during
different seasons or years, probably
55 come into play; someone check or some
few being generally the most potent, but
all concurring in determining the
average number or even the existence of
the species. In some cases it can be
60 shown that widely-different checks act
on the same species in different districts.
When we look at the plants and bushes
clothing an entangled bank, we are
tempted to attribute their proportional
65 numbers and kinds to what we call
chance. But how false a view is this!
Everyone has heard that when an
American forest is cut down, a very
different vegetation springs up; but it
70 has been observed that the trees now
growing on the ancient Indian mounds,
in the Southern United States, display
the same beautiful diversity and
proportion of kinds as in the
75 surrounding virgin forests. What a
struggle between the several kinds of
trees must here have gone on during
long centuries, each annually scattering
its seeds by the thousand; what war
80 between insect and insect—between
insects, snails, and other animals with
birds and beasts of prey—all striving to
increase, and all feeding on each other
or on the trees or their seeds and
85 seedlings, or on the other plants which
first clothed the ground and thus
checked the growth of the trees!
December 2020
 Passage 2
Cats catch mice, small birds and
the like, very well. Teleology tells us
90 that they do so because they were
expressly constructed for so doing—that
they are perfect mousing apparatuses, so
perfect and so delicately adjusted that
no one of their organs could be altered,
95 without the change involving the
alteration of all the rest. The theory of
animal adaptation affirms on the
contrary, that there was no express
construction concerned in the matter;
100 but that among the multitudinous
variations of the Feline stock, many of
which died out from want of power to
resist opposing influences, some, the
cats, were better fitted to catch mice
105 than others, whence they throve and
persisted, in proportion to the advantage
over their fellows thus offered to them.
Far from imagining that cats exist “in
order” to catch mice well, the theory of
110 animal adaptation supposes that cats
exist “because” they catch mice well—
mousing being not the end, but the
condition, of their existence. And if the
cat type has long persisted as we know
115 it, the interpretation of the fact upon the
theory of animal adaptation principles
would be, not that the cats have
remained invariable, but that such
varieties as have incessantly occurred
120 have been, on the whole, less fitted to
get on in the world than the existing
stock.
If we apprehend the spirit of the
“Origin of Species” rightly, then,
125 nothing can be more entirely and
absolutely opposed to Teleology, as it is
commonly understood, than the theory
of animal adaptation.

7
December 2020
 24. What is best described as the reason
21. The author’s initial assertion in lines
the author in passage 1 chooses to
1-4 are emphasized later in the text
mention the “humble-bees” in line
by
26?
A. mentioning the conclusive role
A. The author provides an example
cats and consequently other
of the effect of animals on the
animals play in the overall
propagation of plants.
appearance of certain flowers.
B. The author sheds light on the
B. alluding to the visits moths and
destruction of combs and nests.
bees make to flowers.
C. The author clarifies the
C. suggesting there is an increasing
misconception related to
presence of different plant
humble-bees.
genera.
D. The author presents a solution to
D. emphasizing the rise in
keep humble-bees safe.
vegetation and diversity within
forests. 25. Which choice provides the best
22. In line 6, the author of Passage 1 evidence for the answer to the
mentions “Lobelia fulgens” in order previous question?
to A. Lines 17-25 (“From…nectar.”)
A. put forth a counter argument B. Lines 30-33 (“The … nests;”)
followed by a reasoning. C. Lines 33-37 (“and … England.”)
B. provide a specific example D. Lines 40-44 (“and … mice.”)
followed by a general 26. As used in line 34, “attended” most
conclusion. nearly means
C. set the tone of the passage
followed by an in-depth analysis. A. appeared.
D. state a scientific development B. managed.
followed by an in-depth analysis. C. accompanied.
D. looked after.
23. Passage 1 is best described as
27. One characteristic of Passage 1 that
A. a definition of a concept. may make it difficult to fully
B. an example of a particular comprehend is the author’s
method. assumption throughout that readers
C. a description of a process.
D. a discussion on a particular A. are familiar with the process of
theory. plant propagation.
B. have a well-developed
understanding of humble-bees.
C. are acquainted with ancient
Indian mounds.
D. have read Mr. H. Newman’s
work.

8
December 2020
28. What is the relationship between
Passage 1 and Passage 2?
A. Passage 1 presents an argument
and Passage 2 refutes it.
B. Passage 1 discusses a scientific
phenomenon and Passage 2
presents an opposing theory.
C. Passage 1 delineates a problem
and Passage 2 offers a solution.
D. Passage 1 indicates a cause and
Passage 2 manifests the effect.
29. The author of Passage 2 most likely
mentions “Teleology” to
A. express an opposing premise to
the theory of animal adaptation.
B. bolster the theory of Teleology.
C. reject a premise on the grounds
of evidence.
D. solidify the importance of
Teleology in relation to the
theory of animal adaptation.
30. Which choice provides the best
evidence for the answer to the
previous question?
A. Lines 89-96 (“Teleology …
rest.”)
B. Lines 96-99 (“The … matter;”)
C. Lines 108-113 (“Far …
existence.”)
D. Lines 113-122 (“And … stock.”)
31. As used in line 99, “construction”
most nearly means
A. establishment.
B. building.
C. interpretation.
D. structure.

9
December 2020
 EST I – Literacy Test I

_____________________________________
Student’s Name
_____________________________________
National ID
_____________________________________
Test Center:

Duration: 35 minutes
44 Multiple Choice Questions

Instructions:
- Place your answer on the answer sheet. Mark only one answer for each of the
multiple choice questions.
- Avoid guessing. Your answers should reflect your overall understanding of the
subject matter.
Questions 1-11 are based on the following 1.A. NO CHANGE
passage by Alexander Schwalbach and Julius B. excepted
Wilcox. C. expected
D. axcepted
The Modern Bicycle and its Accessories
2.A. NO CHANGE
Bicycles without number have been consigned to the B. it’s parts and their maintenance
scrap heap or discarded for new mounts, as a result C. its parts and there maintenance
of abuse and lack of proper care, due solely to the D. its parts and they’re maintenance
ignorance of riders as to a wheel’s construction and 3. The authors want to express worthiness.
requirements. Furthermore, disappointments have Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
resulted, in many instances, because the same lack
of knowledge has prevented the wise selection of a A. NO CHANGE
well-constructed and properly adjusted mount at the B. admired
outset. C. judged
D. famous
A bicycle can no more be (1) accepted to run
smoothly without a proper adjustment of (2) its parts 4.A. NO CHANGE
and their maintenance in perfect running condition B. they
than can any other piece of machinery. And while C. him
the chain and chainless productions of 1898 are (3) D. his
disliked for their simple mechanism, such points as
5.A. NO CHANGE
the bearings and running gear require periodical
inspection and attention to insure satisfactory
B. yet
service. This cannot be adequately given by a rider C. but
who has no conception as to the details of D. for
construction of (4) its machine, and (5) so it 6. Which word BEST describes the phrase
frequently happens that a bicycle sinks into an early “Know thy wheel”?
grave because its rider persists in calling upon it for
continued service, while utterly indifferent to its A. NO CHANGE
construction and requirements. B. quote
C. description
“Know thy wheel” is an excellent (6) thought for D. maxim
every rider to follow; for those who heed it the
7. The authors are considering removing the
matter of emergency repair will be a simple thing, a
quotation marks in the underlined portion.
smooth running wheel will be assured, the chance of
Should they do so?
accident reduced to the minimum, and the life of the
machine extended throughout its fullest period. It is A. Yes. The quotation represents the
partly with a view to (7) “bringing about a better authors’ inner thoughts.
acquaintance” between the average rider and his B. Yes, the quotation marks extend
wheel that the following pages are presented. unnecessary emphasis.
C. No. The quotation marks serve to break
from the flow of the passage to
introduce new ideas.
D. No. The quotation marks symbolize a
word-for-word account to support the
authors’ argument.

2
To the bicycle manufacturer and to the repair man
and dealer (8)—who are frequently called upon for
advice and service concerning any and all makes of
wheels—to the student of cycle construction, and to
the mechanical expert, the volume will scarcely fail
to be regarded as a valuable reference book for many
years to come.
1. The idea of presenting to (9) riders through the
columns of “The Commercial Advertiser” an
illustrated description of the lines, parts,
improvements of the bicycle for 1898 was conceived
chiefly because of the absence during the winter of
1897-98 of a National Cycle Show. (11) 2. Just prior
to the opening of preceding seasons tens of
thousands of riders throughout the country were able
to see at the annual shows, and at those held under
the auspices of the various local cycle trade
organizations, all that the maker had to offer in
changes and improvements for the new year. 3. This
opportunity was also furthered by the columns of
descriptive matter published by the daily press and
cycle trade journals in their reports of these shows
and their exhibits.
3
8. What should be done with the dashes?
A. Keep them. The information within the
dashes is nonrestrictive.
B. Keep them. The dashes offer a change in
tone.
C. Delete them. The information within the
dashes is necessary.
D. Delete them. Dashes can only be placed
at the end of a sentence, not the middle.
9.A. NO CHANGE
B. riders; through the columns of “The
Commercial Advertiser;” an
C. riders; through the columns of “The
Commercial Advertiser,” an
D. riders, through the columns of “The
Commercial Advertiser,” an
10. The authors would like to insert this
sentence to provide further support to their
argument in this paragraph.
“Riders were to have none of these
advantages for the season of 1898, however,
and “The Commercial Advertiser”
accordingly began the work of collecting
and presenting the information which
appeared in its columns in serial form during
February, March and April of 1898, and
which is now presented in this volume.”
The best placement for this sentence is
A. before sentence 1
B. after sentence 1
C. after sentence 2
D. after sentence 3
11. The authors are considering deleting the
underlined phrase. Should the sentence be
kept or deleted?
A. Kept, the sentence provides details
about the previous sentence.
B. Kept, the sentence provides an
important contradiction to the previous
sentence.
C. Deleted, the sentence is unrelated to the
rest of the paragraph.
D. Deleted, the sentence provides details
that should not be presented in the
beginning of the paragraph.
Questions 12-22 are based on the following 12.A. NO CHANGE
passage by Jean-Henri Fabre. B. tail-end. Who
C. tail-end who
The Glow Worm and Other Beetles
D. tail-end, and who
Few insects in our climes compete in popular fame
with the Glow-worm, that curious little animal 13. Which sentence is best suitable for the
which, to celebrate the little joys of life, kindles a introductory sentence?
beacon at its (12) tail-end, who does not know it, at A. In fact, we might easily cavil at the
least by name? Who has not seen it roam amid the word "worm."
grass, like a spark fallen from the moon at its full?
B. The Greeks have coined the word
The Greeks of old called it [Greek: lampouris],
Lampyris noctiluca.
meaning, the bright-tailed. Science employs the
same term: it calls the lantern-bearer, Lampyris C. The Lampyris can easily be mistaken
noctiluca, LIN. In this case, the common name is for a worm.
inferior to the scientific phrase, which, when D. Although the Lampyris has gained its
translated, becomes both expressive and accurate. fame among other beetles, its beetle
(13) The Lampyris is not a worm at all, not even in nature is still questioned.
general appearance. He has six short legs, which he 14. Which choice best matches the quality the
well knows how to use; he is a (14) gad-about, a trot- author mentions?
about. In the adult state, the male is correctly garbed
in wing-cases, like the true Beetle that he is. The A. attention-seeker
female is an ill-favoured, (15) ground-bound thing B. wanderer
who knows naught of the delights of flying: all her C. lazy creature
life long, she retains the larval shape, which, for the D. docile insect
rest, is similar to that of the male, who himself is
imperfect so long as he has not achieved the maturity 15.A. NO CHANGE
that comes with pairing-time. Even in this initial B. ground-bound thing who knows naught
stage, the word "worm" is out of place. We French of the delights of flying,
have the expression "Naked as a worm," to point to C. ground-bound thing who knows naught
the lack of any defensive covering. Now the of the delights of flying
Lampyris is clothed, that is to say, he wears an D. ground-bound thing who knows naught
epidermis of some consistency; moreover, he is of the delights of flying;
rather richly coloured: his (16) body is dark brown
all over and set off with pale pink on the thorax, 16.A. NO CHANGE
especially on the lower surface. Finally, each B. body is dark brown all over and setting
segment is decked at the hinder edge with two spots off
of a fairly bright red. A costume like this (17) having C. body is dark brown all over and was set
never been worn by a worm. off
1. Before he begins to feast, the Glow-worm D. body is dark brown all over and had
administers an anæsthetic: he chloroforms his been set off
victim, rivalling in the process the wonders of our
modern surgery, which renders the patient insensible 17.A. NO CHANGE
before operating on him. B. is never worn
C. never had been worn
D. was never worn

4
(18) 2. It is essential the Glow-worm administers this 18. The author is considering deleting the
in order to ensure its prey is unable to move. (19) 3. underlined sentence. Should the sentence be
It is in some such resting-place as this that I have kept or deleted?
often been privileged to light upon the Lampyris
banqueting on the prey which he had just paralyzed
A. Kept, the sentence elaborates the
concept of rendering the Glow-worm’s
on its shaky support by his surgical (20) movements.
victim insensible.
4. The usual game is a small snail hardly the size of
a cherry, such as, for instance, Helix variabilis, B. Kept, the sentence states the importance
DRAP., who, in the hot weather, collects in clusters of rendering the Glow-worm’s victim
on the stiff stubble and on other long, dry stalks, by insensible.
the roadside, and there remains motionless, in C. Deleted, it is redundant.
profound meditation, throughout the scorching D. Deleted, it is unrelated.
summer days. 19. To make this paragraph most logical,
sentence 3 should be placed
A. where it is
B. before sentence 1
C. after sentence 1
D. after sentence 4
20. The author wants to express the Glow-
worm’s trickery. Which choice best
accomplishes this goal?
A. NO CHANGE
B. games
C. artifices
D. routines