501 Critical Reading Questions 47.

If the MEAL Act is passed, consumers would see

a. menus that tell them how to select the healthiest complete meal. b. menus that look like nutritional labels on packaged food. c. restaurants with more extensive information on their websites. d. less television advertising of fast food restaurants. e. restaurants that serve healthier food choices.

Answers
1.

c.

2. 3.

e. b.

4. 5.

a. c.

6.

e.

7.

e.

8.

c.

9.

b.

The answer may be found in lines 4 and 5, which state that Russell wanted an alternative to his scratched and warped phonograph records. You may infer that the problem with such records was their poor sound quality. Lines 2627 state that the detectors function is to convert data collected by the laser into music. While the paragraph explains the function of semiconductor lasers in reading the information on CDs, it does not say anything about why they were invented. Evidence may be found in lines 2324, which state that todays models are quirkier and less perfect than the supermodels. A resum is literally the summary of ones job experience, education, and skills. The author is saying that there is nothing one can say about these models except that they look great; their gurative resum has only one item on it. Being great-looking isnt work experience (choice a), one would not literally list great-looking alone on a resume (choices b and d), and pathos is a feeling of pity or sorrow (choice e). To wax means to become, and rhapsodic means excessively enthusiastic. Although rhapsodic can also mean like a musical composition of irregular form, this denition does not t with the rest of the sentence. Lines 57 mention calculators (adding machines), computers, card punches, and manuals. The only item not mentioned is kitchen scales. A sneer is a facial expression that signals contempt or scorn. Accountants and bookkeepers didnt like the comptometer, because as lines 1314 explain, it performed their job faster than they could. The Museum has a collection of computer-related magazines, manuals, and books (line 7). They would not contain informa-

22

501 Critical Reading Questions

10. d.

11. c.

12. a. 13. b.

14. e.

15. b. 16. a.

17. e.

18. a. 19. e.

20. c.

tion on the inventor of the telephone (choice a), other museums in California (choice c), the profession of comptometer operation (choice d), or why video games are harmful (choice e). Since IBM played, and continues to play, an important role in the development of computers and computer-related technology, it could most likely be researched at the Museum. Lines 45 explain that there was a social component to a trip to the marketplace. To be social means to be around others, suggesting that people sought out interaction with one another. The prex ante- means earlier, as does pre-. Additional context clues may be found in the rst paragraph, which explains the similarities between historical marketplaces (those of long ago), and the malls of today, and in line 6, which states the mall is a descendant of the marketplace. This information is not given in the passage. The answer is in lines 2729: It was constructed according to a unied plan, rather than as a random group of stores. Nichols company owned and operated the mall, leasing space to a variety of tenants. Lines 3134 explain that Gruen took the shopping mall to the next level by intending it to take the place of a city center, with leisure and entertainment opportunities as well as shopping and dining. All of the other choices are mentioned in lines 4648. Lines 3638 list some of Southdales offerings, such as shops, restaurants, a school, a post ofce, a skating rink, works of art, and fountains. These are also available in a city, and may be considered among the pleasures of urban life. All of the other choices were mentioned in the last two paragraphs as positive impacts of megamalls. However it is unlikely that a mall in Minnesota would be in direct competition for visitors with a Mall located on the other side of the world. Salad is the best choice, because (lines 47) at the time, Americans were beginning to eat healthier foods, such as vegetables. Lines 33 and 34 explain that he skipped the fermentation process, which means that the sh was fresh, or raw. If you answered choice b, check back to the passage. There is no reason to believe that sushi with fermented rice was not being consumed in Edo before Yoheis innovation. If you answered choice d, note that the passage does not indicate when, or with whom, wasabi began being used as a condiment with nigiri zushi. It states in lines 42 and 43 that ama ebi is raw shrimp, and shime saba is marinated mackerel. You can infer that ebi means shrimp,

23

501 Critical Reading Questions

21. d.

22. a.

23. b.

24. d.

25. d.

26. c.

27. d.

28. a.

because raw is not one of your choices. You can also infer that shime means marinated, because mackerel is not one of your choices. Therefore, shime ebi means marinated shrimp. Nowhere in the passage does the author mention a preference for either type of sushi. The answer to choice a may be found in lines 36 and 37. Choice b is found in lines 1013, choice c is answered by lines 4651, and choice e is answered by lines 2629. It is noted in lines 15 and 16 that sushi consumption in America is 40% higher than it was in the late 1990s (ve years ago). While the other answers might be true, they are not described in the passage. Unpalatable may be dened as not agreeable to taste; from the Latin palatum, which refers to the roof of the mouth. You know the word palate as the roof of the mouth, so unpalatable most likely has to do with the sense of taste. The biggest clue to the denition comes in line 24, which states that Americans have decided, this once-scorned food is truly delicious. It is mentioned in lines 2526 that sushi was developed for the purpose of preserving sh. Line 29 clearly states that pickling, which takes place at the end of the sushi-making process, is a means of preserving. The nori is typically on the outside of the roll, surrounding the rice (lines 46 and 47). If the rice is wrapped around the seaweed, the inside (rice) is now on the outside. In addition, you could use the process of elimination, as none of the other choices make sense. The author does not have a bite to his argument, as required by satire, cynicism, and sarcasm. He is also not speaking to two audiences, one that gets it and one that doesnt, as with irony. He is simply trying to be funny, as in lines 13, which says that once a boy becomes a man, he will compete for cash on an island. This is the only statement made by both authors (see Passage 1 lines 3738, and Passage 2 lines 3334). Dont be tricked by the choices that are true, such as a, b, and e. They need to be believed by both authors to be correct. Passage 2 repeats a number of times its rst question: Why does Reality TV get such a bad rap? Lines 2 and 3 explain the argument further, saying its popularity is blamed on degenerate morals and a decreasing attention span. The rst lines of paragraph 2 (1316) again question the argument against Reality

24

501 Critical Reading Questions

29. b.

30. a.

31. e.

32. c.

33. d.

34. e.

35. b.

TV, and the last paragraph repeats the questioning. There are no outcomes or any need for change mentioned. A brief history is given, and the subject of getting famous through exposure on Reality TV is brought up, but neither is the primary purpose of the passage. Passage 1 centers on a problem with Reality TV, and while Passage 2 does mention some problems, they are not what he or she feels, but rather the opinion of some people. Choice a is incorrect because Passage 1 does not defend Reality TV. Choice c is incorrect because the author of Passage 2 acknowledges that some people have a problem with Reality TV (lines 13 and 4849). Choice d is incorrect because Passage 2 does not say anything about variety in TV programming. Choice e is wrong because Passage 2 doesnt mention the cost of producing TV shows. Ratings refers to how many people watch the show. A homerun is the best possible kind of hit, so a ratings homerun is a symbolic term meaning that many people watch the show. Choices b, c, and e reference ball games literally, but the author used the term guratively, so those choices are incorrect. Nielsen is the company that gathers TV ratings, but high ratings have nothing to do with whether they like a show or not. Both passages show that there is a debate about Reality TV. In Passage 1, the author is against it, but notes that it is popular (lines 10 and 37). The author of Passage 2 likes it, and also recognizes that it gets a bad rap (line 1). Although most of the other choices are factual, they do not appear in both passages, and are not illustrated by them. The clue comes in Passage 1, which describes the swathing and ower gluing as crimes against defenseless walls. Swathing is therefore something done to a wall. The only choice that makes sense is c, to cover. While there is evidence for the other choices, they are not the most troublesome. The author repeats in every paragraph the idea that Reality TV isnt real. Look back to lines 710, where Georges single tax proposal (the idea The Landlords Game was meant to teach) is described as aiming to weaken the ability to form monopolies, encourage equal opportunity, and narrow the gap between rich and poor. Lines 1320 explain the rst part of the question, while lines 5255 contain the answer to the second. Dont be distracted by the other answers that contain true statements that are not,

25

501 Critical Reading Questions

36. b.

37. a.

38. b.

39. a.

40. e.

41. d.

42. e.

43. c.

44. b.

45. c.

46. a.

47. b.

however, the objectives of the games. Note also that evolution was a theory of Charles Darwin, not Charles Darrow. Lines 3537 explains that Darrow fraudulently claimed to be the games inventor (he was introduced to it before he got a patent as its inventor). Parker Brothers bought his patent believing that it was genuine, meaning that they believed Darrows falsehood. The answer is in line 26. Having the game and its rules spread by word of mouth means it will alter slightly from one person to another. To imply means to hint at, rather than to state outright. The other choices are all directly stated in the paragraph, while b is implied. Lines 46 and 47 say she sold it to remain true to her original intent, which was, according to line 11, to spread the word about Georges single tax theory. Lines 42 and 43 say that Parker Brothers found out that Darrow wasnt the inventor, but nowhere in the passage does it say how they learned the information. In the rst paragraph, where the theme is typically introduced, it states that members of Congress have decided they need to do something about the obesity epidemic (lines 5 and 6). The answer is found in lines 1214: what they are also getting could be, in one meal, more than the daily recommended allowances of calories, fat, and sodium. Clues for this question are found in the rst paragraph, in which the obesity problem is called an epidemic, and the staggering cost of the problem is mentioned. Paragraph 5 states that the restaurant industry has responded to the bill by pointing out that diet alone is not the reason for Americas obesity epidemic. A lack of adequate exercise is also to blame. The answer is in lines 3235: the chicken breast sandwich contains more than twice the recommended daily amount of sodium. Paragraph 6 explains that those who support the MEAL Act believe nutritional information must be provided where they are selecting their food (lines 46 and 47). The answer is in lines 1820: The Menu Education and Labeling, or MEAL, Act, would result in menus that look like the nutrition facts panels found on food in supermarkets.

26