Question 1 of 4

Directions: Read the passage below and summarize it using one sentence. Type your
response in the box at the bottom of the screen. You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your
response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response
presents the key points in the passage.
The treasure of wisdom and science, which all men desire by an instinct of nature, infinitely
surpasses all the riches of the world; in respect of which precious stones are worthless; in
comparison with which silver is clay and pure gold is just a little sand; at whose splendour the sun
and the moon are dark; compared with whose marvellous sweetness honey is bitter to the taste. In
books I find the dead as if they were alive; in books I foresee things to come; in books warlike affairs
are set forth; from books come forth the laws of peace. We must consider what pleasantness of
teaching there is in books, how easy, how secret! How safely we lay bare the poverty
of
human ignorance to books without feeling any shame! They are masters who instruct us without rod
or ferule, without angry words, without money. The value of books is unspeakable; no dearness of
price ought to hinder a man from the buying of books, if he has the money that is demanded for
them, unless it be to withstand the malice of the seller or to await a more favourable opportunity of
buying. For if it is wisdom only that makes the price of books, which is an infinite treasure to
mankind, and if the value of books is immeasurable, how shall the bargain be shown to be dear
where an infinite good is being bought?

Question 2 of 4
Directions: Read the passage below and summarize it using one sentence. Type your
response in the box at the bottom of the screen. You have 10 minutes to finish this task.
Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response
presents the key points in the passage.
Even though Louis Braille died when he was only forty-three years old he succeeded in devising a
system of reading and writing for the blind which is now taught all over the world. Braille lost his
sight accidentally as a child. Nevertheless, he was able to complete his education at a school for
the blind in Paris and become a teacher. In his day, the few books that were available for blind
people were printed in big, raised type. The letters used were those of the ordinary alphabet. The
reading of such books required immense effort. Not only that, writing was almost impossible for a
blind person who was still restricted to an alphabet which was extraordinarily difficult to reproduce
on paper.
Brailles idea was to use raised dots instead of letters. He evolved a system making use of only six
dots in all, various combinations of which made it possible to represent not only each letter in the
alphabet but also punctuation marks, numbers and musical notations. Reading and writing have
thus been enormously simplified. The sensitive fingers of a blind person can travel rapidly over the
dots: and there is a small machine, something like a typewriter, which enables the blind to write
quickly and clearly. Brailles marvellous invention was the best help one ever could render not only
for the blind of ones own age but also for those of ages to come.
Write your answer in the box below (5-75 words):