407. I. Mm. Iv. Vi. 408. I. ML. Iv. VI. English Just a few decades ago, real music was being made, sound that had a life of its own. and a message to be spoken. Music is the voice of the soul spoken in words universal to humanity and unbound by societal borders. What this says about how things will turn out a few decades down is anyone's guess. It makes one wonder then, what words are being spoken by the music of today, if any words are indeed spoken. Today on the other hand, nothing much is produced but catchy shallow beats and statistically marketable lyrics. Real music can stand the test of time and speaks words that are to be heard generations down the road. a. I-V-VI-II-H-IV ¢. I-VI-IV-I-V-IIL b. VI-H-V-I-I-IV d. VI-V-IV-LI-IT Even in our everyday actions, fear tells us to be careful, to study the situation before us cautiously, and to make sure we do the right thing. As primitive a feeling as it may be, and though no one enjoys experiencing it, a healthy amount of fear is needed in any situation. Without fear, chances are our sense of adventure and excitement would easily lead the species to ruin. There is a reason that we're afraid of snakes, simply because snakes will probably kill you to death in a heartbeat if you handle the situation incorrectly. Handled properly, fear keeps us on edge and ready to react to whatever it is we need to react to. Though without fear, that same ruin would probably come off as something exciting and fun more than anything else. a. I-VE-IV-V-F-IIL ¢, UeV-IV-I-I-VI b. VIEIV-I-V-I-II 4. VI-MI-V-L-V-IL MSA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 7DASA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High Schoo! 409. i I. Mm. Vv. Vi. 410. uw. Mm. Iv. Vi. Though unimposing in stature at only 4°11", he was a Gurkha and as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw claims, “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha. Nevertheless, he continued to fight on alone for four hours, reloading and firing his weapon with only one hand until he managed to successfully halt the Japanese attack. Every so often there come around stories of such outrageously amazing and utterly unbelievable heroism that they could come from nothing but real life. Such was the case of Lachhiman Gurung of the 8th Gurkha Rifles of the British Indian Army in World War II. ‘The Japanese soldiers hurled grenades at Gurung’s troop, but in what can be only insanity or amazing bravery, he picked the grenades up and hurled them right back at the enemy until a grenade practically blew his arm off while blinding his right eye. His amazing act of heroism came about in Taungdaw, Burma where his small platoon came under fire from 200 Japanese soldiers all intent on punching through the smaller force. a. II-V-I-IV-I-VI ¢. V-I-IV-VI-IL-I b. V-I-VI-L-II-IV 4. WI-IV-I-VI-V-IL With such lasting impact, it’s not difficult at all to see why they call him The King. Even today, his music continues to bring in new fans while enthralling old ones. Easily the most recognizable and widely known rock and roller, Elvis Presley has left a lasting mark on musical history. It isn’t difficult to spot Elvis Impersonators dressing up and singing like him even decades after his death. He helped bring rock and roll to the mainstream, and carved out a place for himself in history’s halls. Few people have really influenced music like The King. a, VI-IN-V-IL-1V-1 c, VI-V-IV-II-I-IL b. V-VI-L-II-I-IV d. V-I-I-VE-I-IV ESA Acabemic ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEail. I. I. MW. IV. Vi. 412. IL mL. IV. Vi. English The situation was similar, a smaller force holding out against a much larger one in a vicious and bloody battle to their deaths. Everyone has heard the stories of the Battle of Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans against the might of the Persian Empire, but no one really seems to know of the Battle of Saragarhi and the 21 Sikhs. Despite being utterly outnumbered and armed with only 400 rounds per soldier, they managed to halt the advance of the Afghan forces throughout the entire day and into the night, However, while the Battle of Thermopylae was centuries ago, the Battle of Saragarhi was much more recent, taking place on the 12th of September in 1897. Their heroic sacrifice allowed enough time for British reinforcements to arrive and to provide enough warning that the Afghan forces lost the element of surprise and to this day, their sacrifice is still celebrated every year in India. In that battle, A detachment of 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs of British India elected to hold a fort against the advance of 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. a. H-1-V-VI-IV-IIL c. I-L-IV-VI-UI-V b. T-I-V-VI-IV-HT d. I-II-I-VI-IV-V Rather, it captures the tarantula, paralyzes it, and then lays its eggs inside the still living tarantula before letting the now doomed arachnid go free. Instead, the tarantula hawk is an insect, a two inch long wasp specifically, that preys on the insect eating tarantula in a stark reversal of the natural way of things. And here's the kicker, once the egg hatches, the larva will eat the tarantula alive, avoiding vital organs to keep its living, breathing, walking meal and house alive for as long as possible before maturing to start the cycle of terror all over again. The tarantula hawk is not, as the name would obviously suggest, a hawk the preys on tarantulas for food, that wouldn’t be nearly terrifying enough for our purposes. Tarantula hawks are outright terrifyingly scary and mind-blowing in ways that other vicious animals can only dream of being. Further, it doesn’t actually eat the tarantula, as that would be too boring and mundane to be of note and too many other insects and spiders already do that. a. V-I-VI-U-I-IV ¢, V-I-V-II-VI-I b. V-IV-I-I-I-VI d. V-IV-I-VI--II ASA, Acabemic ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 59DASA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High School 413. nL. Ml. IV. Vi. ala. I. ML. Granted, these zombies are insects, and rather than anything supernatural, they've been zombified by ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a rather malicious form of fungus, but that does not make it any less disturbing. It then continues to eat the ant from the inside, and after 4 to 10 days, a single stalk will rupture the ants head from within in order to release more spores, and infect more ants, The fungus then steers the ant towards specific locations ideal to the furthered growth of the fungus and then forces the ant to clamp onto the strongest part of a leaf in order to anchor on it. Zombies are real, and they've been around for years just under our radar moving about in suicidal and masochistic self-destruction. ‘The fungus will infect the ants through the ants’ respiratory systems and from there, it begins to eat the non-vital soft tissues of the ant before hacking into and taking control of the ants’ brains. One can only hope that the fungus hasn’t yet learned how to hijack mammalian brains, but then again, if they have, one would wonder if we'd realize it. a, IV-I-I-I-VI-V ¢, IV-I-V-II-II-VI d. VI-IV-V-IL-[-IIL One rarely discussed in textbooks, is the first and only emperor of the United States, his Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I. Even his funeral was something one would expect for real royalty, with an attendance of 30,000 people with all costs being paid for by the city and wealthy business associations. We all know of various emperors throughout history, Roman, Japanese, Ottoman, and what-have-you as they are a dime a dozen. (ASA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEEnglish Vv. Vi. 415. I. MM. Vv. Vi. As “emperor”, he issued various edicts dissolving Congress, ordering the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches to declare him emperor, and the abolition of Republican and Democratic parties. It goes without saying that none of these edicts were ever carried out, but such was his celebrity that though penniless, he ate at the finest restaurants and attended the most luxurious performances of his time. Granted, he had no real political power, and was most probably mentally unstable, but he was a much loved and respected figure in his home city of San Francisco. a. IN-I-VI-IV-V-IL ¢. I-IV-V-VI--IL b. I-IV-II-I-V-VI 4. I-V-1-I-VI-IV Granted, it does look more interesting and Viking-y than simple helmets, but horns on a helmet are not very practical in combat as they give your opponent something to hold onto giving them a way to slit your throat. Further, the two-bladed, two-handed axe is an impractical weapon no matter how one looks at it and no matter what Hollywood would have us think. It is because of all this that Viking raiders preferred the more sensible one handed sword or spear partnered with a round shield and a more sensible, albeit far less cool-looking, plain and unadorned helmet. An axe with two blades only adds extra weight to an already unwieldy weapon, making whoever uses it vulnerable to a counter-attack immediately after any attack that the would-be raider would have made. Hollywood and video games make us think that these axes weigh somewhere in the range of 30 to 40 Ibs and that the men who used them were massively and ridiculously strong whereas in actuality, these axes weigh far less at 1 to 3 Ibs. Despite the popular image of the burly Viking warrior with a massive two-bladed axe armored only by a horned helm and his massive testosterone, there is no actual evidence that shows Vikings really wore these helmets, a, VI-V-IV-I-H-IIL ¢, VIFLI-LV-V-III b. VI--I-V-IV-IIL d. VI-V-IV-L-IIL-IL DASA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 6ASA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High Schoo! Reading Comprehension Read each passage then answer the questions that follow. Encircle the letter corresponds 10 the correct answer. Passage 1 One cannot go far in the world of rock music without first acknowledging the influence of Chuck Berry. Known for songs such as “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode” he came to define and solidify the nascent rock and roll genre of music. Many modern rock and roll artists can trace their roots back to the influence of Chuck Berry, with famous guitarists and musicians such as Keith Richards citing him as a major influence on their lives. While other rock and rollers like Jimi Hendrix or Elvis Presley may be more known to the public at large, it was Chuck Berry who really pioneered and helped solidify rock and roll. 416. With which of the following statements would the author most likely disagree? a. The world of rock would have been very different without the work of Chuck Berry. b. Rock and roll could have existed to the modern day solely on the influence of Hendrix and Presley. c. Chuck Berry helped pave the way both for future rock and roll artists and for the rock genre as a whole. 4. Though rock and roll may have continued to the modern day, it would not exist in the same form and would be dissimilar to what is now known. Passage 2 Reputations are not always what we view them to be, especially in history. More often than not, in history it is the victors who write the books. Never will you see a conquering nation teaching their schoolchildren that the war they fought against the now conquered enemy was for nothing more than more land, more gold, and more riches. These wars are always fought for things such as, “the greater good” or “‘the glory of our god” or something similar. A perfect example of this is Richard the Lionheart. Invariably, he is portrayed in movies and any other adaptation as a fearless and righteous leader of England who helped bring civilization, justice, and goodness a MSA. ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEEnglish to the barbarian hordes who had taken the holy land. This story could not be any farther from reality, Stories and movies often fail to mention that he barely even stepped foot in England, and didn't even speak a word of the language. Rather, he spoke French and lived far away from his subjects. Granted, he was considered a chivalrous and courageous military commander, but this ignores the ‘fact that his being military minded drove his country to poverty under the high taxes and military tithes even going so far as to claim that if he could have, he would even have sold London. During his reign, he spent only six months in England, and far more time campaigning. Further, during his coronation, he barred Jews and women from attending. When some prominent Jewish leaders arrived in order to give gifts, he had them Stripped, whipped, and then thrown out. Even during the crusades, a supposedly virtuous and righteous venture, he displayed egregious brutality. When at Acre, 2,700 Muslim captives came under his responsibility. Rather than sacrifice a portion of his forces to remain guard at Acre, he had the hostages slain despite their being unarmed and at his mercy. 417. With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with? a, History books are as much propaganda as they are records of factual events. b. Facts as they are presented in history books need not be revised as the opinions presented there are the most important. c. Richard the Lionheart was, despite all of his failings and shortcomings, was still a reputable and honorable leader. d. What is taught in schools must be considered critically because the opinions of those who were conquered might also be represented alongside the truth. 418. The tone towards Richard the Lionheart in the passage is mostly one of a, Reverence b. Trepidation c. Disapproval d. Ambivalence 419. The tone of the author in the passage is mostly one of a. Anger b. Humor c. Boredom 4. Criticism ASA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 8PALS NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High School Passage 3 Calligraphy is the art of writing or forming letters in an aesthetically pleasing ‘manner. It is quite possible for an individual to have terrible handwriting while jonal artist in calligraphy. This is because still being an adept and profess calligraphy is not so much a way of writing as it is a way of crafting individual letters in a visually pleasing way. Today, it is a rare art form as computers can easily replicate the letters perfectly without any error at all. Computers don't take any time at all 10 create perfectly formed letters but in the same vein, aren't able to add emotion. While a skilled artist in calligraphy can probably craft each letter at ‘the same speed as a slow writer, there is no way for this to compete with the speed of the computer. Still, the computer can never really be a substitute for finely crafted human art. It takes a real master’s touch to create something that can really please the soul beyond pleasing the eyes. 420. What reason does the author give as to why a computer is inferior to a human in crafting art? a, Humans are better able to impart actual feeling into creative works. b. The speed at which computer create things leaves little time for emotion. ¢. There is no direct correlation or relationship between speed and aesthetic quality. 4d, Humans are not as fast as computers so are able to pay more attention to specific details. 421. Which of the following would be an appropriate title for this passage? a. Computers and Humans b. Technology: Aesthetics and Art ¢. The History of the art of Calligraphy 4. Artistic Value: Humans vs. Computers Passage 4 There is an important problem in schools today. The problem is that schools teach students to look for the correct answer. Now, this may seem to be a rather silly remark because of course schools teach students to look for the correct answer, it would be rather counter-intuitive for schools to teach looking for the wrong answer. That's not the point though, the point is that schools put such a great emphasis on getting the answer right, making students afraid to answer at all ASA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEEnglish Having been seen or heard giving the wrong answer is now akin to others finding out that you secretly collect puppies to make puppy burgers with kitten sauce or something. It's embarrassing and lowers other people's view of you so much that it feels like one has dug a pit for oneself that will forever be impossible to climb out of. Students are thus so afraid of trying something new because of the looming threat of looking dumb in front of their peers. It’s so much easier to just not say anything at all and far less embarrassing. Better to seem incognizant than seem to know something wrong. This needs to change. Granted, we shouldn't encourage students to mouth off any ridiculous thing. It wouldn't do for them to answer “Abraham Lincoln!” to the question “What is the difference between a mineral and an element?” because that would just be plain silly, Also, the “all answers are correct" method isn't as effective either because it doesn't teach students the importance of hard work. What we need 10 do then is to make sure that we encourage trying new things, with no fear of failure. Failing is part of the learning process, and if students don't try in order to avoid such, then they deny themselves the potential of success as well 422, The tone of the passage is mostly one of, a. anger b. candor c. criticism d. subjectivity 423. Which of the following statements best summarizes the opinion of the author? a. Currently, teachers are doing students a disservice by claiming that all answers are correct and valid. b. Answering questions is of as great importance as getting the right answer and thus should receive similar praise. ¢. Both teachers and schools need to de-emphasize the value of only getting correct answers and fortify the value of trying to answer. 4. Students must learn the importance of attempting to answer any question given them, as this is an important life-skill to be developed. 424. In which of the following publications would this passage most likely be found? a. A magazine c. A encyclopedia b. A newspaper 4d. An academic journal (MESA. ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 6sLSA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High School Passage 5 425. 426. 427. 1 was alone in the room. The windows shook with the repetitive reverberation of rolling thunder and rattling rain. A single candle provided all the illumination in the room, and shadows macabre danced across the walls in taunting accusation of my misery. Pointing and laughing, they're free to move in each other's company and I stuck kept isolated by the impassabie guards of the storm. I considered braving the wet and wicked outside, but a quick glance at the howling winds and chthonic darkness untouchable by any spark or ray of light filled me with instant trepidation and dread. For better or for worse, I would have to wait this one out to the bitter end. What figure of speech is used in the second sentence? a, simile b. metaphor ¢. alliteration 4. onomatopoeia What figure of speech does the author use to describe the shadows? a. hyperbole b. metonymy ©. synecdoche 4. personification Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the word chthonic as used in the passage? a. frightening b, undesirable c.underworldly —d. unilluminated Passage 6 428. In an attempt to make children feel better about themselves, we have done a grave error. Out of a class of thirty students, exactly thirty will receive a trophy in a competition. You'll have the champion, the first runner up, the second runner up, the best in costume, the best not in costume, the most behaved, the second best behaved, and what have you. It’s getting to a point where it's ridiculous. Sure, we all want to win something, but having everyone a winner trivializes the real effort it takes to get to the top. This foments a mindset where students become complacent, because no effort is required in order to bring home a trophy or any other accolade and we do need to learn to appreciate this effort. Competitions teach us to be competitive, and this is a very important skill to learn. As things are, this skill falters and fails when everyone is a winner. If this is not changed, then things will only get worse over time, The following paragraph most probably discusses which of the following? a, Examples of how the system is currently ineffective. b. Ways to alter the current system for the better. c. A discussion as to how different rewards benefit students. 4. Further proof that awarding all individuals is not a good thing. MSA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEEnglish 429. Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the word foments as used in the passage? a. alerts b. requires . prevents d. instigates 430. Against which of the following scenarios would the author most be in opposition to? a, Having only a single winner in a contest, b. Having students work hard for their accolades. ¢. The removal of all tournaments and competitions. d, Making competitions exist only for fun without a tangible reward. Passage 7 Many people unaccustomed to eating spicy foods will simply categorize the spiciness of a food on a range from, “Meh” to “Water! Oh, the horror, I must have water!” but how spicy something is can actually be rated on a more scientific, and far less painful, scale. The piquance or spiciness of a pepper is measured on the Scoville scale. This scale, developed by Wilbur Scolville in 1912, gives a precise number to just how spicy certain peppers are. Each pepper is assigned a Scolville heat unit which measures just how much capsaicin (what makes peppers spicy) is present in the pepper. On the low end are bell peppers with a measly 0 units, and on the high end are Naga Viper peppers with a whopping score of over 1.3 million units. To put that into perspective, common peppers such as the jalapefo only contain anywhere from 2,500 to 10,000 units. Bird's eye chili, or siling labuyo as it's known in the Philippines, ranks at around 75,000 on the scale, a seemingly low score compared to the Naga Viper, but still more than enough to pack a punch. Granted, one won't really be able to appreciate the difference in the numbers of these varied peppers after biting into one unprepared, but it'll still be nice to have a bit of background while you're running around looking for a glass of water. 31. In what tone is the passage mostly written in? a, informal b. analytical c. subjective 4. informative 432. Which of the following would be an appropriate title for the passage? a. Measuring Spiciness c. The History of the Scolville Scale b. Jabaneros and Naga Vipers 4. Spicy Science: Measuring Pepper Heat DASA. ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE 7ESA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High School Passage 8 Sayings have interesting histories. For example, we have all heard of being hoisted on one's own petard. But where did this saying come from? It originates, like many other things did, from war. The petard was a device used to breach walls, shatter gates, and bring down walls. It was constructed out of iron or some other metal and filled with gunpowder. This would be lit by a slow fuse which, ideally, would give the siege engineer some time to run away as quickly as he could. The force of the blast would be directed at the target and, with luck, allow the invaders access into whatever it was they were invading. When used in tunnels underneath walls, the blast would hopefully destroy the foundations of the wall causing the entire structure to collapse in on itself. Other times, it was secured against a gate in an attempt to blow it in and maybe blow people up. On some occasions though, as this wasn't exactly rocket science, the petard would go off prematurely causing the engineer to do a brief, and often fatal, impersonation of Superman. 433. Why does the author state that, “this wasn exactly rocket science” in reference to lighting of the petard? a, working rockets had yet to be developed ». the technology was primitive and inaccurate ¢. there were no actual rockets or projectiles involved d. there was no way of knowing when it would explode 434, The saying, “hoisted on one’s own petard” is best used in which of the following situations? a, Little planning goes into a project. b. One accidentally burns oneself on fireworks. c. One’s plan has backfired causing terrible results. 4. A carefully calculated plot meets some unforeseen circumstances. 435. This passage is most probably a text from a larger passage regarding which of the following? a. The functions of the petard c. The tactics of medieval militaries b. The story behind military terms _d. The etymology of common phrases 8 SA, ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTEEnglish Passage 9 One cannot argue that beans taste delicious. They're also a good source of fiber and protein. In addition to this, because of the high level of soluble fiber, they're also good at lowering blood cholesterol. Despite all of this though, beans do have an unfortunate side-effect that inspired the song, “Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit” which should be obvious to anyone who frequently eat beans. This is caused by the presence of oligosaccharides, a type of sugar, that humans are not naturally able to digest fully because of an absence of anti-oligosaccharides in our digestive tracts. These sugars are instead digested by bacteria in the small intestine which produce the gas that makes beans so famous and fun. One of the ways to go about preventing this is to soak the beans overnight and allow the sugars to soak out of the beans thereby removing this unwanted side-effect. Then again, one could always skip this step if the side-effect is something desirable. 436. Other than soaking beans overnight, what other way can one prevent any unwanted side-effects? a. Only eating a small amount of beans b, Adding other types of sugar to the beans c. Combining beans with other foods high in fiber 4. Eating foods that contain anti-oligosaccharides 437. Which of the following is false according to the passage? a, Humans do not possess anti-oligosaccharaides in their digestive tracts. b. The human body produces gasses as a by-product in the digestion of beans. ¢. It is possible to avoid or minimize the unwanted side-effects of eating beans. d. The side-effects associated with the consumption of beans come from certain sugars. Passage 10 Bullet-proof armor is not really bullet-proof in the sense that bullets bounce off it as if the wearer were Superman. What most vests do in actuality is to slow the bullet down and prevent it from entering the soft, fleshy body of the human underneath. Common soft body armor works by cushioning and distributing the force of the bullet. When the bullet comes into contact with the fibers, its force is MSA. ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE ooPASA NAT Reviewer for 4th Year High Schoot spread out over a broader surface preventing it from imparting the full impact toa small area. This is like the difference between diving into water, and doing a belly flop. When one performs a good dive, the body pierces the water and enters gracefully. A misstep on the diving board however, will cause one to fall face-first onto the water causing a massive splash, lots of pain, and oodles of humiliation. When one does a belly flop, one’s entire weight is distributed over the entire front of the body. Ina dive, the same weight is place at a smaller point. This applies with bullets as well. When a bullet hits flesh, the entire force is focused on a single point. When hitting body armor though, the same force spreads out which slows the bullet and prevents a horrible death. This type of armor doesn't work against all bullets though, as armor piercing bullets with a hardened and sharper point (and thus smaller surface area) will still be able to cut into the fibers. For armor piercing rounds, other types of armor need to be used. 438. Which of the following is true according to the passage? a. Wearing body armor is not a guarantee for safety. b, Soft body armor does not outrightly deflect projectiles. c. Some bullets will still be able to bypass bullet-proof armor. 4. Different types of body armor are needed in different situations. 439. Based on the the passage, why would a knife still be effective against body armor? a, Body armor is not designed to be used in close combat situations. b. Knives are made of different material from bullets thus they are harder. ¢. The fibers are ineffective against the smaller surface area of a knife blade. 4. The knife is usually used at much lower velocities than an average projectile. 440. The paragraph immediately after the last paragraph would most likely discuss which of the following? a. uses of armor ¢. hard body armor b. armor materials 4. armor piercing rounds 0 MSA ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE