uestion 53 – 56 are based on the following passage.

The economic world has been buzzing for the last two years now as investors, homeowners and
trend analysts alike attempt to identify the causes and ultimate effects, of the a sub-prime lending
mortgage crisis. Papers have been filled with headlines detailing the mass evictions, leading in
particularly tragic cases to entire communities being reduced to little more than shanty towns.
The onus today seems to be to find which people in which industry are to blame, but, in the end,
untangling that knotted mess may prove impossible, and even were we to reveal an identifiable
cause, would that help solve the current problems?

What is not drawing as much attention, but perhaps should be, is the effect that all of this has had
not just on the value of the dollar internationally but domestically as well. The cost to rent an
apartment has risen dramatically in most major metropolitan areas, as families that once owned
homes are forced back into the rental market. The cost of student loans has also peaked sharply,
with federal interest rates up to three times as high as the rates from a mere six years ago.
Unfortunately for the many people affected by this, it seems unlikely that the rising cost of a
college education will come to the attention of those at the highest levels until the country sees a
decrease in the number of students receiving college degrees, at which point the solution may be
out of our hands.

No. 53
The passage most likely refers to student loans in order to ....

A. decry the unreasonable interest rates that are currently being charged by some unscrupulous
lenders
B. argue that the economic problems evident in some sectors are not really as bad as they may
appear superficially
C. underscore an earlier point regarding the widespread nature of some of the economic problems
related to the housing crisis
D. support the claim that the country may eventually suffer from a lack of well educated citizens
E. explain why the housing costs have risen so dramatically in certain major metropolitan areas
in the United States

Pembahasan
Bacaan tersebut kemungkinan mengacu pada pinjaman mahasiswa supaya ....

Perhatikan sebagian kalimat terakhir paragraf kedua!

… it seems unlikely that the rising cost of a college education will come to the attention of those
at the highest levels until the country sees a decrease in the number of students receiving college
degrees … (… tampaknya tidak mungkin kenaikan biaya pendidikan perguruan tinggi akan
menjadi perhatian orang-orang di tingkat tertinggi sampai negara melihat penurunan jumlah
siswa yang menerima gelar sarjana …).

Karena kenaikan biaya pendidikan (termasuk pinjaman mahasiswa) kecil kemungkinan menjadi
perhatian orang-orang di tingkat tertinggi, maka kita mendukung pernyataan (klaim) bahwa
negara mungkin akan menderita karena kekurangan sarjana.

Support the claim that the country may eventually suffer from a lack of well educated
citizens (mendukung klaim bahwa negara itu pada akhirnya mungkin menderita karena
kurangnya warga negara yang berpendidikan baik).

Jadi, jawaban yang tepat adalah opsi (D).

No. 54
The author’s attitude towards the economic problems discussed in the passage could most
accurately be described as ....

A. frenzied ire
B. calculated scorn
C. reasoned frustration
D. modulated optimism
E. scholarly disdain

Pembahasan
Sikap penulis terhadap masalah ekonomi yang dibahas dalam bacaan di atas yang paling tepat
dapat digambarkan sebagai ....

Perhatikan cuplikan kalimat terakhir paragraf kedua!

… it seems unlikely that the rising cost of a college education will come to the attention of those
at the highest levels … (… tampaknya tidak mungkin bahwa kenaikan biaya pendidikan
perguruan tinggi akan menjadi perhatian orang-orang di tingkat tertinggi …).

Kalimat tersebut adalah kalimat frustasi. Tetapi penulis mempunyai alasan yang cukup kuat.

Reasoned frustration (frustasi yang beralasan)

Jadi, jawaban yang tepat adalah opsi (C).

No. 55
According to the author of the passage, the entity most likely to blame for the economic situation
is ….

A. the unscrupulous lending industry that failed to recognize the potential pitfalls in the sub-
prime lending scheme
B. ultimately of less import than is recognizing the far-ranging side effects and working to find a
solution
C. also solely responsible for the present weakness of the dollar in overseas markets
D. only going to recognize the true effects of the mistakes that have been made once the results
are irreversible
E. the public at large because it was the public that supported the sub-prime loans without
learning what they entailed

Pembahasan
Menurut penulis bacaan ini, pihak yang paling mungkin disalahkan atas situasi ekonomi
adalah ....

Perhatikan cuplikan kalimat terakhir paragraf pertama!

… and even were we to reveal an identifiable cause, would that help solve the current
problems? (… dan bahkan jika kita mengungkapkan penyebab yang dapat diidentifikasi, apakah
itu membantu menyelesaikan masalah saat ini?)

Artinya, kita tidak perlu mencari pihak mana yang paling bersalah atau bertanggung jawab dalam
situasi ekonomi tersebut. Yang penting adalah mencari solusi.

Ultimately of less import than is recognizing the far-ranging side effects and working to find a
solution (Pada akhirnya tidak lebih penting daripada menyadari efek samping yang luas dan
bekerja untuk menemukan solusi).

Jadi, jawaban yang tepat adalah opsi (B).

No. 56
The word peaked in the second paragraph most nearly means ….

A. reached an apex only to descend again

B. set a precedent for future valuations
C. quickly ascended in price
D. artificially inflated
E. caught nationwide attention
Pembahasan
Kata peaked pada paragraf kedua hampir mendekati arti ....

Kata peaked terdapat pada kalimat ketiga.

The cost of student loans has also peaked sharply, with federal interest rates up to three times as
high as the rates from a mere six years ago (Biaya pinjaman mahasiswa juga telah memuncak
tajam, dengan tingkat bunga federal hingga tiga kali lebih tinggi dari tingkat hanya enam tahun
yang lalu).

Dengan demikian, peaked pada kalimat tersebut berarti kenaikan harga yang cepat. Apalagi
dijelaskan bahwa kenaikannya tiga kali lipat dibandingkan 6 tahun yang lalu).

Quickly ascended in price (Kenaikan harga yang cepat).

Jadi, jawaban yang tepat adalah opsi (C).

Bacaan 10
Question 17 – 20 are based on the following passage.

Mass-market history textbooks suffer from a number of deficiencies. Even with judicious editing
and some stunning omissions, the typical high school history textbook is over one thousand
pages long. Part of the problem lies in the publishers desire to construct a book that appeals to as
many regional markets as possible. In order to do so, the publisher must include details that have
relatively little historical significance but evoke a degree of local pride in readers. But, the sheer
volume of information available in text books is not, in and of itself, the greatest difficulty with
these textbooks. The most pressing problem is the textbook writers’ philosophical approach to
this information.

The manner in which most treat history textbooks the story of Columbus “discovery" of America
offers a telling example. First, there is a copious historical record indicating that a multitude of
explorers had reached North America long before Columbus. This record consists of a diversity
of sources, including genetic similarities between North American populations and populations
in Africa, Asia, and Europe; homogenous social structures and an forms; and even oral histories
and legends of various peoples. While historians argue over the value and reliability of this
evidence, it is generally accepted that travelers from Siberia, Japan, China, Polynesia, West
Africa, and Iceland most likely arrived in North America long before Columbus did. Textbook
authors could simply present all of this evidence to students and let them come to their own
conclusions about the discovery and settlement of America in fact, that is how professional
historians work. Instead, textbook authors decide to craft a simple narrative around certain
historical events at the expense of the true complexities of history. By treating history as a series
of settled facts instead of sequence of ongoing debates and interpretations, textbook authors do a
great disservice to both their students and to the educational process. In their quest to portray
history as a story, textbook authors have unwittingly deprived the subject of some of its most
vibrant and interesting aspects. It is no wonder that high school students in the United States rank
history as one of their least favorite subjects.

No. 57
The author of the passage is primarily concerned with ….

A. recommending solutions to a problem

B. debunking a long held perspective
C. explaining the nature of a fault
D. responding to an argument
E. evaluating a proposed course of action