2007 - 0283 titan, ’ ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT INSTITUTE Reading Lecture by Ms. Marivic O. Osi If you care for quality ... look for an ISO or a SUPERBRANDS seal, MSA has them both! 'eUeicar, y x0, 1SO 9001:2000 6132480208307 Reading Lecture eee Comprehension Tests challenge your ability to understand with passa = 4 both Content and technique. You will be Cran ra an re * drawn from a variety of subject areas, including bo WS and the sciences. The questions will ask you to analyze what is stated in the : ‘ons aay Passage and to identify underlying assumptio and implications. , , Tips on How to Answer Critical Reading Tests 1. Make use of the introductions to acquaint yourself with the text. 2. Use the Line References in the Questions to be sure you’ve gone back to the correct spot in the passage. 3. When you have a choice, tackle passages with familiar subjects before passages with unfamiliar ones. 4. In tackling the short reading passages, /first read the questiorf: then read the passage. 5. In answering long reading passage’, first read the passagé; then read the questions. 6. Try to answer all the questions on the particular passage. 7. Learn to spot the common types of reading questions. Common Types of Reading Questions 1. Main Idea Questiont- This asks about the overall theme that unifies the passage. This type will include the main point or concern of the passage, the general purpose of the author/text, and the best title for the selection. Be sure to check the’ opening and summary sentences*ofleachi@ ‘Passage. "when asked to choose a title or main idea, watch out for choices that are too specific or too broad.SA Review Program Detail Question- Fh. in the passage the Reading Lecture asks about details that are explicitly mentioned This specitic idea is mentioned by the author as part of overall development of the main theme of the selection. Spot.key words. inthe questiog und scan the passage to find them. You must find a word or group of words in the passage that Supports your choice of answer. 3. datber's Attitude/Tone of the Passage Questiong- These challenge your ability to derive the attitude of the author or the tone of the selection. Look for words that convey emotion,éexpress yalues.sor paidt Pictures, Take a close look at the specific language used by the author. 4. Logical Structure Question * This asks about the overall organization of the selection or about why the author introduces a specific point. This is concerned not with the content but with the form of the passage. Familiarize yourself with the technical terms used to describe a text’s organization. In this case, try to figure out how the opening sentence or paragraph is related or connected to the passage as a whole. + Yfimion. compan cman, an. gvn"g LnOn pls , onthe . Inference Questign - This asks about ideas that are implicitly stated in the passage but can be inferred from the material. This also requires you to use your own judgment. wa Base your answers.on what the passage implies not wha it ‘states directly. ¢You must look for clues in the passage that you ‘can use in coming up with your own conclusion, You should choose as your answer a statement which is atlegi¢al development of the information the author has provided 6)Vocabulary Questio# - This asks about the meaning of the dinifamiliagy word used in the passaget Look for nearby.context clues, You must determine the word's exact meaning as used by the author. You can determine its meaning by a Gareful examination of the sept. 2 Ifyou care for quality... look for an ISO or a Superbrands seal, LSA. has them both!sending Lecture ESA Review Program 7. Application/Evaluation Question - These questions are somewhat like the inference question, but they ask you to go one step further and apply wharyou have learned in the passage to a new situation. Directions: The passage below is followed by questions based on its content. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Two recent publications offer different assessments of the career of the famous British nurse Florence Nightingale, A book by Anne Summers seeks to debunk the idealizations and present a reality at odds with Nightingale’s heroic reputation. According to Summers, Nightingale’s importance during the Crimean War has been exaggerated: not until near the war’s end did she become supervisor of the female nurses, Additionally, Summers writes that the contribution of the nurses to the relief of the wounded was at best marginal. The prevailing problems of military medicine were caused by army organizational practices, and the addition of a few nurses to the medical staff could be no more than symbolic. Nightingale’s place in the national pantheon, Summers asserts, is largely due to the propagandistic efforts of contemporary newspaper reporters. By contrast, the editors of a new volume of Nightingale’s letters view Nightingale as a person who significantly influenced not only her own age but also subsequent generations, They highlight her ongoing efforts to reform sanitary conditions after the war. For example, when she learned that peacetime living conditions in British barracks were so horrible that the death rate of enlisted men far exceeded that of neighboring civilian Populations, she succeeded in persuading the government to establish a Royal Commission on the Health of the Army. She used sums raised through public contributions to found a nurses’ training hospital in London. Even in administrative matters, the editors assert, her Practical intelligence was formidable: as recently as 1947 the British Army’s medical services were still using the cost-accounting system she had devised in the 1860's. I believe that the evidence of her letters supports continued respect for Nightingale’s brilliance and creativity. When counseling a village Yrou care for quality. ook for an ISO or a Superbrands seal, PASA has them both! 34 PISA Review Program Reading Lecture schoolmaster to encourage children to use their faculties of observation, she sounds like a modern educator. Her insistence on classifying the problems of the needy in order to devise appropriate treatments is simitar to the approach of modern social workers. In sum, although Nightingale may not have achieved all of her goals during the Crimean War, her breadth of vision and ability to realize ambitious projects have earned her an eminent place among the ranks of social pioneers. 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to evaluate a. the importance of Florence Nightingale’s innovations in the field of nursing b. the contrasting approaches to the writing of historical biography €. contradictory accounts of Nightingale’s historical significance d. the quality of health care in the nineteenth-century England e. the effect of the Crimean War on developments in the field of health care 2. According to the passage, the editors of Nightingale’s letters credit her with contributing to a. the improvement of the survival rate for soldiers in British Army hospitals during the Crimean War b. the development of a nurses’ training curriculum that was far in advance of its day c. the increase in the number of women doctors practicing in British Army hospitals d. the establishment of the first facility for training nurses at a major British University e. the creation of an organization for monitoring the peacetime living conditions of British soldiers 3. In presenting the argument, the author does all of the following except a. contrasting two views d. giving examples b. citing evidence e. challenging an assumption c. presenting his own views Ifyou care for quality.. look for an ISO or a Superbrands seal, JMLSA. has them both!Reading Lecture MSA Review Program 4. The author's attitude toward the achievements of Nightingale mentioned in the passage can best be described as one of a. skepticism ¢. subjectivity e. optimism b. ambivalence d. detachment 5. The author develops ideas in the last paragraph by a. summarizing the arguments about Nightingale presented in the first two paragraphs b. refuting the view of Nightingale’s career presented in the preceding paragraph ¢. analyzing the weaknesses of the evidence presented elsewhere in the passage d. citing evidence to support a view of Nightingale’s career ° + correcting a factual error occurring in one of the works under review 6. It can be inferred in the passage that the sanitary conditions in Britain after the Crimean War a. were not superior to those in other parts of the world b. had deteriorated compared with conditions before the war ¢. were more advanced in rural areas than in the urban centers d. were worse in military camps than in the neighboring civilian populations €. were uniformly crude and unsatisfactory throughout England 7. What inference can you make about Nightingale’s relationship with the British public of her day? a. She was highly respected, her projects receiving popular and governmental support. b. She encountered resistance both from the army establishment and the general public. ‘you care for quality... took for an ISO or a Superbrands seal, MSA. has them both! 5Reading Lecture LSA Review Progra ¢. She was supported by the military establishment but had to fight the governmental bureaucracy. 4. She was supported by the working classes and opposed by the wealthier classes e. After initially being received with enthusiasm, she was quickly forgotten. 8. The word formidable in line 24 most nearly means a. arduous c. debilitated e: free-handed b. impressive d. injurious 9. Which statement regarding the different interpretations of Nightingale’s importance would the author most likely agree? a. Summers misunderstood both the importance of Nightingale’s achievements during the Crimean War and her subsequent influence on British policy. b. The editors of Nightingale’s letters made some valid points about her practical achievements, but they still exaggerated her influence on subsequent generations. ¢. Although Summers’ account of Nightingale’s role in the Crimean War may be accurate, she ignored evidence of Nightingale’s subsequent achievement that suggests that her reputation as an eminent social reformer is well deserved. d. The editors of Nightingale’s letters mistakenly propagated the outdated idealization of Nightingale that only impedes attempts to arrive at a balanced assessment of her true role. e. The evidence of Nightingale’s letters supports Summers’ conclusions both about Nightingale’s activities and about her influence. Reference: Barron's How to Prepare for the New SAT. 22nd Edition. 2005 6 you care for quality... look for an ISO or a Superbrands seal, LSA. has them both!