Advanced Reading Exam A – Bold Answer Key

April 2011

50 Points Total

Part 1: Read the following story, and then choose the correct answer for the
questions. (22 points – 1 point each)

Body language fuels the spread of fear: Scientists pinpoint how brain reacts to
posture – by Randolph E. Schmid, the Associated Press
A fight breaks out, and even though people at the far side of the crowd can‟t see
what‟s going on, they are immediately on edge. Now, a Harvard researcher has an
explanation for this fear contagion, the quick spread of emotion through a crowd.
Seeing someone adopt a fearful posture triggers areas of the brain that express
emotion and get the body primed for action. It‟s a response that can race through a
crowd like wildfire. “We are extremely sensitive to emotional body language, and we
react to it without being aware of it,” said Beatrice M.L. de Gelder of Harvard Medical
School. This, she said, “is very good, because that puts us in a position to act.” Most
previous studies of the human response to emotional situations have concentrated
on facial expressions, de Gelder said. She wondered if body reactions, as well as the
face, could communicate to other people.

Scanning a bystander's brain

De Gelder and colleagues photographed actors who posed in a variety of
positions, showing happy, neutral and fearful stances. They blanked out the faces
and showed the photos to four men and three women, while using magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) to study their brains. People looking at the happy and
neutral images showed a response in only the part of the brain that processes visual
images, they found. When looking at fearful postures, however, the viewers‟ brains
responded with activity in the visual, emotional and motor action areas. It shows that
emotions are communicated nonverbally, de Gelder said. “It‟s really communicated
without any conscious processes involved. It‟s really communicated from body to
body.”
Stephen Maren, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, said it has
been known that a variety of stimuli can evoke brain responses in emotional areas. In
humans, which has been shown for faces, disgusting odors and verbal threats, he
said, indicating that part of the brain receives information from several senses. “So
it‟s not surprising that you would be able to demonstrate that postures of fear
[provoke a response],” he said, “but it hasn‟t been shown before.”

Lowest common denominator

Studies of the face have indicated that an emotional response is likely to be more
from general expression than from refined, detailed information, he said. “In some
ways you can imagine that posture is one of these low-level sorts of inputs that could
be driving the system,” he said. “You do have to have a system that responds very
quickly. ... If it‟s something dangerous, you want to act fast; so you want to detect
threats at lowest common denominator, and posture could be a good cue,” said
Maren, who was not part of de Gelder‟s research team.
Directions: Circle the correct answers on the answer sheet.

1. The writer probably used the example of a fight because ___________.

A. most people fight
B. most people can imagine the situation
C. most people have never been around a fight
D. most people are afraid of fights

2. What does a fearful posture cause in the brain?

A. A trigger of emotions B. Contagion
C. Action D. The body

3. To race through a crowd means ______________.

A. to compete with other people in a crowd
B. to spread quickly through a crowd
C. to fight with a crowd
D. to run with a crowd

4. Fear contagion means ______________.

A. a crowd B. the spread of fear C. posture D. a disease

5. On edge probably means ______________.

A. nervous B. sad C. blind D. a fight

6. People react to body language ______________.

A. without emotion
B. without awareness
C. without fighting
D. without hearing

7. This response is probably good because ______________.

A. we are ready to be afraid B. we are ready to learn
C. we are ready to act D. we are ready to move

8. Beatrice de Gelder is probably ______________.

A. an economist B. a fighter C. a professor D. a policewoman

9. Most previous studies have concentrated on ______________.

A. verbal expression B. posture
C. gestures D. facial expressions

10. The people used in the pictures that were mentioned in the passage were _____.
A. teachers B. students C. professors D. actors

11. The photos were shown to ______________.

A. four women and three men B. four men and three women
C. Both answers are correct D. Neither answer is correct

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12. The part of the brain that processes visual images was affected by __________.
A. happy images B. neutral images
C. Both answers are correct D. Neither answer is correct

13. Fearful images caused a response in the brain in the _______________ areas.
A. visual B. emotional
C. motor action D. All answers are correct

14. The study on fear shows that emotions are also communicated ______________.
A. verbatim B. nonverbally
C. Both answers are correct D. Neither answer is correct

15. Evoke means ______________.

A. cause B. prevent C. change D. force

16. Other stimuli that can provoke reponses in the brain are_______________.
A. faces B. disgusting odors
C. verbal threats D. All answers are correct

17. This shows that the brain _______________________.

A. receives information from only these senses
B. receives information from no senses
C. receives information from several senses
D. receives information from only three senses

18. Face studies suggest that an emotional response is based on _____________.

A. general expression B. detailed information
C. verbal information D. smell

19. Stephen Maren was quoted because ______________.

A. he is afraid B. he invented this
C. he has studied this D. he is smart

20. We can infer that Maren thinks that posture shows ______________.
A. general expression B. detailed maps
C. verbal information D. nothing

21. “Lowest common denominator” probably means ______________.

A. a low level indicator B. detailed information
C. a threat D. nothing

22. Stephen Maren _____________________________________.

A. was one of the actors in Gelder‟s research team
B. was not part of Gelder‟s research team
C. was part of Gelder‟s research team
D. did not approve of Gelder‟s research

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Part 2: Read the following story, then answer the questions in complete sentences.
(28 points – 2 points each)
It took her almost seven months to make the decision, but once her mind was
made up, at least another hour was needed to select the perfect image, pattern and
color of ink on Sally‟s skin. She had no idea why she wanted a tattoo in the first
place. A tattoo would be forever—like the scar she had on her knee after she fell off
her bike as a kid.
Sally took a few moments to rationalize her decision. After all, weren‟t tattoos lots
of fun? Lindsey had one. So did Jessica. Mom wouldn‟t like it. Lenny wanted her to
get one to profess her love for him. Everyone is getting them, so she is too. But it
hurts a lot, doesn‟t it? No, Jessica said. It felt like a bee sting. The problem is, Jessica
told her, was once you got one, you‟d want another. In other words, they could
sometimes be addictive.
After finally finding the courage to do it, Sally sat inside a tiny room at Frank‟s
Tattoo Parlor just off of Broadway on 46th Street. The dreary room smelled like
burning skin and hair. Cobwebs hung in the slight breeze created by the rusted fan in
the corner. A lone light bulb overhead flickered on and off. Tattoo designs on giant
posters were hanging all over the cracked walls. There were clouds, stars, planets
and moons; butterflies, bees and flowers; giants, dwarves and dragons; animals of
every kind; stylized letters in Roman, Greek and Serif alphabets. With so much to
choose from, how was Sally to know what the perfect tattoo for her body and
personality would be? She wasn‟t looney, so a fire-breathing dragon or a sly elf
weren‟t possibilities. She had no interest in astronomy or astrology, so something
from the sky was a no-go.
She looked and looked, and finally decided on a pair of giant red lips—just like
her favorite band, the Rolling Stones, had for their logo. They were Lenny‟s favorite
also, so he would appreciate her selection.
Feeling rather proud of herself and cocky about her decision, she danced out of
the room, and into Frank‟s adjacent office. Frank was a short muscular man with
long, wavy hair. A long beard and piercing blue eyes made him look like the Russian
mystic, Rasputin. The surprising thing, at least for Sally, was he didn‟t have a tattoo
on his body.
“So what‟s it gonna be, lady?” he asked gruffly.
“The giant red lips from the poster next to the door. Like the Rolling Stones.”
“Okay, lady. That‟ll be $165 plus a tip depending on how long it takes. You‟re
gonna have to wait a bit. I‟ve got a six-color rainbow to finish on a customer‟s back.”
She gave Frank the money, and walked out into the area that was a poor
substitute for a lobby. It consisted of a few stained armchairs with holes and a broken
coffeemaker. There were two other women and three men waiting. Each customer
had a piece of paper with some artwork on it. The oldest of the men must have been
in his early forties, Sally thought. He was shirtless with a giant panda bear tattoo on
his back. Sally was amazed by the colors, and started to stare. Fortunately, the man
didn‟t notice. His mind was focused on the whine of the electric needle in the room
next door.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, it was Sally‟s turn. She followed the
bearded Frank into another room where a sheet-covered table awaited her.

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 “Lie down, here,” he said. “Where do you want this?”
She pointed to her right ankle. It was an area that could be covered by trousers if
need be.
“That‟s the second most popular place for a tattoo,” Frank remarked. “…at least,
with women.”
“It isn‟t going to hurt, is it?” she asked.
“Yeah it‟s gonna‟ hurt. Maybe a lot. But don‟t you worry, honey, you‟ll have this
the rest of your life, and— like they say—„no pain, no gain...”
Sally looked at the stupid grin on Frank‟s face, and started to sweat. She
wondered if she had made the correct decision coming to this place.

Directions: Answer the questions on the answer sheet in complete sentences.

Example: Q: Where is Frank‟s Tattoo Parlor?
A: Frank’s Tattoo Parlor is just off of Broadway on 46th Street.
1. Why did Sally need an extra hour at the tattoo parlor?

2. Does Sally know why she wants to get a tattoo?

3. Why is a tattoo compared to the scar she had on her knee after she fell off her
bike as a kid?

4. Who do you think Lenny is? Which sentence indicates this?

5. What did Jessica compare the pain of getting a tattoo with?

6. How does Sally describe the poster room at Frank‟s tattoo parlor?
7. According to the story, what type of people does Sally think get elves and
dragons for tattoos?

8. What type of music do Lenny and Sally like? What indicates this in the story?

9. What was the surprising thing about the tattoo artist, Frank?

10. What will determine how much the tip will be?

11. Why did Sally stare at the old man‟s back?

12. Why didn‟t the old man notice her staring at his back?

13. What is the second most popular place for a tattoo for women?

14. Why does Sally feel uncomfortable at the end?

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