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Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Maura, who liked to be thought of as the most beautiful and powerful queen of Arabia, had many
suitors.
One by one she discarded them, until her list was reduced to just three sheiks, all equally young and
handsome, rich and strong. It is very hard to decide who would be the best of them.
One evening, Maura disguised herself and went to the camp of the three sheiks, as they were about to
have a dinner, and asked them for something to eat.
The first gave her some left-over food, the second gave her some unappetizing camel’s tail, the third
sheik, who was called Hakim, offered her some of the most tender and tasty meat. After dinner, the
disguised queen left the three sheiks’ camp.
The following day the queen invited the three sheiks to dinner at her palace. She ordered the servant to
give each one exactly what they had given her the evening before.
Hakim, who received a plate of delicious meat, refused to eat it if the other two could not share it with
him, and this act finally convinced Queen Maura that he was the man for her. “Without question, Hakim
is the most generous of you”, she announced her choice to the sheiks. “So it is Hakim I will marry.”
(Sumber: UNAS 2008)
Questions:
1. The three sheiks were not …
A. rich B. young C. strong D. gloomy E. handsome
3. The queen ordered her servants to give the sheiks the same kind of food she got from them the
evening before because …
A. She wanted to entertain her guest
B. She wanted to test the sheiks’ taste
C. She wanted to see the sheiks’ reaction
D. She wanted to make a joke of the sheiks
E. She wanted to repay the sheiks’ kindness
Text-2
A fox fell into a well and couldn’t get out. By and by a thirsty goat came along. Seeing the fox in the well
it asked if the water was good. “Good”, said the fox “It’s the best water I’ve tasted in all my life. Come
down and try it yourself”.
The goat was thirsty so he got into the well. When he had drunk enough, he looked round but there was
no way to get out. Then the fox said, “I have a good idea”. You stand on your hind legs and put your
forelegs against the side of the well. Then I’ll climb on your back, from there. I’ll step on your horns, and
I can get out. And when I’m out, I’ll help you out of the well.
The goat did as he asked and the fox got on his back and climbed out of the well. Then he coolly walked
away. The goat called out loudly after him and reminded him of his promise to help him out. The fox
merely turned to him and said: “If you only had thought carefully about getting out, you wouldn’t have
jumped into the well”.
The goat felt very said. He called out loudly. An old man walking nearby heard him and put a plank into
the well. The goat got out and thanked the old man. (Sumber: UNAS 2007)
Questions:
5. The text tells the story of …
A. a fox B. a goat C. a fox and a goat
D. an old man and the fox E. the goat and old man
7. “The goat did as he was asked …” (Paragraph 3) What does the above sentence mean?
A. The goat drank enough and looked round
B. The goat came down to the well and drank
C. The goat called out loudly after the fox got out
D. The goat waited someone who might help him
E. The goat stood on his hind legs and put his forelegs against the side of the well.
Text-3
Philippines: At least nine people were killed and dozens were injured when the Philippines security
forces clashed with dozens of slum dwellers who resisted the tearing down of their homes in the
northern province, a police commander said Tuesday.
Raul Gonzales the police chief in the northern Cordillera, said, that the soldiers and the police officers
traded gunfire with dozens of people who are illegally occupying the private land in Kalinga province.
“Our tem was ambushed on their way to the community to be demolished,” said Gonzales. He added
that the security only defended themselves after the residents dug fox-holes and opened fire with
automatic rifles.
“Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded, including 10 police officers during almost 10 hours
of fighting. We even had to evacuate some our officers who needed surgery to get the bullets from their
bodies,”-Reuters.
(Sumber: UNAS 2008)
Questions:
8. What is the passage about?
A. an illegal gunfire
B. a demolition of illegal slum dwellers
C. a fight between the security forces and the slum
D. a clash between the security forces and the slum dwellers
E. a clash between the police officers and the security
9. The clash happened because …
A. illegal slum dwellers resisted the demolition of their homes
B. the police officers and the soldiers shot the dwellers
C. nine people were killed by the security forces
D. the police officers firing the dwellers
E. the people dwelled on private land
Text-4
Seven people were killed in a collision between a bus, a car, and a truck on jalan Sultan at 10:35 p.m. last
night. The dead were all passengers of the car. The police believed the car had been trying to overtake
the bus when it was struck by a truck coming from the opposite direction. The driver said he did not see
the car approaching.
The police said the car should not have tried to pass the bus, since overtaking is not allowed on Jalan
Sultan. In addition, the police reported that the car, a small Japanese car, should not have been carrying
more than five people. If the passengers had brought their identity cards, the police would have
identified the names of the victims easily. (Sumber: UNAS 2007)
Questions:
11. The text mainly reports that there was/were…
A. a car accident B. careless drivers C. a small Japanese car
D. victims of an accident E. the function of an identity card
13. “If the passengers had brought their identity cards, the police would have been easy to identify the
names of the victims”. (last sentence)
The sentence above means …
A. the victims’ names were not known
B. the victims were easy to be identified
C. the passengers brought their identity cards
D. the police had no difficulty in identifying the victims
E. it was easy for the police to identify the victims of the accident
14. Who said that the accident was caused by the car?
A. The police B. The victims C. The reporter
D. The truck driver E. The bus passengers
Text-5
I usually woke up at 8 a.m. and went to the press center to check the daily schedule of briefings and
press conferences, usually held by the United Nations officials or disaster mitigation team chief, Alwi
Shihab.
It was challenging to visits different refugee camps to find soft stories, human interest stories. Then, I
went back to the press center in between to cover the press conferences of the day.
It was heart breaking when I saw these survivors fight for food and secondhand clothing, which they said
were limited and inadequate. Emerging to a glaring, full noon, it was time to go back to the press center
to write stories and race against time, always fearing that internet connection would come crashing
down.
And after everything was done, only then I remembered to eat. Most times, I enjoy ate once a day
because you always had to rush and it was difficult to find food. You had to travel quite far, about a 30-
to 45-minute trip by car to find fresh food. (Sumber: UNAS 2009)
Questions:
15. How often did the writer eat a day?
A. Three times B. Seldom C. Twice
D. Never E. Once
Text-6
Paris is the capital of a European nation, France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous
cities in the world.
Paris is called the city of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What stylish women are wearing
in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also famous for its world center of education.
For instance, it is the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this scenic river. The oldest and
perhaps the most well-known is Pon Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. Sorbonne, a famous
university, is located on the left bank (south side) of the river. The beautiful white church Sacre Coeur
lies on the top of hill called Montmartre on the right bank (north side) of the Seine.
There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum the Louvre as well the
cathedral of Notre Dame. However, the most famous landmark in this city must be the Eiffel Tower.
Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the
middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island is called lie de la Cite. It is where
Notre Dame located. Today around eight million people live in Paris area. (Sumber: UNAS 2007)
Questions:
18. The fifth paragraph tells …
A. about the Paris
B. the origin of the word Paris
C. the location of Notre Dame
D. a village built a thousand years ago
E. an island in the middle of the Seine River
19. What is the oldest and most well known part of the city?
A. The Seine River B. The Pont Neuf C. The Sorbonne
D. The right bank E. The left bank
Text-7
Every time they see illegal logging in their area, the women and children cry out, “Where can we settle
and make a living if our forests were gone?”
They are the forest people, members of the Local Anak Dalam tribe, in Mangkekal (makekal), Bukit
Duabelas national Park, Jambi province. They have tried very hard to protect the forest zone from illegal
logging operations. “Adult as well as children are fighting for the conservation of this forest,” said tribal
chief Tumenggung (Regent) meriak.
The national park zone is about 60,000 hectares. It is home for about 1,500 Anak Dalam. The tribesman
live in Mangkekal, Kedasung, Air hitam, and Terap. (Sumber: UNAS 2009)
Questions:
21. The text mainly tells us about…
A. forest people B. National Park C. forest conservation
D. illegal logging E. illegal operation
24. The tribesmen who are not included in the protest are from…
A. Terap B. Jambi C. Air hitam
D. Kedasung E. Mangkekal
Text-8
The sense of taste is one a person’s five senses. We taste with the help of taste-buds in the tongue.
There are four main kinds of taste: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. All other tastes are just mixtures of two
or more of these main types.
The surface of the tongue has more than fifteen thousand taste-buds (or cells). These are connected to
the brain by special nerves which send the so-called “tastes messages.”
When the toggle comes into contact with food of any kind, the taste-buds will pick up the taste. The
nerves then send messages to the brain. This will make us aware of the taste. All this happens in just a
few second.
There are four kinds of taste buds, each of which is sensitive to only a particular taste. These four groups
are located in deferent pies of the tongue.
The taste-buds for salty and sweet tastes are found round the tip of the tongue and along its sides. Sour
tastes can be pick up only at the sides of the tongue. The taste-buds for bitter taste are found at the
imiermost edge of the tongue. There are taste-buds at the center of the tongue.
The senses of smell and sight can affect taste. The good smell of food increases its taste. Similarly:
attractive colours can make food appear tastier and more delicious. If food does not smell good or is
dull-coloured, it will look tasty and may not taste good at all.
Very hot or cold sensations can make taste buds insensitive. Food that is too hot or too cold, when
placed in the mouth, will have no tastes at all. (Sumber: UNAS 2006)
Questions:
25. We can taste any kind of food because of…
A. the good smell of food
B. the four main kinds of taste
C. the taste-buds in the tongue
D. the senses of smell and sight
E. the taste-buds round the tip of the tongue
30. According to the writer, more dust bins … in every ten meters.
A. should be decorated
B. should be painted
C. should be placed
D. are unnecessary
E. are not required
Text-10:
There are a lot of discussion as to whether children should be given homework or not.
Some people claim that children to enough work in school already. They also argue that children have
hobbies that they want to do after school, such as sports or music. A further point they make is that a lot
of homework is pointless and doesn’t help the child learn at all.
However, there also strong argument against this point of view. Parents and teachers argue that it is
important to find out whether children can work on their own without the support from the teacher.
They say that the evening is a good time for children to sit down and think about what they have
learned in school.
Furthermore they claim that the school day is too short to get anything done that needs doing and it
makes sense to send home tasks like independent reading or further writing tasks that don’t need
teacher’s support.
On balance, I think that some homework is a good idea but that it should only given at the weekend
when children have more time. (Sumber: UNAS 2009)
Questions:
33. How do we compare the second and the fourth paragraph?
A. Both paragraph argue that homework is necessary for students
B. Unlike the fourth paragraph, the second paragraph argues that homework is unnecessary
C. The second paragraph supports that students need homework, but the
fourth paragraph does not
D. The second paragraph and the fourth paragraph argue that students do
not need homework
E. The second and the fourth paragraph do not say anything about the
Benefit of homework
34. How many reasons are presented by those who are against homework?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3
D. 4 E. 5
35. Those who are pro homework think that the students can … in the evening
A. prepare for the next lesson
B. review their lesson
C. enjoy their pastime
D. do their hobbies
E. test themselves
36. “A further point they make is that a lot of homework is pointless and doesn’t help the child learn at
all.” (Paragraph 2)
The underlined word is synonymous with…
A. terrible B. careless C. difficult
D. unimportant E. uninteresting
Text-11:
FILM INTACT
2002 Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Federico and Sam are two lucky men, Federico survived an earthquake and has the power to wrench
fortune from those around him: he has the gift; Sam is a survivor of the Jewish holocaust and manages a
casino in the middle of lava desert. One day Federico challenges Sam, who expels him from paradise,
taking his gift from him.
Years later, Federico thinks that he has found in Tomas, he only survivor of an air accident, the
instrument of his vengeance. By teaching him to control fortune, he can use him to return to the casino
and challenge the God of fortune. Together they begin a journey of initiation, a succession of ever more
strange and difficult tests in which the highest bet is the luck of others; luck, which in this game is
captured in a simple photograph. Everything goes well until Sara, a policewoman who survives a car
accident which kills her family, becomes obsessed with discovering what is behind these clandestine
games in which death and luck become enmeshed. In which only one can remain intact. This film is
really worth watching. (Sumber: UNAS 2006)
Questions:
38. The purpose of the text is …
A. to describe a film
B. to describe how a film is made
C. to inform readers about a good film
D. to entertain readers by telling a story
E. to review a fill for a public audience
39. After reading the review, how would you judge this film?
A. Bad B. Fair C. Not bad
D. Mediocre E. Excellent