Inside Reading Mid-term Test

Name: __________________________ Date: _____________

Reading Comprehension: True/False

Mark each statement as T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the reading passage.

Read this passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

The wild success of microwaves and fast food restaurants would lead an outside observer to
believe that they have been positive influences on human life, but this is unfortunately not the
case.

The time it takes to prepare food is often directly correlated to how healthy it is for you. While
fast food is generally tasty, convenient, and cheap, its explosion in the last half-century,
particularly in America, has had an adverse effect on the population. For example, food from
McDonald's, the most popular fast food chain in the world, is usually high in sodium and trans
fat, both of which can cause health problems.

Similarly, microwaveable food often contains abnormal amounts of fat and sodium, along with
preservatives that generally aren't meant for human consumption. However, because people are
busy and do what they can to save time, these potentially harmful ingredients go either
overlooked or unnoticed.

Fast food and the microwave have become such an integral part of our culture, it would be tough
to wean people off of them. However, in recent years we've seen a bit of backlash against our
dependency on convenient but unhealthy food. Many fast food restaurants are now required to
post the fat content of their food for everyone to see, and the market for more healthy
microwaveable options has grown vastly.

Ultimately, the nutrition one chooses to put into one's body is a personal choice, but the fact that
food is prepared faster these days has not been a positive development for human health.

1. The author believes that fast food has had a positive benefit on society.
A) True
B) False

2. Microwavable foods often contain chemicals that aren’t meant to be eaten by people.
A) True
B) False

Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the option that best completes each sentence.

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 3. The author states that fast food is unhealthy because ___.
A) it often contains large amounts of sodium and trans fats
B) people eat too much of it
C) people don’t sit down when they eat it
D) it is prepared quickly and poorly

4. According to the article, it would be difficult to get people to stop eating fast food and
using microwaves because ___.
A) they are easy for children to use
B) our culture values quick and easy fixes to problems
C) they have become such a large and important part of our culture
D) microwaves are used to heat fast food

5. According to the article, the amount of time it takes to prepare food is ___.
A) important to understand for parents
B) related to how much sodium it contains
C) almost always related to how much it costs
D) almost always an indication of how healthy it is

6. According to the article, one of the positive developments in recent years concerning
fast food is ___.
A) fast food is becoming healthier
B) fast food restaurants are required to cook their food more slowly
C) the market for healthy food has grown immensely
D) parents are becoming more aware of good food options for their children

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Reading Comprehension: True/False
Mark each statement as T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the reading passage.

Read this passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

In many cases, awards can serve a great purpose. The possibility of being recognized for what
they do can make people work harder. In some fields, this can actually really benefit society.
Awards for scientific advancements can honor people who have really made a difference, curing
diseases or inventing things that make lives longer and easier. After receiving an award, the
winner might continue to feel they need to work harder to live up to having been honored in the
past, which means the trend of advancement can continue.

Artistic awards that are famous and on television, like the Grammy Awards or the Oscars, serve
as publicity for the industry as well as a way to honor the people involved in making these works
of art. Sometimes they can serve as inspiration for people outside the field. For example,
knowing that Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best
Director can do a few things - in addition to honoring her work, it can make people want to see
her film "The Hurt Locker" and possibly inspire young girls to realize they can become movie
directors, or whatever else they want, and not to be held back because it's normally something
boys do.

Of course, not everyone cares if they win an award for their work. There are many people out
there - in all fields - who will work just as hard whether or not there is a prize dangling in front
of them. But, in many cases, awards can be an extra incentive or at least a nice bonus for going
above and beyond the call of duty.

7. The author of this article believes that awards serve no purpose in modern society.
A) True
B) False

8. Kathryn Bigelow won an Academy Award for her film “The Hurt Locker.”
A) True
B) False

Reading Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the option that best completes each sentence.

9. Winning an award can further scientific development by encouraging scientists to do all

of the following except ___.
A) work towards those awards
B) live up to their reputation once they have won an award
C) hide their work from other scientists
D) invent something that makes lives longer or easier

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 10. According to the article, an award like the Academy Award does all of the following
except ___.
A) give movie theaters a boost in sales
B) provide publicity for the art form
C) honor those who are good at their jobs
D) encourage others outside of the art form

Vocabulary: Word Families

Choose the word form that correctly completes each sentence.

11. The equipment required regular ____ in order to be reliable.

A) maintenance
B) maintain
C) maintained

12. The skater could not ____ the rigorous practice schedule that had been set for her.
A) maintenance
B) maintain
C) maintained

13. The professor could not ___ the source of the rumor, but he addressed the issue openly
in class to put a stop to it.
A) identification
B) identify
C) identifying

14. The blue paint on the little boy's hands was the same shade as the blue paint splattered
all over the walls, ____ him as the culprit.
A) identification
B) identify
C) identifying

15. Before the writer could ____ the changes to the script, the lead actress had to read
through them and give her approval.
A) finalize
B) final
C) finally

16. The newspaper announced that the musician's ____ performance would take place in his
hometown in Texas.
A) finalize
B) final
C) finally

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 17. Margaret felt that in order for her store to be successful, she had to ____ the suggestions
of her customers when purchasing new products.
A) incorporation
B) incorporate
C) incorporated

18. The event was a huge success. The city ____ the talents of several different artists and
musicians so that there was something for everyone to enjoy.
A) incorporation
B) incorporate
C) incorporated

19. In an attempt to ____ the divisions of the company, the owner established several cross-
department events to help people get acquainted with each other.
A) unification
B) unify
C) unified

20. The parents presented a ____ front to the children so that there could be no doubt about
the rule.
A) unification
B) unify
C) unified

Vocabulary: Multiple Choice

Choose the option that best completes each sentence.

21. For the ____ of the project, the research area will be fenced off to guard against animal
intruders.
A) achievement
B) area
C) feature
D) duration

22. Weighed down by ____ debt, the company was forced to consider bankruptcy.
A) preliminary
B) sole
C) excessive
D) area

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 23. As Cynthia proposed her idea for a new web site to the panel of middle-aged male
investors, she made sure to ___ her intended audience as teenage girls.
A) identify
B) instruct
C) negate
D) require

24. The judge requested that the defendant's lawyer present ___ to support his outlandish
claims.
A) issue
B) evidence
C) lecture
D) instruction

25. Mary's decision to invite Michael to the birthday party was part of her ____ to get
Michael and his aunt Gladys to talk to each other again.
A) subordinate
B) component
C) vision
D) scheme

26. By the time the house was finished, the owner felt a strong ____ with the builders who
had worked on it every day for almost a year.
A) scheme
B) vision
C) bond
D) margin

27. The director's sales ____ for the next four years are high, but they are reasonable based
on the company's record.
A) projections
B) theories
C) foundations
D) transmissions

28. Please ____ abstract art into the design of the new logo.
A) incorporate
B) diminish
C) manipulate
D) project

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 29. He will ____ the documents via email this afternoon when he gets to the office.
A) theorize
B) transmit
C) stress
D) manipulate

30. The students in the ceramics class studied ____ modeling to get their sculptures to look
like real people.
A) minimal
B) stable
C) philosophical
D) dimensional

31. Joseph does the ____ amount of work necessary to keep his job. As a result, he never
gets promoted.
A) identical
B) concurrent
C) stable
D) minimum

32. The owners felt that a loan from the bank was necessary to ____ their small company
and allow it to grow.
A) identify
B) categorize
C) stabilize
D) philosophize

Vocabulary: Fill-in-the-blanks
Use the words below to complete the sentences. Use each word one time.

cycle intrinsic thereby issue

exceed undergo vehicle evident
consist bond project plus

33. The outpouring of support for the injured athlete would far ______________ the
media's predictions.

34. All hypotheses __________ several re-examinations before a working hypothesis is

created and research can begin.

35. Personal e-mailing became a(n) ______________ in the company when it was found
that several employees were spending most of the day writing back and forth to friends
and family.

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 36. It was ______________ to the committee that the applicants had not prepared well for
the interview.

37. The results were not ______________ with the research design, so the committee
decided to look at the paper more closely and check for plagiarism.

38. Jonah became a harbor pilot and was _______________ able to work on ships without
being far from home.

39. The politician turned out not to be a(n) _______________ for change in the small town.
Instead, he wanted to keep things as they were.

40. The car salesman tried to create a(n) _______________ between himself and his clients
so that they would come back to him again and again.

41. The singer had a nice voice, but she couldn't ____ well. People in the back of the room
complained that they couldn't hear her.

42. The book was out of date, but it still had __________ value as a rare collectible item.

43. The psychologist told Suzanna that she would have to confront her fears,
_______________ accept responsibility for her own actions.

44. Lower sales in the spring and summer, and higher sales in the fall and winter: that's the
normal business _______________ of a ski equipment company.

Writing Prompts
Read the questions. Write your answers in paragraph form.

45. Many people are against sports that involve animals, such as horseracing, polo, and dog
racing, because the animals aren't given a choice about whether to participate. How do
you feel about this, and what are the main reasons for your opinion?

46. Some people suggest that women are better multitaskers than men. This conclusion
might stem from the image of a mother cooking, feeding a baby, and helping another
child with homework at the same time. Do you feel that women are better at
multitasking than men? Why or why not? Give examples to support your opinion.

47. What personality traits do you think would be most useful to people working in
animation? Why do you think these traits would serve them well in this type of work?

48. People use music for a variety of purposes in their everyday lives. A person might use
fast music to exercise to or soft music to fall asleep to. What are some other uses for
various kinds of music? Give examples.

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 49. Tasting products all day is not enticing to some people. Do you think that it could be an
enjoyable profession? Why or why not? Do you see yourself as someone who could
become successful at that profession? Explain.

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