READING COMPREHENSION MINITESTS 3-4-5

Passage 3.

Throughout Asia, Mid-Autumn festivals take place during the full moon. For example, Thailand's Loy
Krathong occurs precisely during November's full moon. According to King Mongkut, a royal scholar
who traced the history of the festival in 1863, the first lunar festival happened about 700 years ago
during the era of King Phra Ruong. This king had a beautiful young wife named Nopamas who made a
small boat from banana leaves to float at night on the canal. The container held a candle, some flowers,
and incense sticks. When the candle was lit, it glowed softly and was reflected in the water. The king
was so impressed that he ordered all his people to follow the tradition. The tradition took root and is still
very popular today. People all over Thailand light candles in their leaf boats and gaze at them until they
vanish out of sight.
The ceremony was held to celebrate the end of the agricultural season, a busy time of working in the
fields. People wanted to thank the Water Goddess for giving rain so their crops would produce a good
harvest. These days, people think that bad luck floats away with the leaf boats. As they light the
candles, they make a wish for good things to happen to them. If the candle continues to burn as long as
they can see it, they think they will get their wish. Sometimes people put a little money in their leaf boat
for extra luck. The sight of thousands of floating lights under a night sky lit by the full moon is a
spectacular thing to see.

1. When does Loy Krathong take place?

A. during rainy weather B. before the harvest season
C. at the November full moon D. precisely when autumn starts

2. Which king started the ceremony?

A. Nopamas B. Phra Ruong C. King Mongkut D. the present king

3. Which of these is NOT put in the floating boat?

A. bananas B. flowers C. a candle D. incense sticks

4. Do people have to take the day off from work to attend the festival?
A. No, it's always on a weekend. B. Yes, because no one wants to miss it.
C. Yes, they have to travel to the river. D. No, the festival is held at night.

5. Which opinion would the writer agree with?

A. The holiday really puts people off. B. Loy Krathong has an impact on you.
C. Loy Krathong tends to be very expensive. D. The celebration was better in an earlier era.

Passage 4.

In most countries, people get tickets when they break traffic laws. Getting a ticket can be expensive.
First of all, the person must pay a fine for breaking the law. Also, insurance companies usually raise
their insurance rate when a person gets a traffic ticket. But in some cities in the United States, a person
can go to traffic school for less than US$50 instead of paying a higher insurance rate. In traffic school,
the person learns about the rules of the road and understands how he or she broke the law. But traffic
school can also be fun, or at least convenient. Besides regular traffic school, there are many different
kinds of traffic schools to choose from.
To laugh while you learn, you can go to a comedy traffic school. At this type of traffic school, a
professional comedian teaches the class. A comedian is "a person who tells jokes to make people
laugh." In a comedy traffic school, you learn the same things that you learn in regular traffic school, but
you can have a good time, too.
Some people like to eat while they're learning something new. For these people, there is pizza traffic
school. Again, you learn the same things as in regular traffic school, but you can eat pizza all day while
you learn. In some cities, you can also go to ice cream or chocolate traffic school. It may seem like a
strange idea, but these kinds of food-themed traffic schools are popular.

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If convenience is more important to you than fun, you have two other options. If you don't speak English
very well, you might choose to go to a foreign-language traffic school. For example, in San Francisco,
California, you can attend a Spanish or Cantonese traffic school. In these schools, the instructor
teaches the whole lesson in Spanish or Cantonese. Or maybe you don't have time to go somewhere for
traffic school. In some cities, you are allowed to take traffic school online (on the Internet). And with
these online lessons, you can do a little at a time instead of doing the whole course at once.

1. What is the main idea of this reading?

A. Fun and convenient traffic schools are better than regular traffic schools.
B. Traffic school can be fun and convenient.
C. Going to traffic school can save you money.
D. You can't learn much in comedy or pizza traffic school.

2. Who teaches at comedy traffic school?

A. the students B. people who like to laugh
C. comedians D. professional drivers

3. Pizza, ice cream, and chocolate traffic schools are also called _____.
A. food-themed traffic schools B. eating traffic schools
C. fun and convenient traffic schools D. regular traffic schools

4. According to the reading, pizza traffic schools and other similar schools are _____.
A. more popular than regular traffic schools B. strange, but popular
C. less popular than regular traffic schools D. longer than regular traffic schools

5. A rate is _____.
A. the amount of money you pay for insurance
B. the amount of money you pay each month for something
C. a higher amount of money you must pay each month
D. an increase in the amount of money you must pay

Passage 5.

Personal Qualities
Personal qualities are personal characteristics of an individual. They are what make up one’s
personality. They help a person get along in a new situation. For example, dependability and patience
are qualities that employer would like a good assertiveness, flexibility, problem solving, friendliness,
intelligence, leadership, enthusiasm, and a good sense of humor.
Most employers want people who are dependable and who get along with others. Though skills are
important, an employer will select new employees based on their personal qualities as well.

1. Personal qualities are personal ______ of an individual.

A. announcements B. skills C. duties D. characteristics
2. For example, _____ is a quality employers would like in a good worker.
A. dependability B. skills C. duties D. dishonesty
3. Other qualities ______ value are honesty, intelligence, and leadership.
A. announcements B. employers C. duties D. dogcatchers
4. Flexibility, assertiveness, problem solving, and _______ are also valued.
A. announcements B. friendliness C. dishonesty D. a bad attitude
5. _________ are also based on to select new employees.
A. Announcements B. Duties C. Personal qualities D. Employers