318 Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension

Questions 16-20

A legend is a popular type of folk tale. In some ways, legends

resemble myths, another type of folk tale. But myths describe
events from antiquity and usually deal with religious subjects,
(line) such as the birth of a god. Legends tell of recognizable people,
(';) places, and events and often take place in comparatively recent
times. Some legends are based on real persons or events, but many
are entirely fictional. The legends of the superhuman
accomplishments of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill are imaginary,
while the legends about Washington and Lincoln are mostly
(10) exaggerations of real qualities those two presidents had.
All societies have legends. Most legends began as stories about
the heroes of a particular region, occupation, or ethnic group.
For example, John Henry was a legendary hero of black Americans,
and Casey Jones of railroad workers. Over time, however, these
figures have become national heroes.
16. Both legends and myths can be classified as folk tales.
17. Myths generally take place in comparatively recent times.
18. The stories of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill are not true, but they are based on actual
people.
19. Legends about Washington and Lincoln are not entirely fictional.
20. John Henry and Casey Jones are today well-known only by certain groups of people.

Exercise 46.3

Focus: Answering inference and purpose questions.

Directions: Read the following passages and the questions about them. Decide which of the
choices-(A), (B), (C), or (D)-best answers the question, and mark the answer. The first one is
dom: as an example.

Questions 1-4

Pigeons have been taught to recognize human facial expressions,

upsetting long-held beliefs that only humans had evolved the
sophisticated nervous systems to perform such a feat. In recent
(line) experiments at the University of Iowa, eight trained pigeons were
(5) shown photographs of people displaying emotions of happiness,
anger, surprise, and disgust. The birds learned to distinguish
between these expressions. Not only that, but they were also able
to correctly identify the same expressions on photographs of
unfamiliar faces. Their achievement does not suggest, of course,
(10) that the pigeons had any idea what the human expressions meant.
Some psychologists have theorized that because of the
importance of facial expression to human communication, humans
developed special nervous systems capable of recognizing subtle
expressions. The pigeons cast doubt on that idea, however.
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(15) In fact, the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion

is not necessarily innate even in human babies, but may have to
be learned in much the same way pigeons learn. In experiments
conducted several years ago at the University of Iowa, it was
found that pigeons organize images of things into the same
(20) logical categories that humans do.
None of this work would come as any surprise to Charles Darwin,
who long ago wrote about the continuity of mental development
from animals to humans.
1. From the passage, which of the following can be inferred about pigeons'
___ (A) They can show the same emotions humans can.
___ (B) They can understand human emotions.
___ (C) They can only identify the expressions of people they are familiar with.
~ (D) They have more sophisticated nervous systems than was once thought.

2. The passage implies that, at birth, human babies

___ (A) have nervous systems capable of recognizing subtle expressions
___ (B) can learn from pigeons
_ _ _ (C) are not able to recognize familiar faces
___ (D) may not be able to identify basic emotions through facial expressions
3. Why does the author mention the experiments conducted several years ago at the University of
Iowa?
___ (A) They proved that pigeons were not the only kind of animal with the ability to
recognize facial expressions.
___ (B) They were contradicted by more recent experiments.
_ _ _ (C) They proved that the ability to recognize human expressions was not innate in human
babies.
___ (D) They showed the similarities between the mental organization of pigeons and that of
humans.
4. If Charles Darwin could have seen the results of this experiment, his most probable response
would have been one of
___ (A) rejection
___ (B) surprise
_ _ _ (C) agreement
___ (D) amusement

Questions 5-7

The spectacular eruptions of Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone

National Park do not occur like clockwork. Before the earthquake
of 1959, eruptions came every 60 to 65 minutes; today they are as
(line) little as 30 minutes or as much as 90 minutes apart. The geyser
(5) usually gives a warning: a short burst of steam. Then a graceful
column rises up to 150 feet in the air. The water unfurls in the
sunlight with the colors of the rainbow playing across it.
This eruption is only the visible part of the spectacle. The
geyser is linked by an intricate plumbing network to some
(10) extremely hot rocks. As water seeps into the underground system,
it is heated at the bottom like water in a tea kettle. But while
water in a kettle rises because of convection, the narrow tubes
of the geyser system prevent free circulation of the water. Thus,
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the water in the upper tubes is far cooler than the water
( I "i) at the bottom. The weight of the water puts pressure on the
column, and this raises the boiling point of the water near the
bottom. Finally. the water in the upper part of the column warms
and expands. some of it welling out of the mouth of the geyser.
This decreases the pressure on the superheated water, which
(20) abruptly turns to steam. This in turn forces all the water and
vapor out of the geyser.
'). It can be inferred from the passage that the earthquake of 1959 made Old Faithful geyser erupt
___ (A) more frequently
___ (ll) less regularly
___ (C) more suddenly
___ (D) less spectacularly
6. Why does the author mention a rainbow in line 7?
_. ._ (A) The column of water forms an arc in the shape of a rainbow.
___.. (B) In the sunlight, the column of water may produce the colors of the rainbow.
_ _ _ (C) Rainbows can be seen quite frequently in Yellowstone National Park.
____ . (D) The rainbow. like the geyser. is an example of the beauty of nature.
- The passage implies that Old Faithful would probably not erupt at all if
___ (A) the tuhes of the geyser system were very wide
_. _ _ (ll) the climate suddenly changed
___ (C) there had not been an earthquake in 1959
___ (D) the underground tubes were longer

Questions 8-12

In 1881, a new type of weed began spreading across the northern

Great Plains. Unlike other weeds, the tumbleweed did not spend
its life rooted to the soil; instead it tumbled and rolled across
(line) fields in the wind. The weed had sharp, spiny leaves that could
("i) lacerate the f1esh of ranchers and horses alike. It exploited the
vast area of the plains, thriving in regions too barren to
support other plants. With its ability to generate and
disseminate numerous seeds qUickly, it soon became the scourge of
the prairies.
(10) To present-day Americans, the tumbleweed symbolizes the Old
West. They read the Zane Grey novels in which tumbleweeds drift
across stark western landscapes and see classic western movies in
which tumbleweeds share scenes with cowboys and covered wagons.
Yet just over a century ago, the tumbleweed was a newcomer. The
(1'1) first sign of the invasion occurred in North and South Dakota in
the late 1870's.
Farmers had noticed the sudden appearance of the new. unusual
weed. One group of immigrants, however, did not find the weed at
all unfamiliar. The tumbleweed. it turns out, was a native of
(20) southern Russia. where it was known as Tartar thistle. It was
imported to the l'nited States by unknown means.
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Frontier settlers gave the plants various names: saltwort,

Russian cactus, and wind witch. But botanists at the Department
of Agriculture preferred the designation Russian thistle as the
(25) plant's common name. However, these botanists had a much harder
time agreeing on the plant's scientific name. Generally,
botanists compare a plant to published accounts of similar
plants, or to samples kept as specimens. Unfortunately, no book
described the weed, and no samples existed in herbaria in the
United States.
8. Which of the following can be inferred about tumbleweeds?
___ (A) They have strong, deep roots.
___ (B) They require a lot of care.
_ _ _ (C) They reproduce efficiently.
___ (D) They provided food for ranchers and animals.
9. The passage suggests that most present-day Americans
___ (A) consider the tumbleweed beneficial
___ (B) don't know when tumbleweeds came to North America
_ _ _ (C) have never heard of tumbleweeds
___ (D) believe tumbleweeds are newcomers to the United States
lO. The author mentions the novels of Zane Grey and classic western movies (lines 11-12) because
they
___ (A) tell the story of the invasion of tumbleweeds
___ (B) are sources of popular information about tumbleweeds
_ _ _ (C) present very inaccurate pictures of tumbleweeds
___ (D) were written long before tumbleweeds were present in the United States
11. It is probable that the "group of immigrants" mentioned in line 18
___ (A) was from southern Russia
___ (B) had lived in North and South Dakota for many years
_ _ _ (C) imported tumbleweeds into the United States
___ (D) wrote a number of accounts about tumbleweeds
12. From the passage it can be inferred that the botanists at the Department of Agriculture
___ (A) could not find any tumbleweeds on the plains
___ (B) gave the names saltwort, Russian cactus, and wind witch to the tumbleweed
_ _ _ (C) could not decide on a common designation for the tumbleweed
___ (D) found it difficult to classify the plant scientifically

Questions 13-17

For most modern airports, the major design problem is scale-

how to allow adequate space on the ground for maneuvering wide-
body jets while permitting convenient and rapid movement of
(line) passengers departing, arriving, or transferring from one flight
(5) to another.
Most designs for airport terminals take one of four approaches.
In the linear plan, the building may be straight or curved. The
passengers board aircraft parked next to the terminal. This plan
works well for small airports that need to provide boarding areas
(lO) for only a few aircraft at a time.
In the pier plan, narrow corridors or piers extend from a
central building. This plan allows many aircraft to park next to
the building. However, it creates long walking distances for
passengers.
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(15) In the satellite plan, passengers board aircraft from small

terminals that are separated from the main terminals. Passengers
reach the satellites by way of shuttle trains or underground
passageways that have shuttle trains or moving sidewalks.
The transporter plan employs some system of transport to move
(20) passengers from the terminal building to the aircraft. If buses
are used, the passengers must climb a flight of stairs to board
the aircraft. If mobile lounges are used, they can link up
directly with the aircraft and protect passengers from the
weather.
13. It can be inferred that scale would not pose a major design problem at airports if
___ (A) airports were larger
___ (B) aircraft did not need so much space to maneuver on the ground
___ (C) other forms of transportation were more efficient
___ (D) airplanes could fly faster
14. The linear plan would probably be best at
___ (A) a busy airport
___ (B) an airport used by many small aircraft
___ (C) an airport with only a few arrivals or departures
___ (D) an airport that serves a large city
15. The passage implies that the term "satellite plan" is used because
___ (A) satellites are launched and tracked from these sites
___ (B) small terminals encircle the main terminal like satellites around a planet
___ (C) the plan makes use of the most modern, high-technology equipment
___ (D) airports that make use of this plan utilize data from weather satellites
16. The passage suggests that shuttle trains transfer passengers to satellite terminals from
___ (A) the main terminal
___ (B) airplanes
___ (C) downtown
___ (D) other satellite terminals
17. It can be inferred that mobile lounges would be more desirable than buses when
___ (A) passengers are in a hurry
___ (B) flights have been delayed
_ _ _ (C) the weather is bad
___ (D) passengers need to save money
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Questions 18-20

The sea has been rising relative to the land for at least 100
years, geologists say. During that same period, the Atlantic
Coast has eroded an average of 2 to 3 feet per year, the Gulf
(line) Coast even faster. Many engineers maintain that seawalls and
(5) replenished beaches are necessary to protect the nation's
shoreline. Too many people live or vacation in Miami Beach,
Atlantic City, or Martha's Vineyard to allow their roads and
buildings to simply fall into the sea.
The problem with seawalls is that they simply don't work. One
(10) study has shown that, in fact, seawalls accelerate the erosion of
beaches.
Faced with the loss of their beaches, other communities have
tried a simple but expensive solution: replace the lost sand.
These replenishment programs, however, are costly and of dubious
(15) value. Another study has shown that only 10% of replenished
beaches lasted more than 5 years.
18. It can be inferred from the passage that the author
___ (A) opposes the use of both seawalls and beach replenishment
___ (B) believes beach replenishment would be more effective than seawalls
___ (C) opposes any actions to protect the shoreline
___ (D) denies that beach erosion is a problem
19. Why does the author mention Miami Beach, Atlantic City, and Martha's Vinyard?
___ (A) These are communities with seawalls.
___ (B) These are communities that have implemented replenishment programs.
___ (C) These are communities in danger of beach erosion.
___ CD) These are communities which have lost roads and buildings to erosion.
20. The author quotes the two studies in the passage in order to
___ (A) suggest that the sea is not rising as fast as was originally believed
___ (ll) strengthen the engineers' contention that seawalls and replenished beaches are
necessary
___ (C) propose two new solutions to beach erosion
___ (D) support his own position