Reading Quiz Mr.

Mohamed El-Sheikh

Read the following passages and answer the questions:

Passage 1
Question 1----6
There are three different kinds of burns: first degree, second degree, and third degree. Each
type of burn requires a different type of medical treatment.

The least serious burn is the first degree burn. This burn causes the skin to turn red but does
not cause blistering. A mild sunburn is a good example of a first degree burn, and, like a mild
sunburn, first degree burns generally do not require medical treatment other than a gentle
cooling of the burned skin with ice or cold tap water.

Second degree burns, on the other hand, do cause blistering of the skin and should be
treated immediately. These burns should be immersed in warm water and then wrapped in
a sterile dressing or bandage. (Do not apply butter or grease to these burns. Despite the old
wives’ tale, butter does not help burns heal but actually increases the chances of infection.) If
a second degree burn covers a large part of the body, then the victim should be taken to the
hospital immediately for medical care.
––
Third degree burns are those that char the skin and turn it black or burn so deeply that the
skin shows white. These burns usually result from direct contact with flames and have a
great chance of becoming infected. All third degree burn victims should receive immediate
hospital care. Burns should not be immersed in water, and charred clothing should not be
removed from the victim as it may also remove the skin. If possible, a sterile dressing or
bandage should be applied to burns before the victim is transported to the hospital.

1. The main idea of this passage is best expressed in which sentence?

a. Third degree burns are very serious.
b. There are three different kinds of burns.
c. Some burns require medical treatment.
d. Each type of burn requires a different type of treatment.

2. A mild sunburn should be treated by ………………… .

a. removing charred clothing
b. immersing it in warm water and wrapping it in a sterile bandage
c. getting immediate medical attention
d. gently cooling the burned skin with cool water

3. Which of the following is NOT a recommended treatment for third degree burns?
a. Immerse in warm water.
b. Get immediate hospital care.
c. Apply a sterile bandage.
d. Keep charred clothing on the victim.

4. The word it in the first sentence of paragraph 4 refers to …………. .

a. a third-degree burn

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

b. the skin
c. charred clothing
d. infection

5. The phrase old wives’ tale in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by which word or phrase?
a. good advice
b. lie
c. ancient story
d. popular belief
––
6. Where in the passage does the author describe the characteristics of second-degree
burns?
a. at the end of paragraph 2
b. at the beginning of paragraph 3
c. at the end of paragraph 3
d. at the beginning of paragraph 4

Passage 2

(The numbers in the text are for the sentence insertion question.)
Question 7----13

There are two types of diabetes: insulin-dependent (Type I) and non-insulin-dependent

(Type II). An estimated 14 million people in the United States have diabetes, and most (90–
95%) have the non-insulin-dependent type. Unlike the symptoms of Type I diabetes, the
symptoms of Type II often develop gradually and are hard to identify at first. (1) Therefore,
nearly half of all people with Type II diabetes do not know they have it. (2) While the causes,
onset of symptoms, short term effects, and treatments of the two types differ, both types of
diabetes can cause the same long-term health problems. (3)

The most important problem is the way both types affect the body’s ability to use digested
food for energy. Diabetes does not interfere with digestion, but it does prevent the body
from using an important product of digestion—glucose (commonly known as sugar)—for
energy. After a meal, the normal digestive system breaks some food down into glucose. The
blood carries glucose throughout the body, causing blood glucose levels to rise. In response
to this rise, the hormone insulin is released into the blood stream. Insulin signals the body
tissues to metabolize, or burn, the glucose for fuel, which causes blood glucose levels to
return to normal. The glucose that the body does not use right away is stored in the liver,
muscle tissue, or fat.

In both types of diabetes, however, this normal process malfunctions. A gland called the
pancreas, found just behind the stomach, makes insulin. In people with insulin-dependent
diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin at all. These patients must have daily insulin
injections to survive. People with non-insulin dependent diabetes usually produce some
insulin in their pancreas, but the body’s tissues do not respond very well to the insulin signal
and therefore do not metabolize the glucose properly. This condition is also known as

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

insulin resistance.

There’s no cure for diabetes yet. (4) However, there are ways to alleviate its symptoms. In
1986, a National Institutes of Health panel of experts recommended that the best treatment
for Type II diabetes is a diet that helps one maintain a normal weight and balances all food
groups. Many experts, including those in the American Diabetes Association, recommend
that 50–60 percent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12–20 percent from protein,
and no more than 30% from fat. Foods that are rich in carbohydrates, like breads, cereals,
fruits, and vegetables, break down into glucose during digestion, causing blood glucose to
rise. Additionally, studies have shown that cooked foods raise blood glucose higher than raw
foods.
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7. What is the author’s main purpose in this passage?
a. to show readers how to prevent diabetes
b. to show the differences between Type I and II diabetes
c. to describe the best diet for people with diabetes
d. to describe the health problem caused by both types of diabetes

8. The word alleviate in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ………….

a. get rid of.
b. reduce.
c. increase.
d. medicate.

9. Insulin is produced by …………..

a. the stomach.
b. the pancreas.
c. the blood.
d. the liver.

10. Which of the following is NOT true of glucose?

a. It is produced from food during digestion.
b. It is carried in the bloodstream.
c. It is burned by the body for energy.
d. It is a hormone produced by the body.

11. The passage suggests that …………………..

a. A diet too heavy in carbohydrates is bad for people with diabetes.
b. People with diabetes need extra carbohydrates in their diet.
c. Diabetes is not really a very serious disease.
d. People with diabetes should lose weight.

12. What does the author mean by the statement Diabetes does not interfere with digestion, but
it does prevent the body from using an important product of digestion—glucose (commonly
known as sugar)—for energy?

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

a. Diabetes prevents the body from digesting food.

b. Diabetes is triggered by too much sugar in the body.
c. Diabetes causes the body to burn too much glucose for energy.
d. Diabetes blocks the body’s ability to process sugar during digestion.
––8
13. The following sentence can be inserted into the passage:
But it is very important for people to be aware that they have this disease.
Where would this sentence best fit in the passage? Choose the number to indicate where you would
add the sentence to the passage.
a. (1)
b. (2)
c. (3)
d. (4)

Passage 3
Question 14----23
Crows are probably the most frequently met and easily identifiable members of the
native fauna of the United States. The great number of tales, legends, and myths about
these birds indicates that people have been exceptionally interested in them for a long
time. On the other hand, when it comes to substantive -- particularly behavioral --
information, crows are less well known than many comparably common species and,
for that matter, not a few quite uncommon ones: the endangered California condor, to
cite one obvious example. There are practical reasons for this.

Crows are notoriously poor and aggravating subjects for field research. Keen
observers and quick learners, they are astute about the intentions of other creatures,
including researchers, and adept at avoiding them. Because they are so numerous,
active, and monochromatic, it is difficult to distinguish one crow from another. Bands,
radio transmitters, or other identifying devices can be attached to them, but this of
course requires catching live crows, who are among the wariest and most untrappable
of birds.

Technical difficulties aside, crow research is daunting because the ways of these
birds are so complex and various. As preeminent is generalists, members of this species
ingeniously exploit a great range of habitats and resources, and they can quickly adjust
to changes in their circumstances. Being so educable, individual birds have markedly
different interests and inclinations, strategies and scams. For example, one pet crow
learned how to let a dog out of its kennel by pulling the pin on the door. When the dog
escaped, the bird went into the kennel and ate its food.

14. What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The ways in which crows differ from other common birds
(B) The myths and legends about crows
(C) The characteristics that make crows difficult to study
(D) The existing methods for investigating crow behavior

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

15. According to the first paragraph, what evidence is there that crows have interested people for
a long time?
(A) The large number of stories about crows
(B) The frequency with which crows are sighted
(C) The amount of research that has been conducted on crows
(D) The ease with which crows are identified

16. The word "comparable" in line 5 is closest in meaning to ……………... .

(A) interestingly
(B) similar
(C) otherwise
(D) sometimes

17. In line 6, the author mentions the endangered California condor as an example of a species
that is ……………. .
(A) smaller than the crow
(B) easily identifiable
(C) featured in legends
(D) very rare

18. According to the second paragraph, crows are poor subjects for field research for all of the
following reasons EXCEPT ……………
(A) They can successfully avoid observers.
(B) They are hard to distinguish from one another
(C) They can be quite aggressive.
(D) They are difficult to catch.

19. In the second paragraph, the author implies that using radio transmitters would allow a
researcher who studies crows to …………………. .
(A) identify individual crows
(B) follow flocks of crows over long distances
(C) record the times when crows are most active
(D) help crows that become sick or injured

20. According to the third paragraph, which of the following is true about crows?
(A) They seldom live in any one place for very long.
(B) They thrive in a wide variety of environments.
(C) They have marked preferences for certain kinds of foods.
(D) They use up the resources in one area before moving to another.

21. In line 19, the word "inclinations" is closest in meaning to ………… .

(A) tricks
(B) opportunities
(C) preferences
(D) experiences

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

22. In lines 19-21, the author mentions a pet crow to illustrate which of the following?
(A) The clever ways that crows solve problems
(B) The differences between pet crows and wild crows
(C) The ease with which crows can be tamed
(D) The affection that crows show to other creatures

23. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?

(A) Crows have relatively long lives.
(B) Crows have keen vision.
(C) Crows are usually solitary.
(D) Crows are very intelligent.

Passage 4
QUESTIONS 24-31
In the early days of the United States, postal charges were paid by the recipient and
charges varied with the distance carried. In 1825, the United States Congress permitted
local postmasters to give letters to mail carriers for home delivery, but these carriers
received no government salary and their entire compensation depended on what they
were paid by the recipients of individual letters.

In 1847 the United States Post Office Department adopted the idea of a postage stamp,
which of course simplified the payment for postal service but caused grumbling by
those who did not like to prepay. Besides, the stamp covered only delivery to the post
office and did not include carrying it to a private address. In Philadelphia, for example,
with a population of 150,000, people still had to go to the post office to get their mail.
The confusion and congestion of individual citizens looking for their letters was itself
enough to discourage use of the mail. It is no wonder that, during the years of these
cumbersome arrangements, private letter-carrying and express businesses developed.
Although their activities were only semilegal, they thrived, and actually advertised that
between Boston and Philadelphia they were a half-day speedier than the government
mail. The government postal service lost volume to private competition and was not
able to handle efficiently even the business it had.

Finally, in 1863, Congress provided that the mail carriers who delivered the mail
from the post offices to private addresses should receive a government salary, and that
there should be no extra charge for that delivery. But this delivery service was at first
confined to cities, and free home delivery became a mark of urbanism. As late as 1887,
a town had to have 10,000 people to be eligible for free home delivery. In 1890, of the
75 million people in the United States, fewer than 20 million had mail delivered free
to their doors. The rest, nearly three-quarters of the population, still received no mail
unless they went to their post office.

24. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The increased use of private mail services
(B) The development of a government postal system

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

(C) A comparison of urban and rural postal services

(D) The history of postage stamps

25. The word "varied" in line 2 could best be replaced by ………… .

(A) increased
(B) differed
(C) returned
(D) started

26. Which of the following was seen as a disadvantage of the postage stamp?
(A) It had to be purchased by the sender in advance.
(B) It increased the cost of mail delivery.
(C) It was difficult to affix to letters.
(D) It was easy to counterfeit.

27. Why does the author mention the city of Philadelphia in line 9?
(A) It was the site of the first post office in the United States.
(B) Its postal service was inadequate for its population.
(C) It was the largest city in the United States in 1847.
(D) It was commemorated by the first United States postage stamp.

28. The word "cumbersome" in line 13 is closest in meaning to ……….. .

(A) burdensome
(B) handsome
(C) loathsome
(D) quarrelsome

29. The word "they" in line 15 refers to ………….. .

(A) Boston and Philadelphia
(B) businesses
(C) arrangements
(D) letters

30. The private postal services of the nineteenth century claimed that they could do which of the
following better than the government?
(A) Deliver a higher volume of mail.
(B) Deliver mail more cheaply.
(C) Deliver mail faster.
(D) Deliver mail to rural areas.

31. In 1863 the United States government began providing which of the following to mail carriers?
(A) A salary
(B) Housing
(C) Transportation
(D) Free postage stamps

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Reading Quiz Mr. Mohamed El-Sheikh

32. The word "Confined" in line 21 is closest in meaning to …………. .

(A) granted
(B) scheduled
(C) limited
(D) recommended

Submission link:

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