4 ACET SIMULATED EXAM 4

Section 4
Reading
Comprehension
Time — 25 minutes
30 Questions

The Reading Comprehension Test aims to measure your ability to understand

the literal meaning and logical implications of various texts and passages.

Read the directions carefully and study the given example before answering.

Directions: Answer the questions based on the given information in the following
selections. Shade the corresponding letter of your answer on the answer sheet.

Example: Roses are red,

Violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet,
And so are you.

Which of the following is used to describe “you” in the poem?

A. rose C. sugar
B. violet D. red

Answer: A B C D

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Passage 1:

Socrates (469-399 B.C.) was the first of the great Greek philosophers. He was
an oral teacher, not a writer. A number of brilliant young men of Athens voluntarily
became pupils of his and gathered in a little group around him to discuss whatever
questions came up.

Some of these young men took notes on what Socrates said and later
embodied his teachings in their own books. Plato (428-347 B.C.) was the most
distinguished of these students and many considered him the greatest philosopher of
his own and later times. In his writings, Plato followed the form of the dialogue that
Socrates used in his discussions; he even made Socrates the chief speaker in them and
gave him credit for the clear thinking that runs through them. Most of this was Plato’s
own thought, even though it was the outgrowth of what he had learned from his
studies with Socrates.

“The Republic” is probably the most famous of all the dialogues of Plato.
Here, Socrates is represented as being invited to the house of Polemachus, where a
number of young men were present. They attempt in their conversation to set up the
perfect state. The person who speaks of himself as “I” is Socrates. The other
speakers, all young Greeks about twenty years old, are much interested in
philosophical questions.

The whole of “The Republic” is a philosopher’s thinking about an ideal state

and the citizens of such state. When Plato discusses music, he thinks of it first as we
do. Then he goes on to consider it as embodying all the refining arts which, when
combined, become philosophy. In the same way he regards gymnastics first as
physical training, then as a means to make the body a dwelling place for the spirit of a
philosopher.

191. The passage mainly discusses the idea that

A. the philosophers during Plato’s time were young.
B. Plato directly copied the works of Socrates and his method of teaching.
C. Socrates preferred speaking than writing.
D. Plato included the discussions of Socrates in “The Republic.”

192. Socrates is described in the passage as

A. a strict teacher who required his students to participate.
B. a great thinker who was lazy to write his own philosophical thoughts.
C. a philosopher who influenced young thinkers such as Plato.
D. a man of few words who managed to overcome his fear of public speaking.

193. The third paragraph implies that “The Republic” is famous because of
A. the young Greeks.
B. the political stories.

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C. the philosophical conversations.

D. the house of Polemachus.
194. It can be inferred from the fourth paragraph that “The Republic”
A. questions the modern-day philosophical thoughts of young citizens.
B. presents the best method of teaching.
C. is an important contribution in the field of Philosophy.
D. discusses the concepts of art, music and justice in an ideal state.

195. Based on the passage, the author would most likely agree that
A. Plato wrote his masterpiece at a time of major political decay.
B. Plato was heavily influenced by Socrates, but he still used his own thoughts
to discuss philosophy and political theory.
C. “Allegory of the Cave” is about human perception and knowledge that was
mentioned in “The Republic.”
D. Plato’s “The Republic” is the longest of his works with the exception of the
Laws, and is certainly the greatest of them.

196. What could be the other term for “The Republic”?

A. The Socratic Dialogue
B. The Socratic Method
C. The Interpretations of a Student
D. The Great Philosopher and I

Passage 2:

Over the past week or so, there have been news reports about Filipino-
Americans running for office in Hawaii – and we are told that there’s a good chance
that the next mayor of Honolulu and perhaps even the next governor of Hawaii may
be a Filipino.

These news stories bring up memories of about 20 years ago, when I was
living in Honolulu – and a man named Ted Mina was the central figure of the great
story about Filipinos in Hawaiian politics. It seems that Ted woke up one day and
realized that because of migration, there was quite a number of Filipinos in his
district – and he felt that he would have a very good chance of being elected to the
State House of Representatives if he were the only Filipino who ran. So he declared
his candidacy – and since he was the only Filipino candidate, he did not bother to
campaign among the Filipino-Americans. At the end of the day, he went to bed,
confident that he would win.

But he lost – by five votes. There was only one explanation that made sense:
Many Filipinos did not vote for him. So he made rounds of the Filipino community in
his district, but everyone swore that they voted for him. Ted was sceptical, and an

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old-timer recognized that Ted didn’t believe them. He took Ted aside and confided:
“It is not that we voted for someone else. We just didn’t vote.

“You’ve got to understand. A lot of us older people are illiterate. We would

feel terribly embarrassed if we asked someone to help us fill out the ballot. We would
be confessing a shameful secret that we have been keeping all these years.”

Ted understood. He spent a few days thinking about how he might overcome
this handicap. Then he had a brainstorm. He felt he knew how to get around this
difficulty. He determined to run again two years afterwards. He made it a point to be
the first candidate to register. This meant that his name would top the list of
candidates. This time around he also did make a point to campaign among the
Filipino-Americans. And invariably he ended his campaign spiel by saying: “And so,
vote for me, your kababayan. It’s very easy. Just check the first name on the ballot.
The name on the first line – that’s me. Check the first line on the ballot.” At the end
of the election day, Ted went to bed, confident that he would win.

But he lost – by five votes. Nearly hundred votes were declared invalid
because the voters had not checked the name of any candidate, but the first line on the
ballot. The first line on the ballot read: “State of Hawaii” (the second line read
“Official Ballot”). The names of the candidates were several lines lower.

A less determined man would have thrown up his hands and given up. But
Ted ran again two years afterwards – and he won.

Gerry Gil, “A Filipino Candidate in Hawaii”

197. Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?
A. Filipino migrants must work together to overthrow the residents in Hawaii.
B. Filipinos must exercise their right to vote even though they are outside the
Philippines.
C. Senior citizens in Hawaii must be familiar with the Overseas Absentee
Voting Act.
D. A determined Filipino like Ted Mina must not give up on his dreams, goals,
and vision.

198. Why was Ted sure that he would be elected to the State House of
Representatives in Hawaii?
A. Filipinos in Hawaii would surely vote for him because he was a Filipino.
B. Filipino-Americans need a new government.
C. He wanted to change the policies and build a strong Filipino community in
Hawaii.
D. Literacy rate must be the top priority of the government.

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199. Each of the following is the reason Ted Mina did not win the elections
EXCEPT
A. overconfidence of the candidate.
B. apathy among Filipino migrants.
C. vague instructions given during the campaign.
D. most of the old voters cannot read and write.

200. In the fifth paragraph, handicap means

A. damaged. C. disability.
B. obstacle. D. affliction.

Passage 3:

I do not love you except because I love you;

I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;

I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume

My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who

Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Pablo Neruda, “Sonnet LXVI”

201. Which of the following best describes the tone of the poem?
A. vexed C. angry
B. gloomy D. hopeless

202. Each of the following is the literary device used by the author EXCEPT
A. epigraph. C. repetition.
B. paradox. D. imagery.

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203. The line “I do not love you because I love you” suggests that
A. love and hate may confuse the individual who feels them.
B. emotions vary and may affect a person’s state of mind.
C. the persona is undecided on what to feel and who to love.
D. the author is confused and decided to write a poem using paradox.

204. What does “January Light” in the third stanza signify?

A. The persona accepts the pain that comes with falling in love.
B. Perhaps a new beginning will help the persona to move on and forget.
C. There is a great chance for his love to be noticed by someone else.
D. He loves her purely, without expectation of personal gain.

205. Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the poem?
A. The persona expresses his intense love for his wife. He loves her freely,
without coercion; he loves her purely without too much expectations.
B. The poem presents the pleas of a love-struck individual calling to his
beloved to spend her life with him even though he is confused with his
feelings.
C. The persona is confused as to how he feels. However, he accepts the pain
that comes with falling in love because he truly loves her passionately.
D. The poem shows a never-ending remembrance of pain, suffering and
sorrow. The persona wants to forget everything and start a new
beginning.

Passage 4:

Besides the physics problems, time travel may also come with some unique
situations. A classic example is the grandfather paradox, in which a time traveler goes
back and kills his parents or his grandfather — the major plot line in the
“Terminator” movies — or otherwise interferes in their relationship — think “Back to
the Future” — so that he is never born or his life is forever altered. If that were to
happen, some physicists say, you would be not be born in one parallel universe but
still born in another. Others say that the photons that make up light prefer self-
consistency in timelines, which would interfere with your evil, suicidal plan.

Some scientists disagree with the options mentioned above and say time
travel is impossible no matter what your method. The faster-than-light one in
particular drew derision from American Museum of Natural History astrophysicist
Charles Lu. Also, humans may not be able to withstand time travel at all. Traveling

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nearly the speed of light would only take a centrifuge, but that would be lethal, said
Jeff Tollaksen, a professor of physics at Chapman University, in 2012. Using gravity
would also be deadly. To experience time dilation, one could stand on a neutron star,
but the forces a person would experience would rip you apart first.

An excerpt from “Time Travel: Theories, Paradoxes & Possibilities”

by Elizabeth Howell

206. According to the passage, what is the primary result of the grandfather
paradox?
A. Changing the past may also change the present and the future of the whole
universe.
B. Any action may alter the past, creating a new storyline for another parallel
universe.
C. Killing a relative has a great consequence in the space-time continuum.
D. There will be no more children in the future if the ancestor was accidentally
killed.

207. What does the word derision, as used in the second paragraph, mean?
A. confusion C. ridicule
B. approval D. compliment

208. According to the passage, time travel is impossible because

A. humans may not be able to withstand time travel.
B. a safe time machine is not yet invented by the scientists.
C. one must be faster than a speed of light.
D. time dilation affects a person’s speed.

209. The author develops the passage primarily by

A. theory and refutation. C. comparison and contrast.
B. example and generalization. D. question and answer.

210. After reading the passage, what can one conclude about time travel?
A. Grandchildren must never go back in time to avoid future family problems.
B. Scientists must continue finding possible ways to travel back in time.
C. Science Fiction movies about time travel must be accurate and convincing.
D. The concept of time travel is popular, but not all scientists believe it is
possible.

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Passage 5:

I never meant the words I said,

So trouble not your honest head
And never mean the words I write,
But come and kiss me now goodnight.

The words I said break with the thunder

Of billows surging into spray:
Unfathomed depths withhold the wonder
Of all the words I never say.

Angela Manalang Gloria, “Words”

211. Which word best describes the tone of the poem?

A. cheerful C. frightened
B. sarcastic D. serious

212. Which word best describes the mood of the poem?

A. excited C. anxious
B. flattered D. relaxed

213. It can be inferred from the first stanza that

A. every moment should be treasured and experienced without any regrets by
speaking from the heart.
B. words can inspire, assure, and express, but can also hurt, degrade and hate.
C. a person may be carried away with his feelings that he speaks the first
words that come into his mind.
D. humans commit mistake, but we should also learn from it and ask for
forgiveness.

214. The line “break with thunder” in the second stanza symbolizes
A. the powerful words that can express hidden emotions if only uttered.
B. the words that are often heard by the ears and not by the heart.
C. the sound of the hurtful words that make other people feel inferior.
D. a person who can say it best when he says nothing at all.

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215. Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the poem?
A. Words are not enough to express the intensity of emotions. Beyond the
limitation of words lies the deeper meaning.
B. Words with passion and sincerity can go a long way. Words can change
your goals, dreams and aspirations in life.
C. Emotions should only be expressed to those people whom you instinctively
know you can trust. Otherwise, conceal your feelings with words.
D. We need words to express ourselves and communicate with others, but
what is actually being communicated is our feeling.

Passage 6:

When it comes to success, it’s easy to think that people blessed with brains
are inevitably going to leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from
Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).

Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and
performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your
success than your IQ. Dweck found that people’s core attitudes fall into one of two
categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot
change. This creates problems when you’re challenged because anything that appears
to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and
overwhelmed.

People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. They
outperform those with a fixed mindset, even when they have a lower IQ, because they
embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.

Common sense would suggest that having ability, like being smart, inspires
confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy. The deciding factor in life is
how you handle setbacks and challenges. People with a growth mindset welcome
setbacks with open arms.

According to Dweck, success in life is all about how you deal with failure.
Regardless of which side of the chart you fall on, you can make changes and develop
a growth mindset. What follows are some strategies that will fine-tune your mindset
and help you make certain it’s as growth oriented as possible.

An excerpt from “Why Attitude Is More Important Than IQ”

by Travis Bradberry

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216. Identify the type of the passage.

A. Descriptive C. Expository
B. Narrative D. Persuasive
217. The word bound in the third paragraphs is synonymous to
A. certain. C. forced.
B. bounce. D. joined.

218. The third and fourth paragraphs

A. illustrate the problems of having two types of mindset.
B. describe the differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
C. present the emotions associated with fixed mindset and growth mindset.
D. provide suggestions on how to overcome fixed mindset.

219. What does the last paragraph signify?

A. It is easier for a person with fixed mindset to develop a growth mindset.
B. People with fixed mindset are hopeless.
C. The writer is optimistic that anyone can have a growth mindset.
D. One must follow the strategies of having growth mindset to avoid failure.

220. The purpose of the passage is to

A. convince the reader. C. put someone to shame.
B. give comfort and advice. D. mislead the reader.

STOP
If you finish before the time is called, you may check your work on this section.
Do not turn to any other section in the test.

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