Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Harley Bear What are some of your great frugal hacks that helped you a lot?
August 5, 2023
Breanna Shaw Pack your lunch for school or work instead of eating out. Make your coffee at
August 17, 2023 home to prevent stopping on the way somewhere to buy some. Anytime something
needs repaired, watch a YouTube video first before calling a technician.
Sometimes it can be an easy fix that you can do yourself to save money. I have
more tips, but I think I have made this answer long enough.
Yaseer Said Always ask yourself this question before buying anything: “Do I need it? What if
September 3, 2023 I don’t buy this one, and save the money for any other need?”
Kerry Baldwin You know what is pathetic? Being poor when you're old, and you will be old
September 4, 2023 someday. Learn to live within your means and put your money back for retirement.
Caleb Beers Most of the “frugal hacks” you hear will be about ways to buy things cheaply.
October 15, 2023 Those are great, but I’ve found that much of frugality comes down to self-control,
i.e. not buying stuff you don’t need. Also, self-control is a lot harder than just
looking for cheap stuff. For example, I want the latest smart phone, but my phone
is still working very well. So, I don’t buy a new one.
Daniel Tay Frugality means different things to different people. To me, it means not wasting
October 25, 2023 something that can be reused or repurposed. I’ve taken this to a level that some
people may consider extreme:
I don’t buy anything.
(Adapted from https://www.quora.com)
1. Who explicitly suggests to live frugally by not purchasing any stuff?
A. Breanna Shaw
B. Yaseer Said
C. Kerry Baldwin
D. Caleb Beers
E. Daniel Tay
2. The word “frugality” in Daniel Tay’s post is closest in meaning to ….
A. modesty
B. simplicity
C. thriftiness
D. strictness
E. cheapness
3. Who posted the least relevant answer to Harley Bear’s question?
A. Breanna Shaw
B. Yaseer Said
C. Kerry Baldwin
D. Caleb Beers
E. Daniel Tay
4. Who disapproved that being frugal is being cheap by giving evidence?
A. Breanna Shaw
B. Yaseer Said
C. Kerry Baldwin
D. Caleb Beers
E. Daniel Tay
5. What is the tone of the thread regarding useful frugal hacks?
A. Supportive
B. Respectful
C. Indifferent
D. Judgmental
E. Contradictory
TEXT 1
An actor creates and performs a character by using cognitive empathy or Theory of Mind (ToM). It is
the ability to represent others’ mental states. ToM plays a critical role in understanding and navigating social
situations. Reflection into the character's mental life depends on the actor’s approach to character
performance. This may be an important part of the character-creation process. This process involves the
exploration of the history, motivations, beliefs, and values of the character. This exploration often goes well
beyond the information contained within the script. In other words, for many actors, creating a character
involves a complex application of ToM, which includes several brain regions such as the temporoparietal
junction and posterior cingulate/precuneus.
The temporoparietal junction works in processing and judgments of self and others. According to
some studies, overcoming self–other interference and ToM is a deeply integrated process. Findings show
that simulating others has been shown to influence self-knowledge. In this simulation, trait and memory
measures become similar to a simulated other after adopting their perspective. Some brain regions are
deactivated when trained actors use the first-person fictional perspective of a character to answer questions.
This is in contrast to a situation when actors answered questions from their own perspective. It suggests that
acting may involve the suppression of self-processing.
(Adapted from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
TEXT 2
According to a recent study, when actors take on a new character, they may be able to suppress their
everyday self. This implies that theatre training may have a big impact on the fundamental mechanisms of
the human brain. Researchers in this study worked in collaboration with Flute Theatre. They created and
delivered interactive productions of Shakespeare for autistic individuals and their families. They used a series
of sensory drama games, known as the Hunter Heartbeat Method.
The team used wearable brain imaging technologies and physiological measurement devices. They
were first introduced at UCL's Department of Biomedical Engineering. Both devices were used to evaluate
the brain activity of actors as they rehearsed scenes from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The findings showed that when the actors heard their own name during the performance, their
response was suppressed in the left anterior prefrontal cortex of the brain. This is usually associated with
self-awareness. The same result was witnessed consistently in six actors who were tested when rehearsing
several times over a week. Meanwhile, when the performers were not in acting conditions, they responded
normally to hearing their own name.
According to the lead researcher, this is the first time that neuroscientists have been able to record
brain activity in actors as they perform a role. We hope that this study will help us understand what theatre
training does to the brain and to build new connections between neuroscientists and theatre professionals.
(Adapted from https://www.sciencedaily.com)
9. The results of the evaluation of actors’ brain activity when performing a character can be found in ….
A. Text 1 Paragraph 1 and Text 2 Paragraph 1
B. Text 1 Paragraph 2 and Text 2 Paragraph 3
C. Text 1 Paragraph 1 and Text 2 Paragraph 3
D. Text 1 Paragraph 2 and Text 2 Paragraph 4
E. Text 1 Paragraph 1 and Text 2 Paragraph 2
19. Why does the writer use the word "sensationalist" in paragraph 2?
A. Because video games are getting more popular among adults
B. Because games have been praised and demonized
C. Because games have been covered a lot by the media
D. Because video games are a sensational phenomenon
E. Because the media has made extreme claims, usually with no actual evidence
20. What can we say about the author’s objective in writing this article?
A. The writer denies any claims on the negative effects of games.
B. The writer agrees that games ruin our brain functions.
C. The writer proves the media’s claims on the negative effects of games.
D. The writer explains how video games change the brain’s performance.
E. The writer shows that video games alter the brain’s performance and structure.
22. Which option uses the word "committed" in the same way that it is used in sentence 6?
A. Ken committed a peculiar and uncharacteristic mistake.
B. After throwing a tantrum in public, Amber is finally committed to a psych ward.
C. Felix is committed to continuing his study in the education field.
D. Charlie has committed much of his career is the gaming industry.
E. My family has been committed members of the city council.
23. What can we say about the result of the study?
A. The researchers collected the results from previous studies examining brain structure and
functionality.
B. More than changing how our brains perform, playing games can also alter brain structure.
C. The study shows that gamers have better performance in conducting cognitive tasks compared to
non-gamers.
D. The number of gamers is increasing due to the inclusion of the new type of gamers who play on
mobile devices.
E. Playing video games on mobile devices can alter the functionality and structure of the brain.
24. What is the significance of the expression “...but a new breed of casual gamers has emerged...”?
A. To illustrate the important role of mobile gamers in the study
B. To introduce one of the types of gamers examined in the study
C. To introduce the group that promotes the expansion of video games
D. To specify which type of gamers is included in the study
E. To introduce the group of gamers that is on the rise in popularity
25. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A. Changes to humpback whale song may occur when males embellish their own song through
addition, substitution or deletion at any hierarchical level.
B. Humpback songs can morph and migrate within and between whale populations in a stepwise
fashion.
C. Underwater recordings have revealed that humpback males sing during migration between breeding
and feeding habitats.
D. Whale songs travel in a linear pattern with certain variances as some individuals are sung
differently with very minor differences.
E. When songs have significant changes performed by an individual whale, other pod members apply
the said changes.
26. All of the following can be inferred from the passage, except ...
A. Male humpback whales go through a cultural revolution by picking up new songs when sharing the
same space as other whales.
B. During the song, humpbacks produce an intricate series of sounds that can be deconstructed into
hierarchical elements.
C. Some song learning can occur between whale populations that are in close proximity and may be
able to hear the other population’s song.
D. Humpback whales can learn an entire song pattern from another population very quickly, without
leaving anything out.
E. One whale finds mating success by tinkering with the song style, the rest of the guys imitate it to
better their chances.
27. According to the passage, humpback songs have similar structure to that of a language because....
A. it is organized in a specific pattern using a clear set of rules
B. it displays variations among geographically separated populations
C. it can convey information and assert dominance with other males
D. it evolves and spreads across populations over course of years
E. it is made up of repeated phrases and themes
28. As used in the last paragraph, the word “embellishing” is closest in meaning to....
A. taking something without permission and without intending to return it
B. forming something by putting parts together or combining elements
C. creating something more difficult by causing it to be more complex
D. making something more interesting by adding extra features
E. representing something as being than it really is
29. It is most reasonable to conclude that the complexity of humpback songs can be analyzed by measuring:
I. the sound the whales make
II. the length of the sound patterns
III. the duration of a song session
IV. the distance of whale migratory route
A. I and II
B. II and III
C. III and IV
D. I, II, and III
E. All of the above
30. “When they hear his radically different song, they may borrow some themes or steal the entire song.”
What meaning does the modal ‘may’ carry in this context?
A. It shows permission.
B. It shows suggestion.
C. It shows possibility.
D. It shows polite offer.
E. It shows ability.