Answer this/ reading comprehension

Part 3: READING COMPREHENSION

DIRECTIONS: In this subtest you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several
questions about it. For items 1 - 60, you are to choose the one best answer, A, B, C, and D, to
each question. Then blacken the circle that corresponds to the letter of your choice in the Answer
Sheet. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is started or implied in that
passage.
Selection A (Items 1 – 5) POVERTY
Studies have consistently pointed to at least three major immediate factors that push children to
stay or live on the streets. These are the poverty of the family, family relationship factors
(physical or sexual abuse) and peer influence. Poverty and peer influence when compounded
with problems and stresses in the family life such as family break-up, child abuses and neglect,
domestic violence by step-parents, underemployed parents, etc., altogether create under pressure
on the child to leave home and find solace, protection and support from the peers on the street,
eventually becoming susceptible to their influence and lifestyle. In Metro Manila, population
growth, urbanization and migration have increased through the years. Children are often forced
try circumstances to help their family eke out of living or tend for themselves on the streets.
Most of them are children of poor parents who migrated from rural areas in the hope of finding
better job opportunities in the city, but whose lack of education rendered them ill-equipped to
struggle for survival in the urban jungle and are thus curtained to a life of object poverty.For the
street children, life on the streets are a constant struggle to overcome the various negative
comments that threaten to overtake them and destroy their hopes for survival. They work under
the heat of the sun or in the dark of the night from six to 10 hours, seven days a week, often in a
combination of “occupations” each consolidating a legitimate way to survive.
1. To “eke of living” means _____________.
A. To earn income.
B. To live with others
C. To sell in the streets
D. To work in the streets
2. Based on the selection, what values seems to be missing in the families of the street children?
A. Loyalty
B. Honesty
C. Kindness
D. Solidarity
3. What is the most important factor that will equip rural people to survive in the city?
A. money
B. education
C. food
D. home
4. The selection is simply about _____________.
A. providing homes for the poor
B. helping street children get an education
C. factors why children live in the streets
D. how to lessen pressure on the family
5. Based on the text, we can conclude that street children are _________.
A.Independent
B.Malnourished
C.Helpless persons
D.Victims of poverty

Selection B (Items 6 – 10) CAT

A cat is a precision instrument – a perfectly engineered hunting machine, designed for stealth,
capture and self-defense. It has padded feet that make no sound and muscles of enormous power
and bulk for the size. Its bones are attached at energy-efficient angles that create a system of
springs and levers perfect for bounding, leaping and climbing. Its claws are sharper than those of
any other mammal and can be withdrawn under sheathlike pads where they escape injury and
wear. No teeth are better suited for hunting than those of the cat – great canines for tearing and
scissor-like premolars for shearing off bits of flesh small enough to swallow. In the cat’s eye, the
colored fibers of the iris respond immediately to light changed to permit exactness of vision in all
light conditions. In the darkness of night the iris contracts to widen the pupil and admit any trace
of available light. In the binding light of midday, the iris expands and the pupil shuts down to a
thin vertical slit. Except in white cats with blue eyes, a cat’s hearing is extremely acute. Each ear
has twenty-seven muscles that allow the cat to rotate the ear in all directions to collect sound.
The cat’s reaction to sudden movement or noise is so swift that it can usually escape threatening
danger – and the little quarry passes unharmed.
6. The word “quarry” as used in the last paragraph means ___________.
A. target
B. hunted
C. hunter
D. victim
7. Cats have acute hearing except the white cat with blue eyes which do not ________.
A. hear well
B. hunt well
C. see well
D. eat well
8. The sentence “The cat is a precision instrument” is a _______________.
A. hyperbole
B. simile
C. metaphor
D. irony
9. The selection is mainly about _________________.
A. how the cat differs from a dog
B. the cat as a hunting machine
C. how the cat is like a mammal
D. the cat as a house pet

10. We can conclude from the selection that the cat is an animal which can ________________.
A. do a lot of tricks
b. be domesticated
c. be very dangerous
d. survive on its own

Selection C (Items 11 – 15) LIGHT SOCIAL CHANGES

In the light of social changes, we come to the question: What qualities should distinguish the
educated Filipino today? I venture to suggest that the educated Filipino should first be
distinguished by the power to do. The oriental excels in reflective thinking he is a philosopher.
The Occidental is a doer; he manages things, men and affairs. The Filipino of today needs more
of this power to translate reflection into action. I believe that we are coming more to this power
to translate reflection into action. We are coming more likely to the conviction that no Filipino
has the right to be considered educated unless he is prepared to take an active and useful part in
the work, life, and progress of our country as well as in the progress of the world.
11. What is the best paraphrase of the last paragraph in the passage?
A. A truly educated Filipino participates actively in the work and progress of the country and the
world as a whole.
B. Participation in the work and progress of our country is sought by every Filipino
C. The country’s progress and advancement depend primarily on educated Filipino
D. To be considered educated, one has to be globally competitive and willing to take risks.
12. As used in the selection, what does word “conviction” mean?
A. intellectual guess
B. verdict
C. strong belief
D. allegiance

13. What trait is found in most Orientals but needs to be deepened in Filipino?
A. action oriented
B. patience
C. reflective thinker
D. good in managing
14. What is meant by this line?
“ The oriental is a philosopher”
A. Oriental people have the blood of great philosophers
B. Oriental people are contemplative
C. They have a tendency to become philosophers
D. They think like Great Solomon.
15. What value is implied in the same passage above?
A. justice
B. courage
C. active involvement
D. hyperactivity
Selection D (Items 16 – 19)PALAWAN
Unique to Palawan is its mega diversity. For a long time, only the many ethnic communities that
thrive in these islands and a few other daring settlers who wanted to live in unpolluted
surroundings know Palawan’s bountiful resources, abundant wildlife and extraordinary natural
beauty. The island province first attracted foreign attention in the 1970’s when it became a
United Nations Vietnamese Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in Kenya also saw the
transport of endangered animals from its savannas to the plains of Calauit island. However, it
was only a sea accident in 1979 that eventually led to the opening of Palawan into major tourist
attraction. According to a story, a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the
night forcing it to drop anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke up with
amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliff.
16. Which could be an appropriate title of the selection?
a. Palawan and it’s settlers
b. Palawan and it’s extraordinary natural beauty
c. El Nido in 1970’s
d. The discovery of El Nido
17. What does the word “diversity” in the first sentence mean?
a. Variety
b. Equality
c. Similarity
d. Distinction
18. It can be concluded from the selection that _______.
a. El Nido is a tourist spot
b. El Nido is a popular place
c. El Nido was discovered by a diver
d. El Nido has its amazing natural beauty
19. When did Palawan attracted foreign attention?
a. A disturbance in Kenya also saw the transport of endangered animals
b. Divers woke up with amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliff
c. It became a United Nations Vietnamese Refugee Center
d. A tuna line disabled a dive boat’s propeller in the middle of the night
Selection E (Items 20 – 24) PASTA CRISIS
A world without pasta seems inconceivable. Macaroni and cheese loving children across the US
would howl in protest; Italy might suffer a heart attack; social unrest could explode in china
where noodles are the main staple. But if humans want to keep eating pasta, we will have to take
much more aggressive action against global warming. Pasta is made from wheat and a large
growing body of scientific studies and real world observations suggest what wheat will be hit
especially hard as temperatures rise and storms and drought intensify in the years ahead. Three
grains- wheat, corn and rice account for most of the food that humans consume. All these are
already suffering from climate change, but wheat stands to fare the worst in the years ahead, for
it is the grain most vulnerable to high temperatures. That spells trouble not only for pasta but also
for bread, the most basic food of all. International agricultural research centers and the private
sector have woken up to the fact that higher temperatures are almost inevitable and they have
very little in their genetic toolbox to deal with them.
20. The meaning of inconceivable in the first sentence of the passage must be _________.
a. Not imaginable
b. Cannot happen
c. Unable to conceive
d. No possibility
21. The passage emphasizes an alarming future scenario because __________.
a. Humans will take more aggressive action against global warming
b. China, where noodles are the main staple, could have social unrest
c. Macaroni and cheese loving children across the US would protest
d. Three significant grains, especially wheat may be lost to humans.
22. This passage entitled Pasta Crisis points out with urgency that ____________.
a. Higher temperatures are almost inevitable
b. Three grains are already suffering from climate change
c. More aggressive action against global warming is needed
d. Drought will intensify in the coming years
23. Another way of expressing the idea in the sentence” it is the grain most vulnerable to high
temperatures” is
it is the grain ____________.
a. Most affected under intense heat
b. Likely to flourish when it gets warm
c. Strongly at risk in temperate areas
d. Inclined to wither if it gets very hot
24. The idea in the passage is develop using ___________.
a. Narration
b. Exposition
c. Description
d. Illustration

Selection F (Items 25 – 28) POWER OF DRAMA

The arts generally depend on ridiculous Region, but the theater is most ridiculous of all. Imagine
asking us to pretend that we are in Bangkok after the fall of Saigon and that Lea is a Vietnamese
bar girl who kills herself because she believes that suicide is the only solution to her problem.
More than that, imagine asking us to believe that and all other characters in the play talk to each
other by singing. The theater is a lily that inexplicably arise from a jungle of weedy falsities yet,
it is precisely from the tension produced by all this absurdity that theater is able to create each
poetry, power, enhancement and truth.
25. What is the best title for the selection?
a. Marvelous singing voices
b. The imaginative power of drama
c. The absurdity of fiction
d. The production of musical plays
26. Based from the excerpt, the author believes that all the statements are true EXCEPT
a. Theater is based on absurdities
b. The character in musical plays converse by singing
c. Theater teaches us that suicide is the only solution to the problem
d. Theater creates poetry, power, enhancement and truth
27. The word “absurdity” in the last sentence means
a. Fiction
b. Falsehood
c. Predictability
d. Foolishness
28. Which of the following can be about the theater from the selection?
a. It has different themes
b. It is the most ridiculous of all arts
c. It is able to create poetry, power and truth
d. It is a functional representation of life
Selection G (Items 29 – 33) CAMERA
Inventions enhance people’s lives. Inventions are improvements of previous discoveries. With
technology, inventions are easier to complete. One such invention is the camera. The invention
of the camera gave way to the first underwater camera in 1856. It was placed in a tightly sealed
container. However, when the contraption was underwater, the container broke before many
pictures were taken. It was only in the 1980’s that a camera was made which is able to go deep
underwater without being damaged. Less than twenty years later, technology allowed underwater
cameras to take photographs in color and to go even deeper into the water. With better
technology, an invention will never stay stagnant.
29. What can we infer in the selection?
a. Man’s nature is easily influenced
b. Man’s nature easily adapts to his environment
c. Man is constantly in search of new inventions
d. Man easily gives up when confronted with a challenge
30. What is the main idea expressed in the selection?
a. man by nature is a contented being
b. people make efforts to improve an invention
c. to seek comfort is man’s goal in life
d. inventions have a tendency to be copied
31. What can we conclude about inventions in the selection?
a. improve people’s lives
b. are easy to accomplish
c. are hard to improve
d. are costly
32. What figure of speech is used in the last line of the selection?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Hyperbole
d. Personification
33. What is the value presented in the selection?
a. passivity
b. ingenuity
c. contentment
d. independence

Selection H (Items 34 – 43)

Introduction to Poetry
By Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
34. The poet uses the pronouns “they” and “them” most likely to refer to
a. Student Poetry
b. His part
c. His troubles
d. Literary critic
35. Which line from the poem provides the context that supports the meaning of the word “slide”
in line 3?
a. Line 2
b. line 5
c. line 9
d. line 16

36. Which of these lines contains a poetic language that conveys a sense of danger?
a. And hold it up to the light
b. or press an ear against its hive.
c. I say drop a mouse into a poem
d. I want them to waterski
37. What tones are conveyed by these lines?
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.
a. Uncertain and confused
b. Cordial and pleasure
c. Melancholic and resourceful
d. Neutral and subjective
38. Line 12 -14 suggest that “they” want the poem
a. To provide clues to help determine its meaning
b. To convey a transparent meaning
c. To conceal its true meaning
d. To make its meaning inconspicuous
39. In line 15, the act of beating the poem with a hose suggest that they are
a. Copasthnic
b. Frustrates
c. Serene
d. Tranquil
40. In stanza 4, the poet refers to the poem as a/an
a. Jetski
c. ocean
b. car
d. boat
41. The tone of the poem shift in:
a. Stanza 1
b. stanza 3
c. stanza 4
d. stanza 6
42. The overall message conveyed in the poem is
a. The contrast of hopes versus reality
b. The guidance provided by authority
c. The missed opportunities of rebels
d. A life unfulfilled and unchallenged
43. What did the author used in the Stanza 2, 3 and 4?
a. Imagery
b. Simile
c. Irony
d.Symbols

Selection I (Items 44 – 45) DRUG ADDICTION

The literature on drug addiction has grown at a rate that defies anyone to keep abreast of the
literature and apparently in inverse proportion tour understanding of the subject. Addiction or
dependence, as it is more fashionable to call it, excites controversy and speculation yet true
understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive. In fact, the area is fraught with speculation
and acrimonious debate. Definition of terms such as “drug”, “addiction” and “abuse” is
obviously less controversial than attempts to explain the nature of drug dependence, yet even the
terminology is imprecise and overlain with subjective connotations. At its most basic, a drug as
defined by the World Health Organization is simply any substance which when taken into the
living organism may modify one or more of its functions. This kind of definition is too wide to
be of any use in discussion of dependence: it covers everything from insulin to aspirin, penicillin
to alcohol.
44. The author implies that he thinks the term “dependence” in the context of drugs
a. is more accurate than the older term “addiction”
b. has not always been the preferred term
c. is a currently under-used term
d. is an avant-garde aberration
45. We can infer from the first sentence that
a. Not all that has been written on the subject of addiction has added to our understanding
b. No one can have read all the literature on any drug
c. The more that is publicly wants to know are likely to understand
d. The rate of growth should be higher if we are to understand the subject
Selection J (Items 46 – 49) THANKS GIVING
We have so much in life to be thankful for. We walk, talk, see, hear, think and breathe – usually
without effort. Why do we have to spend so much time dwelling on what we can’t, don’t have
and what is going wrong?. We can instantly recall the negative experiences, people and
circumstances without recognizing we have the ability to walk away or make a change. Perhaps
we have too many options from which to choose. Or it could be we simply want to complain.
Maybe if we spent just a little time saying “thank you” for what we do have, we won’t have so
much time to dwell on what we lack. Gratitude, praise and thanksgiving activate the divine laws
of abundance. When the universe can see we are conscious of and grateful for what we have, it is
activated to shower us with more. Even when it seems that the well is drying up, we can affirm
“I can hardly wait to see the good that will come out of this”.
46. According to the author, which of the following activates the Divine laws of abundance?
A. Recalling negative experiences
B. Dwelling on what we can’t do
C. Having so much in life
D. Giving thanks
47. Which of these statements from the selection expresses cause-effect relationship?
A. When the universe can see that we are grateful for what we have, it is activated to shower us
with more
B. We walk, talk, see, hear, think and breathe – usually without effort
C. Perhaps we have too many options from which to choose
D. We have so much in life to be thankful for
48. Why do we always have to be thankful in life?
A. Giving thanks solves most of our problems
B. Being thankful attracts more blessings
C. Thanks giving banishes most of our worries
D. Thankfulness is rare among blessed
49. What is the main idea of the selection?
A. There are people who have so much in life
B. We have too many choices in life
C. There is good that comes from every thankful
D. Some people tend to dwell on negative

Selection K (Items 50 – 52) ILLIAD AND ODYSSEY

Homer was a Greek epic poet. Both the date and the place of his birth and death are not known
precisely, but recent research suggests a date between 1050 and 800 B.C. It has even been
claimed that no such man as Homer existed and The Iliad and Odyssey are collections of
traditional ballads and not the work of one man. In any event, they were known all over the
Greek – speaking world before the sixth century B.C. The Iliad is an epic poem dealing with the
siege of Troy by the Greeks. The Odyssey describes the wandering of Odysseus, a Greek
seafarer on his way to Ithaca after the fall of Troy.
50. We can infer from the passage that ___________
a. It’s not definite when and where Homer was born
b. Homer only deals with poetry
c. Recent research shows the impossibility of finding Homer’s birth date
d. Some suggest that he was born in 800 B.C
51. The Odyssey ____________
a. belongs to another poet rather than Homer
b. explains the voyage of a sailor
c. has no connection with the Iliad
d. doesn’t have a specific protagonist
52. The works of Homer ______________
a. have no potential readers
b. deal with the siege of Troy by the Greeks
c. have been thought to have different writers
d. are collections of traditional ballads

YOUTH (by Samuel Ullman)

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and
supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is
the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage
over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of
sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old
by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether sixty or
sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite
of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is
a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power
from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young. When the aerials are down, and your
spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even
at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you
may die young at eighty.
56. What kind of passage is this?
a. Informative
b. Descriptive
c. Expository
d. Narrative
57. What does predominance in the second paragraph refer to?
a. Superiority
b. Strong Element
c. Majority of existence
d. Interaction
58. Which is not a characteristic of the youth?
a. Imaginative
b. Rosy Cheek
c. Timidity
d. Adventurous
59. What did the author use in the passage?
a. Paradox
b. Simile
c. Juxtaposition
d. Understatements
60. Where did the author focused?
a. Persona
b. Timeline
c. Sensory details
d. Emotion
61. The most appropriate title for this selection is
a. On Growing Old
b. On Being Young
c. Young and Old
d. You Can be Young
62. How did the author described the young generation?
a. Assertive
b. Inquisitive
c. Informative
d. Provocative
63. According to the selection, which of the following is not a characteristic of youth?
a. rosy cheeks
b. imaginative
c. adventurous
d. timidity
64. According to the author, one has grown old if ___________
a. he has lost the desire to improve himself
b. he indulges in hazardous himself
c. he has reached the age of 70
d. his children have set up their own families
65. The selection tells us that youth is based on one’s
a. physical appearance
b. status in life
c. charm and glamour
d. views about life