Pathways Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking 2e: Level 3 Unit 6 Test

Name: ________________________________ Class: ____________ Date: _________

1. VOCABULARY 1:

Complete the paragraph with the words in the box. Not all words will be used.

conveyed deliberately downside interpret

misleading neutral objective stands out

The city of London has seen many outbreaks of disease, but the cholera outbreak in 1854 (1)
__________________ as one of the worst. It killed hundreds, and more would have suffered if not for
John Snow, a doctor. At the time, most people believed that diseases were caused by "bad air." Snow
thought the logic behind this theory was faulty. So rather than following this (2) __________________
idea, he studied the spread of the cholera outbreak in London in an (3) __________________ way. He
noticed that most of the victims drank water from the same pump. Snow wondered if people might be
catching cholera from the water somehow. So he (4) __________________ removed the handle from the
water pump. The (5) __________________ of doing this was that local people had to walk a longer
distance to get water, but the upside was that the outbreak of disease soon stopped. Snow later created a
map showing the location of both the pump and the cholera victims. The map clearly (6)
__________________ a link between the pump and the disease. Snow's map was so easy for people to (7)
__________________ , in fact, that it has become one of the most important illustrations in the history of
medical science and data visualization.

VOCABULARY 2:

Complete each sentence with a word from the box. Not all words will be used.

context emphasize gestures have to do with nevertheless

propose publications reliance statistics universal

2. In addition to spoken language, people also use ________________________ and other kinds of body
language when interacting with others.

3. Some companies collect information on their customers' shopping preferences and analyze the data and
________________________ to help them better understand what their customers like.

4. In an infographic, size and color can be used to ________________________ and highlight important
points.

5. To gather feedback, companies sometimes ask the public to offer their opinions or
________________________ ideas on how the companies can improve their service.

6. People used to read the news from print ________________________ such as newspapers and magazines,
but now more and more people are reading the news online.
7. When you are giving a presentation, be careful how you use humor: Jokes that might be funny in one
________________________ , may offend people if the situation is different.

8. If students regularly use their phones to look up information, their ________________________ on these
tools can make it hard for them in situations where they are not available.

9. Music is an example of a ________________________ language - it can convey emotions and feelings

across different countries and cultures.

READING REVIEW:

Review these excerpts from the passages in Unit 6. Then answer the questions by choosing

Yes if a statement matches the person's opinion

No if a statement contradicts the person's opinion
Not Given if there is not enough information to say if a statement matches the
person's opinion

The Rise of Visual Data

The human brain can interpret a complex concept more quickly when it is presented visually
than when it is explained on printed text. A 2014 study at the Massachusetts Institute for
Technology (MIT), for example, showed that humans can interpret an image of a "smiling
couple" after seeing it for only 13 milliseconds - nearly 10 times faster than the blink of an
eye. To explain all the details of the "smiling couple" in writing would take significantly
longer. As Mary Potter, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT, explains, "What
vision does is find concepts. That's what the brain is doing all day long - trying to understand
what we're looking at."

Data visualization journalist and educator Alberto Cairo thinks that "words alone are not
powerful enough to communicate effectively… you also need visuals." Visual data is most
effective when there is an "aha" moment - when the information provides "spontaneous
insight." These visuals immediately create understanding of complex concepts. Cairo cites a
chart that shows the sudden rise in global temperatures as an example of this. With its sharp
curve upward, the chart quickly conveys how rapidly our planet is warming.

[...] According to Geoff McGhee - a data visualizer at Stanford University - new forms of
visual data are pushing the boundaries of what we can process. Unlike traditional visual data,
these new types of visuals use thousands of data points, such as the map showing global
connections on Facebook. Many of these modern visualizations feature a huge number of
thin, overlapping, and semi-transparent lines. The 3-D effect allows viewers to "see through"
points to look at others behind.
 Visual Culture

When we think of language, we usually think of words, but visuals are also a part of
communication. And like written language, visual symbols are not universal. An English
speaker, for example, may place their hand near their chest as a gesture to mean "me," while
a Japanese speaker is likely to point at their nose to indicate the same. Similarly, the way
visual information is used can vary depending on the cultural context.

[...] Shapes are influenced by culture, too. Antonio Farach, from Honduras, and Adonis
Durado, from the Philippines, both work at the Times of Oman. Farach noticed how subtle
details play a role. In Western cultures, he says, "rounded corners are more accepted than in
Arabic countries. In typography, Arabs prefer blade-like typefaces…" Sometimes the
differences are not so subtle. "The big difference is orientation," says Durado. "Arabs write
and read from right to left." This sometimes means inverting, or flipping, images, but this can
present challenges. "[N]ot all images can just be flipped," says Durado, citing examples such
as maps.

Konstantinos Antonopoulos, a Greek designer working for Al Jazeera English in Qatar,

remarks how different publications within the same company often need different visuals for
the same stories. Al Jazeera Arabic, for example, "has a strong visual language, spearheaded
by the brilliant typography of the Arabic alphabet." But the company may change the visuals
for its publications in Turkey or the Balkans, for example. "[They] have their own visual
languages," Antonopoulos explains.

Graphics director Alberto Lucas López moved from Spain to work for the South China
Morning Post in Hong Kong. He thinks that some differences in style have to do with
Chinese writing. "I could clearly see the parallelism between the Chinese characters and the
visual preferences," he says. His theory is that Chinese visuals are heavily influenced by
Chinese writing: complex symbols with many elements compressed in a reduced space.
Nevertheless, López feels it's important to respect these differences: "Sometimes we see as
incorrect what is different from our view of clear structures, strict order, and synthesis. But
it's just a different visual culture."

Cultural differences can also influence what gets designed in the first place. Felipe Memoria,
a Brazilian designer working in New York, has noticed how sports reporting differs in Brazil
and the United States. He speculates that in contrast to Brazilians, Americans are "really into
data." The result: greater reliance on infographics - charts, statistics, and graphs - in
American sports publications.

These journalists and designers have had to adapt, but they're also making their contributions
to the cultures they've adopted. Nick Mrozowski, an American designer who worked for
many years in Portugal, emphasizes the positives of this exchange of ideas. He brought some
of his American design preferences to the job, but, he says, "I'm also certain that I absorbed a
great deal more from Portugal's talented creatives than I left behind."

____ 10. Mary Potter believes that the human brain's main task is making sense of what our eyes see.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 11. Alberto Cairo thinks that visual images are not as useful as words when explaining difficult ideas.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 12. Geoff McGhee feels that most sites should have connections maps like the one on Facebook.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 13. Antonio Farach argues that soft typefaces are more popular in some countries than others.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 14. Konstantinos Antonopoulos suggests that publishing companies generally use the same visuals for
publications in different regions.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 15. Alberto Lucas López thinks Chinese writing has been affected by the style of Chinese images.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 16. Felipe Memoria thinks that people in Brazil are generally more interested in visual data in sports news
than people in the United States.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
____ 17. Nick Mrozowski feels that people in the United States generally prefer designs from European countries.
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not Given
READING PRACTICE:

Read the passage. Then complete each statement using TWO WORDS from the relevant
paragraph.

A Artists are always experimenting with new techniques, new materials, and new methods.
Computer technology, in particular, has allowed artists to develop new styles of art and to produce works
that would have been impossible in earlier times. Recently, some artists have begun to use computers to
produce art related to data. As its name suggests, the raw material for this "data art" is information itself.
In fact, there is an endless supply of data that artists can use, including business statistics, environmental
data, and information about people's personal habits and preferences. Artists can take this raw information
and turn it into fantastic, and sometimes unexpected, creations.

B The work of American artist Nathalie Miebach provides a good illustration of the process
involved in producing data art. Miebach first collects weather data such as air pressure or wind speed over
a period of time. Once she has enough information, she translates the data points into a physical sculpture
made of beads and wires. As an alternative, she sometimes uses the data to create a musical score that can
be played by musicians. In both cases, however, the position of each bead or musical note is determined
by the data. Miebach chooses the way she wishes to present her art, but after that she follows the data to
create the actual pattern.

C When one first sees or hears it, Miebach's data art seems chaotic and abstract. But take some
time, and certain patterns begin to appear. Connections and repetitions in the data that would have been
hard to see in a chart of numbers suddenly jump out at you. This is the true power of data art, argues
David McCandless, a well-known figure in the world of data art. McCandless notes that the human eye is
extremely sensitive to visual patterns. When complex data is creatively presented in a visual way using
colour, texture, and shapes, people can detect patterns almost immediately.

D McCandless adds that by changing one or two variables in the data, data artists can reveal
relationships that challenge long-held ideas, and help change our perspective. McCandless discusses a
visualization of military spending to illustrate this point, where the amount each nation spends is shown as
a square: the bigger the square, the more the country spends. When the size of the squares represents total
spending, the United States has a much larger square than any other country. But, if the size of the squares
is shown as a percentage of how much income each country produces, the square representing the United
States suddenly becomes smaller than the squares representing some other countries.

E The point McCandless wishes to make is not a judgment about military spending. Rather, he
wishes to show that presenting data in different ways forces us to consider ideas that we had not thought
of before. The word "presenting" is important here. Many people would argue that there is a difference
between "data art" like the pieces made by Miebach and the "data presentation" of McCandless' work.

F In fact, it is often difficult to make a clear distinction between "data art" and "data
presentation." One difference is that those who consider themselves data artists often make use of data
from their own lives rather than raw data from scientists or economists. For instance, the data artist Laurie
Frick monitored her own changes in mood using a special app that recorded different moods as different
colors. Frick then arranged colored tiles as large works of art to show how her mood changed over time.
Frick says that her work is definitely art because its purpose is to make people reflect on the human
experience, as art should. In contrast, McCandless does not consider himself an artist in the traditional
sense, having training in neither art nor design. Still, many people feel his work, and that of other data
presenters, has emotional appeal.
18. In paragraph A, the author says that artists who create data art have a(n) ________________________ of
information they can use to create their works.

19. In paragraph B, the author says that after Nathalie Miebach has collected sufficient data, she might take
the ________________________ she has gathered and turn them into a physical sculpture of beads and
wire.

20. In paragraph B, the author notes that as an alternative to creating a sculpture, Nathalie Miebach might
transform her data into a playable ________________________.

21. In paragraph C, the author quotes David McCandless, who argues that the ________________________
of data art is the way it can make patterns, connections, and repetitions in data easy to see.

22. In paragraph D, the author illustrates how changing one thing can have a big effect on how visualized data
looks by mentioning squares that represent the ________________________ of different nations.

23. In paragraph E, the author contrasts the work of Nathalie Miebach and David McCandless, and describes
McCandless' work as ________________________ rather than data art.

24. In paragraph F, the author argues that Laurie Frick's work with colored tiles should be called data art, as
her aim in creating it was to get people to think about the ________________________.

25. In paragraph F, the author suggests that works of "data presentation" may not truly be art, but they can
still have ________________________.

READING SKILL REVIEW - IDENTIFYING ARGUMENTS AND COUNTERARGUMENTS:

Each statement summarizes an argument from the passage about data art. Select the answer choice
that would be the best counterargument to each statement.

A Artists are always experimenting with new techniques, new materials, and new methods.
Computer technology, in particular, has allowed artists to develop new styles of art and to produce works
that would have been impossible in earlier times. Recently, some artists have begun to use computers to
produce art related to data. As its name suggests, the raw material for this "data art" is information itself.
In fact, there is an endless supply of data that artists can use, including business statistics, environmental
data, and information about people's personal habits and preferences. Artists can take this raw information
and turn it into fantastic, and sometimes unexpected, creations.

B The work of American artist Nathalie Miebach provides a good illustration of the process
involved in producing data art. Miebach first collects weather data such as air pressure or wind speed over
a period of time. Once she has enough information, she translates the data points into a physical sculpture
made of beads and wires. As an alternative, she sometimes uses the data to create a musical score that can
be played by musicians. In both cases, however, the position of each bead or musical note is determined
by the data. Miebach chooses the way she wishes to present her art, but after that she follows the data to
create the actual pattern.
 C When one first sees or hears it, Miebach's data art seems chaotic and abstract. But take some
time, and certain patterns begin to appear. Connections and repetitions in the data that would have been
hard to see in a chart of numbers suddenly jump out at you. This is the true power of data art, argues
David McCandless, a well-known figure in the world of data art. McCandless notes that the human eye is
extremely sensitive to visual patterns. When complex data is creatively presented in a visual way using
colour, texture, and shapes, people can detect patterns almost immediately.

D McCandless adds that by changing one or two variables in the data, data artists can reveal
relationships that challenge long-held ideas, and help change our perspective. McCandless discusses a
visualization of military spending to illustrate this point, where the amount each nation spends is shown as
a square: the bigger the square, the more the country spends. When the size of the squares represents total
spending, the United States has a much larger square than any other country. But, if the size of the squares
is shown as a percentage of how much income each country produces, the square representing the United
States suddenly becomes smaller than the squares representing some other countries.

E The point McCandless wishes to make is not a judgment about military spending. Rather, he
wishes to show that presenting data in different ways forces us to consider ideas that we had not thought
of before. The word "presenting" is important here. Many people would argue that there is a difference
between "data art" like the pieces made by Miebach and the "data presentation" of McCandless' work.

F In fact, it is often difficult to make a clear distinction between "data art" and "data
presentation." One difference is that those who consider themselves data artists often make use of data
from their own lives rather than raw data from scientists or economists. For instance, the data artist Laurie
Frick monitored her own changes in mood using a special app that recorded different moods as different
colors. Frick then arranged colored tiles as large works of art to show how her mood changed over time.
Frick says that her work is definitely art because its purpose is to make people reflect on the human
experience, as art should. In contrast, McCandless does not consider himself an artist in the traditional
sense, having training in neither art nor design. Still, many people feel his work, and that of other data
presenters, has emotional appeal.

____ 26. Artists always experiment with new methods and materials that earlier artists did not have access to.
a. Some artists follow a traditional path and choose to produce works using traditional ideas
or techniques.
b. The materials that a particular artist chooses to use may depend on where and when they
grew up.
c. When artists have limited access to production methods and materials, they often become
more creative.
____ 27. Data artists have access to an unlimited supply of information that they can turn into amazing art.
a. Data artists need training if they are going to make creative works from the data they have
access to.
b. The quality of works produced by data artists depends heavily on how much data they
access and use.
c. The world provides an endless supply of data, but some of it may not be suitable for
turning into art.
____ 28. People are better able to see patterns in data when the data is presented visually compared with when it is
presented in a traditional way, such as in a chart.
a. Data presented in a visual way can make patterns more obvious, but some people prefer to
interpret data themselves.
b. Some ways of presenting data visually may be unfamiliar and, as a result, harder to
interpret than graphs or charts.
c. Not everybody who sees visual patterns thinks of them as art, so the interpretation of data
is a personal thing.
____ 29. Arranging data in different ways can help people to think of concepts they may not have considered.
a. It takes a great deal of time to arrange data in different ways so that people can understand
new concepts.
b. Sometimes, the way data is presented can be misleading, and might not be a true
representation of the relationship between the factors.
c. In general, there are a limited number of artistic and appealing ways to present different
kinds of data.

LANGUAGE FOR WRITING REVIEW – DESCRIBING VISUAL INFORMATION:

Choose the TWO words or phrases that could replace the underlined part of each sentence without
changing the meaning or introducing an error.

____ 30. According to this graph, South Korea's GDP per capita was around 2,000 dollars in the early 1980s.
a. just a few thousand
b. less than five thousand
c. several of thousands
____ 31. All of the countries experienced steady growth in GDP per capita from 1980 to around 1997.
a. just before 2000
b. the end of that decade
c. the mid 1990s
____ 32. The graph shows that around 1997, all but one country experienced an increase in GDP per capita.
a. all of the regions
b. four of the countries
c. the majority of nations
____ 33. Since 2005, only one country has experienced sustained growth in GDP per capita.
a. occasional
b. uninterrupted
c. continued

WRITING SKILL REVIEW - WRITING A PERSUASIVE ESSAY:

Choose the best phrase from the box to complete these topic sentences from persuasive essays. Not
all the phrases will be used.

computer skills different situations more children most people

new accommodation other vehicles reduce stress social media

34. Exercising regularly is generally an effective way to get fit, lose weight, and ____________________.

35. In order to encourage ____________________ to visit them and learn about culture, museums should be
free for those aged 15 and under.

36. Because cars and ____________________ produce a significant amount of pollution, all cities should
have a car-free day at least once a month.

37. Studies have shown that spending too much time using ____________________ can negatively affect
mental health, so parents should limit how much their children can use these sites.

38. The college wants to accept 20 percent more students next year, but there are not enough dormitories on
campus, so the college should focus on building ____________________ before anything else.

39. Because ____________________ are so important to success these days, every child should have regular
lessons in how to use modern technology starting from grade one.
 WRITING PRACTICE 1:

Look at the bar graph. Then choose the statements that correctly describe it.

____ 40. Which sentence correctly describes the graph?

a. This bar graph shows how men and women aged 18 or 24 spent their weekends.
b. This bar graph shows how men and women aged 18 and 24 spent their weekends.
c. This bar graph shows how men and women aged 18 to 24 spent their weekends.
____ 41. Which sentence correctly describes the graph?
a. The graph shows that the most common activity among men was exercising.
b. The graph shows that the most common activity among men was watching TV.
c. The graph shows that the most common activity among women was exercising.
____ 42. Which sentence correctly describes the graph?
a. The graph shows that for both genders, the least popular activity was using social media.
b. The graph shows that for both genders, the least popular activity was reading for pleasure.
c. The graph shows that for both genders, the least popular activity was doing sports.
____ 43. Which sentence correctly describes the graph?
a. Two weekend activities were about equally popular among men and women.
b. Three weekend activities were about equally popular among men and women.
c. All of the weekend activities were about equally popular among men and women.
 WRITING PRACTICE 2:

Choose one of the statements below that you personally agree or disagree with.

• Everybody should exercise more as a way to get fit, lose weight, and reduce their stress.
• Museums should be free for those aged 15 and under so they can learn about culture.
• All cities should have a car-free day at least once a month in order to reduce pollution.
• Parents should protect their children's mental health by limiting how much they use social media.

44. Write a persuasive essay that persuades your reader to agree with your position on the topic. Make sure
your essay has an introduction, one or two body paragraphs with supporting details or examples, and a
conclusion.
UNIT 6: INFORMATION DESIGN
Answer Section
1. ANS:
(1) stands out, (2) misleading, (3) objective, (4) deliberately, (5) downside, (6) conveyed, (7) interpret
stands out, misleading, objective, deliberately, downside, conveyed, interpret

PTS: 7 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 1

2. ANS:
gestures

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

3. ANS:
statistics

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

4. ANS:
emphasize

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

5. ANS:
propose

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

6. ANS:
publications

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

7. ANS:
context

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

8. ANS:
reliance

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

9. ANS:
universal

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Vocabulary 2

10. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
11. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
12. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
13. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
14. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
15. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
16. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
17. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Review MSC: IELTS
18. ANS: endless supply

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
19. ANS: data points

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
20. ANS: musical score

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
21. ANS: true power

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
22. ANS: military spending

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
23. ANS: data presentation

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
24. ANS: human experience

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
25. ANS: emotional appeal

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
26. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Arguments and Counterarguments
27. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Arguments and Counterarguments
28. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Arguments and Counterarguments
29. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Arguments and Counterarguments
30. ANS: A, B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Describing Visual Information
31. ANS: A, C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Describing Visual Information
32. ANS: B, C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Describing Visual Information
33. ANS: B, C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Describing Visual Information
34. ANS: reduce stress

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
35. ANS: more children

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
36. ANS: other vehicles

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
37. ANS: social media

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
38. ANS: new accommodation

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
39. ANS: computer skills

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Writing a Persuasive Essay
40. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Writing Practice 1
41. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Writing Practice 1
42. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Writing Practice 1
43. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6
TOP: Writing Practice 1
44. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 5 REF: PWRW3, Unit 6 TOP: Writing Practice 2