TSIA2 Reading and Writing Practice Test 2

Question 1 of 5

Extract:

Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in
Passage
Enraged by a 1791 excise tax imposed on whiskey by the federal government, farmers in western Pennsylvania orchestrated a series of attacks on government agents. This uprising became known as the Whiskey Rebellion, In 1794, after protesters threatened the home of tax collector General John Neville, President George Washington mobilized an army of militiamen to quell the uprising. Though only about a dozen people were arrested (they were later pardoned), the Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated that the new national government had the willingness and the ability to suppress violent resistance to its laws

The passage indicates that John Neville was

A. the creator of the whiskey tax B. working for the government C. pardoned by the government D. a friend of George Washington's

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The passage explicitly calls Neville a 'tax collector' and states protesters threatened his home. Tax collectors work for the government.

Question 2 of 5

Extract:

Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Passage
The Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, was arguably the largest U.S. disaster of the nineteenth century, killing hundreds of people and destroying four square miles of the city of Chicago. Coincidentally, on the exact same day, a huge forest fire engulfed the remote town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, burning 1.5 million acres of land. The Chicago Fire received all the headlines, but the Peshtigo Fire is actually the deadliest fire in American history.

According to the passage, why did the Peshtigo Fire receive little news coverage?

A. The damage from the Peshtigo Fire was not as widespread as the damage from the Great Chicago Fire B. Because it was a forest fire, the Peshtigo Fire really did not affect too many people C. The Peshtigo Fire happened on the same day as a fire in a much bigger city D. Residents of Peshtigo never reported that the fire had occurred

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The passage states the Peshtigo Fire happened 'coincidentally, on the exact same day' as the Great Chicago Fire and that the Chicago Fire 'received all the headlines', implying the Peshtigo Fire was overshadowed by the fire in the larger city.

Question 3 of 5

Extract:

Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or imoined in the passage.
Passage
Strictly speaking, gargoyles are spouts carved on the outsides of a building. They protrude from a roof gutter and are designed to direct water away from the roof. The word "gargoyle" comes from the Old French gargouille and the Late Latin gurgulio, both of which mean "throat." While we usually think of gargoyles as being carved in the shapes of grotesque animals or people, some are undecorated, serving a purely utilitarian function.

The author includes and defines the words "gargouille" and "gurgulio" primarily to

A. describe the physical appearance of gargoyles B. connect the name and function of gargoyles C. establish the geographical origin of gargoyles D. suggest the artistic and cultural value of gargoyles

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The words mean "throat", which relates to the gargoyle's function as a water spout (water flows through the "throat"). The author links the name origin to the functional purpose.

Question 4 of 5

Extract:

Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implest the passage
Passage
Orville and Wilbur Wright of the United States are considered by most aviation historians to have built the first functional airplane, and their pioneering flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is legendary However, many citizens of New Zealand consider their countryman Richard Pearse, not the Wright Brothers, to have been the first to fly. One day in 1902, according to witness accounts, Pearse took off in his engine-powered flying machine, flew a short distance, and crashed into a hedge. Pearse could not effectively steer his plane or keep it in the air, but he accomplished something nevertheless

What is the passage primarily discussing?

A. The achievement of Richard Pearse B. The problems of early airplanes C. The first flight in the United States D. The history of long-distance flight

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The passage contrasts the Wright Brothers' fame with the claim made by New Zealanders about Richard Pearse's earlier, albeit limited, flight attempt in 1902, focusing on Pearse's accomplishment.

Question 5 of 5

Extract:

Read the passage below and then choose the best answer to each question. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Passage
The remarkable heliotropism of sunflowers makes these flowers worthy of their name. At sunrise, most sunflowers in the bud stage face east. Over the course of the day, as the Sun crosses the sky from east to west, the flowers turn accordingly. This motion is performed by a flexible segment of the stem called the pulvinus. As the bud stage ends, the stem hardens and sunflowers cease to be heliotropic

The term "heliotropic" (sentence 5) most probably means

A. having a flexible pulvinus B. flowering in the bud stage C. having brightly-colored flowers D. turning toward the Sun

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The passage describes heliotropism as the flowers turning to face the sun (east at sunrise, following it west) during the bud stage. "Helio" means sun and "tropic" relates to turning.

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