PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION IN READING 1

2nd Semester, A.Y. 2017-2018

Name:_____________________Course & Year_____________Date:______________ Score:_______

I. READING COMPREHENSION. Read the following passages then answer the questions that follow.

A. People today are still talking about the generation gap. Some parents complain that their
children do not show them proper respect, while children complain that their parents do not understand
them at all.
What has gone wrong? Why has the generation gap appeared?
One important cause is that young people want to choose their own life style. In more traditional
societies, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the same area as their parents, to marry
people that their parents like, and often to continue the family occupation.
Parents often expect their children to do better than they do, to find better jobs, to make more
money, and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, however, the high wishes that parents
place on their children are another cause of the generation gap.
Finally, the high speed of social changes deepens the gap. In a traditional culture, people are
valued for their wisdom, but in our society today the knowledge of a lifetime may be out of use
overnight.
____1. According to the passage, children today expect their parents to ___.
A. give them more independence C. choose a good job for them
B. live together with them D. make more money
____2. Parents often hope that their children will ___.
A. make as much money as they do C. be more successful than they are
B. choose jobs according to their own will D. avoid doing what their parents cant do
____3. The generation gap has become wider than before because of ___
A. the increasing dependence of children on parents
B. the influence of traditional culture on children
C. the rapid changes of modern society
D. the missing of lifelong occupation
____4. In todays society, the knowledge of a lifetime ___
A. is still very much valued C. becomes out of date quickly
B. is essential for continuing family occupations D. helps the young generation to find a better job
____5. A proper title for this passage would be ___
A. Parents Viewpoints On Generation Gap
B. Relationship Between Family Members
C. Generation Gap Between the Young and the Old
D. Difference Between Traditional Cultural and Modern Knowledge

B. In the sixteenth century, an age of great marine and terrestrial exploration, Ferdinand Magellan led
the first expedition to sail around the world. As a young Portuguese noble, he served the king of
Portugal, but he became involved in the quagmire of political intrigue at court and lost the king's favor.
After he was dismissed from service to the king of Portugal, he offered to serve the future Emperor
Charles V of Spain. A papal decree of 1493 had assigned all land in the New World west of 50 degrees W
longitude to Spain and all the land east of that line to Portugal. Magellan offered to prove that the East
Indies fell under Spanish authority. On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain with five ships.
More than a year later, one of these ships was exploring the topography of South America in search of a
water route across the continent. This ship sank, but the remaining four ships searched along the
southern peninsula of South America. Finally they found the passage they sought near latitude of 50
degrees S. Magellan named this passage the Strait of All Saints, but today we know it as the Strait of
Magellan.
One ship deserted while in this passage and returned to Spain, so fewer sailors were privileged to
gaze at that first panorama of the Pacific Ocean. Those who remained crossed the meridian we now call
the International Date Line in the early spring of 1521 after ninety-eight days on the Pacific Ocean.
During those long days at sea, many of Magellan's men died of starvation and disease.
Later Magellan became involved in an insular conflict in the Philippines and was killed in a
tribal battle. Only one ship and seventeen sailors under the command of the Basque navigator Elcano
survived to complete the westward journey to Spain and thus prove once and for all that the world is
round, with no precipice at the edge.
____6. The sixteenth century was an age of great ___exploration.
 A. cosmic C. mental
B. land D. common man
____7. Magellan lost the favor of the king of Portugal when he became involved in
a political ___.
A. entanglement C. negotiation
B. discussion D. problems
____8. The Pope divided New World lands between Spain and Portugal according
to their location on one side or the other of an imaginary geographical line 50
degrees west of Greenwich that extends in a ___ direction.
A. north and south C. easterly
B. crosswise D. south east
____9. One of Magellan's ships explored the ___ of South America for a passage
across the continent.
A. coastline C. physical features
B. mountain range D. islands
____10. Four of the ships sought a passage along a southern ___.
A. coast C. body of land with water on three sides
B. inland D. border
____11. The passage was found near 50 degrees S of ___.
A. Greenwich C. Spain
B. The equator D. Portugal
____12. In the spring of 1521, the ships crossed the ___ now called the International Date Line.
A. imaginary circle passing through the poles C. area
B. Imaginary line parallel to the equator D. land mass

B. Answer the questions below on the basis of the given information. Write only the letter on the blanks
before the number. (7 pts.)
Five cities all got more rain than usual this year. The five cities are: Last Stand, Mile City, New
Town, Olliopolis, and Polberg. The cities are located in five different areas of the country: the mountains,
the forest, the coast, the desert, and in a valley. The rainfall amounts were: 12 inches, 27 inches, 32 inches,
44 inches, and 65 inches.
The city in the desert got the least rain; the city in the forest got the most rain.

New Town is in the mountains.

Last Stand got more rain than Olliopolis.

Mile City got more rain than Polberg, but less rain than New Town.

Olliopolis got 44 inches of rain.

The city in the mountains got 32 inches of rain; the city on the coast got 27 inches of rain.

____13.Which city is in the desert?

A. Last Stand B. Mile City C. New Town D. Polberg
____14.Which city got the most rain?
A. Last Stand B. Mile City C. New Town D. Olliopolis
____15.How much rain did Mile City get?
A. 12 inches B. 27 inches C. 32 inches D. 44 inches
____16.Where is Olliopolis located?
A. the mountains B. the coast C. in a valley D. the desert
____17. Critical reading is a demanding process. To read critically, you must slow down your reading and,
with pencil in hand, perform specific operations on the text. Mark up the text with your reactions,
conclusions, and questions. When you read, become an active participant.
This paragraph best supports the statement that
A. critical reading is a slow, dull, but essential process.
B. the best critical reading happens at critical times in a persons life.
C. readers should get in the habit of questioning the truth of what they read.
D. critical reading requires thoughtful and careful attention.
____18.Mathematics allows us to expand our consciousness. Mathematics tells us about economic trends,
patterns of disease, and the growth of populations. Math is good at exposing the truth, but it can also
perpetuate misunderstandings and untruths. Figures have the power to mislead people.
This paragraph best supports the statement that
A. the study of mathematics is dangerous.
B. figures are sometimes used to deceive people.
C. words are more truthful than figures.
D. the study of mathematics is more important than other disciplines.
 ____19.Human technology developed from the first stone tools about two and a half million years ago. At the
beginning, the rate of development was slow. Hundreds of thousands of years passed without much
change. Today, new technologies are reported daily on television and in newspapers.
This paragraph best supports the statement that
A. stone tools were not really technology.
B. stone tools were in use for two and a half million years.
C. In todays world, new technologies are constantly being developed.
D. none of the latest technologies is as significant as the development of stone tools.
I. Identify the meaning of the underlined word/words through context. Write only the letter of your
answer on the space provided.
____20.The long hike was too arduous, I had to stop and catch my breath before going on.
A. Hardly B. difficult C. climb D. art
____21. The pope was wearing his yarmulke when he visited the president of America.
A. A covering in the hand C. covering for body
B. A covering for the head D. umbrella
____22. She hasnt been able to extricate herself from her legal problem.
A. Enjoy B. criticize C. escape D. excel
____23. A sleuth, such as Sherlock Holmes, can be very helpful in solving crimes.
A. Senior citizen B. detective C. man D. pilot
____24. Josie received a bauble for Christmas from her great aunt. This she just with her others, a pair of
imitation earrings, a fake emerald pendant, and a ring that looks like a ruby.
A. Bag B. blanket C. fancy eats D. jewelry
____25. The tornado annihilated the whole town to the point that nothing was left standing.
A. Destroyed B. saved C. created D. constructed
____26. The life of baby Joseph is not lucky like the other because he was born posthumous.
A. Born after his fathers death C. born that did not loved by his parents
B. Born before his fathers death D. born out of wedlock
____27. The lithe girl was perfect for the basketball team because she was all muscles and could play well.
A. Lean B. cubed C. thick D. eerie
____28. My grandfather would always tousle my neatly combed hair.
A. Arrange B. dishevel C. wrinkle D. scrunch
____29. September 11, 2001 was a day of infamy when the World Trade Centers in New York collapsed
after two hijacked planes ripped through.
A. A fortunate circumstance C. painless way of reasons of mercy
B. The act or practice of killing D. something grossly criminal, shocking or brutal
____30. The blurring of gender roles is clearly evident in many of todays androgynous styles and fashions,
such as wearing earrings or having tattoos.
A. not clearly masculine or feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior
B. wearing earrings or having long hair
C. wearing the styles and fashions of today
D. wearing a uniform

II. Name and discuss the different developmental reading stages.

1. Stage 0

2. Stage 1

3. Stage 2

4. Stage 3

5. Stage 4

6. Stage 5