SHORT READING WORKSHEET

Worksheet compiled by Saquib-Ul Haque

PASSAGE#1: Mixed One of the features that distinguish traditional Pueblo pottery from other types of clay art is the absence of machinery from all parts of the creative process. The clay is gathered, processed, and finally shaped by hand. Instead of using a potters wheel to create vases and other round objects, the Pueblo pottery artist rolls clay into long pieces and then painstakingly coils them into layers of circles. Paints are produced from plants and minerals found near the Pueblo village and applied with a handmade brush fashioned from a yucca cactus. This adherence to tradition is one of the things that make Pueblo pottery so attractive to the art collector. Since the Pueblo potter shuns techniques of mass production, the collector can be sure that every piece of Pueblo clay art is uniquely shaped. This quality also makes examples of Pueblo pottery excellent gifts. 1. According to information provided in the passage, what change to the Pueblo pottery production process would do most to make examples of Pueblo pottery LESS attractive as gifts? (A ) Substitution of synthetic paints for the natural pigments currently used (B) Changes to the way the clay is gathered and processed (C) Changes to the type of clay used (D) The replacement of traditional Pueblo decoration with more modern designs (E) The introduction of molds to guarantee uniform size and shape 2. The function of the first paragraph is to (A) establish a thesis that will be refuted in the second paragraph (B) establish a thesis that will be supported in the second paragraph (C) provide information that will be used to explain a phenomenon discussed in the second paragraph (D) present two differing opinions about Pueblo pottery (E) explain why it is important for people interested in collecting art to learn about Pueblo pottery 3. According to information provided in the passage, what change would do MOST to threaten future production of traditional Pueblo pottery? (A) The replacement of the traditional process with standardized technology (B) The increase in popularity of Pueblo pottery (C) A loss in interest in Pueblo pottery on the part of art collectors (D) A reduction in the number of Pueblo pottery pieces given as gifts each year (E) The introduction of new styles of pottery similar to Pueblo pottery _____________________________________________________________________ PASSAGE#2: Mixed For thousands of years, people believed that owls were more like gods than animals. Even in modern times they have been used to signify wisdom, magic, and power, but the simple truth is that owls are no more divine than other birds. The large, round heads and huge, forward-facing eyes that incd ancient observers to believe that owls possessed divine intelligence are simply natural adaptations developed to help the predators catch the small animals that make up their food supply. Although owls do not possess any of the mystical powers often attributed to them in mythology, they are formidable hunters whose skill surpasses that of other birds of prey. Their acute senses ensure that owls rarely fail to notice a potential meal, and their ability to fly silently means that the unfortunate mouse identified by the owl as its next snack never realizes it is the object of an attack until too late. 1. In the second sentence of the first paragraph, the word signify means (A) denote (B) magnify (C) make important (D) insult (E) predict

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3. The purpose of the passage as a whole is to (A) assure the reader that owls are no different from other birds (B) persuade the reader that owls had an important place in ancient mythology (C) assert that while owls are not magical they are extraordinary in other ways (D) defend an attitude that has recently come under attack (E) discredit an idea that has been gaining in popularity PASSAGE#3: Authors Intention Until the early 1900's, Americans were not extremely concerned about their futures as they became older. The major source of economic security was farming, and the extended family cared for the elderly. However, the Industrial Revolution brought an end to this tradition. Farming gave way to more progressive means of earning a living and family ties became looser; as a result, the family was not always available to take care of the older generation. The Great Depression of the 1930's exacerbated these economic security woes. So in 1935, Congress, under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, signed into law the Social Security Act. This act created a program intended to provide continuing income for retired workers at least 65 years old, partially through the collection of funds from Americans in the work force. Much organization was required to get the program underway, but the first monthly Social Security checks were issued in 1940. Over the years the Social Security Program has metamorphosed into benefits not only for workers but also for the disabled and for survivors of beneficiaries, as well as medical insurance benefits in the form of Medicare. The author most likely mentions the Great Depression to: A. identify the primary purpose for Social Security. B. criticize FDR's adoption of a program that would run out of money. C. contrast the effectiveness of the Social Security Program with that of family care. D. list another factor that contributed to the need for the Social Security Program. PASSAGE#4: Authors Intention The true way of looking at Gothic art is to regard it not as a definite style bound by certain formulasfor the spirit is infinitely various,but rather as the expression of a certain temper, sentiment, and spirit which inspired the whole method of doing things during the Middle Ages in sculpture and painting as well as in architecture. It cannot be defined by any of its outward features, for they are variable, differing at different times and in different places. They are the outward expression of certain cardinal principles behind them, and though these principles are common to all good styles, Gothic among them, the result of applying them to the buildings of each age, country, and people will vary as the circumstances of that country, that age, and that people vary. The author most likely wrote the passage about Gothic art in order to: A. suggest that Gothic art is not a style with specific characteristics as much as it is a sentiment from a particular time. B. intensify the description of Gothic art's sentiment and spirit. C. explain the definition of Gothic art as an art form that has no definable characteristics. D. compare Gothic art to the art of the Middle Ages

2. The last sentence of the first paragraph provides (A) a summary of the facts presented earlier (B) an example to prove a controversial theory presented earlier (C) an explanation that rebuts a misconception presented earlier (D) an assertion that will be proved later on (E) a view that will be contradicted later on

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SHORT READING WORKSHEET

Worksheet compiled by Saquib-Ul Haque
PASSAGE#5: Authors Intention The funeral was just stretching on and on that sweaty Sunday in the middle of the summer. I took a look at my fingers, clammy and swollen from the dizzy heat, and ached to be splashing around in the creek behind the church. Daddy promised that the rain from Friday would cool everything down, but the sun just sucked up all that water just the same as it did year after year. All the women, dressed in black with funny-looking hats, whispered at each other and blew their noses into hankies as they tried to fan themselves cooler with the paper bulletin old lady Mathers had typed up just for this occasion. Preacher Tom yammered on and on in his booming voice like it was just another boring Sunday and no one had even died, while tiny little rivers of sweat made their way down the middle of my back. Miss Patterson, my favorite Sunday school teacher, whispered cross the aisle to Daddy that Its a cryin shame, ya know. Daddy shrugged his big old coal-mining shoulders and said, The good Lord knows whats best. I knew he wasnt really sad because he was a hard-hearted man with no sense and no decency, like Momma used to say when hed come home smelling like whiskey. The author most likely used the phrase "tiny little rivers of sweat made their way down the middle of my back" in order to: A. contrast the hot interior of the church during the funeral with the coolness of the creek. B. compare the hot interior of the church during the funeral with the coolness of the creek. C. identify the main reason the narrator was uncomfortable during the funeral. D. intensify the description of the heat during the funeral. PASSAGE#6: Main Idea All people are concerned about a few great questions: the existence of God, the purpose of life, the existence of an afterlife, and morality. About the first, science has nothing to say: no test tube has either proved or disproved Gods existence. As to the purpose of life, although science can provide a definition of life and describe the characteristics of living organisms, it has nothing to say about ultimate purpose. Regarding an afterlife, science can offer no information, for it has no tests that it can use to detect a hereafter. As for the question of morality, science can demonstrate the consequences of behavior but not the moral superiority of one action compared with another. Science cannot even prove that loving your family and neighbor is superior to hurting and killing them. What is the main idea of the passage above? PASSAGE#7: Main Idea The high-heeled shoes that are so much in fashion right now are actually terribly unhealthy for women's feet. They lift feet out of their natural position and shorten the Achilles' tendons. They put damaging pressure on nerves and remove the feet's ability to stabilize the body and absorb the impact of heel strikes while walking. Therefore, women who regularly wear high heels often suffer from sprained ankles, arthritis, shin splints, bunions, toe deformities, and back pain. But the exact opposite type of shoe, the popular flip-flop or thong sandal, is also bad for feet. Because flip-flops are flat and soft, they offer no support or protection. They can also easily catch on things and cause the wearer to trip and fall. Even athletic shoes can sometimes be unhealthy for feet. According to foot specialists, some of them don't provide enough cushioning for people with high arches. Others don't provide enough arch support for people with flatter feet. Therefore, they can cause tearing of body tissues, bruises, and sprained ankles. The main idea of the passage above is: A. Shoes are actually bad for the human foot, and we would all be better off going barefoot. B. Fashionable high-heeled shoes are bad for women's feet but that doesn't stop women from wearing them. C. Several of today's most popular shoe styles are unhealthy for the feet. D. Shoe manufacturers should stop producing flip-flops and high-heeled shoes . E. Men have remained unaffected by the spike in popularity of unhealthy footwear.

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PASSAGE#8: Main Idea Soon after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon America, New Yorkers erected a temporary "Tribute in Light" memorial near the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. The memorial beamed two powerful pillars of light into the night sky. Later, when the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation held a competition to select a design for a memorial to the victims those attacks, one of the eight finalists proposed a design called "Passages of Light: Memorial Cloud." This memorial would consist of 10,000 vertical light sources that would be suspended above visitors' heads. Another finalist's design, called "Inversion of Light" suggested turning the footprint of one of the towers into a reflecting pool above a circle of lights. Yet another finalist proposed a "Garden of Lights," in which each light represented a victim of the attack. Similarly, another of the eight finalists wanted to create "Votives (candles) in Suspension," in which lights representing each victim would hang in an underground space. The main idea of the passage above is: A. Although temporary, the memorial consisting of two beams of light was the best and most powerful memorial of all. B. Americans take the design of a memorial very seriously. C. Many of the ideas for September 11 memorials revolved around the use of light as a symbol. D. Erection of a memorial served to pacify the hearts of those who were grieving. E. Decisions about the design of the memorial were made by the eight finalists. PASSAGE#9: Inference (PICK 2 ANSWER CHOICES) A sociology professor wrote on the board, A woman without her man is nothing and, with a smile, asked students to punctuate the sentence correctly. The men all wrote, A woman, without her man, is nothing. However, the women wrote, A woman: Without her, man is nothing. From the passage above we can infer that: A. The professor was definitely a man. B. The professor did not believe students could punctuate the words correctly. C. The professor knew there was more than one way to punctuate the words correctly. D. The professor is not a good teacher. E. Gender differences caused students to punctuate the professors words differently. PASSAGE#10: Inference (PICK 3 ANSWER CHOICES) A famous psychology experiment conducted by Dr. John B. Watson demonstrates that people, like animals, can be conditionedtrained to respond in a particular way to certain stimulations. Watson gave an eleven-month-old baby named Albert a soft, furry white rat. Each time Albert tried to stroke the rat, Dr. Watson hit a metal bar with a hammer. Before long, Albert was afraid not only of white rats but also of white rabbits, white dogs, and white fur coats. He even screamed at the sight of a Santa Claus mask. From the passage above we can infer that: A. Dr. Watson did not like small children. B. Before the experiment, Albert was not afraid of white rats. C. Albert had been familiar with rats before the experiment. D. If he had seen a black fur coat, Albert would have screamed. E. Albert connected the loud noise of the hammer striking the metal bar with the white rat. F. Albert was afraid of unexpected loud noises.

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