Short Advanced Reading Comprehension Test 17 With MCQs and Answers

(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, available solely before the first question. Remember, referring back to the reading text while answering the questions may be helpful to ensure accuracy.)

Many researchers have commented on what seems to be the fact that fear plays a much smaller part than we should think it must in the life of an animal that lives dangerously. The terror he can know, and perhaps he knows it frequently. But it seems to last only a little longer than the immediate danger it helps him to avoid, instead of lingering, as in the human being it does, until it becomes a burden and a threat. The frightened bird resumes his song as soon as the danger has passed and so does the frightened rabbit his games. It is almost as if they knew that "cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.

The passage is concerned with _____.

The writer thinks that _____.

"Cowards die many times before their deaths" implies _____.

Solitude is a great chastener after you accept it. It quietly eliminates all kinds of traits that were a part of you - among others, the desire to pose, to keep your best foot forever in evidence, to impress people as being something you would like to have them think you are even when you aren’t. Some men I know are able to pose even in solitude; had they male servants, they no doubt would be heroes to them. However, I find it the hardest sort of work myself, and as I am lazy, I have stopped trying. To act without an audience is so tiresome and profitless that you gradually give it up and at last forget how to act at all. For you become more interested in making the acquaintance of yourself as you really are, which is a meeting that, in the haunts of men, rarely takes place. It is gratifying, for instance, to discover that you prefer to be clean rather than dirty even when there is no one but God to care; it is just as amusing to note, however, that for scrupulous cleanliness you are not inclined to make superhuman sacrifices, even though you used to believe you were. Clothes, you learn, with something of a shock, have for you no interest whatsoever… You learn to regard a dress merely as a covering precaution. For its colour and its cut, you care nothing.

The passage is concerned with _____.

A desire to show at your best is a trait that _____.

In solitude, clothes _____.

Geometry is a very old science. We are told by Herodotus, a Greek historian, that geometry had its origin in Egypt along the banks of the river Nile. The first record we have of its study is found in a manuscript written by Mimes, an Egyptian scholar, about 1550 B.C. This manuscript is believed to be a copy of a treatise that dated back probably more than a thousand years and describes the use of geometry at that time in a very crude form of surveying or measurement. In fact, geometry, which means "earth measurement," received its name in this manner. This re-measuring of the land was necessary because of the annual overflow of the river Nile and the consequent destruction of the boundaries of farmlands. This early geometry was very largely a list of rules or formulas for finding the areas of plane figures. Many of these rules were inaccurate, but in the main, they were fairly satisfactory.

The passage is concerned with _____.

In developing geometry, the early Egyptians primarily dealt with _____.

One of the most important factors in the development of geometry as science was _____.

Computers have led to a greater change in our society in recent decades than any other force and are likely to continue to do so until the next century. The industry surrounding computers is growing quickly, providing employment for many but meanwhile making others redundant. Jobs that computers can do much more reliably, faster and cheaper are lost. The redeployment of labour and the prospect of increased leisure are causing social upheavals which require new ideas and significant changes of attitude.

It is emphasized in the passage that the introduction of computers into daily life _____.

In accordance with the passage, the impact computers have had on society _____.

As it is emphasized in the passage, the widespread use of computers in industry _____.

The achievement of equality between men and women implies that they should have equal rights, opportunities, and responsibilities. This enables them to improve their skills and abilities for their own personal fulfilment and the benefit of society. To that end, a reassessment of the functions and roles traditionally allotted to each sex within the family and the community at large is essential. Governments should ensure both women and men have equality before the law. This includes the provision of facilities for equality of educational opportunities and training, equality in conditions of employment, including remuneration, and adequate social security.

The passage points out that the question of equality between men and women _____.

As it is emphasized in the passage, the equality of the sexes essentially means _____ for everyone.

It is made obvious in the passage that the maintenance of equality between men and women in society _____.

In the mid-1970s, after 30 years of quick growth and unprecedented prosperity for the major Western economies, the prospects for continued growth became much less favourable. This resulted partly from the acceleration of inflation in many countries, bringing with it insecurity and militancy in industrial relations. However, the primary cause was the remarkable increase in the price of oil in 1974 and again in 1980, a fuel on which the Western economies had become heavily dependent. This produced a strong burst of inflation; and, because much of the oil revenue accruing to producers could not be spent, caused an unprecedented balance of payments problem and a severe world recession.

One can conclude from the passage that, in the three decades prior to the mid-nineteen seventies, _____.

It is emphasized in the passage that rising oil prices in 1974 and 1980 _____.

It is shown in the passage that the economic recession in the mid-1970s was largely due to the fact that _____.

Tavi Fabrics is a Portuguese textile and clothing firm which, until recently, employed about 300 workers and had a turnover of 6 million pounds. Now, however, Tavi is facing serious problems. In the last two years, its fabric sales have remained steady, but profits have declined sharply. This is because Pakistani and Italian suppliers have been forcing prices down. In the ready-to-wear market, the condition is much worse. Competition is cut-throat. Exporters from 24 low-cost countries are fighting for a share in the European market. Tavi is suffering from this competition. The stores are now bargaining hard over prices, and Tavi has already lost two important orders.

The passage shows the case of a textile firm which, _____.

We can conclude from the passage that the area which has been hit worst by international competition _____.

One can understand from the passage that Tavi's problems _____.

In 1945 Japanese reign in Korea came to an end when the Russians occupied the northern part of the country and the Americans in the south. It was planned that the country should be reunified after free elections, but in practice rival governments were set up. The Korean War broke out in 1950 when Communist North Korea under Kim II-Sung, invaded the South with Chinese support in an attempt to unify the country by force. South Korea was supported by a United Nations Force in what was really an American containment operation. In 1953, an armistice was signed and the demarcation line between North and South Korea was agreed.

In accordance with the passage, it was the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North that _____.

It is clear in the passage that the withdrawal of Japan from Korea in 1945 _____.

As it is shown in the passage, the reunification of Korea after the Japanese withdrawal _____.