Short Advanced Reading Comprehension Test 20 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.)

Racial discrimination may be as old as human history, but the system of apartheid - Africans for "apartness" - was created only in the late 1940s after the National Party was voted into office by disgruntled Afrikaners. The apartheid era started with the passage in 1949 of the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, which laid the foundation of an elaborate system of discriminatory legislation. Hence, while most other countries were condemning colonialism, white South Africa established a frankly racist regime. Racism alone was not what made apartheid uniquely evil; prejudice and discrimination existed elsewhere, even in some black countries. However, by the 1980s, racism was deplored almost everywhere; when other nations succumbed to it, they did so in violation of their own laws and stated principles. Only in South Africa was racism the law of the land.

Apartheid was _____.

What differentiates apartheid from other kinds of racial discrimination was _____.

By the 1980s, _____.

Many acres of land are lost each year on account of seawater eroding coastal land. Some coastal nations have always struggled to hold back the sea from their flat countries. The Dutch, for instance, have got so skilled in hydro-engineering that they have become world leaders in possession of the technology to conserve land from the erosion caused by the sea. They have not only protected their land but also reclaimed a lot of land from the sea by building a huge, two-mile-long steel barrier to hold the seawater back. If the theory of global warming is correct, the ice in the poles will gradually melt away as the temperature increases. In such a case the level of the sea all over the earth would rise six times higher, which would cause the earth to be flooded.

The major reason why the Dutch possess the highest technology in hydro-engineering is _____.

In case of a sudden sharp increase in the global temperature, particularly coastal countries _____.

The passage is mainly related to _____.

Many Americans doing sedentary jobs have recently started to take physical activity back into their daily routines since they are convinced that vigorous exercise is beneficial to their health. Owing to the potential health benefits of physical activity; some American companies - anxious to keep their workers as healthy and fit as possible - have started to encourage them to spend their time at exercise centres. Studies indicate that those who engage in vigorous physical activity suffer fewer heart attacks and even if they did, they would be less fatal. Exercise is beneficial to the heart and lungs if it is frequent and vigorous - the kind that raises the pulse rate and keeps it high. If done over an extended length of time, it lowers the resting pulse rate, blood pressure and serum cholesterol.

Somebody is doing a sedentary job if they _____.

In view of the possible benefits of exercise, some American firms have begun to encourage their employees to take as much exercise as possible because they are _____.

It is clear from the passage that _____.

The air is becoming hazardously inclusive of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide in many big cities. Everybody's health is getting threatened by these fatal substances. For the reduction of their amount, pro-environmental groups in the UK have proposed ways of limiting the use of automobiles. One solution would be to make daily commuters use mass transportation vehicles such as buses, trains or subways instead of their private cars. Another proposal by these groups is that car drivers be prevented from driving into the city centre one or two days a week. It is also proposed that people be banned from parking on certain streets. If car drivers were controlled in such ways by legal steps, people would be forced to make more use of mass transportation than private cars.

The passage points out that _____.

To reduce the number of fatal substances, groups in favour of the environment have _____.

The author emphasizes that _____.

Splitting an embryo may seem like a great technological leaf but in a world where embryos are already created in test tubes, it is a baby step. The current challenge in reproductive medicine is not to produce more embryos but to identify healthy ones and get them to grow in the womb. Doctors and geneticists have made amazing progress on this front. Using genetic tests, they can now screen embryonic cells for hereditary diseases like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia. In the not-too-distant future, prenatal tests may also help predict such common problems as obesity, depression and heart disease. But don't anticipate scientists to begin building new traits into babies any time soon. The technical obstacles are formidable, and so are the cultural ones.

Nowadays it is alleged to be technologically very easy _____.

Due to technological and cultural barriers, _____.

Today it is probable _____.

The beauty of bread is its simplicity. Flour and liquid are the main ingredients, along with yeast and sometimes salt and from these basics, we get a nourishing and tasty food that gives us carbohydrates, proteins and B vitamins and comes in a wide variety of shapes, textures, and flavours. Practically every culture has its own type of bread and many have more than one. For centuries, it was white breads that were popular; but nowadays more and more people rightly prefer the brown village type of bread which contains far more vitamins and is also much tastier.

As it is pointed out in the passage, the ingredients of bread _____.

The passage stresses that bread is a useful item in our diet _____.

According to the passage, the present-day trend in favour of brown bread _____.

Many of us enjoy a visit to a zoo and for those seeing lions for the first time, it is surely a most thrilling experience. But how many people stop to wonder how the animals are feeling in their frequently unsuitable surroundings? Most zoos cannot afford to provide all the separate species with the right environment. The animals in zoos may be well-fed, but a hunting animal wants to hunt for its own food.

It is pointed out in the passage that coming close to such wild animals as jaguars and lions _____.

The writer feels that few people _____.

It is emphasized in the passage that the living conditions of most animals in zoos _____.

Born on January 30th 1955, Phil Collins seemed destined for a life on the stage. While his father was in charge of an insurance office, his mother managed a theatre school in London. All three of her children had parts in films. When Phil got a part in the London production of "Oliver", he left school for a career in acting. Meanwhile, he was already playing the drums at parties and clubs and had begun to write his own songs, secretly hoping that one day this would be his full-time job. Then, in 1978, something happened that changed his life; he became the drummer of the Genesis Group.

As the passage points out, the pop music singer Phil Collins _____.

In accordance with the passage, although Phil Collins began his career in the theatre, _____.

The passage tells us that the year 1978 _____.